diff --git a/tests/e2e/helpers/sidebar-project-visibility.ts b/tests/e2e/helpers/sidebar-project-visibility.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..92843ef9461
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/e2e/helpers/sidebar-project-visibility.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import { expect, type Page } from '@stablyai/playwright-test'
+
+export async function expectSidebarProjectVisible(page: Page, projectName: string): Promise<void> {
+  const sidebar = page.getByRole('listbox', { name: 'Worktrees', exact: true })
+  const label = sidebar.getByText(projectName, { exact: false }).first()
+  await sidebar.evaluate((element) => {
+    element.scrollTop = 0
+    element.dispatchEvent(new Event('scroll', { bubbles: true }))
+  })
+  await expect
+    .poll(
+      async () => {
+        if (await label.isVisible()) {
+          return true
+        }
+        // Virtualized project headers mount only as their scroll range enters the viewport.
+        await sidebar.evaluate((element) => {
+          element.scrollTop += Math.max(1, Math.floor(element.clientHeight * 0.8))
+          element.dispatchEvent(new Event('scroll', { bubbles: true }))
+        })
+        return false
+      },
+      { message: `sidebar never rendered project ${projectName}`, intervals: [100] }
+    )
+    .toBe(true)
+  await expect(label).toBeVisible()
+}
diff --git a/tests/e2e/pr11346-selected-runtime-add.spec.ts b/tests/e2e/pr11346-selected-runtime-add.spec.ts
index 5cfe6187b2f..09630d277b3 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/pr11346-selected-runtime-add.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/pr11346-selected-runtime-add.spec.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { expectSidebarProjectVisible } from './helpers/sidebar-project-visibility'
 import { openSidebarProjectDialog } from './helpers/sidebar-project-dialog'
 import { rmSync } from 'node:fs'
 import path from 'node:path'
@@ -727,38 +728,7 @@ async function runSelectedRuntimeAddJourney(
       ...fixture.nestedRepoPaths.map((repoPath) => path.basename(repoPath))
     ]) {
       // Why: duplicate checkout names are disambiguated with a parent path.
-      try {
-        await expect(
-          client.page
-            .getByRole('listbox', { name: 'Worktrees', exact: true })
-            .getByText(projectName, { exact: false })
-            .first()
-        ).toBeVisible()
-      } catch (error) {
-        const diagnostic = await client.page.evaluate((expectedName) => {
-          const state = window.__store!.getState()
-          const sidebar = document.querySelector('[data-worktree-sidebar]')
-          return {
-            expectedName,
-            viewport: { width: innerWidth, height: innerHeight },
-            sidebarOpen: state.sidebarOpen,
-            activeWorktreeId: state.activeWorktreeId,
-            filterRepoIds: state.filterRepoIds,
-            repos: state.repos.map((repo) => ({ id: repo.id, name: repo.name, path: repo.path })),
-            sidebarText: sidebar?.textContent,
-            listboxes: Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('[role="listbox"]')).map((el) => ({
-              label: el.getAttribute('aria-label'), text: el.textContent,
-              scrollTop: el.scrollTop, clientHeight: el.clientHeight, scrollHeight: el.scrollHeight
-            }))
-          }
-        }, projectName)
-        console.info(`[selected-runtime-sidebar] ${JSON.stringify(diagnostic)}`)
-        await testInfo.attach('selected-runtime-client-sidebar', {
-          body: JSON.stringify(diagnostic, null, 2), contentType: 'application/json'
-        })
-        await client.page.screenshot({ path: testInfo.outputPath('selected-runtime-client-failure.png') })
-        throw error
-      }
+      await expectSidebarProjectVisible(client.page, projectName)
     }
     expect(await client.getDirectSshAttemptTargetIds()).toEqual([])
     // Why: revealing the client must not leak into the HUB's window visibility.