diff --git a/scripts/ensure-playwright-chromium.mjs b/scripts/ensure-playwright-chromium.mjs
index a81de0146cd5..2ee810f60788 100644
--- a/scripts/ensure-playwright-chromium.mjs
+++ b/scripts/ensure-playwright-chromium.mjs
@@ -7,7 +7,23 @@ import { chromium } from "playwright";
 import { resolvePnpmRunner } from "./pnpm-runner.mjs";
 
 const repoRoot = resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..");
-const playwrightInstallArgs = ["--dir", "ui", "exec", "playwright", "install", "chromium"];
+const playwrightInstallArgs = [
+  "--dir",
+  "ui",
+  "exec",
+  "playwright",
+  "install",
+  "chromium",
+];
+const playwrightInstallWithDepsArgs = [
+  "--dir",
+  "ui",
+  "exec",
+  "playwright",
+  "install",
+  "--with-deps",
+  "chromium",
+];
 const executableOverrideEnvKey = "PLAYWRIGHT_CHROMIUM_EXECUTABLE_PATH";
 export const systemChromiumExecutableCandidates = [
   "/snap/bin/chromium",
@@ -17,8 +33,22 @@ export const systemChromiumExecutableCandidates = [
   "/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable",
 ];
 
-export function resolveSystemChromiumExecutablePath(existsSync = existsSyncImpl) {
-  return systemChromiumExecutableCandidates.find((candidate) => existsSync(candidate)) ?? "";
+export function canRunChromiumExecutable(executablePath, spawnSync = spawnSyncImpl) {
+  const result = spawnSync(executablePath, ["--version"], {
+    stdio: "ignore",
+  });
+  return result.status === 0;
+}
+
+export function resolveSystemChromiumExecutablePath(
+  existsSync = existsSyncImpl,
+  spawnSync = spawnSyncImpl,
+) {
+  return (
+    systemChromiumExecutableCandidates.find(
+      (candidate) => existsSync(candidate) && canRunChromiumExecutable(candidate, spawnSync),
+    ) ?? ""
+  );
 }
 
 export function resolvePlaywrightInstallRunner(options = {}) {
@@ -27,10 +57,23 @@ export function resolvePlaywrightInstallRunner(options = {}) {
     comSpec: options.comSpec ?? env.ComSpec ?? env.COMSPEC,
     npmExecPath: env === process.env ? env.npm_execpath : (env.npm_execpath ?? ""),
     platform: options.platform,
-    pnpmArgs: playwrightInstallArgs,
+    pnpmArgs: options.withDeps ? playwrightInstallWithDepsArgs : playwrightInstallArgs,
   });
 }
 
+export function shouldInstallPlaywrightSystemDependencies(options = {}) {
+  const env = options.env ?? process.env;
+  const platform = options.platform ?? process.platform;
+  const getuid = options.getuid ?? process.getuid;
+  if (platform !== "linux") {
+    return false;
+  }
+  if (typeof getuid === "function" && getuid() === 0) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  return env.CI === "true" || env.GITHUB_ACTIONS === "true";
+}
+
 export function isDirectScriptExecution(
   argvEntry = process.argv[1],
   modulePath = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url),
@@ -56,22 +99,25 @@ export function ensurePlaywrightChromium(options = {}) {
   const spawnSync = options.spawnSync ?? spawnSyncImpl;
 
   if (executableOverride) {
-    if (existsSync(executableOverride)) {
+    if (existsSync(executableOverride) && canRunChromiumExecutable(executableOverride, spawnSync)) {
       return 0;
     }
     log(
-      `[ui-e2e] ${executableOverrideEnvKey} points to ${executableOverride}, but that browser does not exist.`,
+      `[ui-e2e] ${executableOverrideEnvKey} points to ${executableOverride}, but that browser is not runnable.`,
     );
     return 1;
   }
 
-  if (existsSync(executablePath)) {
+  if (existsSync(executablePath) && canRunChromiumExecutable(executablePath, spawnSync)) {
     return 0;
   }
 
   const systemExecutablePath =
-    options.systemExecutablePath ?? resolveSystemChromiumExecutablePath(existsSync);
-  if (systemExecutablePath) {
+    options.systemExecutablePath ?? resolveSystemChromiumExecutablePath(existsSync, spawnSync);
+  if (
+    systemExecutablePath &&
+    canRunChromiumExecutable(systemExecutablePath, spawnSync)
+  ) {
     log(`[ui-e2e] Using system Chromium at ${systemExecutablePath}.`);
     return 0;
   }
@@ -83,7 +129,7 @@ export function ensurePlaywrightChromium(options = {}) {
     return 0;
   }
 
-  log(`[ui-e2e] Playwright Chromium is missing at ${executablePath}; installing chromium.`);
+  log(`[ui-e2e] Playwright Chromium is not runnable at ${executablePath}; installing chromium.`);
   const runner = resolvePlaywrightInstallRunner({
     comSpec: options.comSpec,
     env,
@@ -101,9 +147,38 @@ export function ensurePlaywrightChromium(options = {}) {
     return status;
   }
 
-  if (!existsSync(executablePath)) {
+  if (!existsSync(executablePath) || !canRunChromiumExecutable(executablePath, spawnSync)) {
+    if (shouldInstallPlaywrightSystemDependencies({
+      env,
+      getuid: options.getuid,
+      platform: options.platform,
+    })) {
+      log(
+        `[ui-e2e] Chromium is installed but still cannot start; installing Linux system dependencies.`,
+      );
+      const depsRunner = resolvePlaywrightInstallRunner({
+        comSpec: options.comSpec,
+        env,
+        platform: options.platform,
+        withDeps: true,
+      });
+      const depsResult = spawnSync(depsRunner.command, depsRunner.args, {
+        cwd: options.cwd ?? repoRoot,
+        env,
+        shell: depsRunner.shell,
+        stdio: options.stdio ?? "inherit",
+        windowsVerbatimArguments: depsRunner.windowsVerbatimArguments,
+      });
+      const depsStatus = depsResult.status ?? 1;
+      if (depsStatus !== 0) {
+        return depsStatus;
+      }
+      if (existsSync(executablePath) && canRunChromiumExecutable(executablePath, spawnSync)) {
+        return 0;
+      }
+    }
     log(
-      `[ui-e2e] Playwright install completed but Chromium is still missing at ${executablePath}.`,
+      `[ui-e2e] Playwright install completed but Chromium is still not runnable at ${executablePath}.`,
     );
     return 1;
   }
diff --git a/scripts/test-cleanup-docker.sh b/scripts/test-cleanup-docker.sh
index 743811487c6d..61301bd7438f 100755
--- a/scripts/test-cleanup-docker.sh
+++ b/scripts/test-cleanup-docker.sh
@@ -5,9 +5,37 @@ ROOT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)"
 source "$ROOT_DIR/scripts/lib/docker-build.sh"
 source "$ROOT_DIR/scripts/lib/docker-e2e-container.sh"
 IMAGE_NAME="${OPENCLAW_CLEANUP_SMOKE_IMAGE:-openclaw-cleanup-smoke:local}"
-PLATFORM="${OPENCLAW_CLEANUP_SMOKE_PLATFORM:-linux/amd64}"
 DOCKER_COMMAND_TIMEOUT="${DOCKER_COMMAND_TIMEOUT:-${OPENCLAW_CLEANUP_SMOKE_DOCKER_TIMEOUT:-600s}}"
 
+resolve_default_cleanup_platform() {
+  local host_arch
+  if [[ -n "${OPENCLAW_CLEANUP_SMOKE_PLATFORM:-}" ]]; then
+    printf "%s" "$OPENCLAW_CLEANUP_SMOKE_PLATFORM"
+    return
+  fi
+  host_arch="$(uname -m)"
+  if [[ "${CI:-}" == "true" || "${GITHUB_ACTIONS:-}" == "true" ]]; then
+    case "$host_arch" in
+      arm64 | aarch64)
+        printf "linux/arm64"
+        return
+        ;;
+    esac
+    printf "linux/amd64"
+    return
+  fi
+  case "$host_arch" in
+    arm64 | aarch64)
+      printf "linux/arm64"
+      ;;
+    *)
+      printf "linux/amd64"
+      ;;
+  esac
+}
+
+PLATFORM="$(resolve_default_cleanup_platform)"
+
 echo "==> Build image: $IMAGE_NAME"
 docker_build_run cleanup-build \
   -t "$IMAGE_NAME" \
diff --git a/scripts/test-install-sh-docker.sh b/scripts/test-install-sh-docker.sh
index 8da6feec38ef..ff08b3313f80 100755
--- a/scripts/test-install-sh-docker.sh
+++ b/scripts/test-install-sh-docker.sh
@@ -14,23 +14,30 @@ run_install_smoke_container() {
 }
 
 resolve_default_smoke_platform() {
-  local host_os
   local host_arch
   if [[ -n "${OPENCLAW_INSTALL_SMOKE_PLATFORM:-}" ]]; then
     printf "%s" "$OPENCLAW_INSTALL_SMOKE_PLATFORM"
     return
   fi
+  host_arch="$(uname -m)"
   if [[ "${CI:-}" == "true" || "${GITHUB_ACTIONS:-}" == "true" ]]; then
+    case "$host_arch" in
+      arm64 | aarch64)
+        printf "linux/arm64"
+        return
+        ;;
+    esac
     printf "linux/amd64"
     return
   fi
-  host_os="$(uname -s)"
-  host_arch="$(uname -m)"
-  if [[ "$host_os" == "Darwin" && "$host_arch" == "arm64" ]]; then
-    printf "linux/arm64"
-    return
-  fi
-  printf "linux/amd64"
+  case "$host_arch" in
+    arm64 | aarch64)
+      printf "linux/arm64"
+      ;;
+    *)
+      printf "linux/amd64"
+      ;;
+  esac
 }
 
 print_pack_audit() {
diff --git a/src/agents/bash-tools.exec-gateway-approval.e2e.test.ts b/src/agents/bash-tools.exec-gateway-approval.e2e.test.ts
index cc8b56258ace..83e81d3b3461 100644
--- a/src/agents/bash-tools.exec-gateway-approval.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/bash-tools.exec-gateway-approval.e2e.test.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ const TEST_ENV_KEYS = [
   "OPENCLAW_SKIP_PROVIDERS",
   "OPENCLAW_TEST_MINIMAL_GATEWAY",
 ];
+const GATEWAY_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS = 120_000;
+const EXEC_APPROVAL_E2E_TIMEOUT_MS = 180_000;
 
 type Cleanup = () => Promise<void> | void;
 
@@ -128,7 +130,8 @@ describe("gateway-hosted exec approvals", () => {
       clientDisplayName: "approval operator",
       mode: GATEWAY_CLIENT_MODES.TEST,
       scopes: [ADMIN_SCOPE],
-      timeoutMs: 60_000,
+      requestTimeoutMs: GATEWAY_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS,
+      timeoutMs: GATEWAY_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS,
     });
     cleanup.push(() => disconnectGatewayClient(operator));
 
@@ -171,5 +174,5 @@ describe("gateway-hosted exec approvals", () => {
     expect(outcome.status).toBe("completed");
     expect(outcome.exitCode).toBe(0);
     expect(outcome.aggregated).toBe("smoke");
-  }, 120_000);
+  }, EXEC_APPROVAL_E2E_TIMEOUT_MS);
 });
diff --git a/src/agents/bash-tools.exec.resolve-env-hook.test.ts b/src/agents/bash-tools.exec.resolve-env-hook.test.ts
index 4e8390e97a8d..fb5f7139edfb 100644
--- a/src/agents/bash-tools.exec.resolve-env-hook.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/bash-tools.exec.resolve-env-hook.test.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ const mocks = vi.hoisted(() => ({
   hookRunner: undefined as
     | {
         hasHooks: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
-        runResolveExecEnv: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
+        runResolveExecEnv?: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
         runBeforeToolCall?: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>;
       }
     | undefined,
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ describe("exec resolve_exec_env hook wiring", () => {
     expect(mocks.beforeToolCallParams[0]?.env).toEqual({
       EXISTING: "request",
     });
-    expect(mocks.hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(mocks.hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv!).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     expect(mocks.gatewayParams[0]?.requestedEnv).toEqual({
       EXISTING: "request",
       PLUGIN_SAFE: "yes",
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ describe("exec resolve_exec_env hook wiring", () => {
     expect(mocks.beforeToolCallParams[0]?.env).toEqual({
       REQUEST_SAFE: "request",
     });
-    expect(mocks.hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(mocks.hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv!).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     expect(mocks.gatewayParams[0]?.requestedEnv).toEqual({
       LAZY_PLUGIN_SAFE: "yes",
       REQUEST_SAFE: "request",
@@ -335,13 +335,13 @@ describe("exec resolve_exec_env hook wiring", () => {
       testExtensionContext,
     );
 
-    expect(mocks.hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
-    expect(mocks.hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+    expect(mocks.hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv!).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    expect(mocks.hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv!).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
       1,
       expect.objectContaining({ host: "gateway" }),
       expect.anything(),
     );
-    expect(mocks.hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+    expect(mocks.hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv!).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
       2,
       expect.objectContaining({ host: "node" }),
       expect.anything(),
@@ -386,7 +386,29 @@ describe("exec resolve_exec_env hook wiring", () => {
       testExtensionContext,
     );
 
-    expect(mocks.hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(mocks.hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv!).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(mocks.gatewayParams[0]?.requestedEnv).toEqual({
+      REQUEST_SAFE: "request",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("skips stale hook runners that report resolve_exec_env without the runner method", async () => {
+    mocks.hookRunner = {
+      hasHooks: vi.fn((hookName: string) => hookName === "resolve_exec_env"),
+    };
+
+    const tool = createExecTool({
+      host: "gateway",
+      security: "full",
+      ask: "off",
+      sessionKey: "agent:main:telegram:chat-1",
+    });
+    await tool.execute("call-stale-hook-runner", {
+      command: "echo ok",
+      env: { REQUEST_SAFE: "request" },
+      yieldMs: 120_000,
+    });
+
     expect(mocks.gatewayParams[0]?.requestedEnv).toEqual({
       REQUEST_SAFE: "request",
     });
@@ -431,7 +453,7 @@ describe("exec resolve_exec_env hook wiring", () => {
     expect(mocks.beforeToolCallParams[0]?.env).toEqual({
       REQUEST_SAFE: "request",
     });
-    expect(mocks.hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(mocks.hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv!).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     expect(mocks.gatewayParams[0]?.requestedEnv).toEqual({
       PLUGIN_SAFE: "yes",
       REQUEST_SAFE: "request",
diff --git a/src/agents/bash-tools.exec.ts b/src/agents/bash-tools.exec.ts
index 858da4260394..1b56b89a77d9 100644
--- a/src/agents/bash-tools.exec.ts
+++ b/src/agents/bash-tools.exec.ts
@@ -1411,7 +1411,10 @@ export function createExecTool(
       return markResolveExecEnvPrepared(params);
     }
     const hookRunner = getGlobalHookRunner();
-    if (!hookRunner?.hasHooks("resolve_exec_env")) {
+    if (
+      !hookRunner?.hasHooks("resolve_exec_env") ||
+      typeof hookRunner.runResolveExecEnv !== "function"
+    ) {
       return markResolveExecEnvPrepared(params);
     }
     let host: ExecHost;
diff --git a/src/gateway/test-helpers.e2e.ts b/src/gateway/test-helpers.e2e.ts
index e0cba5ed09d9..a670bc658c5d 100644
--- a/src/gateway/test-helpers.e2e.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/test-helpers.e2e.ts
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ export async function connectGatewayClient(params: {
   deviceIdentity?: DeviceIdentity;
   onEvent?: (evt: { event?: string; payload?: unknown }) => void;
   connectChallengeTimeoutMs?: number;
+  requestTimeoutMs?: number;
   timeoutMs?: number;
   timeoutMessage?: string;
 }) {
@@ -90,6 +91,7 @@ export async function connectGatewayClient(params: {
       ...(params.connectChallengeTimeoutMs !== undefined
         ? { connectChallengeTimeoutMs: params.connectChallengeTimeoutMs }
         : {}),
+      ...(params.requestTimeoutMs !== undefined ? { requestTimeoutMs: params.requestTimeoutMs } : {}),
       clientName: params.clientName ?? GATEWAY_CLIENT_NAMES.TEST,
       clientDisplayName: params.clientDisplayName ?? "vitest",
       clientVersion: params.clientVersion ?? "dev",
diff --git a/test/scripts/docker-build-helper.test.ts b/test/scripts/docker-build-helper.test.ts
index 1c778028c2c6..9c0d43573d66 100644
--- a/test/scripts/docker-build-helper.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/docker-build-helper.test.ts
@@ -109,6 +109,34 @@ function shellQuote(value: string): string {
   return `'${value.replace(/'/gu, `'\\''`)}'`;
 }
 
+function runCleanupDefaultPlatform(env: Record<string, string>, hostArch: string): string {
+  const script = readFileSync(CLEANUP_DOCKER_SMOKE_PATH, "utf8");
+  const match = script.match(
+    /(resolve_default_cleanup_platform\(\) \{[\s\S]*?\n\})\n\nPLATFORM=/u,
+  );
+  if (!match) {
+    throw new Error("resolve_default_cleanup_platform was not found");
+  }
+  return execFileSync(
+    "bash",
+    [
+      "--noprofile",
+      "--norc",
+      "-c",
+      `${match[1]}\nuname() { if [[ "\${1:-}" == "-m" ]]; then printf "%s" "$FAKE_UNAME_ARCH"; else command uname "$@"; fi; }\nresolve_default_cleanup_platform`,
+    ],
+    {
+      encoding: "utf8",
+      env: {
+        HOME: "/tmp",
+        PATH: process.env.PATH ?? "",
+        FAKE_UNAME_ARCH: hostArch,
+        ...env,
+      },
+    },
+  );
+}
+
 describe("docker build helper", () => {
   it("forces BuildKit for centralized Docker builds", () => {
     const helper = readFileSync(HELPER_PATH, "utf8");
@@ -156,6 +184,15 @@ describe("docker build helper", () => {
     expect(installE2eSmoke).not.toContain("docker run --rm \\");
   });
 
+  it("runs cleanup smoke on the native ARM platform instead of pulling an amd64 tag", () => {
+    expect(runCleanupDefaultPlatform({ CI: "true" }, "aarch64")).toBe("linux/arm64");
+    expect(runCleanupDefaultPlatform({ GITHUB_ACTIONS: "true" }, "x86_64")).toBe("linux/amd64");
+    expect(runCleanupDefaultPlatform({}, "arm64")).toBe("linux/arm64");
+    expect(
+      runCleanupDefaultPlatform({ OPENCLAW_CLEANUP_SMOKE_PLATFORM: "linux/s390x" }, "x86_64"),
+    ).toBe("linux/s390x");
+  });
+
   it("lets Testbox fall back to building when a reused Docker image is missing", () => {
     const helper = readFileSync(HELPER_PATH, "utf8");
     const e2eImageHelper = readFileSync(DOCKER_E2E_IMAGE_HELPER_PATH, "utf8");
diff --git a/test/scripts/ensure-playwright-chromium.test.ts b/test/scripts/ensure-playwright-chromium.test.ts
index e8164654ada0..986415e0b748 100644
--- a/test/scripts/ensure-playwright-chromium.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/ensure-playwright-chromium.test.ts
@@ -2,11 +2,12 @@ import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import {
   ensurePlaywrightChromium,
   resolvePlaywrightInstallRunner,
+  shouldInstallPlaywrightSystemDependencies,
 } from "../../scripts/ensure-playwright-chromium.mjs";
 
 describe("ensurePlaywrightChromium", () => {
-  it("does nothing when the browser binary exists", () => {
-    const spawnSync = vi.fn();
+  it("does nothing when the browser binary exists and runs", () => {
+    const spawnSync = vi.fn(() => ({ status: 0 }));
 
     expect(
       ensurePlaywrightChromium({
@@ -15,11 +16,13 @@ describe("ensurePlaywrightChromium", () => {
         spawnSync,
       }),
     ).toBe(0);
-    expect(spawnSync).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenCalledWith("/cache/chromium/chrome", ["--version"], {
+      stdio: "ignore",
+    });
   });
 
   it("uses an explicit Chromium executable override", () => {
-    const spawnSync = vi.fn();
+    const spawnSync = vi.fn(() => ({ status: 0 }));
 
     expect(
       ensurePlaywrightChromium({
@@ -29,7 +32,9 @@ describe("ensurePlaywrightChromium", () => {
         spawnSync,
       }),
     ).toBe(0);
-    expect(spawnSync).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenCalledWith("/snap/bin/chromium", ["--version"], {
+      stdio: "ignore",
+    });
   });
 
   it("fails when the explicit Chromium executable override is missing", () => {
@@ -53,7 +58,7 @@ describe("ensurePlaywrightChromium", () => {
 
   it("uses a system Chromium binary when Playwright Chromium is missing", () => {
     const logs: string[] = [];
-    const spawnSync = vi.fn();
+    const spawnSync = vi.fn(() => ({ status: 0 }));
 
     expect(
       ensurePlaywrightChromium({
@@ -63,10 +68,36 @@ describe("ensurePlaywrightChromium", () => {
         spawnSync,
       }),
     ).toBe(0);
-    expect(spawnSync).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenCalledWith("/usr/bin/chromium-browser", ["--version"], {
+      stdio: "ignore",
+    });
     expect(logs.join("\n")).toContain("Using system Chromium at /usr/bin/chromium-browser");
   });
 
+  it("skips a broken system Chromium binary and uses the first runnable candidate", () => {
+    const logs: string[] = [];
+    const spawnSync = vi.fn((path: string) => ({
+      status: path === "/usr/bin/google-chrome" ? 0 : 127,
+    }));
+
+    expect(
+      ensurePlaywrightChromium({
+        executablePath: "/cache/chromium/chrome",
+        existsSync: (path: string) =>
+          path === "/snap/bin/chromium" || path === "/usr/bin/google-chrome",
+        log: (line: string) => logs.push(line),
+        spawnSync,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(0);
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenCalledWith("/snap/bin/chromium", ["--version"], {
+      stdio: "ignore",
+    });
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenCalledWith("/usr/bin/google-chrome", ["--version"], {
+      stdio: "ignore",
+    });
+    expect(logs.join("\n")).toContain("Using system Chromium at /usr/bin/google-chrome");
+  });
+
   it("preserves the intentional missing-browser skip mode", () => {
     const logs: string[] = [];
     const spawnSync = vi.fn();
@@ -113,6 +144,116 @@ describe("ensurePlaywrightChromium", () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it("installs Linux system dependencies when Chromium still cannot start in a root lane", () => {
+    const spawnSync = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 127 })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0 })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 127 })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0 })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0 });
+
+    expect(
+      ensurePlaywrightChromium({
+        cwd: "/repo",
+        env: { PATH: "/bin" },
+        executablePath: "/cache/chromium/chrome",
+        existsSync: () => true,
+        getuid: () => 0,
+        platform: "linux",
+        spawnSync,
+        stdio: "pipe",
+        systemExecutablePath: "",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(0);
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+      2,
+      "pnpm",
+      ["--dir", "ui", "exec", "playwright", "install", "chromium"],
+      {
+        cwd: "/repo",
+        env: { PATH: "/bin" },
+        shell: false,
+        stdio: "pipe",
+        windowsVerbatimArguments: undefined,
+      },
+    );
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+      4,
+      "pnpm",
+      ["--dir", "ui", "exec", "playwright", "install", "--with-deps", "chromium"],
+      {
+        cwd: "/repo",
+        env: { PATH: "/bin" },
+        shell: false,
+        stdio: "pipe",
+        windowsVerbatimArguments: undefined,
+      },
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("does not install Linux system dependencies for an unprivileged local lane", () => {
+    const spawnSync = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 127 })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0 })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 127 });
+
+    expect(
+      ensurePlaywrightChromium({
+        cwd: "/repo",
+        env: { PATH: "/bin" },
+        executablePath: "/cache/chromium/chrome",
+        existsSync: () => true,
+        getuid: () => 501,
+        platform: "linux",
+        spawnSync,
+        stdio: "pipe",
+        systemExecutablePath: "",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(1);
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
+  });
+
+  it("reinstalls Chromium when the cached executable exists but cannot start", () => {
+    const spawnSync = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 127 })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0 })
+      .mockReturnValueOnce({ status: 0 });
+
+    expect(
+      ensurePlaywrightChromium({
+        cwd: "/repo",
+        env: { PATH: "/bin" },
+        executablePath: "/cache/chromium/chrome",
+        existsSync: () => true,
+        platform: "linux",
+        spawnSync,
+        stdio: "pipe",
+        systemExecutablePath: "",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(0);
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, "/cache/chromium/chrome", ["--version"], {
+      stdio: "ignore",
+    });
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+      2,
+      "pnpm",
+      ["--dir", "ui", "exec", "playwright", "install", "chromium"],
+      {
+        cwd: "/repo",
+        env: { PATH: "/bin" },
+        shell: false,
+        stdio: "pipe",
+        windowsVerbatimArguments: undefined,
+      },
+    );
+    expect(spawnSync).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(3, "/cache/chromium/chrome", ["--version"], {
+      stdio: "ignore",
+    });
+  });
+
   it("returns the installer status when Playwright install fails", () => {
     expect(
       ensurePlaywrightChromium({
@@ -133,10 +274,46 @@ describe("ensurePlaywrightChromium", () => {
         platform: "win32",
       }),
     ).toEqual({
-      args: ["/d", "/s", "/c", "pnpm.cmd --dir ui exec playwright install chromium"],
+      args: [
+        "/d",
+        "/s",
+        "/c",
+        "pnpm.cmd --dir ui exec playwright install chromium",
+      ],
       command: "C:\\Windows\\System32\\cmd.exe",
       shell: false,
       windowsVerbatimArguments: true,
     });
   });
+
+  it("wraps the dependency install command shim on Windows", () => {
+    expect(
+      resolvePlaywrightInstallRunner({
+        comSpec: "C:\\Windows\\System32\\cmd.exe",
+        env: {},
+        platform: "win32",
+        withDeps: true,
+      }),
+    ).toEqual({
+      args: [
+        "/d",
+        "/s",
+        "/c",
+        "pnpm.cmd --dir ui exec playwright install --with-deps chromium",
+      ],
+      command: "C:\\Windows\\System32\\cmd.exe",
+      shell: false,
+      windowsVerbatimArguments: true,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("allows dependency installation for Linux CI lanes", () => {
+    expect(
+      shouldInstallPlaywrightSystemDependencies({
+        env: { CI: "true" },
+        getuid: () => 501,
+        platform: "linux",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/test/scripts/test-install-sh-docker.test.ts b/test/scripts/test-install-sh-docker.test.ts
index 1a632a11bb51..18a7e3fd1ceb 100644
--- a/test/scripts/test-install-sh-docker.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/test-install-sh-docker.test.ts
@@ -61,14 +61,45 @@ function runNonrootNodePreflight(version: string, options: { sqlite?: boolean }
   }
 }
 
-describe("test-install-sh-docker", () => {
-  it("defaults local Apple Silicon smoke runs to native arm64 while keeping CI on amd64", () => {
-    const script = readFileSync(SCRIPT_PATH, "utf8");
+function runDefaultSmokePlatform(env: Record<string, string>, hostArch: string): string {
+  const script = readFileSync(SCRIPT_PATH, "utf8");
+  const match = script.match(
+    /(resolve_default_smoke_platform\(\) \{[\s\S]*?\n\})\n\nprint_pack_audit/u,
+  );
+  if (!match) {
+    throw new Error("resolve_default_smoke_platform was not found");
+  }
+  const result = spawnSync(
+    "bash",
+    [
+      "--noprofile",
+      "--norc",
+      "-c",
+      `${match[1]}\nuname() { if [[ "\${1:-}" == "-m" ]]; then printf "%s" "$FAKE_UNAME_ARCH"; else command uname "$@"; fi; }\nresolve_default_smoke_platform`,
+    ],
+    {
+      encoding: "utf8",
+      env: {
+        HOME: "/tmp",
+        PATH: process.env.PATH ?? "",
+        FAKE_UNAME_ARCH: hostArch,
+        ...env,
+      },
+    },
+  );
+  expect(result.stderr).toBe("");
+  expect(result.status).toBe(0);
+  return result.stdout;
+}
 
-    expect(script).toContain("resolve_default_smoke_platform");
-    expect(script).toContain('printf "linux/amd64"');
-    expect(script).toContain('[[ "$host_os" == "Darwin" && "$host_arch" == "arm64" ]]');
-    expect(script).toContain('printf "linux/arm64"');
+describe("test-install-sh-docker", () => {
+  it("defaults ARM hosts to native arm64 while keeping x64 CI on amd64", () => {
+    expect(runDefaultSmokePlatform({ CI: "true" }, "aarch64")).toBe("linux/arm64");
+    expect(runDefaultSmokePlatform({ GITHUB_ACTIONS: "true" }, "x86_64")).toBe("linux/amd64");
+    expect(runDefaultSmokePlatform({}, "arm64")).toBe("linux/arm64");
+    expect(
+      runDefaultSmokePlatform({ OPENCLAW_INSTALL_SMOKE_PLATFORM: "linux/s390x" }, "x86_64"),
+    ).toBe("linux/s390x");
   });
 
   it("supports npm update package specs without a separate expected-version env", () => {
diff --git a/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-e2e.test.ts b/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-e2e.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6b5008bce78a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-e2e.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import {
+  resolvePlaywrightChromiumExecutablePath,
+  systemChromiumExecutableCandidates,
+} from "./control-ui-e2e.ts";
+
+describe("resolvePlaywrightChromiumExecutablePath", () => {
+  it("uses a runnable system Chromium when the cached Playwright executable cannot start", () => {
+    const systemExecutable = systemChromiumExecutableCandidates[1];
+
+    expect(
+      resolvePlaywrightChromiumExecutablePath(
+        "/cache/chromium/chrome",
+        {},
+        (candidate) => candidate === systemExecutable,
+      ),
+    ).toBe(systemExecutable);
+  });
+
+  it("keeps explicit Chromium overrides authoritative", () => {
+    expect(
+      resolvePlaywrightChromiumExecutablePath(
+        "/cache/chromium/chrome",
+        { PLAYWRIGHT_CHROMIUM_EXECUTABLE_PATH: " /custom/chromium " },
+        () => false,
+      ),
+    ).toBe("/custom/chromium");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-e2e.ts b/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-e2e.ts
index 3b9b10585560..d12ac13a7dcd 100644
--- a/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-e2e.ts
+++ b/ui/src/test-helpers/control-ui-e2e.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
 import { existsSync } from "node:fs";
 import { createRequire } from "node:module";
 import { createServer as createNetServer } from "node:net";
@@ -83,7 +84,7 @@ export type MockGatewayControls = {
 };
 
 const chromiumExecutableOverrideEnvKey = "PLAYWRIGHT_CHROMIUM_EXECUTABLE_PATH";
-const systemChromiumExecutableCandidates = [
+export const systemChromiumExecutableCandidates = [
   "/snap/bin/chromium",
   "/usr/bin/chromium-browser",
   "/usr/bin/chromium",
@@ -99,22 +100,26 @@ function resolveRepoRoot(): string {
 export function resolvePlaywrightChromiumExecutablePath(
   defaultExecutablePath: string,
   env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process.env,
+  canRun: (chromiumExecutablePath: string) => boolean = canRunPlaywrightChromium,
 ): string {
   const executableOverride = env[chromiumExecutableOverrideEnvKey]?.trim();
   if (executableOverride) {
     return executableOverride;
   }
-  if (existsSync(defaultExecutablePath)) {
+  if (canRun(defaultExecutablePath)) {
     return defaultExecutablePath;
   }
   return (
-    systemChromiumExecutableCandidates.find((candidate) => existsSync(candidate)) ??
+    systemChromiumExecutableCandidates.find((candidate) => canRun(candidate)) ??
     defaultExecutablePath
   );
 }
 
 export function canRunPlaywrightChromium(chromiumExecutablePath: string): boolean {
-  return existsSync(chromiumExecutablePath);
+  if (!existsSync(chromiumExecutablePath)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  return spawnSync(chromiumExecutablePath, ["--version"], { stdio: "ignore" }).status === 0;
 }
 
 export async function startControlUiE2eServer(): Promise<ControlUiE2eServer> {
diff --git a/ui/src/ui/e2e/chat-flow.e2e.test.ts b/ui/src/ui/e2e/chat-flow.e2e.test.ts
index 7451dba12645..ee989fb2e0c7 100644
--- a/ui/src/ui/e2e/chat-flow.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/ui/e2e/chat-flow.e2e.test.ts
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ describeControlUiE2e("Control UI mocked Gateway E2E", () => {
   beforeAll(async () => {
     if (!chromiumAvailable) {
       throw new Error(
-        `Playwright Chromium is not installed at ${chromiumExecutablePath}. Run \`pnpm --dir ui exec playwright install chromium\`, set PLAYWRIGHT_CHROMIUM_EXECUTABLE_PATH to a compatible browser, or set OPENCLAW_UI_E2E_ALLOW_MISSING_CHROMIUM=1 only when intentionally skipping this lane.`,
+        `Playwright Chromium is not installed or cannot start at ${chromiumExecutablePath}. Run \`pnpm --dir ui exec playwright install --with-deps chromium\`, set PLAYWRIGHT_CHROMIUM_EXECUTABLE_PATH to a compatible browser, or set OPENCLAW_UI_E2E_ALLOW_MISSING_CHROMIUM=1 only when intentionally skipping this lane.`,
       );
     }
     server = await startControlUiE2eServer();
diff --git a/ui/src/ui/e2e/chat-picker-pagination.e2e.test.ts b/ui/src/ui/e2e/chat-picker-pagination.e2e.test.ts
index 3c7c1ece78c9..e56ce6548547 100644
--- a/ui/src/ui/e2e/chat-picker-pagination.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/ui/e2e/chat-picker-pagination.e2e.test.ts
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ describeControlUiE2e("Control UI chat picker mocked Gateway E2E", () => {
   beforeAll(async () => {
     if (!chromiumAvailable) {
       throw new Error(
-        `Playwright Chromium is not installed at ${chromiumExecutablePath}. Run \`pnpm --dir ui exec playwright install chromium\`, or set OPENCLAW_UI_E2E_ALLOW_MISSING_CHROMIUM=1 only when intentionally skipping this lane.`,
+        `Playwright Chromium is not installed or cannot start at ${chromiumExecutablePath}. Run \`pnpm --dir ui exec playwright install --with-deps chromium\`, or set OPENCLAW_UI_E2E_ALLOW_MISSING_CHROMIUM=1 only when intentionally skipping this lane.`,
       );
     }
     server = await startControlUiE2eServer();
diff --git a/ui/src/ui/e2e/cron-filters.e2e.test.ts b/ui/src/ui/e2e/cron-filters.e2e.test.ts
index 57b55873dbab..78cba5357f30 100644
--- a/ui/src/ui/e2e/cron-filters.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/ui/e2e/cron-filters.e2e.test.ts
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ describeControlUiE2e("Control UI cron mocked Gateway E2E", () => {
   beforeAll(async () => {
     if (!chromiumAvailable) {
       throw new Error(
-        `Playwright Chromium is not installed at ${chromiumExecutablePath}. Run \`pnpm --dir ui exec playwright install chromium\`, or set OPENCLAW_UI_E2E_ALLOW_MISSING_CHROMIUM=1 only when intentionally skipping this lane.`,
+        `Playwright Chromium is not installed or cannot start at ${chromiumExecutablePath}. Run \`pnpm --dir ui exec playwright install --with-deps chromium\`, or set OPENCLAW_UI_E2E_ALLOW_MISSING_CHROMIUM=1 only when intentionally skipping this lane.`,
       );
     }
     server = await startControlUiE2eServer();