diff --git a/web/e2e/helpers/api-mocker.ts b/web/e2e/helpers/api-mocker.ts
index 52f10d64b4..e1a191fe0b 100644
--- a/web/e2e/helpers/api-mocker.ts
+++ b/web/e2e/helpers/api-mocker.ts
@@ -113,11 +113,12 @@ export class ApiMocker {
       route.fulfill({ json: [] }),
     );
 
-    // Sub-labels and attributes (for explore filters)
-    await this.page.route("**/api/sub_labels", (route) =>
+    // Sub-labels and attributes (for explore filters).
+    // Use trailing ** so query-string variants (e.g. ?split_joined=1) match.
+    await this.page.route("**/api/sub_labels**", (route) =>
       route.fulfill({ json: [] }),
     );
-    await this.page.route("**/api/labels", (route) =>
+    await this.page.route("**/api/labels**", (route) =>
       route.fulfill({ json: ["person", "car"] }),
     );
     await this.page.route("**/api/*/attributes", (route) =>
diff --git a/web/e2e/helpers/clipboard.ts b/web/e2e/helpers/clipboard.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9099073b32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/e2e/helpers/clipboard.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+/**
+ * Clipboard read helper for e2e tests.
+ *
+ * Clipboard API requires a browser permission in headless mode.
+ * grantClipboardPermissions() must be called before any readClipboard()
+ * attempt. Used by logs.spec.ts (Copy button) and config-editor.spec.ts
+ * (Copy button).
+ */
+
+import type { BrowserContext, Page } from "@playwright/test";
+
+/**
+ * Grant clipboard-read + clipboard-write permissions on the context.
+ * Call in beforeEach or at the top of a test before the Copy action.
+ */
+export async function grantClipboardPermissions(
+  context: BrowserContext,
+): Promise<void> {
+  await context.grantPermissions(["clipboard-read", "clipboard-write"]);
+}
+
+/** Read the current clipboard contents via the page's navigator.clipboard. */
+export async function readClipboard(page: Page): Promise<string> {
+  return page.evaluate(async () => await navigator.clipboard.readText());
+}
diff --git a/web/e2e/helpers/monaco.ts b/web/e2e/helpers/monaco.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f9079db922
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/e2e/helpers/monaco.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+/**
+ * Monaco editor DOM helpers for e2e tests.
+ *
+ * Monaco is imported as a module-local object in the app and is NOT
+ * exposed on window; we drive + read through the rendered DOM and
+ * keyboard instead. Used by config-editor.spec.ts only.
+ */
+
+import { expect, type Page } from "@playwright/test";
+
+/**
+ * Returns the current visible text of the first Monaco editor on the
+ * page. Monaco virtualizes long files — this reads only the rendered
+ * lines. For short configs (our mocks) that's the full content.
+ */
+export async function getMonacoVisibleText(page: Page): Promise<string> {
+  return page
+    .locator(".monaco-editor .view-lines")
+    .first()
+    .innerText();
+}
+
+/**
+ * Focus the editor and replace its full content with `value` via
+ * keyboard. Uses Ctrl+A (Cmd+A on macOS Playwright is equivalent)
+ * + Delete + type. Works cross-platform because Playwright normalizes.
+ */
+export async function replaceMonacoValue(
+  page: Page,
+  value: string,
+): Promise<void> {
+  const editor = page.locator(".monaco-editor").first();
+  await editor.click();
+  await page.keyboard.press("ControlOrMeta+A");
+  await page.keyboard.press("Delete");
+  // Use `type` with zero delay — Monaco handles each key.
+  await page.keyboard.type(value, { delay: 0 });
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns true when the editor shows at least one error-severity
+ * marker. Monaco renders error underlines as `.squiggly-error` in
+ * the `.view-overlays` layer.
+ */
+export async function hasErrorMarkers(page: Page): Promise<boolean> {
+  const count = await page.locator(".monaco-editor .squiggly-error").count();
+  return count > 0;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Poll until an error marker appears. Monaco schedules marker updates
+ * asynchronously after content changes (debounce + schema validation).
+ */
+export async function waitForErrorMarker(
+  page: Page,
+  timeoutMs: number = 10_000,
+): Promise<void> {
+  await expect
+    .poll(() => hasErrorMarkers(page), { timeout: timeoutMs })
+    .toBe(true);
+}
diff --git a/web/e2e/helpers/ws-frames.ts b/web/e2e/helpers/ws-frames.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d46376d871
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/e2e/helpers/ws-frames.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+/**
+ * WebSocket frame capture helper.
+ *
+ * The ws-mocker intercepts the /ws route, so Playwright's page-level
+ * `websocket` event never fires. This helper patches client-side
+ * WebSocket.prototype.send before any app code runs and mirrors every
+ * sent frame into a window-level array the test can read back.
+ *
+ * Used by live.spec.ts (feature toggles, PTZ preset commands) and
+ * config-editor.spec.ts (restart command via useRestart).
+ */
+
+import { expect, type Page } from "@playwright/test";
+
+export type CapturedFrame = string;
+
+declare global {
+  interface Window {
+    __sentWsFrames: CapturedFrame[];
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Patch WebSocket.prototype.send to capture every outbound frame into
+ * window.__sentWsFrames. Must be called BEFORE page.goto().
+ */
+export async function installWsFrameCapture(page: Page): Promise<void> {
+  await page.addInitScript(() => {
+    window.__sentWsFrames = [];
+    const origSend = WebSocket.prototype.send;
+    WebSocket.prototype.send = function (data) {
+      try {
+        window.__sentWsFrames.push(
+          typeof data === "string" ? data : "(binary)",
+        );
+      } catch {
+        // ignore — best-effort tracing
+      }
+      return origSend.call(this, data);
+    };
+  });
+}
+
+/** Read all captured frames at call time. */
+export async function readWsFrames(page: Page): Promise<CapturedFrame[]> {
+  return page.evaluate(() => window.__sentWsFrames ?? []);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Poll until at least one captured frame matches the predicate.
+ * Throws via expect if the frame never arrives within timeout.
+ */
+export async function waitForWsFrame(
+  page: Page,
+  matcher: (frame: CapturedFrame) => boolean,
+  opts: { timeout?: number; message?: string } = {},
+): Promise<void> {
+  const { timeout = 2_000, message } = opts;
+  await expect
+    .poll(async () => (await readWsFrames(page)).some(matcher), {
+      timeout,
+      message,
+    })
+    .toBe(true);
+}
diff --git a/web/e2e/helpers/ws-mocker.ts b/web/e2e/helpers/ws-mocker.ts
index 6b29b76396..03db9f7410 100644
--- a/web/e2e/helpers/ws-mocker.ts
+++ b/web/e2e/helpers/ws-mocker.ts
@@ -79,7 +79,20 @@ export class WsMocker {
       this.send("model_state", JSON.stringify({}));
     }
     if (data.topic === "embeddingsReindexProgress") {
-      this.send("embeddings_reindex_progress", JSON.stringify(null));
+      // Send a completed reindex state so Explore renders when
+      // semantic_search.enabled is true. A null payload leaves the page
+      // in a permanent loading spinner because !reindexState is truthy.
+      this.send(
+        "embeddings_reindex_progress",
+        JSON.stringify({
+          status: "completed",
+          processed_objects: 0,
+          total_objects: 0,
+          thumbnails: 0,
+          descriptions: 0,
+          time_remaining: null,
+        }),
+      );
     }
     if (data.topic === "birdseyeLayout") {
       this.send("birdseye_layout", JSON.stringify(null));