diff --git a/templates/header.templ b/templates/header.templ
index 3f2ff19e..050010dc 100644
--- a/templates/header.templ
+++ b/templates/header.templ
@@ -352,4 +352,24 @@ templ SidebarSignIn(currentPath string) {
 			}
 		</div>
 	</div>
+
+	<!-- Global confirm modal (issue #5): ONE styled dialog answers every
+	     hx-confirm sitewide via the htmx:confirm interceptor in
+	     web/src/confirm.ts, and exposes the confirmDialog() promise for
+	     legacy JS call sites. Inert until shown. -->
+	<div
+		id="confirm-modal"
+		class="hidden fixed inset-0 z-[60] flex items-center justify-center p-4"
+		style="background-color: var(--surface-overlay);"
+	>
+		<div class="card w-full max-w-sm" style="box-shadow: var(--shadow-pop);">
+			<div class="p-5 border-b" style="border-color: var(--border);">
+				<p id="confirm-modal-message" class="text-sm font-medium" style="color: var(--text-primary)"></p>
+			</div>
+			<div class="p-4 flex justify-end gap-2">
+				<button id="confirm-modal-cancel" class="btn btn-secondary">Cancel</button>
+				<button id="confirm-modal-accept" class="btn btn-primary">Confirm</button>
+			</div>
+		</div>
+	</div>
 }
diff --git a/web/src/admin.ts b/web/src/admin.ts
index 5d830f2b..1353d9a2 100644
--- a/web/src/admin.ts
+++ b/web/src/admin.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { confirmDialog } from "./confirm";
 import { Alpine } from "./alpine";
 import { showToast } from "./toast";
 
@@ -423,9 +424,9 @@ async function purgeArchivedItems(): Promise<void> {
   if (!token) return;
 
   if (
-    !window.confirm(
+    !(await confirmDialog(
       "Permanently delete all archived items? Their reading progress, notes, and highlights will be lost.",
-    )
+    ))
   ) {
     return;
   }
@@ -475,9 +476,9 @@ async function deleteArchivedItem(id: string): Promise<void> {
   const token = requireToken();
   if (!token) return;
   if (
-    !window.confirm(
+    !(await confirmDialog(
       "Permanently delete this item? Its reading progress, notes, and highlights will be lost.",
-    )
+    ))
   ) {
     return;
   }
@@ -504,9 +505,9 @@ async function mergeArchivedItem(sourceId: string, targetId: string): Promise<vo
   const token = requireToken();
   if (!token) return;
   if (
-    !window.confirm(
+    !(await confirmDialog(
       "Merge this archived copy's reading progress, notes, and highlights into the active copy? The archived entry is removed.",
-    )
+    ))
   ) {
     return;
   }
diff --git a/web/src/book-detail.ts b/web/src/book-detail.ts
index b5d59f2a..d646d269 100644
--- a/web/src/book-detail.ts
+++ b/web/src/book-detail.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { confirmDialog } from "./confirm";
 import { Alpine } from "./alpine";
 import { showToast } from "./toast";
 import { searchTagSuggestions, type TagSuggestion } from "./tag-dropdown";
@@ -531,9 +532,9 @@ Alpine.data("bookDetail", () => {
 
     async purgeDeletedAnnotation(annotationType: string, annotationId: string) {
       if (
-        !confirm(
+        !(await confirmDialog(
           "Permanently delete this annotation? This cannot be undone and it will not reappear on any device.",
-        )
+        ))
       ) {
         return;
       }
@@ -1002,9 +1003,9 @@ Alpine.data("bookDetail", () => {
     async resetMetadata() {
       if (this.resetting) return;
       if (
-        !window.confirm(
+        !(await confirmDialog(
           "Reset all metadata to scanned defaults? Manual edits and custom covers will be discarded.",
-        )
+        ))
       ) {
         return;
       }
diff --git a/web/src/confirm.ts b/web/src/confirm.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cd1b4244
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/confirm.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+// Global confirm-dialog replacement (issue #5): ONE styled modal
+// answers every hx-confirm sitewide (via the htmx:confirm event) and
+// exposes a promise API for the legacy JS call sites. No more native
+// window.confirm anywhere.
+
+let activeResolve: ((ok: boolean) => void) | null = null;
+
+function modalElements(): { overlay: HTMLElement | null; message: HTMLElement | null } {
+  return {
+    overlay: document.getElementById("confirm-modal"),
+    message: document.getElementById("confirm-modal-message"),
+  };
+}
+
+function hide(ok: boolean): void {
+  const { overlay } = modalElements();
+  if (overlay) overlay.classList.add("hidden");
+  const resolve = activeResolve;
+  activeResolve = null;
+  if (resolve) resolve(ok);
+}
+
+/**
+ * confirmDialog shows the global modal and resolves with the answer.
+ * Safe to call from any module (import this instead of window.confirm).
+ */
+export function confirmDialog(message: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  const { overlay, message: messageEl } = modalElements();
+  if (!overlay || !messageEl) {
+    // Header missing (bare layouts): degrade to the native dialog
+    // rather than silently swallowing the confirmation.
+    return Promise.resolve(window.confirm(message));
+  }
+  messageEl.textContent = message;
+  overlay.classList.remove("hidden");
+  return new Promise<boolean>((resolve) => {
+    activeResolve = resolve;
+  });
+}
+
+// Wire the static buttons once.
+function wireButtons(): void {
+  const { overlay } = modalElements();
+  const accept = document.getElementById("confirm-modal-accept");
+  const dismiss = document.getElementById("confirm-modal-cancel");
+  if (accept && !accept.hasAttribute("data-wired")) {
+    accept.setAttribute("data-wired", "1");
+    accept.addEventListener("click", () => hide(true));
+  }
+  if (dismiss && !dismiss.hasAttribute("data-wired")) {
+    dismiss.setAttribute("data-wired", "1");
+    dismiss.addEventListener("click", () => hide(false));
+  }
+  // Backdrop click cancels.
+  if (overlay && !overlay.hasAttribute("data-wired")) {
+    overlay.setAttribute("data-wired", "1");
+    overlay.addEventListener("click", (e) => {
+      if (e.target === overlay) hide(false);
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+// htmx:confirm interceptor: every element with hx-confirm gets the
+// modal instead of the browser dialog; confirming issues the request.
+// (Canonical htmx pattern — see htmx docs, "confirming with a modal".)
+document.body.addEventListener("htmx:confirm", function (evt) {
+  const custom = evt as CustomEvent<{
+    element: HTMLElement;
+    issueRequest: (override?: boolean) => void;
+  }>;
+  const elt = custom.detail.element;
+  if (!elt) return;
+  const question = elt.getAttribute("hx-confirm");
+  if (question === null) return;
+  evt.preventDefault();
+  wireButtons();
+  confirmDialog(question).then((ok) => {
+    if (ok) custom.detail.issueRequest(true);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/web/src/main.ts b/web/src/main.ts
index a93db44b..1b74ab31 100644
--- a/web/src/main.ts
+++ b/web/src/main.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import "./login";
 import "./password_validation";
 import "./processing_issues";
 import "./podcasts";
+import "./confirm";
 import "./profile";
 import "./profile-modal";
 import "./register";