diff --git a/tests/e2e/__init__.py b/tests/e2e/__init__.py
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index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/tests/e2e/conftest.py b/tests/e2e/conftest.py
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+++ b/tests/e2e/conftest.py
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+"""Shared fixtures for Telegram gateway e2e tests.
+
+These tests exercise the full async message flow:
+    adapter.handle_message(event)
+        → background task
+        → GatewayRunner._handle_message (command dispatch)
+        → adapter.send() (captured by mock)
+
+No LLM, no real platform connections.
+"""
+
+import asyncio
+import sys
+import uuid
+from datetime import datetime
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock
+
+import pytest
+
+from gateway.config import GatewayConfig, Platform, PlatformConfig
+from gateway.platforms.base import MessageEvent, MessageType, SendResult
+from gateway.session import SessionEntry, SessionSource, build_session_key
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Ensure telegram module is available (mock it if not installed)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def _ensure_telegram_mock():
+    """Install mock telegram modules so TelegramAdapter can be imported."""
+    if "telegram" in sys.modules and hasattr(sys.modules["telegram"], "__file__"):
+        return  # Real library installed
+
+    telegram_mod = MagicMock()
+    telegram_mod.Update = MagicMock()
+    telegram_mod.Update.ALL_TYPES = []
+    telegram_mod.Bot = MagicMock
+    telegram_mod.constants.ParseMode.MARKDOWN_V2 = "MarkdownV2"
+    telegram_mod.ext.Application = MagicMock()
+    telegram_mod.ext.Application.builder = MagicMock
+    telegram_mod.ext.ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE = type(None)
+    telegram_mod.ext.MessageHandler = MagicMock
+    telegram_mod.ext.CommandHandler = MagicMock
+    telegram_mod.ext.filters = MagicMock()
+    telegram_mod.request.HTTPXRequest = MagicMock
+
+    for name in (
+        "telegram",
+        "telegram.constants",
+        "telegram.ext",
+        "telegram.ext.filters",
+        "telegram.request",
+    ):
+        sys.modules.setdefault(name, telegram_mod)
+
+
+_ensure_telegram_mock()
+
+from gateway.platforms.telegram import TelegramAdapter  # noqa: E402
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# GatewayRunner factory (based on tests/gateway/test_status_command.py)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def make_runner(session_entry: SessionEntry) -> "GatewayRunner":
+    """Create a GatewayRunner with mocked internals for e2e testing.
+
+    Skips __init__ to avoid filesystem/network side effects.
+    All command-dispatch dependencies are wired manually.
+    """
+    from gateway.run import GatewayRunner
+
+    runner = object.__new__(GatewayRunner)
+    runner.config = GatewayConfig(
+        platforms={Platform.TELEGRAM: PlatformConfig(enabled=True, token="e2e-test-token")}
+    )
+    runner.adapters = {}
+    runner._voice_mode = {}
+    runner.hooks = SimpleNamespace(emit=AsyncMock(), loaded_hooks=False)
+
+    runner.session_store = MagicMock()
+    runner.session_store.get_or_create_session.return_value = session_entry
+    runner.session_store.load_transcript.return_value = []
+    runner.session_store.has_any_sessions.return_value = True
+    runner.session_store.append_to_transcript = MagicMock()
+    runner.session_store.rewrite_transcript = MagicMock()
+    runner.session_store.update_session = MagicMock()
+    runner.session_store.reset_session = MagicMock()
+
+    runner._running_agents = {}
+    runner._pending_messages = {}
+    runner._pending_approvals = {}
+    runner._session_db = None
+    runner._reasoning_config = None
+    runner._provider_routing = {}
+    runner._fallback_model = None
+    runner._show_reasoning = False
+
+    runner._is_user_authorized = lambda _source: True
+    runner._set_session_env = lambda _context: None
+    runner._should_send_voice_reply = lambda *_a, **_kw: False
+    runner._send_voice_reply = AsyncMock()
+    runner._capture_gateway_honcho_if_configured = lambda *a, **kw: None
+    runner._emit_gateway_run_progress = AsyncMock()
+
+    return runner
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# TelegramAdapter factory
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def make_adapter(runner) -> TelegramAdapter:
+    """Create a TelegramAdapter wired to *runner*, with send methods mocked.
+
+    connect() is NOT called — no polling, no token lock, no real HTTP.
+    """
+    config = PlatformConfig(enabled=True, token="e2e-test-token")
+    adapter = TelegramAdapter(config)
+
+    # Mock outbound methods so tests can capture what was sent
+    adapter.send = AsyncMock(return_value=SendResult(success=True, message_id="e2e-resp-1"))
+    adapter.send_typing = AsyncMock()
+
+    # Wire adapter ↔ runner
+    adapter.set_message_handler(runner._handle_message)
+    runner.adapters[Platform.TELEGRAM] = adapter
+
+    return adapter
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Helpers
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def make_source(chat_id: str = "e2e-chat-1", user_id: str = "e2e-user-1") -> SessionSource:
+    return SessionSource(
+        platform=Platform.TELEGRAM,
+        chat_id=chat_id,
+        user_id=user_id,
+        user_name="e2e_tester",
+        chat_type="dm",
+    )
+
+
+def make_event(text: str, chat_id: str = "e2e-chat-1", user_id: str = "e2e-user-1") -> MessageEvent:
+    return MessageEvent(
+        text=text,
+        source=make_source(chat_id, user_id),
+        message_id=f"msg-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}",
+    )
+
+
+def make_session_entry(source: SessionSource = None) -> SessionEntry:
+    source = source or make_source()
+    return SessionEntry(
+        session_key=build_session_key(source),
+        session_id=f"sess-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}",
+        created_at=datetime.now(),
+        updated_at=datetime.now(),
+        platform=Platform.TELEGRAM,
+        chat_type="dm",
+    )
+
+
+async def send_and_capture(adapter: TelegramAdapter, text: str, **event_kwargs) -> AsyncMock:
+    """Send a message through the full e2e flow and return the send mock.
+
+    Drives: adapter.handle_message → background task → runner dispatch → adapter.send.
+    """
+    event = make_event(text, **event_kwargs)
+    adapter.send.reset_mock()
+    await adapter.handle_message(event)
+    # Let the background task complete
+    await asyncio.sleep(0.3)
+    return adapter.send