diff --git a/src/canvas-host/server.test.ts b/src/canvas-host/server.test.ts
index f51e2f5e0..4dc53ca00 100644
--- a/src/canvas-host/server.test.ts
+++ b/src/canvas-host/server.test.ts
@@ -229,4 +229,37 @@ describe("canvas host", () => {
       await fs.rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
     }
   });
+
+  it("default index.html uses safe DOM manipulation to prevent XSS", async () => {
+    const dir = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "clawdbot-canvas-"));
+
+    const server = await startCanvasHost({
+      runtime: defaultRuntime,
+      rootDir: dir,
+      port: 0,
+      listenHost: "127.0.0.1",
+      allowInTests: true,
+      liveReload: false,
+    });
+
+    try {
+      const res = await fetch(`http://127.0.0.1:${server.port}${CANVAS_HOST_PATH}/`);
+      const html = await res.text();
+      expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+
+      // Verify the HTML uses safe DOM manipulation methods
+      expect(html).toContain("document.createElement");
+      expect(html).toContain("textContent");
+
+      // Verify dangerous innerHTML assignment for status is not present
+      expect(html).not.toContain("statusEl.innerHTML");
+
+      // Verify the status element construction is present
+      expect(html).toContain("bridgeSpan.className");
+      expect(html).toContain("bridgeSpan.textContent");
+    } finally {
+      await server.close();
+      await fs.rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/canvas-host/server.ts b/src/canvas-host/server.ts
index b04d0d5ff..88bff81f9 100644
--- a/src/canvas-host/server.ts
+++ b/src/canvas-host/server.ts
@@ -100,11 +100,18 @@ function defaultIndexHTML() {
   const hasIOS = () => !!(window.webkit && window.webkit.messageHandlers && window.webkit.messageHandlers.clawdbotCanvasA2UIAction);
   const hasAndroid = () => !!(window.clawdbotCanvasA2UIAction && typeof window.clawdbotCanvasA2UIAction.postMessage === "function");
   const hasHelper = () => typeof window.clawdbotSendUserAction === "function";
-  statusEl.innerHTML =
-    "Bridge: " +
-    (hasHelper() ? "<span class='ok'>ready</span>" : "<span class='bad'>missing</span>") +
-    " · iOS=" + (hasIOS() ? "yes" : "no") +
-    " · Android=" + (hasAndroid() ? "yes" : "no");
+
+  // Build status message safely using DOM manipulation to prevent XSS
+  statusEl.textContent = ""; // Clear existing content
+  statusEl.appendChild(document.createTextNode("Bridge: "));
+
+  const bridgeSpan = document.createElement("span");
+  bridgeSpan.className = hasHelper() ? "ok" : "bad";
+  bridgeSpan.textContent = hasHelper() ? "ready" : "missing";
+  statusEl.appendChild(bridgeSpan);
+
+  statusEl.appendChild(document.createTextNode(" · iOS=" + (hasIOS() ? "yes" : "no")));
+  statusEl.appendChild(document.createTextNode(" · Android=" + (hasAndroid() ? "yes" : "no")));
 
   window.addEventListener("clawdbot:a2ui-action-status", (ev) => {
     const d = ev && ev.detail || {};