diff --git a/examples/tui-agent/tests/tui-keyless-smoke.e2e.ts b/examples/tui-agent/tests/tui-keyless-smoke.e2e.ts
index cd5f83e4e3..094d8549c0 100644
--- a/examples/tui-agent/tests/tui-keyless-smoke.e2e.ts
+++ b/examples/tui-agent/tests/tui-keyless-smoke.e2e.ts
@@ -355,18 +355,23 @@ describe('dsh CLI keyless smoke (apps/cli through the same PTY)', () => {
     expect(output).toContain('\u001B[?2004l')
   }, LOADER_SMOKE_TEST_TIMEOUT_MS)
 
-  it('applies the personal overlay: config.yaml patches the tree and .env feeds its !!js', async () => {
-    // The whole personal-config chain in one boot: the personal .env supplies
-    // the variable, config.yaml patches the tui-agent entry with a `!!js`
-    // reference to it, and the banner renders the patched welcome verbatim.
+  it('applies the personal overlay: config.yaml patches the tree, the invoking directory\'s .env feeds its !!js, and the home .env stays out of the environment', async () => {
+    // The whole personal-config chain in one boot, plus the environment layer
+    // it deliberately excludes. The single `!!js` expression prefers the
+    // personal variable, so the patched welcome can only render the project
+    // value when the harness home's .env — the credential store of
+    // `dsh-credentials-local` — is NOT hoisted into `process.env`; hoisting it
+    // would make every stored key read as a read-only launch override on the
+    // next run and hand it to every subprocess the agent starts.
     const output = await smoke({
       label: 'dsh personal overlay',
       tempDirPrefix: 'dsh-personal-overlay-',
       binScript: dshBinScript,
       configArgs: [],
       prepare: seedWorkspace({
+        workspace: { '.env': 'DSH_PROJECT_WELCOME=PROJECT OVERLAY READY.\n' },
         personal: {
-          '.env': 'DSH_PERSONAL_WELCOME=PERSONAL OVERLAY READY.\n',
+          '.env': 'DSH_PERSONAL_WELCOME=HOME ENV LEAKED.\n',
           'config.yaml': [
             '- id: tui-agent',
             "  name: '@deepseek-ai/dsh-tui-demo'",
@@ -374,14 +379,15 @@ describe('dsh CLI keyless smoke (apps/cli through the same PTY)', () => {
             '    provider: deepseek',
             '    model: deepseek-v4-flash',
             '    workspaceContext: false',
-            '    welcome: !!js process.env.DSH_PERSONAL_WELCOME',
+            '    welcome: !!js process.env.DSH_PERSONAL_WELCOME ?? process.env.DSH_PROJECT_WELCOME',
             '',
           ].join('\n'),
         },
       }),
-      actions: [{ waitFor: 'PERSONAL OVERLAY READY.', send: '/exit\r' }],
+      actions: [{ waitFor: 'PROJECT OVERLAY READY.', send: '/exit\r' }],
     })
-    expect(output).toContain('PERSONAL OVERLAY READY.')
+    expect(output).toContain('PROJECT OVERLAY READY.')
+    expect(output).not.toContain('HOME ENV LEAKED.')
     expect(output).toContain('\u001B[?2004l')
   }, LOADER_SMOKE_TEST_TIMEOUT_MS)