diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
index 825966b75..fcb4c6d91 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
@@ -1224,7 +1224,11 @@ export function initSandboxRuntimeModular(): void {
   };
 
   const isRenderMode = Boolean((window as Record<string, unknown>).__HF_EXPORT_RENDER_SEEK_CONFIG);
-  const mediaPreloader = createMediaPreloadManager();
+  const mediaPreloader = createMediaPreloadManager({
+    onActivation: (clipCount) => {
+      postRuntimeDiagnosticOnce("lazy_preload_activated", { clipCount }, "lazy_preload_activated");
+    },
+  });
 
   const bindMediaMetadataListeners = () => {
     if (state.tornDown) return;
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaPreloader.test.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaPreloader.test.ts
index 2494814b5..9353f3e56 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaPreloader.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaPreloader.test.ts
@@ -268,4 +268,58 @@ describe("createMediaPreloadManager", () => {
     const loadCallsAfter = (elements[0].load as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mock.calls.length;
     expect(loadCallsAfter).toBeGreaterThan(loadCallsBefore);
   });
+
+  it("isLazy reports true with 6+ clips so caller can gate render-mode bypass", () => {
+    elements = Array.from({ length: 6 }, (_, i) =>
+      mockMediaElement({ start: String(i * 5), duration: "5" }),
+    );
+    setupDOM(elements);
+
+    const manager = createMediaPreloadManager();
+    manager.refresh();
+    expect(manager.isLazy()).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("calls onActivation when lazy mode activates", () => {
+    elements = Array.from({ length: 8 }, (_, i) =>
+      mockMediaElement({ start: String(i * 5), duration: "5" }),
+    );
+    setupDOM(elements);
+
+    const onActivation = vi.fn();
+    const manager = createMediaPreloadManager({ onActivation });
+    manager.refresh();
+
+    expect(onActivation).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+    expect(onActivation).toHaveBeenCalledWith(8);
+  });
+
+  it("does not call onActivation below threshold", () => {
+    elements = [
+      mockMediaElement({ start: "0", duration: "5" }),
+      mockMediaElement({ start: "5", duration: "5" }),
+    ];
+    setupDOM(elements);
+
+    const onActivation = vi.fn();
+    const manager = createMediaPreloadManager({ onActivation });
+    manager.refresh();
+
+    expect(onActivation).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("calls onActivation only once across multiple refreshes", () => {
+    elements = Array.from({ length: 8 }, (_, i) =>
+      mockMediaElement({ start: String(i * 5), duration: "5" }),
+    );
+    setupDOM(elements);
+
+    const onActivation = vi.fn();
+    const manager = createMediaPreloadManager({ onActivation });
+    manager.refresh();
+    manager.refresh();
+    manager.refresh();
+
+    expect(onActivation).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaPreloader.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaPreloader.ts
index ce004321a..fd8308631 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaPreloader.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/mediaPreloader.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,16 @@
 import { refreshRuntimeMediaCache, type RuntimeMediaClip } from "./media";
 
+// Compositions with fewer than 6 timed clips rarely exceed browser memory
+// limits during eager preload. The threshold avoids preload management
+// overhead for typical compositions while catching the heavy-media case
+// (e.g., 20 clips / 6GB reported in heygen-com/hyperframes#729).
 const LAZY_THRESHOLD = 6;
 const LOOKAHEAD_SECONDS = 10;
 const LOOKAHEAD_MIN_CLIPS = 2;
+// Cap on simultaneously promoted (buffered) clips. When the lookahead window
+// contains more clips than this (e.g., many short clips), all window clips
+// stay promoted — the cap is defense-in-depth, not a hard ceiling. The primary
+// memory bound comes from window-based eviction in syncWindow().
 const MAX_PROMOTED = 5;
 
 export interface MediaPreloadManager {
@@ -16,6 +24,7 @@ export function createMediaPreloadManager(options?: {
   resolveStartSeconds?: (element: Element) => number;
   resolveDurationSeconds?: (element: HTMLVideoElement | HTMLAudioElement) => number | null;
   shouldIncludeElement?: (element: HTMLVideoElement | HTMLAudioElement) => boolean;
+  onActivation?: (clipCount: number) => void;
 }): MediaPreloadManager {
   let clips: RuntimeMediaClip[] = [];
   const promoted = new Set<HTMLMediaElement>();
@@ -24,11 +33,16 @@ export function createMediaPreloadManager(options?: {
   /** Stashed original src so we can restore after eviction. */
   const originalSrc = new Map<HTMLMediaElement, string>();
   let lazy = false;
+  let activationEmitted = false;
 
   function refresh(): void {
     const cache = refreshRuntimeMediaCache(options);
     clips = cache.mediaClips;
     lazy = clips.length >= LAZY_THRESHOLD;
+    if (lazy && !activationEmitted) {
+      activationEmitted = true;
+      options?.onActivation?.(clips.length);
+    }
   }
 
   function evictClip(clip: RuntimeMediaClip): void {