diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index d8682592..4be24aea 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -217,11 +217,6 @@ jobs:
         needs.filter.outputs.ci == 'true'
       ) &&
       (needs.build-lint.result == 'success' || needs.build-lint.result == 'skipped')
-    strategy:
-      matrix:
-        include:
-          - version: '58'
-          - version: '57'
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
diff --git a/apps/AndroidApp/e2e/jest.config.expo56.cjs b/apps/AndroidApp/e2e/jest.config.expo58.cjs
similarity index 100%
rename from apps/AndroidApp/e2e/jest.config.expo56.cjs
rename to apps/AndroidApp/e2e/jest.config.expo58.cjs
diff --git a/gradle-plugins/react/brownfield/build.gradle.kts b/gradle-plugins/react/brownfield/build.gradle.kts
index b73354d7..032bb973 100644
--- a/gradle-plugins/react/brownfield/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/gradle-plugins/react/brownfield/build.gradle.kts
@@ -103,14 +103,28 @@ repositories {
     google()
 }
 
+// AGP for GradleRunner.withPluginClasspath(), which only sees runtime dependencies, so TestKit
+// projects can still apply com.android.library
+val testKitPluginClasspath: Configuration by configurations.creating
+
 dependencies {
-    implementation(libs.agp)
-    implementation(libs.common)
+    // AGP is provided by the consuming app's build. Declaring it as `implementation` puts it on the
+    // app's buildscript classpath, where it wins version resolution and forces this AGP (and its minimum
+    // Gradle version) onto the app
+    compileOnly(libs.agp)
+    compileOnly(libs.common)
     implementation(libs.asm.commons)
     implementation(libs.versioncompare)
+    testImplementation(libs.agp)
+    testImplementation(libs.common)
     testImplementation(libs.junit.jupiter)
     testImplementation(gradleTestKit())
     testImplementation(kotlin("test"))
+    testKitPluginClasspath(libs.agp)
+}
+
+tasks.pluginUnderTestMetadata {
+    pluginClasspath.from(testKitPluginClasspath)
 }
 
 tasks.test {
diff --git a/gradle-plugins/react/brownfield/gradle/libs.versions.toml b/gradle-plugins/react/brownfield/gradle/libs.versions.toml
index 6ce14827..e117de2d 100644
--- a/gradle-plugins/react/brownfield/gradle/libs.versions.toml
+++ b/gradle-plugins/react/brownfield/gradle/libs.versions.toml
@@ -2,8 +2,10 @@
 kotlinJvm = "2.2.21"
 ktlint = "12.1.1"
 detekt = "1.23.7"
-agp = "9.2.1"
-common = "32.2.0"
+# Compile against the oldest supported AGP: AGP is compileOnly, so the app provides it at runtime,
+# and a plugin built against AGP 9 fails on AGP 8 apps (e.g. Expo 57) with NoClassDefFoundError
+agp = "8.5.2"
+common = "31.2.2" # do not bump it for now, as it throws an error for incompatible AGP used
 asm-commons = "9.7"
 versioncompare = "1.5.0"
 junit = "5.11.4"