diff --git a/client/cypress/tests/players/MediaPlayerContainer.cy.js b/client/cypress/tests/players/MediaPlayerContainer.cy.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2e1a39d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/cypress/tests/players/MediaPlayerContainer.cy.js
@@ -0,0 +1,281 @@
+import Vue from 'vue'
+import Vuex from 'vuex'
+import MediaPlayerContainer from '../../../components/app/MediaPlayerContainer.vue'
+import * as rootStore from '../../../store/index'
+import * as userStore from '../../../store/user'
+import * as globalsStore from '../../../store/globals'
+import * as librariesStore from '../../../store/libraries'
+
+Vue.use(Vuex)
+
+const FIXTURE_URL = '/__cypress/fixtures/test-audio.wav'
+const TEST_LIBRARY_ID = 'lib-test'
+const TEST_ITEM_ID = 'item-test'
+const TEST_SESSION_ID = 'session-test'
+
+const makeLibraryItem = () => ({
+  id: TEST_ITEM_ID,
+  libraryId: TEST_LIBRARY_ID,
+  mediaType: 'book',
+  updatedAt: 1714608000000,
+  media: {
+    coverPath: null,
+    duration: 4,
+    metadata: {
+      title: 'Smart Speed Harness Fixture',
+      authors: [{ id: 'author-1', name: 'Harness Author' }],
+      explicit: false
+    },
+    chapters: [{ id: 'chapter-1', start: 0, end: 4, title: 'Fixture Chapter' }]
+  }
+})
+
+const buildStore = () => {
+  return new Vuex.Store({
+    state: rootStore.state(),
+    getters: rootStore.getters,
+    mutations: rootStore.mutations,
+    modules: {
+      user: {
+        namespaced: true,
+        state: userStore.state(),
+        getters: userStore.getters,
+        mutations: userStore.mutations,
+        actions: userStore.actions
+      },
+      globals: {
+        namespaced: true,
+        state: globalsStore.state(),
+        getters: globalsStore.getters,
+        mutations: globalsStore.mutations
+      },
+      libraries: {
+        namespaced: true,
+        state: librariesStore.state(),
+        getters: librariesStore.getters,
+        mutations: librariesStore.mutations
+      }
+    }
+  })
+}
+
+const createAudioContextStub = () => {
+  const sourceNode = {
+    connect: cy.stub().as('audioSourceConnect'),
+    disconnect: cy.stub().as('audioSourceDisconnect')
+  }
+
+  const audioContext = {
+    destination: { label: 'destination' },
+    state: 'running',
+    currentTime: 0,
+    resume: cy.stub().callsFake(() => {
+      audioContext.state = 'running'
+      return Promise.resolve()
+    }).as('audioContextResume'),
+    suspend: cy.stub().callsFake(() => {
+      audioContext.state = 'suspended'
+      return Promise.resolve()
+    }).as('audioContextSuspend'),
+    close: cy.stub().resolves().as('audioContextClose'),
+    createMediaElementSource: cy.stub().returns(sourceNode).as('createMediaElementSource'),
+    audioWorklet: {
+      addModule: cy.stub().resolves().as('audioWorkletAddModule')
+    }
+  }
+
+  return { audioContext }
+}
+
+describe('MediaPlayerContainer', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    cy.viewport(1280, 900)
+
+    cy.window().then((win) => {
+      win.MediaMetadata = function MediaMetadata(metadata) {
+        Object.assign(this, metadata)
+      }
+      win.navigator.mediaSession = {
+        playbackState: 'none',
+        metadata: null,
+        setActionHandler: cy.stub().as('setActionHandler')
+      }
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('starts playback through the real container session path', () => {
+    const store = buildStore()
+    const eventBus = new Vue()
+    const libraryItem = makeLibraryItem()
+    const { audioContext } = createAudioContextStub()
+
+    store.commit('setRouterBasePath', '')
+    store.commit('libraries/addUpdate', {
+      id: TEST_LIBRARY_ID,
+      mediaType: 'book',
+      settings: { coverAspectRatio: 0 }
+    })
+    store.commit('libraries/setCurrentLibrary', { id: TEST_LIBRARY_ID })
+    store.commit('user/setUser', {
+      id: 'user-1',
+      type: 'root',
+      mediaProgress: [],
+      bookmarks: [],
+      permissions: { update: true, delete: true, download: true, upload: true, accessAllLibraries: true },
+      librariesAccessible: [TEST_LIBRARY_ID]
+    })
+    store.commit('user/setSettings', {
+      ...store.state.user.settings,
+      enableSmartSpeed: false,
+      smartSpeedRatio: 2.5,
+      playbackRate: 1,
+      playbackRateIncrementDecrement: 0.1,
+      jumpForwardAmount: 10,
+      jumpBackwardAmount: 10,
+      useChapterTrack: false
+    })
+
+    cy.intercept('GET', `/api/items/${TEST_ITEM_ID}?expanded=1`, {
+      statusCode: 200,
+      body: libraryItem
+    }).as('getLibraryItem')
+
+    cy.intercept('POST', `/api/items/${TEST_ITEM_ID}/play`, (req) => {
+      expect(req.body.mediaPlayer).to.equal('html5')
+      expect(req.body.forceTranscode).to.equal(false)
+      req.reply({
+        statusCode: 200,
+        body: {
+          id: TEST_SESSION_ID,
+          libraryItem,
+          episodeId: null,
+          displayTitle: 'Smart Speed Harness Fixture',
+          displayAuthor: 'Harness Author',
+          currentTime: 0,
+          playMethod: 0,
+          audioTracks: [
+            {
+              index: 0,
+              startOffset: 0,
+              duration: 4,
+              contentUrl: FIXTURE_URL,
+              mimeType: 'audio/wav'
+            }
+          ]
+        }
+      })
+    }).as('startPlaybackSession')
+
+    cy.intercept('POST', `/api/session/${TEST_SESSION_ID}/close`, {
+      statusCode: 200,
+      body: {}
+    }).as('closePlaybackSession')
+
+    cy.intercept('POST', `/api/session/${TEST_SESSION_ID}/sync`, {
+      statusCode: 200,
+      body: {}
+    }).as('syncPlaybackSession')
+
+    cy.mount(MediaPlayerContainer, {
+      store,
+      stubs: {
+        'covers-book-cover': { template: '<div data-testid="cover"></div>' },
+        'ui-tooltip': { template: '<div><slot /></div>' },
+        'modals-bookmarks-modal': { template: '<div />' },
+        'modals-sleep-timer-modal': { template: '<div />' },
+        'modals-player-queue-items-modal': { template: '<div />' },
+        'modals-chapters-modal': { template: '<div />' },
+        'modals-player-settings-modal': { template: '<div />' },
+        'controls-playback-speed-control': { template: '<div />' },
+        'controls-volume-control': { template: '<div />' },
+        'player-track-bar': { template: '<div />', methods: { setUseChapterTrack() {}, setCurrentTime() {}, setBufferTime() {}, setPercentageReady() {} } },
+        'nuxt-link': { template: '<a><slot /></a>' }
+      },
+      mocks: {
+        $axios: {
+          $get: (url) => fetch(url).then((res) => res.json()),
+          $post: (url, body) => fetch(url, {
+            method: 'POST',
+            headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+            body: body === undefined ? undefined : JSON.stringify(body)
+          }).then((res) => res.json())
+        },
+        $eventBus: eventBus,
+        $toast: Object.assign(cy.stub().as('toast'), {
+          info: cy.stub().as('toastInfo'),
+          dismiss: cy.stub().as('toastDismiss')
+        }),
+        $config: { routerBasePath: '' },
+        $socket: { client: { on: cy.stub(), off: cy.stub(), emit: cy.stub() } },
+        $hotkeys: { AudioPlayer: {} },
+        $secondsToTimestamp: (seconds) => {
+          const totalSeconds = Math.max(0, Math.floor(Number(seconds) || 0))
+          const hours = String(Math.floor(totalSeconds / 3600)).padStart(2, '0')
+          const minutes = String(Math.floor((totalSeconds % 3600) / 60)).padStart(2, '0')
+          const secs = String(totalSeconds % 60).padStart(2, '0')
+          return `${hours}:${minutes}:${secs}`
+        },
+        $getString: (key, values = []) => [key, ...values].join(' '),
+        $randomId: () => 'device-test-id'
+      }
+    }).then(() => {
+      cy.window().then((win) => {
+        win.AudioContext = function AudioContext() {
+          return audioContext
+        }
+        win.webkitAudioContext = undefined
+
+        win.AudioWorkletNode = function AudioWorkletNode() {
+          return {
+            connect: cy.stub().as('silenceDetectorConnect'),
+            disconnect: cy.stub().as('silenceDetectorDisconnect'),
+            port: {
+              onmessage: null,
+              postMessage: cy.stub().as('silenceDetectorPostMessage')
+            }
+          }
+        }
+
+        cy.stub(win.HTMLMediaElement.prototype, 'load').callsFake(function load() {
+          this.dispatchEvent(new win.Event('loadedmetadata'))
+        }).as('mediaLoad')
+
+        cy.stub(win.HTMLMediaElement.prototype, 'play').callsFake(function play() {
+          this.dispatchEvent(new win.Event('play'))
+          this.dispatchEvent(new win.Event('playing'))
+          return Promise.resolve()
+        }).as('mediaPlay')
+
+        cy.stub(win.HTMLMediaElement.prototype, 'pause').callsFake(function pause() {
+          this.dispatchEvent(new win.Event('pause'))
+        }).as('mediaPause')
+      })
+    })
+
+    cy.then(() => {
+      eventBus.$emit('play-item', { libraryItemId: TEST_ITEM_ID })
+    })
+
+    cy.wait('@getLibraryItem')
+    cy.wait('@startPlaybackSession')
+    cy.get('#mediaPlayerContainer').should('exist')
+    cy.get('button[aria-label="Play"]').click()
+
+    cy.get('@mediaLoad').should('have.been.called')
+    cy.get('@mediaPlay').should('have.been.calledOnce')
+    cy.get('@createMediaElementSource').should('have.been.calledOnce')
+    cy.get('audio#audio-player').should(($audio) => {
+      expect($audio[0].src).to.include(FIXTURE_URL)
+    })
+
+    cy.then(() => {
+      const vm = Cypress.vueWrapper.vm
+      expect(vm.playerHandler.libraryItemId).to.equal(TEST_ITEM_ID)
+      expect(vm.playerHandler.currentSessionId).to.equal(TEST_SESSION_ID)
+      expect(vm.playerHandler.isPlayingLocalItem).to.equal(true)
+      expect(vm.$store.state.streamLibraryItem.id).to.equal(TEST_ITEM_ID)
+      expect(vm.$store.state.playbackSessionId).to.equal(TEST_SESSION_ID)
+      expect(vm.isPlaying).to.equal(true)
+    })
+  })
+})