diff --git a/packages/launcher/e2e/respond.spec.ts b/packages/launcher/e2e/respond.spec.ts
index a13ed03eb..f4dbebff0 100644
--- a/packages/launcher/e2e/respond.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/launcher/e2e/respond.spec.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-// Full keyed GUI flow: install → create instance → configure LLM → connect
-// workspace → start → send a message → poll the workspace API for a real reply.
+// Full keyed GUI flow: install → join the workspace on this device → create
+// instance → configure LLM → bind to the workspace → start → send a message →
+// poll the workspace API for a real reply.
 //
 // Gated so a cell without the needed credentials skips cleanly (not fails):
 //   - needs E2E_WS_TOKEN / E2E_WS_SLUG (workspace)
@@ -11,6 +12,8 @@ import { test, expect } from "./fixtures"
 import { agentBySlug } from "./agents"
 import {
   haveWorkspaceCreds,
+  createPairingCode,
+  WS_SLUG,
   sendMessage,
   baselineCursor,
   pollForReply,
@@ -192,11 +195,54 @@ test.describe("launcher full flow", () => {
         })
     }
 
-    // 2. Create an agent instance. The working directory is normally async-
-    //    prefilled from listPaths(); fill it explicitly so Create never rejects
-    //    on an empty path (the prefill can lose the race, esp. on Windows).
+    // 2. Join the workspace on this device, then create the agent instance.
+    //
+    //    Joining is device-level: `connectWorkspace` refuses a workspace this
+    //    device holds no pairing for, and the agent's Connect dialog offers only
+    //    the ones it does. Every test gets a fresh HOME, so nothing is paired —
+    //    redeem a code first, through the same Workspaces page a user would use.
+    //    The code is minted at run time from the workspace token the reply
+    //    assertion already needs, so no human has to stage one per run.
+    const pairingCode = await createPairingCode()
+    await page.getByTestId("nav-workspaces").click()
+    // Other pages can arrive here with the dialog already requested, so open it
+    // only when it isn't — its overlay would swallow the click that opens it.
+    const codeField = page.locator("#quick-connect-code")
+    if (!(await codeField.isVisible().catch(() => false)))
+      await page.getByTestId("workspace-join-open").click()
+    await codeField.fill(pairingCode)
+    await page.getByTestId("ws-pair-submit").click()
+    // Redeeming writes node.json; assert on that rather than on the card the
+    // page draws, so a rendering hiccup cannot read as a failed pairing.
+    await expect
+      .poll(
+        async () =>
+          page.evaluate(async () => {
+            const status = await (
+              window as unknown as {
+                api: {
+                  getNodeStatus: () => Promise<{
+                    workspaces?: Array<{ workspaceSlug?: string }>
+                  }>
+                }
+              }
+            ).api.getNodeStatus()
+            return (status.workspaces || []).map((w) => w.workspaceSlug)
+          }),
+        { timeout: 60_000, intervals: [2_000] },
+      )
+      .toContain(WS_SLUG)
+
+    //    Now the instance. The working directory is normally async-prefilled
+    //    from listPaths(); fill it explicitly so Create never rejects on an
+    //    empty path (the prefill can lose the race, esp. on Windows).
+    await page.getByTestId("nav-agents").click()
     await page.getByTestId("new-agent-open").click()
-    await page.locator("#agent-type").selectOption(SLUG)
+    // Agent type is a Radix Select, not a native <select>: open it and pick the
+    // option. Leaving it on whatever it defaults to would build every agent as
+    // the first installed type instead of the one under test.
+    await page.getByTestId("agent-type").click()
+    await page.getByTestId(`agent-type-option-${SLUG}`).click()
     await page.locator("#agent-name").fill(name)
     await page.locator("#agent-working-directory").fill(homeDir)
     await page.getByTestId("new-agent-create").click()
@@ -210,15 +256,14 @@ test.describe("launcher full flow", () => {
     const hasKeyFields = await save
       .isVisible({ timeout: 60_000 })
       .catch(() => false)
-    // Success of the configure step = the Connect dialog has opened (its
-    // join-token toggle is visible). We assert on THAT rather than the Save
-    // button vanishing, because codex's dual-auth dialog transiently re-enters
-    // its loading state on Windows (footer unmounts briefly), which would
-    // false-positive a "dialog closed" check.
-    const joinToggle = page.getByTestId("ws-join-toggle")
+    // Success of the configure step = the Connect dialog has opened. We assert
+    // on THAT rather than the Save button vanishing, because codex's dual-auth
+    // dialog transiently re-enters its loading state on Windows (footer
+    // unmounts briefly), which would false-positive a "dialog closed" check.
+    const connectDialog = page.getByTestId("connect-ws")
     if (hasKeyFields) {
       await expect(async () => {
-        if (await joinToggle.isVisible().catch(() => false)) return
+        if (await connectDialog.isVisible().catch(() => false)) return
         const fieldIds = await page.evaluate(() =>
           Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('[id^="agent-config-"]')).map(
             (e) => e.id,
@@ -233,7 +278,7 @@ test.describe("launcher full flow", () => {
           if (val) await page.locator(`[id="${id}"]`).fill(val)
         }
         await save.click().catch(() => {})
-        await expect(joinToggle).toBeVisible({ timeout: 6_000 })
+        await expect(connectDialog).toBeVisible({ timeout: 6_000 })
       }).toPass({ timeout: 60_000 })
     } else {
       await page.evaluate(
@@ -252,9 +297,9 @@ test.describe("launcher full flow", () => {
         { n: name, env: injectionEnv() },
       )
       await expect(async () => {
-        if (await joinToggle.isVisible().catch(() => false)) return
+        if (await connectDialog.isVisible().catch(() => false)) return
         await page.keyboard.press("Escape")
-        await expect(joinToggle).toBeVisible({ timeout: 4_000 })
+        await expect(connectDialog).toBeVisible({ timeout: 4_000 })
       }).toPass({ timeout: 30_000 })
     }
 
@@ -273,10 +318,14 @@ test.describe("launcher full flow", () => {
       )
     }
 
-    // 4. Connect to the workspace (dialog auto-opens for a new agent).
-    await page.getByTestId("ws-join-toggle").click()
-    await page.locator("#workspace-url-or-token").fill(process.env.E2E_WS_TOKEN!)
-    await page.getByTestId("ws-join").click()
+    // 4. Bind the agent to the workspace (dialog auto-opens for a new agent).
+    //    It lists only what this device is paired with — the workspace joined in
+    //    step 2 — and has no token form of its own. An empty list means the
+    //    pairing was lost between the two steps, which `ws-none-paired` tells
+    //    apart from the dialog never opening at all.
+    const wsOption = page.getByTestId(`ws-option-${WS_SLUG}`)
+    await expect(wsOption).toBeVisible({ timeout: 60_000 })
+    await wsOption.click()
 
     // 5. Ensure the agent is running + connected. Connecting triggers a daemon
     //    reload that AUTO-STARTS the agent, so clicking Start on an already-
diff --git a/packages/launcher/e2e/workspace.ts b/packages/launcher/e2e/workspace.ts
index fa22ea7f5..7abd7325e 100644
--- a/packages/launcher/e2e/workspace.ts
+++ b/packages/launcher/e2e/workspace.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,34 @@ export function haveWorkspaceCreds(): boolean {
   return !!TOKEN && !!SLUG
 }
 
+/** The workspace under test, as the launcher will list and bind it. */
+export const WS_SLUG = SLUG
+
+/**
+ * Mint a single-use node pairing code for this workspace.
+ *
+ * Joining is device-level now: the launcher redeems an XXXX-XXXX code to
+ * register this machine as a node, and only then can an agent be bound to the
+ * workspace. Codes are short-lived and single-use, so a run cannot carry one in
+ * a secret — it mints its own. `POST /v1/workspaces/{slug}/pairing-codes` is
+ * owner/admin gated, and a workspace or node token counts as a trusted machine
+ * credential there, so the token the reply assertion already needs is enough.
+ */
+export async function createPairingCode(): Promise<string> {
+  const res = await fetch(
+    `${BASE}/v1/workspaces/${encodeURIComponent(SLUG)}/pairing-codes`,
+    { method: "POST", headers: headers() },
+  )
+  if (!res.ok)
+    throw new Error(
+      `POST /v1/workspaces/${SLUG}/pairing-codes ${res.status}: ${await res.text()}`,
+    )
+  const body = await res.json()
+  const code = body?.data?.code
+  if (!code) throw new Error(`pairing-codes returned no code: ${JSON.stringify(body)}`)
+  return code as string
+}
+
 async function fetchEvents(params: Record<string, string>): Promise<any> {
   const qs = new URLSearchParams(params).toString()
   const res = await fetch(`${BASE}/v1/events?${qs}`, { headers: headers() })
diff --git a/packages/launcher/src/renderer/components/workspaces/WorkspaceQuickConnect.tsx b/packages/launcher/src/renderer/components/workspaces/WorkspaceQuickConnect.tsx
index 90e067926..adc4e52c8 100644
--- a/packages/launcher/src/renderer/components/workspaces/WorkspaceQuickConnect.tsx
+++ b/packages/launcher/src/renderer/components/workspaces/WorkspaceQuickConnect.tsx
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@ export function WorkspaceQuickConnect({
             {t("workspaces.quickConnect.cancel")}
           </Button>
           <Button
+            data-testid="ws-pair-submit"
             onClick={() => void handlePair()}
             disabled={busy || normalizeCode(code).length !== PAIRING_CODE_LENGTH}
           >
diff --git a/packages/launcher/src/renderer/pages/agents/components/connect-workspace-dialog.tsx b/packages/launcher/src/renderer/pages/agents/components/connect-workspace-dialog.tsx
index fcb996669..0b64980f9 100644
--- a/packages/launcher/src/renderer/pages/agents/components/connect-workspace-dialog.tsx
+++ b/packages/launcher/src/renderer/pages/agents/components/connect-workspace-dialog.tsx
@@ -178,7 +178,10 @@ export function ConnectWorkspaceDialog({
 
   return (
     <Dialog open={open} onOpenChange={(o) => !o && onClose()}>
-      <DialogContent>
+      {/* The handle is on the shell rather than only on the list, so "the
+          dialog never opened" and "it opened with nothing to offer" stay
+          separate failures for the e2e matrix. */}
+      <DialogContent data-testid="connect-ws">
         <DialogHeader>
           <DialogTitle>
             {t("agents.connectDialog.title", { name: agentName })}
@@ -206,7 +209,10 @@ export function ConnectWorkspaceDialog({
              pairing form. A workspace that removed this device lands here too:
              it is gone from the list the moment its pairing is. */
           <>
-            <DialogBody className="items-center gap-2 py-10 text-center">
+            <DialogBody
+              className="items-center gap-2 py-10 text-center"
+              data-testid="ws-none-paired"
+            >
               <Laptop className="size-6 text-muted-foreground" />
               <p className="m-0 text-sm font-medium">
                 {t("agents.connectDialog.emptyTitle")}
@@ -264,6 +270,7 @@ export function ConnectWorkspaceDialog({
                     <button
                       key={ws.id}
                       type="button"
+                      data-testid={`ws-option-${shortId}`}
                       data-active={active}
                       onMouseEnter={() => setCursor(i)}
                       onClick={() => doConnect(shortId)}
diff --git a/packages/launcher/src/renderer/pages/agents/components/new-agent-dialog.tsx b/packages/launcher/src/renderer/pages/agents/components/new-agent-dialog.tsx
index cc5549353..437ae0660 100644
--- a/packages/launcher/src/renderer/pages/agents/components/new-agent-dialog.tsx
+++ b/packages/launcher/src/renderer/pages/agents/components/new-agent-dialog.tsx
@@ -158,12 +158,19 @@ export function NewAgentDialog({
               <Field>
                 <FieldLabel>{t("agents.newDialog.agentType")}</FieldLabel>
                 <Select value={selectedType} onValueChange={setSelectedType}>
-                  <SelectTrigger>
+                  {/* The e2e matrix picks the type by slug, so the handle is on
+                      the trigger and on every option — the label is translated
+                      and the value lives in Radix state, not in the DOM. */}
+                  <SelectTrigger data-testid="agent-type">
                     <SelectValue />
                   </SelectTrigger>
                   <SelectContent>
                     {supportedInstalled.map((c) => (
-                      <SelectItem key={c.name} value={c.name}>
+                      <SelectItem
+                        key={c.name}
+                        value={c.name}
+                        data-testid={`agent-type-option-${c.name}`}
+                      >
                         {c.label || c.name}
                       </SelectItem>
                     ))}
diff --git a/packages/launcher/src/renderer/pages/workspaces/index.tsx b/packages/launcher/src/renderer/pages/workspaces/index.tsx
index 67cdd926c..d7f6fc5fc 100644
--- a/packages/launcher/src/renderer/pages/workspaces/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/launcher/src/renderer/pages/workspaces/index.tsx
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ export default function Workspaces({ showToast }: Props): React.JSX.Element {
           // Joins, never creates: the dialog takes a pairing code for a
           // workspace that already exists. A device can hold several at once,
           // so this stays available however many are listed.
-          <Button onClick={openQuick}>
+          <Button data-testid="workspace-join-open" onClick={openQuick}>
             <Plus />
             {t("workspaces.join")}
           </Button>