diff --git a/js/hashChangeHandler.js b/js/hashChangeHandler.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9c05b155
--- /dev/null
+++ b/js/hashChangeHandler.js
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+import { devLogger as defaultDevLogger, userLogger as defaultUserLogger } from "./utils/logger.js";
+
+const createLoggerFacade = (logger, fallback) => {
+  if (logger && typeof logger === "object") {
+    return {
+      log: typeof logger.log === "function" ? logger.log.bind(logger) : fallback.log,
+      warn:
+        typeof logger.warn === "function" ? logger.warn.bind(logger) : fallback.warn,
+      error:
+        typeof logger.error === "function"
+          ? logger.error.bind(logger)
+          : fallback.error,
+    };
+  }
+
+  return fallback;
+};
+
+const noopLogger = {
+  log() {},
+  warn() {},
+  error() {},
+};
+
+export function createHashChangeHandler({
+  getApplication,
+  getApplicationReady,
+  loadView,
+  viewInitRegistry,
+  devLogger = defaultDevLogger,
+  userLogger = defaultUserLogger,
+} = {}) {
+  const devLog = createLoggerFacade(devLogger, noopLogger);
+  const userLog = createLoggerFacade(userLogger, noopLogger);
+
+  const getReadyPromise = () => {
+    if (typeof getApplicationReady === "function") {
+      return getApplicationReady();
+    }
+    return Promise.resolve();
+  };
+
+  const resolveIsLoggedIn = () => {
+    if (typeof getApplication !== "function") {
+      return false;
+    }
+    const app = getApplication();
+    if (!app || typeof app.isUserLoggedIn !== "function") {
+      return false;
+    }
+    return Boolean(app.isUserLoggedIn());
+  };
+
+  return async function handleHashChange() {
+    const currentHash =
+      typeof window !== "undefined" && window.location
+        ? window.location.hash
+        : undefined;
+    devLog.log("handleHashChange called, current hash =", currentHash);
+
+    try {
+      await getReadyPromise();
+    } catch (error) {
+      userLog.warn(
+        "Proceeding with hash handling despite application initialization failure:",
+        error,
+      );
+    }
+
+    const hash =
+      typeof window !== "undefined" && window.location && window.location.hash
+        ? window.location.hash
+        : "";
+    const match = hash.match(/^#view=([^&]+)/);
+
+    try {
+      if (!match || !match[1]) {
+        const defaultViewName = resolveIsLoggedIn()
+          ? "for-you"
+          : "most-recent-videos";
+        await loadView(`views/${defaultViewName}.html`);
+        const initFn = viewInitRegistry?.[defaultViewName];
+        if (typeof initFn === "function") {
+          await initFn();
+        }
+        return;
+      }
+
+      const viewName = match[1];
+      if (typeof viewName === "string" && viewName.toLowerCase() === "history") {
+      }
+      const viewUrl = `views/${viewName}.html`;
+
+      await loadView(viewUrl);
+      const initFn = viewInitRegistry?.[viewName];
+      if (typeof initFn === "function") {
+        await initFn();
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      userLog.error("Failed to handle hash change:", error);
+    }
+  };
+}
diff --git a/js/index.js b/js/index.js
index cbe8f39b..cf3ddf69 100644
--- a/js/index.js
+++ b/js/index.js
@@ -3,7 +3,11 @@
 import { validateInstanceConfig } from "../config/validate-config.js";
 import { ASSET_VERSION } from "../config/asset-version.js";
 import "./bufferPolyfill.js";
-import { setApplication, setApplicationReady } from "./applicationContext.js";
+import {
+  getApplication,
+  setApplication,
+  setApplicationReady,
+} from "./applicationContext.js";
 import nostrService from "./services/nostrService.js";
 import r2Service from "./services/r2Service.js";
 import { loadView, viewInitRegistry } from "./viewManager.js";
@@ -29,6 +33,7 @@ import {
   TIP_JAR_URL,
   isLockdownMode,
 } from "./config.js";
+import { createHashChangeHandler } from "./hashChangeHandler.js";
 import AuthService from "./services/authService.js";
 import getAuthProvider, {
   providers as authProviders,
@@ -1357,48 +1362,11 @@ function handleQueryParams() {
   }
 }
 
-async function handleHashChange() {
-  devLogger.log("handleHashChange called, current hash =", window.location.hash);
-
-  try {
-    await applicationReadyPromise;
-  } catch (error) {
-    userLogger.warn(
-      "Proceeding with hash handling despite application initialization failure:",
-      error
-    );
-  }
-
-  const hash = window.location.hash || "";
-  // Use a regex that captures up to the first ampersand or end of string.
-  // E.g. "#view=channel-profile&npub=..." => viewName = "channel-profile"
-  const match = hash.match(/^#view=([^&]+)/);
-
-  try {
-    if (!match || !match[1]) {
-      // No valid "#view=..." => default to "for-you" when logged in
-      const isLoggedIn = getApplication()?.isUserLoggedIn();
-      const defaultViewName = isLoggedIn ? "for-you" : "most-recent-videos";
-      await loadView(`views/${defaultViewName}.html`);
-      const initFn = viewInitRegistry[defaultViewName];
-      if (typeof initFn === "function") {
-        await initFn();
-      }
-      return;
-    }
-
-    const viewName = match[1]; // only the chunk before any '&'
-    if (typeof viewName === "string" && viewName.toLowerCase() === "history") {
-    }
-    const viewUrl = `views/${viewName}.html`;
-
-    // Now dynamically load that partial, then call its init function
-    await loadView(viewUrl);
-    const initFn = viewInitRegistry[viewName];
-    if (typeof initFn === "function") {
-      await initFn();
-    }
-  } catch (error) {
-    userLogger.error("Failed to handle hash change:", error);
-  }
-}
+const handleHashChange = createHashChangeHandler({
+  getApplication,
+  getApplicationReady: () => applicationReadyPromise,
+  loadView,
+  viewInitRegistry,
+  devLogger,
+  userLogger,
+});
diff --git a/tests/app/hash-change-handler.test.mjs b/tests/app/hash-change-handler.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..512153f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/app/hash-change-handler.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+import test from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { JSDOM } from "jsdom";
+
+import { createHashChangeHandler } from "../../js/hashChangeHandler.js";
+
+const setupDom = (url) => {
+  const dom = new JSDOM("<!DOCTYPE html><html><body></body></html>", { url });
+  const { window } = dom;
+  const previousWindow = global.window;
+  const previousDocument = global.document;
+  const previousHTMLElement = global.HTMLElement;
+
+  global.window = window;
+  global.document = window.document;
+  global.HTMLElement = window.HTMLElement;
+
+  return () => {
+    global.window = previousWindow;
+    global.document = previousDocument;
+    if (previousHTMLElement === undefined) {
+      delete global.HTMLElement;
+    } else {
+      global.HTMLElement = previousHTMLElement;
+    }
+  };
+};
+
+const createLogger = () => ({
+  log() {},
+  warn() {},
+  error() {},
+});
+
+test("handleHashChange defaults to for-you when logged in", async () => {
+  const restore = setupDom("https://example.com");
+
+  try {
+    const loadViewCalls = [];
+    let initCalled = false;
+
+    const handleHashChange = createHashChangeHandler({
+      getApplication: () => ({ isUserLoggedIn: () => true }),
+      getApplicationReady: () => Promise.resolve(),
+      loadView: async (viewUrl) => {
+        loadViewCalls.push(viewUrl);
+      },
+      viewInitRegistry: {
+        "for-you": async () => {
+          initCalled = true;
+        },
+      },
+      devLogger: createLogger(),
+      userLogger: createLogger(),
+    });
+
+    await handleHashChange();
+
+    assert.deepEqual(loadViewCalls, ["views/for-you.html"]);
+    assert.equal(initCalled, true);
+  } finally {
+    restore();
+  }
+});
+
+test("handleHashChange defaults to most-recent-videos when logged out", async () => {
+  const restore = setupDom("https://example.com");
+
+  try {
+    const loadViewCalls = [];
+    let initCalled = false;
+
+    const handleHashChange = createHashChangeHandler({
+      getApplication: () => ({ isUserLoggedIn: () => false }),
+      getApplicationReady: () => Promise.resolve(),
+      loadView: async (viewUrl) => {
+        loadViewCalls.push(viewUrl);
+      },
+      viewInitRegistry: {
+        "most-recent-videos": async () => {
+          initCalled = true;
+        },
+      },
+      devLogger: createLogger(),
+      userLogger: createLogger(),
+    });
+
+    await handleHashChange();
+
+    assert.deepEqual(loadViewCalls, ["views/most-recent-videos.html"]);
+    assert.equal(initCalled, true);
+  } finally {
+    restore();
+  }
+});
+
+test("handleHashChange respects explicit view regardless of login state", async () => {
+  const restore = setupDom("https://example.com/#view=subscriptions");
+
+  try {
+    const loadViewCalls = [];
+    let initCalled = false;
+
+    const handleHashChange = createHashChangeHandler({
+      getApplication: () => ({ isUserLoggedIn: () => true }),
+      getApplicationReady: () => Promise.resolve(),
+      loadView: async (viewUrl) => {
+        loadViewCalls.push(viewUrl);
+      },
+      viewInitRegistry: {
+        subscriptions: async () => {
+          initCalled = true;
+        },
+      },
+      devLogger: createLogger(),
+      userLogger: createLogger(),
+    });
+
+    await handleHashChange();
+
+    assert.deepEqual(loadViewCalls, ["views/subscriptions.html"]);
+    assert.equal(initCalled, true);
+  } finally {
+    restore();
+  }
+});