diff --git a/src/app/navigation-stack.ts b/src/app/navigation-stack.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cc0e243
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/navigation-stack.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+/**
+ * Navigation stack for managing app mode history.
+ *
+ * Implements a simple state stack that tracks UI mode transitions, allowing the
+ * back button to navigate backward through the app's state rather than exiting
+ * the entire application.
+ *
+ * The stack automatically manages browser history via the History API so that
+ * browser back button and popstate events are properly captured.
+ */
+
+export type AppMode = 'entry' | 'config' | 'initializing' | 'display';
+
+interface HistoryState {
+  mode: AppMode;
+  stackDepth: number;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Manages the navigation stack for back button support.
+ *
+ * Public interface:
+ * - `push(mode)` — add a mode to the stack and update browser history
+ * - `pop()` — remove and return the current mode, going back one step
+ * - `getCurrentMode()` — retrieve the current mode without changing state
+ * - `clear()` — reset to a known starting state
+ * - `onPopStateRequested(callback)` — register listener for browser back events
+ */
+export class NavigationStack {
+  private stack: AppMode[] = [];
+  private popStateListener: ((mode: AppMode) => void) | null = null;
+  private stackDepth = 0;
+
+  constructor() {
+    // Listen for browser back button and history back navigation.
+    window.addEventListener('popstate', (event) => {
+      this.handlePopState(event);
+    });
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Push a new mode onto the stack and update browser history.
+   *
+   * Each push increments the stack depth and creates a browser history entry,
+   * so the back button will correctly trigger a popstate event to return here.
+   *
+   * @param mode - The app mode to push.
+   * @returns void
+   */
+  push(mode: AppMode): void {
+    this.stack.push(mode);
+    this.stackDepth += 1;
+
+    const state: HistoryState = {
+      mode,
+      stackDepth: this.stackDepth,
+    };
+
+    // Use replaceState for the initial entry mode so it doesn't create a
+    // spurious history entry. For all subsequent modes, use pushState so
+    // back button events are distinct.
+    if (this.stack.length === 1) {
+      window.history.replaceState(state, '', window.location.href);
+    } else {
+      window.history.pushState(state, '', window.location.href);
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Pop and return the previous mode from the stack.
+   *
+   * This is called internally when handling popstate events (back button).
+   * It does NOT update browser history — that's already been done by the
+   * back button itself.
+   *
+   * @returns The previous mode if available, null if stack is empty.
+   */
+  pop(): AppMode | null {
+    if (this.stack.length <= 1) {
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    this.stack.pop();
+
+    return this.stack[this.stack.length - 1] ?? null;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Retrieve the current mode without mutating the stack.
+   *
+   * @returns The current mode, or null if stack is empty.
+   */
+  getCurrentMode(): AppMode | null {
+    return this.stack[this.stack.length - 1] ?? null;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Reset the stack to a single initial mode.
+   *
+   * Used when returning to the entry screen or resetting the app state.
+   *
+   * @param initialMode - Mode to initialize the stack with (default: 'entry').
+   * @returns void
+   */
+  clear(initialMode: AppMode = 'entry'): void {
+    this.stack = [initialMode];
+    this.stackDepth += 1;
+
+    const state: HistoryState = {
+      mode: initialMode,
+      stackDepth: this.stackDepth,
+    };
+
+    window.history.replaceState(state, '', window.location.href);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Register a callback to fire when the user presses the back button.
+   *
+   * The callback receives the mode we're navigating back TO (after the pop).
+   * This allows the app shell to reactively update its UI based on the
+   * navigation event.
+   *
+   * @param callback - Function to call with the previous mode.
+   * @returns void
+   */
+  onPopStateRequested(callback: (mode: AppMode) => void): void {
+    this.popStateListener = callback;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Internal handler for browser popstate events (back button).
+   *
+   * When the user clicks back, the browser fires popstate before the History
+   * API updates. We peek at the state to determine which mode to navigate to,
+   * pop our stack, and notify listeners.
+   *
+   * @param event - The popstate event from the browser.
+   * @returns void
+   */
+  private handlePopState(event: PopStateEvent): void {
+    const state = event.state as HistoryState | null;
+
+    // Guard: if no state (e.g. user navigated to a URL directly), ignore.
+    if (!state || !state.mode) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // If our stack depth is greater than the incoming state's depth,
+    // we're going backward. Pop from the stack and notify listeners.
+    if (state.stackDepth < this.stackDepth) {
+      const previousMode = this.pop();
+
+      if (previousMode && this.popStateListener) {
+        this.popStateListener(previousMode);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}