diff --git a/browser_panel.py b/browser_panel.py
index 4f96705..4624b6a 100644
--- a/browser_panel.py
+++ b/browser_panel.py
@@ -15,13 +15,17 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import asyncio
+import hashlib
+import hmac
 import json
 import logging
+import secrets
 import subprocess
+import time
 
 # Module-scope fastapi imports (the host always provides fastapi; __init__.py catches
 # ImportError so the tools still serve if the panel can't import).
-from fastapi import APIRouter, Body, WebSocket, WebSocketDisconnect
+from fastapi import APIRouter, Body, Request, WebSocket, WebSocketDisconnect
 from fastapi.responses import HTMLResponse, JSONResponse
 
 from . import browser_stream
@@ -30,6 +34,62 @@
 log = logging.getLogger("protoagent.plugins.agent_browser")
 
 
+# ── /panel/dash auth gate: a short-lived, HMAC-signed session cookie ──────────────
+# The full-mode dashboard proxy (``/panel/dash`` + its CDP screencast WS) loads in an
+# iframe, which cannot carry an ``Authorization: Bearer`` header — so on a token-gated
+# deployment it would be reachable *unauthenticated*. Gate it in two steps: the panel
+# mints a signed token via the bearer-gated ``POST /dash-session``, then presents it
+# once as ``?dash=`` on the proxy URL, whose response sets the ``ab_session`` cookie.
+# The cookie MUST be set from the proxy's own URL — RFC 6265 path-matching means a
+# cookie Path-scoped to the page surface set from a ``/api/...`` response is dropped
+# by browsers. The signing key is per-boot + in-memory ONLY: a cookie can never
+# outlive a restart, and there is no key at rest to steal. Non-token-gated
+# deployments leave the gate open (backward compatible — nothing has to mint a cookie).
+_DASH_COOKIE = "ab_session"
+_DASH_COOKIE_PATH = "/plugins/agent_browser/"   # cookie scope: the plugin's page surface only
+_DASH_TTL = 300                                 # ~5 min — long enough to load, short enough to leak-proof
+_DASH_KEY = secrets.token_bytes(32)             # per-boot random HMAC key; in-memory, never persisted
+
+
+def _dash_cookie_path(request_path: str) -> str:
+    """Cookie Path for ``ab_session``, derived from the URL that sets it so it always
+    path-matches (RFC 6265) — ``/plugins/agent_browser/`` on the host,
+    ``/agents/<slug>/plugins/agent_browser/`` through the fleet proxy."""
+    i = request_path.find(_DASH_COOKIE_PATH)
+    return request_path[: i + len(_DASH_COOKIE_PATH)] if i >= 0 else _DASH_COOKIE_PATH
+
+
+def _dash_sig(expiry: str) -> str:
+    return hmac.new(_DASH_KEY, expiry.encode(), hashlib.sha256).hexdigest()
+
+
+def mint_dash_token(now: float | None = None, ttl: int = _DASH_TTL) -> str:
+    """Mint an HMAC-signed ``<expiry>.<sig>`` token good for ~5 min. Called only from the
+    bearer-gated ``POST /dash-session``, so possession proves the caller cleared the gate."""
+    exp = int((time.time() if now is None else now) + ttl)
+    return f"{exp}.{_dash_sig(str(exp))}"
+
+
+def verify_dash_token(token: str, now: float | None = None) -> bool:
+    """True iff ``token`` carries a valid signature (constant-time compare) and hasn't
+    expired. A missing/tampered signature or a re-dated expiry can't forge the HMAC."""
+    exp_s, _, sig = (token or "").partition(".")
+    if not sig or not hmac.compare_digest(sig, _dash_sig(exp_s)):
+        return False
+    try:
+        exp = int(exp_s)
+    except ValueError:
+        return False
+    return exp >= int(time.time() if now is None else now)
+
+
+def _dash_auth_required(cfg: dict | None) -> bool:
+    """The gate bites only on a token-gated deployment — the host signals that by setting
+    ``require_auth`` truthy in the plugin config (the same host that applies the operator
+    bearer gate). Absent/false ⇒ the proxy stays open (backward compatible)."""
+    return bool((cfg or {}).get("require_auth"))
+
+
 def build_panel_router(cfg: dict | None):
     cfg = cfg or {}
     home = str(cfg.get("home_url") or "").strip()
@@ -44,6 +104,33 @@ def build_panel_router(cfg: dict | None):
     async def _panel():
         return HTMLResponse(_INTERACTIVE_PAGE.replace("__HOME_URL__", home_literal))
 
+    @router.get("/panel/dash")
+    async def _panel_dash(request: Request):
+        """Full-mode dashboard proxy entry — loaded in an iframe, so it can't carry a
+        bearer. On a token-gated deployment it admits the signed ``ab_session`` cookie
+        or a fresh ``?dash=<token>`` minted by the bearer-gated ``POST /dash-session``
+        (401 on a missing / tampered / expired one); a ``?dash=`` entry answers with the
+        ``Set-Cookie`` — it must happen HERE, not on the ``/api`` POST, because browsers
+        drop a cookie whose Path doesn't path-match the URL that set it — so reloads and
+        the plugin's sub-requests ride the cookie without re-minting. A non-gated
+        deployment serves openly (backward compatible)."""
+        page = _INTERACTIVE_PAGE.replace("__HOME_URL__", home_literal)
+        if not _dash_auth_required(cfg) or verify_dash_token(request.cookies.get(_DASH_COOKIE, "")):
+            return HTMLResponse(page)
+        token = request.query_params.get("dash", "")
+        if not verify_dash_token(token):
+            return JSONResponse({"error": "unauthorized"}, status_code=401)
+        # First entry via the minted token: exchange it for the path-scoped session
+        # cookie. Secure when the origin — or the TLS-terminating proxy's
+        # ``X-Forwarded-Proto`` — is HTTPS.
+        secure = (request.url.scheme == "https"
+                  or request.headers.get("x-forwarded-proto", "").lower() == "https")
+        resp = HTMLResponse(page)
+        resp.set_cookie(_DASH_COOKIE, token, max_age=_DASH_TTL,
+                        path=_dash_cookie_path(request.url.path),
+                        httponly=True, samesite="strict", secure=secure)
+        return resp
+
     return router
 
 
@@ -72,6 +159,18 @@ def _run(*args: str) -> tuple[int, str]:
         except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
             return 124, "timed out"
 
+    # ── /panel/dash gate: mint the signed session token (bearer-gated route) ─────────
+    @router.post("/dash-session")
+    async def _dash_session():
+        """Mint the short-lived signed token that unlocks the ``/panel/dash`` proxy.
+        HTTP + under ``/api`` ⇒ it rides the host operator-bearer gate, so only an
+        authenticated console can mint one. The token rides the body, NOT a Set-Cookie:
+        a cookie Path-scoped to the page surface would not path-match this ``/api/...``
+        URL, and browsers drop such a cookie (RFC 6265). The panel presents it once as
+        ``?dash=`` on the proxy URL, whose response sets the real path-matched
+        ``ab_session`` cookie (HttpOnly + SameSite=Strict + Secure-on-HTTPS)."""
+        return JSONResponse({"ok": True, "dash": mint_dash_token()})
+
     # ── interactive stream: a single-use ticket (gated) + the WS bridge (self-gated) ──
     @router.post("/stream-ticket")
     async def _stream_ticket():
@@ -260,8 +359,24 @@ async def _nav(body: dict = Body(...)):
   u.searchParams.set("ticket", ticket);
   return u.toString();
 }
+// ── /panel/dash auth: set the short-lived ab_session cookie BEFORE pointing the
+// iframe/WS at the full-mode proxy. On a token-gated deployment the proxy 401s a
+// cookieless request; apiFetch (operator bearer) mints a signed token, then ONE
+// same-origin GET presents it as ?dash= — the proxy answers THAT request with the
+// path-scoped cookie (a Set-Cookie must path-match its own URL or browsers drop it,
+// so the /api POST can't set it). A non-gated deployment doesn't need it, and a
+// failure must not block the stream — best-effort, awaited only to order it before
+// the connect. ──
+async function ensureDashSession(){
+  try{
+    const r=await kit.apiFetch("/api/plugins/agent_browser/dash-session",{method:"POST"});
+    const t=(await r.json()).dash;
+    if(t) await fetch(BASE+"/plugins/agent_browser/panel/dash?dash="+encodeURIComponent(t));
+  }catch(_){}
+}
 async function connect(){
   clearTimeout(retry);
+  await ensureDashSession();   // set the ab_session cookie before opening the (proxied) stream
   try{
     const r=await kit.apiFetch("/api/plugins/agent_browser/stream-ticket",{method:"POST"});
     const ticket=(await r.json()).ticket;
diff --git a/tests/test_agent_browser.py b/tests/test_agent_browser.py
index de726f1..06b3bdc 100644
--- a/tests/test_agent_browser.py
+++ b/tests/test_agent_browser.py
@@ -361,3 +361,141 @@ def test_nav_open_applies_launch_flags(monkeypatch):
     assert rec[-1] == ["agent-browser", "reload"]
 
 
+# ── /panel/dash signed-cookie auth gate (mint token + proxy gate) ─────────────────
+
+
+def test_dash_token_roundtrips_and_expires():
+    # a fresh token verifies through its ~5-min window; one minted in the past is expired;
+    # a flipped signature byte or a re-dated expiry can never forge the HMAC.
+    tok = bp.mint_dash_token(now=1000, ttl=300)
+    assert bp.verify_dash_token(tok, now=1000) is True
+    assert bp.verify_dash_token(tok, now=1299) is True
+    assert bp.verify_dash_token(tok, now=1301) is False           # past expiry → rejected
+    exp, _, sig = tok.partition(".")
+    bad_sig = sig[:-1] + ("1" if sig.endswith("0") else "0")
+    assert bp.verify_dash_token(f"{exp}.{bad_sig}", now=1000) is False   # tampered signature
+    assert bp.verify_dash_token(f"99999999999.{sig}", now=1000) is False  # re-dated expiry
+    assert bp.verify_dash_token("", now=1000) is False
+    assert bp.verify_dash_token("garbage-no-dot", now=1000) is False
+
+
+def test_dash_session_mints_signed_token_without_api_cookie():
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    r = TestClient(_app({"require_auth": True})).post("/api/plugins/agent_browser/dash-session")
+    assert r.status_code == 200
+    body = r.json()
+    assert body["ok"] is True
+    assert bp.verify_dash_token(body["dash"]) is True    # a real, verifiable signed token
+    # NO Set-Cookie on the /api response: a Path=/plugins/agent_browser/ cookie would
+    # not path-match this /api/... URL and browsers drop it (RFC 6265) — the ?dash=
+    # exchange on the proxy itself sets the cookie instead.
+    assert "set-cookie" not in r.headers
+
+
+def test_dash_query_token_exchanges_for_path_matched_cookie():
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    c = TestClient(_app({"require_auth": True}))
+    r = c.get(f"/plugins/agent_browser/panel/dash?dash={bp.mint_dash_token()}")
+    assert r.status_code == 200 and 'id="cv"' in r.text  # a valid minted token admits entry
+    sc = r.headers["set-cookie"]
+    low = sc.lower()
+    assert sc.startswith("ab_session=")
+    assert "httponly" in low                          # not readable from JS
+    assert "samesite=strict" in low                   # no cross-site send
+    assert "path=/plugins/agent_browser/" in low      # scoped to the plugin's page surface
+    assert "max-age=300" in low                       # ~5-min TTL
+    # the Path path-matches the URL that set it (RFC 6265 — else browsers drop the cookie)
+    cookie_path = next(p.split("=", 1)[1] for p in sc.split(";")
+                       if p.strip().lower().startswith("path="))
+    assert "/plugins/agent_browser/panel/dash".startswith(cookie_path)
+    # the cookie value is a real, verifiable signed token…
+    token = sc.split("ab_session=", 1)[1].split(";", 1)[0]
+    assert bp.verify_dash_token(token) is True
+    # …and the retained cookie admits a plain reload with no query token
+    assert c.get("/plugins/agent_browser/panel/dash").status_code == 200
+
+
+def test_dash_cookie_path_follows_proxy_prefix():
+    from fastapi import FastAPI
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    # through the fleet proxy the page surface lives under /agents/<slug>/… — the cookie
+    # Path must follow the actual request URL or the browser would never send it back.
+    app = FastAPI()
+    app.include_router(bp.build_panel_router({"require_auth": True}),
+                       prefix="/agents/slug/plugins/agent_browser")
+    r = TestClient(app).get(
+        f"/agents/slug/plugins/agent_browser/panel/dash?dash={bp.mint_dash_token()}")
+    assert "path=/agents/slug/plugins/agent_browser/" in r.headers["set-cookie"].lower()
+
+
+def test_dash_cookie_is_secure_only_on_https():
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    app = _app({"require_auth": True})
+    url = "/plugins/agent_browser/panel/dash"
+    http = TestClient(app).get(f"{url}?dash={bp.mint_dash_token()}")
+    assert "secure" not in http.headers["set-cookie"].lower()          # plain HTTP → no Secure flag
+    https = TestClient(app, base_url="https://testserver").get(f"{url}?dash={bp.mint_dash_token()}")
+    assert "secure" in https.headers["set-cookie"].lower()             # HTTPS origin → Secure
+    xfp = TestClient(app).get(f"{url}?dash={bp.mint_dash_token()}",
+                              headers={"X-Forwarded-Proto": "https"})
+    assert "secure" in xfp.headers["set-cookie"].lower()               # TLS-terminating proxy → Secure
+
+
+def test_dash_proxy_rejects_without_cookie_when_gated():
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    # token-gated deployment: the iframe proxy is unreachable without a valid cookie
+    # or a valid minted ?dash= token.
+    c = TestClient(_app({"require_auth": True}))
+    assert c.get("/plugins/agent_browser/panel/dash").status_code == 401
+    assert c.get("/plugins/agent_browser/panel/dash?dash=9999999999.forged").status_code == 401
+    expired = bp.mint_dash_token(now=0)
+    assert c.get(f"/plugins/agent_browser/panel/dash?dash={expired}").status_code == 401
+
+
+def test_dash_proxy_serves_with_valid_cookie_when_gated():
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    c = TestClient(_app({"require_auth": True}))
+    token = bp.mint_dash_token()
+    r = c.get("/plugins/agent_browser/panel/dash", headers={"Cookie": f"ab_session={token}"})
+    assert r.status_code == 200 and 'id="cv"' in r.text                # the drivable dashboard served
+
+
+def test_dash_proxy_rejects_expired_or_tampered_cookie_when_gated():
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    c = TestClient(_app({"require_auth": True}))
+    expired = bp.mint_dash_token(now=0)                                # exp far in the past
+    assert c.get("/plugins/agent_browser/panel/dash",
+                 headers={"Cookie": f"ab_session={expired}"}).status_code == 401
+    assert c.get("/plugins/agent_browser/panel/dash",
+                 headers={"Cookie": "ab_session=9999999999.deadbeef"}).status_code == 401   # bad signature
+
+
+def test_dash_proxy_open_when_not_gated():
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    # backward compatible: a deployment that doesn't require bearer auth serves the proxy
+    # even with no cookie at all.
+    r = TestClient(_app({})).get("/plugins/agent_browser/panel/dash")
+    assert r.status_code == 200 and 'id="cv"' in r.text
+
+
+def test_panel_page_mints_dash_session_before_stream():
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    html = TestClient(_app({})).get("/plugins/agent_browser/panel").text
+    # the panel mints a token via the (bearer-gated) dash-session route, then presents
+    # it as ?dash= to the proxy — whose response sets the path-matched ab_session cookie…
+    assert "/api/plugins/agent_browser/dash-session" in html and "ensureDashSession" in html
+    assert "/plugins/agent_browser/panel/dash?dash=" in html
+    # …and it does so from connect(), before the stream WS handshake.
+    assert "await ensureDashSession();" in html
+    assert html.index("await ensureDashSession();") < html.index("new WebSocket(")
+
+