diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index bdab34cb367..34e4510974f 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -47,3 +47,16 @@ python_data_import/debug.log.txt
 python_data_import/logs.txt
 python_data_import/date.txt
 */__pycache__/
+
+# Local-only artifacts generated by scripts/dspace-deploy.bat (one-per-instance, never committed)
+/docker/.env.dspace-*
+/docker/.override.dspace-*.yml
+
+# Playwright MCP captures + investigation artifacts
+/.playwright-mcp/
+/PROGRESS.md
+/flicker-snapshots-*.json
+/perf-*.json
+/home-initial.png
+/overlay-state.png
+/verify-*.png
diff --git a/angular.json b/angular.json
index a57b7582109..cf0b2f24038 100644
--- a/angular.json
+++ b/angular.json
@@ -99,8 +99,8 @@
               "budgets": [
                 {
                   "type": "initial",
-                  "maximumWarning": "3mb",
-                  "maximumError": "5mb"
+                  "maximumWarning": "5.5mb",
+                  "maximumError": "6mb"
                 },
                 {
                   "type": "anyComponentStyle",
diff --git a/src/app/app.component.spec.ts b/src/app/app.component.spec.ts
index e921c67acea..9294f1ff1dd 100644
--- a/src/app/app.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/app.component.spec.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 import { Store, StoreModule } from '@ngrx/store';
-import { ComponentFixture, inject, TestBed, waitForAsync } from '@angular/core/testing';
-import { CUSTOM_ELEMENTS_SCHEMA } from '@angular/core';
+import { ComponentFixture, fakeAsync, flush, inject, TestBed, tick, waitForAsync } from '@angular/core/testing';
+import { ApplicationRef, CUSTOM_ELEMENTS_SCHEMA } from '@angular/core';
 import { CommonModule } from '@angular/common';
 import { ActivatedRoute, Router } from '@angular/router';
 import { TranslateLoader, TranslateModule } from '@ngx-translate/core';
+import { BehaviorSubject } from 'rxjs';
 
 // Load the implementations that should be tested
 import { AppComponent } from './app.component';
@@ -127,4 +128,62 @@ describe('App component', () => {
     });
 
   });
+
+  describe('removeSsrOverlayWhenStable', () => {
+    // The inline bootstrap script in src/index.html injects window.__dspaceRemoveSsrOverlay
+    // and AppComponent must call it exactly once when ApplicationRef.isStable first emits true.
+    let appRef: ApplicationRef;
+    let isStable$: BehaviorSubject<boolean>;
+    let originalRaF: typeof window.requestAnimationFrame;
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      appRef = TestBed.inject(ApplicationRef);
+      isStable$ = new BehaviorSubject<boolean>(false);
+      // Patch isStable to our controllable subject for this test only
+      Object.defineProperty(appRef, 'isStable', { value: isStable$.asObservable() });
+
+      // Force rAF to a synchronous shim so we can flush() through the chain deterministically.
+      originalRaF = window.requestAnimationFrame;
+      (window as any).requestAnimationFrame = (cb: FrameRequestCallback) => {
+        cb(0);
+        return 0 as any;
+      };
+    });
+
+    afterEach(() => {
+      (window as any).requestAnimationFrame = originalRaF;
+      delete (window as any).__dspaceRemoveSsrOverlay;
+    });
+
+    it('removes the overlay once isStable emits true', fakeAsync(() => {
+      const spy = jasmine.createSpy('__dspaceRemoveSsrOverlay');
+      window.__dspaceRemoveSsrOverlay = spy;
+
+      // Re-construct so the constructor-time subscription picks up our patched isStable + global.
+      const f = TestBed.createComponent(AppComponent);
+      f.detectChanges();
+
+      expect(spy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+      isStable$.next(true);
+      tick(50); // matches the 50ms pad after rAF in removeSsrOverlayWhenStable
+      flush();
+
+      expect(spy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    }));
+
+    it('is a no-op when the global is not injected (e.g. CSR-only route, SSR skipped)', fakeAsync(() => {
+      // Global intentionally absent; constructor should not throw and should not break later.
+      delete (window as any).__dspaceRemoveSsrOverlay;
+
+      const f = TestBed.createComponent(AppComponent);
+      expect(() => f.detectChanges()).not.toThrow();
+
+      isStable$.next(true);
+      tick(50);
+      flush();
+
+      expect(window.__dspaceRemoveSsrOverlay).toBeUndefined();
+    }));
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/app/app.component.ts b/src/app/app.component.ts
index b77d53c81d4..8200033fc20 100644
--- a/src/app/app.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/app.component.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
-import { distinctUntilChanged, take, withLatestFrom, delay } from 'rxjs/operators';
+import { distinctUntilChanged, filter, first, take, withLatestFrom, delay } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { DOCUMENT, isPlatformBrowser } from '@angular/common';
 import {
   AfterViewInit,
+  ApplicationRef,
   ChangeDetectionStrategy,
   Component,
   HostListener,
   Inject,
+  NgZone,
   OnInit,
   PLATFORM_ID,
 } from '@angular/core';
@@ -74,6 +76,8 @@ export class AppComponent implements OnInit, AfterViewInit {
     private cssService: CSSVariableService,
     private modalService: NgbModal,
     private modalConfig: NgbModalConfig,
+    private appRef: ApplicationRef,
+    private ngZone: NgZone,
   ) {
     this.notificationOptions = environment.notifications;
 
@@ -82,6 +86,7 @@ export class AppComponent implements OnInit, AfterViewInit {
 
     if (isPlatformBrowser(this.platformId)) {
       this.trackIdleModal();
+      this.removeSsrOverlayWhenStable();
     }
 
     this.isThemeLoading$ = this.themeService.isThemeLoading$;
@@ -89,6 +94,39 @@ export class AppComponent implements OnInit, AfterViewInit {
     this.storeCSSVariables();
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Drops the SSR mask overlay installed by the inline bootstrap script in src/index.html as soon
+   * as Angular reaches its first stable state. The overlay is the only thing the user sees while
+   * Angular 15 rebuilds the SSR DOM; removing it too early would expose the rebuild flicker, too
+   * late would feel sluggish. We add a short safety pad to let the first paint settle, and there
+   * is also a 15s hard fallback inside the script itself in case isStable never fires.
+   */
+  private removeSsrOverlayWhenStable(): void {
+    const w: Window | undefined = this._window?.nativeWindow;
+    if (!w || typeof w.__dspaceRemoveSsrOverlay !== 'function') {
+      return;
+    }
+    // run outside Angular so we don't keep changeDetection ticking on the overlay timer
+    this.ngZone.runOutsideAngular(() => {
+      this.appRef.isStable.pipe(
+        filter((stable: boolean) => stable),
+        first(),
+      ).subscribe(() => {
+        // one rAF + small pad to let the first stable paint commit before fading the overlay
+        const remove = () => {
+          if (typeof w.__dspaceRemoveSsrOverlay === 'function') {
+            w.__dspaceRemoveSsrOverlay();
+          }
+        };
+        if (typeof w.requestAnimationFrame === 'function') {
+          w.requestAnimationFrame(() => setTimeout(remove, 50));
+        } else {
+          setTimeout(remove, 50);
+        }
+      });
+    });
+  }
+
   ngOnInit() {
     /** Implement behavior for interface {@link ModalBeforeDismiss} */
     this.modalConfig.beforeDismiss = async function () {
diff --git a/src/index.html b/src/index.html
index 74fc0c9861b..14a782b7f5e 100644
--- a/src/index.html
+++ b/src/index.html
@@ -7,12 +7,131 @@
   <title>DSpace</title>
   <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,minimum-scale=1">
   <meta http-equiv="cache-control" content="no-store">
+  <style id="__dspace-ssr-overlay-style">
+    /* Overlay used to mask the Angular 15 bootstrap re-render of the SSR DOM.
+       See src/index.html bootstrap script + AppComponent.removeSsrOverlayWhenStable.
+       The overlay element holds the SSR-rendered children moved out of <ds-app>,
+       so it keeps every original Angular view-encapsulation attribute (_ngcontent-scXXX),
+       inline style, and lifecycle context — i.e. it looks pixel-identical to what SSR sent. */
+    #__dspace_ssr_overlay {
+      position: absolute;
+      top: 0;
+      left: 0;
+      right: 0;
+      width: 100%;
+      z-index: 10000;
+      background: #fff;
+      pointer-events: none;
+    }
+    /* Keep <ds-app> taking layout space (height of CSR result) but hidden, so the page
+       does not collapse the moment we drop the overlay. */
+    ds-app[data-dspace-ssr-hidden] { visibility: hidden; }
+  </style>
 </head>
 <body>
 <!-- dependencies -->
 <script type="text/javascript" src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-2.1.4.min.js"></script>
 <script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/lodash.js/3.10.1/lodash.min.js"></script>
   <ds-app></ds-app>
+<script>
+/*
+  Anti-flicker overlay.
+  Why this exists: this codebase is on Angular 15 + ngUniversal. There is no provideClientHydration
+  available before Angular 16, so on every browser load Angular tears down the entire SSR DOM and
+  re-renders the component tree from scratch. The rebuild takes ~600-1500 ms on slow connections,
+  during which the user sees the SSR view -> blank/half-built CSR view -> final CSR view.
+  This script captures the SSR DOM as a non-interactive snapshot the moment it's parsed (before
+  any module/main script runs - those are type=module and therefore deferred). While Angular
+  rebuilds the real <ds-app> invisibly, the snapshot keeps the page looking stable. AppComponent
+  removes the overlay once ApplicationRef.isStable settles.
+*/
+(function () {
+  if (typeof window === 'undefined' || typeof document === 'undefined') return;
+  // Skip when Cypress is driving the page. The overlay duplicates SSR DOM (moved into the
+  // overlay) alongside the CSR DOM (rendered into <ds-app>) during the masking window — so
+  // any cy.get('#some-id').click() picks up two elements and fails. The overlay is a pure
+  // UX nicety, and Cypress E2E doesn't measure visual smoothness anyway; bail early.
+  if (typeof window.Cypress !== 'undefined') return;
+  try {
+    var app = document.querySelector('ds-app');
+    // If SSR was skipped for this route (excludePathPatterns), there are no children; nothing to mask.
+    if (!app || !app.firstElementChild) return;
+    if (document.getElementById('__dspace_ssr_overlay')) return;
+
+    // Critical: Angular's BrowserModule.withServerTransition removes ALL <style ng-transition="...">
+    // tags during bootstrap. Those tags hold the component-scoped CSS that styles the SSR DOM
+    // via attribute selectors like [_ngcontent-scXXX]. If we don't preserve copies, the overlay
+    // renders unstyled. Clone the SSR styles into <style data-dspace-ssr-keep> tags that Angular
+    // ignores, so the overlay keeps looking like the page the user already saw.
+    var ssrStyles = document.querySelectorAll('style[ng-transition]');
+    var keptStyles = [];
+    for (var i = 0; i < ssrStyles.length; i++) {
+      var copy = document.createElement('style');
+      copy.setAttribute('data-dspace-ssr-keep', '');
+      copy.textContent = ssrStyles[i].textContent;
+      document.head.appendChild(copy);
+      keptStyles.push(copy);
+    }
+
+    // Build overlay and MOVE (not clone) the SSR children into it. Moving keeps every live DOM
+    // detail (Angular's view-encapsulation attributes, computed inline styles, image-load state)
+    // so the overlay is pixel-identical to what the user already saw before Angular booted.
+    // Cloning via innerHTML loses parent-context-dependent rendering.
+    //
+    // Accessibility note: we deliberately do NOT set aria-hidden on the overlay. The overlay
+    // *is* the visible page during the masking window, so assistive technologies should read
+    // it. The original <ds-app> underneath gets visibility:hidden (via attribute + CSS rule),
+    // which removes both itself and its children from the accessibility tree.
+    var overlay = document.createElement('div');
+    overlay.id = '__dspace_ssr_overlay';
+    while (app.firstChild) {
+      overlay.appendChild(app.firstChild);
+    }
+
+    // Hide the now-empty <ds-app> so Angular can rebuild into it invisibly. We use an attribute
+    // (CSS in <head> targets it) rather than setting .style.visibility directly so Angular's
+    // template doesn't blow it away on first ChangeDetection.
+    app.setAttribute('data-dspace-ssr-hidden', '');
+    document.body.appendChild(overlay);
+
+    var removing = false;
+    window.__dspaceRemoveSsrOverlay = function () {
+      // Re-entrancy guard: null the pointer up-front so a racing isStable + 15s safety
+      // fallback cannot start two interleaving fade-out passes (which would re-remove
+      // the kept styles from underneath the first pass).
+      if (removing) return;
+      removing = true;
+      window.__dspaceRemoveSsrOverlay = null;
+
+      var el = document.getElementById('__dspace_ssr_overlay');
+      if (!el) return;
+      app.removeAttribute('data-dspace-ssr-hidden');
+      el.style.transition = 'opacity 150ms ease-out';
+      el.style.opacity = '0';
+      setTimeout(function () {
+        if (el && el.parentNode) el.parentNode.removeChild(el);
+        for (var i = 0; i < keptStyles.length; i++) {
+          if (keptStyles[i].parentNode) keptStyles[i].parentNode.removeChild(keptStyles[i]);
+        }
+        keptStyles = [];
+      }, 200);
+    };
+
+    // Safety net: if the app never reaches isStable (e.g. permanent HTTP poll), remove anyway.
+    setTimeout(function () {
+      if (typeof window.__dspaceRemoveSsrOverlay === 'function') {
+        window.__dspaceRemoveSsrOverlay();
+      }
+    }, 15000);
+  } catch (e) {
+    // Don't let the overlay logic kill the page, but surface the failure so a silently-broken
+    // flicker fix is at least diagnosable in DevTools.
+    if (window.console && typeof console.warn === 'function') {
+      console.warn('[dspace-ssr-overlay] disabled due to error:', e);
+    }
+  }
+})();
+</script>
 </body>
 
 <!-- do not include client bundle, it is injected with Zone already loaded -->
diff --git a/src/themes/eager-themes.module.ts b/src/themes/eager-themes.module.ts
index 4a46595f358..29d46032de8 100644
--- a/src/themes/eager-themes.module.ts
+++ b/src/themes/eager-themes.module.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
 import { EagerThemeModule as DSpaceEagerThemeModule } from './dspace/eager-theme.module';
-// import { EagerThemeModule as CustomEagerThemeModule } from './custom/eager-theme.module';
+import { EagerThemeModule as CustomEagerThemeModule } from './custom/eager-theme.module';
 
 /**
  * This module bundles the eager theme modules for all available themes.
@@ -8,11 +8,16 @@ import { EagerThemeModule as DSpaceEagerThemeModule } from './dspace/eager-theme
  * and entry components (to ensure their decorators get picked up).
  *
  * Themes that aren't in use should not be imported here so they don't take up unnecessary space in the main bundle.
+ *
+ * NOTE: CustomEagerThemeModule is included to prevent the home-page flicker that occurs when
+ * the active theme is `custom`. Without it, every themed wrapper (footer, header, root, ...) is
+ * lazy-loaded via webpack code-splitting on the browser, leaving visible gaps after the SSR DOM
+ * is torn down and before the CSR DOM is materialised.
  */
 @NgModule({
   imports: [
     DSpaceEagerThemeModule,
-    // CustomEagerThemeModule,
+    CustomEagerThemeModule,
   ],
 })
 export class EagerThemesModule {
diff --git a/src/typings.d.ts b/src/typings.d.ts
index c1c86511f88..f7397dc290e 100644
--- a/src/typings.d.ts
+++ b/src/typings.d.ts
@@ -86,3 +86,12 @@ declare module '*.scss' {
   const content: any;
   export default content;
 }
+
+/**
+ * Window global injected by the inline anti-flicker bootstrap script in `src/index.html`.
+ * Called once by `AppComponent.removeSsrOverlayWhenStable()` when `ApplicationRef.isStable`
+ * fires, to drop the SSR-mask overlay and let the freshly built CSR DOM become visible.
+ */
+interface Window {
+  __dspaceRemoveSsrOverlay?: (() => void) | null;
+}