diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/fixtures.ts b/packages/app/e2e/fixtures.ts
index 0ea346fb0..a05a5e680 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e/fixtures.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/fixtures.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 import { test as base, expect, type Page } from '@playwright/test';
+import {
+  buildCreateAgentPreferences,
+  buildSeededHost,
+} from './helpers/daemon-registry';
 
 // Extend base test to provide dynamic baseURL from global-setup
 const test = base.extend({
@@ -58,31 +62,12 @@ test.beforeEach(async ({ page }) => {
   if (!serverId) {
     throw new Error('E2E_SERVER_ID is not set - expected from Playwright globalSetup.');
   }
-  const testDaemon = {
+  const testDaemon = buildSeededHost({
     serverId,
-    label: 'localhost',
-    connections: [
-      {
-        id: `direct:127.0.0.1:${daemonPort}`,
-        type: 'direct',
-        endpoint: `127.0.0.1:${daemonPort}`,
-      },
-    ],
-    preferredConnectionId: `direct:127.0.0.1:${daemonPort}`,
-    createdAt: nowIso,
-    updatedAt: nowIso,
-  };
-
-  const createAgentPreferences = {
-    // Ensure create flow never uses a remembered host from the developer's real app.
-    serverId: testDaemon.serverId,
-    // Keep e2e fast/cheap by default.
-    provider: 'codex',
-    providerPreferences: {
-      claude: { model: 'haiku' },
-      codex: { model: 'gpt-5.1-codex-mini', thinkingOptionId: 'low' },
-    },
-  };
+    endpoint: `127.0.0.1:${daemonPort}`,
+    nowIso,
+  });
+  const createAgentPreferences = buildCreateAgentPreferences(testDaemon.serverId);
 
   await page.addInitScript(
     ({ daemon, preferences, seedNonce }) => {
diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/helpers/app.ts b/packages/app/e2e/helpers/app.ts
index bc7ba3b9d..014e1efd6 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e/helpers/app.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/helpers/app.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 import { expect, type Page } from '@playwright/test';
+import {
+  buildCreateAgentPreferences,
+  buildSeededHost,
+} from './daemon-registry';
 
 function escapeRegex(value: string): string {
   return value.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&');
@@ -33,8 +37,8 @@ async function ensureE2EStorageSeeded(page: Page): Promise<void> {
       if (entry?.serverId !== expectedServerId) return true;
       const connections = entry?.connections;
       if (!Array.isArray(connections)) return true;
-      if (connections.some((c: any) => c?.type === 'direct' && typeof c?.endpoint === 'string' && /:6767\b/.test(c.endpoint))) return true;
-      return !connections.some((c: any) => c?.type === 'direct' && c?.endpoint === expectedEndpoint);
+      if (connections.some((c: any) => c?.type === 'directTcp' && typeof c?.endpoint === 'string' && /:6767\b/.test(c.endpoint))) return true;
+      return !connections.some((c: any) => c?.type === 'directTcp' && c?.endpoint === expectedEndpoint);
     } catch {
       return true;
     }
@@ -45,42 +49,20 @@ async function ensureE2EStorageSeeded(page: Page): Promise<void> {
   }
 
   const nowIso = new Date().toISOString();
+  const daemon = buildSeededHost({
+    serverId: expectedServerId,
+    endpoint: expectedEndpoint,
+    nowIso,
+  });
+  const preferences = buildCreateAgentPreferences(expectedServerId);
   await page.evaluate(
-    ({ expectedEndpoint, nowIso, expectedServerId }) => {
+    ({ daemon, preferences }) => {
       localStorage.setItem('@paseo:e2e', '1');
-      localStorage.setItem(
-        '@paseo:daemon-registry',
-        JSON.stringify([
-          {
-            serverId: expectedServerId,
-            label: 'localhost',
-            connections: [
-              {
-                id: `direct:${expectedEndpoint}`,
-                type: 'direct',
-                endpoint: expectedEndpoint,
-              },
-            ],
-            preferredConnectionId: `direct:${expectedEndpoint}`,
-            createdAt: nowIso,
-            updatedAt: nowIso,
-          },
-        ])
-      );
-      localStorage.setItem(
-        '@paseo:create-agent-preferences',
-        JSON.stringify({
-          serverId: expectedServerId,
-          provider: 'codex',
-          providerPreferences: {
-            claude: { model: 'haiku' },
-            codex: { model: 'gpt-5.1-codex-mini', thinkingOptionId: 'low' },
-          },
-        })
-      );
+      localStorage.setItem('@paseo:daemon-registry', JSON.stringify([daemon]));
+      localStorage.setItem('@paseo:create-agent-preferences', JSON.stringify(preferences));
       localStorage.removeItem('@paseo:settings');
     },
-    { expectedEndpoint, nowIso, expectedServerId }
+    { daemon, preferences }
   );
 
   await page.reload();
@@ -128,13 +110,13 @@ async function assertE2EUsesSeededTestDaemon(page: Page): Promise<void> {
   const connections: unknown = daemon?.connections;
   if (
     !Array.isArray(connections) ||
-    !connections.some((c: any) => c?.type === 'direct' && c?.endpoint === expectedEndpoint)
+    !connections.some((c: any) => c?.type === 'directTcp' && c?.endpoint === expectedEndpoint)
   ) {
     throw new Error(
-      `E2E expected seeded daemon connections to include direct ${expectedEndpoint} (got ${JSON.stringify(connections)}).`
+      `E2E expected seeded daemon connections to include directTcp ${expectedEndpoint} (got ${JSON.stringify(connections)}).`
     );
   }
-  if (Array.isArray(connections) && connections.some((c: any) => c?.type === 'direct' && typeof c?.endpoint === 'string' && /:6767\b/.test(c.endpoint))) {
+  if (Array.isArray(connections) && connections.some((c: any) => c?.type === 'directTcp' && typeof c?.endpoint === 'string' && /:6767\b/.test(c.endpoint))) {
     throw new Error(`E2E detected a daemon endpoint pointing at :6767 (${JSON.stringify(connections)}).`);
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/helpers/daemon-registry.ts b/packages/app/e2e/helpers/daemon-registry.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dd0146890
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/helpers/daemon-registry.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+export const TEST_HOST_LABEL = "localhost";
+
+export const TEST_PROVIDER_PREFERENCES = {
+  claude: { model: "haiku" },
+  codex: { model: "gpt-5.1-codex-mini", thinkingOptionId: "low" },
+} as const;
+
+export function buildDirectTcpConnection(endpoint: string) {
+  return {
+    id: `direct:${endpoint}`,
+    type: "directTcp" as const,
+    endpoint,
+  };
+}
+
+export function buildSeededHost(input: {
+  serverId: string;
+  endpoint: string;
+  label?: string;
+  nowIso: string;
+}) {
+  const connection = buildDirectTcpConnection(input.endpoint);
+  return {
+    serverId: input.serverId,
+    label: input.label ?? TEST_HOST_LABEL,
+    connections: [connection],
+    preferredConnectionId: connection.id,
+    createdAt: input.nowIso,
+    updatedAt: input.nowIso,
+  };
+}
+
+export function buildCreateAgentPreferences(serverId: string) {
+  return {
+    serverId,
+    provider: "codex" as const,
+    providerPreferences: TEST_PROVIDER_PREFERENCES,
+  };
+}