diff --git a/frontend/src/routes/admin/+page.svelte b/frontend/src/routes/admin/+page.svelte
index 8dc3dcc..87cce14 100644
--- a/frontend/src/routes/admin/+page.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/routes/admin/+page.svelte
@@ -122,6 +122,14 @@
     try { await postJSON(`/api/admin/sources/${s.id}/review`, { flag: false }); }
     catch { s.review_flag = 1; s.review_reason = prevR; }
   }
+  // Read-only spot-check of a live source — never mutates source state.
+  async function checkSource(s) {
+    s._checking = true; s._checkErr = ''; s._check = null;
+    try { s._check = await postJSON(`/api/admin/sources/${s.id}/preview`); }
+    catch (e) { s._checkErr = e?.message || 'Could not preview.'; }
+    finally { s._checking = false; }
+  }
+  function dismissCheck(s) { s._check = null; s._checkErr = ''; }
 
   // --- Source candidates: supervised "add a source" pipeline ---
   let candidates = $state([]);
@@ -484,8 +492,28 @@
                   {/if}
                   <button class="act" onclick={() => (s.review_flag ? clearReview(s) : openFlag(s))}>{s.review_flag ? 'Clear' : 'Flag'}</button>
                   <button class="act" onclick={() => toggleVisible(s)}>{s.content_visible ? 'Hide' : 'Show'}</button>
+                  <button class="act" title="Read-only spot-check of the live feed" onclick={() => checkSource(s)} disabled={s._checking}>{s._checking ? 'Checking…' : 'Check'}</button>
                 </td>
               </tr>
+              {#if s._checking || s._check || s._checkErr}
+                <tr class="checkrow">
+                  <td colspan="10">
+                    {#if s._checking}
+                      <span class="muted">Checking {s.name}…</span>
+                    {:else if s._checkErr}
+                      <span class="cerr">Couldn't preview: {s._checkErr} <button class="act" onclick={() => dismissCheck(s)}>dismiss</button></span>
+                    {:else if s._check}
+                      <div class="chkhead">
+                        <strong>{s._check.accepted ?? 0}/{s._check.sampled ?? 0}</strong> would pass{#if s._check.acceptance_rate != null} · {Math.round(s._check.acceptance_rate * 100)}%{/if}{#if s._check.recent_7d != null} · {s._check.recent_7d} in last 7d{/if}
+                        <span class="chkwhen">checked just now</span>
+                        <button class="act" onclick={() => dismissCheck(s)}>dismiss</button>
+                      </div>
+                      {#if s._check.examples_accepted?.length}<div class="chkex"><span class="chklbl">would accept:</span> {s._check.examples_accepted.slice(0, 3).join(' · ')}</div>{/if}
+                      {#if s._check.examples_rejected?.length}<div class="chkex chkrej"><span class="chklbl">would skip:</span> {s._check.examples_rejected.slice(0, 3).map((r) => r.title).join(' · ')}</div>{/if}
+                    {/if}
+                  </td>
+                </tr>
+              {/if}
             {/each}
           </tbody>
         </table>
@@ -808,6 +836,12 @@
   .srctable .status .good { color: #3f7048; }
   .srctable .status .paustxt { color: var(--muted); font-style: italic; }
   .srctable .status .hidtxt { color: #9a3b3b; font-size: 0.78rem; }
+  .srctable tr.checkrow td { background: var(--bg); font-size: 0.85rem; padding: 10px 12px; }
+  .chkhead { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 10px; flex-wrap: wrap; }
+  .chkhead .chkwhen { color: var(--muted); font-size: 0.76rem; }
+  .chkex { margin-top: 5px; color: var(--ink); }
+  .chkex .chklbl { color: var(--muted); }
+  .chkex.chkrej { color: var(--muted); }
   .srctable .rowactions { white-space: nowrap; }
   .srctable .rowactions .act {
     background: none; border: 1px solid var(--line); color: var(--accent-deep);
diff --git a/goodnews/api.py b/goodnews/api.py
index 077c5e2..e07c148 100644
--- a/goodnews/api.py
+++ b/goodnews/api.py
@@ -933,6 +933,18 @@ def create_app() -> FastAPI:
             conn.commit()
         return {"ok": True, "visible": body.visible}
 
+    @app.post("/api/admin/sources/{sid}/preview")
+    def admin_source_preview(sid: int, request: Request) -> dict:
+        # Read-only spot-check of a LIVE source: safe-fetch + heuristic preview.
+        # Mutates nothing — no DB write, no poll attempt, no health/state change.
+        with get_conn() as conn:
+            _require_admin(conn, request)
+            src = conn.execute("SELECT feed_url FROM sources WHERE id = ?", (sid,)).fetchone()
+            if not src:
+                raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="source not found")
+            url = src["feed_url"]
+        return _preview_or_502(url)  # safe fetch, no DB connection held
+
     # --- Source candidates (supervised add-a-source pipeline) ----------------
 
     def _candidate_dict(row) -> dict:
diff --git a/tests/test_admin.py b/tests/test_admin.py
index 3af7ef4..0dc760b 100644
--- a/tests/test_admin.py
+++ b/tests/test_admin.py
@@ -198,3 +198,18 @@ def test_export_sources_csv_escapes_formula_injection(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     assert "'=HYPERLINK" in body   # leading apostrophe defuses the formula (CSV may quote the cell)
     assert "'+danger" in body
     assert ",=HYPERLINK" not in body  # never written as a bare, evaluable formula cell
+
+
+def test_source_check_preview_is_readonly(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    app, api = _make(tmp_path, monkeypatch, admin_email="boss@x.com")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(api.feeds, "preview_feed", lambda url, **k: {"url": url, "sampled": 8, "accepted": 6})
+    tc = _signin(app, api, "boss@x.com")
+    before = _src(tc)
+    r = tc.post("/api/admin/sources/1/preview").json()
+    assert r["sampled"] == 8 and r["accepted"] == 6
+    after = _src(tc)
+    # read-only: no state/health change, no poll attempt recorded
+    assert after["status"] == before["status"] and after["served"] == before["served"]
+    assert after["last_success_at"] == before["last_success_at"] and after["next_due_at"] == before["next_due_at"]
+    assert TestClient(app).post("/api/admin/sources/1/preview").status_code == 401  # gated
+    assert tc.post("/api/admin/sources/999/preview").status_code == 404