diff --git a/app/src/debug/res/xml/network_security_config.xml b/app/src/debug/res/xml/network_security_config.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c4e12a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/debug/res/xml/network_security_config.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later -->
+<!--
+  Debug-only override of the main network_security_config.xml. Keeps the secure
+  base posture (no cleartext) but re-permits cleartext to loopback so debug builds
+  can reach a local website backend at http://127.0.0.1:3000 / http://localhost:3000
+  (ServerUrl allows plain HTTP only when allowInsecureHttp = BuildConfig.DEBUG).
+  Because the platform default already blocks cleartext at targetSdk 28+, this
+  domain-config is what actually makes the debug local-dev path work at runtime.
+
+  This file is compiled only into debug builds; release builds use the main
+  source set's config and permit no cleartext at all.
+-->
+<network-security-config>
+    <base-config cleartextTrafficPermitted="false" />
+    <domain-config cleartextTrafficPermitted="true">
+        <domain includeSubdomains="false">127.0.0.1</domain>
+        <domain includeSubdomains="false">localhost</domain>
+    </domain-config>
+</network-security-config>
diff --git a/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml b/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
index 27b167e..78778d4 100644
--- a/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
+++ b/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
         android:fullBackupContent="@xml/backup_rules"
         android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
         android:label="@string/app_name"
+        android:networkSecurityConfig="@xml/network_security_config"
         android:roundIcon="@mipmap/ic_launcher_round"
         android:supportsRtl="true"
         android:theme="@style/Theme.RunicGateway">
diff --git a/app/src/main/res/xml/network_security_config.xml b/app/src/main/res/xml/network_security_config.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9aac908
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/main/res/xml/network_security_config.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later -->
+<!--
+  The app is purely an HTTPS API client of a shard's website backend, so the base
+  posture forbids all cleartext (HTTP) traffic. This makes explicit what minSdk 29 /
+  targetSdk 35 already default to, satisfies the "usesCleartextTraffic implicitly
+  enabled" scanner finding, and stops any merged library manifest from re-enabling
+  cleartext. It also mirrors ServerUrl's release-build rule (HTTPS required) at the
+  platform socket layer — defense in depth.
+
+  The debug variant overrides this file (app/src/debug/res/xml/) to re-permit
+  cleartext to loopback only, for local dev against http://127.0.0.1:3000.
+-->
+<network-security-config>
+    <base-config cleartextTrafficPermitted="false" />
+</network-security-config>