diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/browser/new-workspace-navigation-guard.spec.ts b/packages/app/e2e/browser/new-workspace-navigation-guard.spec.ts
index 0bbe9c3286..02079f2a5d 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e/browser/new-workspace-navigation-guard.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/browser/new-workspace-navigation-guard.spec.ts
@@ -5,9 +5,12 @@ import {
   archiveLocalWorkspaceFromDaemon,
   archiveWorkspaceFromDaemon,
   connectNewWorkspaceDaemonClient,
+  countWorkspaceAgents,
+  countWorkspaceTerminals,
   delayBrowserWorkspaceCreatedResponse,
   openNewWorkspaceComposer,
   openProjectViaDaemon,
+  waitForCreatedWorkspace,
 } from "../support/helpers/new-workspace";
 import { createTempGitRepo } from "../support/helpers/workspace";
 import { expectAppRoute } from "../support/helpers/route-assertions";
@@ -41,30 +44,6 @@ const TERMINAL_PROFILE: TerminalProfile = {
   args: ["-c", 'echo captured: "$0"; sleep 120', "{{{prompt}}}"],
 };
 
-async function findUnknownWorkspace(
-  client: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof connectNewWorkspaceDaemonClient>>,
-  knownWorkspaceIds: ReadonlySet<string>,
-) {
-  const payload = await client.fetchWorkspaces();
-  return payload.entries.find((candidate) => !knownWorkspaceIds.has(candidate.id)) ?? null;
-}
-
-async function countWorkspaceAgents(
-  client: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof connectNewWorkspaceDaemonClient>>,
-  workspaceId: string,
-): Promise<number> {
-  const payload = await client.fetchAgents({ filter: { includeArchived: true } });
-  return payload.entries.filter((entry) => entry.agent.workspaceId === workspaceId).length;
-}
-
-async function countWorkspaceTerminals(
-  client: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof connectNewWorkspaceDaemonClient>>,
-  workspaceId: string,
-): Promise<number> {
-  const payload = await client.listTerminals(undefined, undefined, { workspaceId });
-  return payload.terminals.length;
-}
-
 test.describe("New workspace navigation guard", () => {
   let client: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof connectNewWorkspaceDaemonClient>>;
   const localWorkspaceIds = new Set<string>();
@@ -138,16 +117,7 @@ test.describe("New workspace navigation guard", () => {
 
       // Wait for the agent the background path is responsible for creating, then prove the app
       // never followed it. Polling the daemon rather than the URL keeps this ordering explicit.
-      await expect
-        .poll(async () => (await findUnknownWorkspace(client, knownWorkspaceIds))?.id ?? null, {
-          timeout: 60_000,
-        })
-        .not.toBeNull();
-
-      const createdWorkspace = await findUnknownWorkspace(client, knownWorkspaceIds);
-      if (!createdWorkspace) {
-        throw new Error("Created workspace disappeared from the daemon");
-      }
+      const createdWorkspace = await waitForCreatedWorkspace(client, knownWorkspaceIds);
       createdWorktreeDirectories.add(createdWorkspace.workspaceDirectory);
 
       await expect
@@ -217,16 +187,7 @@ test.describe("New workspace navigation guard", () => {
       });
       createDelay.release();
 
-      await expect
-        .poll(async () => (await findUnknownWorkspace(client, knownWorkspaceIds))?.id ?? null, {
-          timeout: 60_000,
-        })
-        .not.toBeNull();
-
-      const createdWorkspace = await findUnknownWorkspace(client, knownWorkspaceIds);
-      if (!createdWorkspace) {
-        throw new Error("Created workspace disappeared from the daemon");
-      }
+      const createdWorkspace = await waitForCreatedWorkspace(client, knownWorkspaceIds);
       createdWorktreeDirectories.add(createdWorkspace.workspaceDirectory);
 
       // Wait for the terminal, not just the workspace. The launch path spawns the terminal and
diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/support/helpers/new-workspace.ts b/packages/app/e2e/support/helpers/new-workspace.ts
index f188c47e5c..0b453fb554 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e/support/helpers/new-workspace.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/support/helpers/new-workspace.ts
@@ -689,3 +689,50 @@ export async function delayBrowserWorkspaceCreatedResponse(
     waitForCreateRequest: () => createRequestSeen,
   };
 }
+
+type WorkspaceEntry = Awaited<
+  ReturnType<NewWorkspaceDaemonClient["fetchWorkspaces"]>
+>["entries"][number];
+
+/**
+ * Waits for a workspace the caller did not already know about, and returns it. Tests that create a
+ * workspace without navigating to it have no route to assert on, so the daemon's own list is the
+ * signal that creation finished.
+ */
+export async function waitForCreatedWorkspace(
+  client: NewWorkspaceDaemonClient,
+  knownWorkspaceIds: ReadonlySet<string>,
+  options?: { timeout?: number },
+): Promise<WorkspaceEntry> {
+  let created: WorkspaceEntry | undefined;
+  await expect
+    .poll(
+      async () => {
+        const payload = await client.fetchWorkspaces();
+        created = payload.entries.find((entry) => !knownWorkspaceIds.has(entry.id));
+        return created !== undefined;
+      },
+      { timeout: options?.timeout ?? 60_000 },
+    )
+    .toBe(true);
+  if (!created) {
+    throw new Error("Workspace list reported a new workspace but it could not be read back");
+  }
+  return created;
+}
+
+export async function countWorkspaceAgents(
+  client: NewWorkspaceDaemonClient,
+  workspaceId: string,
+): Promise<number> {
+  const payload = await client.fetchAgents({ filter: { includeArchived: true } });
+  return payload.entries.filter((entry) => entry.agent.workspaceId === workspaceId).length;
+}
+
+export async function countWorkspaceTerminals(
+  client: NewWorkspaceDaemonClient,
+  workspaceId: string,
+): Promise<number> {
+  const payload = await client.listTerminals(undefined, undefined, { workspaceId });
+  return payload.terminals.length;
+}