diff --git a/web/src/lib/player/audioLoader.test.ts b/web/src/lib/player/audioLoader.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..836c5f61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/lib/player/audioLoader.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, test, vi } from 'vitest';
+import type { TrackRef } from '$lib/api/types';
+import { audioLoader, setAudioLoader, __resetAudioLoader } from './audioLoader';
+
+const sampleTrack: TrackRef = {
+  id: 't1',
+  title: 'Sample',
+  album_id: 'a1',
+  album_title: 'Album',
+  artist_id: 'ar1',
+  artist_name: 'Artist',
+  duration_sec: 180,
+  stream_url: '/api/tracks/t1/stream'
+};
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  __resetAudioLoader();
+});
+
+describe('audioLoader', () => {
+  test('default resolve returns the track stream_url', () => {
+    expect(audioLoader.resolve(sampleTrack)).toBe('/api/tracks/t1/stream');
+  });
+
+  test('default prefetch is a no-op (does not throw)', () => {
+    expect(() => audioLoader.prefetch?.(sampleTrack)).not.toThrow();
+  });
+
+  test('setAudioLoader swaps the resolver', () => {
+    setAudioLoader({
+      resolve: (t) => `blob:cached-${t.id}`
+    });
+    expect(audioLoader.resolve(sampleTrack)).toBe('blob:cached-t1');
+  });
+
+  test('setAudioLoader swaps the prefetch hook', () => {
+    const spy = vi.fn();
+    setAudioLoader({
+      resolve: (t) => t.stream_url,
+      prefetch: spy
+    });
+    audioLoader.prefetch?.(sampleTrack);
+    expect(spy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(sampleTrack);
+  });
+
+  test('__resetAudioLoader restores the default', () => {
+    setAudioLoader({ resolve: () => 'blob:swapped' });
+    expect(audioLoader.resolve(sampleTrack)).toBe('blob:swapped');
+    __resetAudioLoader();
+    expect(audioLoader.resolve(sampleTrack)).toBe('/api/tracks/t1/stream');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/web/src/lib/player/audioLoader.ts b/web/src/lib/player/audioLoader.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7b804ab9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/lib/player/audioLoader.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+// Audio loader seam. Today: returns the server-relative stream URL
+// directly. In the future Tauri shell, the loader can be swapped to
+// return blob URLs backed by a Rust-side cache (mirroring the Flutter
+// drift+LockCachingAudioSource pattern), without touching the player UI.
+//
+// Two operations:
+// - resolve(track) — returns the URL the <audio> element should src.
+// - prefetch(track) — hint that a track will be needed soon. Default
+//   no-op (the browser handles it via the prefetch <audio> element);
+//   Tauri can warm its native cache here.
+
+import type { TrackRef } from '$lib/api/types';
+
+export type AudioLoader = {
+  resolve: (track: TrackRef) => string;
+  prefetch?: (track: TrackRef) => void;
+};
+
+const defaultLoader: AudioLoader = {
+  resolve: (track) => track.stream_url
+};
+
+let _current: AudioLoader = defaultLoader;
+
+export const audioLoader: AudioLoader = {
+  resolve: (track) => _current.resolve(track),
+  prefetch: (track) => _current.prefetch?.(track)
+};
+
+/**
+ * Replace the active loader. Call once at startup from the Tauri shell;
+ * web shell uses the default and never calls this.
+ */
+export function setAudioLoader(loader: AudioLoader): void {
+  _current = loader;
+}
+
+/** Test-only: restore the default loader between tests. */
+export function __resetAudioLoader(): void {
+  _current = defaultLoader;
+}
diff --git a/web/src/lib/player/stallRetry.test.ts b/web/src/lib/player/stallRetry.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b9e93146
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/lib/player/stallRetry.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, test, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { attachStallRetry } from './stallRetry';
+
+// Minimal HTMLAudioElement stand-in for vitest. Real DOM elements
+// are over-featured; we only need the methods + addEventListener.
+function makeAudioStub() {
+  const handlers = new Map<string, Set<EventListener>>();
+  const stub = {
+    currentTime: 0,
+    paused: false,
+    readyState: 4,
+    error: null as MediaError | null,
+    load: vi.fn(),
+    play: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+    addEventListener(type: string, fn: EventListener) {
+      if (!handlers.has(type)) handlers.set(type, new Set());
+      handlers.get(type)!.add(fn);
+    },
+    removeEventListener(type: string, fn: EventListener) {
+      handlers.get(type)?.delete(fn);
+    },
+    fire(type: string) {
+      handlers.get(type)?.forEach((fn) => fn(new Event(type)));
+    }
+  };
+  return stub;
+}
+
+describe('attachStallRetry', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+  });
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.useRealTimers();
+  });
+
+  test('stalled event triggers reload after delayMs when buffer not recovered', () => {
+    const el = makeAudioStub();
+    el.currentTime = 42;
+    el.readyState = 1; // not yet HAVE_FUTURE_DATA
+    attachStallRetry(el as unknown as HTMLAudioElement, { delayMs: 1000 });
+
+    el.fire('stalled');
+    expect(el.load).not.toHaveBeenCalled(); // not yet — waiting
+
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(1000);
+    expect(el.load).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(el.currentTime).toBe(42); // restored after load()
+    expect(el.play).toHaveBeenCalled(); // wasPlaying = true (paused: false)
+  });
+
+  test('skips reload when readyState recovered before delay elapses', () => {
+    const el = makeAudioStub();
+    el.readyState = 1;
+    attachStallRetry(el as unknown as HTMLAudioElement, { delayMs: 1000 });
+
+    el.fire('stalled');
+    el.readyState = 4; // recovered
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(1000);
+    expect(el.load).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  test('canplay clears retry counter so a later stall can retry again', () => {
+    const el = makeAudioStub();
+    el.readyState = 1;
+    attachStallRetry(el as unknown as HTMLAudioElement, {
+      delayMs: 100,
+      maxRetries: 1
+    });
+
+    el.fire('stalled');
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(100);
+    expect(el.load).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+    el.fire('canplay'); // resets retry count
+    el.fire('stalled');
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(100);
+    expect(el.load).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+  });
+
+  test('maxRetries caps recovery attempts', () => {
+    const el = makeAudioStub();
+    el.readyState = 1;
+    attachStallRetry(el as unknown as HTMLAudioElement, {
+      delayMs: 100,
+      maxRetries: 2
+    });
+
+    for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
+      el.fire('stalled');
+      vi.advanceTimersByTime(100);
+    }
+    expect(el.load).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+  });
+
+  test('MEDIA_ERR_NETWORK error triggers immediate reload', () => {
+    const el = makeAudioStub();
+    el.error = { code: 2 } as MediaError;
+    el.currentTime = 17;
+    attachStallRetry(el as unknown as HTMLAudioElement);
+
+    el.fire('error');
+    expect(el.load).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(el.currentTime).toBe(17);
+  });
+
+  test('non-network errors (DECODE, SRC_NOT_SUPPORTED) are not retried', () => {
+    const el = makeAudioStub();
+    el.error = { code: 3 } as MediaError; // MEDIA_ERR_DECODE
+    attachStallRetry(el as unknown as HTMLAudioElement);
+
+    el.fire('error');
+    expect(el.load).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  test('teardown removes listeners and clears pending timer', () => {
+    const el = makeAudioStub();
+    el.readyState = 1;
+    const teardown = attachStallRetry(el as unknown as HTMLAudioElement, {
+      delayMs: 100
+    });
+
+    el.fire('stalled');
+    teardown();
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(100);
+    expect(el.load).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    // After teardown, firing events does nothing.
+    el.fire('stalled');
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(100);
+    expect(el.load).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/web/src/lib/player/stallRetry.ts b/web/src/lib/player/stallRetry.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3f39b617
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/lib/player/stallRetry.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+// Auto-recovery for transient network failures during playback.
+// Listens for stalled / waiting / network-error events and forces a
+// reload-from-current-position when the audio element doesn't recover
+// on its own within `delayMs`. Bounded retry count prevents tight
+// loops on persistent failures (the existing onerror handler still
+// reports to the store after retries exhaust).
+//
+// Returns a teardown function — call from $effect cleanup.
+
+export type StallRetryOptions = {
+  maxRetries?: number;
+  delayMs?: number;
+};
+
+export function attachStallRetry(
+  el: HTMLAudioElement,
+  opts: StallRetryOptions = {}
+): () => void {
+  const maxRetries = opts.maxRetries ?? 3;
+  const delayMs = opts.delayMs ?? 3000;
+
+  let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null;
+  let retries = 0;
+
+  function clear() {
+    if (timer) {
+      clearTimeout(timer);
+      timer = null;
+    }
+  }
+
+  function attemptRecovery() {
+    if (retries >= maxRetries) return;
+    retries++;
+    const lastPos = el.currentTime;
+    const wasPlaying = !el.paused;
+    el.load();
+    el.currentTime = lastPos;
+    if (wasPlaying) el.play().catch(() => { /* swallowed; store sees the event */ });
+  }
+
+  function onStallish() {
+    if (timer) return;
+    timer = setTimeout(() => {
+      timer = null;
+      // readyState >= 3 (HAVE_FUTURE_DATA) means the buffer recovered.
+      if (el.readyState >= 3) return;
+      attemptRecovery();
+    }, delayMs);
+  }
+
+  function onError() {
+    // MediaError.MEDIA_ERR_NETWORK === 2 → transient; worth retrying.
+    // Other codes (DECODE, SRC_NOT_SUPPORTED) are deterministic; skip.
+    if (!el.error) return;
+    if (el.error.code !== 2) return;
+    attemptRecovery();
+  }
+
+  function onRecovered() {
+    retries = 0;
+    clear();
+  }
+
+  el.addEventListener('stalled', onStallish);
+  el.addEventListener('waiting', onStallish);
+  el.addEventListener('error', onError);
+  el.addEventListener('canplay', onRecovered);
+  el.addEventListener('playing', onRecovered);
+
+  return () => {
+    el.removeEventListener('stalled', onStallish);
+    el.removeEventListener('waiting', onStallish);
+    el.removeEventListener('error', onError);
+    el.removeEventListener('canplay', onRecovered);
+    el.removeEventListener('playing', onRecovered);
+    clear();
+  };
+}
diff --git a/web/src/routes/+layout.svelte b/web/src/routes/+layout.svelte
index d8d0f19f..66e54a0e 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/+layout.svelte
+++ b/web/src/routes/+layout.svelte
@@ -21,9 +21,12 @@
   import { useMediaSession } from '$lib/player/mediaSession.svelte';
   import { useEventsDispatcher } from '$lib/player/events.svelte';
   import { applyMetaThemeColor } from '$lib/theme/applyMetaThemeColor.svelte';
+  import { audioLoader } from '$lib/player/audioLoader';
+  import { attachStallRetry } from '$lib/player/stallRetry';
 
   let { children } = $props<{ children: import('svelte').Snippet }>();
   let audioEl: HTMLAudioElement | undefined = $state();
+  let prefetchEl: HTMLAudioElement | undefined = $state();
 
   // Reactive guard: runs every time page.url or user.value changes.
   $effect(() => {
@@ -42,9 +45,16 @@
     return () => registerAudioEl(null);
   });
 
+  // Auto-recovery for transient network failures during playback.
   $effect(() => {
     if (!audioEl) return;
-    const src = player.current?.stream_url;
+    return attachStallRetry(audioEl);
+  });
+
+  $effect(() => {
+    if (!audioEl) return;
+    const cur = player.current;
+    const src = cur ? audioLoader.resolve(cur) : null;
     if (src) {
       const absolute = new URL(src, window.location.origin).href;
       if (audioEl.src !== absolute) audioEl.src = src;
@@ -54,6 +64,27 @@
     }
   });
 
+  // Phase 2 prefetch: when the current track passes the halfway mark,
+  // start loading the next track's bytes into a hidden <audio> element.
+  // The browser HTTP cache + audio buffer warm-up means the swap on
+  // track-end is gap-free on slow networks. Reset src when no next
+  // track exists or the index advances.
+  $effect(() => {
+    if (!prefetchEl) return;
+    const next = player.queue[player.index + 1];
+    const ratio = player.duration > 0 ? player.position / player.duration : 0;
+    if (next && ratio >= 0.5) {
+      const nextSrc = audioLoader.resolve(next);
+      if (prefetchEl.src !== new URL(nextSrc, window.location.origin).href) {
+        prefetchEl.src = nextSrc;
+        audioLoader.prefetch?.(next);
+      }
+    } else if (!next && prefetchEl.src) {
+      prefetchEl.removeAttribute('src');
+      prefetchEl.load();
+    }
+  });
+
   $effect(() => {
     if (audioEl) audioEl.volume = player.volume;
   });
@@ -87,7 +118,7 @@
 
 <audio
   bind:this={audioEl}
-  preload="metadata"
+  preload="auto"
   ontimeupdate={() => audioEl && reportTimeUpdate(audioEl.currentTime)}
   onloadedmetadata={() => {
     if (!audioEl) return;
@@ -104,6 +135,17 @@
   onerror={() => reportStateFromAudio('error', audioEl?.error?.message)}
 ></audio>
 
+<!-- Hidden prefetch element. Loads the next track's bytes ahead of
+     time so the swap on track-end is gap-free. Muted + display:none
+     so it can't be played or interacted with directly. -->
+<audio
+  bind:this={prefetchEl}
+  preload="auto"
+  muted
+  aria-hidden="true"
+  style="display: none"
+></audio>
+
 <QueueDrawer />
 
 <QueryClientProvider client={queryClient}>