diff --git a/examples/src/bin/compose_runner.rs b/examples/src/bin/compose_runner.rs
index 45f2411..bc6142c 100644
--- a/examples/src/bin/compose_runner.rs
+++ b/examples/src/bin/compose_runner.rs
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ async fn main() {
     );
 
     if let Err(err) = run_compose_case(validators, executors, Duration::from_secs(run_secs)).await {
-        warn!("compose runner demo failed: {err}");
+        warn!("compose runner demo failed: {err:#}");
         process::exit(1);
     }
 }
@@ -75,26 +75,36 @@ async fn run_compose_case(
         "building scenario plan"
     );
 
-    let (chaos_min_delay, chaos_max_delay, chaos_target_cooldown) = chaos_timings(run_duration);
+    let enable_chaos = env::var("NOMOS_DEMO_CHAOS")
+        .or_else(|_| env::var("COMPOSE_DEMO_CHAOS"))
+        .map(|value| value == "1" || value.eq_ignore_ascii_case("true"))
+        .unwrap_or(false);
 
-    let mut plan = ScenarioBuilder::topology_with(|t| {
+    let scenario = ScenarioBuilder::topology_with(|t| {
         t.network_star().validators(validators).executors(executors)
     })
-    .enable_node_control()
-    .chaos_with(|c| {
-        c.restart()
-            // Keep chaos restarts outside the test run window to avoid crash loops on restart.
-            .min_delay(chaos_min_delay)
-            .max_delay(chaos_max_delay)
-            .target_cooldown(chaos_target_cooldown)
-            .apply()
-    })
-    .wallets(TOTAL_WALLETS)
-    .transactions_with(|txs| txs.rate(MIXED_TXS_PER_BLOCK).users(TRANSACTION_WALLETS))
-    .da_with(|da| da.channel_rate(DA_CHANNEL_RATE).blob_rate(DA_BLOB_RATE))
-    .with_run_duration(run_duration)
-    .expect_consensus_liveness()
-    .build();
+    .enable_node_control();
+
+    let scenario = if enable_chaos {
+        let (chaos_min_delay, chaos_max_delay, chaos_target_cooldown) = chaos_timings(run_duration);
+        scenario.chaos_with(|c| {
+            c.restart()
+                .min_delay(chaos_min_delay)
+                .max_delay(chaos_max_delay)
+                .target_cooldown(chaos_target_cooldown)
+                .apply()
+        })
+    } else {
+        scenario
+    };
+
+    let mut plan = scenario
+        .wallets(TOTAL_WALLETS)
+        .transactions_with(|txs| txs.rate(MIXED_TXS_PER_BLOCK).users(TRANSACTION_WALLETS))
+        .da_with(|da| da.channel_rate(DA_CHANNEL_RATE).blob_rate(DA_BLOB_RATE))
+        .with_run_duration(run_duration)
+        .expect_consensus_liveness()
+        .build();
 
     let deployer = ComposeDeployer::new();
     info!("deploying compose stack");
diff --git a/examples/src/bin/k8s_runner.rs b/examples/src/bin/k8s_runner.rs
index 7c74e84..087a764 100644
--- a/examples/src/bin/k8s_runner.rs
+++ b/examples/src/bin/k8s_runner.rs
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ use tracing::{info, warn};
 const DEFAULT_RUN_SECS: u64 = 60;
 const DEFAULT_VALIDATORS: usize = 1;
 const DEFAULT_EXECUTORS: usize = 1;
-const MIXED_TXS_PER_BLOCK: u64 = 5;
+const MIXED_TXS_PER_BLOCK: u64 = 2;
 const TOTAL_WALLETS: usize = 1000;
 const TRANSACTION_WALLETS: usize = 500;
 const DA_BLOB_RATE: u64 = 1;
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ async fn main() {
     info!(validators, executors, run_secs, "starting k8s runner demo");
 
     if let Err(err) = run_k8s_case(validators, executors, Duration::from_secs(run_secs)).await {
-        warn!("k8s runner demo failed: {err}");
+        warn!("k8s runner demo failed: {err:#}");
         process::exit(1);
     }
 }
@@ -49,15 +49,22 @@ async fn run_k8s_case(validators: usize, executors: usize, run_duration: Duratio
         duration_secs = run_duration.as_secs(),
         "building scenario plan"
     );
+    let enable_da = env::var("NOMOS_DEMO_DA")
+        .or_else(|_| env::var("K8S_DEMO_DA"))
+        .map(|value| value == "1" || value.eq_ignore_ascii_case("true"))
+        .unwrap_or(false);
+
     let mut scenario = ScenarioBuilder::topology_with(|t| {
         t.network_star().validators(validators).executors(executors)
     })
     .with_capabilities(ObservabilityCapability::default())
     .wallets(TOTAL_WALLETS)
     .transactions_with(|txs| txs.rate(MIXED_TXS_PER_BLOCK).users(TRANSACTION_WALLETS))
-    .da_with(|da| da.blob_rate(DA_BLOB_RATE))
-    .with_run_duration(run_duration)
-    .expect_consensus_liveness();
+    .with_run_duration(run_duration);
+
+    if enable_da {
+        scenario = scenario.da_with(|da| da.blob_rate(DA_BLOB_RATE).headroom_percent(0));
+    }
 
     if let Ok(url) = env::var("K8S_RUNNER_METRICS_QUERY_URL")
         .or_else(|_| env::var("NOMOS_METRICS_QUERY_URL"))
diff --git a/examples/src/bin/local_runner.rs b/examples/src/bin/local_runner.rs
index 23fb2a3..01d5477 100644
--- a/examples/src/bin/local_runner.rs
+++ b/examples/src/bin/local_runner.rs
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ async fn main() {
     );
 
     if let Err(err) = run_local_case(validators, executors, Duration::from_secs(run_secs)).await {
-        warn!("local runner demo failed: {err}");
+        warn!("local runner demo failed: {err:#}");
         process::exit(1);
     }
 }
diff --git a/testing-framework/deployers/compose/src/descriptor/node.rs b/testing-framework/deployers/compose/src/descriptor/node.rs
index 61c19f1..810c7b2 100644
--- a/testing-framework/deployers/compose/src/descriptor/node.rs
+++ b/testing-framework/deployers/compose/src/descriptor/node.rs
@@ -69,9 +69,12 @@ impl NodeDescriptor {
             EnvEntry::new("CFG_HOST_IDENTIFIER", identifier),
         ]);
 
+        // Publish container ports on random host ports to avoid collisions with
+        // local services and allow multiple compose stacks to run concurrently.
+        // The runner discovers the chosen host ports via `docker compose port`.
         let ports = vec![
-            format!("127.0.0.1:{api_port}:{api_port}"),
-            format!("127.0.0.1:{testing_port}:{testing_port}"),
+            format!("127.0.0.1::{api_port}"),
+            format!("127.0.0.1::{testing_port}"),
         ];
 
         Self {
diff --git a/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/helm/nomos-runner/templates/executor-deployments.yaml b/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/helm/nomos-runner/templates/executor-deployments.yaml
index baaa33b..738987e 100644
--- a/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/helm/nomos-runner/templates/executor-deployments.yaml
+++ b/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/helm/nomos-runner/templates/executor-deployments.yaml
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ spec:
           env:
             - name: CFG_SERVER_ADDR
               value: http://{{ include "nomos-runner.fullname" $root }}-cfgsync:{{ $root.Values.cfgsync.port }}
+            - name: NOMOS_TIME_BACKEND
+              value: {{ $root.Values.timeBackend | default "monotonic" | quote }}
             - name: NOMOS_KZGRS_PARAMS_PATH
               value: '{{ if eq $root.Values.kzg.mode "inImage" }}{{ $root.Values.kzg.inImageParamsPath }}{{ else }}{{ $root.Values.kzg.hostPathParamsPath }}{{ end }}'
             {{- range $key, $value := $node.env }}
diff --git a/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/helm/nomos-runner/templates/validator-deployments.yaml b/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/helm/nomos-runner/templates/validator-deployments.yaml
index ed0f4e0..46db6e3 100644
--- a/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/helm/nomos-runner/templates/validator-deployments.yaml
+++ b/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/helm/nomos-runner/templates/validator-deployments.yaml
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ spec:
           env:
             - name: CFG_SERVER_ADDR
               value: http://{{ include "nomos-runner.fullname" $root }}-cfgsync:{{ $root.Values.cfgsync.port }}
+            - name: NOMOS_TIME_BACKEND
+              value: {{ $root.Values.timeBackend | default "monotonic" | quote }}
             - name: NOMOS_KZGRS_PARAMS_PATH
               value: '{{ if eq $root.Values.kzg.mode "inImage" }}{{ $root.Values.kzg.inImageParamsPath }}{{ else }}{{ $root.Values.kzg.hostPathParamsPath }}{{ end }}'
             {{- range $key, $value := $node.env }}
diff --git a/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/helm/nomos-runner/values.yaml b/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/helm/nomos-runner/values.yaml
index bb6c63d..5671f0d 100644
--- a/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/helm/nomos-runner/values.yaml
+++ b/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/helm/nomos-runner/values.yaml
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 image: "public.ecr.aws/r4s5t9y4/logos/logos-blockchain:test"
 imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent
 
+# Keep node time in-process by default; NTP backends are flaky in short-lived
+# test clusters and can stall consensus if they fail to sync.
+timeBackend: "monotonic"
+
 cfgsync:
   port: 4400
   config: ""
diff --git a/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/src/lifecycle/block_feed.rs b/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/src/lifecycle/block_feed.rs
index 93b88a5..5380bcc 100644
--- a/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/src/lifecycle/block_feed.rs
+++ b/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/src/lifecycle/block_feed.rs
@@ -13,7 +13,9 @@ pub async fn spawn_block_feed_with(
     );
 
     let block_source_client = node_clients
-        .any_client()
+        .validator_clients()
+        .first()
+        .or_else(|| node_clients.any_client())
         .cloned()
         .ok_or(K8sRunnerError::BlockFeedMissing)?;
 
diff --git a/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/src/lifecycle/wait/forwarding.rs b/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/src/lifecycle/wait/forwarding.rs
index e9da949..a120959 100644
--- a/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/src/lifecycle/wait/forwarding.rs
+++ b/testing-framework/deployers/k8s/src/lifecycle/wait/forwarding.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ use anyhow::{Result as AnyhowResult, anyhow};
 
 use super::{ClusterWaitError, NodeConfigPorts, NodePortAllocation};
 
-const PORT_FORWARD_READY_ATTEMPTS: u32 = 20;
+const PORT_FORWARD_READY_ATTEMPTS: u32 = 240;
 const PORT_FORWARD_READY_POLL_INTERVAL: Duration = Duration::from_millis(250);
 
 pub struct PortForwardHandle {