diff --git a/plugin-designs/posterverse/posterverse.vue b/plugin-designs/posterverse/posterverse.vue
index 3ee203f79..f1c5322e2 100644
--- a/plugin-designs/posterverse/posterverse.vue
+++ b/plugin-designs/posterverse/posterverse.vue
@@ -281,7 +281,9 @@ export default defineComponent({
     //   2. <tree>/doxa-maps-spa/manifest.json, the byte-identical copy generate-tree writes for the
     //      Research Gallery. The live static layer sends CORS headers only inside a tree folder, not
     //      on the root manifest, so a partner page's script embed reads this copy FIRST;
-    //   3. /public/<tree>/manifest.json, where the dev server keeps the built manifest.
+    //   3. /<tree>/manifest.json, the built tree as the dev server serves it (at the ROOT). NOT /public/<tree>/:
+    //      the dev server treats a /public/… request as SOURCE and injects an import into each built IIFE, which
+    //      then fails as a classic script ("Cannot use import statement outside a module").
     // Script URLs always resolve against the tree ROOT, never the copy's folder.
     loadManifest() {
       const dirOf = (u) => { try { return new URL(u, location.href).href.replace(/[^/]*$/, '') } catch { return '' } }
@@ -291,7 +293,7 @@ export default defineComponent({
       let crossOrigin = false
       try { crossOrigin = new URL(rootUrl, location.href).origin !== location.origin } catch { /* relative = same */ }
       const candidates = crossOrigin ? [copy, root] : [root, copy]
-      const devFallback = '/public/' + __DOXA_TREE_NAME__ + '/manifest.json'
+      const devFallback = '/' + __DOXA_TREE_NAME__ + '/manifest.json'
       if (!candidates.some((c) => c.url === devFallback)) candidates.push({ url: devFallback, root: dirOf(devFallback) })
       const tried = []
       const attempt = (i) => {