diff --git a/e2e/tests/focus-mode/auto-start-focus-on-play.spec.ts b/e2e/tests/focus-mode/auto-start-focus-on-play.spec.ts
index 049798512f..2debb930e3 100644
--- a/e2e/tests/focus-mode/auto-start-focus-on-play.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/tests/focus-mode/auto-start-focus-on-play.spec.ts
@@ -60,8 +60,17 @@ test.describe('autoStartFocusOnPlay', () => {
     // Step 1: enable the new setting via Settings UI.
     await enableAutoStartOnPlay(page);
 
-    // Step 2: navigate back to work view and add a task.
-    await page.goto('/');
+    // Step 2: navigate back to the work view and add a task.
+    // Use a same-document hash navigation rather than `page.goto('/')`. A hard
+    // reload re-bootstraps the app and re-reads the config from IndexedDB,
+    // which races the debounced persistence of the toggle we just flipped: if
+    // the write hasn't flushed yet, the reloaded app boots with
+    // autoStartFocusOnPlay=false and the session never spawns — a flake no
+    // timeout can fix. Hash nav keeps the in-memory NgRx config that the toggle
+    // already updated synchronously, so we test the auto-start behavior without
+    // depending on persistence timing.
+    await page.goto('/#/tag/TODAY/tasks');
+    await page.waitForURL(/tag\/TODAY/);
     await workViewPage.waitForTaskList();
     await workViewPage.addTask('AutoStartTask');