diff --git a/backend/__tests__/integration/productUsagePg.test.js b/backend/__tests__/integration/productUsagePg.test.js
index 34fa206f..ea4e3835 100644
--- a/backend/__tests__/integration/productUsagePg.test.js
+++ b/backend/__tests__/integration/productUsagePg.test.js
@@ -27,12 +27,25 @@ maybe('product usage on Postgres', () => {
   let UsageService;
 
   beforeAll(async () => {
-    db = knex({ client: 'pg', connection: PG_URL, pool: { min: 0, max: 10 } });
-    for (const t of ['product_usage_markers', 'product_usage_state', 'app_settings',
-      'feature_flags', 'events', 'css_templates', 'email_configs',
-      'mail_accounts', 'whatsapp_configs']) {
-      await db.raw(`DROP TABLE IF EXISTS ${t} CASCADE`);
-    }
+    // Its own schema, not `public`. CI hands every gated suite the same
+    // PICPEAK_PG_TEST_URL and runs jest with parallel workers, and both
+    // picpeakRestorePg and externalRelpathFoldPg drop and recreate `events`
+    // and `app_settings` there. Sharing that would have made all three
+    // intermittently destroy each other's fixtures. The service queries
+    // unqualified table names, so a searchPath keeps it entirely in here.
+    const bootstrap = knex({
+      client: 'pg', connection: PG_URL, pool: { min: 0, max: 2 }
+    });
+    await bootstrap.raw('DROP SCHEMA IF EXISTS usage_pg_test CASCADE');
+    await bootstrap.raw('CREATE SCHEMA usage_pg_test');
+    await bootstrap.destroy();
+
+    db = knex({
+      client: 'pg',
+      connection: PG_URL,
+      searchPath: ['usage_pg_test'],
+      pool: { min: 0, max: 10 }
+    });
     // The real migrations, on the real engine.
     await require('../../migrations/core/201_product_usage').up(db);
     await require('../../migrations/core/202_product_usage_cancel_requested').up(db);
@@ -61,7 +74,10 @@ maybe('product usage on Postgres', () => {
   }, 120000);
 
   afterAll(async () => {
-    if (db) await db.destroy();
+    if (db) {
+      await db.raw('DROP SCHEMA IF EXISTS usage_pg_test CASCADE');
+      await db.destroy();
+    }
     fs.rmSync(bindingDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
   });
 
diff --git a/backend/src/middleware/productUsage.js b/backend/src/middleware/productUsage.js
index a8d41c14..853a74e5 100644
--- a/backend/src/middleware/productUsage.js
+++ b/backend/src/middleware/productUsage.js
@@ -3,6 +3,14 @@
 // identifiers, paths, timing, or counts are retained or sent.
 const service = require('../services/productUsageService');
 const logger = require('../utils/logger');
+// Mirrors emailWebhookTransport: the webhook is in play only when both are
+// set, which is when adminEmail routes the test send through it.
+const webhookTransportConfigured = () =>
+  Boolean(
+    (process.env.EMAIL_WEBHOOK_URL || '').trim() &&
+      (process.env.EMAIL_WEBHOOK_SECRET || '').trim()
+  );
+
 const RULES = [
   [/^\/customers(?:\/|$)/, ['crm']],
   [/^\/quotes(?:\/|$)/, ['crm', 'crm_quotes']],
@@ -38,9 +46,14 @@ function productUsage(req, res, next) {
   const pathname = req.path;
   res.once('finish', () => {
     if (!req.admin?.id || res.statusCode < 200 || res.statusCode >= 300) return;
-    const features = RULES.filter(([pattern]) =>
+    let features = RULES.filter(([pattern]) =>
       pattern.test(pathname)
     ).flatMap(([, keys]) => keys);
+    // A webhook-only install sends /email/test through the webhook transport
+    // and never touches SMTP (adminEmail.js has an explicit path for it,
+    // #1225), so recording smtp here would permanently misclassify it.
+    if (features.includes('smtp') && webhookTransportConfigured())
+      features = features.filter((f) => f !== 'smtp');
     if (
       process.env.STORAGE_BACKEND === 's3' &&
       /^\/(?:photos|events)\/[^/]+\/upload(?:\/|$)/.test(pathname)
diff --git a/backend/src/usage/UsageService.js b/backend/src/usage/UsageService.js
index c87584e7..2e8bd11f 100644
--- a/backend/src/usage/UsageService.js
+++ b/backend/src/usage/UsageService.js
@@ -474,17 +474,26 @@ class UsageService {
           update.last_packet = JSON.stringify(envelope);
           update.last_report_date = packet.payload.report_date;
         }
-        await this.db('product_usage_state')
-          .where({ id: 1 })
-          .whereNot({ status: 'deletion_pending' })
-          .update(update);
+        // Activation goes in with the acknowledgement, not after it. Split
+        // across two writes, a failure or a stop between them left the row
+        // `activation_pending` with pending_packet already cleared — and
+        // tick() has nothing to retry from there, so the installation was
+        // registered with the collector but permanently stuck locally.
+        // Still guarded on activation_pending, so a withdrawal that arrived
+        // first is not overwritten.
+        const ack = this.db('product_usage_state').where({ id: 1 });
+        if (packet.action === 'register') {
+          update.status = 'active';
+          // Precisely activation_pending, not merely "not withdrawing" —
+          // this write is the one that turns participation on.
+          ack.where({ status: 'activation_pending' });
+        } else {
+          ack.whereNot({ status: 'deletion_pending' });
+        }
+        await ack.update(update);
         await this.db('product_usage_state')
           .where({ id: 1, status: 'deletion_pending' })
           .update({ sequence: packet.sequence, pending_packet: null });
-        if (packet.action === 'register')
-          await this.db('product_usage_state')
-            .where({ id: 1, status: 'activation_pending' })
-            .update({ status: 'active' });
       }
       return receipt;
     } catch (error) {