diff --git a/neode-ui/src/composables/__tests__/useAudioPlayer.test.ts b/neode-ui/src/composables/__tests__/useAudioPlayer.test.ts
index e13a3fdb..6a7cade7 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/composables/__tests__/useAudioPlayer.test.ts
+++ b/neode-ui/src/composables/__tests__/useAudioPlayer.test.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { useAudioPlayer } from '../useAudioPlayer'
 
 // Mock HTMLAudioElement
+let lastMockAudio: MockAudio | undefined
+
 class MockAudio {
   src = ''
   currentTime = 0
@@ -9,6 +11,10 @@ class MockAudio {
   paused = true
   private listeners: Record<string, Array<() => void>> = {}
 
+  constructor() {
+    lastMockAudio = this
+  }
+
   addEventListener(event: string, handler: () => void) {
     if (!this.listeners[event]) this.listeners[event] = []
     this.listeners[event].push(handler)
@@ -18,7 +24,12 @@ class MockAudio {
     // no-op for tests
   }
 
+  shouldRejectPlay = false
+
   play() {
+    if (this.shouldRejectPlay) {
+      return Promise.reject(new DOMException('no supported source', 'NotSupportedError'))
+    }
     this.paused = false
     this.emit('play')
     return Promise.resolve()
@@ -47,6 +58,7 @@ describe('useAudioPlayer', () => {
     // Reset singleton state by stopping any active playback
     const player = useAudioPlayer()
     player.stop()
+    if (lastMockAudio) lastMockAudio.shouldRejectPlay = false
   })
 
   it('returns all expected properties', () => {
@@ -128,6 +140,27 @@ describe('useAudioPlayer', () => {
     expect(player.progress.value).toBe(0)
   })
 
+  it('play() rejection is caught, not left as an unhandled promise rejection', async () => {
+    // Regression: play() rejects independently of the 'error' event (e.g. a
+    // peer-content 404 with no decodable source) — this used to be an
+    // unhandled rejection in the browser console even though the 'error'
+    // listener already set a friendly message (2026-07-01).
+    const player = useAudioPlayer()
+    // Initialize the singleton Audio element first (a no-op play call).
+    player.play('/audio/warmup.mp3', 'Warmup')
+    player.stop()
+
+    lastMockAudio!.shouldRejectPlay = true
+    // Calling play() must not throw synchronously nor leave a rejected
+    // promise unhandled — if useAudioPlayer's play() didn't .catch() the
+    // rejection, `loading` would never flip back to false, since nothing
+    // else resets it on this path (that's the real regression signal).
+    expect(() => player.play('/audio/broken.mp3', 'Broken')).not.toThrow()
+    await Promise.resolve()
+    await Promise.resolve()
+    expect(player.loading.value).toBe(false)
+  })
+
   it('shared state across multiple useAudioPlayer calls', () => {
     const p1 = useAudioPlayer()
     const p2 = useAudioPlayer()
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/composables/useAudioPlayer.ts b/neode-ui/src/composables/useAudioPlayer.ts
index 05d64f68..5c8ecbb3 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/composables/useAudioPlayer.ts
+++ b/neode-ui/src/composables/useAudioPlayer.ts
@@ -69,7 +69,15 @@ function play(src: string, name: string) {
     currentName.value = name
   }
 
-  audio.value!.play()
+  // play() rejects (e.g. NotSupportedError when the peer 404s and there's no
+  // decodable source) independently of the 'error' event above — uncaught,
+  // this surfaces as a raw console error instead of the friendly message
+  // already wired up there. The 'error' listener sets the same state, so
+  // this just needs to stop the rejection from going unhandled.
+  audio.value!.play().catch(() => {
+    playing.value = false
+    loading.value = false
+  })
 }
 
 function pause() {