diff --git a/tests/archive_client_e2e.py b/tests/archive_client_e2e.py
index 80029d6..84b0454 100644
--- a/tests/archive_client_e2e.py
+++ b/tests/archive_client_e2e.py
@@ -103,20 +103,25 @@ def replay(name, expected_count, expected_first, expected_last, *filters):
     print(f"{name}: PASS ({len(rows)} rows, {cursors[0]}..{cursors[-1]})")
 
 
-replay("whole-segment", 5000, 1, 5000)
+# --backfill-only reaches the SEALED frontier, not the archive tip. The sample
+# leaves its third segment active (unsealed) and startup resumes it in place as
+# upstream's ingest.Open does, so these stop at seq 4000. The full cutover run
+# below has no such bound and must still reach all 5,000 events -- that gap is
+# the boundary, not a shortfall.
+replay("whole-segment", 4000, 1, 4000)
 replay(
     "did-block-plan",
-    2500,
+    2000,
     2,
-    5000,
+    4000,
     "--did",
     "did:plc:streamsampleaccount",
 )
 replay(
     "sentinel-only-block-plan",
-    50,
+    40,
     100,
-    5000,
+    4000,
     "--collection",
     "com.example.nothing",
 )