diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 7d22858c..f5c3511e 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -121,9 +121,11 @@ RUN curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install | bash && \
 
 # Install Playwright Chromium browser for AI agent verification tests
 # This adds ~300MB to the image but enables automated testing mode out of the box
+# Clean up npx cache after installation to reduce image size
 RUN npx playwright install chromium && \
     echo "=== Playwright Chromium installed ===" && \
-    ls -la /home/automaker/.cache/ms-playwright/ || echo "Playwright browsers installed"
+    ls -la /home/automaker/.cache/ms-playwright/ || echo "Playwright browsers installed" && \
+    rm -rf /home/automaker/.npm/_npx
 USER root
 
 # Add PATH to profile so it's available in all interactive shells (for login shells)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 645ba722..0c21245b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -344,9 +344,18 @@ The Docker image includes **Playwright Chromium pre-installed** for AI agent ver
 
 **No additional setup required** - Playwright verification works out of the box.
 
-**Optional: Persist browsers across container rebuilds**
+**Optional: Persist browsers for manual updates**
 
-To avoid re-downloading browsers when rebuilding the Docker image, add this to your `docker-compose.override.yml`:
+By default, Playwright Chromium is pre-installed in the Docker image. If you need to manually update browsers or want to persist browser installations across container restarts (not image rebuilds), you can mount a volume.
+
+**Important:** When you first add this volume mount to an existing setup, the empty volume will override the pre-installed browsers. You must re-install them:
+
+```bash
+# After adding the volume mount for the first time
+docker exec automaker-server npx playwright install chromium
+```
+
+Add this to your `docker-compose.override.yml`:
 
 ```yaml
 services: