diff --git a/app/api/parse-style-image/route.ts b/app/api/parse-style-image/route.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..02d165e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/api/parse-style-image/route.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+import { analyzeImageDataUrl } from "@infiplot/ai-client";
+import type {
+  ParseStyleImageRequest,
+  ParseStyleImageResponse,
+} from "@infiplot/types";
+import { NextResponse } from "next/server";
+import { loadEngineConfig } from "@/lib/config";
+
+export const runtime = "nodejs";
+export const maxDuration = 60;
+
+// Same rationale as /api/vision: the client resizes to 512px max-dim webp
+// (~30-80KB base64 typical) before upload, so 3 MB is generous headroom
+// against malformed / abusive direct-API payloads.
+const MAX_IMAGE_BYTES = 3 * 1024 * 1024;
+
+const STYLE_EXTRACTION_PROMPT = `You are a senior concept artist helping describe an image's visual style so that a text-to-image diffusion model (FLUX) can reproduce the same aesthetic on different subjects.
+
+Look at the attached image and produce a single English style-prompt string that captures ONLY its visual style — NOT its subject matter. Focus on:
+- Medium / technique (e.g., watercolor, oil painting, cel-shaded anime, 3D render, pixel art)
+- Line work and rendering (sharp ink outlines, soft shading, painterly brushstrokes, flat colors)
+- Color palette and lighting (pastel, saturated, monochrome, warm golden-hour, cool neon, high contrast)
+- Mood and atmosphere (dreamy, melancholic, cinematic, nostalgic, gritty)
+- Any recognizable artistic influence (Ghibli, Makoto Shinkai, ukiyo-e, vaporwave, cyberpunk anime, etc.)
+
+Do NOT describe the characters, objects, or scene contents. Output exactly one JSON object:
+{"stylePrompt": "<comma-separated English visual-style attributes, ~30-60 words>"}`;
+
+export async function POST(req: Request) {
+  let body: ParseStyleImageRequest;
+  try {
+    body = (await req.json()) as ParseStyleImageRequest;
+  } catch {
+    return NextResponse.json({ error: "Invalid JSON" }, { status: 400 });
+  }
+
+  if (
+    typeof body.imageDataUrl !== "string" ||
+    !body.imageDataUrl.startsWith("data:image/")
+  ) {
+    return NextResponse.json(
+      { error: "imageDataUrl must be a data:image/... base64 URL" },
+      { status: 400 },
+    );
+  }
+  if (body.imageDataUrl.length > MAX_IMAGE_BYTES) {
+    return NextResponse.json(
+      { error: `imageDataUrl exceeds ${MAX_IMAGE_BYTES} bytes` },
+      { status: 413 },
+    );
+  }
+
+  try {
+    const config = loadEngineConfig();
+    const raw = await analyzeImageDataUrl(
+      config.vision,
+      body.imageDataUrl,
+      STYLE_EXTRACTION_PROMPT,
+      { responseFormat: "json_object" },
+    );
+
+    let parsed: { stylePrompt?: string };
+    try {
+      parsed = JSON.parse(raw);
+    } catch {
+      // Fall back: treat the raw response as the style prompt directly.
+      parsed = { stylePrompt: raw };
+    }
+    const stylePrompt = (parsed.stylePrompt ?? "").trim();
+    if (!stylePrompt) {
+      return NextResponse.json(
+        { error: "Vision model returned an empty stylePrompt" },
+        { status: 502 },
+      );
+    }
+
+    const payload: ParseStyleImageResponse = { stylePrompt };
+    return NextResponse.json(payload);
+  } catch (err) {
+    const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : "Unknown error";
+    return NextResponse.json({ error: message }, { status: 500 });
+  }
+}
diff --git a/app/api/start/route.ts b/app/api/start/route.ts
index 5c78760..ecd5312 100644
--- a/app/api/start/route.ts
+++ b/app/api/start/route.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,11 @@ import { loadEngineConfig } from "@/lib/config";
 export const runtime = "nodejs";
 export const maxDuration = 60;
 
+// Matches /api/vision and /api/parse-style-image — the user's resized 512px
+// webp is ~30-80 KB; this caps pathological direct-API payloads (which would
+// then ride along in every subsequent /api/scene request body via session).
+const MAX_STYLE_REF_BYTES = 3 * 1024 * 1024;
+
 export async function POST(req: Request) {
   let body: StartRequest;
   try {
@@ -20,6 +25,20 @@ export async function POST(req: Request) {
       { status: 400 },
     );
   }
+  if (typeof body.styleReferenceImage === "string") {
+    if (!body.styleReferenceImage.startsWith("data:image/")) {
+      return NextResponse.json(
+        { error: "styleReferenceImage must be a data:image/... base64 URL" },
+        { status: 400 },
+      );
+    }
+    if (body.styleReferenceImage.length > MAX_STYLE_REF_BYTES) {
+      return NextResponse.json(
+        { error: `styleReferenceImage exceeds ${MAX_STYLE_REF_BYTES} bytes` },
+        { status: 413 },
+      );
+    }
+  }
 
   try {
     const config = loadEngineConfig();
diff --git a/app/page.tsx b/app/page.tsx
index 20827c5..24ca848 100644
--- a/app/page.tsx
+++ b/app/page.tsx
@@ -889,6 +889,8 @@ function StyleModal({
   setCustomStyleGuide,
   styleOverrides,
   setStyleOverrides,
+  customStyleRefImage,
+  setCustomStyleRefImage,
 }: {
   items: string[];
   value: number;
@@ -898,6 +900,8 @@ function StyleModal({
   setCustomStyleGuide: (s: string) => void;
   styleOverrides: Record<string, string>;
   setStyleOverrides: (o: Record<string, string>) => void;
+  customStyleRefImage: string;
+  setCustomStyleRefImage: (s: string) => void;
 }) {
   const [q, setQ] = useState("");
   const [shown, setShown] = useState(false);
@@ -905,6 +909,10 @@ function StyleModal({
   // 列表保持原位（不跳新页面），其他卡片继续可见——用户随时可以取消并切到别处。
   const [editingIdx, setEditingIdx] = useState<number | null>(null);
   const [draft, setDraft] = useState("");
+  // 上传 / 解析参考图的瞬时状态——失败/进行中提示只在此次弹窗内可见。
+  const [parsing, setParsing] = useState(false);
+  const [parseError, setParseError] = useState<string | null>(null);
+  const fileInputRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
   useEffect(() => {
     const id = requestAnimationFrame(() => setShown(true));
     return () => cancelAnimationFrame(id);
@@ -942,6 +950,76 @@ function StyleModal({
     setStyleOverrides(next);
     setDraft(STYLE_MAP[name] ?? "");
   };
+
+  // 客户端把上传的图片缩到 512px 长边 + webp(0.85)，base64 通常落在 30-80KB。
+  // 必须客户端做：(1) 上传 / 后续 /api/scene 都会带这串，包不能太大；
+  //              (2) Runware referenceImages 支持 base64，无需另外加 upload 端点。
+  const resizeImageToDataUrl = async (file: File): Promise<string> => {
+    const dataUrl = await new Promise<string>((resolve, reject) => {
+      const r = new FileReader();
+      r.onload = () => resolve(String(r.result));
+      r.onerror = () => reject(new Error("读取文件失败"));
+      r.readAsDataURL(file);
+    });
+    const img = await new Promise<HTMLImageElement>((resolve, reject) => {
+      const i = new Image();
+      i.onload = () => resolve(i);
+      i.onerror = () => reject(new Error("无法解码图片"));
+      i.src = dataUrl;
+    });
+    const MAX_DIM = 512;
+    const scale = Math.min(1, MAX_DIM / Math.max(img.width, img.height));
+    const w = Math.round(img.width * scale);
+    const h = Math.round(img.height * scale);
+    const canvas = document.createElement("canvas");
+    canvas.width = w;
+    canvas.height = h;
+    const ctx = canvas.getContext("2d");
+    if (!ctx) throw new Error("Canvas 2D context unavailable");
+    ctx.drawImage(img, 0, 0, w, h);
+    // webp 比 jpeg 体积更小一些；浏览器全支持。降级到 jpeg 作为兜底。
+    let out = canvas.toDataURL("image/webp", 0.85);
+    if (!out.startsWith("data:image/webp")) {
+      out = canvas.toDataURL("image/jpeg", 0.85);
+    }
+    return out;
+  };
+
+  const handleUploadStyleImage = async (file: File) => {
+    setParseError(null);
+    if (!file.type.startsWith("image/")) {
+      setParseError("只支持图片文件");
+      return;
+    }
+    setParsing(true);
+    try {
+      const resized = await resizeImageToDataUrl(file);
+      const res = await fetch("/api/parse-style-image", {
+        method: "POST",
+        headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
+        body: JSON.stringify({ imageDataUrl: resized }),
+      });
+      if (!res.ok) {
+        const j = (await res.json().catch(() => ({}))) as { error?: string };
+        throw new Error(j.error ?? `${res.status}`);
+      }
+      const data = (await res.json()) as { stylePrompt: string };
+      // 收到 AI 解析后的 prompt → 覆盖正在编辑的 draft + 持久化参考图。
+      // 用户事后还可以手动改 draft（仍是 textarea）。
+      setDraft(data.stylePrompt);
+      setCustomStyleRefImage(resized);
+    } catch (err) {
+      const msg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : "解析失败";
+      setParseError(msg);
+    } finally {
+      setParsing(false);
+    }
+  };
+
+  const removeStyleRefImage = () => {
+    setCustomStyleRefImage("");
+    setParseError(null);
+  };
   // 标题取去掉括号后缀的"主名"——括号里的英文 / 「Image N参考」之类的脚注
   // 在标题位上显示噪声太大，挪到下方 prompt 行也已经覆盖到了。两种括号都
   // 兼容（中文「（）」和英文「()」）。
@@ -1069,6 +1147,15 @@ function StyleModal({
                         已改
                       </span>
                     )}
+                    {isCustom && customStyleRefImage && !isEditing && (
+                      <span
+                        className="inline-flex items-center gap-1 rounded-sm border border-ember-500/40 bg-ember-500/10 px-1.5 py-0.5 font-sans text-[10px] tracking-wide text-ember-500"
+                        title="参考图已附带——每一幕画师都会参考这张图"
+                      >
+                        <i className="fa-regular fa-image text-[9px]" />
+                        附参考图
+                      </span>
+                    )}
                   </span>
 
                   {/* 「自动」语义就是「让 AI 自己判断画风」，没有 prompt 可显示也无从编辑；
@@ -1080,6 +1167,103 @@ function StyleModal({
                   ) : /* prompt 区域：非编辑态是看起来像文本框的只读容器；编辑态是真的 textarea */
                   isEditing ? (
                     <div className="mt-1.5 flex flex-col gap-2">
+                      {/* 自定义卡专属：上传画风参考图。上传后会：(1) 用 vision LLM
+                          解析成 prompt 覆盖到下方 textarea；(2) 图片本身随会话送到
+                          画师，每幕都作为 reference 锚定画风。 */}
+                      {isCustom && (
+                        <div
+                          onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
+                          className="flex flex-col gap-2"
+                        >
+                          <input
+                            ref={fileInputRef}
+                            type="file"
+                            accept="image/*"
+                            className="hidden"
+                            onChange={(e) => {
+                              const f = e.target.files?.[0];
+                              if (f) handleUploadStyleImage(f);
+                              // reset 让同一文件重选能再次触发 onChange
+                              if (fileInputRef.current) fileInputRef.current.value = "";
+                            }}
+                          />
+                          {customStyleRefImage ? (
+                            <div className="flex items-center gap-3 rounded-sm border border-clay-900/12 bg-cream-100 px-3 py-2.5">
+                              {/* eslint-disable-next-line @next/next/no-img-element */}
+                              <img
+                                src={customStyleRefImage}
+                                alt="画风参考图"
+                                className="h-14 w-14 shrink-0 rounded-sm border border-clay-900/10 object-cover"
+                              />
+                              <div className="flex min-w-0 flex-1 flex-col">
+                                <span className="font-sans text-[12px] text-clay-900">
+                                  <i className="fa-solid fa-check mr-1.5 text-ember-500" />
+                                  参考图已上传
+                                </span>
+                                <span className="font-sans text-[11px] leading-snug text-clay-500">
+                                  AI 已解析为下方 prompt；每一幕画师都会参考这张图
+                                </span>
+                              </div>
+                              <div className="flex flex-col items-end gap-1">
+                                <button
+                                  type="button"
+                                  onClick={(e) => {
+                                    e.stopPropagation();
+                                    fileInputRef.current?.click();
+                                  }}
+                                  disabled={parsing}
+                                  className="font-sans text-[11px] text-clay-500 hover:text-ember-500 transition-colors disabled:opacity-50"
+                                >
+                                  换一张
+                                </button>
+                                <button
+                                  type="button"
+                                  onClick={(e) => {
+                                    e.stopPropagation();
+                                    removeStyleRefImage();
+                                  }}
+                                  className="font-sans text-[11px] text-clay-400 hover:text-clay-900 transition-colors"
+                                >
+                                  移除
+                                </button>
+                              </div>
+                            </div>
+                          ) : (
+                            <button
+                              type="button"
+                              onClick={(e) => {
+                                e.stopPropagation();
+                                fileInputRef.current?.click();
+                              }}
+                              disabled={parsing}
+                              className={
+                                "flex items-center justify-center gap-2 rounded-sm border border-dashed px-3 py-2.5 font-sans text-[12px] transition-colors " +
+                                (parsing
+                                  ? "border-clay-900/15 bg-cream-100 text-clay-400 cursor-wait"
+                                  : "border-clay-900/25 text-clay-700 hover:border-ember-500 hover:bg-ember-500/5 hover:text-ember-500")
+                              }
+                            >
+                              {parsing ? (
+                                <>
+                                  <i className="fa-solid fa-circle-notch fa-spin text-[11px]" />
+                                  AI 正在解析参考图…
+                                </>
+                              ) : (
+                                <>
+                                  <i className="fa-regular fa-image text-[13px]" />
+                                  上传画风参考图（可选）· AI 自动解析为 prompt
+                                </>
+                              )}
+                            </button>
+                          )}
+                          {parseError && (
+                            <span className="font-sans text-[11px] text-rose-500">
+                              <i className="fa-solid fa-circle-exclamation mr-1" />
+                              {parseError}
+                            </span>
+                          )}
+                        </div>
+                      )}
                       <textarea
                         value={draft}
                         onChange={(e) => setDraft(e.target.value)}
@@ -1215,6 +1399,10 @@ export default function HomePage() {
   // 这个 source-of-truth。键是预设名（如 "京阿尼细腻日常"），值是 override prompt。
   // 选中该预设 + 有 override → 把 override 当 styleGuide 喂给画师。
   const [styleOverrides, setStyleOverrides] = useState<Record<string, string>>({});
+  // 用户在「自定义」里上传的参考图（已客户端缩到 512px、webp base64）。
+  // 同时随 sessionStorage 透传到 /play → /api/start → session → painter，
+  // 每一幕的 painter 都会把它作为 reference slot 0，锚定整局画风。
+  const [customStyleRefImage, setCustomStyleRefImage] = useState<string>("");
   const inputRef = useRef<HTMLTextAreaElement>(null);
 
   // 顶部使用提示：默认展示，用户可点 × 永久关闭（localStorage:infiplot:hintClosed）。
@@ -1330,9 +1518,15 @@ export default function HomePage() {
     }
     const audioEnabled = voice === "开启";
 
+    // 只有「自定义」风格选中、且确实上传了参考图时才透传——其他预设没必要
+    // 占用 reference slot（也避免 styleGuide 已经是文本预设、画师收到不相关
+    // 参考图反而产生干扰）。
+    const styleReferenceImage =
+      artStyle === "自定义" && customStyleRefImage ? customStyleRefImage : undefined;
+
     sessionStorage.setItem(
       "infiplot:custom",
-      JSON.stringify({ worldSetting, styleGuide, audioEnabled }),
+      JSON.stringify({ worldSetting, styleGuide, audioEnabled, styleReferenceImage }),
     );
     router.push("/play?custom=1");
   };
@@ -1606,6 +1800,8 @@ export default function HomePage() {
           setCustomStyleGuide={setCustomStyleGuide}
           styleOverrides={styleOverrides}
           setStyleOverrides={setStyleOverrides}
+          customStyleRefImage={customStyleRefImage}
+          setCustomStyleRefImage={setCustomStyleRefImage}
         />
       )}
     </div>
diff --git a/app/play/page.tsx b/app/play/page.tsx
index 443bc3f..ec9ba82 100644
--- a/app/play/page.tsx
+++ b/app/play/page.tsx
@@ -500,7 +500,11 @@ function PlayInner() {
     const presetId = params.get("preset");
     const isCustom = params.get("custom") === "1";
 
-    let livePayload: { worldSetting: string; styleGuide: string } | null = null;
+    let livePayload: {
+      worldSetting: string;
+      styleGuide: string;
+      styleReferenceImage?: string;
+    } | null = null;
     if (!cardName) {
       if (presetId) {
         const p = PRESETS.find((x) => x.id === presetId);
@@ -513,8 +517,13 @@ function PlayInner() {
               worldSetting: string;
               styleGuide: string;
               audioEnabled?: boolean;
+              styleReferenceImage?: string;
+            };
+            livePayload = {
+              worldSetting: parsed.worldSetting,
+              styleGuide: parsed.styleGuide,
+              styleReferenceImage: parsed.styleReferenceImage || undefined,
             };
-            livePayload = { worldSetting: parsed.worldSetting, styleGuide: parsed.styleGuide };
             // audioEnabled 已在 useState 初始化时反向投射到 muted；这里无需再额外存。
           } catch {
             livePayload = null;
@@ -531,6 +540,11 @@ function PlayInner() {
     type PrebakedFirstAct = StartResponse & {
       worldSetting: string;
       styleGuide: string;
+      // Live /api/start path tags this on after the response (prebaked card
+      // JSONs never have one — they were rendered at build time without any
+      // user-uploaded reference). Carried into Session so /api/scene's painter
+      // anchors the same style image on every subsequent scene.
+      styleReferenceImage?: string;
       cardName?: string;
       cardTitle?: string;
       cardGender?: string;
@@ -554,7 +568,14 @@ function PlayInner() {
           }
           const data = (await r.json()) as StartResponse;
           // Live /api/start doesn't echo ws/sg back — splice in what we sent.
-          return { ...data, worldSetting: livePayload!.worldSetting, styleGuide: livePayload!.styleGuide };
+          // styleReferenceImage is similarly not in StartResponse; tag it on so
+          // the session we build below carries it for every /api/scene call.
+          return {
+            ...data,
+            worldSetting: livePayload!.worldSetting,
+            styleGuide: livePayload!.styleGuide,
+            styleReferenceImage: livePayload!.styleReferenceImage,
+          };
         });
 
     fetchStart
@@ -577,6 +598,7 @@ function PlayInner() {
           ],
           characters: data.characters,
           storyState: data.storyState,
+          styleReferenceImage: data.styleReferenceImage,
         };
         visitedBeatsRef.current = [data.scene.entryBeatId];
         setSession(initial);
diff --git a/lib/ai-client/index.ts b/lib/ai-client/index.ts
index 0153e48..ce156aa 100644
--- a/lib/ai-client/index.ts
+++ b/lib/ai-client/index.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 export { chat } from "./chat";
 export { generateImage } from "./image";
 export type { GenerateImageOptions, GenerateImageResult } from "./image";
-export { interpretClick } from "./vision";
+export { interpretClick, analyzeImageDataUrl } from "./vision";
 export type { ChatMessage } from "./chat";
diff --git a/lib/ai-client/vision.ts b/lib/ai-client/vision.ts
index 61992c6..ade15d6 100644
--- a/lib/ai-client/vision.ts
+++ b/lib/ai-client/vision.ts
@@ -5,26 +5,46 @@ export async function interpretClick(
   config: ProviderConfig,
   imageBase64: string,
   prompt: string,
+): Promise<string> {
+  // Wrap the raw base64 in a PNG data URL — the Canvas annotator on the
+  // client encodes as PNG. analyzeImageDataUrl handles the actual request.
+  return analyzeImageDataUrl(
+    config,
+    `data:image/png;base64,${imageBase64}`,
+    prompt,
+    { responseFormat: "json_object" },
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * General single-image vision call. Accepts a complete data URL (preserves
+ * the source mime type, e.g. webp/jpeg) and lets the caller opt out of
+ * `response_format: json_object` for free-form text responses.
+ */
+export async function analyzeImageDataUrl(
+  config: ProviderConfig,
+  imageDataUrl: string,
+  prompt: string,
+  opts: { responseFormat?: "json_object" | "text" } = {},
 ): Promise<string> {
   const url = `${config.baseUrl.replace(/\/$/, "")}/chat/completions`;
 
-  const body = {
+  const body: Record<string, unknown> = {
     model: config.model,
     messages: [
       {
         role: "user",
         content: [
           { type: "text", text: prompt },
-          {
-            type: "image_url",
-            image_url: { url: `data:image/png;base64,${imageBase64}` },
-          },
+          { type: "image_url", image_url: { url: imageDataUrl } },
         ],
       },
     ],
     temperature: 0.2,
-    response_format: { type: "json_object" },
   };
+  if (opts.responseFormat === "json_object") {
+    body.response_format = { type: "json_object" };
+  }
 
   const timeoutCtrl = new AbortController();
   const timeoutId = setTimeout(() => timeoutCtrl.abort(), 60_000);
diff --git a/lib/engine/agents/painter.ts b/lib/engine/agents/painter.ts
index bad340f..c2288ec 100644
--- a/lib/engine/agents/painter.ts
+++ b/lib/engine/agents/painter.ts
@@ -47,6 +47,13 @@ export type PainterInput = {
    * with character refs, capped at 4 total per Runware spec.
    */
   priorSceneImage?: string;
+  /**
+   * User-uploaded style reference (data URL base64). When set, it takes the
+   * highest-priority slot in referenceImages so the painting STYLE (brush /
+   * color / mood) of the user's image is anchored across every scene this
+   * session paints — even before any priorScene exists.
+   */
+  styleReferenceImage?: string;
 };
 
 // Pick the references we send to Runware as `referenceImages`. Priority:
@@ -59,14 +66,22 @@ export function collectReferenceImages(
   characters: Character[],
   entryBeat: Beat | undefined,
   priorSceneImage: string | undefined,
+  styleReferenceImage?: string,
 ): string[] {
   const refs: string[] = [];
   const seen = new Set<string>();
 
-  // Slot 0 — prior scene image for spatial continuity. Goes first because
-  // backdrop drift is the most jarring discontinuity across same-sceneKey
-  // scenes; character drift is partially masked by character archetype text
-  // in the prompt anyway.
+  // Slot 0 — user-uploaded style reference image, if any. Goes first because
+  // it anchors the whole-session painting STYLE (brush / color / mood) that
+  // the user explicitly chose. priorScene continuity comes second; character
+  // archetypes are partially covered by the prompt text anyway.
+  if (styleReferenceImage) {
+    refs.push(styleReferenceImage);
+  }
+
+  // Slot N — prior scene image for spatial continuity. Backdrop drift is the
+  // next-most jarring discontinuity across same-sceneKey scenes; character
+  // drift is partially masked by character archetype text in the prompt.
   if (priorSceneImage) {
     refs.push(priorSceneImage);
   }
@@ -140,6 +155,7 @@ export async function runPainter(
     input.onStageCharacters,
     entryBeat,
     input.priorSceneImage,
+    input.styleReferenceImage,
   );
 
   // Tier A — with referenceImages (priorSceneImage + character portraits).
diff --git a/lib/engine/director.ts b/lib/engine/director.ts
index 786e77b..8049023 100644
--- a/lib/engine/director.ts
+++ b/lib/engine/director.ts
@@ -327,6 +327,7 @@ export async function directScene(
       styleGuide: session.styleGuide,
       onStageCharacters,
       priorSceneImage: priorSceneReference,
+      styleReferenceImage: session.styleReferenceImage,
     },
     entryBeat,
   );
diff --git a/lib/engine/orchestrator.ts b/lib/engine/orchestrator.ts
index 5f930fc..3f233c0 100644
--- a/lib/engine/orchestrator.ts
+++ b/lib/engine/orchestrator.ts
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ export async function startSession(
     styleGuide: req.styleGuide.trim(),
     history: [],
     characters: [],
+    styleReferenceImage: req.styleReferenceImage?.trim() || undefined,
   };
 
   // Stage 0 — Architect: expand the terse world/style prompt into a story
diff --git a/lib/types/index.ts b/lib/types/index.ts
index 33f0313..66daf9f 100644
--- a/lib/types/index.ts
+++ b/lib/types/index.ts
@@ -206,6 +206,14 @@ export type Session = {
    * session payload created before this field existed.
    */
   storyState?: StoryState;
+  /**
+   * Optional user-uploaded style reference image (data URL — `data:image/...;base64,...`).
+   * When set, the Painter prepends it to `referenceImages` on every scene so the
+   * uploaded image anchors painting style (brush, color, mood) across the whole
+   * session. Resized client-side before upload (~512px max dim) to keep session
+   * payload small for /api/scene round-trips.
+   */
+  styleReferenceImage?: string;
 };
 
 // ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -253,6 +261,21 @@ export type EngineConfig = {
 export type StartRequest = {
   worldSetting: string;
   styleGuide: string;
+  /** Optional user-uploaded style reference image — see Session.styleReferenceImage. */
+  styleReferenceImage?: string;
+};
+
+// /api/parse-style-image — vision LLM extracts a textual painting-style
+// prompt from a user-uploaded reference image. The same base64 is echoed
+// back so the client can later pass it through to /api/start.
+export type ParseStyleImageRequest = {
+  /** Data URL: `data:image/...;base64,...`. */
+  imageDataUrl: string;
+};
+
+export type ParseStyleImageResponse = {
+  /** English style prompt suitable as a styleGuide (FLUX-friendly attributes). */
+  stylePrompt: string;
 };
 
 export type StartResponse = {