diff --git a/graphify/export.py b/graphify/export.py
index 2870fdcc0..7bb54670e 100644
--- a/graphify/export.py
+++ b/graphify/export.py
@@ -183,9 +183,28 @@ def _html_script(nodes_json: str, edges_json: str, legend_json: str) -> str:
   showInfo(nodeId);
 }}
 
+// Track hovered node — hover detection is more reliable than click params
+let hoveredNodeId = null;
+network.on('hoverNode', params => {{
+  hoveredNodeId = params.node;
+  container.style.cursor = 'pointer';
+}});
+network.on('blurNode', () => {{
+  hoveredNodeId = null;
+  container.style.cursor = 'default';
+}});
+container.addEventListener('click', () => {{
+  if (hoveredNodeId !== null) {{
+    showInfo(hoveredNodeId);
+    network.selectNodes([hoveredNodeId]);
+  }}
+}});
 network.on('click', params => {{
-  if (params.nodes.length > 0) showInfo(params.nodes[0]);
-  else document.getElementById('info-content').innerHTML = '<span class="empty">Click a node to inspect it</span>';
+  if (params.nodes.length > 0) {{
+    showInfo(params.nodes[0]);
+  }} else if (hoveredNodeId === null) {{
+    document.getElementById('info-content').innerHTML = '<span class="empty">Click a node to inspect it</span>';
+  }}
 }});
 
 const searchInput = document.getElementById('search');
diff --git a/tests/visual_test_click.py b/tests/visual_test_click.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..33b11ada3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/visual_test_click.py
@@ -0,0 +1,287 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Visual browser test for node click detection.
+
+Generates an HTML file with a rich mixed graph (code, document, paper, image,
+rationale nodes — mirroring both tree-sitter and LLM extraction paths) and
+opens it in the default browser. A debug overlay shows real-time event feedback.
+
+Manual verification steps:
+  1. Hover over a node   -> overlay shows "HOVER: <label>"
+  2. Click the node      -> overlay shows "CLICK: <label>", METHOD: hover-track
+  3. Click empty canvas  -> overlay shows "CLICK: (empty)"
+  4. Click a SMALL node (paper/image) — these are low-degree and hardest to hit
+  5. Click a neighbor link in the sidebar -> verify it focuses that node
+  6. Check edge tooltips  -> INFERRED/AMBIGUOUS edges should show dashed styles
+  7. Repeat on several nodes across different types
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import tempfile
+import webbrowser
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from graphify.build import build_from_json
+from graphify.cluster import cluster
+from graphify.export import to_html
+
+
+def _build_mixed_extraction() -> dict:
+    """Build a synthetic extraction covering all content types graphify produces.
+
+    Includes code nodes (tree-sitter path), document/paper/image/rationale nodes
+    (LLM path), and edges with EXTRACTED/INFERRED/AMBIGUOUS confidence levels.
+    """
+    return {
+        "nodes": [
+            # --- Code nodes (tree-sitter extraction) ---
+            {"id": "api_server", "label": "APIServer", "file_type": "code",
+             "source_file": "server.py", "source_location": "L1"},
+            {"id": "api_auth", "label": "AuthMiddleware", "file_type": "code",
+             "source_file": "auth.py", "source_location": "L15"},
+            {"id": "api_router", "label": "Router", "file_type": "code",
+             "source_file": "router.py", "source_location": "L8"},
+            {"id": "api_handler", "label": "RequestHandler", "file_type": "code",
+             "source_file": "handler.py", "source_location": "L22"},
+            {"id": "api_cache", "label": "CacheLayer", "file_type": "code",
+             "source_file": "cache.py", "source_location": "L5"},
+            {"id": "api_db", "label": "DatabasePool", "file_type": "code",
+             "source_file": "db.py", "source_location": "L1"},
+            {"id": "api_models", "label": "UserModel", "file_type": "code",
+             "source_file": "models.py", "source_location": "L30"},
+            {"id": "api_serializer", "label": "JSONSerializer", "file_type": "code",
+             "source_file": "serializer.py", "source_location": "L10"},
+
+            # --- Document nodes (LLM extraction — docs/markdown) ---
+            {"id": "doc_arch", "label": "Architecture Overview", "file_type": "document",
+             "source_file": "docs/architecture.md", "source_location": "§1"},
+            {"id": "doc_auth_guide", "label": "Authentication Guide", "file_type": "document",
+             "source_file": "docs/auth.md", "source_location": "§2"},
+            {"id": "doc_api_ref", "label": "API Reference", "file_type": "document",
+             "source_file": "docs/api-ref.md", "source_location": "§1"},
+            {"id": "doc_caching", "label": "Caching Strategy", "file_type": "document",
+             "source_file": "docs/caching.md", "source_location": "§3"},
+
+            # --- Paper nodes (LLM extraction — academic papers) ---
+            {"id": "paper_oauth", "label": "OAuth 2.0 Framework (RFC 6749)",
+             "file_type": "paper", "source_file": "papers/rfc6749.pdf",
+             "source_location": "§4.1"},
+            {"id": "paper_cache", "label": "Cache Invalidation Strategies",
+             "file_type": "paper", "source_file": "papers/cache_inv.pdf",
+             "source_location": "§2"},
+
+            # --- Image nodes (LLM extraction — diagrams) ---
+            {"id": "img_arch", "label": "System Architecture Diagram",
+             "file_type": "image", "source_file": "docs/arch_diagram.png",
+             "source_location": None},
+            {"id": "img_flow", "label": "Request Flow Diagram",
+             "file_type": "image", "source_file": "docs/req_flow.png",
+             "source_location": None},
+
+            # --- Rationale nodes (tree-sitter Python docstring extraction) ---
+            {"id": "rat_auth_why", "label": "Why token-based auth",
+             "file_type": "rationale", "source_file": "auth.py",
+             "source_location": "L3"},
+            {"id": "rat_cache_why", "label": "Why LRU over TTL",
+             "file_type": "rationale", "source_file": "cache.py",
+             "source_location": "L2"},
+        ],
+        "edges": [
+            # --- EXTRACTED edges (tree-sitter: contains, imports) ---
+            {"source": "api_server", "target": "api_router",
+             "relation": "contains", "confidence": "EXTRACTED",
+             "source_file": "server.py", "weight": 1.0},
+            {"source": "api_server", "target": "api_auth",
+             "relation": "contains", "confidence": "EXTRACTED",
+             "source_file": "server.py", "weight": 1.0},
+            {"source": "api_router", "target": "api_handler",
+             "relation": "contains", "confidence": "EXTRACTED",
+             "source_file": "router.py", "weight": 1.0},
+            {"source": "api_handler", "target": "api_db",
+             "relation": "calls", "confidence": "EXTRACTED",
+             "source_file": "handler.py", "weight": 1.0},
+            {"source": "api_handler", "target": "api_cache",
+             "relation": "calls", "confidence": "EXTRACTED",
+             "source_file": "handler.py", "weight": 1.0},
+            {"source": "api_handler", "target": "api_serializer",
+             "relation": "calls", "confidence": "EXTRACTED",
+             "source_file": "handler.py", "weight": 1.0},
+            {"source": "api_db", "target": "api_models",
+             "relation": "imports", "confidence": "EXTRACTED",
+             "source_file": "db.py", "weight": 1.0},
+
+            # --- INFERRED edges (LLM: references, implements) ---
+            {"source": "doc_arch", "target": "api_server",
+             "relation": "references", "confidence": "INFERRED",
+             "source_file": "docs/architecture.md", "weight": 0.8},
+            {"source": "doc_auth_guide", "target": "api_auth",
+             "relation": "references", "confidence": "INFERRED",
+             "source_file": "docs/auth.md", "weight": 0.8},
+            {"source": "doc_api_ref", "target": "api_handler",
+             "relation": "references", "confidence": "INFERRED",
+             "source_file": "docs/api-ref.md", "weight": 0.8},
+            {"source": "doc_caching", "target": "api_cache",
+             "relation": "references", "confidence": "INFERRED",
+             "source_file": "docs/caching.md", "weight": 0.8},
+            {"source": "api_auth", "target": "paper_oauth",
+             "relation": "implements", "confidence": "INFERRED",
+             "source_file": "auth.py", "weight": 0.8},
+            {"source": "api_cache", "target": "paper_cache",
+             "relation": "implements", "confidence": "INFERRED",
+             "source_file": "cache.py", "weight": 0.8},
+
+            # --- AMBIGUOUS edges (LLM: semantic similarity, weak links) ---
+            {"source": "img_arch", "target": "doc_arch",
+             "relation": "semantically_similar_to", "confidence": "AMBIGUOUS",
+             "source_file": "docs/arch_diagram.png", "weight": 0.5},
+            {"source": "img_flow", "target": "api_router",
+             "relation": "references", "confidence": "AMBIGUOUS",
+             "source_file": "docs/req_flow.png", "weight": 0.5},
+            {"source": "paper_cache", "target": "doc_caching",
+             "relation": "cites", "confidence": "INFERRED",
+             "source_file": "papers/cache_inv.pdf", "weight": 0.8},
+
+            # --- Rationale edges (tree-sitter: rationale_for) ---
+            {"source": "rat_auth_why", "target": "api_auth",
+             "relation": "rationale_for", "confidence": "EXTRACTED",
+             "source_file": "auth.py", "weight": 1.0},
+            {"source": "rat_cache_why", "target": "api_cache",
+             "relation": "rationale_for", "confidence": "EXTRACTED",
+             "source_file": "cache.py", "weight": 1.0},
+        ],
+    }
+
+DEBUG_OVERLAY_CSS = """
+#debug-overlay {
+  position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; right: 280px;
+  background: rgba(0,0,0,0.85); color: #0f0; font-family: monospace;
+  font-size: 13px; padding: 8px 14px; z-index: 9999;
+  border-top: 2px solid #0f0; display: flex; gap: 24px;
+}
+#debug-overlay .label { color: #888; }
+#debug-overlay .value { color: #0f0; font-weight: bold; }
+#debug-overlay .fail  { color: #f44; font-weight: bold; }
+"""
+
+DEBUG_OVERLAY_HTML = """
+<div id="debug-overlay">
+  <span><span class="label">HOVER: </span><span id="dbg-hover" class="value">—</span></span>
+  <span><span class="label">CLICK: </span><span id="dbg-click" class="value">—</span></span>
+  <span><span class="label">METHOD: </span><span id="dbg-method" class="value">—</span></span>
+  <span><span class="label">EVENTS: </span><span id="dbg-count" class="value">0</span></span>
+</div>
+"""
+
+DEBUG_OVERLAY_JS = r"""
+// --- Debug overlay instrumentation ---
+(function() {
+  var clickCount = 0;
+  var hoverEl = document.getElementById('dbg-hover');
+  var clickEl = document.getElementById('dbg-click');
+  var methodEl = document.getElementById('dbg-method');
+  var countEl = document.getElementById('dbg-count');
+
+  // Patch into existing hoverNode/blurNode
+  var origHovered = null;
+  network.on('hoverNode', function(p) {
+    origHovered = p.node;
+    var n = RAW_NODES.find(function(x) { return x.id === p.node; });
+    hoverEl.textContent = n ? n.label : p.node;
+    hoverEl.className = 'value';
+  });
+  network.on('blurNode', function() {
+    origHovered = null;
+    hoverEl.textContent = '—';
+  });
+
+  // Listen for DOM click (hover-based path)
+  container.addEventListener('click', function() {
+    if (origHovered !== null) {
+      var n = RAW_NODES.find(function(x) { return x.id === origHovered; });
+      clickEl.textContent = n ? n.label : origHovered;
+      clickEl.className = 'value';
+      methodEl.textContent = 'hover-track';
+      methodEl.className = 'value';
+      clickCount++;
+      countEl.textContent = clickCount;
+    }
+  });
+
+  // Listen for vis-network click (fallback path)
+  network.on('click', function(params) {
+    if (params.nodes.length > 0) {
+      var nid = params.nodes[0];
+      var n = RAW_NODES.find(function(x) { return x.id === nid; });
+      clickEl.textContent = n ? n.label : nid;
+      clickEl.className = 'value';
+      // Only mark method as 'network.click' if hover-track didn't already fire
+      if (origHovered === null) {
+        methodEl.textContent = 'network.click (fallback)';
+        methodEl.className = 'value';
+      }
+      clickCount++;
+      countEl.textContent = clickCount;
+    } else if (origHovered === null) {
+      clickEl.textContent = '(empty)';
+      clickEl.className = 'fail';
+      methodEl.textContent = '—';
+      methodEl.className = 'value';
+    }
+  });
+})();
+"""
+
+
+def inject_debug_overlay(html: str) -> str:
+    """Inject debug overlay CSS, HTML, and JS into the generated HTML."""
+    # Inject CSS before </style>
+    html = html.replace("</style>", DEBUG_OVERLAY_CSS + "\n</style>", 1)
+
+    # Inject HTML before </body>
+    html = html.replace("</body>", DEBUG_OVERLAY_HTML + "\n</body>", 1)
+
+    # Inject JS before </script>  (last occurrence — the main script block)
+    # Find the last </script> and insert before it
+    idx = html.rfind("</script>")
+    if idx != -1:
+        html = html[:idx] + "\n" + DEBUG_OVERLAY_JS + "\n" + html[idx:]
+
+    return html
+
+
+def main() -> None:
+    """Build graph, generate HTML with debug overlay, and open in browser."""
+    extraction = _build_mixed_extraction()
+    G = build_from_json(extraction)
+    communities = cluster(G)
+    labels = {cid: f"Group {cid}" for cid in communities}
+
+    with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(
+        suffix=".html", prefix="graphify_click_test_", delete=False, mode="w"
+    ) as f:
+        to_html(G, communities, f.name, community_labels=labels)
+
+        content = Path(f.name).read_text()
+        content = inject_debug_overlay(content)
+        Path(f.name).write_text(content)
+
+        print(f"Visual test written to: {f.name}")
+        print()
+        print("Graph: 20 nodes (8 code, 4 doc, 2 paper, 2 image, 2 rationale)")
+        print("       18 edges (EXTRACTED + INFERRED + AMBIGUOUS)")
+        print()
+        print("Verification steps:")
+        print("  1. Hover a node        -> HOVER shows label")
+        print("  2. Click the node      -> CLICK shows label, METHOD: hover-track")
+        print("  3. Click empty canvas  -> CLICK: (empty)")
+        print("  4. Click a SMALL node  -> papers/images are low-degree, hardest to hit")
+        print("  5. Click neighbor link -> sidebar link should focus that node")
+        print("  6. Check edge tooltips -> dashed = INFERRED/AMBIGUOUS")
+        print("  7. Try all file_types  -> code, document, paper, image, rationale")
+        print()
+
+        webbrowser.open(f"file://{f.name}")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()