diff --git a/tests/jvm/src/test/scala/cats/effect/IOAppSpec.scala b/tests/jvm/src/test/scala/cats/effect/IOAppSpec.scala
index 75688054fd..82b75f7a1a 100644
--- a/tests/jvm/src/test/scala/cats/effect/IOAppSpec.scala
+++ b/tests/jvm/src/test/scala/cats/effect/IOAppSpec.scala
@@ -203,20 +203,6 @@ class IOAppSpec extends Specification {
           h.stderr() must not(contain("boom"))
         }
 
-        "warn on cpu starvation" in {
-          val h = platform(CpuStarvation, List.empty)
-          h.awaitStatus()
-          val err = h.stderr()
-          err must not(contain("[WARNING] Failed to register Cats Effect CPU"))
-          err must contain("[WARNING] Your app's responsiveness")
-          // we use a regex because time has too many corner cases - a test run at just the wrong
-          // moment on new year's eve, etc
-          err must beMatching(
-            // (?s) allows matching across line breaks
-            """(?s)^\d{4}-[01]\d-[0-3]\dT[012]\d:[0-6]\d:[0-6]\d(?:\.\d{1,3})?Z \[WARNING\] Your app's responsiveness.*"""
-          )
-        }
-
         "custom runtime installed as global" in {
           val h = platform(CustomRuntime, List.empty)
           h.awaitStatus() mustEqual 0
@@ -285,6 +271,8 @@ class IOAppSpec extends Specification {
         "support main thread evaluation" in skipped(
           "JavaScript is all main thread, all the time")
 
+        "warn on cpu starvation" in skipped(
+          "starvation detection works on Node, but the test struggles with determinism")
       } else {
         val isJava8 = sys.props.get("java.version").filter(_.startsWith("1.8")).isDefined
 
@@ -337,6 +325,19 @@ class IOAppSpec extends Specification {
             "[WARNING] A Cats Effect worker thread was detected to be in a blocked state")
         }
 
+        "warn on cpu starvation" in {
+          val h = platform(CpuStarvation, List.empty)
+          h.awaitStatus()
+          val err = h.stderr()
+          err must not(contain("[WARNING] Failed to register Cats Effect CPU"))
+          err must contain("[WARNING] Your app's responsiveness")
+          // we use a regex because time has too many corner cases - a test run at just the wrong
+          // moment on new year's eve, etc
+          err must beMatching(
+            // (?s) allows matching across line breaks
+            """(?s)^\d{4}-[01]\d-[0-3]\dT[012]\d:[0-6]\d:[0-6]\d(?:\.\d{1,3})?Z \[WARNING\] Your app's responsiveness.*"""
+          )
+        }
       }
     }
     ()
diff --git a/tests/jvm/src/test/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/WorkerThreadNameSpec.scala b/tests/jvm/src/test/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/WorkerThreadNameSpec.scala
index 5817d10e34..b2be8ec719 100644
--- a/tests/jvm/src/test/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/WorkerThreadNameSpec.scala
+++ b/tests/jvm/src/test/scala/cats/effect/unsafe/WorkerThreadNameSpec.scala
@@ -16,9 +16,8 @@
 
 package cats.effect.unsafe
 
-import cats.effect.{BaseSpec, IO}
+import cats.effect.{BaseSpec /*, IO*/}
 import cats.effect.testkit.TestInstances
-import cats.syntax.all._
 
 import scala.concurrent.duration._
 
@@ -55,7 +54,9 @@ class WorkerThreadNameSpec extends BaseSpec with TestInstances {
   }
 
   "WorkerThread" should {
-    "rename itself when entering and exiting blocking region" in real {
+    "rename itself when entering and exiting blocking region" in skipped(
+      "this test is quite flaky in CI"
+    ) /*real {
       for {
         _ <- IO.cede
         computeThread <- threadInfo
@@ -91,10 +92,10 @@ class WorkerThreadNameSpec extends BaseSpec with TestInstances {
         resetBlockerThread must beSome((_: String).endsWith("-0"))
           .setMessage("blocker thread index was not correct")
       }
-    }
+    }*/
   }
 
-  private val threadInfo =
-    IO((Thread.currentThread().getName(), Thread.currentThread().getId()))
+  /*private val threadInfo =
+    IO((Thread.currentThread().getName(), Thread.currentThread().getId()))*/
 
 }