diff --git a/src/Workflow/__Tests/StellaOps.Workflow.Renderer.Tests/DocumentProcessingWorkflowRenderingTests.Artifacts.cs b/src/Workflow/__Tests/StellaOps.Workflow.Renderer.Tests/DocumentProcessingWorkflowRenderingTests.Artifacts.cs
index e722e4ed3..4cbeb51e5 100644
--- a/src/Workflow/__Tests/StellaOps.Workflow.Renderer.Tests/DocumentProcessingWorkflowRenderingTests.Artifacts.cs
+++ b/src/Workflow/__Tests/StellaOps.Workflow.Renderer.Tests/DocumentProcessingWorkflowRenderingTests.Artifacts.cs
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ public partial class DocumentProcessingWorkflowRenderingTests
         var layout = await engine.LayoutAsync(graph, new WorkflowRenderLayoutRequest
         {
             Direction = WorkflowRenderLayoutDirection.LeftToRight,
+            NodeSpacing = 40,
         });
 
         var svgRenderer = new WorkflowRenderSvgRenderer();
diff --git a/src/__Libraries/StellaOps.ElkSharp/ElkEdgeRouterIterative.WinnerRefinement.Hybrid.cs b/src/__Libraries/StellaOps.ElkSharp/ElkEdgeRouterIterative.WinnerRefinement.Hybrid.cs
index e99ccefbb..25a2d57a5 100644
--- a/src/__Libraries/StellaOps.ElkSharp/ElkEdgeRouterIterative.WinnerRefinement.Hybrid.cs
+++ b/src/__Libraries/StellaOps.ElkSharp/ElkEdgeRouterIterative.WinnerRefinement.Hybrid.cs
@@ -258,10 +258,21 @@ internal static partial class ElkEdgeRouterIterative
             ElkLayoutDiagnostics.LogProgress($"Hybrid winner refinement after final boundary-slot snap: {DescribeSolution(current)}");
         }
 
+        // Eliminate large diagonal segments that may survive through the
+        // iterative optimization (the hybrid baseline runs EliminateDiagonalSegments
+        // but subsequent pipeline passes can re-introduce diagonals).
+        if (current.Score.LongDiagonalViolations > 0)
+        {
+            var eliminated = ElkEdgePostProcessor.EliminateDiagonalSegments(current.Edges, nodes);
+            var elimScore = ElkEdgeRoutingScoring.ComputeScore(eliminated, nodes);
+            if (elimScore.LongDiagonalViolations < current.Score.LongDiagonalViolations
+                && elimScore.NodeCrossings <= current.Score.NodeCrossings)
+            {
+                current = current with { Score = elimScore, Edges = eliminated };
+            }
+        }
+
         // Straighten short diagonal stubs at gateway boundary vertices.
-        // The boundary-slot snap and normalization passes may leave small
-        // diagonal segments (3-8px) at gateway tips. This cosmetic pass
-        // adjusts the adjacent bend point to make the approach orthogonal.
         var straightened = ElkEdgePostProcessor.StraightenGatewayCornerDiagonals(current.Edges, nodes);
         if (!ReferenceEquals(straightened, current.Edges))
         {