diff --git a/lib/host/blog.sx b/lib/host/blog.sx
index 384c174a..a3bb1521 100644
--- a/lib/host/blog.sx
+++ b/lib/host/blog.sx
@@ -155,7 +155,10 @@
 (define host/blog-relate-options
   (fn (req)
     (let ((slug (dream-param req "slug"))
-          (q (or (dream-query-param req "q") ""))
+          ;; dream's query parser does not %-decode values (its form parser does),
+          ;; so a filter like "Item 13" arrives as "Item%2013" — decode it with
+          ;; dream's own dr/url-decode before matching.
+          (q (dr/url-decode (or (dream-query-param req "q") "")))
           (offset (host/query-int req "offset" 0)))
       (let ((page (take (drop (host/blog--relate-candidates slug q) offset)
                     host/blog--picker-limit)))
@@ -167,7 +170,7 @@
 ;; host serves static HTML (no SX hydration), so the interactive layer is a small
 ;; vanilla script served from this route (read once, cached).
 (define host/blog-picker-js-src
-  "(function(){var f=document.getElementById('relate-filter');if(!f)return;var r=document.getElementById('relate-results');var slug=f.getAttribute('data-slug'),off=0,q='',busy=false,done=false,t;function load(reset){if(busy||(!reset&&done))return;busy=true;if(reset){off=0;done=false;}fetch('/'+slug+'/relate-options?q='+encodeURIComponent(q)+'&offset='+off).then(function(x){return x.text();}).then(function(h){var d=document.createElement('div');d.innerHTML=h;var n=d.children.length;if(reset)r.innerHTML='';while(d.firstChild)r.appendChild(d.firstChild);off+=n;done=n<20;busy=false;}).catch(function(){busy=false;});}f.addEventListener('input',function(){clearTimeout(t);t=setTimeout(function(){q=f.value.trim();load(true);},200);});r.addEventListener('scroll',function(){if(r.scrollTop+r.clientHeight>=r.scrollHeight-40){load(false);}});load(true);})();")
+  "(function(){var f=document.getElementById('relate-filter');if(!f)return;var r=document.getElementById('relate-results');var slug=f.getAttribute('data-slug'),off=0,q='',busy=false,done=false,pending=false,t;function load(reset){if(busy){if(reset)pending=true;return;}if(!reset&&done)return;busy=true;if(reset){off=0;done=false;}fetch('/'+slug+'/relate-options?q='+encodeURIComponent(q)+'&offset='+off).then(function(x){return x.text();}).then(function(h){var d=document.createElement('div');d.innerHTML=h;var n=d.children.length;if(reset)r.innerHTML='';while(d.firstChild)r.appendChild(d.firstChild);off+=n;done=n<20;busy=false;if(pending){pending=false;load(true);}}).catch(function(){busy=false;if(pending){pending=false;load(true);}});}f.addEventListener('input',function(){clearTimeout(t);t=setTimeout(function(){q=f.value.trim();load(true);},200);});r.addEventListener('scroll',function(){if(r.scrollTop+r.clientHeight>=r.scrollHeight-40){load(false);}});load(true);})();")
 (define host/blog-picker-js
   (fn (req)
     (dream-response 200 {:content-type "application/javascript; charset=utf-8"}
diff --git a/lib/host/playwright/relate-picker.spec.js b/lib/host/playwright/relate-picker.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..17f454a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/host/playwright/relate-picker.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+// Browser check for the relate picker (lib/host/blog.sx). Runs against an
+// ephemeral host server seeded with a host post + 25 candidates by
+// run-picker-check.sh, which copies this spec into the Playwright env and sets
+// SX_TEST_URL. Exercises the login redirect, the JS-driven candidate load,
+// debounced filter, infinite scroll, and click-to-relate.
+const { test, expect } = require('playwright/test');
+
+const USER = process.env.SX_ADMIN_USER || 'admin';
+const PASS = process.env.SX_ADMIN_PASSWORD || 'letmein';
+const HOST = 'picker-host';        // the post whose edit page we drive
+const LIMIT = 20;                  // host/blog--picker-limit
+
+// Navigate to a guarded path; the host redirects to /login?next=…, so fill the
+// form and we should land back on the original path (exercises the auth flow).
+async function loginTo(page, path) {
+  await page.goto(path);
+  await page.waitForURL(/\/login/);
+  await page.fill('input[name="username"]', USER);
+  await page.fill('input[name="password"]', PASS);
+  await page.click('button[type="submit"]');
+  await page.waitForURL((u) => !u.pathname.startsWith('/login'));
+}
+
+test.describe('relate picker', () => {
+  test('login redirect returns to the edit page', async ({ page }) => {
+    await loginTo(page, `/${HOST}/edit`);
+    await expect(page).toHaveURL(new RegExp(`/${HOST}/edit`));
+    await expect(page.locator('#relate-filter')).toBeVisible();
+  });
+
+  test('picker loads a page of candidates then loads more on scroll', async ({ page }) => {
+    await loginTo(page, `/${HOST}/edit`);
+    const rows = page.locator('#relate-results li');
+    // initial JS load fills exactly one page
+    await expect.poll(() => rows.count(), { timeout: 8000 }).toBe(LIMIT);
+    // scroll the results box to the bottom -> infinite scroll fetches the rest
+    await page.locator('#relate-results').evaluate((el) => el.scrollTo(0, el.scrollHeight));
+    await expect.poll(() => rows.count(), { timeout: 8000 }).toBeGreaterThan(LIMIT);
+  });
+
+  test('typing in the filter narrows the candidates', async ({ page }) => {
+    await loginTo(page, `/${HOST}/edit`);
+    await expect.poll(() => page.locator('#relate-results li').count(), { timeout: 8000 }).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    await page.fill('#relate-filter', 'Item 13');
+    await expect.poll(() => page.locator('#relate-results li').count(), { timeout: 8000 }).toBe(1);
+    await expect(page.locator('#relate-results')).toContainText('Picker Item 13');
+  });
+
+  test('clicking a candidate relates it (and it shows on the post page)', async ({ page }) => {
+    await loginTo(page, `/${HOST}/edit`);
+    await page.fill('#relate-filter', 'Item 07');
+    await expect.poll(() => page.locator('#relate-results li').count(), { timeout: 8000 }).toBe(1);
+    await page.locator('#relate-results button').first().click();
+    // form POST -> 303 back to the edit page; the related list now links the slug
+    await expect(page).toHaveURL(new RegExp(`/${HOST}/edit`));
+    await expect(page.locator('a[href="/picker-item-07/"]')).toHaveCount(1);
+    // and the public post page shows the Related posts block with the title
+    await page.goto(`/${HOST}/`);
+    await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Related posts' })).toBeVisible();
+    await expect(page.locator('body')).toContainText('Picker Item 07');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/lib/host/playwright/run-picker-check.sh b/lib/host/playwright/run-picker-check.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..4de0372c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/host/playwright/run-picker-check.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Browser check for the relate picker. Spins up an EPHEMERAL host server (this
+# worktree's binary + lib, a temp persist dir), seeds a host post + 25 candidates,
+# runs lib/host/playwright/relate-picker.spec.js in the main worktree's Playwright,
+# then tears everything down. No live-site dependency, no live-data pollution.
+#
+#   bash lib/host/playwright/run-picker-check.sh
+#
+# Requires: the OCaml binary built (hosts/ocaml/_build/default/bin/sx_server.exe)
+# and Playwright + chromium in /root/rose-ash (the architecture worktree).
+set -uo pipefail
+cd "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"
+ROOT=$(pwd)
+
+PORT="${PICKER_PORT:-8912}"
+PW_DIR="${PW_DIR:-/root/rose-ash}"          # worktree that has node_modules + chromium
+USER="admin"
+PASS="picker-check-pw"
+SECRET="picker-check-secret"
+PDIR=$(mktemp -d)
+JAR=$(mktemp)
+SPEC_SRC="lib/host/playwright/relate-picker.spec.js"
+SPEC_DST="$PW_DIR/tests/playwright/_picker-check.spec.js"
+SERVE_LOG=$(mktemp)
+
+cleanup() {
+  [ -n "${SVPID:-}" ] && kill "$SVPID" 2>/dev/null
+  # kill whatever is still bound to the port (serve.sh re-parents via `| exec`)
+  local pid
+  pid=$(ss -lptn "sport = :$PORT" 2>/dev/null | grep -oE 'pid=[0-9]+' | head -1 | cut -d= -f2)
+  [ -n "$pid" ] && kill "$pid" 2>/dev/null
+  rm -f "$SPEC_DST" "$JAR" "$SERVE_LOG"
+  rm -rf "$PDIR"
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT
+
+echo "== starting ephemeral host server on :$PORT (persist=$PDIR) =="
+HOST_PORT="$PORT" SX_PERSIST_DIR="$PDIR" \
+  SX_ADMIN_USER="$USER" SX_ADMIN_PASSWORD="$PASS" SX_SESSION_SECRET="$SECRET" \
+  bash lib/host/serve.sh >"$SERVE_LOG" 2>&1 &
+SVPID=$!
+
+for i in $(seq 1 60); do
+  curl -sf -o /dev/null "http://127.0.0.1:$PORT/health" 2>/dev/null && break
+  sleep 1
+  [ "$i" = "60" ] && { echo "server never came up:"; cat "$SERVE_LOG"; exit 1; }
+done
+echo "== server up =="
+
+echo "== seeding 1 host post + 25 candidates =="
+curl -s -c "$JAR" -o /dev/null -X POST "http://127.0.0.1:$PORT/login" \
+  --data "username=$USER&password=$PASS"
+curl -s -b "$JAR" -o /dev/null -X POST "http://127.0.0.1:$PORT/new" \
+  --data 'title=Picker Host&sx_content=(p "host")&status=published'
+for n in $(seq -w 1 25); do
+  curl -s -b "$JAR" -o /dev/null -X POST "http://127.0.0.1:$PORT/new" \
+    --data "title=Picker Item $n&sx_content=(p \"item $n\")&status=published"
+done
+echo "== seeded ($(curl -s "http://127.0.0.1:$PORT/posts" | grep -o '"slug"' | wc -l) posts) =="
+
+echo "== running Playwright =="
+cp "$ROOT/$SPEC_SRC" "$SPEC_DST"
+cd "$PW_DIR"
+SX_TEST_URL="http://127.0.0.1:$PORT" SX_ADMIN_USER="$USER" SX_ADMIN_PASSWORD="$PASS" \
+  node_modules/.bin/playwright test _picker-check.spec.js --workers=1 \
+  --config tests/playwright/playwright.config.js
+RC=$?
+
+echo "== done (exit $RC) =="
+exit $RC
diff --git a/lib/host/tests/blog.sx b/lib/host/tests/blog.sx
index 35965c3c..dc59fe39 100644
--- a/lib/host/tests/blog.sx
+++ b/lib/host/tests/blog.sx
@@ -261,6 +261,10 @@
   (let ((body (dream-resp-body (host-bl-app (host-bl-req "/alpha-post/relate-options?q=beta")))))
     (list (contains? body "Beta Post") (contains? body "Gamma Post")))
   (list true false))
+(host-bl-test "relate-options filter url-decodes q (spaces)"
+  (let ((body (dream-resp-body (host-bl-app (host-bl-req "/alpha-post/relate-options?q=Beta%20Post")))))
+    (list (contains? body "Beta Post") (contains? body "Gamma Post")))
+  (list true false))
 (host-bl-test "relate-options excludes already-related candidates"
   (begin
     (host/blog-relate! "alpha-post" "beta-post")