Add "now displaying" / "up next" preview pair to the frame header

The server now records exactly what was last sent to the device on
every device-facing render (/frame/image, /frame/advance, /frame/back,
and the global hold actions), persisted as Frame.last_displayed_image/
_at and served back via GET /api/frames/{id}/now-displaying. The
header thumbnail is split into that frozen "now displaying" snapshot
and the existing live "up next" re-render, with an arrow between them
-- so editing a layout shows the change immediately on the right while
the left stays exactly what's actually on the panel until the device's
next real wake.

server/app/image_pipeline.py

@@ -496,9 +496,16 @@ def render_frame(source: Image.Image, faces: list[dict] | None = None,
     return _transpose_and_pack(quantized, orientation)
 
 
+def _png_bytes(img: Image.Image) -> bytes:
+    buf = io.BytesIO()
+    img.convert("RGB").save(buf, format="PNG")
+    return buf.getvalue()
+
+
 def render_panel(regions: list[tuple[tuple[int, int, int, int], Image.Image]], orientation: str = "landscape",
                  palette_rgb: list | None = None, color_boost: float = 1.0, contrast_boost: float = 1.0,
-                 dither_strength: float = 1.0, manage: dict | None = None, as_png: bool = False) -> bytes:
+                 dither_strength: float = 1.0, manage: dict | None = None, as_png: bool = False,
+                 capture_snapshot: bool = False) -> bytes | tuple[bytes, bytes]:
     """The widget system's compositor -- generalizes render_frame's tail
     (paste, enhance once, overlay once, quantize once, pack once) from
     "compose one photo" to "paste N already-rendered regions, then run
@@ -530,7 +537,14 @@ def render_panel(regions: list[tuple[tuple[int, int, int, int], Image.Image]], o
     as_png=True returns a normal browser-viewable PNG in logical (upright)
     orientation instead of packed native-panel bytes, same convention as
     render_preview_png -- used for the web UI's live "how it's displaying"
-    thumbnail."""
+    thumbnail.
+
+    capture_snapshot=True (only meaningful alongside as_png=False) returns
+    (packed_bytes, png_bytes) instead of just packed_bytes -- both derived
+    from the same already-quantized canvas, so a device-facing render can
+    also persist a browser-viewable copy (see routers/device.py's
+    _record_last_displayed) without re-running composition/quantization a
+    second time."""
     logical_w, logical_h = logical_render_size(orientation)
     canvas = Image.new("RGB", (logical_w, logical_h), LETTERBOX_BG)
     for (x, y, w, h), region_img in regions:
@@ -540,10 +554,11 @@ def render_panel(regions: list[tuple[tuple[int, int, int, int], Image.Image]], o
     fitted = _apply_manage_overlay(fitted, manage)
     quantized = _quantize(fitted, palette_rgb, dither_strength)
     if as_png:
-        buf = io.BytesIO()
+        return _png_bytes(quantized)
-        quantized.convert("RGB").save(buf, format="PNG")
+    packed = _transpose_and_pack(quantized, orientation)
-        return buf.getvalue()
+    if capture_snapshot:
-    return _transpose_and_pack(quantized, orientation)
+        return packed, _png_bytes(quantized)
+    return packed
 
 
 def render_preview_png(source: Image.Image, faces: list[dict] | None = None,
@@ -559,14 +574,13 @@ def render_preview_png(source: Image.Image, faces: list[dict] | None = None,
     fitted = _enhance(_compose(source, faces, orientation, display_mode), color_boost, contrast_boost)
     fitted = _apply_manage_overlay(fitted, manage)
     quantized = _quantize(fitted, palette_rgb, dither_strength)
-    buf = io.BytesIO()
+    return _png_bytes(quantized)
-    quantized.convert("RGB").save(buf, format="PNG")
-    return buf.getvalue()
 
 
 def render_placeholder(lines: list[str], qr_url: str | None = None,
                        orientation: str = "landscape", palette_rgb: list | None = None,
-                       manage: dict | None = None, as_png: bool = False) -> bytes:
+                       manage: dict | None = None, as_png: bool = False,
+                       capture_snapshot: bool = False) -> bytes | tuple[bytes, bytes]:
     """A readable full-panel message (plus an optional QR code) in the
     same packed format as render_frame -- what /frame/image serves for a
     frame that isn't claimed or configured yet, so a fresh device shows
@@ -574,7 +588,8 @@ def render_placeholder(lines: list[str], qr_url: str | None = None,
 
     `manage`, same as render_frame's -- lets the manage button still work
     (at minimum, the scan-to-manage QR) on a frame that isn't configured
-    yet."""
+    yet. `capture_snapshot`, same as render_panel's -- (packed, png)
+    instead of just packed."""
     margin = 24
     logical_w, logical_h = logical_render_size(orientation)
     img = Image.new("RGB", (logical_w, logical_h), (255, 255, 255))
@@ -638,7 +653,8 @@ def render_placeholder(lines: list[str], qr_url: str | None = None,
     img = _apply_manage_overlay(img, manage)
     quantized = _quantize(img, palette_rgb, dither_strength=1.0)
     if as_png:
-        buf = io.BytesIO()
+        return _png_bytes(quantized)
-        quantized.convert("RGB").save(buf, format="PNG")
+    packed = _transpose_and_pack(quantized, orientation)
-        return buf.getvalue()
+    if capture_snapshot:
-    return _transpose_and_pack(quantized, orientation)
+        return packed, _png_bytes(quantized)
+    return packed

server/app/migration.py

@@ -774,6 +774,30 @@ def _migration_29(conn) -> None:
         conn.execute(text("ALTER TABLE frames ADD COLUMN last_cycled_layout_id INTEGER"))
 
 
+def _migration_30(conn) -> None:
+    """"Now displaying" (models.Frame.last_displayed_image/
+    last_displayed_at) -- the web UI's header preview pair needs a frozen
+    record of exactly what the last device-facing render actually sent,
+    separate from the always-live "up next" re-render (see
+    routers/device.py's _record_last_displayed, api_frames.py's
+    /now-displaying endpoint). NULL/0.0 for every existing frame until
+    its next real device fetch -- no behavior change to what's served,
+    only a new thing recorded alongside it.
+
+    Guarded per-column, same reasoning as migration 26/27/29's own
+    comments: frames is a table test_migrations.py's pre-widget-system
+    replay tests leave un-dropped, so it keeps the fresh-install
+    create_all() copy -- which already has these columns -- when those
+    tests replay migrations 17+ from schema_version 16. Without the
+    guard, replaying this migration there re-adds a column that's already
+    there and SQLite raises "duplicate column name"."""
+    existing = {c["name"] for c in inspect(conn).get_columns("frames")}
+    if "last_displayed_image" not in existing:
+        conn.execute(text("ALTER TABLE frames ADD COLUMN last_displayed_image BLOB"))
+    if "last_displayed_at" not in existing:
+        conn.execute(text("ALTER TABLE frames ADD COLUMN last_displayed_at REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 0.0"))
+
+
 MIGRATIONS = [
     (1, _migration_1),
     (2, _migration_2),
@@ -804,6 +828,7 @@ MIGRATIONS = [
     (27, _migration_27),
     (28, _migration_28),
     (29, _migration_29),
+    (30, _migration_30),
 ]
 
 

server/app/models.py

@@ -328,6 +328,16 @@ class Frame(Base):
     # starts over from the first one, same as an unset value.
     last_cycled_layout_id: Mapped[int | None] = mapped_column(Integer, nullable=True)
 
+    # -- "now displaying" (see routers/device.py's _record_last_displayed,
+    # api_frames.py's /now-displaying endpoint) -- exactly what the last
+    # device-facing render (/frame/image, /frame/advance, /frame/back, or
+    # a global hold action) actually sent, as an upright PNG, so the web
+    # UI's header preview can show it frozen alongside a live "up next"
+    # re-render instead of conflating the two. NULL until a real device
+    # has fetched at least once.
+    last_displayed_image: Mapped[bytes | None] = mapped_column(LargeBinary, nullable=True, default=None)
+    last_displayed_at: Mapped[float] = mapped_column(Float, default=0.0)
+
     # -- stats (flattened from the old nested FrameStats) --
     stats_first_seen: Mapped[float] = mapped_column(Float, default=0.0)
     stats_device_wakes: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(Integer, default=0)

server/app/routers/api_frames.py

@@ -271,6 +271,25 @@ def api_frame_preview(
     return Response(content=png, media_type="image/png")
 
 
+@router.get("/api/frames/{frame_id}/now-displaying")
+def api_frame_now_displaying(frame: Frame = Depends(require_frame_view)):
+    """Exactly what was last actually sent to this frame's device (see
+    routers/device.py's _record_last_displayed) -- the frozen "now
+    displaying" half of the header preview pair, as opposed to /preview's
+    always-live "up next" re-render. 404 (not a placeholder image) until
+    the device has fetched at least once, so the web UI can show its own
+    empty state instead of a broken image. X-Displayed-At carries the
+    capture time (unix seconds) for a "N ago" label -- a header, not the
+    body, since the body is the raw PNG bytes."""
+    if frame.last_displayed_image is None:
+        raise HTTPException(404, "This frame hasn't displayed anything yet")
+    return Response(
+        content=frame.last_displayed_image,
+        media_type="image/png",
+        headers={"X-Displayed-At": str(frame.last_displayed_at)},
+    )
+
+
 @router.get("/api/frames/{frame_id}/battery-log")
 def api_battery_log(frame: Frame = Depends(require_frame_view), db: Session = Depends(get_db)):
     rows = db.execute(

server/app/routers/device.py

@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ router = APIRouter()
 
 
 def _setup_placeholder(frame: Frame, request: Request, manage: dict | None = None,
-                       as_png: bool = False) -> bytes:
+                       as_png: bool = False, capture_snapshot: bool = False) -> bytes | tuple[bytes, bytes]:
     """What an unclaimed or widget-less frame displays instead of real
     content -- instructions with a QR, rendered at 200 so the device
     treats it as a perfectly normal image and never error-loops. The
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ def _setup_placeholder(frame: Frame, request: Request, manage: dict | None = Non
             palette_rgb=frame.palette_rgb,
             manage=manage,
             as_png=as_png,
+            capture_snapshot=capture_snapshot,
         )
     if frame.owner_user_id is None:
         return render_placeholder(
@@ -68,6 +69,7 @@ def _setup_placeholder(frame: Frame, request: Request, manage: dict | None = Non
             palette_rgb=frame.palette_rgb,
             manage=manage,
             as_png=as_png,
+            capture_snapshot=capture_snapshot,
         )
     return render_placeholder(
         ["Almost there!", "Add a widget for this frame at", base],
@@ -76,11 +78,12 @@ def _setup_placeholder(frame: Frame, request: Request, manage: dict | None = Non
         palette_rgb=frame.palette_rgb,
         manage=manage,
         as_png=as_png,
+        capture_snapshot=capture_snapshot,
     )
 
 
 def _render_widgets(db: Session, frame: Frame, manage: dict | None, is_normal_wake: bool,
-                    as_png: bool = False) -> bytes:
+                    as_png: bool = False, capture_snapshot: bool = False) -> bytes | tuple[bytes, bytes]:
     """The widget-system compositor: renders every widget on this frame
     into its own region (see app/grid.py for grid-cell -> pixel math),
     draws that widget's own optional border directly onto its region
@@ -112,11 +115,13 @@ def _render_widgets(db: Session, frame: Frame, manage: dict | None, is_normal_wa
         regions, orientation=frame.orientation, palette_rgb=frame.palette_rgb,
         color_boost=frame.color_boost, contrast_boost=frame.contrast_boost,
         dither_strength=frame.dither_strength, manage=manage, as_png=as_png,
+        capture_snapshot=capture_snapshot,
     )
 
 
 def _render_frame_content(db: Session, frame: Frame, request: Request | None, manage: dict | None,
-                          is_normal_wake: bool, as_png: bool = False) -> bytes:
+                          is_normal_wake: bool, as_png: bool = False,
+                          capture_snapshot: bool = False) -> bytes | tuple[bytes, bytes]:
     """The top-level "what does this frame show right now" entry point.
     An unclaimed frame or one with no widgets yet gets the setup
     placeholder (needs `request` for its QR URLs -- only available on the
@@ -134,11 +139,11 @@ def _render_frame_content(db: Session, frame: Frame, request: Request | None, ma
         if request is None:
             return render_placeholder(
                 ["Almost there!"], orientation=frame.orientation, palette_rgb=frame.palette_rgb,
-                manage=manage, as_png=as_png,
+                manage=manage, as_png=as_png, capture_snapshot=capture_snapshot,
             )
-        return _setup_placeholder(frame, request, manage=manage, as_png=as_png)
+        return _setup_placeholder(frame, request, manage=manage, as_png=as_png, capture_snapshot=capture_snapshot)
 
-    return _render_widgets(db, frame, manage, is_normal_wake, as_png=as_png)
+    return _render_widgets(db, frame, manage, is_normal_wake, as_png=as_png, capture_snapshot=capture_snapshot)
 
 
 def render_frame_preview_png(db: Session, frame: Frame, request: Request) -> bytes:
@@ -245,6 +250,17 @@ def _manage_flag(request: Request) -> bool:
     return request.query_params.get("manage") == "1"
 
 
+def _record_last_displayed(db: Session, frame: Frame, png_snapshot: bytes) -> None:
+    """Persists exactly what a device-facing render just sent (upright
+    PNG, manage overlay included if present -- whatever's actually on the
+    panel) as this frame's "now displaying" snapshot, the frozen half of
+    the web UI's header preview pair (see api_frames.py's /now-displaying
+    endpoint and its always-live "up next" counterpart, /preview)."""
+    with frame_locked(db, frame.id) as locked:
+        locked.last_displayed_image = png_snapshot
+        locked.last_displayed_at = time.time()
+
+
 @router.get("/frame/image")
 def frame_image(
     request: Request, frame: Frame = Depends(require_device), db: Session = Depends(get_db)
@@ -262,9 +278,14 @@ def frame_image(
     ?manage=1 (the manage button) composites the manage overlay onto
     whatever this would have returned anyway -- see build_manage_content.
     This is also the "normal wake" that resets any calendar widget's
-    browse position back to today (see app/widgets/calendar.py)."""
+    browse position back to today (see app/widgets/calendar.py).
+
+    Also records what's returned as this frame's "now displaying"
+    snapshot (see _record_last_displayed) -- every other device-facing
+    render endpoint below does the same."""
     manage = build_manage_content(db, frame, request) if _manage_flag(request) else None
-    content = _render_frame_content(db, frame, request, manage, is_normal_wake=True)
+    content, snapshot = _render_frame_content(db, frame, request, manage, is_normal_wake=True, capture_snapshot=True)
+    _record_last_displayed(db, frame, snapshot)
     return Response(content=content, media_type="application/octet-stream")
 
 
@@ -277,7 +298,10 @@ def frame_advance(request: Request, frame: Frame = Depends(require_device), db:
     device's next-photo button."""
     _run_button_actions(db, frame, "next")
     manage = build_manage_content(db, frame, request) if _manage_flag(request) else None
-    content = _render_frame_content(db, frame, request=None, manage=manage, is_normal_wake=False)
+    content, snapshot = _render_frame_content(
+        db, frame, request=None, manage=manage, is_normal_wake=False, capture_snapshot=True
+    )
+    _record_last_displayed(db, frame, snapshot)
     return Response(content=content, media_type="application/octet-stream")
 
 
@@ -288,7 +312,10 @@ def frame_back(request: Request, frame: Frame = Depends(require_device), db: Ses
     with nothing to go back to. Used by the device's back-photo button."""
     _run_button_actions(db, frame, "back")
     manage = build_manage_content(db, frame, request) if _manage_flag(request) else None
-    content = _render_frame_content(db, frame, request=None, manage=manage, is_normal_wake=False)
+    content, snapshot = _render_frame_content(
+        db, frame, request=None, manage=manage, is_normal_wake=False, capture_snapshot=True
+    )
+    _record_last_displayed(db, frame, snapshot)
     return Response(content=content, media_type="application/octet-stream")
 
 
@@ -303,7 +330,10 @@ def frame_global_next(request: Request, frame: Frame = Depends(require_device),
     firmware/main/next_button.c for the short/long split."""
     _run_global_action(db, frame, "next")
     manage = build_manage_content(db, frame, request) if _manage_flag(request) else None
-    content = _render_frame_content(db, frame, request=None, manage=manage, is_normal_wake=False)
+    content, snapshot = _render_frame_content(
+        db, frame, request=None, manage=manage, is_normal_wake=False, capture_snapshot=True
+    )
+    _record_last_displayed(db, frame, snapshot)
     return Response(content=content, media_type="application/octet-stream")
 
 
@@ -312,7 +342,10 @@ def frame_global_back(request: Request, frame: Frame = Depends(require_device),
     """The mirror of /frame/global-next, for a held BACK button."""
     _run_global_action(db, frame, "back")
     manage = build_manage_content(db, frame, request) if _manage_flag(request) else None
-    content = _render_frame_content(db, frame, request=None, manage=manage, is_normal_wake=False)
+    content, snapshot = _render_frame_content(
+        db, frame, request=None, manage=manage, is_normal_wake=False, capture_snapshot=True
+    )
+    _record_last_displayed(db, frame, snapshot)
     return Response(content=content, media_type="application/octet-stream")
 
 

server/app/static/frame_header.js

@@ -58,48 +58,31 @@
   });
 })();
 
-// Live "how it's displaying" thumbnail. A real composite render (same
+// Now-displaying / up-next header preview pair. "Up next" is a real
-// pipeline /frame/image uses), not a cached snapshot, so it's on a slow
+// composite render (same pipeline /frame/image uses), not a cached
-// poll rather than something tighter like the 10s device-status poll --
+// snapshot, so it's on a slow poll rather than something tighter like
-// no need to hit Immich/calendar/whiteboard sources that often just for
+// the 10s device-status poll -- no need to hit Immich/calendar/
-// a header thumbnail. Click enlarges it in a dialog (which also fetches
+// whiteboard sources that often just for a header thumbnail, and it
-// a fresh render); clicking the enlarged image refreshes it again.
+// shows layout edits live as they're made. "Now displaying" is the
+// opposite: exactly the bytes last actually sent to the device (see
+// routers/device.py's _record_last_displayed), frozen until the
+// device's next real wake even while the layout is being edited live --
+// that contrast is the point of showing both side by side.
 (function () {
-  var thumb = document.getElementById('frame-preview-thumb');
+  var nextThumb = document.getElementById('frame-preview-thumb');
-  var dialog = document.getElementById('frame-preview-dialog');
+  var nextDialog = document.getElementById('frame-preview-dialog');
-  var bigImg = document.getElementById('frame-preview-dialog-img');
+  var nextBigImg = document.getElementById('frame-preview-dialog-img');
-  var closeBtn = document.getElementById('frame-preview-dialog-close');
+  var nextCloseBtn = document.getElementById('frame-preview-dialog-close');
-  if (!thumb || !window.FRAME_BASE_API) return;
+  var nowThumb = document.getElementById('frame-preview-now-thumb');
+  var nowDialog = document.getElementById('frame-preview-now-dialog');
+  var nowBigImg = document.getElementById('frame-preview-now-dialog-img');
+  var nowCloseBtn = document.getElementById('frame-preview-now-dialog-close');
+  if (!nextThumb || !window.FRAME_BASE_API) return;
 
-  function previewUrl() {
+  // Same backdrop-click-to-close trick as #widget-dialog: a click that
-    return `${window.FRAME_BASE_API}/preview?t=${Date.now()}`;
+  // lands on the dialog element itself (not its content box) means the
-  }
+  // backdrop was hit.
-  function refreshThumb() {
+  function closeOnBackdropClick(dialog) {
-    thumb.src = previewUrl();
-  }
-  // Opening the dialog (or clicking the big image inside it) fetches a
-  // fresh render and keeps the header thumb in sync, so this single path
-  // covers both "enlarge" and the old click-to-refresh behavior.
-  function refreshBig() {
-    var url = previewUrl();
-    bigImg.src = url;
-    thumb.src = url;
-  }
-
-  thumb.addEventListener('click', function () {
-    if (!dialog) { refreshThumb(); return; }
-    refreshBig();
-    dialog.showModal();
-  });
-  refreshThumb();
-  setInterval(refreshThumb, 60000);
-
-  if (dialog && bigImg && closeBtn) {
-    bigImg.addEventListener('click', refreshBig);
-    closeBtn.addEventListener('click', function () { dialog.close(); });
-    // Same backdrop-click-to-close trick as #widget-dialog: a click that
-    // lands on the dialog element itself (not its content box) means the
-    // backdrop was hit.
     dialog.addEventListener('click', function (e) {
       if (e.target !== dialog) return;
       var rect = dialog.getBoundingClientRect();
@@ -107,4 +90,80 @@
       if (!inside) dialog.close();
     });
   }
+
+  function nextUrl() {
+    return `${window.FRAME_BASE_API}/preview?t=${Date.now()}`;
+  }
+  function refreshNext() {
+    nextThumb.src = nextUrl();
+  }
+  // Opening the dialog (or clicking the big image inside it) fetches a
+  // fresh render and keeps the header thumb in sync, so this single path
+  // covers both "enlarge" and the old click-to-refresh behavior.
+  function refreshNextBig() {
+    var url = nextUrl();
+    nextBigImg.src = url;
+    nextThumb.src = url;
+  }
+
+  nextThumb.addEventListener('click', function () {
+    if (!nextDialog) { refreshNext(); return; }
+    refreshNextBig();
+    nextDialog.showModal();
+  });
+  refreshNext();
+  setInterval(refreshNext, 60000);
+
+  if (nextDialog && nextBigImg && nextCloseBtn) {
+    nextBigImg.addEventListener('click', refreshNextBig);
+    nextCloseBtn.addEventListener('click', function () { nextDialog.close(); });
+    closeOnBackdropClick(nextDialog);
+  }
+
+  // "Now displaying" fetches rather than sets .src directly: it needs to
+  // tell a 404 (device hasn't fetched yet) apart from a real image to
+  // show its own empty state instead of a broken-image icon, and reads
+  // the capture time off X-Displayed-At for the "N ago" tooltip.
+  if (nowThumb) {
+    var nowObjectUrl = null;
+    function refreshNow() {
+      fetch(`${window.FRAME_BASE_API}/now-displaying?t=${Date.now()}`)
+        .then(function (resp) {
+          if (!resp.ok) {
+            nowThumb.classList.add('frame-preview-thumb-empty');
+            nowThumb.removeAttribute('src');
+            nowThumb.title = "Now displaying -- hasn't shown anything yet";
+            return null;
+          }
+          var displayedAt = resp.headers.get('X-Displayed-At');
+          nowThumb.title = displayedAt
+            ? `Now displaying -- ${formatDuration(Math.max(0, Date.now() / 1000 - parseFloat(displayedAt)))} ago -- click to enlarge`
+            : 'Now displaying -- click to enlarge';
+          return resp.blob();
+        })
+        .then(function (blob) {
+          if (!blob) return;
+          nowThumb.classList.remove('frame-preview-thumb-empty');
+          var url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
+          var old = nowObjectUrl;
+          nowObjectUrl = url;
+          nowThumb.src = url;
+          if (old) URL.revokeObjectURL(old);
+        })
+        .catch(function () { /* transient failure -- leave the last-known thumb showing */ });
+    }
+
+    nowThumb.addEventListener('click', function () {
+      if (nowThumb.classList.contains('frame-preview-thumb-empty') || !nowDialog) return;
+      nowBigImg.src = nowThumb.src;
+      nowDialog.showModal();
+    });
+    refreshNow();
+    setInterval(refreshNow, 60000);
+
+    if (nowDialog && nowCloseBtn) {
+      nowCloseBtn.addEventListener('click', function () { nowDialog.close(); });
+      closeOnBackdropClick(nowDialog);
+    }
+  }
 })();

server/app/static/theme.css

@@ -719,13 +719,24 @@ code {
 }
 .frame-name-edit button { margin-top: 0; }
 
+.frame-preview-pair {
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 6px;
+  margin-left: 12px;
+  vertical-align: middle;
+}
+.frame-preview-arrow {
+  color: var(--text-muted);
+  font-size: 16px;
+  line-height: 1;
+}
 .frame-preview-thumb {
   height: 44px;
   width: auto;
   max-width: 130px;
   object-fit: contain;
   vertical-align: middle;
-  margin-left: 12px;
   border: 1px solid var(--border);
   border-radius: 4px;
   background: var(--surface-alt);
@@ -733,6 +744,13 @@ code {
   transition: opacity .12s ease;
 }
 .frame-preview-thumb:hover { opacity: 0.8; }
+.frame-preview-thumb-empty {
+  opacity: 0.3;
+  cursor: default;
+  width: 60px;
+  font-size: 0; /* no src yet -- suppresses the browser's fallback alt-text render */
+}
+.frame-preview-thumb-empty:hover { opacity: 0.3; }
 
 .frame-preview-dialog {
   position: fixed;

server/app/templates/_frame_name_edit.html

@@ -7,10 +7,19 @@
   <button type="button" class="btn-inline" id="frame-name-save">Save</button>
   <button type="button" class="btn-inline secondary" id="frame-name-cancel">Cancel</button>
 </span>
-<img id="frame-preview-thumb" class="frame-preview-thumb" alt="Live preview of what the frame is displaying" title="What the frame is currently displaying -- click to enlarge">
+<span class="frame-preview-pair">
+  <img id="frame-preview-now-thumb" class="frame-preview-thumb frame-preview-thumb-empty" alt="What the frame is currently displaying" title="Now displaying">
+  <span class="frame-preview-arrow" aria-hidden="true">&rarr;</span>
+  <img id="frame-preview-thumb" class="frame-preview-thumb" alt="Live preview of what the frame will show next" title="Up next -- live preview, updates as you edit the layout -- click to enlarge">
+</span>
+
+<dialog id="frame-preview-now-dialog" class="frame-preview-dialog">
+  <button type="button" id="frame-preview-now-dialog-close" class="icon-btn" aria-label="Close" title="Close">&times;</button>
+  <img id="frame-preview-now-dialog-img" alt="What the frame is currently displaying">
+</dialog>
 
 <dialog id="frame-preview-dialog" class="frame-preview-dialog">
   <button type="button" id="frame-preview-dialog-close" class="icon-btn" aria-label="Close" title="Close">&times;</button>
-  <img id="frame-preview-dialog-img" alt="Live preview of what the frame is displaying" title="Click to refresh">
+  <img id="frame-preview-dialog-img" alt="Live preview of what the frame will show next" title="Click to refresh">
 </dialog>
 

server/tests/test_migrations.py

@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ def test_expected_columns_exist_on_current_schema():
     button_action_indexes = {idx["name"] for idx in inspector.get_indexes("frame_button_actions")}
     assert "ix_frame_button_actions_widget_button" in button_action_indexes  # migration 28
     assert {"hold_duration_ms", "next_hold_action", "back_hold_action", "last_cycled_layout_id"} <= frame_columns
+    assert {"last_displayed_image", "last_displayed_at"} <= frame_columns  # migration 30
 
 
 # --- widget system backfill (migration 16 + _ensure_widgets_backfilled) ---
@@ -331,6 +332,25 @@ def test_migration_29_adds_hold_action_columns_to_an_existing_database(db_sessio
     assert frame.last_cycled_layout_id is None
 
 
+def test_migration_30_adds_now_displaying_columns_to_an_existing_database(db_session):
+    """Exercises _migration_30's real guarded ALTER path (frames isn't
+    dropped/recreated by the pre-widget-system replay tests, so its
+    columns must be added defensively, same reasoning as migration
+    26/27/29's own comments)."""
+    with db_module.engine.begin() as conn:
+        conn.execute(text("UPDATE schema_version SET version = 29"))
+
+    run_migrations()
+
+    with db_module.engine.connect() as conn:
+        version = conn.execute(text("SELECT version FROM schema_version")).scalar()
+    assert version == MIGRATIONS[-1][0]
+
+    frame = db_session.get(Frame, 1)
+    assert frame.last_displayed_image is None
+    assert frame.last_displayed_at == 0.0
+
+
 def test_migration_17_and_18_extract_tasks_into_a_standalone_multi_list_widget(db_session):
     """Exercises _migration_17 and _migration_18's actual data-extraction
     SQL back to back (the real "existing widget-system database

server/tests/test_now_displaying.py

@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+"""GET /api/frames/{id}/now-displaying -- the frozen half of the header
+preview pair (see routers/device.py's _record_last_displayed). Distinct
+from /preview (test_frame_preview.py): that one always live-renders,
+this one serves back exactly whatever bytes a device-facing endpoint
+last actually sent, recorded as a side effect of /frame/image,
+/frame/advance, and /frame/back."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import io
+
+from PIL import Image
+
+from app.image_pipeline import logical_render_size
+from app.models import Frame
+
+from .conftest import link_user, login, make_user
+
+
+def test_now_displaying_404s_before_any_device_fetch(client, db_session):
+    client.post("/setup", data={"username": "alice", "password": "hunter22"})
+
+    resp = client.get("/api/frames/1/now-displaying")
+    assert resp.status_code == 404
+
+
+def test_frame_image_records_now_displaying(client, db_session):
+    client.post("/setup", data={"username": "alice", "password": "hunter22"})
+    frame = db_session.get(Frame, 1)
+
+    resp = client.get("/frame/image")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+
+    resp = client.get("/api/frames/1/now-displaying")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    assert resp.headers["content-type"] == "image/png"
+    assert "X-Displayed-At" in resp.headers
+    assert float(resp.headers["X-Displayed-At"]) > 0
+
+    img = Image.open(io.BytesIO(resp.content))
+    assert img.size == logical_render_size(frame.orientation)
+
+
+def test_advance_and_back_also_update_now_displaying(client, db_session):
+    client.post("/setup", data={"username": "alice", "password": "hunter22"})
+    db_session.get(Frame, 1)
+
+    client.get("/frame/image")
+    first = client.get("/api/frames/1/now-displaying")
+    assert first.status_code == 200
+
+    resp = client.post("/frame/advance")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    after_advance = client.get("/api/frames/1/now-displaying")
+    assert after_advance.status_code == 200
+
+    resp = client.post("/frame/back")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    after_back = client.get("/api/frames/1/now-displaying")
+    assert after_back.status_code == 200
+    assert float(after_back.headers["X-Displayed-At"]) >= float(first.headers["X-Displayed-At"])
+
+
+def test_now_displaying_visible_to_linked_user(client, db_session):
+    client.post("/setup", data={"username": "alice", "password": "hunter22"})
+    bob = make_user(db_session, "bob")
+    frame = db_session.get(Frame, 1)
+    link_user(db_session, bob, frame)
+    client.get("/frame/image")
+
+    client.cookies.clear()
+    login(client, "bob")
+    resp = client.get("/api/frames/1/now-displaying")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+
+
+def test_now_displaying_hidden_from_unrelated_user(client, db_session):
+    client.post("/setup", data={"username": "alice", "password": "hunter22"})
+    make_user(db_session, "mallory")
+    client.get("/frame/image")
+
+    client.cookies.clear()
+    login(client, "mallory")
+    resp = client.get("/api/frames/1/now-displaying")
+    assert resp.status_code == 404
+
+
+def test_now_displaying_requires_login(client, db_session):
+    client.post("/setup", data={"username": "alice", "password": "hunter22"})
+    client.get("/frame/image")
+
+    client.cookies.clear()
+    resp = client.get("/api/frames/1/now-displaying")
+    assert resp.status_code in (401, 403)