diff --git a/apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session.go b/apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session.go
index 0f096385b3..fb89a7f757 100644
--- a/apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session.go
+++ b/apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session.go
@@ -32,6 +32,16 @@ const (
 	pendingDispatchedPromptWaitTimeout = 10 * time.Second
 )
 
+// ErrSteerNotDispatched reports that a steer found no active prompt generation
+// to reuse. The orchestrator must run the ordinary prompt admission path when
+// it receives this result because a new turn may have become promptable.
+var ErrSteerNotDispatched = errors.New("steer was not dispatched")
+
+// ErrSteerAttachmentMaterialization wraps an attachment delivery failure that
+// happened before agentctl accepted the steer. The orchestrator uses this
+// identity to release the steer slot and retry a queued successor drain.
+var ErrSteerAttachmentMaterialization = errors.New("steer attachment materialization failed")
+
 // PendingDispatchedPromptTimeoutError reports that a successor prompt could
 // not observe completion of an earlier dispatch-only prompt within the
 // bounded admission interval. The pending gate remains set so cancellation
@@ -1243,8 +1253,9 @@ func (sm *SessionManager) markPromptDispatched(execution *AgentExecution, genera
 //
 // Delivery is opportunistic: with no live turn to fold into (idle, a turn that
 // was admitted but not yet dispatched, one that already completed, or a
-// disconnected stream) there is nothing to steer, so it falls back to an
-// ordinary prompt delivered in submission order rather than dropping the message.
+// disconnected stream) there is nothing to steer. The orchestrator receives
+// ErrSteerNotDispatched and re-enters ordinary prompt admission in submission
+// order rather than sending around the queue.
 func (sm *SessionManager) SendPromptSteerWithDispatchCallback(
 	ctx context.Context,
 	execution *AgentExecution,
@@ -1263,21 +1274,32 @@ func (sm *SessionManager) SendPromptSteerWithDispatchCallback(
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("execution %q is not ready for prompts (status: %s)", execution.ID, execution.Status)
 	}
 
-	steered, err := sm.tryDispatchSteer(ctx, execution, prompt, attachments)
+	// Avoid an upload when there is no generation to steer into. This is only an
+	// optimization; the lock-guarded dispatch below remains authoritative for
+	// the race where the active generation completes during materialization.
+	if sm.activePromptGeneration(execution) == 0 {
+		return nil, ErrSteerNotDispatched
+	}
+
+	// Resolve claimed descriptors before the steer takes promptLifecycleMu.
+	// Materialization streams file bytes to agentctl and dispatchSteerLocked holds
+	// that lock under a bounded timeout, so uploading inside it would let a large
+	// attachment block the lifecycle lock for the length of a network write.
+	//
+	// A failure here returns instead of falling back: the ordinary prompt route
+	// would carry the same unresolved descriptor, and the agent would receive a
+	// reference to bytes that are absent from the session.
+	materialized, err := sm.materializeAttachments(ctx, execution, attachments)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %w", ErrSteerAttachmentMaterialization, err)
+	}
+
+	steered, err := sm.tryDispatchSteer(ctx, execution, prompt, materialized)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	if !steered {
-		return sm.sendPrompt(
-			ctx,
-			execution,
-			prompt,
-			validateStatus,
-			attachments,
-			dispatchOnly,
-			sendPromptCallbacks{onDispatched: onDispatched},
-			false,
-		)
+		return nil, ErrSteerNotDispatched
 	}
 	if onDispatched != nil {
 		onDispatched()
@@ -1293,8 +1315,8 @@ func (sm *SessionManager) SendPromptSteerWithDispatchCallback(
 // round-trip (agentctl acks before it runs the prompt), but sendStreamRequest has
 // no deadline of its own, so a half-open connection could otherwise pin the lock
 // — wedging this execution's completion claims and new prompts — until the stream
-// tears down. A timeout lands on the error path, which is send-safe under the
-// no-resend fallback. Exposed as a var so tests can shorten it.
+// tears down. A timeout lands on the error path without retrying the steer.
+// Exposed as a var so tests can shorten it.
 var steerDispatchTimeout = 5 * time.Second
 
 // tryDispatchSteer selects the active dispatched generation and issues the steer
@@ -1313,7 +1335,8 @@ var steerDispatchTimeout = 5 * time.Second
 // stalled connection, and the history append is done after the lock is released.
 //
 // Returns (false, nil) when there is nothing to steer into — no live generation,
-// or the stream is not connected — so the caller degrades to an ordinary prompt.
+// or the stream is not connected — so the orchestrator can admit an ordinary
+// prompt.
 // It deliberately uses the single fast RPC, not dispatchPrompt's reconnect path:
 // a disconnected stream means there is no live turn to fold into, and reconnect
 // can block for seconds, which must not run under the lifecycle lock.
@@ -1371,9 +1394,8 @@ func (sm *SessionManager) dispatchSteerLocked(
 }
 
 // recordSteerActivity mirrors the ordinary prompt path's history append and
-// activity-timestamp bump for a steer that actually dispatched. Kept off the
-// fallback path so a steer that degrades to an ordinary prompt is not recorded
-// twice.
+// activity-timestamp bump for a steer that actually dispatched. A no-dispatch
+// result never reaches this method, so ordinary fallback is not recorded twice.
 //
 // Deliberately does not touch agentEventSincePrompt: a steer is user input
 // injected into an already-running turn, not agent output, so it must not
diff --git a/apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session_steer_test.go b/apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session_steer_test.go
index b8556d7ec7..cf42724ef9 100644
--- a/apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session_steer_test.go
+++ b/apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session_steer_test.go
@@ -2,12 +2,16 @@ package lifecycle
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"io"
+	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
 	agentctl "github.com/kandev/kandev/internal/agent/runtime/agentctl"
 	"github.com/kandev/kandev/internal/agentctl/types/streams"
+	v1 "github.com/kandev/kandev/pkg/api/v1"
 	ws "github.com/kandev/kandev/pkg/websocket"
 )
 
@@ -15,8 +19,8 @@ import (
 // (SessionManager.SendPromptSteerWithDispatchCallback). The invariant under test:
 // a steer reuses the *active dispatched* prompt generation and never serializes
 // behind it — so the operator's input reaches the still-generating turn — while
-// a steer with no live turn (idle, pre-dispatch, or already-completed) degrades
-// to an ordinary prompt delivered in submission order.
+// a steer with no live turn (idle, pre-dispatch, or already-completed) returns a
+// no-dispatch result for ordinary admission to handle in submission order.
 
 type capturedPrompt struct {
 	text       string
@@ -24,6 +28,31 @@ type capturedPrompt struct {
 	steer      bool
 }
 
+type blockingAttachmentReader struct {
+	started chan struct{}
+	release chan struct{}
+	once    sync.Once
+}
+
+func (r *blockingAttachmentReader) OpenClaimed(context.Context, string, string, string) (io.ReadCloser, string, string, int64, error) {
+	return &blockingAttachmentReadCloser{reader: r, data: strings.NewReader("attachment bytes")}, "bundle.zip", "application/zip", 16, nil
+}
+
+type blockingAttachmentReadCloser struct {
+	reader *blockingAttachmentReader
+	data   *strings.Reader
+}
+
+func (r *blockingAttachmentReadCloser) Read(p []byte) (int, error) {
+	r.reader.once.Do(func() { close(r.reader.started) })
+	<-r.reader.release
+	return r.data.Read(p)
+}
+
+func (r *blockingAttachmentReadCloser) Close() error {
+	return nil
+}
+
 // promptProbe captures every agent.prompt frame the mock receives so a test can
 // assert the wire-level generation and steer flag.
 type promptProbe struct {
@@ -83,6 +112,7 @@ type steerHarness struct {
 	mgr   *Manager
 	exec  *AgentExecution
 	probe *promptProbe
+	mock  *mockAgentServer
 	ctx   context.Context
 }
 
@@ -106,10 +136,15 @@ func newSteerHarness(t *testing.T) *steerHarness {
 
 	exec := createTestExecution("exec-steer", "task-steer", "session-steer")
 	exec.agentctl = client
+	// Attachment materialization is addressed to the ACP session and refuses to
+	// run without one, so every steer harness carries a session identity and a
+	// reader even when the test under it sends no attachments.
+	exec.ACPSessionID = "acp-session-steer"
+	mgr.sessionManager.SetAttachmentReader(testAttachmentReader{})
 	if err := mgr.executionStore.Add(exec); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("add execution: %v", err)
 	}
-	return &steerHarness{mgr: mgr, exec: exec, probe: probe, ctx: ctx}
+	return &steerHarness{mgr: mgr, exec: exec, probe: probe, mock: mock, ctx: ctx}
 }
 
 // startForegroundTurn dispatches an ordinary prompt and blocks it in flight
@@ -206,9 +241,9 @@ func TestSendPromptSteer_ReusesActiveGenerationWithoutBlocking(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestSendPromptSteer_FallsBackWhenNoTurnInFlight proves an idle steer-capable
-// session degrades to an ordinary prompt (a new generation, steer=false).
-func TestSendPromptSteer_FallsBackWhenNoTurnInFlight(t *testing.T) {
+// TestSendPromptSteer_ReturnsNotDispatchedWhenNoTurnInFlight proves an idle
+// steer-capable session leaves ordinary prompt admission to the orchestrator.
+func TestSendPromptSteer_ReturnsNotDispatchedWhenNoTurnInFlight(t *testing.T) {
 	h := newSteerHarness(t)
 
 	if got := h.mgr.executionStore.ActivePromptGeneration(h.exec.ID); got != 0 {
@@ -218,25 +253,20 @@ func TestSendPromptSteer_FallsBackWhenNoTurnInFlight(t *testing.T) {
 	res, err := h.mgr.sessionManager.SendPromptSteerWithDispatchCallback(
 		h.ctx, h.exec, "no turn yet", false, nil, true, nil,
 	)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("steer fallback errored: %v", err)
+	if !errors.Is(err, ErrSteerNotDispatched) {
+		t.Fatalf("steer result = %+v, error = %v, want ErrSteerNotDispatched", res, err)
 	}
-	if res == nil || res.StopReason != PromptStopReasonDispatched {
-		t.Fatalf("steer fallback result = %+v, want dispatched", res)
-	}
-	sp := h.probe.next(t)
-	if sp.steer {
-		t.Fatal("fallback prompt must not carry steer=true")
-	}
-	if sp.generation != 1 {
-		t.Fatalf("fallback generation = %d, want 1 (a fresh ordinary prompt)", sp.generation)
+	select {
+	case frame := <-h.probe.ch:
+		t.Fatalf("idle steer dispatched a prompt outside ordinary admission: %+v", frame)
+	case <-time.After(200 * time.Millisecond):
 	}
 }
 
-// TestSendPromptSteer_FallsBackAfterPredecessorCompleted proves a steer that
-// arrives after the foreground turn already finished does not attach to that
-// dead generation; it runs as a fresh ordinary prompt.
-func TestSendPromptSteer_FallsBackAfterPredecessorCompleted(t *testing.T) {
+// TestSendPromptSteer_ReturnsNotDispatchedAfterPredecessorCompleted proves a
+// steer that arrives after the foreground turn already finished does not attach
+// to that dead generation or dispatch around ordinary admission.
+func TestSendPromptSteer_ReturnsNotDispatchedAfterPredecessorCompleted(t *testing.T) {
 	h := newSteerHarness(t)
 	firstDone := h.startForegroundTurn(t, 1)
 
@@ -257,33 +287,26 @@ func TestSendPromptSteer_FallsBackAfterPredecessorCompleted(t *testing.T) {
 	res, err := h.mgr.sessionManager.SendPromptSteerWithDispatchCallback(
 		h.ctx, h.exec, "after done", false, nil, true, nil,
 	)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("steer-after-completion errored: %v", err)
+	if !errors.Is(err, ErrSteerNotDispatched) {
+		t.Fatalf("steer result = %+v, error = %v, want ErrSteerNotDispatched", res, err)
 	}
-	if res == nil || res.StopReason != PromptStopReasonDispatched {
-		t.Fatalf("steer-after-completion result = %+v, want dispatched", res)
-	}
-	sp := h.probe.next(t)
-	if sp.steer {
-		t.Fatal("post-completion steer must fall back to an ordinary prompt (steer=false)")
-	}
-	if sp.generation != 2 {
-		t.Fatalf("post-completion fallback generation = %d, want 2", sp.generation)
+	select {
+	case frame := <-h.probe.ch:
+		t.Fatalf("post-completion steer dispatched around ordinary admission: %+v", frame)
+	case <-time.After(200 * time.Millisecond):
 	}
 }
 
 // TestSendPromptSteer_DoesNotOvertakeAdmittedButUndispatchedTurn proves the
 // pre-dispatch race is closed with a real predecessor: while a genuine prompt is
 // pinned in the admitted-but-undispatched window (generation begun, prompt not
-// yet sent), a racing steer must not bind to it or overtake it. The steer falls
-// back to an ordinary prompt that serializes behind the predecessor, so the wire
-// order is predecessor-then-steer, both ordinary, with no steer frame at all.
+// yet sent), a racing steer must not bind to it or overtake it. The lifecycle
+// path returns without sending; the orchestrator owns the ordinary fallback.
 func TestSendPromptSteer_DoesNotOvertakeAdmittedButUndispatchedTurn(t *testing.T) {
 	h := newSteerHarness(t)
 
 	// Pin the first (predecessor) sendPrompt in the window between BeginPrompt and
-	// dispatch. Only the first call blocks; the steer's own fallback sendPrompt
-	// (the second) runs unhindered.
+	// dispatch.
 	var once sync.Once
 	predecessorPinned := make(chan struct{})
 	releasePredecessor := make(chan struct{})
@@ -302,15 +325,13 @@ func TestSendPromptSteer_DoesNotOvertakeAdmittedButUndispatchedTurn(t *testing.T
 	<-predecessorPinned // generation 1 admitted, not yet dispatched, promptMu held
 
 	// The steer arrives now. activePromptGeneration is 0 (gen 1 not marked
-	// dispatched), so it must fall back — and the fallback then blocks on promptMu
-	// behind the pinned predecessor.
-	steerDone := make(chan struct{})
-	go func() {
-		_, _ = h.mgr.sessionManager.SendPromptSteerWithDispatchCallback(
-			h.ctx, h.exec, "racing steer", false, nil, true, nil,
-		)
-		close(steerDone)
-	}()
+	// dispatched), so it returns without sending a frame.
+	_, steerErr := h.mgr.sessionManager.SendPromptSteerWithDispatchCallback(
+		h.ctx, h.exec, "racing steer", false, nil, true, nil,
+	)
+	if !errors.Is(steerErr, ErrSteerNotDispatched) {
+		t.Fatalf("steer error = %v, want ErrSteerNotDispatched", steerErr)
+	}
 
 	// No frame of any kind can reach the agent while the predecessor is pinned:
 	// the predecessor hasn't dispatched and the steer is blocked behind it.
@@ -331,21 +352,17 @@ func TestSendPromptSteer_DoesNotOvertakeAdmittedButUndispatchedTurn(t *testing.T
 		t.Fatalf("first frame = %+v, want ordinary generation 1 (predecessor)", first)
 	}
 
-	// The predecessor left a pending dispatched prompt, so the steer's fallback
-	// waits for generation 1 to complete before it dispatches — driving that
-	// completion lets it proceed, in order.
+	// The predecessor left a pending dispatched prompt. No successor was sent by
+	// this lifecycle call; the orchestrator must decide when to admit it.
 	h.mgr.handleAgentEvent(h.exec, agentctl.AgentEvent{
 		Type:             streams.EventTypeComplete,
 		PromptGeneration: 1,
 		Data:             map[string]any{"stop_reason": "end_turn"},
 	})
-	<-steerDone
-
-	// The steer fell back to an ordinary generation 2 — never a steer frame, and
-	// strictly after the predecessor.
-	second := h.probe.next(t)
-	if second.steer || second.generation != 2 {
-		t.Fatalf("second frame = %+v, want ordinary generation 2 (steer fell back, in order)", second)
+	select {
+	case frame := <-h.probe.ch:
+		t.Fatalf("lifecycle sent a successor frame without ordinary admission: %+v", frame)
+	case <-time.After(200 * time.Millisecond):
 	}
 }
 
@@ -467,3 +484,170 @@ func TestSendPromptSteer_NilAgentctlClientErrors(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal("expected an error when the execution has no agentctl client")
 	}
 }
+
+// claimedAttachment is the bounded descriptor shape the prompt and queue
+// protocols carry. Its bytes live in backend storage until materialization
+// streams them to agentctl.
+func claimedAttachment() []v1.MessageAttachment {
+	return []v1.MessageAttachment{
+		{AttachmentID: "attachment-steer", Type: "resource", Name: "bundle.zip", SizeBytes: 16},
+	}
+}
+
+// TestSendPromptSteer_MaterializesAttachmentsBeforeDispatch is the core
+// regression: a steer folded into a still-generating turn must stream its
+// claimed bytes to agentctl before the prompt frame goes out. Without that, the
+// agent receives a reference to a file that was never written into the session
+// and the attachment silently reads as empty.
+func TestSendPromptSteer_MaterializesAttachmentsBeforeDispatch(t *testing.T) {
+	h := newSteerHarness(t)
+	done := h.startForegroundTurn(t, 1)
+
+	result, err := h.mgr.sessionManager.SendPromptSteerWithDispatchCallback(
+		h.ctx, h.exec, "look at this file", false, claimedAttachment(), false, nil,
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("steer with attachment: %v", err)
+	}
+	if result.StopReason != PromptStopReasonDispatched {
+		t.Fatalf("stop reason = %q, want %q", result.StopReason, PromptStopReasonDispatched)
+	}
+
+	steered := h.probe.next(t)
+	if !steered.steer {
+		t.Fatalf("frame was not a steer: %+v", steered)
+	}
+
+	uploads := h.mock.materializedUploads()
+	if len(uploads) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("materialized uploads = %d, want 1", len(uploads))
+	}
+	if uploads[0].attachmentID != "attachment-steer" {
+		t.Errorf("attachment_id = %q", uploads[0].attachmentID)
+	}
+	if uploads[0].sessionID != "acp-session-steer" {
+		t.Errorf("session_id = %q", uploads[0].sessionID)
+	}
+	if uploads[0].body != "attachment bytes" {
+		t.Errorf("uploaded body = %q", uploads[0].body)
+	}
+
+	h.mgr.handleAgentEvent(h.exec, agentctl.AgentEvent{
+		Type:             streams.EventTypeComplete,
+		PromptGeneration: 1,
+		Data:             map[string]any{"stop_reason": "end_turn"},
+	})
+	<-done
+}
+
+// TestSendPromptSteer_DoesNotFallbackOutsideAdmission proves that a turn which
+// ends while attachment bytes are materializing does not dispatch a low-level
+// ordinary prompt after the steer has lost its generation. The caller must
+// return a no-dispatch result so the orchestrator can re-enter normal prompt
+// admission and preserve ordering with concurrent messages.
+func TestSendPromptSteer_DoesNotFallbackOutsideAdmission(t *testing.T) {
+	h := newSteerHarness(t)
+	done := h.startForegroundTurn(t, 1)
+	reader := &blockingAttachmentReader{started: make(chan struct{}), release: make(chan struct{})}
+	h.mgr.sessionManager.SetAttachmentReader(reader)
+
+	steerDone := make(chan struct {
+		result *PromptResult
+		err    error
+	}, 1)
+	go func() {
+		result, err := h.mgr.sessionManager.SendPromptSteerWithDispatchCallback(
+			h.ctx, h.exec, "racing attachment", false, claimedAttachment(), true, nil,
+		)
+		steerDone <- struct {
+			result *PromptResult
+			err    error
+		}{result: result, err: err}
+	}()
+	<-reader.started
+
+	h.mgr.handleAgentEvent(h.exec, agentctl.AgentEvent{
+		Type:             streams.EventTypeComplete,
+		PromptGeneration: 1,
+		Data:             map[string]any{"stop_reason": "end_turn"},
+	})
+	select {
+	case err := <-done:
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("predecessor turn returned error: %v", err)
+		}
+	case <-time.After(2 * time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("predecessor turn did not settle while attachment materialized")
+	}
+
+	close(reader.release)
+	select {
+	case call := <-steerDone:
+		if !errors.Is(call.err, ErrSteerNotDispatched) {
+			t.Fatalf("steer result = %+v, error = %v, want ErrSteerNotDispatched", call.result, call.err)
+		}
+	case <-time.After(2 * time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("steer did not return after attachment materialization")
+	}
+	select {
+	case frame := <-h.probe.ch:
+		t.Fatalf("steer sent a fallback prompt outside orchestrator admission: %+v", frame)
+	case <-time.After(200 * time.Millisecond):
+	}
+}
+
+// TestSendPrompt_MaterializesAttachmentsExactlyOnce covers the ordinary route.
+// It materializes a claimed descriptor once before dispatching the prompt.
+func TestSendPrompt_MaterializesAttachmentsExactlyOnce(t *testing.T) {
+	h := newSteerHarness(t)
+
+	if _, err := h.mgr.sessionManager.SendPrompt(
+		h.ctx, h.exec, "ordinary prompt", false, claimedAttachment(), true,
+	); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ordinary prompt: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	dispatched := h.probe.next(t)
+	if dispatched.steer {
+		t.Fatalf("ordinary frame should not be a steer: %+v", dispatched)
+	}
+	if uploads := h.mock.materializedUploads(); len(uploads) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("materialized uploads = %d, want exactly 1", len(uploads))
+	}
+}
+
+// TestSendPromptSteer_MaterializationFailureDoesNotDispatch pins the failure
+// contract. A steer that cannot resolve its bytes must surface an error rather
+// than deliver a dangling reference, and must not fall through to an ordinary
+// prompt carrying the same unresolved descriptor.
+func TestSendPromptSteer_MaterializationFailureDoesNotDispatch(t *testing.T) {
+	h := newSteerHarness(t)
+	done := h.startForegroundTurn(t, 1)
+	h.mock.setFailMaterialize(true)
+
+	_, err := h.mgr.sessionManager.SendPromptSteerWithDispatchCallback(
+		h.ctx, h.exec, "look at this file", false, claimedAttachment(), false, nil,
+	)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("steer with failing materialization returned no error")
+	}
+	if !errors.Is(err, ErrSteerAttachmentMaterialization) {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %v, want ErrSteerAttachmentMaterialization", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "materialize attachment") {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %v, want a materialization error", err)
+	}
+
+	select {
+	case frame := <-h.probe.ch:
+		t.Fatalf("a prompt frame dispatched despite the failure: %+v", frame)
+	case <-time.After(200 * time.Millisecond):
+	}
+
+	h.mgr.handleAgentEvent(h.exec, agentctl.AgentEvent{
+		Type:             streams.EventTypeComplete,
+		PromptGeneration: 1,
+		Data:             map[string]any{"stop_reason": "end_turn"},
+	})
+	<-done
+}
diff --git a/apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session_test.go b/apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session_test.go
index aa44fc0dcd..9dfbef68c3 100644
--- a/apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session_test.go
+++ b/apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"net"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
@@ -56,6 +57,17 @@ type mockAgentServer struct {
 	upgrader             websocket.Upgrader
 	handler              func(msg ws.Message) *ws.Message
 	wsConnected          chan struct{} // closed when WS stream connects
+	materialized         []materializedUpload
+	failMaterialize      bool
+}
+
+// materializedUpload records one /api/v1/attachments/materialize request so a
+// test can assert that the bytes reached agentctl before the prompt dispatched.
+type materializedUpload struct {
+	sessionID    string
+	attachmentID string
+	name         string
+	body         string
 }
 
 func newMockAgentServer(t *testing.T) *mockAgentServer {
@@ -154,10 +166,63 @@ func newMockAgentServer(t *testing.T) *mockAgentServer {
 		}
 	})
 
+	// Attachment materialization endpoint. The lifecycle manager streams claimed
+	// descriptors here before it dispatches a prompt, so recording each upload is
+	// what lets a steer test prove materialization happened first.
+	mux.HandleFunc("/api/v1/attachments/materialize", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if err := r.ParseMultipartForm(1 << 20); err != nil {
+			http.Error(w, "bad multipart", http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+		m.mu.Lock()
+		fail := m.failMaterialize
+		m.mu.Unlock()
+		if fail {
+			http.Error(w, "materialization unavailable", http.StatusInternalServerError)
+			return
+		}
+		file, _, err := r.FormFile("file")
+		if err != nil {
+			http.Error(w, "file is required", http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+		defer func() { _ = file.Close() }()
+		body, err := io.ReadAll(file)
+		if err != nil {
+			http.Error(w, "unreadable file", http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+		name := r.FormValue("name")
+		m.mu.Lock()
+		m.materialized = append(m.materialized, materializedUpload{
+			sessionID:    r.FormValue("session_id"),
+			attachmentID: r.FormValue("attachment_id"),
+			name:         name,
+			body:         string(body),
+		})
+		m.mu.Unlock()
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(w, `{"name":%q,"size_bytes":%d}`, name, len(body))
+	})
+
 	m.server = httptest.NewServer(mux)
 	return m
 }
 
+// materializedUploads returns a copy of the recorded materialization requests.
+func (m *mockAgentServer) materializedUploads() []materializedUpload {
+	m.mu.Lock()
+	defer m.mu.Unlock()
+	return append([]materializedUpload(nil), m.materialized...)
+}
+
+// setFailMaterialize makes the materialization endpoint reject every upload.
+func (m *mockAgentServer) setFailMaterialize(fail bool) {
+	m.mu.Lock()
+	m.failMaterialize = fail
+	m.mu.Unlock()
+}
+
 // buildResponse returns the handler or default response for a request message.
 func (m *mockAgentServer) buildResponse(msg ws.Message) *ws.Message {
 	if m.handler != nil {
diff --git a/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/event_handlers_test.go b/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/event_handlers_test.go
index 5b8d582af1..91ddd0d20f 100644
--- a/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/event_handlers_test.go
+++ b/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/event_handlers_test.go
@@ -320,6 +320,9 @@ type mockAgentManager struct {
 	// steerAgentWithDispatchCallback capability.
 	capturedSteerCalls []promptCall
 	steerErr           error
+	steerStarted       chan struct{}
+	steerRelease       chan struct{}
+	steerStartOnce     sync.Once
 	// Optional: closed once on the first PromptAgent call so tests can wait
 	// deterministically without polling. Tests opt in by initializing the channel.
 	promptDone chan struct{}
@@ -513,7 +516,15 @@ func (m *mockAgentManager) SteerAgentWithDispatchCallback(_ context.Context, exe
 	m.mu.Lock()
 	m.capturedSteerCalls = append(m.capturedSteerCalls, promptCall{ExecutionID: executionID, Prompt: prompt, DispatchOnly: dispatchOnly})
 	steerErr := m.steerErr
+	steerStarted := m.steerStarted
+	steerRelease := m.steerRelease
 	m.mu.Unlock()
+	if steerStarted != nil {
+		m.steerStartOnce.Do(func() { close(steerStarted) })
+	}
+	if steerRelease != nil {
+		<-steerRelease
+	}
 	if steerErr != nil {
 		return nil, steerErr
 	}
diff --git a/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/executor/executor_interaction.go b/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/executor/executor_interaction.go
index bf61e75b97..166df63c03 100644
--- a/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/executor/executor_interaction.go
+++ b/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/executor/executor_interaction.go
@@ -286,6 +286,15 @@ const stopReasonPassthrough = "passthrough_dispatched"
 
 var ErrPromptDispatchCallbackUnsupported = errors.New("agent manager does not support prompt dispatch callback")
 
+// ErrSteerNotDispatched reports that no active prompt generation accepted a
+// steer. The orchestrator must route this outcome through ordinary admission.
+var ErrSteerNotDispatched = lifecycle.ErrSteerNotDispatched
+
+// ErrSteerAttachmentMaterialization identifies a steer attachment failure that
+// happened before agentctl accepted the request. The orchestrator uses it to
+// retry queued draining after it releases the steer slot.
+var ErrSteerAttachmentMaterialization = lifecycle.ErrSteerAttachmentMaterialization
+
 // Prompt sends a follow-up prompt to a running agent for a task
 // Returns PromptResult indicating if the agent needs input
 // Attachments (images) are passed to the agent if provided.
diff --git a/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/steer.go b/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/steer.go
index 56b8bc5c74..b540d095eb 100644
--- a/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/steer.go
+++ b/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/steer.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 
+	"github.com/kandev/kandev/internal/orchestrator/executor"
 	"github.com/kandev/kandev/internal/orchestrator/messagequeue"
 	"github.com/kandev/kandev/internal/task/models"
 	v1 "github.com/kandev/kandev/pkg/api/v1"
@@ -74,7 +75,10 @@ func (s *Service) steerEligibleForSession(ctx context.Context, sessionID string)
 // rather than dispatched now; the caller sees success. ErrSteerNotEligible is
 // returned only when the session is no longer steer-eligible at all (e.g. its
 // turn ended between the caller's check and here), so the caller can fall back
-// to an ordinary prompt. Any other error is a genuine dispatch failure.
+// to an ordinary prompt. If attachment materialization fails after admission,
+// the failed owner releases its slot and retries a queued drain so a completion
+// that raced with the failure cannot strand the successor. Any other error is a
+// genuine dispatch failure.
 func (s *Service) SteerTask(
 	ctx context.Context,
 	taskID, sessionID, prompt, model string,
@@ -142,7 +146,17 @@ func (s *Service) SteerTask(
 	}
 	// We now own the single in-flight slot. The queue admission lock is released
 	// before the blocking dispatch; clear the slot when the dispatch completes.
-	defer s.steerInFlight.Delete(sessionID)
+	promptCtx := context.WithoutCancel(ctx)
+	var dispatchErr error
+	defer func() {
+		s.steerInFlight.Delete(sessionID)
+		if errors.Is(dispatchErr, executor.ErrSteerAttachmentMaterialization) {
+			// A predecessor completion may have skipped its drain while this
+			// marker was set. Retry after releasing the marker so the queued
+			// successor can make progress if the session is promptable now.
+			s.drainQueuedMessageForPromptableSession(promptCtx, sessionID)
+		}
+	}()
 
 	effectivePrompt := s.effectivePromptForSession(sessionID, prompt, planMode, session)
 	s.logger.Info("dispatching mid-turn steer",
@@ -151,19 +165,24 @@ func (s *Service) SteerTask(
 
 	// context.WithoutCancel: a WS request timeout must not abort the steer, same
 	// as the ordinary prompt path.
-	promptCtx := context.WithoutCancel(ctx)
 	// dispatchOnly=true: a steer is dispatch-and-continue. The predecessor turn
 	// owns foreground completion, so this call must not wait for a turn to end,
 	// and must not take the foreground claim.
-	result, err := s.executor.SteerWithDispatchCallback(
+	result, dispatchErr := s.executor.SteerWithDispatchCallback(
 		promptCtx, taskID, sessionID, effectivePrompt, attachments, true, func() {}, session,
 	)
-	if err != nil {
+	if dispatchErr != nil {
+		if errors.Is(dispatchErr, executor.ErrSteerNotDispatched) {
+			// The active generation ended before the steer reached agentctl.
+			// Let the handler re-enter PromptTask, which owns ordinary queue and
+			// foreground admission for the replacement turn.
+			return nil, ErrSteerNotEligible
+		}
 		s.logger.Warn("mid-turn steer dispatch failed",
 			zap.String("task_id", taskID),
 			zap.String("session_id", sessionID),
-			zap.Error(err))
-		return nil, err
+			zap.Error(dispatchErr))
+		return nil, dispatchErr
 	}
 	return &PromptResult{
 		StopReason:   result.StopReason,
diff --git a/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/steer_test.go b/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/steer_test.go
index b2986780f4..49dc932a12 100644
--- a/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/steer_test.go
+++ b/apps/backend/internal/orchestrator/steer_test.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/kandev/kandev/internal/events"
+	"github.com/kandev/kandev/internal/orchestrator/executor"
 	"github.com/kandev/kandev/internal/orchestrator/messagequeue"
 	"github.com/kandev/kandev/internal/task/models"
 	v1 "github.com/kandev/kandev/pkg/api/v1"
@@ -333,6 +334,97 @@ func TestSteerTask_DispatchesAndReleasesInFlightSlot(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Fatal("in-flight slot was not released after a dispatch error")
 		}
 	})
+
+	t.Run("maps a lifecycle no-dispatch result to ordinary admission", func(t *testing.T) {
+		svc, agentMgr := steerDispatchService(t, taskID, sessionID)
+		agentMgr.steerErr = executor.ErrSteerNotDispatched
+
+		if _, err := svc.SteerTask(ctx, taskID, sessionID, "steer", "", false, nil); !errors.Is(err, ErrSteerNotEligible) {
+			t.Fatalf("SteerTask error = %v, want ErrSteerNotEligible", err)
+		}
+		if _, inFlight := svc.steerInFlight.Load(sessionID); inFlight {
+			t.Fatal("lifecycle no-dispatch left an in-flight slot claimed")
+		}
+	})
+}
+
+// TestSteerTask_PreDispatchFailureDrainsSuccessor proves that a queued message
+// cannot remain stranded when the admitted steer fails before agentctl accepts
+// it. A completion can observe steerInFlight during the materialization or
+// dispatch window and skip its drain, so the failed owner must trigger a new
+// drain after it releases the slot.
+func TestSteerTask_PreDispatchFailureDrainsSuccessor(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	const taskID = "task-steer-pre-dispatch-failure"
+	const sessionID = "session-steer-pre-dispatch-failure"
+
+	steerStarted := make(chan struct{})
+	steerRelease := make(chan struct{})
+	promptDone := make(chan struct{})
+	agentMgr := &mockAgentManager{
+		isAgentRunning: true,
+		steerErr:       executor.ErrSteerAttachmentMaterialization,
+		steerStarted:   steerStarted,
+		steerRelease:   steerRelease,
+		promptDone:     promptDone,
+	}
+	repo := setupTestRepo(t)
+	agentMgr.repoForExecutionLookup = repo
+	seedTaskAndSession(t, repo, taskID, sessionID, models.TaskSessionStateRunning)
+	seedExecutorRunning(t, repo, sessionID, taskID, "exec-steer-pre-dispatch-failure")
+	svc := createTestServiceWithScheduler(repo, newMockStepGetter(), newMockTaskRepo(), agentMgr)
+	svc.config.ClaudeMidTurnSteering = true
+	advertisePromptQueueingForTest(t, svc, sessionID)
+	svc.registerBackgroundTask(sessionID, "bg-1")
+	svc.markForegroundIdle(sessionID)
+	svc.completeBackgroundTask(sessionID, "bg-1")
+
+	firstDone := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		_, err := svc.SteerTask(ctx, taskID, sessionID, "first steer", "", false, nil)
+		firstDone <- err
+	}()
+	<-steerStarted
+
+	result, err := svc.SteerTask(ctx, taskID, sessionID, "successor", "", false, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("successor steer errored: %v", err)
+	}
+	if result == nil || result.StopReason != steerQueuedStopReason {
+		t.Fatalf("successor result = %+v, want queued steer", result)
+	}
+	if status := svc.messageQueue.GetStatus(ctx, sessionID); status == nil || status.Count != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("queue before predecessor failure = %+v, want one successor", status)
+	}
+
+	// The predecessor turn ends while the steer still owns the admission slot.
+	if err := repo.UpdateTaskSessionState(ctx, sessionID, models.TaskSessionStateWaitingForInput, ""); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("set session promptable: %v", err)
+	}
+	if svc.drainQueuedMessageForPromptableSession(ctx, sessionID) {
+		t.Fatal("completion drain dispatched while the steer was still in flight")
+	}
+
+	close(steerRelease)
+	if err := <-firstDone; err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("predecessor steer failure was not returned")
+	}
+
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(2 * time.Second)
+	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		if status := svc.messageQueue.GetStatus(ctx, sessionID); status != nil && status.Count == 0 {
+			select {
+			case <-promptDone:
+				return
+			case <-time.After(2 * time.Second):
+				t.Fatal("queued successor was removed but its prompt did not dispatch")
+			}
+		}
+		time.Sleep(5 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	if status := svc.messageQueue.GetStatus(ctx, sessionID); status == nil || status.Count != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("successor remained queued after pre-dispatch failure: %+v", status)
+	}
 }
 
 // TestSteerTask_NotEligibleReturnsSentinel pins that an ineligible session yields
diff --git a/apps/web/e2e/helpers/generating-session.ts b/apps/web/e2e/helpers/generating-session.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d84316b85d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/e2e/helpers/generating-session.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import { type Page } from "@playwright/test";
+import { expect } from "../fixtures/test-base";
+import type { SeedData } from "../fixtures/test-base";
+import type { ApiClient } from "./api-client";
+import { waitForActiveSessionForegroundActivity } from "./session-store";
+import { SessionPage } from "../pages/session-page";
+
+export interface SeedRunningGeneratingSessionOptions {
+  // Duration for the default `/sleep N` predecessor. Ignored when
+  // predecessorPrompt is set.
+  sleepSeconds?: number;
+  // Overrides the default `/sleep N` predecessor entirely — used by the
+  // folded/deferred tests to seed steer-fold-setup / steer-defer-setup
+  // instead.
+  predecessorPrompt?: string;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Seeds a session whose foreground turn is still generating, which is the state
+ * that normally queues further input. A no-tool `/sleep` holds the turn open
+ * without emitting output, so a test can send into a genuinely busy session
+ * without racing agent activity.
+ */
+export async function seedRunningGeneratingSession(
+  testPage: Page,
+  apiClient: ApiClient,
+  seedData: SeedData,
+  title: string,
+  options: SeedRunningGeneratingSessionOptions = {},
+): Promise<{ session: SessionPage; taskId: string; sessionId: string }> {
+  const { sleepSeconds = 60, predecessorPrompt } = options;
+  const task = await apiClient.createTaskWithAgent(
+    seedData.workspaceId,
+    title,
+    seedData.agentProfileId,
+    {
+      description: "/e2e:simple-message",
+      workflow_id: seedData.workflowId,
+      workflow_step_id: seedData.startStepId,
+      repository_ids: [seedData.repositoryId],
+    },
+  );
+  await testPage.goto(`/t/${task.id}`);
+  const session = new SessionPage(testPage);
+  await session.waitForLoad();
+  await session.waitForChatIdle({ timeout: 30_000 });
+  await session.sendMessage(predecessorPrompt ?? `/sleep ${sleepSeconds}`);
+  await expect(session.agentStatus()).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
+  await waitForActiveSessionForegroundActivity(testPage, "generating");
+  if (!task.session_id) throw new Error("createTaskWithAgent did not return a session_id");
+  return { session, taskId: task.id, sessionId: task.session_id };
+}
diff --git a/apps/web/e2e/tests/chat/mid-turn-attachment.spec.ts b/apps/web/e2e/tests/chat/mid-turn-attachment.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9cdc055c23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/e2e/tests/chat/mid-turn-attachment.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { test, expect } from "../../fixtures/test-base";
+import { seedRunningGeneratingSession } from "../../helpers/generating-session";
+import { typeWhileBusy } from "../../helpers/type-while-busy";
+
+// Regression coverage for AC-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001.6: an attachment sent
+// into a turn that is already generating must be materialized into the session
+// before the agent is prompted.
+//
+// The steer route dispatched the prompt without materializing, so the agent
+// received a descriptor whose bytes were never written into the session and the
+// attachment silently read as empty. The observable proof is the materialized
+// file on disk: the UI looks identical either way, because the descriptor is
+// persisted on the user message whether or not the bytes ever landed.
+
+const ATTACHMENT_NAME = "mid-turn-evidence.txt";
+
+// Locates the materialized attachment beneath any session's
+// `.kandev/attachments/<acp-session-id>/` directory. The ACP session id is not
+// exposed to the browser, so the file is found by name rather than by path.
+function findMaterializedAttachment(root: string, name: string): string | null {
+  const stack: string[] = [root];
+  while (stack.length > 0) {
+    const dir = stack.pop();
+    if (dir === undefined) continue;
+    let entries: fs.Dirent[];
+    try {
+      entries = fs.readdirSync(dir, { withFileTypes: true });
+    } catch {
+      continue; // A worktree can disappear under us mid-scan.
+    }
+    for (const entry of entries) {
+      const full = path.join(dir, entry.name);
+      if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+        if (entry.name === "node_modules" || entry.name === ".git") continue;
+        stack.push(full);
+      } else if (entry.isFile() && entry.name === name && full.includes(".kandev")) {
+        return full;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
+test.describe.serial("mid-turn attachment delivery", () => {
+  test.describe.configure({ retries: 1 });
+
+  test.beforeAll(async ({ backend }) => {
+    await backend.restart({ KANDEV_FEATURES_CLAUDE_MID_TURN_STEERING: "true" });
+    const response = await fetch(`${backend.baseUrl}/api/v1/features`);
+    expect(response.ok).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(await response.json()).toMatchObject({ claudeMidTurnSteering: true });
+  });
+
+  test.afterAll(async ({ backend }) => {
+    await backend.restart();
+  });
+
+  test("sends an attachment into a generating turn", async ({
+    testPage,
+    apiClient,
+    seedData,
+    backend,
+  }, testInfo) => {
+    test.setTimeout(120_000);
+    const { session } = await seedRunningGeneratingSession(
+      testPage,
+      apiClient,
+      seedData,
+      "Mid-turn attachment",
+    );
+
+    fs.mkdirSync(testInfo.outputDir, { recursive: true });
+    const attachmentPath = path.join(testInfo.outputDir, ATTACHMENT_NAME);
+    fs.writeFileSync(attachmentPath, "mid-turn attachment bytes");
+
+    await testPage.locator('input[type="file"]').setInputFiles(attachmentPath);
+    await expect(testPage.getByText(ATTACHMENT_NAME, { exact: true })).toBeVisible({
+      timeout: 10_000,
+    });
+
+    const editor = session.activeChat().locator(".tiptap.ProseMirror:visible");
+    await typeWhileBusy(testPage, editor, "read the attached file");
+    await testPage.getByTestId("submit-message-button").click();
+
+    // The user message is persisted immediately. The file assertion below
+    // proves that the claimed bytes reached the session working copy.
+    await expect(
+      session.activeChat().getByTestId("user-message-bubble").filter({
+        hasText: "read the attached file",
+      }),
+    ).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
+
+    // The bytes reached the session. Before the fix this file never existed,
+    // because the steer route dispatched without materializing.
+    await expect
+      .poll(() => findMaterializedAttachment(backend.tmpDir, ATTACHMENT_NAME) !== null, {
+        timeout: 20_000,
+        message: "Wait for the attachment to be materialized into the session",
+      })
+      .toBe(true);
+
+    const materialized = findMaterializedAttachment(backend.tmpDir, ATTACHMENT_NAME);
+    if (materialized === null) throw new Error("Materialized attachment disappeared");
+    expect(fs.readFileSync(materialized, "utf8")).toBe("mid-turn attachment bytes");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/web/e2e/tests/chat/mid-turn-steering.spec.ts b/apps/web/e2e/tests/chat/mid-turn-steering.spec.ts
index 8591fa5363..60978f2e78 100644
--- a/apps/web/e2e/tests/chat/mid-turn-steering.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/web/e2e/tests/chat/mid-turn-steering.spec.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,8 @@
 import { type Page } from "@playwright/test";
 import { test, expect } from "../../fixtures/test-base";
-import type { SeedData } from "../../fixtures/test-base";
-import type { ApiClient } from "../../helpers/api-client";
-import { waitForActiveSessionForegroundActivity } from "../../helpers/session-store";
 import { typeWhileBusy } from "../../helpers/type-while-busy";
-import { SessionPage } from "../../pages/session-page";
 import { registerSeparateQueueRows } from "../../helpers/message-queue-settings";
+import { seedRunningGeneratingSession } from "../../helpers/generating-session";
 
 registerSeparateQueueRows(test);
 
@@ -18,50 +15,6 @@ registerSeparateQueueRows(test);
 // tiptap placeholder is a cursor-anchored decoration and only renders under
 // focus, so asserting message delivery is the robust signal.
 
-interface SeedRunningGeneratingSessionOptions {
-  // Duration for the default `/sleep N` predecessor. Ignored when
-  // predecessorPrompt is set.
-  sleepSeconds?: number;
-  // Overrides the default `/sleep N` predecessor entirely — used by the
-  // folded/deferred tests to seed steer-fold-setup / steer-defer-setup
-  // instead.
-  predecessorPrompt?: string;
-}
-
-async function seedRunningGeneratingSession(
-  testPage: Page,
-  apiClient: ApiClient,
-  seedData: SeedData,
-  title: string,
-  options: SeedRunningGeneratingSessionOptions = {},
-): Promise<{ session: SessionPage; taskId: string; sessionId: string }> {
-  const { sleepSeconds = 20, predecessorPrompt } = options;
-  const task = await apiClient.createTaskWithAgent(
-    seedData.workspaceId,
-    title,
-    seedData.agentProfileId,
-    {
-      description: "/e2e:simple-message",
-      workflow_id: seedData.workflowId,
-      workflow_step_id: seedData.startStepId,
-      repository_ids: [seedData.repositoryId],
-    },
-  );
-  await testPage.goto(`/t/${task.id}`);
-  const session = new SessionPage(testPage);
-  await session.waitForLoad();
-  await session.waitForChatIdle({ timeout: 30_000 });
-  // A no-tool sleep holds the foreground turn open and generating — the exact
-  // state that normally queues input, so it isolates the steering gate.
-  // steer-fold-setup/steer-defer-setup hold the same way, but differ in
-  // whether they answer on their own first (see the folded/deferred tests).
-  await session.sendMessage(predecessorPrompt ?? `/sleep ${sleepSeconds}`);
-  await expect(session.agentStatus()).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15_000 });
-  await waitForActiveSessionForegroundActivity(testPage, "generating");
-  if (!task.session_id) throw new Error("createTaskWithAgent did not return a session_id");
-  return { session, taskId: task.id, sessionId: task.session_id };
-}
-
 test.describe.serial("Claude mid-turn steering experiment", () => {
   test.describe.configure({ retries: 1 });
 
diff --git a/docs/plans/steer-attachment-materialization/plan.md b/docs/plans/steer-attachment-materialization/plan.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4d2ebb0504
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/plans/steer-attachment-materialization/plan.md
@@ -0,0 +1,174 @@
+---
+created: 2026-09-02
+status: implemented
+requirements:
+  - REQ-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001
+system_design:
+  - ../../specs/tasks/system-design/prompt-attachments.md
+legacy_specs: []
+---
+
+# Implementation Plan: Steer Attachment Materialization
+
+## Overview
+
+A message sent while the agent is still generating is delivered through the
+steer route. That route dispatches the prompt without materializing the claimed
+attachment descriptors it carries.
+
+The agent therefore receives a bounded descriptor whose bytes were never
+written to `.kandev/attachments/<acp-session-id>/`. The reference resolves to
+nothing and the attachment reads as empty.
+
+The failure is silent. The steer route has no equivalent of the ordinary
+prompt path's materialization error, so the user sees a delivered message and
+an agent that cannot see the file.
+
+This plan moves materialization ahead of the steer dispatch, keeps it outside
+the prompt lifecycle lock, and makes a materialization failure terminal for
+that message instead of silently degrading.
+
+## Scope
+
+### In scope
+
+- Materialize claimed descriptors before a steer dispatch.
+- Route a lost steer race through ordinary prompt admission.
+- Return a durable error when materialization fails on the steer route.
+- Release the steer slot and retry queued draining after a pre-dispatch failure.
+- Backend regression coverage in the lifecycle package.
+- One Playwright scenario for a mid-turn attachment.
+
+### Out of scope
+
+- Upload limits, staging, claim admission, and retention.
+- Delivery-mode selection and the prompt composer.
+- The launch and initial-prompt routes fixed by
+  `docs/plans/session-launch-prompt-admission/`.
+- Queued-message delivery, which already reaches the ordinary prompt path.
+
+## Reproduction evidence
+
+The defect was reproduced on a live instance. The upload succeeded and the
+backend blob was written, but the session's
+`.kandev/attachments/<acp-session-id>/` directory stayed empty and the agent
+received a resource reference that resolved to nothing.
+
+Two observations look like counter-evidence and are not:
+
+- `KANDEV_FEATURES_CLAUDE_MID_TURN_STEERING=false` appears in the backend
+  process environment. `profiles.ApplyProfile` stamps profile defaults into the
+  process with `os.Setenv` and records them, and `runtimeflags/config.go` treats
+  an env var as explicit only when `!profiles.WasApplied(name)`. The
+  `runtime_flag_overrides` row `features.claudeMidTurnSteering = 1` therefore
+  wins and steering is enabled.
+- The backend log shows no `sending prompt to agent` line carrying the
+  attachment. That line is emitted from `preparePrompt`, which only `sendPrompt`
+  calls. The steer route never reaches it, so its absence is what this defect
+  predicts rather than evidence against it.
+
+## Root cause
+
+`SessionManager.sendPrompt` in
+`apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session.go` calls
+`sm.materializeAttachments` before `sm.triggerPrompt`.
+
+`SessionManager.dispatchSteerLocked` in the same file calls
+`sm.callAgentctlPrompt` with the caller's `attachments` slice untouched. No
+materialization runs on that route.
+
+`SendPromptSteerWithDispatchCallback` tries the steer first. When a turn is
+live the steer succeeds and the unmaterialized descriptors reach the agent.
+When no turn is live it falls back to `sendPrompt`, which materializes
+correctly. That is why the defect only appears mid-turn.
+
+## Technical approach
+
+### Materialize before the steer
+
+Resolve descriptors in `SendPromptSteerWithDispatchCallback`, after the status
+check and before `tryDispatchSteer`.
+
+Materialization streams up to 100 MiB over HTTP. It must not run inside
+`dispatchSteerLocked`, which holds `execution.promptLifecycleMu` under
+`steerDispatchTimeout`. Resolving in the caller keeps the lock bounded and
+preserves the existing steer latency contract.
+
+Return the materialization error to the caller. Do not dispatch and do not fall
+back to an ordinary prompt, because the fallback would deliver the same
+unresolved descriptors.
+
+### Return lost races to ordinary admission
+
+Check for an active generation before uploading. If the generation ends during
+materialization, return a typed no-dispatch error instead of calling
+`sendPrompt` directly. The orchestrator maps this result to its existing
+ordinary prompt fallback, so foreground claims and prompt-cycle state stay in
+one owner.
+
+Wrap materialization failures with a separate pre-dispatch identity. The
+orchestrator releases `steerInFlight` and retries the queued-message drain
+after this failure, so a completion that raced with the upload cannot strand a
+successor.
+
+### Regression coverage
+
+`newMockAgentServer` in
+`apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session_test.go` already serves
+an `http.ServeMux`. Add an `/api/v1/attachments/materialize` route that records
+each upload, so `steerHarness` can assert materialization on the wire.
+
+The New Agent mid-turn scenario belongs with the existing chat attachment
+specs in `apps/web/e2e/tests/chat/`.
+
+## Tests
+
+| Acceptance criterion | Evidence |
+| --- | --- |
+| `AC-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001.6` | `TestSendPromptSteer_MaterializesAttachmentsBeforeDispatch` in `apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session_steer_test.go` |
+| `AC-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001.6` | `TestSendPrompt_MaterializesAttachmentsExactlyOnce` in `apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session_steer_test.go` |
+| `AC-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001.7` | `TestSendPromptSteer_MaterializationFailureDoesNotDispatch` in `apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session_steer_test.go` |
+| `AC-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001.7` | `TestSendPromptSteer_DoesNotFallbackOutsideAdmission` and `TestSteerTask_PreDispatchFailureDrainsSuccessor` cover lost-generation admission and queue recovery. |
+| `AC-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001.6` | `sends an attachment into a generating turn` in `apps/web/e2e/tests/chat/mid-turn-attachment.spec.ts` |
+
+## E2E tests
+
+`apps/web/e2e/tests/chat/mid-turn-attachment.spec.ts` will contain
+`sends an attachment into a generating turn`.
+
+The scenario starts a turn, uploads a file while that turn is still generating,
+sends it, and asserts the agent resolves the file contents. It must fail before
+the correction because the materialized file is absent from the session
+directory.
+
+## Work orders
+
+- [x] [Task 01: Materialize steer attachments](task-01-materialize-steer-attachments.md)
+- [x] [Task 02: Cover mid-turn attachment delivery](task-02-mid-turn-attachment-e2e.md)
+
+## Verification results
+
+- The three steer regression tests failed first for the expected reasons: zero
+  materialization uploads, and no error raised on a failed materialization.
+- They pass after the correction, including under the race detector.
+- The full `internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle` package passes.
+- `golangci-lint run ./...` reports 0 issues and `gofmt` reports no files.
+- The web typecheck passes.
+- `tests/chat/mid-turn-attachment.spec.ts` failed against the reverted backend
+  on the materialization assertion, and passes with the correction.
+- The six pre-existing `mid-turn-steering.spec.ts` scenarios still pass after
+  `seedRunningGeneratingSession` moved to a shared helper.
+
+## Risks
+
+- `promptLifecycleMu` bounds steer latency. Materializing inside it would let a
+  large upload block the lifecycle lock for the length of a network write.
+- The steer route can lose its race while an upload is in progress. The
+  orchestrator must own the replacement prompt and its admission checks.
+- `materializeAttachments` requires a non-empty `ACPSessionID`. A steer implies
+  a live turn, but the error must stay a returned error rather than a panic.
+- Making a steer materialization failure terminal changes an existing silent
+  path into a visible one. Queued and ordinary prompts must keep their current
+  ordering behavior.
+- Playwright timing for a mid-turn send depends on a turn that is still
+  generating. The scenario needs a deterministic long-running mock turn.
diff --git a/docs/plans/steer-attachment-materialization/task-01-materialize-steer-attachments.md b/docs/plans/steer-attachment-materialization/task-01-materialize-steer-attachments.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..345837275d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/plans/steer-attachment-materialization/task-01-materialize-steer-attachments.md
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+---
+id: "01-materialize-steer-attachments"
+title: "Materialize steer attachments"
+status: complete
+wave: 1
+depends_on: []
+plan: "plan.md"
+requirements:
+  - REQ-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001
+acceptance_criteria:
+  - AC-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001.6
+  - AC-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001.7
+system_design:
+  - ../../specs/tasks/system-design/prompt-attachments.md
+---
+
+# Task 01: Materialize Steer Attachments
+
+## Summary
+
+Resolve claimed attachment descriptors before a steer dispatches into a live
+turn. Keep the resolution outside the prompt lifecycle lock and make a
+resolution failure terminal for that message.
+
+## In scope
+
+- Materialize in `SendPromptSteerWithDispatchCallback` before `tryDispatchSteer`.
+- Return a no-dispatch result when the active generation ends before steer
+  delivery, so the orchestrator owns the ordinary prompt fallback.
+- Release the steer admission slot and retry queued draining after a
+  pre-dispatch materialization failure.
+- Return the materialization error instead of dispatching or falling back.
+- Record materialize uploads in `newMockAgentServer` for assertions.
+- Add the three lifecycle regression tests named in the plan.
+
+## Out of scope
+
+- Claim admission, upload limits, retention, and delivery-mode selection.
+- The Playwright scenario, which is Task 02.
+
+## Acceptance
+
+- A steer into a generating turn reaches agentctl with a resolved filename and
+  no bare attachment ID.
+- The ordinary prompt route uploads attachment bytes exactly once.
+- A materialization failure returns an error and dispatches no prompt frame.
+- Existing steer generation and ordering behavior is unchanged.
+
+## Verification
+
+```bash
+gofmt -l apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle
+(cd apps/backend && go test ./internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle -run 'TestSendPromptSteer' -count=1 -race)
+(cd apps/backend && go test ./internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle -count=1)
+make -C apps/backend lint
+```
+
+## Files likely touched
+
+- `apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session.go`
+- `apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session_steer_test.go`
+- `apps/backend/internal/agent/runtime/lifecycle/session_test.go`
diff --git a/docs/plans/steer-attachment-materialization/task-02-mid-turn-attachment-e2e.md b/docs/plans/steer-attachment-materialization/task-02-mid-turn-attachment-e2e.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..787a2a6077
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/plans/steer-attachment-materialization/task-02-mid-turn-attachment-e2e.md
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+---
+id: "02-mid-turn-attachment-e2e"
+title: "Cover mid-turn attachment delivery"
+status: complete
+wave: 1
+depends_on:
+  - "01-materialize-steer-attachments"
+plan: "plan.md"
+requirements:
+  - REQ-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001
+acceptance_criteria:
+  - AC-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001.6
+system_design:
+  - ../../specs/tasks/system-design/prompt-attachments.md
+---
+
+# Task 02: Cover Mid-Turn Attachment Delivery
+
+## Summary
+
+Add one Playwright scenario that uploads a file while a turn is still
+generating and asserts the agent receives the file contents.
+
+## In scope
+
+- Add `apps/web/e2e/tests/chat/mid-turn-attachment.spec.ts`.
+- Start a turn that keeps generating long enough to send a second message.
+- Upload and send an attachment during that turn.
+- Assert the agent resolves the file contents, not an empty reference.
+
+## Out of scope
+
+- Backend changes, which are Task 01.
+- Queued-message delivery and delivery-mode coverage, already covered by
+  `apps/web/e2e/tests/chat/attachment-delivery-mode.spec.ts`.
+
+## Acceptance
+
+- The scenario fails before Task 01 because the attachment resolves empty.
+- The scenario passes after Task 01.
+- The shared helper keeps the mock turn open for 60 seconds by default, which
+  leaves setup headroom under CI load before the steer is submitted.
+
+## Verification
+
+```bash
+(cd apps/web && pnpm run lint)
+make -C apps/backend build
+(cd apps/web && pnpm run build:e2e)
+(cd apps/web && pnpm e2e:run tests/chat/mid-turn-attachment.spec.ts)
+```
+
+## Files likely touched
+
+- `apps/web/e2e/tests/chat/mid-turn-attachment.spec.ts`
diff --git a/docs/specs/tasks/requirements/prompt-attachments.md b/docs/specs/tasks/requirements/prompt-attachments.md
index f587cb8a66..c15b0f8b4f 100644
--- a/docs/specs/tasks/requirements/prompt-attachments.md
+++ b/docs/specs/tasks/requirements/prompt-attachments.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 status: draft
 system: tasks
 created: 2026-08-04
-updated: 2026-09-01
+updated: 2026-09-02
 owners:
   - Kandev team
 ---
@@ -33,6 +33,14 @@ This document is the migrated task-system source for the capability. The source
 - **AC-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001.5:** When attachment materialization fails
   before the initial prompt reaches the agent, the system shall show a durable
   launch error and shall not present the session as active work.
+- **AC-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001.6:** When a message carrying claimed
+  attachments is delivered into a turn that is already generating, the system
+  shall materialize those attachments into the active session before the agent
+  receives the message, on the same terms as a message that starts a new turn.
+- **AC-TASKS-PROMPT-ATTACHMENTS-001.7:** When materialization fails for a
+  message delivered into a generating turn, the system shall surface a durable
+  error for that message and shall not deliver an attachment reference whose
+  bytes are absent from the session.
 
 ## Migrated source detail
 
@@ -74,6 +82,8 @@ move files into a workspace manually or strip useful evidence.
 - Path-delivered files are materialized in the active execution beneath the
   session's `.kandev/attachments/<session-id>/` directory before the agent is
   prompted. Existing native-prompt and path delivery choices remain available.
+  This holds for every delivery route, including a message folded into a turn
+  that is already generating.
 - Desktop and mobile expose the same upload, retry, removal, submission, and
   size-error outcomes through their existing prompt composers.
 
diff --git a/docs/specs/tasks/system-design/prompt-attachments.md b/docs/specs/tasks/system-design/prompt-attachments.md
index 2416a88ad7..a05050b247 100644
--- a/docs/specs/tasks/system-design/prompt-attachments.md
+++ b/docs/specs/tasks/system-design/prompt-attachments.md
@@ -70,6 +70,13 @@ The lifecycle manager starts prompt generation before materialization. A
 materialization error therefore uses the same terminal prompt-error path as an
 ACP submission error.
 
+Delivery into a turn that is already generating uses the same materialization
+step. The steer route resolves descriptors before it acquires the prompt
+lifecycle lock, because materialization streams file bytes over the network and
+the lock is held only for a bounded dispatch. A steer whose materialization
+fails does not dispatch and does not fall through to an ordinary prompt
+carrying unresolved descriptors.
+
 ## Failure and recovery
 
 A claim error returns from `session.launch` before the intent changes runtime