diff --git a/tests/ui/COVERAGE.md b/tests/ui/COVERAGE.md
index d52457fd..1d11e2c5 100644
--- a/tests/ui/COVERAGE.md
+++ b/tests/ui/COVERAGE.md
@@ -39,3 +39,16 @@ Gate: every line below executes for BOTH personas unless marked
   lands; the page-level check is the 404 render for a foreign feed id.
 - Row 23 chains by page navigation — assert the URL becomes the next
   episode's reader and progress carries over.
+
+## 2026-10-30 — round-3 regression probes (live-server, env-gated)
+
+Two specs added against a RUNNING dev server (skip unless
+`BH_FEED=<feed uuid>` is set for the first):
+
+- `confirm_probe.spec.ts` — every `hx-confirm` must open the GLOBAL
+  confirm modal, never a native dialog. Pins the htmx-2 detail-shape
+  fix (`detail.question`, not `detail.element`) and the modal's
+  presence on signed-in pages (it used to live inside SidebarSignIn).
+- `add_order_probe.spec.ts` — the add-modal "Download order" select
+  reveals when "Download all episodes now" is checked (CSS sibling
+  selector; the checkbox must stay a sibling of `.podcast-add-order`).
diff --git a/tests/ui/add_order_probe.spec.ts b/tests/ui/add_order_probe.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..26836bdb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ui/add_order_probe.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+// One-off probe: the add-modal "Download order" select must reveal when
+// "Download all episodes now" is checked (pure-CSS sibling selector —
+// the checkbox was nested, so the selector never fired; 2026-10-30).
+import { test, expect } from "@playwright/test";
+
+const BASE = process.env.BH_BASE ?? "http://localhost:8765";
+
+test("download-order select reveals with the download-all checkbox", async ({ page }) => {
+  await page.request.post(`${BASE}/api/auth/login`, {
+    data: { login: "testuser", password: "Test@Pass123!" },
+  });
+  await page.goto(`${BASE}/podcasts`);
+
+  await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Add Feed" }).click();
+  const modal = page.locator("#podcast-add-feed-modal");
+  await expect(modal).toBeVisible();
+
+  const checkbox = page.locator("#podcast-download-all");
+  const orderRow = page.locator("#podcast-add-modal .podcast-add-order, form .podcast-add-order").first();
+  const orderSelect = page.locator("#podcast-download-order");
+
+  await expect(orderSelect).toBeAttached();
+  await expect(orderRow).toBeHidden(); // unchecked → hidden
+  await checkbox.check();
+  await expect(orderRow).toBeVisible(); // checked → revealed
+  await expect(orderSelect).toBeVisible();
+});
diff --git a/tests/ui/confirm_probe.spec.ts b/tests/ui/confirm_probe.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..69ed9c1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ui/confirm_probe.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+// One-off probe: does clicking an hx-confirm button open the CUSTOM
+// modal (#confirm-modal) or a native dialog? Clicks "Remove Feed" on a
+// hard-coded feed, then CANCELS whichever appears (nothing is deleted).
+import { test, expect } from "@playwright/test";
+
+const BASE = process.env.BH_BASE ?? "http://localhost:8765";
+const FEED = process.env.BH_FEED ?? "";
+
+test.skip(!FEED, "set BH_FEED=<feed uuid> against a running dev server");
+
+test("hx-confirm uses the custom modal", async ({ page }) => {
+  const nativeDialogs: string[] = [];
+  page.on("console", (m) => {
+    if (m.type() === "error" || m.type() === "warning") console.log("[console]", m.type(), m.text().slice(0, 300));
+  });
+  page.on("pageerror", (e) => console.log("[pageerror]", String(e).slice(0, 400)));
+  page.on("dialog", async (d) => {
+    nativeDialogs.push(d.message());
+    await d.dismiss(); // never accept
+  });
+
+  // Login via the API form (session cookie sticks to the context).
+  await page.request.post(`${BASE}/api/auth/login`, {
+    data: { login: "testuser", password: "Test@Pass123!" },
+  });
+  await page.goto(`${BASE}/podcasts/${FEED}`);
+
+  const modal = page.locator("#confirm-modal");
+  await expect(modal).toHaveCount(1); // the modal must exist on the page
+  await expect(modal).toBeHidden();
+
+  await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Remove Feed" }).click();
+
+  if (nativeDialogs.length > 0) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `NATIVE dialog opened (${nativeDialogs[0]}) — htmx:confirm interceptor did not preventDefault`,
+    );
+  }
+  await expect(modal).toBeVisible({ timeout: 3000 });
+  await expect(page.locator("#confirm-modal-message")).toContainText("remove this feed");
+
+  // Cancel — no request fires.
+  await page.locator("#confirm-modal-cancel").click();
+  await expect(modal).toBeHidden();
+});
diff --git a/web/src/confirm.ts b/web/src/confirm.ts
index cd1b4244..58dda364 100644
--- a/web/src/confirm.ts
+++ b/web/src/confirm.ts
@@ -63,15 +63,20 @@ function wireButtons(): void {
 // 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".)
+//
+// htmx 2 detail shape: { elt, question, issueRequest, ... } — question
+// is the CLOSEST hx-confirm value htmx already resolved. (The original
+// read detail.element, which htmx 2 does not provide; the handler
+// bailed before preventDefault and EVERY hx-confirm fell through to
+// the native dialog — user report 2026-10-30, headless-proven.)
 document.body.addEventListener("htmx:confirm", function (evt) {
   const custom = evt as CustomEvent<{
-    element: HTMLElement;
-    issueRequest: (override?: boolean) => void;
+    elt?: HTMLElement;
+    question?: string;
+    issueRequest: (skipConfirmation?: boolean) => void;
   }>;
-  const elt = custom.detail.element;
-  if (!elt) return;
-  const question = elt.getAttribute("hx-confirm");
-  if (question === null) return;
+  const question = custom.detail.question;
+  if (!question) return; // not a confirm-gated request — normal flow
   evt.preventDefault();
   wireButtons();
   confirmDialog(question).then((ok) => {