diff --git a/.github/workflows/e2e.yaml b/.github/workflows/e2e.yaml
index a9f1841..4811050 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/e2e.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/e2e.yaml
@@ -7,9 +7,12 @@ on:
     branches: [main]
   workflow_dispatch:
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
 env:
-  HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE: kube-system
-  HEADLAMP_DEPLOY: headlamp
+  E2E_NAMESPACE: headlamp-e2e
+  E2E_RELEASE: headlamp-e2e
 
 jobs:
   e2e:
@@ -26,118 +29,45 @@ jobs:
           node-version: '22'
           cache: 'npm'
 
+      - name: Setup kubectl
+        uses: azure/setup-kubectl@v4
+
+      - name: Setup Helm
+        uses: azure/setup-helm@v4
+
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: npm ci
 
       - name: Build plugin
-        run: npm run build
+        run: npx @kinvolk/headlamp-plugin build
 
-      - name: Setup kubectl
-        uses: azure/setup-kubectl@v4
+      - name: Deploy E2E Headlamp instance
+        run: scripts/deploy-e2e-headlamp.sh
 
-      - name: Ensure PVC exists
-        run: kubectl apply -f deployment/headlamp-plugins-pvc.yaml
-
-      - name: Patch Headlamp deployment with shared volume mount
+      - name: Load E2E environment
         run: |
-          NS="$HEADLAMP_NAMESPACE"
-          DEPLOY="$HEADLAMP_DEPLOY"
-
-          # Check if the plugins volume and mount already exist (by name or mountPath)
-          DEPLOY_JSON=$(kubectl get deploy "$DEPLOY" -n "$NS" -o json)
-          HAS_VOL=$(echo "$DEPLOY_JSON" | \
-            python3 -c "import sys,json; d=json.load(sys.stdin); vols=d['spec']['template']['spec'].get('volumes',[]); print('yes' if any(v.get('persistentVolumeClaim',{}).get('claimName')=='headlamp-plugins' or v.get('name')=='plugins' for v in vols) else '')")
-          HAS_MOUNT=$(echo "$DEPLOY_JSON" | \
-            python3 -c "import sys,json; d=json.load(sys.stdin); mounts=d['spec']['template']['spec']['containers'][0].get('volumeMounts',[]); print('yes' if any(m.get('mountPath')=='/headlamp/plugins' or m.get('name')=='plugins' for m in mounts) else '')")
-
-          NEEDS_PATCH=false
-
-          if [ -z "$HAS_VOL" ]; then
-            echo "Adding plugins PVC volume..."
-            kubectl patch deploy "$DEPLOY" -n "$NS" --type=json -p '[
-              {"op":"add","path":"/spec/template/spec/volumes/-","value":{
-                "name":"plugins",
-                "persistentVolumeClaim":{"claimName":"headlamp-plugins"}
-              }}
-            ]'
-            NEEDS_PATCH=true
+          if [ -f .env.e2e ]; then
+            cat .env.e2e >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
           else
-            echo "Plugins volume already present, skipping."
-          fi
-
-          if [ -z "$HAS_MOUNT" ]; then
-            echo "Adding plugins volume mount..."
-            kubectl patch deploy "$DEPLOY" -n "$NS" --type=json -p '[
-              {"op":"add","path":"/spec/template/spec/containers/0/volumeMounts/-","value":{
-                "name":"plugins",
-                "mountPath":"/headlamp/plugins",
-                "readOnly":true
-              }}
-            ]'
-            NEEDS_PATCH=true
-          else
-            echo "Plugins volume mount already present, skipping."
-          fi
-
-          # Set the plugins directory via env var
-          kubectl set env deploy/"$DEPLOY" -n "$NS" \
-            HEADLAMP_CONFIG_PLUGIN_DIR=/headlamp/plugins
-
-          # Wait for rollout
-          kubectl rollout status deploy/"$DEPLOY" -n "$NS" --timeout=120s
-
-      - name: Deploy plugin via shared volume
-        run: scripts/deploy-plugin-via-volume.sh
-
-      - name: Preflight — verify Headlamp and plugin availability
-        env:
-          HEADLAMP_URL: ${{ secrets.HEADLAMP_URL || 'http://headlamp.kube-system.svc.cluster.local' }}
-        run: |
-          PLUGIN_NAME=$(node -p "require('./package.json').name")
-          EXPECTED=$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")
-          echo "Expecting: $PLUGIN_NAME@$EXPECTED"
-
-          # Wait for Headlamp to be reachable
-          for i in $(seq 1 30); do
-            HTTP_CODE=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}' --connect-timeout 5 "$HEADLAMP_URL" || true)
-            if [ "$HTTP_CODE" != "000" ]; then
-              echo "Headlamp responded HTTP $HTTP_CODE"
-              break
-            fi
-            echo "Waiting for Headlamp... ($i/30)"
-            sleep 2
-          done
-
-          if [ "$HTTP_CODE" = "000" ]; then
-            echo "::error::Cannot reach Headlamp at $HEADLAMP_URL after 60s"
+            echo "::error::deploy-e2e-headlamp.sh did not produce .env.e2e"
             exit 1
           fi
 
-          # Verify plugin is visible
-          PLUGIN_JSON=$(curl -sf --connect-timeout 10 "$HEADLAMP_URL/plugins" 2>/dev/null || echo "[]")
-          node -e "
-            const plugins = JSON.parse(process.argv[1]);
-            console.log('Installed plugins:');
-            for (const p of plugins) console.log('  ' + p.name + '@' + (p.version||'unknown'));
-            const ours = plugins.find(p => p.name === '$PLUGIN_NAME' || p.name === 'polaris' || p.name.includes('polaris'));
-            if (!ours) {
-              console.log('::warning::Plugin $PLUGIN_NAME not yet visible — Headlamp may need a restart');
-            } else {
-              console.log('Found plugin: ' + ours.name + ' at path ' + ours.path);
-            }
-          " "$PLUGIN_JSON"
-
       - name: Install Playwright browsers
         run: npx playwright install --with-deps chromium
 
       - name: Run E2E tests
         run: npm run e2e
         env:
-          HEADLAMP_URL: ${{ secrets.HEADLAMP_URL || 'http://headlamp.kube-system.svc.cluster.local' }}
-          HEADLAMP_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.HEADLAMP_TOKEN }}
+          HEADLAMP_URL: ${{ env.HEADLAMP_URL }}
+          HEADLAMP_TOKEN: ${{ env.HEADLAMP_TOKEN }}
           AUTHENTIK_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.AUTHENTIK_USERNAME }}
           AUTHENTIK_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.AUTHENTIK_PASSWORD }}
 
+      - name: Teardown E2E instance
+        if: always()
+        run: scripts/teardown-e2e-headlamp.sh
+
       - name: Upload Playwright report
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
         if: failure()
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/deployment/e2e-ci-runner-rbac.yaml b/deployment/e2e-ci-runner-rbac.yaml
index 40e3bdf..511d6dd 100644
--- a/deployment/e2e-ci-runner-rbac.yaml
+++ b/deployment/e2e-ci-runner-rbac.yaml
@@ -1,59 +1,73 @@
 ---
-# 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.
+# Plugin is loaded via ConfigMap volume mount — no custom Docker images.
 #
-# 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
   name: e2e-ci-runner
   apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
+---
+# ClusterRole to allow the runner SA to verify the headlamp-e2e namespace
+# exists before attempting namespaced operations. kubectl get namespace is a
+# cluster-scoped operation not coverable by a namespaced Role.
+apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
+kind: ClusterRole
+metadata:
+  name: e2e-ci-namespace-reader
+rules:
+  - apiGroups: [""]
+    resources: ["namespaces"]
+    verbs: ["get"]
+    resourceNames: ["headlamp-e2e"]
+---
+apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
+kind: ClusterRoleBinding
+metadata:
+  name: e2e-ci-namespace-reader-binding
+subjects:
+  - kind: ServiceAccount
+    name: runners-privilegedescalation-gha-rs-no-permission
+    namespace: arc-runners
+roleRef:
+  kind: ClusterRole
+  name: e2e-ci-namespace-reader
+  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
diff --git a/deployment/headlamp-e2e-values.yaml b/deployment/headlamp-e2e-values.yaml
index 36ab498..1c968a2 100644
--- a/deployment/headlamp-e2e-values.yaml
+++ b/deployment/headlamp-e2e-values.yaml
@@ -1,22 +1,31 @@
 ---
-# 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 the stock Headlamp image with the plugin loaded via a ConfigMap
+# volume mount. No custom Docker images — the plugin dist/ is packaged
+# as a ConfigMap by deploy-e2e-headlamp.sh.
+#
+# 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=headlamp-k8s/headlamp \
+#     --set image.tag=latest
 
-# 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
+service:
+  type: ClusterIP
 
-# Mount into the Headlamp container
-volumeMounts:
-  - name: plugins
-    mountPath: /headlamp/plugins
+extraVolumes:
+  - name: polaris-plugin
+    configMap:
+      name: headlamp-polaris-plugin
+
+extraVolumeMounts:
+  - name: polaris-plugin
+    mountPath: /headlamp/plugins/headlamp-polaris
     readOnly: true
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..8b7e446 100644
--- a/e2e/README.md
+++ b/e2e/README.md
@@ -4,7 +4,16 @@ 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 (`npm run build`)
+2. Creates a ConfigMap from the built `dist/` output
+3. Deploys a stock Headlamp instance via Helm with the plugin mounted as a ConfigMap volume
+4. Generates a ServiceAccount token for test auth
+5. Runs Playwright tests against the E2E instance
+6. Tears down the E2E instance
+
+This approach uses the stock `ghcr.io/headlamp-k8s/headlamp` image with no custom Docker builds. The plugin is loaded via `HEADLAMP_PLUGINS_DIR` volume mount.
 
 ### Required GitHub Secrets
 
@@ -12,12 +21,12 @@ 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.
+
+No `GHCR_TOKEN` or Docker registry secrets are needed — the stock Headlamp image is public.
 
 ## Running Locally
 
@@ -47,12 +56,12 @@ 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 +258,26 @@ 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 (`npm run build`)
+2. Create ConfigMap from `dist/` output (`scripts/deploy-e2e-headlamp.sh`)
+3. Deploy stock Headlamp via Helm with ConfigMap volume mount
+4. Run Playwright tests against the E2E instance
+5. Tear down (`scripts/teardown-e2e-headlamp.sh`)
 
-### Workflow Overview
+No custom Docker images, no PVCs, no kubectl exec/cp, no patching of existing deployments. The plugin is mounted from a ConfigMap into the stock Headlamp 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..5599aa1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/deploy-e2e-headlamp.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# deploy-e2e-headlamp.sh
+#
+# Deploys a stock Headlamp instance with the polaris plugin loaded via
+# a ConfigMap volume mount. No custom Docker images — the plugin is built
+# in CI and injected as a ConfigMap.
+#
+# Prerequisites:
+#   - Plugin built (dist/ exists with plugin-main.js + package.json)
+#   - kubectl configured with cluster access
+#   - Helm 3 installed
+#   - E2E namespace pre-created by cluster admin (see deployment/e2e-ci-runner-rbac.yaml)
+#
+# Environment:
+#   E2E_NAMESPACE     — namespace for E2E Headlamp (default: headlamp-e2e)
+#   E2E_RELEASE       — Helm release name (default: headlamp-e2e)
+#   HEADLAMP_VERSION  — Headlamp image tag (default: latest)
+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="${HEADLAMP_VERSION:-latest}"
+
+if [ ! -d "$DIST_DIR" ]; then
+  echo "ERROR: dist/ not found. Run 'npm run build' first." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "=== E2E Headlamp Deployment ==="
+echo "  Image:     ghcr.io/headlamp-k8s/headlamp:${HEADLAMP_VERSION}"
+echo "  Namespace: $E2E_NAMESPACE"
+echo "  Release:   $E2E_RELEASE"
+
+# --- Verify namespace exists (must be pre-created by cluster admin) ---
+echo ""
+echo "Verifying namespace ${E2E_NAMESPACE} exists..."
+if ! kubectl get namespace "$E2E_NAMESPACE" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "ERROR: Namespace ${E2E_NAMESPACE} does not exist." >&2
+  echo "A cluster admin must create it first: kubectl create namespace ${E2E_NAMESPACE}" >&2
+  echo "Then apply RBAC: kubectl apply -f deployment/e2e-ci-runner-rbac.yaml" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# --- Create ConfigMap from built plugin ---
+echo ""
+echo "Creating ConfigMap with plugin files..."
+
+# Delete existing ConfigMap if present (idempotent redeploy)
+kubectl delete configmap headlamp-polaris-plugin \
+  -n "$E2E_NAMESPACE" --ignore-not-found
+
+# Create ConfigMap from dist/ contents and package.json
+kubectl create configmap headlamp-polaris-plugin \
+  -n "$E2E_NAMESPACE" \
+  --from-file="$DIST_DIR" \
+  --from-file=package.json="$REPO_ROOT/package.json"
+
+# --- Deploy with Helm ---
+echo ""
+echo "Adding Headlamp Helm repo..."
+helm repo add headlamp https://headlamp-k8s.github.io/headlamp/ --force-update
+helm repo update
+
+echo "Installing/upgrading Headlamp E2E instance..."
+helm upgrade --install "$E2E_RELEASE" headlamp/headlamp \
+  -n "$E2E_NAMESPACE" \
+  -f "$REPO_ROOT/deployment/headlamp-e2e-values.yaml" \
+  --set "image.registry=ghcr.io" \
+  --set "image.repository=headlamp-k8s/headlamp" \
+  --set "image.tag=${HEADLAMP_VERSION}" \
+  --wait \
+  --timeout 120s
+
+echo "Waiting for rollout..."
+kubectl rollout status "deployment/${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..d1a0025
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/teardown-e2e-headlamp.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+#!/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="${E2E_RELEASE:-headlamp-e2e}"
+
+# Exit early if the namespace does not exist — nothing to tear down.
+if ! kubectl get namespace "$E2E_NAMESPACE" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "Namespace $E2E_NAMESPACE does not exist, nothing to tear down."
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+echo "=== E2E Headlamp Teardown ==="
+echo "  Namespace: $E2E_NAMESPACE"
+echo "  Release:   $E2E_RELEASE"
+
+echo "Uninstalling Helm release..."
+helm uninstall "$E2E_RELEASE" -n "$E2E_NAMESPACE" 2>/dev/null || echo "Release not found (already removed?)"
+
+echo "Cleaning up ConfigMap..."
+kubectl delete configmap headlamp-polaris-plugin -n "$E2E_NAMESPACE" --ignore-not-found
+
+echo "Cleaning up service account..."
+kubectl delete serviceaccount headlamp-e2e-test -n "$E2E_NAMESPACE" --ignore-not-found
+
+# Note: namespace is NOT deleted — it is managed by a cluster admin.
+# The runner SA only has namespace-scoped permissions (see deployment/e2e-ci-runner-rbac.yaml).
+
+# Clean up local env file
+rm -f "$REPO_ROOT/.env.e2e"
+
+echo "Teardown complete."