diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 2db17f5c..27ccf43d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,11 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 CI Release body = this section only (via `scripts/changelog-for-release.py`; no repeated download/install boilerplate).  
 See `docs/llm-wiki/release.md`.
 
+## [Unreleased]
+
+### Fixed
+- **Chat image cards no longer die after the turn ends**: Leftover remote https thumbs (web-fetch charts, etc.) first-paint from the in-memory thumb cache on journal remount. Swapping `src` mid-load used to abort the original `<img>` and lock `broken_blob` (“preview failed”). Abort / stale-src errors are ignored; a working https original is not wiped when thumb resolve returns empty.
+
 ## [0.2.17] - 2026-08-14
 
 > **Highlight:** Stability release — shared-process session isolation (no cross-chat history poisoning, per-session turn completion), thinking timer stays live across tool loops, chat bottom jitter gone, side-terminal Powerline/truecolor, MCP OAuth follows the selected server, and macOS no longer crashes on voice.
diff --git a/src/components/ImageUi.tsx b/src/components/ImageUi.tsx
index 7e748ca8..f6086a6d 100644
--- a/src/components/ImageUi.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ImageUi.tsx
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import {
 import {
   mediaLoadErrorLabelMap,
   resolveMediaSrcFailure,
+  shouldApplyChatImageLoadError,
   type MediaLoadErrorKind,
 } from "@/lib/mediaLoadPro";
 import {
@@ -41,6 +42,8 @@ import {
 } from "@/lib/imageAspectCache";
 import {
   canUseImageThumb,
+  nextChatCardDisplaySrc,
+  peekChatImageThumb,
   resolveChatImageThumb,
 } from "@/lib/imageThumbClient";
 import { isFusedQueryKeyPath } from "@/lib/pathNormalize";
@@ -117,7 +120,18 @@ function isLocalFsPath(path: string | undefined): path is string {
   return path.startsWith("/") || /^[A-Za-z]:[\\/]/.test(path);
 }
 
-function initialResolvedSrc(src: string): string | null {
+function initialResolvedSrc(
+  src: string,
+  path?: string,
+  layout?: ImageUiLayout,
+): string | null {
+  // Remount after journal rehydrate must first-paint the cached thumb.
+  // Painting https then swapping to loopback aborts the in-flight <img>
+  // load; WKWebView onError then locked the card as broken_blob.
+  if (layout !== "pane") {
+    const peek = peekChatImageThumb(src, path)?.displaySrc;
+    if (peek) return peek;
+  }
   if (isViewableSrc(src)) return src;
   return resolveImageSrcSync(src);
 }
@@ -194,10 +208,12 @@ export function ImageUi({
   const layout = resolveLayout(layoutProp, className);
   const viewer = useImageViewerOptional();
   const imgRef = useRef<HTMLImageElement | null>(null);
+  const paintedSrcRef = useRef<string | null>(null);
   const [menu, setMenu] = useState<{ x: number; y: number } | null>(null);
   const [resolvedSrc, setResolvedSrc] = useState<string | null>(() =>
-    initialResolvedSrc(src),
+    initialResolvedSrc(src, path, layout),
   );
+  paintedSrcRef.current = resolvedSrc;
   /** Once load fails, keep a stable broken state — never re-fetch on re-render. */
   const [loadFailed, setLoadFailed] = useState(false);
   /** Classified reason when resolve or decode fails (MEDIA-LOAD-PRO). */
@@ -248,7 +264,8 @@ export function ImageUi({
 
   useEffect(() => {
     let cancelled = false;
-    const next = initialResolvedSrc(src);
+    const next = initialResolvedSrc(src, path, layout);
+    paintedSrcRef.current = next;
     setResolvedSrc(next);
     setLoadFailed(false);
     setFailKind(null);
@@ -272,11 +289,13 @@ export function ImageUi({
       void resolveChatImageThumb(src, path)
         .then((r) => {
           if (cancelled) return;
-          if (r?.displaySrc) {
-            setResolvedSrc(r.displaySrc);
+          const display = nextChatCardDisplaySrc(next, r);
+          if (display) {
+            paintedSrcRef.current = display;
+            setResolvedSrc((prev) => (prev === display ? prev : display));
             setLoadFailed(false);
             setFailKind(null);
-            if (r.width > 0 && r.height > 0) {
+            if (r && r.width > 0 && r.height > 0) {
               applyNaturalSize(r.width, r.height);
             }
           } else {
@@ -551,6 +570,7 @@ export function ImageUi({
           </span>
         ) : resolvedSrc ? (
           <img
+            key={resolvedSrc}
             ref={imgRef}
             className="md-body__img-frame__el"
             src={resolvedSrc}
@@ -570,11 +590,21 @@ export function ImageUi({
               const el = e.currentTarget;
               applyNaturalSize(el.naturalWidth, el.naturalHeight);
             }}
-            onError={() => {
+            onError={(e) => {
+              const failed =
+                e.currentTarget.currentSrc || e.currentTarget.src;
+              if (
+                !shouldApplyChatImageLoadError({
+                  failedSrc: failed,
+                  paintedSrc: paintedSrcRef.current,
+                })
+              ) {
+                return;
+              }
               setLoadFailed(true);
               const r = resolveMediaSrcFailure({
                 pathOrUrl: path || src,
-                resolvedSrc,
+                resolvedSrc: paintedSrcRef.current,
                 loadFailed: true,
                 isTauri: isTauri(),
                 mediaEndpointReady: isMediaEndpointReady(),
diff --git a/src/lib/imageThumbClient.test.ts b/src/lib/imageThumbClient.test.ts
index bea946d8..40092be8 100644
--- a/src/lib/imageThumbClient.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/imageThumbClient.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ import {
   clearChatImageThumbClientCache,
   canUseImageThumb,
   getThumbCacheEndpoint,
+  nextChatCardDisplaySrc,
+  peekChatImageThumb,
   resolveChatImageThumb,
 } from "./imageThumbClient";
 import {
@@ -49,6 +51,52 @@ describe("resolveChatImageThumb — fused paths never hit the thumb host", () =>
   });
 });
 
+describe("peekChatImageThumb / nextChatCardDisplaySrc", () => {
+  it("seeds remount from the in-memory thumb cache (no https→loopback swap)", async () => {
+    setMediaEndpoint({ baseUrl: "http://127.0.0.1:9", token: "tok" });
+    vi.spyOn(api, "isDesktopHost").mockReturnValue(true);
+    vi.spyOn(api, "mediaImageThumb").mockResolvedValue({
+      thumbPath: "/tmp/cache/image-thumbs/x.jpg",
+      fromCache: true,
+      width: 480,
+      height: 283,
+      isOriginal: false,
+    });
+    const remote =
+      "https://gbres.example/Files/iimage/20260814/chart.png";
+    expect(peekChatImageThumb(remote)).toBeNull();
+
+    const resolved = await resolveChatImageThumb(remote);
+    expect(resolved?.displaySrc).toContain("127.0.0.1:9");
+
+    const peek = peekChatImageThumb(remote);
+    expect(peek?.displaySrc).toBe(resolved?.displaySrc);
+    expect(peekChatImageThumb(remote, remote)?.displaySrc).toBe(
+      resolved?.displaySrc,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("does not wipe a working https src when thumb resolve returns null", () => {
+    const live = "https://cdn.example/chart.png";
+    expect(nextChatCardDisplaySrc(live, null)).toBe(live);
+    expect(nextChatCardDisplaySrc(live, { displaySrc: "" } as never)).toBe(
+      live,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("prefers a successful thumb displaySrc over the live src", () => {
+    expect(
+      nextChatCardDisplaySrc("https://cdn.example/chart.png", {
+        displaySrc: "http://127.0.0.1:9/v1/media?t=tok&p=%2Ftmp%2Ft.jpg",
+        fullKey: "https://cdn.example/chart.png",
+        width: 480,
+        height: 283,
+        fromCache: true,
+      }),
+    ).toBe("http://127.0.0.1:9/v1/media?t=tok&p=%2Ftmp%2Ft.jpg");
+  });
+});
+
 describe("resolveChatImageThumb — endpoint change drops stale loopback URLs", () => {
   it("clears cached displaySrc when the media endpoint changes", async () => {
     setMediaEndpoint({ baseUrl: "http://127.0.0.1:1", token: "old" });
diff --git a/src/lib/imageThumbClient.ts b/src/lib/imageThumbClient.ts
index 1e04da14..df332f50 100644
--- a/src/lib/imageThumbClient.ts
+++ b/src/lib/imageThumbClient.ts
@@ -65,6 +65,31 @@ function cacheKey(src: string, path?: string): string {
   return (src || "").trim();
 }
 
+/** Sync lookup of the session thumb cache — remounts must first-paint this. */
+export function peekChatImageThumb(
+  src: string,
+  path?: string,
+): ThumbResolve | null {
+  const key = cacheKey(src, path);
+  if (!key) return null;
+  return displayCache.get(key) ?? null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Next `<img src>` after a thumb resolve. Never wipe a working live URL
+ * when materialization returns null / empty (journal remount would flash
+ * a broken card over a still-valid https original).
+ */
+export function nextChatCardDisplaySrc(
+  current: string | null | undefined,
+  thumb: ThumbResolve | null | undefined,
+): string | null {
+  const next = (thumb?.displaySrc || "").trim();
+  if (next) return next;
+  const keep = (current || "").trim();
+  return keep || null;
+}
+
 /**
  * Resolve a chat-card display URL, preferring a Host-cached thumb.
  * Falls back to normal media resolve when thumb fails.
diff --git a/src/lib/mediaLoadPro.test.ts b/src/lib/mediaLoadPro.test.ts
index 027ebf58..29447bfb 100644
--- a/src/lib/mediaLoadPro.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/mediaLoadPro.test.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
   mediaUrlPathParam,
   resolveMediaLoadError,
   resolveMediaSrcFailure,
+  shouldApplyChatImageLoadError,
 } from "./mediaLoadPro";
 
 describe("classifyMediaLoadError", () => {
@@ -131,6 +132,30 @@ describe("classifyMediaSrcFailure", () => {
     ).toBe("broken_blob");
   });
 
+  it("shouldApplyChatImageLoadError ignores abort leftover from a src swap", () => {
+    const remote = "https://gbres.example/chart.png";
+    const thumb = "http://127.0.0.1:9/v1/media?t=tok&p=%2Ftmp%2Ft.jpg";
+    expect(
+      shouldApplyChatImageLoadError({
+        failedSrc: remote,
+        paintedSrc: thumb,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      shouldApplyChatImageLoadError({
+        failedSrc: remote,
+        paintedSrc: remote,
+        mediaElementError: "aborted",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      shouldApplyChatImageLoadError({
+        failedSrc: thumb,
+        paintedSrc: thumb,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it("broken blob for remote http image decode failures (not allowlist)", () => {
     expect(
       classifyMediaSrcFailure({
diff --git a/src/lib/mediaLoadPro.ts b/src/lib/mediaLoadPro.ts
index 049cc7ee..dba8eb13 100644
--- a/src/lib/mediaLoadPro.ts
+++ b/src/lib/mediaLoadPro.ts
@@ -316,6 +316,24 @@ export function mediaUrlPathParam(
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Whether `<img onError>` should lock the chat card as broken.
+ * Ignore leftover abort from a src swap (https → cached thumb on remount)
+ * and explicit media-element abort codes.
+ */
+export function shouldApplyChatImageLoadError(input: {
+  failedSrc?: string | null;
+  paintedSrc?: string | null;
+  mediaElementError?: string | null;
+}): boolean {
+  const err = (input.mediaElementError || "").trim().toLowerCase();
+  if (err === "aborted" || err === "media_err_aborted") return false;
+  const failed = (input.failedSrc || "").trim();
+  const painted = (input.paintedSrc || "").trim();
+  if (failed && painted && failed !== painted) return false;
+  return true;
+}
+
 /**
  * Classify resolve / paint failures when we have path context but no thrown value.
  * Used by chat image cards when `resolveImageSrc` returns null or `<img onError>`.