diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 0f1ce1b..3bf6412 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -57,9 +57,10 @@ TTS_SPEECH_MODEL=mimo-v2.5-tts
 MOCK_IMAGE=false
 
 # ---- 5b. Image proxy (Cloudflare Worker, OPTIONAL) -----------------
-# Leave BOTH blank (the default) and the browser fetches images directly
-# from the provider — exactly as the app worked before this proxy existed.
-# You are completely unaffected; skip this whole section.
+# Leave NEXT_PUBLIC_IMAGE_PROXY_URL blank (the default) and the browser
+# fetches images directly from the provider — exactly as the app worked
+# before this proxy existed. The ALLOWED_HOSTS value below is inert until
+# a proxy URL is set, so you're completely unaffected; skip this section.
 #
 # Why you might want it: Chrome's direct fetch of im.runware.ai is unreliable
 # on some networks (ERR_QUIC_PROTOCOL_ERROR mid-stream → partial bytes →
diff --git a/app/play/page.tsx b/app/play/page.tsx
index bd834e2..5991db7 100644
--- a/app/play/page.tsx
+++ b/app/play/page.tsx
@@ -73,18 +73,22 @@ const IMAGE_PRELOAD_TIMEOUT_MS = 20000;
 function preloadImage(url: string): Promise<void> {
   return new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
     const img = new Image();
-    const done = () => resolve();
-    const timer = setTimeout(done, IMAGE_PRELOAD_TIMEOUT_MS);
-    img.onload = () => {
+    let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>;
+    // Single exit: clear the timeout and resolve. resolve() is idempotent, so
+    // whichever path fires first (load+decode, error, timeout) wins.
+    const done = () => {
       clearTimeout(timer);
+      resolve();
+    };
+    // Armed across BOTH network load and decode, so a hung decode still
+    // resolves quietly — better a broken <img> than a stuck play loop.
+    timer = setTimeout(done, IMAGE_PRELOAD_TIMEOUT_MS);
+    img.onload = () => {
       // .decode() forces the bitmap to be fully decoded before we proceed —
       // without it, a slow decode could still cause a flash on first paint.
       img.decode().then(done, done);
     };
-    img.onerror = () => {
-      clearTimeout(timer);
-      done();
-    };
+    img.onerror = done;
     img.src = url;
   });
 }