diff --git a/apps/web/e2e/pages/session-page.ts b/apps/web/e2e/pages/session-page.ts
index 5cc0586a9a..3ca0eef77e 100644
--- a/apps/web/e2e/pages/session-page.ts
+++ b/apps/web/e2e/pages/session-page.ts
@@ -670,10 +670,11 @@ export class SessionPage {
     return this.page.getByRole("alertdialog");
   }
 
-  /** Primary star icon inside a dockview tab. */
+  /** Primary star icon inside a dockview session tab. The star is rendered as a
+   *  sibling of `.dv-default-tab` inside the `data-testid="session-tab-<id>"`
+   *  wrapper, so we anchor on that wrapper rather than `.dv-default-tab` itself. */
   primaryStarInTab(text: string): Locator {
-    const tab = this.page.locator(`.dv-default-tab:has-text('${text}')`);
-    return tab.locator(".tabler-icon-star").first();
+    return this.sessionTabByText(text).locator(".tabler-icon-star").first();
   }
 
   /** "Move to next step" button in the chat status bar. */
diff --git a/apps/web/e2e/tests/workflow/workflow-agent-switch.spec.ts b/apps/web/e2e/tests/workflow/workflow-agent-switch.spec.ts
index 4a835f8922..932da92844 100644
--- a/apps/web/e2e/tests/workflow/workflow-agent-switch.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/web/e2e/tests/workflow/workflow-agent-switch.spec.ts
@@ -202,13 +202,17 @@ test.describe("Workflow agent profile switching", () => {
   });
 
   test("on_turn_start transition to step with agent override uses correct profile", async ({
+    testPage,
     apiClient,
     seedData,
   }) => {
     test.setTimeout(60_000);
     const { profileA, profileB } = await createProfiles(apiClient);
 
-    // Backlog (on_turn_start: move_to_next) → Step1 (profileB, auto_start)
+    // Backlog (on_turn_start: move_to_next) → Step1 (profileB)
+    // Per PR #743, on_turn_start fires on user-message dispatch (not agent boot),
+    // and on_turn_start transitions skip on_enter — the user's prompt is delivered
+    // to the new step's profile via maybeSwitchSessionForProfile.
     const workflow = await apiClient.createWorkflow(
       seedData.workspaceId,
       "Agent Switch OnTurnStart",
@@ -222,10 +226,8 @@ test.describe("Workflow agent profile switching", () => {
     });
     await apiClient.updateWorkflowStep(step1.id, {
       agent_profile_id: profileB.id,
-      events: { on_enter: [{ type: "auto_start_agent" }] },
     });
 
-    // Create task with profileA — on_turn_start should move to Step1 and switch to profileB
     const task = await apiClient.createTaskWithAgent(
       seedData.workspaceId,
       "OnTurnStart Switch",
@@ -237,10 +239,35 @@ test.describe("Workflow agent profile switching", () => {
       },
     );
 
-    // Poll for sessions — on_turn_start creates an intermediate session then switches
-    const sessions = await pollSessions(apiClient, task.id, 2, 45_000);
-    const profileBSession = sessions.find((s) => s.agent_profile_id === profileB.id);
-    expect(profileBSession).toBeDefined();
+    // Wait for profileA session to be ready before sending the message
+    // that triggers on_turn_start.
+    await testPage.goto(`/t/${task.id}`);
+    const session = new SessionPage(testPage);
+    await expect(session.chat).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
+    await expect
+      .poll(
+        async () => {
+          const { sessions } = await apiClient.listTaskSessions(task.id);
+          return sessions.some((s) => s.state === "WAITING_FOR_INPUT");
+        },
+        { timeout: 30_000, message: "Waiting for profileA agent to be ready" },
+      )
+      .toBe(true);
+
+    // User message → dispatchPromptAsync → on_turn_start → move_to_next → Step1 (profileB)
+    await session.sendMessage("hello");
+    await expect(session.chat.getByText("hello")).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10_000 });
+
+    // Profile switch produces (or reuses) a session with profileB on this task.
+    await expect
+      .poll(
+        async () => {
+          const { sessions } = await apiClient.listTaskSessions(task.id);
+          return sessions.some((s) => s.agent_profile_id === profileB.id);
+        },
+        { timeout: 30_000, message: "Waiting for profileB session after on_turn_start" },
+      )
+      .toBe(true);
   });
 
   test("auto-launches agent when step has profile override and prompt", async ({
@@ -414,10 +441,15 @@ test.describe("Workflow agent profile switching", () => {
 
   /**
    * Verifies the switchSessionForStep WS event fix: when a task is manually moved
-   * to a step with a different agent profile, the new session tab becomes the
-   * active dockview tab.
+   * to a step with a different agent profile, the new session is created and
+   * promoted to primary.
+   *
+   * Note: Per PR #743 (pinnedSessionId), navigating to /t/<taskId> calls
+   * setActiveSession which pins the initial primary. Workflow profile switches
+   * no longer yank focus from a pinned session, so this test asserts on the
+   * primary star indicator (not the active dockview tab).
    */
-  test("manual step move switches active session tab to new agent", async ({
+  test("manual step move promotes new agent session to primary", async ({
     testPage,
     apiClient,
     seedData,
@@ -476,18 +508,22 @@ test.describe("Workflow agent profile switching", () => {
     // Move to Step2 — triggers new session with profileB
     await apiClient.moveTask(task.id, workflow.id, step2.id);
 
-    // The new "Profile B" tab should appear and become the active dockview tab
-    const activeProfileBTab = testPage.locator(
-      '.dv-tab.dv-active-tab [data-testid^="session-tab-"]',
-    );
-    await expect(activeProfileBTab).toContainText("Profile B", { timeout: 30_000 });
+    // The new "Profile B" tab should appear and the primary star should move to it
+    // (the active tab stays on Profile A because the SSR-load pin protects it).
+    const profileBTab = session.sessionTabByText("Profile B");
+    await expect(profileBTab).toBeVisible({ timeout: 30_000 });
+    await expect(session.primaryStarInTab("Profile B")).toBeVisible({ timeout: 30_000 });
   });
 
   /**
    * Verifies that an on_turn_complete cascade that switches agent profiles
-   * also switches the active dockview session tab.
+   * promotes the new session to primary.
+   *
+   * Note: Per PR #743 (pinnedSessionId), the user's pinned tab is preserved.
+   * The active dockview tab stays on the pinned session; this test asserts on
+   * the primary star marker.
    */
-  test("on_turn_complete cascade switches active session tab to new agent", async ({
+  test("on_turn_complete cascade promotes new agent session to primary", async ({
     testPage,
     apiClient,
     seedData,
@@ -530,11 +566,10 @@ test.describe("Workflow agent profile switching", () => {
     // Move to Step1 → auto_start with profileA → on_turn_complete → Step2 (profileB)
     await apiClient.moveTask(task.id, workflow.id, step1.id);
 
-    // After the cascade, the active tab should be "Profile B" (the final step's agent)
-    const activeProfileBTab = testPage.locator(
-      '.dv-tab.dv-active-tab [data-testid^="session-tab-"]',
-    );
-    await expect(activeProfileBTab).toContainText("Profile B", { timeout: 45_000 });
+    // After the cascade, the Profile B tab should appear and own the primary star.
+    const profileBTab = session.sessionTabByText("Profile B");
+    await expect(profileBTab).toBeVisible({ timeout: 45_000 });
+    await expect(session.primaryStarInTab("Profile B")).toBeVisible({ timeout: 45_000 });
   });
 
   /**
@@ -596,13 +631,12 @@ test.describe("Workflow agent profile switching", () => {
     // Move to Step2
     await apiClient.moveTask(task.id, workflow.id, step2.id);
 
-    // The Profile B tab should become active
-    const activeTab = testPage.locator('.dv-tab.dv-active-tab [data-testid^="session-tab-"]');
-    await expect(activeTab).toContainText("Profile B", { timeout: 30_000 });
-
-    // The star icon should be visible inside the active tab (no reload needed)
-    const starIcon = activeTab.locator("svg.tabler-icon-star");
-    await expect(starIcon).toBeVisible({ timeout: 5_000 });
+    // The Profile B tab should appear and own the primary star (no reload needed).
+    // Per PR #743, the active dockview tab stays pinned to Profile A — the star
+    // moving is what proves SetPrimarySession's WS broadcast landed.
+    const profileBTab = session.sessionTabByText("Profile B");
+    await expect(profileBTab).toBeVisible({ timeout: 30_000 });
+    await expect(session.primaryStarInTab("Profile B")).toBeVisible({ timeout: 30_000 });
   });
 
   /**
@@ -668,9 +702,12 @@ test.describe("Workflow agent profile switching", () => {
     // Move to Step2 (no override) — should revert to profileA
     await apiClient.moveTask(task.id, workflow.id, step2.id);
 
-    // The active tab should show Profile A (the task's default agent)
-    const activeTab = testPage.locator('.dv-tab.dv-active-tab [data-testid^="session-tab-"]');
-    await expect(activeTab).toContainText("Profile A", { timeout: 30_000 });
+    // A Profile A session should appear and own the primary star (no reload needed).
+    // Per PR #743, the user's pinned tab — Profile B from initial load — stays
+    // active; the primary marker is what proves the revert-to-default landed.
+    const profileATab = session.sessionTabByText("Profile A");
+    await expect(profileATab).toBeVisible({ timeout: 30_000 });
+    await expect(session.primaryStarInTab("Profile A")).toBeVisible({ timeout: 30_000 });
   });
 
   test("reset context checkbox is disabled when step has agent profile override", async ({
diff --git a/apps/web/e2e/tests/workflow/workflow-automation.spec.ts b/apps/web/e2e/tests/workflow/workflow-automation.spec.ts
index cdd9df13ae..6901429ee6 100644
--- a/apps/web/e2e/tests/workflow/workflow-automation.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/web/e2e/tests/workflow/workflow-automation.spec.ts
@@ -462,8 +462,9 @@ test.describe("Workflow automation", () => {
    * "in-progress") which don't resolve to actual step UUIDs — they're no-ops.
    *
    * Flow:
-   * 1. Create task with description via dialog + Start Agent → task starts in Backlog
-   * 2. on_turn_start fires (move_to_next) → task moves to In Progress
+   * 1. Create task in Backlog (no start_agent) and navigate to the task page
+   * 2. Send a chat message — only the WS message path runs on_turn_start via
+   *    dispatchPromptAsync, so the Backlog → In Progress move triggers here
    * 3. Agent completes → on_turn_complete fires with move_to_step("review")
    *    which is gracefully skipped (invalid step_id) → task stays in In Progress
    */
@@ -506,48 +507,41 @@ test.describe("Workflow automation", () => {
       enable_preview_on_click: false,
     });
 
-    // --- Create task via dialog with description + Start Agent ---
-    const kanban = new KanbanPage(testPage);
-    await kanban.goto();
-
-    await kanban.createTaskButton.first().click();
-    const dialog = testPage.getByTestId("create-task-dialog");
-    await expect(dialog).toBeVisible();
-
-    await testPage.getByTestId("task-title-input").fill("Kanban Flow Task");
-    await testPage.getByTestId("task-description-input").fill("/e2e:simple-message");
-
-    const startBtn = testPage.getByTestId("submit-start-agent");
-    await expect(startBtn).toBeEnabled({ timeout: 15_000 });
-    await startBtn.click();
-    await expect(dialog).not.toBeVisible({ timeout: 10_000 });
-
-    // Task should be in In Progress: on_turn_start fires on the initial prompt
-    // and moves the task from Backlog → In Progress via move_to_next.
-    // After the agent completes, on_turn_complete's move_to_step("review") is
-    // gracefully skipped (invalid step_id), so the task stays in In Progress.
-    const card = kanban.taskCardInColumn("Kanban Flow Task", inProgressStep.id);
-    await expect(card).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
-
-    // Navigate to session to verify agent completed successfully
-    await card.click();
-    await expect(testPage).toHaveURL(/\/t\//, { timeout: 15_000 });
+    // Create the task in Backlog without starting the agent — the prompt is
+    // sent below as a chat message so on_turn_start fires.
+    const task = await apiClient.createTask(seedData.workspaceId, "Kanban Flow Task", {
+      workflow_id: workflow.id,
+      workflow_step_id: backlogStep.id,
+      agent_profile_id: seedData.agentProfileId,
+      repository_ids: [seedData.repositoryId],
+    });
 
+    await testPage.goto(`/t/${task.id}`);
     const session = new SessionPage(testPage);
-    await session.waitForLoad();
+    await expect(session.chat).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
 
-    // Agent response confirms the mock agent ran
-    await expect(session.chat.getByText("simple mock response", { exact: false })).toBeVisible({
+    // User message → dispatchPromptAsync → on_turn_start (move_to_next) →
+    // Backlog → In Progress.
+    await session.sendMessage("/e2e:simple-message");
+    await expect(session.chat.getByText("/e2e:simple-message")).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10_000 });
+
+    // Stepper reflects the move to In Progress.
+    await expect(session.stepperStep("In Progress")).toHaveAttribute("aria-current", "step", {
       timeout: 30_000,
     });
 
-    // Session transitions to idle — task is still functional
+    // Agent response confirms the mock agent ran; on_turn_complete then fires
+    // with move_to_step("review") — invalid step_id → gracefully skipped.
+    await expect(session.chat.getByText("simple mock response", { exact: false })).toBeVisible({
+      timeout: 30_000,
+    });
     await expect(session.idleInput()).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
 
-    // Stepper shows In Progress as current step
-    await expect(session.stepperStep("In Progress")).toHaveAttribute("aria-current", "step", {
-      timeout: 15_000,
-    });
+    // Task stays in In Progress on the kanban board (invalid step_id is a no-op).
+    const kanban = new KanbanPage(testPage);
+    await kanban.goto();
+    const card = kanban.taskCardInColumn("Kanban Flow Task", inProgressStep.id);
+    await expect(card).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
   });
 
   /**