diff --git a/backend/app/domains/products/imagefetch.py b/backend/app/domains/products/imagefetch.py
index ea21400..7b677f5 100644
--- a/backend/app/domains/products/imagefetch.py
+++ b/backend/app/domains/products/imagefetch.py
@@ -89,23 +89,28 @@ def _process_one(pool, store, image: dict, allow_private: bool) -> None:
         with pool.connection() as conn:
             repo.mark_image_failed(conn, image_id, str(exc)[:200]); conn.commit()
         return
-    result = images_mod.process(data)
-    if isinstance(result, images_mod.Rejected):
-        reason = ("below the resolution bar" if result.reason == "rejected_low_res"
-                  else "not a supported image")
+    try:
+        result = images_mod.process(data)
+        if isinstance(result, images_mod.Rejected):
+            reason = ("below the resolution bar" if result.reason == "rejected_low_res"
+                      else "not a supported image")
+            with pool.connection() as conn:
+                repo.mark_image_rejected(conn, image_id, result.reason, reason); conn.commit()
+            return
+        keys = {"original": _key(sf, image_id, "original"),
+                "thumb": _key(sf, image_id, "thumb.webp"),
+                "card": _key(sf, image_id, "card.webp"),
+                "detail": _key(sf, image_id, "detail.webp")}
+        store.put(keys["original"], data, ctype)
+        store.put(keys["thumb"], result.renditions["thumb"], "image/webp")
+        store.put(keys["card"], result.renditions["card"], "image/webp")
+        store.put(keys["detail"], result.renditions["detail"], "image/webp")
         with pool.connection() as conn:
-            repo.mark_image_rejected(conn, image_id, result.reason, reason); conn.commit()
-        return
-    keys = {"original": _key(sf, image_id, "original"),
-            "thumb": _key(sf, image_id, "thumb.webp"),
-            "card": _key(sf, image_id, "card.webp"),
-            "detail": _key(sf, image_id, "detail.webp")}
-    store.put(keys["original"], data, ctype)
-    store.put(keys["thumb"], result.renditions["thumb"], "image/webp")
-    store.put(keys["card"], result.renditions["card"], "image/webp")
-    store.put(keys["detail"], result.renditions["detail"], "image/webp")
-    with pool.connection() as conn:
-        repo.mark_image_fetched(conn, image_id, keys); conn.commit()
+            repo.mark_image_fetched(conn, image_id, keys); conn.commit()
+    except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001 — one bad image must never wedge the run (review fix)
+        with pool.connection() as conn:
+            repo.mark_image_failed(conn, image_id, f"processing error: {type(exc).__name__}")
+            conn.commit()
 
 
 def run_image_phase(pool, store, run_id: int, allow_private: bool) -> None:
diff --git a/backend/app/platform/images.py b/backend/app/platform/images.py
index 1a70746..6c3dde3 100644
--- a/backend/app/platform/images.py
+++ b/backend/app/platform/images.py
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ def process(data: bytes) -> Processed | Rejected:
                 height=height,
                 renditions=renditions,
             )
-    except (UnidentifiedImageError, OSError, ValueError):
+    except (UnidentifiedImageError, OSError, ValueError, Image.DecompressionBombError):
         return Rejected(reason="rejected_not_image")
 
 
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_platform_images.py b/backend/tests/test_platform_images.py
index 294db24..dfb062b 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_platform_images.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_platform_images.py
@@ -53,3 +53,13 @@ def test_not_an_image_rejected_not_image():
 def test_jpeg_source_format_preserved_in_result():
     result = images.process(_jpeg(800, 800))
     assert result.source_format == "JPEG"
+
+
+def test_decompression_bomb_rejected_not_image(monkeypatch):
+    # A small file whose pixel count exceeds Pillow's bomb threshold must be a
+    # typed rejection, never an escaping exception.
+    from PIL import Image as PILImage
+    monkeypatch.setattr(PILImage, "MAX_IMAGE_PIXELS", 100)  # 10x10 exceeds it
+    result = images.process(_png(800, 800))
+    assert isinstance(result, images.Rejected)
+    assert result.reason == "rejected_not_image"
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_products_imagefetch.py b/backend/tests/test_products_imagefetch.py
index b6ab575..ef9c3eb 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_products_imagefetch.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_products_imagefetch.py
@@ -121,6 +121,28 @@ def test_run_phase_classifies_each_image(pool, host, tmp_path):
     assert _run_status(pool, rid) == "complete_with_problems"
 
 
+def test_unexpected_processing_error_marks_image_failed_not_wedged(pool, host, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    # If anything after the fetch raises unexpectedly (e.g. objectstore.put),
+    # the image is marked failed and the run still reaches a terminal status —
+    # never stranded in fetching_images.
+    store = objectstore.LocalObjectStore(str(tmp_path))
+    sf, _acct, rid = _seed(pool)
+    p = _product(pool, sf, "lamp")
+    iid = _image(pool, p, f"{host}/good.png", rid, position=1)
+
+    def _boom(*a, **k):
+        raise RuntimeError("storage down")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(store, "put", _boom)
+
+    imagefetch.run_image_phase(pool, store, rid, allow_private=True)
+    with pool.connection() as conn:
+        counts = repo.run_image_counts(conn, rid)
+    assert counts["failed"] == 1 and counts["pending"] == 0
+    assert _run_status(pool, rid) == "complete_with_problems"
+    row = _img_row(pool, iid)
+    assert row["status"] == "failed"
+
+
 def test_resume_after_kill_completes_remaining(pool, host, tmp_path):
     store = objectstore.LocalObjectStore(str(tmp_path))
     sf, _acct, rid = _seed(pool)
diff --git a/docs/products-domain.md b/docs/products-domain.md
index 8a38a09..ce3f8f3 100644
--- a/docs/products-domain.md
+++ b/docs/products-domain.md
@@ -155,12 +155,25 @@ them concurrently:
   and multicast ranges are blocked); redirects are followed only within the
   same guard — a redirect to a private IP is rejected mid-chain.
 - **Bounds:** ≤ 20 MB response body, ≤ 30 s per fetch.
-- **Per-image idempotent claim:** each `CatalogImage` row is claimed before
-  fetch; a restart that finds a row already `claimed` skips it — making the
-  phase resumable.
+- **Per-image presence/idempotency check (`claim_image_for_fetch`):** before
+  processing, each `CatalogImage` row is checked so an already-handled row is
+  skipped. This is a presence guard adequate for the **single-worker,
+  in-process** model — the deployed app runs one uvicorn worker, recovery runs
+  at startup over prior-process runs, and a fresh confirm always targets a new
+  run, so two phase invocations never process the same run's images
+  concurrently. It is **not** a cross-process lock. A true multi-worker claim
+  would need a distinct in-flight status transition (`pending → fetching` with
+  `RETURNING`, or `SELECT … FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED`) — that is the future seam
+  if the fetch phase ever moves multi-process or onto a queue (§6.9).
 - **Startup recovery scan:** on process start the app scans for runs stuck in
   `fetching_images` and re-enqueues their pending images (emits TEL-5). This
-  covers crash/restart scenarios without a separate scheduler.
+  covers crash/restart scenarios without a separate scheduler. On a mid-fetch
+  process restart (e.g. a deploy) the phase is interrupted and the run is left
+  resumable: pending images stay `pending`, fetched ones stay `fetched`, and
+  the startup scan completes the run. Any pool-closed error in an in-flight
+  worker at shutdown is benign — the uncommitted image stays `pending` and is
+  re-fetched on resume. Mid-flight interruption is tolerated by construction
+  (§6.9).
 - **Progress tracking:** the run row carries `image_progress`,
   `image_counts`, and `image_outcomes` (updated per image); these fields feed
   the run-detail UI panel.