diff --git a/__tests__/e2e/chat-launch.e2e.ts b/__tests__/e2e/chat-launch.e2e.ts
index f749df7..ade7807 100644
--- a/__tests__/e2e/chat-launch.e2e.ts
+++ b/__tests__/e2e/chat-launch.e2e.ts
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ describe('when the user starts chat after onboarding', () => {
 
     await navigateToPlugins(session);
     await session.sendKey(ENTER);
-    await session.waitForText('Plugin installed successfully');
 
     // Skip connecting tools
     await session.waitForText('Connect Confidence tools?');
diff --git a/__tests__/e2e/happy-path.e2e.ts b/__tests__/e2e/happy-path.e2e.ts
index 7208c57..202e147 100644
--- a/__tests__/e2e/happy-path.e2e.ts
+++ b/__tests__/e2e/happy-path.e2e.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ describe('happy-path flow', () => {
     await session.waitForText('Teach your AI');
     await session.waitForText('Which agent tool are you using?');
     await session.sendKey(ENTER);
-    await session.waitForText('Plugin installed successfully');
 
     // ConnectTools
     await session.waitForText('Connect your AI to Confidence');
diff --git a/__tests__/e2e/helpers/index.ts b/__tests__/e2e/helpers/index.ts
index f0c1730..1bd84fd 100644
--- a/__tests__/e2e/helpers/index.ts
+++ b/__tests__/e2e/helpers/index.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ export { ARROW_DOWN, ARROW_UP, ENTER, ESCAPE } from './keys.js';
 export { AUTH_CALLBACK_PORT } from './constants.js';
 export { CHAT_PROMPT_FILE, ONBOARDING_INVOCATION_FILE } from './mock-binaries.js';
 
+const DEFAULT_TIMEOUT = 30_000;
+
 type ProjectType = 'react' | 'empty';
 
 export function createSession({
@@ -60,16 +62,19 @@ export function createSession({
 }
 
 export async function simulateAuthCallback(): Promise<void> {
-  const maxAttempts = 50;
-  for (let i = 0; i < maxAttempts; i++) {
+  const deadline = Date.now() + DEFAULT_TIMEOUT;
+  let backoff = 50;
+
+  while (Date.now() < deadline) {
     try {
       await fetch(`http://localhost:${AUTH_CALLBACK_PORT}/callback?code=test-auth-code`);
       return;
     } catch {
-      await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 100));
+      await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, backoff));
+      backoff = Math.min(backoff * 2, 500);
     }
   }
-  throw new Error(`Auth callback server not ready after ${maxAttempts * 100}ms`);
+  throw new Error(`Auth callback server not ready after ${DEFAULT_TIMEOUT / 1000}s`);
 }
 
 export async function navigatePastWelcome(session: TerminalSession): Promise<void> {
@@ -90,24 +95,23 @@ export async function navigatePastAuth(session: TerminalSession): Promise<void>
 export async function navigateToPlugins(session: TerminalSession): Promise<void> {
   await navigatePastWelcome(session);
   await navigatePastAuth(session);
-  await session.waitForText('Which agent tool are you using?');
   session.checkpoint();
+  await session.waitForText('Which agent tool are you using?');
 }
 
 export async function navigateToConnectTools(session: TerminalSession): Promise<void> {
   await navigateToPlugins(session);
+  await session.waitForText('Skip (install manually later)');
+  session.checkpoint();
   await session.sendKey(ENTER);
-  await session.waitForText('Plugin installed successfully');
   await session.waitForText('Connect Confidence tools?');
-  session.checkpoint();
 }
 
 export async function navigateToOnboarding(session: TerminalSession): Promise<void> {
   await navigateToConnectTools(session);
+  session.checkpoint();
   await session.sendKey(ENTER);
-  await session.waitForText('Connected successfully');
   await session.waitForText('Start onboarding?');
-  session.checkpoint();
 }
 
 export type Invocation = {
@@ -122,13 +126,10 @@ export async function selectIdeAndOnboard(
 ): Promise<void> {
   await session.sendKeyRepeat(ARROW_DOWN, downPresses);
   await session.sendKey(ENTER);
-  await session.waitForText('Plugin installed successfully');
 
   // ConnectTools may auto-advance when MCP servers are already registered globally
-  const matched = await session.waitForAnyTextOf([
-    'Start onboarding?',
-    'Connect Confidence tools?',
-  ]);
+  const matched = await session.waitForText(['Start onboarding?', 'Connect Confidence tools?']);
+
   if (matched === 'Connect Confidence tools?') {
     await session.sendKey(ENTER);
     await session.waitForText('Connected successfully');
@@ -136,7 +137,7 @@ export async function selectIdeAndOnboard(
 
   await session.waitForText('Start onboarding?');
   await session.sendKey(ENTER);
-  await session.waitForText('onboarding complete', { timeout: 60_000 });
+  await session.waitForText('onboarding complete');
 }
 
 export function readInvocation(cwd: string): Invocation {
diff --git a/__tests__/e2e/helpers/pty.ts b/__tests__/e2e/helpers/pty.ts
index ab9a23e..eeeb3f2 100644
--- a/__tests__/e2e/helpers/pty.ts
+++ b/__tests__/e2e/helpers/pty.ts
@@ -105,37 +105,29 @@ export class TerminalSession {
   }
 
   async waitForText(
-    text: string,
-    { timeout = DEFAULT_TIMEOUT, interval = 100, sinceCheckpoint = true } = {},
-  ): Promise<void> {
-    const deadline = Date.now() + timeout;
-
-    while (Date.now() < deadline) {
-      const haystack = sinceCheckpoint ? this.screenSinceCheckpoint : this.screen;
-      if (haystack.includes(text)) return;
-      await delay(interval);
-    }
-
-    throw new Error(
-      `Timed out waiting for "${text}" after ${timeout}ms.\n\nLast output:\n${this.screen.slice(-2000)}`,
-    );
-  }
-
-  async waitForAnyTextOf(
-    texts: string[],
-    { timeout = DEFAULT_TIMEOUT, interval = 100, sinceCheckpoint = true } = {},
+    text: string | string[],
+    { timeout = DEFAULT_TIMEOUT, sinceCheckpoint = true } = {},
   ): Promise<string> {
+    const targets = Array.isArray(text) ? text : [text];
     const deadline = Date.now() + timeout;
+    let poll = 25;
 
     while (Date.now() < deadline) {
       const haystack = sinceCheckpoint ? this.screenSinceCheckpoint : this.screen;
-      const match = texts.find((t) => haystack.includes(t));
+      const match = targets.find((t) => haystack.includes(t));
       if (match) return match;
-      await delay(interval);
+
+      await delay(poll);
+      poll = Math.min(poll * 2, 200);
     }
 
+    const label =
+      targets.length === 1
+        ? `"${targets[0]}"`
+        : `any of [${targets.map((t) => `"${t}"`).join(', ')}]`;
+
     throw new Error(
-      `Timed out waiting for any of [${texts.map((t) => `"${t}"`).join(', ')}] after ${timeout}ms.\n\nLast output:\n${this.screen.slice(-2000)}`,
+      `Timed out waiting for ${label} after ${timeout}ms.\n\nLast output:\n${this.screen.slice(-2000)}`,
     );
   }
 
diff --git a/__tests__/e2e/stale-mcp-auth.e2e.ts b/__tests__/e2e/stale-mcp-auth.e2e.ts
index e666a31..ae68c0a 100644
--- a/__tests__/e2e/stale-mcp-auth.e2e.ts
+++ b/__tests__/e2e/stale-mcp-auth.e2e.ts
@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@ describe('when MCP config has expired auth tokens', () => {
     // InstallPlugins
     await session.waitForText('Which agent tool are you using?');
     await session.sendKey(ENTER);
-    await session.waitForText('Plugin installed successfully');
 
     // ConnectTools — should detect expired auth
     await session.waitForText('auth expired');
@@ -72,7 +71,6 @@ describe('when MCP config has expired auth tokens', () => {
     // InstallPlugins
     await session.waitForText('Which agent tool are you using?');
     await session.sendKey(ENTER);
-    await session.waitForText('Plugin installed successfully');
 
     // ConnectTools — skip instead of reconnecting
     await session.waitForText('Reconnect all tools');
diff --git a/vitest.config.e2e.ts b/vitest.config.e2e.ts
index 1ff35bc..b0bbc2e 100644
--- a/vitest.config.e2e.ts
+++ b/vitest.config.e2e.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ export default defineConfig({
     globalSetup: ['__tests__/e2e/global-setup.ts'],
     setupFiles: [],
     testTimeout: 120_000,
-    hookTimeout: 30_000,
+    hookTimeout: 120_000,
     maxWorkers: 1,
     pool: 'forks',
   },