diff --git a/ci/Dockerfile.test-runner b/ci/Dockerfile.test-runner
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..838bd09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/Dockerfile.test-runner
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# ci/Dockerfile.test-runner — Pre-built Playwright test runner
+#
+# Build & push (one-time, repeat when Playwright version bumps):
+#   docker build -t registry.gobha.me:5000/ci-test-runner:latest -f ci/Dockerfile.test-runner .
+#   docker push registry.gobha.me:5000/ci-test-runner:latest
+#
+# The CI compose override uses this image directly, avoiding npm install
+# on every run. Only the ci/ scripts are COPY'd at compose build time.
+FROM mcr.microsoft.com/playwright:v1.52.0-noble
+WORKDIR /work
+RUN npm init -y && npm install playwright@1.52.0
diff --git a/docker-compose.ci.yml b/docker-compose.ci.yml
index 7da4ccf..01dba88 100644
--- a/docker-compose.ci.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.ci.yml
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ services:
       dockerfile_inline: |
         FROM mcr.microsoft.com/playwright:v1.52.0-noble
         WORKDIR /work
-        RUN npm init -y && npm install playwright
+        RUN npm init -y && npm install playwright@1.52.0
         COPY ci/ /work/ci/
         RUN chmod +x /work/ci/*.sh
     depends_on: