diff --git a/docs/help/testing.md b/docs/help/testing.md
index 485d89176b..6b22cd5dc4 100644
--- a/docs/help/testing.md
+++ b/docs/help/testing.md
@@ -62,6 +62,13 @@ Think of the suites as “increasing realism” (and increasing flakiness/cost):
 - Command: `pnpm test:e2e`
 - Config: `vitest.e2e.config.ts`
 - Files: `src/**/*.e2e.test.ts`
+- Runtime defaults:
+  - Uses Vitest `vmForks` for faster file startup.
+  - Uses adaptive workers (CI: 2-4, local: 4-8).
+  - Runs in silent mode by default to reduce console I/O overhead.
+- Useful overrides:
+  - `OPENCLAW_E2E_WORKERS=<n>` to force worker count (capped at 16).
+  - `OPENCLAW_E2E_VERBOSE=1` to re-enable verbose console output.
 - Scope:
   - Multi-instance gateway end-to-end behavior
   - WebSocket/HTTP surfaces, node pairing, and heavier networking
diff --git a/docs/reference/test.md b/docs/reference/test.md
index 651b739572..ad22d7bc8e 100644
--- a/docs/reference/test.md
+++ b/docs/reference/test.md
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ title: "Tests"
 - `pnpm test:force`: Kills any lingering gateway process holding the default control port, then runs the full Vitest suite with an isolated gateway port so server tests don’t collide with a running instance. Use this when a prior gateway run left port 18789 occupied.
 - `pnpm test:coverage`: Runs Vitest with V8 coverage. Global thresholds are 70% lines/branches/functions/statements. Coverage excludes integration-heavy entrypoints (CLI wiring, gateway/telegram bridges, webchat static server) to keep the target focused on unit-testable logic.
 - `pnpm test` on Node 24+: OpenClaw auto-disables Vitest `vmForks` and uses `forks` to avoid `ERR_VM_MODULE_LINK_FAILURE` / `module is already linked`. You can force behavior with `OPENCLAW_TEST_VM_FORKS=0|1`.
-- `pnpm test:e2e`: Runs gateway end-to-end smoke tests (multi-instance WS/HTTP/node pairing).
+- `pnpm test:e2e`: Runs gateway end-to-end smoke tests (multi-instance WS/HTTP/node pairing). Defaults to `vmForks` + adaptive workers in `vitest.e2e.config.ts`; tune with `OPENCLAW_E2E_WORKERS=<n>` and set `OPENCLAW_E2E_VERBOSE=1` for verbose logs.
 - `pnpm test:live`: Runs provider live tests (minimax/zai). Requires API keys and `LIVE=1` (or provider-specific `*_LIVE_TEST=1`) to unskip.
 
 ## Model latency bench (local keys)
diff --git a/vitest.e2e.config.ts b/vitest.e2e.config.ts
index da382ce6fe..0e395202a6 100644
--- a/vitest.e2e.config.ts
+++ b/vitest.e2e.config.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,15 @@ import baseConfig from "./vitest.config.ts";
 
 const isCI = process.env.CI === "true" || process.env.GITHUB_ACTIONS === "true";
 const cpuCount = os.cpus().length;
-const e2eWorkers = isCI ? 2 : Math.min(4, Math.max(1, Math.floor(cpuCount * 0.25)));
+const defaultWorkers = isCI
+  ? Math.min(4, Math.max(2, Math.floor(cpuCount * 0.5)))
+  : Math.min(8, Math.max(4, Math.floor(cpuCount * 0.6)));
+const requestedWorkers = Number.parseInt(process.env.OPENCLAW_E2E_WORKERS ?? "", 10);
+const e2eWorkers =
+  Number.isFinite(requestedWorkers) && requestedWorkers > 0
+    ? Math.min(16, requestedWorkers)
+    : defaultWorkers;
+const verboseE2E = process.env.OPENCLAW_E2E_VERBOSE === "1";
 
 const baseTest = (baseConfig as { test?: { exclude?: string[] } }).test ?? {};
 const exclude = (baseTest.exclude ?? []).filter((p) => p !== "**/*.e2e.test.ts");
@@ -13,7 +21,9 @@ export default defineConfig({
   ...baseConfig,
   test: {
     ...baseTest,
+    pool: "vmForks",
     maxWorkers: e2eWorkers,
+    silent: !verboseE2E,
     include: ["test/**/*.e2e.test.ts", "src/**/*.e2e.test.ts"],
     exclude,
   },