diff --git a/Dockerfile.test b/Dockerfile.test
index 3c3d0f0d9..36b5fea3c 100644
--- a/Dockerfile.test
+++ b/Dockerfile.test
@@ -69,7 +69,10 @@ WORKDIR /app
 RUN curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | BUN_INSTALL="/root/.bun" bash -s "bun-v1.3.13"
 ENV PATH="/root/.bun/bin:$PATH"
 
-# Install dependencies (full, including devDependencies for tsx + test harness)
+# Install dependencies (full, including devDependencies for tsx + test harness).
+# Every workspace member (packages/*) must be COPYed here — `bun install
+# --frozen-lockfile` treats any member missing from the build context as a
+# lockfile change and fails.
 COPY package.json bun.lock ./
 COPY packages/core/package.json packages/core/package.json
 COPY packages/engine/package.json packages/engine/package.json
@@ -81,6 +84,7 @@ COPY packages/shader-transitions/package.json packages/shader-transitions/packag
 COPY packages/aws-lambda/package.json packages/aws-lambda/package.json
 COPY packages/gcp-cloud-run/package.json packages/gcp-cloud-run/package.json
 COPY packages/sdk/package.json packages/sdk/package.json
+COPY packages/sdk-playground/package.json packages/sdk-playground/package.json
 RUN bun install --frozen-lockfile
 
 # Copy source
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.test.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.test.ts
index 8df56e23a..2d219f7db 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.test.ts
@@ -1095,4 +1095,54 @@ describe("initSandboxRuntimeModular", () => {
     expect(video.muted).toBe(true);
     expect(audio.muted).toBe(false);
   });
+
+  it("skips the per-frame transport re-seek while a Studio manual-edit gesture is active", () => {
+    const raf = createManualRaf();
+    vi.spyOn(performance, "now").mockImplementation(() => raf.now());
+    window.requestAnimationFrame = raf.requestAnimationFrame as typeof window.requestAnimationFrame;
+    window.cancelAnimationFrame = raf.cancelAnimationFrame as typeof window.cancelAnimationFrame;
+
+    const seekTimes: number[] = [];
+    const tl = createMockTimeline(5);
+    const origTotalTime = tl.totalTime;
+    tl.totalTime = ((time: number, ...rest: unknown[]) => {
+      seekTimes.push(time);
+      (origTotalTime as Function).call(tl, time, ...rest);
+    }) as RuntimeTimelineLike["totalTime"];
+
+    document.body.innerHTML = `
+      <div data-composition-id="root" data-duration="5" data-width="1920" data-height="1080">
+        <div id="dragged" data-hf-studio-manual-edit-gesture="tok-1"></div>
+      </div>
+    `;
+    window.__timelines = { root: tl };
+    initSandboxRuntimeModular();
+
+    // (1) Paused + gesture active → the per-frame transport tick must NOT
+    // re-seek the timeline, otherwise it re-applies the animated value and
+    // clobbers the draft writer (gsap.set) that owns the dragged element,
+    // freezing it mid-drag.
+    const afterInit = seekTimes.length;
+    raf.step(16);
+    raf.step(16);
+    raf.step(16);
+    expect(seekTimes.length).toBe(afterInit);
+
+    // (2) Playback always wins: with the SAME gesture marker still present, a
+    // playing clock must keep re-seeking (the gate must never freeze playback).
+    // Guards the clock.isPlaying() short-circuit — a regression flipping `||`
+    // to `&&` would skip the seek here and this assertion would catch it.
+    const player = window.__player;
+    const beforePlaying = seekTimes.length;
+    player?.play();
+    raf.step(16);
+    expect(seekTimes.length).toBeGreaterThan(beforePlaying);
+    player?.pause();
+
+    // (3) Paused + marker cleared (drop/cancel) → the per-frame re-seek resumes.
+    document.getElementById("dragged")?.removeAttribute("data-hf-studio-manual-edit-gesture");
+    const beforeResume = seekTimes.length;
+    raf.step(16);
+    expect(seekTimes.length).toBeGreaterThan(beforeResume);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
index 163754543..d7cd75d4d 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import { applyCaptionOverrides } from "./captionOverrides";
 import { TransportClock } from "./clock";
 import { WebAudioTransport } from "./webAudioTransport";
 import { quantizeTimeToFrame } from "../inline-scripts/parityContract";
+import { STUDIO_MANUAL_EDIT_GESTURE_ATTR } from "../studio-api/helpers/draftMarkers";
 import type { RuntimeDeterministicAdapter, RuntimeJson, RuntimeTimelineLike } from "./types";
 import type { PlayerAPI } from "../core.types";
 import { swallow } from "./diagnostics";
@@ -1994,6 +1995,24 @@ export function initSandboxRuntimeModular(): void {
     }
   };
 
+  // True while the Studio is mid-drag on an element (the gesture marker is
+  // stamped on the gestured element for the duration of the drag). During a
+  // paused gesture the draft writer owns the element's transform, so the
+  // per-frame transport re-seek must yield to it (see transportTick).
+  //
+  // The query is document-global (fine for today's single-composition Studio;
+  // revisit if a multi-composition editor needs to scope this to one root).
+  // It only runs while the clock is paused — transportTick short-circuits on
+  // isPlaying() — so it is off the playback hot path; one attribute selector
+  // per paused frame is negligible.
+  const hasActiveStudioManualEditGesture = (): boolean => {
+    try {
+      return document.querySelector(`[${STUDIO_MANUAL_EDIT_GESTURE_ATTR}]`) != null;
+    } catch {
+      return false;
+    }
+  };
+
   const transportTick = () => {
     if (state.tornDown || inTransportTick) return;
     inTransportTick = true;
@@ -2084,7 +2103,17 @@ export function initSandboxRuntimeModular(): void {
 
       const t = clock.now();
       state.currentTime = t;
-      seekTimelineAndAdapters(t);
+      // During a paused Studio manual-edit drag, the draft writer owns the
+      // gestured element's transform (e.g. gsap.set for x/y). Re-seeking the
+      // timeline every frame re-applies the animated value and clobbers the
+      // draft, freezing the element while only the selection box tracks the
+      // cursor. The playhead does not advance during a paused gesture, so
+      // skipping the re-seek is a no-op for every other element; it resumes
+      // the frame the gesture marker clears (drop/cancel). Playback is never
+      // affected — the seek runs whenever the clock is playing.
+      if (clock.isPlaying() || !hasActiveStudioManualEditGesture()) {
+        seekTimelineAndAdapters(t);
+      }
 
       // Looping is handled at the player layer (<hyperframes-player>),
       // not the runtime. The clock pauses at duration; GSAP's repeat:-1