diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 5eb3d74..1876a7c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -39,11 +39,17 @@ jobs:
           username: ${{ github.actor }}
           password: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
 
-      # ADDED: Match base container version
+      # ADDED: Tag the image with the pinned Playwright version so it matches the
+      # monorepo's @playwright/test. Derived from the `install` line since the base
+      # image is now plain Node (no mcr.microsoft.com/playwright FROM to grep).
       - name: Extract Playwright version
         id: dockerfile
         run: |
-          VERSION=$(grep -oP 'mcr\.microsoft\.com/playwright:v\K[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+' Dockerfile)
+          VERSION=$(grep -oP '@playwright/test@\K[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+' Dockerfile)
+          if [ -z "$VERSION" ]; then
+            echo "Could not extract Playwright version from Dockerfile" >&2
+            exit 1
+          fi
           echo "version=$VERSION" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
       # This step uses [docker/metadata-action](https://github.com/docker/metadata-action#about) to extract tags and labels that will be applied to the specified image. The `id` "meta" allows the output of this step to be referenced in a subsequent step. The `images` value provides the base name for the tags and labels.
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 04970f5..5a20458 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,14 +1,37 @@
-# Keep the image up to date with https://playwright.dev/docs/docker#pull-the-image
-# Once updated here, also use the correct tag in the monorepo's workflow
-FROM mcr.microsoft.com/playwright:v1.57.0-noble
+# PixieBrix container image for GitHub Actions E2E (webext-e2e + web-app-e2e).
+#
+# Slimmed to only the browsers our suites actually launch:
+#   - webext-e2e:  the `chromium` and `msedge` channels
+#   - web-app-e2e: bundled `chromium`
+# The `chrome` channel is disabled (pixiebrix-source#2797) and firefox/webkit are
+# unused by both suites. We therefore build on a plain Node base and install just
+# those browsers, instead of the batteries-included mcr.microsoft.com/playwright
+# image, which bakes firefox + webkit into its base layers and roughly doubles the
+# image pull time on CI (see pixiebrix-source#9209).
+#
+# Node is pinned to the monorepo's version (package.json engines / .nvmrc). Node's
+# official images are Debian-based (there is no Ubuntu `-noble` variant); Playwright
+# supports Debian 12 (bookworm).
+FROM node:24.18.0-bookworm
 
-# List all the browsers including those that are included by default
-RUN npx @playwright/test@1.57.0 install --with-deps chrome chromium msedge msedge-beta
+# Match the official Playwright image layout so Playwright resolves the browsers at
+# runtime without re-downloading them. The monorepo workflow runs the container as
+# `--user 1001`, so the installed browsers must be readable/executable by that uid.
+ENV PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH=/ms-playwright
 
-# Keep 3 commands in one RUN to save space in the image. rm -rf also cleans up the cache
-# Re-set root around apt-get
-USER root
+# Keep the Playwright version in sync with the monorepo's @playwright/test pin.
+# The release workflow derives the published image tag from this version string.
+RUN npx --yes @playwright/test@1.57.0 install --with-deps chromium msedge msedge-beta && \
+    chmod -R a+rX /ms-playwright && \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# Extra native deps used elsewhere in CI (xmlsec, etc.).
 RUN apt-get update && \
     apt-get install -y libxmlsec1 libxmlsec1-dev libxml2 pkg-config lsb-release python3-pip && \
     rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# The monorepo runs this container as `--user 1001`; create that user (mirrors the
+# official image's `pwuser`) so $HOME and npm caches resolve to a writable path.
+RUN groupadd --gid 1001 pwuser && \
+    useradd --uid 1001 --gid 1001 --create-home --shell /bin/bash pwuser
 USER 1001
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index cbd6268..fed26d7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -14,12 +14,21 @@ jobs:
       options: --user 1001
 ```
 
+## Browsers
+
+The image installs only the browsers the monorepo's E2E suites launch: bundled
+`chromium` plus the `msedge`/`msedge-beta` channels. Firefox and WebKit are
+deliberately omitted (unused), and the `chrome` channel is disabled in the
+monorepo (pixiebrix-source#2797). It is built on the official Node image rather
+than `mcr.microsoft.com/playwright` to avoid pulling the firefox/webkit layers on
+every CI job (see pixiebrix-source#9209).
+
 ## Updates
 
 The browsers are automatically updated every 3 days. Playwright must be updated manually because the version must match:
 
-1. This repo: Update the version anywhere it appears in the Dockerfile
-    - a new tag will be created, the old one will continue working but it won't receive browser updates
+1. This repo: Update the `@playwright/test@<version>` pin in the Dockerfile
+    - the published image tag is derived from that version; a new tag will be created, and the old one keeps working but won't receive browser updates
 3. Monorepo: Update the version both in package.json and in the workflow
 
 ## Documentation