diff --git a/docs/CONFIGURATION.md b/docs/CONFIGURATION.md
index 6add26c6..099f8d5f 100644
--- a/docs/CONFIGURATION.md
+++ b/docs/CONFIGURATION.md
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ control-plane, relay, compute, and worker implementations are private services.
 | `ENGRAPHIS_LLM_AUTO_EXTRACT` | `0` | Opt in to switching the running engine to `llm_structured` after a successful live connection test; the dashboard's extraction Off button persists `0`, and its On button restores `1` |
 | `ENGRAPHIS_FORWARDED_ALLOW_IPS` | *(none)* | Proxies trusted for forwarded client/TLS headers (`*` only when the service is reachable exclusively through that proxy) |
 | `ENGRAPHIS_LOCAL_TRUSTED_PEERS` | *(none)* | Exact peers/CIDRs treated as local without forwarding headers; use only for trusted Docker/LAN peers, never public deployments |
-| `ENGRAPHIS_DASHBOARD_URL` | Not set | The exact URL clients use to reach this dashboard. Its host name is accepted by the `/mcp` DNS-rebinding guard and, without an API token, by the dashboard API |
+| `ENGRAPHIS_DASHBOARD_URL` | Not set | The exact URL clients use to reach this dashboard. Its host name is accepted by the `/mcp` DNS-rebinding guard, by automatic dashboard browser access, and, without an API token, by the dashboard API |
 | `ENGRAPHIS_ALLOWED_HOSTS` | *(none)* | Comma-separated extra host names (ports ignored) that the token-free dashboard API and read-only graph server answer. Without a token they otherwise accept only exactly `localhost`, IP addresses, the bind host and the `ENGRAPHIS_DASHBOARD_URL` host, which keeps DNS-rebinding websites out; with a token every name works |
 | `ENGRAPHIS_UPDATE_CACHE` | `86400` | Update-check cache TTL in seconds, bounded to `1..31622400`; this is never a cache-file path |
 | `ENGRAPHIS_UPDATE_CHECK` | Off | Opt-in release reminder surfaced in the dashboard, server startup log, and MCP. Update checks run only when this is set to an affirmative value; `0` keeps them off. |
diff --git a/playwright.config.js b/playwright.config.js
index 27d9ed37..8877c3d7 100644
--- a/playwright.config.js
+++ b/playwright.config.js
@@ -30,8 +30,8 @@ module.exports = defineConfig({
       ENGRAPHIS_EXTRACTOR: 'none',
       ENGRAPHIS_LOOP_INTERVAL: '0',
       ENGRAPHIS_HOST: '127.0.0.1',
-      // Public test fixture, never the owner's configured credential. The real
-      // browser smoke uses this to exercise governed source approval.
+      // Public test fixture, never the owner's configured credential. The server keeps
+      // token-protected API routes while browsers open through automatic access.
       ENGRAPHIS_API_TOKEN: 'engraphis-playwright-local-only',
       ENGRAPHIS_SERVICE_MODE: 'customer',
     },
diff --git a/tests/test_config.py b/tests/test_config.py
index a5a29e83..20841f29 100644
--- a/tests/test_config.py
+++ b/tests/test_config.py
@@ -273,6 +273,20 @@ def test_malformed_boolean_values_use_safe_default(monkeypatch):
     monkeypatch.setenv("ENGRAPHIS_UPDATE_CHECK", "perhaps")
     assert Settings().update_check is False
 
+
+def test_browser_auto_session_defaults_on_and_can_be_hardened(monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.delenv("ENGRAPHIS_BROWSER_AUTO_SESSION", raising=False)
+    assert Settings().browser_auto_session is True
+
+    for raw in ("0", "false", "off", "no"):
+        monkeypatch.setenv("ENGRAPHIS_BROWSER_AUTO_SESSION", raw)
+        assert Settings().browser_auto_session is False
+
+    # A malformed value keeps the documented default instead of silently flipping the
+    # dashboard's access posture.
+    monkeypatch.setenv("ENGRAPHIS_BROWSER_AUTO_SESSION", "perhaps")
+    assert Settings().browser_auto_session is True
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("url", RETIRED_RELAY_URLS)
 def test_retired_relay_url_override_is_canonicalized(url):
     assert config.canonicalize_relay_url(url) == config.DEFAULT_RELAY_URL