diff --git a/skills/opal-frontend-common-node/opal-frontend-common-node-repo-guidelines/SKILL.md b/.codex/skills/opal-frontend-common-node/opal-frontend-common-node-repo-guidelines/SKILL.md
similarity index 100%
rename from skills/opal-frontend-common-node/opal-frontend-common-node-repo-guidelines/SKILL.md
rename to .codex/skills/opal-frontend-common-node/opal-frontend-common-node-repo-guidelines/SKILL.md
diff --git a/skills/opal-frontend-common-node/opal-frontend-common-node-review-guidelines/SKILL.md b/.codex/skills/opal-frontend-common-node/opal-frontend-common-node-review-guidelines/SKILL.md
similarity index 100%
rename from skills/opal-frontend-common-node/opal-frontend-common-node-review-guidelines/SKILL.md
rename to .codex/skills/opal-frontend-common-node/opal-frontend-common-node-review-guidelines/SKILL.md
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index f0f55ec..f02d580 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "@hmcts/opal-frontend-common-node",
   "type": "module",
-  "version": "0.0.28",
+  "version": "0.0.29",
   "license": "MIT",
   "description": "Common nodejs library components for opal",
   "engines": {
diff --git a/src/proxy/middlewares/digest-verify.middleware.ts b/src/proxy/middlewares/digest-verify.middleware.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b95d1d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/proxy/middlewares/digest-verify.middleware.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+import crypto from 'node:crypto';
+import express from 'express';
+import type { NextFunction, Request, RequestHandler, Response } from 'express';
+
+/**
+ * Capture the exact bytes for JSON payloads (extend to more media types if needed).
+ * @returns Express middleware that exposes the raw request body buffer.
+ */
+export const rawJson = (): RequestHandler => express.raw({ type: ['application/json', 'application/*+json'] });
+
+/**
+ * Extract the base64 digest token from a Content-Digest header.
+ * @param value Header value that may contain the digest.
+ */
+function parseSha256Base64(value: string | undefined): string | null {
+  if (!value) return null;
+  const match = /sha-256=:(.+?):/i.exec(value);
+  return match ? match[1] : null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Strictly verifies Content-Digest (sha-256) over the raw request body.
+ * - Skips GET/HEAD and empty-body requests.
+ * - Responds with 400 on missing, invalid, or mismatched digest.
+ * @param req Express request carrying the raw buffer.
+ * @param res Express response, used to emit 400 failures.
+ * @param next Express next handler.
+ */
+export function verifyContentDigest(req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction): void {
+  if (req.method === 'GET' || req.method === 'HEAD') return next();
+
+  const body = req.body;
+  const buffer = Buffer.isBuffer(body) ? body : null;
+  if (!buffer || buffer.length === 0) return next();
+
+  const header = req.header('Content-Digest');
+  const expected = parseSha256Base64(header);
+  if (!expected) {
+    res.status(400).send('Missing or invalid Content-Digest');
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const actual = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(buffer).digest('base64');
+  if (actual !== expected) {
+    res.status(400).send('Content-Digest verification failed');
+    return;
+  }
+
+  next();
+}
diff --git a/src/proxy/opal-api-proxy/index.ts b/src/proxy/opal-api-proxy/index.ts
index 7dd5b84..0eef124 100644
--- a/src/proxy/opal-api-proxy/index.ts
+++ b/src/proxy/opal-api-proxy/index.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,30 @@
-import { createProxyMiddleware } from 'http-proxy-middleware';
+import { Router } from 'express';
+import { createProxyMiddleware, responseInterceptor } from 'http-proxy-middleware';
 import { Logger } from '@hmcts/nodejs-logging';
 
 const logger = Logger.getLogger('opalApiProxy');
+import { rawJson, verifyContentDigest } from '../middlewares/digest-verify.middleware.js';
+import { verifyResponseDigest } from '../utils/response-digest.js';
 
+/**
+ * Creates an Express router that validates request digests and proxies requests to the Opal API.
+ * @param opalApiTarget Upstream Opal API base URL.
+ * @returns Configured Express router ready to mount in the host app.
+ */
 const opalApiProxy = (opalApiTarget: string, logEnabled: boolean) => {
-  return createProxyMiddleware({
+  const router = Router();
+
+  router.use(rawJson());
+  router.use(verifyContentDigest);
+
+  const handleProxyResponse = responseInterceptor(async (responseBuffer, proxyRes, _req, res) =>
+    verifyResponseDigest(responseBuffer, proxyRes, res),
+  );
+
+  const proxy = createProxyMiddleware({
     target: opalApiTarget,
     changeOrigin: true,
-    logger: console,
+    selfHandleResponse: true,
     on: {
       // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
       proxyReq: (proxyReq, req: any) => {
@@ -22,9 +39,25 @@ const opalApiProxy = (opalApiTarget: string, logEnabled: boolean) => {
         if (logEnabled) {
           logger.info(`client ip: ${requestIp}`);
         }
+        proxyReq.setHeader('Want-Content-Digest', 'sha-256');
+
+        const body = req.body;
+        const buffer = Buffer.isBuffer(body) ? body : null;
+        if (buffer && buffer.length > 0) {
+          proxyReq.setHeader('Content-Length', buffer.length.toString());
+          proxyReq.write(buffer);
+          proxyReq.end();
+        }
+      },
+      proxyRes: (proxyRes, req, res) => {
+        void handleProxyResponse(proxyRes, req, res);
       },
     },
   });
+
+  router.use(proxy);
+
+  return router;
 };
 
 export default opalApiProxy;
diff --git a/src/proxy/utils/response-digest.ts b/src/proxy/utils/response-digest.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3898b68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/proxy/utils/response-digest.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+import crypto from 'node:crypto';
+import type { IncomingMessage, ServerResponse } from 'node:http';
+
+type HeaderValue = string | string[] | undefined | null;
+
+function firstHeaderValue(value: HeaderValue): string | undefined {
+  if (Array.isArray(value)) {
+    return value.length > 0 ? value[0] : undefined;
+  }
+  return value ?? undefined;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Extract base64 from a 'sha-256=:<base64>:' style header.
+ */
+export function parseSha256Base64(value: HeaderValue): string | null {
+  const raw = firstHeaderValue(value);
+  if (!raw) return null;
+  const match = /sha-256=:(.+?):/i.exec(raw);
+  return match ? match[1] : null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Compute base64 SHA-256 over the given bytes.
+ */
+export function sha256Base64(buf: Buffer): string {
+  return crypto.createHash('sha256').update(buf).digest('base64');
+}
+
+/**
+ * Check whether a Content-Type should be verified.
+ * Covers JSON and text content types for v1.
+ */
+export function isVerifiableContentType(value: HeaderValue): boolean {
+  const raw = firstHeaderValue(value)?.toLowerCase();
+  if (!raw) return false;
+  const [type] = raw.split(';', 1);
+  if (!type) return false;
+  if (type.startsWith('text/')) return true;
+  if (type === 'application/json') return true;
+  return type.startsWith('application/') && type.endsWith('+json');
+}
+
+function failWithBadGateway(res: ServerResponse, message: string): Buffer {
+  res.statusCode = 502;
+  res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain; charset=utf-8');
+  res.setHeader('Cache-Control', 'no-store');
+  res.removeHeader('Content-Digest');
+  return Buffer.from(message, 'utf8');
+}
+
+/**
+ * Verifies upstream Content-Digest header against the decoded response buffer.
+ * Returns the buffer unchanged on success, or a 502 response payload on failure.
+ */
+export function verifyResponseDigest(responseBuffer: Buffer, proxyRes: IncomingMessage, res: ServerResponse): Buffer {
+  const digestHeader = proxyRes.headers['content-digest'];
+  const contentTypeHeader = proxyRes.headers['content-type'];
+
+  if (!digestHeader || !isVerifiableContentType(contentTypeHeader)) {
+    return responseBuffer;
+  }
+
+  const expected = parseSha256Base64(digestHeader);
+  if (!expected) {
+    return failWithBadGateway(res, 'Upstream Content-Digest header malformed');
+  }
+
+  const actual = sha256Base64(responseBuffer);
+  if (actual !== expected) {
+    return failWithBadGateway(res, 'Upstream Content-Digest verification failed');
+  }
+
+  return responseBuffer;
+}
diff --git a/tsconfig.json b/tsconfig.json
index 6295d14..cb79655 100644
--- a/tsconfig.json
+++ b/tsconfig.json
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
   "compilerOptions": {
     "rootDir": "./src",
     "outDir": "./dist",
-    "rootDir": "./src",
     "strict": true,
     "noImplicitOverride": true,
     "target": "ES2022",