diff --git a/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/src/client/index.ts b/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/src/client/index.ts
index 52beb5e..6f70ae7 100644
--- a/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/src/client/index.ts
+++ b/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/src/client/index.ts
@@ -40,25 +40,14 @@ async function loadSessionImage(
 }
 
 /**
- * Thumbnail loader for the overlay: the observation overlay is root-scoped,
- * so borrow the current (or first) bound session for the authorized
- * attachment read. Without any bound session the frame simply fails and the
- * overlay keeps the previous one.
+ * Thumbnail loader for the overlay: frames are plugin-owned runtime data
+ * (never referenced by a session log, so the session-authorized RPC refuses
+ * them), served by the host over the plugin's own route.
  */
-function overlayImageLoader(sessions: ISessions): (attachmentId: string) => Promise<string> {
-  return async (attachmentId) => {
-    const list = sessions.list.getSnapshot();
-    const sessionId = list.current ?? list.ids[0];
-    if (sessionId === undefined) throw new Error("no bound session for attachment read");
-    const session = sessions.binding(sessionId)?.session;
-    if (session === undefined) throw new Error(`session "${String(sessionId)}" is not bound`);
-    const result = await session.readAttachment(attachmentId as ImageAttachmentRef["attachmentId"]);
-    if (!result.ok) throw new Error(`${result.error.code}: ${result.error.message}`);
-    const bytes = Uint8Array.from(result.value.data);
-    return URL.createObjectURL(
-      new Blob([bytes.buffer as ArrayBuffer], { type: result.value.attachment.mediaType }),
-    );
-  };
+async function overlayImageLoader(attachmentId: string): Promise<string> {
+  const res = await fetch(`/bsk-observation/thumbnail/${encodeURIComponent(attachmentId)}`);
+  if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`thumbnail fetch failed: ${res.status}`);
+  return URL.createObjectURL(await res.blob());
 }
 
 /**
@@ -81,7 +70,7 @@ export function apply(ctx: ClientContext): void {
   const store = new ObservationClientStore({
     fetchFn: (url, init) => fetch(url, init),
     eventSourceFactory: (url) => new EventSource(url) as unknown as EventSourceLike,
-    loadImage: overlayImageLoader(sessions),
+    loadImage: overlayImageLoader,
   });
   ctx.slots.inject("shell.overlay", () =>
     ctx.slots.register({ name: "shell.overlay", id: "bsk-observation" }, () =>
diff --git a/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/src/observation-http.ts b/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/src/observation-http.ts
index 8d178ee..f243368 100644
--- a/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/src/observation-http.ts
+++ b/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/src/observation-http.ts
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@
  * the event allowlist lives in dsh-api-remotes), so the plugin serves its
  * observation channel through the documented `webServer` route seam instead:
  *
- *   GET  /bsk-observation/state      → { sessions: SessionObservation[] }
+ *   GET  /bsk-observation/state      → { sessions, available }
  *   GET  /bsk-observation/events     → SSE stream of ObservationEvent
  *   POST /bsk-observation/interrupt  → body {sessionId?} → {interrupted: boolean}
+ *   GET  /bsk-observation/thumbnail/<attachmentId> → image bytes
  *
  * Routes exist only when a webServer service is mounted (web composition);
  * headless deployments skip registration entirely.
@@ -112,6 +113,28 @@ export function registerObservationRoutes(
         });
       },
     }),
+    webServer.register({
+      kind: "prefix",
+      path: `${ROUTE_BASE}/thumbnail/`,
+      handler: async (req, res) => {
+        if (req.method !== "GET") {
+          sendJson(res, 405, { error: "method not allowed" });
+          return;
+        }
+        const pathname = decodeURIComponent(new URL(req.url ?? "/", "http://x").pathname);
+        const attachmentId = pathname.slice(`${ROUTE_BASE}/thumbnail/`.length);
+        const frame = await observation.readThumbnail(attachmentId);
+        if (frame === undefined) {
+          sendJson(res, 404, { error: "unknown thumbnail" });
+          return;
+        }
+        res.writeHead(200, {
+          "content-type": frame.mediaType,
+          "cache-control": "no-cache",
+        });
+        res.end(Buffer.from(frame.data));
+      },
+    }),
   ];
   return () => {
     for (const dispose of disposers) dispose();
diff --git a/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/src/observation.ts b/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/src/observation.ts
index 1522913..ba5173a 100644
--- a/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/src/observation.ts
+++ b/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/src/observation.ts
@@ -58,7 +58,20 @@ interface AttachmentLike {
     data: Uint8Array;
     mediaType: string;
     name?: string;
-  }): Promise<{ attachmentId: unknown }>;
+  }): Promise<ImageAttachmentRefLike>;
+  readImage(
+    ref: ImageAttachmentRefLike,
+  ): Promise<{ data: Uint8Array; attachment: ImageAttachmentRefLike }>;
+}
+
+/** The attachment reference fields the store verifies reads against. */
+export interface ImageAttachmentRefLike {
+  attachmentId: unknown;
+  mediaType: string;
+  bytes: number;
+  width: number;
+  height: number;
+  name?: string;
 }
 
 /** Injectable clock/scheduler bits for tests. */
@@ -89,6 +102,8 @@ export class ObservationService {
   private readonly captureInFlight = new Set<string>();
   private readonly captureFailures = new Map<string, number>();
   private readonly lastActivity = new Map<string, number>();
+  /** attachmentId → full reference (the store requires it for verified reads). */
+  private readonly thumbRefs = new Map<string, ImageAttachmentRefLike>();
   /** Consecutive capture failures across ALL sessions (daemon-level signal). */
   private globalFailures = 0;
   private available = true;
@@ -223,6 +238,27 @@ export class ObservationService {
     return this.deps.runner.killFor(target) > 0;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Read one captured thumbnail back through the store's verified path.
+   * Powers the plugin's own HTTP thumbnail route — frames are plugin-owned
+   * runtime data, never referenced by any session log, so the
+   * session-authorized client RPC cannot serve them.
+   */
+  async readThumbnail(
+    attachmentId: string,
+  ): Promise<{ data: Uint8Array; mediaType: string } | undefined> {
+    const ref = this.thumbRefs.get(attachmentId);
+    if (ref === undefined) return undefined;
+    const attachments = this.deps.ctx.get("attachments") as AttachmentLike | undefined;
+    if (attachments === undefined) return undefined;
+    try {
+      const stored = await attachments.readImage(ref);
+      return { data: stored.data, mediaType: ref.mediaType };
+    } catch {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+  }
+
   /** Tear down all state and timers (plugin dispose). */
   dispose(): void {
     this.disposed = true;
@@ -231,6 +267,7 @@ export class ObservationService {
     this.captureInFlight.clear();
     this.captureFailures.clear();
     this.lastActivity.clear();
+    this.thumbRefs.clear();
     this.observations.clear();
     this.emit({ type: "reset" });
     this.listeners.clear();
@@ -320,6 +357,7 @@ export class ObservationService {
       this.captureFailures.delete(sessionId);
       this.globalFailures = 0;
       this.setAvailable(true);
+      this.thumbRefs.set(String(ref.attachmentId), ref);
       this.put({ ...entry, thumbnailAttachmentId: String(ref.attachmentId) });
     } catch {
       // Silent by design: keep the previous frame, count toward backoff.
diff --git a/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/tests/observation.test.ts b/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/tests/observation.test.ts
index bb19e68..87a3137 100644
--- a/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/tests/observation.test.ts
+++ b/packages/dsh-plugin-browserskill/tests/observation.test.ts
@@ -124,7 +124,20 @@ function setup(opts: {
   const attachments =
     "attachments" in opts
       ? opts.attachments
-      : { saveImage: async () => ({ attachmentId: "att-1" }) };
+      : {
+          saveImage: async (input: { data: Uint8Array; name?: string }) => ({
+            attachmentId: "att-1",
+            mediaType: "image/png",
+            bytes: input.data.byteLength,
+            width: 4,
+            height: 4,
+            name: input.name,
+          }),
+          readImage: async (ref: { attachmentId: unknown }) => ({
+            data: new Uint8Array([1, 2, 3]),
+            attachment: ref,
+          }),
+        };
   const service = new ObservationService({
     ctx: fakeCtx(attachments),
     runner,
@@ -462,6 +475,22 @@ describe("availability and dead sessions", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("thumbnail read-back", () => {
+  it("serves captured frames through readThumbnail and 404s unknown ids", async () => {
+    const scheduler = fakeScheduler();
+    const runner = fakeRunner();
+    const { service } = setup({ runner, scheduler });
+    service.addSession("s1");
+    scheduler.runNext();
+    await waitFor(() => service.getState()[0]?.thumbnailAttachmentId !== undefined);
+    const frame = await service.readThumbnail("att-1");
+    expect(frame?.mediaType).toBe("image/png");
+    expect([...(frame?.data ?? [])]).toEqual([1, 2, 3]);
+    expect(await service.readThumbnail("nope")).toBeUndefined();
+    service.dispose();
+  });
+});
+
 describe("actionForLabel", () => {
   it("maps tool labels onto observation verbs", () => {
     expect(actionForLabel("navigate")).toBe("navigating");