diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml
index 15466d4d..ad436cb2 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -116,6 +116,34 @@ jobs:
             test-results/ui/
           retention-days: 14
 
+  # Cross-browser imaging: the deploy gate only runs chromium, so this verifies
+  # a real render (decode + APNG animation) across every bundled engine against
+  # the public site. Non-blocking: it hits the live service, so transient
+  # network/edge hiccups must not fail the pipeline; the blocking contract
+  # checks live in the deploy gate (e2e/imaging/avatar-endpoint.spec.ts).
+  tests-imaging-browsers:
+    needs: check
+    if: gitea.event_name == 'push' && (gitea.ref_name == 'main' || gitea.ref_name == 'master')
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    continue-on-error: true
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v5
+        with:
+          repository: ${{ gitea.repository }}
+          token: ${{ gitea.token }}
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
+
+      - name: Install cross-browser engines
+        run: pnpm exec playwright install --with-deps chromium firefox webkit
+
+      - name: Cross-browser imaging checks
+        env:
+          PLAYWRIGHT_BASE_URL: https://epicnabbo.nl
+        run: pnpm test:imaging
+
   preflight:
     needs: [tests-unit, tests-integration, tests-ui]
     if: gitea.event_name == 'pull_request' || (gitea.event_name == 'push' && startsWith(gitea.ref, 'refs/heads/codex/'))
diff --git a/e2e/imaging/avatar-endpoint.spec.ts b/e2e/imaging/avatar-endpoint.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..99dbc361
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/imaging/avatar-endpoint.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+import { expect, test } from "@playwright/test";
+
+// The exact figure that regressed in production: the game client appends a
+// trailing `.<n>` segment that the renderer ignores, but the previous
+// validation regex rejected with a 400.
+const FIGURE =
+	"hr-11782-40-40.hd-180-7-14.ch-11592-66.lg-10726-79-1408.sh-11764-1408.ha-11958-70-1408.wa-2007-0.0";
+
+const avatarPath = (params: Record<string, string> = {}) =>
+	`/api/imaging/avatar?${new URLSearchParams({ figure: FIGURE, ...params })}`;
+
+function countBytes(haystack: Buffer, needle: Buffer): number {
+	let count = 0;
+	for (
+		let index = haystack.indexOf(needle);
+		index !== -1;
+		index = haystack.indexOf(needle, index + needle.length)
+	) {
+		count += 1;
+	}
+	return count;
+}
+
+test("renders an animated APNG for a figure with an effect", async ({
+	request,
+}) => {
+	const response = await request.get(
+		avatarPath({ img_format: "apng", effect: "14" }),
+	);
+	expect(response.status()).toBe(200);
+	expect(response.headers()["content-type"]).toContain("image/");
+	// `unavailable` means the placeholder was served, i.e. no real render.
+	expect(response.headers()["x-imager-source"]).not.toBe("unavailable");
+
+	const body = await response.body();
+	expect(body.length).toBeGreaterThan(1000);
+	// APNG signature chunks: `acTL` announces the animation, `fcTL` marks frames.
+	expect(body.includes(Buffer.from("acTL"))).toBe(true);
+	expect(countBytes(body, Buffer.from("fcTL"))).toBeGreaterThan(1);
+});
+
+test("serves a static PNG when no animation is requested", async ({
+	request,
+}) => {
+	const response = await request.get(avatarPath({ img_format: "png" }));
+	expect(response.status()).toBe(200);
+	expect(response.headers()["content-type"]).toContain("image/png");
+	const body = await response.body();
+	expect(body.subarray(1, 4).toString("ascii")).toBe("PNG");
+});
+
+test("answers conditional requests with 304", async ({ request }) => {
+	const first = await request.get(avatarPath({ img_format: "png" }));
+	expect(first.status()).toBe(200);
+	const etag = first.headers()["etag"];
+	expect(etag).toBeTruthy();
+
+	const second = await request.get(avatarPath({ img_format: "png" }), {
+		headers: { "if-none-match": etag as string },
+	});
+	expect(second.status()).toBe(304);
+	expect(second.headers()["etag"]).toBe(etag);
+});
+
+test("rejects a malformed figure with 400", async ({ request }) => {
+	const response = await request.get(avatarPath({ figure: "../bad" }));
+	expect(response.status()).toBe(400);
+});
+
+test("the default /imaging endpoint serves a PNG", async ({ request }) => {
+	const response = await request.get(
+		`/imaging?${new URLSearchParams({ figure: FIGURE, img_format: "png" })}`,
+	);
+	expect(response.status()).toBe(200);
+	expect(response.headers()["content-type"]).toContain("image/png");
+});
+
+test("the badge endpoint serves an image and revalidates", async ({
+	request,
+}) => {
+	const first = await request.get("/api/imaging/badge?code=ADM");
+	expect(first.status()).toBe(200);
+	expect(first.headers()["content-type"]).toContain("image/");
+	const etag = first.headers()["etag"];
+	expect(etag).toBeTruthy();
+
+	const second = await request.get("/api/imaging/badge?code=ADM", {
+		headers: { "if-none-match": etag as string },
+	});
+	expect(second.status()).toBe(304);
+});
diff --git a/e2e/imaging/avatar-render.spec.ts b/e2e/imaging/avatar-render.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..88ab67ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/imaging/avatar-render.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+import { expect, test } from "@playwright/test";
+
+// Same production figure as the endpoint spec: includes the trailing `.0`
+// segment the client sends and the renderer ignores.
+const FIGURE =
+	"hr-11782-40-40.hd-180-7-14.ch-11592-66.lg-10726-79-1408.sh-11764-1408.ha-11958-70-1408.wa-2007-0.0";
+
+const AVATAR_PATH = `/api/imaging/avatar?${new URLSearchParams({
+	figure: FIGURE,
+	img_format: "apng",
+	effect: "14",
+})}`;
+
+/**
+ * Cross-browser check that a real browser (chromium/firefox/webkit) can decode
+ * the avatar the imager produces and that it actually animates. The endpoint
+ * spec covers the HTTP contract; this one covers the client-side decode, where
+ * an unsupported image format would surface as a blank/broken avatar.
+ *
+ * Navigates straight to the image URL (a top-level navigation, which CSP
+ * `upgrade-insecure-requests` does not rewrite) rather than embedding it in a
+ * page: over a plain-HTTP host the upgrade directive would otherwise send the
+ * subresource request to https and break the load, without exercising anything
+ * about the image itself.
+ *
+ * Run across engines via `pnpm test:imaging` (playwright.imaging.config.ts).
+ */
+test("the avatar decodes and animates in the browser", async ({ page }) => {
+	const response = await page.goto(AVATAR_PATH);
+	expect(response?.status()).toBe(200);
+
+	const image = page.locator("img");
+	await expect(image).toBeVisible();
+	const decoded = await image.evaluate((element: HTMLImageElement) => ({
+		width: element.naturalWidth,
+		height: element.naturalHeight,
+	}));
+	expect(decoded.width).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+	expect(decoded.height).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+
+	// An animated APNG keeps producing new frames; a static/undecodable one
+	// yields the same pixels every time. Sampling screenshots over a second is
+	// enough to tell them apart without depending on exact frame timing.
+	const frames = new Set<string>();
+	for (let attempt = 0; attempt < 8; attempt += 1) {
+		frames.add((await image.screenshot()).toString("base64"));
+		await page.waitForTimeout(180);
+	}
+	expect(frames.size).toBeGreaterThan(1);
+});
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2c75c930..9e315bf4 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
 		"test:news:real": "bash scripts/with-memory-cap.sh 8g node --import tsx e2e/news-real/run.ts",
 		"test:ui": "bash scripts/with-memory-cap.sh 8g playwright test --config playwright.ui.config.ts",
 		"test:ui:update": "bash scripts/with-memory-cap.sh 8g playwright test --config playwright.ui.config.ts --update-snapshots",
+		"test:imaging": "bash scripts/with-memory-cap.sh 8g playwright test --config playwright.imaging.config.ts",
 		"performance:report": "node scripts/performance-report.mjs",
 		"test:integration": "bash scripts/with-memory-cap.sh 8g vitest run --config vitest.integration.config.ts"
 	},
diff --git a/playwright.imaging.config.ts b/playwright.imaging.config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9e220bc9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playwright.imaging.config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import { defineConfig, devices } from "@playwright/test";
+
+// Cross-browser imaging checks. Unlike the main e2e config (chromium only,
+// used as the deploy gate), this runs the same specs across every bundled
+// engine so an avatar format that only one browser can decode is caught.
+//
+// Point it at a running CMS with PLAYWRIGHT_BASE_URL (defaults to the local
+// host port). Requires all three engines: `pnpm exec playwright install
+// chromium firefox webkit`.
+const baseURL = process.env.PLAYWRIGHT_BASE_URL || "http://127.0.0.1:3002";
+
+export default defineConfig({
+	testDir: "./e2e/imaging",
+	fullyParallel: false,
+	workers: 1,
+	retries: 1,
+	timeout: 60000,
+	expect: { timeout: 15000 },
+	reporter: [
+		["list"],
+		["html", { outputFolder: "playwright-report/imaging", open: "never" }],
+	],
+	outputDir: "test-results/imaging",
+	use: {
+		baseURL,
+		trace: "retain-on-failure",
+		screenshot: "only-on-failure",
+	},
+	projects: [
+		{ name: "chromium", use: { ...devices["Desktop Chrome"] } },
+		{ name: "firefox", use: { ...devices["Desktop Firefox"] } },
+		{ name: "webkit", use: { ...devices["Desktop Safari"] } },
+	],
+});