diff --git a/internal/agent/types.go b/internal/agent/types.go
index 82d70a4..c16e194 100644
--- a/internal/agent/types.go
+++ b/internal/agent/types.go
@@ -351,12 +351,19 @@ type LibraryDeleteRequest struct {
 	FilePath string `json:"filePath"`
 }
 
-// WebRTCSession is a request to open a custom WebRTC DataChannel byte-stream
-// to a browser player. The CLI must POST an SDP answer to
-// /api/internal/stream/signal/<sessionId> and serve bytes from FilePath
-// (or, when only InfoHash is set, from a download_task on disk).
+// WebRTCSession is a request to open a streaming session for a browser
+// player. Transport selects the on-the-wire protocol: empty/"webrtc" runs the
+// legacy custom WebRTC DataChannel pipeline; "hls" spawns an HLS session
+// (ffmpeg producing fragmented MP4 served over HTTP). The CLI must POST an
+// SDP answer to /api/internal/stream/signal/<sessionId> for WebRTC sessions
+// and register the HLS session in the StreamServer's HLS registry for HLS
+// sessions; either way the source bytes come from FilePath (or, when only
+// InfoHash is set, from a download_task on disk).
 type WebRTCSession struct {
 	SessionID string `json:"sessionId"`
+	// Transport selects the streaming protocol. "" or "webrtc" → legacy
+	// WebRTC + MSE pipeline (Phase 1). "hls" → HLS over HTTP (Phase 2).
+	Transport string `json:"transport,omitempty"`
 	FilePath  string `json:"filePath,omitempty"`
 	InfoHash  string `json:"infoHash,omitempty"`
 	TaskID    string `json:"taskId,omitempty"`
@@ -365,6 +372,9 @@ type WebRTCSession struct {
 	// Quality target the daemon should aim for when transcoding. One of
 	// "2160p" | "1080p" | "720p" | "480p" | "original" | "" (defer to config).
 	Quality string `json:"quality,omitempty"`
+	// AudioIndex selects the source audio track (-map 0:a:N). -1 means
+	// "use the default/first track" (HLS) or ignored (WebRTC).
+	AudioIndex int `json:"audioIndex,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // SyncResponse is returned by the server with all pending actions for the CLI.
diff --git a/internal/cmd/daemon.go b/internal/cmd/daemon.go
index 9845bd7..2710e20 100644
--- a/internal/cmd/daemon.go
+++ b/internal/cmd/daemon.go
@@ -444,6 +444,33 @@ func runDaemonStart() error {
 			}
 			filePath = found
 		}
+
+		// Branch on transport: HLS sessions register with the StreamServer
+		// HLS registry and serve over HTTP; default ("" or "webrtc") runs
+		// the legacy DataChannel pipeline.
+		if strings.EqualFold(sess.Transport, "hls") {
+			tcRuntime := buildTranscodeRuntime(ctx, cfg)
+			if tcRuntime.FFmpegPath == "" || tcRuntime.FFprobePath == "" {
+				log.Printf("[hls %s] rejected: ffmpeg/ffprobe unavailable", agent.ShortID(sess.SessionID))
+				return
+			}
+			hlsCfg := engine.HLSSessionConfig{
+				SessionID:  sess.SessionID,
+				SourcePath: filePath,
+				FileName:   sess.FileName,
+				Quality:    sess.Quality,
+				AudioIndex: sess.AudioIndex,
+				Transcode:  tcRuntime,
+			}
+			hsess, err := engine.StartHLSSession(ctx, hlsCfg)
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Printf("[hls %s] start failed: %v", agent.ShortID(sess.SessionID), err)
+				return
+			}
+			streamSrv.HLS().Register(hsess)
+			return
+		}
+
 		sessCtx, sessCancel := context.WithCancel(ctx) //nolint:gosec // G118 cancel stored in registry
 		webrtcRegistry.add(sess.SessionID, sessCancel)
 		go func() {
diff --git a/internal/engine/hls.go b/internal/engine/hls.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9ba0235
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/engine/hls.go
@@ -0,0 +1,788 @@
+// Package engine — hls.go implements the HLS streaming pipeline.
+//
+// Browser ↔ daemon over plain HTTP (LAN / Tailscale / UPnP). The daemon runs
+// ffmpeg in `-f hls` mode, writing fragmented MP4 segments to a per-session
+// tmpdir. Master + media playlists are pre-rendered from the probed source
+// duration so the player knows the full timeline before any segment exists,
+// which fixes the seek/duration/pause/multi-track problems we hit with the
+// raw fMP4-over-WebRTC pipeline.
+//
+// One HLSSession == one browser playback. Sessions are registered in a
+// process-wide map keyed by session ID; the StreamServer routes
+//   GET /hls/<id>/master.m3u8
+//   GET /hls/<id>/video/index.m3u8
+//   GET /hls/<id>/video/init.mp4
+//   GET /hls/<id>/video/seg-<n>.m4s
+//   GET /hls/<id>/subs/<lang>.vtt
+// to the matching session.
+
+package engine
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"log"
+	"net/http"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// hlsSegmentDuration is the target seconds per HLS fragment. Four seconds is
+// the Plex/Apple default — short enough that seek granularity is acceptable,
+// long enough that GOP overhead doesn't dominate.
+const hlsSegmentDuration = 4
+
+// hlsSessionTTL is how long a session can sit idle (no segment requests)
+// before the manager kills ffmpeg + cleans the tmpdir.
+const hlsSessionTTL = 30 * time.Minute
+
+// hlsTmpDirRoot returns the per-user tmpdir root for HLS sessions.
+//
+//	Linux:   ~/.cache/unarr/hls-sessions
+//	macOS:   ~/Library/Caches/unarr/hls-sessions
+//	Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%/unarr/hls-sessions
+//
+// Falls back to os.TempDir() if the user cache dir can't be resolved.
+func hlsTmpDirRoot() string {
+	if dir, err := os.UserCacheDir(); err == nil {
+		return filepath.Join(dir, "unarr", "hls-sessions")
+	}
+	return filepath.Join(os.TempDir(), "unarr-hls-sessions")
+}
+
+// HLSSessionConfig describes a single browser playback session driven by HLS.
+type HLSSessionConfig struct {
+	SessionID  string
+	SourcePath string
+	FileName   string
+	Quality    string // "2160p"|"1080p"|"720p"|"480p"|"original"|""
+	AudioIndex int    // 0-based ffmpeg audio stream selection (-map 0:a:N). -1 = default.
+	Transcode  TranscodeRuntime
+}
+
+// HLSSession owns a tmpdir + ffmpeg subprocess producing HLS fragments.
+type HLSSession struct {
+	cfg   HLSSessionConfig
+	probe *StreamProbe
+
+	tmpDir        string
+	durationSec   float64
+	segmentCount  int
+	manifestVideo string // pre-rendered video media playlist
+	manifestRoot  string // pre-rendered master playlist
+
+	mu        sync.Mutex
+	cmd       *exec.Cmd
+	cancel    context.CancelFunc
+	closed    bool
+	startedAt time.Time
+	lastTouch time.Time
+
+	// readyCond + readyMax track which segments ffmpeg has finished writing.
+	// Handlers waiting on a future segment block on readyCond until the
+	// poller advances readyMax past their index (or ffmpeg exits).
+	readyMu  sync.Mutex
+	readyMax int // highest segment index whose .m4s file is fully written
+	exitErr  error
+	exited   bool
+	readyCh  chan struct{} // closed + replaced each time readyMax advances
+}
+
+// HLSSessionRegistry tracks active sessions keyed by ID.
+type HLSSessionRegistry struct {
+	mu       sync.RWMutex
+	sessions map[string]*HLSSession
+}
+
+// NewHLSSessionRegistry returns an empty registry.
+func NewHLSSessionRegistry() *HLSSessionRegistry {
+	return &HLSSessionRegistry{sessions: make(map[string]*HLSSession)}
+}
+
+// Get fetches a session by ID; returns nil if not registered.
+func (r *HLSSessionRegistry) Get(id string) *HLSSession {
+	r.mu.RLock()
+	defer r.mu.RUnlock()
+	return r.sessions[id]
+}
+
+// Register adds a session under its ID. Replaces any previous session with
+// the same ID (which is closed first to release ffmpeg + tmpdir).
+func (r *HLSSessionRegistry) Register(s *HLSSession) {
+	r.mu.Lock()
+	defer r.mu.Unlock()
+	if prev, ok := r.sessions[s.cfg.SessionID]; ok {
+		_ = prev.Close()
+	}
+	r.sessions[s.cfg.SessionID] = s
+}
+
+// Remove drops a session from the registry without closing it.
+func (r *HLSSessionRegistry) Remove(id string) {
+	r.mu.Lock()
+	defer r.mu.Unlock()
+	delete(r.sessions, id)
+}
+
+// CloseAll terminates every active session. Call at daemon shutdown.
+func (r *HLSSessionRegistry) CloseAll() {
+	r.mu.Lock()
+	sessions := make([]*HLSSession, 0, len(r.sessions))
+	for _, s := range r.sessions {
+		sessions = append(sessions, s)
+	}
+	r.sessions = make(map[string]*HLSSession)
+	r.mu.Unlock()
+	for _, s := range sessions {
+		_ = s.Close()
+	}
+}
+
+// SweepIdle closes sessions that have not been touched within hlsSessionTTL.
+// Returns the number of sessions reaped.
+func (r *HLSSessionRegistry) SweepIdle() int {
+	r.mu.Lock()
+	stale := make([]*HLSSession, 0)
+	for id, s := range r.sessions {
+		s.mu.Lock()
+		idle := time.Since(s.lastTouch)
+		s.mu.Unlock()
+		if idle > hlsSessionTTL {
+			stale = append(stale, s)
+			delete(r.sessions, id)
+		}
+	}
+	r.mu.Unlock()
+	for _, s := range stale {
+		_ = s.Close()
+	}
+	return len(stale)
+}
+
+// StartHLSSession probes the source, builds the playlists, spawns ffmpeg,
+// and returns a HLSSession ready to serve HTTP requests. Caller must register
+// the session with a HLSSessionRegistry so the server can route to it.
+func StartHLSSession(ctx context.Context, cfg HLSSessionConfig) (*HLSSession, error) {
+	if cfg.SessionID == "" {
+		return nil, errors.New("hls: empty session id")
+	}
+	if cfg.SourcePath == "" {
+		return nil, errors.New("hls: empty source path")
+	}
+	if cfg.Transcode.FFmpegPath == "" || cfg.Transcode.FFprobePath == "" {
+		return nil, errors.New("hls: ffmpeg/ffprobe not available")
+	}
+
+	probe, err := ProbeFile(ctx, cfg.Transcode.FFprobePath, cfg.SourcePath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("hls: probe: %w", err)
+	}
+	if probe.DurationSec <= 0 {
+		return nil, errors.New("hls: source has no duration")
+	}
+
+	tmpDir := filepath.Join(hlsTmpDirRoot(), cfg.SessionID)
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "video"), 0o755); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("hls: mkdir video: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "subs"), 0o755); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("hls: mkdir subs: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	segCount := int((probe.DurationSec + float64(hlsSegmentDuration) - 1) / float64(hlsSegmentDuration))
+	if segCount < 1 {
+		segCount = 1
+	}
+
+	s := &HLSSession{
+		cfg:          cfg,
+		probe:        probe,
+		tmpDir:       tmpDir,
+		durationSec:  probe.DurationSec,
+		segmentCount: segCount,
+		startedAt:    time.Now(),
+		lastTouch:    time.Now(),
+		readyCh:      make(chan struct{}),
+	}
+	s.manifestVideo = renderVideoPlaylist(probe.DurationSec, segCount)
+	s.manifestRoot = renderMasterPlaylist(probe, cfg.Quality)
+
+	// Spawn ffmpeg under a dedicated context so Close() can kill it without
+	// touching the parent ctx.
+	ffCtx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	s.cancel = cancel
+	args := buildHLSFFmpegArgs(cfg, probe, tmpDir)
+	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ffCtx, cfg.Transcode.FFmpegPath, args...)
+	cmd.Stderr = &hlsStderrCapture{owner: s}
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		cancel()
+		_ = os.RemoveAll(tmpDir)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("hls: start ffmpeg: %w", err)
+	}
+	s.cmd = cmd
+
+	go s.waitFFmpeg()
+	go s.pollSegments(ffCtx)
+
+	if len(probe.SubtitleTracks) > 0 {
+		go s.extractSubtitles(ffCtx)
+	}
+
+	log.Printf("[hls %s] started: %s, %.1fs, %d segs (quality=%s)",
+		shortHLSID(cfg.SessionID), filepath.Base(cfg.SourcePath),
+		probe.DurationSec, segCount, coalesce(cfg.Quality, "auto"))
+	return s, nil
+}
+
+// shortHLSID truncates a session ID for log lines.
+func shortHLSID(id string) string {
+	if len(id) > 8 {
+		return id[:8]
+	}
+	return id
+}
+
+// MasterPlaylist returns the rendered master.m3u8 contents.
+func (s *HLSSession) MasterPlaylist() string { return s.manifestRoot }
+
+// VideoPlaylist returns the rendered video media playlist contents.
+func (s *HLSSession) VideoPlaylist() string { return s.manifestVideo }
+
+// DurationSeconds returns the source duration in seconds.
+func (s *HLSSession) DurationSeconds() float64 { return s.durationSec }
+
+// Probe returns the probe metadata used to start the session.
+func (s *HLSSession) Probe() *StreamProbe { return s.probe }
+
+// Touch updates the last-activity timestamp; the registry sweeper compares
+// this against hlsSessionTTL.
+func (s *HLSSession) Touch() {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	s.lastTouch = time.Now()
+	s.mu.Unlock()
+}
+
+// Close stops ffmpeg, deletes the tmpdir, and prevents further requests from
+// blocking on segment readiness. Idempotent.
+func (s *HLSSession) Close() error {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	if s.closed {
+		s.mu.Unlock()
+		return nil
+	}
+	s.closed = true
+	cancel := s.cancel
+	tmpDir := s.tmpDir
+	s.mu.Unlock()
+	if cancel != nil {
+		cancel()
+	}
+	// Unblock any handler waiting on readyCh.
+	s.readyMu.Lock()
+	if s.readyCh != nil {
+		close(s.readyCh)
+		s.readyCh = nil
+	}
+	s.exited = true
+	s.readyMu.Unlock()
+	if tmpDir != "" {
+		_ = os.RemoveAll(tmpDir)
+	}
+	log.Printf("[hls %s] closed", shortHLSID(s.cfg.SessionID))
+	return nil
+}
+
+// waitFFmpeg reaps the ffmpeg process and records its exit error for handlers.
+func (s *HLSSession) waitFFmpeg() {
+	err := s.cmd.Wait()
+	s.readyMu.Lock()
+	s.exitErr = err
+	s.exited = true
+	if s.readyCh != nil {
+		close(s.readyCh)
+		s.readyCh = nil
+	}
+	s.readyMu.Unlock()
+	if err != nil && !s.isClosed() {
+		log.Printf("[hls %s] ffmpeg exited: %v", shortHLSID(s.cfg.SessionID), err)
+	}
+}
+
+// pollSegments watches the video tmpdir for newly-finished .m4s files and
+// advances readyMax. ffmpeg writes a segment by first creating an empty
+// file, then closing+renaming on completion (atomic-replace), so we use
+// stat size > 0 + presence of the *next* segment as proof the previous one
+// is done. For the last segment, ffmpeg's exit terminates the wait.
+func (s *HLSSession) pollSegments(ctx context.Context) {
+	ticker := time.NewTicker(250 * time.Millisecond)
+	defer ticker.Stop()
+	videoDir := filepath.Join(s.tmpDir, "video")
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return
+		case <-ticker.C:
+		}
+		// Walk segment files and find the highest contiguous index whose
+		// successor exists (which proves the segment is fully closed).
+		s.readyMu.Lock()
+		start := s.readyMax
+		exited := s.exited
+		s.readyMu.Unlock()
+
+		highest := start
+		for i := start; i < s.segmentCount; i++ {
+			cur := filepath.Join(videoDir, fmt.Sprintf("seg-%d.m4s", i))
+			next := filepath.Join(videoDir, fmt.Sprintf("seg-%d.m4s", i+1))
+			ci, err := os.Stat(cur)
+			if err != nil || ci.Size() == 0 {
+				break
+			}
+			// Last segment is "ready" only when ffmpeg has exited (no successor
+			// can ever appear) or when a later segment exists.
+			if i == s.segmentCount-1 {
+				if !exited {
+					break
+				}
+				highest = i + 1
+				break
+			}
+			if _, err := os.Stat(next); err != nil {
+				break
+			}
+			highest = i + 1
+		}
+		if highest > start {
+			s.readyMu.Lock()
+			s.readyMax = highest
+			ch := s.readyCh
+			s.readyCh = make(chan struct{})
+			s.readyMu.Unlock()
+			if ch != nil {
+				close(ch)
+			}
+		}
+		if exited && highest >= s.segmentCount {
+			return
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// waitForSegment blocks until segment idx has been fully written, ffmpeg
+// has exited, or ctx is cancelled. Returns nil iff the segment file is
+// safe to read at return time.
+func (s *HLSSession) waitForSegment(ctx context.Context, idx int) error {
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(60 * time.Second)
+	for {
+		s.readyMu.Lock()
+		ready := idx < s.readyMax
+		exited := s.exited
+		ch := s.readyCh
+		exitErr := s.exitErr
+		s.readyMu.Unlock()
+		if ready {
+			return nil
+		}
+		if exited {
+			if exitErr != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("hls: ffmpeg exited: %w", exitErr)
+			}
+			return errors.New("hls: ffmpeg exited before segment ready")
+		}
+		select {
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return ctx.Err()
+		case <-ch:
+			// loop and re-check
+		case <-time.After(time.Until(deadline)):
+			return errors.New("hls: timeout waiting for segment")
+		}
+		if time.Now().After(deadline) {
+			return errors.New("hls: timeout waiting for segment")
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// isClosed reports whether Close() has been invoked.
+func (s *HLSSession) isClosed() bool {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	return s.closed
+}
+
+// ---- HTTP handlers ----
+
+// ServeMaster writes master.m3u8 to w.
+func (s *HLSSession) ServeMaster(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	s.Touch()
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/vnd.apple.mpegurl")
+	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "no-cache")
+	_, _ = io.WriteString(w, s.manifestRoot)
+}
+
+// ServeVideoPlaylist writes the video media playlist (index.m3u8) to w.
+func (s *HLSSession) ServeVideoPlaylist(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	s.Touch()
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/vnd.apple.mpegurl")
+	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "no-cache")
+	_, _ = io.WriteString(w, s.manifestVideo)
+}
+
+// ServeInit writes init.mp4 (the fMP4 init segment) to w.
+func (s *HLSSession) ServeInit(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	s.Touch()
+	path := filepath.Join(s.tmpDir, "video", "init.mp4")
+	// Init segment is the first thing ffmpeg writes — wait briefly for it.
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(30 * time.Second)
+	for {
+		if fi, err := os.Stat(path); err == nil && fi.Size() > 0 {
+			break
+		}
+		if s.isClosed() || time.Now().After(deadline) {
+			http.Error(w, "init segment unavailable", http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
+			return
+		}
+		time.Sleep(150 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "video/mp4")
+	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "max-age=3600")
+	http.ServeFile(w, r, path)
+}
+
+// ServeSegment writes the requested video segment, blocking until ffmpeg
+// produces it (capped by waitForSegment timeout).
+func (s *HLSSession) ServeSegment(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, idx int) {
+	s.Touch()
+	if idx < 0 || idx >= s.segmentCount {
+		http.Error(w, "segment out of range", http.StatusNotFound)
+		return
+	}
+	if err := s.waitForSegment(r.Context(), idx); err != nil {
+		http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
+		return
+	}
+	path := filepath.Join(s.tmpDir, "video", fmt.Sprintf("seg-%d.m4s", idx))
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "video/mp4")
+	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "max-age=3600")
+	http.ServeFile(w, r, path)
+}
+
+// ServeSubtitle writes the WebVTT subtitle for the requested track index, if
+// extraction has finished.
+func (s *HLSSession) ServeSubtitle(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, idx int) {
+	s.Touch()
+	if idx < 0 || idx >= len(s.probe.SubtitleTracks) {
+		http.Error(w, "subtitle track not found", http.StatusNotFound)
+		return
+	}
+	path := filepath.Join(s.tmpDir, "subs", fmt.Sprintf("sub-%d.vtt", idx))
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(15 * time.Second)
+	for {
+		if fi, err := os.Stat(path); err == nil && fi.Size() > 0 {
+			break
+		}
+		if s.isClosed() || time.Now().After(deadline) {
+			http.Error(w, "subtitle not yet extracted", http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
+			return
+		}
+		time.Sleep(200 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "text/vtt; charset=utf-8")
+	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "max-age=3600")
+	http.ServeFile(w, r, path)
+}
+
+// ---- ffmpeg argument builders ----
+
+// buildHLSFFmpegArgs returns the argv for the main HLS encode. It always
+// re-encodes video + audio so segment boundaries align with -force_key_frames.
+// Pure -c copy can be added later for h264+aac+mp4 sources where the GOP is
+// already short enough; keeping it simple for the MVP.
+func buildHLSFFmpegArgs(cfg HLSSessionConfig, probe *StreamProbe, tmpDir string) []string {
+	hwHint := cfg.Transcode.HWAccel
+	args := []string{"-y", "-hide_banner", "-loglevel", "warning"}
+
+	switch hwHint {
+	case HWAccelNVENC:
+		args = append(args, "-hwaccel", "cuda")
+	case HWAccelQSV:
+		args = append(args, "-hwaccel", "qsv")
+	case HWAccelVAAPI:
+		args = append(args, "-hwaccel", "vaapi", "-hwaccel_output_format", "vaapi")
+	case HWAccelNone, HWAccelVideoToolbox:
+		// No demuxer-side hint.
+	}
+
+	args = append(args, "-i", cfg.SourcePath)
+
+	// Map video + selected audio. Always use first video stream.
+	args = append(args, "-map", "0:v:0")
+	audioIdx := cfg.AudioIndex
+	if audioIdx < 0 {
+		audioIdx = 0
+		for i, a := range probe.AudioTracks {
+			if a.Default {
+				audioIdx = i
+				break
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	args = append(args, "-map", fmt.Sprintf("0:a:%d?", audioIdx))
+
+	// Video encode.
+	codec := hwHint.FFmpegVideoCodec("h264")
+	args = append(args, "-c:v", codec)
+	if codec == "libx264" {
+		preset := cfg.Transcode.Preset
+		if preset == "" {
+			preset = "veryfast"
+		}
+		args = append(args, "-preset", preset)
+	}
+	args = append(args, "-profile:v", "main", "-level:v", "4.0")
+
+	qcap := resolveQualityCap(cfg.Quality)
+	bitrate := qcap.VideoBitrate
+	if bitrate == "" {
+		bitrate = cfg.Transcode.VideoBitrate
+	}
+	if bitrate == "" {
+		bitrate = "5M"
+	}
+	args = append(args, "-b:v", bitrate, "-maxrate", bitrate, "-bufsize", bitrate)
+
+	// Force keyframe alignment with segment boundaries.
+	args = append(args, "-force_key_frames", fmt.Sprintf("expr:gte(t,n_forced*%d)", hlsSegmentDuration))
+
+	// Filter chain: optional scale, force 8-bit yuv420p, normalise color metadata.
+	maxH := qcap.MaxHeight
+	if maxH == 0 {
+		maxH = cfg.Transcode.MaxHeight
+	}
+	var filterChain string
+	if maxH > 0 && probe.Height > maxH {
+		filterChain = fmt.Sprintf(
+			"scale=-2:%d:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,format=yuv420p,setparams=colorspace=bt709:color_trc=bt709:color_primaries=bt709:range=tv",
+			maxH,
+		)
+	} else {
+		filterChain = "format=yuv420p,setparams=colorspace=bt709:color_trc=bt709:color_primaries=bt709:range=tv"
+	}
+	args = append(args, "-vf", filterChain)
+
+	// Audio: AAC stereo 48 kHz — broadest browser compatibility.
+	audioBitrate := cfg.Transcode.AudioBitrate
+	if audioBitrate == "" {
+		audioBitrate = "192k"
+	}
+	args = append(args,
+		"-c:a", "aac",
+		"-b:a", audioBitrate,
+		"-ar", "48000",
+		"-ac", "2",
+	)
+
+	// HLS muxer — fmp4 segments with pre-computed segment count.
+	videoDir := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "video")
+	args = append(args,
+		"-f", "hls",
+		"-hls_time", strconv.Itoa(hlsSegmentDuration),
+		"-hls_playlist_type", "vod",
+		"-hls_segment_type", "fmp4",
+		"-hls_list_size", "0",
+		"-hls_fmp4_init_filename", "init.mp4",
+		"-hls_segment_filename", filepath.Join(videoDir, "seg-%d.m4s"),
+		filepath.Join(videoDir, "ffmpeg.m3u8"),
+	)
+	return args
+}
+
+// extractSubtitles spawns short-lived ffmpeg jobs to convert each text-based
+// subtitle track to WebVTT in parallel. Bitmap subs (PGS, DVB) are skipped —
+// they would require burn-in into the video encode, which is out of scope.
+func (s *HLSSession) extractSubtitles(ctx context.Context) {
+	subsDir := filepath.Join(s.tmpDir, "subs")
+	for i, sub := range s.probe.SubtitleTracks {
+		if !sub.IsTextSubtitle() {
+			continue
+		}
+		out := filepath.Join(subsDir, fmt.Sprintf("sub-%d.vtt", i))
+		args := []string{
+			"-y", "-hide_banner", "-loglevel", "warning",
+			"-i", s.cfg.SourcePath,
+			"-map", fmt.Sprintf("0:s:%d?", i),
+			"-c:s", "webvtt",
+			out,
+		}
+		// Run sequentially to avoid hammering the disk; subtitle extraction
+		// is fast enough that parallelism isn't worth the complexity.
+		cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, s.cfg.Transcode.FFmpegPath, args...)
+		if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
+			if ctx.Err() != nil {
+				return
+			}
+			log.Printf("[hls %s] subtitle %d (%s) extract failed: %v",
+				shortHLSID(s.cfg.SessionID), i, sub.Lang, err)
+			continue
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// ---- Manifest rendering ----
+
+// renderVideoPlaylist builds the VOD media playlist for the video stream.
+// Segment count is derived from the source duration — the player learns the
+// total timeline from the manifest before any segment is fetched.
+func renderVideoPlaylist(durationSec float64, segCount int) string {
+	var b strings.Builder
+	b.WriteString("#EXTM3U\n")
+	b.WriteString("#EXT-X-VERSION:7\n")
+	b.WriteString("#EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE:VOD\n")
+	b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:%d\n", hlsSegmentDuration+1))
+	b.WriteString("#EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE:0\n")
+	b.WriteString(`#EXT-X-MAP:URI="init.mp4"` + "\n")
+	remaining := durationSec
+	for i := 0; i < segCount; i++ {
+		segDur := float64(hlsSegmentDuration)
+		if remaining < segDur {
+			segDur = remaining
+		}
+		b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("#EXTINF:%.3f,\n", segDur))
+		b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("seg-%d.m4s\n", i))
+		remaining -= segDur
+	}
+	b.WriteString("#EXT-X-ENDLIST\n")
+	return b.String()
+}
+
+// renderMasterPlaylist builds the top-level master playlist with the single
+// video variant + every text subtitle as an EXT-X-MEDIA group. Audio is muxed
+// into the video segments for the MVP — separate audio renditions can come
+// later (they require a second ffmpeg pipeline producing audio-only segments).
+func renderMasterPlaylist(probe *StreamProbe, qualityLabel string) string {
+	var b strings.Builder
+	b.WriteString("#EXTM3U\n")
+	b.WriteString("#EXT-X-VERSION:7\n")
+
+	// Subtitle renditions.
+	hasSubs := false
+	for i, s := range probe.SubtitleTracks {
+		if !s.IsTextSubtitle() {
+			continue
+		}
+		hasSubs = true
+		lang := s.Lang
+		if lang == "" {
+			lang = "und"
+		}
+		name := s.Title
+		if name == "" {
+			name = strings.ToUpper(lang)
+		}
+		def := "NO"
+		if s.Forced || i == 0 {
+			def = "YES"
+		}
+		b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf(
+			`#EXT-X-MEDIA:TYPE=SUBTITLES,GROUP-ID="subs",NAME=%q,LANGUAGE=%q,DEFAULT=%s,AUTOSELECT=YES,FORCED=%s,URI="subs/sub-%d.m3u8"`+"\n",
+			name, lang, def, ynBool(s.Forced), i,
+		))
+	}
+
+	// Video variant. Bandwidth + resolution are best-effort estimates from probe.
+	bw := bitrateForQuality(qualityLabel)
+	w, h := scaledDimensions(probe.Width, probe.Height, qualityHeight(qualityLabel))
+	codecs := `avc1.4D4028,mp4a.40.2`
+	streamInf := fmt.Sprintf("#EXT-X-STREAM-INF:BANDWIDTH=%d,RESOLUTION=%dx%d,CODECS=%q", bw, w, h, codecs)
+	if hasSubs {
+		streamInf += `,SUBTITLES="subs"`
+	}
+	b.WriteString(streamInf + "\n")
+	b.WriteString("video/index.m3u8\n")
+	return b.String()
+}
+
+func ynBool(b bool) string {
+	if b {
+		return "YES"
+	}
+	return "NO"
+}
+
+// bitrateForQuality returns a synthetic bandwidth attribute for the master
+// playlist's STREAM-INF — only used by ABR logic, which we don't run yet.
+func bitrateForQuality(q string) int {
+	switch q {
+	case "2160p":
+		return 25_000_000
+	case "1080p":
+		return 6_000_000
+	case "720p":
+		return 3_500_000
+	case "480p":
+		return 1_500_000
+	}
+	return 6_000_000
+}
+
+func qualityHeight(q string) int {
+	switch q {
+	case "2160p":
+		return 2160
+	case "1080p":
+		return 1080
+	case "720p":
+		return 720
+	case "480p":
+		return 480
+	}
+	return 0
+}
+
+// scaledDimensions returns (width, height) after applying a height cap that
+// preserves the source aspect ratio. capH=0 returns the original dims.
+func scaledDimensions(srcW, srcH, capH int) (int, int) {
+	if srcW <= 0 || srcH <= 0 {
+		return 1920, 1080
+	}
+	if capH == 0 || srcH <= capH {
+		return srcW, srcH
+	}
+	w := srcW * capH / srcH
+	if w%2 != 0 {
+		w++
+	}
+	return w, capH
+}
+
+// ---- Logger plumbing ----
+
+// hlsStderrCapture forwards ffmpeg stderr lines to the daemon log prefixed by
+// the session ID, so failures are visible without spelunking tmpdirs.
+type hlsStderrCapture struct {
+	owner *HLSSession
+	buf   strings.Builder
+}
+
+func (c *hlsStderrCapture) Write(p []byte) (int, error) {
+	c.buf.Write(p)
+	for {
+		line, rest, ok := strings.Cut(c.buf.String(), "\n")
+		if !ok {
+			break
+		}
+		c.buf.Reset()
+		c.buf.WriteString(rest)
+		if line = strings.TrimSpace(line); line != "" {
+			log.Printf("[hls %s] ffmpeg: %s", shortHLSID(c.owner.cfg.SessionID), line)
+		}
+	}
+	return len(p), nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/engine/probe.go b/internal/engine/probe.go
index 8e3e654..39ff374 100644
--- a/internal/engine/probe.go
+++ b/internal/engine/probe.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ type StreamProbe struct {
 	// VideoCodec lowercased — e.g. "h264", "hevc", "av1", "vp9", "mpeg4".
 	VideoCodec string
 	// AudioCodec lowercased — e.g. "aac", "ac3", "dts", "eac3", "opus".
+	// Reflects the default/first audio track for legacy single-track callers.
 	AudioCodec string
 	// Width / Height of the primary video stream.
 	Width  int
@@ -27,6 +28,43 @@ type StreamProbe struct {
 	DurationSec float64
 	// Container is the file extension lowercased (".mp4", ".mkv", ".avi").
 	Container string
+	// AudioTracks lists every audio stream in source order. Index in this
+	// slice == ffmpeg `-map 0:a:N` index (where N starts at 0).
+	AudioTracks []ProbeAudioTrack
+	// SubtitleTracks lists every subtitle stream in source order. Index in
+	// this slice == ffmpeg `-map 0:s:N` index.
+	SubtitleTracks []ProbeSubtitleTrack
+}
+
+// ProbeAudioTrack is a slimmed AudioTrack view tied to ffmpeg stream index.
+type ProbeAudioTrack struct {
+	Index    int    // 0-based audio stream index (ffmpeg -map 0:a:Index)
+	Lang     string // ISO 639-1
+	Codec    string // lowercased
+	Channels int
+	Title    string
+	Default  bool
+}
+
+// ProbeSubtitleTrack is a slimmed SubtitleTrack view tied to ffmpeg stream index.
+// Codec discriminates text (srt/ass/webvtt → extract to WebVTT) vs bitmap
+// (pgs/dvbsub → require burn-in).
+type ProbeSubtitleTrack struct {
+	Index  int    // 0-based subtitle stream index (ffmpeg -map 0:s:Index)
+	Lang   string // ISO 639-1
+	Codec  string // lowercased — "subrip", "ass", "webvtt", "hdmv_pgs_subtitle", ...
+	Title  string
+	Forced bool
+}
+
+// IsTextSubtitle reports whether a subtitle codec can be extracted to WebVTT
+// without re-rendering. Bitmap subs (PGS, DVB) need burn-in.
+func (s ProbeSubtitleTrack) IsTextSubtitle() bool {
+	switch s.Codec {
+	case "subrip", "srt", "ass", "ssa", "webvtt", "mov_text":
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
 }
 
 // TranscodeAction tells the streaming pipeline how to feed the file to
@@ -74,6 +112,29 @@ func ProbeFile(ctx context.Context, ffprobePath, filePath string) (*StreamProbe,
 			}
 		}
 		probe.AudioCodec = strings.ToLower(picked.Codec)
+		probe.AudioTracks = make([]ProbeAudioTrack, 0, len(mi.Audio))
+		for i, a := range mi.Audio {
+			probe.AudioTracks = append(probe.AudioTracks, ProbeAudioTrack{
+				Index:    i,
+				Lang:     a.Lang,
+				Codec:    strings.ToLower(a.Codec),
+				Channels: a.Channels,
+				Title:    a.Title,
+				Default:  a.Default,
+			})
+		}
+	}
+	if len(mi.Subtitles) > 0 {
+		probe.SubtitleTracks = make([]ProbeSubtitleTrack, 0, len(mi.Subtitles))
+		for i, s := range mi.Subtitles {
+			probe.SubtitleTracks = append(probe.SubtitleTracks, ProbeSubtitleTrack{
+				Index:  i,
+				Lang:   s.Lang,
+				Codec:  strings.ToLower(s.Codec),
+				Title:  s.Title,
+				Forced: s.Forced,
+			})
+		}
 	}
 	return probe, nil
 }
diff --git a/internal/engine/stream_server.go b/internal/engine/stream_server.go
index 2a6c72f..82b0a29 100644
--- a/internal/engine/stream_server.go
+++ b/internal/engine/stream_server.go
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ type StreamServer struct {
 	upnpMapping *UPnPMapping
 	disableUPnP bool
 
+	hls *HLSSessionRegistry // HLS sessions served on /hls/<id>/...
+
 	lastActivity  atomic.Int64
 	maxByteOffset atomic.Int64 // highest sequential read position (main playback connection)
 	totalFileSize atomic.Int64
@@ -64,15 +66,20 @@ type StreamServer struct {
 // NewStreamServer creates a stream server bound to the given port.
 // Call Listen() to start accepting connections, then SetFile() to serve content.
 func NewStreamServer(port int) *StreamServer {
-	return &StreamServer{port: port}
+	return &StreamServer{port: port, hls: NewHLSSessionRegistry()}
 }
 
+// HLS returns the HLS session registry for this server. Daemon code uses it
+// to register a session when the backend asks for HLS playback.
+func (ss *StreamServer) HLS() *HLSSessionRegistry { return ss.hls }
+
 // Listen starts the HTTP server on the configured port. Call once at daemon startup.
 func (ss *StreamServer) Listen(ctx context.Context) error {
 	mux := http.NewServeMux()
 	mux.HandleFunc("/stream", ss.handler)
 	mux.HandleFunc("/health", ss.healthHandler)
 	mux.HandleFunc("/playlist.m3u", ss.playlistHandler)
+	mux.HandleFunc("/hls/", ss.hlsHandler)
 
 	// SO_REUSEADDR allows immediate rebind if the port is in TIME_WAIT (e.g. after agent restart)
 	lc := net.ListenConfig{
@@ -230,12 +237,146 @@ func (ss *StreamServer) IdleSince() time.Duration {
 // Call only at daemon shutdown — NOT between file swaps.
 func (ss *StreamServer) Shutdown(ctx context.Context) error {
 	ss.upnpMapping.Remove()
+	if ss.hls != nil {
+		ss.hls.CloseAll()
+	}
 	if ss.server != nil {
 		return ss.server.Shutdown(ctx)
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
+// hlsBaseURLs returns the per-network HLS base URLs for a given session.
+// The web client picks the first reachable one — same fallback strategy as
+// the legacy /stream URLs.
+func (ss *StreamServer) hlsBaseURLs(sessionID string) StreamURLs {
+	var out StreamURLs
+	if ss.urls.LAN != "" {
+		out.LAN = strings.Replace(ss.urls.LAN, "/stream", "/hls/"+sessionID, 1)
+	}
+	if ss.urls.Tailscale != "" {
+		out.Tailscale = strings.Replace(ss.urls.Tailscale, "/stream", "/hls/"+sessionID, 1)
+	}
+	if ss.urls.Public != "" {
+		out.Public = strings.Replace(ss.urls.Public, "/stream", "/hls/"+sessionID, 1)
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// HLSURLsJSON returns base URLs for an HLS session as a JSON string for the
+// session response payload.
+func (ss *StreamServer) HLSURLsJSON(sessionID string) string {
+	urls := ss.hlsBaseURLs(sessionID)
+	b, _ := json.Marshal(urls)
+	return string(b)
+}
+
+// hlsHandler routes /hls/<sessionID>/<resource> to the matching HLSSession.
+//
+// Recognised resources:
+//
+//	master.m3u8                — top-level playlist
+//	video/index.m3u8           — video media playlist
+//	video/init.mp4             — fMP4 init segment
+//	video/seg-<n>.m4s          — video segment
+//	subs/sub-<n>.m3u8          — per-subtitle media playlist (synthesised)
+//	subs/sub-<n>.vtt           — WebVTT subtitle (extracted by ffmpeg)
+func (ss *StreamServer) hlsHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	ss.lastActivity.Store(time.Now().UnixNano())
+
+	// CORS for app.torrentclaw.com → 127.0.0.1/Tailscale daemon.
+	if origin := r.Header.Get("Origin"); origin != "" {
+		w.Header().Set("Access-Control-Allow-Origin", "*")
+		w.Header().Set("Access-Control-Allow-Methods", "GET, HEAD, OPTIONS")
+		w.Header().Set("Access-Control-Allow-Headers", "Range")
+		w.Header().Set("Access-Control-Expose-Headers", "Content-Length, Content-Range, Accept-Ranges")
+		if r.Method == http.MethodOptions {
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusNoContent)
+			return
+		}
+	}
+
+	rest := strings.TrimPrefix(r.URL.Path, "/hls/")
+	parts := strings.SplitN(rest, "/", 2)
+	if len(parts) == 0 || parts[0] == "" {
+		http.Error(w, "missing session id", http.StatusNotFound)
+		return
+	}
+	sessionID := parts[0]
+	session := ss.hls.Get(sessionID)
+	if session == nil {
+		http.Error(w, "hls session not found", http.StatusNotFound)
+		return
+	}
+	if len(parts) == 1 {
+		http.Error(w, "missing resource", http.StatusNotFound)
+		return
+	}
+	resource := parts[1]
+
+	switch {
+	case resource == "master.m3u8":
+		session.ServeMaster(w, r)
+	case resource == "video/index.m3u8":
+		session.ServeVideoPlaylist(w, r)
+	case resource == "video/init.mp4":
+		session.ServeInit(w, r)
+	case strings.HasPrefix(resource, "video/seg-") && strings.HasSuffix(resource, ".m4s"):
+		idxStr := strings.TrimSuffix(strings.TrimPrefix(resource, "video/seg-"), ".m4s")
+		idx, err := strconv.Atoi(idxStr)
+		if err != nil {
+			http.Error(w, "bad segment index", http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+		session.ServeSegment(w, r, idx)
+	case strings.HasPrefix(resource, "subs/sub-") && strings.HasSuffix(resource, ".m3u8"):
+		idxStr := strings.TrimSuffix(strings.TrimPrefix(resource, "subs/sub-"), ".m3u8")
+		idx, err := strconv.Atoi(idxStr)
+		if err != nil {
+			http.Error(w, "bad subtitle index", http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+		ss.serveSubtitlePlaylist(w, r, session, idx)
+	case strings.HasPrefix(resource, "subs/sub-") && strings.HasSuffix(resource, ".vtt"):
+		idxStr := strings.TrimSuffix(strings.TrimPrefix(resource, "subs/sub-"), ".vtt")
+		idx, err := strconv.Atoi(idxStr)
+		if err != nil {
+			http.Error(w, "bad subtitle index", http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+		session.ServeSubtitle(w, r, idx)
+	default:
+		http.Error(w, "unknown hls resource", http.StatusNotFound)
+	}
+}
+
+// serveSubtitlePlaylist generates a single-VTT-segment HLS playlist on the
+// fly so hls.js can consume it as a regular subtitle rendition. The VTT file
+// itself is extracted asynchronously by HLSSession.extractSubtitles.
+func (ss *StreamServer) serveSubtitlePlaylist(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, session *HLSSession, idx int) {
+	if idx < 0 || idx >= len(session.probe.SubtitleTracks) {
+		http.Error(w, "subtitle out of range", http.StatusNotFound)
+		return
+	}
+	dur := session.durationSec
+	if dur < 1 {
+		dur = 1
+	}
+	body := strings.Builder{}
+	body.WriteString("#EXTM3U\n")
+	body.WriteString("#EXT-X-VERSION:3\n")
+	body.WriteString("#EXT-X-PLAYLIST-TYPE:VOD\n")
+	body.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("#EXT-X-TARGETDURATION:%d\n", int(dur)+1))
+	body.WriteString("#EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE:0\n")
+	body.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("#EXTINF:%.3f,\n", dur))
+	body.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("sub-%d.vtt\n", idx))
+	body.WriteString("#EXT-X-ENDLIST\n")
+
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/vnd.apple.mpegurl")
+	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "no-cache")
+	_, _ = io.WriteString(w, body.String())
+}
+
 // healthHandler responde con el estado del servidor en JSON.
 // Útil para diagnosticar conectividad desde redes remotas o Tailscale:
 //