diff --git a/e2e/helpers.ts b/e2e/helpers.ts
index cd514d6e..29b3690e 100644
--- a/e2e/helpers.ts
+++ b/e2e/helpers.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { expect, type Page, test } from '@playwright/test'
+import { expect, type Page } from '@playwright/test'
 
 /** Register a fresh user and land on /files. */
 export async function signUpAndGoToFiles(page: Page) {
@@ -15,9 +15,8 @@ export async function signUpAndGoToFiles(page: Page) {
 }
 
 /**
- * Create a folder via the UI. Returns true if successful, false if the
- * server rejected it (e.g. no storage configured in CI).
- * Skips the calling test when creation fails.
+ * Create a folder via the UI. Waits for the API response to confirm success.
+ * If the API returns an error the test fails with a descriptive message.
  */
 export async function createFolder(page: Page, name: string): Promise<void> {
   await page.getByRole('button', { name: /new folder|folder/i }).click()
@@ -29,14 +28,29 @@ export async function createFolder(page: Page, name: string): Promise<void> {
     dialog.getByRole('button', { name: /create/i }).click(),
   ])
 
-  if (!apiResp.ok()) {
-    // Close the dialog if it's still open (server error shown as toast)
-    await dialog
-      .getByRole('button', { name: /cancel/i })
-      .click()
-      .catch(() => {})
-    test.skip(true, `folder creation failed (${apiResp.status()}) — likely no storage in CI`)
-  }
-
+  expect(apiResp.ok(), `folder creation failed (${apiResp.status()}) — ensure storage is configured`).toBe(true)
   await expect(dialog).not.toBeVisible({ timeout: 10000 })
 }
+
+/**
+ * Seed a dummy storage backend via the admin API.
+ * The first registered user is admin, so this must be called
+ * after the first signUp in the test suite. The storage doesn't
+ * need real S3 credentials — folder creation only needs a DB record.
+ */
+export async function seedStorage(page: Page): Promise<void> {
+  const resp = await page.request.post('/api/admin/storages', {
+    data: {
+      title: 'E2E Test Storage',
+      mode: 'private',
+      bucket: 'e2e-test',
+      endpoint: 'https://localhost',
+      region: 'auto',
+      accessKey: 'fake-key',
+      secretKey: 'fake-secret',
+    },
+  })
+  // Ignore 401/403 (non-admin user) — storage may already exist from a prior test
+  if (resp.status() === 401 || resp.status() === 403) return
+  expect(resp.ok(), `seed storage failed (${resp.status()})`).toBe(true)
+}
diff --git a/e2e/responsive-dialogs.spec.ts b/e2e/responsive-dialogs.spec.ts
index a5cede42..2ceb8d64 100644
--- a/e2e/responsive-dialogs.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/responsive-dialogs.spec.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { expect, test } from '@playwright/test'
-import { createFolder, signUpAndGoToFiles } from './helpers'
+import { createFolder, seedStorage, signUpAndGoToFiles } from './helpers'
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Dialogs responsive behavior
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ test.describe('File dialogs responsive', () => {
   test('mobile: rename dialog is usable', async ({ page }, testInfo) => {
     test.skip(testInfo.project.name !== 'mobile', 'mobile only')
     await signUpAndGoToFiles(page)
+    await seedStorage(page)
     await createFolder(page, 'rename-me')
 
     // Open row actions dropdown via the last button in the row
@@ -72,6 +73,7 @@ test.describe('File dialogs responsive', () => {
   test('mobile: move dialog is usable', async ({ page }, testInfo) => {
     test.skip(testInfo.project.name !== 'mobile', 'mobile only')
     await signUpAndGoToFiles(page)
+    await seedStorage(page)
     await createFolder(page, 'move-me')
 
     // Open row actions dropdown via the last button in the row
diff --git a/e2e/responsive-preview.spec.ts b/e2e/responsive-preview.spec.ts
index 25c6715a..dbf608d9 100644
--- a/e2e/responsive-preview.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/responsive-preview.spec.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { expect, test } from '@playwright/test'
-import { createFolder, signUpAndGoToFiles } from './helpers'
+import { createFolder, seedStorage, signUpAndGoToFiles } from './helpers'
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Preview dialog: mobile uses full-screen drawer, desktop uses centered dialog
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ test.describe('Preview responsive layout', () => {
   test('mobile: preview opens as full-screen drawer (not centered dialog)', async ({ page }, testInfo) => {
     test.skip(testInfo.project.name !== 'mobile', 'mobile only')
     await signUpAndGoToFiles(page)
+    await seedStorage(page)
     await createFolder(page, 'test-preview')
 
     // We need a file to trigger preview — check if any files exist
diff --git a/e2e/responsive.spec.ts b/e2e/responsive.spec.ts
index 97c03585..f8825326 100644
--- a/e2e/responsive.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/responsive.spec.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { expect, test } from '@playwright/test'
-import { createFolder, signUpAndGoToFiles } from './helpers'
+import { createFolder, seedStorage, signUpAndGoToFiles } from './helpers'
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Sidebar behavior per device
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ test.describe('File table responsive columns', () => {
   test('desktop: all columns visible (name, size, modified, actions)', async ({ page }, testInfo) => {
     test.skip(testInfo.project.name !== 'desktop', 'desktop only')
     await signUpAndGoToFiles(page)
+    await seedStorage(page)
     await createFolder(page, 'test-folder')
 
     await expect(page.getByRole('columnheader', { name: /size/i })).toBeVisible()
@@ -104,6 +105,7 @@ test.describe('File table responsive columns', () => {
   test('mobile: size and modified columns are hidden', async ({ page }, testInfo) => {
     test.skip(testInfo.project.name !== 'mobile', 'mobile only')
     await signUpAndGoToFiles(page)
+    await seedStorage(page)
     await createFolder(page, 'test-folder')
 
     await expect(page.getByRole('columnheader', { name: /size/i })).not.toBeVisible()