diff --git a/.github/workflows/end-to-end-tests-netlify.yaml b/.github/workflows/build-and-test-netlify.yaml
similarity index 97%
rename from .github/workflows/end-to-end-tests-netlify.yaml
rename to .github/workflows/build-and-test-netlify.yaml
index c5bca0e192..1b3aa2bd69 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/end-to-end-tests-netlify.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-and-test-netlify.yaml
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ on:
     # Privilege escalation necessary to publish to Netlify
     # 🚨 We must not execute any checked out code here.
     workflow_run: # zizmor: ignore[dangerous-triggers]
-        workflows: ["End to End Tests"]
+        workflows: ["Build & Test"]
         types:
             - completed
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/end-to-end-tests.yaml b/.github/workflows/build-and-test.yaml
similarity index 73%
rename from .github/workflows/end-to-end-tests.yaml
rename to .github/workflows/build-and-test.yaml
index 3d72750a1d..e13c537d0e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/end-to-end-tests.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-and-test.yaml
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
-# Produce a build of element-web with this version of react-sdk
-# and any matching branches of element-web and js-sdk, output it
-# as an artifact and run end-to-end tests.
-name: End to End Tests
+# builds Element Web
+# runs Playwright tests against the built Element Web
+# builds Element Desktop using the built Element Web
+#
+# Tries to use a matching js-sdk branch for the build.
+#
+# Produces a `webapp` artifact
+# Produces multiple Desktop artifacts
+# Produces multiple Playwright report artifacts
+name: Build & Test
 on:
     # CRON to run all Projects at 6am UTC
     schedule:
@@ -10,7 +16,8 @@ on:
     merge_group:
         types: [checks_requested]
     push:
-        branches: [develop, master]
+        # We do not build on push to develop as the merge_group check handles that
+        branches: [staging, master]
     repository_dispatch:
         types: [element-web-notify]
 
@@ -35,15 +42,15 @@ concurrency:
 env:
     # fetchdep.sh needs to know our PR number
     PR_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
-    # Use 6 runners in the default case, but 4 when running on a schedule where we run all 5 projects (20 runners total)
-    NUM_RUNNERS: ${{ github.event_name == 'schedule' && 4 || 6 }}
+    # Use 4 runners in the default case, but only 1 when running on a schedule where we run all 5 projects
+    NUM_RUNNERS: ${{ github.event_name == 'schedule' && 1 || 4 }}
     NX_DEFAULT_OUTPUT_STYLE: stream-without-prefixes
 
 permissions: {} # No permissions required
 
 jobs:
-    build:
-        name: "Build Element-Web"
+    build_ew:
+        name: "Build Element Web"
         runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
         if: inputs.skip != true
         outputs:
@@ -94,9 +101,9 @@ jobs:
                       const matrix = Array.from({ length: numRunners }, (_, i) => i + 1);
                       core.setOutput("matrix", JSON.stringify(matrix));
 
-    playwright:
-        name: "Run Tests [${{ matrix.project }}] ${{ matrix.runner }}/${{ needs.build.outputs.num-runners }}"
-        needs: build
+    playwright_ew:
+        name: "Run Tests [${{ matrix.project }}] ${{ matrix.runner }}/${{ needs.build_ew.outputs.num-runners }}"
+        needs: build_ew
         if: inputs.skip != true
         runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
         permissions:
@@ -107,7 +114,7 @@ jobs:
             fail-fast: false
             matrix:
                 # Run multiple instances in parallel to speed up the tests
-                runner: ${{ fromJSON(needs.build.outputs.runners-matrix) }}
+                runner: ${{ fromJSON(needs.build_ew.outputs.runners-matrix) }}
                 project:
                     - Chrome
                     - Firefox
@@ -179,29 +186,85 @@ jobs:
                       --project="${{ matrix.project }}" \
                       ${{ (github.event_name == 'pull_request' && matrix.runAllTests == false ) && '--grep-invert @mergequeue' || '' }}
               env:
-                  SHARD: ${{ format('{0}/{1}', matrix.runner, needs.build.outputs.num-runners) }}
+                  SHARD: ${{ format('{0}/{1}', matrix.runner, needs.build_ew.outputs.num-runners) }}
 
             - name: Upload blob report to GitHub Actions Artifacts
               if: always()
               uses: actions/upload-artifact@bbbca2ddaa5d8feaa63e36b76fdaad77386f024f # v7
               with:
-                  name: all-blob-reports-${{ matrix.project }}-${{ matrix.runner }}
+                  name: blob-report-${{ matrix.project }}-${{ matrix.runner }}
                   path: apps/web/blob-report
                   retention-days: 1
+                  if-no-files-found: error
 
     downstream-modules:
         name: Downstream Playwright tests [element-modules]
-        needs: build
+        needs: build_ew
         if: inputs.skip != true && github.event_name == 'merge_group'
         uses: element-hq/element-modules/.github/workflows/reusable-playwright-tests.yml@main # zizmor: ignore[unpinned-uses]
         with:
             webapp-artifact: webapp
 
+    prepare_ed:
+        name: "Prepare Element Desktop"
+        uses: ./.github/workflows/build_desktop_prepare.yaml
+        needs: build_ew
+        if: inputs.skip != true
+        permissions:
+            contents: read
+        with:
+            config: ${{ (github.event.pull_request.base.ref || github.ref_name) == 'develop' && 'element.io/nightly' || 'element.io/release' }}
+            version: ${{ (github.event.pull_request.base.ref || github.ref_name) == 'develop' && 'develop' || '' }}
+            webapp-artifact: webapp
+
+    build_ed_windows:
+        needs: prepare_ed
+        name: "Desktop Windows"
+        uses: ./.github/workflows/build_desktop_windows.yaml
+        if: inputs.skip != true
+        strategy:
+            matrix:
+                arch: [x64, ia32, arm64]
+        with:
+            arch: ${{ matrix.arch }}
+            blob_report: true
+
+    build_ed_linux:
+        needs: prepare_ed
+        name: "Desktop Linux"
+        uses: ./.github/workflows/build_desktop_linux.yaml
+        if: inputs.skip != true
+        strategy:
+            matrix:
+                sqlcipher: [system, static]
+                arch: [amd64, arm64]
+                runAllTests:
+                    - ${{ github.event_name != 'pull_request' || contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'X-Run-All-Tests') }}
+                # We ship static sqlcipher builds, so delegate testing the system builds to the merge queue
+                exclude:
+                    - runAllTests: false
+                      sqlcipher: system
+        with:
+            sqlcipher: ${{ matrix.sqlcipher }}
+            arch: ${{ matrix.arch }}
+            blob_report: true
+
+    build_ed_macos:
+        needs: prepare_ed
+        name: "Desktop macOS"
+        uses: ./.github/workflows/build_desktop_macos.yaml
+        if: inputs.skip != true
+        with:
+            blob_report: true
+
     complete:
         name: end-to-end-tests
         needs:
-            - playwright
+            - playwright_ew
             - downstream-modules
+            - build_ed_windows
+            - build_ed_linux
+            - build_ed_macos
         if: always()
         runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
         steps:
@@ -227,18 +290,20 @@ jobs:
               if: inputs.skip != true
               uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8
               with:
-                  pattern: all-blob-reports-*
-                  path: apps/web/all-blob-reports
+                  pattern: blob-report-*
+                  path: all-blob-reports
                   merge-multiple: true
 
             - name: Merge into HTML Report
               if: inputs.skip != true
-              working-directory: apps/web
-              run: pnpm playwright merge-reports --reporter=html,./playwright/flaky-reporter.ts,@element-hq/element-web-playwright-common/lib/stale-screenshot-reporter.js ./all-blob-reports
+              run: |
+                  pnpm playwright merge-reports \
+                      --config=playwright-merge.config.ts \
+                      ./all-blob-reports
               env:
                   # Only pass creds to the flaky-reporter on main branch runs
                   GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.ref_name == 'develop' && secrets.ELEMENT_BOT_TOKEN || '' }}
-                  PLAYWRIGHT_HTML_TITLE: ${{ case(github.event_name == 'pull_request', format('EW Playwright Report PR-{0}', env.PR_NUMBER), 'EW Playwright Report') }}
+                  PLAYWRIGHT_HTML_TITLE: ${{ case(github.event_name == 'pull_request', format('Playwright Report PR-{0}', env.PR_NUMBER), 'Playwright Report') }}
 
             # Upload the HTML report even if one of our reporters fails, this can happen when stale screenshots are detected
             - name: Upload HTML report
@@ -246,7 +311,7 @@ jobs:
               uses: actions/upload-artifact@bbbca2ddaa5d8feaa63e36b76fdaad77386f024f # v7
               with:
                   name: html-report
-                  path: apps/web/playwright-report
+                  path: playwright-report
                   retention-days: 14
                   if-no-files-found: error
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build_desktop_and_test.yaml b/.github/workflows/build_desktop_and_test.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 1ae64a87e4..0000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/build_desktop_and_test.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,89 +0,0 @@
-name: Build and Test
-on:
-    pull_request: {}
-    push:
-        branches: [develop, staging, master]
-concurrency:
-    group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
-    cancel-in-progress: true
-permissions: {} # No permissions required
-jobs:
-    fetch:
-        uses: ./.github/workflows/build_desktop_prepare.yaml
-        permissions:
-            contents: read
-        with:
-            config: ${{ (github.event.pull_request.base.ref || github.ref_name) == 'develop' && 'element.io/nightly' || 'element.io/release' }}
-            version: ${{ (github.event.pull_request.base.ref || github.ref_name) == 'develop' && 'develop' || '' }}
-            branch-matching: true
-
-    windows:
-        needs: fetch
-        name: Windows
-        uses: ./.github/workflows/build_desktop_windows.yaml
-        strategy:
-            matrix:
-                arch: [x64, ia32, arm64]
-        with:
-            arch: ${{ matrix.arch }}
-            blob_report: true
-
-    linux:
-        needs: fetch
-        name: "Linux (${{ matrix.arch }}) (sqlcipher: ${{ matrix.sqlcipher }})"
-        uses: ./.github/workflows/build_desktop_linux.yaml
-        strategy:
-            matrix:
-                sqlcipher: [system, static]
-                arch: [amd64, arm64]
-        with:
-            sqlcipher: ${{ matrix.sqlcipher }}
-            arch: ${{ matrix.arch }}
-            blob_report: true
-
-    macos:
-        needs: fetch
-        name: macOS
-        uses: ./.github/workflows/build_desktop_macos.yaml
-        with:
-            blob_report: true
-
-    tests-done:
-        needs: [windows, linux, macos]
-        runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
-        if: ${{ !cancelled() }}
-        steps:
-            - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6
-              with:
-                  persist-credentials: false
-
-            - uses: pnpm/action-setup@fc06bc1257f339d1d5d8b3a19a8cae5388b55320 # v5
-            - uses: actions/setup-node@53b83947a5a98c8d113130e565377fae1a50d02f # v6
-              with:
-                  cache: "pnpm"
-                  node-version: "lts/*"
-
-            - name: Install dependencies
-              run: pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
-
-            - name: Download blob reports from GitHub Actions Artifacts
-              uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8
-              with:
-                  pattern: blob-report-*
-                  path: apps/desktop/all-blob-reports
-                  merge-multiple: true
-
-            - name: Merge into HTML Report
-              working-directory: apps/desktop
-              run: pnpm playwright merge-reports -c ./playwright.config.ts --reporter=html ./all-blob-reports
-
-            - name: Upload HTML report
-              if: always()
-              uses: actions/upload-artifact@bbbca2ddaa5d8feaa63e36b76fdaad77386f024f # v7
-              with:
-                  name: html-report
-                  path: apps/desktop/playwright-report
-                  retention-days: 14
-
-            - if: contains(needs.*.result, 'failure') || contains(needs.*.result, 'cancelled')
-              run: exit 1
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build_desktop_linux.yaml b/.github/workflows/build_desktop_linux.yaml
index 938ae9e132..d045cc3d7e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build_desktop_linux.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build_desktop_linux.yaml
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ on:
                 type: string
                 required: false
                 description: |
-                    The name of the prepare artifact to use, defaults to 'webapp'.
+                    The name of the prepare artifact to use, defaults to 'desktop-prepare'.
                     The artifact must contain the following:
                     + webapp.asar - the asar archive of the webapp to embed in the desktop app
                     + electronVersion - the version of electron to use for cache keying
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ on:
 
                     The artifact can also contain any additional files which will be applied as overrides to the checkout root before building,
                     for example icons in the `build/` directory to override the app icons.
-                default: "webapp"
+                default: "desktop-prepare"
             test:
                 type: boolean
                 required: false
@@ -73,20 +73,8 @@ jobs:
         # https://github.com/matrix-org/seshat/issues/135
         runs-on: ${{ inputs.runs-on || (inputs.arch == 'arm64' && 'ubuntu-22.04-arm' || 'ubuntu-22.04') }}
         env:
-            HAK_DOCKER_IMAGE: ghcr.io/element-hq/element-web/desktop-build-env
+            HAK_DOCKER_IMAGE: ghcr.io/element-hq/element-web/desktop-build-env:${{ case(github.event_name == 'push', inputs.ref || github.ref_name, github.event_name == 'release', 'staging', 'develop') }}
         steps:
-            - name: Resolve docker image tag for push
-              if: github.event_name == 'push'
-              run: echo "HAK_DOCKER_IMAGE=$HAK_DOCKER_IMAGE:$REF" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-              env:
-                  REF: ${{ inputs.ref || github.ref_name }}
-            - name: Resolve docker image tag for release
-              if: github.event_name == 'release'
-              run: echo "HAK_DOCKER_IMAGE=$HAK_DOCKER_IMAGE:staging" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-            - name: Resolve docker image tag for other triggers
-              if: github.event_name != 'push' && github.event_name != 'release'
-              run: echo "HAK_DOCKER_IMAGE=$HAK_DOCKER_IMAGE:develop" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-
             - uses: nbucic/variable-mapper@0673f6891a0619ba7c002ecfed0f9f4f39017b6f
               id: config
               with:
@@ -95,11 +83,9 @@ jobs:
                   map: |
                       {
                         "amd64": {
-                          "target": "x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu",
                           "arch": "x86-64"
                         },
                         "arm64": {
-                          "target": "aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu",
                           "arch": "aarch64",
                           "build-args": "--arm64"
                         }
@@ -120,7 +106,7 @@ jobs:
               id: cache
               uses: actions/cache@668228422ae6a00e4ad889ee87cd7109ec5666a7 # v5
               with:
-                  key: ${{ runner.os }}-${{ github.ref_name }}-${{ inputs.sqlcipher }}-${{ inputs.arch }}-${{ hashFiles('hakHash', 'electronVersion', 'dockerbuild/*') }}
+                  key: ${{ runner.os }}-${{ github.ref_name }}-${{ inputs.sqlcipher }}-${{ inputs.arch }}-${{ hashFiles('apps/desktop/hakHash', 'apps/desktop/electronVersion', 'apps/desktop/dockerbuild/*') }}
                   path: |
                       apps/desktop/.hak
 
@@ -135,7 +121,7 @@ jobs:
 
             - name: Install Deps
               working-directory: apps/desktop
-              run: pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
+              run: "pnpm install --frozen-lockfile --filter element-desktop"
 
             - name: "Get modified files"
               id: changed_files
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build_desktop_macos.yaml b/.github/workflows/build_desktop_macos.yaml
index c4f828a092..bc5455b5a4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build_desktop_macos.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build_desktop_macos.yaml
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ on:
                 type: string
                 required: false
                 description: |
-                    The name of the prepare artifact to use, defaults to 'webapp'.
+                    The name of the prepare artifact to use, defaults to 'desktop-prepare'.
                     The artifact must contain the following:
                     + webapp.asar - the asar archive of the webapp to embed in the desktop app
                     + electronVersion - the version of electron to use for cache keying
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ on:
 
                     The artifact can also contain any additional files which will be applied as overrides to the checkout root before building,
                     for example icons in the `build/` directory to override the app icons.
-                default: "webapp"
+                default: "desktop-prepare"
             test:
                 type: boolean
                 required: false
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ jobs:
               id: cache
               uses: actions/cache@668228422ae6a00e4ad889ee87cd7109ec5666a7 # v5
               with:
-                  key: ${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('hakHash', 'electronVersion') }}
+                  key: ${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('apps/desktop/hakHash', 'apps/desktop/electronVersion') }}
                   path: |
                       apps/desktop/.hak
 
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ jobs:
 
             - name: Install Deps
               working-directory: apps/desktop
-              run: "pnpm install --frozen-lockfile"
+              run: "pnpm install --frozen-lockfile --filter element-desktop"
 
             - name: Build Natives
               if: steps.cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build_desktop_prepare.yaml b/.github/workflows/build_desktop_prepare.yaml
index 517b865ab1..736051b192 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build_desktop_prepare.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build_desktop_prepare.yaml
@@ -20,11 +20,10 @@ on:
                 required: false
                 default: false
                 description: "Whether the build should be deployed to production"
-            branch-matching:
-                type: boolean
+            webapp-artifact:
+                type: string
                 required: false
-                default: false
-                description: "Whether the branch name should be matched to find the element-web commit"
+                description: "Name of the webapp artifact that should be used, will fetch a relevant build if omitted"
         secrets:
             # Required if `nightly` is set
             CF_R2_ACCESS_KEY_ID:
@@ -66,28 +65,26 @@ jobs:
 
             - name: Install Deps
               working-directory: apps/desktop
-              run: "pnpm install --frozen-lockfile"
+              run: "pnpm install --frozen-lockfile --filter element-desktop"
 
-            - name: Fetch Element Web (matching branch)
-              id: branch-matching
-              if: inputs.branch-matching
+            - name: Fetch Element Web (from artifact)
+              if: inputs.webapp-artifact != ''
+              uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8
+              with:
+                  name: ${{ inputs.webapp-artifact }}
+                  path: apps/desktop/webapp
+
+            - name: Build webapp.asar (from artifact)
+              if: inputs.webapp-artifact != ''
               working-directory: apps/desktop
-              continue-on-error: true
               run: |
-                  scripts/branch-match.sh
-                  cp "$CONFIG_DIR/config.json" element-web/
-                  pnpm --cwd element-web install --frozen-lockfile
-                  pnpm --cwd element-web run build
-                  mv element-web/webapp .
+                  cp -f "$CONFIG_DIR/config.json" webapp/config.json
                   pnpm run asar-webapp
               env:
-                  # These must be set for branch-match.sh to get the right branch
-                  REPOSITORY: ${{ github.repository }}
-                  PR_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
                   CONFIG_DIR: ${{ inputs.config }}
 
             - name: Fetch Element Web (${{ inputs.version }})
-              if: steps.branch-matching.outcome == 'failure' || steps.branch-matching.outcome == 'skipped'
+              if: inputs.webapp-artifact == ''
               working-directory: apps/desktop
               run: pnpm run fetch --noverify -d ${CONFIG} ${VERSION}
               env:
@@ -189,7 +186,7 @@ jobs:
 
             - uses: actions/upload-artifact@bbbca2ddaa5d8feaa63e36b76fdaad77386f024f # v7
               with:
-                  name: webapp
+                  name: desktop-prepare
                   retention-days: 1
                   path: |
                       apps/desktop/webapp.asar
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build_desktop_test.yaml b/.github/workflows/build_desktop_test.yaml
index 09fd9e46e9..ba347fa5b3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build_desktop_test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build_desktop_test.yaml
@@ -48,8 +48,7 @@ jobs:
                   cache: "pnpm"
 
             - name: Install Deps
-              working-directory: apps/desktop
-              run: "pnpm install --frozen-lockfile"
+              run: "pnpm install --frozen-lockfile --filter element-desktop"
 
             - uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8
               with:
@@ -85,12 +84,19 @@ jobs:
                   EXECUTABLE: ${{ steps.executable.outputs.path }}
 
             - name: Run tests
-              uses: coactions/setup-xvfb@6b00cf1889f4e1d5a48635647013c0508128ee1a
               timeout-minutes: 20
-              with:
-                  run: pnpm -C apps/desktop test --project=${{ inputs.project }} ${{ runner.os != 'Linux' && '--ignore-snapshots' || '' }} ${{ inputs.blob_report == false && '--reporter=html' || '' }} ${{ inputs.args }}
+              shell: bash
+              working-directory: apps/desktop
+              run: |
+                  $PREFIX pnpm playwright test \
+                      ${{ runner.os != 'Linux' && '--ignore-snapshots' || '' }} \
+                      ${{ inputs.blob_report == false && '--reporter=html' || '' }} \
+                      $ARGS
               env:
+                  PREFIX: ${{ runner.os == 'Linux' && 'xvfb-run' || '' }}
+                  PW_TAG: ${{ inputs.project }}
                   ELEMENT_DESKTOP_EXECUTABLE: ${{ steps.executable.outputs.path }}
+                  ARGS: ${{ inputs.args }}
 
             - name: Upload blob report
               if: always() && inputs.blob_report
@@ -99,6 +105,7 @@ jobs:
                   name: blob-report-${{ inputs.artifact }}
                   path: apps/desktop/blob-report
                   retention-days: 1
+                  if-no-files-found: error
 
             - name: Upload HTML report
               if: always() && inputs.blob_report == false
@@ -107,3 +114,4 @@ jobs:
                   name: ${{ inputs.artifact }}-test
                   path: apps/desktop/playwright-report
                   retention-days: 14
+                  if-no-files-found: error
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build_desktop_windows.yaml b/.github/workflows/build_desktop_windows.yaml
index 37fc8679aa..ebad3763f0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build_desktop_windows.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build_desktop_windows.yaml
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ on:
                 type: string
                 required: false
                 description: |
-                    The name of the prepare artifact to use, defaults to 'webapp'.
+                    The name of the prepare artifact to use, defaults to 'desktop-prepare'.
                     The artifact must contain the following:
                     + webapp.asar - the asar archive of the webapp to embed in the desktop app
                     + electronVersion - the version of electron to use for cache keying
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ on:
 
                     The artifact can also contain any additional files which will be applied as overrides to the checkout root before building,
                     for example icons in the `build/` directory to override the app icons.
-                default: "webapp"
+                default: "desktop-prepare"
             test:
                 type: boolean
                 required: false
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ jobs:
               id: cache
               uses: actions/cache@668228422ae6a00e4ad889ee87cd7109ec5666a7 # v5
               with:
-                  key: ${{ runner.os }}-${{ inputs.arch }}-${{ hashFiles('hakHash', 'electronVersion') }}
+                  key: ${{ runner.os }}-${{ inputs.arch }}-${{ hashFiles('apps/desktop/hakHash', 'apps/desktop/electronVersion') }}
                   path: |
                       apps/desktop/.hak
 
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ jobs:
 
             - name: Install Deps
               working-directory: apps/desktop
-              run: "pnpm install --frozen-lockfile"
+              run: "pnpm install --frozen-lockfile --filter element-desktop"
 
             - name: Insert config snippet
               if: steps.config.outputs.extra_config != ''
diff --git a/apps/desktop/hak/matrix-seshat/check.ts b/apps/desktop/hak/matrix-seshat/check.ts
index a62a239c80..e207451832 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/hak/matrix-seshat/check.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/hak/matrix-seshat/check.ts
@@ -14,10 +14,7 @@ import type { Tool } from "../../scripts/hak/hakEnv.ts";
 import type { DependencyInfo } from "../../scripts/hak/dep.ts";
 
 export default async function (hakEnv: HakEnv, moduleInfo: DependencyInfo): Promise<void> {
-    const tools: Tool[] = [
-        ["rustc", "--version"],
-        ["python", "--version"], // node-gyp uses python for reasons beyond comprehension
-    ];
+    const tools: Tool[] = [["rustc", "--version"]];
     if (hakEnv.isWin()) {
         tools.push(["perl", "--version"]); // for openssl configure
         tools.push(["nasm", "-v"]); // for openssl building
@@ -28,6 +25,14 @@ export default async function (hakEnv: HakEnv, moduleInfo: DependencyInfo): Prom
     }
     await hakEnv.checkTools(tools);
 
+    try {
+        // node-gyp uses python for reasons beyond comprehension
+        await hakEnv.checkTools([["python", "--version"]]);
+    } catch {
+        // try python3 too
+        await hakEnv.checkTools([["python3", "--version"]]);
+    }
+
     // Ensure Rust target exists (nb. we avoid depending on rustup)
     await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
         const rustc = childProcess.execFile(
diff --git a/apps/desktop/playwright.config.ts b/apps/desktop/playwright.config.ts
index 6b3e76347f..bb8e2b52b4 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/playwright.config.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/playwright.config.ts
@@ -8,25 +8,9 @@ Please see LICENSE files in the repository root for full details.
 
 import { defineConfig } from "@playwright/test";
 
-const projects = [
-    "macos",
-    "win-x64",
-    "win-ia32",
-    "win-arm64",
-    "linux-amd64-sqlcipher-system",
-    "linux-amd64-sqlcipher-static",
-    "linux-arm64-sqlcipher-system",
-    "linux-arm64-sqlcipher-static",
-];
-
 export default defineConfig({
-    // Allows the GitHub action to specify a project name (OS + arch) for the combined report to make sense
-    // workaround for https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/33521
-    projects: process.env.CI
-        ? projects.map((name) => ({
-              name,
-          }))
-        : undefined,
+    projects: [{ name: "Desktop" }],
+    tag: process.env.PW_TAG ? `@${process.env.PW_TAG}` : undefined,
     use: {
         viewport: { width: 1280, height: 720 },
         video: "retain-on-failure",
diff --git a/apps/desktop/project.json b/apps/desktop/project.json
index bf186a1386..cb43a99d61 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/project.json
+++ b/apps/desktop/project.json
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 {
     "$schema": "../../node_modules/nx/schemas/project-schema.json",
-    "projectType": "app",
+    "projectType": "application",
+    "implicitDependencies": ["element-web"],
     "root": "apps/desktop",
     "targets": {
         "docker:build": {
diff --git a/apps/desktop/scripts/branch-match.sh b/apps/desktop/scripts/branch-match.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index c42073dfa4..0000000000
--- a/apps/desktop/scripts/branch-match.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,48 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-# Script for downloading a branch of element-web matching the branch a PR is contributed from
-
-set -x
-
-deforg="element-hq"
-defrepo="element-web"
-
-# The PR_NUMBER variable must be set explicitly.
-default_org_repo=${GITHUB_REPOSITORY:-"$deforg/$defrepo"}
-PR_ORG=${PR_ORG:-${default_org_repo%%/*}}
-PR_REPO=${PR_REPO:-${default_org_repo##*/}}
-
-# A function that clones a branch of a repo based on the org, repo and branch
-clone() {
-    org=$1
-    repo=$2
-    branch=$3
-    if [ -n "$branch" ]
-    then
-        echo "Trying to use $org/$repo#$branch"
-        # Disable auth prompts: https://serverfault.com/a/665959
-        GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT=0 git clone https://github.com/$org/$repo.git $repo --branch "$branch" --depth 1 && exit 0
-    fi
-}
-
-echo "Getting info about a PR with number $PR_NUMBER"
-apiEndpoint="https://api.github.com/repos/$PR_ORG/$PR_REPO/pulls/$PR_NUMBER"
-head=$(curl "$apiEndpoint" | jq -r '.head.label')
-
-# for forks, $head will be in the format "fork:branch", so we split it by ":"
-# into an array. On non-forks, this has the effect of splitting into a single
-# element array given ":" shouldn't appear in the head - it'll just be the
-# branch name. Based on the results, we clone.
-BRANCH_ARRAY=(${head//:/ })
-TRY_ORG=$deforg
-TRY_BRANCH=${BRANCH_ARRAY[0]}
-if [[ "$head" == *":"* ]]; then
-    # ... but only match that fork if it's a real fork
-    if [ "${BRANCH_ARRAY[0]}" != "$PR_ORG" ]; then
-        TRY_ORG=${BRANCH_ARRAY[0]}
-    fi
-    TRY_BRANCH=${BRANCH_ARRAY[1]}
-fi
-clone "$TRY_ORG" "$defrepo" "$TRY_BRANCH"
-
-exit 1
diff --git a/knip.ts b/knip.ts
index a4b6b5530b..1dec3f5883 100644
--- a/knip.ts
+++ b/knip.ts
@@ -75,5 +75,8 @@ export default {
     nx: {
         config: ["{nx,package,project}.json", "{apps,packages,modules}/**/{package,project}.json"],
     },
+    playwright: {
+        config: ["playwright.config.ts", "playwright-merge.config.ts"],
+    },
     tags: ["-knipignore"],
 } satisfies KnipConfig;
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d90f102a3f..409412a616 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -27,9 +27,11 @@
     "devDependencies": {
         "@action-validator/cli": "^0.6.0",
         "@action-validator/core": "^0.6.0",
+        "@element-hq/element-web-playwright-common": "catalog:",
         "@nx-tools/nx-container": "^7.2.1",
         "@nx/jest": "^22.5.0",
         "@types/node": "22",
+        "@playwright/test": "catalog:",
         "cronstrue": "^3.0.0",
         "eslint-plugin-matrix-org": "^3.0.0",
         "husky": "^9.0.0",
diff --git a/apps/web/playwright/flaky-reporter.ts b/packages/playwright-common/flaky-reporter.ts
similarity index 95%
rename from apps/web/playwright/flaky-reporter.ts
rename to packages/playwright-common/flaky-reporter.ts
index f816d7651e..520c2553a2 100644
--- a/apps/web/playwright/flaky-reporter.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-common/flaky-reporter.ts
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ type PaginationLinks = {
 
 // We see quite a few test flakes which are caused by the app exploding
 // so we have some magic strings we check the logs for to better track the flake with its cause
-const SPECIAL_CASES = {
+const SPECIAL_CASES: Record<string, string> = {
     "ChunkLoadError": "ChunkLoadError",
     "Unreachable code should not be executed": "Rust crypto panic",
     "Out of bounds memory access": "Rust crypto memory error",
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ class FlakyReporter implements Reporter {
 
     public onTestEnd(test: TestCase): void {
         // Ignores flakes on Dendrite and Pinecone as they have their own flakes we do not track
-        if (["Dendrite", "Pinecone"].includes(test.parent.project()?.name)) return;
+        if (["Dendrite", "Pinecone"].includes(test.parent.project()!.name!)) return;
         let failures = [`${test.location.file.split("playwright/e2e/")[1]}: ${test.title}`];
         if (test.outcome() === "flaky") {
             const timedOutRuns = test.results.filter((result) => result.status === "timedOut");
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ class FlakyReporter implements Reporter {
             );
             // If a test failed due to a systemic fault then the test is not flaky, the app is, record it as such.
             const specialCases = Object.keys(SPECIAL_CASES).filter((log) =>
-                pageLogs.some((attachment) => attachment.name.startsWith("page-") && attachment.body.includes(log)),
+                pageLogs.some((attachment) => attachment.name.startsWith("page-") && attachment.body?.includes(log)),
             );
             if (specialCases.length > 0) {
                 failures = specialCases.map((specialCase) => SPECIAL_CASES[specialCase]);
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ class FlakyReporter implements Reporter {
                 if (!this.flakes.has(title)) {
                     this.flakes.set(title, []);
                 }
-                this.flakes.get(title).push(test);
+                this.flakes.get(title)!.push(test);
             }
         }
     }
@@ -76,8 +76,8 @@ class FlakyReporter implements Reporter {
         if (!link) return map;
         const matches = link.matchAll(/(<(?<link>.+?)>; rel="(?<type>.+?)")/g);
         for (const match of matches) {
-            const { link, type } = match.groups;
-            map[type] = link;
+            const { link, type } = match.groups!;
+            map[type as keyof PaginationLinks] = link;
         }
         return map;
     }
@@ -102,9 +102,9 @@ class FlakyReporter implements Reporter {
             issues.push(...fetchedIssues);
 
             // Get the next link for fetching more results
-            const linkHeader = issuesResponse.headers.get("Link");
+            const linkHeader = issuesResponse.headers.get("Link")!;
             const parsed = this.parseLinkHeader(linkHeader);
-            url = parsed.next;
+            url = parsed.next!;
         }
         return issues;
     }
diff --git a/playwright-merge.config.ts b/playwright-merge.config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c4498527a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playwright-merge.config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2026 Element Creations Ltd.
+
+SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only OR GPL-3.0-only OR LicenseRef-Element-Commercial
+Please see LICENSE files in the repository root for full details.
+*/
+
+import { defineConfig } from "@playwright/test";
+
+export default defineConfig({
+    // Playwright only supports merging using a single testDir, specifying web here
+    // means that some parts of the report for Desktop will be incorrect, but this is minor.
+    // https://github.com/microsoft/playwright/issues/39855
+    testDir: "apps/web/playwright/e2e",
+    reporter: [
+        ["html", { open: "never" }],
+        ["./packages/playwright-common/flaky-reporter.ts"],
+        ["@element-hq/element-web-playwright-common/lib/stale-screenshot-reporter.js"],
+    ],
+});
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index fbc006869c..1d6874c74f 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -135,12 +135,18 @@ importers:
       '@action-validator/core':
         specifier: ^0.6.0
         version: 0.6.0
+      '@element-hq/element-web-playwright-common':
+        specifier: 'catalog:'
+        version: 2.2.7(@element-hq/element-web-module-api@1.12.0(@matrix-org/react-sdk-module-api@2.5.0(patch_hash=016146c9cc96e6363609d2b2ac0896ccef567882eb1d73b75a77b8a30929de96)(react@19.2.4))(@types/react-dom@19.2.3(@types/react@19.2.10))(@types/react@19.2.10)(matrix-web-i18n@3.6.0)(react@19.2.4))(@playwright/test@1.58.2)(playwright-core@1.58.2)
       '@nx-tools/nx-container':
         specifier: ^7.2.1
         version: 7.2.1(@nx/devkit@22.5.3(nx@22.5.4))(@nx/js@22.5.3(@babel/traverse@7.29.0)(nx@22.5.4))(dotenv@17.3.1)(nx@22.5.4)(tslib@2.8.1)
       '@nx/jest':
         specifier: ^22.5.0
         version: 22.5.3(@babel/traverse@7.29.0)(@types/node@18.19.130)(babel-plugin-macros@3.1.0)(nx@22.5.4)(typescript@5.9.3)
+      '@playwright/test':
+        specifier: 'catalog:'
+        version: 1.58.2
       '@types/node':
         specifier: 18.19.130
         version: 18.19.130
@@ -179,10 +185,10 @@ importers:
         version: 5.9.3
       vitepress:
         specifier: ^1.6.4
-        version: 1.6.4(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/node@18.19.130)(@types/react@19.2.10)(axios@1.13.5)(jwt-decode@4.0.0)(lightningcss@1.32.0)(postcss@8.5.8)(qrcode@1.5.4)(search-insights@2.17.3)(sugarss@5.0.1(postcss@8.5.8))(terser@5.46.0)(typescript@5.9.3)
+        version: 1.6.4(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/node@18.19.130)(@types/react@19.2.10)(axios@1.13.5)(jwt-decode@4.0.0)(lightningcss@1.32.0)(postcss@8.5.8)(qrcode@1.5.4)(react@19.2.4)(search-insights@2.17.3)(sugarss@5.0.1(postcss@8.5.8))(terser@5.46.0)(typescript@5.9.3)
       vitepress-plugin-mermaid:
         specifier: ^2.0.17
-        version: 2.0.17(mermaid@11.13.0)(vitepress@1.6.4(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/node@18.19.130)(@types/react@19.2.10)(axios@1.13.5)(jwt-decode@4.0.0)(lightningcss@1.32.0)(postcss@8.5.8)(qrcode@1.5.4)(search-insights@2.17.3)(sugarss@5.0.1(postcss@8.5.8))(terser@5.46.0)(typescript@5.9.3))
+        version: 2.0.17(mermaid@11.13.0)(vitepress@1.6.4(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/node@18.19.130)(@types/react@19.2.10)(axios@1.13.5)(jwt-decode@4.0.0)(lightningcss@1.32.0)(postcss@8.5.8)(qrcode@1.5.4)(react@19.2.4)(search-insights@2.17.3)(sugarss@5.0.1(postcss@8.5.8))(terser@5.46.0)(typescript@5.9.3))
       yaml:
         specifier: 2.8.3
         version: 2.8.3
@@ -11457,6 +11463,10 @@ packages:
   sanitize-html@2.17.1:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-ehFCW+q1a4CSOWRAdX97BX/6/PDEkCqw7/0JXZAGQV57FQB3YOkTa/rrzHPeJ+Aghy4vZAFfWMYyfxIiB7F/gw==}
 
+  sax@1.4.4:
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-1n3r/tGXO6b6VXMdFT54SHzT9ytu9yr7TaELowdYpMqY/Ao7EnlQGmAQ1+RatX7Tkkdm6hONI2owqNx2aZj5Sw==}
+    engines: {node: '>=11.0.0'}
+
   sax@1.6.0:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-6R3J5M4AcbtLUdZmRv2SygeVaM7IhrLXu9BmnOGmmACak8fiUtOsYNWUS4uK7upbmHIBbLBeFeI//477BKLBzA==}
     engines: {node: '>=11.0.0'}
@@ -14541,9 +14551,9 @@ snapshots:
 
   '@docsearch/css@3.8.2': {}
 
-  '@docsearch/js@3.8.2(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/react@19.2.10)(search-insights@2.17.3)':
+  '@docsearch/js@3.8.2(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/react@19.2.10)(react@19.2.4)(search-insights@2.17.3)':
     dependencies:
-      '@docsearch/react': 3.8.2(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/react@19.2.10)(search-insights@2.17.3)
+      '@docsearch/react': 3.8.2(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/react@19.2.10)(react@19.2.4)(search-insights@2.17.3)
       preact: 10.28.3
     transitivePeerDependencies:
       - '@algolia/client-search'
@@ -14552,7 +14562,7 @@ snapshots:
       - react-dom
       - search-insights
 
-  '@docsearch/react@3.8.2(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/react@19.2.10)(search-insights@2.17.3)':
+  '@docsearch/react@3.8.2(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/react@19.2.10)(react@19.2.4)(search-insights@2.17.3)':
     dependencies:
       '@algolia/autocomplete-core': 1.17.7(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(algoliasearch@5.50.0)(search-insights@2.17.3)
       '@algolia/autocomplete-preset-algolia': 1.17.7(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(algoliasearch@5.50.0)
@@ -14560,6 +14570,7 @@ snapshots:
       algoliasearch: 5.50.0
     optionalDependencies:
       '@types/react': 19.2.10
+      react: 19.2.4
       search-insights: 2.17.3
     transitivePeerDependencies:
       - '@algolia/client-search'
@@ -19317,7 +19328,7 @@ snapshots:
   builder-util-runtime@9.5.1:
     dependencies:
       debug: 4.4.3
-      sax: 1.6.0
+      sax: 1.4.4
     transitivePeerDependencies:
       - supports-color
 
@@ -25261,6 +25272,8 @@ snapshots:
       parse-srcset: 1.0.2
       postcss: 8.5.8
 
+  sax@1.4.4: {}
+
   sax@1.6.0: {}
 
   saxes@6.0.0:
@@ -26687,17 +26700,17 @@ snapshots:
       tsx: 4.21.0
       yaml: 2.8.3
 
-  vitepress-plugin-mermaid@2.0.17(mermaid@11.13.0)(vitepress@1.6.4(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/node@18.19.130)(@types/react@19.2.10)(axios@1.13.5)(jwt-decode@4.0.0)(lightningcss@1.32.0)(postcss@8.5.8)(qrcode@1.5.4)(search-insights@2.17.3)(sugarss@5.0.1(postcss@8.5.8))(terser@5.46.0)(typescript@5.9.3)):
+  vitepress-plugin-mermaid@2.0.17(mermaid@11.13.0)(vitepress@1.6.4(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/node@18.19.130)(@types/react@19.2.10)(axios@1.13.5)(jwt-decode@4.0.0)(lightningcss@1.32.0)(postcss@8.5.8)(qrcode@1.5.4)(react@19.2.4)(search-insights@2.17.3)(sugarss@5.0.1(postcss@8.5.8))(terser@5.46.0)(typescript@5.9.3)):
     dependencies:
       mermaid: 11.13.0
-      vitepress: 1.6.4(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/node@18.19.130)(@types/react@19.2.10)(axios@1.13.5)(jwt-decode@4.0.0)(lightningcss@1.32.0)(postcss@8.5.8)(qrcode@1.5.4)(search-insights@2.17.3)(sugarss@5.0.1(postcss@8.5.8))(terser@5.46.0)(typescript@5.9.3)
+      vitepress: 1.6.4(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/node@18.19.130)(@types/react@19.2.10)(axios@1.13.5)(jwt-decode@4.0.0)(lightningcss@1.32.0)(postcss@8.5.8)(qrcode@1.5.4)(react@19.2.4)(search-insights@2.17.3)(sugarss@5.0.1(postcss@8.5.8))(terser@5.46.0)(typescript@5.9.3)
     optionalDependencies:
       '@mermaid-js/mermaid-mindmap': 9.3.0
 
-  vitepress@1.6.4(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/node@18.19.130)(@types/react@19.2.10)(axios@1.13.5)(jwt-decode@4.0.0)(lightningcss@1.32.0)(postcss@8.5.8)(qrcode@1.5.4)(search-insights@2.17.3)(sugarss@5.0.1(postcss@8.5.8))(terser@5.46.0)(typescript@5.9.3):
+  vitepress@1.6.4(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/node@18.19.130)(@types/react@19.2.10)(axios@1.13.5)(jwt-decode@4.0.0)(lightningcss@1.32.0)(postcss@8.5.8)(qrcode@1.5.4)(react@19.2.4)(search-insights@2.17.3)(sugarss@5.0.1(postcss@8.5.8))(terser@5.46.0)(typescript@5.9.3):
     dependencies:
       '@docsearch/css': 3.8.2
-      '@docsearch/js': 3.8.2(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/react@19.2.10)(search-insights@2.17.3)
+      '@docsearch/js': 3.8.2(@algolia/client-search@5.50.0)(@types/react@19.2.10)(react@19.2.4)(search-insights@2.17.3)
       '@iconify-json/simple-icons': 1.2.75
       '@shikijs/core': 2.5.0
       '@shikijs/transformers': 2.5.0
diff --git a/sonar-project.properties b/sonar-project.properties
index 6ac82b9ffa..e3040eaeae 100644
--- a/sonar-project.properties
+++ b/sonar-project.properties
@@ -18,11 +18,13 @@ sonar.coverage.exclusions=\
   apps/web/scripts/**/*,\
   apps/desktop/scripts/**/*,\
   apps/desktop/playwright/**/*,\
+  apps/desktop/hak/**/*,\
   scripts/**/*,\
   apps/web/src/components/views/dialogs/devtools/**/*,\
   apps/web/src/utils/SessionLock.ts,\
   apps/web/src/**/*.d.ts,\
   apps/web/src/vector/mobile_guide/**/*,\
   packages/shared-components/src/test/**/*,\
-  packages/shared-components/src/**/*.stories.tsx
+  packages/shared-components/src/**/*.stories.tsx,\
+  packages/playwright-common/**/*
 sonar.testExecutionReportPaths=apps/web/coverage/jest-sonar-report.xml