diff --git a/.github/workflows/activation-e2e.yml b/.github/workflows/activation-e2e.yml
index 81c32e1..d222c59 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/activation-e2e.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/activation-e2e.yml
@@ -37,7 +37,11 @@ on:
 jobs:
   activation-e2e:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    timeout-minutes: 15
+    # Same npm install + expo prebuild + assembleRelease + emulator pipeline as
+    # cua-smoke.yml, which budgets 60 min (emulator-boot-timeout alone is 10 min).
+    # Typical runs finish well under this; the ceiling just avoids flaky kills
+    # on cold Gradle caches.
+    timeout-minutes: 60
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v6
 
@@ -74,6 +78,15 @@ jobs:
           restore-keys: |
             ${{ runner.os }}-gradle-
 
+      - name: Purge stale generated sources
+        # Same mitigation as cua-smoke.yml (whose Gradle cache entries this job
+        # shares — the cache key/restore-keys are identical): the restore-keys
+        # prefix fallback can restore a generated autolinking tree from a
+        # previous package id, making compileReleaseJavaWithJavac fail against
+        # the old package (ai.opencode.mobile vs cc.agentlabs.opencode). Delete
+        # generated sources so prebuild + Gradle regenerate them.
+        run: rm -rf android/app/build/generated android/build/generated android/app/build/intermediates
+
       - name: Install Maestro CLI
         run: |
           curl -Ls "https://get.maestro.mobile.dev" | bash
diff --git a/.maestro/flows/activation-negative-401.yaml b/.maestro/flows/activation-negative-401.yaml
index f50efed..397de1b 100644
--- a/.maestro/flows/activation-negative-401.yaml
+++ b/.maestro/flows/activation-negative-401.yaml
@@ -60,9 +60,11 @@ name: Activation - negative path (connect-time 401 must surface a visible error)
 - takeScreenshot: negative-S4_visible_error_alert
 
 # The connection must NOT have been silently saved: dismiss the alert and
-# confirm we are still on the empty/no-connection state, not a fake
-# "connected" screen.
+# confirm we are still on the add-connection screen, not a fake "connected"
+# screen. (handleQuickConnect's failure branch never calls router.back(), so
+# the app stays on this modal — the Sessions-tab "No Connection" empty state
+# is NOT visible here.)
 - tapOn: "OK"
 - assertVisible:
-    text: "No Connection"
-- takeScreenshot: negative-S5_still_disconnected_after_dismiss
+    id: "connect-submit-button"
+- takeScreenshot: negative-S5_still_on_add_connection_after_dismiss
diff --git a/.maestro/flows/activation-positive.yaml b/.maestro/flows/activation-positive.yaml
index 1937406..c328462 100644
--- a/.maestro/flows/activation-positive.yaml
+++ b/.maestro/flows/activation-positive.yaml
@@ -71,4 +71,12 @@ name: Activation - positive path (consent -> connect -> send -> reply)
     id: "chat-bubble-assistant"
 - assertVisible:
     text: "Hello from the mock opencode server"
+# The USER's message must still be in the transcript after the reply lands.
+# Regression guard: any message.updated event strips optimistic temp-
+# messages (src/stores/sessions.ts handleEvent), so if the server never
+# persisted/broadcast the user's message, it would vanish here.
+- assertVisible:
+    id: "chat-bubble-user"
+- assertVisible:
+    text: "Hello from the activation e2e test"
 - takeScreenshot: positive-S8_reply_received
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/mock-opencode-server.ts b/tests/fixtures/mock-opencode-server.ts
index 21d5892..5004d2d 100644
--- a/tests/fixtures/mock-opencode-server.ts
+++ b/tests/fixtures/mock-opencode-server.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,14 @@
 //     returns immediately; the actual reply is delivered as
 //     `message.updated` + `message.part.updated` + `session.status` (idle)
 //     events on the SSE stream (src/stores/events.ts).
+//   - The real server ALSO persists and broadcasts the USER's message. The
+//     app relies on this: any `message.updated` event strips optimistic
+//     `temp-` messages (src/stores/sessions.ts handleEvent), so if the mock
+//     only broadcast the assistant reply, the user's sent message would
+//     vanish from the transcript. The mock therefore stores the user message
+//     from the prompt_async body and broadcasts it (message.updated +
+//     message.part.updated) before the canned assistant reply, and returns
+//     it from GET /session/:id/message.
 //
 // Two modes:
 //   - Normal mode: implements the endpoints above so the app can connect,
@@ -110,6 +118,39 @@ export function createMockOpencodeServer(opts: MockServerOptions) {
     })
   }
 
+  // Persist the user's message (parsed from the prompt_async body) and
+  // broadcast it over SSE, mirroring the real server. This is what lets the
+  // app replace its optimistic `temp-` user message with the real one instead
+  // of losing it when the assistant's message.updated arrives.
+  function storeUserMessage(sessionID: string, promptParts: Array<{ type?: string; text?: string }>) {
+    const list = messagesBySession.get(sessionID)
+    if (!list) return
+
+    const now = Date.now()
+    const messageID = randomUUID()
+    const info: StoredMessageInfo = {
+      id: messageID,
+      sessionID,
+      role: "user",
+      time: { created: now, completed: now },
+    }
+    const parts: StoredPart[] = promptParts
+      .filter((p) => p.type === "text" && typeof p.text === "string")
+      .map((p) => ({
+        id: randomUUID(),
+        sessionID,
+        messageID,
+        type: "text",
+        text: p.text,
+      }))
+
+    list.push({ info, parts })
+    broadcast("message.updated", { info })
+    for (const part of parts) {
+      broadcast("message.part.updated", { part })
+    }
+  }
+
   function scheduleReply(sessionID: string) {
     const list = messagesBySession.get(sessionID)
     if (!list) return
@@ -262,7 +303,15 @@ export function createMockOpencodeServer(opts: MockServerOptions) {
         if (!sessions.has(sid)) {
           return json(res, 404, { error: `unknown session ${sid}` })
         }
+        let promptParts: Array<{ type?: string; text?: string }> = []
+        try {
+          const parsed = JSON.parse(body || "{}")
+          if (Array.isArray(parsed.parts)) promptParts = parsed.parts
+        } catch {
+          // malformed body — still ack like a fire-and-forget endpoint would
+        }
         json(res, 200, { ok: true })
+        storeUserMessage(sid, promptParts)
         scheduleReply(sid)
       })
       return