diff --git a/public/js/public-script.js b/public/js/public-script.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff350da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/js/public-script.js
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+/**
+ * Peptide News — Public Click Tracker
+ *
+ * Tracks outbound clicks on article links via AJAX and
+ * manages visitor session cookies.
+ *
+ * @since 1.0.0
+ */
+(function ($) {
+    'use strict';
+
+    // Set session cookie if it doesn't exist.
+    function initSession() {
+        if (!getCookie('pn_session_id')) {
+            var sessionId = peptideNewsPublic.session_id || generateUUID();
+            setCookie('pn_session_id', sessionId, 30); // 30-minute cookie
+        }
+    }
+
+    function getCookie(name) {
+        var match = document.cookie.match(new RegExp('(^| )' + name + '=([^;]+)'));
+        return match ? decodeURIComponent(match[2]) : null;
+    }
+
+    function setCookie(name, value, minutes) {
+        var d = new Date();
+        d.setTime(d.getTime() + minutes * 60 * 1000);
+        var cookie = name + '=' + encodeURIComponent(value) +
+            ';expires=' + d.toUTCString() +
+            ';path=/;SameSite=Lax';
+        if (window.location.protocol === 'https:') {
+            cookie += ';Secure';
+        }
+        document.cookie = cookie;
+    }
+
+    function generateUUID() {
+        return 'xxxxxxxx-xxxx-4xxx-yxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx'.replace(/[xy]/g, function (c) {
+            var r = (Math.random() * 16) | 0;
+            var v = c === 'x' ? r : (r & 0x3) | 0x8;
+            return v.toString(16);
+        });
+    }
+
+    // Track click via AJAX (fire-and-forget with beacon fallback).
+    function trackClick(articleId) {
+        var data = {
+            action: 'peptide_news_track_click',
+            nonce: peptideNewsPublic.nonce,
+            article_id: articleId,
+            referrer: document.referrer || '',
+            page_url: window.location.href,
+            session_id: getCookie('pn_session_id') || '',
+        };
+
+        // Try sendBeacon first (non-blocking, survives page navigation).
+        if (navigator.sendBeacon) {
+            var formData = new FormData();
+            Object.keys(data).forEach(function (key) {
+                formData.append(key, data[key]);
+            });
+            navigator.sendBeacon(peptideNewsPublic.ajax_url, formData);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // Fallback to AJAX.
+        $.post(peptideNewsPublic.ajax_url, data);
+    }
+
+    $(document).ready(function () {
+        initSession();
+
+        // Delegate click events on tracked links.
+        $(document).on('click', '.pn-track-click', function () {
+            var articleId = $(this).data('article-id');
+            if (articleId) {
+                trackClick(articleId);
+            }
+            // Don't prevent default — let the link open normally.
+        });
+    });
+
+})(jQuery);