diff --git a/hermes_cli/doctor.py b/hermes_cli/doctor.py
index 3cc21c586d..2b66318487 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/doctor.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/doctor.py
@@ -1035,10 +1035,13 @@ def run_doctor(args):
         check_ok("Node.js")
         # Check if agent-browser is installed
         agent_browser_path = PROJECT_ROOT / "node_modules" / "agent-browser"
+        agent_browser_ok = False
         if agent_browser_path.exists():
             check_ok("agent-browser (Node.js)", "(browser automation)")
+            agent_browser_ok = True
         elif shutil.which("agent-browser"):
             check_ok("agent-browser", "(browser automation)")
+            agent_browser_ok = True
         else:
             if _is_termux():
                 check_info("agent-browser is not installed (expected in the tested Termux path)")
@@ -1048,6 +1051,56 @@ def run_doctor(args):
                     check_info(step)
             else:
                 check_warn("agent-browser not installed", "(run: npm install)")
+
+        # Chromium presence — the browser tools silently fail to register when
+        # agent-browser is found but no Playwright-managed Chromium is on disk
+        # (tools/browser_tool.py::check_browser_requirements filters them out
+        # before the agent ever sees them).  Reuse the exact predicate it uses
+        # so the two checks cannot diverge.  Skip on Termux (not a tested
+        # path).
+        if agent_browser_ok and not _is_termux():
+            try:
+                # Lazy import: browser_tool is a ~150KB module we don't want
+                # to eagerly load in every `hermes doctor` invocation.
+                from tools.browser_tool import (
+                    _chromium_installed,
+                    _is_camofox_mode,
+                    _get_cloud_provider,
+                    _get_cdp_override,
+                    _using_lightpanda_engine,
+                )
+            except Exception:
+                # If browser_tool can't even import, that's a separate bug
+                # surfaced elsewhere; don't crash doctor.
+                pass
+            else:
+                # Only warn about Chromium if the installed engine actually
+                # requires it: Camofox, CDP override, a cloud provider, or
+                # Lightpanda all bypass the local Chromium requirement.
+                skip_chromium_check = (
+                    _is_camofox_mode()
+                    or bool(_get_cdp_override())
+                    or _get_cloud_provider() is not None
+                    or _using_lightpanda_engine()
+                )
+                if not skip_chromium_check:
+                    if _chromium_installed():
+                        check_ok("Playwright Chromium", "(browser engine)")
+                    else:
+                        check_warn(
+                            "Playwright Chromium not installed",
+                            "(browser_* tools will be hidden from the agent)",
+                        )
+                        if sys.platform == "win32":
+                            check_info(
+                                f"Install with: cd {PROJECT_ROOT} && "
+                                "npx playwright install chromium"
+                            )
+                        else:
+                            check_info(
+                                f"Install with: cd {PROJECT_ROOT} && "
+                                "npx playwright install --with-deps chromium"
+                            )
     else:
         if _is_termux():
             check_info("Node.js not found (browser tools are optional in the tested Termux path)")
diff --git a/scripts/install.ps1 b/scripts/install.ps1
index 2ffca87adb..d390d8fae0 100644
--- a/scripts/install.ps1
+++ b/scripts/install.ps1
@@ -1040,7 +1040,64 @@ function Install-NodeDeps {
     if (Test-Path "$InstallDir\package.json") {
         Write-Info "Installing Node.js dependencies (browser tools)..."
         $browserLog = "$env:TEMP\hermes-npm-browser-$(Get-Random).log"
-        [void](_Run-NpmInstall "Browser tools" $InstallDir $browserLog $npmExe)
+        $browserNpmOk = _Run-NpmInstall "Browser tools" $InstallDir $browserLog $npmExe
+
+        # Install Playwright Chromium (mirrors scripts/install.sh behaviour for
+        # Linux).  Without this, tools/browser_tool.py::check_browser_requirements
+        # returns False (no Chromium under %LOCALAPPDATA%\ms-playwright), and the
+        # browser_* tools are silently filtered out of the agent's tool schema.
+        # System Chrome at "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\..." is NOT used by
+        # agent-browser — it expects a Playwright-managed Chromium.
+        if ($browserNpmOk) {
+            Write-Info "Installing browser engine (Playwright Chromium)..."
+            # npx lives next to npm in the same bin dir.  Prefer .cmd to dodge
+            # the same execution-policy gotcha that affects npm.ps1 (see above).
+            $npmDir = Split-Path $npmExe -Parent
+            $npxExe = $null
+            foreach ($cand in @("npx.cmd", "npx.exe", "npx")) {
+                $try = Join-Path $npmDir $cand
+                if (Test-Path $try) { $npxExe = $try; break }
+            }
+            if (-not $npxExe) {
+                $npxCmd = Get-Command npx -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+                if ($npxCmd) { $npxExe = $npxCmd.Source }
+            }
+            if (-not $npxExe) {
+                Write-Warn "npx not found — cannot install Playwright Chromium."
+                Write-Info "Run manually later: cd `"$InstallDir`"; npx playwright install chromium"
+            } else {
+                $pwLog = "$env:TEMP\hermes-playwright-install-$(Get-Random).log"
+                Push-Location $InstallDir
+                try {
+                    & $npxExe playwright install chromium *> $pwLog
+                    $pwCode = $LASTEXITCODE
+                    if ($pwCode -eq 0) {
+                        Write-Success "Playwright Chromium installed (browser tools ready)"
+                        Remove-Item -Force $pwLog -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+                    } else {
+                        Write-Warn "Playwright Chromium install failed — exit code $pwCode"
+                        Write-Warn "Browser tools will not work until Chromium is installed."
+                        if (Test-Path $pwLog) {
+                            $pwErr = Get-Content $pwLog -Raw -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+                            if ($pwErr) {
+                                $snippet = if ($pwErr.Length -gt 1200) { $pwErr.Substring(0, 1200) + "..." } else { $pwErr }
+                                Write-Info "  playwright output:"
+                                foreach ($line in $snippet -split "`n") {
+                                    Write-Host "    $line" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
+                                }
+                                Write-Info "  Full log: $pwLog"
+                            }
+                        }
+                        Write-Info "Run manually later: cd `"$InstallDir`"; npx playwright install chromium"
+                    }
+                } catch {
+                    Write-Warn "Playwright Chromium install could not be launched: $_"
+                    Write-Info "Run manually later: cd `"$InstallDir`"; npx playwright install chromium"
+                } finally {
+                    Pop-Location
+                }
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     # TUI