diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaVolumeEnvelope.test.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaVolumeEnvelope.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a7b0350c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaVolumeEnvelope.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+/** @vitest-environment jsdom */
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { probeAndCacheElementVolume } from "./mediaVolumeEnvelope";
+
+describe("probeAndCacheElementVolume", () => {
+  it("restores the timeline playhead after sampling volume automation", () => {
+    const audio = document.createElement("audio");
+    audio.dataset.volume = "1";
+    document.body.append(audio);
+
+    let playhead = 0.75;
+    const timeline = {
+      totalTime(next?: number) {
+        if (next !== undefined) {
+          playhead = next;
+          audio.volume = next >= 1 ? 0 : 1;
+        }
+        return playhead;
+      },
+    };
+    const cache = new WeakMap<HTMLMediaElement, { time: number; volume: number }[]>();
+
+    probeAndCacheElementVolume(audio, timeline, 1, cache);
+
+    expect(playhead).toBe(0.75);
+    expect(audio.volume).toBe(1);
+    expect(cache.get(audio)).toEqual(
+      expect.arrayContaining([expect.objectContaining({ volume: 0 })]),
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaVolumeEnvelope.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaVolumeEnvelope.ts
index 69d55ea0c..00e0094d7 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaVolumeEnvelope.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaVolumeEnvelope.ts
@@ -126,8 +126,8 @@ export function probeElementVolumeKeyframes(
 }
 
 export interface RuntimeTimelineRef {
-  totalTime?: ((t: number, suppressEvents?: boolean) => unknown) | undefined;
-  seek?: ((t: number, suppressEvents?: boolean) => unknown) | undefined;
+  totalTime?: ((t?: number, suppressEvents?: boolean) => unknown) | undefined;
+  seek?: ((t?: number, suppressEvents?: boolean) => unknown) | undefined;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -155,8 +155,17 @@ export function probeAndCacheElementVolume(
       // ignore seek failures during probe
     }
   };
-
+  // Sampling seeks the live timeline through the entire composition. Preserve
+  // its playhead so the probe cannot perturb the first rendered frame (or any
+  // user scrub in the preview).
+  const originalTime =
+    typeof timeline.totalTime === "function"
+      ? Number(timeline.totalTime())
+      : typeof timeline.seek === "function"
+        ? Number(timeline.seek())
+        : 0;
   const keyframes = probeElementVolumeKeyframes(mediaEl, seekFn, compositionDuration, 60);
+  if (Number.isFinite(originalTime)) seekFn(originalTime);
   if (keyframes) {
     cache.set(mediaEl, keyframes);
   }