diff --git a/frontend/src/components/DownloadCenter.tsx b/frontend/src/components/DownloadCenter.tsx
index 9facb718..8f3c6b14 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/DownloadCenter.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/DownloadCenter.tsx
@@ -89,7 +89,12 @@ function Thumb({ job }: { job: DownloadJob }) {
   // rule on the source domain can't break it. The source's remote thumbnail_url is only a fallback for
   // the rare poster-less asset (a thumbnail-less source whose ffmpeg frame-cut also failed).
   const remote = job.asset?.thumbnail_url ?? null;
-  const primary = job.poster_url || remote;
+  // `job.poster_url` only SIGNALS a poster exists; the actual <img> src must carry ?account= (see
+  // api.posterImageUrl). A plain <img> can't send the X-Siftlode-Account header, so without it the
+  // poster resolves to the session-default account and 404s for a per-tab account's download — which,
+  // now that the poster is the primary image, reads as a blank Library thumbnail.
+  const poster = job.poster_url ? api.posterImageUrl(job.id) : null;
+  const primary = poster || remote;
   // On load failure (a genuinely missing poster file) fall back to the remote source thumbnail.
   const [src, setSrc] = useState(primary);
   useEffect(() => setSrc(primary), [primary]);
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/api/downloads.ts b/frontend/src/lib/api/downloads.ts
index 296f6ca3..25dbf7c9 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/api/downloads.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/api/downloads.ts
@@ -225,6 +225,15 @@ export const downloadsApi = {
       ? `/api/downloads/${id}/storyboard.jpg?account=${a}`
       : `/api/downloads/${id}/storyboard.jpg`;
   },
+  // The locally-generated poster (an <img> src → direct nav, so same ?account= wallet gate). Without
+  // it the poster resolves to the session-default account and 404s for a per-tab account's download —
+  // which reads as a blank Library thumbnail once the poster is the card's primary image.
+  posterImageUrl: (id: number): string => {
+    const a = getActiveAccount();
+    return a != null
+      ? `/api/downloads/${id}/poster.jpg?account=${a}`
+      : `/api/downloads/${id}/poster.jpg`;
+  },
 
   // admin
   adminDownloads: (): Promise<DownloadJob[]> => req("/api/admin/downloads"),