diff --git a/frontend/src/components/PlayerModal.tsx b/frontend/src/components/PlayerModal.tsx
index 4aa5bd09..b8c7d1dc 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/PlayerModal.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/PlayerModal.tsx
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import {
 } from "lucide-react";
 import Avatar from "./Avatar";
 import AddToPlaylist from "./AddToPlaylist";
+import { PopoverSurface, useAnchoredPopover } from "./AnchoredPopover";
 import { pushLayer, removeLayer, anyLayerAbove } from "../lib/layerStack";
 import DownloadButton from "./DownloadButton";
 import { api, type Video, type VideoStatus } from "../lib/api";
@@ -446,41 +447,21 @@ export default function PlayerModal({
     }
   };
 
-  // Lazy description (fetched only when the title is hovered). The popover is
-  // portaled to <body> with fixed positioning so the modal card's overflow-y-auto
-  // can't clip it. A small close grace lets the mouse travel title → popover.
+  // Lazy description (fetched only when the title is hovered). Anchored ABOVE the title so it grows
+  // upward over the player rather than downward off-screen / behind the OS taskbar — `flip` still
+  // rescues it when there is no room up there either, which the old fixed `bottom` could not. The
+  // hover-intent delay (only pop it if the pointer lingers, so a quick pass doesn't flash the card)
+  // and the travel grace are now the platform's, along with the safePolygon bridge that replaces the
+  // pair of hand-managed timers.
   const [showDesc, setShowDesc] = useState(false);
-  // `bottom` anchors the popover just above the title so it grows upward (over the
-  // player) instead of downward off-screen / behind the OS taskbar.
-  const [descRect, setDescRect] = useState<{ left: number; bottom: number; width: number } | null>(
-    null,
-  );
-  const titleRef = useRef<HTMLSpanElement | null>(null);
-  const closeTimer = useRef<number | undefined>(undefined);
-  const openTimer = useRef<number | undefined>(undefined);
-  const openDescNow = () => {
-    window.clearTimeout(closeTimer.current);
-    window.clearTimeout(openTimer.current);
-    const el = titleRef.current;
-    if (el) {
-      const r = el.getBoundingClientRect();
-      const width = Math.min(560, window.innerWidth - 32);
-      const left = Math.max(16, Math.min(r.left, window.innerWidth - width - 16));
-      setDescRect({ left, bottom: window.innerHeight - r.top + 8, width });
-    }
-    setShowDesc(true);
-  };
-  // Hover-intent: only pop the description if the pointer lingers on the title (~400ms), so a
-  // quick pass over it doesn't flash the popover.
-  const scheduleOpenDesc = () => {
-    window.clearTimeout(closeTimer.current);
-    window.clearTimeout(openTimer.current);
-    openTimer.current = window.setTimeout(openDescNow, 400);
-  };
-  const scheduleCloseDesc = () => {
-    window.clearTimeout(openTimer.current);
-    closeTimer.current = window.setTimeout(() => setShowDesc(false), 150);
-  };
+  const descPop = useAnchoredPopover({
+    open: showDesc,
+    onOpenChange: setShowDesc,
+    mode: "hover",
+    placement: "top-start",
+    offset: 8,
+    hoverDelay: { open: 400, close: 150 },
+  });
   const detail = useQuery({
     queryKey: qk.videoDetail(currentVideoId),
     queryFn: () => api.videoDetail(currentVideoId),
@@ -573,8 +554,6 @@ export default function PlayerModal({
     return () => {
       window.removeEventListener("keydown", onKey);
       document.body.style.overflow = prevOverflow;
-      window.clearTimeout(closeTimer.current);
-      window.clearTimeout(openTimer.current);
       window.clearTimeout(volTimerRef.current);
       // Flush a debounced volume write — closing the player right after a wheel spin (the normal
       // way to leave) must not drop the level the user just set.
@@ -960,12 +939,18 @@ export default function PlayerModal({
                     <span className="h-4 w-px bg-white/20" />
                   </>
                 )}
-                {!navigated && !isFullscreen && (
+                {/* Works in fullscreen now: its menu rides the popover platform, which portals into
+                    the fullscreen element instead of <body> (a body-portaled node is painted
+                    underneath the element holding the lock, i.e. invisible). */}
+                {!navigated && (
                   <AddToPlaylist
                     videoId={active.id}
                     className="inline-flex h-8 w-8 items-center justify-center rounded-lg text-white/80 hover:bg-white/10 hover:text-white transition"
                   />
                 )}
+                {/* Still hidden in fullscreen: this one opens a Modal, not a popover, and Modal
+                    still portals to <body> — so the dialog would open invisibly. Lifting that needs
+                    the same fullscreen-aware root in Modal. */}
                 {!navigated && !isFullscreen && (
                   <DownloadButton
                     videoId={active.id}
@@ -1128,10 +1113,9 @@ export default function PlayerModal({
               <h2 className="min-w-0 flex-1 text-lg font-semibold leading-snug">
                 {/* Hover target is the text itself (inline), not the whole row. */}
                 <span
-                  ref={titleRef}
+                  ref={descPop.refs.setReference}
+                  {...descPop.getReferenceProps()}
                   className="cursor-default"
-                  onMouseEnter={scheduleOpenDesc}
-                  onMouseLeave={scheduleCloseDesc}
                 >
                   {navigated ? (liveData?.title ?? t("player.loading")) : active.title}
                 </span>
@@ -1146,43 +1130,32 @@ export default function PlayerModal({
                   {t("player.back")}
                 </button>
               )}
-              {showDesc &&
-                descRect &&
-                createPortal(
+              <PopoverSurface
+                popover={descPop}
+                className="w-[min(35rem,calc(100vw-2rem))] bg-surface border border-border rounded-xl shadow-2xl p-4"
+              >
+                <div className="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide text-muted mb-2">
+                  {t("player.description")}
+                </div>
+                {detail.isLoading ? (
+                  <div className="text-sm text-muted">{t("player.loading")}</div>
+                ) : detail.data?.description ? (
                   <div
-                    className="fixed z-popover bg-surface border border-border rounded-xl shadow-2xl p-4"
-                    style={{
-                      left: descRect.left,
-                      bottom: descRect.bottom,
-                      width: descRect.width,
-                    }}
-                    onMouseEnter={openDescNow}
-                    onMouseLeave={scheduleCloseDesc}
+                    ref={descFade.ref}
+                    style={descFade.style}
+                    className="text-sm whitespace-pre-wrap break-words max-h-64 overflow-y-auto no-scrollbar leading-relaxed"
                   >
-                    <div className="text-xs uppercase tracking-wide text-muted mb-2">
-                      {t("player.description")}
-                    </div>
-                    {detail.isLoading ? (
-                      <div className="text-sm text-muted">{t("player.loading")}</div>
-                    ) : detail.data?.description ? (
-                      <div
-                        ref={descFade.ref}
-                        style={descFade.style}
-                        className="text-sm whitespace-pre-wrap break-words max-h-64 overflow-y-auto no-scrollbar leading-relaxed"
-                      >
-                        {renderDescription(detail.data.description, {
-                          currentId: currentVideoId,
-                          onSeek: seekTo,
-                          onLoadVideo: loadVideo,
-                          t,
-                        })}
-                      </div>
-                    ) : (
-                      <div className="text-sm text-muted">{t("player.noDescription")}</div>
-                    )}
-                  </div>,
-                  document.body,
+                    {renderDescription(detail.data.description, {
+                      currentId: currentVideoId,
+                      onSeek: seekTo,
+                      onLoadVideo: loadVideo,
+                      t,
+                    })}
+                  </div>
+                ) : (
+                  <div className="text-sm text-muted">{t("player.noDescription")}</div>
                 )}
+              </PopoverSurface>
               <button
                 data-testid="player-close"
                 onClick={onClose}