diff --git a/.agents/lessons/2026-11-02_pytest9-monkeypatch-torch-flag-proxies.md b/.agents/lessons/2026-11-02_pytest9-monkeypatch-torch-flag-proxies.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a12ea19fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/lessons/2026-11-02_pytest9-monkeypatch-torch-flag-proxies.md
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+---
+date: 2026-11-02
+experiment: FastVideo CI repair on main (Transformer and Unit lanes)
+category: infrastructure
+severity: important
+---
+
+# pytest 9 monkeypatch cannot restore torch flag proxies
+
+## What Happened
+
+After the CI image picked up pytest 9, the Transformer lane reported 22
+teardown errors (`'cuBLASModule' object has no attribute 'allow_tf32'`) and
+the Unit lane reported 28 setup errors in `test_lora_side_branch.py`
+(`torch._dynamo.config ... has no attribute 'disable'`). The test bodies
+still passed.
+
+## Root Cause
+
+pytest 9's `monkeypatch.setattr` reads the previous value from the target's
+instance `__dict__`. `torch.backends.cuda.matmul` and `torch._dynamo.config`
+serve their flags through `__getattr__`, so pytest records the value as
+missing. Teardown then calls `delattr`: on cuBLAS that raises and leaves TF32
+changed, and on the dynamo config it deletes the `disable` entry, so every
+later `setattr` on it fails. pytest 8.4 restores both correctly.
+
+## Fix / Workaround
+
+Use the owner's own scoping instead of monkeypatch:
+`torch._dynamo.config.patch(name=value)` for dynamo/inductor config, and the
+`tf32_disabled` fixture in `fastvideo/tests/conftest.py` for the TF32 flags.
+
+## Prevention
+
+Do not `monkeypatch.setattr` attributes of `torch.backends.cuda.matmul`,
+`torch._dynamo.config`, `torch._inductor.config` or other torch config
+proxies. Module functions such as `torch.compiler.is_compiling` are safe.
diff --git a/fastvideo/tests/conftest.py b/fastvideo/tests/conftest.py
index a92c865e5..42fc6ecce 100644
--- a/fastvideo/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/fastvideo/tests/conftest.py
@@ -51,8 +51,9 @@ def env_overrides():
 def tf32_disabled():
     """Disable TF32 for CUDA matmuls and cuDNN during the test, then restore the previous flags.
 
-    On torch 2.12 ``torch.backends.cuda.matmul.allow_tf32`` is computed by ``cuBLASModule`` rather
-    than stored on it, so ``monkeypatch.setattr`` cannot undo it. Restore through the same legacy
+    ``torch.backends.cuda.matmul`` serves ``allow_tf32`` through ``__getattr__``. pytest 9's
+    ``monkeypatch.setattr`` reads the old value from the instance ``__dict__``, finds nothing, and
+    its teardown ``delattr`` raises instead of restoring the flag. Restore through the same legacy
     flags: mixing them with the per-backend ``fp32_precision`` API makes later ``allow_tf32`` reads raise.
     """
     matmul, cudnn = torch.backends.cuda.matmul, torch.backends.cudnn
diff --git a/fastvideo/tests/golden_gate/test_qwen_image21.py b/fastvideo/tests/golden_gate/test_qwen_image21.py
index f32ec4a42..9ec559843 100644
--- a/fastvideo/tests/golden_gate/test_qwen_image21.py
+++ b/fastvideo/tests/golden_gate/test_qwen_image21.py
@@ -6,10 +6,12 @@ the target image. Causal text segments use masked SDPA; reference and target
 segments use FlashAttention, including their unequal query/key lengths. Complex RoPE and
 the two modulation rows match the causal-conditioning block interface.
 
-Requires a BF16-capable CUDA GPU and FlashAttention. Select FA4 with
-FASTVIDEO_FA4=1 before starting Python. The shared harness downloads
-only checkpoint shards containing block 0 and compares a device/runtime-matched
-golden exactly; it never loads the text encoder or VAE.
+Requires a BF16-capable CUDA GPU and FlashAttention. Like the other block
+goldens, the published references match the golden-gate CI lane: FA2 with
+FASTVIDEO_FA4 off. Running with FASTVIDEO_FA4=1 reports an environment
+mismatch rather than drift. The shared harness downloads only checkpoint
+shards containing block 0 and compares a device/runtime-matched golden
+exactly; it never loads the text encoder or VAE.
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
diff --git a/fastvideo/tests/layers/test_lora_merge_precision.py b/fastvideo/tests/layers/test_lora_merge_precision.py
index 6bbf39ca0..51d813ed8 100644
--- a/fastvideo/tests/layers/test_lora_merge_precision.py
+++ b/fastvideo/tests/layers/test_lora_merge_precision.py
@@ -15,8 +15,10 @@ IN, OUT, RANK = 32, 24, 16
 
 @pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
 def _cpu_merge(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
-    monkeypatch.setattr(torch._dynamo.config, "disable", True)
+    # config.patch restores the flag; a monkeypatch.setattr teardown would delete it (pytest 9).
     monkeypatch.setattr(lora_linear, "get_local_torch_device", lambda: torch.device("cpu"))
+    with torch._dynamo.config.patch(disable=True):
+        yield
 
 
 def _merged(adapter_dtype: torch.dtype) -> tuple[torch.Tensor, torch.Tensor, torch.Tensor, torch.Tensor]:
diff --git a/fastvideo/tests/layers/test_lora_side_branch.py b/fastvideo/tests/layers/test_lora_side_branch.py
index 04a804df4..3222fe19e 100644
--- a/fastvideo/tests/layers/test_lora_side_branch.py
+++ b/fastvideo/tests/layers/test_lora_side_branch.py
@@ -23,9 +23,21 @@ IN, OUT, RANK = 16, 12, 4
 
 @pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
 def _eager_forward(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
-    """``BaseLayerWithLoRA.forward`` is ``torch.compile``d; run it eagerly, and merge on CPU even on MPS hosts."""
-    monkeypatch.setattr(torch._dynamo.config, "disable", True)
+    """``BaseLayerWithLoRA.forward`` is ``torch.compile``d; run it eagerly, and merge on CPU even on MPS hosts.
+
+    Dynamo flags go through ``config.patch``: its module serves them via ``__getattr__``, so a
+    ``monkeypatch.setattr`` teardown deletes the flag instead of restoring it (pytest 9).
+    """
     monkeypatch.setattr(lora_linear, "get_local_torch_device", lambda: torch.device("cpu"))
+    with torch._dynamo.config.patch(disable=True):
+        yield
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def dynamo_enabled():
+    """Re-enable dynamo inside the autouse eager scope for tests that compile on purpose."""
+    with torch._dynamo.config.patch(disable=False):
+        yield
 
 
 class _PackedMethod:
@@ -84,14 +96,12 @@ def test_wrapped_layer_at_strength_zero_is_bitwise_the_base_layer(packed: bool)
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("backend", ["eager", "inductor"])
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("adapter", [False, True])
-def test_wrapping_does_not_change_a_compiled_block(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, backend: str,
-                                                   adapter: bool) -> None:
+def test_wrapping_does_not_change_a_compiled_block(dynamo_enabled, backend: str, adapter: bool) -> None:
     """Under a caller's compile the base layer is traced with the block, as it is unwrapped; the wrapper adds no
     region of its own, so the compiled block is unchanged with no adapter or at strength 0."""
     if backend == "inductor" and not torch.cuda.is_available():
         pytest.skip("Inductor execution requires a CUDA GPU for this regression")
     device = torch.device("cuda" if backend == "inductor" else "cpu")
-    monkeypatch.setattr(torch._dynamo.config, "disable", False)
     torch._dynamo.reset()
 
     class Block(torch.nn.Module):
@@ -117,9 +127,9 @@ def test_wrapping_does_not_change_a_compiled_block(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPat
         torch._dynamo.reset()
 
 
-def test_wrapper_adds_no_compiled_region_around_the_base_layer(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+def test_wrapper_adds_no_compiled_region_around_the_base_layer(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+                                                               dynamo_enabled) -> None:
     """Compiling a packed base layer on its own changes its numerics, so an uncompiled caller runs it eagerly."""
-    monkeypatch.setattr(torch._dynamo.config, "disable", False)
     torch._dynamo.reset()
     base = _packed_linear()
     layer = get_lora_layer(base)
@@ -179,11 +189,11 @@ def test_side_branch_chunked_update_matches_the_full_product(monkeypatch: pytest
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("backend", ["eager", "inductor"])
-def test_side_branch_chunked_update_compiles_fullgraph(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, backend: str) -> None:
+def test_side_branch_chunked_update_compiles_fullgraph(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, dynamo_enabled,
+                                                       backend: str) -> None:
     if backend == "inductor" and not torch.cuda.is_available():
         pytest.skip("Inductor execution requires a CUDA GPU for this regression")
     device = torch.device("cuda" if backend == "inductor" else "cpu")
-    monkeypatch.setattr(torch._dynamo.config, "disable", False)
     monkeypatch.setattr(lora_linear, "_SIDE_BRANCH_CHUNK_BYTES", 64)
     torch._dynamo.reset()
     base = _packed_linear().to(device)
@@ -221,9 +231,8 @@ def test_side_branch_chunked_update_compiles_fullgraph(monkeypatch: pytest.Monke
         torch._dynamo.reset()
 
 
-def test_side_branch_strength_changes_do_not_recompile(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+def test_side_branch_strength_changes_do_not_recompile(dynamo_enabled) -> None:
     """A float strength is guarded by value, so fullgraph would fail after ``recompile_limit`` distinct strengths."""
-    monkeypatch.setattr(torch._dynamo.config, "disable", False)
     torch._dynamo.reset()
     base = _packed_linear()
     layer = get_lora_layer(base)