diff --git a/workbench-ui/vite.config.ts b/workbench-ui/vite.config.ts
index b576e4f7..8d06a60b 100644
--- a/workbench-ui/vite.config.ts
+++ b/workbench-ui/vite.config.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import react from "@vitejs/plugin-react";
-import { defineConfig } from "vitest/config";
+import { configDefaults, defineConfig } from "vitest/config";
 
 export default defineConfig({
   plugins: [react()],
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ export default defineConfig({
     environment: "happy-dom",
     setupFiles: ["./src/test/setup.ts"],
     globals: true,
+    // e2e/ belongs to Playwright (pnpm test:e2e), not vitest.
+    exclude: [...configDefaults.exclude, "e2e/**"],
     // Fail fast instead of hanging to a CI wall (Wave R brief R0a).
     // A hung worker at teardown was previously an indefinite hang; these
     // caps convert any residual live-handle leak into a loud failure.