diff --git a/nexus/src/app/sagas/snapshot_create.rs b/nexus/src/app/sagas/snapshot_create.rs
index 9e665a1de1b..8061c4c81d4 100644
--- a/nexus/src/app/sagas/snapshot_create.rs
+++ b/nexus/src/app/sagas/snapshot_create.rs
@@ -1625,9 +1625,11 @@ mod test {
     use omicron_common::api::external::InstanceCpuCount;
     use omicron_common::api::external::Name;
     use omicron_common::api::external::NameOrId;
+    use omicron_test_utils::dev::poll;
     use sled_agent_client::types::CrucibleOpts;
     use sled_agent_client::TestInterfaces as SledAgentTestInterfaces;
     use std::str::FromStr;
+    use std::time::Duration;
 
     type DiskTest<'a> =
         nexus_test_utils::resource_helpers::DiskTest<'a, crate::Server>;
@@ -2184,6 +2186,31 @@ mod test {
                             PROJECT_NAME,
                         )
                         .await;
+                        // Wait until the instance has advanced to the `NoVmm`
+                        // state before deleting it. This may not happen
+                        // immediately, as the `Nexus::cpapi_instances_put` API
+                        // endpoint simply writes the new VMM state to the
+                        // database and *starts* an `instance-update` saga, and
+                        // the instance record isn't updated until that saga
+                        // completes.
+                        poll::wait_for_condition(
+                            || async {
+                                let new_state = test_helpers::instance_fetch_by_name(
+                                    cptestctx,
+                                    INSTANCE_NAME,
+                                    PROJECT_NAME,
+                                )
+                                .await;
+                                if new_state.instance().runtime().nexus_state != nexus_db_model::InstanceState::NoVmm {
+                                    Err(poll::CondCheckError::<()>::NotYet)
+                                } else {
+                                    Ok(())
+                                }
+                            },
+                            &Duration::from_secs(5),
+                            &Duration::from_secs(300),
+                        )
+                            .await.expect("instance did not advance to NoVmm after 400 seconds");
                         test_helpers::instance_delete_by_name(
                             cptestctx,
                             INSTANCE_NAME,
diff --git a/nexus/src/app/sagas/test_helpers.rs b/nexus/src/app/sagas/test_helpers.rs
index a5d9d0a8437..0ae85ec6ad2 100644
--- a/nexus/src/app/sagas/test_helpers.rs
+++ b/nexus/src/app/sagas/test_helpers.rs
@@ -188,6 +188,38 @@ pub async fn instance_fetch(
     db_state
 }
 
+pub async fn instance_fetch_by_name(
+    cptestctx: &ControlPlaneTestContext,
+    name: &str,
+    project_name: &str,
+) -> InstanceAndActiveVmm {
+    let datastore = cptestctx.server.server_context().nexus.datastore().clone();
+
+    let nexus = &cptestctx.server.server_context().nexus;
+    let opctx = test_opctx(&cptestctx);
+    let instance_selector =
+        nexus_types::external_api::params::InstanceSelector {
+            project: Some(project_name.to_string().try_into().unwrap()),
+            instance: name.to_string().try_into().unwrap(),
+        };
+
+    let instance_lookup =
+        nexus.instance_lookup(&opctx, instance_selector).unwrap();
+    let (_, _, authz_instance, ..) = instance_lookup.fetch().await.unwrap();
+
+    let db_state = datastore
+        .instance_fetch_with_vmm(&opctx, &authz_instance)
+        .await
+        .expect("test instance's info should be fetchable");
+
+    info!(&cptestctx.logctx.log, "fetched instance info from db";
+              "instance_name" => %name,
+              "project_name" => %project_name,
+              "instance_id" => %authz_instance.id(),
+              "instance_and_vmm" => ?db_state);
+
+    db_state
+}
 pub async fn no_virtual_provisioning_resource_records_exist(
     cptestctx: &ControlPlaneTestContext,
 ) -> bool {