diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 66d23921..4df243f6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -119,3 +119,33 @@ jobs:
       - name: Skipped (out of scope)
         if: needs.detect-changes.outputs.scope != 'backend' && needs.detect-changes.outputs.scope != 'mixed'
         run: echo "Backend scope not touched (scope=${{ needs.detect-changes.outputs.scope }}) — skipping integration tests."
+
+  # Production frontend image (nginx) + backend, smoke-tested through the nginx proxy
+  # (SPA, REST, WebSocket, /health). Runs for every scope except docs-only: the classifier
+  # puts Dockerfiles, compose files, nginx config, scripts/, Makefile and this workflow
+  # under "mixed", so container changes are never filtered out.
+  frontend-container:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: detect-changes
+    timeout-minutes: 30
+    env:
+      # One compose project per run, attempt and job: containers, network and the images
+      # compose builds (<project>-<service>) belong to this job only, and cleanup touches
+      # nothing else on the runner.
+      COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME: dnd-fe-smoke-${{ github.run_id }}-${{ github.run_attempt }}-${{ github.job }}
+      # The smoke reaches nginx over the project network; publish on an ephemeral host port.
+      FRONTEND_PORT: "0"
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Run frontend container smoke
+        if: needs.detect-changes.outputs.scope != 'docs'
+        run: make test-frontend-container
+
+      - name: Clean up compose project
+        if: always() && needs.detect-changes.outputs.scope != 'docs'
+        run: docker compose -f docker-compose.test.yml --profile frontend down --volumes --remove-orphans --rmi local
+
+      - name: Skipped (out of scope)
+        if: needs.detect-changes.outputs.scope == 'docs'
+        run: echo "Docs-only change (scope=${{ needs.detect-changes.outputs.scope }}) — skipping frontend container smoke."
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_ci_frontend_container.py b/tests/unit/test_ci_frontend_container.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5333de40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/test_ci_frontend_container.py
@@ -0,0 +1,149 @@
+"""Regression tests for the CI frontend-container smoke job.
+
+Covers the path trigger (scripts/classify-scope.sh + the job's scope gate), the per-run compose
+project isolation and cleanup of the job, and the exit status / teardown semantics of
+`make test-frontend-container` (exercised against a fake `docker` on PATH, no daemon needed).
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import os
+import stat
+import subprocess
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Any
+
+import pytest
+import yaml
+
+REPO_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+CLASSIFIER = REPO_ROOT / "scripts" / "classify-scope.sh"
+WORKFLOW = REPO_ROOT / ".github" / "workflows" / "ci.yml"
+
+SCOPE = "needs.detect-changes.outputs.scope"
+
+# Every path whose change can alter the images or the smoke run.
+CONTAINER_RELEVANT_PATHS = [
+    "frontend/Dockerfile",
+    "frontend/.dockerignore",
+    "frontend/nginx.conf.template",
+    "frontend/package-lock.json",
+    "frontend/src/main.tsx",
+    "frontend/vite.config.ts",
+    "Dockerfile",
+    "Dockerfile.test",
+    ".dockerignore",
+    "docker-compose.test.yml",
+    "src/dnd_simulator/adapters/api.py",
+    "content/worlds/default/manifest.yaml",
+    "tests/frontend_proxy/test_frontend_proxy.py",
+    "tests/integration/content/manifest.yaml",
+    "pyproject.toml",
+    "uv.lock",
+    ".python-version",
+    "Makefile",
+    "scripts/classify-scope.sh",
+    ".github/workflows/ci.yml",
+]
+
+
+def _classify(paths: list[str]) -> str:
+    result = subprocess.run(
+        [str(CLASSIFIER)], input="\n".join(paths) + "\n", capture_output=True, text=True, check=True
+    )
+    return result.stdout.strip()
+
+
+def _job() -> dict[str, Any]:
+    workflow = yaml.safe_load(WORKFLOW.read_text())
+    job = workflow["jobs"]["frontend-container"]
+    assert isinstance(job, dict)
+    return job
+
+
+def _step(job: dict[str, Any], name: str) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    steps = [s for s in job["steps"] if s.get("name") == name]
+    assert len(steps) == 1, name
+    step = steps[0]
+    assert isinstance(step, dict)
+    return step
+
+
+class TestPathTrigger:
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("path", CONTAINER_RELEVANT_PATHS)
+    def test_container_relevant_path_is_never_docs(self, path: str) -> None:
+        assert _classify([path]) != "docs"
+        assert _classify([path, "docs/ROADMAP.md"]) != "docs"
+
+    def test_docs_only_change_is_docs(self) -> None:
+        assert _classify(["docs/ROADMAP.md", "README.md"]) == "docs"
+
+    def test_smoke_runs_for_every_scope_but_docs(self) -> None:
+        job = _job()
+        assert job["needs"] == "detect-changes"
+        smoke = _step(job, "Run frontend container smoke")
+        assert smoke["if"] == f"{SCOPE} != 'docs'"
+        assert smoke["run"] == "make test-frontend-container"
+        assert _step(job, "Skipped (out of scope)")["if"] == f"{SCOPE} == 'docs'"
+
+
+class TestIsolationAndCleanup:
+    def test_compose_project_is_unique_per_run_attempt_and_job(self) -> None:
+        project = _job()["env"]["COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME"]
+        for part in ("${{ github.run_id }}", "${{ github.run_attempt }}", "${{ github.job }}"):
+            assert part in project
+
+    def test_frontend_port_is_ephemeral(self) -> None:
+        assert _job()["env"]["FRONTEND_PORT"] == "0"
+
+    def test_cleanup_runs_always_and_only_on_the_job_project(self) -> None:
+        job = _job()
+        cleanup = _step(job, "Clean up compose project")
+        assert cleanup["if"].startswith("always() && ")
+        command = cleanup["run"]
+        assert command.startswith("docker compose -f docker-compose.test.yml --profile frontend down")
+        # The project comes from the job env; nothing may override it or reach beyond it.
+        assert " -p " not in command and "--project-name" not in command
+        for step in job["steps"]:
+            assert "prune" not in step.get("run", "")
+
+
+def _fake_docker(tmp_path: Path, up_status: int) -> tuple[dict[str, str], Path]:
+    calls = tmp_path / "docker-calls.log"
+    fake = tmp_path / "bin" / "docker"
+    fake.parent.mkdir()
+    fake.write_text(
+        "#!/bin/sh\n"
+        f'echo "project=$COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME $*" >> "{calls}"\n'
+        'for arg in "$@"; do\n'
+        f'  [ "$arg" = up ] && exit {up_status}\n'
+        "done\n"
+        "exit 0\n"
+    )
+    fake.chmod(fake.stat().st_mode | stat.S_IXUSR)
+    env = {
+        **os.environ,
+        "PATH": f"{fake.parent}{os.pathsep}{os.environ['PATH']}",
+        "COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME": "dnd-fe-smoke-test",
+    }
+    return env, calls
+
+
+class TestMakeTargetSemantics:
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("up_status", [0, 1, 7])
+    def test_exit_status_follows_smoke_and_project_is_torn_down(self, tmp_path: Path, up_status: int) -> None:
+        env, calls = _fake_docker(tmp_path, up_status)
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            ["make", "-s", "-C", str(REPO_ROOT), "test-frontend-container"],
+            env=env,
+            capture_output=True,
+            text=True,
+            check=False,
+        )
+        assert (result.returncode == 0) == (up_status == 0), result.stderr
+        lines = calls.read_text().splitlines()
+        assert len(lines) == 2
+        up, down = lines
+        assert up.startswith("project=dnd-fe-smoke-test compose -f docker-compose.test.yml --profile frontend up ")
+        assert "--exit-code-from frontend-smoke" in up
+        assert down.startswith("project=dnd-fe-smoke-test compose -f docker-compose.test.yml --profile frontend down")