diff --git a/.agents/phases/todo/132_image_upload_feedback/00_phase.md b/.agents/phases/complete/132_image_upload_feedback/00_phase.md
similarity index 100%
rename from .agents/phases/todo/132_image_upload_feedback/00_phase.md
rename to .agents/phases/complete/132_image_upload_feedback/00_phase.md
diff --git a/.agents/phases/todo/132_image_upload_feedback/01_upload_state.md b/.agents/phases/complete/132_image_upload_feedback/01_upload_state.md
similarity index 100%
rename from .agents/phases/todo/132_image_upload_feedback/01_upload_state.md
rename to .agents/phases/complete/132_image_upload_feedback/01_upload_state.md
diff --git a/.agents/phases/todo/132_image_upload_feedback/02_css_upload_state.md b/.agents/phases/complete/132_image_upload_feedback/02_css_upload_state.md
similarity index 100%
rename from .agents/phases/todo/132_image_upload_feedback/02_css_upload_state.md
rename to .agents/phases/complete/132_image_upload_feedback/02_css_upload_state.md
diff --git a/.agents/phases/todo/132_image_upload_feedback/03_e2e_upload_feedback.md b/.agents/phases/complete/132_image_upload_feedback/03_e2e_upload_feedback.md
similarity index 100%
rename from .agents/phases/todo/132_image_upload_feedback/03_e2e_upload_feedback.md
rename to .agents/phases/complete/132_image_upload_feedback/03_e2e_upload_feedback.md
diff --git a/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__00_phase.a1.err b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__00_phase.a1.err
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__00_phase.a1.md b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__00_phase.a1.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2696fc5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__00_phase.a1.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+All verification complete. Final report:
+
+**Phase 132 (image upload feedback) — final verification pass: 100% green**
+
+- **Verified** all 3 tasks' implementations in the working tree: `index.html` status part (hidden-by-default, arc + "Uploading image…", pinned order), `app.js` `enterUploadState`/`exitUploadState` (entered after `attachUpload` guard pre-await, exited on BOTH resolution paths, `setUiState` untouched, idle "Send" restore byte-identical), `styles.css` `.is-uploading` rules (house `spin` keyframes, reduced-motion block, existing `:disabled` Send language), unit pins, E2E suite with route-delayed upload window.
+- **Completion criteria** — (1) mid-flight spinner + "Uploading image…", remove + Send disabled with "Uploading…": ✅ E2E-asserted; (2) second Send press = no second upload (request count exactly 1): ✅; (3) success clears + turn proceeds (bubble carries image); failure clears + banner + text/attachment remain: ✅; (4) `uv run pytest tests/e2e/test_image_upload_feedback.py -v --no-cov`: ✅ 3 passed (18.5 s, in isolation); (5) no behavior change in completed phases: ✅ (full suite green, A5 path-never-bytes re-pinned in E2E).
+- **Full suite**: `uv run pytest --cov=app --cov-report=term-missing` → **3108 passed**, `app/` coverage **99%** (>90% gate); `uv run ruff check .` → clean; `uv run pyright` → 0 errors.
+- **Documentation**: README.md fully reviewed (setup, pages, all `.env.example` vars + every default vs `app/config.py`, tools incl. phase-131 `read(offset,limit)`, image/PDF/sync/deploy sections) and AGENTS.md fully reviewed (rules, quick-reference commands, gitignore/gpg claims) — **verified consistent; no changes needed**. Phase-132 README bullet already in the working tree; CSS `:root` contrast-note corrections (15.3:1 / 8.2:1) re-verified mathematically correct (comments only).
+- **Decisions**: none — all task work was already implemented and correct; no fixes required.
+- **Next pending phase**: `133_pdf_screenshot_fallback`.
diff --git a/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__00_phase.a1.validate b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__00_phase.a1.validate
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5b0bb41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__00_phase.a1.validate
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+........................................................................ [  2%]
+........................................................................ [  4%]
+........................................................................ [  6%]
+........................................................................ [  9%]
+........................................................................ [ 11%]
+........................................................................ [ 13%]
+........................................................................ [ 16%]
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+........................................................................ [ 25%]
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+........................................................................ [ 34%]
+........................................................................ [ 37%]
+........................................................................ [ 39%]
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+........................................................................ [ 53%]
+........................................................................ [ 55%]
+........................................................................ [ 57%]
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+........................................................................ [ 62%]
+........................................................................ [ 64%]
+........................................................................ [ 67%]
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+........................................................................ [ 71%]
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+........................................................................ [ 76%]
+........................................................................ [ 78%]
+........................................................................ [ 81%]
+........................................................................ [ 83%]
+........................................................................ [ 85%]
+........................................................................ [ 88%]
+........................................................................ [ 90%]
+........................................................................ [ 92%]
+........................................................................ [ 94%]
+........................................................................ [ 97%]
+........................................................................ [ 99%]
+............                                                             [100%]
+=============================== warnings summary ===============================
+.venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/fastapi/testclient.py:1
+  /var/home/ducoterra/Projects/Personal/brain_of_reese/.venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/fastapi/testclient.py:1: StarletteDeprecationWarning: Using `httpx` with `starlette.testclient` is deprecated; install `httpx2` instead.
+    from starlette.testclient import TestClient as TestClient  # noqa
+
+-- Docs: https://docs.pytest.org/en/stable/how-to/capture-warnings.html
+================================ tests coverage ================================
+_______________ coverage: platform linux, python 3.13.13-final-0 _______________
+
+Name                           Stmts   Miss  Cover
+--------------------------------------------------
+app/__init__.py                    1      0   100%
+app/api/__init__.py                0      0   100%
+app/api/auth.py                   52      0   100%
+app/api/chat.py                  268      1    99%
+app/api/chat_images.py            50      0   100%
+app/api/chats.py                 110      0   100%
+app/api/config.py                 13      0   100%
+app/api/doc_drafts.py             99      0   100%
+app/api/docs.py                  179      1    99%
+app/api/git_sources.py           241      0   100%
+app/api/health.py                 10      0   100%
+app/api/steering.py               42      0   100%
+app/api/suggestions.py            33      0   100%
+app/api/sync.py                  156      0   100%
+app/api/tokens.py                 40      0   100%
+app/api/ui_settings.py            55      0   100%
+app/config.py                    256      0   100%
+app/core/__init__.py               0      0   100%
+app/core/auth.py                  45      0   100%
+app/core/caching.py              124      0   100%
+app/core/debugging.py             29      2    93%
+app/core/docs_push.py             39      0   100%
+app/core/errors.py                 5      0   100%
+app/core/logging.py               13      0   100%
+app/core/rate_limit.py            44      0   100%
+app/core/security_headers.py      20      0   100%
+app/core/theming.py               38      0   100%
+app/core/tokens.py                44      0   100%
+app/db.py                         22      0   100%
+app/main.py                       68      0   100%
+app/models.py                    132      0   100%
+app/rag/__init__.py                0      0   100%
+app/rag/agent.py                 412      1    99%
+app/rag/archive_upload.py        134      0   100%
+app/rag/chunker.py               220      4    98%
+app/rag/doc_dates.py              18      0   100%
+app/rag/folder_summaries.py      134      0   100%
+app/rag/git_sources.py            38      0   100%
+app/rag/importer.py              571      9    98%
+app/rag/llm.py                   246      1    99%
+app/rag/md_images.py              63      0   100%
+app/rag/overview.py               71      0   100%
+app/rag/pdf.py                    81      0   100%
+app/rag/prompts.py               144      0   100%
+app/rag/retriever.py             248      3    99%
+app/rag/scaffolding.py            55      0   100%
+app/rag/source_removal.py         41      0   100%
+app/rag/sources_meta.py           16      0   100%
+app/rag/suggestions.py            27      0   100%
+app/rag/summarizer.py             49      0   100%
+app/schemas.py                   410      0   100%
+--------------------------------------------------
+TOTAL                           5206     22    99%
+coverage gate: app/ 99% (>90%) OK
+All checks passed!
+0 errors, 0 warnings, 0 informations
+WARNING: there is a new pyright version available (v1.1.411 -> v1.1.414).
+Please install the new version or set PYRIGHT_PYTHON_FORCE_VERSION to `latest`
+
+validation OK
diff --git a/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__01_upload_state.a1.err b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__01_upload_state.a1.err
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__01_upload_state.a1.md b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__01_upload_state.a1.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0361ac0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__01_upload_state.a1.md
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+All done. Final report:
+
+**Implemented (phase 132, task 01 — uploading state):**
+- `frontend/index.html`: `#attach-preview` gains the hidden status part (house loading arc svg, `aria-hidden` + pinned "Uploading image…" text) between the filename and remove ✕ — ships hidden per the house rule
+- `frontend/assets/app.js`: module-scope `attachStatus` ref (null-guard pattern); `enterUploadState()`/`exitUploadState()` helpers beside `showAttachPreview`/`clearAttachedImage` (strip `.is-uploading` + status unhidden + remove disabled + Send disabled "Uploading…" / mirror exit restoring "Send" byte-identical to `setUiState`'s idle label); `handleSend` enters after the `attachUpload` guard before the await, exits at `attachUpload = false` (both success & failure — helper never throws). `setUiState`/`uiState`/turn loader untouched (pre-turn)
+- `tests/unit/test_chat_image_questions.py`: +4 tests — markup pin (order, exact arc, hidden), helper affordance pin (order, guards, pre-turn contract, byte-identical "Send"), `handleSend` exact-ordering pin (guard → arm → enter → await → release → exit → block, single enter/exit, no `setUiState(` call, byte-untouched phase-123 contract), node-harness behavioral test (enter / exit-success / exit-failure / re-enter rows)
+
+**Gates (all green):**
+- `uv run pytest --cov=app --cov-report=term -q` → exit 0, **99%** on `app/` (>90% ✓)
+- `uv run ruff check .` → clean; `uv run pyright` → exit 0
+- Regression E2E in isolation: `test_chat_image_questions.py` (phase 123 contract on the modified surface) 5 passed; `test_smoke.py`, `test_answer_images.py`, `test_image_anchor_context.py`, `test_image_documents.py` all pass
+
+**Docs:** no doc impact (no setup/commands/env/API changes)
+
+**Decisions:** used the task's exact arc snippet (the "check `#turn-loader`" hint is stale — that loader is the brain-wave glyph, not an arc; the arc matches the house `.spinner` language for task 02's spin CSS); removed a stray `✕` glyph my comment introduced (caught by the emoji guard).
+
+**Next pending task:** `02_css_upload_state.md`
diff --git a/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__01_upload_state.a1.validate b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__01_upload_state.a1.validate
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..38b0dc3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__01_upload_state.a1.validate
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+........................................................................ [  2%]
+........................................................................ [  4%]
+........................................................................ [  6%]
+........................................................................ [  9%]
+........................................................................ [ 11%]
+........................................................................ [ 13%]
+........................................................................ [ 16%]
+........................................................................ [ 18%]
+........................................................................ [ 20%]
+........................................................................ [ 23%]
+........................................................................ [ 25%]
+........................................................................ [ 27%]
+........................................................................ [ 30%]
+........................................................................ [ 32%]
+........................................................................ [ 34%]
+........................................................................ [ 37%]
+........................................................................ [ 39%]
+........................................................................ [ 41%]
+........................................................................ [ 44%]
+........................................................................ [ 46%]
+........................................................................ [ 48%]
+........................................................................ [ 51%]
+........................................................................ [ 53%]
+........................................................................ [ 55%]
+........................................................................ [ 58%]
+........................................................................ [ 60%]
+........................................................................ [ 62%]
+........................................................................ [ 65%]
+........................................................................ [ 67%]
+........................................................................ [ 69%]
+........................................................................ [ 71%]
+........................................................................ [ 74%]
+........................................................................ [ 76%]
+........................................................................ [ 78%]
+........................................................................ [ 81%]
+........................................................................ [ 83%]
+........................................................................ [ 85%]
+........................................................................ [ 88%]
+........................................................................ [ 90%]
+........................................................................ [ 92%]
+........................................................................ [ 95%]
+........................................................................ [ 97%]
+........................................................................ [ 99%]
+.....                                                                    [100%]
+=============================== warnings summary ===============================
+.venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/fastapi/testclient.py:1
+  /var/home/ducoterra/Projects/Personal/brain_of_reese/.venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/fastapi/testclient.py:1: StarletteDeprecationWarning: Using `httpx` with `starlette.testclient` is deprecated; install `httpx2` instead.
+    from starlette.testclient import TestClient as TestClient  # noqa
+
+-- Docs: https://docs.pytest.org/en/stable/how-to/capture-warnings.html
+================================ tests coverage ================================
+_______________ coverage: platform linux, python 3.13.13-final-0 _______________
+
+Name                           Stmts   Miss  Cover
+--------------------------------------------------
+app/__init__.py                    1      0   100%
+app/api/__init__.py                0      0   100%
+app/api/auth.py                   52      0   100%
+app/api/chat.py                  268      1    99%
+app/api/chat_images.py            50      0   100%
+app/api/chats.py                 110      0   100%
+app/api/config.py                 13      0   100%
+app/api/doc_drafts.py             99      0   100%
+app/api/docs.py                  179      1    99%
+app/api/git_sources.py           241      0   100%
+app/api/health.py                 10      0   100%
+app/api/steering.py               42      0   100%
+app/api/suggestions.py            33      0   100%
+app/api/sync.py                  156      0   100%
+app/api/tokens.py                 40      0   100%
+app/api/ui_settings.py            55      0   100%
+app/config.py                    256      0   100%
+app/core/__init__.py               0      0   100%
+app/core/auth.py                  45      0   100%
+app/core/caching.py              124      0   100%
+app/core/debugging.py             29      2    93%
+app/core/docs_push.py             39      0   100%
+app/core/errors.py                 5      0   100%
+app/core/logging.py               13      0   100%
+app/core/rate_limit.py            44      0   100%
+app/core/security_headers.py      20      0   100%
+app/core/theming.py               38      0   100%
+app/core/tokens.py                44      0   100%
+app/db.py                         22      0   100%
+app/main.py                       68      0   100%
+app/models.py                    132      0   100%
+app/rag/__init__.py                0      0   100%
+app/rag/agent.py                 412      1    99%
+app/rag/archive_upload.py        134      0   100%
+app/rag/chunker.py               220      4    98%
+app/rag/doc_dates.py              18      0   100%
+app/rag/folder_summaries.py      134      0   100%
+app/rag/git_sources.py            38      0   100%
+app/rag/importer.py              571      9    98%
+app/rag/llm.py                   246      1    99%
+app/rag/md_images.py              63      0   100%
+app/rag/overview.py               71      0   100%
+app/rag/pdf.py                    81      0   100%
+app/rag/prompts.py               144      0   100%
+app/rag/retriever.py             248      3    99%
+app/rag/scaffolding.py            55      0   100%
+app/rag/source_removal.py         41      0   100%
+app/rag/sources_meta.py           16      0   100%
+app/rag/suggestions.py            27      0   100%
+app/rag/summarizer.py             49      0   100%
+app/schemas.py                   410      0   100%
+--------------------------------------------------
+TOTAL                           5206     22    99%
+coverage gate: app/ 99% (>90%) OK
+All checks passed!
+0 errors, 0 warnings, 0 informations
+WARNING: there is a new pyright version available (v1.1.411 -> v1.1.414).
+Please install the new version or set PYRIGHT_PYTHON_FORCE_VERSION to `latest`
+
+validation OK
diff --git a/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__02_css_upload_state.a1.err b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__02_css_upload_state.a1.err
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__02_css_upload_state.a1.md b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__02_css_upload_state.a1.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8bfaff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__02_css_upload_state.a1.md
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+Task 02 complete. Final report:
+
+**Implemented**
+- `frontend/assets/styles.css`: Phase 132 uploading-state CSS in the `.attach-preview*` family — thumbnail dims to 0.5, name hides via `visibility` (slot kept, no reflow), `.attach-preview-status` row (`--ink-soft`, 0.85rem, `min-width: 0`), 14px arc on the house `spin` keyframes at the sync spinner's 1s pace, `prefers-reduced-motion` stills the arc, remove ✕ dims 0.5 with its disabled attribute
+- Verified in real Chromium (320/375/480/768/1440): "Uploading image…" never clips (one line at 320px), strip height stable, arc animates `spin 1s` / `none` under reduced motion
+- Disabled Send: existing `.send-btn:disabled` (`--brand-busy` + `not-allowed`) already reads disabled — verified + pinned, no new visual (B4)
+- Theme audit: block ships no raw color; `--ink-soft` on `--surface` computed 8.2:1 (≥4.5:1) from `:root` literals
+- 7 new unit pins appended to `tests/unit/test_chat_image_questions.py` (Phase 132 task 02 section)
+
+**Tests / lint**
+- `uv run pytest --cov=app`: **3108 passed**, exit 0, `app/` coverage **99%** (>90% gate)
+- `uv run ruff check .`: All checks passed · `uv run pyright`: 0 errors, 0 warnings
+- Regression: `tests/e2e/test_chat_image_questions.py` (5 passed) + `test_pinned_composer.py` + `test_responsive_polish.py` (11 passed) in isolation
+
+**Docs:** no README/AGENTS.md impact (visual-state CSS only)
+
+**Decisions / deviations:** fixed stale `:root` contrast comments (5.1:1→8.2:1, 13.8:1→15.3:1 — palette changed at the phase-08 re-land, comments never updated; both pairs pass AA). ~40 other historical phase comments still cite the old low ratios (all underestimates, AA-safe) — left as out-of-scope for this task. Initial "✕" glyphs in my CSS comment tripped the phase-08 no-emoji guard — replaced with ASCII.
+
+**Next pending task:** `.agents/phases/todo/132_image_upload_feedback/03_e2e_upload_feedback.md`
diff --git a/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__02_css_upload_state.a1.validate b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__02_css_upload_state.a1.validate
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5b0bb41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__02_css_upload_state.a1.validate
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+........................................................................ [  2%]
+........................................................................ [  4%]
+........................................................................ [  6%]
+........................................................................ [  9%]
+........................................................................ [ 11%]
+........................................................................ [ 13%]
+........................................................................ [ 16%]
+........................................................................ [ 18%]
+........................................................................ [ 20%]
+........................................................................ [ 23%]
+........................................................................ [ 25%]
+........................................................................ [ 27%]
+........................................................................ [ 30%]
+........................................................................ [ 32%]
+........................................................................ [ 34%]
+........................................................................ [ 37%]
+........................................................................ [ 39%]
+........................................................................ [ 41%]
+........................................................................ [ 44%]
+........................................................................ [ 46%]
+........................................................................ [ 48%]
+........................................................................ [ 50%]
+........................................................................ [ 53%]
+........................................................................ [ 55%]
+........................................................................ [ 57%]
+........................................................................ [ 60%]
+........................................................................ [ 62%]
+........................................................................ [ 64%]
+........................................................................ [ 67%]
+........................................................................ [ 69%]
+........................................................................ [ 71%]
+........................................................................ [ 74%]
+........................................................................ [ 76%]
+........................................................................ [ 78%]
+........................................................................ [ 81%]
+........................................................................ [ 83%]
+........................................................................ [ 85%]
+........................................................................ [ 88%]
+........................................................................ [ 90%]
+........................................................................ [ 92%]
+........................................................................ [ 94%]
+........................................................................ [ 97%]
+........................................................................ [ 99%]
+............                                                             [100%]
+=============================== warnings summary ===============================
+.venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/fastapi/testclient.py:1
+  /var/home/ducoterra/Projects/Personal/brain_of_reese/.venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/fastapi/testclient.py:1: StarletteDeprecationWarning: Using `httpx` with `starlette.testclient` is deprecated; install `httpx2` instead.
+    from starlette.testclient import TestClient as TestClient  # noqa
+
+-- Docs: https://docs.pytest.org/en/stable/how-to/capture-warnings.html
+================================ tests coverage ================================
+_______________ coverage: platform linux, python 3.13.13-final-0 _______________
+
+Name                           Stmts   Miss  Cover
+--------------------------------------------------
+app/__init__.py                    1      0   100%
+app/api/__init__.py                0      0   100%
+app/api/auth.py                   52      0   100%
+app/api/chat.py                  268      1    99%
+app/api/chat_images.py            50      0   100%
+app/api/chats.py                 110      0   100%
+app/api/config.py                 13      0   100%
+app/api/doc_drafts.py             99      0   100%
+app/api/docs.py                  179      1    99%
+app/api/git_sources.py           241      0   100%
+app/api/health.py                 10      0   100%
+app/api/steering.py               42      0   100%
+app/api/suggestions.py            33      0   100%
+app/api/sync.py                  156      0   100%
+app/api/tokens.py                 40      0   100%
+app/api/ui_settings.py            55      0   100%
+app/config.py                    256      0   100%
+app/core/__init__.py               0      0   100%
+app/core/auth.py                  45      0   100%
+app/core/caching.py              124      0   100%
+app/core/debugging.py             29      2    93%
+app/core/docs_push.py             39      0   100%
+app/core/errors.py                 5      0   100%
+app/core/logging.py               13      0   100%
+app/core/rate_limit.py            44      0   100%
+app/core/security_headers.py      20      0   100%
+app/core/theming.py               38      0   100%
+app/core/tokens.py                44      0   100%
+app/db.py                         22      0   100%
+app/main.py                       68      0   100%
+app/models.py                    132      0   100%
+app/rag/__init__.py                0      0   100%
+app/rag/agent.py                 412      1    99%
+app/rag/archive_upload.py        134      0   100%
+app/rag/chunker.py               220      4    98%
+app/rag/doc_dates.py              18      0   100%
+app/rag/folder_summaries.py      134      0   100%
+app/rag/git_sources.py            38      0   100%
+app/rag/importer.py              571      9    98%
+app/rag/llm.py                   246      1    99%
+app/rag/md_images.py              63      0   100%
+app/rag/overview.py               71      0   100%
+app/rag/pdf.py                    81      0   100%
+app/rag/prompts.py               144      0   100%
+app/rag/retriever.py             248      3    99%
+app/rag/scaffolding.py            55      0   100%
+app/rag/source_removal.py         41      0   100%
+app/rag/sources_meta.py           16      0   100%
+app/rag/suggestions.py            27      0   100%
+app/rag/summarizer.py             49      0   100%
+app/schemas.py                   410      0   100%
+--------------------------------------------------
+TOTAL                           5206     22    99%
+coverage gate: app/ 99% (>90%) OK
+All checks passed!
+0 errors, 0 warnings, 0 informations
+WARNING: there is a new pyright version available (v1.1.411 -> v1.1.414).
+Please install the new version or set PYRIGHT_PYTHON_FORCE_VERSION to `latest`
+
+validation OK
diff --git a/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__03_e2e_upload_feedback.a1.err b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__03_e2e_upload_feedback.a1.err
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__03_e2e_upload_feedback.a1.md b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__03_e2e_upload_feedback.a1.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..081b8b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__03_e2e_upload_feedback.a1.md
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+All gates green. Final report:
+
+**Implemented**
+- `tests/e2e/test_image_upload_feedback.py` (new, mock-only, run in isolation): module app with `BOR_IMAGES=true` + suite-private image store, one-doc local source seeded through the real in-process sync, house 1×1 PNG constant.
+- Three tests per the mapping: (1) mid-flight uploading state + owner-spam (2 dead button presses + Enter) → exactly ONE upload request, ONE turn; (2) success clears state, strip hides, bubble carries the data-URL image, record carries the PATH (A5), grounded turn settles; (3) delayed-`route.abort` network drop → banner copy, draft + attachment intact, no turn.
+- In-flight window via `page.route` + async `asyncio.sleep(3.0)` handler, then `route.continue_()` (real server runs, response just late); module counter pins the double-send.
+
+**Results**
+- `uv run pytest tests/e2e/test_image_upload_feedback.py -v --no-cov` → 3 passed (5 consecutive runs, 18 s each; instrumented run confirmed in-flight asserts settle ~10 ms after the click, inside the 3 s hold — not a race)
+- `uv run pytest --cov=app --cov-report=term-missing` → 3108 passed, `app/` coverage 99%
+- `uv run ruff check .` → all checks passed; `uv run pyright` → 0 errors, 0 warnings
+
+**Docs:** README "Question images" gained the uploading-state bullet (phase 132 behavior); AGENTS.md — no doc impact (no new rules/commands).
+
+**Notable decisions:** async Playwright API instead of the sync house pattern — a sync route handler's sleep blocks the test thread for the whole hold, making mid-flight DOM polling impossible (verified empirically; header docstring explains). Admin form login (async twin of `auth_helpers.login`) instead of anonymous: the phase-79 token gate locks the anonymous shell, and phase 123 (the referenced suite) uses the signed-in context. Same-question auto-saves are cleaned by the suite title (house pattern).
+
+**Next pending task:** `.agents/phases/todo/133_pdf_screenshot_fallback/01_diagnosis_regression_test.md`
diff --git a/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__03_e2e_upload_feedback.a1.validate b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__03_e2e_upload_feedback.a1.validate
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5b0bb41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/reports/132_image_upload_feedback/132_image_upload_feedback__03_e2e_upload_feedback.a1.validate
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+........................................................................ [  2%]
+........................................................................ [  4%]
+........................................................................ [  6%]
+........................................................................ [  9%]
+........................................................................ [ 11%]
+........................................................................ [ 13%]
+........................................................................ [ 16%]
+........................................................................ [ 18%]
+........................................................................ [ 20%]
+........................................................................ [ 23%]
+........................................................................ [ 25%]
+........................................................................ [ 27%]
+........................................................................ [ 30%]
+........................................................................ [ 32%]
+........................................................................ [ 34%]
+........................................................................ [ 37%]
+........................................................................ [ 39%]
+........................................................................ [ 41%]
+........................................................................ [ 44%]
+........................................................................ [ 46%]
+........................................................................ [ 48%]
+........................................................................ [ 50%]
+........................................................................ [ 53%]
+........................................................................ [ 55%]
+........................................................................ [ 57%]
+........................................................................ [ 60%]
+........................................................................ [ 62%]
+........................................................................ [ 64%]
+........................................................................ [ 67%]
+........................................................................ [ 69%]
+........................................................................ [ 71%]
+........................................................................ [ 74%]
+........................................................................ [ 76%]
+........................................................................ [ 78%]
+........................................................................ [ 81%]
+........................................................................ [ 83%]
+........................................................................ [ 85%]
+........................................................................ [ 88%]
+........................................................................ [ 90%]
+........................................................................ [ 92%]
+........................................................................ [ 94%]
+........................................................................ [ 97%]
+........................................................................ [ 99%]
+............                                                             [100%]
+=============================== warnings summary ===============================
+.venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/fastapi/testclient.py:1
+  /var/home/ducoterra/Projects/Personal/brain_of_reese/.venv/lib/python3.13/site-packages/fastapi/testclient.py:1: StarletteDeprecationWarning: Using `httpx` with `starlette.testclient` is deprecated; install `httpx2` instead.
+    from starlette.testclient import TestClient as TestClient  # noqa
+
+-- Docs: https://docs.pytest.org/en/stable/how-to/capture-warnings.html
+================================ tests coverage ================================
+_______________ coverage: platform linux, python 3.13.13-final-0 _______________
+
+Name                           Stmts   Miss  Cover
+--------------------------------------------------
+app/__init__.py                    1      0   100%
+app/api/__init__.py                0      0   100%
+app/api/auth.py                   52      0   100%
+app/api/chat.py                  268      1    99%
+app/api/chat_images.py            50      0   100%
+app/api/chats.py                 110      0   100%
+app/api/config.py                 13      0   100%
+app/api/doc_drafts.py             99      0   100%
+app/api/docs.py                  179      1    99%
+app/api/git_sources.py           241      0   100%
+app/api/health.py                 10      0   100%
+app/api/steering.py               42      0   100%
+app/api/suggestions.py            33      0   100%
+app/api/sync.py                  156      0   100%
+app/api/tokens.py                 40      0   100%
+app/api/ui_settings.py            55      0   100%
+app/config.py                    256      0   100%
+app/core/__init__.py               0      0   100%
+app/core/auth.py                  45      0   100%
+app/core/caching.py              124      0   100%
+app/core/debugging.py             29      2    93%
+app/core/docs_push.py             39      0   100%
+app/core/errors.py                 5      0   100%
+app/core/logging.py               13      0   100%
+app/core/rate_limit.py            44      0   100%
+app/core/security_headers.py      20      0   100%
+app/core/theming.py               38      0   100%
+app/core/tokens.py                44      0   100%
+app/db.py                         22      0   100%
+app/main.py                       68      0   100%
+app/models.py                    132      0   100%
+app/rag/__init__.py                0      0   100%
+app/rag/agent.py                 412      1    99%
+app/rag/archive_upload.py        134      0   100%
+app/rag/chunker.py               220      4    98%
+app/rag/doc_dates.py              18      0   100%
+app/rag/folder_summaries.py      134      0   100%
+app/rag/git_sources.py            38      0   100%
+app/rag/importer.py              571      9    98%
+app/rag/llm.py                   246      1    99%
+app/rag/md_images.py              63      0   100%
+app/rag/overview.py               71      0   100%
+app/rag/pdf.py                    81      0   100%
+app/rag/prompts.py               144      0   100%
+app/rag/retriever.py             248      3    99%
+app/rag/scaffolding.py            55      0   100%
+app/rag/source_removal.py         41      0   100%
+app/rag/sources_meta.py           16      0   100%
+app/rag/suggestions.py            27      0   100%
+app/rag/summarizer.py             49      0   100%
+app/schemas.py                   410      0   100%
+--------------------------------------------------
+TOTAL                           5206     22    99%
+coverage gate: app/ 99% (>90%) OK
+All checks passed!
+0 errors, 0 warnings, 0 informations
+WARNING: there is a new pyright version available (v1.1.411 -> v1.1.414).
+Please install the new version or set PYRIGHT_PYTHON_FORCE_VERSION to `latest`
+
+validation OK
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c2cc828..ed49689 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -482,6 +482,13 @@ image:
   to `POST /api/chat-images` (capped at `BOR_CHAT_IMAGE_MAX_MB`,
   default 10 MiB — over is a 413) and stored under `BOR_CHAT_IMAGE_DIR`.
   Saved and shared chats carry the returned *path* — never base64.
+- **Visible while uploading.** While the upload is in flight the
+  preview strip shows a spinner + *"Uploading image…"* (its remove ✕
+  disabled) and the Send button is disabled with the *"Uploading…"*
+  label — a second press is dead, visually and functionally (no second
+  upload, no second turn). On success the state clears and the turn
+  proceeds; on failure it clears, the banner shows, and the typed text
+  + the attachment stay for the retry (phase 132).
 - **Current turn only.** The model receives a multimodal message for
   this question; prior turns' images are never replayed into history
   (the text of a prior turn stands alone).
diff --git a/frontend/assets/app.js b/frontend/assets/app.js
index 9f40be5..83a2133 100644
--- a/frontend/assets/app.js
+++ b/frontend/assets/app.js
@@ -314,6 +314,10 @@ const attachBtn = document.querySelector("#attach-btn");
 const attachFile = document.querySelector("#attach-file");
 const attachPreview = document.querySelector("#attach-preview");
 const attachRemove = document.querySelector("#attach-remove");
+// Phase 132 (task 01, TODO L8): the strip's uploading status part —
+// ships hidden; enterUploadState / exitUploadState (below) are its
+// sole `hidden` writers (shown iff the image upload is in flight).
+const attachStatus = document.querySelector(".attach-preview-status");
 const banner = document.querySelector("#kb-banner");
 const bannerText = document.querySelector("#kb-banner-text");
 const versionEl = document.querySelector("#app-version");
@@ -2757,6 +2761,49 @@ function clearAttachedImage() {
   if (attachPreview) attachPreview.hidden = true;
 }
 
+/* Phase 132 (task 01, TODO L8; A5, owner-confirmed 2026-09-27): the
+ * PRE-turn uploading state — the visible proof that the attached
+ * image is moving while POST /api/chat-images is in flight. The
+ * affordance is BOTH halves at once: the preview strip shows the
+ * spinner + "Uploading image…" (the status part unhidden, the
+ * .is-uploading class for task 02's CSS) with its remove X disabled
+ * (the attachment is mid-flight — it can't be removed out from under
+ * the upload), AND the Send button is DISABLED with the "Uploading…"
+ * label — the user-facing half of the attachUpload double-fire guard
+ * (a second press does nothing: the top-of-handleSend
+ * `sendBtn.disabled` guard AND the `attachUpload` guard both no-op).
+ * exitUploadState is the mirror image: the strip returns to its
+ * normal preview (thumbnail + filename stay visible), the remove X
+ * re-enables, and the button restores EXACTLY the idle look —
+ * enabled + "Send" (byte-identical to setUiState's idle label),
+ * restored BEFORE the success path calls runTurn (whose
+ * setUiState("thinking") then takes the button over as usual) and
+ * before the failure path returns (banner shown, input text intact,
+ * the attachment still attached — the user can retry or remove).
+ * setUiState / uiState / the turn loader are deliberately UNTOUCHED:
+ * the upload is PRE-turn (uiState stays idle; the turn's
+ * thinking/streaming feedback starts only when runTurn does).
+ * Both are idempotent and null-guarded on the attach family (the
+ * house pattern — a New chat mid-upload hides the strip; the class
+ * on a hidden element is harmless and still cleared at resolution);
+ * the send refs are unconditional (the composer is required for the
+ * chat view to exist at all). */
+function enterUploadState() {
+  if (attachPreview) attachPreview.classList.add("is-uploading");
+  if (attachStatus) attachStatus.hidden = false;
+  if (attachRemove) attachRemove.disabled = true;
+  sendBtn.disabled = true;
+  sendLabel.textContent = "Uploading…";
+}
+
+function exitUploadState() {
+  if (attachPreview) attachPreview.classList.remove("is-uploading");
+  if (attachStatus) attachStatus.hidden = true;
+  if (attachRemove) attachRemove.disabled = false;
+  sendBtn.disabled = false;
+  sendLabel.textContent = "Send";
+}
+
 async function handleSend(e) {
   e.preventDefault();
   // Phase 48: while a turn is in flight the Send button IS the Stop
@@ -2787,8 +2834,20 @@ async function handleSend(e) {
   if (attachedImage) {
     if (attachUpload) return; // a second submit mid-upload: the first owns the send (never two uploads, never two turns)
     attachUpload = true;
+    // Phase 132 (task 01, TODO L8): the uploading state is entered
+    // exactly ONCE per upload — after the guard, before the await —
+    // so the gap between the press and the resolution is never
+    // frozen-looking (the strip's spinner + "Uploading image…", the
+    // disabled "Uploading…" Send).
+    enterUploadState();
     const path = await uploadAttachedImage(attachedImage.file);
     attachUpload = false; // the helper never throws (every failure path is a banner + null)
+    // Phase 132: exited on BOTH resolution paths — the helper never
+    // throws, so this line is reached on success AND failure. Before
+    // the success path continues to runTurn (whose setUiState takes
+    // the button over) and before the failure path returns below
+    // (banner + editable composer + the attachment for the retry).
+    exitUploadState();
     if (path === null) return; // A8: the send is blocked — the question stays
     image = {
       path, // the record + the /api/chat body (A5: the path, never base64)
diff --git a/frontend/assets/styles.css b/frontend/assets/styles.css
index 46779e7..c1b4155 100644
--- a/frontend/assets/styles.css
+++ b/frontend/assets/styles.css
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@
 :root {
   /* Palette — all text/background pairs meet WCAG 2.1 AA (>= 4.5:1) */
   --bg: #0f0a0a;            /* page: ink on bg 16.7:1 */
-  --surface: #1a0f0f;       /* ink on surface 13.8:1 */
+  --surface: #1a0f0f;       /* ink on surface 15.3:1 */
   --ink: #f0e6e6;
-  --ink-soft: #b8a8a8;      /*  5.1:1 on --surface */
+  --ink-soft: #b8a8a8;      /*  8.2:1 on --surface */
   --line: #2d1a1a;          /* decorative 1px borders */
   --grid-line: #4a2626;     /* background grid texture — decorative, no
                                contrast duty (like --line) */
@@ -1745,6 +1745,56 @@ a.answer-image:hover { text-decoration: underline; } /* flat — the caption und
 }
 .attach-preview-remove svg { width: 18px; height: 18px; }
 .attach-preview-remove:hover { background: var(--err-bg); color: var(--err-ink); }
+/* Phase 132 (task 02, TODO L8): the strip's UPLOADING look — the
+   visual half of the owner-confirmed double-spam block (task 01's JS
+   state proves the image is moving while POST /api/chat-images is in
+   flight; before this the strip looked frozen and the user spammed
+   Send). The thumbnail DIMS to 0.5 (it is decorative — no contrast
+   duty — and 0.5 is the house dim value the disabled remove button
+   below); the filename HIDES with visibility (the flex: 1 slot keeps
+   its measured width — the status takes the row's right hand WITHOUT
+   reflowing the pinned 44px remove button); the house loading arc
+   (the status part's svg — task 01's markup, currentColor = the
+   status's --ink-soft) SPINS at the sync spinner's pace (the house
+   `spin` keyframes at 1s linear — .sync-icon.is-spinning's in-flight
+   pace; the .spinner's 0.8s is the busy-turn arc's). The status text
+   is --ink-soft on the strip's --surface — the :root-pinned pair,
+   8.2:1 computed against WCAG 2.1 (AA ≥ 4.5:1), at the strip's
+   small text size (the name's 0.85rem). The remove button (task 01
+   disables it mid-flight) dims with its disabled attribute — the
+   attribute is the state, the 0.5 is its visual half; the Send rides
+   the same house :disabled language (.send-btn:disabled's
+   --brand-busy + not-allowed below — which reads as disabled already,
+   so NO new color or weight was added, B4). prefers-reduced-motion stills the arc (the house block): the
+   "Uploading image…" TEXT + the dimmed thumbnail carry the state
+   without motion (B5 — never motion alone). Every value is a theme
+   variable or a neutral number — the block ships no raw color. */
+.attach-preview.is-uploading .attach-preview-img {
+  opacity: 0.5;
+}
+.attach-preview.is-uploading .attach-preview-name {
+  visibility: hidden; /* keep the flex: 1 slot; the status takes its right hand */
+}
+.attach-preview-status {
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 0.35rem;
+  color: var(--ink-soft);
+  font-size: 0.85rem; /* the strip's small text — the name's size */
+  min-width: 0; /* the row's clamp: at 320 px the text WRAPS (no clip) */
+}
+.attach-preview-status-icon {
+  width: 14px;
+  height: 14px;
+  flex: 0 0 auto;
+  animation: spin 1s linear infinite; /* the house spin keyframes (the sync pace) */
+}
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+  .attach-preview-status-icon { animation: none; }
+}
+.attach-preview.is-uploading .attach-preview-remove {
+  opacity: 0.5; /* the disabled attribute's visual half (task 01 sets it) */
+}
 .composer {
   display: flex;
   align-items: flex-end;
diff --git a/frontend/index.html b/frontend/index.html
index 90325ac..2811e1c 100644
--- a/frontend/index.html
+++ b/frontend/index.html
@@ -280,6 +280,22 @@
           <div class="attach-preview" id="attach-preview" hidden>
             <img class="attach-preview-img" alt="">
             <span class="attach-preview-name"></span>
+            <!-- Phase 132 (task 01, TODO L8): the strip's UPLOADING
+               status part — the house loading arc (the svg is
+               decorative, aria-hidden) + the pinned "Uploading image…"
+               text (it carries the meaning). SHIPS HIDDEN (the house
+               rule) — app.js's enterUploadState / exitUploadState
+               (handleSend's attachedImage branch) are the SOLE writers
+               of its `hidden`: shown exactly while the POST
+               /api/chat-images upload is in flight, hidden by
+               construction at BOTH resolution points (success → the
+               turn, failure → the banner + the retry). The thumbnail
+               + filename stay visible throughout — the user watches
+               THEIR image uploading. -->
+            <span class="attach-preview-status" hidden>
+              <svg class="attach-preview-status-icon" aria-hidden="true" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round"><path d="M21 12a9 9 0 1 1-6.2-8.56"/></svg>
+              <span class="attach-preview-status-text">Uploading image…</span>
+            </span>
             <button type="button" class="attach-preview-remove" id="attach-remove" aria-label="Remove the attached image">
               <svg aria-hidden="true" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="1.7" stroke-linecap="round"><path d="M6 6l12 12M18 6L6 18"/></svg>
             </button>
diff --git a/tests/e2e/test_image_upload_feedback.py b/tests/e2e/test_image_upload_feedback.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..61fb5b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/e2e/test_image_upload_feedback.py
@@ -0,0 +1,602 @@
+"""Phase 132 task 03 E2E (Playwright, mock-only): the chat image upload
+shows visible "uploading" feedback (TODO L8).
+
+Run in isolation (DB must be up: ``podman compose up -d db``):
+
+    uv run pytest tests/e2e/test_image_upload_feedback.py -v --no-cov
+
+MOCK-ONLY suite: ``E2E_REAL_LLM=1`` is not supported — the settled-turn
+pins key on the mock's byte-stable grounded answer
+(``Deterministic mock answer for E2E``), which the live model will not
+produce. The in-flight mechanics themselves are LLM-independent.
+
+THE UPLOAD WINDOW (the route-delay rationale): in production
+``POST /api/chat-images`` resolves in ~50 ms — the in-flight window is
+unsamplable. ``page.route`` intercepts the upload and the handler
+DELAYS (``asyncio.sleep``) before ``route.continue_()``: the server's
+REAL handler runs, the response is just late (the upload is genuine —
+the file lands, the path is returned, the turn proceeds). The window is
+therefore ≥ ``HOLD_SECONDS`` (3.0 s) and the in-flight state — set by
+``enterUploadState`` synchronously with the fetch, cleared by
+``exitUploadState`` on resolution — is directly observable.
+
+WHY THE ASYNC API (not the house sync pattern): a sync-API route
+handler runs in a greenlet on the TEST thread — its ``time.sleep``
+blocks the thread for the whole hold, so no ``expect()`` can poll the
+DOM during the window (only the post-release residual state is visible
+— a race against the server's response time). The async API runs the
+handler as an independent event-loop task: the sleep suspends ONLY the
+handler, the test coroutine keeps polling through the driver while the
+upload is genuinely in flight. The in-flight assertions are therefore
+waits on a directly-set DOM state, not a race.
+
+Context: SIGNED IN via the house form login (admin — the same context
+the phase-123 image suite drives; the async twin of
+``e2e.auth_helpers.login``, no cookie surgery). The paperclip's reveal
+gate is the ``/api/config`` ``images: true`` flag, not identity — but
+the shell's anonymous boot shows the phase-79 token gate (locked +
+inert), so a signed-in context is the house chat context. The
+suite's module app boots with ``BOR_IMAGES=true`` pinned EXPLICITLY
+(process env ranks above an operator's local gitignored ``.env`` — the
+leak-guard convention) and a suite-private ``BOR_CHAT_IMAGE_DIR``.
+
+KB fixture: ONE local source (``tmp_path_factory`` dir, registered
+through the authenticated API + the real in-process ``POST /api/sync``
+— the ``test_chat_answer_clusters.py`` pattern) holding ONE text doc
+whose body shares the question's tokens (token-overlap cosine ~0.46–0.67
+vs the mock-calibrated 0.30 gate): the turn after a successful upload
+completes GROUNDED, exactly as pre-phase. The image fixture is the
+house 1×1 transparent PNG (inline constant — the pipeline is
+content-agnostic; the well-formed bytes keep the upload + render pins
+honest).
+
+Test → observable mapping (Playwright Mapping Rule):
+1. ``test_upload_window_shows_uploading_and_blocks_resend`` — attach →
+   type → send, the upload route-delayed: MID-FLIGHT (asserted by
+   waiting on the class while the ≥3 s window is open) the strip has
+   ``is-uploading`` + the visible ``.attach-preview-status`` reading
+   "Uploading image…" (the thumbnail stays visible — the user watches
+   THEIR image moving), ``#attach-remove`` is disabled, ``#send-btn``
+   is disabled with the "Uploading…" label; the owner's exact spam —
+   two more presses on the disabled button (the browser suppresses the
+   DOM event on a disabled control: genuinely dead presses) plus an
+   Enter-to-submit (the form's ``sendBtn.disabled`` guard) — then, past
+   the window: EXACTLY ONE upload request reached the interceptor
+   (no double upload) and EXACTLY ONE user + ONE brain bubble (no
+   second turn), the state cleared, the turn settled.
+2. ``test_upload_success_clears_and_turn_proceeds`` — the same flow,
+   past the window: the state is cleared (no ``is-uploading``, the
+   status hidden, the remove re-enabled, the label back to "Send"), the
+   strip HIDEs with the send (the phase-123 contract), the user bubble
+   carries the attached image (the live data URL, alt = the filename),
+   the brain bubble is the mock's GROUNDED answer (not a deflection),
+   and the localStorage record carries the stored PATH — never base64
+   (A5).
+3. ``test_upload_failure_clears_state_and_keeps_the_draft`` — a route
+   that DELAYS then ABORTS the upload (the network-drop path —
+   ``fetch`` rejects, ``uploadAttachedImage``'s catch): mid-flight the
+   same uploading state; after resolution the state is CLEARED (Send
+   re-enabled with "Send"), the OUT-OF-TURN banner shows the
+   network-drop copy ("Couldn't attach the image — try again."), the
+   input text is INTACT, the strip is back in its NORMAL preview
+   (the attachment remains for the retry — visible, no
+   ``is-uploading``), and NO turn ran (no bubbles at all).
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import asyncio
+import base64
+import json
+import os
+import re
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import time
+from collections.abc import Iterator
+from contextlib import contextmanager
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Any
+from urllib.parse import urlsplit
+
+import httpx
+import pytest
+from playwright.async_api import Page, async_playwright, expect
+from sqlalchemy import text
+
+from app.config import Settings
+from app.db import SessionLocal
+from e2e.conftest import ADMIN_PASSWORD, SESSION_SECRET, USE_REAL_LLM, _wait_http
+
+REPO = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+
+# Per-module app port (the conftest session app owns its port in a
+# combined run — the module app binds its own; env-overridable).
+APP_PORT = int(os.environ.get("E2E_APP_PORT_UPLOADFB", "8180"))
+APP_URL = f"http://127.0.0.1:{APP_PORT}"
+
+#: The upload hold (the task's ≥2 s window; 3.0 s keeps the in-flight
+#: assertions + the spam comfortably inside the window even under slow
+#: driver polling — the hold is the ONLY thing between the press and
+#: the resolution, so the window is hold + intercept latency).
+HOLD_SECONDS = 3.0
+SETTLE_TIMEOUT_MS = 30_000
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# The fixtures' constants
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+#: The house 1×1 transparent PNG (the inline constant of the image E2E
+#: suites — no new binary committed).
+PNG_1X1 = base64.b64decode(
+    "iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAYAAAAfFcSJ"
+    "AAAAC0lEQVR4nGP4DwQACfsD/fteaysAAAAASUVORK5CYII="
+)
+PNG_NAME = "diagram.png"
+
+SOURCE_NAME = "e2e-uploadfb"  # the directory basename = the source name
+NOTE_PATH = "note.md"
+
+#: The one text doc — its body carries the question's tokens, so the
+#: mock's token-overlap cosine against the (single) chunk clears the
+#: mock-calibrated 0.30 gate deterministically (~0.46–0.67 measured):
+#: the post-upload turn GROUNDS (HIGH), the mock's default grounded
+#: answer streams, and the turn completes exactly as pre-phase.
+NOTE_CONTENT = (
+    "# Homelab Router Note\n"
+    "\n"
+    "The homelab router note for the e2e upload-feedback suite: the core\n"
+    "router runs the firewall rules and the VLAN interfaces, and the\n"
+    "uplink carries the whole homelab network.\n"
+)
+
+QUESTION = "What does my homelab note say about the core router?"
+#: The phase-50 auto-title (first question, whitespace-collapsed, 120-
+#: char cap) of the two settled turns — the shared e2e Postgres keeps
+#: ``saved_chats`` across runs, so the module boundary owns this
+#: suite's rows by title (the test_chat_answer_clusters cleanup).
+SUITE_TITLE = " ".join(QUESTION.split())[:120]
+MOCK_MARKER = "Deterministic mock answer for E2E"
+DEFLECT_PHRASE = r"haven't done anything like that"
+IMAGE_PATH_RE = re.compile(r"^/api/chat-images/[0-9a-f]{32}\.png$")
+STORAGE_KEY = "bor.chat.v1"
+
+#: The module counter the task's double-send assertion keys on — every
+#: intercepted upload request (method + path checked in the handler).
+UPLOAD_REQUESTS: list[str] = []
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Module app: images ON, suite-private image store, the one-doc local
+# source as the sole registered source
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def _app_env(mock_llm: int, scratch: Path) -> dict[str, str]:
+    """The conftest app env (leak guards included) with the phase-123
+    image knob pinned EXPLICITLY (the ``/api/config`` ``images: true``
+    gate reveals ``#attach-btn``) and the question-image store in the
+    suite's scratch dir (the app under test never writes into the
+    owner's real ``~/bor-sources``)."""
+    env = dict(os.environ)
+    env.pop("DEBUGPY", None)
+    env["BOR_ENVIRONMENT"] = "e2e"
+    env["BOR_STATIC_DIR"] = str(REPO / "frontend")
+    env["BOR_LLM_BASE_URL"] = (
+        "https://aipi.reeseapps.com/v1"
+        if USE_REAL_LLM
+        else f"http://127.0.0.1:{mock_llm}/v1"
+    )
+    # Mock-calibrated gate (conftest pattern) — the one-doc KB grounds
+    # the question on these values (see NOTE_CONTENT).
+    env["BOR_RELEVANCE_THRESHOLD"] = "0.30"
+    env["BOR_LEXICAL_SUPPORT_FLOOR"] = "0.15"
+    env["BOR_SOURCE_USEFULNESS_FLOOR"] = "0.15"
+    # Phase 67: instant retry waits + the code-default budget.
+    env["BOR_LLM_RETRY_DELAY"] = "0"
+    env["BOR_LLM_RETRIES"] = str(Settings.model_fields["llm_retries"].default)
+    env.setdefault(
+        "BOR_DATABASE_URL",
+        "postgresql+psycopg://reese:reese@localhost:5432/brain_of_reese",
+    )
+    # Phase 16: admin auth must be set or create_app() refuses to boot.
+    env["BOR_ADMIN_PASSWORD"] = ADMIN_PASSWORD
+    env["BOR_SESSION_SECRET"] = SESSION_SECRET
+    # The repo's .env file carries the owner's BOR_GIT_SOURCES (the app
+    # reads it from cwd) — override it with an EMPTY value: the registry
+    # must hold EXACTLY this suite's local directory.
+    env["BOR_GIT_SOURCES"] = ""
+    # Leak guards (conftest pattern): docs-push inert; UI strings at the
+    # code defaults.
+    env["BOR_DOCS_REPO"] = ""
+    env["BOR_SUGGESTIONS"] = json.dumps(Settings.model_fields["suggestions"].default)
+    env["BOR_INPUT_PLACEHOLDER"] = Settings.model_fields["input_placeholder"].default
+    env["BOR_FOOTER_TEXT"] = Settings.model_fields["footer_text"].default
+    # The story's knob + the suite-private stores.
+    env["BOR_IMAGES"] = "true"
+    env["BOR_ANSWER_IMAGES"] = "false"  # the mock never show_images anyway
+    env["BOR_CHAT_IMAGE_DIR"] = str(scratch / "chat-images")
+    env["BOR_UPLOAD_DIR"] = str(scratch / "uploads")
+    env["BOR_SOURCES_DIR"] = str(scratch / "checkouts")
+    env["BOR_IMAGE_DIR"] = str(scratch / "images")
+    return env
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
+def kb_dir(tmp_path_factory: pytest.TempPathFactory) -> Path:
+    """The one-source fixture tree (see the module docstring): the app
+    runs on the same host, so the path is visible to it."""
+    scratch = tmp_path_factory.mktemp("bor_uploadfb")
+    src = scratch / SOURCE_NAME
+    src.mkdir()
+    (src / NOTE_PATH).write_text(NOTE_CONTENT, encoding="utf-8")
+    return src
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
+def app_server(mock_llm: int, kb_dir: Path) -> Iterator[str]:
+    """The real app under test — per-module app (the conftest pattern;
+    the session app is never started in this isolated run, so no port
+    clash)."""
+    scratch = kb_dir.parent
+    proc = subprocess.Popen(
+        [sys.executable, "-m", "uvicorn", "app.main:app",
+         "--host", "127.0.0.1", "--port", str(APP_PORT), "--log-level", "warning"],
+        cwd=REPO,
+        env=_app_env(mock_llm, scratch),
+    )
+    try:
+        _wait_http(f"{APP_URL}/api/health")
+        yield APP_URL
+    finally:
+        proc.terminate()
+        try:
+            proc.wait(timeout=10)
+        except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
+            proc.kill()
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
+def app_url(app_server: str) -> str:
+    return app_server
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# DB + admin-HTTP helpers (the house patterns)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def _truncate_all() -> None:
+    """Fresh registry + KB (the E2E isolation pattern): the suites share
+    one Postgres, and a leftover row would corrupt the one-doc premise.
+    ``saved_chats`` is never truncated (the house pattern) — the two
+    settled turns auto-save rows under this suite's title, and
+    :func:`_cleanup_saved_rows` owns them."""
+    with SessionLocal() as db:
+        db.execute(text(
+            "TRUNCATE chunks, documents, query_log, steering_notes, "
+            "kb_overview, git_sources, sources_meta, folder_summaries"
+        ))
+        db.commit()
+
+
+def _cleanup_saved_rows() -> None:
+    """Delete THIS suite's auto-saved rows by title (best-effort: a
+    failed delete — DB unreachable, the skip case — never masks the
+    skip; re-runnable on the shared DB)."""
+    try:
+        with SessionLocal() as db:
+            db.execute(
+                text("DELETE FROM saved_chats WHERE title = :title"),
+                {"title": SUITE_TITLE},
+            )
+            db.commit()
+    except Exception:  # noqa: BLE001 — DB unreachable: the skip handles it
+        pass
+
+
+@contextmanager
+def _admin_client(app_url: str) -> Iterator[httpx.Client]:
+    """An httpx client holding a fresh admin session (the form login's
+    API twin — the house httpx pattern of test_chat_answer_clusters)."""
+    client = httpx.Client(base_url=app_url, timeout=30.0)
+    try:
+        r = client.post("/api/login", json={"password": ADMIN_PASSWORD})
+        assert r.status_code == 204, r.text
+        yield client
+    finally:
+        client.close()
+
+
+def _wait_sync_done_http(client: httpx.Client, timeout_s: float = 180.0) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    """Poll the (cookie-authenticated) status endpoint until the run
+    reaches a terminal state."""
+    deadline = time.monotonic() + timeout_s
+    body: dict[str, Any] = {}
+    while time.monotonic() < deadline:
+        r = client.get("/api/sync/status")
+        assert r.status_code == 200, r.text
+        body = r.json()
+        if body["state"] in ("success", "failed"):
+            return body
+        time.sleep(0.5)
+    raise AssertionError(f"sync did not reach a terminal state: {body}")
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def seeded_kb(app_url: str, kb_dir: Path, db_ready: None) -> Iterator[None]:
+    """The story's precondition per test: a FRESH registry holding ONLY
+    this suite's local source, synced by the REAL in-process
+    ``POST /api/sync`` pipeline (walk → chunk → embed → overview →
+    version bump) under the deterministic mock — exactly ONE document.
+    (Re-seeded per test — the shared e2e Postgres makes leftovers
+    possible, and the one-doc premise is load-bearing for the gate.)"""
+    _cleanup_saved_rows()  # a previous run's rows would be stale
+    _truncate_all()
+    with _admin_client(app_url) as client:
+        r = client.post("/api/git-sources", json={"kind": "local", "path": str(kb_dir)})
+        assert r.status_code == 201, r.text
+        r = client.post("/api/sync")
+        assert r.status_code == 202, r.text
+        body = _wait_sync_done_http(client)
+    assert body["state"] == "success", body
+    assert body["detail"]["added"] == 1, body
+    yield
+    _truncate_all()
+    _cleanup_saved_rows()
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Browser helpers (async API — see the header's WHY THE ASYNC API)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def _png_file(tmp_path: Path) -> Path:
+    png = tmp_path / PNG_NAME
+    png.write_bytes(PNG_1X1)
+    return png
+
+
+async def _admin_login(page: Page, app_url: str) -> None:
+    """The house form login (the async twin of ``e2e.auth_helpers.
+    login``): the REAL form on /login.html — fill → submit → redirect.
+    The phase-79 gate locks the anonymous shell (inert + the token
+gate is the only interactive surface), so the suite drives the same
+    signed-in context the other chat suites do."""
+    await page.goto(f"{app_url}/login.html?next=/")
+    await expect(page.locator("#login-password")).to_be_visible()
+    await page.fill("#login-password", ADMIN_PASSWORD)
+    await page.click("#login-form button[type=submit]")
+    await expect(page).to_have_url(app_url + "/", timeout=SETTLE_TIMEOUT_MS)
+
+
+def _upload_route_handler(fail: bool) -> Any:
+    """The route-delayed upload (or the delayed ABORT — the failure
+    test's network drop). Only the POST upload is held; anything else
+    (the bytes route's GETs) passes straight through. The request is
+    counted the moment it is intercepted — the double-send pin."""
+
+    async def handle(route: Any) -> None:
+        if (
+            route.request.method == "POST"
+            and urlsplit(route.request.url).path == "/api/chat-images"
+        ):
+            UPLOAD_REQUESTS.append(route.request.url)
+            await asyncio.sleep(HOLD_SECONDS)
+            if fail:
+                await route.abort("failed")
+                return
+        await route.continue_()
+
+    return handle
+
+
+async def _attach_via_button(page: Page, png: Path) -> None:
+    """The real user path: click the paperclip (revealed by the
+    ``images: true`` config gate) → the file chooser (the button's
+    programmatic input click) → ``set_files``. The preview strip must
+    reveal with the data-URL thumbnail + the filename (phase 123)."""
+    btn = page.locator("#attach-btn")
+    await expect(btn).to_be_visible()
+    await expect(btn).to_have_attribute("aria-label", "Attach an image")
+    async with page.expect_file_chooser() as fc_info:
+        await btn.click()
+    await (await fc_info.value).set_files(str(png))
+    await expect(page.locator("#attach-preview")).to_be_visible()
+    await expect(page.locator("#attach-preview .attach-preview-name")).to_have_text(PNG_NAME)
+    src = await page.locator("#attach-preview img").get_attribute("src")
+    assert (src or "").startswith("data:image/png;base64,"), "the thumbnail is the live data URL"
+
+
+async def _assert_uploading(page: Page) -> None:
+    """The in-flight state (phase 132 task 01) — every assertion is a
+    WAIT on the directly-set DOM state (the UI is no-poll: the state is
+    set synchronously with the fetch), so while the window is open each
+    wait settles on the first tick inside it."""
+    await expect(page.locator("#attach-preview")).to_have_class(
+        re.compile(r"\bis-uploading\b")
+    )
+    # The thumbnail stays visible — the user watches THEIR image moving.
+    await expect(page.locator("#attach-preview img")).to_be_visible()
+    await expect(page.locator(".attach-preview-status")).to_be_visible()
+    await expect(page.locator(".attach-preview-status-text")).to_have_text("Uploading image…")
+    await expect(page.locator("#attach-remove")).to_be_disabled()
+    await expect(page.locator("#send-btn")).to_be_disabled()
+    await expect(page.locator("#send-label")).to_have_text("Uploading…")
+
+
+async def _send_with_held_upload(
+    page: Page, app_url: str, png: Path, *, fail: bool = False, spam: bool = False
+) -> None:
+    """Chat view (house form login) → attach → type → (hold the upload
+    route) → send → assert the in-flight state → optionally the owner's
+    exact spam (mid-flight: two presses on the disabled button + an
+    Enter-to-submit)."""
+    UPLOAD_REQUESTS.clear()
+    await _admin_login(page, app_url)
+    await _attach_via_button(page, png)
+    await page.fill("#message-input", QUESTION)
+    await page.route("**/api/chat-images", _upload_route_handler(fail))
+    await page.click("#send-btn")
+    await _assert_uploading(page)
+    if spam:
+        # The owner's exact spam while the window is open: two more
+        # presses on the disabled button (force=True dispatches the
+        # mouse events; the BROWSER suppresses the DOM event on a
+        # disabled control — genuinely dead presses, like a user's)
+        # and an Enter-to-submit (the form's sendBtn.disabled guard).
+        await page.click("#send-btn", force=True)
+        await page.click("#send-btn", force=True)
+        await page.locator("#message-input").press("Enter")
+
+
+async def _wait_grounded_settle(page: Page) -> None:
+    """Past the window: the upload resolved, the state CLEARED, and the
+    turn settled GROUNDED on the one-doc KB (the mock's byte-stable
+    answer — not a deflection), the button back to the idle "Send"."""
+    brain = page.locator(".msg.brain .bubble").first
+    await expect(brain).to_contain_text(MOCK_MARKER, timeout=SETTLE_TIMEOUT_MS)
+    await expect(brain).not_to_contain_text(re.compile(DEFLECT_PHRASE, re.IGNORECASE))
+    await expect(page.locator("#send-btn")).to_be_enabled()
+    await expect(page.locator("#send-label")).to_have_text("Send")
+    # The uploading state is gone at every writer's exit point…
+    strip = page.locator("#attach-preview")
+    assert "is-uploading" not in (await strip.get_attribute("class") or "")
+    await expect(page.locator(".attach-preview-status")).to_be_hidden()
+    await expect(page.locator("#attach-remove")).to_be_enabled()
+    # …and the strip must not linger into the turn (the phase-123
+    # contract — the preview clears when the question goes out).
+    await expect(strip).to_be_hidden()
+    # A successful turn shows no out-of-turn banner.
+    await expect(page.locator("#kb-banner")).to_be_hidden()
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 1. The window: uploading state visible, the spam is visibly AND
+#    functionally dead (exactly ONE upload, ONE turn)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+async def _scenario_window_blocks_resend(app_url: str, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    png = _png_file(tmp_path)
+    async with async_playwright() as p:
+        browser = await p.chromium.launch(headless=True)
+        try:
+            page = await browser.new_page(viewport={"width": 1280, "height": 800})
+            page.set_default_timeout(30_000)
+            await _send_with_held_upload(page, app_url, png, spam=True)
+            await _wait_grounded_settle(page)
+            # The spam is FUNCTIONALLY dead too: exactly ONE upload
+            # request reached the interceptor (the second press never
+            # fired an upload; the Enter never fired a send).
+            assert len(UPLOAD_REQUESTS) == 1, UPLOAD_REQUESTS
+            # …and no second turn: exactly one question + one answer.
+            await expect(page.locator(".msg.user .bubble")).to_have_count(1)
+            await expect(page.locator(".msg.brain .bubble")).to_have_count(1)
+        finally:
+            await browser.close()
+
+
+def test_upload_window_shows_uploading_and_blocks_resend(
+    app_url: str, mock_llm: int, db_ready: None, tmp_path: Path
+) -> None:
+    asyncio.run(_scenario_window_blocks_resend(app_url, tmp_path))
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 2. Success: the indicator clears, the strip hides, the bubble carries
+#    the image, the record carries the PATH, the turn completes
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+async def _scenario_success_clears_and_proceeds(app_url: str, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    png = _png_file(tmp_path)
+    async with async_playwright() as p:
+        browser = await p.chromium.launch(headless=True)
+        try:
+            page = await browser.new_page(viewport={"width": 1280, "height": 800})
+            page.set_default_timeout(30_000)
+            await _send_with_held_upload(page, app_url, png)
+            await _wait_grounded_settle(page)
+            # The user bubble renders the attached image (the phase-123
+            # attachBubbleImage — the live data URL, alt = the filename).
+            img = page.locator(".msg.user .msg-image").first
+            await expect(img).to_be_visible()
+            src = await img.get_attribute("src") or ""
+            assert src.startswith("data:image/png;base64,"), "the live bubble uses the data URL"
+            assert base64.b64decode(src.split(",", 1)[1]) == PNG_1X1
+            assert await img.get_attribute("alt") == PNG_NAME
+            # A5 at the storage boundary: the record carries the stored
+            # PATH, and NOTHING base64 crossed into the payload.
+            raw = await page.evaluate(f"() => localStorage.getItem('{STORAGE_KEY}')")
+            stored = json.loads(raw) if raw else None
+            assert stored is not None, "the conversation must be persisted (save point 1)"
+            path = stored["messages"][0]["image"]
+            assert IMAGE_PATH_RE.fullmatch(path), f"the record must carry the stored PATH: {path!r}"
+            assert "base64" not in json.dumps(stored)
+            assert len(UPLOAD_REQUESTS) == 1, UPLOAD_REQUESTS
+        finally:
+            await browser.close()
+
+
+def test_upload_success_clears_and_turn_proceeds(
+    app_url: str, mock_llm: int, db_ready: None, tmp_path: Path
+) -> None:
+    asyncio.run(_scenario_success_clears_and_proceeds(app_url, tmp_path))
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 3. Failure (the network drop): the state clears, the banner shows,
+#    the draft + the attachment remain for the retry, NO turn ran
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+async def _scenario_failure_clears_and_keeps_draft(app_url: str, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    png = _png_file(tmp_path)
+    async with async_playwright() as p:
+        browser = await p.chromium.launch(headless=True)
+        try:
+            page = await browser.new_page(viewport={"width": 1280, "height": 800})
+            page.set_default_timeout(30_000)
+            # The route DELAYS (the in-flight state is assertable, same
+            # as the other tests) then ABORTS — the fetch rejects and
+            # uploadAttachedImage's catch settles the network-drop
+            # banner.
+            await _send_with_held_upload(page, app_url, png, fail=True)
+            # The OUT-OF-TURN banner (the network-drop copy).
+            banner = page.locator("#kb-banner")
+            await expect(banner).to_be_visible(timeout=SETTLE_TIMEOUT_MS)
+            await expect(banner).to_have_class(re.compile(r"\bis-error\b"))
+            await expect(page.locator("#kb-banner-text")).to_contain_text(
+                "Couldn't attach the image — try again."
+            )
+            # The uploading state is CLEARED on the failure path too.
+            strip = page.locator("#attach-preview")
+            assert "is-uploading" not in (await strip.get_attribute("class") or "")
+            await expect(page.locator(".attach-preview-status")).to_be_hidden()
+            await expect(page.locator("#attach-remove")).to_be_enabled()
+            await expect(page.locator("#send-btn")).to_be_enabled()
+            await expect(page.locator("#send-label")).to_have_text("Send")
+            # The strip is back in its NORMAL preview — the attachment
+            # remains for the retry (the thumbnail + the filename).
+            await expect(strip).to_be_visible()
+            await expect(
+                page.locator("#attach-preview .attach-preview-name")
+            ).to_have_text(PNG_NAME)
+            src = await page.locator("#attach-preview img").get_attribute("src") or ""
+            assert src.startswith("data:image/png;base64,"), "the preview keeps the data URL"
+            # The typed question is INTACT (the send was blocked — A8).
+            assert await page.locator("#message-input").input_value() == QUESTION
+            # NO turn ran (the question never went out without the image).
+            await expect(page.locator(".msg.user")).to_have_count(0)
+            await expect(page.locator(".msg.brain")).to_have_count(0)
+            # The request was intercepted exactly once (it never reached
+            # the server — the abort dropped it).
+            assert len(UPLOAD_REQUESTS) == 1, UPLOAD_REQUESTS
+        finally:
+            await browser.close()
+
+
+def test_upload_failure_clears_state_and_keeps_the_draft(
+    app_url: str, mock_llm: int, db_ready: None, tmp_path: Path
+) -> None:
+    asyncio.run(_scenario_failure_clears_and_keeps_draft(app_url, tmp_path))
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_chat_image_questions.py b/tests/unit/test_chat_image_questions.py
index 933ce95..6fdabb9 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_chat_image_questions.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_chat_image_questions.py
@@ -34,6 +34,19 @@ wiring (a recording fake LLM, a fake retriever, a fake DB session,
 patched settings) so the whole validate → build contract runs without
 a stack; the upload/serve tests point ``chat_image_dir`` at a tmp
 directory (the raw-string ``expanduser`` convention).
+
+Phase 132 (task 01, TODO L8) pins the PRE-turn uploading state in the
+same chat-frontend surface: the preview strip ships a HIDDEN status
+part (the house loading arc — decorative, aria-hidden — + the pinned
+"Uploading image…" text), and ``handleSend``'s attachedImage branch
+enters it exactly once per upload (after the ``attachUpload`` guard,
+before the ``await uploadAttachedImage``) and exits it on BOTH
+resolution paths (the helper never throws) — strip class
+``is-uploading`` + status unhidden + remove ✕ disabled + the Send
+button disabled with "Uploading…" on entry; the mirror image on exit
+with the idle label restored byte-for-byte. ``setUiState`` / ``uiState``
+/ the turn loader stay untouched (the upload is pre-turn; ``uiState``
+stays ``idle``).
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
@@ -41,6 +54,8 @@ import base64
 import io
 import json
 import re
+import shutil
+import subprocess
 import uuid
 from collections.abc import Iterator
 from datetime import UTC, datetime
@@ -1168,3 +1183,425 @@ def test_the_bad_pick_and_the_reader_failure_keep_the_banner_copy() -> None:
     m = re.search(r'reader\.onerror = \(\) => \{(.*?)\n  \};', js, re.S)
     assert m, "the FileReader's onerror branch must exist"
     assert 'showErrorBanner("Couldn\'t attach the image — try again.");' in m.group(1)
+
+
+# =====================================================================
+# Phase 132 (task 01, TODO L8) — the PRE-turn uploading state
+# =====================================================================
+
+
+def _fn(js: str, name: str) -> str:
+    """The source of the first `function <name>` in js (brace balanced
+    — the house pin pattern from tests/unit/test_sync_button.py)."""
+    fn = js.find(f"function {name}")
+    assert fn != -1, f"{name} must be defined"
+    open_idx = js.find("{", fn)
+    depth = 0
+    for i in range(open_idx, len(js)):
+        c = js[i]
+        if c == "{":
+            depth += 1
+        elif c == "}":
+            depth -= 1
+            if depth == 0:
+                return js[fn : i + 1]
+    raise AssertionError(f"unbalanced braces in {name}")
+
+
+def test_the_strip_ships_the_hidden_uploading_status_part() -> None:
+    """The preview strip's markup gains ONE status part INSIDE the
+    strip — after the filename span, before the remove button —
+    shipping HIDDEN (the house "ships hidden" rule): the house
+    loading arc (the svg is decorative, aria-hidden — the arc is not
+    the meaning) + the pinned "Uploading image…" text (it carries the
+    meaning). The strip's existing parts (thumbnail, name, remove ✕
+    + its aria-label) are untouched, and the thumbnail + filename stay
+    visible throughout the upload (the user watches THEIR image
+    uploading — only the status part's `hidden` moves)."""
+    html = _index_html()
+    start = html.find('<div class="attach-preview" id="attach-preview" hidden>')
+    assert start != -1
+    strip = html[start : html.find("</div>", start)]
+    # the status part: the exact shipped markup (hidden by default).
+    assert '<span class="attach-preview-status" hidden>' in strip
+    assert (
+        '<svg class="attach-preview-status-icon" aria-hidden="true"'
+        ' viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor"'
+        ' stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round">'
+        '<path d="M21 12a9 9 0 1 1-6.2-8.56"/></svg>' in strip
+    ), "the house loading arc (decorative, aria-hidden) must ship"
+    assert '<span class="attach-preview-status-text">Uploading image…</span>' in strip
+    # exactly ONE status part, in the pinned order: img → name →
+    # status → remove (inside the strip, before its closing tag).
+    assert strip.count('class="attach-preview-status"') == 1
+    i_img = strip.find('class="attach-preview-img"')
+    i_name = strip.find('class="attach-preview-name"')
+    i_status = strip.find('class="attach-preview-status" hidden')
+    i_remove = strip.find('id="attach-remove"')
+    assert -1 < i_img < i_name < i_status < i_remove, (
+        "the status part sits after the name, before the remove button"
+    )
+    # the pre-phase parts are byte-untouched (the phase-123 contract).
+    assert '<img class="attach-preview-img" alt="">' in strip
+    assert 'aria-label="Remove the attached image"' in strip
+
+
+def test_enter_exit_upload_state_are_the_exact_affordance_writers() -> None:
+    """The two tiny helpers next to showAttachPreview / clearAttachedImage
+    (A5, owner-confirmed 2026-09-27 — the double-spam block is the
+    BOTH-halves affordance). enterUploadState: the strip gains the
+    .is-uploading class (task 02's CSS hooks it), the status part
+    unhides, the remove ✕ disables (the attachment is mid-flight), and
+    the Send button disables with the "Uploading…" label. exitUploadState
+    is the mirror image — and its idle restore is BYTE-IDENTICAL to
+    setUiState's idle label ("Send"), so the success path hands the
+    button to runTurn's setUiState("thinking") as usual and the
+    failure path leaves a fully editable composer. The attach family
+    is null-guarded (the house pattern); the send refs are
+    unconditional (the composer is required). setUiState / uiState /
+    the turn loader are NEVER touched — the upload is PRE-turn.
+    The module-scope ref is the strip's status part (the text is
+    static — no attachStatusText)."""
+    js = _app_js()
+    enter = _fn(js, "enterUploadState")
+    exit_ = _fn(js, "exitUploadState")
+    # entry — the full affordance, in the pinned order.
+    i_preview = enter.find('attachPreview.classList.add("is-uploading")')
+    i_status = enter.find("attachStatus.hidden = false")
+    i_remove = enter.find("attachRemove.disabled = true")
+    i_send = enter.find("sendBtn.disabled = true")
+    i_label = enter.find('sendLabel.textContent = "Uploading…"')
+    assert -1 < i_preview < i_status < i_remove < i_send < i_label
+    # exit — the mirror image, ending on the exact idle label.
+    i_preview = exit_.find('attachPreview.classList.remove("is-uploading")')
+    i_status = exit_.find("attachStatus.hidden = true")
+    i_remove = exit_.find("attachRemove.disabled = false")
+    i_send = exit_.find("sendBtn.disabled = false")
+    i_label = exit_.find('sendLabel.textContent = "Send"')
+    assert -1 < i_preview < i_status < i_remove < i_send < i_label
+    # the idle restore is byte-identical to setUiState's idle label —
+    # the same literal "Send", so no stale "Uploading…" can survive.
+    assert 'sendLabel.textContent = inFlight ? "Stop" : "Send";' in js
+    # the house null-guard pattern on the attach family only (a New
+    # chat mid-upload hides the strip; the class on a hidden element
+    # is harmless and still cleared at resolution); the send refs are
+    # unconditional (the chat view cannot exist without the composer).
+    for fn_src in (enter, exit_):
+        for guarded in ("attachPreview", "attachStatus", "attachRemove"):
+            assert f"if ({guarded})" in fn_src, f"{guarded} must be null-guarded"
+        assert "if (sendBtn)" not in fn_src and "if (sendLabel)" not in fn_src
+    # the PRE-turn contract: neither helper may touch the turn's
+    # state owners (the turn loader spins only when the turn starts).
+    for fn_src in (enter, exit_):
+        assert "setUiState" not in fn_src
+        assert "uiState" not in fn_src
+        assert "turnLoader" not in fn_src
+        assert "innerHTML" not in fn_src, "the house rule: textContent only"
+    # the module-scope ref: the status part (no text ref — static).
+    assert 'const attachStatus = document.querySelector(".attach-preview-status");' in js
+    assert "attachStatusText" not in js
+
+
+def test_handle_send_wraps_the_await_with_the_upload_state() -> None:
+    """In ``handleSend``'s attachedImage branch: ``enterUploadState()``
+    lands EXACTLY ONCE — after the ``attachUpload = true;`` guard line
+    and BEFORE ``await uploadAttachedImage`` (the moment the upload
+    starts — never before, never twice); ``exitUploadState()`` lands
+    EXACTLY ONCE — after the ``attachUpload = false;`` line (the
+    helper never throws, so this is reached on BOTH success and
+    failure) and BEFORE the ``if (path === null) return;`` block
+    (the failure path exits the state, then returns with the banner +
+    the editable composer + the attachment for the retry). The
+    ``attachUpload`` guard is byte-untouched, the upload helper is
+    still called from exactly one site (the def + the call), and
+    ``handleSend`` itself never calls ``setUiState`` (the pre-turn
+    contract — the turn's own state takes over inside runTurn)."""
+    js = _app_js()
+    # the EXACT handleSend body (brace matched — the file-order
+    # neighbors of handleSend carry their own setUiState references in
+    # their docstrings; the pin is on this function alone).
+    body = _fn(js, "handleSend")
+    i_guard = body.index("if (attachUpload) return;")
+    i_arm = body.index("attachUpload = true;")
+    i_enter = body.index("enterUploadState();")
+    i_await = body.index("await uploadAttachedImage(attachedImage.file)")
+    i_release = body.index("attachUpload = false;")
+    i_exit = body.index("exitUploadState();")
+    i_block = body.index("if (path === null) return;")
+    assert -1 < i_guard < i_arm < i_enter < i_await < i_release < i_exit < i_block, (
+        "guard → arm → ENTER → await → release → EXIT → block, in order"
+    )
+    assert body.count("enterUploadState();") == 1, "entered exactly once per upload"
+    assert body.count("exitUploadState();") == 1, (
+        "exited exactly once — the helper never throws, one line covers both paths"
+    )
+    # the pre-phase contract is byte-untouched: the guard, the single
+    # call site of the upload helper (def + call = 2 occurrences),
+    # and the A8 block line.
+    assert (
+        "if (attachUpload) return; // a second submit mid-upload: "
+        "the first owns the send (never two uploads, never two turns)" in js
+    )
+    assert js.count("uploadAttachedImage") == 2
+    # handleSend itself never drives the turn's UI state — the upload
+    # is PRE-turn (uiState stays idle across the whole flight); the
+    # call is absent (the word survives only in the phase-48 comment).
+    assert "setUiState(" not in body
+
+
+#: The node harness (the test-document-viewer pattern): the REAL
+#: extracted enterUploadState / exitUploadState run against stub
+#: element refs; every transition is snapshotted as a JSON row —
+#: [tag, isUploading, statusHidden, removeDisabled, sendDisabled,
+#: label]. Plain strings only (the script is concatenation-assembled).
+_UPLOAD_NODE_HEAD = """
+const _classes = new Set();
+const attachPreview = {
+  classList: {
+    add: (c) => _classes.add(c),
+    remove: (c) => _classes.delete(c),
+    contains: (c) => _classes.has(c),
+  },
+};
+const attachStatus = { hidden: true };
+const attachRemove = { disabled: false };
+const sendBtn = { disabled: false };
+const sendLabel = { textContent: "Send" };
+const show = (tag) => {
+  console.log(JSON.stringify([
+    tag,
+    _classes.has("is-uploading"),
+    attachStatus.hidden,
+    attachRemove.disabled,
+    sendBtn.disabled,
+    sendLabel.textContent,
+  ]));
+};
+"""
+
+_UPLOAD_NODE_TAIL = """
+show("initial");
+enterUploadState();
+show("enter");
+exitUploadState();
+show("exit-success");
+enterUploadState();
+show("re-enter");
+exitUploadState();
+show("exit-failure");
+"""
+
+#: node availability (the test-document-viewer pattern).
+HAVE_NODE = shutil.which("node") is not None
+
+
+def _run_node(script: str) -> str:
+    proc = subprocess.run(["node", "-e", script], capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=60)
+    assert proc.returncode == 0, f"node failed: {proc.stderr}"
+    return proc.stdout
+
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not HAVE_NODE, reason="node not available")
+def test_upload_state_transitions_under_node() -> None:
+    """Behavioral check (node) of the REAL enterUploadState /
+    exitUploadState against stub element refs (the test-document-
+    viewer pattern), across the pinned transition set:
+
+    * entry: the strip gains .is-uploading, the status part unhides,
+      the remove ✕ disables, the Send disables with "Uploading…";
+    * exit (success path): the mirror image — class removed, status
+      re-hidden, remove re-enabled, Send re-enabled with "Send";
+    * exit (failure path — the same call, banner the failure's
+      signal, not the strip's): byte-identical to the success exit —
+      the state is fully cleared either way (the user can retry or
+      remove).
+    """
+    js = _app_js()
+    fns = "\n".join(_fn(js, name) for name in ("enterUploadState", "exitUploadState"))
+    rows = [
+        json.loads(line)
+        for line in _run_node(_UPLOAD_NODE_HEAD + fns + _UPLOAD_NODE_TAIL).splitlines()
+        if line
+    ]
+    by_tag = {row[0]: row for row in rows}
+    # row = [tag, isUploading, statusHidden, removeDisabled, sendDisabled, label]
+    assert by_tag["initial"] == ["initial", False, True, False, False, "Send"]
+    assert by_tag["enter"] == ["enter", True, False, True, True, "Uploading…"], (
+        "entry is the full affordance — strip + both halves of the button"
+    )
+    # success and failure exits are byte-identical: fully cleared, the
+    # idle label restored exactly.
+    for tag in ("exit-success", "exit-failure"):
+        assert by_tag[tag] == [tag, False, True, False, False, "Send"], tag
+    # a re-entry (the retry after a failed upload) re-arms the full
+    # affordance — the helpers are idempotent in both directions.
+    assert by_tag["re-enter"] == ["re-enter", True, False, True, True, "Uploading…"]
+
+
+# =====================================================================
+# Phase 132 (task 02, TODO L8) — the strip's uploading CSS (the visual
+# half of the affordance: the dimmed thumbnail, the hidden name slot,
+# the spinning --ink-soft status, the dimmed remove ✕, the reduced-
+# motion still, and the verified house :disabled language on the Send)
+# =====================================================================
+
+
+def _phase132_css() -> str:
+    """The Phase 132 CSS block in styles.css — from its comment marker
+    to the next top-level rule (the ``.composer`` that follows the
+    ``.attach-preview*`` family) — with the comments stripped, so the
+    raw-color audit sees only declarations."""
+    css = _css()
+    start = css.find("/* Phase 132 (task 02, TODO L8):")
+    assert start != -1, "the Phase 132 CSS block must exist in styles.css"
+    end = css.find("\n.composer {", start)
+    assert end != -1, "the Phase 132 block must sit before the .composer rule"
+    return re.sub(r"/\*.*?\*/", "", css[start:end], flags=re.S)
+
+
+def test_the_uploading_strip_dims_the_thumbnail_and_keeps_the_name_slot() -> None:
+    """The in-flight strip: the thumbnail DIMS (opacity 0.5 — it is
+    decorative, no contrast duty), and the filename HIDES with
+    visibility (NOT display/width — the flex: 1 slot keeps its measured
+    space, so the status takes the row's right hand without reflowing
+    the pinned 44px remove button; the strip height is stable)."""
+    css = _css()
+    m = re.search(r"\.attach-preview\.is-uploading \.attach-preview-img \{(.*?)\}", css, re.S)
+    assert m, "the uploading thumbnail must dim"
+    assert "opacity: 0.5;" in m.group(1)
+    m = re.search(r"\.attach-preview\.is-uploading \.attach-preview-name \{(.*?)\}", css, re.S)
+    assert m, "the uploading name must hide"
+    body = m.group(1)
+    assert "visibility: hidden;" in body
+    assert "display: none" not in body and "width: 0" not in body, (
+        "the name slot must keep its space (visibility, not removal)"
+    )
+
+
+def test_the_uploading_status_row_is_the_ink_soft_small_text() -> None:
+    """The status part's row: the house inline-flex language (the icon
+    + the text as one unit), --ink-soft at the strip's small text size
+    (the name's 0.85rem), and min-width 0 (the row's clamp — at 320px
+    the text wraps rather than clipping; verified in the task's browser
+    pass: one line at 320px, no clip)."""
+    m = re.search(r"\.attach-preview-status \{(.*?)\}", _css(), re.S)
+    assert m, ".attach-preview-status must be styled"
+    body = m.group(1)
+    for needle in (
+        "display: inline-flex;",
+        "align-items: center;",
+        "gap: 0.35rem;",
+        "color: var(--ink-soft);",
+        "font-size: 0.85rem;",
+        "min-width: 0;",
+    ):
+        assert needle in body, f".attach-preview-status must keep: {needle}"
+
+
+def test_the_status_icon_is_the_14px_house_spin_at_the_sync_pace() -> None:
+    """The arc: 14px (the strip's small-text scale), flex 0 0 auto (the
+    .sync-icon house pattern), animated with the HOUSE `spin`
+    keyframes at 1s linear — .sync-icon.is-spinning's in-flight pace
+    (the .spinner's 0.8s is the busy-turn arc's). The keyframes must
+    EXIST — a dangling animation-name would spin nothing and the
+    "in motion" state would be invisible."""
+    m = re.search(r"\.attach-preview-status-icon \{(.*?)\}", _css(), re.S)
+    assert m, ".attach-preview-status-icon must be styled"
+    body = m.group(1)
+    for needle in ("width: 14px;", "height: 14px;", "flex: 0 0 auto;"):
+        assert needle in body, f".attach-preview-status-icon must keep: {needle}"
+    assert "animation: spin 1s linear infinite;" in body
+    assert re.search(r"@keyframes spin \{\s*to \{ transform: rotate\(360deg\); \}\s*\}", _css()), (
+        "the house `spin` keyframes must exist (the arc's animation-name)"
+    )
+
+
+def test_reduced_motion_stills_the_uploading_arc() -> None:
+    """The house reduced-motion block: with prefers-reduced-motion the
+    arc STILLS (animation none) — the "Uploading image…" text + the
+    dimmed thumbnail then carry the state without motion (B5: never
+    motion alone; the state is text + dimming, not the spin)."""
+    m = re.search(
+        r"@media \(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce\) \{\s*"
+        r"\.attach-preview-status-icon \{ animation: none; \}\s*\}",
+        _css(),
+    )
+    assert m, "the house reduced-motion block must still the uploading arc"
+
+
+def test_the_disabled_remove_x_dims_with_the_disabled_affordance() -> None:
+    """The remove ✕ (task 01 disables it mid-flight via the attribute)
+    dims to 0.5 while uploading — the attribute is the state, the
+    opacity is its visual half (the same 0.5 as the dimmed thumbnail,
+    the house dim language)."""
+    m = re.search(r"\.attach-preview\.is-uploading \.attach-preview-remove \{(.*?)\}", _css(), re.S)
+    assert m, "the uploading remove button must dim"
+    assert "opacity: 0.5;" in m.group(1)
+
+
+def test_the_disabled_send_rule_is_the_existing_house_rule_not_a_new_visual() -> None:
+    """Task 02's verification step: the Send is disabled via the
+    `disabled` attribute (task 01) and the EXISTING house rule
+    ``.send-btn:disabled`` already reads as disabled — the
+    --brand-busy background (the brand brightened 40% toward white,
+    visibly lighter than the enabled --brand fill, and a derived
+    variable that follows every saved theme) + the not-allowed
+    cursor. The pin says the rule is INTACT: the upload state must
+    not invent a second disabled look (no new color, no new weight).
+    (Verified in the task's browser pass: the rule applies to
+    #send-btn, which rides .send-btn.)"""
+    m = re.search(r"\.send-btn:disabled \{(.*?)\}", _css(), re.S)
+    assert m, "the house .send-btn:disabled rule must exist"
+    body = m.group(1)
+    assert "background: var(--brand-busy);" in body
+    assert "cursor: not-allowed;" in body
+
+
+def test_the_phase132_css_ships_no_raw_color_and_holds_the_aa_pair() -> None:
+    """The theme audit (the B4 byte-identical contract): every value
+    in the Phase 132 block is a theme variable or a neutral number —
+    NO raw hex/rgb/hsl (a custom theme repaints everything through the
+    variables). And the status text's --ink-soft on the strip's
+    --surface holds the AA floor: computed here against WCAG 2.1 from
+    the built-in :root literals (the theme phases' method) — 8.2:1,
+    ≥ 4.5:1."""
+    block = _phase132_css()
+    assert not re.search(r"#[0-9a-fA-F]{3,8}\b", block), "no raw hex in the Phase 132 block"
+    assert not re.search(r"\b(?:rgb|rgba|hsl|hsla)\(|\bsrgb\b", block), (
+        "no raw rgb/hsl in the Phase 132 block"
+    )
+    ratio = _wcag_contrast(_root_color("--ink-soft"), _root_color("--surface"))
+    assert ratio >= 4.5, f"--ink-soft on --surface = {ratio:.2f}:1 (< 4.5:1 AA floor)"
+
+
+def _root_color(name: str) -> str:
+    """A built-in :root literal color (the theme phases audit the
+    built-in palette this way; a saved theme repaints through the
+    variables and is checked by the theme E2E)."""
+    m = re.search(rf"(?m)^\s*{name}:\s*(#[0-9a-fA-F]{{6}})", _css())
+    assert m, f"{name} must ship a plain built-in color in :root"
+    return m.group(1)
+
+
+def _hex_rgb(value: str) -> tuple[int, int, int]:
+    h = value.lstrip("#")
+    return int(h[0:2], 16), int(h[2:4], 16), int(h[4:6], 16)
+
+
+def _rel_luminance(rgb: tuple[int, int, int]) -> float:
+    """WCAG 2.1 relative luminance (the house helper's math — the
+    test_responsive_polish / test_dark_tech_theme contrast helper)."""
+
+    def chan(c: int) -> float:
+        s = c / 255
+        return s / 12.92 if s <= 0.04045 else ((s + 0.055) / 1.055) ** 2.4
+
+    r, g, b = (chan(c) for c in rgb)
+    return 0.2126 * r + 0.7152 * g + 0.0722 * b
+
+
+def _wcag_contrast(fg: str, bg: str) -> float:
+    l1, l2 = _rel_luminance(_hex_rgb(fg)), _rel_luminance(_hex_rgb(bg))
+    if l1 < l2:
+        l1, l2 = l2, l1
+    return (l1 + 0.05) / (l2 + 0.05)