diff --git a/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/DocumentPiPPortal.tsx b/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/DocumentPiPPortal.tsx
index fd0e21ac..246ba2a2 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/DocumentPiPPortal.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/features/pip/components/DocumentPiPPortal.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { useDocumentPiP } from '../hooks/useDocumentPiP'
 import { useScreenReaderAnnounce } from '@/hooks/useScreenReaderAnnounce'
 import { useRestoreFocus } from '@/hooks/useRestoreFocus'
 import { UNSAFE_PortalProvider } from '@react-aria/overlays'
+import { VisualOnlyTooltipsContext } from '@/primitives/VisualOnlyTooltipsContext'
 
 // Minimal base styles so the PiP window renders correctly on first paint.
 const ensureBaseStyles = (target: Document) => {
@@ -224,7 +225,9 @@ export const DocumentPiPPortal = ({
     if (!container) return null
     return createPortal(
       <UNSAFE_PortalProvider getContainer={() => container}>
-        {children}
+        <VisualOnlyTooltipsContext.Provider value={true}>
+          {children}
+        </VisualOnlyTooltipsContext.Provider>
       </UNSAFE_PortalProvider>,
       container
     )
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/primitives/Menu.tsx b/src/frontend/src/primitives/Menu.tsx
index f0fe5f59..873782ee 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/primitives/Menu.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/primitives/Menu.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,8 @@
-import { ReactNode, useMemo } from 'react'
+import { ReactNode } from 'react'
 import { MenuTrigger } from 'react-aria-components'
 import { StyledPopover } from './Popover'
 import { Box } from './Box'
-import {
-  useOverlayBoundaryElement,
-  useOverlayPortalContainer,
-} from './useOverlayPortalContainer'
+import { useOverlayBoundaryElement } from './useOverlayPortalContainer'
 
 /**
  * a Menu is a tuple of a trigger component (most usually a Button) that toggles menu items in a tooltip around the trigger
@@ -15,33 +12,22 @@ import {
 export const Menu = ({
   children,
   variant = 'light',
-  placement,
+  placement = 'top',
+  shouldFlip,
 }: {
   children: [trigger: ReactNode, menu: ReactNode]
   variant?: 'dark' | 'light'
   placement?: 'bottom' | 'top' | 'left' | 'right'
+  shouldFlip?: boolean
 }) => {
   const [trigger, menu] = children
   const boundaryElement = useOverlayBoundaryElement()
-  const portalContainer = useOverlayPortalContainer()
-
-  // Detect if we're in PiP: portal container is in a different document than the main window
-  const isInPiP = useMemo(
-    () =>
-      !!portalContainer?.ownerDocument &&
-      portalContainer.ownerDocument !== document,
-    [portalContainer]
-  )
-
-  // Default placement: 'bottom' in PiP, 'top' elsewhere (to match existing behavior)
-  const defaultPlacement = isInPiP ? 'bottom' : 'top'
-  const shouldFlip = isInPiP ? false : undefined
 
   return (
     <MenuTrigger>
       {trigger}
       <StyledPopover
-        placement={placement ?? defaultPlacement}
+        placement={placement}
         shouldFlip={shouldFlip}
         boundaryElement={boundaryElement}
       >
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/primitives/TooltipWrapper.tsx b/src/frontend/src/primitives/TooltipWrapper.tsx
index 0e4f252b..a8143070 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/primitives/TooltipWrapper.tsx
+++ b/src/frontend/src/primitives/TooltipWrapper.tsx
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ import {
   type TooltipProps,
 } from 'react-aria-components'
 import { styled } from '@/styled-system/jsx'
-import { useOverlayPortalContainer } from './useOverlayPortalContainer'
 import { VisualOnlyTooltip } from './VisualOnlyTooltip'
+import { useVisualOnlyTooltips } from './VisualOnlyTooltipsContext'
 
 export type TooltipWrapperProps = {
   tooltip?: string
@@ -29,28 +29,23 @@ export const TooltipWrapper = ({
 }: {
   children: ReactElement
 } & TooltipWrapperProps) => {
-  const portalContainer = useOverlayPortalContainer()
-  const isExternalDocument =
-    !!portalContainer?.ownerDocument &&
-    portalContainer.ownerDocument !== document
+  const visualOnly = useVisualOnlyTooltips()
+  const tooltipDelay =
+    tooltipType === 'instant'
+      ? INSTANT_TOOLTIP_DELAY_MS
+      : DELAYED_TOOLTIP_DELAY_MS
 
-  return tooltip ? (
-    isExternalDocument ? (
-      <VisualOnlyTooltip tooltip={tooltip}>{children}</VisualOnlyTooltip>
-    ) : (
-      <TooltipTrigger
-        delay={
-          tooltipType === 'instant'
-            ? INSTANT_TOOLTIP_DELAY_MS
-            : DELAYED_TOOLTIP_DELAY_MS
-        }
-      >
-        {children}
-        <Tooltip>{tooltip}</Tooltip>
-      </TooltipTrigger>
-    )
-  ) : (
-    children
+  if (!tooltip) return children
+
+  if (visualOnly) {
+    return <VisualOnlyTooltip tooltip={tooltip}>{children}</VisualOnlyTooltip>
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <TooltipTrigger delay={tooltipDelay}>
+      {children}
+      <Tooltip>{tooltip}</Tooltip>
+    </TooltipTrigger>
   )
 }
 
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/primitives/VisualOnlyTooltipsContext.tsx b/src/frontend/src/primitives/VisualOnlyTooltipsContext.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..579c7638
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/frontend/src/primitives/VisualOnlyTooltipsContext.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+import { createContext, useContext } from 'react'
+
+/**
+ * When true, tooltips render as visual-only (no aria-describedby).
+ * Provided by surfaces where React Aria TooltipTrigger doesn't work
+ * correctly (e.g. cross-document portals).
+ */
+export const VisualOnlyTooltipsContext = createContext(false)
+
+export const useVisualOnlyTooltips = () =>
+  useContext(VisualOnlyTooltipsContext)