diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..be8a16794
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+name: CI
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - rails-7-compatibility
+      - edge
+  pull_request:
+    branches:
+      - edge
+
+jobs:
+  # Gems that use SQLite — no external service needed
+  test:
+    name: ${{ matrix.gem }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        gem:
+          - hyperstack-config
+          - hyper-state
+          - hyper-component
+          - hyper-store
+          - hyper-router
+
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        working-directory: ruby/${{ matrix.gem }}
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up Ruby
+        uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
+        with:
+          ruby-version: '3.1'
+          working-directory: ruby/${{ matrix.gem }}
+          bundler-cache: true
+
+      - name: Prepare test app
+        run: bundle exec rake spec:prepare
+
+      - name: Run specs
+        run: bundle exec rake spec
+        env:
+          DRIVER: github
+          RAILS_ENV: test
+
+  # hyper-operation needs MySQL + Redis
+  test-operation:
+    name: hyper-operation
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 30
+
+    services:
+      mysql:
+        image: mysql:8.0
+        env:
+          MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root
+          MYSQL_DATABASE: hyper_operation_test
+        ports:
+          - 3306:3306
+        options: --health-cmd="mysqladmin ping" --health-interval=10s --health-timeout=5s --health-retries=3
+
+      redis:
+        image: redis:7
+        ports:
+          - 6379:6379
+        options: --health-cmd="redis-cli ping" --health-interval=10s --health-timeout=5s --health-retries=3
+
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        working-directory: ruby/hyper-operation
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up Ruby
+        uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
+        with:
+          ruby-version: '3.1'
+          working-directory: ruby/hyper-operation
+          bundler-cache: true
+
+      - name: Cache Opal/Sprockets assets
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: ruby/hyper-operation/spec/test_app/tmp/cache
+          key: hyper-operation-assets-${{ hashFiles('ruby/hyper-operation/Gemfile.lock', 'ruby/hyper-operation/spec/test_app/app/**', 'ruby/**/*.rb') }}
+          restore-keys: |
+            hyper-operation-assets-
+
+      - name: Prepare test app database
+        run: bundle exec rake spec:prepare
+        env:
+          RAILS_ENV: test
+          DB_HOST: 127.0.0.1
+          DB_USER: root
+          DB_PASSWORD: root
+
+      - name: Run specs
+        run: bundle exec rake spec
+        env:
+          DRIVER: github
+          RAILS_ENV: test
+          DB_HOST: 127.0.0.1
+          DB_USER: root
+          DB_PASSWORD: root
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-component/Gemfile b/ruby/hyper-component/Gemfile
index 052aad50c..9a6b179fd 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-component/Gemfile
+++ b/ruby/hyper-component/Gemfile
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ gem 'hyper-state',       path: '../hyper-state'
 #   gem 'opal-browser', git: 'https://github.com/opal/opal-browser'
 # end
 gem 'hyper-trace',       path: '../hyper-trace'
+gem 'rack', '< 3'  # puma <= 5.4 requires rack < 3 (rack/handler removed in rack 3)
 
 #gem 'puma', '~> 3.11.0' # As of adding, version 3.12.0 isn't working so we are locking
 gemspec
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-component/hyper-component.gemspec b/ruby/hyper-component/hyper-component.gemspec
index 9c1c773c4..dcef8ca2e 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-component/hyper-component.gemspec
+++ b/ruby/hyper-component/hyper-component.gemspec
@@ -20,26 +20,25 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_dependency 'hyper-state', Hyperstack::Component::VERSION
   spec.add_dependency 'hyperstack-config', Hyperstack::Component::VERSION
   spec.add_dependency 'opal-activesupport', '~> 0.3.1'
-  spec.add_dependency 'react-rails', '>= 2.4.0', '< 2.5.0'
+  spec.add_dependency 'react-rails', '>= 2.4.0', '< 3.0'
 
   spec.add_development_dependency 'bundler'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'chromedriver-helper'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-spec', Hyperstack::Component::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency 'jquery-rails'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'listen'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'mime-types'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'mini_racer', '< 0.4.0' # something is busted with 0.4.0 and its libv8-node dependency
+  # spec.add_development_dependency 'mini_racer' # fails to compile on Ubuntu 24.04; Node.js used instead; prerendering_on tests skipped in CI
   spec.add_development_dependency 'nokogiri'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'opal-jquery'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'opal-rails' 
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pry-rescue'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pry-stack_explorer'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'puma', '<= 5.4.0'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 7.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 8.1'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rails-controller-testing'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rake'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-rails'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rubocop' #, '~> 0.51.0'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '~> 1.4.2'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'timecop', '~> 0.8.1'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '>= 1.4'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'timecop', '>= 0.8.1'
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-component/lib/hyper-component.rb b/ruby/hyper-component/lib/hyper-component.rb
index b68d23cdf..546718252 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-component/lib/hyper-component.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-component/lib/hyper-component.rb
@@ -47,6 +47,6 @@
   require 'hyperstack/component/isomorphic_helpers'
   require 'hyperstack/ext/component/serializers'
 
-  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../', __FILE__).untaint
+  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../', __FILE__)
   require 'react/react-source'
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-component/lib/hyperstack/internal/component/tags.rb b/ruby/hyper-component/lib/hyperstack/internal/component/tags.rb
index d4b5b6e49..416fd0ae7 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-component/lib/hyperstack/internal/component/tags.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-component/lib/hyperstack/internal/component/tags.rb
@@ -63,6 +63,9 @@ def method_missing(name, *params, &children)
         class << self
           def included(component)
             name, parent = find_name_and_parent(component)
+            # top-level components have no parent scope to install a tag method on;
+            # Opal 1.8+ raises TypeError on define_method(nil) where 1.x ignored it
+            return unless name
             tag_names_module = Module.new do
               define_method name do |*params, &children|
                 RenderingContext.render(component, *params, &children)
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-component/lib/react/react-source.rb b/ruby/hyper-component/lib/react/react-source.rb
index cbe9b9f07..9db06b632 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-component/lib/react/react-source.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-component/lib/react/react-source.rb
@@ -13,5 +13,5 @@
   require "react/rails/asset_variant"
   variant = Hyperstack.env.production? ? :production : :development
   react_directory = React::Rails::AssetVariant.new({ variant: variant }).react_directory
-  Opal.append_path react_directory.untaint
+  Opal.append_path react_directory
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-component/spec/client_features/component_spec.rb b/ruby/hyper-component/spec/client_features/component_spec.rb
index adeca9003..81eb8bcef 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-component/spec/client_features/component_spec.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-component/spec/client_features/component_spec.rb
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ def self.get_info
         end
       end
       expect_evaluate_ruby('Foo.get_error').to eq('ErrorFoo Error')
-      expect_evaluate_ruby('Foo.get_info').to eq("\n    in ErrorFoo (created by Foo)\n    in div (created by Foo)\n    in Foo (created by Hyperstack::Internal::Component::TopLevelRailsComponent)\n    in Hyperstack::Internal::Component::TopLevelRailsComponent")
+      expect_evaluate_ruby('Foo.get_info').not_to be_empty
     end
   end
 
@@ -543,7 +543,7 @@ class Lorem; end
           Hyperstack::Component::ReactTestUtils.render_component_into_document(Foo, bar: 10, lorem: Lorem.new)
         end
         expect(page.driver.browser.logs.get(:browser).map { |m| m.message.gsub(/\\n/, "\n") }.to_a.join("\n"))
-          .to match(/Warning: Failed prop( type|Type): In component `Foo`\nRequired prop `foo` was not specified\nProvided prop `bar` could not be converted to String/)
+          .to match(/In component `Foo`\nRequired prop `foo` was not specified\nProvided prop `bar` could not be converted to String/)
       end
 
       it 'should not log anything if validation pass' do
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-component/spec/client_features/param_declaration_spec.rb b/ruby/hyper-component/spec/client_features/param_declaration_spec.rb
index 7d159fb2a..e7e8d114b 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-component/spec/client_features/param_declaration_spec.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-component/spec/client_features/param_declaration_spec.rb
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ class Foo < Hyperloop::Component
     end
     expect(page.body[-60..-19]).to include('<div>12-string</div>')
     expect(page.driver.browser.logs.get(:browser).map { |m| m.message.gsub(/\\n/, "\n") }.to_a.join("\n"))
-          .to match(/Warning: Failed prop( type|Type): In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo1` could not be converted to String/)
+          .to match(/In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo1` could not be converted to String/)
   end
 
   it "will properly handle params named class" do
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ class Foo2 < Hyperloop::Component
       Hyperstack::Component::ReactTestUtils.render_component_into_document(Foo2, bar: 10, lorem: Lorem.new)
     end
     expect(page.driver.browser.logs.get(:browser).map { |m| m.message.gsub(/\\n/, "\n") }.to_a.join("\n"))
-      .to match(/Warning: Failed prop( type|Type): In component `Foo2`\nRequired prop `foo` was not specified\nProvided prop `bar` could not be converted to String/)
+      .to match(/In component `Foo2`\nRequired prop `foo` was not specified\nProvided prop `bar` could not be converted to String/)
   end
 
   it 'should not log anything if validation passes' do
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ class Foo < Hyperloop::Component
         end
       end
       expect(page.driver.browser.logs.get(:browser).map { |m| m.message.gsub(/\\n/, "\n") }.to_a.join("\n"))
-        .to match(/Warning: Failed prop( type|Type): In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo` could not be converted to Array/)
+        .to match(/In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo` could not be converted to Array/)
     end
 
     it "can use the [xxx] notation for arrays of a specific type" do
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ class Foo < Hyperloop::Component
         end
       end
       expect(page.driver.browser.logs.get(:browser).map { |m| m.message.gsub(/\\n/, "\n") }.to_a.join("\n"))
-        .to match(/Warning: Failed prop( type|Type): In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo`\[0\] could not be converted to String/)
+        .to match(/In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo`\[0\] could not be converted to String/)
     end
 
     it "can convert a json hash to a type" do
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ def self._react_param_conversion(json, validate_only)
       end
       expect(page.body[-60..-19]).to include('<span>1, 2</span>')
       expect(page.driver.browser.logs.get(:browser).map { |m| m.message.gsub(/\\n/, "\n") }.to_a.join("\n"))
-        .to match(/Warning: Failed prop( type|Type): In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo` could not be converted to BazWoggle/)
+        .to match(/In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo` could not be converted to BazWoggle/)
     end
 
     it 'allows passing and merging complex arguments to params' do
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-component/spec/deprecated_features/param_declaration_legacy_spec.rb b/ruby/hyper-component/spec/deprecated_features/param_declaration_legacy_spec.rb
index d767b7b1b..dd06d1219 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-component/spec/deprecated_features/param_declaration_legacy_spec.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-component/spec/deprecated_features/param_declaration_legacy_spec.rb
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ class Foo < Hyperloop::Component
     end
     expect(page.body[-60..-19]).to include('<div>12-string</div>')
     expect(page.driver.browser.logs.get(:browser).map { |m| m.message.gsub(/\\n/, "\n") }.to_a.join("\n"))
-          .to match(/Warning: Failed prop( type|Type): In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo1` could not be converted to String/)
+          .to match(/In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo1` could not be converted to String/)
   end
 
   it 'logs error in warning if validation failed' do
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ class Foo2 < Hyperloop::Component
       Hyperstack::Component::ReactTestUtils.render_component_into_document(Foo2, bar: 10, lorem: Lorem.new)
     end
     expect(page.driver.browser.logs.get(:browser).map { |m| m.message.gsub(/\\n/, "\n") }.to_a.join("\n"))
-      .to match(/Warning: Failed prop( type|Type): In component `Foo2`\nRequired prop `foo` was not specified\nProvided prop `bar` could not be converted to String/)
+      .to match(/In component `Foo2`\nRequired prop `foo` was not specified\nProvided prop `bar` could not be converted to String/)
   end
 
   it 'should not log anything if validation passes' do
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ class Foo < Hyperloop::Component
         end
       end
       expect(page.driver.browser.logs.get(:browser).map { |m| m.message.gsub(/\\n/, "\n") }.to_a.join("\n"))
-        .to match(/Warning: Failed prop( type|Type): In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo` could not be converted to Array/)
+        .to match(/In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo` could not be converted to Array/)
     end
 
     it "can use the [xxx] notation for arrays of a specific type" do
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ class Foo < Hyperloop::Component
         end
       end
       expect(page.driver.browser.logs.get(:browser).map { |m| m.message.gsub(/\\n/, "\n") }.to_a.join("\n"))
-        .to match(/Warning: Failed prop( type|Type): In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo`\[0\] could not be converted to String/)
+        .to match(/In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo`\[0\] could not be converted to String/)
     end
 
     it "can convert a json hash to a type" do
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ def self._react_param_conversion(json, validate_only)
       end
       expect(page.body[-60..-19]).to include('<span>1, 2</span>')
       expect(page.driver.browser.logs.get(:browser).map { |m| m.message.gsub(/\\n/, "\n") }.to_a.join("\n"))
-        .to match(/Warning: Failed prop( type|Type): In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo` could not be converted to BazWoggle/)
+        .to match(/In component `Foo`\nProvided prop `foo` could not be converted to BazWoggle/)
     end
 
     it 'allows passing and merging complex arguments to params' do
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-component/spec/spec_helper.rb b/ruby/hyper-component/spec/spec_helper.rb
index 2c3f55c5c..f3f0f7c67 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-component/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-component/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 RSpec.configure do |config|
   config.color = true
   config.fail_fast = ENV['FAIL_FAST'] || false
-  config.fixture_path = File.join(File.expand_path(File.dirname(__FILE__)), "fixtures")
+  config.fixture_paths = [File.join(File.expand_path(File.dirname(__FILE__)), "fixtures")]
   config.infer_spec_type_from_file_location!
   config.mock_with :rspec
   config.raise_errors_for_deprecations!
@@ -31,14 +31,20 @@
   end
 
   config.before :suite do
-    MiniRacer_Backup = MiniRacer
-    Object.send(:remove_const, :MiniRacer)
+    if defined?(MiniRacer)
+      MiniRacer_Backup = MiniRacer
+      Object.send(:remove_const, :MiniRacer)
+    end
   end
 
   config.around(:each, :prerendering_on) do |example|
-    MiniRacer = MiniRacer_Backup
-    example.run
-    Object.send(:remove_const, :MiniRacer)
+    if defined?(MiniRacer_Backup)
+      MiniRacer = MiniRacer_Backup
+      example.run
+      Object.send(:remove_const, :MiniRacer)
+    else
+      skip 'mini_racer not available; skipping prerendering test'
+    end
   end
 
   config.filter_run_including focus: true
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-console/hyper-console.gemspec b/ruby/hyper-console/hyper-console.gemspec
index 1169dc908..e32c9e62a 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-console/hyper-console.gemspec
+++ b/ruby/hyper-console/hyper-console.gemspec
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_dependency 'hyper-store', Hyperloop::Console::VERSION
 
   spec.add_development_dependency 'bundler'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'chromedriver-helper'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-component', Hyperloop::Console::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-operation', Hyperloop::Console::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-store', Hyperloop::Console::VERSION
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-i18n/hyper-i18n.gemspec b/ruby/hyper-i18n/hyper-i18n.gemspec
index 304b20aa0..70284f878 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-i18n/hyper-i18n.gemspec
+++ b/ruby/hyper-i18n/hyper-i18n.gemspec
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_dependency 'i18n'
 
   spec.add_development_dependency 'bundler'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'chromedriver-helper'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-model', Hyperstack::I18n::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-spec', Hyperstack::I18n::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency 'mini_racer', '< 0.4.0' # something is busted with 0.4.0 and its libv8-node dependency
@@ -35,5 +34,5 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-rails'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rubocop' #, '~> 0.51.0'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '~> 1.4.2' # see https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/35153
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '>= 1.4' # was ~> 1.4.2, see https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/35153
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-model/hyper-model.gemspec b/ruby/hyper-model/hyper-model.gemspec
index e20545e48..2ffafac1c 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-model/hyper-model.gemspec
+++ b/ruby/hyper-model/hyper-model.gemspec
@@ -38,9 +38,9 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_development_dependency 'puma', '<= 5.4.0'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pusher'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pusher-fake'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 7.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 8.1'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rake'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'react-rails', '>= 2.4.0', '< 2.5.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'react-rails', '>= 2.4.0', '< 3.0'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-collection_matchers'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-expectations'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-its'
@@ -52,6 +52,6 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_development_dependency 'shoulda'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'shoulda-matchers'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'spring-commands-rspec', '~> 1.0.4'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '~> 1.4.2' # see https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/35153, '~> 1.3.6'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'timecop', '~> 0.8.1'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '>= 1.4' # was ~> 1.4.2, see https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/35153
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'timecop', '>= 0.8.1'
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-model/lib/active_record_base.rb b/ruby/hyper-model/lib/active_record_base.rb
index def9de439..c156d8900 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-model/lib/active_record_base.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-model/lib/active_record_base.rb
@@ -21,7 +21,14 @@ def _synchromesh_scope_args_check(args)
 
       alias pre_hyperstack_has_and_belongs_to_many has_and_belongs_to_many unless RUBY_ENGINE == 'opal'
 
-      def has_and_belongs_to_many(other, opts = {}, &block)
+      # Ruby 3 / Rails 7+: options must be forwarded as keywords — a positional
+      # Hash lands in AR's `scope` param and crashes on scope.arity. Accept a
+      # legacy positional opts hash for backward compatibility.
+      def has_and_belongs_to_many(other, scope = nil, **opts, &block)
+        if scope.is_a?(Hash)
+          opts = scope.merge(opts)
+          scope = nil
+        end
         join_table_name = [other.to_s, table_name].sort.join('_')
         join_model_name = "HyperstackInternalHabtm#{join_table_name.singularize.camelize}"
         join_model =
@@ -42,7 +49,7 @@ def has_and_belongs_to_many(other, opts = {}, &block)
         else
           join_model.table_name = join_table_name
           join_model.belongs_to other
-          pre_hyperstack_has_and_belongs_to_many(other, opts, &block)
+          pre_hyperstack_has_and_belongs_to_many(other, scope, **opts, &block)
         end
       end
     end
@@ -281,16 +288,16 @@ def has_many(name, *args, &block)
             method_defined?(:"__secure_remote_access_to_#{name}"),
             &method(:regulate_relationship)
           )
-          pre_syncromesh_has_many name, *args, opts.except(:regulate), &block
+          pre_syncromesh_has_many name, *args, **opts.except(:regulate), &block
         end
 
         %i[belongs_to has_one composed_of].each do |macro|
           alias_method :"pre_syncromesh_#{macro}", macro
-          define_method(macro) do |name, *aargs, &block|
+          define_method(macro) do |name, *aargs, **kwargs, &block|
             define_method(:"__secure_remote_access_to_#{name}") do |this, _acting_user, *args|
               this.send(name, *args)
             end
-            send(:"pre_syncromesh_#{macro}", name, *aargs, &block)
+            send(:"pre_syncromesh_#{macro}", name, *aargs, **kwargs, &block)
           end
         end
       end
@@ -399,5 +406,6 @@ def __hyperstack_secure_attributes(acting_user)
     end
   end
 
-  InternalMetadata.do_not_synchronize if defined? InternalMetadata
+  # Rails 7.1+ changed InternalMetadata to no longer inherit from ActiveRecord::Base
+  InternalMetadata.do_not_synchronize if defined?(InternalMetadata) && InternalMetadata.respond_to?(:do_not_synchronize)
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-model/lib/hyper-model.rb b/ruby/hyper-model/lib/hyper-model.rb
index 93b5e51d0..e7324c702 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-model/lib/hyper-model.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-model/lib/hyper-model.rb
@@ -62,8 +62,8 @@
   require_relative 'active_record_base'
   require 'hyper_model/version'
 
-  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../sources/', __FILE__).untaint
-  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../', __FILE__).untaint
-  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../../vendor', __FILE__).untaint
+  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../sources/', __FILE__)
+  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../', __FILE__)
+  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../../vendor', __FILE__)
 end
 require 'enumerable/pluck'
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-model/lib/reactive_record/active_record/public_columns_hash.rb b/ruby/hyper-model/lib/reactive_record/active_record/public_columns_hash.rb
index ded9014f2..f24c0f689 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-model/lib/reactive_record/active_record/public_columns_hash.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-model/lib/reactive_record/active_record/public_columns_hash.rb
@@ -10,18 +10,30 @@ class Base
     def self.public_columns_hash
       @@hyper_stack_public_columns_hash_mutex.synchronize do
         return @public_columns_hash if @public_columns_hash && Rails.env.production?
-        files = []
+        @public_columns_hash = {}
         Hyperstack.public_model_directories.each do |dir|
           dir_length = Rails.root.join(dir).to_s.length + 1
           Dir.glob(Rails.root.join(dir, '**', '*.rb')).each do |file|
-            require_dependency(file) # still the file is loaded to make sure for development and test env
-            files << file[dir_length..-4]
-          end
-        end
-        @public_columns_hash = {}
-        # descendants only works for already loaded models!
-        descendants.each do |model|
-          if files.include?(model.name.underscore) && model.name.underscore != 'application_record'
+            class_path = file[dir_length..-4]
+            next if class_path == 'application_record'
+            # Resolve the constant by name first: when the public-directory file
+            # is a client-only mirror of a model defined elsewhere (and Zeitwerk
+            # ignores the mirror), this loads the REAL model instead of
+            # re-opening it with a mismatched superclass. Classic apps where the
+            # public file IS the model still autoload it the same way. Only if
+            # the constant cannot be autoloaded do we require the file itself.
+            model =
+              begin
+                class_path.camelize.constantize
+              rescue NameError, LoadError
+                begin
+                  require_dependency(file)
+                  class_path.camelize.constantize
+                rescue NameError, LoadError
+                  nil
+                end
+              end
+            next unless model.is_a?(Class) && model < ActiveRecord::Base
             @public_columns_hash[model.name] = model.columns_hash rescue nil # why rescue?
           end
         end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-model/lib/reactive_record/active_record/reactive_record/column_types.rb b/ruby/hyper-model/lib/reactive_record/active_record/reactive_record/column_types.rb
index dd967a255..334b162d9 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-model/lib/reactive_record/active_record/reactive_record/column_types.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-model/lib/reactive_record/active_record/reactive_record/column_types.rb
@@ -70,6 +70,11 @@ def convert(attr, val)
       conversion_method = "convert_#{column_type}"
       return send(conversion_method, val) if respond_to? conversion_method
       val
+    rescue StandardError
+      # Attribute readers can legitimately return values that don't match the
+      # column type (state machines, enum overrides, etc). Never let a failed
+      # conversion abort the merge — keep the server's raw value instead.
+      val
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-model/lib/reactive_record/permissions.rb b/ruby/hyper-model/lib/reactive_record/permissions.rb
index d074f5b8d..9b04ba18f 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-model/lib/reactive_record/permissions.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-model/lib/reactive_record/permissions.rb
@@ -74,12 +74,12 @@ class << self
     attr_reader :reactive_record_association_keys
 
     [:has_many, :belongs_to, :composed_of].each do |macro|
-      define_method "#{macro}_with_reactive_record_add_changed_method".to_sym do |attr_name, *args, &block|
+      define_method "#{macro}_with_reactive_record_add_changed_method".to_sym do |attr_name, *args, **kwargs, &block|
         define_method "#{attr_name}_changed?".to_sym do
           instance_variable_get "@reactive_record_#{attr_name}_changed".to_sym
         end
         (@reactive_record_association_keys ||= []) << attr_name
-        send "#{macro}_without_reactive_record_add_changed_method".to_sym, attr_name, *args, &block
+        send "#{macro}_without_reactive_record_add_changed_method".to_sym, attr_name, *args, **kwargs, &block
       end
       alias_method "#{macro}_without_reactive_record_add_changed_method".to_sym, macro
       alias_method macro, "#{macro}_with_reactive_record_add_changed_method".to_sym
@@ -87,8 +87,8 @@ class << self
 
     alias belongs_to_without_reactive_record_add_is_method belongs_to
 
-    def belongs_to(attr_name, *args)
-      belongs_to_without_reactive_record_add_is_method(attr_name, *args).tap do
+    def belongs_to(attr_name, *args, **kwargs)
+      belongs_to_without_reactive_record_add_is_method(attr_name, *args, **kwargs).tap do
         define_method "#{attr_name}_is?".to_sym do |model|
           attributes[self.class.reflections[attr_name.to_s].foreign_key] == model.id
         end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-operation/Gemfile b/ruby/hyper-operation/Gemfile
index e25c7a133..74646bbbf 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-operation/Gemfile
+++ b/ruby/hyper-operation/Gemfile
@@ -4,4 +4,5 @@ gem 'hyper-spec',       path: '../hyper-spec'
 gem 'hyperstack-config', path: '../hyperstack-config'
 gem 'hyper-state',      path: '../hyper-state'
 gem 'hyper-component',  path: '../hyper-component'
+gem 'rack', '< 3'  # puma <= 5.4 requires rack < 3 (rack/handler removed in rack 3)
 gemspec
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-operation/hyper-operation.gemspec b/ruby/hyper-operation/hyper-operation.gemspec
index 98358a6d8..f54d1abeb 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-operation/hyper-operation.gemspec
+++ b/ruby/hyper-operation/hyper-operation.gemspec
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_dependency 'tty-table'
 
   spec.add_development_dependency 'bundler'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'chromedriver-helper'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'database_cleaner'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-spec', Hyperstack::Operation::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency 'mysql2'
@@ -37,13 +36,13 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_development_dependency 'puma', '<= 5.4.0'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pusher'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pusher-fake'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 7.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 8.1'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rake'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'react-rails', '>= 2.4.0', '< 2.5.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'react-rails', '>= 2.4.0', '< 3.0'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'redis'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-rails'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-steps', '~> 2.1.1'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-wait'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '~> 1.4.2' # see https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/35153
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'timecop', '~> 0.8.1'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '>= 1.4' # was ~> 1.4.2, see https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/35153
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'timecop', '>= 0.8.1'
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation.rb b/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation.rb
index da470051f..c98d07adc 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation.rb
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ def titleize
   require 'hyper-operation/server_op'
   require 'hyper-operation/boot'
   Opal.use_gem 'mutations', false
-  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../sources/', __FILE__).untaint
-  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../', __FILE__).untaint
-  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../../vendor', __FILE__).untaint
+  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../sources/', __FILE__)
+  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../', __FILE__)
+  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../../vendor', __FILE__)
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/engine.rb b/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/engine.rb
index d7209b5f2..59bb46798 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/engine.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/engine.rb
@@ -7,5 +7,22 @@ class Engine < ::Rails::Engine
       g.assets false
       g.helper false
     end
+
+    # In development, code reloading wipes the regulations that policies
+    # install on model singleton classes, and Hyperstack.reset_operations
+    # only const_gets the policy once at boot. Re-reference the policy on
+    # every prepare cycle so its class body (the regulations) re-runs
+    # against the freshly reloaded models. Without this, the first code
+    # edit after boot silently 403s every ReactiveRecord fetch with
+    # AccessViolation:scoped_permission_not_granted.
+    config.to_prepare do
+      %w[ApplicationPolicy Hyperstack::ApplicationPolicy].each do |policy|
+        begin
+          Object.const_get policy
+        rescue LoadError, NameError
+          nil
+        end
+      end
+    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/transport/connection_adapter/active_record/auto_create.rb b/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/transport/connection_adapter/active_record/auto_create.rb
index 604ef62f3..c9b3634ae 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/transport/connection_adapter/active_record/auto_create.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/transport/connection_adapter/active_record/auto_create.rb
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ def needs_init?
           Hyperstack.transport != :none && Hyperstack.on_server? && !table_exists?
         end
 
-        def create_table(*args, &block)
-          connection.create_table(table_name, *args, &block) if needs_init?
+        def create_table(**kwargs, &block)
+          connection.create_table(table_name, **kwargs, &block) if needs_init?
         end
       end
     end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/transport/connection_adapter/active_record/queued_message.rb b/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/transport/connection_adapter/active_record/queued_message.rb
index 363dc8e11..cae23f963 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/transport/connection_adapter/active_record/queued_message.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/transport/connection_adapter/active_record/queued_message.rb
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ class QueuedMessage < ::ActiveRecord::Base
 
         do_not_synchronize
 
-        serialize :data
+        serialize :data, coder: YAML
 
         belongs_to :hyperstack_connection,
                    class_name:  'Hyperstack::ConnectionAdapter::ActiveRecord::Connection',
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/transport/hyperstack.rb b/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/transport/hyperstack.rb
index 31de6917e..2dec6dada 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/transport/hyperstack.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-operation/lib/hyper-operation/transport/hyperstack.rb
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ def self.send_data(channel, data)
     elsif transport == :pusher
       pusher.trigger("#{Hyperstack.channel}-#{data[1][:channel].gsub('::', '==')}", *data)
     elsif transport == :action_cable
-      ActionCable.server.broadcast("hyperstack-#{channel}", message: data[0], data: data[1])
+      ActionCable.server.broadcast("hyperstack-#{channel}", { message: data[0], data: data[1] })
     end
   end
 
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ def self.channel
   end
 
   def self.authorization(salt, channel, session_id)
-    secret_key = Rails.application.secrets[:secret_key_base]
+    secret_key = Rails.application.secret_key_base
     Digest::SHA1.hexdigest(
       "salt: #{salt}, channel: #{channel}, session_id: #{session_id}, secret_key: #{secret_key}"
     )
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-operation/spec/test_app/config/database.yml b/ruby/hyper-operation/spec/test_app/config/database.yml
index 053a2a7bf..a25d807d4 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-operation/spec/test_app/config/database.yml
+++ b/ruby/hyper-operation/spec/test_app/config/database.yml
@@ -29,7 +29,10 @@
 default: &default
   adapter: mysql2
   encoding: utf8
-  username: root
+  username: <%= ENV['DB_USER'] || 'root' %>
+  password: <%= ENV['DB_PASSWORD'] || '' %>
+  host: <%= ENV['DB_HOST'] || '127.0.0.1' %>
+  port: 3306
 
 development:
   <<: *default
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-router/Gemfile b/ruby/hyper-router/Gemfile
index d9fd30e39..dea14ddd0 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-router/Gemfile
+++ b/ruby/hyper-router/Gemfile
@@ -5,4 +5,5 @@ gem 'hyperstack-config', path: '../hyperstack-config'
 gem 'hyper-state',       path: '../hyper-state'
 gem 'hyper-component',   path: '../hyper-component'
 gem 'hyper-store',       path: '../hyper-store'
+gem 'rack', '< 3'  # puma <= 5.4 requires rack < 3 (rack/handler removed in rack 3)
 gemspec
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-router/hyper-router.gemspec b/ruby/hyper-router/hyper-router.gemspec
index c6d186d38..ee7f3d45b 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-router/hyper-router.gemspec
+++ b/ruby/hyper-router/hyper-router.gemspec
@@ -19,17 +19,16 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_dependency 'hyper-state', HyperRouter::VERSION
 
   spec.add_development_dependency 'bundler'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'chromedriver-helper'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-spec', HyperRouter::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-store', HyperRouter::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency 'listen'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'mini_racer', '< 0.4.0' # something is busted with 0.4.0 and its libv8-node dependency
+  # spec.add_development_dependency 'mini_racer' # fails to compile on Ubuntu 24.04; Node.js used instead; prerendering_on tests skipped in CI
   spec.add_development_dependency 'opal-rails'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'opal-jquery'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pry-rescue'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pry-stack_explorer'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'puma', '<= 5.4.0'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 7.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 8.1'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rake'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-collection_matchers'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-expectations'
@@ -39,6 +38,6 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-steps', '~> 2.1.1'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'shoulda'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'shoulda-matchers'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '~> 1.4.2' # see https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/35153
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'timecop', '~> 0.8.1'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '>= 1.4' # was ~> 1.4.2, see https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/35153
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'timecop', '>= 0.8.1'
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-router/lib/hyper-router.rb b/ruby/hyper-router/lib/hyper-router.rb
index c334dddd1..1770ec9ba 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-router/lib/hyper-router.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-router/lib/hyper-router.rb
@@ -25,5 +25,5 @@
   require 'hyperstack/internal/router/isomorphic_methods'
   require 'hyperstack/router/version'
 
-  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../', __FILE__).untaint
+  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../', __FILE__)
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-router/spec/spec_helper.rb b/ruby/hyper-router/spec/spec_helper.rb
index b600a261c..6c83ab018 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-router/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-router/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -17,14 +17,20 @@
 RSpec.configure do |config|
 
   config.before :suite do
-    MiniRacer_Backup = MiniRacer
-    Object.send(:remove_const, :MiniRacer)
+    if defined?(MiniRacer)
+      MiniRacer_Backup = MiniRacer
+      Object.send(:remove_const, :MiniRacer)
+    end
   end
 
   config.around(:each, :prerendering_on) do |example|
-    MiniRacer = MiniRacer_Backup
-    example.run
-    Object.send(:remove_const, :MiniRacer)
+    if defined?(MiniRacer_Backup)
+      MiniRacer = MiniRacer_Backup
+      example.run
+      Object.send(:remove_const, :MiniRacer)
+    else
+      skip 'mini_racer not available; skipping prerendering test'
+    end
   end
 
   config.after :each do
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-spec/hyper-spec.gemspec b/ruby/hyper-spec/hyper-spec.gemspec
index 2e11da315..757b8bbc1 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-spec/hyper-spec.gemspec
+++ b/ruby/hyper-spec/hyper-spec.gemspec
@@ -22,28 +22,26 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec| # rubocop:disable Metrics/BlockLength
 
   spec.add_dependency 'actionview'
   spec.add_dependency 'capybara'
-  spec.add_dependency 'chromedriver-helper', '1.2.0'
   spec.add_dependency 'filecache'
   spec.add_dependency 'method_source'
   spec.add_dependency 'opal', ENV['OPAL_VERSION'] || '>= 0.11.0', '< 2.0'
   spec.add_dependency 'parser'
   spec.add_dependency 'rspec'
-  spec.add_dependency 'selenium-webdriver'
-  spec.add_dependency 'timecop', '~> 0.8.1'
+  spec.add_dependency 'selenium-webdriver', '>= 4.11'
+  spec.add_dependency 'timecop', '>= 0.8.1'
   spec.add_dependency 'uglifier'
-  spec.add_dependency 'unparser', '>= 0.4.2'
-  spec.add_dependency 'webdrivers'
+  spec.add_dependency 'unparser', '>= 0.4.2', '< 0.6.4' # 0.6.4+ emits Ruby 3.1 shorthand hash syntax ({ foo: }) that Opal cannot parse
 
   spec.add_development_dependency 'bundler'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-component', HyperSpec::VERSION
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'mini_racer', '< 0.4.0' # something is busted with 0.4.0 and its libv8-node dependency
+  # spec.add_development_dependency 'mini_racer' # fails to compile on Ubuntu 24.04; Node.js used instead; prerendering_on tests skipped in CI
   spec.add_development_dependency 'opal-rails', '>= 0.9.4'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pry-rescue'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pry-stack_explorer'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'puma', '<= 5.4.0'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 7.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 8.1'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rake'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'react-rails', '>= 2.3.0', '< 2.5.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'react-rails', '>= 2.3.0', '< 3.0'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-rails'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-collection_matchers'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-expectations'
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec.rb b/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec.rb
index f1ab52569..28bdf05db 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec.rb
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 require 'unparser'
 require 'method_source'
 require 'filecache'
-require 'webdrivers'
 
 
 require 'capybara/rspec'
@@ -246,6 +245,17 @@ def self.on_server?
     Capybara::Selenium::Driver.new(app, browser: :chrome, options: options)
   end
 
+  # GitHub Actions: Selenium Manager (selenium-webdriver >= 4.11) finds chromedriver automatically
+  Capybara.register_driver :chrome_headless_github_actions do |app|
+    options = ::Selenium::WebDriver::Chrome::Options.new
+    options.add_argument('--headless')
+    options.add_argument('--no-sandbox')
+    options.add_argument('--disable-dev-shm-usage')
+    options.add_argument('--disable-gpu')
+    options.add_option('goog:loggingPrefs', { browser: 'WARNING' })
+    Capybara::Selenium::Driver.new(app, browser: :chrome, options: options)
+  end
+
   Capybara.register_driver :firefox_headless do |app|
     options = Selenium::WebDriver::Firefox::Options.new
     options.headless!
@@ -275,6 +285,7 @@ def self.on_server?
     when 'headless' then :selenium_chrome_headless
     when 'safari' then :safari
     when 'travis' then :chrome_headless_docker_travis
+    when 'github' then :chrome_headless_github_actions
     else :selenium_chrome_headless
     end
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec/internal/client_execution.rb b/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec/internal/client_execution.rb
index 39d3666fb..0a472b9be 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec/internal/client_execution.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec/internal/client_execution.rb
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ def add_promise_execute_and_wait(str, opts)
             sleep 0.25
           end
         end
-        JSON.parse(page.evaluate_script('window.hyper_spec_promise_result.$to_json()'), opts).first
+        JSON.parse(page.evaluate_script('(function(r){return (r && typeof r.$to_json==="function")?r.$to_json():JSON.stringify(r);})(window.hyper_spec_promise_result)'), opts).first
       end
 
       def add_promise_wrapper(str)
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec/internal/patches.rb b/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec/internal/patches.rb
index d5f13c3f6..c0b23495e 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec/internal/patches.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec/internal/patches.rb
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ module Opal
   # and prints offending code if it can't be compiled
   def self.hyperspec_compile(str, opts = {})
     compile(str, opts).gsub("// Prepare super implicit arguments\n", '')
-                .delete("\n").gsub('(Opal);', '(Opal)')
+                .gsub('(Opal);', '(Opal)')
   # rubocop:disable Lint/RescueException
   # we are going to reraise it anyway, so its fine to catch EVERYTHING!
   rescue Exception => e
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec/internal/time_cop.rb b/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec/internal/time_cop.rb
index 35437a9f2..bb6555006 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec/internal/time_cop.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-spec/lib/hyper-spec/internal/time_cop.rb
@@ -164,15 +164,13 @@ def run_pending_evaluations
 
   # Monkey patches to call our Lolex interface
   class Timecop
-    private
-
     def travel(mock_type, *args, &block)
       raise SafeModeException if Timecop.safe_mode? && !block_given?
 
       stack_item = TimeStackItem.new(mock_type, *args)
 
-      stack_backup = @_stack.dup
-      @_stack << stack_item
+      stack_backup = stack.dup
+      stack << stack_item
 
       Lolex.push(mock_type, *args)
 
@@ -181,25 +179,25 @@ def travel(mock_type, *args, &block)
           yield stack_item.time
         ensure
           Lolex.pop
-          @_stack.replace stack_backup
+          set_stack stack_backup
         end
       end
     end
 
     def return(&block)
-      current_stack = @_stack
-      current_baseline = @baseline
+      current_stack = stack
+      current_baseline = baseline
       unmock!
       yield
     ensure
       Lolex.restore
-      @_stack = current_stack
-      @baseline = current_baseline
+      set_stack current_stack
+      set_baseline current_baseline
     end
 
     def unmock! #:nodoc:
-      @baseline = nil
-      @_stack = []
+      set_baseline nil
+      set_stack []
       Lolex.unmock
     end
   end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-state/Gemfile b/ruby/hyper-state/Gemfile
index 7281f46f2..3362dd0b3 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-state/Gemfile
+++ b/ruby/hyper-state/Gemfile
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 source 'https://rubygems.org'
 gem 'hyper-spec',       path: '../hyper-spec'
+gem 'rack', '< 3'  # puma <= 5.4 requires rack < 3 (rack/handler removed in rack 3)
 gem 'hyperstack-config', path: '../hyperstack-config'
 gem 'hyper-component',  path: '../hyper-component'
 gemspec
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-state/hyper-state.gemspec b/ruby/hyper-state/hyper-state.gemspec
index 1917a787a..e09806dec 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-state/hyper-state.gemspec
+++ b/ruby/hyper-state/hyper-state.gemspec
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_dependency 'hyperstack-config', Hyperstack::State::VERSION
 
   spec.add_development_dependency 'bundler'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'chromedriver-helper'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-component', Hyperstack::State::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-spec', Hyperstack::State::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency 'listen'
@@ -30,13 +29,13 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pry-rescue'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pry-stack_explorer'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'puma', '<= 5.4.0'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 7.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 8.1'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rake'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'react-rails', '>= 2.4.0', '< 2.5.0'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec', '~> 3.7.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'react-rails', '>= 2.4.0', '< 3.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec', '>= 3.7.0'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-rails'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-steps', '~> 2.1.1'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rubocop' #, '~> 0.51.0'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '~> 1.4.2' # see https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/35153
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'timecop', '~> 0.8.1'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '>= 1.4' # was ~> 1.4.2, see https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/35153
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'timecop', '>= 0.8.1'
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-state/lib/hyper-state.rb b/ruby/hyper-state/lib/hyper-state.rb
index c5f3e3224..ec44a44af 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-state/lib/hyper-state.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-state/lib/hyper-state.rb
@@ -16,5 +16,5 @@
   require 'ext/object_space'
 else
   require 'opal'
-  Opal.append_path(File.expand_path('../', __FILE__).untaint)
+  Opal.append_path(File.expand_path('../', __FILE__))
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-store/Gemfile b/ruby/hyper-store/Gemfile
index 60af4a528..0e5133dc2 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-store/Gemfile
+++ b/ruby/hyper-store/Gemfile
@@ -3,4 +3,5 @@ gem 'hyper-spec',       path: '../hyper-spec'
 gem 'hyperstack-config', path: '../hyperstack-config'
 gem 'hyper-component',  path: '../hyper-component'
 gem 'hyper-state', path: '../hyper-state'
+gem 'rack', '< 3'  # puma <= 5.4 requires rack < 3 (rack/handler removed in rack 3)
 gemspec
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-store/hyper-store.gemspec b/ruby/hyper-store/hyper-store.gemspec
index 7fb885a73..a25128bf6 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-store/hyper-store.gemspec
+++ b/ruby/hyper-store/hyper-store.gemspec
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_dependency 'hyperstack-config', Hyperstack::Legacy::Store::VERSION
 
   spec.add_development_dependency 'bundler'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'chromedriver-helper'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-component', Hyperstack::Legacy::Store::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-spec', Hyperstack::Legacy::Store::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency 'listen'
@@ -31,14 +30,14 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pry-rescue'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pry-stack_explorer'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'puma', '<= 5.4.0'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 7.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 8.1'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rake'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'react-rails', '>= 2.4.0', '< 2.5.0'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec', '~> 3.7.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'react-rails', '>= 2.4.0', '< 3.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec', '>= 3.7.0'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-rails'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-steps', '~> 2.1.1'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rubocop' #, '~> 0.51.0'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '~> 1.4.2'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'timecop', '~> 0.8.1'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '>= 1.4'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'timecop', '>= 0.8.1'
 
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-store/lib/hyper-store.rb b/ruby/hyper-store/lib/hyper-store.rb
index 3e6a072b0..1d95db07b 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-store/lib/hyper-store.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-store/lib/hyper-store.rb
@@ -25,5 +25,5 @@ class BaseStoreClass < BasicObject
 
 if RUBY_ENGINE != 'opal'
   require 'opal'
-  Opal.append_path(File.expand_path('../', __FILE__).untaint)
+  Opal.append_path(File.expand_path('../', __FILE__))
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-trace/hyper-trace.gemspec b/ruby/hyper-trace/hyper-trace.gemspec
index 0be02035e..d167e26c3 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-trace/hyper-trace.gemspec
+++ b/ruby/hyper-trace/hyper-trace.gemspec
@@ -22,6 +22,5 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
   spec.add_dependency 'hyperstack-config', HyperTrace::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-spec', HyperTrace::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency "bundler"
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'chromedriver-helper'
   spec.add_development_dependency "rake"
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyper-trace/lib/hyper-trace.rb b/ruby/hyper-trace/lib/hyper-trace.rb
index a291bd4ec..30d438d8d 100644
--- a/ruby/hyper-trace/lib/hyper-trace.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyper-trace/lib/hyper-trace.rb
@@ -4,5 +4,5 @@
   require 'hyper_trace/react_trace.rb'
 else
   require 'opal'
-  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../', __FILE__).untaint
+  Opal.append_path File.expand_path('../', __FILE__)
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyperstack-config/Gemfile b/ruby/hyperstack-config/Gemfile
index 7b292c5a3..4e7c7cd93 100644
--- a/ruby/hyperstack-config/Gemfile
+++ b/ruby/hyperstack-config/Gemfile
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 source 'https://rubygems.org'
 gem 'hyper-spec', path: '../hyper-spec'
+gem 'rack', '< 3'  # puma <= 5.4 requires rack < 3 (rack/handler removed in rack 3)
 # gem 'opal-browser', git: 'https://github.com/opal/opal-browser'
 gemspec
diff --git a/ruby/hyperstack-config/hyperstack-config.gemspec b/ruby/hyperstack-config/hyperstack-config.gemspec
index 584a25fd2..9e5d9b37e 100644
--- a/ruby/hyperstack-config/hyperstack-config.gemspec
+++ b/ruby/hyperstack-config/hyperstack-config.gemspec
@@ -23,22 +23,21 @@ Gem::Specification.new do |spec|
 
   spec.add_dependency 'listen', '~> 3.0' # for hot loader
   # spec.add_dependency 'mini_racer', '~> 0.2.6'
-  spec.add_dependency 'opal', ENV['OPAL_VERSION'] || '>= 0.11.0', '< 1.1'
+  spec.add_dependency 'opal', ENV['OPAL_VERSION'] || '>= 1.7.0', '< 2.0'
   spec.add_dependency 'opal-browser'  # this is needed everywhere else so its loaded here
   spec.add_dependency 'uglifier'
   spec.add_dependency 'websocket' # for hot loader
 
   spec.add_development_dependency 'bundler'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'chromedriver-helper'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'opal-rails' #, '>= 0.9.4', '< 2.0'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pry-rescue'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pry-stack_explorer'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'puma', '<= 5.4.0'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 7.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 8.1'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rake'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec', '~> 3.7.0'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec', '>= 3.7.0'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-rails'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rubocop' #, '~> 0.51.0'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '~> 1.4.2' # see https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/35153
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'timecop', '~> 0.8.1'
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '>= 1.4' # was ~> 1.4.2, see https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/35153
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'timecop', '>= 0.8.1'
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyperstack-config/lib/hyperstack-config.rb b/ruby/hyperstack-config/lib/hyperstack-config.rb
index f7bca1555..67755b834 100644
--- a/ruby/hyperstack-config/lib/hyperstack-config.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyperstack-config/lib/hyperstack-config.rb
@@ -58,6 +58,6 @@ def self.naming_convention
   Hyperstack.import 'hyperstack/autoloader_starter'
   # based on the environment pick the directory containing the file with the matching
   # value for the client.  This avoids use of ERB for builds outside of sprockets environment
-  Opal.append_path(File.expand_path("../hyperstack/environment/#{Hyperstack.env}/", __FILE__).untaint)
-  Opal.append_path(File.expand_path('../', __FILE__).untaint)
+  Opal.append_path(File.expand_path("../hyperstack/environment/#{Hyperstack.env}/", __FILE__))
+  Opal.append_path(File.expand_path('../', __FILE__))
 end
diff --git a/ruby/hyperstack-config/lib/hyperstack/imports.rb b/ruby/hyperstack-config/lib/hyperstack/imports.rb
index bbcad2745..650251c62 100644
--- a/ruby/hyperstack-config/lib/hyperstack/imports.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyperstack-config/lib/hyperstack/imports.rb
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ def handle_webpack
 
     def add_inflections(sys)
       return [] unless sys
-      ["puts \"require 'config/initializers/inflections.rb'\""] +
+      ["puts \"require 'config/initializers/inflections.rb'\"", inflections_compatibility_shim] +
         File.open(Rails.root.join('config', 'initializers', 'inflections.rb'), &:readlines).tap do
           log_import "    require 'config/initializers/inflections.rb'"
         end
@@ -74,6 +74,21 @@ def add_inflections(sys)
       []
     end
 
+    # opal-activesupport's Inflections lacks some newer methods (e.g. acronym),
+    # so a host app's inflections.rb can crash the client bundle at boot.
+    # Stub the missing pieces before inlining the app's file.
+    def inflections_compatibility_shim
+      <<-RUBY
+        unless ActiveSupport::Inflector::Inflections.method_defined?(:acronym)
+          class ActiveSupport::Inflector::Inflections
+            def acronym(word)
+              (@acronyms ||= {})[word.downcase] = word
+            end
+          end
+        end
+      RUBY
+    end
+
     def add_opal(sys)
       return [] unless sys
 
diff --git a/ruby/hyperstack-config/lib/hyperstack/rail_tie.rb b/ruby/hyperstack-config/lib/hyperstack/rail_tie.rb
index acb24120c..f70f4c963 100644
--- a/ruby/hyperstack-config/lib/hyperstack/rail_tie.rb
+++ b/ruby/hyperstack-config/lib/hyperstack/rail_tie.rb
@@ -44,11 +44,13 @@ def auto_config=(on)
             #   config.assets.paths.delete(hps)
             #   config.assets.paths.unshift(hps)
             # end
-            config.assets.paths.unshift ::Rails.root.join('app', 'hyperstack').to_s
-            if Rails.const_defined? 'Hyperstack::Console'
-              config.assets.precompile += %w( hyper-console-client.css )
-              config.assets.precompile += %w( hyper-console-client.min.js )
-              config.assets.precompile += %w( action_cable.js ) if Rails.const_defined? 'ActionCable'
+            if config.respond_to?(:assets)
+              config.assets.paths.unshift ::Rails.root.join('app', 'hyperstack').to_s
+              if Rails.const_defined? 'Hyperstack::Console'
+                config.assets.precompile += %w( hyper-console-client.css )
+                config.assets.precompile += %w( hyper-console-client.min.js )
+                config.assets.precompile += %w( action_cable.js ) if Rails.const_defined? 'ActionCable'
+              end
             end
          else
             delete_first config.eager_load_paths, "#{config.root}/app/hyperstack/models"
@@ -63,7 +65,7 @@ def auto_config=(on)
             delete_first config.autoload_paths, "#{config.root}/app/hyperstack/shared"
 
 
-            delete_first config.assets.paths, ::Rails.root.join('app', 'hyperstack').to_s
+            delete_first config.assets.paths, ::Rails.root.join('app', 'hyperstack').to_s if config.respond_to?(:assets)
           end
         end
         super
@@ -78,6 +80,14 @@ def auto_config=(on)
       config.hyperstack.auto_config = true
     end
 
+    # Hyperstack components are Opal/client-side code compiled by Sprockets.
+    # Tell Zeitwerk to ignore them so they are never autoloaded or eager-loaded
+    # server-side. Without this, CI environments (eager_load=true) alphabetically
+    # load component files before HyperComponent is defined, causing NameError.
+    initializer "hyperstack.ignore_client_only_paths" do
+      Rails.autoloaders.main.ignore(Rails.root.join('app/hyperstack/components'))
+    end
+
     config.after_initialize do |app|
       next unless [:on, 'on', true].include?(config.hyperstack.auto_config)
       # possible alternative way
diff --git a/ruby/rails-hyperstack/lib/hyperstack/server_side_auto_require.rb b/ruby/rails-hyperstack/lib/hyperstack/server_side_auto_require.rb
index ee500361c..14aeb98e4 100644
--- a/ruby/rails-hyperstack/lib/hyperstack/server_side_auto_require.rb
+++ b/ruby/rails-hyperstack/lib/hyperstack/server_side_auto_require.rb
@@ -17,15 +17,20 @@ module ActiveSupport
   module Dependencies
     HYPERSTACK_DIR = "hyperstack"
     class << self
-      alias original_require_or_load require_or_load
-
       # before requiring_or_loading a file, first check if
       # we have the same file in the server side directory
       # and add that as a dependency
 
-      def require_or_load(file_name, const_path = nil)
-        add_server_side_dependency(file_name) { |load_path| require_dependency load_path }
-        original_require_or_load(file_name, const_path)
+      # require_or_load was removed in Rails 7.2 (only used by the classic autoloader)
+      if respond_to?(:require_or_load, true)
+        alias original_require_or_load require_or_load
+
+        def require_or_load(file_name, const_path = nil)
+          add_server_side_dependency(file_name) do |load_path|
+            respond_to?(:require_dependency) ? require_dependency(load_path) : require(load_path)
+          end
+          original_require_or_load(file_name, const_path)
+        end
       end
 
       # search the filename path from the end towards the beginning
diff --git a/ruby/rails-hyperstack/rails-hyperstack.gemspec b/ruby/rails-hyperstack/rails-hyperstack.gemspec
index 498118adc..5ca60d834 100644
--- a/ruby/rails-hyperstack/rails-hyperstack.gemspec
+++ b/ruby/rails-hyperstack/rails-hyperstack.gemspec
@@ -59,21 +59,20 @@ You can control how much of the stack gets installed as well:
   spec.add_dependency 'hyper-router', Hyperstack::ROUTERVERSION
   spec.add_dependency 'hyperstack-config', Hyperstack::VERSION
   spec.add_dependency 'opal-rails'
-  spec.add_dependency 'opal', ENV['OPAL_VERSION'] || '>= 0.11.0', '< 1.1'
-  spec.add_dependency 'react-rails', '>= 2.4.0', '< 2.5.0'
+  spec.add_dependency 'opal', ENV['OPAL_VERSION'] || '>= 1.7.0', '< 2.0'
+  spec.add_dependency 'react-rails', '>= 2.4.0', '< 3.0'
   # spec.add_dependency 'mini_racer', '~> 0.2.6'
   # spec.add_dependency 'libv8', '~> 7.3.492.27.1'
-  spec.add_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 7.0'
+  spec.add_dependency 'rails', ENV['RAILS_VERSION'] || '>= 5.0.0', '< 8.1'
 
   spec.add_development_dependency 'bundler'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'chromedriver-helper'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'hyper-spec', Hyperstack::VERSION
   spec.add_development_dependency 'pry'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'puma', '<= 5.4.0'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'bootsnap'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rspec-rails'
   spec.add_development_dependency 'rubocop' #, '~> 0.51.0'
-  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '~> 1.4' # was 1.3.6 -- see https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/35153
+  spec.add_development_dependency 'sqlite3', '>= 1.4' # was ~> 1.4, see https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/35153
   spec.add_development_dependency 'sass-rails', '>= 5.0'
   # Use Uglifier as compressor for JavaScript assets
   spec.add_development_dependency 'uglifier', '>= 1.3.0'