diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-write-program-buffer.yaml b/.github/workflows/test-write-program-buffer.yaml
index 667a064..34caa12 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-write-program-buffer.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-write-program-buffer.yaml
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ jobs:
   integration:
     name: ${{ matrix.scenario }} (solana ${{ matrix.solana-version }})
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 10
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
diff --git a/start-test-validator/action.yaml b/start-test-validator/action.yaml
index 1531310..31889eb 100644
--- a/start-test-validator/action.yaml
+++ b/start-test-validator/action.yaml
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ runs:
           LEDGER_DIR="${RUNNER_TEMP:-/tmp}/test-ledger"
         fi
 
-        rm -rf "$LEDGER_DIR"
         solana-test-validator --reset --quiet --ledger "$LEDGER_DIR" > "${RUNNER_TEMP:-/tmp}/validator-stdout.log" 2>&1 &
         echo "Validator started with PID $!"
 
diff --git a/write-program-buffer/tests/integration/assert-authority.sh b/write-program-buffer/tests/integration/assert-authority.sh
index 7d1251a..d24e036 100755
--- a/write-program-buffer/tests/integration/assert-authority.sh
+++ b/write-program-buffer/tests/integration/assert-authority.sh
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ fail() {
 [ -n "${BUFFER:-}" ] || fail "action did not output a buffer address"
 [ -n "${BUFFER_AUTHORITY:-}" ] || fail "BUFFER_AUTHORITY env not set"
 [ -n "${DEPLOYER:-}" ] || fail "DEPLOYER env not set"
+[ -n "${PROGRAM_ID:-}" ] || fail "PROGRAM_ID env not set"
+[ -n "${PRE_LEN:-}" ] || fail "PRE_LEN env not set"
 
 BUFFER_INFO=$(solana program show "$BUFFER" -u "$RPC_URL")
 echo "$BUFFER_INFO"
@@ -20,9 +22,13 @@ AUTHORITY=$(echo "$BUFFER_INFO" | grep "Authority:" | awk '{print $2}' || true)
 [ "$AUTHORITY" = "$BUFFER_AUTHORITY" ] || fail "buffer authority is $AUTHORITY, expected $BUFFER_AUTHORITY"
 [ "$AUTHORITY" != "$DEPLOYER" ] || fail "buffer authority still equals the deployer"
 
+POST_LEN=$(solana program show "$PROGRAM_ID" -u "$RPC_URL" | grep "Data Length:" | sed -E 's/.*Data Length: ([0-9]+).*/\1/' | cut -d ' ' -f1 || true)
+[ -n "$POST_LEN" ] || fail "could not read data length of program $PROGRAM_ID"
+[ "$POST_LEN" -eq "$PRE_LEN" ] || fail "program was resized from $PRE_LEN to $POST_LEN bytes, expected no resize"
+
 DUMP="$(mktemp)"
 solana program dump "$BUFFER" "$DUMP" -u "$RPC_URL" || fail "could not dump buffer $BUFFER"
 cmp -s "$ARTIFACT" "$DUMP" || fail "buffer contents differ from artifact"
 rm -f "$DUMP"
 
-echo "Authority transfer assertions passed"
+echo "Authority transfer assertions passed: program stayed at $PRE_LEN bytes"
diff --git a/write-program-buffer/tests/integration/prepare-authority.sh b/write-program-buffer/tests/integration/prepare-authority.sh
index d840aae..a14e696 100755
--- a/write-program-buffer/tests/integration/prepare-authority.sh
+++ b/write-program-buffer/tests/integration/prepare-authority.sh
@@ -28,12 +28,19 @@ solana program deploy "$FIXTURES_DIR/program-small.so" \
   -u "$RPC_URL" -k "$SCENARIO_DIR/deployer.json" \
   --commitment confirmed
 
+PRE_LEN=$(solana program show "$PROGRAM_ID" -u "$RPC_URL" | grep "Data Length:" | sed -E 's/.*Data Length: ([0-9]+).*/\1/' | cut -d ' ' -f1 || true)
+if [ -z "$PRE_LEN" ]; then
+  echo "Could not read deployed program size" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 cp "$FIXTURES_DIR/program-small.so" target/deploy/fixture-authority.so
 
-echo "Prepared authority scenario: deployer=$DEPLOYER program-id=$PROGRAM_ID authority-target=$AUTHORITY_TARGET"
+echo "Prepared authority scenario: deployer=$DEPLOYER program-id=$PROGRAM_ID authority-target=$AUTHORITY_TARGET pre-len=$PRE_LEN"
 {
   echo "keypair=$(cat "$SCENARIO_DIR/deployer.json")"
   echo "deployer=$DEPLOYER"
   echo "program-id=$PROGRAM_ID"
   echo "buffer-authority=$AUTHORITY_TARGET"
+  echo "pre-len=$PRE_LEN"
 } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"