diff --git a/tests/e2e/onboarding.spec.ts b/tests/e2e/onboarding.spec.ts
index a4fcaa8dc1d..4836e08265c 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/onboarding.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/onboarding.spec.ts
@@ -452,17 +452,32 @@ test.describe('Onboarding flow', () => {
       // has a live, protocol-compatible status; without one it reads
       // 'disconnected' and the Add Project dialog falls back to Local Mac.
       // runtimeProtocolVersion 3 clears MIN_COMPATIBLE_RUNTIME_SERVER_VERSION.
+      const seededStatus = {
+        runtimeId: `${environment.id}-runtime`,
+        rendererGraphEpoch: 0,
+        graphStatus: 'ready' as const,
+        authoritativeWindowId: null,
+        liveTabCount: 0,
+        liveLeafCount: 0,
+        runtimeProtocolVersion: 3,
+        minCompatibleRuntimeClientVersion: 1
+      }
+      // Why a snapshot and not a bare status: since #20003 the published snapshot owns host health,
+      // and main's status owner publishes `checking` for this unreachable host as soon as any
+      // runtime RPC touches it — which flips the Add Project host to Local mid-test. Pinning the
+      // seed at the top sequence makes applyRuntimeHostStatusSnapshot's monotonic guard drop those
+      // publications. A snapshot-less write would also no-op once any snapshot exists.
       store.getState().setRuntimeEnvironmentStatus(environment.id, {
-        status: {
-          runtimeId: `${environment.id}-runtime`,
-          rendererGraphEpoch: 0,
-          graphStatus: 'ready',
-          authoritativeWindowId: null,
-          liveTabCount: 0,
-          liveLeafCount: 0,
-          runtimeProtocolVersion: 3,
-          minCompatibleRuntimeClientVersion: 1
+        snapshot: {
+          environmentId: environment.id,
+          pairingRevision: environment.pairingRevision ?? environment.createdAt,
+          sequence: Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER,
+          checkedAt: Date.now(),
+          status: seededStatus,
+          verification: 'verified',
+          transport: 'ready'
         },
+        status: seededStatus,
         checkedAt: Date.now()
       })
       // Why: the store's switchRuntimeEnvironment probes reachability, which a
diff --git a/tests/e2e/paired-web-add-project-unavailable-host.spec.ts b/tests/e2e/paired-web-add-project-unavailable-host.spec.ts
index a4f7ecc8d05..a2448c8620a 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/paired-web-add-project-unavailable-host.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/paired-web-add-project-unavailable-host.spec.ts
@@ -35,20 +35,43 @@ async function setOnlyRuntimeHostHealth(page: Page, health: HostHealth): Promise
     if (nextHealth === 'blocked' && !current?.status) {
       throw new Error('Paired web runtime status unavailable for compatibility fault')
     }
+    // Why rewrite the snapshot and not just the status: since #20003 the published snapshot owns
+    // host health. A bare `status: null` leaves the paired-web client's verified/ready snapshot in
+    // place, addRuntimeHost reads transport 'ready' before it ever looks at status, and the host
+    // still renders Connected. Pinning at the top sequence also stops the live status owner
+    // restoring the host mid-assertion.
+    const verified = current?.status ?? current?.snapshot?.status ?? null
+    const snapshot = {
+      environmentId: environment.id,
+      pairingRevision: environment.pairingRevision ?? environment.createdAt,
+      sequence: Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER,
+      checkedAt: Date.now(),
+      ...(nextHealth === 'blocked'
+        ? {
+            status: { ...verified!, protocolVersion: 0, runtimeProtocolVersion: 0 },
+            verification: 'verified' as const,
+            transport: 'ready' as const
+          }
+        : {
+            status: null,
+            verification: 'unavailable' as const,
+            // Why 'unknown' and not 'disconnected': an unavailable/unknown snapshot falls
+            // through to disconnected health; explicit disconnected transport is treated as
+            // reconnecting and renders Connecting.
+            transport: 'unknown' as const
+          })
+    }
     store.setState({
       runtimeStatusByEnvironmentId: new Map(state.runtimeStatusByEnvironmentId).set(
         environment.id,
-        nextHealth === 'blocked'
-          ? {
-              ...current,
-              checkedAt: Date.now(),
-              status: {
-                ...current!.status!,
-                protocolVersion: 0,
-                runtimeProtocolVersion: 0
-              }
-            }
-          : { ...current, checkedAt: Date.now(), status: null }
+        {
+          ...current,
+          snapshot,
+          checkedAt: snapshot.checkedAt,
+          status: snapshot.verification === 'verified' ? snapshot.status : null,
+          // Why: runtimeHealth answers 'available' on a ready remoteControl even with a null status.
+          remoteControl: null
+        }
       )
     })
     return environment.name