diff --git a/packages/engine/src/index.ts b/packages/engine/src/index.ts
index 461606101..d58690351 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/index.ts
@@ -83,6 +83,11 @@ export {
   augmentProtocolTimeoutError,
   isProtocolTimeoutError,
 } from "./services/protocolTimeoutErrorHint.js";
+export {
+  augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError,
+  isPageNavigationTimeoutError,
+  type NavigationTimeoutHintContext,
+} from "./services/pageNavigationTimeoutErrorHint.js";
 
 // ── Frame capture pipeline ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 export {
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/services/pageNavigationTimeoutErrorHint.test.ts b/packages/engine/src/services/pageNavigationTimeoutErrorHint.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8f0531aa2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/engine/src/services/pageNavigationTimeoutErrorHint.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import {
+  augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError,
+  isPageNavigationTimeoutError,
+} from "./pageNavigationTimeoutErrorHint.js";
+
+describe("augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError", () => {
+  it("passes non-Navigation-timeout errors through unchanged (same instance)", () => {
+    const original = new Error("Runtime.callFunctionOn timed out");
+    const result = augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError(original, 60_000);
+    expect(result).toBe(original);
+    expect(result.message).toBe("Runtime.callFunctionOn timed out");
+  });
+
+  it("augments 'Navigation timeout of Xms exceeded' with the effective timeout", () => {
+    const original = new Error("Navigation timeout of 60000 ms exceeded");
+    const result = augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError(original, 60_000);
+    expect(result).not.toBe(original);
+    expect(result.message).toContain(original.message);
+    expect(result.message).toContain(
+      "HyperFrames effective page.goto navigation timeout: 60000 ms",
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("includes the env + CLI + browser-path hints in the generic augmentation", () => {
+    const original = new Error("Navigation timeout of 60000 ms exceeded");
+    const result = augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError(original, 60_000);
+    expect(result.message).toContain("PRODUCER_PAGE_NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT_MS");
+    expect(result.message).toContain("--browser-timeout");
+    expect(result.message).toContain("HYPERFRAMES_BROWSER_PATH");
+  });
+
+  it("preserves err.cause on the augmented error", () => {
+    const original = new Error("Navigation timeout of 60000 ms exceeded");
+    const result = augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError(original, 60_000);
+    expect((result as Error & { cause?: unknown }).cause).toBe(original);
+  });
+
+  it("augments net::ERR_TIMED_OUT errors as well", () => {
+    const original = new Error("net::ERR_TIMED_OUT at http://127.0.0.1:4173/index.html");
+    const result = augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError(original, 120_000);
+    expect(result).not.toBe(original);
+    expect(result.message).toContain("HyperFrames effective page.goto navigation timeout: 120000");
+  });
+
+  it("coerces non-Error thrown values into Error without augmenting", () => {
+    const result = augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError("plain string failure", 60_000);
+    expect(result).toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+    expect(result.message).toBe("plain string failure");
+    // Not augmented: coerced string doesn't match the Nav-timeout regex.
+    expect(result.message).not.toContain("HyperFrames effective page.goto navigation timeout");
+  });
+
+  it("fires the darwin/arm64 + CSS 3D + audio Docker hint only when all three match", () => {
+    const original = new Error("Navigation timeout of 60000 ms exceeded");
+    const result = augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError(original, 60_000, {
+      platform: "darwin",
+      arch: "arm64",
+      hasCss3D: true,
+      hasAudio: true,
+    });
+    expect(result.message).toContain("ts=1784146416");
+    expect(result.message).toContain("--docker");
+    expect(result.message).toContain("CSS 3D rendering context");
+  });
+
+  it("does not surface the Docker hint on non-darwin platforms even when CSS 3D + audio are true", () => {
+    const original = new Error("Navigation timeout of 60000 ms exceeded");
+    const result = augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError(original, 60_000, {
+      platform: "linux",
+      arch: "x64",
+      hasCss3D: true,
+      hasAudio: true,
+    });
+    expect(result.message).not.toContain("ts=1784146416");
+    expect(result.message).not.toContain("--docker");
+    // Generic hints still fire.
+    expect(result.message).toContain("PRODUCER_PAGE_NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT_MS");
+    expect(result.message).toContain("HYPERFRAMES_BROWSER_PATH");
+  });
+
+  it("does not surface the Docker hint on darwin/x64 (Intel Macs)", () => {
+    const original = new Error("Navigation timeout of 60000 ms exceeded");
+    const result = augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError(original, 60_000, {
+      platform: "darwin",
+      arch: "x64",
+      hasCss3D: true,
+      hasAudio: true,
+    });
+    expect(result.message).not.toContain("ts=1784146416");
+    expect(result.message).not.toContain("--docker");
+  });
+
+  it("does not surface the Docker hint on darwin/arm64 without CSS 3D", () => {
+    const original = new Error("Navigation timeout of 60000 ms exceeded");
+    const result = augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError(original, 60_000, {
+      platform: "darwin",
+      arch: "arm64",
+      hasCss3D: false,
+      hasAudio: true,
+    });
+    expect(result.message).not.toContain("ts=1784146416");
+    expect(result.message).not.toContain("--docker");
+  });
+
+  it("does not surface the Docker hint on darwin/arm64 without audio", () => {
+    const original = new Error("Navigation timeout of 60000 ms exceeded");
+    const result = augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError(original, 60_000, {
+      platform: "darwin",
+      arch: "arm64",
+      hasCss3D: true,
+      hasAudio: false,
+    });
+    expect(result.message).not.toContain("ts=1784146416");
+    expect(result.message).not.toContain("--docker");
+  });
+
+  it("does not surface the Docker hint when CSS 3D / audio inputs are unknown (fallback documented)", () => {
+    // Current wire-up in renderOrchestrator passes hasCss3D: undefined because
+    // no compile-time CSS-3D signal is threaded through the pipeline. The
+    // Docker hint is intentionally strict about `=== true` — this test locks
+    // that behaviour so a future compile-time hasCss3D scan can flip it on
+    // by supplying the flag, without accidentally firing before then.
+    const original = new Error("Navigation timeout of 60000 ms exceeded");
+    const result = augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError(original, 60_000, {
+      platform: "darwin",
+      arch: "arm64",
+      // hasCss3D + hasAudio omitted (undefined).
+    });
+    expect(result.message).not.toContain("ts=1784146416");
+    expect(result.message).not.toContain("--docker");
+    // Generic hints still fire.
+    expect(result.message).toContain("PRODUCER_PAGE_NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT_MS");
+    expect(result.message).toContain("HYPERFRAMES_BROWSER_PATH");
+  });
+
+  it("defaults platform/arch to the current process when context omits them", () => {
+    // Regression: earlier draft required an explicit platform. Make sure the
+    // helper still augments (with generic hints) when no context is passed.
+    const original = new Error("Navigation timeout of 60000 ms exceeded");
+    const result = augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError(original, 60_000);
+    expect(result).not.toBe(original);
+    expect(result.message).toContain("PRODUCER_PAGE_NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT_MS");
+    expect(result.message).toContain("HYPERFRAMES_BROWSER_PATH");
+  });
+});
+
+describe("isPageNavigationTimeoutError", () => {
+  it("returns true for matching messages", () => {
+    expect(isPageNavigationTimeoutError(new Error("Navigation timeout of 60000 ms exceeded"))).toBe(
+      true,
+    );
+    expect(isPageNavigationTimeoutError("net::ERR_TIMED_OUT")).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("returns false for non-matching messages", () => {
+    expect(isPageNavigationTimeoutError(new Error("Runtime.callFunctionOn timed out"))).toBe(false);
+    expect(isPageNavigationTimeoutError(new Error("Target closed"))).toBe(false);
+    expect(isPageNavigationTimeoutError(null)).toBe(false);
+    expect(isPageNavigationTimeoutError(undefined)).toBe(false);
+    expect(isPageNavigationTimeoutError(42)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/services/pageNavigationTimeoutErrorHint.ts b/packages/engine/src/services/pageNavigationTimeoutErrorHint.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2f997a0f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/engine/src/services/pageNavigationTimeoutErrorHint.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+/**
+ * Augment Puppeteer `page.goto` navigation-timeout errors with actionable
+ * guidance that names the HyperFrames-specific knobs. Puppeteer's stock error
+ * text ("Navigation timeout of 60000 ms exceeded") doesn't tell the user
+ * which env var / CLI flag raises this timeout in HyperFrames, or which
+ * browser-binary override lets them route around a slow pinned build.
+ *
+ * Sibling of `augmentProtocolTimeoutError` (surfaces
+ * `PRODUCER_PUPPETEER_PROTOCOL_TIMEOUT_MS` / `--protocol-timeout` on the
+ * `Runtime.callFunctionOn timed out` class), and mirrors the surfacing
+ * pattern from #2443 (which surfaces `HYPERFRAMES_BROWSER_PATH` on
+ * download-time failures). This helper covers the runtime `page.goto` layer
+ * instead:
+ *
+ *   1. Raise-the-timeout: `PRODUCER_PAGE_NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT_MS` env,
+ *      `--browser-timeout` CLI flag (SECONDS, not ms).
+ *   2. Escape-hatch browser binary: `HYPERFRAMES_BROWSER_PATH` env, points
+ *      at a system Chrome / chrome-headless-shell path.
+ *   3. Field-signal shape: darwin/arm64 CSS 3D + audio compound
+ *      (ts=1784146416) that succeeded under Docker — gated on all three
+ *      inputs being explicitly true.
+ *
+ * Design is conservative — non-matching errors flow through unchanged (same
+ * instance). Non-Error inputs are coerced with `new Error(String(err))` so
+ * callers always receive a well-typed `Error`. Original error preserved via
+ * `err.cause` for downstream logging / observability.
+ *
+ * ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+ * Compound-hint fallback (documented per stack-review guardrails)
+ * ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+ * The field signal cites the darwin/arm64 + CSS-3D + audio-track compound as
+ * the shape where the Docker fallback rendered identically. The Docker hint
+ * therefore fires ONLY when all three are true. When any one is unknown
+ * (`undefined`) the helper falls back to the generic env + browser-path
+ * hints — the Docker fallback is not universally applicable and surfacing
+ * it outside the known-good compound risks recommending Docker on shapes it
+ * hasn't been verified for.
+ *
+ * At the current wire-up in `renderOrchestrator.executeRenderJob`'s
+ * top-level catch, `hasAudio` is in scope (computed in the `audio_process`
+ * stage) but a CSS-3D compile-time signal isn't threaded through the
+ * pipeline: grep `packages/producer/src/services/` and
+ * `packages/engine/src/services/` — no compile-time `hasCss3D` boolean
+ * exists; `parseTransformMatrix` in `alphaBlit.ts` detects 3D matrices at
+ * engine-init runtime, AFTER `page.goto` has already succeeded. So the
+ * current wire-up passes `hasCss3D: undefined`, and the Docker hint does
+ * NOT fire in production today. The helper accepts both flags so a future
+ * PR that lands a compile-time `hasCss3D` scan (e.g. an htmlCompiler.ts
+ * pass over `transform-style: preserve-3d`, `perspective:`, `rotateX(`,
+ * `rotateY(`, `matrix3d(`) can enable the full compound hint without
+ * touching this helper's signature.
+ */
+
+const NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT_MATCHER = /Navigation timeout|net::ERR_TIMED_OUT/i;
+
+export interface NavigationTimeoutHintContext {
+  /** `process.platform` at the catch site. Defaults to the current process. */
+  platform?: NodeJS.Platform;
+  /** `process.arch` at the catch site. Defaults to the current process. */
+  arch?: NodeJS.Architecture | string;
+  /**
+   * Whether the composition uses a CSS 3D rendering context. Callers pass
+   * `undefined` when this signal isn't threaded through — the Docker hint
+   * then does not fire (see fallback docs above).
+   */
+  hasCss3D?: boolean;
+  /**
+   * Whether the composition has an audio track. Callers pass `undefined`
+   * when the signal isn't threaded through — the Docker hint then does not
+   * fire.
+   */
+  hasAudio?: boolean;
+}
+
+export function augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError(
+  err: unknown,
+  effectiveTimeoutMs: number,
+  context: NavigationTimeoutHintContext = {},
+): Error {
+  if (!(err instanceof Error)) return new Error(String(err));
+  if (!NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT_MATCHER.test(err.message)) return err;
+
+  const platform = context.platform ?? process.platform;
+  const arch = context.arch ?? process.arch;
+
+  const dockerHint = shouldSurfaceDockerHint({
+    platform,
+    arch,
+    hasCss3D: context.hasCss3D,
+    hasAudio: context.hasAudio,
+  })
+    ? buildDockerHintBlock()
+    : "";
+
+  const augmented = new Error(
+    `${err.message}\n\n` +
+      `HyperFrames effective page.goto navigation timeout: ${effectiveTimeoutMs} ms.\n\n` +
+      `To raise the timeout:\n` +
+      `  Env: PRODUCER_PAGE_NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT_MS=<higher-ms>  (milliseconds)\n` +
+      `  CLI: --browser-timeout <seconds>                     (seconds)\n\n` +
+      `To use a different browser binary (e.g. system Chrome instead of the pinned chrome-headless-shell):\n` +
+      `  Env: HYPERFRAMES_BROWSER_PATH=<path-to-Chrome-or-chrome-headless-shell>\n` +
+      dockerHint,
+  );
+  (augmented as Error & { cause?: unknown }).cause = err;
+  return augmented;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Predicate variant: exposed for callers that only need to classify an
+ * error (e.g. observability, tests) without materialising an augmented
+ * Error. Uses the same matcher as the augmentation path so the two never
+ * drift.
+ */
+export function isPageNavigationTimeoutError(err: unknown): boolean {
+  const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : typeof err === "string" ? err : "";
+  return NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT_MATCHER.test(message);
+}
+
+interface DockerHintGate {
+  platform: NodeJS.Platform | string;
+  arch: NodeJS.Architecture | string;
+  hasCss3D?: boolean;
+  hasAudio?: boolean;
+}
+
+/**
+ * The Docker fallback hint fires only on the darwin/arm64 + CSS-3D + audio
+ * compound the field signal exercised. Requiring all three to be
+ * explicitly true (not just truthy — `undefined` is not enough) prevents
+ * the hint from firing on shapes where the Docker fallback hasn't been
+ * verified. Other platforms have different failure modes and different
+ * remediation surfaces (Windows GPU compound → PR #2505, Linux headless
+ * quirks → separate).
+ */
+function shouldSurfaceDockerHint(gate: DockerHintGate): boolean {
+  return (
+    gate.platform === "darwin" &&
+    gate.arch === "arm64" &&
+    gate.hasCss3D === true &&
+    gate.hasAudio === true
+  );
+}
+
+function buildDockerHintBlock(): string {
+  return (
+    `\nField signal ts=1784146416 (darwin/arm64 host mode, CLI 0.7.58): the compound of\n` +
+    `a CSS 3D rendering context + audio track on macOS arm64 has been reported to hit\n` +
+    `Navigation timeout twice at page.goto while the same composition renders\n` +
+    `identically under Docker. Consider:\n` +
+    `  hyperframes render ... --docker\n`
+  );
+}
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
index 1ca68f8ba..45401ff67 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/renderOrchestrator.ts
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ import {
   isDrawElementVerificationError,
   getDrawElementVerificationDetails,
   augmentProtocolTimeoutError,
+  augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError,
 } from "@hyperframes/engine";
 import { join, dirname, resolve } from "path";
 import { totalmem } from "node:os";
@@ -3155,7 +3156,30 @@ export async function executeRenderJob(
     // unchanged when the message doesn't match, so non-timeout failures (memory
     // exhaustion, other CDP errors) flow through with no change.
     const protocolTimeoutError = augmentProtocolTimeoutError(error, cfg.protocolTimeout);
-    const errorMessage = memoryGuidance ?? normalizeErrorMessage(protocolTimeoutError);
+    // Surface HyperFrames' PRODUCER_PAGE_NAVIGATION_TIMEOUT_MS env +
+    // --browser-timeout CLI + HYPERFRAMES_BROWSER_PATH escape hatch in
+    // Puppeteer `page.goto` navigation-timeout errors. Puppeteer's stock
+    // "Navigation timeout of 60000 ms exceeded" text names none of these
+    // levers. Field signal ts=1784146416 (darwin/arm64, CLI 0.7.58): host
+    // page.goto hit Navigation timeout twice on a CSS 3D + audio composition;
+    // Docker rendered the same composition successfully. Mirrors #2443's
+    // HYPERFRAMES_BROWSER_PATH surfacing at the runtime-navigation layer
+    // (vs download-time). `augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError` returns the
+    // input unchanged when the message doesn't match the Nav-timeout regex,
+    // so protocol-timeout / memory / other CDP errors flow through unchanged.
+    // hasCss3D + hasAudio are both left undefined here — no compile-time
+    // CSS-3D signal is currently threaded through the render pipeline, and
+    // `hasAudio` from the audio_process stage is block-scoped inside the
+    // try. Per the helper's fallback docs, unknown flags route to the
+    // generic env + browser-path hints (Docker compound hint suppressed).
+    // A future compile-time CSS-3D scan (e.g. htmlCompiler.ts pass over
+    // `transform-style: preserve-3d`, `perspective:`, `rotateX(`, etc.) can
+    // thread both flags here to enable the full compound Docker hint.
+    const navigationTimeoutError = augmentPageNavigationTimeoutError(
+      protocolTimeoutError,
+      cfg.pageNavigationTimeout,
+    );
+    const errorMessage = memoryGuidance ?? normalizeErrorMessage(navigationTimeoutError);
     const carriedBrowserConsole = getCaptureStageBrowserConsole(error);
     if (carriedBrowserConsole.length > 0) {
       lastBrowserConsole = [...lastBrowserConsole, ...carriedBrowserConsole].slice(-200);