diff --git a/frontend/index.html b/frontend/index.html
index 98b620b407..a898f3dc49 100644
--- a/frontend/index.html
+++ b/frontend/index.html
@@ -19,8 +19,5 @@
     <noscript>You need to enable JavaScript to run this app.</noscript>
     <div id="root"></div>
     <script type="module" src="src/index.tsx"></script>
-    <!-- jscanify and OpenCV for mobile scanner - loaded after React for non-blocking page load -->
-    <script src="/vendor/jscanify/opencv.js" async></script>
-    <script src="/vendor/jscanify/jscanify.js" async></script>
   </body>
 </html>
diff --git a/frontend/src/core/pages/MobileScannerPage.tsx b/frontend/src/core/pages/MobileScannerPage.tsx
index 5f0124a271..ca797a6c32 100644
--- a/frontend/src/core/pages/MobileScannerPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/core/pages/MobileScannerPage.tsx
@@ -20,14 +20,7 @@ import PhotoCameraRoundedIcon from "@mui/icons-material/PhotoCameraRounded";
 import UploadRoundedIcon from "@mui/icons-material/UploadRounded";
 import AddPhotoAlternateRoundedIcon from "@mui/icons-material/AddPhotoAlternateRounded";
 import CheckCircleRoundedIcon from "@mui/icons-material/CheckCircleRounded";
-
-// jscanify is loaded via script tag in index.html as a global
-declare global {
-  interface Window {
-    jscanify: any;
-    cv: any;
-  }
-}
+import { loadJscanify } from "@app/utils/loadJscanify";
 
 /**
  * MobileScannerPage
@@ -136,69 +129,36 @@ export default function MobileScannerPage() {
     validateSession();
   }, [sessionId, t]);
 
-  // Initialize jscanify scanner and wait for OpenCV (loaded via script tags in index.html)
   useEffect(() => {
-    let retryCount = 0;
-    const MAX_RETRIES = 50; // 5 seconds max wait
+    let cancelled = false;
 
-    const initScanner = () => {
-      // Check if both OpenCV and jscanify are loaded
-      if (!(window as any).cv || !(window as any).cv.Mat) {
-        retryCount++;
-        if (retryCount < MAX_RETRIES) {
-          if (retryCount % 10 === 1) {
-            setLoadingStatus(
-              `Loading OpenCV... (${retryCount}/${MAX_RETRIES})`,
-            );
-            console.log(
-              `[${retryCount}/${MAX_RETRIES}] Waiting for OpenCV to load...`,
-            );
-          }
-          setTimeout(initScanner, 100);
-        } else {
-          const error =
-            "OpenCV failed to load after 5 seconds. Check that /vendor/jscanify/opencv.js is accessible.";
-          setLoadingStatus("OpenCV load failed ✗");
-          console.error(error);
+    loadJscanify({
+      onStatus: (status) => {
+        if (!cancelled) setLoadingStatus(status);
+      },
+    })
+      .then(() => {
+        if (cancelled) return;
+        try {
+          scannerRef.current = new window.jscanify!();
+          setOpenCvReady(true);
+          console.log("✓ jscanify initialized with OpenCV");
+        } catch (err) {
+          setLoadingStatus("jscanify init failed ✗");
+          console.error("Failed to initialize jscanify:", err);
         }
-        return;
-      }
+      })
+      .catch((err) => {
+        if (cancelled) return;
+        setLoadingStatus(
+          `Scanner library failed to load ✗: ${(err as Error).message}`,
+        );
+        console.error("Failed to load jscanify:", err);
+      });
 
-      if (!window.jscanify) {
-        retryCount++;
-        if (retryCount < MAX_RETRIES) {
-          if (retryCount % 10 === 1) {
-            setLoadingStatus(
-              `Loading jscanify... (${retryCount}/${MAX_RETRIES})`,
-            );
-            console.log(
-              `[${retryCount}/${MAX_RETRIES}] Waiting for jscanify to load...`,
-            );
-          }
-          setTimeout(initScanner, 100);
-        } else {
-          const error =
-            "jscanify failed to load after 5 seconds. Check that /vendor/jscanify/jscanify.js is accessible.";
-          setLoadingStatus("jscanify load failed ✗");
-          console.error(error);
-        }
-        return;
-      }
-
-      try {
-        scannerRef.current = new window.jscanify();
-        setOpenCvReady(true);
-        // Don't set status here - let camera/detection effects control status from now on
-        console.log("✓ jscanify initialized with OpenCV");
-      } catch (err) {
-        setLoadingStatus("jscanify init failed ✗");
-        console.error("Failed to initialize jscanify:", err);
-      }
+    return () => {
+      cancelled = true;
     };
-
-    // Start initialization
-    setLoadingStatus("Loading OpenCV...");
-    initScanner();
   }, []);
 
   // Initialize camera
diff --git a/frontend/src/core/utils/loadJscanify.ts b/frontend/src/core/utils/loadJscanify.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2057ddbdc5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/core/utils/loadJscanify.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+declare global {
+  interface Window {
+    cv?: any;
+    jscanify?: any;
+  }
+}
+
+const OPENCV_SRC = "/vendor/jscanify/opencv.js";
+const JSCANIFY_SRC = "/vendor/jscanify/jscanify.js";
+
+let loadPromise: Promise<void> | null = null;
+
+function injectScript(src: string): Promise<void> {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    // data-loaded: load event fired. data-loading: in flight.
+    // Neither: foreign tag (e.g. HMR-preserved); trust the downstream
+    // global check rather than wait on a load event that may already
+    // have dispatched.
+    const existing = document.querySelector<HTMLScriptElement>(
+      `script[src="${src}"]`,
+    );
+    if (existing) {
+      if (existing.dataset.loaded === "true") {
+        resolve();
+        return;
+      }
+      if (existing.dataset.loading === "true") {
+        existing.addEventListener("load", () => resolve(), { once: true });
+        existing.addEventListener(
+          "error",
+          () => reject(new Error(`Failed to load ${src}`)),
+          { once: true },
+        );
+        return;
+      }
+      resolve();
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const script = document.createElement("script");
+    script.src = src;
+    script.async = true;
+    script.dataset.loading = "true";
+    script.onload = () => {
+      script.dataset.loaded = "true";
+      delete script.dataset.loading;
+      resolve();
+    };
+    script.onerror = () => {
+      delete script.dataset.loading;
+      reject(new Error(`Failed to load ${src}`));
+    };
+    document.head.appendChild(script);
+  });
+}
+
+function waitForGlobal(
+  check: () => boolean,
+  name: string,
+  timeoutMs: number,
+  onProgress?: (elapsedMs: number) => void,
+): Promise<void> {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    const start = Date.now();
+    const tick = () => {
+      if (check()) {
+        resolve();
+        return;
+      }
+      const elapsed = Date.now() - start;
+      if (elapsed > timeoutMs) {
+        reject(new Error(`Timed out waiting for ${name}`));
+        return;
+      }
+      onProgress?.(elapsed);
+      setTimeout(tick, 100);
+    };
+    tick();
+  });
+}
+
+export interface LoadJscanifyOptions {
+  onStatus?: (status: string) => void;
+}
+
+export function loadJscanify(options: LoadJscanifyOptions = {}): Promise<void> {
+  const { onStatus } = options;
+
+  if (loadPromise) return loadPromise;
+
+  loadPromise = (async () => {
+    onStatus?.("Loading OpenCV...");
+    await injectScript(OPENCV_SRC);
+    // OpenCV's script load event fires before the WASM runtime is ready.
+    await waitForGlobal(
+      () => !!window.cv && !!window.cv.Mat,
+      "OpenCV runtime (cv.Mat)",
+      15000,
+      (elapsed) => {
+        if (elapsed > 2000) onStatus?.("Initializing OpenCV runtime...");
+      },
+    );
+
+    onStatus?.("Loading jscanify...");
+    await injectScript(JSCANIFY_SRC);
+    await waitForGlobal(() => !!window.jscanify, "jscanify global", 5000);
+
+    onStatus?.("Scanner ready");
+  })().catch((err) => {
+    loadPromise = null;
+    throw err;
+  });
+
+  return loadPromise;
+}