diff --git a/api/src/export.test.ts b/api/src/export.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d7106d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/src/export.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+import { describe, test, expect, beforeAll, afterAll } from "bun:test";
+import { db } from "./db/client";
+import { chunkSections } from "./db/schema";
+import { getExportSections, MAX_EXPORT_CHUNKS } from "./export";
+import { createTestServer, deleteTestServer } from "./test-helpers";
+
+describe("getExportSections", () => {
+  let server: { id: string };
+
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    server = await createTestServer("export-region");
+    await db.insert(chunkSections).values([
+      { serverId: server.id, dimension: 0, x: 0, z: 0, sectionY: 4, blocks: "AAAA" },
+      { serverId: server.id, dimension: 0, x: 0, z: 0, sectionY: 5, blocks: "BBBB" },
+      { serverId: server.id, dimension: 0, x: 1, z: 0, sectionY: 4, blocks: "CCCC" },
+      // outside the queried range below — must not be returned.
+      { serverId: server.id, dimension: 0, x: 50, z: 50, sectionY: 4, blocks: "ZZZZ" },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  afterAll(async () => {
+    await deleteTestServer(server.id);
+  });
+
+  test("returns only sections within the requested chunk range", async () => {
+    const result = await getExportSections(server.id, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0);
+    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (!result.ok) return;
+    expect(result.sections).toHaveLength(3);
+    expect(result.sections.map((s) => s.blocks).sort()).toEqual(["AAAA", "BBBB", "CCCC"]);
+  });
+
+  test("normalizes swapped min/max chunk coordinates", async () => {
+    const result = await getExportSections(server.id, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0);
+    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (!result.ok) return;
+    expect(result.sections).toHaveLength(3);
+  });
+
+  test("returns an empty list, not an error, for a chunk-empty area", async () => {
+    const result = await getExportSections(server.id, 0, 900, 900, 901, 901);
+    expect(result).toEqual({ ok: true, sections: [] });
+  });
+
+  test("rejects a selection larger than the area cap", async () => {
+    const tooFar = Math.ceil(Math.sqrt(MAX_EXPORT_CHUNKS + 1)) - 1;
+    const result = await getExportSections(server.id, 0, 0, 0, tooFar + 1, tooFar + 1);
+    expect(result).toEqual({ ok: false, error: "selection_too_large" });
+  });
+
+  test("accepts a selection exactly at the area cap", async () => {
+    const side = Math.floor(Math.sqrt(MAX_EXPORT_CHUNKS));
+    const result = await getExportSections(server.id, 0, 2000, 2000, 2000 + side - 1, 2000 + side - 1);
+    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/api/src/export.ts b/api/src/export.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..10556f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/src/export.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+import { and, eq, gte, lte } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { db } from "./db/client";
+import { chunkSections } from "./db/schema";
+
+// "A handful of chunks square" per the plan's region-export guardrail — keeps client-side
+// meshing/glTF assembly feasible on typical laptop hardware. 8x8 chunks = 128x128 blocks.
+export const MAX_EXPORT_CHUNKS = 64;
+
+export type ExportSection = { x: number; z: number; sectionY: number; blocks: string };
+export type GetExportSectionsResult = { ok: true; sections: ExportSection[] } | { ok: false; error: string };
+
+/**
+ * Streams the full-height raw block data (base64, same format the mod sends — see
+ * chunkSections' doc comment) for an X-Z chunk footprint, so the browser can mesh and export it
+ * itself (see the plan's "Feature: 2D region select..." section) — no server-side meshing here.
+ */
+export async function getExportSections(
+  serverId: string,
+  dimension: number,
+  chunkX1: number,
+  chunkZ1: number,
+  chunkX2: number,
+  chunkZ2: number,
+): Promise<GetExportSectionsResult> {
+  const x1 = Math.min(chunkX1, chunkX2);
+  const x2 = Math.max(chunkX1, chunkX2);
+  const z1 = Math.min(chunkZ1, chunkZ2);
+  const z2 = Math.max(chunkZ1, chunkZ2);
+
+  const area = (x2 - x1 + 1) * (z2 - z1 + 1);
+  if (area > MAX_EXPORT_CHUNKS) {
+    return { ok: false, error: "selection_too_large" };
+  }
+
+  const rows = await db
+    .select({ x: chunkSections.x, z: chunkSections.z, sectionY: chunkSections.sectionY, blocks: chunkSections.blocks })
+    .from(chunkSections)
+    .where(
+      and(
+        eq(chunkSections.serverId, serverId),
+        eq(chunkSections.dimension, dimension),
+        gte(chunkSections.x, x1),
+        lte(chunkSections.x, x2),
+        gte(chunkSections.z, z1),
+        lte(chunkSections.z, z2),
+      ),
+    );
+
+  return { ok: true, sections: rows };
+}
diff --git a/api/src/index.test.ts b/api/src/index.test.ts
index f4d963c..00e6d62 100644
--- a/api/src/index.test.ts
+++ b/api/src/index.test.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { meshPointers, tilePointers } from "./db/schema";
 import { minio, TILE_BUCKET } from "./minio";
 import { createTestServer, deleteTestServer, createTestSession } from "./test-helpers";
 import { storeLinkCode } from "./link";
+import { chunkSections } from "./db/schema";
 
 // Elysia's `.handle()` drives the app in-process against a plain Request/Response, without
 // binding a real port — avoids racing a real running instance for the port (see MCMapper's
@@ -315,3 +316,37 @@ describe("marker routes", () => {
     expect(body.error).toBe("server_not_connected");
   });
 });
+
+describe("GET /api/export/:serverId/:dimension/:x1/:z1/:x2/:z2", () => {
+  let server: { id: string };
+
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    server = await createTestServer("export-route");
+    await db.insert(chunkSections).values({
+      serverId: server.id,
+      dimension: 0,
+      x: 3,
+      z: 4,
+      sectionY: 4,
+      blocks: "AAAA",
+    });
+  });
+
+  afterAll(async () => {
+    await deleteTestServer(server.id);
+  });
+
+  test("needs no session (region export is read-only public data)", async () => {
+    const res = await get(`/api/export/${server.id}/0/3/4/3/4`);
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+    const body = (await res.json()) as any;
+    expect(body.sections).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(body.sections[0].blocks).toBe("AAAA");
+  });
+
+  test("400s a too-large selection", async () => {
+    const res = await get(`/api/export/${server.id}/0/0/0/100/100`);
+    expect(res.status).toBe(400);
+    expect((await res.json()) as any).toEqual({ ok: false, error: "selection_too_large" });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/api/src/index.ts b/api/src/index.ts
index 65937e2..f26fd2e 100644
--- a/api/src/index.ts
+++ b/api/src/index.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { chatGateway } from "./chat-gateway";
 import { minio, TILE_BUCKET, ensureTileBucket } from "./minio";
 import { redeemLinkCode, getAccountForSession, revokeSession } from "./link";
 import { createMarker, listMarkers, deleteMarker, updateMarker, shareMarkerToChat } from "./markers";
+import { getExportSections } from "./export";
 
 const MARKER_SHARE_ERROR_STATUS: Record<string, number> = {
   not_found: 404,
@@ -210,6 +211,24 @@ export const app = new Elysia()
     if (!result.ok) set.status = MARKER_SHARE_ERROR_STATUS[result.error] ?? 400;
     return result;
   })
+  // Unauthenticated on purpose, same as tile/mesh serving — this is read-only, scoped to
+  // already-public rendered-world data (see the plan's "Feature: 2D region select..." section).
+  // Coordinates are chunk coordinates, not block coordinates.
+  .get("/api/export/:serverId/:dimension/:x1/:z1/:x2/:z2", async ({ params, set }) => {
+    const result = await getExportSections(
+      params.serverId,
+      Number(params.dimension),
+      Number(params.x1),
+      Number(params.z1),
+      Number(params.x2),
+      Number(params.z2),
+    );
+    if (!result.ok) {
+      set.status = 400;
+      return result;
+    }
+    return result;
+  })
   .ws("/ws", {
     open: wsGateway.open,
     message: wsGateway.message,
diff --git a/frontend/src/index.ts b/frontend/src/index.ts
index 33d2140..f6c281c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/index.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/index.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,12 @@ const app = new Elysia()
   .get("/js/colors.js", () => Bun.file(join(import.meta.dir, "public/js/colors.js")))
   .get("/js/mesh.js", () => Bun.file(join(import.meta.dir, "public/js/mesh.js")))
   .get("/js/mesh-format.js", () => Bun.file(join(import.meta.dir, "public/js/mesh-format.js")))
+  .get("/js/block-colors.js", () => Bun.file(join(import.meta.dir, "public/js/block-colors.js")))
+  .get("/js/voxel-mesh.js", () => Bun.file(join(import.meta.dir, "public/js/voxel-mesh.js")))
+  .get("/js/gltf-export.js", () => Bun.file(join(import.meta.dir, "public/js/gltf-export.js")))
+  .get("/js/decode-section.js", () => Bun.file(join(import.meta.dir, "public/js/decode-section.js")))
+  .get("/js/region-select.js", () => Bun.file(join(import.meta.dir, "public/js/region-select.js")))
+  .get("/js/export-worker.js", () => Bun.file(join(import.meta.dir, "public/js/export-worker.js")))
   .listen(Number(process.env.PORT ?? 3001));
 
 console.log(`[frontend] listening on :${app.server?.port}`);
diff --git a/frontend/src/public/js/block-colors.js b/frontend/src/public/js/block-colors.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bac827c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/public/js/block-colors.js
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+// Port of worker/src/palette.rs's `color_for` — kept in exact parity with the Rust tile/mesh
+// renderer's palette so a client-side glTF export uses the same colors the 2D tiles/3D viewer
+// already show. Ported by hand (no shared code between Rust and JS) — see mesh.rs's comment for
+// why block identity is `(id, meta)` on these pre-Flattening leaves.
+const UNKNOWN_COLOR = [204, 102, 204];
+const AIR_COLOR = [30, 30, 40];
+
+const WOOL_COLORS = [
+  [233, 236, 236],
+  [240, 118, 19],
+  [189, 68, 179],
+  [107, 138, 201],
+  [194, 173, 24],
+  [65, 174, 56],
+  [208, 132, 153],
+  [64, 64, 64],
+  [154, 161, 161],
+  [46, 110, 137],
+  [126, 61, 181],
+  [46, 56, 141],
+  [79, 50, 31],
+  [53, 70, 27],
+  [150, 52, 48],
+  [25, 22, 22],
+];
+
+const PLANK_COLORS = { 1: [166, 128, 78], 2: [196, 179, 123], 3: [170, 122, 79] };
+const DEFAULT_PLANK_COLOR = [162, 130, 78];
+
+export function colorFor(blockId, meta) {
+  switch (blockId) {
+    case 0:
+      return AIR_COLOR;
+    case 1:
+      return [125, 125, 125]; // stone
+    case 2:
+      return [95, 159, 53]; // grass block
+    case 3:
+      return [134, 96, 67]; // dirt
+    case 4:
+      return [122, 122, 122]; // cobblestone
+    case 5:
+      return PLANK_COLORS[meta] ?? DEFAULT_PLANK_COLOR;
+    case 7:
+      return [40, 40, 40]; // bedrock
+    case 8:
+    case 9:
+      return [63, 118, 228]; // water
+    case 10:
+    case 11:
+      return [207, 92, 32]; // lava
+    case 12:
+      return [219, 211, 160]; // sand
+    case 13:
+      return [136, 126, 126]; // gravel
+    case 14:
+      return [252, 238, 75]; // gold ore
+    case 15:
+      return [216, 175, 147]; // iron ore
+    case 16:
+      return [77, 77, 77]; // coal ore
+    case 17:
+    case 162:
+      return [92, 68, 41]; // logs
+    case 18:
+    case 161:
+      return [60, 100, 40]; // leaves
+    case 20:
+      return [220, 236, 240]; // glass
+    case 24:
+      return [219, 207, 163]; // sandstone
+    case 35:
+      return WOOL_COLORS[meta] ?? UNKNOWN_COLOR;
+    case 41:
+      return [246, 238, 92]; // gold block
+    case 42:
+      return [220, 220, 220]; // iron block
+    case 45:
+      return [151, 96, 90]; // bricks
+    case 48:
+      return [90, 108, 90]; // mossy cobblestone
+    case 49:
+      return [24, 20, 36]; // obsidian
+    case 56:
+      return [141, 209, 202]; // diamond ore
+    case 73:
+    case 74:
+      return [132, 32, 32]; // redstone ore
+    case 78:
+      return [240, 250, 255]; // snow layer
+    case 79:
+      return [140, 180, 230]; // ice
+    case 80:
+      return [248, 248, 248]; // snow block
+    case 82:
+      return [160, 164, 177]; // clay
+    case 86:
+      return [200, 128, 32]; // pumpkin
+    case 87:
+      return [110, 54, 48]; // netherrack
+    case 88:
+      return [84, 64, 51]; // soul sand
+    case 89:
+      return [186, 148, 92]; // glowstone
+    case 110:
+      return [92, 84, 108]; // mycelium
+    case 121:
+      return [221, 223, 165]; // end stone
+    case 123:
+    case 124:
+      return [171, 129, 85]; // nether wart block-ish glow (placeholder)
+    case 129:
+      return [79, 195, 161]; // emerald ore
+    case 133:
+      return [46, 190, 120]; // emerald block
+    case 159:
+      return [200, 130, 100]; // stained clay (approx, ignores meta)
+    default:
+      return UNKNOWN_COLOR;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/public/js/block-colors.test.ts b/frontend/src/public/js/block-colors.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9ccb3ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/public/js/block-colors.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import { test, expect } from "bun:test";
+import { colorFor } from "./block-colors.js";
+
+test("air is the dedicated air color", () => {
+  expect(colorFor(0, 0)).toEqual([30, 30, 40]);
+});
+
+test("known block ignores meta unless the block uses it", () => {
+  expect(colorFor(1, 0)).toEqual(colorFor(1, 15));
+});
+
+test("oak log and planks differ", () => {
+  expect(colorFor(5, 0)).not.toEqual(colorFor(17, 0));
+});
+
+test("planks vary by meta", () => {
+  const oak = colorFor(5, 0);
+  const spruce = colorFor(5, 1);
+  const birch = colorFor(5, 2);
+  expect(oak).not.toEqual(spruce);
+  expect(oak).not.toEqual(birch);
+  expect(spruce).not.toEqual(birch);
+});
+
+test("wool: all sixteen meta colors are distinct", () => {
+  const colors = Array.from({ length: 16 }, (_, meta) => colorFor(35, meta).join(","));
+  expect(new Set(colors).size).toBe(16);
+});
+
+test("unmapped block id falls back to the unknown-color placeholder", () => {
+  expect(colorFor(9999, 0)).toEqual([204, 102, 204]);
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/public/js/decode-section.js b/frontend/src/public/js/decode-section.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..388a55c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/public/js/decode-section.js
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+// Decodes a chunkSections row's `blocks` field — base64 of 4096 little-endian u16
+// blockStateIds, indexed by (ly*16 + lz)*16 + lx (see db/schema.ts's doc comment on the
+// backend and voxel-mesh.js's blockAt, which expects exactly this layout).
+export function decodeSectionBlocks(base64) {
+  const binary = atob(base64);
+  const bytes = new Uint8Array(binary.length);
+  for (let i = 0; i < binary.length; i++) bytes[i] = binary.charCodeAt(i);
+  const view = new DataView(bytes.buffer);
+  const blocks = new Uint16Array(bytes.length / 2);
+  for (let i = 0; i < blocks.length; i++) blocks[i] = view.getUint16(i * 2, true);
+  return blocks;
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/public/js/decode-section.test.ts b/frontend/src/public/js/decode-section.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5f667c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/public/js/decode-section.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import { test, expect } from "bun:test";
+import { decodeSectionBlocks } from "./decode-section.js";
+
+function base64FromU16LE(values: number[]) {
+  const bytes = new Uint8Array(values.length * 2);
+  const view = new DataView(bytes.buffer);
+  values.forEach((v, i) => view.setUint16(i * 2, v, true));
+  let binary = "";
+  for (const b of bytes) binary += String.fromCharCode(b);
+  return btoa(binary);
+}
+
+test("decodes a base64 buffer of little-endian u16s into a Uint16Array", () => {
+  const values = [0, 1, 65535, 4096, ((2 << 4) | 0)];
+  const b64 = base64FromU16LE(values);
+  const decoded = decodeSectionBlocks(b64);
+  expect(Array.from(decoded)).toEqual(values);
+});
+
+test("decodes a full 4096-entry section buffer, preserving index order", () => {
+  const values = Array.from({ length: 4096 }, (_, i) => i % 65536);
+  const b64 = base64FromU16LE(values);
+  const decoded = decodeSectionBlocks(b64);
+  expect(decoded.length).toBe(4096);
+  expect(decoded[0]).toBe(0);
+  expect(decoded[4095]).toBe(4095);
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/public/js/export-worker.js b/frontend/src/public/js/export-worker.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..56f002c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/public/js/export-worker.js
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+// Module Web Worker (see map.js's exportRegion) — keeps meshing + glTF assembly off the UI
+// thread per the plan's "Web Worker to keep the UI thread free" note. Deliberately thin:
+// fetch + orchestration only, all the actual logic lives in already-unit-tested pure modules
+// (decode-section.js, voxel-mesh.js, gltf-export.js).
+import { decodeSectionBlocks } from "./decode-section.js";
+import { meshSection } from "./voxel-mesh.js";
+import { mergeMeshes, buildGlb } from "./gltf-export.js";
+
+self.onmessage = async (event) => {
+  const { serverId, dimension, bounds } = event.data;
+  const { chunkX1, chunkZ1, chunkX2, chunkZ2 } = bounds;
+
+  try {
+    const res = await fetch(`/api/export/${serverId}/${dimension}/${chunkX1}/${chunkZ1}/${chunkX2}/${chunkZ2}`);
+    const data = await res.json();
+    if (!res.ok || !data.ok) {
+      self.postMessage({ ok: false, error: data.error ?? "export_failed" });
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const sections = data.sections
+      .map((s) => ({
+        mesh: meshSection(decodeSectionBlocks(s.blocks)),
+        offset: [s.x * 16, s.sectionY * 16, s.z * 16],
+      }))
+      .filter((s) => s.mesh.indices.length > 0);
+
+    if (sections.length === 0) {
+      self.postMessage({ ok: false, error: "empty_selection" });
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const merged = mergeMeshes(sections);
+    const glb = buildGlb(merged);
+    self.postMessage({ ok: true, glb }, [glb]);
+  } catch (err) {
+    self.postMessage({ ok: false, error: String(err) });
+  }
+};
diff --git a/frontend/src/public/js/gltf-export.js b/frontend/src/public/js/gltf-export.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fc597af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/public/js/gltf-export.js
@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
+// Hand-rolled minimal glTF 2.0 binary (.glb) writer. The plan's marker feature section mentions
+// "via Babylon's GLTF2Export serializer", but that class needs a live Babylon Scene/Engine (a
+// real WebGL/DOM context) to run — this project's Babylon usage (mesh.js) only ever *renders*
+// pre-built vertex buffers, it never meshes client-side, so there's no existing Babylon export
+// path to reuse. A small hand-rolled writer instead keeps the whole export pipeline (this file)
+// pure data transformation: fully unit-testable without a browser (see gltf-export.test.ts) and
+// safe to run inside a Web Worker (see export-worker.js), which is the actual goal ("meshed
+// client-side... Web Worker to keep the UI thread free" per the plan). Implements just enough of
+// the spec (https://registry.khronos.org/glTF/specs/2.0/glTF-2.0.html) for one indexed
+// triangle mesh with POSITION/NORMAL/COLOR_0 — not a general-purpose glTF library.
+
+const GLB_MAGIC = 0x46546c67; // 'glTF'
+const GLB_VERSION = 2;
+const CHUNK_TYPE_JSON = 0x4e4f534a; // 'JSON'
+const CHUNK_TYPE_BIN = 0x004e4942; // 'BIN\0'
+
+/**
+ * Concatenates several section meshes (see voxel-mesh.js) into one combined mesh, shifting each
+ * section's vertex positions by its world offset (chunkX*16, sectionY*16, chunkZ*16 — matching
+ * how mesh.js positions live section meshes in the Babylon viewer) and rebasing its indices by
+ * the running vertex count so the merged index buffer stays valid.
+ */
+export function mergeMeshes(sections) {
+  let vertexCount = 0;
+  let indexCount = 0;
+  for (const { mesh } of sections) {
+    vertexCount += mesh.positions.length / 3;
+    indexCount += mesh.indices.length;
+  }
+
+  const positions = new Float32Array(vertexCount * 3);
+  const normals = new Float32Array(vertexCount * 3);
+  const colors = new Float32Array(vertexCount * 3);
+  const indices = new Uint32Array(indexCount);
+
+  let vertexOffset = 0;
+  let indexOffset = 0;
+  for (const { mesh, offset } of sections) {
+    const [ox, oy, oz] = offset;
+    const localVertexCount = mesh.positions.length / 3;
+    for (let i = 0; i < localVertexCount; i++) {
+      positions[(vertexOffset + i) * 3] = mesh.positions[i * 3] + ox;
+      positions[(vertexOffset + i) * 3 + 1] = mesh.positions[i * 3 + 1] + oy;
+      positions[(vertexOffset + i) * 3 + 2] = mesh.positions[i * 3 + 2] + oz;
+    }
+    normals.set(mesh.normals, vertexOffset * 3);
+    colors.set(mesh.colors, vertexOffset * 3);
+    for (let i = 0; i < mesh.indices.length; i++) {
+      indices[indexOffset + i] = mesh.indices[i] + vertexOffset;
+    }
+    vertexOffset += localVertexCount;
+    indexOffset += mesh.indices.length;
+  }
+
+  return { positions, normals, colors, indices };
+}
+
+function minMaxVec3(positions) {
+  const min = [Infinity, Infinity, Infinity];
+  const max = [-Infinity, -Infinity, -Infinity];
+  for (let i = 0; i < positions.length; i += 3) {
+    for (let c = 0; c < 3; c++) {
+      const v = positions[i + c];
+      if (v < min[c]) min[c] = v;
+      if (v > max[c]) max[c] = v;
+    }
+  }
+  return { min, max };
+}
+
+function padTo4(buf, padByte) {
+  const remainder = buf.length % 4;
+  if (remainder === 0) return buf;
+  const padding = new Uint8Array(4 - remainder).fill(padByte);
+  const out = new Uint8Array(buf.length + padding.length);
+  out.set(buf, 0);
+  out.set(padding, buf.length);
+  return out;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Builds a single-mesh GLB from a combined {positions, normals, colors, indices} buffer set
+ * (see mergeMeshes) — assumes a non-empty mesh; callers should check for an empty selection
+ * before calling this (see export-worker.js), there's nothing meaningful to export otherwise.
+ */
+export function buildGlb(mesh) {
+  const { positions, normals, colors, indices } = mesh;
+
+  const positionsBytes = new Uint8Array(positions.buffer, positions.byteOffset, positions.byteLength);
+  const normalsBytes = new Uint8Array(normals.buffer, normals.byteOffset, normals.byteLength);
+  const colorsBytes = new Uint8Array(colors.buffer, colors.byteOffset, colors.byteLength);
+  const indicesBytes = new Uint8Array(indices.buffer, indices.byteOffset, indices.byteLength);
+
+  // Float32/Uint32 buffers are always already multiples of 4 bytes, so concatenating them keeps
+  // every bufferView's byteOffset naturally 4-byte aligned, as glTF's spec recommends.
+  let offset = 0;
+  const positionsView = { byteOffset: offset, byteLength: positionsBytes.length };
+  offset += positionsBytes.length;
+  const normalsView = { byteOffset: offset, byteLength: normalsBytes.length };
+  offset += normalsBytes.length;
+  const colorsView = { byteOffset: offset, byteLength: colorsBytes.length };
+  offset += colorsBytes.length;
+  const indicesView = { byteOffset: offset, byteLength: indicesBytes.length };
+  offset += indicesBytes.length;
+
+  const binBytes = new Uint8Array(offset);
+  binBytes.set(positionsBytes, positionsView.byteOffset);
+  binBytes.set(normalsBytes, normalsView.byteOffset);
+  binBytes.set(colorsBytes, colorsView.byteOffset);
+  binBytes.set(indicesBytes, indicesView.byteOffset);
+
+  const { min, max } = minMaxVec3(positions);
+  const vertexCount = positions.length / 3;
+
+  const json = {
+    asset: { version: "2.0", generator: "MCMapper region export" },
+    scene: 0,
+    scenes: [{ nodes: [0] }],
+    nodes: [{ mesh: 0 }],
+    meshes: [
+      {
+        primitives: [
+          {
+            attributes: { POSITION: 0, NORMAL: 1, COLOR_0: 2 },
+            indices: 3,
+            mode: 4, // TRIANGLES
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+    ],
+    buffers: [{ byteLength: binBytes.length }],
+    bufferViews: [
+      { buffer: 0, byteOffset: positionsView.byteOffset, byteLength: positionsView.byteLength, target: 34962 },
+      { buffer: 0, byteOffset: normalsView.byteOffset, byteLength: normalsView.byteLength, target: 34962 },
+      { buffer: 0, byteOffset: colorsView.byteOffset, byteLength: colorsView.byteLength, target: 34962 },
+      { buffer: 0, byteOffset: indicesView.byteOffset, byteLength: indicesView.byteLength, target: 34963 },
+    ],
+    accessors: [
+      { bufferView: 0, componentType: 5126, count: vertexCount, type: "VEC3", min, max }, // FLOAT
+      { bufferView: 1, componentType: 5126, count: vertexCount, type: "VEC3" },
+      { bufferView: 2, componentType: 5126, count: vertexCount, type: "VEC3" },
+      { bufferView: 3, componentType: 5125, count: indices.length, type: "SCALAR" }, // UNSIGNED_INT
+    ],
+  };
+
+  const jsonBytes = padTo4(new TextEncoder().encode(JSON.stringify(json)), 0x20); // space-pad JSON
+  const binChunk = padTo4(binBytes, 0x00); // zero-pad BIN
+
+  const totalLength = 12 + (8 + jsonBytes.length) + (8 + binChunk.length);
+  const out = new ArrayBuffer(totalLength);
+  const view = new DataView(out);
+  let o = 0;
+
+  view.setUint32(o, GLB_MAGIC, true);
+  o += 4;
+  view.setUint32(o, GLB_VERSION, true);
+  o += 4;
+  view.setUint32(o, totalLength, true);
+  o += 4;
+
+  view.setUint32(o, jsonBytes.length, true);
+  o += 4;
+  view.setUint32(o, CHUNK_TYPE_JSON, true);
+  o += 4;
+  new Uint8Array(out, o, jsonBytes.length).set(jsonBytes);
+  o += jsonBytes.length;
+
+  view.setUint32(o, binChunk.length, true);
+  o += 4;
+  view.setUint32(o, CHUNK_TYPE_BIN, true);
+  o += 4;
+  new Uint8Array(out, o, binChunk.length).set(binChunk);
+  o += binChunk.length;
+
+  return out;
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/public/js/gltf-export.test.ts b/frontend/src/public/js/gltf-export.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7bb7f6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/public/js/gltf-export.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+import { test, expect } from "bun:test";
+import { mergeMeshes, buildGlb } from "./gltf-export.js";
+import { meshSection } from "./voxel-mesh.js";
+
+function oneVoxelMesh(blockIdMeta: number) {
+  const blocks = new Uint16Array(4096);
+  blocks[0] = blockIdMeta; // local (0,0,0)
+  return meshSection(blocks);
+}
+
+test("mergeMeshes offsets each section's positions by its world offset and concatenates buffers", () => {
+  const a = oneVoxelMesh((1 << 4) | 0);
+  const b = oneVoxelMesh((2 << 4) | 0);
+
+  const merged = mergeMeshes([
+    { mesh: a, offset: [0, 0, 0] },
+    { mesh: b, offset: [16, 0, 0] },
+  ]);
+
+  expect(merged.positions.length).toBe(a.positions.length + b.positions.length);
+  expect(merged.indices.length).toBe(a.indices.length + b.indices.length);
+
+  // Every x coordinate contributed by mesh `b` must be shifted by +16.
+  const bXsShifted = [];
+  for (let i = 0; i < b.positions.length; i += 3) bXsShifted.push(b.positions[i] + 16);
+  const mergedXsForB = [];
+  for (let i = a.positions.length; i < merged.positions.length; i += 3) mergedXsForB.push(merged.positions[i]);
+  expect(mergedXsForB).toEqual(bXsShifted);
+
+  // Indices contributed by mesh `b` must be shifted by mesh `a`'s vertex count.
+  const aVertexCount = a.positions.length / 3;
+  const bIndicesShifted = Array.from(b.indices, (i) => i + aVertexCount);
+  const mergedIndicesForB = Array.from(merged.indices).slice(a.indices.length);
+  expect(mergedIndicesForB).toEqual(bIndicesShifted);
+});
+
+test("buildGlb produces a well-formed GLB container (magic, version, chunk structure)", () => {
+  const mesh = oneVoxelMesh((2 << 4) | 0);
+  const glb = buildGlb(mesh);
+  const view = new DataView(glb);
+
+  expect(view.getUint32(0, true)).toBe(0x46546c67); // 'glTF'
+  expect(view.getUint32(4, true)).toBe(2); // version
+  const totalLength = view.getUint32(8, true);
+  expect(totalLength).toBe(glb.byteLength);
+
+  const jsonChunkLength = view.getUint32(12, true);
+  const jsonChunkType = view.getUint32(16, true);
+  expect(jsonChunkType).toBe(0x4e4f534a); // 'JSON'
+  expect(jsonChunkLength % 4).toBe(0);
+
+  const jsonBytes = new Uint8Array(glb, 20, jsonChunkLength);
+  const json = JSON.parse(new TextDecoder().decode(jsonBytes)); // trailing pad spaces are valid JSON whitespace
+  expect(json.asset.version).toBe("2.0");
+  expect(json.meshes).toHaveLength(1);
+  expect(json.meshes[0].primitives[0].attributes.POSITION).toBeDefined();
+  expect(json.meshes[0].primitives[0].attributes.NORMAL).toBeDefined();
+  expect(json.meshes[0].primitives[0].attributes.COLOR_0).toBeDefined();
+  expect(json.meshes[0].primitives[0].indices).toBeDefined();
+
+  const positionAccessor = json.accessors[json.meshes[0].primitives[0].attributes.POSITION];
+  expect(positionAccessor.count).toBe(mesh.positions.length / 3);
+  expect(positionAccessor.min).toHaveLength(3);
+  expect(positionAccessor.max).toHaveLength(3);
+
+  const indexAccessor = json.accessors[json.meshes[0].primitives[0].indices];
+  expect(indexAccessor.count).toBe(mesh.indices.length);
+
+  const binChunkOffset = 20 + jsonChunkLength;
+  const binChunkLength = view.getUint32(binChunkOffset, true);
+  const binChunkType = view.getUint32(binChunkOffset + 4, true);
+  expect(binChunkType).toBe(0x004e4942); // 'BIN\0'
+  expect(binChunkLength).toBe(json.buffers[0].byteLength);
+  expect(20 + jsonChunkLength + 8 + binChunkLength).toBe(glb.byteLength);
+});
+
+test("buildGlb's embedded BIN chunk round-trips the same position data", () => {
+  const mesh = oneVoxelMesh((1 << 4) | 0);
+  const glb = buildGlb(mesh);
+  const view = new DataView(glb);
+  const jsonChunkLength = view.getUint32(12, true);
+  const binStart = 20 + jsonChunkLength + 8;
+
+  const jsonBytes = new Uint8Array(glb, 20, jsonChunkLength);
+  const json = JSON.parse(new TextDecoder().decode(jsonBytes));
+  const posAccessorIdx = json.meshes[0].primitives[0].attributes.POSITION;
+  const posAccessor = json.accessors[posAccessorIdx];
+  const posBufferView = json.bufferViews[posAccessor.bufferView];
+
+  const positions = new Float32Array(glb, binStart + posBufferView.byteOffset, mesh.positions.length);
+  expect(Array.from(positions)).toEqual(Array.from(mesh.positions));
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/public/js/map.js b/frontend/src/public/js/map.js
index d2ac5ea..4b624e1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/public/js/map.js
+++ b/frontend/src/public/js/map.js
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 // — pulled out into its own module so it's unit-testable without a browser (see coords.test.ts).
 import { worldToLatLng, latLngToWorld } from "./coords.js";
 import { randomHexColor } from "./colors.js";
+import { snapToChunkBounds, chunkArea, MAX_EXPORT_CHUNKS } from "./region-select.js";
 
 const DEFAULT_MARKER_HEIGHT = 60;
 
@@ -44,6 +45,16 @@ function mapmapper() {
     markerPopup: null,
     markerStatus: "",
 
+    // Region select + client-side glTF export (see the plan's "Feature: 2D region select..."
+    // section). 2D-only, independent of marker placement — see startRegionSelect's doc comment
+    // for why a drag gesture (not a click) is used here.
+    selectingRegion: false,
+    regionDragStart: null, // {x, z} world coords — set on mousedown, cleared on mouseup
+    regionBounds: null, // {chunkX1, chunkZ1, chunkX2, chunkZ2} — set once a drag completes
+    regionRectangle: null, // Leaflet layer, the live drag-preview rectangle
+    regionStatus: "",
+    exporting: false,
+
     async init() {
       const servers = await fetch("/api/servers").then((r) => r.json());
       this.loading = false;
@@ -53,6 +64,7 @@ function mapmapper() {
       this.leaflet.setView([0, 0], 0);
       this.markerLayer = L.layerGroup().addTo(this.leaflet);
       this.leaflet.on("click", (e) => this.onMapClick(e));
+      this.leaflet.on("mousedown", (e) => this.startRegionSelect(e));
 
       // Captured once, up front: Leaflet physically moves this node in and out of its popup
       // pane's DOM on every open/close (see openMarkerForm), which would break Alpine's $refs
@@ -178,6 +190,109 @@ function mapmapper() {
       this.renderMarkerLayer();
     },
 
+    toggleSelectingRegion() {
+      this.selectingRegion = !this.selectingRegion;
+      this.regionStatus = this.selectingRegion ? "drag on the map to select a region" : "";
+    },
+
+    /**
+     * A drag gesture (not a single click, unlike marker placement) since a region is an area,
+     * not a point — mousedown starts the drag, mousemove live-previews the rectangle,
+     * mouseup finalizes it (see updateRegionPreview/finishRegionSelect). Map panning is
+     * disabled for the duration so the drag doesn't fight Leaflet's own pan handling.
+     */
+    startRegionSelect(e) {
+      if (!this.selectingRegion) return;
+      this.regionDragStart = latLngToWorld(e.latlng);
+      this.leaflet.dragging.disable();
+      this._onRegionMouseMove = (ev) => this.updateRegionPreview(ev);
+      this._onRegionMouseUp = (ev) => this.finishRegionSelect(ev);
+      this.leaflet.on("mousemove", this._onRegionMouseMove);
+      this.leaflet.on("mouseup", this._onRegionMouseUp);
+    },
+
+    updateRegionPreview(e) {
+      if (!this.regionDragStart) return;
+      const start = worldToLatLng(this.regionDragStart.x, this.regionDragStart.z);
+      const bounds = L.latLngBounds(start, e.latlng);
+      if (this.regionRectangle) {
+        this.regionRectangle.setBounds(bounds);
+      } else {
+        this.regionRectangle = L.rectangle(bounds, { color: "#f59e0b", weight: 1, fillOpacity: 0.1 }).addTo(this.leaflet);
+      }
+    },
+
+    finishRegionSelect(e) {
+      this.leaflet.off("mousemove", this._onRegionMouseMove);
+      this.leaflet.off("mouseup", this._onRegionMouseUp);
+      this.leaflet.dragging.enable();
+      this.selectingRegion = false;
+
+      const end = latLngToWorld(e.latlng);
+      const bounds = snapToChunkBounds(this.regionDragStart, end);
+      this.regionDragStart = null;
+
+      const area = chunkArea(bounds);
+      if (area > MAX_EXPORT_CHUNKS) {
+        this.regionStatus = `selection too large (${area} chunks, max ${MAX_EXPORT_CHUNKS}) — pick a smaller area`;
+        this.regionBounds = null;
+        this.clearRegionRectangle();
+      } else {
+        this.regionBounds = bounds;
+        this.regionStatus = `${area} chunk${area === 1 ? "" : "s"} selected`;
+      }
+    },
+
+    clearRegionRectangle() {
+      if (this.regionRectangle) {
+        this.leaflet.removeLayer(this.regionRectangle);
+        this.regionRectangle = null;
+      }
+    },
+
+    cancelRegionSelection() {
+      this.selectingRegion = false;
+      this.regionBounds = null;
+      this.regionStatus = "";
+      this.clearRegionRectangle();
+    },
+
+    // Runs the whole fetch -> decode -> greedy-mesh -> glTF-assemble pipeline in a Web Worker
+    // (export-worker.js) so a several-dozen-chunk selection doesn't freeze the map UI — see the
+    // plan's "Why client-side" note (this is a zero-cost feature for the backend/MC server).
+    exportRegion() {
+      if (!this.regionBounds || !this.server || this.exporting) return;
+      this.exporting = true;
+      this.regionStatus = "meshing…";
+
+      const worker = new Worker("/js/export-worker.js", { type: "module" });
+      worker.onmessage = (ev) => {
+        this.exporting = false;
+        worker.terminate();
+        const { ok, glb, error } = ev.data;
+        if (!ok) {
+          this.regionStatus = error;
+          return;
+        }
+        const blob = new Blob([glb], { type: "model/gltf-binary" });
+        const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
+        const a = document.createElement("a");
+        a.href = url;
+        a.download = `mcmapper-export-${Date.now()}.glb`;
+        a.click();
+        URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
+        this.regionStatus = "exported";
+        this.regionBounds = null;
+        this.clearRegionRectangle();
+      };
+      worker.onerror = (err) => {
+        this.exporting = false;
+        this.regionStatus = err.message ?? "export_failed";
+        worker.terminate();
+      };
+      worker.postMessage({ serverId: this.server.id, dimension: 0, bounds: this.regionBounds });
+    },
+
     localMarkerStorageKey() {
       return `mcmapper_markers_${this.server.id}`;
     },
diff --git a/frontend/src/public/js/region-select.js b/frontend/src/public/js/region-select.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eab7496
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/public/js/region-select.js
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+// Chunk-snapping/area-cap helpers for the region-select-and-export tool (see the plan's
+// "Feature: 2D region select..." section). Kept separate from coords.js since that module is
+// about the Leaflet<->world mapping specifically, not chunk-grid math.
+
+// Must match api/src/export.ts's MAX_EXPORT_CHUNKS — there's no shared-constants module between
+// the two Bun processes in this repo layout, so this is a hand-kept duplicate (the "kept in sync
+// by hand" test in region-select.test.ts is a tripwire if the backend value ever changes).
+export const MAX_EXPORT_CHUNKS = 64;
+
+function worldToChunk(block) {
+  return Math.floor(block / 16);
+}
+
+/** `a` and `b` are `{x, z}` world-block points (any drag order); returns inclusive chunk bounds. */
+export function snapToChunkBounds(a, b) {
+  const chunkAX = worldToChunk(a.x);
+  const chunkAZ = worldToChunk(a.z);
+  const chunkBX = worldToChunk(b.x);
+  const chunkBZ = worldToChunk(b.z);
+  return {
+    chunkX1: Math.min(chunkAX, chunkBX),
+    chunkZ1: Math.min(chunkAZ, chunkBZ),
+    chunkX2: Math.max(chunkAX, chunkBX),
+    chunkZ2: Math.max(chunkAZ, chunkBZ),
+  };
+}
+
+export function chunkArea(bounds) {
+  return (bounds.chunkX2 - bounds.chunkX1 + 1) * (bounds.chunkZ2 - bounds.chunkZ1 + 1);
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/public/js/region-select.test.ts b/frontend/src/public/js/region-select.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2454876
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/public/js/region-select.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import { test, expect } from "bun:test";
+import { snapToChunkBounds, chunkArea, MAX_EXPORT_CHUNKS } from "./region-select.js";
+
+test("snaps two block-space points to their containing chunk bounds", () => {
+  // block (17, 33) is chunk (1, 2); block (5, 5) is chunk (0, 0).
+  const bounds = snapToChunkBounds({ x: 17, z: 33 }, { x: 5, z: 5 });
+  expect(bounds).toEqual({ chunkX1: 0, chunkZ1: 0, chunkX2: 1, chunkZ2: 2 });
+});
+
+test("normalizes regardless of drag direction", () => {
+  const a = snapToChunkBounds({ x: 5, z: 5 }, { x: 17, z: 33 });
+  const b = snapToChunkBounds({ x: 17, z: 33 }, { x: 5, z: 5 });
+  expect(a).toEqual(b);
+});
+
+test("handles negative world coordinates (floor, not truncate, toward chunk containment)", () => {
+  // block -1 is chunk -1 (floor(-1/16) = -1), not chunk 0.
+  const bounds = snapToChunkBounds({ x: -1, z: -1 }, { x: -1, z: -1 });
+  expect(bounds).toEqual({ chunkX1: -1, chunkZ1: -1, chunkX2: -1, chunkZ2: -1 });
+});
+
+test("chunkArea computes width*height in chunks, inclusive", () => {
+  expect(chunkArea({ chunkX1: 0, chunkZ1: 0, chunkX2: 1, chunkZ2: 2 })).toBe(2 * 3);
+  expect(chunkArea({ chunkX1: 5, chunkZ1: 5, chunkX2: 5, chunkZ2: 5 })).toBe(1);
+});
+
+test("MAX_EXPORT_CHUNKS matches the backend's cap (kept in sync by hand — see api/src/export.ts)", () => {
+  expect(MAX_EXPORT_CHUNKS).toBe(64);
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/public/js/voxel-mesh.js b/frontend/src/public/js/voxel-mesh.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f6959e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/public/js/voxel-mesh.js
@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+// Port of worker/src/mesh.rs's `mesh_section` — the same "sweep each axis, build a 2D
+// visibility mask per layer, greedily merge same-block runs into rectangles" greedy mesher,
+// reimplemented in JS so region export can mesh client-side (see the plan's "Feature: 2D region
+// select..." section — the whole point is keeping export a zero-cost operation for the
+// backend/MC server, so this can't call back into the Rust worker). Deliberately not reusing
+// the live 3D viewer's Babylon rendering path either — export needs plain vertex/index/color
+// arrays to hand to gltf-export.js, not a live Babylon Scene/Mesh, and keeping this pure (no
+// Babylon dependency) is what makes it unit-testable without a browser — see voxel-mesh.test.ts.
+import { colorFor } from "./block-colors.js";
+
+const SIZE = 16;
+
+function blockAt(blocks, x, y, z) {
+  if (x < 0 || x >= SIZE || y < 0 || y >= SIZE || z < 0 || z >= SIZE) return 0;
+  return blocks[(y * 16 + z) * 16 + x];
+}
+
+// axis 0 fixes x, 1 fixes y, 2 fixes z — mirrors mesh.rs's axis_pos.
+function axisPos(axis, layer, u, v) {
+  if (axis === 0) return [layer, u, v];
+  if (axis === 1) return [u, layer, v];
+  return [u, v, layer];
+}
+
+function offsetAlongAxis(axis, dir) {
+  if (axis === 0) return [dir, 0, 0];
+  if (axis === 1) return [0, dir, 0];
+  return [0, 0, dir];
+}
+
+export function meshSection(blocks) {
+  const buf = { positions: [], normals: [], colors: [], indices: [] };
+  for (let axis = 0; axis < 3; axis++) {
+    for (const dir of [-1, 1]) {
+      meshAxis(blocks, axis, dir, buf);
+    }
+  }
+  return {
+    positions: Float32Array.from(buf.positions),
+    normals: Float32Array.from(buf.normals),
+    colors: Float32Array.from(buf.colors),
+    indices: Uint32Array.from(buf.indices),
+  };
+}
+
+function meshAxis(blocks, axis, dir, buf) {
+  const mask = Array.from({ length: SIZE }, () => new Uint16Array(SIZE));
+
+  for (let layer = 0; layer < SIZE; layer++) {
+    for (let u = 0; u < SIZE; u++) {
+      for (let v = 0; v < SIZE; v++) {
+        const [x, y, z] = axisPos(axis, layer, u, v);
+        const block = blockAt(blocks, x, y, z);
+        if (block === 0) {
+          mask[u][v] = 0;
+          continue;
+        }
+        const [ox, oy, oz] = offsetAlongAxis(axis, dir);
+        const neighbor = blockAt(blocks, x + ox, y + oy, z + oz);
+        mask[u][v] = neighbor === 0 ? block : 0;
+      }
+    }
+
+    const facePlane = dir === 1 ? layer + 1 : layer;
+    greedyMergeAndEmit(mask, axis, dir, facePlane, buf);
+  }
+}
+
+function greedyMergeAndEmit(mask, axis, dir, facePlane, buf) {
+  const done = Array.from({ length: SIZE }, () => new Uint8Array(SIZE));
+
+  for (let u0 = 0; u0 < SIZE; u0++) {
+    for (let v0 = 0; v0 < SIZE; v0++) {
+      const block = mask[u0][v0];
+      if (block === 0 || done[u0][v0]) continue;
+
+      let v1 = v0 + 1;
+      while (v1 < SIZE && mask[u0][v1] === block && !done[u0][v1]) v1++;
+
+      let u1 = u0 + 1;
+      grow: while (u1 < SIZE) {
+        for (let v = v0; v < v1; v++) {
+          if (mask[u1][v] !== block || done[u1][v]) break grow;
+        }
+        u1++;
+      }
+
+      for (let u = u0; u < u1; u++) {
+        for (let v = v0; v < v1; v++) done[u][v] = 1;
+      }
+
+      emitQuad(axis, dir, facePlane, u0, v0, u1, v1, block, buf);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+function emitQuad(axis, dir, facePlane, u0, v0, u1, v1, block, buf) {
+  const cornersUv = [
+    [u0, v0],
+    [u1, v0],
+    [u1, v1],
+    [u0, v1],
+  ];
+  const baseIndex = buf.positions.length / 3;
+
+  let normal;
+  if (axis === 0) normal = dir === 1 ? [1, 0, 0] : [-1, 0, 0];
+  else if (axis === 1) normal = dir === 1 ? [0, 1, 0] : [0, -1, 0];
+  else normal = dir === 1 ? [0, 0, 1] : [0, 0, -1];
+
+  const blockId = block >> 4;
+  const blockMeta = block & 0xf;
+  const [r, g, b] = colorFor(blockId, blockMeta);
+  const color = [r / 255, g / 255, b / 255];
+
+  for (const [u, v] of cornersUv) {
+    const [x, y, z] = axisPos(axis, facePlane, u, v);
+    buf.positions.push(x, y, z);
+    buf.normals.push(...normal);
+    buf.colors.push(...color);
+  }
+
+  // Two triangles per quad; flip winding by direction, same as mesh.rs's emit_quad — backface
+  // culling is left off on the material side as the safety net (see mesh.js).
+  if (dir === 1) {
+    buf.indices.push(baseIndex, baseIndex + 1, baseIndex + 2, baseIndex, baseIndex + 2, baseIndex + 3);
+  } else {
+    buf.indices.push(baseIndex, baseIndex + 2, baseIndex + 1, baseIndex, baseIndex + 3, baseIndex + 2);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/public/js/voxel-mesh.test.ts b/frontend/src/public/js/voxel-mesh.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fbad4d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/public/js/voxel-mesh.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import { test, expect } from "bun:test";
+import { meshSection } from "./voxel-mesh.js";
+
+function emptyBlocks() {
+  return new Uint16Array(4096);
+}
+
+test("empty section produces no geometry", () => {
+  const mesh = meshSection(emptyBlocks());
+  expect(mesh.indices.length).toBe(0);
+  expect(mesh.positions.length).toBe(0);
+});
+
+test("single voxel produces six unmerged quads", () => {
+  const blocks = emptyBlocks();
+  blocks[(0 * 16 + 0) * 16 + 0] = (2 << 4) | 0; // grass at local (0,0,0)
+  const mesh = meshSection(blocks);
+  expect(mesh.positions.length).toBe(6 * 4 * 3); // 6 faces * 4 verts * xyz
+  expect(mesh.indices.length).toBe(6 * 6); // 6 faces * 2 tris * 3 indices
+});
+
+test("full solid section collapses to six merged quads", () => {
+  const blocks = emptyBlocks();
+  blocks.fill((1 << 4) | 0); // stone everywhere
+  const mesh = meshSection(blocks);
+  expect(mesh.positions.length).toBe(6 * 4 * 3);
+  expect(mesh.indices.length).toBe(6 * 6);
+});
+
+test("checkerboard layer does not merge across gaps (top face count matches solid cell count)", () => {
+  const blocks = emptyBlocks();
+  let solidCount = 0;
+  for (let x = 0; x < 16; x++) {
+    for (let z = 0; z < 16; z++) {
+      if ((x + z) % 2 === 0) {
+        blocks[z * 16 + x] = (1 << 4) | 0;
+        solidCount++;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  const mesh = meshSection(blocks);
+  // Every solid cell is isolated on all 6 sides (checkerboard parity means x/z neighbors are
+  // always air, and there's nothing above/below) — nothing can merge, so every one of the 6
+  // faces of every solid voxel is emitted separately: solidCount * 6 quads, 4 verts each.
+  expect(mesh.positions.length / 3).toBe(solidCount * 6 * 4);
+});
+
+test("emits plausible world-space positions for a corner voxel", () => {
+  const blocks = emptyBlocks();
+  blocks[0] = (1 << 4) | 0; // (0,0,0)
+  const mesh = meshSection(blocks);
+  const xs = [];
+  for (let i = 0; i < mesh.positions.length; i += 3) xs.push(mesh.positions[i]);
+  expect(Math.min(...xs)).toBe(0);
+  expect(Math.max(...xs)).toBe(1);
+});
+
+test("colors come from the block-color palette, normalized to 0..1", () => {
+  const blocks = emptyBlocks();
+  blocks[0] = (2 << 4) | 0; // grass -> [95, 159, 53]
+  const mesh = meshSection(blocks);
+  expect(mesh.colors[0]).toBeCloseTo(95 / 255, 5);
+  expect(mesh.colors[1]).toBeCloseTo(159 / 255, 5);
+  expect(mesh.colors[2]).toBeCloseTo(53 / 255, 5);
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/views/index.pug b/frontend/src/views/index.pug
index 5e614b8..690100c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/views/index.pug
+++ b/frontend/src/views/index.pug
@@ -43,6 +43,20 @@ html(lang="en")
                   button.px-2.py-1.bg-neutral-700.rounded.text-xs(x-on:click="cancelMarkerForm") Cancel
                 p.text-xs.text-amber-400(x-show="markerStatus" x-text="markerStatus")
         aside.w-80.flex.flex-col.border-l.border-neutral-700.bg-neutral-800(x-show="server")
+          div.border-b.border-neutral-700.p-2.space-y-2
+            div.flex.items-center.justify-between
+              h2.text-sm.font-semibold Region export
+              button.px-2.py-1.rounded.text-xs(
+                x-bind:class="selectingRegion ? 'bg-amber-600' : 'bg-neutral-700'"
+                x-on:click="toggleSelectingRegion"
+                x-text="selectingRegion ? 'drag on map…' : '+ select region'")
+            p.text-xs.text-neutral-400(x-show="regionStatus" x-text="regionStatus")
+            div.flex.gap-1(x-show="regionBounds")
+              button.flex-1.px-2.py-1.bg-emerald-700.rounded.text-xs(
+                x-bind:disabled="exporting" x-on:click="exportRegion"
+                x-text="exporting ? 'exporting…' : 'Export glTF'")
+              button.px-2.py-1.bg-neutral-700.rounded.text-xs(x-on:click="cancelRegionSelection") Cancel
+
           div.border-b.border-neutral-700.p-2.space-y-2(style="max-height: 40%; overflow-y: auto;")
             div.flex.items-center.justify-between
               h2.text-sm.font-semibold Markers