diff --git a/tests/browser/workspace-images.spec.mjs b/tests/browser/workspace-images.spec.mjs
index 4aec524..5727a80 100644
--- a/tests/browser/workspace-images.spec.mjs
+++ b/tests/browser/workspace-images.spec.mjs
@@ -483,6 +483,30 @@ test('collection viewer leaving an image Viewer.js has not built yet releases it
     await page.evaluate(()=>{location.hash='/overview';});await expect(page.locator('.viewer-container,#viewer-dialog')).toHaveCount(0);
 });
 
+test('collection viewer closed while its image finishes loading never builds Viewer.js afterwards',async({page})=>{
+    await page.goto(workspace);await expect(cards(page)).toHaveCount(2);
+    let held;const waiting=new Promise(resolve=>{held=resolve;});
+    // The image is held for the whole test: its late load is delivered below, at the moment Viewer.js cannot cancel.
+    await page.route('**/images/serve/shared/same.png?*',async route=>{
+        const url=new URL(route.request().url());
+        if(url.searchParams.get('root')==='0'&&url.searchParams.has('_pm_viewer')) {held();return;}
+        await route.continue().catch(()=>{});
+    });
+    await cards(page).first().getByRole('button',{name:'Open same.png',exact:true}).click();await waiting;
+    const preview=page.locator('dialog#viewer-dialog');
+    // Viewer.js's own cancel removes its image listeners only while `image.complete` is false. An image that has
+    // finished downloading but whose load event is still queued is already complete: close in that state, then deliver it.
+    await page.evaluate(()=>{window.finishingImage=document.querySelector('#viewer-stage > img');Object.defineProperty(window.finishingImage,'complete',{get:()=>true});});
+    await page.keyboard.press('Escape');await expect(preview).toHaveCount(0);
+    const after=await page.evaluate(async()=>{
+        const image=window.finishingImage;image.dispatchEvent(new Event('load'));
+        // Viewer.js builds an inline viewer in a zero-delay timeout after its image loads; this runs after it.
+        await new Promise(resolve=>setTimeout(resolve));
+        return {src:image.hasAttribute('src'),built:!!image.parentNode?.querySelector('.viewer-container')};
+    });
+    expect(after).toEqual({src:false,built:false});
+});
+
 test('collection viewer describes video transforms and releases native playback on navigation',async({page,request})=>{
     await expect(await request.post('/__test__/reset',{data:{include_video:true}})).toBeOK();await page.goto(workspace);
     await page.locator('article[data-image-key="0:clip.webm"] .image-open').click();
diff --git a/tests/js/workspace-media-viewer.test.js b/tests/js/workspace-media-viewer.test.js
index efa7d2e..d375903 100644
--- a/tests/js/workspace-media-viewer.test.js
+++ b/tests/js/workspace-media-viewer.test.js
@@ -124,23 +124,32 @@ test('real inspection navigation preserves slideshow across two advances and def
     } finally {view.dispose();controller.dispose();parentScope.dispose();globalThis.setTimeout=oldSetTimeout;globalThis.clearTimeout=oldClearTimeout;f.restore();}
 });
 
-test('an inline Viewer not yet built is destroyed and its image released at once', async () => {
+test('Viewer.js is built only on a loaded image and an unbuilt viewer is released at once', async () => {
     const {reportedLocationAdapter:adapter} = await import('../../web/js/workspace/history-media.mjs');
     const f = mountedDom(), parentScope = createScope(), controller = borrowedController(), items = [occurrenceMedia('1',1,'c'),occurrenceMedia('2',0,'d')];
     const instances = [];
-    // Viewer.js builds an inline viewer only once its image loads; until then `ready` is false and destroy() cancels it.
+    // On a loaded image Viewer.js schedules its inline build; until it runs `ready` is false and destroy() cancels it.
     f.win.Viewer = class { constructor(node,options) { this.node = node; this.options = options; this.destroyed = 0; this.ready = false; this.viewed = false; instances.push(this); }
         destroy() { this.destroyed++; } resize() {} };
     const globals = {ResizeObserver:globalThis.ResizeObserver, requestAnimationFrame:globalThis.requestAnimationFrame, cancelAnimationFrame:globalThis.cancelAnimationFrame};
     Object.assign(globalThis, {ResizeObserver:class { observe() {} disconnect() {} }, requestAnimationFrame:() => 1, cancelAnimationFrame() {}});
     const view = module.createMediaViewer({container:f.container,parentScope,inspectionController:controller,adapter,sender:{open(){}}});
     try {
-        view.open({items,selectedKey:'c'.repeat(64)});
+        const stageImage = () => f.walk(f.container,n => n.tagName === 'img')[0];
+        view.open({items,selectedKey:'d'.repeat(64)});
+        // Viewer.js's own cancel misses an image whose load event is still queued, so none exists before the load.
+        const unloaded = stageImage(), dropped = [];unloaded.removeAttribute = key => dropped.push(key);
+        assert.equal(instances.length, 0, 'no Viewer.js before the image loads');
+        f.walk(f.container,n => n.attributes['aria-label'] === 'Previous media')[0].fire('click');
+        assert.deepEqual(dropped, ['src'], 'an image left before it loads is released at once');
+        unloaded.fire('load');
+        assert.equal(instances.length, 0, 'its late load builds no Viewer.js');
+        stageImage().fire('load');
         const [loading] = instances, image = loading.node, removed = [];
         image.removeAttribute = key => removed.push(key);
-        // Next drops the still-loading image from the stage; a deferred destroy would let its late load build there.
+        // Next drops the image whose build is pending; a deferred destroy would let that build run there.
         f.walk(f.container,n => n.attributes['aria-label'] === 'Next media')[0].fire('click');
-        assert.equal(instances.length, 2, 'Next builds the next image');
+        stageImage().fire('load');assert.equal(instances.length, 2, 'the next image builds its own Viewer.js once loaded');
         assert.equal(loading.destroyed, 1, 'an unbuilt viewer is destroyed at once');
         assert.deepEqual(removed, ['src'], 'and its image is released at once');
         loading.options.viewed.call(loading);
@@ -159,7 +168,7 @@ test('an inline Viewer still loading its image is destroyed only after it has vi
     Object.assign(globalThis, {ResizeObserver:class { observe() {} disconnect() {} }, requestAnimationFrame:() => 1, cancelAnimationFrame() {}});
     const view = module.createMediaViewer({container:f.container,parentScope,inspectionController:controller,adapter,sender:{open(){}}});
     try {
-        view.open({items,selectedKey:'c'.repeat(64)});
+        view.open({items,selectedKey:'c'.repeat(64)});f.walk(f.container,n => n.tagName === 'img')[0].fire('load');
         const [loading] = instances, image = loading.node, removed = [];
         image.removeAttribute = key => removed.push(key);
         f.walk(f.container,n => n.attributes['aria-label'] === 'Close image viewer')[0].fire('click');
@@ -172,7 +181,7 @@ test('an inline Viewer still loading its image is destroyed only after it has vi
         loading.options.viewed.call(loading);
         assert.equal(loading.destroyed, 1, 'never destroyed twice');
 
-        view.open({items,selectedKey:'c'.repeat(64)});
+        view.open({items,selectedKey:'c'.repeat(64)});f.walk(f.container,n => n.tagName === 'img')[0].fire('load');
         const shown = instances[1]; shown.viewed = true; shown.options.viewed.call(shown);
         f.walk(f.container,n => n.attributes['aria-label'] === 'Close image viewer')[0].fire('click');
         assert.equal(shown.destroyed, 1, 'a viewed image is destroyed at once');
@@ -260,7 +269,7 @@ test('viewer uses adapter.mediaUrl for image and video', async () => {
         const img = f.walk(f.container,n => n.tagName === 'img')[0];
         assert.equal(img.src, image.url, 'the blob URL is used exactly');
         assert.doesNotMatch(img.src, /\?/);
-        assert.equal(instances[0].node, img, 'Viewer.js shows the blob image');
+        img.fire('load');assert.equal(instances[0].node, img, 'Viewer.js shows the blob image');
         const download = f.walk(f.container,n => n.attributes['aria-label'] === 'Download original')[0];
         assert.equal(download.href, image.url);assert.equal(download.download, 'a.png');
         f.walk(f.container,n => n.attributes['aria-label'] === 'Next media')[0].fire('click');
diff --git a/web/js/workspace/media-viewer.mjs b/web/js/workspace/media-viewer.mjs
index 4e58f9e..a0a1ccf 100644
--- a/web/js/workspace/media-viewer.mjs
+++ b/web/js/workspace/media-viewer.mjs
@@ -151,6 +151,14 @@ export function createMediaViewer({api,container,parentScope,inspectionControlle
             }
             node.src = src;stage.append(node);
             if (!selected.is_video && window.Viewer) {
+                // Viewer.js is built on an image that has loaded. Its own cancel removes its image listeners only
+                // while `image.complete` is false, so an image left with its load event still queued would build a
+                // viewer into the released image after destroy() (#293). Until then no viewer exists to cancel.
+                let mountedViewer = false;
+                mediaLocal.listen(node,'load',() => { if (current()) { mountedViewer = true;mountViewer(); } },{once:true});
+                mediaLocal.cleanup(() => { if (!mountedViewer) node.removeAttribute('src'); });
+            }
+            function mountViewer() {
                 let fitFrame = 0, fitWidth, fitHeight, viewSettled = false, released = false, fallback = 0;
                 const release = () => {
                     if (released) return;
@@ -176,8 +184,8 @@ export function createMediaViewer({api,container,parentScope,inspectionControlle
                 const observer = new ResizeObserver(scheduleFit);observer.observe(stage);
                 viewer = instance;mediaLocal.cleanup(() => {
                     observer.disconnect();cancelAnimationFrame(fitFrame);
-                    // Before Viewer.js has built (its image still loading), destroy() cancels the pending build;
-                    // deferring it would let the late load build into the image the stage has just dropped.
+                    // Before Viewer.js has built (its zero-delay build is pending), destroy() cancels that build;
+                    // deferring it would let the build run into the image the stage has just dropped.
                     // Once built, inline Viewer.js keeps viewing a still-loading image after destroy(), and that
                     // view rebuilds its list from images that still have a src; keep both until the view settles,
                     // fails or times out.
@@ -190,7 +198,7 @@ export function createMediaViewer({api,container,parentScope,inspectionControlle
         }
         function updateControls(state) {
             const unavailable = inspectionState.refreshRequired ? inspectionState.message : state.phase === 'error' ? 'Media could not be loaded. Retry this file.' : entry.is_video ?
-                'Image transforms are unavailable for video.' : !viewer ?
+                'Image transforms are unavailable for video.' : !window.Viewer ?
                 'Image transforms are unavailable because Viewer.js could not load.' : !state.mediaReady ? 'Image transforms are available when the image is ready.' : '';
             reason.textContent = unavailable;reason.hidden = !unavailable;
             for (const node of transforms) {