diff --git a/.github/workflows/smoke.yml b/.github/workflows/smoke.yml
index c946a94..4207942 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/smoke.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/smoke.yml
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ jobs:
         run: npm ci
 
       - name: Install Playwright browsers
-        run: npx playwright install chromium --with-deps
+        run: npx playwright install chromium
 
       - name: Run smoke tests
         env:
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 7406fdb..aa88e6a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,6 +1,13 @@
 # Changelog
 
-## [1.7.1] - 2026-06-17
+## [1.7.2] - 2026-06-17
+
+### Fixed
+- **CI**: Drop `--with-deps` from `npx playwright install chromium` in `smoke.yml`.
+  The `peptide-vps` self-hosted runner has OS-level Playwright deps pre-installed by
+  root; `--with-deps` invokes `apt-get` which requires `sudo`, blocked by the runner's
+  `NoNewPrivileges=true` systemd hardening. Binary-only install works without
+  elevated privileges.## [1.7.1] - 2026-06-17
 
 ### Changed
 - **CI/CD**: Switch `deploy-staging`, `deploy-production`, and `smoke` jobs from
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index af89700..ee10ec4 100755
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "peptide-e2e",
-  "version": "1.7.1",
+  "version": "1.7.2",
   "description": "Playwright smoke tests for peptiderepo.com (staging + production)",
   "private": true,
   "scripts": {