diff --git a/src/tests/backend/specs/admin/adminSettingsResolved.ts b/src/tests/backend/specs/admin/adminSettingsResolved.ts
index 9d95f089f..a4e31e1b8 100644
--- a/src/tests/backend/specs/admin/adminSettingsResolved.ts
+++ b/src/tests/backend/specs/admin/adminSettingsResolved.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 'use strict';
 
 import {strict as assert} from 'assert';
+import {vi} from 'vitest';
 import setCookieParser from 'set-cookie-parser';
 import * as fs from 'fs';
 import * as os from 'os';
@@ -81,7 +82,7 @@ const ask = (socket: any, evt: string, payload: any, replyEvt: string) =>
       socket.emit(evt, payload);
     });
 
-describe(__filename, function () {
+describe(__filename, () => {
   let socket: any;
   let savedUsers: any;
   let savedRequireAuthentication: boolean;
@@ -92,9 +93,10 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
   let savedSettingsFilename: any;
   let tmpSettingsPath: string | null = null;
   let setupCompleted = false;
+  let skipReason: string | null = null;
 
-  before(async function () {
-    this.timeout(60000);
+  before(async () => {
+    vi.setConfig({hookTimeout: 60000});
     await common.init();
 
     // The load handler bails with logger.error + early return if the
@@ -125,13 +127,13 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
       console.warn(
           `[adminSettingsResolved] admin socket probe failed (${probe.reason}); ` +
           'skipping suite — likely an authenticate-hook plugin rejecting test creds.');
-      this.skip();
+      skipReason = probe.reason;
       return;
     }
     socket = probe.socket;
   });
 
-  after(function () {
+  after(() => {
     if (socket) socket.disconnect();
     if (!setupCompleted) return;
     if (savedDbPwd === undefined) delete settings.dbSettings.password;
@@ -148,7 +150,8 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
     settings.requireAuthentication = savedRequireAuthentication;
   });
 
-  it('emits {results, resolved, flags}', async function () {
+  it('emits {results, resolved, flags}', async (ctx) => {
+    if (skipReason) return ctx.skip();
     const reply: any = await ask(socket, 'load', null, 'settings');
     assert.ok(reply, 'reply present');
     assert.equal(typeof reply.results, 'string', 'raw file string');
@@ -156,19 +159,22 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
     assert.ok(reply.flags, 'flags present');
   });
 
-  it('resolved reflects live in-memory values, not the file on disk', async function () {
+  it('resolved reflects live in-memory values, not the file on disk', async (ctx) => {
+    if (skipReason) return ctx.skip();
     const reply: any = await ask(socket, 'load', null, 'settings');
     assert.equal(reply.resolved.trustProxy, true,
         'resolved should show the in-memory trustProxy');
   });
 
-  it('resolved redacts secrets', async function () {
+  it('resolved redacts secrets', async (ctx) => {
+    if (skipReason) return ctx.skip();
     const reply: any = await ask(socket, 'load', null, 'settings');
     assert.equal(reply.resolved.dbSettings.password, '[REDACTED]');
     assert.equal(reply.resolved.sessionKey, '[REDACTED]');
   });
 
-  it('resolved is omitted when showSettingsInAdminPage is false', async function () {
+  it('resolved is omitted when showSettingsInAdminPage is false', async (ctx) => {
+    if (skipReason) return ctx.skip();
     settings.showSettingsInAdminPage = false;
     try {
       const reply: any = await ask(socket, 'load', null, 'settings');
diff --git a/src/tests/backend/specs/admin/adminSettingsSave.ts b/src/tests/backend/specs/admin/adminSettingsSave.ts
index cab307352..4006e0dac 100644
--- a/src/tests/backend/specs/admin/adminSettingsSave.ts
+++ b/src/tests/backend/specs/admin/adminSettingsSave.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 'use strict';
 
 import {strict as assert} from 'assert';
+import {vi} from 'vitest';
 import setCookieParser from 'set-cookie-parser';
 import * as fs from 'fs';
 import * as os from 'os';
@@ -97,7 +98,7 @@ const save = (socket: any, payload: string) =>
 // disk byte-for-byte at settings.settingsFilename, and the subsequent
 // `load` reply reflects the new file contents. We do NOT exercise
 // runtime reload — that's reloadSettings()' job and is covered elsewhere.
-describe(__filename, function () {
+describe(__filename, () => {
   let socket: any;
   let savedUsers: any;
   let savedRequireAuthentication: boolean;
@@ -105,9 +106,10 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
   let tmpSettingsPath: string | null = null;
   let baselineContents: string;
   let setupCompleted = false;
+  let skipReason: string | null = null;
 
-  before(async function () {
-    this.timeout(60000);
+  before(async () => {
+    vi.setConfig({hookTimeout: 60000});
     await common.init();
 
     savedSettingsFilename = settings.settingsFilename;
@@ -134,13 +136,13 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
       console.warn(
           `[adminSettingsSave] admin socket probe failed (${probe.reason}); ` +
           'skipping suite — likely an authenticate-hook plugin rejecting test creds.');
-      this.skip();
+      skipReason = probe.reason;
       return;
     }
     socket = probe.socket;
   });
 
-  after(function () {
+  after(() => {
     if (socket) socket.disconnect();
     if (!setupCompleted) return;
     settings.settingsFilename = savedSettingsFilename;
@@ -153,14 +155,15 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
   });
 
   // Reset to baseline between tests so each it() is independent — earlier
-  // suites in the same mocha run can leave behind state via shared sockets.
-  beforeEach(function () {
-    if (!tmpSettingsPath) this.skip();
+  // suites in the same run can leave behind state via shared sockets.
+  beforeEach((ctx) => {
+    if (!tmpSettingsPath) return ctx.skip();
     fs.writeFileSync(tmpSettingsPath!, baselineContents);
   });
 
   it('saveSettings writes the payload byte-for-byte to settings.settingsFilename',
-      async function () {
+      async (ctx) => {
+        if (skipReason) return ctx.skip();
         const payload = JSON.stringify({title: 'EtherpadWrittenViaSocket'}, null, 2);
         const ack = await save(socket, payload);
         assert.equal(ack.status, 'saved', 'saveprogress should be "saved"');
@@ -173,7 +176,8 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
   // one new top-level block (a plugin config). The block must persist on
   // disk verbatim and reappear in the next `load` reply.
   it('augmenting existing JSON with a new top-level plugin block round-trips',
-      async function () {
+      async (ctx) => {
+        if (skipReason) return ctx.skip();
         const augmented = JSON.stringify({
           title: 'Etherpad',
           ip: '0.0.0.0',
@@ -207,7 +211,8 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
   // path must not normalize or strip them — the SPA test
   // 'preserves /* */ comments after save round-trip' covers the UI side;
   // this one covers the socket-level guarantee.
-  it('preserves /* */ comments in the written file', async function () {
+  it('preserves /* */ comments in the written file', async (ctx) => {
+    if (skipReason) return ctx.skip();
     const withComment =
         '/* persisted-marker-7819 */\n' +
         JSON.stringify({title: 'Etherpad'}, null, 2);
diff --git a/src/tests/backend/specs/admin/padLoadFilter.ts b/src/tests/backend/specs/admin/padLoadFilter.ts
index a53b75e32..1e16d7e6c 100644
--- a/src/tests/backend/specs/admin/padLoadFilter.ts
+++ b/src/tests/backend/specs/admin/padLoadFilter.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 // offset/limit slice, so `total` reflects the filtered universe.
 
 import {strict as assert} from 'assert';
+import {vi} from 'vitest';
 import setCookieParser from 'set-cookie-parser';
 
 const io = require('socket.io-client');
@@ -86,19 +87,20 @@ const adminSocketWithProbe = async (budgetMs: number): Promise<{
   return {ok: true, socket};
 };
 
-describe(__filename, function () {
+describe(__filename, () => {
   let socket: any;
   let savedUsers: any;
   let savedRequireAuthentication: boolean;
   let setupCompleted = false;
+  let skipReason: string | null = null;
   // Distinct per-suite tag so concurrent test runs / leftover pads from
   // earlier suites don't pollute the filter assertions.
   const tag = `padLoadFilter-${Date.now()}-${Math.floor(Math.random() * 1e6)}`;
   const emptyPadIds: string[] = [];
   const editedPadIds: string[] = [];
 
-  before(async function () {
-    this.timeout(120000);
+  before(async () => {
+    vi.setConfig({hookTimeout: 120000});
     await common.init();
 
     savedUsers = settings.users;
@@ -111,7 +113,7 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
           `[padLoadFilter] admin socket probe failed (${probe.reason}); ` +
           "skipping suite — likely an authenticate-hook plugin rejecting the test's " +
           'admin credentials.');
-      this.skip();
+      skipReason = probe.reason;
       return;
     }
     socket = probe.socket;
@@ -132,7 +134,7 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
     }
   });
 
-  after(async function () {
+  after(async () => {
     if (socket) socket.disconnect();
     if (!setupCompleted) return;
     // `savedUsers` may point at the same object that adminSocket mutated,
@@ -150,7 +152,8 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
     }
   });
 
-  it('filter:"empty" returns only revisionNumber===0 pads from the full set', async function () {
+  it('filter:"empty" returns only revisionNumber===0 pads from the full set', async (ctx) => {
+    if (skipReason) return ctx.skip();
     const res = await ask(socket, 'padLoad', {
       pattern: tag, offset: 0, limit: 12, sortBy: 'padName',
       ascending: true, filter: 'empty',
@@ -162,7 +165,8 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
     }
   });
 
-  it('filter:"empty" with limit=2 still reports the correct total (regression: thm)', async function () {
+  it('filter:"empty" with limit=2 still reports the correct total (regression: thm)', async (ctx) => {
+    if (skipReason) return ctx.skip();
     // The bug thm hit: clicking "empty" showed at most `limit` empties
     // because filtering happened on the client AFTER pagination. The
     // server now applies filter first, so total reflects the filtered
@@ -175,7 +179,8 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
     assert.equal(res.results.length, 2, `expected limit=2 page, got ${res.results.length} rows`);
   });
 
-  it('filter omitted (older client) falls back to "all"', async function () {
+  it('filter omitted (older client) falls back to "all"', async (ctx) => {
+    if (skipReason) return ctx.skip();
     const res = await ask(socket, 'padLoad', {
       pattern: tag, offset: 0, limit: 12, sortBy: 'padName',
       ascending: true,
@@ -184,7 +189,8 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
         `expected total=8 (5 empty + 3 edited), got ${JSON.stringify(res)}`);
   });
 
-  it('filter:"all" matches the no-filter behaviour', async function () {
+  it('filter:"all" matches the no-filter behaviour', async (ctx) => {
+    if (skipReason) return ctx.skip();
     const res = await ask(socket, 'padLoad', {
       pattern: tag, offset: 0, limit: 12, sortBy: 'padName',
       ascending: true, filter: 'all',
@@ -192,7 +198,8 @@ describe(__filename, function () {
     assert.equal(res.total, 8);
   });
 
-  it('filter:"active" excludes pads with no active users', async function () {
+  it('filter:"active" excludes pads with no active users', async (ctx) => {
+    if (skipReason) return ctx.skip();
     // No connected clients in this test, so every test pad has
     // userCount === 0 → filter:"active" must return zero.
     const res = await ask(socket, 'padLoad', {