diff --git a/.github/scripts/test-autoplay.js b/.github/scripts/test-autoplay.js
index b4fd009..4bbbec4 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/test-autoplay.js
+++ b/.github/scripts/test-autoplay.js
@@ -72,6 +72,17 @@ async function waitFor(page, predicate, { timeout = 5000, interval = 100 } = {})
     throw new Error(`expected the cookie banner to be visible alongside ${overlayType}, but it wasn't`);
   }
 
+  // Let the muted autoplay run for a few seconds before clicking, so
+  // currentTime has clearly moved past the intro - this is the whole
+  // point of the check below: a real visitor rarely clicks instantly,
+  // and the payoff should still start from the beginning regardless of
+  // how long the decoy held their attention.
+  await page.waitForTimeout(3000);
+  const beforeClickTime = await page.evaluate(() => document.getElementById('video').currentTime);
+  if (beforeClickTime < 1) {
+    throw new Error(`expected currentTime to have advanced past 1s after 3s of muted autoplay, got ${beforeClickTime}`);
+  }
+
   await page.click(clickSelector);
 
   const unmuted = await waitFor(page, () => {
@@ -88,6 +99,7 @@ async function waitFor(page, predicate, { timeout = 5000, interval = 100 } = {})
     const cookie = document.querySelector(cookieSel);
     return {
       paused: v.paused,
+      currentTime: v.currentTime,
       title: document.title,
       overlayVisible: overlay ? !overlay.classList.contains('hidden') : null,
       cookieVisible: cookie ? !cookie.classList.contains('hidden') : null
@@ -97,6 +109,11 @@ async function waitFor(page, predicate, { timeout = 5000, interval = 100 } = {})
   if (after.paused) {
     throw new Error('expected video to still be playing after unmuting');
   }
+  // The whole point of a rickroll is the intro - a visitor who takes a
+  // while to click shouldn't hear the song mid-way through instead.
+  if (after.currentTime >= 1) {
+    throw new Error(`expected video to restart from the beginning on reveal, but currentTime was ${after.currentTime}s right after clicking (was ${beforeClickTime}s before)`);
+  }
   if (after.title !== 'Rickroll') {
     throw new Error(`expected title "Rickroll" after interaction, got "${after.title}"`);
   }
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index 82a34bb..aa55ef8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -34,6 +34,11 @@ jobs:
           file: ./Dockerfile
           load: true
           tags: rickroll:test
+          # Same video-fetch stage as ghcr-publish.yml, and this
+          # workflow always builds the same default VIDEO_URL - caching
+          # it means CI stops re-downloading the video on every run.
+          cache-from: type=gha,scope=test
+          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max,scope=test
 
       - name: Start container with default env vars
         run: docker run -d --name rickroll-default -p 8080:8080 rickroll:test
@@ -157,15 +162,32 @@ jobs:
         with:
           node-version: 24
 
-      - name: Install Playwright
+      - name: Install Playwright package
         run: |
           npm init -y >/dev/null
-          npm install --no-save playwright@1
-          # Firefox gets its own engine check alongside Chromium - it's
-          # historically the most divergent on autoplay/gesture policy
-          # enforcement of the mainstream browsers, so a bug that's fine
-          # under one can still be broken under the other.
-          npx playwright install --with-deps chromium firefox
+          # Pinned exact version, not a floating "playwright@1" - the
+          # cache key below is keyed on this version, and an unpinned
+          # install could silently resolve a newer release whose browser
+          # binaries no longer match a stale cache.
+          npm install --no-save playwright@1.61.1
+
+      - name: Cache Playwright browsers
+        id: playwright-cache
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: ~/.cache/ms-playwright
+          key: playwright-browsers-${{ runner.os }}-1.61.1
+
+      - name: Install Playwright OS dependencies
+        run: npx playwright install-deps chromium firefox
+
+      - name: Install Playwright browsers
+        if: steps.playwright-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+        # Firefox gets its own engine check alongside Chromium - it's
+        # historically the most divergent on autoplay/gesture policy
+        # enforcement of the mainstream browsers, so a bug that's fine
+        # under one can still be broken under the other.
+        run: npx playwright install chromium firefox
 
       - name: Start container with OVERLAY=error
         run: docker run -d --name rickroll-error -p 8080:8080 -e OVERLAY=error rickroll:test
diff --git a/scripts/index/80-index.sh b/scripts/index/80-index.sh
index 4987921..45a02ed 100644
--- a/scripts/index/80-index.sh
+++ b/scripts/index/80-index.sh
@@ -348,6 +348,13 @@ tee /usr/share/nginx/html/index.html << EOF >/dev/null
             var events = ['click', 'keydown'];
 
             function reveal() {
+                // The video's been playing muted since page load, so by
+                // the time the decoy actually gets clicked - anywhere
+                // from a second to minutes later - it's already well
+                // past the intro. Jump back to the start so the payoff
+                // always lands on the actual song opening, not wherever
+                // playback happened to be.
+                video.currentTime = 0;
                 video.muted = false;
                 video.play().catch(function () {});
                 document.title = title;