diff --git a/e2e/notifications.test.ts b/e2e/notifications.test.ts
index 8e967a5..4d9e704 100644
--- a/e2e/notifications.test.ts
+++ b/e2e/notifications.test.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,10 @@ async function setProfileVisibility(page: Page, value: "public" | "private") {
   await page.goto("/settings");
   await page.locator(`input[type=radio][name=profileVisibility][value=${value}]`).check();
   await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Save$/ }).first().click();
-  await page.waitForLoadState("networkidle");
+  // Don't use waitForLoadState("networkidle") — the SSE connection to
+  // /api/events keeps the network busy indefinitely. Wait for the
+  // explicit save confirmation instead.
+  await expect(page.getByText("Profile saved.")).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10000 });
 }
 
 test.describe.configure({ mode: "serial" });
@@ -67,10 +70,10 @@ test.describe("Notifications", () => {
     await bPage.goto("/notifications");
     await expect(bPage.getByText(new RegExp(`${aUsername}.+started following`))).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10000 });
 
-    // Mark all read clears the unread badge.
+    // Mark all read clears the unread badge. The button disappears when
+    // hasUnread flips to false; the toBeHidden assertion polls.
     await bPage.getByRole("button", { name: /Mark all read/i }).click();
-    await bPage.waitForLoadState("networkidle");
-    await expect(bPage.getByRole("button", { name: /Mark all read/i })).toBeHidden();
+    await expect(bPage.getByRole("button", { name: /Mark all read/i })).toBeHidden({ timeout: 10000 });
 
     await bCtx.close();
   });
@@ -99,10 +102,11 @@ test.describe("Notifications", () => {
     await page.getByRole("button", { name: /Request to follow/i }).click();
     await expect(page.getByRole("button", { name: /Requested/i })).toBeVisible({ timeout: 5000 });
 
-    // B approves the request.
+    // B approves the request. After the fetcher.Form revalidates, the
+    // empty-state copy replaces the request row.
     await bPage.goto("/follows/requests");
     await bPage.getByRole("button", { name: "Approve" }).click();
-    await bPage.waitForLoadState("networkidle");
+    await expect(bPage.getByText(/No pending follow requests/i)).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10000 });
 
     // A reloads /notifications — should see follow_request_approved
     // referencing B (the target's username).
diff --git a/e2e/public-content.test.ts b/e2e/public-content.test.ts
index 5fd2243..f0941f7 100644
--- a/e2e/public-content.test.ts
+++ b/e2e/public-content.test.ts
@@ -58,7 +58,10 @@ async function setProfileVisibilityPublic(page: Page) {
   await page.goto("/settings");
   await page.locator('input[type=radio][name=profileVisibility][value=public]').check();
   await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Save$/ }).first().click();
-  await page.waitForLoadState("networkidle");
+  // Don't wait for networkidle — the SSE connection to /api/events
+  // (added with notifications) keeps the network in-flight forever.
+  // Wait for the explicit save confirmation instead.
+  await expect(page.getByText("Profile saved.")).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10000 });
 }
 
 // Registration + WebAuthn virtual authenticator can race under parallel
diff --git a/e2e/social.test.ts b/e2e/social.test.ts
index dd0ca1b..b5651f0 100644
--- a/e2e/social.test.ts
+++ b/e2e/social.test.ts
@@ -33,7 +33,8 @@ async function setProfileVisibility(page: Page, value: "public" | "private") {
   // in the Private radio's helper sentence).
   await page.locator(`input[type=radio][name=profileVisibility][value=${value}]`).check();
   await page.getByRole("button", { name: /^Save$/ }).first().click();
-  await page.waitForLoadState("networkidle");
+  // SSE keeps the network busy; wait for the save confirmation instead.
+  await expect(page.getByText("Profile saved.")).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10000 });
 }
 
 // WebAuthn + parallel workers + shared local Postgres race; serialize.
@@ -126,8 +127,8 @@ test.describe("Social follows + /feed", () => {
     await bPage.goto("/follows/requests");
     await expect(bPage.getByText(`@${aUsername}`)).toBeVisible();
     await bPage.getByRole("button", { name: "Approve" }).click();
-    await bPage.waitForLoadState("networkidle");
-    // Empty state after approval.
+    // Empty state after approval. The text-visibility assertion below
+    // already polls; explicit networkidle would hang on SSE.
     await expect(bPage.getByText(/No pending follow requests/i)).toBeVisible();
 
     // A reloads B's profile — now sees full content (no stub) + Unfollow.