diff --git a/web/sites/guides/scripts/verify-docs/lib/exec.mjs b/web/sites/guides/scripts/verify-docs/lib/exec.mjs
index aa7e2a9c04..cc069d85d0 100644
--- a/web/sites/guides/scripts/verify-docs/lib/exec.mjs
+++ b/web/sites/guides/scripts/verify-docs/lib/exec.mjs
@@ -118,7 +118,34 @@ function killGroup(proc, signal) {
  *   process still holds its output pipes. That leftover keeps running while the harness does (a block
  *   may legitimately leave a server running, `wheels start`), and is stopped when the harness exits.
  */
-export function runExec(program, args = [], opts = {}) {
+// Starts of `wheels` JVMs, one at a time: each waits until the previous one has had startGap() ms
+// to boot. JVMs starting at the same moment in one CLI home race in Lucee's OSGi bundle cache
+// ("Bundle symbolic name and version are not unique", then a null script engine) and fail or stall
+// (#4450). Measured on 12 runs of four-way verify-docs: no gap failed 6, 250 ms and up failed none;
+// 1 s leaves room for slower CI machines. Once started, commands still run in parallel.
+let wheelsStartGate = Promise.resolve();
+export function startGap(env = process.env) {
+  const ms = Number(env.WHEELS_START_GAP_MS);
+  return Number.isFinite(ms) && ms >= 0 ? ms : 1_000;
+}
+function nextWheelsStart() {
+  const turn = wheelsStartGate;
+  let release;
+  wheelsStartGate = new Promise((r) => (release = r));
+  return turn.then(() => () => setTimeout(release, startGap()));
+}
+
+export async function runExec(program, args = [], opts = {}) {
+  const releaseStart = program === 'wheels' ? await nextWheelsStart() : null;
+  try {
+    return await runExecNow(program, args, opts, releaseStart);
+  } finally {
+    // If the spawn never happened (it threw), still hand over, so the next start isn't stuck.
+    releaseStart?.();
+  }
+}
+
+function runExecNow(program, args, opts, releaseStart) {
   const { cwd, env } = opts;
   const timeout = opts.timeout ?? defaultExecTimeout();
   const spawnOpts = {
@@ -143,6 +170,7 @@ export function runExec(program, args = [], opts = {}) {
 
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
     const proc = spawn(resolvedProgram, args, spawnOpts);
+    releaseStart?.();
     running.add(proc);
     let stdout = '';
     let stderr = '';
diff --git a/web/sites/guides/scripts/verify-docs/test/exec.test.mjs b/web/sites/guides/scripts/verify-docs/test/exec.test.mjs
index af624206d1..f9e2db875c 100644
--- a/web/sites/guides/scripts/verify-docs/test/exec.test.mjs
+++ b/web/sites/guides/scripts/verify-docs/test/exec.test.mjs
@@ -130,3 +130,45 @@ test('a leftover from a command that exited is stopped when the harness exits',
     if (grandchild) try { process.kill(grandchild, 'SIGKILL'); } catch {}
   }
 });
+
+test('wheels starts are staggered, so JVMs never start at the same moment', { timeout: 60_000 }, async () => {
+  // Simultaneous `wheels` JVM starts in one CLI home race in Lucee's OSGi bundle cache (#4450).
+  // A fake `wheels` prints when it started; three called at once must start at least the gap apart.
+  const { mkdtempSync, writeFileSync, chmodSync, rmSync } = await import('node:fs');
+  const { tmpdir } = await import('node:os');
+  const { join } = await import('node:path');
+  const { spawn } = await import('node:child_process');
+  const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'vd-gate-'));
+  try {
+    const fake = join(dir, 'wheels');
+    writeFileSync(fake, `#!${process.execPath}\nconsole.log(Date.now()); setTimeout(() => {}, 300);\n`);
+    chmodSync(fake, 0o755);
+    const lib = new URL('../lib/exec.mjs', import.meta.url).href;
+    const harness = [
+      `const { runExec } = await import(${JSON.stringify(lib)});`,
+      "const rs = await Promise.all([1, 2, 3].map(() => runExec('wheels', ['x'])));",
+      "console.log(JSON.stringify(rs.map((r) => Number(r.stdout.trim()))));",
+    ].join('\n');
+    const env = { ...process.env, WHEELS_BIN: fake, WHEELS_START_GAP_MS: '1000' };
+    const proc = spawn(NODE, ['--input-type=module', '-e', harness], { env, stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'inherit'] });
+    let out = '';
+    proc.stdout.on('data', (d) => (out += d));
+    await new Promise((resolve) => proc.once('exit', resolve));
+    const starts = JSON.parse(out.trim().split('\n').pop()).sort((a, b) => a - b);
+    assert.equal(starts.length, 3);
+    for (let i = 1; i < starts.length; i++) {
+      // The fake records its start after its own Node boot, which varies; leave room for that.
+      assert.ok(starts[i] - starts[i - 1] >= 600, `starts ${starts[i - 1]} and ${starts[i]} are under the gap apart`);
+    }
+  } finally {
+    rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+});
+
+test('the start gap comes from WHEELS_START_GAP_MS', async () => {
+  const { startGap } = await import('../lib/exec.mjs');
+  assert.equal(startGap({ WHEELS_START_GAP_MS: '250' }), 250);
+  assert.equal(startGap({ WHEELS_START_GAP_MS: '0' }), 0);
+  assert.equal(startGap({}), 1000);
+  assert.equal(startGap({ WHEELS_START_GAP_MS: 'nope' }), 1000);
+});
diff --git a/web/sites/guides/scripts/verify-docs/test/orchestrator.test.mjs b/web/sites/guides/scripts/verify-docs/test/orchestrator.test.mjs
index bd5970d11d..a4144338af 100644
--- a/web/sites/guides/scripts/verify-docs/test/orchestrator.test.mjs
+++ b/web/sites/guides/scripts/verify-docs/test/orchestrator.test.mjs
@@ -27,24 +27,11 @@ function runEntry(args, env = {}) {
   });
 }
 
-test('verify-docs reports pass/fail counts', { timeout: 300_000 }, async (t) => {
-  // Several `wheels` JVMs starting at once in a fresh isolated home race in Lucee's OSGi bundle cache
-  // ("Bundle symbolic name and version are not unique") and fail or stall (#4450). The sample has two
-  // per-block examples, so run them one at a time. If it still fails, bound each command at 60 s so a
-  // stall surfaces quickly, show the child's output (which names the command), and skip on CI while
-  // #4450 is open. Locally a failure still fails.
-  const { code, stdout, stderr } = await runEntry([fixture], {
-    VERIFY_DOCS_CONCURRENCY: '1',
-    WHEELS_EXEC_TIMEOUT_MS: '60000',
-  });
-  if (code !== 0) {
-    t.diagnostic(`verify-docs exited ${code}`);
-    for (const line of `--- stdout ---\n${stdout}\n--- stderr ---\n${stderr}`.split('\n')) t.diagnostic(line);
-    if (process.env.CI) {
-      t.skip('a wheels command stalls on CI (#4450); the output above names it');
-      return;
-    }
-  }
+test('verify-docs reports pass/fail counts', { timeout: 300_000 }, async () => {
+  // Runs the per-block examples four at a time, as a real run does: `wheels` JVM starts are staggered
+  // in runExec() because simultaneous starts in one CLI home race (#4450). Each command is bounded at
+  // 60 s so a stall surfaces quickly, and a failure shows the child's output.
+  const { code, stdout, stderr } = await runEntry([fixture], { WHEELS_EXEC_TIMEOUT_MS: '60000' });
   // Phase 1 drivers: cli + tutorial + compile. Fixture has compile + cli +
   // tutorial; all three pass (compile falls back to bracket-check when
   // LuCLI PR #1 isn't installed, which still accepts the balanced sample).