diff --git a/frontend/e2e/l1-workspace.spec.ts b/frontend/e2e/l1-workspace.spec.ts
index fdf7248d..7e5718e9 100644
--- a/frontend/e2e/l1-workspace.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/e2e/l1-workspace.spec.ts
@@ -71,14 +71,19 @@ test.describe('L1 Workspace', () => {
       page.getByRole('heading', { name: /Good (morning|afternoon|evening)/i }),
     ).toBeVisible()
 
-    // Fill in problem statement textarea
+    // Fill in problem statement textarea. The problem must NOT keyword-match
+    // any DEFAULT_L1_CATEGORIES token (Phase 2A routes in-category problems to
+    // an AI-build walk, not ad-hoc) — a custom LOB app is out of scope.
     const problemTextarea = page.getByPlaceholder("What's the user calling about?")
     await expect(problemTextarea).toBeVisible()
-    await problemTextarea.fill('Customer says Outlook is broken after the latest update')
+    await problemTextarea.fill('Custom LOB billing app crashes on launch for one user')
 
     // Click "Start walk →" button
     await page.getByRole('button', { name: /Start walk/i }).click()
 
+    // Out-of-scope prompt offers the free-form fallback — take it
+    await page.getByRole('button', { name: /Walk it ad-hoc/i }).click()
+
     // Should navigate to /l1/walk/<uuid>
     await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/l1\/walk\//, { timeout: 10_000 })