diff --git a/tests/runner-e2e/playwright.config.ts b/tests/runner-e2e/playwright.config.ts
index 13365db287e..6a89e8f60ef 100644
--- a/tests/runner-e2e/playwright.config.ts
+++ b/tests/runner-e2e/playwright.config.ts
@@ -62,7 +62,12 @@ export default defineConfig({
     actionTimeout: 30_000,
     navigationTimeout: 30_000,
     screenshot: process.env.PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_E2E_PUBLIC_MCP === "1" ? "off" : "only-on-failure",
-    trace: process.env.PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_E2E_PUBLIC_MCP === "1" ? "off" : "retain-on-failure",
+    // Keep DOM snapshots and network, but not the trace's own screencast: a
+    // long chat attempt with a live run indicator streamed thousands of JPEG
+    // frames (incompressible), pushing failure evidence past the 256 MB private
+    // allowance so no evidence survived. The retained failure video still
+    // records the visual timeline.
+    trace: process.env.PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_E2E_PUBLIC_MCP === "1" ? "off" : { mode: "retain-on-failure", screenshots: false },
     // A developer-supplied system Chromium keeps the local smoke loop
     // installation-free; CI's managed browser retains failure video as usual.
     video: chromiumExecutable || process.env.PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_E2E_PUBLIC_MCP === "1" ? "off" : "retain-on-failure",