diff --git a/mobile/src/files/mobile-diff-image-preview.test.ts b/mobile/src/files/mobile-diff-image-preview.test.ts
index 7a705112c32..3301e22d183 100644
--- a/mobile/src/files/mobile-diff-image-preview.test.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/files/mobile-diff-image-preview.test.ts
@@ -26,18 +26,37 @@ describe('mobileDiffImageDataUri', () => {
     ).toBe('data:image/png;base64,bmV3')
   })
 
-  it('falls back to the original bytes for a deleted image', () => {
+  it('falls back to the original bytes for a deleted image (modified side absent)', () => {
     expect(
       mobileDiffImageDataUri({
         kind: 'binary',
         originalContent: 'b2xk',
+        originalIsBinary: true,
         modifiedContent: '',
+        modifiedIsBinary: false,
         isImage: true,
         mimeType: 'image/jpeg'
       })
     ).toBe('data:image/jpeg;base64,b2xk')
   })
 
+  // Guards the SSH/relay + >size-cap case: the modified side IS a binary image but
+  // its bytes arrive empty. Falling back to the original would render the stale
+  // pre-change image; "unavailable" is the honest result.
+  it('returns null for a modify whose binary modified side is empty (no stale fallback)', () => {
+    expect(
+      mobileDiffImageDataUri({
+        kind: 'binary',
+        originalContent: 'b2xk',
+        originalIsBinary: true,
+        modifiedContent: '',
+        modifiedIsBinary: true,
+        isImage: true,
+        mimeType: 'image/png'
+      })
+    ).toBeNull()
+  })
+
   it('returns null for a non-previewable binary (no isImage/mimeType)', () => {
     expect(
       mobileDiffImageDataUri({
@@ -59,4 +78,27 @@ describe('mobileDiffImageDataUri', () => {
       })
     ).toBeNull()
   })
+
+  it('returns null for application/pdf even when flagged as previewable', () => {
+    expect(
+      mobileDiffImageDataUri({
+        kind: 'binary',
+        originalContent: '',
+        modifiedContent: 'JVBER',
+        isImage: true,
+        mimeType: 'application/pdf'
+      })
+    ).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('returns null when flagged as image but mimeType is missing', () => {
+    expect(
+      mobileDiffImageDataUri({
+        kind: 'binary',
+        originalContent: '',
+        modifiedContent: 'bmV3',
+        isImage: true
+      })
+    ).toBeNull()
+  })
 })
diff --git a/mobile/src/files/mobile-diff-image-preview.ts b/mobile/src/files/mobile-diff-image-preview.ts
index 745cb513a2c..bb5908d7fca 100644
--- a/mobile/src/files/mobile-diff-image-preview.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/files/mobile-diff-image-preview.ts
@@ -2,21 +2,35 @@ import { buildImageDataUri } from '../../../src/shared/image-data-uri'
 
 // A git.diff result for a binary file. The host (git.diff) already sends base64
 // image bytes plus isImage/mimeType for previewable formats, so mobile can render
-// image diffs instead of falling back to "Binary preview unavailable".
+// image diffs instead of falling back to "Binary preview unavailable". The
+// originalIsBinary/modifiedIsBinary flags tell a deletion (modified side absent)
+// apart from a modify whose bytes the host couldn't inline (relay/size-capped).
 export type MobileBinaryDiffResult = {
   kind: 'binary'
   originalContent?: string
   modifiedContent?: string
+  originalIsBinary?: boolean
+  modifiedIsBinary?: boolean
   isImage?: boolean
   mimeType?: string
 }
 
 // Builds a data URI for a binary image diff, preferring the modified (post-change)
-// bytes and falling back to the original for deletions. Returns null for
-// non-previewable binaries, which stay "Binary preview unavailable".
+// bytes. Only falls back to the original for a genuine deletion — when the modified
+// side is absent (not binary). Returns null for non-previewable binaries and when
+// the modified side IS a binary image but arrives empty (e.g. a relay working-tree
+// read or a >size-cap file), since showing the pre-change image there would be
+// silently stale rather than the current content.
 export function mobileDiffImageDataUri(result: MobileBinaryDiffResult): string | null {
   if (result.isImage !== true) {
     return null
   }
-  return buildImageDataUri(result.mimeType, result.modifiedContent || result.originalContent || '')
+  const modified = result.modifiedContent || ''
+  if (modified) {
+    return buildImageDataUri(result.mimeType, modified)
+  }
+  if (result.modifiedIsBinary === true) {
+    return null
+  }
+  return buildImageDataUri(result.mimeType, result.originalContent || '')
 }
diff --git a/mobile/src/files/mobile-file-tab-doc.test.ts b/mobile/src/files/mobile-file-tab-doc.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a9570e6cf44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mobile/src/files/mobile-file-tab-doc.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import type { RpcResponse } from '../transport/types'
+import { resolveMobileFileTabDoc } from './mobile-file-tab-doc'
+
+function ok(result: unknown): RpcResponse {
+  return { id: 'x', ok: true, result, _meta: { runtimeId: 'r' } }
+}
+
+function fail(code: string, message: string): RpcResponse {
+  return { id: 'x', ok: false, error: { code, message }, _meta: { runtimeId: 'r' } }
+}
+
+// Fake client that returns a canned response per RPC method.
+function clientOf(byMethod: Record<string, RpcResponse>): {
+  sendRequest: (method: string) => Promise<RpcResponse>
+  calls: string[]
+} {
+  const calls: string[] = []
+  return {
+    calls,
+    sendRequest: (method: string) => {
+      calls.push(method)
+      const response = byMethod[method]
+      if (!response) {
+        throw new Error(`unexpected method ${method}`)
+      }
+      return Promise.resolve(response)
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+const WT = { worktreeId: 'wt1' }
+
+describe('resolveMobileFileTabDoc', () => {
+  it('renders a staged text diff', async () => {
+    const client = clientOf({
+      'git.diff': ok({ kind: 'text', originalContent: 'a\n', modifiedContent: 'a\nb\n' })
+    })
+    const doc = await resolveMobileFileTabDoc(client, {
+      ...WT,
+      relativePath: 'a.ts',
+      diffSource: 'staged'
+    })
+    expect(doc.kind).toBe('diff')
+    expect(client.calls).toEqual(['git.diff'])
+  })
+
+  it('renders an unstaged image diff from the modified bytes', async () => {
+    const client = clientOf({
+      'git.diff': ok({
+        kind: 'binary',
+        originalContent: 'b2xk',
+        modifiedContent: 'bmV3',
+        modifiedIsBinary: true,
+        isImage: true,
+        mimeType: 'image/png'
+      })
+    })
+    const doc = await resolveMobileFileTabDoc(client, {
+      ...WT,
+      relativePath: 'm1.png',
+      diffSource: 'unstaged'
+    })
+    expect(doc).toEqual({ status: 'ready', kind: 'image', dataUri: 'data:image/png;base64,bmV3' })
+  })
+
+  it('throws binary_file for an image modify whose bytes are empty (no stale fallback)', async () => {
+    const client = clientOf({
+      'git.diff': ok({
+        kind: 'binary',
+        originalContent: 'b2xk',
+        modifiedContent: '',
+        modifiedIsBinary: true,
+        isImage: true,
+        mimeType: 'image/png'
+      })
+    })
+    await expect(
+      resolveMobileFileTabDoc(client, { ...WT, relativePath: 'm1.png', diffSource: 'unstaged' })
+    ).rejects.toThrow('binary_file')
+  })
+
+  it('throws binary_file for a non-image binary diff', async () => {
+    const client = clientOf({ 'git.diff': ok({ kind: 'binary', modifiedContent: 'AAAA' }) })
+    await expect(
+      resolveMobileFileTabDoc(client, { ...WT, relativePath: 'a.bin', diffSource: 'unstaged' })
+    ).rejects.toThrow('binary_file')
+  })
+
+  it('renders a live image preview via files.readPreview', async () => {
+    const client = clientOf({
+      'files.readPreview': ok({ content: 'bmV3', isImage: true, mimeType: 'image/png' })
+    })
+    const doc = await resolveMobileFileTabDoc(client, { ...WT, relativePath: 'logo.png' })
+    expect(doc).toEqual({ status: 'ready', kind: 'image', dataUri: 'data:image/png;base64,bmV3' })
+    expect(client.calls).toEqual(['files.readPreview'])
+  })
+
+  it('throws binary_file when readPreview returns no image bytes', async () => {
+    const client = clientOf({
+      'files.readPreview': ok({ content: '', isImage: true, mimeType: 'image/png' })
+    })
+    await expect(
+      resolveMobileFileTabDoc(client, { ...WT, relativePath: 'logo.png' })
+    ).rejects.toThrow('binary_file')
+  })
+
+  it('renders html source via files.read', async () => {
+    const client = clientOf({
+      'files.read': ok({ content: '<h1>hi</h1>', truncated: false, byteLength: 11 })
+    })
+    const doc = await resolveMobileFileTabDoc(client, { ...WT, relativePath: 'page.html' })
+    expect(doc).toEqual({ status: 'ready', kind: 'html', content: '<h1>hi</h1>' })
+  })
+
+  it('renders a plain text file via files.read', async () => {
+    const client = clientOf({
+      'files.read': ok({ content: 'hello', truncated: true, byteLength: 5 })
+    })
+    const doc = await resolveMobileFileTabDoc(client, { ...WT, relativePath: 'notes.txt' })
+    expect(doc).toEqual({
+      status: 'ready',
+      kind: 'file',
+      content: 'hello',
+      truncated: true,
+      byteLength: 5
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('propagates the RPC error message when a read fails', async () => {
+    const client = clientOf({ 'files.read': fail('EIO', 'file_too_large') })
+    await expect(
+      resolveMobileFileTabDoc(client, { ...WT, relativePath: 'notes.txt' })
+    ).rejects.toThrow('file_too_large')
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/relay/git-working-file-read.test.ts b/src/relay/git-working-file-read.test.ts
index b4f8e3e6f7f..d4184775d19 100644
--- a/src/relay/git-working-file-read.test.ts
+++ b/src/relay/git-working-file-read.test.ts
@@ -35,4 +35,16 @@ describe('readWorkingDiffFile', () => {
       isBinary: true
     })
   })
+
+  it('base64-encodes a previewable image by its extension', async () => {
+    tmpDir = await mkdtemp(path.join(tmpdir(), 'relay-working-file-'))
+    const filePath = path.join(tmpDir, 'icon.png')
+    const pngBytes = Buffer.from([0x89, 0x50, 0x4e, 0x47, 0x0d, 0x0a, 0x1a, 0x0a, 0x00, 0x01])
+    await writeFile(filePath, pngBytes)
+
+    await expect(readWorkingDiffFile(filePath)).resolves.toEqual({
+      content: pngBytes.toString('base64'),
+      isBinary: true
+    })
+  })
 })
diff --git a/src/relay/git-working-file-read.ts b/src/relay/git-working-file-read.ts
index 2c7db8e9778..d2228dd04fe 100644
--- a/src/relay/git-working-file-read.ts
+++ b/src/relay/git-working-file-read.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,9 @@ export async function readWorkingDiffFile(
       return { content: '', isBinary: true }
     }
     const buffer = await readFile(absPath)
-    return bufferToBlob(buffer)
+    // Why: bufferToBlob needs the path's extension to know an image is
+    // previewable; omitting it made every relay-side binary diff empty.
+    return bufferToBlob(buffer, absPath)
   } catch {
     return { content: '', isBinary: false }
   }