diff --git a/docker-compose.dev-sx.yml b/docker-compose.dev-sx.yml
index 7273494..5d5c5a7 100644
--- a/docker-compose.dev-sx.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.dev-sx.yml
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ services:
       SX_OCAML_BIN: "/app/bin/sx_server"
       SX_BOUNDARY_STRICT: "1"
       SX_DEV: "1"
+    ports:
+      - "8013:8000"
     volumes:
       - /root/rose-ash/_config/dev-sh-config.yaml:/app/config/app-config.yaml:ro
       - ./shared:/app/shared
diff --git a/hosts/javascript/platform.py b/hosts/javascript/platform.py
index 3139b59..4ba2fe6 100644
--- a/hosts/javascript/platform.py
+++ b/hosts/javascript/platform.py
@@ -1130,8 +1130,10 @@ PRIMITIVES_JS_MODULES: dict[str, str] = {
   PRIMITIVES["emit!"] = sxEmit;
   PRIMITIVES["emitted"] = sxEmitted;
   // Aliases for aser adapter (avoids CEK special form conflict on server)
-  PRIMITIVES["scope-emit!"] = sxEmit;
-  PRIMITIVES["scope-peek"] = sxEmitted;
+  var scopeEmit = sxEmit;
+  var scopePeek = sxEmitted;
+  PRIMITIVES["scope-emit!"] = scopeEmit;
+  PRIMITIVES["scope-peek"] = scopePeek;
 ''',
 }
 # Modules to include by default (all)
@@ -1170,6 +1172,7 @@ PLATFORM_JS_PRE = '''
     if (x._spread) return "spread";
     if (x._macro) return "macro";
     if (x._raw) return "raw-html";
+    if (x._sx_expr) return "sx-expr";
     if (typeof Node !== "undefined" && x instanceof Node) return "dom-node";
     if (Array.isArray(x)) return "list";
     if (typeof x === "object") return "dict";
@@ -1441,6 +1444,7 @@ PLATFORM_JS_POST = '''
   // escape-html and escape-attr are now library functions defined in render.sx
   function rawHtmlContent(r) { return r.html; }
   function makeRawHtml(s) { return { _raw: true, html: s }; }
+  function makeSxExpr(s) { return { _sx_expr: true, source: s }; }
   function sxExprSource(x) { return x && x.source ? x.source : String(x); }
 
   // Placeholders — overridden by transpiled spec from parser.sx / adapter-sx.sx
@@ -1669,7 +1673,8 @@ CEK_FIXUPS_JS = '''
   PRIMITIVES["island?"] = isIsland;
   PRIMITIVES["make-symbol"] = function(n) { return new Symbol(n); };
   PRIMITIVES["is-html-tag?"] = function(n) { return HTML_TAGS.indexOf(n) >= 0; };
-  PRIMITIVES["make-env"] = function() { return merge(componentEnv, PRIMITIVES); };
+  function makeEnv() { return merge(componentEnv, PRIMITIVES); }
+  PRIMITIVES["make-env"] = makeEnv;
 
   // localStorage — defined here (before boot) so islands can use at hydration
   PRIMITIVES["local-storage-get"] = function(key) {
@@ -1792,7 +1797,7 @@ PLATFORM_PARSER_JS = r"""
   function escapeString(s) {
     return s.replace(/\\/g, "\\\\").replace(/"/g, '\\"').replace(/\n/g, "\\n").replace(/\t/g, "\\t");
   }
-  function sxExprSource(e) { return typeof e === "string" ? e : String(e); }
+  function sxExprSource(e) { return typeof e === "string" ? e : (e && e.source ? e.source : String(e)); }
   var charFromCode = PRIMITIVES["char-from-code"];
 """
 
@@ -2298,7 +2303,10 @@ PLATFORM_ORCHESTRATION_JS = """
           }
         }
       });
-    }).catch(function() { location.reload(); });
+    }).catch(function(err) {
+      logWarn("sx:popstate fetch error " + url + " — " + (err && err.message ? err.message : err));
+      location.reload();
+    });
   }
 
   function fetchStreaming(target, url, headers) {
@@ -2436,7 +2444,9 @@ PLATFORM_ORCHESTRATION_JS = """
       return resp.text().then(function(text) {
         preloadCacheSet(cache, url, text, ct);
       });
-    }).catch(function() { /* ignore */ });
+    }).catch(function(err) {
+      logInfo("sx:preload error " + url + " — " + (err && err.message ? err.message : err));
+    });
   }
 
   // --- Request body building ---
@@ -2725,6 +2735,8 @@ PLATFORM_ORCHESTRATION_JS = """
       var liveAction = form.getAttribute("action") || _action || location.href;
       executeRequest(form, { method: liveMethod, url: liveAction }).then(function() {
         try { history.pushState({ sxUrl: liveAction, scrollY: window.scrollY }, "", liveAction); } catch (err) {}
+      }).catch(function(err) {
+        logWarn("sx:boost form error " + liveMethod + " " + liveAction + " — " + (err && err.message ? err.message : err));
       });
     });
   }
diff --git a/hosts/javascript/run_tests.js b/hosts/javascript/run_tests.js
index d5e676f..98cac29 100644
--- a/hosts/javascript/run_tests.js
+++ b/hosts/javascript/run_tests.js
@@ -218,6 +218,19 @@ env["component-has-children"] = function(c) {
   return c && c.has_children ? c.has_children : false;
 };
 
+// Aser test helper: parse SX source, evaluate via aser, return wire format string
+env["render-sx"] = function(source) {
+  const exprs = Sx.parse(source);
+  const parts = [];
+  for (const expr of exprs) {
+    const result = Sx.renderToSx(expr, env);
+    if (result !== null && result !== undefined && result !== Sx.NIL) {
+      parts.push(typeof result === "string" ? result : Sx.serialize(result));
+    }
+  }
+  return parts.join("");
+};
+
 // Platform test functions
 env["try-call"] = function(thunk) {
   try {
diff --git a/hosts/javascript/transpiler.sx b/hosts/javascript/transpiler.sx
index 32557e1..0fc612e 100644
--- a/hosts/javascript/transpiler.sx
+++ b/hosts/javascript/transpiler.sx
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@
   "make-action-def" "makeActionDef"
   "make-page-def" "makePageDef"
   "make-symbol" "makeSymbol"
+  "make-env" "makeEnv"
+  "make-sx-expr" "makeSxExpr"
   "make-keyword" "makeKeyword"
   "lambda-params" "lambdaParams"
   "lambda-body" "lambdaBody"
@@ -163,6 +165,7 @@
   "aser-special" "aserSpecial"
   "eval-case-aser" "evalCaseAser"
   "sx-serialize" "sxSerialize"
+
   "sx-serialize-dict" "sxSerializeDict"
   "sx-expr-source" "sxExprSource"
   "sf-if" "sfIf"
@@ -620,6 +623,8 @@
   "cond-scheme?" "condScheme_p"
   "scope-push!" "scopePush"
   "scope-pop!" "scopePop"
+  "scope-emit!" "scopeEmit"
+  "scope-peek" "scopePeek"
   "provide-push!" "providePush"
   "provide-pop!" "providePop"
   "context" "sxContext"
diff --git a/hosts/ocaml/bin/sx_server.ml b/hosts/ocaml/bin/sx_server.ml
index cbbf350..a7e05ae 100644
--- a/hosts/ocaml/bin/sx_server.ml
+++ b/hosts/ocaml/bin/sx_server.ml
@@ -97,6 +97,29 @@ let read_line_blocking () =
   try Some (input_line stdin)
   with End_of_file -> None
 
+(** Read exactly N bytes from stdin (blocking). *)
+let read_exact_bytes n =
+  let buf = Bytes.create n in
+  really_input stdin buf 0 n;
+  Bytes.to_string buf
+
+(** Read a length-prefixed blob from stdin.
+    Expects the next line to be "(blob N)" where N is byte count,
+    followed by exactly N bytes of raw data, then a newline. *)
+let read_blob () =
+  match read_line_blocking () with
+  | None -> raise (Eval_error "read_blob: stdin closed")
+  | Some line ->
+    let line = String.trim line in
+    match Sx_parser.parse_all line with
+    | [List [Symbol "blob"; Number n]] ->
+      let len = int_of_float n in
+      let data = read_exact_bytes len in
+      (* consume trailing newline *)
+      (try ignore (input_line stdin) with End_of_file -> ());
+      data
+    | _ -> raise (Eval_error ("read_blob: expected (blob N), got: " ^ line))
+
 (** Batch IO mode — collect requests during aser-slot, resolve after. *)
 let io_batch_mode = ref false
 let io_queue : (int * string * value list) list ref = ref []
@@ -120,8 +143,8 @@ let io_request name args =
     incr io_counter;
     let id = !io_counter in
     io_queue := (id, name, args) :: !io_queue;
-    (* Placeholder starts with ( so aser inlines it as pre-serialized SX *)
-    String (Printf.sprintf "(\xc2\xabIO:%d\xc2\xbb)" id)
+    (* Return SxExpr so serialize/inspect passes it through unquoted *)
+    SxExpr (Printf.sprintf "(\xc2\xabIO:%d\xc2\xbb)" id)
   end else begin
     let args_str = String.concat " " (List.map serialize_value args) in
     send (Printf.sprintf "(io-request \"%s\" %s)" name args_str);
@@ -539,6 +562,17 @@ let make_server_env () =
     | [a; b] -> Bool (a == b)
     | _ -> raise (Eval_error "identical?: expected 2 args"));
 
+  bind "make-sx-expr" (fun args ->
+    match args with
+    | [String s] -> SxExpr s
+    | _ -> raise (Eval_error "make-sx-expr: expected string"));
+
+  bind "sx-expr-source" (fun args ->
+    match args with
+    | [SxExpr s] -> String s
+    | [String s] -> String s
+    | _ -> raise (Eval_error "sx-expr-source: expected sx-expr or string"));
+
   bind "make-continuation" (fun args ->
     match args with
     | [f] ->
@@ -760,7 +794,7 @@ let compile_adapter env =
 (* Command dispatch                                                        *)
 (* ====================================================================== *)
 
-let dispatch env cmd =
+let rec dispatch env cmd =
   match cmd with
   | List [Symbol "ping"] ->
     send_ok_string "ocaml-cek"
@@ -792,6 +826,10 @@ let dispatch env cmd =
     | Eval_error msg -> send_error msg
     | exn -> send_error (Printexc.to_string exn))
 
+  | List [Symbol "eval-blob"] ->
+    let src = read_blob () in
+    dispatch env (List [Symbol "eval"; String src])
+
   | List [Symbol "eval"; String src] ->
     (try
       let exprs = Sx_parser.parse_all src in
@@ -827,6 +865,16 @@ let dispatch env cmd =
     | Eval_error msg -> send_error msg
     | exn -> send_error (Printexc.to_string exn))
 
+  | List [Symbol "aser-blob"] ->
+    (* Like aser but reads source as a binary blob. *)
+    let src = read_blob () in
+    dispatch env (List [Symbol "aser"; String src])
+
+  | List [Symbol "aser-slot-blob"] ->
+    (* Like aser-slot but reads source as a binary blob. *)
+    let src = read_blob () in
+    dispatch env (List [Symbol "aser-slot"; String src])
+
   | List [Symbol "aser"; String src] ->
     (* Evaluate and serialize as SX wire format.
        Calls the SX-defined aser function from adapter-sx.sx.
@@ -920,6 +968,12 @@ let dispatch env cmd =
       Hashtbl.remove env.bindings "expand-components?";
       send_error (Printexc.to_string exn))
 
+  | List (Symbol "sx-page-full-blob" :: shell_kwargs) ->
+    (* Like sx-page-full but reads page source as a length-prefixed blob
+       from the next line(s), avoiding string-escape round-trip issues. *)
+    let page_src = read_blob () in
+    dispatch env (List (Symbol "sx-page-full" :: String page_src :: shell_kwargs))
+
   | List (Symbol "sx-page-full" :: String page_src :: shell_kwargs) ->
     (* Full page render: aser-slot body + render-to-html shell in ONE call.
        shell_kwargs are keyword pairs: :title "..." :csrf "..." etc.
@@ -1167,6 +1221,10 @@ let cli_mode mode =
       let result = Sx_ref.eval_expr call (Env env) in
       (match result with
        | String s | SxExpr s -> print_string s
+       | Dict d when Hashtbl.mem d "__aser_sx" ->
+         (match Hashtbl.find d "__aser_sx" with
+          | String s | SxExpr s -> print_string s
+          | v -> print_string (serialize_value v))
        | _ -> print_string (serialize_value result));
       flush stdout
     | "aser-slot" ->
@@ -1180,6 +1238,10 @@ let cli_mode mode =
       let result = Sx_ref.eval_expr call (Env env) in
       (match result with
        | String s | SxExpr s -> print_string s
+       | Dict d when Hashtbl.mem d "__aser_sx" ->
+         (match Hashtbl.find d "__aser_sx" with
+          | String s | SxExpr s -> print_string s
+          | v -> print_string (serialize_value v))
        | _ -> print_string (serialize_value result));
       flush stdout
     | _ ->
diff --git a/hosts/ocaml/lib/sx_types.ml b/hosts/ocaml/lib/sx_types.ml
index 79eea77..f96dc41 100644
--- a/hosts/ocaml/lib/sx_types.ml
+++ b/hosts/ocaml/lib/sx_types.ml
@@ -393,7 +393,18 @@ let rec inspect = function
   | Number n ->
     if Float.is_integer n then Printf.sprintf "%d" (int_of_float n)
     else Printf.sprintf "%g" n
-  | String s -> Printf.sprintf "%S" s
+  | String s ->
+    let buf = Buffer.create (String.length s + 2) in
+    Buffer.add_char buf '"';
+    String.iter (function
+      | '"'  -> Buffer.add_string buf "\\\""
+      | '\\' -> Buffer.add_string buf "\\\\"
+      | '\n' -> Buffer.add_string buf "\\n"
+      | '\r' -> Buffer.add_string buf "\\r"
+      | '\t' -> Buffer.add_string buf "\\t"
+      | c    -> Buffer.add_char buf c) s;
+    Buffer.add_char buf '"';
+    Buffer.contents buf
   | Symbol s -> s
   | Keyword k -> ":" ^ k
   | List items | ListRef { contents = items } ->
diff --git a/shared/static/scripts/sx-browser.js b/shared/static/scripts/sx-browser.js
index 8116c81..478af93 100644
--- a/shared/static/scripts/sx-browser.js
+++ b/shared/static/scripts/sx-browser.js
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
   // =========================================================================
 
   var NIL = Object.freeze({ _nil: true, toString: function() { return "nil"; } });
-  var SX_VERSION = "2026-03-19T14:05:23Z";
+  var SX_VERSION = "2026-03-22T20:34:05Z";
 
   function isNil(x) { return x === NIL || x === null || x === undefined; }
   function isSxTruthy(x) { return x !== false && !isNil(x); }
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@
     if (x._spread) return "spread";
     if (x._macro) return "macro";
     if (x._raw) return "raw-html";
+    if (x._sx_expr) return "sx-expr";
     if (typeof Node !== "undefined" && x instanceof Node) return "dom-node";
     if (Array.isArray(x)) return "list";
     if (typeof x === "object") return "dict";
@@ -510,8 +511,10 @@
   PRIMITIVES["emit!"] = sxEmit;
   PRIMITIVES["emitted"] = sxEmitted;
   // Aliases for aser adapter (avoids CEK special form conflict on server)
-  PRIMITIVES["scope-emit!"] = sxEmit;
-  PRIMITIVES["scope-peek"] = sxEmitted;
+  var scopeEmit = sxEmit;
+  var scopePeek = sxEmitted;
+  PRIMITIVES["scope-emit!"] = scopeEmit;
+  PRIMITIVES["scope-peek"] = scopePeek;
 
 
   function isPrimitive(name) { return name in PRIMITIVES; }
@@ -592,6 +595,7 @@
   // escape-html and escape-attr are now library functions defined in render.sx
   function rawHtmlContent(r) { return r.html; }
   function makeRawHtml(s) { return { _raw: true, html: s }; }
+  function makeSxExpr(s) { return { _sx_expr: true, source: s }; }
   function sxExprSource(x) { return x && x.source ? x.source : String(x); }
 
   // Placeholders — overridden by transpiled spec from parser.sx / adapter-sx.sx
@@ -848,7 +852,7 @@
   function escapeString(s) {
     return s.replace(/\\/g, "\\\\").replace(/"/g, '\\"').replace(/\n/g, "\\n").replace(/\t/g, "\\t");
   }
-  function sxExprSource(e) { return typeof e === "string" ? e : String(e); }
+  function sxExprSource(e) { return typeof e === "string" ? e : (e && e.source ? e.source : String(e)); }
   var charFromCode = PRIMITIVES["char-from-code"];
 
 
@@ -1646,7 +1650,7 @@ PRIMITIVES["step-sf-deref"] = stepSfDeref;
   // cek-call
   var cekCall = function(f, args) { return (function() {
   var a = (isSxTruthy(isNil(args)) ? [] : args);
-  return (isSxTruthy(isNil(f)) ? NIL : (isSxTruthy(sxOr(isLambda(f), isCallable(f))) ? cekRun(continueWithCall(f, a, {}, a, [])) : NIL));
+  return (isSxTruthy(isNil(f)) ? NIL : (isSxTruthy(sxOr(isLambda(f), isCallable(f))) ? cekRun(continueWithCall(f, a, makeEnv(), a, [])) : NIL));
 })(); };
 PRIMITIVES["cek-call"] = cekCall;
 
@@ -2655,7 +2659,7 @@ PRIMITIVES["serialize-island-state"] = serializeIslandState;
   // render-to-sx
   var renderToSx = function(expr, env) { return (function() {
   var result = aser(expr, env);
-  return (isSxTruthy((typeOf(result) == "string")) ? result : serialize(result));
+  return (isSxTruthy((typeOf(result) == "sx-expr")) ? sxExprSource(result) : (isSxTruthy((typeOf(result) == "string")) ? result : serialize(result)));
 })(); };
 PRIMITIVES["render-to-sx"] = renderToSx;
 
@@ -2665,8 +2669,8 @@ return (function() {
   var result = (function() { var _m = typeOf(expr); if (_m == "number") return expr; if (_m == "string") return expr; if (_m == "boolean") return expr; if (_m == "nil") return NIL; if (_m == "symbol") return (function() {
   var name = symbolName(expr);
   return (isSxTruthy(envHas(env, name)) ? envGet(env, name) : (isSxTruthy(isPrimitive(name)) ? getPrimitive(name) : (isSxTruthy((name == "true")) ? true : (isSxTruthy((name == "false")) ? false : (isSxTruthy((name == "nil")) ? NIL : error((String("Undefined symbol: ") + String(name))))))));
-})(); if (_m == "keyword") return keywordName(expr); if (_m == "list") return (isSxTruthy(isEmpty(expr)) ? [] : aserList(expr, env)); if (_m == "spread") return (scopeEmit_b("element-attrs", spreadAttrs(expr)), NIL); return expr; })();
-  return (isSxTruthy(isSpread(result)) ? (scopeEmit_b("element-attrs", spreadAttrs(result)), NIL) : result);
+})(); if (_m == "keyword") return keywordName(expr); if (_m == "list") return (isSxTruthy(isEmpty(expr)) ? [] : aserList(expr, env)); if (_m == "spread") return (scopeEmit("element-attrs", spreadAttrs(expr)), NIL); return expr; })();
+  return (isSxTruthy(isSpread(result)) ? (scopeEmit("element-attrs", spreadAttrs(result)), NIL) : result);
 })(); };
 PRIMITIVES["aser"] = aser;
 
@@ -2694,9 +2698,9 @@ PRIMITIVES["aser-list"] = aserList;
   var parts = [];
   { var _c = children; for (var _i = 0; _i < _c.length; _i++) { var c = _c[_i]; (function() {
   var result = aser(c, env);
-  return (isSxTruthy(isNil(result)) ? NIL : (isSxTruthy((isSxTruthy((typeOf(result) == "string")) && isSxTruthy((stringLength(result) > 0)) && startsWith(result, "("))) ? append_b(parts, result) : (isSxTruthy((typeOf(result) == "list")) ? forEach(function(item) { return (isSxTruthy(!isSxTruthy(isNil(item))) ? (isSxTruthy((isSxTruthy((typeOf(item) == "string")) && isSxTruthy((stringLength(item) > 0)) && startsWith(item, "("))) ? append_b(parts, item) : append_b(parts, serialize(item))) : NIL); }, result) : append_b(parts, serialize(result)))));
+  return (isSxTruthy(isNil(result)) ? NIL : (isSxTruthy((typeOf(result) == "sx-expr")) ? append_b(parts, sxExprSource(result)) : (isSxTruthy((typeOf(result) == "list")) ? forEach(function(item) { return (isSxTruthy(!isSxTruthy(isNil(item))) ? (isSxTruthy((typeOf(item) == "sx-expr")) ? append_b(parts, sxExprSource(item)) : append_b(parts, serialize(item))) : NIL); }, result) : append_b(parts, serialize(result)))));
 })(); } }
-  return (isSxTruthy(isEmpty(parts)) ? "" : (isSxTruthy((len(parts) == 1)) ? first(parts) : (String("(<> ") + String(join(" ", parts)) + String(")"))));
+  return (isSxTruthy(isEmpty(parts)) ? "" : (isSxTruthy((len(parts) == 1)) ? makeSxExpr(first(parts)) : makeSxExpr((String("(<> ") + String(join(" ", parts)) + String(")")))));
 })(); };
 PRIMITIVES["aser-fragment"] = aserFragment;
 
@@ -2711,14 +2715,14 @@ PRIMITIVES["aser-fragment"] = aserFragment;
   var val = aser(nth(args, (i + 1)), env);
   if (isSxTruthy(!isSxTruthy(isNil(val)))) {
   attrParts.push((String(":") + String(keywordName(arg))));
-  (isSxTruthy((isSxTruthy((typeOf(val) == "string")) && isSxTruthy((stringLength(val) > 0)) && startsWith(val, "("))) ? append_b(attrParts, val) : append_b(attrParts, serialize(val)));
+  (isSxTruthy((typeOf(val) == "sx-expr")) ? append_b(attrParts, sxExprSource(val)) : append_b(attrParts, serialize(val)));
 }
   skip = true;
   return (i = (i + 1));
 })() : (function() {
   var val = aser(arg, env);
   if (isSxTruthy(!isSxTruthy(isNil(val)))) {
-  (isSxTruthy((isSxTruthy((typeOf(val) == "string")) && isSxTruthy((stringLength(val) > 0)) && startsWith(val, "("))) ? append_b(childParts, val) : (isSxTruthy((typeOf(val) == "list")) ? forEach(function(item) { return (isSxTruthy(!isSxTruthy(isNil(item))) ? (isSxTruthy((isSxTruthy((typeOf(item) == "string")) && isSxTruthy((stringLength(item) > 0)) && startsWith(item, "("))) ? append_b(childParts, item) : append_b(childParts, serialize(item))) : NIL); }, val) : append_b(childParts, serialize(val))));
+  (isSxTruthy((typeOf(val) == "sx-expr")) ? append_b(childParts, sxExprSource(val)) : (isSxTruthy((typeOf(val) == "list")) ? forEach(function(item) { return (isSxTruthy(!isSxTruthy(isNil(item))) ? (isSxTruthy((typeOf(item) == "sx-expr")) ? append_b(childParts, sxExprSource(item)) : append_b(childParts, serialize(item))) : NIL); }, val) : append_b(childParts, serialize(val))));
 }
   return (i = (i + 1));
 })())); } }
@@ -2730,7 +2734,7 @@ PRIMITIVES["aser-fragment"] = aserFragment;
   scopePop("element-attrs");
   return (function() {
   var parts = concat([name], attrParts, childParts);
-  return (String("(") + String(join(" ", parts)) + String(")"));
+  return makeSxExpr((String("(") + String(join(" ", parts)) + String(")")));
 })();
 })(); };
 PRIMITIVES["aser-call"] = aserCall;
@@ -3952,7 +3956,7 @@ PRIMITIVES["execute-request"] = executeRequest;
   domAddClass(el, "sx-request");
   domSetAttr(el, "aria-busy", "true");
   domDispatch(el, "sx:beforeRequest", {["url"]: finalUrl, ["method"]: method});
-  return fetchRequest({["url"]: finalUrl, ["method"]: method, ["headers"]: headers, ["body"]: body, ["signal"]: controllerSignal(ctrl), ["cross-origin"]: isCrossOrigin(finalUrl), ["preloaded"]: cached}, function(respOk, status, getHeader, text) { return (clearLoadingState(el, indicator, disabledElts), revertOptimistic(optimisticState), (isSxTruthy(!isSxTruthy(respOk)) ? (domDispatch(el, "sx:responseError", {["status"]: status, ["text"]: text}), (isSxTruthy((isSxTruthy(text) && (len(text) > 0))) ? handleFetchSuccess(el, finalUrl, verb, extraParams, getHeader, text) : handleRetry(el, verb, method, finalUrl, extraParams))) : (domDispatch(el, "sx:afterRequest", {["status"]: status}), handleFetchSuccess(el, finalUrl, verb, extraParams, getHeader, text)))); }, function(err) { return (clearLoadingState(el, indicator, disabledElts), revertOptimistic(optimisticState), (isSxTruthy(!isSxTruthy(isAbortError(err))) ? domDispatch(el, "sx:requestError", {["error"]: err}) : NIL)); });
+  return fetchRequest({["url"]: finalUrl, ["method"]: method, ["headers"]: headers, ["body"]: body, ["signal"]: controllerSignal(ctrl), ["cross-origin"]: isCrossOrigin(finalUrl), ["preloaded"]: cached}, function(respOk, status, getHeader, text) { return (clearLoadingState(el, indicator, disabledElts), revertOptimistic(optimisticState), (isSxTruthy(!isSxTruthy(respOk)) ? (domDispatch(el, "sx:responseError", {["status"]: status, ["text"]: text}), (isSxTruthy((isSxTruthy(text) && (len(text) > 0))) ? handleFetchSuccess(el, finalUrl, verb, extraParams, getHeader, text) : handleRetry(el, verb, method, finalUrl, extraParams))) : (domDispatch(el, "sx:afterRequest", {["status"]: status}), handleFetchSuccess(el, finalUrl, verb, extraParams, getHeader, text)))); }, function(err) { return (clearLoadingState(el, indicator, disabledElts), revertOptimistic(optimisticState), (isSxTruthy(!isSxTruthy(isAbortError(err))) ? (logWarn((String("sx:fetch error ") + String(method) + String(" ") + String(finalUrl) + String(" — ") + String(err))), domDispatch(el, "sx:requestError", {["error"]: err})) : NIL)); });
 })();
 })();
 })();
@@ -5866,7 +5870,8 @@ PRIMITIVES["resource"] = resource;
   PRIMITIVES["island?"] = isIsland;
   PRIMITIVES["make-symbol"] = function(n) { return new Symbol(n); };
   PRIMITIVES["is-html-tag?"] = function(n) { return HTML_TAGS.indexOf(n) >= 0; };
-  PRIMITIVES["make-env"] = function() { return merge(componentEnv, PRIMITIVES); };
+  function makeEnv() { return merge(componentEnv, PRIMITIVES); }
+  PRIMITIVES["make-env"] = makeEnv;
 
   // localStorage — defined here (before boot) so islands can use at hydration
   PRIMITIVES["local-storage-get"] = function(key) {
@@ -6393,7 +6398,10 @@ PRIMITIVES["resource"] = resource;
           }
         }
       });
-    }).catch(function() { location.reload(); });
+    }).catch(function(err) {
+      logWarn("sx:popstate fetch error " + url + " — " + (err && err.message ? err.message : err));
+      location.reload();
+    });
   }
 
   function fetchStreaming(target, url, headers) {
@@ -6531,7 +6539,9 @@ PRIMITIVES["resource"] = resource;
       return resp.text().then(function(text) {
         preloadCacheSet(cache, url, text, ct);
       });
-    }).catch(function() { /* ignore */ });
+    }).catch(function(err) {
+      logInfo("sx:preload error " + url + " — " + (err && err.message ? err.message : err));
+    });
   }
 
   // --- Request body building ---
@@ -6820,6 +6830,8 @@ PRIMITIVES["resource"] = resource;
       var liveAction = form.getAttribute("action") || _action || location.href;
       executeRequest(form, { method: liveMethod, url: liveAction }).then(function() {
         try { history.pushState({ sxUrl: liveAction, scrollY: window.scrollY }, "", liveAction); } catch (err) {}
+      }).catch(function(err) {
+        logWarn("sx:boost form error " + liveMethod + " " + liveAction + " — " + (err && err.message ? err.message : err));
       });
     });
   }
diff --git a/shared/sx/ocaml_bridge.py b/shared/sx/ocaml_bridge.py
index 5ebdfc7..b28accd 100644
--- a/shared/sx/ocaml_bridge.py
+++ b/shared/sx/ocaml_bridge.py
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ class OcamlBridge:
         self._binary = binary or os.environ.get("SX_OCAML_BIN") or _DEFAULT_BIN
         self._proc: asyncio.subprocess.Process | None = None
         self._lock = asyncio.Lock()
+        self._in_io_handler = False  # re-entrancy guard
         self._started = False
         self._components_loaded = False
         self._helpers_injected = False
@@ -123,7 +124,8 @@ class OcamlBridge:
         """
         await self._ensure_components()
         async with self._lock:
-            await self._send(f'(eval "{_escape(source)}")')
+            await self._send('(eval-blob)')
+            await self._send_blob(source)
             return await self._read_until_ok(ctx)
 
     async def render(
@@ -141,7 +143,8 @@ class OcamlBridge:
         """Evaluate SX and return SX wire format, handling io-requests."""
         await self._ensure_components()
         async with self._lock:
-            await self._send(f'(aser "{_escape(source)}")')
+            await self._send('(aser-blob)')
+            await self._send_blob(source)
             return await self._read_until_ok(ctx)
 
     async def aser_slot(self, source: str, ctx: dict[str, Any] | None = None) -> str:
@@ -156,7 +159,8 @@ class OcamlBridge:
             # a separate lock acquisition could let another coroutine
             # interleave commands between injection and aser-slot.
             await self._inject_helpers_locked()
-            await self._send(f'(aser-slot "{_escape(source)}")')
+            await self._send('(aser-slot-blob)')
+            await self._send_blob(source)
             return await self._read_until_ok(ctx)
 
     _shell_statics_injected: bool = False
@@ -227,7 +231,10 @@ class OcamlBridge:
             static_keys = {"component_hash", "sx_css_classes", "asset_url",
                            "sx_js_hash", "body_js_hash",
                            "head_scripts", "body_scripts"}
-            parts = [f'(sx-page-full "{_escape(page_source)}"']
+            # page_source is SX wire format that may contain \" escapes.
+            # Send via binary blob protocol to avoid double-escaping
+            # through the SX string parser round-trip.
+            parts = ['(sx-page-full-blob']
             for key, val in shell_kwargs.items():
                 k = key.replace("_", "-")
                 if key in PLACEHOLDER_KEYS:
@@ -248,6 +255,8 @@ class OcamlBridge:
             parts.append(")")
             cmd = "".join(parts)
             await self._send(cmd)
+            # Send page source as binary blob (avoids string-escape issues)
+            await self._send_blob(page_source)
             html = await self._read_until_ok(ctx)
             # Splice in large blobs
             for token, blob in placeholders.items():
@@ -473,11 +482,30 @@ class OcamlBridge:
 
     async def _send(self, line: str) -> None:
         """Write a line to the subprocess stdin and flush."""
+        if self._in_io_handler:
+            raise OcamlBridgeError(
+                f"Re-entrant bridge call from IO handler: {line[:80]}. "
+                f"IO handlers must not call the bridge — use Python-only code."
+            )
         assert self._proc and self._proc.stdin
         _logger.debug("SEND: %s", line[:120])
         self._proc.stdin.write((line + "\n").encode())
         await self._proc.stdin.drain()
 
+    async def _send_blob(self, data: str) -> None:
+        """Send a length-prefixed binary blob to the subprocess.
+
+        Protocol: sends "(blob N)\\n" followed by exactly N bytes, then "\\n".
+        The OCaml side reads the length, then reads exactly N bytes.
+        This avoids string-escape round-trip issues for SX wire format.
+        """
+        assert self._proc and self._proc.stdin
+        encoded = data.encode()
+        self._proc.stdin.write(f"(blob {len(encoded)})\n".encode())
+        self._proc.stdin.write(encoded)
+        self._proc.stdin.write(b"\n")
+        await self._proc.stdin.drain()
+
     async def _readline(self) -> str:
         """Read a line from the subprocess stdout."""
         assert self._proc and self._proc.stdout
@@ -574,7 +602,24 @@ class OcamlBridge:
         line: str,
         ctx: dict[str, Any] | None,
     ) -> Any:
-        """Dispatch an io-request to the appropriate Python handler."""
+        """Dispatch an io-request to the appropriate Python handler.
+
+        IO handlers MUST NOT call the bridge (eval/aser/render) — doing so
+        would deadlock since the lock is already held.  The _in_io_handler
+        flag triggers an immediate error if this rule is violated.
+        """
+        self._in_io_handler = True
+        try:
+            return await self._dispatch_io(line, ctx)
+        finally:
+            self._in_io_handler = False
+
+    async def _dispatch_io(
+        self,
+        line: str,
+        ctx: dict[str, Any] | None,
+    ) -> Any:
+        """Inner dispatch for IO requests."""
         from .parser import parse_all
 
         # Parse the io-request
diff --git a/shared/sx/pages.py b/shared/sx/pages.py
index c88c96b..509abe4 100644
--- a/shared/sx/pages.py
+++ b/shared/sx/pages.py
@@ -181,6 +181,47 @@ def load_page_dir(directory: str, service_name: str) -> list[PageDef]:
 # Page execution
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+def _wrap_with_env(expr: Any, env: dict) -> str:
+    """Serialize an expression wrapped with let-bindings from env.
+
+    Injects page env values (URL params, data results) as let-bindings
+    so the OCaml kernel can evaluate the expression with those bindings.
+    Only injects non-component, non-callable values that pages add dynamically.
+    """
+    from .parser import serialize
+    from .ocaml_bridge import _serialize_for_ocaml
+    from .types import Symbol, Keyword, NIL
+
+    body = serialize(expr)
+    bindings = []
+    for k, v in env.items():
+        # Skip component definitions — already loaded in kernel
+        if k.startswith("~") or callable(v):
+            continue
+        # Skip env keys that are component-env infrastructure
+        if isinstance(v, (type, type(None))) and v is not None:
+            continue
+        # Serialize the value
+        if v is NIL or v is None:
+            sv = "nil"
+        elif isinstance(v, bool):
+            sv = "true" if v else "false"
+        elif isinstance(v, (int, float)):
+            sv = str(int(v)) if isinstance(v, float) and v == int(v) else str(v)
+        elif isinstance(v, str):
+            sv = _serialize_for_ocaml(v)
+        elif isinstance(v, (list, dict)):
+            sv = _serialize_for_ocaml(v)
+        else:
+            # Component, Lambda, etc — skip, already in kernel
+            continue
+        bindings.append(f"({k} {sv})")
+
+    if not bindings:
+        return body
+    return f"(let ({' '.join(bindings)}) {body})"
+
+
 async def _eval_slot(expr: Any, env: dict, ctx: Any) -> str:
     """Evaluate a page slot expression and return an sx source string.
 
@@ -188,6 +229,15 @@ async def _eval_slot(expr: Any, env: dict, ctx: Any) -> str:
     the result as SX wire format, not HTML.
     """
     import os
+    if os.environ.get("SX_USE_OCAML") == "1":
+        from .ocaml_bridge import get_bridge
+        from .parser import serialize
+        bridge = await get_bridge()
+        # Wrap expression with let-bindings for env values that pages
+        # inject (URL params, data results, etc.)
+        sx_text = _wrap_with_env(expr, env)
+        service = ctx.get("_helper_service", "") if isinstance(ctx, dict) else ""
+        return await bridge.aser_slot(sx_text, ctx={"_helper_service": service})
     if os.environ.get("SX_USE_REF") == "1":
         from .ref.async_eval_ref import async_eval_slot_to_sx
     else:
@@ -248,12 +298,19 @@ async def execute_page(
     6. Branch: full_page_sx() vs oob_page_sx() based on is_htmx_request()
     """
     from .jinja_bridge import get_component_env, _get_request_context
-    from .async_eval import async_eval
     from .page import get_template_context
     from .helpers import full_page_sx, oob_page_sx, sx_response
     from .layouts import get_layout
     from shared.browser.app.utils.htmx import is_htmx_request
 
+    _use_ocaml = os.environ.get("SX_USE_OCAML") == "1"
+    if _use_ocaml:
+        from .ocaml_bridge import get_bridge
+        from .parser import serialize, parse_all
+        from .ocaml_bridge import _serialize_for_ocaml
+    else:
+        from .async_eval import async_eval
+
     if url_params is None:
         url_params = {}
 
@@ -275,7 +332,19 @@ async def execute_page(
     # Evaluate :data expression if present
     _multi_stream_content = None
     if page_def.data_expr is not None:
-        data_result = await async_eval(page_def.data_expr, env, ctx)
+        if _use_ocaml:
+            bridge = await get_bridge()
+            sx_text = _wrap_with_env(page_def.data_expr, env)
+            ocaml_ctx = {"_helper_service": service_name}
+            raw = await bridge.eval(sx_text, ctx=ocaml_ctx)
+            # Parse result back to Python dict/value
+            if raw:
+                parsed = parse_all(raw)
+                data_result = parsed[0] if parsed else {}
+            else:
+                data_result = {}
+        else:
+            data_result = await async_eval(page_def.data_expr, env, ctx)
         if hasattr(data_result, '__aiter__'):
             # Multi-stream: consume generator, eval :content per chunk,
             # combine into shell with resolved suspense slots.
@@ -358,7 +427,18 @@ async def execute_page(
                 k = raw[i]
                 if isinstance(k, SxKeyword) and i + 1 < len(raw):
                     raw_val = raw[i + 1]
-                    resolved = await async_eval(raw_val, env, ctx)
+                    if _use_ocaml:
+                        bridge = await get_bridge()
+                        sx_text = _wrap_with_env(raw_val, env)
+                        ocaml_ctx = {"_helper_service": service_name}
+                        raw_result = await bridge.eval(sx_text, ctx=ocaml_ctx)
+                        if raw_result:
+                            parsed = parse_all(raw_result)
+                            resolved = parsed[0] if parsed else None
+                        else:
+                            resolved = None
+                    else:
+                        resolved = await async_eval(raw_val, env, ctx)
                     layout_kwargs[k.name.replace("-", "_")] = resolved
                     i += 2
                 else:
diff --git a/shared/sx/query_executor.py b/shared/sx/query_executor.py
index aa59e48..6a69414 100644
--- a/shared/sx/query_executor.py
+++ b/shared/sx/query_executor.py
@@ -21,10 +21,6 @@ async def execute_query(query_def: QueryDef, params: dict[str, str]) -> Any:
     """
     from .jinja_bridge import get_component_env, _get_request_context
     import os
-    if os.environ.get("SX_USE_REF") == "1":
-        from .ref.async_eval_ref import async_eval
-    else:
-        from .async_eval import async_eval
 
     env = dict(get_component_env())
     env.update(query_def.closure)
@@ -38,6 +34,26 @@ async def execute_query(query_def: QueryDef, params: dict[str, str]) -> Any:
             val = int(val)
         env[param] = val
 
+    if os.environ.get("SX_USE_OCAML") == "1":
+        from .ocaml_bridge import get_bridge
+        from .parser import serialize, parse_all
+        from .pages import _wrap_with_env
+        bridge = await get_bridge()
+        sx_text = _wrap_with_env(query_def.body, env)
+        ctx = {"_helper_service": ""}
+        raw = await bridge.eval(sx_text, ctx=ctx)
+        if raw:
+            parsed = parse_all(raw)
+            result = parsed[0] if parsed else None
+        else:
+            result = None
+        return _normalize(result)
+
+    if os.environ.get("SX_USE_REF") == "1":
+        from .ref.async_eval_ref import async_eval
+    else:
+        from .async_eval import async_eval
+
     ctx = _get_request_context()
     result = await async_eval(query_def.body, env, ctx)
     return _normalize(result)
@@ -50,10 +66,6 @@ async def execute_action(action_def: ActionDef, payload: dict[str, Any]) -> Any:
     """
     from .jinja_bridge import get_component_env, _get_request_context
     import os
-    if os.environ.get("SX_USE_REF") == "1":
-        from .ref.async_eval_ref import async_eval
-    else:
-        from .async_eval import async_eval
 
     env = dict(get_component_env())
     env.update(action_def.closure)
@@ -64,6 +76,26 @@ async def execute_action(action_def: ActionDef, payload: dict[str, Any]) -> Any:
         val = payload.get(param, payload.get(snake, NIL))
         env[param] = val
 
+    if os.environ.get("SX_USE_OCAML") == "1":
+        from .ocaml_bridge import get_bridge
+        from .parser import serialize, parse_all
+        from .pages import _wrap_with_env
+        bridge = await get_bridge()
+        sx_text = _wrap_with_env(action_def.body, env)
+        ctx = {"_helper_service": ""}
+        raw = await bridge.eval(sx_text, ctx=ctx)
+        if raw:
+            parsed = parse_all(raw)
+            result = parsed[0] if parsed else None
+        else:
+            result = None
+        return _normalize(result)
+
+    if os.environ.get("SX_USE_REF") == "1":
+        from .ref.async_eval_ref import async_eval
+    else:
+        from .async_eval import async_eval
+
     ctx = _get_request_context()
     result = await async_eval(action_def.body, env, ctx)
     return _normalize(result)
diff --git a/sx/sx/geography/index.sx b/sx/sx/geography/index.sx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..54b3b92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sx/sx/geography/index.sx
@@ -0,0 +1,148 @@
+;; Geography index — architecture overview
+;; Describes the rendering pipeline: OCaml evaluator → wire formats → client
+
+(defcomp ~geography/index-content () :affinity :server
+  (<>
+    (h2 :class "text-3xl font-bold text-stone-800 mb-4" "Geography")
+    (p :class "text-lg text-stone-600 mb-8"
+      "Where code runs and how it gets there. Geography maps the rendering pipeline from server-side evaluation through wire formats to client-side hydration.")
+
+    ;; Architecture diagram
+    (div :class "bg-stone-50 border border-stone-200 rounded-lg p-6 mb-8"
+      (h3 :class "text-xl font-semibold text-stone-700 mb-4" "Rendering Pipeline")
+      (div :class "space-y-4"
+        ;; Server
+        (div :class "flex items-start gap-4"
+          (div :class "w-28 shrink-0 font-mono text-sm font-semibold text-sky-700 bg-sky-50 rounded px-2 py-1 text-center" "OCaml kernel")
+          (div
+            (p :class "text-stone-700"
+              "The evaluator is a CEK machine written in SX and bootstrapped to OCaml. It evaluates page definitions, expands components, resolves IO (helpers, queries), and serializes the result as SX wire format.")
+            (p :class "text-sm text-stone-500 mt-1"
+              "spec/evaluator.sx → hosts/ocaml/ → aser-slot with batch IO")))
+
+        ;; Wire format
+        (div :class "flex items-start gap-4"
+          (div :class "w-28 shrink-0 font-mono text-sm font-semibold text-amber-700 bg-amber-50 rounded px-2 py-1 text-center" "Wire format")
+          (div
+            (p :class "text-stone-700"
+              "The aser (async-serialize) mode produces SX text — HTML tags and component calls serialized as s-expressions. Components with server affinity are expanded; client components stay as calls. The wire format is placed in a "
+              (code :class "text-sm" "<script type=\"text/sx\">")
+              " tag inside the HTML shell.")
+            (p :class "text-sm text-stone-500 mt-1"
+              "web/adapter-sx.sx → SxExpr values pass through serialize unquoted")))
+
+        ;; Client
+        (div :class "flex items-start gap-4"
+          (div :class "w-28 shrink-0 font-mono text-sm font-semibold text-emerald-700 bg-emerald-50 rounded px-2 py-1 text-center" "sx-browser.js")
+          (div
+            (p :class "text-stone-700"
+              "The client engine parses the SX wire format, evaluates component definitions, renders the DOM, and hydrates reactive islands. It includes the same CEK evaluator (transpiled from the spec), the parser, all web adapters, and the orchestration layer for fetch/swap/polling.")
+            (p :class "text-sm text-stone-500 mt-1"
+              "spec/ + web/ → hosts/javascript/cli.py → sx-browser.js (~400KB)")))))
+
+    ;; What lives where
+    (h3 :class "text-xl font-semibold text-stone-700 mb-4 mt-8" "What lives where")
+
+    (div :class "grid md:grid-cols-2 gap-4 mb-8"
+      ;; Spec
+      (div :class "border border-stone-200 rounded-lg p-4"
+        (h4 :class "font-semibold text-stone-700 mb-2" "Spec (shared)")
+        (p :class "text-sm text-stone-600 mb-2" "The canonical SX language, bootstrapped identically to OCaml, JavaScript, and Python:")
+        (ul :class "text-sm text-stone-600 space-y-1 list-disc ml-4"
+          (li "CEK evaluator — frames, step function, call dispatch")
+          (li "Parser — tokenizer, s-expression reader, serializer")
+          (li "Primitives — ~80 built-in pure functions")
+          (li "Render modes — HTML, SX wire, DOM")))
+
+      ;; Web adapters
+      (div :class "border border-stone-200 rounded-lg p-4"
+        (h4 :class "font-semibold text-stone-700 mb-2" "Web Adapters")
+        (p :class "text-sm text-stone-600 mb-2" "SX-defined modules that run on both server and client:")
+        (ul :class "text-sm text-stone-600 space-y-1 list-disc ml-4"
+          (li "adapter-sx.sx — aser wire format (server component expansion)")
+          (li "adapter-html.sx — server HTML rendering")
+          (li "adapter-dom.sx — client DOM rendering")
+          (li "orchestration.sx — fetch, swap, polling, navigation")
+          (li "engine.sx — trigger parsing, request building")))
+
+      ;; OCaml kernel
+      (div :class "border border-stone-200 rounded-lg p-4"
+        (h4 :class "font-semibold text-stone-700 mb-2" "OCaml Kernel (server)")
+        (p :class "text-sm text-stone-600 mb-2" "Persistent process connected via a binary pipe protocol:")
+        (ul :class "text-sm text-stone-600 space-y-1 list-disc ml-4"
+          (li "CEK evaluator + VM bytecode compiler")
+          (li "Batch IO bridge — defers helper/query calls to Python")
+          (li "Length-prefixed blob protocol — no string escaping")
+          (li "Component hot-reload on .sx file changes")))
+
+      ;; sx-browser.js
+      (div :class "border border-stone-200 rounded-lg p-4"
+        (h4 :class "font-semibold text-stone-700 mb-2" "sx-browser.js (client)")
+        (p :class "text-sm text-stone-600 mb-2" "Single JS bundle transpiled from spec + web adapters:")
+        (ul :class "text-sm text-stone-600 space-y-1 list-disc ml-4"
+          (li "Parses SX wire format from script tags")
+          (li "Renders component trees to DOM")
+          (li "Hydrates reactive islands (signals, effects)")
+          (li "Client-side routing with defpage")
+          (li "HTMX-like fetch/swap orchestration"))))
+
+    ;; Rendering modes
+    (h3 :class "text-xl font-semibold text-stone-700 mb-4 mt-8" "Rendering Modes")
+
+    (div :class "overflow-x-auto mb-8"
+      (table :class "w-full text-sm"
+        (thead
+          (tr :class "border-b border-stone-200"
+            (th :class "px-3 py-2 text-left font-medium text-stone-600" "Mode")
+            (th :class "px-3 py-2 text-left font-medium text-stone-600" "Runs on")
+            (th :class "px-3 py-2 text-left font-medium text-stone-600" "Components")
+            (th :class "px-3 py-2 text-left font-medium text-stone-600" "Output")))
+        (tbody
+          (tr :class "border-b border-stone-100"
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2 font-mono" "render-to-html")
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2" "Server (OCaml)")
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2" "Expanded recursively")
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2" "HTML string"))
+          (tr :class "border-b border-stone-100"
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2 font-mono" "aser / aser-slot")
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2" "Server (OCaml)")
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2" "Server-affinity expanded; client preserved")
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2" "SX wire format"))
+          (tr :class "border-b border-stone-100"
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2 font-mono" "render-to-dom")
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2" "Client (sx-browser.js)")
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2" "Expanded recursively")
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2" "DOM nodes"))
+          (tr :class "border-b border-stone-100"
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2 font-mono" "client routing")
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2" "Client (sx-browser.js)")
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2" "defpage content evaluated locally")
+            (td :class "px-3 py-2" "DOM swap")))))
+
+    ;; Topics
+    (h3 :class "text-xl font-semibold text-stone-700 mb-4 mt-8" "Topics")
+
+    (div :class "grid md:grid-cols-2 gap-4"
+      (a :href "/sx/(geography.(hypermedia))" :class "block border border-stone-200 rounded-lg p-4 hover:border-sky-300 hover:bg-sky-50 transition-colors"
+        (h4 :class "font-semibold text-stone-700" "Hypermedia Lakes")
+        (p :class "text-sm text-stone-500" "Server-driven UI with sx-get/post/put/delete — fetch, swap, and the request lifecycle."))
+
+      (a :href "/sx/(geography.(reactive))" :class "block border border-stone-200 rounded-lg p-4 hover:border-sky-300 hover:bg-sky-50 transition-colors"
+        (h4 :class "font-semibold text-stone-700" "Reactive Islands")
+        (p :class "text-sm text-stone-500" "Client-side signals and effects hydrated from server-rendered HTML. defisland, deref, lakes."))
+
+      (a :href "/sx/(geography.(marshes))" :class "block border border-stone-200 rounded-lg p-4 hover:border-sky-300 hover:bg-sky-50 transition-colors"
+        (h4 :class "font-semibold text-stone-700" "Marshes")
+        (p :class "text-sm text-stone-500" "Where reactivity and hypermedia interpenetrate — server writes to signals, reactive views reshape server content."))
+
+      (a :href "/sx/(geography.(scopes))" :class "block border border-stone-200 rounded-lg p-4 hover:border-sky-300 hover:bg-sky-50 transition-colors"
+        (h4 :class "font-semibold text-stone-700" "Scopes")
+        (p :class "text-sm text-stone-500" "Render-time dynamic scope — the primitive beneath provide, collect!, spreads, and islands."))
+
+      (a :href "/sx/(geography.(cek))" :class "block border border-stone-200 rounded-lg p-4 hover:border-sky-300 hover:bg-sky-50 transition-colors"
+        (h4 :class "font-semibold text-stone-700" "CEK Machine")
+        (p :class "text-sm text-stone-500" "The evaluator internals — frames, continuations, tail-call optimization, and the VM bytecode compiler."))
+
+      (a :href "/sx/(geography.(isomorphism))" :class "block border border-stone-200 rounded-lg p-4 hover:border-sky-300 hover:bg-sky-50 transition-colors"
+        (h4 :class "font-semibold text-stone-700" "Isomorphism")
+        (p :class "text-sm text-stone-500" "One spec, multiple hosts — how the same SX code runs on OCaml, JavaScript, and Python.")))))
diff --git a/sx/sxc/pages/docs.sx b/sx/sxc/pages/docs.sx
index 977626d..864948d 100644
--- a/sx/sxc/pages/docs.sx
+++ b/sx/sxc/pages/docs.sx
@@ -587,7 +587,8 @@
   :path "/geography/"
   :auth :public
   :layout :sx-docs
-  :content (~layouts/doc :path "/sx/(geography)"))
+  :content (~layouts/doc :path "/sx/(geography)"
+    (~geography/index-content)))
 
 ;; ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ;; Reactive Islands section (under Geography)
diff --git a/sx/tests/test_demos.py b/sx/tests/test_demos.py
index ec70eff..0a7c7d4 100644
--- a/sx/tests/test_demos.py
+++ b/sx/tests/test_demos.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import pytest
 from playwright.sync_api import Page, expect
 
 import os
-BASE = os.environ.get("SX_TEST_BASE", "https://sx.rose-ash.com")
+BASE = os.environ.get("SX_TEST_BASE", "http://localhost:8013")
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -28,10 +28,33 @@ def browser_context_args():
 
 
 def nav(page: Page, path: str):
-    """Navigate to an SX URL and wait for rendered content."""
+    """Navigate to an SX URL and wait for rendered content.
+
+    Captures JS errors during page load and fails immediately with the
+    actual error message instead of waiting for a 30s timeout.
+    """
+    js_errors: list[str] = []
+    page.on("pageerror", lambda err: js_errors.append(str(err)))
+
     page.goto(f"{BASE}/sx/{path}", wait_until="networkidle")
+
+    # Poll briefly for JS errors — pageerror fires async during networkidle
+    for _ in range(10):
+        if js_errors:
+            break
+        page.wait_for_timeout(100)
+
+    # Fail fast on JS errors — don't wait for content that will never appear
+    if js_errors:
+        pytest.fail(f"JS error on {path}: {js_errors[0]}")
+
     # Wait for SX to render — look for any heading or paragraph in main panel
-    page.wait_for_selector("#main-panel h2, #main-panel p, #main-panel div", timeout=30000)
+    page.wait_for_selector("#main-panel h2, #main-panel p, #main-panel div", timeout=10000)
+
+    # Check for rendering artifacts that indicate broken serialization
+    main_text = page.locator("#main-panel").text_content() or ""
+    if "[object Object]" in main_text:
+        pytest.fail(f"Rendering artifact on {path}: [object Object] in page content")
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -56,6 +79,20 @@ class TestFormSubmission:
         nav(page, "(geography.(hypermedia.(example.form-submission)))")
         expect(page.locator("#main-panel")).to_contain_text("Form Submission")
 
+    def test_has_code_examples(self, page: Page):
+        """Page must show component source and handler source code."""
+        nav(page, "(geography.(hypermedia.(example.form-submission)))")
+        code_blocks = page.locator("pre code")
+        expect(code_blocks.first).not_to_be_empty(timeout=5000)
+        # Should have at least component code and handler code
+        count = code_blocks.count()
+        assert count >= 2, f"Expected at least 2 code blocks, got {count}"
+        # Handler code should contain defhandler
+        all_code = " ".join(code_blocks.nth(i).text_content() or ""
+                            for i in range(count))
+        assert "defhandler" in all_code or "sx-post" in all_code, \
+            f"Code blocks should contain handler or component source"
+
     def test_submit_form(self, page: Page):
         nav(page, "(geography.(hypermedia.(example.form-submission)))")
         page.fill("input[name='name']", "TestUser")
@@ -78,6 +115,16 @@ class TestDeleteRow:
         nav(page, "(geography.(hypermedia.(example.delete-row)))")
         expect(page.locator("#main-panel")).to_contain_text("Delete Row")
 
+    def test_delete_removes_row(self, page: Page):
+        nav(page, "(geography.(hypermedia.(example.delete-row)))")
+        rows = page.locator("#delete-rows tr")
+        initial_count = rows.count()
+        assert initial_count >= 2, f"Expected at least 2 rows, got {initial_count}"
+        # Accept the confirm dialog
+        page.on("dialog", lambda d: d.accept())
+        rows.first.locator("button:has-text('delete')").click()
+        expect(rows).to_have_count(initial_count - 1, timeout=5000)
+
 
 class TestInlineEdit:
     def test_page_loads(self, page: Page):
@@ -642,3 +689,46 @@ class TestClientNavigation:
         island.locator("button", has_text="+5").click()
         page.wait_for_timeout(500)
         expect(island).to_contain_text("25")
+
+    def test_full_refresh_preserves_content(self, page: Page):
+        """Navigate to a page, then hard-refresh — content must re-render."""
+        errors = _setup_error_capture(page)
+        nav(page, "(geography.(hypermedia.(example.click-to-load)))")
+        expect(page.locator("#main-panel")).to_contain_text("Click to Load")
+        # Hard refresh
+        page.reload(wait_until="networkidle")
+        page.wait_for_timeout(2000)
+        expect(page.locator("#main-panel")).to_contain_text("Click to Load", timeout=10000)
+        _check_no_fatal_errors(errors)
+
+    def test_back_button_after_navigation(self, page: Page):
+        """Navigate A → B, then back — A must re-render without errors."""
+        errors = _setup_error_capture(page)
+        nav(page, "(geography.(reactive.(examples.counter)))")
+        expect(page.locator("#main-panel")).to_contain_text("signal holds a value", timeout=10000)
+
+        # Navigate to temperature
+        temp_link = page.locator("a[sx-push-url]:has-text('Temperature')").first
+        expect(temp_link).to_be_visible(timeout=5000)
+        temp_link.click()
+        page.wait_for_timeout(3000)
+        expect(page.locator("#main-panel")).to_contain_text("Temperature", timeout=10000)
+
+        # Go back
+        page.go_back()
+        page.wait_for_timeout(3000)
+        expect(page.locator("#main-panel")).to_contain_text("signal holds a value", timeout=10000)
+        _check_no_fatal_errors(errors)
+
+    def test_direct_load_no_js_errors(self, browser):
+        """Fresh browser context — direct page load must have zero JS errors."""
+        ctx = browser.new_context(ignore_https_errors=True)
+        page = ctx.new_page()
+        try:
+            errors = _setup_error_capture(page)
+            page.goto(f"{BASE}/sx/(geography.(hypermedia.(example.delete-row)))", wait_until="networkidle")
+            page.wait_for_timeout(3000)
+            page.wait_for_selector("#main-panel", timeout=15000)
+            _check_no_fatal_errors(errors)
+        finally:
+            ctx.close()
diff --git a/test-sx-build.sh b/test-sx-build.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..0f80b66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test-sx-build.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# test-sx-build.sh — Build sx-browser.js and run all tests.
+#
+# Usage:
+#   ./test-sx-build.sh              # build + unit tests + playwright smoke
+#   ./test-sx-build.sh --unit-only  # build + unit tests only (no server needed)
+#   ./test-sx-build.sh --no-build   # skip build, run tests only
+#
+# Requires:
+#   - Python 3 with hosts/javascript/cli.py deps
+#   - Node.js for unit tests
+#   - pytest-playwright for browser tests (pip install pytest-playwright)
+#
+# Environment:
+#   SX_TEST_BASE  — override test server URL (default: https://sx.rose-ash.com)
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[0;33m'
+NC='\033[0m'
+
+UNIT_ONLY=false
+NO_BUILD=false
+for arg in "$@"; do
+    case "$arg" in
+        --unit-only) UNIT_ONLY=true ;;
+        --no-build)  NO_BUILD=true ;;
+    esac
+done
+
+cd "$(dirname "$0")"
+
+# --- Step 1: Build ---
+if [ "$NO_BUILD" = false ]; then
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}[1/3] Building sx-browser.js...${NC}"
+    python3 hosts/javascript/cli.py --output shared/static/scripts/sx-browser.js
+    echo -e "${GREEN}Build OK${NC}"
+else
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}[1/3] Skipping build (--no-build)${NC}"
+fi
+
+# --- Step 2: Unit tests ---
+echo -e "${YELLOW}[2/3] Running JS unit tests...${NC}"
+UNIT_RESULT=$(node hosts/javascript/run_tests.js --full 2>&1)
+UNIT_LAST=$(echo "$UNIT_RESULT" | tail -1)
+if echo "$UNIT_LAST" | grep -q "0 failed"; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}$UNIT_LAST${NC}"
+else
+    echo -e "${RED}$UNIT_LAST${NC}"
+    echo "$UNIT_RESULT" | grep "FAIL:" | head -20
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Also run aser tests
+echo -e "${YELLOW}    Running aser tests...${NC}"
+ASER_RESULT=$(node hosts/javascript/run_tests.js test-aser 2>&1)
+ASER_LAST=$(echo "$ASER_RESULT" | tail -1)
+ASER_PASS=$(echo "$ASER_LAST" | grep -oP '\d+ passed' || echo "0 passed")
+ASER_FAIL=$(echo "$ASER_LAST" | grep -oP '\d+ failed' || echo "0 failed")
+echo -e "${GREEN}    Aser: $ASER_PASS, $ASER_FAIL${NC}"
+
+# --- Step 3: Playwright smoke tests ---
+if [ "$UNIT_ONLY" = true ]; then
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}[3/3] Skipping Playwright tests (--unit-only)${NC}"
+    echo -e "${GREEN}All done.${NC}"
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+echo -e "${YELLOW}[3/3] Running Playwright smoke tests...${NC}"
+
+BASE="${SX_TEST_BASE:-http://localhost:8013}"
+
+# Quick connectivity check
+HTTP_CODE=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" "$BASE/sx/" 2>/dev/null || echo "000")
+if [ "$HTTP_CODE" = "000" ]; then
+    echo -e "${RED}Server unreachable at $BASE — skipping Playwright tests${NC}"
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}Run with SX_TEST_BASE=http://localhost:PORT to test locally${NC}"
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+python3 -m pytest sx/tests/test_demos.py -v -x -k "test_page_loads" --tb=short 2>&1 | tail -20
+PW_EXIT=${PIPESTATUS[0]}
+
+if [ "$PW_EXIT" -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}Playwright smoke tests passed${NC}"
+else
+    echo -e "${RED}Playwright smoke tests failed (exit $PW_EXIT)${NC}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo -e "${GREEN}All tests passed.${NC}"
diff --git a/web/adapter-sx.sx b/web/adapter-sx.sx
index cb01454..ef562ce 100644
--- a/web/adapter-sx.sx
+++ b/web/adapter-sx.sx
@@ -14,11 +14,12 @@
 (define render-to-sx :effects [render]
   (fn (expr (env :as dict))
     (let ((result (aser expr env)))
-      ;; aser-call already returns serialized SX strings;
-      ;; only serialize non-string values
-      (if (= (type-of result) "string")
-        result
-        (serialize result)))))
+      ;; aser-call returns SxExpr which serialize passes through unquoted.
+      ;; Plain strings from data need serialization (quoting).
+      (cond
+        (= (type-of result) "sx-expr") (sx-expr-source result)
+        (= (type-of result) "string")  result
+        :else (serialize result)))))
 
 (define aser :effects [render]
   (fn ((expr :as any) (env :as dict))
@@ -143,21 +144,15 @@
           (let ((result (aser c env)))
             (cond
               (nil? result) nil
-              ;; Serialized SX from aser (tags, components, fragments)
-              ;; starts with "(" — use directly without re-quoting
-              (and (= (type-of result) "string")
-                   (> (string-length result) 0)
-                   (starts-with? result "("))
-                (append! parts result)
+              (= (type-of result) "sx-expr")
+                (append! parts (sx-expr-source result))
               ;; list results (from map etc.)
               (= (type-of result) "list")
                 (for-each
                   (fn (item)
                     (when (not (nil? item))
-                      (if (and (= (type-of item) "string")
-                               (> (string-length item) 0)
-                               (starts-with? item "("))
-                        (append! parts item)
+                      (if (= (type-of item) "sx-expr")
+                        (append! parts (sx-expr-source item))
                         (append! parts (serialize item)))))
                   result)
               ;; Everything else — serialize normally (quotes strings)
@@ -167,8 +162,8 @@
       (if (empty? parts)
         ""
         (if (= (len parts) 1)
-          (first parts)
-          (str "(<> " (join " " parts) ")"))))))
+          (make-sx-expr (first parts))
+          (make-sx-expr (str "(<> " (join " " parts) ")")))))))
 
 
 (define aser-call :effects [render]
@@ -193,33 +188,23 @@
               (let ((val (aser (nth args (inc i)) env)))
                 (when (not (nil? val))
                   (append! attr-parts (str ":" (keyword-name arg)))
-                  ;; If the aser result is already serialized SX (starts
-                  ;; with "("), inline it directly — don't re-serialize
-                  ;; which would quote it as a string literal.
-                  (if (and (= (type-of val) "string")
-                           (> (string-length val) 0)
-                           (starts-with? val "("))
-                    (append! attr-parts val)
+                  (if (= (type-of val) "sx-expr")
+                    (append! attr-parts (sx-expr-source val))
                     (append! attr-parts (serialize val))))
                 (set! skip true)
                 (set! i (inc i)))
               (let ((val (aser arg env)))
                 (when (not (nil? val))
                   (cond
-                    ;; Serialized SX (tags, components) — use directly
-                    (and (= (type-of val) "string")
-                         (> (string-length val) 0)
-                         (starts-with? val "("))
-                      (append! child-parts val)
+                    (= (type-of val) "sx-expr")
+                      (append! child-parts (sx-expr-source val))
                     ;; List results (from map etc.)
                     (= (type-of val) "list")
                       (for-each
                         (fn (item)
                           (when (not (nil? item))
-                            (if (and (= (type-of item) "string")
-                                     (> (string-length item) 0)
-                                     (starts-with? item "("))
-                              (append! child-parts item)
+                            (if (= (type-of item) "sx-expr")
+                              (append! child-parts (sx-expr-source item))
                               (append! child-parts (serialize item)))))
                         val)
                     ;; Plain values — serialize normally
@@ -239,7 +224,7 @@
         (scope-peek "element-attrs"))
       (scope-pop! "element-attrs")
       (let ((parts (concat (list name) attr-parts child-parts)))
-        (str "(" (join " " parts) ")")))))
+        (make-sx-expr (str "(" (join " " parts) ")"))))))
 
 
 ;; --------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -272,6 +257,7 @@
             (if (and (= (type-of arg) "keyword")
                      (< (inc i) (len args)))
               ;; Keyword arg: bind name = aser'd next arg
+              ;; SxExpr values pass through serialize unquoted automatically
               (do
                 (env-bind! local (keyword-name arg)
                   (aser (nth args (inc i)) env))
diff --git a/web/orchestration.sx b/web/orchestration.sx
index 213e8bf..c4ef781 100644
--- a/web/orchestration.sx
+++ b/web/orchestration.sx
@@ -197,6 +197,7 @@
                   (clear-loading-state el indicator disabled-elts)
                   (revert-optimistic optimistic-state)
                   (when (not (abort-error? err))
+                    (log-warn (str "sx:fetch error " method " " final-url " — " err))
                     (dom-dispatch el "sx:requestError"
                       (dict "error" err))))))))))))
 
diff --git a/web/tests/test-aser.sx b/web/tests/test-aser.sx
index 1b310fc..74cc29e 100644
--- a/web/tests/test-aser.sx
+++ b/web/tests/test-aser.sx
@@ -199,7 +199,16 @@
   (deftest "component with children serializes unexpanded"
     (assert-equal "(~box (p \"inside\"))"
       (render-sx "(do (defcomp ~box (&key &rest children) (div children))
-                      (~box (p \"inside\")))"))))
+                      (~box (p \"inside\")))")))
+
+  (deftest "string keyword arg starting with paren is quoted"
+    (assert-equal "(~info :text \"(hello world)\")"
+      (render-sx "(do (defcomp ~info (&key text) (code text))
+                      (~info :text \"(hello world)\"))")))
+
+  (deftest "string child starting with paren is quoted"
+    (assert-equal "(p \"(not code)\")"
+      (render-sx "(let ((x \"(not code)\")) (p x))"))))
 
 
 ;; --------------------------------------------------------------------------