diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index bcbe9f6f..c4f028f6 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -105,6 +105,12 @@ To set up the project locally:
    npm ci
    ```
 
+   If you plan to run visual or smoke tests, install the Playwright browsers:
+
+   ```bash
+   npx playwright install
+   ```
+
 3. **Start the Application**:
 
    ```bash
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index fae65d49..f66616f7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -149,6 +149,12 @@ To run **bitvid** locally:
    npm ci
    ```
 
+   If you plan to run visual or smoke tests, install the Playwright browsers:
+
+   ```bash
+   npx playwright install
+   ```
+
 3. Start the application:
 
    ```bash
diff --git a/docs/agents/task-logs/daily/2026-02-15_06-06-03_onboarding-audit-agent_completed.md b/docs/agents/task-logs/daily/2026-02-15_06-06-03_onboarding-audit-agent_completed.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5832a748
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/agents/task-logs/daily/2026-02-15_06-06-03_onboarding-audit-agent_completed.md
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+# Onboarding Audit Report
+
+Headline: ⚠️ Onboarding failures found (Fixed)
+
+## 1) Environment assumptions
+- **OS**: Linux (Sandbox)
+- **Node**: v22+ (from package.json engine check)
+- **npm**: v10+
+
+## 2) Steps executed
+1. `npm ci`
+2. `npm run build`
+3. `npm run test:smoke`
+
+## 3) Results
+- `npm ci`: **PASS**
+- `npm run build`: **PASS**
+- `npm run test:smoke`: **FAIL** (initial run), **PASS** (after fix)
+
+## 4) Failures and Fixes
+
+### Failure: Missing Playwright Browsers
+When running `npm run test:smoke` on a fresh environment (simulated by the sandbox), the test failed with:
+```
+browserType.launch: Executable doesn't exist at /home/jules/.cache/ms-playwright/...
+Looks like Playwright Test or Playwright was just installed or updated.
+Please run the following command to download new browsers:
+    npx playwright install
+```
+
+**Root Cause**: The `README.md` and `CONTRIBUTING.md` instructions did not explicitly mention `npx playwright install` as a prerequisite for running tests locally, assuming a dev container or pre-configured environment.
+
+**Fix**: Updated `README.md` and `CONTRIBUTING.md` to include `npx playwright install` as a step for users planning to run visual or smoke tests.
+
+## 5) Docs changes made
+- **README.md**: Added `npx playwright install` instruction under "Local Setup".
+- **CONTRIBUTING.md**: Added `npx playwright install` instruction under "Development Setup".
+
+## 6) Verification
+After installing browsers, `npm run test:smoke` passed successfully.
+
+```
+[2026-02-15T06:05:13.771Z] --- Smoke Test PASSED ---
+```