diff --git a/flow-state/src/checks/phase6.js b/flow-state/src/checks/phase6.js
index e69de29..05ba404 100644
--- a/flow-state/src/checks/phase6.js
+++ b/flow-state/src/checks/phase6.js
@@ -0,0 +1,200 @@
+// Phase 6 gate — export.
+//
+// The parity claim is structural: the exporter has no render path of its own, it
+// drives Show.renderFrame exactly as the preview does. What still needs verifying
+// is that the claim survives contact with the encoder — that rendering at export
+// resolution does not change any look decision, that the requested frame range is
+// honoured, and that the container is well-formed.
+
+import { check, expect } from './framework.js';
+import { Show } from '../Show.js';
+import { generateLook } from '../look/LookGenerator.js';
+import { FeatureTrack } from '../audio/FeatureTrack.js';
+import { synthesizeSectioned } from '../audio/synth.js';
+import { Exporter, isSupported, PRESETS } from '../export/Exporter.js';
+import { frameDistance } from '../engine/hash.js';
+
+let cached = null;
+function track6() {
+    if (!cached) {
+        cached = FeatureTrack.fromAudioBuffer(
+            synthesizeSectioned({ bpm: 128, duration: 40, changeAt: 20 }), { fps: 60 });
+    }
+    return cached;
+}
+
+function makeShow(width = 320, height = 180) {
+    const show = new Show({ width, height });
+    const track = track6();
+    show.useTrack(track, generateLook(track, { seed: 8642 }));
+    // Give it an audioBuffer so the AAC path is exercised too.
+    show.audioBuffer = synthesizeSectioned({ bpm: 128, duration: 40, changeAt: 20 });
+    show.fileName = 'check';
+    return show;
+}
+
+check(6, 'WebCodecs VideoEncoder is available', () =>
+    expect(isSupported(), isSupported()
+        ? 'VideoEncoder and VideoFrame present'
+        : 'unavailable — export cannot run in this browser'));
+
+check(6, 'render resolution does not change any look decision', () => {
+    // Resolution must change only the sampling, never which scene is on screen or
+    // what its parameters are. If it did, a preview would be lying about the export.
+    const show = makeShow(320, 180);
+    try {
+        const probe = (frames) => frames.map((f) => {
+            show.renderFrame(f);
+            return `${show.arc.state.sceneName}|${show.arc.state.kind}|` +
+                   JSON.stringify(show.arc.activeLayers.map((l) => l.baseParams));
+        });
+        const frames = [300, 900, 1500];
+        const small = probe(frames);
+        show.setSize(1920, 1080);
+        const large = probe(frames);
+
+        const same = small.every((v, i) => v === large[i]);
+        return expect(same, same
+            ? '320x180 and 1920x1080 agree on scene and params at 3 probe frames'
+            : 'look decisions changed with resolution');
+    } finally {
+        show.dispose();
+    }
+});
+
+check(6, 'audio-clock preview and frame-counted export agree', () => {
+    // Preview derives the frame index from a playback position; export counts.
+    // Same Show, same size — the images must be identical.
+    const show = makeShow(320, 180);
+    try {
+        const start = 600;
+        const count = 40;
+
+        show.engine.compositor.reset();
+        const preview = [];
+        for (let i = 0; i < count; i++) {
+            show.timeline.syncToAudio((start + i) / show.fps);
+            preview.push(show.engine.hashCurrent(show.renderFrame(show.timeline.frame)));
+        }
+
+        show.engine.compositor.reset();
+        const exported = [];
+        for (let i = 0; i < count; i++) {
+            exported.push(show.engine.hashCurrent(show.renderFrame(start + i)));
+        }
+
+        const mismatches = preview.filter((h, i) => h !== exported[i]).length;
+        return expect(mismatches === 0, `${mismatches}/${count} frames differed`);
+    } finally {
+        show.dispose();
+    }
+});
+
+check(6, 'a warmed export range matches sequential playback into it', () => {
+    // The exporter warms up before a mid-track range so the first exported frame
+    // carries the feedback state continuous playback would have given it.
+    const show = makeShow(256, 144);
+    try {
+        show.look.feedback.amount = 0.6;
+        show.look.feedback.decay = 0.92;
+        const start = 1200;
+
+        show.engine.compositor.reset();
+        for (let f = 400; f < start; f++) show.renderFrame(f);
+        const sequential = Uint8Array.from(show.readPixels(show.renderFrame(start)));
+
+        show.warmUp(start, show.warmupFrames());
+        const warmed = Uint8Array.from(show.readPixels(show.renderFrame(start)));
+
+        const distance = frameDistance(sequential, warmed);
+        return expect(distance < 0.01,
+            `mean distance ${distance.toFixed(5)} after ${show.warmupFrames()} warm-up frames`);
+    } finally {
+        show.dispose();
+    }
+});
+
+check(6, 'every export preset resolves a supported encoder configuration', async () => {
+    if (!isSupported()) return expect(false, 'WebCodecs unavailable');
+    const results = [];
+    for (const [name, p] of Object.entries(PRESETS)) {
+        let ok = false;
+        for (const codec of ['avc1.640034', 'avc1.640033', 'avc1.4d0034', 'avc1.42003e']) {
+            try {
+                const support = await VideoEncoder.isConfigSupported({
+                    codec, width: p.width, height: p.height, bitrate: p.bitrate, framerate: 60,
+                });
+                if (support.supported) { ok = true; break; }
+            } catch { /* try the next candidate */ }
+        }
+        results.push(`${name}:${ok ? 'ok' : 'NO'}`);
+    }
+    return expect(!results.some((r) => r.endsWith('NO')), results.join(' '));
+});
+
+check(6, 'a short export produces a well-formed mp4', async () => {
+    if (!isSupported()) return expect(false, 'WebCodecs unavailable');
+    const show = makeShow(320, 180);
+    try {
+        const blob = await new Exporter(show).export({
+            preset: '720p', frameRange: [600, 720],   // 2 seconds
+        });
+        const head = new Uint8Array(await blob.slice(0, 12).arrayBuffer());
+        const brand = String.fromCharCode(...head.slice(4, 8));
+        // Only the degenerate cases are worth rejecting; encoder settings and
+        // content move real sizes around a lot.
+        const plausible = blob.size > 20_000 && blob.size < 40_000_000;
+        return expect(brand === 'ftyp' && plausible,
+            `${(blob.size / 1024).toFixed(0)} KB · box '${brand}' · ${blob.type}`);
+    } finally {
+        show.dispose();
+    }
+}, { slow: true });
+
+check(6, 'export honours the requested frame range', async () => {
+    if (!isSupported()) return expect(false, 'WebCodecs unavailable');
+    const show = makeShow(256, 144);
+    try {
+        const short = await new Exporter(show).export({ preset: '720p', frameRange: [600, 660] });
+        const long = await new Exporter(show).export({ preset: '720p', frameRange: [600, 780] });
+        return expect(long.size > short.size * 1.5,
+            `1s ${(short.size / 1024).toFixed(0)} KB vs 3s ${(long.size / 1024).toFixed(0)} KB`);
+    } finally {
+        show.dispose();
+    }
+}, { slow: true });
+
+check(6, 'export restores the preview resolution afterwards', async () => {
+    if (!isSupported()) return expect(false, 'WebCodecs unavailable');
+    const show = makeShow(320, 180);
+    try {
+        await new Exporter(show).export({ preset: '720p', frameRange: [600, 630] });
+        return expect(show.engine.width === 320 && show.engine.height === 180,
+            `back to ${show.engine.width}x${show.engine.height} after a 1280x720 export`);
+    } finally {
+        show.dispose();
+    }
+}, { slow: true });
+
+check(6, 'a cancelled export stops and restores state', async () => {
+    if (!isSupported()) return expect(false, 'WebCodecs unavailable');
+    const show = makeShow(256, 144);
+    try {
+        const exporter = new Exporter(show);
+        const promise = exporter.export({ preset: '720p', frameRange: [600, 2000] });
+        setTimeout(() => exporter.cancel(), 60);
+        let message = '';
+        try { await promise; } catch (err) { message = err.message; }
+        return expect(message.includes('cancel') && show.engine.width === 256,
+            `threw "${message}", size restored to ${show.engine.width}x${show.engine.height}`);
+    } finally {
+        show.dispose();
+    }
+}, { slow: true });
+
+check(6, 'upload to the real video platform', () =>
+    // Deliberately manual. Container quirks are far cheaper to find with a short
+    // file now than after a 4K render, and nothing local substitutes for the
+    // platform's own transcoder accepting the file.
+    ({ pass: true, detail: 'MANUAL: export a 20s test render and upload it once before trusting a full export' }),
+    { manual: true });
diff --git a/flow-state/src/export/Exporter.js b/flow-state/src/export/Exporter.js
index 05a0ca7..b67161b 100644
--- a/flow-state/src/export/Exporter.js
+++ b/flow-state/src/export/Exporter.js
@@ -9,8 +9,9 @@ import { Muxer, ArrayBufferTarget } from 'mp4-muxer';
  * own, so there is nothing for it to diverge from.
  *
  * Video goes through WebCodecs VideoEncoder (hardware accelerated where
- * available) into an mp4. Audio is re-encoded to AAC from the already-decoded
- * PCM, so the file carries the same samples the analysis ran on.
+ * available) into an mp4. Audio is re-encoded from the already-decoded PCM —
+ * AAC where available, Opus otherwise — so the file carries the same samples
+ * the analysis ran on.
  */
 
 export const PRESETS = {
@@ -42,6 +43,30 @@ async function pickVideoConfig(width, height, bitrate, fps) {
     return null;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Pick an audio codec the browser can actually encode.
+ *
+ * AAC is the obvious choice for mp4 but is absent from Chromium builds without
+ * proprietary codecs — which still ship H.264 encoding, so video succeeds and
+ * only audio fails. Opus in mp4 is well supported by players and by every
+ * platform worth uploading to, so it is the fallback rather than an error.
+ */
+async function pickAudioConfig(sampleRate, numberOfChannels) {
+    const candidates = [
+        { codec: 'mp4a.40.2', muxerCodec: 'aac', bitrate: 192_000 },
+        { codec: 'opus', muxerCodec: 'opus', bitrate: 160_000 },
+    ];
+    for (const candidate of candidates) {
+        try {
+            const support = await AudioEncoder.isConfigSupported({
+                codec: candidate.codec, sampleRate, numberOfChannels, bitrate: candidate.bitrate,
+            });
+            if (support.supported) return candidate;
+        } catch { /* try the next one */ }
+    }
+    return null;
+}
+
 export class Exporter {
     constructor(show) {
         this.show = show;
@@ -73,16 +98,24 @@ export class Exporter {
         const videoConfig = await pickVideoConfig(width, height, bitrate, fps);
         if (!videoConfig) throw new Error('no supported H.264 configuration found');
 
-        const hasAudio = !!show.audioBuffer && typeof AudioEncoder !== 'undefined';
+        const channels = show.audioBuffer ? Math.min(2, show.audioBuffer.numberOfChannels) : 0;
+        const audioConfig = show.audioBuffer && typeof AudioEncoder !== 'undefined'
+            ? await pickAudioConfig(show.audioBuffer.sampleRate, channels)
+            : null;
+        const hasAudio = !!audioConfig;
+        this.warnings = [];
+        if (show.audioBuffer && !hasAudio) {
+            this.warnings.push('no supported audio encoder — exporting video only');
+        }
 
         const muxer = new Muxer({
             target: new ArrayBufferTarget(),
             video: { codec: 'avc', width, height, frameRate: fps },
             ...(hasAudio ? {
                 audio: {
-                    codec: 'aac',
+                    codec: audioConfig.muxerCodec,
                     sampleRate: show.audioBuffer.sampleRate,
-                    numberOfChannels: Math.min(2, show.audioBuffer.numberOfChannels),
+                    numberOfChannels: channels,
                 },
             } : {}),
             fastStart: 'in-memory',
@@ -145,7 +178,13 @@ export class Exporter {
 
             if (hasAudio) {
                 onProgress && onProgress({ frame: total, total, fraction: 1, stage: 'encoding audio' });
-                await this._encodeAudio(muxer, startFrame, endFrame, fps);
+                try {
+                    await this._encodeAudio(muxer, audioConfig, startFrame, endFrame, fps);
+                } catch (err) {
+                    // A finished silent video beats losing a long render outright.
+                    // The muxer tolerates an audio track that received no chunks.
+                    this.warnings.push(`audio encoding failed (${err.message}) — video only`);
+                }
             }
 
             muxer.finalize();
@@ -157,7 +196,7 @@ export class Exporter {
     }
 
     /** Encode the exported time range of the decoded PCM to AAC and mux it. */
-    async _encodeAudio(muxer, startFrame, endFrame, fps) {
+    async _encodeAudio(muxer, audioConfig, startFrame, endFrame, fps) {
         const buffer = this.show.audioBuffer;
         const sampleRate = buffer.sampleRate;
         const channels = Math.min(2, buffer.numberOfChannels);
@@ -173,7 +212,10 @@ export class Exporter {
             error: (e) => errors.push(e),
         });
         encoder.configure({
-            codec: 'mp4a.40.2', sampleRate, numberOfChannels: channels, bitrate: 192_000,
+            codec: audioConfig.codec,
+            sampleRate,
+            numberOfChannels: channels,
+            bitrate: audioConfig.bitrate,
         });
 
         const chunkFrames = 1024;
@@ -207,11 +249,13 @@ export class Exporter {
 }
 
 /** Render a short range around a frame — the "test render" bridge before a full export. */
-export async function exportSegment(show, centreFrame, { seconds = 20, preset = '1080p', onProgress } = {}) {
+export async function exportSegment(show, centreFrame,
+    { seconds = 20, preset = '1080p', onProgress, exporter = null } = {}) {
     const half = Math.round((seconds * show.fps) / 2);
     const start = Math.max(0, centreFrame - half);
     const end = Math.min(show.frameCount, centreFrame + half);
-    return new Exporter(show).export({ preset, frameRange: [start, end], onProgress });
+    // Accept a caller-supplied Exporter so the caller can read `warnings` and cancel.
+    return (exporter || new Exporter(show)).export({ preset, frameRange: [start, end], onProgress });
 }
 
 export function downloadBlob(blob, filename) {
diff --git a/flow-state/src/main.js b/flow-state/src/main.js
index 19721b6..2f8e1f1 100644
--- a/flow-state/src/main.js
+++ b/flow-state/src/main.js
@@ -355,15 +355,22 @@ async function runExport(segment) {
 
     try {
         const preset = currentPreset();
+        const exporter = new Exporter(state.show);
         const blob = segment
             ? await exportSegment(state.show, state.show.timeline.frame,
-                { seconds: 20, preset, onProgress: exportProgress })
-            : await new Exporter(state.show).export({ preset, onProgress: exportProgress });
+                { seconds: 20, preset, onProgress: exportProgress, exporter })
+            : await exporter.export({ preset, onProgress: exportProgress });
 
         const suffix = segment ? `-segment-${state.show.timeline.frame}` : '';
         downloadBlob(blob, `${state.show.fileName || 'flow-state'}${suffix}-${preset}.mp4`);
         const status = document.getElementById('export-status');
-        if (status) status.textContent = `done — ${(blob.size / 1e6).toFixed(1)} MB`;
+        // Codec fallbacks must never be silent: a video that quietly lost its
+        // audio track is worse than one that says so.
+        const warnings = (exporter.warnings || []).join(' · ');
+        if (status) {
+            status.textContent = `done — ${(blob.size / 1e6).toFixed(1)} MB` +
+                (warnings ? ` (${warnings})` : '');
+        }
     } catch (err) {
         const status = document.getElementById('export-status');
         if (status) status.textContent = `failed: ${err.message}`;
@@ -461,5 +468,12 @@ function frame(now) {
     }
 }
 
+// Dev-only handle for the console and for browser automation. The render loop is
+// requestAnimationFrame-driven, and rAF does not fire in some headless/automated
+// contexts, so `tick()` provides a way to advance the app by hand.
+if (import.meta.env && import.meta.env.DEV) {
+    window.__flowState = { state, dom, strip, tick: (t) => frame(t ?? 0), resize, seekTo, renderPanel };
+}
+
 requestAnimationFrame(frame);
 resize();