diff --git a/tests/e2e/app-chrome.spec.ts b/tests/e2e/app-chrome.spec.ts
index 1f2129b1..167aa253 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/app-chrome.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/app-chrome.spec.ts
@@ -24,16 +24,39 @@
  * The config supplies `use.storageState`, so specs start signed in.
  */
 
+import type { Page } from '@playwright/test'
+
 import { expect, test } from '@playwright/test'
 
 const APP_BASE = '/index.php/apps/hermiq'
 
+/**
+ * Dismiss the first-run setup wizard if it is open.
+ *
+ * ⚠️ On a FRESH instance CnSetupWizard opens over the app and its modal
+ * intercepts pointer events, so every nav click resolves its locator and then
+ * times out after 30s — a failure that reads like the navigation is broken.
+ * Tests that navigate by URL pass, which is what makes this so easy to miss:
+ * only the click-through tests fail, and only on a clean install.
+ *
+ * @param page The page.
+ */
+async function dismissSetupWizard(page: Page): Promise<void> {
+	const modal = page.locator('[data-testid="cn-modal"]')
+	if ((await modal.count()) === 0) {
+		return
+	}
+	await modal.first().getByRole('button', { name: 'Close' }).click()
+	await expect(modal).toHaveCount(0, { timeout: 15_000 })
+}
+
 test.describe('app chrome (ADR-114)', () => {
 	test.beforeEach(async ({ page }) => {
 		await page.goto(`${APP_BASE}/`, { waitUntil: 'domcontentloaded' })
 		await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="cn-nav"]')).toBeVisible({
 			timeout: 30_000,
 		})
+		await dismissSetupWizard(page)
 	})
 
 	test('the footer reads Documentation, Store, Reports, Features & roadmap, each with a glyph', async ({
@@ -80,7 +103,10 @@ test.describe('app chrome (ADR-114)', () => {
 			nav.locator('[data-testid="cn-nav-entry-AiOversightMenu"]'),
 		).toHaveCount(0)
 
-		await nav.locator('[data-testid="cn-nav-entry-ReportsMenu"]').click()
+		await nav
+			.locator('[data-testid="cn-nav-entry-ReportsMenu"] a')
+			.first()
+			.click()
 		await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/apps\/hermiq\/reports(\?|$)/, {
 			timeout: 15_000,
 		})
@@ -131,6 +157,9 @@ test.describe('app chrome (ADR-114)', () => {
 
 		const admin = nav.locator('[data-testid="cn-nav-admin-settings"]')
 		await expect(admin).toBeAttached()
-		await expect(admin).toHaveAttribute('href', /\/settings\/admin\/hermiq$/)
+		await expect(admin.locator('a').first()).toHaveAttribute(
+			'href',
+			/\/settings\/admin\/hermiq$/,
+		)
 	})
 })