diff --git a/ui/src/e2e/browser-talk-start-stop.e2e.test.ts b/ui/src/e2e/browser-talk-start-stop.e2e.test.ts
index 18e8d020e947..5fb6d93fe076 100644
--- a/ui/src/e2e/browser-talk-start-stop.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/e2e/browser-talk-start-stop.e2e.test.ts
@@ -688,6 +688,7 @@ suite.define(() => {
     await suite.withPage({ permissions: ["microphone"] }, async ({ page }) => {
       const relaySessionId = "relay-e2e-transcript";
       const gateway = await installMockGateway(page, {
+        deferredMethods: ["talk.client.create"],
         methodResponses: {
           "talk.client.create": {
             provider: "openai",
@@ -710,20 +711,33 @@ suite.define(() => {
       await page.setViewportSize({ width: 1366, height: 900 });
       await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Start voice input" }).click();
       await gateway.waitForRequest("talk.client.create");
-      // The request is recorded before its mock response is delivered. Wait for
-      // microphone setup before probing relay readiness below.
+      // Microphone acquisition precedes relay admission and cannot prove readiness.
+      expect(
+        await page.evaluate(() => {
+          const state = (
+            window as Window & {
+              openclawTalkE2eState?: { constraints: unknown[]; inputProcessor: unknown };
+            }
+          ).openclawTalkE2eState;
+          return {
+            microphoneRequests: state?.constraints.length,
+            inputReady: state?.inputProcessor != null,
+          };
+        }),
+      ).toEqual({ microphoneRequests: 1, inputReady: false });
+      await gateway.resolveDeferred("talk.client.create");
       await expect
         .poll(() =>
           page.evaluate(
             () =>
               (
                 window as Window & {
-                  openclawTalkE2eState?: { constraints: unknown[] };
+                  openclawTalkE2eState?: { inputProcessor: unknown };
                 }
-              ).openclawTalkE2eState?.constraints.length,
+              ).openclawTalkE2eState?.inputProcessor != null,
           ),
         )
-        .toBe(1);
+        .toBe(true);
       await gateway.emitGatewayEvent("talk.event", { relaySessionId, type: "ready" });
       await expect
         .poll(() => page.locator('.agent-chat__voice-activity[data-status="listening"]').count())
diff --git a/ui/src/e2e/model-catalog-partial-refresh.e2e.test.ts b/ui/src/e2e/model-catalog-partial-refresh.e2e.test.ts
index 5bced88e6f06..cf141afd7bf8 100644
--- a/ui/src/e2e/model-catalog-partial-refresh.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/e2e/model-catalog-partial-refresh.e2e.test.ts
@@ -202,8 +202,9 @@ suite.define(() => {
 
   it("keeps usable effort controls when the selected model is locked during a partial refresh", async () => {
     await suite.withPage({ locale: "en-US" }, async ({ page }) => {
-      await installMockGateway(page, {
+      const gateway = await installMockGateway(page, {
         agentModel: partialConfig.agents.defaults.model,
+        heldMethods: ["chat.startup"],
         models: catalog.models,
         methodResponses: {
           "models.list": catalog,
@@ -227,8 +228,12 @@ suite.define(() => {
         },
       });
       await page.goto(`${suite.server.baseUrl}chat`);
+      await gateway.waitForRequest("chat.startup");
       const effort = page.locator("[data-chat-thinking-select]");
       await expect.poll(() => effort.isVisible()).toBe(true);
+      expect(await effort.getAttribute("aria-disabled")).toBe("true");
+      await gateway.resolveDeferred("chat.startup");
+      await page.locator('[data-chat-thinking-select][aria-disabled="false"]').waitFor();
       expect(await effort.getAttribute("aria-disabled")).toBe("false");
       expect(await page.locator(".chat-controls__effort-picker").getAttribute("aria-hidden")).toBe(
         "false",
diff --git a/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-e2e.ts b/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-e2e.ts
index 27669530a0a2..d003c5bfa435 100644
--- a/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-e2e.ts
+++ b/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-e2e.ts
@@ -2097,7 +2097,9 @@ function installControlUiMockGateway(
       case "artifacts.download":
         return null;
       case "sessions.resolve":
-        return sessions.resolve(isRecord(params) ? params : {});
+      case "sessions.describe":
+      case "session.members.listEvidence":
+        return sessions.readResponse(method, params, scenario);
       case "chat.history":
       case "chat.startup": {
         const resolution =
@@ -2146,11 +2148,6 @@ function installControlUiMockGateway(
             : {}),
         };
       }
-      case "sessions.describe": {
-        const key =
-          isRecord(params) && typeof params.key === "string" ? params.key : scenario.sessionKey;
-        return { session: sessions.sessionInfo(key) ?? null };
-      }
       case "chat.metadata":
         return {
           commands: [],
diff --git a/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-session-fixtures.ts b/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-session-fixtures.ts
index e86a9775ca7b..2ee408c5590a 100644
--- a/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-session-fixtures.ts
+++ b/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-session-fixtures.ts
@@ -492,13 +492,37 @@ export function createControlUiSessionFixtures(
       ? { ok: true, ...only }
       : { ok: false, ...(matches.length ? { candidates: matches.slice(0, 10) } : {}) };
   };
+  // History publishes a full row replacement. An unseeded wire-only fixture
+  // has no canonical metadata to publish until its caller declares the row.
+  const sessionInfo = (key: string) =>
+    listed.has(canonicalKey(key)) ? sample(read(key), Date.now()) : undefined;
   return {
     read,
     resolve,
-    // History publishes a full row replacement. An unseeded wire-only fixture
-    // has no canonical metadata to publish until its caller declares the row.
-    sessionInfo: (key: string) =>
-      listed.has(canonicalKey(key)) ? sample(read(key), Date.now()) : undefined,
+    sessionInfo,
+    readResponse(
+      method: "sessions.resolve" | "sessions.describe" | "session.members.listEvidence",
+      params: unknown,
+      scenario: { sessionKey: string; allowedSessionVisibilities: readonly string[] },
+    ) {
+      if (method === "sessions.resolve") {
+        return resolve(isRecord(params) ? params : {});
+      }
+      const field = method === "sessions.describe" ? "key" : "sessionKey";
+      const requestedKey = isRecord(params) ? params[field] : undefined;
+      const key = typeof requestedKey === "string" ? requestedKey : scenario.sessionKey;
+      if (method === "sessions.describe") {
+        return { session: sessionInfo(key) ?? null };
+      }
+      const row = read(key);
+      return {
+        sessionKey: row.key,
+        members: [],
+        identities: [],
+        role: row.sharingRole ?? "admin",
+        allowedVisibilities: scenario.allowedSessionVisibilities,
+      };
+    },
     patch,
     abortRuns,
     trackRun,