diff --git a/systems/input/controls_manager.gd b/systems/input/controls_manager.gd
index 8e1a7ea..4e4d3fe 100644
--- a/systems/input/controls_manager.gd
+++ b/systems/input/controls_manager.gd
@@ -22,10 +22,26 @@ const REBINDABLE_ACTIONS: PackedStringArray = [
 
 
 func _ready() -> void:
+	_ensure_gamepad_confirm_binding()
 	load_saved()
 	_install_web_fullscreen_hook()
 
 
+## Godot's built-in ui_accept (menu/button confirm) ships with zero joypad bindings —
+## checked directly: only Enter/Kp Enter/Space. ui_left/right/up/down, by contrast, do
+## default to the D-pad and stick, which is why gamepad focus navigation on a menu works out
+## of the box while "confirming" the focused button does nothing. Bind both the Xbox-style
+## bottom face button (A, index 0) and the right-hand one (B, index 1 — physically labelled
+## "A" on a Nintendo-layout pad, since SDL/browser gamepad mapping normalizes to Xbox
+## *position*, not the printed label) so either the common "confirm" button works.
+func _ensure_gamepad_confirm_binding() -> void:
+	for button_index in [JOY_BUTTON_A, JOY_BUTTON_B]:
+		var alt := InputEventJoypadButton.new()
+		alt.button_index = button_index
+		if not InputMap.action_has_event(&"ui_accept", alt):
+			InputMap.action_add_event(&"ui_accept", alt)
+
+
 # ── Web fullscreen + landscape lock ─────────────────────────────────────────────
 # The reliable way to force fullscreen on the web: install a NATIVE DOM listener that calls
 # requestFullscreen() synchronously inside the real user-gesture event — the same thing