E2E disconnected-state suite is stale/flaky on main (12/12 failures)

[bmendonca3]

Summary

Current Playwright e2e disconnected-state tests fail on main (12/12 in local run), and they no longer provide a reliable regression gate.

Observed failures

• tests/e2e/focused-smoke.spec.ts
• tests/e2e/fleet-sidebar.spec.ts
• tests/e2e/connection-settings.spec.ts
• tests/e2e/agent-inspect-panel.spec.ts
• tests/e2e/agent-ia-split.spec.ts
• tests/e2e/invalid-route-redirect.spec.ts
• tests/e2e/settings-route-disconnected.spec.ts

Common symptoms:

• waiting for data-testid=studio-menu-toggle
• waiting for disconnected controls (Upstream URL, Back to chat)
• timeouts while UI remains in bootstrap/connecting state

Why this matters

These tests target key disconnected/boot flows but currently fail in a way that hides real regressions.

Proposed scope

• Make disconnected-mode e2e setup deterministic (avoid dependence on transient auto-connect timing).
• Update assertions/selectors to current UI behavior.
• Split bootstrap-transition checks from disconnected-controls checks so failures are easier to diagnose.
• Reduce brittle timing assumptions.

Acceptance criteria

• Disconnected-flow e2e suite passes reliably on a clean checkout.
• Tests fail only for real behavior regressions, not race conditions.
• Selector usage aligns with current UI contract.

Notes

This likely depends on or should be coordinated with the bootstrap fallback fix tracked in the related issue.