diff --git a/docs/api/openapi.yaml b/docs/api/openapi.yaml
index 2f3b39b2c..7f107916c 100644
--- a/docs/api/openapi.yaml
+++ b/docs/api/openapi.yaml
@@ -29359,6 +29359,14 @@ components:
           anyOf:
             - type: string
             - type: "null"
+        summaryState:
+          type: string
+          enum:
+            - NONE
+            - PENDING
+            - READY
+            - WITHHELD
+            - UNAVAILABLE
       required:
         - id
         - kind
@@ -29383,12 +29391,18 @@ components:
         - facts
         - summary
         - summaryGeneratedAt
+        - summaryState
       additionalProperties: false
-      description: A stored document plus its staged facts. `summary` is a short (3-4 sentence) plain-language description of
-        WHAT the document is, generated once in the background right after upload when the `documentsAutoAiRead` opt-in
-        is ON (that flag is also the standing AI-egress consent); it is descriptive only, never a diagnosis, and is null
-        when auto-read is OFF, no provider is configured, or the background summary has not run yet.
-        `summaryGeneratedAt` is when it was generated (null until then).
+      description: 'A stored document plus its staged facts. `summary` is a short (3-4 sentence) plain-language description of
+        WHAT the document is, generated once and then served from storage; it is descriptive only, never a diagnosis.
+        `summaryGeneratedAt` is when it was generated (null until then). `summaryState` says what became of it, because
+        a null `summary` on its own is ambiguous: NONE = never attempted (the `documentsAutoAiRead` opt-in was off at
+        upload, or the document predates it — no backfill reaches these), PENDING = a job is enqueued or running, READY
+        = stored and returned in `summary`, WITHHELD = generated but blocked by the outbound safety screen and therefore
+        never returned as text, UNAVAILABLE = attempted and could not produce one (no vision provider, spent budget,
+        withdrawn consent, unreadable file, provider error). Only PENDING may be presented as "being generated";
+        WITHHELD and UNAVAILABLE are both re-attemptable via POST `/api/documents/inbound/{id}/summary`. Treat an
+        unknown value as UNAVAILABLE when decoding.'
     ExtractedFact:
       type: object
       properties:
diff --git a/messages/de.json b/messages/de.json
index 12a12c74c..d4f4b44ab 100644
--- a/messages/de.json
+++ b/messages/de.json
@@ -8476,7 +8476,12 @@
       "title": "Dokumentdetails",
       "summary": {
         "title": "Zusammenfassung",
-        "pending": "Die Zusammenfassung wird erstellt."
+        "pending": "Die Zusammenfassung wird erstellt.",
+        "none": "Für dieses Dokument wurde noch keine Zusammenfassung erstellt.",
+        "withheld": "Eine Zusammenfassung wurde erstellt, hat die Sicherheitsprüfung aber nicht bestanden und wird deshalb nicht angezeigt. Du kannst es erneut versuchen oder das Dokument selbst lesen.",
+        "unavailable": "Für dieses Dokument konnte keine Zusammenfassung erstellt werden.",
+        "generate": "Zusammenfassung erstellen",
+        "generating": "Wird erstellt…"
       },
       "loadError": "Dieses Dokument konnte nicht geladen werden.",
       "saveError": "Die Änderung konnte nicht gespeichert werden.",
@@ -8558,7 +8563,6 @@
       "close": "Ausblenden"
     },
     "ai": {
-      "statusAiRead": "Von KI gelesen",
       "readDone": "Die KI hat dein Dokument gelesen.",
       "read": "Mit KI auslesen",
       "reread": "Erneut lesen",
diff --git a/messages/en.json b/messages/en.json
index 3f4f70771..0b38e5136 100644
--- a/messages/en.json
+++ b/messages/en.json
@@ -8476,7 +8476,12 @@
       "title": "Document details",
       "summary": {
         "title": "Summary",
-        "pending": "The summary is being prepared."
+        "pending": "The summary is being prepared.",
+        "none": "No summary has been generated for this document yet.",
+        "withheld": "A summary was generated but did not pass the safety check, so it is not shown. You can try again, or read the document itself.",
+        "unavailable": "No summary could be generated for this document.",
+        "generate": "Generate summary",
+        "generating": "Generating…"
       },
       "loadError": "Couldn't load this document.",
       "saveError": "Couldn't save the change.",
@@ -8558,7 +8563,6 @@
       "close": "Hide"
     },
     "ai": {
-      "statusAiRead": "Read by AI",
       "readDone": "The AI read your document.",
       "read": "Read with AI",
       "reread": "Read again",
diff --git a/messages/es.json b/messages/es.json
index 8d7e0c8fb..4709a36ed 100644
--- a/messages/es.json
+++ b/messages/es.json
@@ -8476,7 +8476,12 @@
       "title": "Detalles del documento",
       "summary": {
         "title": "Resumen",
-        "pending": "Se está preparando el resumen."
+        "pending": "Se está preparando el resumen.",
+        "none": "Todavía no se ha generado ningún resumen para este documento.",
+        "withheld": "Se generó un resumen, pero no superó la comprobación de seguridad, así que no se muestra. Puedes intentarlo de nuevo o leer el documento.",
+        "unavailable": "No se pudo generar ningún resumen para este documento.",
+        "generate": "Generar resumen",
+        "generating": "Generando…"
       },
       "loadError": "No se pudo cargar este documento.",
       "saveError": "No se pudo guardar el cambio.",
@@ -8558,7 +8563,6 @@
       "close": "Ocultar"
     },
     "ai": {
-      "statusAiRead": "Leído por IA",
       "readDone": "La IA leyó tu documento.",
       "read": "Leer con IA",
       "reread": "Leer de nuevo",
diff --git a/messages/fr.json b/messages/fr.json
index cd66a28a8..f7555ad87 100644
--- a/messages/fr.json
+++ b/messages/fr.json
@@ -8476,7 +8476,12 @@
       "title": "Détails du document",
       "summary": {
         "title": "Résumé",
-        "pending": "Le résumé est en cours de préparation."
+        "pending": "Le résumé est en cours de préparation.",
+        "none": "Aucun résumé n’a encore été généré pour ce document.",
+        "withheld": "Un résumé a été généré mais n’a pas passé le contrôle de sécurité, il n’est donc pas affiché. Vous pouvez réessayer ou lire le document lui-même.",
+        "unavailable": "Aucun résumé n’a pu être généré pour ce document.",
+        "generate": "Générer le résumé",
+        "generating": "Génération…"
       },
       "loadError": "Impossible de charger ce document.",
       "saveError": "Impossible d'enregistrer la modification.",
@@ -8558,7 +8563,6 @@
       "close": "Masquer"
     },
     "ai": {
-      "statusAiRead": "Lu par l’IA",
       "readDone": "L’IA a lu votre document.",
       "read": "Lire avec l’IA",
       "reread": "Relire",
diff --git a/messages/it.json b/messages/it.json
index 303022426..9f9cdf118 100644
--- a/messages/it.json
+++ b/messages/it.json
@@ -8476,7 +8476,12 @@
       "title": "Dettagli del documento",
       "summary": {
         "title": "Riepilogo",
-        "pending": "Il riepilogo è in preparazione."
+        "pending": "Il riepilogo è in preparazione.",
+        "none": "Non è ancora stato generato alcun riepilogo per questo documento.",
+        "withheld": "Un riepilogo è stato generato ma non ha superato il controllo di sicurezza, quindi non viene mostrato. Puoi riprovare o leggere il documento stesso.",
+        "unavailable": "Non è stato possibile generare un riepilogo per questo documento.",
+        "generate": "Genera riepilogo",
+        "generating": "Generazione…"
       },
       "loadError": "Impossibile caricare questo documento.",
       "saveError": "Impossibile salvare la modifica.",
@@ -8558,7 +8563,6 @@
       "close": "Nascondi"
     },
     "ai": {
-      "statusAiRead": "Letto dall’IA",
       "readDone": "L’IA ha letto il tuo documento.",
       "read": "Leggi con l’IA",
       "reread": "Leggi di nuovo",
diff --git a/messages/pl.json b/messages/pl.json
index 22cdd6c6f..a094e9fac 100644
--- a/messages/pl.json
+++ b/messages/pl.json
@@ -8476,7 +8476,12 @@
       "title": "Szczegóły dokumentu",
       "summary": {
         "title": "Podsumowanie",
-        "pending": "Podsumowanie jest przygotowywane."
+        "pending": "Podsumowanie jest przygotowywane.",
+        "none": "Dla tego dokumentu nie wygenerowano jeszcze podsumowania.",
+        "withheld": "Podsumowanie zostało wygenerowane, ale nie przeszło kontroli bezpieczeństwa, więc nie jest wyświetlane. Możesz spróbować ponownie lub przeczytać sam dokument.",
+        "unavailable": "Nie udało się wygenerować podsumowania dla tego dokumentu.",
+        "generate": "Wygeneruj podsumowanie",
+        "generating": "Generowanie…"
       },
       "loadError": "Nie udało się wczytać tego dokumentu.",
       "saveError": "Nie udało się zapisać zmiany.",
@@ -8558,7 +8563,6 @@
       "close": "Ukryj"
     },
     "ai": {
-      "statusAiRead": "Odczytane przez AI",
       "readDone": "AI odczytało Twój dokument.",
       "read": "Odczytaj z AI",
       "reread": "Odczytaj ponownie",
diff --git a/prisma/migrations/0254_document_summary_state/migration.sql b/prisma/migrations/0254_document_summary_state/migration.sql
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3c3a87462
--- /dev/null
+++ b/prisma/migrations/0254_document_summary_state/migration.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+-- Record what happened to a document's summary.
+--
+-- `summary_encrypted` alone cannot tell four outcomes apart: a document nobody
+-- ever enqueued, one whose provider is missing, one the safety screen withheld,
+-- and one still in flight all leave it NULL. The detail view read that NULL as
+-- "still generating" and said so forever.
+--
+-- Additive and backfill-free: NONE is the default and is the truthful value for
+-- every pre-existing row, because none of them were ever attempted. Rows that
+-- already carry a summary are moved to READY below.
+
+CREATE TYPE "document_summary_state" AS ENUM (
+  'NONE',
+  'PENDING',
+  'READY',
+  'WITHHELD',
+  'UNAVAILABLE'
+);
+
+ALTER TABLE "inbound_documents"
+  ADD COLUMN "summary_state" "document_summary_state" NOT NULL DEFAULT 'NONE';
+
+-- A document that already holds a summary is READY, not NONE.
+UPDATE "inbound_documents"
+  SET "summary_state" = 'READY'
+  WHERE "summary_encrypted" IS NOT NULL;
diff --git a/prisma/schema.prisma b/prisma/schema.prisma
index f62e1a639..f525464f7 100644
--- a/prisma/schema.prisma
+++ b/prisma/schema.prisma
@@ -6080,6 +6080,31 @@ enum InboundDocumentStatus {
   @@map("inbound_document_status")
 }
 
+/// Outcome of a document's plain-language summary. Recorded so the detail view
+/// states what happened rather than claiming generation is in progress for a
+/// job that was never enqueued.
+///
+/// WITHHELD deserves a note: the outbound safety screen tripped, so the model's
+/// prose is discarded and NEVER shown. Only the fact of the refusal is kept, and
+/// it is deliberately not terminal — the user can ask again, which is the whole
+/// reason this is a state and not a stored refusal string.
+enum DocumentSummaryState {
+  /// Never attempted — the opt-in was off at upload, or the document predates
+  /// the feature. The default, so every existing row is correct.
+  NONE
+  /// Enqueued or running.
+  PENDING
+  /// A summary was produced and is stored in `summaryEncrypted`.
+  READY
+  /// Produced, then blocked by the outbound safety screen. Text discarded.
+  WITHHELD
+  /// Attempted and could not produce one — no vision provider, spent budget,
+  /// withdrawn consent, an unreadable file, or a provider error.
+  UNAVAILABLE
+
+  @@map("document_summary_state")
+}
+
 /// The FHIR resource an extracted fact maps to (STATED status only): a
 /// diagnosis → Condition, a measured value → Observation, a medication the
 /// patient is/was taking → MedicationStatement.
@@ -6166,6 +6191,13 @@ model InboundDocument {
   /// When the background summary was generated (null until it runs). Surfaced
   /// as meta beside the summary in the document detail view.
   summaryGeneratedAt DateTime?             @map("summary_generated_at")
+  /// What actually happened to this document's summary, so the detail view can
+  /// tell the four outcomes apart instead of reading a null column as "still
+  /// generating". `summaryEncrypted` alone cannot: a document nobody ever
+  /// enqueued, one whose provider is missing, one the safety screen withheld,
+  /// and one mid-flight all leave it null. NONE is the default, which keeps
+  /// every pre-existing row correct — none of them were ever attempted.
+  summaryState       DocumentSummaryState  @default(NONE) @map("summary_state")
 
   facts           ExtractedFact[]
   conditionLinks  DocumentConditionLink[]
diff --git a/src/app/api/documents/inbound/[id]/summary/__tests__/route.test.ts b/src/app/api/documents/inbound/[id]/summary/__tests__/route.test.ts
index 80607b9f1..9efa2b15a 100644
--- a/src/app/api/documents/inbound/[id]/summary/__tests__/route.test.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/documents/inbound/[id]/summary/__tests__/route.test.ts
@@ -2,14 +2,23 @@ import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { NextRequest } from "next/server";
 
 /**
- * On-demand summary / extracted text (Document vault P2). Pins P2-D4 / A3:
- * session-only — the ONLY persistent side effects are the AI-budget ledger and
- * the audit log; no row, index, or fact is written or mutated.
+ * On-demand summary / extracted text (Document vault P2).
+ *
+ * `mode=text` stays session-only (P2-D4 / A3): the only persistent side effects
+ * are the AI-budget ledger and the audit log. `mode=summary` additionally stores
+ * the summary on the document since v1.30.31 — the user asked for it, and it is
+ * the repair path for documents the background job never ran for. Nothing else
+ * (index, facts, rows) is ever written, and a WITHHELD summary is never stored
+ * as text.
  */
 
 vi.mock("@/lib/db", () => ({
   prisma: {
-    inboundDocument: { findFirst: vi.fn(), update: vi.fn() },
+    inboundDocument: {
+      findFirst: vi.fn(),
+      update: vi.fn(),
+      updateMany: vi.fn(),
+    },
     extractedFact: { create: vi.fn(), deleteMany: vi.fn() },
     documentContentIndex: { upsert: vi.fn() },
     user: { findUnique: vi.fn() },
@@ -18,6 +27,9 @@ vi.mock("@/lib/db", () => ({
 
 vi.mock("@/lib/documents/store", () => ({
   decryptDocumentContent: vi.fn(() => Buffer.from([1, 2, 3])),
+  encryptDocumentSummary: vi.fn((text: string) =>
+    new TextEncoder().encode(`enc:${text}`),
+  ),
 }));
 vi.mock("@/lib/labs/ocr-upload", () => ({
   detectOcrMimeType: vi.fn(() => "image/png"),
@@ -25,6 +37,7 @@ vi.mock("@/lib/labs/ocr-upload", () => ({
 vi.mock("@/lib/documents/describe", () => ({
   runDocumentSummary: vi.fn(),
   transcribeDocument: vi.fn(),
+  documentSummaryBlockedCopy: () => "The summary was withheld.",
   DocumentDescribeError: class DocumentDescribeError extends Error {},
 }));
 vi.mock("@/lib/documents/provider-order", () => ({
@@ -88,6 +101,11 @@ const req = (id: string, mode?: string) =>
     { method: "POST" },
   );
 
+/**
+ * Nothing beyond the summary column may be written. `mode=summary` DOES persist
+ * onto the document since v1.30.31 (see the route header) — that leg is asserted
+ * explicitly below; everything else stays session-only.
+ */
 function assertNoPersistence(): void {
   expect(prisma.inboundDocument.update).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   expect(prisma.documentContentIndex.upsert).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
@@ -117,9 +135,10 @@ beforeEach(() => {
 });
 
 describe("POST /api/documents/inbound/[id]/summary", () => {
-  it("mode=summary returns { summary } and persists only budget + audit", async () => {
+  it("mode=summary returns { summary } and STORES it, so a second open is free", async () => {
     vi.mocked(runDocumentSummary).mockResolvedValue({
       summary: "A blood panel from a lab.",
+      blocked: null,
     } as never);
 
     const res = await POST(
@@ -133,9 +152,76 @@ describe("POST /api/documents/inbound/[id]/summary", () => {
       "documents.inbound.summary",
       expect.anything(),
     );
+
+    // Persisted READY, owner-scoped, and only onto a document without one —
+    // an explicit re-run must not replace a summary already on screen.
+    expect(prisma.inboundDocument.updateMany).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      where: {
+        id: "doc-1",
+        userId: "user-1",
+        deletedAt: null,
+        summaryEncrypted: null,
+      },
+      data: expect.objectContaining({ summaryState: "READY" }),
+    });
     assertNoPersistence();
   });
 
+  it("records WITHHELD without ever storing the blocked prose", async () => {
+    vi.mocked(runDocumentSummary).mockResolvedValue({
+      summary: "raise the dose to 10 mg",
+      blocked: "dose_directive",
+    } as never);
+
+    const res = await POST(
+      req("doc-1", "summary") as never,
+      ctx("doc-1") as never,
+    );
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+
+    // The user gets the honest statement, never the blocked text.
+    const body = await res.json();
+    expect(body.data.summary).toBe("The summary was withheld.");
+    expect(body.data.summary).not.toContain("10 mg");
+
+    // Only the state lands. No ciphertext column is touched on this path.
+    expect(prisma.inboundDocument.updateMany).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      where: {
+        id: "doc-1",
+        userId: "user-1",
+        deletedAt: null,
+        summaryState: { not: "READY" },
+      },
+      data: { summaryState: "WITHHELD" },
+    });
+    const calls = vi.mocked(prisma.inboundDocument.updateMany).mock.calls;
+    for (const [arg] of calls) {
+      expect(arg.data).not.toHaveProperty("summaryEncrypted");
+    }
+    assertNoPersistence();
+  });
+
+  it("still answers when the summary write fails", async () => {
+    vi.mocked(runDocumentSummary).mockResolvedValue({
+      summary: "A blood panel from a lab.",
+      blocked: null,
+    } as never);
+    vi.mocked(prisma.inboundDocument.updateMany).mockRejectedValueOnce(
+      new Error("db down"),
+    );
+
+    // The user is waiting on a summary they can already read; a failed write
+    // must not turn that into an error.
+    const res = await POST(
+      req("doc-1", "summary") as never,
+      ctx("doc-1") as never,
+    );
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+    expect((await res.json()).data).toEqual({
+      summary: "A blood panel from a lab.",
+    });
+  });
+
   it("mode=text returns { text } session-only", async () => {
     vi.mocked(transcribeDocument).mockResolvedValue({
       text: "raw transcribed body",
diff --git a/src/app/api/documents/inbound/[id]/summary/route.ts b/src/app/api/documents/inbound/[id]/summary/route.ts
index 71cfd311d..480cc93c8 100644
--- a/src/app/api/documents/inbound/[id]/summary/route.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/documents/inbound/[id]/summary/route.ts
@@ -3,11 +3,17 @@
  * extracted text.
  *
  * `?mode=summary` (default) returns a short plain-language summary of WHAT the
- * document is; `?mode=text` returns its raw transcribed text. Both are transient
- * (P2-D4): the result is returned once and NOTHING is persisted except the
- * AI-budget ledger and the audit log — never coach memory, snapshots, the
- * structured stores, or the search index. The summary is descriptive only and
- * is forbidden from diagnosing (interpretation boundary G7).
+ * document is; `?mode=text` returns its raw transcribed text. The summary is
+ * descriptive only and is forbidden from diagnosing (interpretation boundary
+ * G7).
+ *
+ * `mode=text` stays transient (P2-D4) — a transcription is a read-through of the
+ * user's own file and there is nothing to keep. `mode=summary` PERSISTS onto the
+ * document row since v1.30.31: the user asked for it explicitly, it is the same
+ * artefact the background job stores, and keeping it means a second open shows
+ * the paragraph instead of buying it again. Beyond that the old rule holds —
+ * nothing reaches coach memory, snapshots, the structured stores, or the search
+ * index; a summary the safety screen blocked is never stored as text.
  *
  * Same VISION/TEXT dispatch and gauntlet as the extract route. The document is
  * UNTRUSTED (prompt-injection): the server never acts on an instruction inside
@@ -47,6 +53,8 @@ import {
   transcribeDocument,
   type DescribeInput,
 } from "@/lib/documents/describe";
+import { encryptDocumentSummary } from "@/lib/documents/store";
+import type { OutboundReason } from "@/lib/ai/safety/outbound-screen";
 import {
   resolveDocumentTextProvider,
   resolveDocumentVisionProvider,
@@ -85,20 +93,90 @@ function resolveMode(request: NextRequest): DocumentSummaryMode {
     : "summary";
 }
 
-/** Run the requested describe call (summary or raw text) over the input. */
+/**
+ * Run the requested describe call (summary or raw text) over the input.
+ *
+ * `mode=summary` PERSISTS a clean result onto the document (v1.30.31). The
+ * route was session-only by design (P2-D4), and the transcription leg still is
+ * — but a summary that the user explicitly asked for and that passed the screen
+ * is exactly the artefact the background job stores, and re-deriving it on every
+ * open would mean paying a provider call to show the same paragraph twice. This
+ * is a deliberate user action, not a warm-on-mount: nothing generates because a
+ * view rendered. It is also the only repair path for the documents the
+ * background job never ran for — those uploaded before the auto-read opt-in
+ * went on, which no backfill ever reaches.
+ */
 async function describe(
   mode: DocumentSummaryMode,
   input: DescribeInput,
   locale: Locale,
+  persist: { userId: string; documentId: string } | null,
 ): Promise<{ summary: string } | { text: string }> {
   if (mode === "text") return transcribeDocument(input);
   // REPLACE policy: the user clicked "summarise" and is waiting, so a screened
   // summary becomes a short honest statement rather than an empty panel. The
   // document itself and the extracted text remain reachable and unaltered.
   const { summary, blocked } = await runDocumentSummary({ ...input, locale });
+  if (persist) await persistSummary(persist, summary, blocked);
   return { summary: blocked ? documentSummaryBlockedCopy(locale) : summary };
 }
 
+/**
+ * Store a screened-clean summary, or record the refusal as a state.
+ *
+ * A blocked summary NEVER lands as text — the honest statement the caller shows
+ * is generated copy for this response, not the model's prose, and persisting it
+ * would put a refusal where a summary belongs. Only the WITHHELD state is kept,
+ * and it is not terminal: the user can ask again.
+ *
+ * Storing is best-effort. The user is waiting on the summary they can already
+ * read in the response; a failed write must not turn that into an error.
+ */
+async function persistSummary(
+  target: { userId: string; documentId: string },
+  summary: string,
+  blocked: OutboundReason | null,
+): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    if (blocked) {
+      await prisma.inboundDocument.updateMany({
+        where: {
+          id: target.documentId,
+          userId: target.userId,
+          deletedAt: null,
+          summaryState: { not: "READY" },
+        },
+        data: { summaryState: "WITHHELD" },
+      });
+      return;
+    }
+    // Scoped to a document without a stored summary: an explicit re-run must
+    // not silently replace a summary the user already has on screen.
+    const written = await prisma.inboundDocument.updateMany({
+      where: {
+        id: target.documentId,
+        userId: target.userId,
+        deletedAt: null,
+        summaryEncrypted: null,
+      },
+      data: {
+        summaryEncrypted: encryptDocumentSummary(summary),
+        summaryGeneratedAt: new Date(),
+        summaryState: "READY",
+      },
+    });
+    annotate({
+      action: { name: "documents.summary.persisted" },
+      meta: { documentId: target.documentId, stored: written.count > 0 },
+    });
+  } catch {
+    annotate({
+      action: { name: "documents.summary.persistFailed" },
+      meta: { documentId: target.documentId },
+    });
+  }
+}
+
 /** The budget the requested mode charges. */
 function budgetFor(mode: DocumentSummaryMode): number {
   return mode === "text"
@@ -237,6 +315,7 @@ async function handleTextSummary(
         ocrText: parsed.data.text,
       },
       locale,
+      { userId, documentId: document.id },
     );
     await reconcileSpend(
       userId,
@@ -322,6 +401,7 @@ async function handleVisionSummary(
         documents: vision.documents,
       },
       locale,
+      { userId, documentId: document.id },
     );
     await reconcileSpend(
       userId,
diff --git a/src/components/documents/__tests__/document-summary-block.test.tsx b/src/components/documents/__tests__/document-summary-block.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8a9b2143b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/documents/__tests__/document-summary-block.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { renderToStaticMarkup } from "react-dom/server";
+
+import { I18nProvider } from "@/lib/i18n/context";
+import type { DocumentSummaryStateValue } from "@/lib/validations/inbound-documents";
+import { DocumentSummaryBlock } from "../document-summary-block";
+
+/**
+ * The detail view used to read a null summary as "being generated" and say so
+ * forever — for a document nobody ever enqueued as readily as for one actually
+ * in flight. These pin the states apart: only PENDING may claim generation is
+ * running, a stored summary comes from storage, and every dead end offers a way
+ * out.
+ */
+
+function render(node: React.ReactNode) {
+  return renderToStaticMarkup(
+    <I18nProvider initialLocale="en">{node}</I18nProvider>,
+  );
+}
+
+const noop = () => {};
+
+function base(
+  overrides: Partial<React.ComponentProps<typeof DocumentSummaryBlock>> = {},
+) {
+  const props: React.ComponentProps<typeof DocumentSummaryBlock> = {
+    summary: null,
+    summaryState: "NONE",
+    generatedAtLabel: null,
+    aiEnabled: true,
+    isGenerating: false,
+    actionsDisabled: false,
+    onGenerate: noop,
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+  return render(<DocumentSummaryBlock {...props} />);
+}
+
+/** Every state that has no summary to show. */
+const ABSENT_STATES: DocumentSummaryStateValue[] = [
+  "NONE",
+  "WITHHELD",
+  "UNAVAILABLE",
+];
+
+describe("DocumentSummaryBlock — a stored summary", () => {
+  it("renders the stored summary from storage, with its date", () => {
+    const html = base({
+      summary: "A discharge letter from a city hospital.",
+      summaryState: "READY",
+      generatedAtLabel: "14 Feb 2026",
+    });
+
+    expect(html).toContain("A discharge letter from a city hospital.");
+    expect(html).toContain("14 Feb 2026");
+    expect(html).toContain('data-slot="document-detail-summary"');
+    // Nothing claims it is being made — it already exists.
+    expect(html).not.toContain("being prepared");
+    expect(html).not.toContain("document-detail-summary-generate");
+  });
+
+  it("shows a stored summary even if the state disagrees", () => {
+    // The bytes are the truth. A stale state must never hide a real summary.
+    const html = base({ summary: "Stored prose.", summaryState: "PENDING" });
+
+    expect(html).toContain("Stored prose.");
+    expect(html).not.toContain("being prepared");
+  });
+});
+
+describe("DocumentSummaryBlock — honest absent states", () => {
+  it("claims generation is running ONLY for PENDING", () => {
+    const pending = base({ summaryState: "PENDING" });
+
+    expect(pending).toContain("being prepared");
+    expect(pending).toContain('data-slot="document-detail-summary-pending"');
+    // A job is running; offering a second one would double-spend.
+    expect(pending).not.toContain("document-detail-summary-generate");
+  });
+
+  it.each(ABSENT_STATES)(
+    "never says 'being generated' for %s",
+    (summaryState) => {
+      const html = base({ summaryState });
+
+      expect(html).not.toContain("being prepared");
+      expect(html).toContain('data-slot="document-detail-summary-absent"');
+    },
+  );
+
+  it("says a summary was never generated for NONE", () => {
+    expect(base({ summaryState: "NONE" })).toContain(
+      "No summary has been generated for this document yet.",
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("says the summary was withheld, and never shows blocked prose", () => {
+    const html = base({ summaryState: "WITHHELD" });
+
+    expect(html).toContain("did not pass the safety check");
+    // The withheld state carries no summary text — that is the whole contract.
+    expect(html).not.toContain("document-detail-summary&quot;");
+  });
+
+  it("says none could be produced for UNAVAILABLE", () => {
+    expect(base({ summaryState: "UNAVAILABLE" })).toContain(
+      "No summary could be generated for this document.",
+    );
+  });
+
+  it.each(ABSENT_STATES)("offers a way out of %s", (summaryState) => {
+    const html = base({ summaryState });
+
+    expect(html).toContain('data-slot="document-detail-summary-generate"');
+    expect(html).toContain("Generate summary");
+  });
+});
+
+describe("DocumentSummaryBlock — the action", () => {
+  it("states the outcome but offers no action without a provider", () => {
+    const html = base({ summaryState: "UNAVAILABLE", aiEnabled: false });
+
+    // The state is still honest; only the button that would 422 is gone.
+    expect(html).toContain("No summary could be generated for this document.");
+    expect(html).not.toContain("document-detail-summary-generate");
+  });
+
+  it("disables the action while generating, and says so", () => {
+    const html = base({ summaryState: "NONE", isGenerating: true });
+
+    expect(html).toContain("disabled");
+    expect(html).toContain("Generating");
+  });
+
+  it("disables the action while the capability probe resolves", () => {
+    expect(base({ summaryState: "NONE", actionsDisabled: true })).toContain(
+      "disabled",
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/components/documents/document-detail-sheet.tsx b/src/components/documents/document-detail-sheet.tsx
index 8f963f3f0..0270d523e 100644
--- a/src/components/documents/document-detail-sheet.tsx
+++ b/src/components/documents/document-detail-sheet.tsx
@@ -66,13 +66,13 @@ import { invalidateKeys, queryKeys } from "@/lib/query-keys";
 import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
 import {
   INBOUND_DOCUMENT_KINDS,
-  isAiReadSource,
   type DocumentSuggestionDto,
   type DocumentSummaryMode,
   type InboundDocumentDetailDto,
   type InboundDocumentKindValue,
 } from "@/lib/validations/inbound-documents";
 import { DocumentAiSection } from "./document-ai-section";
+import { DocumentSummaryBlock } from "./document-summary-block";
 import type { DocumentAiTarget } from "./document-ai-transport";
 import { DocumentShareSheet } from "./document-share-sheet";
 import { DOCUMENT_KIND_ICONS } from "./document-kind-meta";
@@ -399,6 +399,26 @@ export function DocumentDetailSheet({
     summary.mutate({ mode: aiMode, target: aiTarget, output });
   };
 
+  // Generate the STORED summary from the detail block. Same endpoint as the
+  // action row, but the result is not routed into the transient panel: the
+  // route persists a screened-clean summary, so refetching the document shows
+  // it in place. This runs only on a click — nothing here generates on open.
+  const generateStoredSummary = () => {
+    if (!aiTarget || !documentId) return;
+    summary.reset();
+    summary.mutate(
+      { mode: aiMode, target: aiTarget, output: "summary" },
+      {
+        onSuccess: () => {
+          void queryClient.invalidateQueries({
+            queryKey: queryKeys.inboundDocument(documentId),
+          });
+        },
+        onError: (error) => toast.error(t(documentAiErrorKey(error))),
+      },
+    );
+  };
+
   const runIndex = () => {
     if (!aiTarget) return;
     indexDoc.mutate(
@@ -440,12 +460,6 @@ export function DocumentDetailSheet({
   const title = doc?.title ?? doc?.filename ?? t("documents.card.untitled");
   const Icon = doc ? DOCUMENT_KIND_ICONS[doc.kind] : null;
   const originalHref = doc ? `/api/documents/inbound/${doc.id}/original` : "#";
-  // AI-read provenance — surfaced here (the detail view) as calm muted meta
-  // since v1.28.38 dropped the vault-card glyph. Same condition the AI section
-  // uses: a content index exists AND its source is a provider vision/text read.
-  const aiRead = doc
-    ? doc.hasContentIndex && isAiReadSource(doc.contentIndexSource)
-    : false;
 
   return (
     <>
@@ -588,34 +602,19 @@ export function DocumentDetailSheet({
               </div>
             )}
 
-            {doc.summary ? (
-              // Persisted background summary — generated once at upload when the
-              // auto-read opt-in is on. AI narrative body → foreground content;
-              // the generation date is muted meta (UI-STANDARDS §3).
-              <section
-                className="space-y-1.5"
-                data-slot="document-detail-summary"
-              >
-                <p className="text-sm leading-none font-medium">
-                  {t("documents.detail.summary.title")}
-                </p>
-                <p className="text-foreground text-sm">{doc.summary}</p>
-                {doc.summaryGeneratedAt ? (
-                  <p className="text-muted-foreground text-xs">
-                    {format.date(doc.summaryGeneratedAt)}
-                  </p>
-                ) : null}
-              </section>
-            ) : autoReadEnabled ? (
-              // Auto-read is on but no summary yet (still generating, or the
-              // provider could not read this file) — one calm muted hint.
-              <p
-                className="text-muted-foreground text-xs"
-                data-slot="document-detail-summary-pending"
-              >
-                {t("documents.detail.summary.pending")}
-              </p>
-            ) : null}
+            <DocumentSummaryBlock
+              summary={doc.summary}
+              summaryState={doc.summaryState}
+              generatedAtLabel={
+                doc.summaryGeneratedAt
+                  ? format.date(doc.summaryGeneratedAt)
+                  : null
+              }
+              aiEnabled={aiEnabled}
+              isGenerating={summary.isPending}
+              actionsDisabled={capability.isPending}
+              onGenerate={generateStoredSummary}
+            />
 
             <DocumentAiSection
               aiEnabled={aiEnabled}
@@ -829,15 +828,6 @@ export function DocumentDetailSheet({
                 })}
                 {doc.filename ? ` · ${doc.filename}` : ""}
               </p>
-
-              {aiRead ? (
-                <p
-                  data-slot="document-detail-ai-read"
-                  className="text-muted-foreground text-xs"
-                >
-                  {t("documents.ai.statusAiRead")}
-                </p>
-              ) : null}
             </div>
           </div>
         ) : null}
diff --git a/src/components/documents/document-summary-block.tsx b/src/components/documents/document-summary-block.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f42b2be87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/documents/document-summary-block.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+"use client";
+
+/**
+ * The document detail sheet's summary block, lifted out of the sheet so its
+ * state machine renders without the dialog portal and is pinned by static-render
+ * tests.
+ *
+ * The block exists because a null summary is ambiguous and used to be read as
+ * one thing: "being generated". It was the fallback for every outcome — a
+ * document nobody ever enqueued (no backfill reaches uploads that predate the
+ * auto-read opt-in), a missing vision provider, a spent budget, a withdrawn
+ * consent, an unreadable file, a provider error, and a summary the outbound
+ * safety screen withheld. All of them left the column null, so the view told the
+ * user a job was running that in most cases never existed.
+ *
+ * It now branches on the stored `summaryState`:
+ *
+ *   READY       → the stored summary, served from storage, never regenerated
+ *   PENDING     → "being generated" — the ONLY state allowed to claim that, and
+ *                 it is set when a job was actually enqueued
+ *   WITHHELD    → says the summary was blocked, offers another attempt. The
+ *                 blocked prose is never shown or stored
+ *   UNAVAILABLE → says none could be produced, offers another attempt
+ *   NONE        → says none exists yet, offers to generate one
+ *
+ * The action is a click, never an effect: opening a document must not spend a
+ * provider call. With no AI provider configured the block renders the state
+ * without an action rather than an button that would 422.
+ */
+import { FileText } from "lucide-react";
+
+import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
+import { useTranslations } from "@/lib/i18n/context";
+import type { DocumentSummaryStateValue } from "@/lib/validations/inbound-documents";
+
+/** Copy key for a state with no summary to show. */
+function absentCopyKey(state: DocumentSummaryStateValue): string {
+  if (state === "WITHHELD") return "documents.detail.summary.withheld";
+  if (state === "UNAVAILABLE") return "documents.detail.summary.unavailable";
+  return "documents.detail.summary.none";
+}
+
+export function DocumentSummaryBlock({
+  summary,
+  summaryState,
+  generatedAtLabel,
+  aiEnabled,
+  isGenerating,
+  actionsDisabled,
+  onGenerate,
+}: {
+  /** The stored, decrypted summary, or null when there is none to show. */
+  summary: string | null;
+  summaryState: DocumentSummaryStateValue;
+  /** Pre-formatted generation date — the sheet owns locale formatting. */
+  generatedAtLabel: string | null;
+  /** Whether an AI provider is configured; false hides the action, not the state. */
+  aiEnabled: boolean;
+  isGenerating: boolean;
+  /** Capability still resolving — the transport mode isn't known yet. */
+  actionsDisabled: boolean;
+  onGenerate: () => void;
+}) {
+  const { t } = useTranslations();
+
+  // A stored summary wins over every state: it is shown from storage.
+  if (summary) {
+    return (
+      <section className="space-y-1.5" data-slot="document-detail-summary">
+        <p className="text-sm leading-none font-medium">
+          {t("documents.detail.summary.title")}
+        </p>
+        <p className="text-foreground text-sm">{summary}</p>
+        {generatedAtLabel ? (
+          <p className="text-muted-foreground text-xs">{generatedAtLabel}</p>
+        ) : null}
+      </section>
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (summaryState === "PENDING") {
+    return (
+      <p
+        className="text-muted-foreground text-xs"
+        data-slot="document-detail-summary-pending"
+      >
+        {t("documents.detail.summary.pending")}
+      </p>
+    );
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <section className="space-y-2" data-slot="document-detail-summary-absent">
+      <p className="text-sm leading-none font-medium">
+        {t("documents.detail.summary.title")}
+      </p>
+      <p className="text-muted-foreground text-xs">
+        {t(absentCopyKey(summaryState))}
+      </p>
+      {aiEnabled ? (
+        <Button
+          type="button"
+          variant="outline"
+          size="sm"
+          data-slot="document-detail-summary-generate"
+          onClick={onGenerate}
+          disabled={isGenerating || actionsDisabled}
+        >
+          <FileText className="size-4" aria-hidden />
+          {isGenerating
+            ? t("documents.detail.summary.generating")
+            : t("documents.detail.summary.generate")}
+        </Button>
+      ) : null}
+    </section>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/documents/store.ts b/src/lib/documents/store.ts
index 7f063122a..3b999754b 100644
--- a/src/lib/documents/store.ts
+++ b/src/lib/documents/store.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import { servingClassFor } from "@/lib/documents/upload-policy";
 import type {
   DocumentConditionLinkDto,
   DocumentContentIndexSourceValue,
+  DocumentSummaryStateValue,
   ExtractedFactDto,
   FactData,
   FactProvenance,
@@ -241,12 +242,22 @@ export function serialiseDocumentDetail(
   // failing the whole detail load — the field is descriptive, not load-bearing,
   // and the ciphertext is never returned (fail-closed to null).
   let summary: string | null = null;
+  // The stored state is the truth EXCEPT when the ciphertext will not open: a
+  // READY row we cannot decrypt has no summary to show, and reporting READY
+  // would leave the view rendering a heading over nothing. Degrade to
+  // UNAVAILABLE so what the user is told matches what they can see.
+  let summaryState: DocumentSummaryStateValue = doc.summaryState;
   if (doc.summaryEncrypted && doc.summaryEncrypted.byteLength > 0) {
     try {
       summary = decryptDocumentSummary(doc.summaryEncrypted);
     } catch {
       summary = null;
+      summaryState = "UNAVAILABLE";
     }
+  } else if (summaryState === "READY") {
+    // READY with no ciphertext should be unreachable; trust the bytes, not the
+    // flag, rather than promising a summary that is not there.
+    summaryState = "UNAVAILABLE";
   }
   return {
     ...serialiseDocument(
@@ -262,5 +273,6 @@ export function serialiseDocumentDetail(
     summaryGeneratedAt: doc.summaryGeneratedAt
       ? doc.summaryGeneratedAt.toISOString()
       : null,
+    summaryState,
   };
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/jobs/__tests__/document-summary.test.ts b/src/lib/jobs/__tests__/document-summary.test.ts
index 2e0d66f8c..c6115bc19 100644
--- a/src/lib/jobs/__tests__/document-summary.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/jobs/__tests__/document-summary.test.ts
@@ -182,16 +182,58 @@ describe("runDocumentSummaryJob — gating", () => {
 
     expect(reserveBudget).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(runDocumentSummary).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-    expect(prisma.inboundDocument.updateMany).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    // No summary is written — but the attempt is RECORDED. Leaving the row
+    // untouched is what made the detail view claim "being generated" forever.
+    expect(prisma.inboundDocument.updateMany).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({ data: { summaryState: "UNAVAILABLE" } }),
+    );
   });
 
-  it("refunds the budget and persists nothing when the provider call throws", async () => {
+  it("refunds the budget and records UNAVAILABLE when the provider call throws", async () => {
     vi.mocked(runDocumentSummary).mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("boom"));
 
     await runDocumentSummaryJob({ userId: "user-1", documentId: "doc-1" });
 
-    // Reservation refunded to zero spend; no write.
+    // Reservation refunded to zero spend; no summary written, state recorded.
     expect(reconcileSpend).toHaveBeenCalledWith("user-1", 5, 0, "2026-07-17");
-    expect(prisma.inboundDocument.updateMany).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(prisma.inboundDocument.updateMany).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({ data: { summaryState: "UNAVAILABLE" } }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("records WITHHELD — not silence — when the safety screen blocks the summary", async () => {
+    vi.mocked(runDocumentSummary).mockResolvedValueOnce({
+      summary: "",
+      blocked: "dose_directive",
+    } as never);
+
+    await runDocumentSummaryJob({ userId: "user-1", documentId: "doc-1" });
+
+    // The blocked prose NEVER lands. Only the state does, and it is not
+    // terminal — the guard refuses to overwrite READY, nothing else.
+    expect(prisma.inboundDocument.updateMany).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      where: {
+        id: "doc-1",
+        userId: "user-1",
+        deletedAt: null,
+        summaryState: { not: "READY" },
+      },
+      data: { summaryState: "WITHHELD" },
+    });
+    const calls = vi.mocked(prisma.inboundDocument.updateMany).mock.calls;
+    for (const [arg] of calls) {
+      expect(arg.data).not.toHaveProperty("summaryEncrypted");
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("marks a stored summary READY so the view serves it from storage", async () => {
+    await runDocumentSummaryJob({ userId: "user-1", documentId: "doc-1" });
+
+    expect(prisma.inboundDocument.updateMany).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        where: expect.objectContaining({ summaryEncrypted: null }),
+        data: expect.objectContaining({ summaryState: "READY" }),
+      }),
+    );
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/lib/jobs/document-summary.ts b/src/lib/jobs/document-summary.ts
index 602b561b0..83bd6e022 100644
--- a/src/lib/jobs/document-summary.ts
+++ b/src/lib/jobs/document-summary.ts
@@ -44,9 +44,31 @@ import { encryptDocumentSummary } from "@/lib/documents/store";
 import { prisma } from "@/lib/db";
 import { getGlobalBoss } from "@/lib/jobs/boss-instance";
 import { annotate } from "@/lib/logging/context";
+import type { DocumentSummaryState } from "@/generated/prisma/client";
 
 export const DOCUMENT_SUMMARY_QUEUE = "document-summary";
 
+/**
+ * Record what became of this document's summary. Never touches a READY row —
+ * a stored summary is the terminal state and a later run must not downgrade it.
+ * Owner-scoped like every other write here.
+ */
+async function markSummaryState(
+  userId: string,
+  documentId: string,
+  state: Exclude<DocumentSummaryState, "READY">,
+): Promise<void> {
+  await prisma.inboundDocument.updateMany({
+    where: {
+      id: documentId,
+      userId,
+      deletedAt: null,
+      summaryState: { not: "READY" },
+    },
+    data: { summaryState: state },
+  });
+}
+
 /** Serial concurrency — provider calls, kept off the request pool. */
 export const DOCUMENT_SUMMARY_CONCURRENCY = 1;
 
@@ -87,6 +109,8 @@ export async function runDocumentSummaryJob(
   // on-demand route stays the only way to summarise). Fail-closed on a missing
   // row.
   if (!(await documentAutoReadEnabled(userId))) {
+    // Opting out is not a failed attempt — leave the state alone so the view
+    // keeps offering the manual action rather than claiming we tried.
     annotate({
       action: { name: "documents.summary.autoSkipped" },
       meta: { documentId, reason: "opt-out" },
@@ -99,6 +123,7 @@ export async function runDocumentSummaryJob(
   // there is no local text-layer fallback for a descriptive summary).
   const { pick } = await resolveDocumentVisionProvider(userId);
   if (!pick) {
+    await markSummaryState(userId, documentId, "UNAVAILABLE");
     annotate({
       action: { name: "documents.summary.autoSkipped" },
       meta: { documentId, reason: "no-provider" },
@@ -117,6 +142,7 @@ export async function runDocumentSummaryJob(
       surface: "insights",
     });
   } catch (err) {
+    await markSummaryState(userId, documentId, "UNAVAILABLE");
     annotate({
       action: { name: "documents.summary.autoSkipped" },
       meta: {
@@ -135,6 +161,7 @@ export async function runDocumentSummaryJob(
   if (!vision.ok) {
     // Cannot read this file with the picked provider (decrypt miss, unsupported
     // type, or a PDF needing an Anthropic provider). Graceful no-op.
+    await markSummaryState(userId, documentId, "UNAVAILABLE");
     annotate({
       action: { name: "documents.summary.autoSkipped" },
       meta: { documentId, reason: vision.reason },
@@ -151,6 +178,7 @@ export async function runDocumentSummaryJob(
   );
   // Budget exhausted → skip (no local fallback for a summary).
   if (!reservation.allowed) {
+    await markSummaryState(userId, documentId, "UNAVAILABLE");
     annotate({
       action: { name: "documents.summary.autoSkipped" },
       meta: { documentId, reason: "budget" },
@@ -185,12 +213,19 @@ export async function runDocumentSummaryJob(
       reservation.reserved,
       dateKey,
     );
-    // WITHHOLD policy. Persisting the refusal copy would be worse than no
-    // summary: `updateMany` below is guarded on `summaryEncrypted: null`, so
-    // the first write wins and a stored refusal would stamp the document
-    // permanently with no path to regenerate. Leaving the column null keeps the
-    // on-demand route as the manual fallback, exactly as a provider miss does.
+    // WITHHOLD policy, v1.30.31. The model's prose still never lands — a
+    // summary that tripped the outbound screen must never be shown as if it
+    // were fine, and that rule is unchanged.
+    //
+    // What changed is the consequence. Withholding was chosen so a refusal
+    // could not stamp the document permanently, but leaving the column null
+    // achieved exactly that anyway: the detail view read null as "still
+    // generating" and said so forever, with no signal and no way out. The fact
+    // of the refusal is now recorded as a STATE (never the text), the view says
+    // so honestly, and WITHHELD is not terminal — `markSummaryState` only
+    // refuses to overwrite READY, so asking again re-runs the whole gauntlet.
     if (blocked) {
+      await markSummaryState(userId, documentId, "WITHHELD");
       annotate({
         action: { name: "documents.summary.outbound_blocked" },
         meta: { documentId, reason: blocked, providerType: pick.providerType },
@@ -210,6 +245,7 @@ export async function runDocumentSummaryJob(
       data: {
         summaryEncrypted: encryptDocumentSummary(summary),
         summaryGeneratedAt: new Date(),
+        summaryState: "READY",
       },
     });
     annotate({
@@ -226,6 +262,7 @@ export async function runDocumentSummaryJob(
     // (the on-demand route remains the manual fallback). Never rethrow — a
     // transient provider error must not retry-loop or fail the queue.
     await reconcileSpend(userId, reservation.reserved, 0, dateKey);
+    await markSummaryState(userId, documentId, "UNAVAILABLE");
     annotate({
       action: { name: "documents.summary.autoFailed" },
       meta: { documentId, reason: "provider_error" },
@@ -259,6 +296,11 @@ export async function enqueueDocumentSummary(
       retryBackoff: true,
       singletonKey: `document-summary|${documentId}`,
     });
+    // PENDING is claimed only once a job genuinely exists. That is the whole
+    // point: the detail view may say "being generated" for this state, so
+    // nothing may set it speculatively — a dropped send (no boss, DB hiccup)
+    // leaves the state alone and the view offers the manual action instead.
+    if (jobId) await markSummaryState(userId, documentId, "PENDING");
     return { enqueued: Boolean(jobId) };
   } catch (err) {
     annotate({
diff --git a/src/lib/openapi/routes/documents.ts b/src/lib/openapi/routes/documents.ts
index 2915f0170..06a4bc989 100644
--- a/src/lib/openapi/routes/documents.ts
+++ b/src/lib/openapi/routes/documents.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import {
   documentUpdateSchema,
   inboundConfirmSchema,
   inboundFactEditSchema,
+  DOCUMENT_SUMMARY_STATES,
   INBOUND_DOCUMENT_KINDS,
   INBOUND_DOCUMENT_STATUSES,
 } from "@/lib/validations/inbound-documents";
@@ -165,11 +166,12 @@ const inboundDocumentDetail = inboundDocument
     facts: z.array(extractedFact),
     summary: z.string().nullable(),
     summaryGeneratedAt: z.string().nullable(),
+    summaryState: z.enum(DOCUMENT_SUMMARY_STATES),
   })
   .meta({
     id: "InboundDocumentDetail",
     description:
-      "A stored document plus its staged facts. `summary` is a short (3-4 sentence) plain-language description of WHAT the document is, generated once in the background right after upload when the `documentsAutoAiRead` opt-in is ON (that flag is also the standing AI-egress consent); it is descriptive only, never a diagnosis, and is null when auto-read is OFF, no provider is configured, or the background summary has not run yet. `summaryGeneratedAt` is when it was generated (null until then).",
+      'A stored document plus its staged facts. `summary` is a short (3-4 sentence) plain-language description of WHAT the document is, generated once and then served from storage; it is descriptive only, never a diagnosis. `summaryGeneratedAt` is when it was generated (null until then). `summaryState` says what became of it, because a null `summary` on its own is ambiguous: NONE = never attempted (the `documentsAutoAiRead` opt-in was off at upload, or the document predates it — no backfill reaches these), PENDING = a job is enqueued or running, READY = stored and returned in `summary`, WITHHELD = generated but blocked by the outbound safety screen and therefore never returned as text, UNAVAILABLE = attempted and could not produce one (no vision provider, spent budget, withdrawn consent, unreadable file, provider error). Only PENDING may be presented as "being generated"; WITHHELD and UNAVAILABLE are both re-attemptable via POST `/api/documents/inbound/{id}/summary`. Treat an unknown value as UNAVAILABLE when decoding.',
   });
 
 const listResponse = z
diff --git a/src/lib/validations/inbound-documents.ts b/src/lib/validations/inbound-documents.ts
index 0b7d381da..db4c89c16 100644
--- a/src/lib/validations/inbound-documents.ts
+++ b/src/lib/validations/inbound-documents.ts
@@ -98,6 +98,22 @@ export function toContentIndexSource(
     : null;
 }
 
+/**
+ * What became of a document's plain-language summary. Mirrors the Prisma
+ * `DocumentSummaryState` enum. The detail view branches on this rather than on
+ * a null summary, which cannot tell "never attempted" from "in flight" from
+ * "withheld" from "could not produce".
+ */
+export const DOCUMENT_SUMMARY_STATES = [
+  "NONE",
+  "PENDING",
+  "READY",
+  "WITHHELD",
+  "UNAVAILABLE",
+] as const;
+export type DocumentSummaryStateValue =
+  (typeof DOCUMENT_SUMMARY_STATES)[number];
+
 /** The document lifecycle states. STORED is the library default. */
 export const INBOUND_DOCUMENT_STATUSES = [
   "STORED",
@@ -301,6 +317,13 @@ export interface InboundDocumentDetailDto extends InboundDocumentDto {
   summary: string | null;
   /** When the background summary was generated (ISO 8601), or null. */
   summaryGeneratedAt: string | null;
+  /**
+   * What became of the summary. A null `summary` is ambiguous on its own —
+   * never attempted, mid-flight, withheld by the safety screen and could-not-
+   * produce all look identical — so the view reads this instead of guessing
+   * "still generating".
+   */
+  summaryState: DocumentSummaryStateValue;
 }
 
 // ─── Edit (correction before approval) ─────────────────────────────────────