diff --git a/web/src/lib/player/shortcuts.svelte.test.ts b/web/src/lib/player/shortcuts.svelte.test.ts
index 434bc81b..c2922040 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/player/shortcuts.svelte.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/player/shortcuts.svelte.test.ts
@@ -35,21 +35,25 @@ describe('useGlobalShortcuts', () => {
 
   test('Space toggles play/pause', async () => {
     const store = await import('./store.svelte');
-    expect(store.player.state).toBe('paused');
-    press(' ');
-    flushSync();
-    expect(store.player.state).toBe('playing');
+    // playQueue leaves the store at 'loading' (intent-to-play; jsdom
+    // never moves it to 'playing' because there's no real audio). The
+    // togglePlay contract is: loading|playing -> paused, anything else
+    // -> loading. So Space round-trips loading <-> paused.
+    expect(store.player.state).toBe('loading');
     press(' ');
     flushSync();
     expect(store.player.state).toBe('paused');
+    press(' ');
+    flushSync();
+    expect(store.player.state).toBe('loading');
   });
 
   test('K is an alias for Space (YouTube convention)', async () => {
     const store = await import('./store.svelte');
-    expect(store.player.state).toBe('paused');
+    expect(store.player.state).toBe('loading');
     press('k');
     flushSync();
-    expect(store.player.state).toBe('playing');
+    expect(store.player.state).toBe('paused');
   });
 
   test('ArrowRight advances to the next track', async () => {
@@ -97,19 +101,20 @@ describe('useGlobalShortcuts', () => {
 
   test('shortcuts are ignored when focus is in an input', async () => {
     const store = await import('./store.svelte');
-    expect(store.player.state).toBe('paused');
+    const before = store.player.state;
     const input = document.createElement('input');
     document.body.appendChild(input);
     input.focus();
     press(' ', input);
     flushSync();
     // No state change — Space should pass through to the input.
-    expect(store.player.state).toBe('paused');
+    expect(store.player.state).toBe(before);
     input.remove();
   });
 
   test('modifier keys disable the shortcut (browser hotkey passthrough)', async () => {
     const store = await import('./store.svelte');
+    const before = store.player.state;
     const event = new KeyboardEvent('keydown', {
       key: ' ',
       ctrlKey: true,
@@ -118,6 +123,6 @@ describe('useGlobalShortcuts', () => {
     });
     window.dispatchEvent(event);
     flushSync();
-    expect(store.player.state).toBe('paused');
+    expect(store.player.state).toBe(before);
   });
 });