diff --git a/ui/frontend/src/sync/order-draft.svelte.ts b/ui/frontend/src/sync/order-draft.svelte.ts
index d1b8b26..debfc01 100644
--- a/ui/frontend/src/sync/order-draft.svelte.ts
+++ b/ui/frontend/src/sync/order-draft.svelte.ts
@@ -131,6 +131,14 @@ export class OrderDraftStore {
 	}): Promise<void> {
 		if (this.status !== "ready") return;
 		this.client = opts.client;
+		// Guard against placeholder game ids the Phase 10 e2e specs
+		// still use — auto-sync needs a real UUID for the FBS request
+		// envelope, and a parser exception here would only be visible
+		// as a noisy `console.warn` deep in the layout boot path.
+		if (!isUuid(this.gameId)) {
+			this.syncStatus = "idle";
+			return;
+		}
 		this.syncStatus = "syncing";
 		this.syncError = null;
 		try {
@@ -232,6 +240,9 @@ export class OrderDraftStore {
 
 	private scheduleSync(): void {
 		if (this.client === null) return;
+		// Same UUID guard as `hydrateFromServer` — placeholder game
+		// ids in test fixtures must not blow up the auto-sync path.
+		if (!isUuid(this.gameId)) return;
 		if (this.syncing !== null) {
 			this.pending = true;
 			return;
@@ -379,6 +390,12 @@ export class OrderDraftStore {
 	}
 }
 
+const UUID_RE = /^[0-9a-f]{8}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{12}$/i;
+
+function isUuid(value: string): boolean {
+	return UUID_RE.test(value);
+}
+
 function validateCommand(cmd: OrderCommand): CommandStatus {
 	switch (cmd.kind) {
 		case "planetRename":
diff --git a/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/game-shell.spec.ts b/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/game-shell.spec.ts
index 65751d1..4aa9c12 100644
--- a/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/game-shell.spec.ts
+++ b/ui/frontend/tests/e2e/game-shell.spec.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 // Phase 10 end-to-end coverage for the in-game shell. Every spec
-// boots an authenticated session through `/__debug/store` (no
-// gateway calls — the shell makes none in Phase 10), navigates into
-// `/games/test-shell/map`, and exercises one slice of the chrome:
+// boots an authenticated session through `/__debug/store` (the
+// in-game shell makes a handful of gateway calls — for the lobby
+// record, the report, and the order read-back; we don't mock them
+// here, the shell tolerates ECONNREFUSED), navigates into
+// `/games/<game-id>/map`, and exercises one slice of the chrome:
 // header navigation, sidebar tab preservation, mobile bottom-tabs,
 // and the breakpoint switches at 768 / 1024 px.
 
@@ -14,7 +16,10 @@ import { expect, test, type Page } from "@playwright/test";
 // `setDeviceSessionId`); the merged global declaration covers both.
 
 const SESSION_ID = "phase-10-shell-session";
-const GAME_ID = "test-shell";
+// GAME_ID has to be a real UUID — Phase 14's auto-sync calls
+// `uuidToHiLo` on it for the FBS request envelope, and an
+// arbitrary string would throw on every layout boot.
+const GAME_ID = "10101010-1010-1010-1010-101010101010";
 
 async function bootShell(page: Page): Promise<void> {
 	await page.goto("/__debug/store");