diff --git a/connector/test/quota.test.mjs b/connector/test/quota.test.mjs
index 310ea91..6f6b7c0 100644
--- a/connector/test/quota.test.mjs
+++ b/connector/test/quota.test.mjs
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ test("YouTube's budget is shared by all clients; per-account platforms are separ
 
 test("rolling 24 h windows free up when the oldest post ages out", () => {
   reset();
-  const at = Date.parse("2026-10-21T12:00:00Z");
+  const at = Date.now(); // relative to now: entries older than 24 h are pruned on every write
   const first = at - 20 * H;
   quota.record("tiktok", "acct", "publish", first);
   for (let i = 1; i < 15; i++) quota.record("tiktok", "acct", "publish", at - H);