diff --git a/tests/lab/dialplan/asterisk.conf b/tests/lab/dialplan/asterisk.conf
index 2e71279..c6a91fe 100644
--- a/tests/lab/dialplan/asterisk.conf
+++ b/tests/lab/dialplan/asterisk.conf
@@ -1,24 +1,17 @@
 ; Minimal Asterisk core config for the lab.
-[directories](!)
-astetcdir => /etc/asterisk
-astmoddir => /usr/lib/asterisk/modules
-astvarlibdir => /var/lib/asterisk
-astdbdir => /var/lib/asterisk
-astkeydir => /var/lib/asterisk
-astdatadir => /var/lib/asterisk
-astagidir => /var/lib/asterisk/agi-bin
-astspooldir => /var/spool/asterisk
-astrundir => /var/run/asterisk
-astlogdir => /var/log/asterisk
-astsbindir => /usr/sbin
-
+;
+; Deliberately does NOT set [directories] or runuser/rungroup: the image's
+; compiled-in defaults are correct, and it runs as the `asterisk` user via a
+; USER directive. Overriding either risks breaking the container for no gain
+; (an earlier version of this file did both).
 [options]
-; Log to stdout so Docker's json-file driver captures it and Alloy ships it.
-; A file-based log inside the container would be invisible to Loki.
+; Log to stdout so Docker's json-file driver captures it and Alloy ships it
+; to Loki. A file-based log inside the container would be invisible.
 verbose = 3
 debug = 0
+; No ANSI colour. Asterisk colourises the console by default and the escape
+; codes travel through Docker into Loki, where every line arrives wrapped in
+; \x1b[0;30m — unreadable in Grafana and awkward to filter on. This setting
+; lives here, not in logger.conf, and only takes effect if this file is
+; actually mounted into the container.
 nocolor = yes
-dumpcore = no
-; Never run as root inside the container.
-runuser = asterisk
-rungroup = asterisk
diff --git a/tests/lab/dialplan/logger.conf b/tests/lab/dialplan/logger.conf
index 6c15a54..76f4306 100644
--- a/tests/lab/dialplan/logger.conf
+++ b/tests/lab/dialplan/logger.conf
@@ -3,6 +3,22 @@
 ; the container would put the logs where nothing can see them.
 [general]
 dateformat = %F %T
+; Colour is disabled in asterisk.conf (`nocolor = yes`), not here — Asterisk
+; colourises the console by default and the escape codes travel through Docker
+; into Loki, where every line arrives wrapped in \x1b[0;30m. That file must be
+; mounted for the setting to take effect.
 
 [logfiles]
-console => notice,warning,error
+; Warnings and errors only. That covers what matters when a lab call
+; misbehaves: failed authentication, no-matching-endpoint, playback failures.
+;
+; `notice` and `verbose` are both excluded because the "Remote UNIX
+; connection" pairs the healthcheck generates arrive on those channels, and
+; they swamped everything else (the Loki stream measured 100% healthcheck
+; noise before this). The healthcheck itself is also reduced to one CLI call
+; on a 60s interval in docker-compose — the two changes work together.
+;
+; To trace a call's dialplan execution, raise verbosity at runtime rather than
+; leaving it on:
+;     asterisk -rx "core set verbose 3"
+console => warning,error
diff --git a/tests/lab/docker-compose.lab.yml b/tests/lab/docker-compose.lab.yml
index dd9c750..ae9b5ef 100644
--- a/tests/lab/docker-compose.lab.yml
+++ b/tests/lab/docker-compose.lab.yml
@@ -21,8 +21,22 @@ services:
       - ./dialplan/pjsip.local.conf:/etc/asterisk/pjsip.conf:ro
       - ./dialplan/rtp.local.conf:/etc/asterisk/rtp.conf:ro
       - ./dialplan/logger.conf:/etc/asterisk/logger.conf:ro
+      # Carries `nocolor = yes`: without it every log line reaches Loki
+      # wrapped in ANSI escape codes.
+      - ./dialplan/asterisk.conf:/etc/asterisk/asterisk.conf:ro
       # The image ships no sound files at all. These are generated by
       # sounds/generate.py; Asterisk resolves Playback(lab-music) to
       # lab-music.sln here (8kHz signed-linear, no transcoding).
       - ./sounds:/var/lib/asterisk/sounds/en:ro
+    # The image's default command is `-vvvdddf` — verbosity 3 and debug 3
+    # forced on the command line, which overrides both asterisk.conf and
+    # logger.conf. That makes every healthcheck CLI connection log a
+    # "Remote UNIX connection" pair: ~2900 lines/day of pure noise that
+    # completely buried the real SIP events in Loki.
+    #
+    # -f foreground (required: Docker needs PID 1 to stay), -T timestamps,
+    # -W colour off, -U run as asterisk, -p realtime priority. No -v, no -d:
+    # warnings and errors still log, and verbosity can be raised at runtime
+    # with `asterisk -rx "core set verbose 3"` when tracing a call.
+    command: ["/usr/sbin/asterisk", "-f", "-T", "-W", "-U", "asterisk", "-p"]
     restart: unless-stopped