diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 03911b45e..2e745e4cb 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ RUN curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install | bash && \
     echo "=== Checking OpenCode CLI installation ===" && \
     ls -la /home/automaker/.local/bin/ && \
     (which opencode && opencode --version) || echo "opencode installed (may need auth setup)"
+
 USER root
 
 # Add PATH to profile so it's available in all interactive shells (for login shells)
@@ -147,6 +148,15 @@ COPY --from=server-builder /app/apps/server/package*.json ./apps/server/
 # Copy node_modules (includes symlinks to libs)
 COPY --from=server-builder /app/node_modules ./node_modules
 
+# Install Playwright Chromium browser for AI agent verification tests
+# This adds ~300MB to the image but enables automated testing mode out of the box
+# Using the locally installed playwright ensures we use the pinned version from package-lock.json
+USER automaker
+RUN ./node_modules/.bin/playwright install chromium && \
+    echo "=== Playwright Chromium installed ===" && \
+    ls -la /home/automaker/.cache/ms-playwright/ || echo "Playwright browsers installed"
+USER root
+
 # Create data and projects directories
 RUN mkdir -p /data /projects && chown automaker:automaker /data /projects
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 757056737..95beefe1d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -338,6 +338,42 @@ services:
 
 The Docker image supports both AMD64 and ARM64 architectures. The GitHub CLI and Claude CLI are automatically downloaded for the correct architecture during build.
 
+##### Playwright for Automated Testing
+
+The Docker image includes **Playwright Chromium pre-installed** for AI agent verification tests. When agents implement features in automated testing mode, they use Playwright to verify the implementation works correctly.
+
+**No additional setup required** - Playwright verification works out of the box.
+
+#### Optional: Persist browsers for manual updates
+
+By default, Playwright Chromium is pre-installed in the Docker image. If you need to manually update browsers or want to persist browser installations across container restarts (not image rebuilds), you can mount a volume.
+
+**Important:** When you first add this volume mount to an existing setup, the empty volume will override the pre-installed browsers. You must re-install them:
+
+```bash
+# After adding the volume mount for the first time
+docker exec --user automaker -w /app automaker-server npx playwright install chromium
+```
+
+Add this to your `docker-compose.override.yml`:
+
+```yaml
+services:
+  server:
+    volumes:
+      - playwright-cache:/home/automaker/.cache/ms-playwright
+
+volumes:
+  playwright-cache:
+    name: automaker-playwright-cache
+```
+
+**Updating browsers manually:**
+
+```bash
+docker exec --user automaker -w /app automaker-server npx playwright install chromium
+```
+
 ### Testing
 
 #### End-to-End Tests (Playwright)
diff --git a/docker-compose.override.yml.example b/docker-compose.override.yml.example
index 3815c197d..e92ce119d 100644
--- a/docker-compose.override.yml.example
+++ b/docker-compose.override.yml.example
@@ -21,9 +21,13 @@ services:
       # - ~/.local/share/opencode:/home/automaker/.local/share/opencode
       # - ~/.config/opencode:/home/automaker/.config/opencode
 
-      # Playwright browser cache - persists installed browsers across container restarts
-      # Run 'npx playwright install --with-deps chromium' once, and it will persist
+      # ===== Playwright Browser Cache (Optional) =====
+      # Playwright Chromium is PRE-INSTALLED in the Docker image for automated testing.
+      # Uncomment below to persist browser cache across container rebuilds (saves ~300MB download):
       # - playwright-cache:/home/automaker/.cache/ms-playwright
+      #
+      # To update Playwright browsers manually:
+      #   docker exec --user automaker -w /app automaker-server npx playwright install chromium
     environment:
       # Set root directory for all projects and file operations
       # Users can only create/open projects within this directory
@@ -37,6 +41,7 @@ services:
       # - CURSOR_API_KEY=${CURSOR_API_KEY:-}
 
 volumes:
-  # Playwright cache volume (persists Chromium installs)
+  # Playwright cache volume - optional, persists browser updates across container rebuilds
+  # Uncomment if you mounted the playwright-cache volume above
   # playwright-cache:
   #   name: automaker-playwright-cache