diff --git a/e2e/utils/settle.ts b/e2e/utils/settle.ts
index 14480ab7b..de8afc088 100644
--- a/e2e/utils/settle.ts
+++ b/e2e/utils/settle.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,17 @@ export async function settleBeforeMeasure(
   } else {
     await expect(sentinel).toBeVisible();
   }
+  // A shell can be visible while the data underneath it is still arriving,
+  // and a placeholder standing in for that data occupies height like any
+  // other content. Measuring then reports the geometry of a page that no
+  // longer exists a moment later, and blames the application for it. The
+  // suite marks those placeholders with a `-loading` slot, so wait for them
+  // to go. Never fail on the wait: a page that legitimately keeps one would
+  // otherwise turn every measurement on it into a timeout, which is a worse
+  // failure than the one being prevented.
+  await expect(page.locator('[data-slot$="-loading"]'))
+    .toHaveCount(0, { timeout: 5_000 })
+    .catch(() => {});
   // Fonts and late CSS change geometry after the element is visible, and
   // every measurement in this suite is geometric.
   await page.waitForLoadState("networkidle").catch(() => {});