diff --git a/backend/.basedpyright/baseline.json b/backend/.basedpyright/baseline.json
index a49c0c91..b8bd307c 100644
--- a/backend/.basedpyright/baseline.json
+++ b/backend/.basedpyright/baseline.json
@@ -1439,14 +1439,6 @@
                     "lineCount": 1
                 }
             },
-            {
-                "code": "reportArgumentType",
-                "range": {
-                    "startColumn": 38,
-                    "endColumn": 43,
-                    "lineCount": 1
-                }
-            },
             {
                 "code": "reportArgumentType",
                 "range": {
diff --git a/backend/app/downloads/clip.py b/backend/app/downloads/clip.py
index 19bfa12f..9d3f57d4 100644
--- a/backend/app/downloads/clip.py
+++ b/backend/app/downloads/clip.py
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import re
 from pathlib import Path
 
 from app.downloads.edit import AAC_ARGS, EVEN_FRAME, INPUT_GUARD, X264_ARGS
+from app.plex.sync import HDR_TRANSFERS
 
 SOURCES = ("youtube", "plex")
 # Owner's cap: a clip is a moment, not a way to export a whole film to a public link.
@@ -39,8 +40,6 @@ _SIG_VERSION = 1
 _YOUTUBE_ID = re.compile(r"[A-Za-z0-9_-]{11}")
 _RATING_KEY = re.compile(r"[0-9]{1,32}")
 _MAX_AUDIO_TRACK = 63
-# The transfer characteristics of HDR video (PQ, HLG): an 8-bit SDR encode must tonemap them.
-_HDR_TRANSFERS = frozenset({"smpte2084", "arib-std-b67"})
 # HDR → SDR as measured on the owner's 4K HDR files (2026-10-10): linearise, tonemap (hable),
 # convert the primaries and transfer to BT.709 and back to 8-bit 4:2:0.
 _TONEMAP = (
@@ -59,10 +58,12 @@ _EDGE_SLACK = 1e-3
 
 
 class ClipError(Exception):
-    """A clip request that cannot be cut; `reason` is an i18n-mappable key."""
+    """A clip request that cannot be cut; `reason` is an i18n-mappable key, `params` the numbers its
+    message names (the cap itself, so the client never says a stale one)."""
 
-    def __init__(self, reason: str):
+    def __init__(self, reason: str, **params: float):
         self.reason = reason
+        self.params = params
         super().__init__(reason)
 
 
@@ -87,7 +88,7 @@ def normalize(
     if end - start < MIN_CLIP_S:
         raise ClipError("too_short")
     if end - start > MAX_CLIP_S:
-        raise ClipError("too_long")
+        raise ClipError("too_long", limit_s=MAX_CLIP_S)
     spec: dict = {"source": source, "ref": ref, "start_s": start, "end_s": end}
     if source == "plex" and audio_track is not None:
         if not 0 <= audio_track <= _MAX_AUDIO_TRACK:
@@ -151,7 +152,8 @@ def is_hdr(probe: dict) -> bool:
     """Whether the first video stream of an ffprobe `-show_streams` JSON carries an HDR transfer."""
     for s in probe.get("streams") or []:
         if s.get("codec_type") == "video":
-            return s.get("color_transfer") in _HDR_TRANSFERS
+            # PQ / HLG: an 8-bit SDR encode must tonemap them (the one set the Plex stream uses).
+            return s.get("color_transfer") in HDR_TRANSFERS
     return False
 
 
diff --git a/backend/app/downloads/formats.py b/backend/app/downloads/formats.py
index edf5dc8a..1f56d1c7 100644
--- a/backend/app/downloads/formats.py
+++ b/backend/app/downloads/formats.py
@@ -281,8 +281,9 @@ def build_ydl_opts(
     after the host-scope + private-asset gate in `downloads.credentials`. It is set AFTER the `extra`
     merge so a source adapter can never clobber it.
 
-    `max_bytes` (SEC-13) is the caller's remaining storage budget; yt-dlp refuses a format larger
-    than it rather than filling the disk and only then being caught by the quota accounting."""
+    `max_bytes` (SEC-13) is the caller's remaining storage budget; yt-dlp's HTTP downloader refuses
+    a file announced larger than it rather than filling the disk and only then being caught by the
+    quota accounting. Its ffmpeg downloader (a `download_ranges` fetch) does not read it."""
     s = normalize(spec)
     h = s["max_height"]
     opts: dict = {
diff --git a/backend/app/downloads/pipeline.py b/backend/app/downloads/pipeline.py
index eb23339a..21e2ebea 100644
--- a/backend/app/downloads/pipeline.py
+++ b/backend/app/downloads/pipeline.py
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ from datetime import date, datetime, timedelta, timezone
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import yt_dlp
-from sqlalchemy import select
 from yt_dlp.utils import download_range_func
 
 from app import logs, sysconfig
@@ -30,6 +29,7 @@ from app.downloads.jobdb import (
 from app.downloads.stated import StatedFailure
 from app.downloads.status import JobStatus
 from app.models import DISPLAY_TEXT_MAX, DownloadJob, MediaAsset, PlexItem
+from app.plex import lookups as plex_lookups
 from app.plex import paths as plex_paths
 from app.notifications import create_notification
 from app.titles import normalize_title
@@ -363,7 +363,9 @@ def _extract_with_fallback(
     `credentials.resolve_cookiefile` (a clip: `resolve_clip_cookiefile`); passed to every attempt so
     the fallback stays authenticated.
 
-    `max_bytes` (SEC-13) is the owner's remaining storage budget, applied to every attempt.
+    `max_bytes` (SEC-13) is the owner's remaining storage budget, applied to every attempt. A
+    `section` fetch goes through yt-dlp's ffmpeg downloader, which does not read it: a clip holds
+    its own output to the cap (`_process_clip`).
 
     `section` = (start_s, end_s) fetches only that range (an ad-hoc clip, see downloads/clip): the
     range is stream-copied, and its first frame is the marked one (measured), so the clip's own
@@ -523,8 +525,8 @@ def _download(
             # SEC-13: what this user has left. `check_enqueue` only compared the footprint as it
             # stood when the job was QUEUED — a download's size is unknown until it finishes, so a
             # single job could previously blow through the cap by any amount. Handing the remainder
-            # to yt-dlp as `max_filesize` makes the format selector refuse an oversized file up
-            # front instead.
+            # to yt-dlp as `max_filesize` makes it refuse an oversized file (its HTTP downloader
+            # checks the announced size) instead.
             remaining_bytes = quota.remaining_bytes(cdb, user_id)
         # …and zero is a REFUSAL, not "no limit". Earlier jobs of this user may have filled the cap
         # while this one sat in the queue, and 0 is not an expressible yt-dlp `max_filesize`, so
@@ -927,8 +929,18 @@ def _process_edit(job_id: int, asset_id: int) -> None:
         shutil.rmtree(staging, ignore_errors=True)
 
 
+def _clip_room(user_id: int) -> int | None:
+    """What the clip's owner may still store (`quota.remaining_bytes`), refusing at zero — see
+    `_download`: zero is a refusal, not "no limit"."""
+    with SessionLocal() as db:
+        remaining = quota.remaining_bytes(db, user_id)
+    if remaining == 0:
+        raise _OwnerRefused(dlerrors.QUOTA_FULL_MESSAGE)
+    return remaining
+
+
 def _clip_source(
-    job_id: int, asset_id: int, spec: dict, staging: Path
+    job_id: int, asset_id: int, spec: dict, staging: Path, remaining: int | None
 ) -> tuple[Path, float, str | None]:
     """The file a clip is cut from, where in it the clip starts, and the source's title when only
     the fetch could tell it. A YouTube clip fetches ONLY its range into `staging` (so it starts at
@@ -939,15 +951,12 @@ def _clip_source(
         with SessionLocal() as db:
             job = db.get(DownloadJob, job_id)
             asset = db.get(MediaAsset, asset_id)
-            remaining = quota.remaining_bytes(db, job.user_id) if job else None
             # Signed in when the user has a YouTube cookie, as their downloads are: YouTube gates
             # single videos signed out ("not a bot"), and the clip is theirs alone.
             if job and asset:
                 cookiefile = credentials.resolve_clip_cookiefile(
                     db, job.user_id, url, asset, spec, staging
                 )
-        if remaining == 0:  # see `_download`: zero is a refusal, not "no limit"
-            raise _OwnerRefused(dlerrors.QUOTA_FULL_MESSAGE)
         _set_job(job_id, phase="downloading", progress=0)
         try:
             info = _extract_with_fallback(
@@ -976,9 +985,7 @@ def _clip_source(
         title = normalize_title(adapters.resolve_adapter("youtube", spec["ref"]).title(info))
         return _produced_file(info, staging), 0.0, title
     with SessionLocal() as db:
-        item = db.execute(
-            select(PlexItem).where(PlexItem.rating_key == spec["ref"])
-        ).scalar_one_or_none()
+        item = plex_lookups.by_rating_key(db, PlexItem, spec["ref"])
         src = plex_paths.local_media_path(db, item.file_path) if item else None
     if src is None:
         raise StatedFailure("The library file is not reachable from here.")
@@ -1013,10 +1020,18 @@ def _process_clip(job_id: int, asset_id: int) -> None:
         if staging.exists():
             shutil.rmtree(staging, ignore_errors=True)
         staging.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
-        src, start, fetched_title = _clip_source(job_id, asset_id, spec, staging)
-        data = probe.probe_json(src) or {}
+        # Refused before the fetch and the encode when the owner's storage is already full.
+        remaining = _clip_room(user_id)
+        src, start, fetched_title = _clip_source(job_id, asset_id, spec, staging, remaining)
+        data = probe.probe_json(src)
+        if not data:
+            raise StatedFailure("The source file could not be read.")
         audio_track = spec.get("audio_track")
-        if audio_track is not None and audio_track >= clipmod.audio_track_count(data):
+        tracks = clipmod.audio_track_count(data)
+        if tracks == 0:
+            # A silent source: the player still names its track 0, and the clip is silent too.
+            audio_track = None
+        elif audio_track is not None and audio_track >= tracks:
             raise StatedFailure("The chosen audio track is not in the file.")
         crop = _clip_crop(spec, data)
         total_s = clipmod.duration(spec)
@@ -1041,6 +1056,12 @@ def _process_clip(job_id: int, asset_id: int) -> None:
             raise StatedFailure("ffmpeg produced no output file")
         # The phone-safe shape by construction; still held to the rule every ready file meets.
         out = _ensure_phone_safe(job_id, out, staging, "editing", round(total_s))
+        # Held to the cap by its real size: a range fetch passes yt-dlp's `max_filesize` to its
+        # ffmpeg downloader, which never reads it, and a Plex clip fetches nothing at all. Read
+        # again, since other jobs of this owner may have landed during the encode.
+        remaining = _clip_room(user_id)
+        if remaining is not None and out.stat().st_size > remaining:
+            raise _OwnerRefused(dlerrors.QUOTA_FULL_MESSAGE)
         ext = out.suffix.lstrip(".").lower() or "mp4"
         rel = storage.edit_rel_path(user_id, asset_id, ext)
         storage.place_file(out, settings.download_root, rel)
diff --git a/backend/app/downloads/quota.py b/backend/app/downloads/quota.py
index afde02ae..422c926c 100644
--- a/backend/app/downloads/quota.py
+++ b/backend/app/downloads/quota.py
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ the footprint as it stood when the job was created and earlier jobs may have fil
 That is a per-job ceiling, not an aggregate ledger: concurrent jobs of one user each read the same
 remainder (in-flight bytes are not `ready`, so `footprint` cannot see them), so a wave of
 max_concurrent downloads can still land over the cap — the deliberate trade, since a download's size
-is unknown until it finishes. Edit jobs do not consult it at all (tracked as SEC-19).
+is unknown until it finishes. CLIP jobs consult it before their fetch or encode and again with
+their output's real size before it is placed. Edit jobs do not consult it at all (tracked as SEC-19).
 """
 
 from dataclasses import dataclass
diff --git a/backend/app/downloads/service.py b/backend/app/downloads/service.py
index 98e4f4ba..96770af0 100644
--- a/backend/app/downloads/service.py
+++ b/backend/app/downloads/service.py
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ from app.models import (
     PlexShow,
     Video,
 )
+from app.plex import lookups as plex_lookups
 from app.plex import paths as plex_paths
 
 
@@ -193,7 +194,7 @@ def enqueue(
         profile_snapshot=spec,
         display_name=display_name
         or (asset.title[:DISPLAY_TEXT_MAX] if asset.status == "ready" and asset.title else None),
-        status="queued",
+        status=JobStatus.QUEUED,
         queue_pos=next_queue_pos(db),
     )
     db.add(job)
@@ -201,7 +202,7 @@ def enqueue(
 
     # Cache hit: the file already exists — no worker round-trip needed.
     if asset.status == "ready":
-        job.status = "done"
+        job.status = JobStatus.DONE
         job.progress = 100
         asset.last_access_at = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
 
@@ -272,14 +273,14 @@ def enqueue_edit(
         edit_spec=spec,
         profile_snapshot={},
         display_name=display_name or asset.title[:DISPLAY_TEXT_MAX],
-        status="queued",
+        status=JobStatus.QUEUED,
         queue_pos=next_queue_pos(db),
     )
     db.add(job)
     incr_ref_count(db, asset.id)
 
     if asset.status == "ready":  # identical clip already produced for this user → instant
-        job.status = "done"
+        job.status = JobStatus.DONE
         job.progress = 100
         asset.last_access_at = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
 
@@ -303,9 +304,7 @@ def _clip_source_facts(db: Session, spec: dict) -> dict:
             "thumbnail_url": video.thumbnail_url,
             "length_s": video.duration_seconds,
         }
-    item = db.execute(
-        select(PlexItem).where(PlexItem.rating_key == spec["ref"])
-    ).scalar_one_or_none()
+    item = plex_lookups.by_rating_key(db, PlexItem, spec["ref"])
     if item is None:
         raise clipmod.ClipError("not_found")
     if plex_paths.local_media_path(db, item.file_path) is None:
@@ -361,14 +360,14 @@ def enqueue_clip(
         edit_spec=spec,
         profile_snapshot={},
         display_name=display_name or asset.title[:DISPLAY_TEXT_MAX],
-        status="queued",
+        status=JobStatus.QUEUED,
         queue_pos=next_queue_pos(db),
     )
     db.add(job)
     incr_ref_count(db, asset.id)
 
     if asset.status == "ready":  # the same range was already cut for this user → instant
-        job.status = "done"
+        job.status = JobStatus.DONE
         job.progress = 100
         asset.last_access_at = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
 
diff --git a/backend/app/models.py b/backend/app/models.py
index 1a4e06db..8d899b1b 100644
--- a/backend/app/models.py
+++ b/backend/app/models.py
@@ -933,8 +933,9 @@ class DownloadJob(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     )
     source_kind: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(16))  # "youtube" | "url"
     source_ref: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(512))
-    # "download" (default), "edit" (a per-user trim/crop derivative of another job) or "upload" (a
-    # user's own file, converted by the worker when it is not phone-safe — see `downloads.upload`).
+    # "download" (default), "edit" (a per-user trim/crop derivative of another job), "upload" (a
+    # user's own file, converted by the worker when it is not phone-safe — see `downloads.upload`) or
+    # "clip" (a range cut straight from a YouTube video or a Plex item — see `downloads.clip`).
     job_kind: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(16), default="download", server_default="download")
     # For edit jobs: the parent download this clip is cut from (SET NULL if the parent is deleted).
     source_job_id: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(
@@ -943,7 +944,9 @@ class DownloadJob(Base, TimestampMixin, UpdatedAtMixin):
     source_asset_id: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(
         ForeignKey("media_assets.id", ondelete="SET NULL")
     )
-    # For edit jobs: the trim/crop recipe {trim?:{start_s,end_s}, crop?:{x,y,w,h}}.
+    # For edit jobs: the trim/crop recipe {trim?:{start_s,end_s}, crop?:{x,y,w,h}} in pixels. For clip
+    # jobs: the clip spec {source, ref, start_s, end_s, audio_track?, crop?:{x,y,w,h,aspect}}, its crop
+    # in fractions of the box it was drawn in (`downloads.clip.normalize`).
     edit_spec: Mapped[dict | None] = mapped_column(JSON)
     profile_id: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(
         ForeignKey("download_profiles.id", ondelete="SET NULL")
diff --git a/backend/app/plex/stream.py b/backend/app/plex/stream.py
index 043539e7..1039f6af 100644
--- a/backend/app/plex/stream.py
+++ b/backend/app/plex/stream.py
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ from app.config import settings
 from app.downloads.edit import encode_thread_cap
 from app.models import PlexItem
 from app.plex import paths
-from app.plex.sync import HW_DECODABLE_CODECS
+from app.plex.sync import HDR_TRANSFERS, HW_DECODABLE_CODECS
 
 log = logs.get_logger(__name__)
 _HLS_ROOT = (
@@ -203,7 +203,8 @@ _HW_DECODABLE = HW_DECODABLE_CODECS
 # plain scale_vaapi=format=nv12 path (Gen 9.5 VPP refuses it) — it needs the OpenCL tonemap graph
 # (_venc_opts tonemap branch) when the OpenCL runtime is present, else software libx264. A 10-bit source
 # WITHOUT one of these transfers is SDR, not HDR, and must not be tone-mapped. See _probe_video_kind.
-_HDR_TRANSFERS = {"smpte2084", "arib-std-b67"}
+# THE single source is plex.sync (a clip's tonemap reads it too).
+_HDR_TRANSFERS = HDR_TRANSFERS
 
 
 # The three source classes that drive the transcode-pipeline choice (see _probe_video_kind).
diff --git a/backend/app/plex/sync.py b/backend/app/plex/sync.py
index adbaa69a..45125da0 100644
--- a/backend/app/plex/sync.py
+++ b/backend/app/plex/sync.py
@@ -64,9 +64,11 @@ def classify_playable(vcodec: str | None, acodec: str | None, container: str | N
 # outside it (AV1, MPEG-4 ASP/XviD…) is software-only even on the iGPU (it can't decode it to feed its
 # own encoder).
 HW_DECODABLE_CODECS = frozenset({"h264", "hevc", "h265", "vp9", "vc1", "mpeg2video"})
-# Color-transfer values marking an HDR source (PQ / HLG). A 10-bit/HDR source breaks the VAAPI
-# scale=nv12 path on Gen 9.5 (see plex.stream) → software transcode, so it counts as NOT HW-capable.
-_HDR_TRANSFERS = frozenset({"smpte2084", "arib-std-b67"})
+# Color-transfer values marking an HDR source (PQ / HLG). THE single source of this set: plex.stream
+# (the tonemap choice) and downloads.clip (a clip's tonemap) import it here, so a transfer added for
+# one is tonemapped by all. A 10-bit/HDR source breaks the VAAPI scale=nv12 path on Gen 9.5 (see
+# plex.stream) → software transcode, so it counts as NOT HW-capable.
+HDR_TRANSFERS = frozenset({"smpte2084", "arib-std-b67"})
 
 
 def transcode_hw_capable(
@@ -107,7 +109,7 @@ def _video_stream_props(meta: dict) -> tuple[int | None, bool]:
                 # whole library would drown the sync's own lines.
                 except (TypeError, ValueError):
                     depth = None
-                hdr = str(s.get("colorTrc") or "").lower() in _HDR_TRANSFERS
+                hdr = str(s.get("colorTrc") or "").lower() in HDR_TRANSFERS
                 return depth, hdr
     return None, False
 
diff --git a/backend/app/routes/downloads.py b/backend/app/routes/downloads.py
index afe93a18..3e3af777 100644
--- a/backend/app/routes/downloads.py
+++ b/backend/app/routes/downloads.py
@@ -610,10 +610,12 @@ def enqueue_clip(
         spec = clipmod.normalize(
             body.source, body.ref, body.start_s, body.end_s, body.audio_track, crop
         )
-        job = service.enqueue_clip(db, user.id, spec, display_text(body.display_name))
+        display_name = display_text(body.display_name)
+        job = service.enqueue_clip(db, user.id, spec, display_name=display_name)
     except clipmod.ClipError as e:
         status = 404 if e.reason == "not_found" else 422
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=status, detail={"code": "clip", "reason": e.reason}) from e
+        detail = {"code": "clip", "reason": e.reason, **e.params}
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=status, detail=detail) from e
     except quota.QuotaExceeded as e:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=_quota_detail(e)) from e
     return _serialize_job(db, job)
diff --git a/backend/app/worker.py b/backend/app/worker.py
index 20c48d76..e644dbfb 100644
--- a/backend/app/worker.py
+++ b/backend/app/worker.py
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from functools import partial
 
 from sqlalchemy import text
+from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app import logs
 from app import logsink
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ from app.downloads.jobdb import (
     _reset_asset_pending,
     _staging_dir,
 )
-from app.downloads.status import STOPPED_BY_ROUTE, JobStatus
+from app.downloads.status import STOPPED_BY_ROUTE, JobKind, JobStatus
 from app.models import DISPLAY_TEXT_MAX, DownloadJob, MediaAsset
 
 log = logs.get_logger(__name__)
@@ -437,7 +438,7 @@ def _run_supervised(job_id: int, asset_id: int) -> None:
             if status is None or status in STOPPED_BY_ROUTE:
                 reason = "cancelled"  # a route stopped it (or the row vanished)
                 break
-            if status == "running":
+            if status == JobStatus.RUNNING:
                 if stale is not None and stale > stall_s:
                     reason = "stalled"
                     break
@@ -448,7 +449,7 @@ def _run_supervised(job_id: int, asset_id: int) -> None:
             # teardown. A still-running job over the cap is failed ("timeout"); a terminal one (already
             # done/error) just gets its lingering child killed, its DB status left intact ("abandon").
             if time.monotonic() - started > wall_s:
-                reason = "timeout" if status == "running" else "abandon"
+                reason = "timeout" if status == JobStatus.RUNNING else "abandon"
                 break
             # else: a terminal status under the cap (done/error, or a re-queued contended asset) means
             # the child is exiting on its own — keep polling; NEVER kill a finishing child (that could
@@ -479,7 +480,7 @@ def _run_supervised(job_id: int, asset_id: int) -> None:
             _reset_asset_pending(asset_id)
             if proc.returncode != _CHILD_OK:
                 status, _ = _job_liveness(job_id)
-                if status == "running":
+                if status == JobStatus.RUNNING:
                     _cleanup_staging(asset_id)
                     _fail_running(
                         job_id,
@@ -560,15 +561,12 @@ def _process_job(job_id: int) -> None:
         asset_id = asset.id if asset else None
         asset_status = asset.status if asset else None
         asset_error = asset.error if asset else None
-        if asset_status == "error":
+        if asset is not None and asset_status == "error":
             # A job that meets an already-failed asset gets that failure's explanation — not a bare
             # "Download failed". Only the text is on the asset, so it is diagnosed again, for this
             # link, with whether a cookie goes with it asked of the same gate the download child
             # used (`credentials.usable_cookie`) — as it stands now, so the advice fits this job's Retry.
-            url = service.source_url(job.source_kind, job.source_ref)
-            cookie = credentials.usable_cookie(
-                db, job.user_id, url, asset, formats.normalize(job.profile_snapshot)
-            )
+            url, cookie = _failed_link_and_cookie(db, job, asset)
             diagnosis = dlerrors.diagnose(asset_error, url=url, cookie_attached=cookie is not None)
             del cookie  # only whether there is one matters here
 
@@ -605,13 +603,34 @@ def _process_job(job_id: int) -> None:
     _run_supervised(job_id, asset_id)
 
 
+def _failed_link_and_cookie(
+    db: Session, job: DownloadJob, asset: MediaAsset
+) -> tuple[str | None, str | None]:
+    """The link a job's failed asset was fetched from, and the cookie that fetch would go with now.
+    A clip's link is its source's (a `clip` ref names the user's range, no page), asked of the
+    clip's own cookie gate, as its fetch was (`_clip_source`); a Plex clip fetches nothing."""
+    if job.job_kind == JobKind.CLIP:
+        spec = dict(job.edit_spec or {})
+        if spec.get("source") != "youtube":
+            return None, None
+        url = service.source_url("youtube", spec["ref"])
+        return url, credentials.usable_clip_cookie(db, job.user_id, url, asset, spec)
+    url = service.source_url(job.source_kind, job.source_ref)
+    spec = formats.normalize(job.profile_snapshot)
+    return url, credentials.usable_cookie(db, job.user_id, url, asset, spec)
+
+
 def _finish_from_cache(job_id: int, asset_id: int) -> None:
     with SessionLocal() as db:
         job = db.get(DownloadJob, job_id)
         asset = db.get(MediaAsset, asset_id)
         if job and asset:
             fields = {"status": JobStatus.DONE, "progress": 100, "phase": None}
-            if not job.display_name and asset.title:
+            # A clip queued under the placeholder takes the title its sibling's fetch found.
+            unnamed = not job.display_name or (
+                job.job_kind == JobKind.CLIP and job.display_name == service.clip_title(None, None)
+            )
+            if unnamed and asset.title:
                 # display_name is VARCHAR(255); a title can be longer (e.g. a recipe in the title).
                 fields["display_name"] = asset.title[:DISPLAY_TEXT_MAX]
             asset.last_access_at = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
diff --git a/backend/requirements.lock b/backend/requirements.lock
index 0d6f8dac..a85fbfbb 100644
--- a/backend/requirements.lock
+++ b/backend/requirements.lock
@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@
 # Source of truth is requirements.txt (the floor ranges); regenerate after editing it with:
 #   docker run --rm -v "$PWD":/b python:3.12-slim sh -c 'pip install -q -r /b/requirements.txt && pip freeze --exclude pip --exclude setuptools --exclude wheel' | sort
 # The prod Dockerfile + Dockerfile.test install THIS file; the gate's pip-audit (scripts/check.sh)
-# scans it, blocking. A security fix may be ONE pin bumped in place instead of a full
-# regeneration, which would move every other package too — then `pip install -r requirements.lock && pip check` must
-# pass. In place so far: urllib3 2.7.0 -> 2.8.0 (PYSEC-2026-4175/4176/4177); yt-dlp 2026.7.4 -> 2026.8.19
+# scans it, blocking. A security fix, or a yt-dlp release YouTube's changes force, may be ONE pin
+# bumped in place instead of a full regeneration, which would move every other package too — then
+# `pip install -r requirements.lock && pip check` must pass. In place so far: urllib3 2.7.0 -> 2.8.0 (PYSEC-2026-4175/4176/4177); yt-dlp 2026.7.4 -> 2026.8.19
 # (it marks the clients that need a stream PO token, so the downloader stops fetching into a 403).
 APScheduler==3.11.3
 Authlib==1.7.2
diff --git a/backend/requirements.txt b/backend/requirements.txt
index d8049a9d..1f94f58f 100644
--- a/backend/requirements.txt
+++ b/backend/requirements.txt
@@ -16,12 +16,14 @@ argon2-cffi>=23.1,<26
 # Download center: yt-dlp does the extraction/download; ffmpeg (OS-level in the Dockerfile)
 # does the merge + postprocessing. The [default] extra pulls yt-dlp-ejs (the challenge-solver
 # scripts Deno runs for YouTube's n-signature). yt-dlp is release-often (YouTube changes), so
-# keep the floor loose and bump it when extraction breaks.
-yt-dlp[default]>=2025.5.22
+# keep the floor loose and bump it when extraction breaks. 2026.8.19 marks the clients that need a
+# stream PO token, which the shipped player clients (config.download_player_clients) rely on.
+yt-dlp[default]>=2026.8.19
 # Browser impersonation (`impersonate`) for Facebook downloads made with the user's cookie: some
 # links answer a signed-in plain request with "Cannot parse data" and only parse as Chrome
-# (measured). The range is YT-DLP's, not ours — yt-dlp 2026.07.04 imports curl_cffi only in
-# 0.10.x–0.15.x and silently reports every target "unavailable" outside it. Move it when bumping
+# (measured). The range is YT-DLP's, not ours — yt-dlp 2026.07.04 imported curl_cffi only in
+# 0.10.x–0.15.x and silently reported every target "unavailable" outside it (2026.08.19 takes up to
+# 0.16.x; the cap stays on the measured 0.15 until a bump re-measures it). Move it when bumping
 # yt-dlp; `tests/test_facebook_impersonation.py::test_the_locked_curl_cffi_can_impersonate_chrome`
 # fails the gate if the locked pair can no longer impersonate.
 curl_cffi>=0.10,<0.16
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_adapters.py b/backend/tests/test_adapters.py
index 4aa6ca58..85e9feb7 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_adapters.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_adapters.py
@@ -175,6 +175,21 @@ def test_the_cookie_capable_clients_match_the_installed_ytdlp():
     assert set(YouTubeAdapter._AUTHED_DEFAULT) <= live
 
 
+def test_the_shipped_player_clients_exist_in_the_installed_ytdlp():
+    # yt-dlp skips a client it does not know with a warning and falls back to its own defaults, so
+    # a bump that renames or drops one (tv_simply, the one measured to deliver HD) would change
+    # what every download is fetched with, silently. Read from the Settings defaults, not from
+    # `settings`, which an environment may override.
+    from yt_dlp.extractor.youtube._base import INNERTUBE_CLIENTS
+
+    from app.config import Settings
+
+    fields = Settings.model_fields
+    for knob in ("download_player_clients", "download_player_clients_fallback"):
+        names = Settings._clients(fields[knob].default)
+        assert names and set(names) <= set(INNERTUBE_CLIENTS), (knob, names)
+
+
 def test_youtube_ydl_opts_extra_carries_player_client_and_pot():
     ea = YouTubeAdapter().ydl_opts_extra(["android_vr"])["extractor_args"]
     assert ea["youtube"]["player_client"] == ["android_vr"]
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_clip.py b/backend/tests/test_clip.py
index 8e2b5780..8e7d7f27 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_clip.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_clip.py
@@ -11,8 +11,10 @@ from pathlib import Path
 
 import pytest
 
+from app import worker as workermod
 from app.config import settings
 from app.downloads import clip as clipmod
+from app.downloads import errors as dlerrors
 from app.downloads import pipeline, quota, runner, service
 from app.downloads import probe as probemod
 from app.downloads.edit import INPUT_GUARD
@@ -315,19 +317,20 @@ def test_a_ready_clip_asked_for_again_is_done_at_once(db, make_user, as_user, yt
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
-    ("body", "status", "reason"),
+    ("body", "status", "reason", "params"),
     [
-        ({"end_s": 700}, 422, "too_long"),
-        ({"start_s": 299.5, "end_s": 330}, 422, "past_end"),
-        ({"ref": "nope"}, 422, "bad_source"),
+        # The cap travels with its refusal, so the client never states a stale one.
+        ({"end_s": 700}, 422, "too_long", {"limit_s": clipmod.MAX_CLIP_S}),
+        ({"start_s": 299.5, "end_s": 330}, 422, "past_end", {}),
+        ({"ref": "nope"}, 422, "bad_source", {}),
     ],
 )
 def test_a_youtube_clip_it_cannot_cut_says_why(
-    db, make_user, as_user, yt_video, body, status, reason
+    db, make_user, as_user, yt_video, body, status, reason, params
 ):
     r = _clip(as_user(make_user()), **{"source": "youtube", "ref": yt_video, **body})
     assert r.status_code == status
-    assert r.json()["detail"] == {"code": "clip", "reason": reason}
+    assert r.json()["detail"] == {"code": "clip", "reason": reason, **params}
     assert db.query(DownloadJob).count() == 0
 
 
@@ -650,3 +653,133 @@ def test_a_youtube_clip_on_the_bot_wall_is_diagnosed_like_a_download(
     job, asset = worker["run"](_clip(as_user(user), source="youtube", ref=yt_video).json())
     assert (job.status, asset.status) == ("error", "error")
     assert (job.error_code, job.error_detail) == ("login_required", detail)
+
+
+# --- held to the owner's storage cap, and a clip that cannot or need not go on ---------------------
+
+
+def _fetch_range(monkeypatch):
+    def extract(job_id, asset_id, url, spec, staging, adapter, **kw):
+        f = Path(staging) / "abcdefghijk.mp4"
+        f.write_bytes(b"range")
+        return {"requested_downloads": [{"filepath": str(f)}]}
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(pipeline, "_extract_with_fallback", extract)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("source", ["youtube", "plex"])
+def test_a_clip_for_an_owner_whose_storage_is_full_is_refused_before_it_is_cut(
+    db, make_user, as_user, yt_video, plex_episode, worker, monkeypatch, source
+):
+    _fetch_range(monkeypatch)
+    ref = yt_video if source == "youtube" else "777"
+    job = _clip(as_user(make_user()), source=source, ref=ref).json()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(quota, "remaining_bytes", lambda _db, _uid: 0)
+    job, asset = worker["run"](job)
+    # Refused like a download at its cap: the job says why, the asset waits for a Retry.
+    assert (job.status, job.error, asset.status) == (
+        "error",
+        dlerrors.QUOTA_FULL_MESSAGE,
+        "pending",
+    )
+    assert "cmd" not in worker
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("source", ["youtube", "plex"])
+def test_a_clip_larger_than_what_its_owner_has_left_is_refused_and_not_placed(
+    db, make_user, as_user, yt_video, plex_episode, worker, monkeypatch, source
+):
+    # The range fetch's own ceiling never reaches yt-dlp's ffmpeg downloader, and a Plex clip
+    # fetches nothing: the cut file itself is held to the cap.
+    _fetch_range(monkeypatch)
+    ref = yt_video if source == "youtube" else "777"
+    job = _clip(as_user(make_user()), source=source, ref=ref).json()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(quota, "remaining_bytes", lambda _db, _uid: 3)  # the cut is 4 bytes
+    job, asset = worker["run"](job)
+    assert (job.status, job.error, asset.status, asset.rel_path) == (
+        "error",
+        dlerrors.QUOTA_FULL_MESSAGE,
+        "pending",
+        None,
+    )
+
+
+def test_a_plex_clip_of_a_silent_file_is_cut_silent(db, make_user, as_user, plex_episode, worker):
+    # The player names the track it plays 0 even when the file has none.
+    worker["probe"] = {"streams": [{"codec_type": "video"}]}
+    job = _clip(as_user(make_user()), source="plex", ref="777", audio_track=0).json()
+    job, asset = worker["run"](job)
+    assert (job.status, asset.status) == ("done", "ready")
+    assert "0:a:0?" in worker["cmd"]
+
+
+def test_a_plex_clip_of_a_file_the_probe_cannot_read_says_so(
+    db, make_user, as_user, plex_episode, worker
+):
+    worker["probe"] = None
+    job = _clip(as_user(make_user()), source="plex", ref="777", audio_track=0).json()
+    job, asset = worker["run"](job)
+    assert (job.status, asset.status) == ("error", "error")
+    assert job.error == "The source file could not be read."
+    assert "cmd" not in worker
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("where", ["fetch", "encode"])
+def test_a_paused_clip_frees_its_asset_for_a_later_retry(
+    db, make_user, as_user, yt_video, worker, monkeypatch, where
+):
+    def stopped(*_a, **_k):
+        raise pipeline._Aborted() if where == "fetch" else pipeline.editmod.EditAborted()
+
+    if where == "fetch":
+        monkeypatch.setattr(pipeline, "_extract_with_fallback", stopped)
+    else:
+        _fetch_range(monkeypatch)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(pipeline.editmod, "run_ffmpeg", stopped)
+    job = _clip(as_user(make_user()), source="youtube", ref=yt_video).json()
+    job, asset = worker["run"](job)
+    # The route already wrote the job's own state (paused / canceled); the asset is free again.
+    assert (job.status, job.error, asset.status) == ("running", None, "pending")
+
+
+# --- a second job on the same clip -----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def _second_job(db, client, **body):
+    """Two jobs for one range: the second shares the first's asset."""
+    first = _clip(client, **body).json()
+    second = _clip(client, **body).json()
+    assert first["asset"]["id"] == second["asset"]["id"]
+    return db.get(DownloadJob, first["id"]), db.get(DownloadJob, second["id"])
+
+
+def test_a_second_clip_job_on_a_failed_clip_gets_the_same_youtube_diagnosis(
+    db, make_user, as_user, yt_video
+):
+    _first, second = _second_job(db, as_user(make_user()), source="youtube", ref=yt_video)
+    asset = db.get(MediaAsset, second.asset_id)
+    asset.status = "error"
+    asset.error = f"ERROR: [youtube] {yt_video}: Sign in to confirm you’re not a bot."
+    second.status = "running"
+    db.commit()
+    workermod._process_job(second.id)
+    db.expire_all()
+    job = db.get(DownloadJob, second.id)
+    assert (job.status, job.error_code, job.error_detail) == (
+        "error",
+        "login_required",
+        "youtube.bot_wall",
+    )
+
+
+def test_a_second_clip_job_takes_the_title_its_sibling_found(db, make_user, as_user):
+    _first, second = _second_job(db, as_user(make_user()), source="youtube", ref="zyxwvutsrqp")
+    assert second.display_name == "Clip (clip)"
+    asset = db.get(MediaAsset, second.asset_id)
+    asset.status, asset.title = "ready", "Found On YouTube (clip)"
+    second.status = "running"
+    db.commit()
+    workermod._finish_from_cache(second.id, asset.id)
+    db.expire_all()
+    job = db.get(DownloadJob, second.id)
+    assert (job.status, job.display_name) == ("done", "Found On YouTube (clip)")
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_upload.py b/backend/tests/test_upload.py
index 088e5f96..a240e67f 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_upload.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_upload.py
@@ -451,7 +451,7 @@ def test_a_non_ascii_filename_survives_the_header_round_trip(
 def test_a_long_display_name_is_truncated_on_EVERY_route_that_takes_one(
     db, as_user, make_user, _root, monkeypatch, upload_headers
 ):
-    """The sweep, held end to end rather than at one site.
+    """The sweep, held end to end rather than at one site (the clip route joined it later).
 
     `display_text` was introduced for the upload path and applied to three of the five writers of
     this varchar(255) column; `POST /api/downloads` and `POST /api/downloads/edit` kept the old
@@ -503,15 +503,32 @@ def test_a_long_display_name_is_truncated_on_EVERY_route_that_takes_one(
     assert patched.json()["display_name"] == bound
     assert patched.json()["display_uploader"] == bound
 
+    # 6. the clip route — the clip panel's name field.
+    clip = c.post(
+        "/api/downloads/clip",
+        json={
+            "source": "youtube",
+            "ref": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
+            "start_s": 0,
+            "end_s": 5,
+            "display_name": long_name,
+        },
+    )
+    assert clip.status_code == 200, clip.text
+    assert clip.json()["display_name"] == bound
+
 
 def _display_write_sites() -> dict[tuple[str, str], set[str]]:
     """Every place under `backend/app/` that puts a value into a display field, as
     (module relative to `app/`, enclosing function) -> the set of value expressions written there.
 
-    TWO SHAPES, because the first version of this guard walked only `ast.Assign` and was therefore
+    THREE SHAPES, because the first version of this guard walked only `ast.Assign` and was therefore
     blind to the shape the upload route itself uses — `SpooledUpload(..., display_name=...)` is an
     `ast.keyword`, not an assignment, so the one site with an unbounded REQUEST HEADER behind it was
-    the site the guard could not see.
+    the site the guard could not see. The third, `fields["display_name"] = …`, is a dict a finalize
+    call is spread from (the worker's), which the first two missed as well. A value passed
+    POSITIONALLY is still unseen: a writer binds it to a name or a keyword first, as every route here
+    does.
 
     ANNOTATED assignments are excluded on purpose: `display_name: Mapped[str | None] =
     mapped_column(...)` in `models.py` and `display_name: str | None = None` in a Pydantic model are
@@ -537,6 +554,13 @@ def _display_write_sites() -> dict[tuple[str, str], set[str]]:
                     t.id if isinstance(t, ast.Name) else t.attr
                     for t in node.targets
                     if isinstance(t, (ast.Name, ast.Attribute))
+                } | {
+                    # `fields["display_name"] = …` — a dict the write is then spread from.
+                    t.slice.value
+                    for t in node.targets
+                    if isinstance(t, ast.Subscript)
+                    and isinstance(t.slice, ast.Constant)
+                    and isinstance(t.slice.value, str)
                 }
                 value = node.value
             elif isinstance(node, ast.keyword):
@@ -561,6 +585,9 @@ def _display_write_sites() -> dict[tuple[str, str], set[str]]:
 #   service.enqueue / enqueue_edit /  `display_name` is already bounded by its caller; the fallback
 #   enqueue_clip                      slices the source's title to the same width.
 #   downloads.upload_download         passes through `spool_upload`'s value, bounded there.
+#   routes enqueue_clip               the `display_name=` keyword passes on the name bound above it.
+#   pipeline._download / _process_clip / worker._finish_from_cache
+#                                     slice a fetched or stored title to the column's width.
 #
 # Held as EXACT EQUALITY rather than as a list of offenders. The offender form could only fail
 # upward: refactoring the writers into a shape the walker did not recognise left it asserting
@@ -574,11 +601,15 @@ DISPLAY_WRITE_SITES = {
     },
     ("downloads/service.py", "enqueue_edit"): {"display_name or asset.title[:DISPLAY_TEXT_MAX]"},
     ("downloads/service.py", "enqueue_clip"): {"display_name or asset.title[:DISPLAY_TEXT_MAX]"},
+    ("downloads/pipeline.py", "_download"): {"meta.title[:DISPLAY_TEXT_MAX]"},
+    ("downloads/pipeline.py", "_process_clip"): {"named[:DISPLAY_TEXT_MAX]"},
+    ("worker.py", "_finish_from_cache"): {"asset.title[:DISPLAY_TEXT_MAX]"},
     ("downloads/upload.py", "ingest_upload"): {"display_text(display_name)"},
     ("routes/auth.py", "callback"): {"display_text(userinfo.get('name'))"},
     ("routes/auth.py", "_complete_link"): {"display_text(userinfo.get('name'))"},
     ("routes/downloads.py", "enqueue_download"): {"display_text(body.display_name)"},
     ("routes/downloads.py", "enqueue_edit"): {"display_text(body.display_name)"},
+    ("routes/downloads.py", "enqueue_clip"): {"display_text(body.display_name)", "display_name"},
     ("routes/downloads.py", "update_download_meta"): {
         "display_text(body.display_name)",
         "display_text(body.display_uploader)",
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/backendIds.contract.test.ts b/frontend/src/i18n/backendIds.contract.test.ts
index 356599af..e28c5a42 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/backendIds.contract.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/backendIds.contract.test.ts
@@ -170,10 +170,11 @@ const youtubeReasons = [
     backend("youtube/client.py").match(/^YouTubeRefusal = Literal\[([^\]]*)\]/m)?.[1] ?? ""
   ).matchAll(/"(\w+)"/g),
 ].map((m) => m[1]!);
-// A clip the server will not cut → `clip.errors.<reason>`: every `ClipError("<reason>")` in the backend.
+// A clip the server will not cut → `clip.errors.<reason>`: every `ClipError("<reason>"…)` in the backend
+// (a reason may carry its numbers after it: `ClipError("too_long", limit_s=…)`).
 const clipReasons = [
   ...new Set(
-    appSources().flatMap((src) => [...src.matchAll(/ClipError\("(\w+)"\)/g)].map((m) => m[1]!)),
+    appSources().flatMap((src) => [...src.matchAll(/ClipError\("(\w+)"[,)]/g)].map((m) => m[1]!)),
   ),
 ];
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/clip.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/clip.json
index 498b15ec..5190776b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/clip.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/en/clip.json
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
     "bad_source": "This video can’t be clipped.",
     "bad_range": "The clip’s start or end isn’t valid.",
     "too_short": "A clip is at least a second long.",
-    "too_long": "A clip is at most 10 minutes long.",
+    "too_long": "A clip is at most {{minutes}} minutes long.",
     "bad_audio": "That audio track isn’t available.",
     "bad_crop": "The crop frame isn’t valid. Make it bigger, or go back to the whole picture.",
     "not_found": "This item is no longer in the library.",
diff --git a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/clip.json b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/clip.json
index 103a7298..fc793091 100644
--- a/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/clip.json
+++ b/frontend/src/i18n/locales/hu/clip.json
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
     "bad_source": "Ebből a videóból nem lehet klipet vágni.",
     "bad_range": "A klip eleje vagy vége érvénytelen.",
     "too_short": "A klip legalább egy másodperc.",
-    "too_long": "A klip legfeljebb 10 perc lehet.",
+    "too_long": "A klip legfeljebb {{minutes}} perc lehet.",
     "bad_audio": "Ez a hangsáv nem érhető el.",
     "bad_crop": "A kivágókeret érvénytelen. Nagyítsd meg, vagy térj vissza a teljes képre.",
     "not_found": "Ez az elem már nincs a könyvtárban.",
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/api/core.test.ts b/frontend/src/lib/api/core.test.ts
index 2409ddf3..742f8d62 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/api/core.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/api/core.test.ts
@@ -261,6 +261,24 @@ describe("req — a structured refusal reads in the user's language", () => {
     ).rejects.toMatchObject({ detail: localized });
   });
 
+  it("states the clip cap the server refused with, not a copy of it", async () => {
+    // The cap is the server's (downloads/clip.py MAX_CLIP_S): a message with "10 minutes" baked in
+    // goes stale the day it moves.
+    const i18n = (await import("../../i18n")).default;
+    const t = vi.spyOn(i18n, "t");
+    vi.spyOn(globalThis, "fetch").mockResolvedValue(
+      new Response(JSON.stringify({ detail: { code: "clip", reason: "too_long", limit_s: 300 } }), {
+        status: 422,
+        headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
+      }),
+    );
+    await req("/api/downloads/clip", { method: "POST" }, { quiet: true }).catch(() => undefined);
+    expect(t).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      "clip.errors.too_long",
+      expect.objectContaining({ minutes: "5" }),
+    );
+  });
+
   it.each(["quota", "reconnect", "unavailable"])(
     "says what to do about an action YouTube refused (%s)",
     async (reason) => {
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/api/core.ts b/frontend/src/lib/api/core.ts
index a411f407..48832e77 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/api/core.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/api/core.ts
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ function localizeDetail(d: unknown): string {
   // "check your input" message rather than leaking them into a translated sentence.
   if (Array.isArray(d)) return t("errors.validation");
   const o = d as
-    | { code?: string; reason?: string; limit?: number; min?: number }
+    | { code?: string; reason?: string; limit?: number; limit_s?: number; min?: number }
     | null
     | undefined;
   if (o?.code === "quota") {
@@ -95,8 +95,12 @@ function localizeDetail(d: unknown): string {
   if (o?.code === "edit")
     return t(`downloads.errors.edit.${o.reason}`, t("downloads.errors.edit.generic"));
   // A clip the server will not cut (downloads/clip): the range, the frame, the source. An unknown
-  // reason reads as the plain failure rather than a key.
-  if (o?.code === "clip") return t(`clip.errors.${o.reason}`, t("clip.failed"));
+  // reason reads as the plain failure rather than a key; a cap comes with the refusal (`limit_s`).
+  if (o?.code === "clip")
+    return t(`clip.errors.${o.reason}`, {
+      defaultValue: t("clip.failed"),
+      minutes: o.limit_s == null ? undefined : formatDecimal(o.limit_s / 60, i18n.language, 1, 0),
+    });
   if (o?.code === "cookies")
     return t(`downloads.errors.cookies.${o.reason}`, t("downloads.errors.cookies.generic"));
   // Password sign-in refusals. The card renders the account-shaped ones as a full panel
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/api/downloads.ts b/frontend/src/lib/api/downloads.ts
index 41bdcf9c..805bf043 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/api/downloads.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/api/downloads.ts
@@ -49,8 +49,7 @@ export type DownloadStatus = "queued" | "running" | "paused" | "done" | "error"
 // from the source). Only a download has a re-fetchable source; re-download refuses the rest.
 export type DownloadJobKind = "download" | "edit" | "upload" | "clip";
 
-// Phase-2 editor recipe. A single `trim` (one output file) or a `segments` cut-list joined into
-// one file. `accurate` re-encodes for a frame-accurate cut (a crop always re-encodes).
+// An ad-hoc clip (backend downloads/clip): a marked range of a YouTube video or a Plex item.
 export interface ClipRequest {
   source: "youtube" | "plex";
   ref: string;
@@ -62,6 +61,8 @@ export interface ClipRequest {
   display_name?: string;
 }
 
+// Phase-2 editor recipe. A single `trim` (one output file) or a `segments` cut-list joined into
+// one file. `accurate` re-encodes for a frame-accurate cut (a crop always re-encodes).
 export interface EditSpec {
   trim?: { start_s: number; end_s?: number };
   segments?: { start_s: number; end_s: number }[];
@@ -102,7 +103,8 @@ export interface DownloadJob {
   extra_links: string[]; // extra reference URLs (beyond source_url)
   job_kind?: DownloadJobKind; // see DownloadJobKind; absent reads as "download"
   source_job_id?: number | null; // parent download an edit was cut from
-  edit_spec?: EditSpec | null;
+  // An edit's recipe, or a clip's spec (its request without the name) — by job_kind.
+  edit_spec?: EditSpec | Omit<ClipRequest, "display_name"> | null;
   can_download: boolean;
   expired: boolean;
   asset: DownloadAsset | null;
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/clipLimits.contract.test.ts b/frontend/src/lib/clipLimits.contract.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..859a331a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/clipLimits.contract.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+// The limits a clip is marked to, held in two languages: the clip panel's handles, fields and keys
+// keep a range the server takes, and a crop frame no smaller than it cuts. Neither side can see the
+// other's copy, so the gate reads both (as `api/downloads.contract.test.ts` does for the name bound).
+// A cap moved on one side alone makes the panel offer what the server refuses — or clamp below
+// what it would take — with every other test green.
+//
+// Read as TEXT: the modules are plain constants, but reading the source is what makes a renamed or
+// moved constant fail here instead of comparing two undefineds.
+const src = (u: string) => readFileSync(new URL(u, import.meta.url), "utf-8");
+const backend = src("../../../backend/app/downloads/clip.py");
+
+function pyConst(name: string): number {
+  const m = backend.match(new RegExp(`^${name}\\s*=\\s*([\\d.]+)`, "m"));
+  expect(m, `backend/app/downloads/clip.py no longer defines ${name}`).toBeTruthy();
+  return Number(m![1]);
+}
+
+function tsConst(file: string, name: string): number {
+  const m = src(file).match(new RegExp(`^(?:export )?const ${name} = ([\\d.]+);`, "m"));
+  expect(m, `${file} no longer defines ${name}`).toBeTruthy();
+  return Number(m![1]);
+}
+
+describe("clip limits", () => {
+  it.each([
+    ["./clipRange.ts", "MIN_CLIP_S"],
+    ["./clipRange.ts", "MAX_CLIP_S"],
+    ["./cropGeometry.ts", "MIN_CROP"],
+  ])("%s %s is the server's", (file, name) => {
+    expect(tsConst(file, name)).toBe(pyConst(name));
+  });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/clipRange.ts b/frontend/src/lib/clipRange.ts
index 314318c9..3b448602 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/clipRange.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/clipRange.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // The range an ad-hoc clip is cut from, marked in a player: the rules the clip panel's handles, its
 // In / Out fields and the players' `[` / `]` keys all go by, so every way of marking keeps a range the
-// server takes (backend downloads/clip.py: at least MIN_CLIP_S, at most MAX_CLIP_S — the owner's cap).
+// server takes (backend downloads/clip.py: at least MIN_CLIP_S, at most MAX_CLIP_S — the owner's cap;
+// clipLimits.contract.test.ts holds the two copies equal).
 
 const MIN_CLIP_S = 1;
 export const MAX_CLIP_S = 600;
@@ -53,3 +54,13 @@ export function zoomWindow(r: ClipRange, duration: number): { from: number; to:
   const pad = Math.max(5, (r.end - r.start) * 0.25);
   return { from: Math.max(0, r.start - pad), to: Math.min(duration, r.end + pad) };
 }
+
+/** The `[` key: In at the playhead `t`, opening a range there when none is marked yet. */
+export function markInAt(r: ClipRange | null, t: number, duration: number): ClipRange {
+  return markIn(r ?? openAt(t, duration), t, duration);
+}
+
+/** The `]` key: Out at the playhead `t`; with no range yet, one that ENDS there. */
+export function markOutAt(r: ClipRange | null, t: number, duration: number): ClipRange {
+  return markOut(r ?? openAt(Math.max(0, t - DEFAULT_CLIP_S), duration), t, duration);
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/cropGeometry.ts b/frontend/src/lib/cropGeometry.ts
index 4e889225..2f4fde09 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/cropGeometry.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/cropGeometry.ts
@@ -53,7 +53,8 @@ export function cropToSourcePx(crop: Frac, srcW: number, srcH: number): CropPx |
 // picture is shown at. A shape lock is the frame's width / height IN THOSE FRACTIONS: a 9:16 output
 // on a 16:9 picture is (9/16) / (16/9) — `fracRatio` turns one into the other.
 
-/** The smallest a frame gets on either side (the server holds the same floor, downloads/clip). */
+/** The smallest a frame gets on either side: the server's floor (downloads/clip), held equal by
+ * clipLimits.contract.test.ts. */
 export const MIN_CROP = 0.1;
 export const WHOLE: Frac = { x: 0, y: 0, w: 1, h: 1 };