diff --git a/ui/src/ui/app-settings.test.ts b/ui/src/ui/app-settings.test.ts
index dd4403e65a2..c7b20510795 100644
--- a/ui/src/ui/app-settings.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/ui/app-settings.test.ts
@@ -1,19 +1,85 @@
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
-import {
-  applySettings,
-  attachThemeListener,
-  setTabFromRoute,
-  syncThemeWithSettings,
-} from "./app-settings.ts";
-import type { Tab } from "./navigation.ts";
 import type { ThemeMode, ThemeName } from "./theme.ts";
 
-type SettingsHost = Parameters<typeof setTabFromRoute>[0] & {
+type Tab =
+  | "agents"
+  | "overview"
+  | "channels"
+  | "instances"
+  | "sessions"
+  | "usage"
+  | "cron"
+  | "skills"
+  | "nodes"
+  | "chat"
+  | "config"
+  | "communications"
+  | "appearance"
+  | "automation"
+  | "infrastructure"
+  | "aiAgents"
+  | "debug"
+  | "logs";
+
+type AppSettingsModule = typeof import("./app-settings.ts");
+
+type SettingsHost = {
+  settings: {
+    gatewayUrl: string;
+    token: string;
+    sessionKey: string;
+    lastActiveSessionKey: string;
+    theme: ThemeName;
+    themeMode: ThemeMode;
+    chatFocusMode: boolean;
+    chatShowThinking: boolean;
+    splitRatio: number;
+    navCollapsed: boolean;
+    navWidth: number;
+    navGroupsCollapsed: Record<string, boolean>;
+  };
+  theme: ThemeName & ThemeMode;
   themeMode: ThemeMode;
+  themeResolved: import("./theme.ts").ResolvedTheme;
+  applySessionKey: string;
+  sessionKey: string;
+  tab: Tab;
+  connected: boolean;
+  chatHasAutoScrolled: boolean;
+  logsAtBottom: boolean;
+  eventLog: unknown[];
+  eventLogBuffer: unknown[];
+  basePath: string;
+  themeMedia: MediaQueryList | null;
+  themeMediaHandler: ((event: MediaQueryListEvent) => void) | null;
   logsPollInterval: number | null;
   debugPollInterval: number | null;
 };
 
+function createStorageMock(): Storage {
+  const store = new Map<string, string>();
+  return {
+    get length() {
+      return store.size;
+    },
+    clear() {
+      store.clear();
+    },
+    getItem(key: string) {
+      return store.get(key) ?? null;
+    },
+    key(index: number) {
+      return Array.from(store.keys())[index] ?? null;
+    },
+    removeItem(key: string) {
+      store.delete(key);
+    },
+    setItem(key: string, value: string) {
+      store.set(key, String(value));
+    },
+  };
+}
+
 const createHost = (tab: Tab): SettingsHost => ({
   settings: {
     gatewayUrl: "",
@@ -48,37 +114,50 @@ const createHost = (tab: Tab): SettingsHost => ({
 });
 
 describe("setTabFromRoute", () => {
+  let appSettings: AppSettingsModule;
+
   beforeEach(() => {
     vi.useFakeTimers();
+    vi.resetModules();
+    vi.stubGlobal("localStorage", createStorageMock());
+    vi.stubGlobal("navigator", { language: "en-US" } as Navigator);
+    vi.stubGlobal("window", {
+      setInterval,
+      clearInterval,
+    } as Window & typeof globalThis);
   });
 
   afterEach(() => {
     vi.useRealTimers();
+    vi.unstubAllGlobals();
   });
 
-  it("starts and stops log polling based on the tab", () => {
+  it("starts and stops log polling based on the tab", async () => {
+    appSettings ??= await import("./app-settings.ts");
     const host = createHost("chat");
 
-    setTabFromRoute(host, "logs");
+    appSettings.setTabFromRoute(host, "logs");
     expect(host.logsPollInterval).not.toBeNull();
     expect(host.debugPollInterval).toBeNull();
 
-    setTabFromRoute(host, "chat");
+    appSettings.setTabFromRoute(host, "chat");
     expect(host.logsPollInterval).toBeNull();
   });
 
-  it("starts and stops debug polling based on the tab", () => {
+  it("starts and stops debug polling based on the tab", async () => {
+    appSettings ??= await import("./app-settings.ts");
     const host = createHost("chat");
 
-    setTabFromRoute(host, "debug");
+    appSettings.setTabFromRoute(host, "debug");
     expect(host.debugPollInterval).not.toBeNull();
     expect(host.logsPollInterval).toBeNull();
 
-    setTabFromRoute(host, "chat");
+    appSettings.setTabFromRoute(host, "chat");
     expect(host.debugPollInterval).toBeNull();
   });
 
-  it("re-resolves the active palette when only themeMode changes", () => {
+  it("re-resolves the active palette when only themeMode changes", async () => {
+    appSettings ??= await import("./app-settings.ts");
     const host = createHost("chat");
     host.settings.theme = "knot";
     host.settings.themeMode = "dark";
@@ -86,7 +165,7 @@ describe("setTabFromRoute", () => {
     host.themeMode = "dark";
     host.themeResolved = "openknot";
 
-    applySettings(host, {
+    appSettings.applySettings(host, {
       ...host.settings,
       themeMode: "light",
     });
@@ -96,19 +175,21 @@ describe("setTabFromRoute", () => {
     expect(host.themeResolved).toBe("openknot-light");
   });
 
-  it("syncs both theme family and mode from persisted settings", () => {
+  it("syncs both theme family and mode from persisted settings", async () => {
+    appSettings ??= await import("./app-settings.ts");
     const host = createHost("chat");
     host.settings.theme = "dash";
     host.settings.themeMode = "light";
 
-    syncThemeWithSettings(host);
+    appSettings.syncThemeWithSettings(host);
 
     expect(host.theme).toBe("dash");
     expect(host.themeMode).toBe("light");
     expect(host.themeResolved).toBe("dash-light");
   });
 
-  it("applies named system themes on OS preference changes", () => {
+  it("applies named system themes on OS preference changes", async () => {
+    appSettings ??= await import("./app-settings.ts");
     const listeners: Array<(event: MediaQueryListEvent) => void> = [];
     const matchMedia = vi.fn().mockReturnValue({
       matches: false,
@@ -118,12 +199,17 @@ describe("setTabFromRoute", () => {
       removeEventListener: vi.fn(),
     });
     vi.stubGlobal("matchMedia", matchMedia);
+    vi.stubGlobal("window", {
+      setInterval,
+      clearInterval,
+      matchMedia,
+    } as Window & typeof globalThis);
 
     const host = createHost("chat");
     host.theme = "knot" as unknown as ThemeName & ThemeMode;
     host.themeMode = "system";
 
-    attachThemeListener(host);
+    appSettings.attachThemeListener(host);
     listeners[0]?.({ matches: true } as MediaQueryListEvent);
     expect(host.themeResolved).toBe("openknot");
 
diff --git a/ui/src/ui/navigation-groups.test.ts b/ui/src/ui/navigation-groups.test.ts
index 2e2bb58e58d..43ee2db66a4 100644
--- a/ui/src/ui/navigation-groups.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/ui/navigation-groups.test.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,56 @@
-import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-import { TAB_GROUPS } from "./navigation.ts";
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+type NavigationModule = typeof import("./navigation.ts");
+
+function createStorageMock(): Storage {
+  const store = new Map<string, string>();
+  return {
+    get length() {
+      return store.size;
+    },
+    clear() {
+      store.clear();
+    },
+    getItem(key: string) {
+      return store.get(key) ?? null;
+    },
+    key(index: number) {
+      return Array.from(store.keys())[index] ?? null;
+    },
+    removeItem(key: string) {
+      store.delete(key);
+    },
+    setItem(key: string, value: string) {
+      store.set(key, String(value));
+    },
+  };
+}
 
 describe("TAB_GROUPS", () => {
+  let navigation: NavigationModule;
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    vi.resetModules();
+    vi.stubGlobal("localStorage", createStorageMock());
+    vi.stubGlobal("navigator", { language: "en-US" } as Navigator);
+    navigation = await import("./navigation.ts");
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.unstubAllGlobals();
+  });
+
   it("does not expose unfinished settings slices in the sidebar", () => {
-    const settings = TAB_GROUPS.find((group) => group.label === "settings");
+    const settings = navigation.TAB_GROUPS.find((group) => group.label === "settings");
     expect(settings?.tabs).toEqual(["config", "debug", "logs"]);
   });
+
+  it("does not route directly into unfinished settings slices", () => {
+    expect(navigation.tabFromPath("/communications")).toBeNull();
+    expect(navigation.tabFromPath("/appearance")).toBeNull();
+    expect(navigation.tabFromPath("/automation")).toBeNull();
+    expect(navigation.tabFromPath("/infrastructure")).toBeNull();
+    expect(navigation.tabFromPath("/ai-agents")).toBeNull();
+    expect(navigation.tabFromPath("/config")).toBe("config");
+  });
 });
diff --git a/ui/src/ui/navigation.ts b/ui/src/ui/navigation.ts
index 2945560af62..a721982954e 100644
--- a/ui/src/ui/navigation.ts
+++ b/ui/src/ui/navigation.ts
@@ -55,7 +55,19 @@ const TAB_PATHS: Record<Tab, string> = {
   logs: "/logs",
 };
 
-const PATH_TO_TAB = new Map(Object.entries(TAB_PATHS).map(([tab, path]) => [path, tab as Tab]));
+const HIDDEN_SETTINGS_TABS = new Set<Tab>([
+  "communications",
+  "appearance",
+  "automation",
+  "infrastructure",
+  "aiAgents",
+]);
+
+const PATH_TO_TAB = new Map(
+  Object.entries(TAB_PATHS)
+    .filter(([tab]) => !HIDDEN_SETTINGS_TABS.has(tab as Tab))
+    .map(([tab, path]) => [path, tab as Tab]),
+);
 
 export function normalizeBasePath(basePath: string): string {
   if (!basePath) {