diff --git a/web/src/components/MessageList.test.tsx b/web/src/components/MessageList.test.tsx
index fa06a5f..d2ac203 100644
--- a/web/src/components/MessageList.test.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/MessageList.test.tsx
@@ -455,6 +455,45 @@ describe("MessageList task diagnostics", () => {
     expect(html).toContain("The latest turn could not be loaded.");
   });
 
+  it("renders attachments inside a session-start framed message", () => {
+    const framed: DisplayMessage = {
+      id: "cydo-start-1",
+      uuid: "start-uuid-1",
+      type: "user",
+      isMeta: true,
+      content: [
+        { type: "text", text: "SYSTEM rendered prompt body" },
+        { type: "image", data: "aGVsbG8=", media_type: "image/png" },
+      ],
+      cydoMeta: {
+        label: "Session start: blank",
+        vars: { task_description: "what is in this picture?" },
+        bodyVar: "task_description",
+      },
+    };
+
+    const html = renderToString(
+      <MessageList
+        taskTid={1}
+        messages={[framed]}
+        blocks={new Map()}
+        replacementEvents={new Map()}
+        isProcessing={false}
+        bandStatus=""
+      />,
+    );
+
+    // the framed view must keep the attachment visible, not just the text:
+    // losing it on replay made a briefly-shown image vanish from the task
+    expect(html).toContain("user-image");
+    expect(html).toContain("data:image/png;base64,aGVsbG8=");
+    expect(html).toContain("what is in this picture?");
+    // attachment above the prompt, matching plain user messages
+    expect(html.indexOf("data:image/png")).toBeLessThan(
+      html.indexOf("what is in this picture?"),
+    );
+  });
+
   it("keeps a metadata-bearing CyDo nudge editable", () => {
     const nudge: DisplayMessage = {
       id: "cydo-nudge-1",
diff --git a/web/src/components/MessageList.tsx b/web/src/components/MessageList.tsx
index fd805fe..9421e33 100644
--- a/web/src/components/MessageList.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/MessageList.tsx
@@ -218,6 +218,28 @@ function SystemUserMessage({ message }: { message: DisplayMessage }) {
     .map((b) => b.text)
     .join("\n");
 
+  // Attachments survive the session-start framing (the backend keeps image
+  // blocks beside the rendered prompt), so they must survive its rendering
+  // too; the optimistic plain user message showed them, and losing them on
+  // replay looked like the attachment vanished.
+  const imageBlocks = message.content.filter(
+    (b): b is { type: "image"; data: string; media_type: string } =>
+      b.type === "image" &&
+      typeof (b as Record<string, unknown>).data === "string",
+  );
+  const images = imageBlocks.length > 0 && (
+    <div class="user-images">
+      {imageBlocks.map((img, i) => (
+        <img
+          key={i}
+          src={`data:${img.media_type};base64,${img.data}`}
+          alt="User attached image"
+          class="user-image"
+        />
+      ))}
+    </div>
+  );
+
   const hasVars = meta.vars && Object.keys(meta.vars).length > 0;
 
   if (!hasVars) {
@@ -262,6 +284,7 @@ function SystemUserMessage({ message }: { message: DisplayMessage }) {
         }}
       >
         <div class="system-user-header">{meta.label}</div>
+        {images}
         <pre class="system-user-pre">{text}</pre>
       </div>
     );
@@ -297,6 +320,7 @@ function SystemUserMessage({ message }: { message: DisplayMessage }) {
         </svg>
         {meta.label}
       </div>
+      {images}
       {bodyValue !== undefined && (
         <div class="system-user-body">
           {meta.bodyMarkdown ? (