diff --git a/nappletHost/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/napplethost/NappletBrowserActivity.kt b/nappletHost/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/napplethost/NappletBrowserActivity.kt
index bfc3c5e812..5eef258f37 100644
--- a/nappletHost/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/napplethost/NappletBrowserActivity.kt
+++ b/nappletHost/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/napplethost/NappletBrowserActivity.kt
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import android.content.ComponentName
 import android.content.Context
 import android.content.Intent
 import android.content.ServiceConnection
+import android.content.res.ColorStateList
 import android.graphics.Bitmap
 import android.net.Uri
 import android.os.Bundle
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ import android.webkit.ConsoleMessage
 import android.webkit.WebChromeClient
 import android.webkit.WebResourceError
 import android.webkit.WebResourceRequest
+import android.webkit.WebResourceResponse
 import android.webkit.WebSettings
 import android.webkit.WebView
 import android.webkit.WebViewClient
@@ -94,6 +96,10 @@ class NappletBrowserActivity : ComponentActivity() {
     private var controlSheet: NappletControlSheet? = null
     private var consolePanel: NappletConsolePanel? = null
 
+    // A thin determinate progress bar pinned to the top edge (browser-style), driven by the chrome
+    // client's onProgressChanged; hidden at 100%.
+    private val topProgressBar by lazy { buildTopProgressBar() }
+
     // Visit-history gating: only a clean main-frame load (no error) is recorded, so a misspelled/
     // unresolved address never enters history. Reset on each main-frame page start.
     private var pendingMainFrameUrl: String? = null
@@ -200,6 +206,8 @@ class NappletBrowserActivity : ComponentActivity() {
                             Gravity.BOTTOM,
                         ),
                 )
+                // Added last so the thin loading bar paints above the content (and over the grabber's top edge).
+                addView(topProgressBar)
             }
         setContentView(root)
         // Pad by the system bars + cutout, but NOT the IME — windowSoftInputMode=adjustResize shrinks the
@@ -315,8 +323,15 @@ class NappletBrowserActivity : ComponentActivity() {
         wv.webChromeClient = BrowserChromeClient()
     }
 
-    /** Captures favicon and console output; the only source of both is the WebChromeClient. */
+    /** Captures favicon and console output, and drives the top loading bar; all come from the WebChromeClient. */
     private inner class BrowserChromeClient : WebChromeClient() {
+        override fun onProgressChanged(
+            view: WebView,
+            newProgress: Int,
+        ) {
+            updateLoadProgress(newProgress)
+        }
+
         override fun onReceivedIcon(
             view: WebView,
             icon: Bitmap?,
@@ -377,6 +392,15 @@ class NappletBrowserActivity : ComponentActivity() {
             // A main-frame failure (DNS miss on a misspelled host, no connection, …) disqualifies this
             // navigation from history. Sub-resource errors are irrelevant to whether the page opened.
             if (request.isForMainFrame) mainFrameLoadFailed = true
+            logConsoleError(request, getString(R.string.napplet_console_load_error, error.errorCode, error.description?.toString().orEmpty()))
+        }
+
+        override fun onReceivedHttpError(
+            view: WebView,
+            request: WebResourceRequest,
+            errorResponse: WebResourceResponse,
+        ) {
+            logConsoleError(request, getString(R.string.napplet_console_http_error, errorResponse.statusCode, errorResponse.reasonPhrase.orEmpty()))
         }
 
         override fun onPageCommitVisible(
@@ -658,6 +682,39 @@ class NappletBrowserActivity : ComponentActivity() {
             addView(ProgressBar(this@NappletBrowserActivity))
         }
 
+    /**
+     * A thin determinate progress bar pinned to the top edge, like a browser's. Driven by
+     * [BrowserChromeClient.onProgressChanged]: visible while the page loads and gone at 100%.
+     */
+    private fun buildTopProgressBar(): ProgressBar =
+        ProgressBar(this, null, android.R.attr.progressBarStyleHorizontal).apply {
+            max = 100
+            isIndeterminate = false
+            visibility = View.GONE
+            progressTintList = ColorStateList.valueOf(resolveThemeColor(android.R.attr.colorPrimary))
+            layoutParams = FrameLayout.LayoutParams(FrameLayout.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT, dp(3), Gravity.TOP)
+        }
+
+    /** Shows the thin top bar at [progress]% while loading, hiding it once the page is fully loaded. */
+    private fun updateLoadProgress(progress: Int) {
+        if (progress >= 100) {
+            topProgressBar.visibility = View.GONE
+        } else {
+            topProgressBar.progress = progress
+            topProgressBar.visibility = View.VISIBLE
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** Appends a single ERROR line to the console panel and refreshes the chrome's unread count. */
+    private fun logConsoleError(
+        request: WebResourceRequest,
+        message: String,
+    ) {
+        val panel = consolePanel ?: return
+        panel.appendLog(ConsoleMessage.MessageLevel.ERROR, message, request.url?.toString().orEmpty(), 0)
+        controlSheet?.updateConsoleCount(panel.entryCount)
+    }
+
     private fun resolveThemeColor(attr: Int): Int {
         val tv = android.util.TypedValue()
         theme.resolveAttribute(attr, tv, true)
diff --git a/nappletHost/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/napplethost/NappletHostActivity.kt b/nappletHost/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/napplethost/NappletHostActivity.kt
index 868182907d..d6b3b878c5 100644
--- a/nappletHost/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/napplethost/NappletHostActivity.kt
+++ b/nappletHost/src/main/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/napplethost/NappletHostActivity.kt
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import android.app.AlertDialog
 import android.content.ComponentName
 import android.content.Intent
 import android.content.ServiceConnection
+import android.content.res.ColorStateList
 import android.net.Uri
 import android.os.Bundle
 import android.os.Handler
@@ -37,6 +38,9 @@ import android.view.Gravity
 import android.view.KeyEvent
 import android.view.View
 import android.view.ViewGroup
+import android.webkit.ConsoleMessage
+import android.webkit.WebChromeClient
+import android.webkit.WebResourceError
 import android.webkit.WebResourceRequest
 import android.webkit.WebResourceResponse
 import android.webkit.WebSettings
@@ -147,6 +151,18 @@ class NappletHostActivity : ComponentActivity() {
     private val contentFrame by lazy { FrameLayout(this) }
     private val uiScope = CoroutineScope(Dispatchers.Main + SupervisorJob())
 
+    // The loading splash (monogram + spinner). Kept on top of the mounted WebView and removed only on
+    // first paint, so there's never a blank/dark gap between the index probe and the shell's first frame.
+    private var loadingView: View? = null
+
+    // A thin determinate progress bar pinned to the top edge (browser-style), driven by the
+    // WebChromeClient's onProgressChanged; hidden at 100%.
+    private val topProgressBar by lazy { buildTopProgressBar() }
+
+    // Bottom pull-up developer console: the page's console.log/warn/error plus any resource load errors.
+    private var consolePanel: NappletConsolePanel? = null
+    private var controlSheet: NappletControlSheet? = null
+
     // Set once the WebView has begun loading the shell, so a retry doesn't reload it.
     private var started = false
 
@@ -268,6 +284,18 @@ class NappletHostActivity : ComponentActivity() {
                             Gravity.TOP,
                         ),
                 )
+                addView(
+                    buildConsolePanel(),
+                    FrameLayout
+                        .LayoutParams(
+                            FrameLayout.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT,
+                            FrameLayout.LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT,
+                            Gravity.BOTTOM,
+                        ),
+                )
+                // Added last so the thin loading bar paints above the content (and over the grabber's top
+                // edge); it's GONE except while loading, so it never obscures the trusted chrome.
+                addView(topProgressBar)
             }
         setContentView(root)
         // Activities are edge-to-edge by default on recent Android; pad by the system bar and
@@ -295,22 +323,26 @@ class NappletHostActivity : ComponentActivity() {
      */
     private fun probeAndMount() {
         contentFrame.removeAllViews()
-        contentFrame.addView(buildLoadingView())
+        loadingView = buildLoadingView().also { contentFrame.addView(it) }
         uiScope.launch {
             val available = withContext(Dispatchers.IO) { contentServer.resolve("/") is StaticSiteResolution.Resolved }
             if (available) {
                 mountWebView()
             } else {
                 contentFrame.removeAllViews()
+                loadingView = null
                 contentFrame.addView(buildErrorView { probeAndMount() })
             }
         }
     }
 
     private fun mountWebView() {
-        contentFrame.removeAllViews()
         (webView.parent as? ViewGroup)?.removeView(webView)
-        contentFrame.addView(webView, FrameLayout.LayoutParams(FrameLayout.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT, FrameLayout.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT))
+        // Mount the WebView UNDER the loading splash (index 0) instead of replacing it: the shell + applet
+        // bundle still take time to paint (seconds over Tor), and the WebView shows only its dark
+        // colorBackground until then. The splash stays until the first frame paints (onPageCommitVisible),
+        // so the user never sees a blank/black screen with no sign that anything is loading.
+        contentFrame.addView(webView, 0, FrameLayout.LayoutParams(FrameLayout.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT, FrameLayout.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT))
         if (!started) {
             started = true
             webView.loadUrl(NappletWebContract.SHELL_URL)
@@ -484,6 +516,7 @@ class NappletHostActivity : ComponentActivity() {
         webView.overScrollMode = View.OVER_SCROLL_NEVER
         WebView.setWebContentsDebuggingEnabled(false)
         webView.webViewClient = NappletWebViewClient()
+        webView.webChromeClient = NappletWebChromeClient()
     }
 
     /**
@@ -529,6 +562,34 @@ class NappletHostActivity : ComponentActivity() {
             syncBackState()
         }
 
+        // The shell has painted its first frame — drop the loading splash so the running app shows
+        // through. Null-safe so a later in-app navigation/reload (splash already gone) is a no-op.
+        override fun onPageCommitVisible(
+            view: WebView,
+            url: String,
+        ) {
+            loadingView?.let { contentFrame.removeView(it) }
+            loadingView = null
+        }
+
+        // Surface failed resource fetches (a missing blob, a verify miss, an off-origin request the
+        // default-deny CSP blocked) in the console so an nsite/napplet developer can see what broke.
+        override fun onReceivedError(
+            view: WebView,
+            request: WebResourceRequest,
+            error: WebResourceError,
+        ) {
+            logConsoleError(request, getString(R.string.napplet_console_load_error, error.errorCode, error.description?.toString().orEmpty()))
+        }
+
+        override fun onReceivedHttpError(
+            view: WebView,
+            request: WebResourceRequest,
+            errorResponse: WebResourceResponse,
+        ) {
+            logConsoleError(request, getString(R.string.napplet_console_http_error, errorResponse.statusCode, errorResponse.reasonPhrase.orEmpty()))
+        }
+
         override fun shouldOverrideUrlLoading(
             view: WebView,
             request: WebResourceRequest,
@@ -550,6 +611,43 @@ class NappletHostActivity : ComponentActivity() {
         }
     }
 
+    /** Drives the top loading bar and forwards the applet/site's `console.*` output to the console panel. */
+    private inner class NappletWebChromeClient : WebChromeClient() {
+        override fun onProgressChanged(
+            view: WebView,
+            newProgress: Int,
+        ) {
+            updateLoadProgress(newProgress)
+        }
+
+        override fun onConsoleMessage(consoleMessage: ConsoleMessage): Boolean {
+            val panel = consolePanel ?: return false
+            panel.appendLog(consoleMessage.messageLevel(), consoleMessage.message(), consoleMessage.sourceId(), consoleMessage.lineNumber())
+            controlSheet?.updateConsoleCount(panel.entryCount)
+            return true
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** Shows the thin top bar at [progress]% while loading, hiding it once the page is fully loaded. */
+    private fun updateLoadProgress(progress: Int) {
+        if (progress >= 100) {
+            topProgressBar.visibility = View.GONE
+        } else {
+            topProgressBar.progress = progress
+            topProgressBar.visibility = View.VISIBLE
+        }
+    }
+
+    /** Appends a single ERROR line to the console panel and refreshes the chrome's unread count. */
+    private fun logConsoleError(
+        request: WebResourceRequest,
+        message: String,
+    ) {
+        val panel = consolePanel ?: return
+        panel.appendLog(ConsoleMessage.MessageLevel.ERROR, message, request.url?.toString().orEmpty(), 0)
+        controlSheet?.updateConsoleCount(panel.entryCount)
+    }
+
     // ---- bridge: shell <-> native ----
 
     private fun onShellMessage(
@@ -663,6 +761,9 @@ class NappletHostActivity : ComponentActivity() {
             orientation = LinearLayout.VERTICAL
             gravity = Gravity.CENTER
             setPadding(dp(32), dp(32), dp(32), dp(32))
+            // Opaque so the splash/error screen fully covers the WebView it now overlays (mounted beneath
+            // it until first paint) instead of letting the dark, not-yet-painted page show through.
+            setBackgroundColor(resolveThemeColor(android.R.attr.colorBackground))
             layoutParams = FrameLayout.LayoutParams(FrameLayout.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT, FrameLayout.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT)
         }
 
@@ -741,7 +842,28 @@ class NappletHostActivity : ComponentActivity() {
             torInitiallyOn = if (profile.exposesNetwork && proxyPort > 0) useTor else null,
             onNetworkTap = if (profile.exposesNetwork && proxyPort > 0) ({ setNetworkMode(!useTor) }) else null,
             onInfo = { showAccessDialog() },
-        )
+            onConsole = { consolePanel?.toggle() },
+        ).also { controlSheet = it }
+
+    private fun buildConsolePanel(): View =
+        NappletConsolePanel(this).also {
+            it.onClearCallback = { controlSheet?.updateConsoleCount(0) }
+            consolePanel = it
+        }
+
+    /**
+     * A thin determinate progress bar pinned to the top edge, like a browser's. Driven by
+     * [NappletWebChromeClient.onProgressChanged]: visible while the shell + verified blobs load and gone
+     * at 100%, so a slow load (e.g. a large bundle over Tor) shows progress instead of a blank dark WebView.
+     */
+    private fun buildTopProgressBar(): ProgressBar =
+        ProgressBar(this, null, android.R.attr.progressBarStyleHorizontal).apply {
+            max = 100
+            isIndeterminate = false
+            visibility = View.GONE
+            progressTintList = ColorStateList.valueOf(resolveThemeColor(android.R.attr.colorPrimary))
+            layoutParams = FrameLayout.LayoutParams(FrameLayout.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT, dp(3), Gravity.TOP)
+        }
 
     /** Persists the new routing choice in the main process, then relaunches this screen to apply it. */
     private fun setNetworkMode(newUseTor: Boolean) {
diff --git a/nappletHost/src/main/res/values/strings.xml b/nappletHost/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
index 74b715186f..c5f8ed7576 100644
--- a/nappletHost/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
+++ b/nappletHost/src/main/res/values/strings.xml
@@ -31,4 +31,8 @@
     <string name="napplet_unavailable_title">Couldn\'t load “%1$s”</string>
     <string name="napplet_unavailable_subtitle">The publisher\'s servers may be offline, or you\'re not connected. You can try again.</string>
     <string name="napplet_unavailable_retry">Try again</string>
+
+    <!-- Developer console: page-load failures surfaced as console errors -->
+    <string name="napplet_console_load_error">Failed to load (%1$d): %2$s</string>
+    <string name="napplet_console_http_error">HTTP %1$d %2$s</string>
 </resources>