diff --git a/.github/workflows/e2e-cluster-free.yaml b/.github/workflows/e2e-cluster-free.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d6f5ef00b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/e2e-cluster-free.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+name: E2E Cluster-free
+
+# Runs the cluster-free local E2E harness (RHIDP-13501 / RHIDP-15075): boots the
+# backend and the legacy app dev server in-process and drives Playwright against
+# them, with dynamic plugins installed from the public OCI registry (ghcr) via
+# the install-dynamic-plugins CLI (skopeo). No OpenShift/Kubernetes cluster or
+# image. See docs/e2e-tests/local-e2e-harness.md.
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    paths:
+      - "e2e-tests/**"
+      - "app-config*.yaml"
+      - ".github/workflows/e2e-cluster-free.yaml"
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - "main"
+      - "release-*"
+    paths:
+      - "e2e-tests/**"
+      - "app-config*.yaml"
+      - ".github/workflows/e2e-cluster-free.yaml"
+
+concurrency:
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event.number || github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  e2e:
+    name: e2e
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # Playwright image: browsers + OS deps preinstalled, so no browser-install step
+    # (which hung on plain ubuntu runners). Keep the tag in sync with the
+    # @playwright/test version in e2e-tests/package.json (currently 1.61.1) — a
+    # mismatch fails with "Executable doesn't exist at /ms-playwright/...".
+    container:
+      image: mcr.microsoft.com/playwright:v1.61.1-noble
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10 # v6.0.3
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - name: Set up Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@48b55a011bda9f5d6aeb4c2d9c7362e8dae4041e # v6.4.0
+        with:
+          node-version-file: ".nvmrc"
+
+      - name: Enable Corepack (vendored yarn 4)
+        run: corepack enable
+
+      - name: Cache yarn global cache
+        uses: actions/cache@2c8a9bd7457de244a408f35966fab2fb45fda9c8 # v6.0.0
+        with:
+          path: ~/.yarn/berry/cache
+          key: yarn-${{ hashFiles('yarn.lock', 'e2e-tests/yarn.lock') }}
+          restore-keys: |
+            yarn-
+
+      - name: Install skopeo
+        run: |
+          apt-get update
+          apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends skopeo
+
+      - name: Install dependencies (root)
+        run: yarn install
+
+      - name: Install dependencies (e2e-tests)
+        working-directory: ./e2e-tests
+        run: yarn install --mode=skip-build
+
+      - name: Populate dynamic-plugins-root (OCI, no source build)
+        # install-dynamic-plugins pulls the harness plugin set from the public OCI
+        # registry (ghcr) via skopeo — the core plugins in the catalog index's
+        # default.yaml reference local ./dynamic-plugins/dist paths that only exist
+        # after a source build, so we install the OCI-published builds instead.
+        run: ./e2e-tests/local-harness/populate.sh
+
+      - name: Run cluster-free E2E (legacy app)
+        working-directory: ./e2e-tests
+        run: yarn e2e:legacy-local
+
+      - name: Upload Playwright report
+        if: ${{ !cancelled() }}
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@ea165f8d65b6e75b540449e92b4886f43607fa02 # v4.6.2
+        with:
+          name: playwright-report-legacy-local
+          path: e2e-tests/playwright-report-legacy-local
+          retention-days: 7
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 6bf450e826..8345b9d48f 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -64,6 +64,8 @@ site
 # Dynamic plugins root content
 dynamic-plugins-root/*
 !dynamic-plugins-root/.gitkeep
+# install-dynamic-plugins config copied to the repo root by e2e-tests/local-harness/populate.sh
+/dynamic-plugins.yaml
 
 #dev caches
 .webpack-cache
diff --git a/app-config.local-e2e.yaml b/app-config.local-e2e.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bca1b8657b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app-config.local-e2e.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+# Config overlay for the cluster-free local E2E harness (legacy `packages/app`, Tier B).
+#
+# Layered on top of app-config.yaml and app-config.dynamic-plugins.yaml to run
+# Playwright E2E without an OpenShift/Kubernetes cluster or container images:
+#
+#   yarn --cwd e2e-tests e2e:legacy-local
+#
+# It enables guest sign-in (the auth backend rejects guest unless a provider is
+# configured) and pins the in-memory SQLite database so a single `run` is fully
+# self-contained. See docs/e2e-tests/local-e2e-harness.md.
+#
+# NOTE: test-only. This grants unauthenticated guest access
+# (dangerouslyAllowOutsideDevelopment) and must never be layered into a
+# production config.
+auth:
+  environment: development
+  providers:
+    guest:
+      userEntityRef: user:default/guest
+      # Required because auth.environment may resolve outside "development" in CI.
+      dangerouslyAllowOutsideDevelopment: true
+
+backend:
+  database:
+    client: better-sqlite3
+    connection: ":memory:"
+
+# The e2e specs are written against the CI deployment's menu customization
+# (.ci/pipelines/resources/config_map/dynamic-plugins-config.yaml): APIs and
+# Learning Paths nest under a "References" sidebar group. Mirror it here so
+# navigation helpers like openSidebarButton("References") work off-cluster.
+dynamicPlugins:
+  frontend:
+    default.main-menu-items:
+      menuItems:
+        default.list:
+          title: References
+          icon: bookmarks
+        default.apis:
+          parent: default.list
+        default.learning-path:
+          parent: default.list
diff --git a/docs/e2e-tests/local-e2e-harness.md b/docs/e2e-tests/local-e2e-harness.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f6bf586cfa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/e2e-tests/local-e2e-harness.md
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+# Cluster-free local E2E harness
+
+Spike deliverable for **RHIDP-13501 — E2E Test Optimization (Layer 4a)**, building on
+the PoC in [PR #4523](https://github.com/redhat-developer/rhdh/pull/4523) and the
+backend dynamic-plugin loader from RHIDP-13508.
+
+## Goal
+
+Run real Playwright E2E against RHDH **without** an OpenShift/Kubernetes cluster or
+container images — a single `run` that boots the backend and the legacy frontend dev
+server in-process and drives a browser against them.
+
+The harness targets the legacy frontend (`packages/app`, Tier B): it is what RHDH ships
+today, and **the existing Playwright specs already target it**, so they run unmodified.
+Dynamic frontend plugins load through Scalprum exactly as in-cluster (the legacy
+`scalprum-backend` serves the plugin config by default).
+
+The guest-auth + in-memory-SQLite overlay `app-config.local-e2e.yaml` is layered on top
+of `app-config.yaml`. Guest sign-in must be configured explicitly — the auth backend
+otherwise rejects guest with _"you must … configure the auth backend to support guest
+sign in."_
+
+### 1. Populate `dynamic-plugins-root` (one-time)
+
+Run the same script CI uses — it installs the harness plugin set
+(`e2e-tests/local-harness/dynamic-plugins.yaml`) from the public OCI registry (ghcr)
+via `install-dynamic-plugins` + skopeo, pinned to the same CLI version as CI. No
+source build needed; works from a fresh clone. Requires skopeo (preinstalled in CI;
+`brew install skopeo` on macOS):
+
+```bash
+./e2e-tests/local-harness/populate.sh
+```
+
+Alternatives:
+
+- **Catalog index** — the index's `dynamic-plugins.default.yaml` references the core
+  plugins by local `./dynamic-plugins/dist/…` paths that only exist after a source
+  build, so on a fresh clone most plugins are skipped. Use only after building
+  `dynamic-plugins` from source (main -> `:latest`; release branches -> the matching
+  `:1.y` tag):
+
+  ```bash
+  CATALOG_INDEX_IMAGE=quay.io/rhdh/plugin-catalog-index:latest \
+    npx @red-hat-developer-hub/cli-module-install-dynamic-plugins install dynamic-plugins-root
+  ```
+
+- **Offline from-source** (frontend plugins only; requires a reconciled workspace —
+  see "Known issues"):
+
+  ```bash
+  yarn --cwd dynamic-plugins export-dynamic
+  yarn --cwd dynamic-plugins copy-dynamic-plugins ../dynamic-plugins-root
+  ```
+
+### 2. Run
+
+```bash
+yarn --cwd e2e-tests e2e:legacy-local
+```
+
+Playwright (`playwright.legacy-local.config.ts`) boots the backend and the legacy app
+dev server with `app-config.yaml` + `app-config.dynamic-plugins.yaml` +
+`app-config.local-e2e.yaml`. A `globalSetup` first fails fast with the populate command
+if `dynamic-plugins-root` has no plugins.
+
+The run is scoped to tests tagged `@cluster-free` within the spec files allowlisted in
+`testMatch`. To widen coverage, tag a validated test with `@cluster-free` and add its
+spec file to `testMatch`; if the test needs extra plugins, add them (with their
+`pluginConfig`) to `e2e-tests/local-harness/dynamic-plugins.yaml` and re-run
+`populate.sh` (see "Known issues").
+
+### Verified
+
+With plugins populated, the legacy app renders the full production RHDH UI off-cluster
+(branding, sidebar, global header, and Quick Access from the dynamic plugins). The
+existing specs **pass unmodified**:
+
+- `guest-signin-happy-path` — all three tests: home page (dynamic-home-page plugin),
+  Settings and Sign-out (navigation via the global-header profile dropdown, using the
+  plugin's canonical `pluginConfig` merged through the generated
+  `dynamic-plugins-root/app-config.dynamic-plugins.yaml`, exactly as in-cluster).
+- `learning-path-page` — renders from the static fallback data bundled with
+  `packages/app`; the "References" sidebar group mirrors the CI menu customization via
+  `app-config.local-e2e.yaml`.
+
+## CI
+
+`.github/workflows/e2e-cluster-free.yaml` runs this harness on GitHub Actions in a
+cluster-free phase: it installs deps + skopeo, populates `dynamic-plugins-root` via
+`./e2e-tests/local-harness/populate.sh` (the harness plugin set from the public OCI
+registry, ghcr), then runs `yarn e2e:legacy-local`. No cluster or container image is
+built. It triggers on `e2e-tests/**` and `app-config*.yaml` changes; the scope can
+widen to `packages/app/**` / `packages/backend/**` once it is proven stable.
+
+## Why the legacy app, not app-next
+
+The harness targets the legacy app because **dynamic frontend plugins do not load on
+`packages/app-next` yet**: app-next's `dynamicFrontendFeaturesLoader()` fetches Module
+Federation remotes from the backend, but that endpoint is no-op'd unless
+`ENABLE_STANDARD_MODULE_FEDERATION=true`, and even then RHDH's exported dynamic frontend
+plugins do not contain standard MF assets (see `packages/backend/src/index.ts`). Until
+that lands upstream, app-next can only exercise core/static plugin UIs. An app-next
+harness is tracked as a follow-up (RHIDP-13501 / spike RHIDP-15075).
+
+## vs. rhdh-local
+
+[`rhdh-local`](https://github.com/redhat-developer/rhdh-local) runs RHDH via
+Podman/Docker Compose using the **production container image**. It is great for manual
+feature testing with guest auth and UI-installed plugins, but it is **container-based**:
+it requires a container runtime and pulling/running the RHDH image. For fast automated
+E2E it is heavier than this in-process harness (no image pull, no container runtime —
+just `run`), which is why this harness boots the dev servers directly instead.
+
+## Known issues / limits
+
+- **Workspace must be reconciled for the offline (from-source) populate path.** If
+  `node_modules` is out of sync with `yarn.lock` (e.g. just after a rebase that changed
+  dependency versions), backend dynamic-plugin builds fail with version-mismatch errors
+  and yarn may not surface workspace bins. Run `yarn install` first. The
+  `install-dynamic-plugins` populate path avoids building from source and is unaffected.
+- **Re-run `populate.sh` after changing the harness plugin set.** The `pluginConfig`
+  blocks in `e2e-tests/local-harness/dynamic-plugins.yaml` (e.g. the global-header
+  mount points) only take effect through the generated
+  `dynamic-plugins-root/app-config.dynamic-plugins.yaml`, which the webServer loads
+  last. A stale populate leaves plugins loaded but unconfigured (the header renders
+  empty).
+- **Specs that need CI test data are not enabled yet.** `settings.spec.ts` asserts
+  ownership entities ("Guest User, team-a") that come from catalog locations in the CI
+  config map; `home-page-customization.spec.ts` needs the home-page card customization
+  from `.ci/pipelines/resources/config_map/dynamic-plugins-config.yaml`. Enabling them
+  means mirroring that data/config into the harness overlay.
+- **Live-external-service specs** (real k8s cluster, GitHub org, Quay, Tekton, Keycloak)
+  still need those services or mocks; this harness covers UI/plugin-rendering scenarios
+  that don't require live external infra.
+- **`janus-cli` / `backstage-cli`** live in the repo-root `node_modules/.bin`, which yarn
+  does not surface for the `app`/`backend` workspaces, so the webServer commands invoke
+  them directly with the root `.bin` prepended to `PATH`.
diff --git a/e2e-tests/local-harness/dynamic-plugins.yaml b/e2e-tests/local-harness/dynamic-plugins.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2db1672dfc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-tests/local-harness/dynamic-plugins.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+# Cluster-free harness plugin set — installed by ./populate.sh via
+# install-dynamic-plugins from OCI (ghcr, pulled with skopeo), so no
+# dynamic-plugins/dist source build is needed.
+#
+# app-config.dynamic-plugins.yaml (loaded by the harness) already configures these
+# plugins, so the existing RHDH specs render off-cluster.
+#
+# NOTE: OCI tags are backstage 1.49.4 (RHDH is on 1.52.0) — bump to matching tags when
+# the overlays repo publishes them.
+plugins:
+  # Home page: route / -> DynamicHomePage, SearchBar, QuickAccessCard, Starred Entities.
+  - package: oci://ghcr.io/redhat-developer/rhdh-plugin-export-overlays/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-dynamic-home-page:bs_1.49.4__1.13.1!red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-dynamic-home-page
+    disabled: false
+  # Global header: top bar + profile dropdown (Settings / Sign-out navigation).
+  #
+  # The repo's static app-config.dynamic-plugins.yaml only mounts the bare GlobalHeader
+  # container (no children), so the header renders empty off-cluster. In-cluster the full
+  # config comes from the plugin's pluginConfig in the catalog index's
+  # dynamic-plugins.default.yaml; the block below is that canonical config, copied from
+  # rhdh-plugins workspaces/global-header/plugins/global-header/app-config.dynamic.yaml.
+  # install-dynamic-plugins merges it into the generated
+  # dynamic-plugins-root/app-config.dynamic-plugins.yaml, which the harness loads last —
+  # exactly how the production container consumes it.
+  - package: oci://ghcr.io/redhat-developer/rhdh-plugin-export-overlays/red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-global-header:bs_1.49.4__1.21.6!red-hat-developer-hub-backstage-plugin-global-header
+    disabled: false
+    pluginConfig:
+      dynamicPlugins:
+        frontend:
+          red-hat-developer-hub.backstage-plugin-global-header:
+            translationResources:
+              - importName: globalHeaderTranslations
+                ref: globalHeaderTranslationRef
+            mountPoints:
+              - mountPoint: application/header
+                importName: GlobalHeader
+                config:
+                  position: above-sidebar # above-main-content | above-sidebar
+              - mountPoint: global.header/component
+                importName: CompanyLogo
+                config:
+                  priority: 200
+                  props:
+                    to: "/"
+              - mountPoint: global.header/component
+                importName: SearchComponent
+                config:
+                  priority: 100
+              - mountPoint: global.header/component
+                importName: Spacer
+                config:
+                  priority: 99
+                  props:
+                    growFactor: 0
+              - mountPoint: global.header/component
+                importName: HeaderIconButton
+                config:
+                  priority: 90
+                  props:
+                    title: Self-service
+                    titleKey: create.title
+                    icon: add
+                    to: create
+              - mountPoint: global.header/component
+                importName: StarredDropdown
+                config:
+                  priority: 85
+              - mountPoint: global.header/component
+                importName: ApplicationLauncherDropdown
+                config:
+                  priority: 82
+              - mountPoint: global.header/application-launcher
+                importName: MenuItemLink
+                config:
+                  section: Documentation
+                  priority: 150
+                  props:
+                    title: Developer Hub
+                    titleKey: applicationLauncher.developerHub
+                    icon: developerHub
+                    link: https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_developer_hub
+              - mountPoint: global.header/application-launcher
+                importName: MenuItemLink
+                config:
+                  section: Developer Tools
+                  priority: 100
+                  props:
+                    title: RHDH Local
+                    titleKey: applicationLauncher.rhdhLocal
+                    icon: developerHub
+                    link: https://github.com/redhat-developer/rhdh-local
+              - mountPoint: global.header/component
+                importName: HelpDropdown
+                config:
+                  priority: 80
+              - mountPoint: global.header/help
+                importName: SupportButton
+                config:
+                  priority: 10
+              - mountPoint: global.header/component
+                importName: NotificationButton
+                config:
+                  priority: 70
+              - mountPoint: global.header/component
+                importName: Divider
+                config:
+                  priority: 50
+              - mountPoint: global.header/component
+                importName: ProfileDropdown
+                config:
+                  priority: 10
+              - mountPoint: global.header/profile
+                importName: MenuItemLink
+                config:
+                  priority: 100
+                  props:
+                    title: Settings
+                    titleKey: profile.settings
+                    link: /settings
+                    icon: manageAccounts
+              - mountPoint: global.header/profile
+                importName: MenuItemLink
+                config:
+                  priority: 90
+                  props:
+                    title: My profile
+                    titleKey: profile.myProfile
+                    type: myProfile
+                    icon: account
+              - mountPoint: global.header/profile
+                importName: LogoutButton
+                config:
+                  priority: 10
diff --git a/e2e-tests/local-harness/populate.sh b/e2e-tests/local-harness/populate.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..2bb837a555
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-tests/local-harness/populate.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+#
+# Populates dynamic-plugins-root for the cluster-free E2E harness — the single
+# source of truth for the populate step (CI, the docs, and the global-setup
+# error message all point here).
+#
+# Installs the plugin set from e2e-tests/local-harness/dynamic-plugins.yaml
+# from the public OCI registry (ghcr) via install-dynamic-plugins + skopeo —
+# no dynamic-plugins/dist source build and no cluster. Requires skopeo
+# (preinstalled in CI; `brew install skopeo` on macOS).
+set -e
+
+# Pinned so local runs install the exact CLI version CI uses.
+CLI_VERSION="0.2.0"
+
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/../.." && pwd)"
+cd "$REPO_ROOT"
+
+mkdir -p dynamic-plugins-root
+# The CLI hardcodes ./dynamic-plugins.yaml (cwd) as its config file; the copy at
+# the repo root is gitignored.
+cp e2e-tests/local-harness/dynamic-plugins.yaml dynamic-plugins.yaml
+npx -y "@red-hat-developer-hub/cli-module-install-dynamic-plugins@$CLI_VERSION" install dynamic-plugins-root
diff --git a/e2e-tests/package.json b/e2e-tests/package.json
index f12602e0d6..c6b6ee9322 100644
--- a/e2e-tests/package.json
+++ b/e2e-tests/package.json
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@
     "fmt": "oxfmt .",
     "fmt:check": "oxfmt --check .",
     "postinstall": "playwright install chromium",
-    "shellcheck": "git ls-files -z '*.sh' | xargs -0 shellcheck --severity=warning --color=always"
+    "shellcheck": "git ls-files -z '*.sh' | xargs -0 shellcheck --severity=warning --color=always",
+    "e2e:legacy-local": "playwright test --config=playwright.legacy-local.config.ts"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@azure/arm-network": "34.2.0",
diff --git a/e2e-tests/playwright.legacy-local.config.ts b/e2e-tests/playwright.legacy-local.config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..598ae3e189
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-tests/playwright.legacy-local.config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+import { resolve } from "path";
+
+import { defineConfig, devices } from "@playwright/test";
+
+/**
+ * Cluster-free local E2E harness for the legacy frontend (`packages/app`) — Tier B.
+ *
+ * RHIDP-13501 (E2E Test Optimization). Runs the EXISTING Playwright specs against a
+ * production-faithful RHDH instance with dynamic plugins loaded, without an
+ * OpenShift/Kubernetes cluster or container images. Playwright boots the backend and
+ * the legacy app dev server itself and drives the browser against them.
+ *
+ *   # one-time: populate dynamic-plugins-root (same script CI uses — OCI, no build;
+ *   # alternatives in docs/e2e-tests/local-e2e-harness.md):
+ *   ./e2e-tests/local-harness/populate.sh
+ *
+ *   yarn --cwd e2e-tests e2e:legacy-local
+ *
+ * Both servers are started via `webServer` with the guest-auth overlay
+ * `app-config.local-e2e.yaml` plus the dynamic-plugins UI config. An already-running
+ * pair of servers is reused locally; in CI they are started fresh.
+ */
+
+const frontendUrl = "http://localhost:3000";
+const backendReadiness = "http://localhost:7007/.backstage/health/v1/readiness";
+const repoRootBin = resolve(process.cwd(), "..", "node_modules", ".bin");
+const pathWithRepoBin = `${repoRootBin}:${process.env.PATH ?? ""}`;
+const isCI = process.env.CI !== undefined && process.env.CI !== "";
+
+// The last entry is generated by e2e-tests/local-harness/populate.sh: it carries the
+// pluginConfig blocks from the harness dynamic-plugins.yaml (e.g. the full global-header
+// mount points), merged by install-dynamic-plugins exactly like the production container
+// does. It must come after the static app-config.dynamic-plugins.yaml so its plugin
+// config wins. Re-run populate.sh after changing the harness plugin set.
+const sharedConfigArgs = [
+  "--config ../../app-config.yaml",
+  "--config ../../app-config.dynamic-plugins.yaml",
+  "--config ../../app-config.local-e2e.yaml",
+  "--config ../../dynamic-plugins-root/app-config.dynamic-plugins.yaml",
+].join(" ");
+
+export default defineConfig({
+  testDir: "./playwright",
+  // Fails fast if dynamic-plugins-root has not been populated.
+  globalSetup: "./playwright/support/local-harness-global-setup.ts",
+  // A test runs cluster-free when its spec file is listed in `testMatch` (an
+  // allowlist, so unvalidated specs are never loaded) AND it carries the
+  // @cluster-free tag. To widen coverage: tag the test where it lives and add its
+  // spec file here. Validated so far: the full guest-signin spec (home page via the
+  // dynamic-home-page OCI plugin; Settings/Sign-out via the global-header OCI plugin
+  // with its canonical pluginConfig) and the learning-paths spec (static fallback
+  // data bundled with packages/app).
+  testMatch: ["e2e/guest-signin-happy-path.spec.ts", "e2e/learning-path-page.spec.ts"],
+  grep: /@cluster-free/u,
+  timeout: 90 * 1000,
+  forbidOnly: isCI,
+  retries: isCI ? 1 : 0,
+  // serial: a single shared backend + dev server
+  workers: 1,
+  reporter: [
+    ["list"],
+    ["html", { open: "never", outputFolder: "playwright-report-legacy-local" }],
+    [
+      "junit",
+      {
+        outputFile: process.env.JUNIT_RESULTS ?? "junit-results-legacy-local.xml",
+      },
+    ],
+  ],
+  use: {
+    baseURL: frontendUrl,
+    ignoreHTTPSErrors: true,
+    trace: "retain-on-failure",
+    screenshot: "only-on-failure",
+    video: "retain-on-failure",
+    ...devices["Desktop Chrome"],
+    viewport: { width: 1920, height: 1080 },
+    actionTimeout: 15 * 1000,
+    navigationTimeout: 60 * 1000,
+  },
+  expect: {
+    timeout: 15 * 1000,
+  },
+  // backstage-cli / janus-cli live in the repo-root node_modules/.bin, which yarn does
+  // not surface for these workspaces, so both CLIs are invoked directly with the root
+  // .bin prepended to PATH and run from their package directory. The backend command
+  // mirrors packages/backend's `start` script (--require instrumentation) — keep in sync.
+  webServer: [
+    {
+      command: `backstage-cli package start --require ./src/instrumentation.js ${sharedConfigArgs}`,
+      cwd: "../packages/backend",
+      env: {
+        ...process.env,
+        PATH: pathWithRepoBin,
+        NODE_OPTIONS: "--no-node-snapshot",
+      },
+      url: backendReadiness,
+      reuseExistingServer: !isCI,
+      timeout: 180 * 1000,
+      stdout: "pipe",
+      stderr: "pipe",
+    },
+    {
+      command: `janus-cli package start ${sharedConfigArgs}`,
+      cwd: "../packages/app",
+      env: { ...process.env, PATH: pathWithRepoBin },
+      url: frontendUrl,
+      reuseExistingServer: !isCI,
+      timeout: 240 * 1000,
+      stdout: "pipe",
+      stderr: "pipe",
+    },
+  ],
+});
diff --git a/e2e-tests/playwright/e2e/guest-signin-happy-path.spec.ts b/e2e-tests/playwright/e2e/guest-signin-happy-path.spec.ts
index 2e0a6366ff..ae6bd209fb 100644
--- a/e2e-tests/playwright/e2e/guest-signin-happy-path.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e-tests/playwright/e2e/guest-signin-happy-path.spec.ts
@@ -27,21 +27,30 @@ test.describe("Guest Signing Happy path", () => {
     await common.loginAsGuest();
   });
 
-  test("Verify the Homepage renders with Search Bar, Quick Access and Starred Entities", async () => {
-    await uiHelper.verifyHeading("Welcome back!");
-    await uiHelper.openSidebar("Home");
-    await homePage.verifyQuickAccess("Developer Tools", "Podman Desktop");
-  });
-
-  test("Verify Profile is Guest in the Settings page", async () => {
+  // @cluster-free: verified green on the cluster-free harness (playwright.legacy-local.config.ts)
+  test(
+    "Verify the Homepage renders with Search Bar, Quick Access and Starred Entities",
+    { tag: "@cluster-free" },
+    async () => {
+      await uiHelper.verifyHeading("Welcome back!");
+      await uiHelper.openSidebar("Home");
+      await homePage.verifyQuickAccess("Developer Tools", "Podman Desktop");
+    },
+  );
+
+  test("Verify Profile is Guest in the Settings page", { tag: "@cluster-free" }, async () => {
     await uiHelper.goToSettingsPage();
     await uiHelper.verifyHeading("Guest");
     await uiHelper.verifyHeading("User Entity: guest");
   });
 
-  test("Sign Out and Verify that you return to the Sign-in page", async () => {
-    await uiHelper.goToSettingsPage();
-    await common.signOut();
-    await uiHelper.verifyHeading(t["rhdh"][lang]["signIn.page.title"]);
-  });
+  test(
+    "Sign Out and Verify that you return to the Sign-in page",
+    { tag: "@cluster-free" },
+    async () => {
+      await uiHelper.goToSettingsPage();
+      await common.signOut();
+      await uiHelper.verifyHeading(t["rhdh"][lang]["signIn.page.title"]);
+    },
+  );
 });
diff --git a/e2e-tests/playwright/e2e/learning-path-page.spec.ts b/e2e-tests/playwright/e2e/learning-path-page.spec.ts
index e280e7fd7c..276c644266 100644
--- a/e2e-tests/playwright/e2e/learning-path-page.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e-tests/playwright/e2e/learning-path-page.spec.ts
@@ -21,21 +21,24 @@ test.describe("Learning Paths", { tag: "@layer3-equivalent" }, () => {
     await common.loginAsGuest();
   });
 
-  test("Verify that links in Learning Paths for Backstage opens in a new tab", async ({
-    page,
-  }, testInfo) => {
-    await uiHelper.openSidebarButton("References");
-    await uiHelper.openSidebar("Learning Paths");
-
-    // Scope to main content area to get only Learning Path links
-    const learningPathLinks = page.getByRole("main").getByRole("link");
-
-    for (const learningPathCard of await learningPathLinks.all()) {
-      await expect(learningPathCard).toBeVisible();
-      await expect(learningPathCard).toHaveAttribute("target", "_blank");
-      await expect(learningPathCard).not.toHaveAttribute("href", "");
-    }
-
-    await runAccessibilityTests(page, testInfo);
-  });
+  // @cluster-free: verified green on the cluster-free harness (playwright.legacy-local.config.ts)
+  test(
+    "Verify that links in Learning Paths for Backstage opens in a new tab",
+    { tag: "@cluster-free" },
+    async ({ page }, testInfo) => {
+      await uiHelper.openSidebarButton("References");
+      await uiHelper.openSidebar("Learning Paths");
+
+      // Scope to main content area to get only Learning Path links
+      const learningPathLinks = page.getByRole("main").getByRole("link");
+
+      for (const learningPathCard of await learningPathLinks.all()) {
+        await expect(learningPathCard).toBeVisible();
+        await expect(learningPathCard).toHaveAttribute("target", "_blank");
+        await expect(learningPathCard).not.toHaveAttribute("href", "");
+      }
+
+      await runAccessibilityTests(page, testInfo);
+    },
+  );
 });
diff --git a/e2e-tests/playwright/support/local-harness-global-setup.ts b/e2e-tests/playwright/support/local-harness-global-setup.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a8e6e2bf0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-tests/playwright/support/local-harness-global-setup.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import { readdirSync } from "fs";
+import { resolve } from "path";
+
+/**
+ * globalSetup for the cluster-free legacy harness (playwright.legacy-local.config.ts).
+ *
+ * Fails fast with an actionable message when `dynamic-plugins-root` has not been
+ * populated — otherwise the legacy app boots with no plugins and specs fail with a
+ * confusing locator timeout instead of a clear "populate first" error.
+ */
+export default function requireDynamicPluginsPopulated(): void {
+  // process.cwd() is e2e-tests when Playwright runs; the plugins root is at repo root.
+  const root = resolve(process.cwd(), "..", "dynamic-plugins-root");
+
+  // Plugins are installed as one directory each; count only directories so the
+  // installer's generated global-config file (written into the same root even when
+  // zero plugins install) does not satisfy the guard.
+  let pluginCount = 0;
+  try {
+    pluginCount = readdirSync(root, { withFileTypes: true }).filter((entry) =>
+      entry.isDirectory(),
+    ).length;
+  } catch {
+    // root missing — treated as empty below.
+  }
+
+  if (pluginCount === 0) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `dynamic-plugins-root has no plugins — populate it before running e2e:legacy-local:\n\n` +
+        `  ./e2e-tests/local-harness/populate.sh\n\n` +
+        `See docs/e2e-tests/local-e2e-harness.md.`,
+    );
+  }
+}