diff --git a/src/PageManager.tsx b/src/PageManager.tsx
index 95655293..0ec7cd5e 100644
--- a/src/PageManager.tsx
+++ b/src/PageManager.tsx
@@ -1435,16 +1435,37 @@ export function PageManager({ maxStackSize = 5 }: { maxStackSize?: number }) {
 
     const onPopState = (e: PopStateEvent) => {
       if (ignorePopStateRef.current) {
+        logger.info('[LightboxTrace][PageManager] popstate ignored', {
+          reason: 'ignorePopStateRef',
+          pathname: window.location.pathname,
+          state: e.state
+        })
         ignorePopStateRef.current = false
         return
       }
 
+      logger.info('[LightboxTrace][PageManager] popstate received', {
+        pathname: window.location.pathname,
+        state: e.state,
+        secondaryStackLength: secondaryStackRef.current.length,
+        drawerOpen,
+        drawerNoteId,
+        panelMode,
+        isSmallScreen
+      })
+
       // If the side panel has frames, this popstate is almost certainly stack navigation — do not let
       // modalManager steal it (history.forward + return), which leaves the URL changed and the panel stale.
       if (secondaryStackRef.current.length === 0) {
         const closeModal = modalManager.pop()
+        logger.info('[LightboxTrace][PageManager] modalManager.pop result', {
+          closeModal,
+          pathname: window.location.pathname,
+          state: e.state
+        })
         if (closeModal) {
           ignorePopStateRef.current = true
+          logger.info('[LightboxTrace][PageManager] modal popped, forcing history.forward')
           window.history.forward()
           return
         }
diff --git a/src/components/ImageWithLightbox/index.tsx b/src/components/ImageWithLightbox/index.tsx
index 556db32f..a977e37b 100644
--- a/src/components/ImageWithLightbox/index.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ImageWithLightbox/index.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 import { randomString } from '@/lib/random'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
+import logger from '@/lib/logger'
 import { useContentPolicy } from '@/providers/ContentPolicyProvider'
 import modalManager from '@/services/modal-manager.service'
 import { TImetaInfo } from '@/types'
-import { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react'
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react'
 import { createPortal } from 'react-dom'
 import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next'
 import Lightbox from 'yet-another-react-lightbox'
@@ -28,15 +29,59 @@ export default function ImageWithLightbox({
   const { autoLoadMedia } = useContentPolicy()
   const [display, setDisplay] = useState(autoLoadMedia)
   const [index, setIndex] = useState(-1)
+
+  const logLightboxEvent = useCallback((stage: string, details?: Record<string, unknown>) => {
+    logger.info('[LightboxTrace]', {
+      stage,
+      id,
+      imageUrl: image.url,
+      index,
+      pathname: window.location.pathname,
+      search: window.location.search,
+      hash: window.location.hash,
+      ...details
+    })
+  }, [id, image.url, index])
+
   useEffect(() => {
     if (index >= 0) {
+      logLightboxEvent('modal-register')
       modalManager.register(id, () => {
+        logLightboxEvent('modal-callback-close')
         setIndex(-1)
       })
     } else {
+      logLightboxEvent('modal-unregister')
       modalManager.unregister(id)
     }
-  }, [index])
+  }, [id, index, logLightboxEvent])
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (index < 0) return
+
+    const onCaptureKeydown = (event: KeyboardEvent) => {
+      if (event.key === 'Escape') {
+        logLightboxEvent('escape-keydown-capture', {
+          defaultPrevented: event.defaultPrevented,
+          eventPhase: event.eventPhase
+        })
+      }
+    }
+    const onPopState = (event: PopStateEvent) => {
+      logLightboxEvent('window-popstate-while-open', {
+        hasState: !!event.state,
+        state: event.state
+      })
+    }
+
+    window.addEventListener('keydown', onCaptureKeydown, true)
+    window.addEventListener('popstate', onPopState)
+
+    return () => {
+      window.removeEventListener('keydown', onCaptureKeydown, true)
+      window.removeEventListener('popstate', onPopState)
+    }
+  }, [index, logLightboxEvent])
 
   if (!display) {
     return (
@@ -53,8 +98,12 @@ export default function ImageWithLightbox({
   }
 
   const handlePhotoClick = (event: React.MouseEvent) => {
+    logLightboxEvent('thumbnail-click', {
+      defaultPreventedBefore: event.defaultPrevented
+    })
     event.stopPropagation()
     event.preventDefault()
+    logLightboxEvent('set-open-index')
     setIndex(0)
   }
 
@@ -74,10 +123,22 @@ export default function ImageWithLightbox({
         createPortal(
           <div
             data-lightbox-overlay
-            onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
-            onPointerDown={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
-            onMouseDown={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
-            onTouchStart={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
+            onClick={(e) => {
+              logLightboxEvent('overlay-click', { target: (e.target as HTMLElement)?.tagName })
+              e.stopPropagation()
+            }}
+            onPointerDown={(e) => {
+              logLightboxEvent('overlay-pointerdown', { target: (e.target as HTMLElement)?.tagName })
+              e.stopPropagation()
+            }}
+            onMouseDown={(e) => {
+              logLightboxEvent('overlay-mousedown', { target: (e.target as HTMLElement)?.tagName })
+              e.stopPropagation()
+            }}
+            onTouchStart={(e) => {
+              logLightboxEvent('overlay-touchstart', { target: (e.target as HTMLElement)?.tagName })
+              e.stopPropagation()
+            }}
           >
             <Lightbox
               index={index}
@@ -88,7 +149,10 @@ export default function ImageWithLightbox({
               }]}
               plugins={[Zoom, Captions]}
               open={index >= 0}
-              close={() => setIndex(-1)}
+              close={() => {
+                logLightboxEvent('lightbox-close-callback')
+                setIndex(-1)
+              }}
               controller={{
                 closeOnBackdropClick: false,
                 closeOnPullUp: true,
diff --git a/src/components/NoteDrawer/index.tsx b/src/components/NoteDrawer/index.tsx
index e144da5d..a70c381b 100644
--- a/src/components/NoteDrawer/index.tsx
+++ b/src/components/NoteDrawer/index.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { Sheet, SheetContent } from '@/components/ui/sheet'
 import NotePage from '@/pages/secondary/NotePage'
 import { useSecondaryPage } from '@/PageManager'
 import type { Event } from 'nostr-tools'
+import logger from '@/lib/logger'
 
 interface NoteDrawerProps {
   open: boolean
@@ -44,7 +45,18 @@ export default function NoteDrawer({ open, onOpenChange, noteId, initialEvent }:
   if (!displayNoteId) return null
 
   return (
-    <Sheet open={open} onOpenChange={onOpenChange} registerWithModalManager={false}>
+    <Sheet
+      open={open}
+      onOpenChange={(nextOpen) => {
+        logger.info('[LightboxTrace][NoteDrawer] onOpenChange', {
+          currentOpen: open,
+          nextOpen,
+          noteId: displayNoteId
+        })
+        onOpenChange(nextOpen)
+      }}
+      registerWithModalManager={false}
+    >
       <SheetContent side="right" className="w-full sm:max-w-[1042px] overflow-y-auto p-0">
         <div className="min-h-full">
           <NotePage
diff --git a/src/services/modal-manager.service.ts b/src/services/modal-manager.service.ts
index 10b597ab..03e1eadb 100644
--- a/src/services/modal-manager.service.ts
+++ b/src/services/modal-manager.service.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import logger from '@/lib/logger'
+
 class ModalManagerService {
   static instance: ModalManagerService
 
@@ -15,9 +17,17 @@ class ModalManagerService {
     if (modal) {
       // already registered, update callback
       modal.cb = cb
+      logger.info('[LightboxTrace][ModalManager] updated modal callback', {
+        id,
+        modalCount: this.modals.length
+      })
       return
     }
     this.modals.push({ id, cb })
+    logger.info('[LightboxTrace][ModalManager] register', {
+      id,
+      modalCount: this.modals.length
+    })
   }
 
   unregister(id: string) {
@@ -26,13 +36,24 @@ class ModalManagerService {
 
     modal.cb()
     this.modals = this.modals.filter((m) => m.id !== id)
+    logger.info('[LightboxTrace][ModalManager] unregister', {
+      id,
+      modalCount: this.modals.length
+    })
   }
 
   pop() {
     const modal = this.modals.pop()
-    if (!modal) return false
+    if (!modal) {
+      logger.info('[LightboxTrace][ModalManager] pop noop', { modalCount: this.modals.length })
+      return false
+    }
 
     modal.cb()
+    logger.info('[LightboxTrace][ModalManager] pop close', {
+      id: modal.id,
+      modalCount: this.modals.length
+    })
     return true
   }
 }