diff --git a/frontend/e2e/routes.ts b/frontend/e2e/routes.ts
index dcccbb10..9de0908e 100644
--- a/frontend/e2e/routes.ts
+++ b/frontend/e2e/routes.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import type { Cassette } from './mocks/cassette.ts';
 
 import { apiTokensCassette } from './mocks/cassettes/api-tokens.ts';
 import { dashboardCassette } from './mocks/cassettes/dashboard.ts';
-import { flowsCassette, flowTabsCassette } from './mocks/cassettes/flows.ts';
+import { flowsCassette, flowTabsCassette, TABS_FILE_NAME, TABS_SCREENSHOT_URL } from './mocks/cassettes/flows.ts';
 import { knowledgesCassette } from './mocks/cassettes/knowledges.ts';
 import { resourcesCassette } from './mocks/cassettes/resources.ts';
 import { settingsPromptsCassette } from './mocks/cassettes/settings-prompts.ts';
@@ -27,9 +27,30 @@ export interface RouteManifestEntry {
      */
     sources: string[];
     /** Radix unmounts inactive tab panels, so one scan of the default view sees none of them. */
-    tabs?: string[];
+    tabs?: RouteTab[];
 }
 
+export interface RouteTab {
+    name: string;
+    /**
+     * Must be absent while the panel loads: a marker that also renders on the
+     * skeleton lets every per-tab scan pass on an empty panel.
+     */
+    ready: (page: Page) => Locator;
+}
+
+/** Order matters: the flow auto-opens Assistant, so tabs.spec pins that no entry is already open. */
+export const FLOW_DETAIL_TABS: RouteTab[] = [
+    { name: 'Dashboard', ready: (page) => page.getByText('Usage by Model & Provider') },
+    { name: 'Assistant', ready: (page) => page.getByText('New assistant', { exact: true }) },
+    { name: 'Tasks', ready: (page) => page.getByText('E2E Task Alpha') },
+    { name: 'Agents', ready: (page) => page.getByText('E2E agent reconnaissance') },
+    { name: 'Searches', ready: (page) => page.getByText('E2E search for the CVE') },
+    { name: 'Vector Store', ready: (page) => page.getByText('E2E recall prior findings') },
+    { name: 'Files', ready: (page) => page.getByText(TABS_FILE_NAME) },
+    { name: 'Screenshots', ready: (page) => page.getByText(TABS_SCREENSHOT_URL) },
+];
+
 /**
  * The routes swept by NAV/visual/a11y specs and CI diff-scoping. This is a
  * subset of the app's routes — route-manifest.unit.test.ts pins the excluded
@@ -75,7 +96,7 @@ export const ROUTE_MANIFEST: RouteManifestEntry[] = [
             'src/components/dashboard',
             'src/features/resources',
         ],
-        tabs: ['Assistant', 'Dashboard', 'Tasks', 'Agents', 'Searches', 'Vector Store', 'Files', 'Screenshots'],
+        tabs: FLOW_DETAIL_TABS,
     },
     {
         cassette: templatesCassette,
diff --git a/frontend/e2e/specs/cross/a11y.spec.ts b/frontend/e2e/specs/cross/a11y.spec.ts
index 9e9fdb77..184e7f54 100644
--- a/frontend/e2e/specs/cross/a11y.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/e2e/specs/cross/a11y.spec.ts
@@ -52,12 +52,13 @@ for (const theme of THEMES) {
                 });
 
                 for (const tab of entry.tabs ?? []) {
-                    test(`tab "${tab}" has no axe violations`, async ({ page }) => {
+                    test(`tab "${tab.name}" has no axe violations`, async ({ page }) => {
                         await page.goto(entry.path);
                         await expect(entry.ready(page)).toBeVisible();
                         await expect(page.locator('html')).toHaveClass(theme === 'dark' ? /dark/ : /light/);
-                        await page.getByRole('tab', { name: tab }).click();
-                        await scanA11y(page, `${entry.path} [${tab}]`, entry.a11yWaivers);
+                        await page.getByRole('tab', { name: tab.name }).click();
+                        await expect(tab.ready(page)).toBeVisible();
+                        await scanA11y(page, `${entry.path} [${tab.name}]`, entry.a11yWaivers);
                     });
                 }
             });
diff --git a/frontend/e2e/specs/cross/palette.spec.ts b/frontend/e2e/specs/cross/palette.spec.ts
index 98a6b7f9..241f0609 100644
--- a/frontend/e2e/specs/cross/palette.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/e2e/specs/cross/palette.spec.ts
@@ -84,13 +84,14 @@ test.describe('palette compliance', { tag: '@cross' }, () => {
             // Tabs mount their panels lazily (Radix unmounts inactive ones), so the default-view scan
             // above never sees them — sweep each panel like the a11y gate does.
             for (const tab of entry.tabs ?? []) {
-                test(`tab "${tab}" carries no off-palette colour`, async ({ page }) => {
+                test(`tab "${tab.name}" carries no off-palette colour`, async ({ page }) => {
                     await page.goto(entry.path);
                     await expect(entry.ready(page)).toBeVisible();
-                    await page.getByRole('tab', { name: tab }).click();
+                    await page.getByRole('tab', { name: tab.name }).click();
+                    await expect(tab.ready(page)).toBeVisible();
 
                     const offenders = await scanOffenders(page);
-                    const key = `${entry.path} [${tab}]`;
+                    const key = `${entry.path} [${tab.name}]`;
 
                     expect([...new Set(offenders)], `off-palette colours on ${key}`).toEqual(ACCEPTED[key] ?? []);
                 });
diff --git a/frontend/e2e/specs/flows/tabs.spec.ts b/frontend/e2e/specs/flows/tabs.spec.ts
index 216d75b3..0adbb7d5 100644
--- a/frontend/e2e/specs/flows/tabs.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/e2e/specs/flows/tabs.spec.ts
@@ -1,20 +1,7 @@
 import { expect, test } from '../../fixtures/test.ts';
 import { expectCleanPage } from '../../helpers/errors.ts';
-import {
-    flowTabsCassette,
-    TABS_FILE_NAME,
-    TABS_SCREENSHOT_NAME,
-    TABS_SCREENSHOT_URL,
-} from '../../mocks/cassettes/flows.ts';
-
-const TABS = [
-    { marker: 'E2E Task Alpha', name: 'Tasks' },
-    { marker: 'E2E agent reconnaissance', name: 'Agents' },
-    { marker: 'E2E search for the CVE', name: 'Searches' },
-    { marker: 'E2E recall prior findings', name: 'Vector Store' },
-    { marker: TABS_FILE_NAME, name: 'Files' },
-    { marker: TABS_SCREENSHOT_URL, name: 'Screenshots' },
-] as const;
+import { flowTabsCassette, TABS_SCREENSHOT_NAME } from '../../mocks/cassettes/flows.ts';
+import { FLOW_DETAIL_TABS } from '../../routes.ts';
 
 test.describe('flow detail tabs', { tag: '@flows' }, () => {
     test.use({ cassette: flowTabsCassette() });
@@ -23,9 +10,12 @@ test.describe('flow detail tabs', { tag: '@flows' }, () => {
         await page.goto('/flows/5');
         await expect(page.locator('header').getByRole('button', { name: 'Toggle favorite' })).toBeEnabled();
 
-        for (const { marker, name } of TABS) {
+        for (const { name, ready } of FLOW_DETAIL_TABS) {
+            // Pins that the click is what reveals the panel. Ordering this sweep so a tab is already
+            // open when its turn comes (the flow auto-opens Assistant) makes its iteration a no-op.
+            await expect(ready(page), `"${name}" must not be on screen before its own click`).not.toBeAttached();
             await page.getByRole('tab', { name }).click();
-            await expect(page.getByText(marker)).toBeVisible();
+            await expect(ready(page)).toBeVisible();
         }
 
         expectCleanPage(pageErrorLog);