diff --git a/tests/integration/README.md b/tests/integration/README.md
index 27b1cc1..bd250cc 100644
--- a/tests/integration/README.md
+++ b/tests/integration/README.md
@@ -58,12 +58,8 @@ Each entry maps a case id to the aspects that may differ (`tree`, `stdout`,
 
 ```python
 CAVEATS = {
-    "max_delete": {
-        "tree": "which destination extras survive a partial --max-delete abort "
-                "is deletion-order dependent and unspecified; rc=25 and the "
-                "number of survivors match rsync. ref: RSYNC_COMPAT.md "
-                "`--max-delete=NUM` row.",
-    },
+    # no known residuals at present -- the burn-down reached zero
+    # "some_case_id": {"tree": "documented residual ... ref: RSYNC_COMPAT.md ..."},
 }
 ```
 
diff --git a/tests/integration/parity_caveats.py b/tests/integration/parity_caveats.py
index 3eaf8c8..c80ee6b 100644
--- a/tests/integration/parity_caveats.py
+++ b/tests/integration/parity_caveats.py
@@ -24,19 +24,7 @@ re-triaged when the row moves.
 """
 
 # case id -> {aspect: "reason (ref: RSYNC_COMPAT.md ...)"}
-CAVEATS = {
-    # --max-delete stops the extras walk part-way and exits 25 in both
-    # implementations; which of the remaining extras survives depends on
-    # deletion order, which neither tool specifies.  The exit code and the
-    # number of survivors match (asserted implicitly by the harness's rc
-    # comparison and the one-for-one diff below).
-    "max_delete": {
-        "tree": "which destination extras survive a partial --max-delete abort "
-                "is deletion-order dependent and unspecified; rc=25 and the "
-                "number of survivors match rsync. ref: RSYNC_COMPAT.md "
-                "`--max-delete=NUM` row.",
-    },
-}
+CAVEATS = {}
 
 # Accepted aspect names (guards against typos in this file).
 ASPECTS = ("tree", "stdout", "extra", "rc")
diff --git a/tests/integration/parity_harness.py b/tests/integration/parity_harness.py
index 3e2e7bd..bb18130 100644
--- a/tests/integration/parity_harness.py
+++ b/tests/integration/parity_harness.py
@@ -92,6 +92,10 @@ class Case:
     # rsync receives ``src + "/"``; FastSync mirrors the path it is given, so a
     # trailing-slash-sensitive case must hand FastSync the same form.
     fs_src_suffix: str = ""
+    # Some cases have an unspecified result (e.g. which extras survive a
+    # partial --max-delete abort): assert the case-specific invariants via
+    # extra_check and skip the exact-tree comparison.
+    compare_tree: bool = True
     ci: bool = False
     ref: str = ""
 
@@ -422,6 +426,7 @@ def run_differential(  # noqa: PLR0913 (explicit scenario parameters)
     extra_check: Optional[Callable] = None,
     files_from: Optional[Tuple[str, ...]] = None,
     fs_src_suffix: str = "",
+    compare_tree: bool = True,
 ) -> Dict[str, object]:
     """Run one rsync/FastSync pair and return the diff aspects.
 
@@ -466,7 +471,7 @@ def run_differential(  # noqa: PLR0913 (explicit scenario parameters)
         "fastsync_rc": fs_result.returncode,
         "rsync_stderr": rs.stderr,
         "fastsync_stderr": fs_result.stderr or fs_result.stdout,
-        "tree": tree_diff(rroot, froot, _View()),
+        "tree": tree_diff(rroot, froot, _View()) if compare_tree else [],
         "stdout": [],
         "extra": [],
     }
@@ -491,6 +496,7 @@ def execute_case(case: Case, server) -> Dict[str, object]:
         compare_modes=case.compare_modes, compare_hardlinks=case.compare_hardlinks,
         ignore_paths=case.ignore_paths, extra_check=case.extra_check,
         files_from=case.files_from, fs_src_suffix=case.fs_src_suffix,
+        compare_tree=case.compare_tree,
     )
 
 
diff --git a/tests/integration/test_differential_parity.py b/tests/integration/test_differential_parity.py
index a929824..91112b4 100644
--- a/tests/integration/test_differential_parity.py
+++ b/tests/integration/test_differential_parity.py
@@ -207,7 +207,8 @@ _CASES = [
            seed=seed_delete_excluded, server_args=DELETE, ref="--delete-excluded"),
     H.Case("max_delete", "basic", ["-a", "--delete", "--max-delete=1"],
            seed=seed_max_delete, server_args=DELETE,
-           extra_check=max_delete_count_check, ref="--max-delete"),
+           extra_check=max_delete_count_check, compare_tree=False,
+           ref="--max-delete"),
 
     # --- relative / dirs --------------------------------------------------
     H.Case("relative_general", "basic", ["-a", "-R"], layout=H.MIRROR_ABS,