diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b3320ba..a022014 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -6,5 +6,6 @@ e2e/.auth/
 test-results/
 .playwright-mcp/
 .env
+.env.e2e
 .env.local
 .eslintcache
diff --git a/Dockerfile.e2e b/Dockerfile.e2e
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1553191
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile.e2e
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+# Dockerfile.e2e
+#
+# Builds a Headlamp image with the polaris plugin pre-installed.
+# Used by E2E tests — not for production distribution (use ArtifactHub).
+#
+# Usage:
+#   npm run build
+#   docker build -f Dockerfile.e2e -t ghcr.io/privilegedescalation/headlamp-polaris-e2e:sha-abc123 .
+#
+# The plugin dist/ must be built before running docker build.
+
+ARG HEADLAMP_VERSION=latest
+FROM ghcr.io/headlamp-k8s/headlamp:${HEADLAMP_VERSION}
+
+COPY dist/ /headlamp/plugins/headlamp-polaris/
+COPY package.json /headlamp/plugins/headlamp-polaris/
diff --git a/deployment/e2e-ci-runner-rbac.yaml b/deployment/e2e-ci-runner-rbac.yaml
index 40e3bdf..5947294 100644
--- a/deployment/e2e-ci-runner-rbac.yaml
+++ b/deployment/e2e-ci-runner-rbac.yaml
@@ -1,57 +1,45 @@
 ---
-# RBAC for the GitHub Actions CI runner to perform E2E test setup.
+# RBAC for the GitHub Actions CI runner to manage the E2E Headlamp instance.
 # CI-only test fixture — NOT for production use.
 #
-# Grants the ARC runner service account namespace-scoped permissions in
-# kube-system to patch the Headlamp deployment (add shared volume mount),
-# manage PVCs, run temporary pods, and restart deployments.
+# Grants the ARC runner service account permissions in the headlamp-e2e
+# namespace to deploy and tear down a dedicated Headlamp instance via Helm.
 #
-# No cluster-scoped permissions needed — the E2E workflow uses kubectl patch
-# instead of helm upgrade, avoiding the need to read ClusterRole/ClusterRoleBinding.
+# No kube-system access needed — E2E tests use a separate namespace.
+# No PVC management — plugin is baked into the Docker image.
 #
-# Apply with: kubectl apply -f deployment/e2e-ci-runner-rbac.yaml
+# Prerequisites:
+#   kubectl create namespace headlamp-e2e
+#   kubectl apply -f deployment/e2e-ci-runner-rbac.yaml
 apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
 kind: Role
 metadata:
   name: e2e-ci-runner
-  namespace: kube-system
+  namespace: headlamp-e2e
 rules:
+  # Helm needs to manage these resources for the Headlamp chart
+  - apiGroups: ["apps"]
+    resources: ["deployments"]
+    verbs: ["get", "list", "create", "update", "patch", "delete", "watch"]
   - apiGroups: [""]
-    resources: ["persistentvolumeclaims"]
+    resources: ["services", "serviceaccounts", "configmaps", "secrets"]
     verbs: ["get", "list", "create", "update", "patch", "delete"]
   - apiGroups: [""]
     resources: ["pods"]
-    verbs: ["get", "list", "create", "delete", "watch"]
+    verbs: ["get", "list", "watch"]
+  # Token creation for E2E test auth
   - apiGroups: [""]
-    resources: ["pods/attach"]
-    verbs: ["create", "get"]
-  - apiGroups: ["apps"]
-    resources: ["deployments"]
-    verbs: ["get", "list", "patch", "watch"]
-  - apiGroups: ["apps"]
-    resources: ["deployments/scale"]
-    verbs: ["patch"]
-  - apiGroups: [""]
-    resources: ["secrets"]
-    verbs: ["get", "list", "create", "update", "patch", "delete"]
-  - apiGroups: [""]
-    resources: ["configmaps"]
-    verbs: ["get", "list", "create", "update", "patch", "delete"]
-  - apiGroups: [""]
-    resources: ["services"]
-    verbs: ["get", "list", "create", "update", "patch", "delete"]
-  - apiGroups: [""]
-    resources: ["serviceaccounts"]
-    verbs: ["get", "list"]
+    resources: ["serviceaccounts/token"]
+    verbs: ["create"]
 ---
 apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
 kind: RoleBinding
 metadata:
   name: e2e-ci-runner-binding
-  namespace: kube-system
+  namespace: headlamp-e2e
 subjects:
   - kind: ServiceAccount
-    name: local-ubuntu-latest-gha-rs-no-permission
+    name: runners-privilegedescalation-gha-rs-no-permission
     namespace: arc-runners
 roleRef:
   kind: Role
diff --git a/deployment/headlamp-e2e-values.yaml b/deployment/headlamp-e2e-values.yaml
index 36ab498..dbd9773 100644
--- a/deployment/headlamp-e2e-values.yaml
+++ b/deployment/headlamp-e2e-values.yaml
@@ -1,22 +1,23 @@
 ---
-# Headlamp Helm values for E2E testing with shared volume plugin deployment.
+# Headlamp Helm values for E2E testing.
 #
-# The CI runner and Headlamp pod share a PVC so that the runner can copy
-# built plugin artifacts directly into Headlamp's plugins directory.
-# This is a CI-only mechanism — production plugin distribution uses ArtifactHub.
+# Uses a custom Docker image (built from Dockerfile.e2e) with the plugin
+# pre-installed. No PVCs, no volume mounts, no deployment patching.
+#
+# The E2E workflow builds the image, pushes to ghcr.io, and deploys this
+# Helm release in the headlamp-e2e namespace.
+#
+# Usage:
+#   helm install headlamp-e2e headlamp/headlamp \
+#     -n headlamp-e2e --create-namespace \
+#     -f deployment/headlamp-e2e-values.yaml \
+#     --set image.registry=ghcr.io \
+#     --set image.repository=privilegedescalation/headlamp-polaris-e2e \
+#     --set image.tag=<sha>
 
-# Point Headlamp at the shared plugins mount
 config:
   pluginsDir: /headlamp/plugins
+  watchPlugins: false
 
-# PVC-backed volume shared with the CI runner
-volumes:
-  - name: plugins
-    persistentVolumeClaim:
-      claimName: headlamp-plugins
-
-# Mount into the Headlamp container
-volumeMounts:
-  - name: plugins
-    mountPath: /headlamp/plugins
-    readOnly: true
+service:
+  type: ClusterIP
diff --git a/deployment/headlamp-plugins-pvc.yaml b/deployment/headlamp-plugins-pvc.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index f103a21..0000000
--- a/deployment/headlamp-plugins-pvc.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
----
-# PVC for sharing built plugin artifacts between the CI runner and Headlamp.
-# Used only in E2E test environments — not for production.
-apiVersion: v1
-kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
-metadata:
-  name: headlamp-plugins
-  namespace: kube-system
-spec:
-  accessModes:
-    - ReadWriteOnce
-  resources:
-    requests:
-      storage: 128Mi
diff --git a/e2e/README.md b/e2e/README.md
index 8ca4379..29d0015 100644
--- a/e2e/README.md
+++ b/e2e/README.md
@@ -4,7 +4,17 @@ Playwright-based smoke tests that validate the Polaris plugin against a live Hea
 
 ## CI
 
-E2E tests run automatically in GitHub Actions on pushes to `main` and pull requests. The workflow (`.github/workflows/e2e.yaml`) uses either Authentik OIDC or token-based authentication via repository secrets.
+E2E tests run automatically in GitHub Actions on pushes to `main` and pull requests. The workflow (`.github/workflows/e2e.yaml`):
+
+1. Builds the plugin
+2. Builds a custom Headlamp Docker image with the plugin pre-installed (`Dockerfile.e2e`)
+3. Pushes the image to `ghcr.io/privilegedescalation/headlamp-polaris-e2e:<sha>`
+4. Deploys a dedicated Headlamp instance in the `headlamp-e2e` namespace via Helm
+5. Generates a ServiceAccount token for test auth
+6. Runs Playwright tests against the E2E instance
+7. Tears down the E2E instance
+
+This approach avoids PVCs, kubectl exec/cp, and deployment patching. The plugin is part of the container image.
 
 ### Required GitHub Secrets
 
@@ -12,12 +22,10 @@ Configure these in GitHub repository settings (Settings → Secrets and variable
 
 | Secret               | Required | Description                                                    |
 | -------------------- | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
-| `HEADLAMP_URL`       | Optional | Headlamp instance URL (defaults to `https://headlamp.animaniacs.farh.net`) |
 | `AUTHENTIK_USERNAME` | OIDC     | Authentik email or username for a CI user with Headlamp access |
 | `AUTHENTIK_PASSWORD` | OIDC     | Password for that user                                         |
-| `HEADLAMP_TOKEN`     | Token    | Kubernetes service account token (alternative to OIDC)         |
 
-Set either `AUTHENTIK_USERNAME` + `AUTHENTIK_PASSWORD` **or** `HEADLAMP_TOKEN`. OIDC takes priority if both are set.
+Token-based auth is auto-generated by the deploy script. OIDC secrets are only needed if testing against the shared Headlamp instance.
 
 ## Running Locally
 
@@ -47,12 +55,12 @@ HEADLAMP_URL=http://localhost:4466 npm run e2e:headed
 
 | Variable             | Required | Default                                | Description                             |
 | -------------------- | -------- | -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
-| `HEADLAMP_URL`       | No       | `https://headlamp.animaniacs.farh.net` | Base URL of the Headlamp instance       |
-| `AUTHENTIK_USERNAME` | OIDC     | —                                      | Authentik email/username                |
-| `AUTHENTIK_PASSWORD` | OIDC     | —                                      | Authentik password                      |
-| `HEADLAMP_TOKEN`     | Token    | —                                      | Kubernetes bearer token (fallback auth) |
+| `HEADLAMP_URL`       | No       | `https://headlamp.animaniacs.farh.net` | Base URL of the Headlamp instance                    |
+| `AUTHENTIK_USERNAME` | OIDC     | —                                      | Authentik email/username                             |
+| `AUTHENTIK_PASSWORD` | OIDC     | —                                      | Authentik password                                   |
+| `HEADLAMP_TOKEN`     | Token    | —                                      | Kubernetes bearer token (auto-generated in CI)       |
 
-Set either `AUTHENTIK_USERNAME` + `AUTHENTIK_PASSWORD` or `HEADLAMP_TOKEN`. OIDC takes priority if both are set.
+In CI, `HEADLAMP_URL` and `HEADLAMP_TOKEN` are set automatically by the deploy script. For local runs, set either OIDC credentials or a token manually.
 
 ## What the Tests Validate
 
@@ -249,25 +257,26 @@ test('plugin UI adapts to dark mode', async ({ page }) => {
 
 Tests run automatically in GitHub Actions on pushes to `main` and pull requests. See `.github/workflows/e2e.yaml` for workflow configuration.
 
-### Required Secrets
+### Architecture
 
-Configure these in GitHub repository settings (Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions):
+The E2E workflow deploys a **dedicated Headlamp instance** for each test run:
 
-- `HEADLAMP_URL` (optional): Headlamp instance URL
-- `AUTHENTIK_USERNAME` + `AUTHENTIK_PASSWORD` (for OIDC auth)
-- OR `HEADLAMP_TOKEN` (for token-based auth)
+1. Build plugin and Docker image (`Dockerfile.e2e`)
+2. Push image to `ghcr.io/privilegedescalation/headlamp-polaris-e2e:<sha>`
+3. Deploy via Helm in the `headlamp-e2e` namespace (`scripts/deploy-e2e-headlamp.sh`)
+4. Run Playwright tests against the E2E instance
+5. Tear down (`scripts/teardown-e2e-headlamp.sh`)
 
-### Workflow Overview
+No PVCs, no kubectl exec/cp, no patching of existing deployments. The plugin is baked into the Docker image.
 
-1. Checkout code
-2. Setup Node.js 20 with npm cache
-3. Install dependencies (`npm ci`)
-4. Install Playwright browsers (`chromium` only)
-5. Run auth setup (creates session in `e2e/.auth/state.json`)
-6. Run all E2E tests
-7. Upload artifacts on failure:
-   - `playwright-report/` - HTML test report
-   - `test-results/` - Screenshots, traces, videos
+### Cluster Prerequisites
+
+One-time setup by a cluster admin:
+
+```bash
+kubectl create namespace headlamp-e2e
+kubectl apply -f deployment/e2e-ci-runner-rbac.yaml
+```
 
 ### Manual Trigger
 
diff --git a/scripts/deploy-e2e-headlamp.sh b/scripts/deploy-e2e-headlamp.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..4b67f4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/deploy-e2e-headlamp.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# deploy-e2e-headlamp.sh
+#
+# Builds a custom Headlamp image with the polaris plugin pre-installed,
+# pushes it to ghcr.io, and deploys a dedicated E2E Headlamp instance.
+#
+# This replaces the old PVC + kubectl-patch approach. The plugin is part
+# of the container image — no PVCs, no kubectl exec/cp, no deployment
+# patching required.
+#
+# Prerequisites:
+#   - Plugin built (dist/ exists)
+#   - Docker or buildx available
+#   - GHCR_TOKEN set (or GH_TOKEN with packages:write)
+#   - kubectl configured with cluster access
+#   - Helm 3 installed
+#
+# Environment:
+#   E2E_NAMESPACE     — namespace for E2E Headlamp (default: headlamp-e2e)
+#   E2E_RELEASE       — Helm release name (default: headlamp-e2e)
+#   HEADLAMP_VERSION  — base Headlamp image tag (default: latest)
+#   IMAGE_TAG         — tag for the E2E image (default: git SHA)
+set -euo pipefail
+
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)"
+DIST_DIR="$REPO_ROOT/dist"
+
+E2E_NAMESPACE="${E2E_NAMESPACE:-headlamp-e2e}"
+E2E_RELEASE="${E2E_RELEASE:-headlamp-e2e}"
+HEADLAMP_VERSION="${HEADLAMP_VERSION:-latest}"
+IMAGE_REPO="ghcr.io/privilegedescalation/headlamp-polaris-e2e"
+IMAGE_TAG="${IMAGE_TAG:-$(git -C "$REPO_ROOT" rev-parse --short HEAD)}"
+IMAGE="${IMAGE_REPO}:${IMAGE_TAG}"
+
+if [ ! -d "$DIST_DIR" ]; then
+  echo "ERROR: dist/ not found. Run 'npm run build' first." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "=== E2E Headlamp Deployment ==="
+echo "  Image:     $IMAGE"
+echo "  Namespace: $E2E_NAMESPACE"
+echo "  Release:   $E2E_RELEASE"
+
+# --- Build and push the custom image ---
+echo ""
+echo "Building E2E Headlamp image..."
+docker build -f "$REPO_ROOT/Dockerfile.e2e" \
+  --build-arg "HEADLAMP_VERSION=${HEADLAMP_VERSION}" \
+  -t "$IMAGE" \
+  "$REPO_ROOT"
+
+echo "Pushing image to ghcr.io..."
+docker push "$IMAGE"
+
+# --- Deploy with Helm ---
+echo ""
+echo "Adding Headlamp Helm repo..."
+helm repo add headlamp https://headlamp-k8s.github.io/headlamp/ --force-update
+helm repo update
+
+echo "Creating namespace ${E2E_NAMESPACE} (if needed)..."
+kubectl create namespace "$E2E_NAMESPACE" --dry-run=client -o yaml | kubectl apply -f -
+
+echo "Installing/upgrading Headlamp E2E instance..."
+helm upgrade --install "$E2E_RELEASE" headlamp/headlamp \
+  -n "$E2E_NAMESPACE" \
+  -f "$REPO_ROOT/deployment/headlamp-e2e-values.yaml" \
+  --set "image.registry=ghcr.io" \
+  --set "image.repository=privilegedescalation/headlamp-polaris-e2e" \
+  --set "image.tag=${IMAGE_TAG}" \
+  --wait \
+  --timeout 120s
+
+echo "Waiting for rollout..."
+kubectl rollout status "deployment/${E2E_RELEASE}-headlamp" \
+  -n "$E2E_NAMESPACE" --timeout=120s
+
+# --- Generate a service URL for tests ---
+SVC_URL="http://${E2E_RELEASE}-headlamp.${E2E_NAMESPACE}.svc.cluster.local"
+echo ""
+echo "E2E Headlamp is ready at: ${SVC_URL}"
+echo "  export HEADLAMP_URL=${SVC_URL}"
+
+# --- Generate a token for test auth ---
+echo ""
+echo "Creating service account token for E2E auth..."
+kubectl create serviceaccount headlamp-e2e-test \
+  -n "$E2E_NAMESPACE" --dry-run=client -o yaml | kubectl apply -f -
+
+TOKEN=$(kubectl create token headlamp-e2e-test -n "$E2E_NAMESPACE" --duration=1h 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+if [ -n "$TOKEN" ]; then
+  echo "  export HEADLAMP_TOKEN=<generated>"
+  echo ""
+  echo "HEADLAMP_URL=${SVC_URL}" > "$REPO_ROOT/.env.e2e"
+  echo "HEADLAMP_TOKEN=${TOKEN}" >> "$REPO_ROOT/.env.e2e"
+  echo "Wrote .env.e2e with HEADLAMP_URL and HEADLAMP_TOKEN"
+else
+  echo "  WARNING: Could not generate token. Set HEADLAMP_TOKEN manually or use OIDC."
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo "E2E deployment complete."
diff --git a/scripts/deploy-plugin-via-volume.sh b/scripts/deploy-plugin-via-volume.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 8cba0fb..0000000
--- a/scripts/deploy-plugin-via-volume.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,135 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-# deploy-plugin-via-volume.sh
-#
-# Copies the built plugin into the shared PVC so Headlamp picks it up.
-# Uses a temporary Kubernetes Job to write to the PVC — the CI runner
-# does NOT need the PVC mounted locally.
-#
-# Usage:
-#   scripts/deploy-plugin-via-volume.sh
-#
-# Environment:
-#   HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE  — namespace where Headlamp runs (default: kube-system)
-#   HEADLAMP_DEPLOY     — Headlamp deployment name (default: headlamp)
-set -euo pipefail
-
-REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)"
-HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE="${HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE:-kube-system}"
-HEADLAMP_DEPLOY="${HEADLAMP_DEPLOY:-headlamp}"
-
-# The deployed directory name must match the package.json name and
-# the registerPluginSettings name. Headlamp identifies plugins by
-# reading package.json from each subdirectory of the plugins dir.
-PLUGIN_DIR_NAME="headlamp-polaris"
-DIST_DIR="$REPO_ROOT/dist"
-
-if [ ! -d "$DIST_DIR" ]; then
-  echo "ERROR: dist/ not found. Run 'npm run build' first." >&2
-  exit 1
-fi
-
-echo "Deploying plugin to shared volume via temporary job..."
-echo "  Source:    $DIST_DIR"
-echo "  PVC:       headlamp-plugins"
-echo "  Plugin:    $PLUGIN_DIR_NAME"
-
-# Create tarball of plugin dist + package.json
-TAR_FILE=$(mktemp /tmp/plugin-XXXXXX.tar.gz)
-tar -czf "$TAR_FILE" -C "$DIST_DIR" . -C "$REPO_ROOT" package.json
-echo "  Tarball:   $TAR_FILE ($(du -h "$TAR_FILE" | cut -f1))"
-
-# Find the node where Headlamp is running — the PVC is ReadWriteOnce so
-# the deploy job must land on the same node to mount it.
-HEADLAMP_NODE=$(kubectl get pods -n "$HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE" \
-  -l "app.kubernetes.io/name=headlamp" \
-  -o jsonpath='{.items[0].spec.nodeName}' 2>/dev/null || true)
-if [ -z "$HEADLAMP_NODE" ]; then
-  HEADLAMP_NODE=$(kubectl get pods -n "$HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE" \
-    -l "app.kubernetes.io/instance=headlamp" \
-    -o jsonpath='{.items[0].spec.nodeName}' 2>/dev/null || true)
-fi
-if [ -n "$HEADLAMP_NODE" ]; then
-  echo "  Headlamp node: $HEADLAMP_NODE (scheduling deploy job there)"
-fi
-
-# Clean up any previous deploy resources
-kubectl delete pod plugin-deploy -n "$HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE" --ignore-not-found --wait=true 2>/dev/null || true
-kubectl delete configmap plugin-tarball -n "$HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE" --ignore-not-found 2>/dev/null || true
-sleep 2
-
-# Store the tarball in a ConfigMap (binary-safe via --from-file)
-echo "Creating ConfigMap with plugin tarball..."
-kubectl create configmap plugin-tarball \
-  -n "$HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE" \
-  --from-file=plugin.tar.gz="$TAR_FILE"
-
-# Build the Pod manifest as a temp file to avoid heredoc YAML escaping issues
-POD_FILE=$(mktemp /tmp/plugin-deploy-pod-XXXXXX.yaml)
-
-cat > "$POD_FILE" <<'YAMLDOC'
-apiVersion: v1
-kind: Pod
-metadata:
-  name: plugin-deploy
-spec:
-  restartPolicy: Never
-  containers:
-    - name: deploy
-      image: busybox:1.36
-      command: ["sh", "-c"]
-      args:
-        - |
-          echo "Cleaning up stale plugin directories..."
-          rm -rf /plugins/polaris /plugins/headlamp-polaris
-          echo "Extracting plugin to shared volume..."
-          mkdir -p /plugins/PLUGIN_DIR_PLACEHOLDER
-          tar -xzf /tarball/plugin.tar.gz -C /plugins/PLUGIN_DIR_PLACEHOLDER
-          echo "Files deployed:"
-          ls -la /plugins/PLUGIN_DIR_PLACEHOLDER/
-      volumeMounts:
-        - name: plugins
-          mountPath: /plugins
-        - name: tarball
-          mountPath: /tarball
-          readOnly: true
-  volumes:
-    - name: plugins
-      persistentVolumeClaim:
-        claimName: headlamp-plugins
-    - name: tarball
-      configMap:
-        name: plugin-tarball
-YAMLDOC
-
-# Substitute plugin dir name
-sed -i "s/PLUGIN_DIR_PLACEHOLDER/${PLUGIN_DIR_NAME}/g" "$POD_FILE"
-
-# Add nodeName if we know which node Headlamp is on
-if [ -n "$HEADLAMP_NODE" ]; then
-  sed -i "/restartPolicy: Never/i\\  nodeName: ${HEADLAMP_NODE}" "$POD_FILE"
-fi
-
-echo "Starting deploy pod..."
-kubectl apply -n "$HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE" -f "$POD_FILE"
-rm -f "$POD_FILE"
-
-# Wait for the pod to complete (Succeeded phase)
-echo "Waiting for deploy pod to complete..."
-kubectl wait --for=jsonpath='{.status.phase}'=Succeeded pod/plugin-deploy \
-  -n "$HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE" --timeout=120s
-
-# Show logs
-kubectl logs plugin-deploy -n "$HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE" 2>/dev/null || true
-
-# Clean up
-kubectl delete pod plugin-deploy -n "$HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE" --ignore-not-found 2>/dev/null || true
-kubectl delete configmap plugin-tarball -n "$HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE" --ignore-not-found 2>/dev/null || true
-
-rm -f "$TAR_FILE"
-
-# Restart Headlamp to pick up the new plugin
-echo "Restarting Headlamp deployment to load plugin..."
-kubectl rollout restart "deployment/$HEADLAMP_DEPLOY" -n "$HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE"
-kubectl rollout status "deployment/$HEADLAMP_DEPLOY" -n "$HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE" --timeout=120s
-
-echo "Plugin deployed successfully."
diff --git a/scripts/teardown-e2e-headlamp.sh b/scripts/teardown-e2e-headlamp.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..aa83d0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/teardown-e2e-headlamp.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# teardown-e2e-headlamp.sh
+#
+# Tears down the dedicated E2E Headlamp instance deployed by deploy-e2e-headlamp.sh.
+#
+# Environment:
+#   E2E_NAMESPACE  — namespace to clean up (default: headlamp-e2e)
+#   E2E_RELEASE    — Helm release to uninstall (default: headlamp-e2e)
+set -euo pipefail
+
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)"
+
+E2E_NAMESPACE="${E2E_NAMESPACE:-headlamp-e2e}"
+E2E_RELEASE="${E2E_RELEASE:-headlamp-e2e}"
+
+echo "=== E2E Headlamp Teardown ==="
+echo "  Namespace: $E2E_NAMESPACE"
+echo "  Release:   $E2E_RELEASE"
+
+echo "Uninstalling Helm release..."
+helm uninstall "$E2E_RELEASE" -n "$E2E_NAMESPACE" 2>/dev/null || echo "Release not found (already removed?)"
+
+echo "Deleting namespace..."
+kubectl delete namespace "$E2E_NAMESPACE" --ignore-not-found --wait=false
+
+# Clean up local env file
+rm -f "$REPO_ROOT/.env.e2e"
+
+echo "Teardown complete."