diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
index aa545ada..1dee405d 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -51,6 +51,10 @@ jobs:
         run: npm run lint
       - name: Test
         run: npm test
+      - name: Install browser smoke dependency
+        run: command -v chromium >/dev/null || (sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends chromium)
+      - name: Browser smoke test
+        run: npm run test:browser
       - name: Verify generated assets
         run: npm run verify-generated
 
diff --git a/container/Containerfile b/container/Containerfile
index 1e5b62ca..86f4f292 100644
--- a/container/Containerfile
+++ b/container/Containerfile
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive \
 RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
         ca-certificates curl xz-utils git sudo pipx \
         build-essential pkg-config cmake clang libclang-dev \
-        libopus-dev libasound2-dev libsoapysdr-dev \
+        libopus-dev libasound2-dev libsoapysdr-dev chromium \
     && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
 # Node.js (JS-based actions need node in PATH under the host executor).
diff --git a/src/trx-client/trx-frontend/trx-frontend-http/frontend/package-lock.json b/src/trx-client/trx-frontend/trx-frontend-http/frontend/package-lock.json
index b9470a7a..8b062dd4 100644
--- a/src/trx-client/trx-frontend/trx-frontend-http/frontend/package-lock.json
+++ b/src/trx-client/trx-frontend/trx-frontend-http/frontend/package-lock.json
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
         "esbuild": "0.25.12",
         "eslint": "9.39.2",
         "globals": "16.5.0",
+        "playwright-core": "1.62.1",
         "typescript": "5.9.3",
         "typescript-eslint": "8.51.0"
       },
@@ -1763,6 +1764,19 @@
         "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/jonschlinkert"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/playwright-core": {
+      "version": "1.62.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/playwright-core/-/playwright-core-1.62.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-wPYSwEBJY9GHraISXqyqtx0na0LpO3XEX7jNDhntbex7tzUS7kLnZsOlFruFJB4Hi/rhDMjXGqHewDZ68nYZVw==",
+      "dev": true,
+      "license": "Apache-2.0",
+      "bin": {
+        "playwright-core": "cli.js"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=20"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/prelude-ls": {
       "version": "1.2.1",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/prelude-ls/-/prelude-ls-1.2.1.tgz",
diff --git a/src/trx-client/trx-frontend/trx-frontend-http/frontend/package.json b/src/trx-client/trx-frontend/trx-frontend-http/frontend/package.json
index 2b8ca171..ccb5e9f0 100644
--- a/src/trx-client/trx-frontend/trx-frontend-http/frontend/package.json
+++ b/src/trx-client/trx-frontend/trx-frontend-http/frontend/package.json
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
     "typecheck": "tsc --project tsconfig.json && tsc --project tsconfig.worker.json",
     "lint": "eslint \"src/**/*.ts\" \"tests/**/*.mjs\" build.mjs --no-error-on-unmatched-pattern",
     "test": "node --test tests/*.test.mjs",
+    "test:browser": "node tests/browser-smoke.mjs",
     "verify-generated": "npm run generate-types && npm run build && git diff --exit-code -- ../assets/web/generated src/api/generated.ts"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
@@ -20,6 +21,7 @@
     "esbuild": "0.25.12",
     "eslint": "9.39.2",
     "globals": "16.5.0",
+    "playwright-core": "1.62.1",
     "typescript": "5.9.3",
     "typescript-eslint": "8.51.0"
   }
diff --git a/src/trx-client/trx-frontend/trx-frontend-http/frontend/tests/browser-smoke.mjs b/src/trx-client/trx-frontend/trx-frontend-http/frontend/tests/browser-smoke.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bd242766
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/trx-client/trx-frontend/trx-frontend-http/frontend/tests/browser-smoke.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Stan Grams <sjg@haxx.space>
+//
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0-or-later
+
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { readFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import http from "node:http";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { chromium } from "playwright-core";
+
+const frontendDir = path.dirname(path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)));
+const webDir = path.resolve(frontendDir, "../assets/web");
+const generatedDir = path.join(webDir, "generated");
+
+const jsonRoutes = new Map([
+  ["/auth/session", { authenticated: true, role: "control", auth_disabled: true }],
+  ["/decoders", []],
+  ["/rigs", { rigs: [], active_remote: null }],
+  ["/bandplan.json", {}],
+  ["/api/recorder/status", []],
+  ["/api/recorder/files", []],
+]);
+
+const contentTypes = new Map([
+  [".css", "text/css; charset=utf-8"],
+  [".html", "text/html; charset=utf-8"],
+  [".js", "application/javascript; charset=utf-8"],
+  [".json", "application/json; charset=utf-8"],
+  [".png", "image/png"],
+  [".woff2", "font/woff2"],
+]);
+
+function assetPath(urlPath) {
+  if (urlPath === "/") return path.join(webDir, "index.html");
+  if (urlPath.startsWith("/vendor/")) return path.join(webDir, urlPath);
+  const generated = path.join(generatedDir, path.basename(urlPath));
+  if (urlPath.endsWith(".js")) return generated;
+  return path.join(webDir, urlPath);
+}
+
+const server = http.createServer(async (request, response) => {
+  const url = new URL(request.url ?? "/", "http://127.0.0.1");
+  if (jsonRoutes.has(url.pathname)) {
+    response.writeHead(200, { "content-type": "application/json" });
+    response.end(JSON.stringify(jsonRoutes.get(url.pathname)));
+    return;
+  }
+  if (url.pathname === "/audio") {
+    response.writeHead(404).end();
+    return;
+  }
+  if (["/events", "/decode", "/spectrum", "/meter"].includes(url.pathname)) {
+    response.writeHead(200, {
+      "cache-control": "no-cache",
+      connection: "keep-alive",
+      "content-type": "text/event-stream",
+    });
+    response.write(": browser smoke stream\n\n");
+    return;
+  }
+  try {
+    const file = assetPath(url.pathname);
+    const bytes = await readFile(file);
+    response.writeHead(200, {
+      "content-type": contentTypes.get(path.extname(file)) ?? "application/octet-stream",
+    });
+    response.end(bytes);
+  } catch {
+    response.writeHead(404).end();
+  }
+});
+
+await new Promise((resolve) => server.listen(0, "127.0.0.1", resolve));
+const address = server.address();
+assert(address && typeof address === "object");
+
+const executablePath = process.env.PLAYWRIGHT_CHROMIUM_EXECUTABLE_PATH
+  ?? "/usr/bin/chromium";
+const browser = await chromium.launch({ executablePath, headless: true, args: ["--no-sandbox"] });
+const page = await browser.newPage();
+const runtimeErrors = [];
+page.on("pageerror", (error) => runtimeErrors.push(error.message));
+
+try {
+  await page.goto(`http://127.0.0.1:${address.port}/`, { waitUntil: "networkidle" });
+  await page.locator("#content").waitFor({ state: "visible" });
+  assert.equal(await page.locator("#auth-gate").isVisible(), false);
+  assert.equal(await page.locator("#tab-main").isVisible(), true);
+
+  await page.locator('.tab[data-tab="about"]').click();
+  await page.locator("#tab-about").waitFor({ state: "visible" });
+  assert.equal(new URL(page.url()).pathname, "/about");
+
+  await page.goBack();
+  await page.locator("#tab-main").waitFor({ state: "visible" });
+  assert.equal(new URL(page.url()).pathname, "/");
+  assert.deepEqual(runtimeErrors, []);
+} finally {
+  await browser.close();
+  await new Promise((resolve, reject) => server.close((error) => error ? reject(error) : resolve()));
+}