diff --git a/tests/e2e/codeeditor.test.ts b/tests/e2e/codeeditor.test.ts
index e2df08e757a..21038cacd02 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/codeeditor.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/codeeditor.test.ts
@@ -1,20 +1,16 @@
 import {env} from 'node:process';
 import {expect, test} from '@playwright/test';
-import {login, apiCreateRepo, apiDeleteRepo, randomString} from './utils.ts';
+import {login, apiCreateRepo, randomString} from './utils.ts';
 
 test('codeeditor textarea updates correctly', async ({page, request}) => {
   const repoName = `e2e-codeeditor-${randomString(8)}`;
   await Promise.all([apiCreateRepo(request, {name: repoName}), login(page)]);
-  try {
-    await page.goto(`/${env.GITEA_TEST_E2E_USER}/${repoName}/_new/main`);
-    await page.getByPlaceholder('Name your file…').fill('test.js');
-    await expect(page.locator('[data-tab="write"] .editor-loading')).toBeHidden();
-    const editor = page.locator('.cm-content[role="textbox"]');
-    await expect(editor).toBeVisible();
-    await editor.click();
-    await page.keyboard.type('const hello = "world";');
-    await expect(page.locator('textarea[name="content"]')).toHaveValue('const hello = "world";');
-  } finally {
-    await apiDeleteRepo(request, env.GITEA_TEST_E2E_USER, repoName);
-  }
+  await page.goto(`/${env.GITEA_TEST_E2E_USER}/${repoName}/_new/main`);
+  await page.getByPlaceholder('Name your file…').fill('test.js');
+  await expect(page.locator('[data-tab="write"] .editor-loading')).toBeHidden();
+  const editor = page.locator('.cm-content[role="textbox"]');
+  await expect(editor).toBeVisible();
+  await editor.click();
+  await page.keyboard.type('const hello = "world";');
+  await expect(page.locator('textarea[name="content"]')).toHaveValue('const hello = "world";');
 });
diff --git a/tests/e2e/events.test.ts b/tests/e2e/events.test.ts
index abf05b27e7b..d033c7b94f3 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/events.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/events.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import {test, expect} from '@playwright/test';
-import {loginUser, baseUrl, apiUserHeaders, apiCreateUser, apiDeleteUser, apiCreateRepo, apiCreateIssue, apiStartStopwatch, timeoutFactor, randomString} from './utils.ts';
+import {loginUser, baseUrl, apiUserHeaders, apiCreateUser, apiCreateRepo, apiCreateIssue, apiStartStopwatch, timeoutFactor, randomString} from './utils.ts';
 
 // These tests rely on a short EVENT_SOURCE_UPDATE_TIME in the e2e server config.
 test.describe('events', () => {
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ test.describe('events', () => {
       apiCreateRepo(request, {name: repoName, headers: apiUserHeaders(owner)}),
       loginUser(page, owner),
     ]);
+    await page.goto('/');
     const badge = page.locator('a.not-mobile .notification_count');
     await expect(badge).toBeHidden();
 
@@ -23,9 +24,6 @@ test.describe('events', () => {
 
     // Wait for the notification badge to appear via server event
     await expect(badge).toBeVisible({timeout: 15000 * timeoutFactor});
-
-    // Cleanup
-    await Promise.all([apiDeleteUser(request, commenter), apiDeleteUser(request, owner)]);
   });
 
   test('stopwatch', async ({page, request}) => {
@@ -34,20 +32,20 @@ test.describe('events', () => {
 
     await apiCreateUser(request, name);
 
-    // Create repo, issue, and start stopwatch before login
-    await apiCreateRepo(request, {name, headers});
-    await apiCreateIssue(request, name, name, {title: 'events stopwatch test', headers});
-    await apiStartStopwatch(request, name, name, 1, {headers});
-
-    // Login — page renders with the active stopwatch element
-    await loginUser(page, name);
+    // Login in parallel with repo+issue+stopwatch setup (all independent after user exists)
+    await Promise.all([
+      loginUser(page, name),
+      (async () => {
+        await apiCreateRepo(request, {name, headers});
+        await apiCreateIssue(request, name, name, {title: 'events stopwatch test', headers});
+        await apiStartStopwatch(request, name, name, 1, {headers});
+      })(),
+    ]);
+    await page.goto('/');
 
     // Verify stopwatch is visible and links to the correct issue
     const stopwatch = page.locator('.active-stopwatch.not-mobile');
     await expect(stopwatch).toBeVisible();
-
-    // Cleanup
-    await apiDeleteUser(request, name);
   });
 
   test('logout propagation', async ({browser, request}) => {
@@ -75,8 +73,5 @@ test.describe('events', () => {
     await expect(page2.getByRole('link', {name: 'Sign In'})).toBeVisible();
 
     await context.close();
-
-    // Cleanup
-    await apiDeleteUser(request, name);
   });
 });
diff --git a/tests/e2e/external-render.test.ts b/tests/e2e/external-render.test.ts
index b989c354ff5..da02db4c1a7 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/external-render.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/external-render.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import {env} from 'node:process';
 import {expect, test} from '@playwright/test';
-import {login, apiCreateRepo, apiCreateFile, apiDeleteRepo, assertFlushWithParent, assertNoJsError, randomString} from './utils.ts';
+import {login, apiCreateRepo, apiCreateFile, assertFlushWithParent, assertNoJsError, randomString} from './utils.ts';
 
 test('external file', async ({page, request}) => {
   const repoName = `e2e-external-render-${randomString(8)}`;
@@ -9,19 +9,15 @@ test('external file', async ({page, request}) => {
     apiCreateRepo(request, {name: repoName}),
     login(page),
   ]);
-  try {
-    await apiCreateFile(request, owner, repoName, 'test.external', '<p>rendered content</p>');
-    await page.goto(`/${owner}/${repoName}/src/branch/main/test.external`);
-    const iframe = page.locator('iframe.external-render-iframe');
-    await expect(iframe).toBeVisible();
-    await expect(iframe).toHaveAttribute('data-src', new RegExp(`/${owner}/${repoName}/render/branch/main/test\\.external`));
-    const frame = page.frameLocator('iframe.external-render-iframe');
-    await expect(frame.locator('p')).toContainText('rendered content');
-    await assertFlushWithParent(iframe, page.locator('.file-view'));
-    await assertNoJsError(page);
-  } finally {
-    await apiDeleteRepo(request, owner, repoName);
-  }
+  await apiCreateFile(request, owner, repoName, 'test.external', '<p>rendered content</p>');
+  await page.goto(`/${owner}/${repoName}/src/branch/main/test.external`);
+  const iframe = page.locator('iframe.external-render-iframe');
+  await expect(iframe).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(iframe).toHaveAttribute('data-src', new RegExp(`/${owner}/${repoName}/render/branch/main/test\\.external`));
+  const frame = page.frameLocator('iframe.external-render-iframe');
+  await expect(frame.locator('p')).toContainText('rendered content');
+  await assertFlushWithParent(iframe, page.locator('.file-view'));
+  await assertNoJsError(page);
 });
 
 test('openapi file', async ({page, request}) => {
@@ -31,31 +27,27 @@ test('openapi file', async ({page, request}) => {
     apiCreateRepo(request, {name: repoName}),
     login(page),
   ]);
-  try {
-    const title = 'Test <API> & "quoted"';
-    const spec = JSON.stringify({
-      openapi: '3.0.0',
-      info: {title, version: '1.0'},
-      paths: {'/pets': {get: {responses: {'200': {description: 'OK', content: {'application/json': {schema: {$ref: '#/components/schemas/Pet'}}}}}}}},
-      components: {schemas: {Pet: {type: 'object', properties: {children: {type: 'array', items: {$ref: '#/components/schemas/Pet'}}}}}},
-    });
-    await apiCreateFile(request, owner, repoName, 'openapi.json', spec);
-    await page.goto(`/${owner}/${repoName}/src/branch/main/openapi.json`);
-    const iframe = page.locator('iframe.external-render-iframe');
-    await expect(iframe).toBeVisible();
-    const viewer = page.frameLocator('iframe.external-render-iframe').locator('#frontend-render-viewer');
-    await expect(viewer.locator('.swagger-ui')).toBeVisible();
-    await expect(viewer.locator('.info .title')).toContainText(title);
-    // expanding the operation triggers swagger-ui's $ref resolver, which fetches window.location
-    // (about:srcdoc since the iframe is loaded via srcdoc); failure surfaces as "Could not resolve reference"
-    await viewer.locator('.opblock-tag').first().click();
-    await viewer.locator('.opblock').first().click();
-    await expect(viewer.getByText('Could not resolve reference')).toHaveCount(0);
-    // poll: postMessage resize may not have settled yet when the visibility checks pass
-    await expect.poll(async () => (await iframe.boundingBox())!.height).toBeGreaterThan(300);
-    await assertFlushWithParent(iframe, page.locator('.file-view'));
-    await assertNoJsError(page);
-  } finally {
-    await apiDeleteRepo(request, owner, repoName);
-  }
+  const title = 'Test <API> & "quoted"';
+  const spec = JSON.stringify({
+    openapi: '3.0.0',
+    info: {title, version: '1.0'},
+    paths: {'/pets': {get: {responses: {'200': {description: 'OK', content: {'application/json': {schema: {$ref: '#/components/schemas/Pet'}}}}}}}},
+    components: {schemas: {Pet: {type: 'object', properties: {children: {type: 'array', items: {$ref: '#/components/schemas/Pet'}}}}}},
+  });
+  await apiCreateFile(request, owner, repoName, 'openapi.json', spec);
+  await page.goto(`/${owner}/${repoName}/src/branch/main/openapi.json`);
+  const iframe = page.locator('iframe.external-render-iframe');
+  await expect(iframe).toBeVisible();
+  const viewer = page.frameLocator('iframe.external-render-iframe').locator('#frontend-render-viewer');
+  await expect(viewer.locator('.swagger-ui')).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(viewer.locator('.info .title')).toContainText(title);
+  // expanding the operation triggers swagger-ui's $ref resolver, which fetches window.location
+  // (about:srcdoc since the iframe is loaded via srcdoc); failure surfaces as "Could not resolve reference"
+  await viewer.locator('.opblock-tag').first().click();
+  await viewer.locator('.opblock').first().click();
+  await expect(viewer.getByText('Could not resolve reference')).toHaveCount(0);
+  // poll: postMessage resize may not have settled yet when the visibility checks pass
+  await expect.poll(async () => (await iframe.boundingBox())!.height).toBeGreaterThan(300);
+  await assertFlushWithParent(iframe, page.locator('.file-view'));
+  await assertNoJsError(page);
 });
diff --git a/tests/e2e/file-view-render.test.ts b/tests/e2e/file-view-render.test.ts
index a3afe85b267..d8e0354acce 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/file-view-render.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/file-view-render.test.ts
@@ -1,32 +1,28 @@
 import {env} from 'node:process';
 import {expect, test} from '@playwright/test';
-import {apiCreateBranch, apiCreateRepo, apiCreateFile, apiDeleteRepo, assertFlushWithParent, assertNoJsError, login, randomString} from './utils.ts';
+import {apiCreateRepo, apiCreateFile, assertFlushWithParent, assertNoJsError, login, randomString} from './utils.ts';
 
 test('3d model file', async ({page, request}) => {
   const repoName = `e2e-3d-render-${randomString(8)}`;
   const owner = env.GITEA_TEST_E2E_USER;
   await apiCreateRepo(request, {name: repoName});
-  try {
-    const stl = 'solid test\nfacet normal 0 0 1\nouter loop\nvertex 0 0 0\nvertex 1 0 0\nvertex 0 1 0\nendloop\nendfacet\nendsolid test\n';
-    await apiCreateFile(request, owner, repoName, 'test.stl', stl);
-    await page.goto(`/${owner}/${repoName}/src/branch/main/test.stl?display=rendered`);
-    const iframe = page.locator('iframe.external-render-iframe');
-    await expect(iframe).toBeVisible();
-    const frame = page.frameLocator('iframe.external-render-iframe');
-    const viewer = frame.locator('#frontend-render-viewer');
-    await expect(viewer.locator('canvas')).toBeVisible();
-    expect((await viewer.boundingBox())!.height).toBeGreaterThan(300);
-    await assertFlushWithParent(iframe, page.locator('.file-view'));
-    // bgcolor passed via gitea-iframe-bgcolor; 3D viewer reads it from body bgcolor — must match parent
-    const [parentBg, iframeBg] = await Promise.all([
-      page.evaluate(() => getComputedStyle(document.body).backgroundColor),
-      frame.locator('body').evaluate((el) => getComputedStyle(el).backgroundColor),
-    ]);
-    expect(iframeBg).toBe(parentBg);
-    await assertNoJsError(page);
-  } finally {
-    await apiDeleteRepo(request, owner, repoName);
-  }
+  const stl = 'solid test\nfacet normal 0 0 1\nouter loop\nvertex 0 0 0\nvertex 1 0 0\nvertex 0 1 0\nendloop\nendfacet\nendsolid test\n';
+  await apiCreateFile(request, owner, repoName, 'test.stl', stl);
+  await page.goto(`/${owner}/${repoName}/src/branch/main/test.stl?display=rendered`);
+  const iframe = page.locator('iframe.external-render-iframe');
+  await expect(iframe).toBeVisible();
+  const frame = page.frameLocator('iframe.external-render-iframe');
+  const viewer = frame.locator('#frontend-render-viewer');
+  await expect(viewer.locator('canvas')).toBeVisible();
+  expect((await viewer.boundingBox())!.height).toBeGreaterThan(300);
+  await assertFlushWithParent(iframe, page.locator('.file-view'));
+  // bgcolor passed via gitea-iframe-bgcolor; 3D viewer reads it from body bgcolor — must match parent
+  const [parentBg, iframeBg] = await Promise.all([
+    page.evaluate(() => getComputedStyle(document.body).backgroundColor),
+    frame.locator('body').evaluate((el) => getComputedStyle(el).backgroundColor),
+  ]);
+  expect(iframeBg).toBe(parentBg);
+  await assertNoJsError(page);
 });
 
 test('pdf file', async ({page, request}) => {
@@ -34,16 +30,12 @@ test('pdf file', async ({page, request}) => {
   const repoName = `e2e-pdf-render-${randomString(8)}`;
   const owner = env.GITEA_TEST_E2E_USER;
   await apiCreateRepo(request, {name: repoName});
-  try {
-    await apiCreateFile(request, owner, repoName, 'test.pdf', '%PDF-1.0\n%%EOF\n');
-    await page.goto(`/${owner}/${repoName}/src/branch/main/test.pdf`);
-    const container = page.locator('.file-view-render-container');
-    await expect(container).toHaveAttribute('data-render-name', 'pdf-viewer');
-    expect((await container.boundingBox())!.height).toBeGreaterThan(300);
-    await assertFlushWithParent(container, page.locator('.file-view'));
-  } finally {
-    await apiDeleteRepo(request, owner, repoName);
-  }
+  await apiCreateFile(request, owner, repoName, 'test.pdf', '%PDF-1.0\n%%EOF\n');
+  await page.goto(`/${owner}/${repoName}/src/branch/main/test.pdf`);
+  const container = page.locator('.file-view-render-container');
+  await expect(container).toHaveAttribute('data-render-name', 'pdf-viewer');
+  expect((await container.boundingBox())!.height).toBeGreaterThan(300);
+  await assertFlushWithParent(container, page.locator('.file-view'));
 });
 
 test('asciicast file', async ({page, request}) => {
@@ -54,16 +46,12 @@ test('asciicast file', async ({page, request}) => {
   const branch = '日本語-branch';
   const branchEnc = encodeURIComponent(branch);
   await Promise.all([apiCreateRepo(request, {name: repoName, autoInit: false}), login(page)]);
-  try {
-    const cast = '{"version": 2, "width": 80, "height": 24}\n[0.0, "o", "hi"]\n';
-    await apiCreateFile(request, owner, repoName, 'readme.cast', cast);
-    await apiCreateBranch(request, owner, repoName, branch);
-    await page.goto(`/${owner}/${repoName}/src/branch/${branchEnc}`);
-    const container = page.locator('.asciinema-player-container');
-    await expect(container).toHaveAttribute('data-asciinema-player-src', `/${owner}/${repoName}/raw/branch/${branchEnc}/readme.cast`);
-    await expect(container.locator('.ap-wrapper')).toBeVisible();
-    expect((await container.boundingBox())!.height).toBeGreaterThan(300);
-  } finally {
-    await apiDeleteRepo(request, owner, repoName);
-  }
+  const cast = '{"version": 2, "width": 80, "height": 24}\n[0.0, "o", "hi"]\n';
+  // on an empty repo, apiCreateFile with newBranch creates that branch as the initial commit
+  await apiCreateFile(request, owner, repoName, 'readme.cast', cast, {newBranch: branch});
+  await page.goto(`/${owner}/${repoName}/src/branch/${branchEnc}`);
+  const container = page.locator('.asciinema-player-container');
+  await expect(container).toHaveAttribute('data-asciinema-player-src', `/${owner}/${repoName}/raw/branch/${branchEnc}/readme.cast`);
+  await expect(container.locator('.ap-wrapper')).toBeVisible();
+  expect((await container.boundingBox())!.height).toBeGreaterThan(300);
 });
diff --git a/tests/e2e/issue-project.test.ts b/tests/e2e/issue-project.test.ts
index c5249c0cdf7..42cf0bd2ac5 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/issue-project.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/issue-project.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import {env} from 'node:process';
 import {test, expect} from '@playwright/test';
-import {login, apiCreateRepo, apiCreateIssue, apiDeleteRepo, createProjectColumn, randomString} from './utils.ts';
+import {login, apiCreateRepo, apiCreateIssue, createProjectColumn, randomString} from './utils.ts';
 
 test('assign issue to project and change column', async ({page}) => {
   const repoName = `e2e-issue-project-${randomString(8)}`;
@@ -26,5 +26,4 @@ test('assign issue to project and change column', async ({page}) => {
   await columnCombo.locator('.ui.dropdown').click();
   await columnCombo.locator('.menu a.item', {hasText: 'In Progress'}).click();
   await expect(columnCombo.getByTestId('sidebar-project-column-text')).toHaveText('In Progress');
-  await apiDeleteRepo(page.request, user, repoName);
 });
diff --git a/tests/e2e/login.test.ts b/tests/e2e/login.test.ts
index ecf80d24744..7f4b97f2ecc 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/login.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/login.test.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,17 @@
+import {env} from 'node:process';
 import {test, expect} from '@playwright/test';
-import {login, logout} from './utils.ts';
+import {logout} from './utils.ts';
 
 test('homepage', async ({page}) => {
   await page.goto('/');
   await expect(page.getByRole('img', {name: 'Logo'})).toHaveAttribute('src', '/assets/img/logo.svg');
 });
 
-test('login and logout', async ({page}) => {
-  await login(page);
+test('login form and logout', async ({page}) => {
+  await page.goto('/user/login');
+  await page.getByLabel('Username or Email Address').fill(env.GITEA_TEST_E2E_USER);
+  await page.getByLabel('Password').fill(env.GITEA_TEST_E2E_PASSWORD);
+  await page.getByRole('button', {name: 'Sign In'}).click();
+  await expect(page.getByRole('link', {name: 'Sign In'})).toBeHidden();
   await logout(page);
 });
diff --git a/tests/e2e/milestone.test.ts b/tests/e2e/milestone.test.ts
index b8b456563ef..5a688fb1282 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/milestone.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/milestone.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import {env} from 'node:process';
 import {test, expect} from '@playwright/test';
-import {login, apiCreateRepo, apiDeleteRepo, randomString} from './utils.ts';
+import {login, apiCreateRepo, randomString} from './utils.ts';
 
 test('create a milestone', async ({page}) => {
   const repoName = `e2e-milestone-${randomString(8)}`;
@@ -9,5 +9,4 @@ test('create a milestone', async ({page}) => {
   await page.getByPlaceholder('Title').fill('Test Milestone');
   await page.getByRole('button', {name: 'Create Milestone'}).click();
   await expect(page.locator('.milestone-list')).toContainText('Test Milestone');
-  await apiDeleteRepo(page.request, env.GITEA_TEST_E2E_USER, repoName);
 });
diff --git a/tests/e2e/pr-review.test.ts b/tests/e2e/pr-review.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d1e7aaa4ca0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/e2e/pr-review.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import {test, expect} from '@playwright/test';
+import {apiCreateFile, apiCreatePR, apiCreateRepo, apiCreateReview, apiCreateUser, apiUserHeaders, loginUser, randomString} from './utils.ts';
+
+test('pr review flow', async ({page, request}) => {
+  const poster = `rv-poster-${randomString(8)}`;
+  const reviewer = `rv-reviewer-${randomString(8)}`;
+  await Promise.all([apiCreateUser(request, poster), apiCreateUser(request, reviewer)]);
+  const posterHeaders = apiUserHeaders(poster);
+  const repoName = `e2e-prreview-${randomString(8)}`;
+  await apiCreateRepo(request, {name: repoName, headers: posterHeaders});
+  await apiCreateFile(request, poster, repoName, 'added.txt', 'new content\n', {branch: 'main', newBranch: 'feat'});
+  const prIndex = await apiCreatePR(request, poster, repoName, 'feat', 'main', 'review test', {headers: posterHeaders});
+
+  // reviewer seeds an inline comment via API so the poster's UI reply exercises the reply-to-review path (#35994)
+  await Promise.all([
+    apiCreateReview(request, poster, repoName, prIndex, {
+      comments: [{path: 'added.txt', body: 'inline to reply to', new_position: 1}],
+      headers: apiUserHeaders(reviewer),
+    }),
+    loginUser(page, poster),
+  ]);
+
+  await page.goto(`/${poster}/${repoName}/pulls/${prIndex}/files`);
+
+  // diff viewer renders the added file with its header and one added-line row
+  const fileBox = page.locator('.diff-file-box[data-new-filename="added.txt"]');
+  await expect(fileBox.locator('.diff-file-header .file-link')).toHaveText('added.txt');
+  await expect(fileBox.locator('tr.add-code')).toHaveCount(1);
+
+  // commits tab badge reflects the single PR commit, and the diff stats header counts one changed file
+  const commitsTab = page.locator('.ui.pull.tabular.menu a.item', {has: page.locator('.octicon-git-commit')});
+  await expect(commitsTab.locator('.label')).toHaveText('1');
+  await expect(page.locator('.diff-detail-stats')).toContainText(/1 changed file/);
+
+  // poster replies to the reviewer's inline comment
+  const conversation = fileBox.locator('.conversation-holder');
+  await conversation.locator('.comment-form-reply').click();
+  const replyForm = conversation.locator('form');
+  await replyForm.locator('textarea[name="content"]').fill('my reply body');
+  await replyForm.getByRole('button', {name: 'Reply', exact: true}).click();
+  await expect(conversation.locator('.comment-body')).toContainText(['inline to reply to', 'my reply body']);
+
+  // switch to reviewer and submit an approve review
+  await page.context().clearCookies();
+  await loginUser(page, reviewer);
+  await page.goto(`/${poster}/${repoName}/pulls/${prIndex}/files`);
+  await page.locator('#review-box .js-btn-review').click();
+  const panel = page.locator('.review-box-panel');
+  await panel.locator('textarea[name="content"]').fill('LGTM');
+  await panel.getByRole('button', {name: 'Approve', exact: true}).click();
+  await expect(page.locator('.timeline-item .octicon-check').first()).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.locator('.timeline-item').filter({hasText: 'LGTM'})).toBeVisible();
+});
diff --git a/tests/e2e/reactions.test.ts b/tests/e2e/reactions.test.ts
index 92eed2a4e57..fc32932e651 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/reactions.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/reactions.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import {env} from 'node:process';
 import {expect, test} from '@playwright/test';
-import {login, apiCreateRepo, apiCreateIssue, apiDeleteRepo, randomString} from './utils.ts';
+import {login, apiCreateRepo, apiCreateIssue, randomString} from './utils.ts';
 
 test('toggle issue reactions', async ({page, request}) => {
   const repoName = `e2e-reactions-${randomString(8)}`;
@@ -10,21 +10,17 @@ test('toggle issue reactions', async ({page, request}) => {
     apiCreateIssue(request, owner, repoName, {title: 'Reaction test'}),
     login(page),
   ]);
-  try {
-    await page.goto(`/${owner}/${repoName}/issues/1`);
+  await page.goto(`/${owner}/${repoName}/issues/1`);
 
-    const issueComment = page.locator('.timeline-item.comment.first');
+  const issueComment = page.locator('.timeline-item.comment.first');
 
-    const reactionPicker = issueComment.locator('.select-reaction');
-    await reactionPicker.click();
-    await reactionPicker.getByLabel('+1').click();
+  const reactionPicker = issueComment.locator('.select-reaction');
+  await reactionPicker.click();
+  await reactionPicker.getByLabel('+1').click();
 
-    const reactions = issueComment.getByRole('group', {name: 'Reactions'});
-    await expect(reactions.getByRole('button', {name: /^\+1:/})).toContainText('1');
+  const reactions = issueComment.getByRole('group', {name: 'Reactions'});
+  await expect(reactions.getByRole('button', {name: /^\+1:/})).toContainText('1');
 
-    await reactions.getByRole('button', {name: /^\+1:/}).click();
-    await expect(reactions.getByRole('button', {name: /^\+1:/})).toHaveCount(0);
-  } finally {
-    await apiDeleteRepo(request, owner, repoName);
-  }
+  await reactions.getByRole('button', {name: /^\+1:/}).click();
+  await expect(reactions.getByRole('button', {name: /^\+1:/})).toHaveCount(0);
 });
diff --git a/tests/e2e/readme.test.ts b/tests/e2e/readme.test.ts
index 9767e092d36..5056523b704 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/readme.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/readme.test.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
 import {env} from 'node:process';
 import {test, expect} from '@playwright/test';
-import {apiCreateRepo, apiDeleteRepo, randomString} from './utils.ts';
+import {apiCreateRepo, randomString} from './utils.ts';
 
 test('repo readme', async ({page}) => {
   const repoName = `e2e-readme-${randomString(8)}`;
   await apiCreateRepo(page.request, {name: repoName});
   await page.goto(`/${env.GITEA_TEST_E2E_USER}/${repoName}`);
   await expect(page.locator('#readme')).toContainText(repoName);
-  await apiDeleteRepo(page.request, env.GITEA_TEST_E2E_USER, repoName);
 });
diff --git a/tests/e2e/register.test.ts b/tests/e2e/register.test.ts
index 32e0e4ca9cf..64bf72cc0a6 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/register.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/register.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import {env} from 'node:process';
 import {test, expect} from '@playwright/test';
-import {login, logout, apiDeleteUser, randomString} from './utils.ts';
+import {login, logout, randomString} from './utils.ts';
 
 test.beforeEach(async ({page}) => {
   await page.goto('/user/sign_up');
@@ -48,9 +48,6 @@ test('register then login', async ({page}) => {
   // Logout then login with the newly created account
   await logout(page);
   await login(page, username, password);
-
-  // delete via API because of issues related to form-fetch-action
-  await apiDeleteUser(page.request, username);
 });
 
 test('register with existing username shows error', async ({page}) => {
diff --git a/tests/e2e/repo.test.ts b/tests/e2e/repo.test.ts
index 981d22739d0..996fdf40295 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/repo.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/repo.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import {env} from 'node:process';
 import {test} from '@playwright/test';
-import {login, apiDeleteRepo, randomString} from './utils.ts';
+import {login, randomString} from './utils.ts';
 
 test('create a repository', async ({page}) => {
   const repoName = `e2e-repo-${randomString(8)}`;
@@ -9,5 +9,4 @@ test('create a repository', async ({page}) => {
   await page.locator('input[name="repo_name"]').fill(repoName);
   await page.getByRole('button', {name: 'Create Repository'}).click();
   await page.waitForURL(new RegExp(`/${env.GITEA_TEST_E2E_USER}/${repoName}$`));
-  await apiDeleteRepo(page.request, env.GITEA_TEST_E2E_USER, repoName);
 });
diff --git a/tests/e2e/user-settings.test.ts b/tests/e2e/user-settings.test.ts
index 412c89886a1..2a2d964abae 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/user-settings.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/user-settings.test.ts
@@ -1,20 +1,16 @@
 import {test, expect} from '@playwright/test';
-import {loginUser, apiCreateUser, apiDeleteUser, randomString} from './utils.ts';
+import {loginUser, apiCreateUser, randomString} from './utils.ts';
 
 test('update profile biography', async ({page, request}) => {
   const username = `e2e-settings-${randomString(8)}`;
   const bio = `e2e-bio-${randomString(8)}`;
   await apiCreateUser(request, username);
-  try {
-    await loginUser(page, username);
-    await page.goto('/user/settings');
-    await page.getByLabel('Biography').fill(bio);
-    await page.getByRole('button', {name: 'Update Profile'}).click();
-    await expect(page.getByLabel('Biography')).toHaveValue(bio);
-    await page.getByLabel('Biography').fill('');
-    await page.getByRole('button', {name: 'Update Profile'}).click();
-    await expect(page.getByLabel('Biography')).toHaveValue('');
-  } finally {
-    await apiDeleteUser(request, username);
-  }
+  await loginUser(page, username);
+  await page.goto('/user/settings');
+  await page.getByLabel('Biography').fill(bio);
+  await page.getByRole('button', {name: 'Update Profile'}).click();
+  await expect(page.getByLabel('Biography')).toHaveValue(bio);
+  await page.getByLabel('Biography').fill('');
+  await page.getByRole('button', {name: 'Update Profile'}).click();
+  await expect(page.getByLabel('Biography')).toHaveValue('');
 });
diff --git a/tests/e2e/utils.ts b/tests/e2e/utils.ts
index 0b00ab129a6..3f7c8ed3d15 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/utils.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/utils.ts
@@ -60,10 +60,10 @@ export async function apiStartStopwatch(requestContext: APIRequestContext, owner
   }), 'apiStartStopwatch');
 }
 
-export async function apiCreateFile(requestContext: APIRequestContext, owner: string, repo: string, filepath: string, content: string) {
+export async function apiCreateFile(requestContext: APIRequestContext, owner: string, repo: string, filepath: string, content: string, {branch, newBranch, message}: {branch?: string; newBranch?: string; message?: string} = {}) {
   await apiRetry(() => requestContext.post(`${baseUrl()}/api/v1/repos/${owner}/${repo}/contents/${filepath}`, {
     headers: apiHeaders(),
-    data: {content: globalThis.btoa(content)},
+    data: {content: Buffer.from(content, 'utf8').toString('base64'), branch, new_branch: newBranch, message},
   }), 'apiCreateFile');
 }
 
@@ -74,6 +74,28 @@ export async function apiCreateBranch(requestContext: APIRequestContext, owner:
   }), 'apiCreateBranch');
 }
 
+/** Create a PR via API. Returns the PR index for subsequent operations. */
+export async function apiCreatePR(requestContext: APIRequestContext, owner: string, repo: string, head: string, base: string, title: string, {headers}: {headers?: Record<string, string>} = {}): Promise<number> {
+  let prIndex = 0;
+  await apiRetry(async () => {
+    const response = await requestContext.post(`${baseUrl()}/api/v1/repos/${owner}/${repo}/pulls`, {
+      headers: headers || apiHeaders(),
+      data: {head, base, title},
+    });
+    if (response.ok()) prIndex = (await response.json()).number;
+    return response;
+  }, 'apiCreatePR');
+  return prIndex;
+}
+
+/** Create a review on a PR. `event: "COMMENT"` submits immediately without a pending review. */
+export async function apiCreateReview(requestContext: APIRequestContext, owner: string, repo: string, index: number, {event = 'COMMENT', body, comments = [], headers}: {event?: string; body?: string; comments?: Array<{path: string; body: string; new_position?: number; old_position?: number}>; headers?: Record<string, string>} = {}) {
+  await apiRetry(() => requestContext.post(`${baseUrl()}/api/v1/repos/${owner}/${repo}/pulls/${index}/reviews`, {
+    headers: headers || apiHeaders(),
+    data: {event, body, comments},
+  }), 'apiCreateReview');
+}
+
 export async function createProjectColumn(requestContext: APIRequestContext, owner: string, repo: string, projectID: string, title: string) {
   await apiRetry(() => requestContext.post(`${baseUrl()}/${owner}/${repo}/projects/${projectID}/columns/new`, {
     headers: apiHeaders(),
@@ -118,11 +140,12 @@ export async function loginUser(page: Page, username: string) {
 }
 
 export async function login(page: Page, username = env.GITEA_TEST_E2E_USER, password = env.GITEA_TEST_E2E_PASSWORD) {
-  await page.goto('/user/login');
-  await page.getByLabel('Username or Email Address').fill(username);
-  await page.getByLabel('Password').fill(password);
-  await page.getByRole('button', {name: 'Sign In'}).click();
-  await expect(page.getByRole('link', {name: 'Sign In'})).toBeHidden();
+  const response = await page.request.post('/user/login', {
+    form: {user_name: username, password},
+    maxRedirects: 0,
+  });
+  const status = response.status();
+  if (status !== 302 && status !== 303) throw new Error(`login as ${username} failed: HTTP ${status}`);
 }
 
 export async function assertNoJsError(page: Page) {