diff --git a/crates/omnigraph/tests/proptest_equivalence.rs b/crates/omnigraph/tests/proptest_equivalence.rs
index 0566b71..3423a2f 100644
--- a/crates/omnigraph/tests/proptest_equivalence.rs
+++ b/crates/omnigraph/tests/proptest_equivalence.rs
@@ -138,15 +138,28 @@ fn config() -> Config {
     }
 }
 
-fn set_mode(mode: &str) {
-    // SAFE: every test in this binary is #[serial], so no thread reads the env
-    // during this write.
-    unsafe { std::env::set_var("OMNIGRAPH_TRAVERSAL_MODE", mode) };
-}
 fn clear_mode() {
     unsafe { std::env::remove_var("OMNIGRAPH_TRAVERSAL_MODE") };
 }
 
+/// RAII guard that sets `OMNIGRAPH_TRAVERSAL_MODE` and clears it on drop — so a
+/// panic mid-case (e.g. a query `unwrap`) cannot leak the forced mode into
+/// proptest's subsequent shrink/cases and mask the divergence under test. SAFE:
+/// every test in this binary is `#[serial]`, so no thread reads the env during
+/// the write.
+struct ModeGuard;
+impl ModeGuard {
+    fn set(mode: &str) -> Self {
+        unsafe { std::env::set_var("OMNIGRAPH_TRAVERSAL_MODE", mode) };
+        ModeGuard
+    }
+}
+impl Drop for ModeGuard {
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        unsafe { std::env::remove_var("OMNIGRAPH_TRAVERSAL_MODE") };
+    }
+}
+
 async fn load_graph(graph: &GenGraph) -> (tempfile::TempDir, Omnigraph) {
     let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
     let uri = dir.path().to_str().unwrap();
@@ -201,11 +214,17 @@ fn prop_expand_indexed_eq_csr() {
                 for start in graph.persons.clone() {
                     let p = one_param(&start);
                     for q in ["friends", "employers"] {
-                        set_mode("csr");
-                        let csr = col0_sorted(&mut db, q, &p).await;
-                        set_mode("indexed");
-                        let indexed = col0_sorted(&mut db, q, &p).await;
-                        clear_mode();
+                        // Each guard clears the mode on drop (end of the block,
+                        // or on panic), so a forced mode never leaks across runs.
+                        let csr = {
+                            let _g = ModeGuard::set("csr");
+                            col0_sorted(&mut db, q, &p).await
+                        };
+                        let indexed = {
+                            let _g = ModeGuard::set("indexed");
+                            col0_sorted(&mut db, q, &p).await
+                        };
+                        // No guard → env unset → auto (cost-based) path.
                         let auto = col0_sorted(&mut db, q, &p).await;
                         if csr != indexed || csr != auto {
                             return Some((start, q, csr, indexed, auto));