docs: first on-device test results and metadata-source research

Records the coil3 StateFlow trap (a Kotlin warning, not an error, that
silently blanked every book cover) so a future session greps for it, and
the two Open Library cover defects behind it.

METADATA-SOURCES.md answers the user's research question about
alternative lookup sources: measurements over a 60-ISBN sample drawn
from a third-party catalogue, the options with costs, and a
recommendation to fix diagnosis before buying coverage. Nothing there is
implemented — the user asked to be consulted first.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01CDcPottghJXEvfYKqFM7zf

app/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
         <activity
             android:name=".MainActivity"
             android:exported="true"
+            android:windowSoftInputMode="adjustResize"
             android:theme="@style/Theme.Bookshelf">
             <intent-filter>
                 <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />

app/app/src/main/java/org/modg/bookshelf/data/metadata/MetadataRepository.kt

@@ -22,10 +22,28 @@ class MetadataRepository(
 
     suspend fun lookup(isbn: String): BookMetadata? {
         val isbn13 = IsbnUtils.toIsbn13(isbn) ?: return null
-        return coroutineScope {
+        val merged = coroutineScope {
             val openLibrary = async { openLibraryClient.lookup(isbn13) }
             val googleBooks = async { googleBooksClient.lookup(isbn13) }
             MetadataMerger.merge(openLibrary.await(), googleBooks.await())
+        } ?: return null
+        return if (merged.coverUrl.isNullOrBlank()) {
+            merged.copy(coverUrl = byIsbnCoverUrl(isbn13))
+        } else {
+            merged
         }
     }
+
+    companion object {
+        /**
+         * Last resort when neither source reported cover art, per SPEC's cover chain.
+         * `default=false` is load-bearing: without it this endpoint answers 200 with a
+         * 1x1 transparent GIF for editions it has no art for, which an image loader
+         * treats as a successful load and paints as an invisible cover. With it, a
+         * miss is a 404, so [org.modg.bookshelf.ui.components.BookCover] can fall back
+         * to its placeholder.
+         */
+        fun byIsbnCoverUrl(isbn13: String): String =
+            "https://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/$isbn13-L.jpg?default=false"
+    }
 }

app/app/src/main/java/org/modg/bookshelf/data/metadata/OpenLibraryDtos.kt

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ data class OpenLibraryBookDto(
     @SerialName("publish_date") val publishDate: String? = null,
     @SerialName("number_of_pages") val numberOfPages: Int? = null,
     val identifiers: OpenLibraryIdentifiersDto? = null,
+    val cover: OpenLibraryCoverDto? = null,
 )
 
 @Serializable
@@ -26,13 +27,33 @@ data class OpenLibraryAuthorDto(val name: String? = null)
 @Serializable
 data class OpenLibraryPublisherDto(val name: String? = null)
 
+/**
+ * Present only when Open Library actually holds cover art for the edition, and so
+ * the only trustworthy "has a cover" signal from this API. A synthesized by-ISBN
+ * covers.openlibrary.org URL is NOT evidence of one: for an edition with no art it
+ * answers 200 with a 43-byte 1x1 transparent GIF (verified 2026-09-09), which any
+ * image loader reports as a successful load — the cover then renders as nothing at
+ * all and no error placeholder ever fires. Only `?default=false` turns that into a
+ * 404; see [MetadataRepository] for the last-resort URL that uses it.
+ */
+@Serializable
+data class OpenLibraryCoverDto(
+    val small: String? = null,
+    val medium: String? = null,
+    val large: String? = null,
+)
+
 @Serializable
 data class OpenLibraryIdentifiersDto(
     @SerialName("isbn_10") val isbn10: List<String> = emptyList(),
     @SerialName("isbn_13") val isbn13: List<String> = emptyList(),
 )
 
-/** Maps the OL DTO to the source-agnostic [BookMetadata], deriving the cover URL per SPEC. */
+/**
+ * Maps the OL DTO to the source-agnostic [BookMetadata]. [coverUrl] stays null unless
+ * OL reports real cover art, so that the SPEC merge rule can fall through to Google
+ * Books' thumbnail instead of pinning a URL that resolves to a blank image.
+ */
 fun OpenLibraryBookDto.toBookMetadata(lookupIsbn13: String): BookMetadata = BookMetadata(
     isbn13 = identifiers?.isbn13?.firstOrNull() ?: lookupIsbn13,
     isbn10 = identifiers?.isbn10?.firstOrNull(),
@@ -43,5 +64,5 @@ fun OpenLibraryBookDto.toBookMetadata(lookupIsbn13: String): BookMetadata = Book
     publishedDate = publishDate,
     pageCount = numberOfPages,
     description = null,
-    coverUrl = "https://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/$lookupIsbn13-L.jpg",
+    coverUrl = cover?.large?.takeIf { it.isNotBlank() } ?: cover?.medium?.takeIf { it.isNotBlank() },
 )

app/app/src/main/java/org/modg/bookshelf/ui/components/BookCover.kt

@@ -3,15 +3,20 @@ package org.modg.bookshelf.ui.components
 import androidx.compose.foundation.background
 import androidx.compose.foundation.border
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Box
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.aspectRatio
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxHeight
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.width
 import androidx.compose.material.icons.Icons
 import androidx.compose.material.icons.outlined.AutoStories
 import androidx.compose.material.icons.outlined.BrokenImage
 import androidx.compose.material3.Icon
 import androidx.compose.material3.MaterialTheme
 import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
+import androidx.compose.runtime.collectAsState
+import androidx.compose.runtime.getValue
 import androidx.compose.ui.Alignment
 import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
 import androidx.compose.ui.draw.clip
@@ -27,9 +32,12 @@ const val BookCoverAspectRatio = 2f / 3f
 /**
  * A book cover image, always drawn at [BookCoverAspectRatio]. Covers are the
  * hero of this app's design — real art fills the whole shape edge to edge.
- * When there's no [coverUrl], or the load fails, we fall back to the same
+ * When there's no [coverUrl], or the load fails, or one is still in flight, we
- * restrained "letterpress" placeholder: a paper-toned panel with a debossed
+ * fall back to the same restrained "letterpress" placeholder: a paper-toned panel
- * spine motif rather than a broken-image icon or empty grey box.
+ * with a debossed spine motif rather than a broken-image icon or empty grey box.
+ * The placeholder is drawn in EVERY non-success state on purpose — a cover slot
+ * that renders nothing at all leaves the title floating in blank space, which is
+ * exactly what a transparent 1x1 stand-in cover used to produce.
  */
 @Composable
 fun BookCover(
@@ -52,11 +60,16 @@ fun BookCover(
                 modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
                 contentScale = ContentScale.Crop,
             ) {
-                when (painter.state) {
+                // painter.state is a StateFlow<State>, NOT a State. Branching on it
+                // directly compiles (a `when` used as a statement needs no else) but
+                // every branch is always false, so the slot draws nothing at all —
+                // no cover and no placeholder. Collect it before matching.
+                val state by painter.state.collectAsState()
+                when (state) {
                     is AsyncImagePainter.State.Error -> CoverPlaceholder(errored = true)
                     is AsyncImagePainter.State.Loading,
                     is AsyncImagePainter.State.Empty,
-                        -> CoverPlaceholder(errored = false, loading = true)
+                        -> CoverPlaceholder(errored = false)
                     is AsyncImagePainter.State.Success -> SubcomposeAsyncImageContent()
                 }
             }
@@ -65,25 +78,39 @@ fun BookCover(
 }
 
 @Composable
-private fun CoverPlaceholder(errored: Boolean, loading: Boolean = false) {
+private fun CoverPlaceholder(errored: Boolean) {
     val paperAlt = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surfaceVariant
     val ink = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant
+    val spine = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.primary
+    val gold = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.secondary
     Box(
         modifier = Modifier
             .fillMaxSize()
             .background(paperAlt)
-            .border(width = 1.dp, color = ink.copy(alpha = 0.15f))
+            .border(width = 1.dp, color = ink.copy(alpha = 0.22f)),
-            .padding(2.dp)
-            .border(width = 1.dp, color = ink.copy(alpha = 0.1f)),
         contentAlignment = Alignment.Center,
     ) {
-        if (!loading) {
+        // A bound: a mahogany spine strip down the left edge with a gold hairline
-            Icon(
+        // beside it. This is what makes an art-less cover still read as a book.
-                imageVector = if (errored) Icons.Outlined.BrokenImage else Icons.Outlined.AutoStories,
+        Row(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
-                contentDescription = null,
+            Box(
-                tint = ink.copy(alpha = if (errored) 0.35f else 0.28f),
+                modifier = Modifier
-                modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(0.32f),
+                    .fillMaxHeight()
+                    .width(10.dp)
+                    .background(spine.copy(alpha = 0.35f)),
+            )
+            Box(
+                modifier = Modifier
+                    .fillMaxHeight()
+                    .width(1.dp)
+                    .background(gold.copy(alpha = 0.55f)),
             )
         }
+        Icon(
+            imageVector = if (errored) Icons.Outlined.BrokenImage else Icons.Outlined.AutoStories,
+            contentDescription = null,
+            tint = ink.copy(alpha = 0.4f),
+            modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(0.3f),
+        )
     }
 }

app/app/src/main/java/org/modg/bookshelf/ui/components/BookshelfScaffold.kt

@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package org.modg.bookshelf.ui.components
 
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.PaddingValues
-import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
 import androidx.compose.material3.CenterAlignedTopAppBar
 import androidx.compose.material3.ExperimentalMaterial3Api
 import androidx.compose.material3.FloatingActionButton
@@ -18,6 +17,12 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
  * screen title and a gold hairline rule underneath, plus optional nav/action
  * slots, FAB, and a bottom [SyncStatusBar] slot. Screens should reach for
  * this instead of a bare [Scaffold] so the chrome stays consistent.
+ *
+ * [syncStatusBar] goes in the Scaffold's own bottom-bar slot rather than in a
+ * hand-rolled Column under the content: that is what makes the height it
+ * occupies show up in the [PaddingValues] handed to [content], so a screen that
+ * applies them can't scroll its last row underneath the status line. The bar
+ * takes the navigation-bar inset itself (see [SyncStatusBar]).
  */
 @OptIn(ExperimentalMaterial3Api::class)
 @Composable
@@ -49,14 +54,8 @@ fun BookshelfScaffold(
             }
         },
         floatingActionButton = floatingActionButton,
+        bottomBar = syncStatusBar,
         containerColor = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surface,
-        content = { innerPadding ->
+        content = content,
-            Column(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
-                Column(modifier = Modifier.weight(1f)) {
-                    content(innerPadding)
-                }
-                syncStatusBar()
-            }
-        },
     )
 }

app/app/src/main/java/org/modg/bookshelf/ui/components/SyncStatusBar.kt

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Box
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Row
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.navigationBarsPadding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.size
 import androidx.compose.foundation.shape.CircleShape
@@ -38,8 +39,13 @@ enum class SyncStatus {
 }
 
 /**
- * A slim, quiet status line — never a blocking banner or dialog. Sits at the
+ * A slim, quiet status line — never a blocking banner or dialog. Sits in
- * bottom of [BookshelfScaffold] screens.
+ * [BookshelfScaffold]'s bottom-bar slot.
+ *
+ * The app draws edge to edge, so this is the one composable that sits against
+ * the very bottom of the display: it owns the navigation-bar inset itself, and
+ * its horizontal padding is deliberately wider than the app's usual 16dp so the
+ * dot and label clear a phone's rounded display corners.
  */
 @Composable
 fun SyncStatusBar(
@@ -51,7 +57,8 @@ fun SyncStatusBar(
         modifier = modifier
             .fillMaxWidth()
             .background(MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surfaceContainerLow)
-            .padding(horizontal = 16.dp, vertical = 8.dp),
+            .navigationBarsPadding()
+            .padding(horizontal = 28.dp, vertical = 8.dp),
         verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
         horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(8.dp),
     ) {

app/app/src/main/java/org/modg/bookshelf/ui/library/LibraryScreen.kt

@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.Alignment
 import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
 import androidx.compose.ui.text.style.TextOverflow
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
+import androidx.compose.ui.unit.sp
 import androidx.lifecycle.viewmodel.compose.viewModel
 import androidx.lifecycle.viewmodel.initializer
 import androidx.lifecycle.viewmodel.viewModelFactory
@@ -264,9 +265,14 @@ internal fun LibraryBookCard(book: BookEntity, onClick: () -> Unit) {
             contentDescription = book.title,
             modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
         )
+        // titleSmall's 24sp line height is right for a paragraph and wrong here: on a
+        // wrapped two-line title it opened a bigger gap between the title's own lines
+        // than between the title and the author beneath it, so the author read as part
+        // of the title block. Tighten the leading and give the author its own gap, so
+        // the card groups as one title + one byline.
         Text(
             text = book.title,
-            style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleSmall,
+            style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleSmall.copy(lineHeight = 20.sp),
             color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurface,
             maxLines = 2,
             overflow = TextOverflow.Ellipsis,
@@ -280,6 +286,7 @@ internal fun LibraryBookCard(book: BookEntity, onClick: () -> Unit) {
                 color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant,
                 maxLines = 1,
                 overflow = TextOverflow.Ellipsis,
+                modifier = Modifier.padding(top = 4.dp),
             )
         }
     }

app/app/src/main/java/org/modg/bookshelf/ui/scan/ScanModels.kt

@@ -18,7 +18,14 @@ object DuplicateCheck {
 /** What the scan bottom sheet is currently showing. */
 sealed interface ScanSheetState {
     data object Hidden : ScanSheetState
-    data object Loading : ScanSheetState
+
+    /**
+     * Carries [isbn13] so the sheet can name the code it just read. A bare spinner
+     * doesn't tell the user the barcode was recognised, and they keep holding the
+     * book up to the camera; echoing the number back is the signal that they can
+     * lower it.
+     */
+    data class Loading(val isbn13: String) : ScanSheetState
     data class Found(val isbn13: String, val metadata: BookMetadata, val duplicate: DuplicateStatus) : ScanSheetState
     data class NotFound(val isbn13: String) : ScanSheetState
 }

app/app/src/main/java/org/modg/bookshelf/ui/scan/ScanScreen.kt

@@ -137,9 +137,7 @@ fun ScanScreen(
     when (val state = sheetState) {
         is ScanSheetState.Hidden -> Unit
         is ScanSheetState.Loading -> ModalBottomSheet(onDismissRequest = { }, sheetState = rememberModalBottomSheetState()) {
-            Box(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(32.dp), contentAlignment = Alignment.Center) {
+            SearchingSheet(isbn13 = state.isbn13)
-                CircularProgressIndicator()
-            }
         }
         is ScanSheetState.Found -> ModalBottomSheet(
             onDismissRequest = { viewModel.dismissSheet() },
@@ -238,6 +236,40 @@ internal fun ScanReticle(modifier: Modifier = Modifier) {
     }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Shown the moment a barcode is decoded, while the metadata lookup runs. It names
+ * the ISBN it read and says so in words, because a lone spinner reads as "still
+ * working on it" — the user goes on holding the book up to the camera when the
+ * camera is already done with it.
+ */
+@Composable
+internal fun SearchingSheet(isbn13: String) {
+    Column(
+        modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(horizontal = 24.dp, vertical = 32.dp),
+        horizontalAlignment = Alignment.CenterHorizontally,
+    ) {
+        CircularProgressIndicator()
+        Text(
+            text = "Searching…",
+            style = MaterialTheme.typography.titleMedium,
+            color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurface,
+            modifier = Modifier.padding(top = 20.dp),
+        )
+        Text(
+            text = "ISBN $isbn13",
+            style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodyMedium,
+            color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant,
+            modifier = Modifier.padding(top = 4.dp),
+        )
+        Text(
+            text = "Barcode read — you can lower the book.",
+            style = MaterialTheme.typography.bodySmall,
+            color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.onSurfaceVariant,
+            modifier = Modifier.padding(top = 12.dp),
+        )
+    }
+}
+
 @Composable
 internal fun SessionBadge(count: Int, modifier: Modifier = Modifier) {
     if (count == 0) return

app/app/src/main/java/org/modg/bookshelf/ui/scan/ScanViewModel.kt

@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ class ScanViewModel(
 
     private suspend fun onScanned(isbn13: String) {
         if (_sheetState.value !is ScanSheetState.Hidden) return // a sheet is already up for a previous hit
-        _sheetState.value = ScanSheetState.Loading
+        _sheetState.value = ScanSheetState.Loading(isbn13)
         val duplicate = DuplicateCheck.check(bookRepository.findByIsbn13(isbn13))
         val metadata = metadataRepository.lookup(isbn13)
         _sheetState.value = ScanMetadataOutcome.from(isbn13, metadata, duplicate)

app/app/src/main/java/org/modg/bookshelf/ui/setup/SetupScreen.kt

@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@ import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Arrangement
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.Column
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxSize
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.fillMaxWidth
+import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.safeDrawingPadding
 import androidx.compose.foundation.layout.padding
+import androidx.compose.foundation.text.KeyboardActions
 import androidx.compose.foundation.text.KeyboardOptions
 import androidx.compose.foundation.verticalScroll
 import androidx.compose.foundation.rememberScrollState
@@ -15,6 +17,9 @@ import androidx.compose.runtime.Composable
 import androidx.compose.runtime.collectAsState
 import androidx.compose.runtime.getValue
 import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
+import androidx.compose.ui.focus.FocusDirection
+import androidx.compose.ui.platform.LocalFocusManager
+import androidx.compose.ui.text.input.ImeAction
 import androidx.compose.ui.text.input.KeyboardType
 import androidx.compose.ui.text.input.PasswordVisualTransformation
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
@@ -38,11 +43,23 @@ fun SetupScreen(onSetupComplete: () -> Unit, container: AppContainer) {
         },
     )
     val state by viewModel.uiState.collectAsState()
+    val focusManager = LocalFocusManager.current
+
+    val canSubmit = !state.isSubmitting &&
+        state.serverUrl.isNotBlank() &&
+        state.email.isNotBlank() &&
+        state.password.isNotBlank()
 
     PaperSurface(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
+        // This screen has no Scaffold of its own, so it owns its window insets.
+        // safeDrawingPadding covers the IME as well as the system bars, and it sits
+        // OUTSIDE verticalScroll on purpose: the keyboard then shrinks the scrollable
+        // viewport rather than covering it, so Compose brings the newly focused field
+        // into view instead of leaving Password stranded behind the IME.
         Column(
             modifier = Modifier
                 .fillMaxSize()
+                .safeDrawingPadding()
                 .verticalScroll(rememberScrollState())
                 .padding(24.dp),
             verticalArrangement = Arrangement.Center,
@@ -61,7 +78,11 @@ fun SetupScreen(onSetupComplete: () -> Unit, container: AppContainer) {
                 label = { Text("Server URL") },
                 placeholder = { Text("https://library.example.com") },
                 singleLine = true,
-                keyboardOptions = KeyboardOptions(keyboardType = KeyboardType.Uri),
+                keyboardOptions = KeyboardOptions(
+                    keyboardType = KeyboardType.Uri,
+                    imeAction = ImeAction.Next,
+                ),
+                keyboardActions = KeyboardActions(onNext = { focusManager.moveFocus(FocusDirection.Down) }),
                 isError = state.urlError != null,
                 modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
             )
@@ -81,7 +102,11 @@ fun SetupScreen(onSetupComplete: () -> Unit, container: AppContainer) {
                 onValueChange = viewModel::onEmailChanged,
                 label = { Text("Email") },
                 singleLine = true,
-                keyboardOptions = KeyboardOptions(keyboardType = KeyboardType.Email),
+                keyboardOptions = KeyboardOptions(
+                    keyboardType = KeyboardType.Email,
+                    imeAction = ImeAction.Next,
+                ),
+                keyboardActions = KeyboardActions(onNext = { focusManager.moveFocus(FocusDirection.Down) }),
                 isError = state.credentialsError != null,
                 modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(top = 8.dp),
             )
@@ -91,7 +116,16 @@ fun SetupScreen(onSetupComplete: () -> Unit, container: AppContainer) {
                 label = { Text("Password") },
                 singleLine = true,
                 visualTransformation = PasswordVisualTransformation(),
-                keyboardOptions = KeyboardOptions(keyboardType = KeyboardType.Password),
+                keyboardOptions = KeyboardOptions(
+                    keyboardType = KeyboardType.Password,
+                    imeAction = ImeAction.Done,
+                ),
+                keyboardActions = KeyboardActions(
+                    onDone = {
+                        focusManager.clearFocus()
+                        if (canSubmit) viewModel.submit(onSetupComplete)
+                    },
+                ),
                 isError = state.credentialsError != null,
                 modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().padding(top = 8.dp),
             )
@@ -107,10 +141,7 @@ fun SetupScreen(onSetupComplete: () -> Unit, container: AppContainer) {
             PrimaryButton(
                 text = if (state.isSubmitting) "Signing in…" else "Sign in",
                 onClick = { viewModel.submit(onSetupComplete) },
-                enabled = !state.isSubmitting &&
+                enabled = canSubmit,
-                    state.serverUrl.isNotBlank() &&
-                    state.email.isNotBlank() &&
-                    state.password.isNotBlank(),
                 modifier = Modifier.padding(top = 24.dp),
             )
         }

app/app/src/test/java/org/modg/bookshelf/data/metadata/MetadataRepositoryTest.kt

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+package org.modg.bookshelf.data.metadata
+
+import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.Assert.assertTrue
+import org.junit.Test
+
+class MetadataRepositoryTest {
+
+    /**
+     * `default=false` is the whole point of this URL. Without it covers.openlibrary.org
+     * answers 200 with a 43-byte 1x1 transparent GIF for an edition it holds no art for
+     * — an image loader calls that a successful load, so the cover slot renders empty
+     * and the placeholder never appears. With it, a miss is a 404 the loader can report.
+     */
+    @Test
+    fun `by-isbn cover url disables the blank stand-in image`() {
+        val url = MetadataRepository.byIsbnCoverUrl("9780201558029")
+
+        assertEquals(
+            "https://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780201558029-L.jpg?default=false",
+            url,
+        )
+        assertTrue("must opt out of the 1x1 stand-in", url.contains("default=false"))
+    }
+}

app/app/src/test/java/org/modg/bookshelf/data/metadata/OpenLibraryClientTest.kt

@@ -29,7 +29,36 @@ class OpenLibraryClientTest {
         assertEquals(672, result.pageCount)
         assertEquals("9780201558029", result.isbn13)
         assertEquals("0201558025", result.isbn10)
-        assertEquals("https://covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/9780201558029-L.jpg", result.coverUrl)
+        assertEquals("https://covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/675832-L.jpg", result.coverUrl)
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The by-ISBN cover endpoint answers 200 with a 1x1 transparent GIF for editions
+     * with no art, so synthesizing that URL here would hand the UI a cover that loads
+     * "successfully" and paints nothing. No `cover` object means no cover URL, which
+     * is what lets [MetadataMerger] fall through to Google Books' thumbnail.
+     */
+    @Test
+    fun `leaves coverUrl null when the response reports no cover art`() {
+        val body = """
+            {"ISBN:9780201558029": {"title": "Concrete Mathematics", "publishers": [{"name": "AW"}]}}
+        """.trimIndent()
+        val result = checkNotNull(client.parseResponse(body, "9780201558029"))
+
+        assertEquals("Concrete Mathematics", result.title)
+        assertNull(result.coverUrl)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `falls back to the medium cover when no large one is offered`() {
+        val body = """
+            {"ISBN:9780201558029": {"title": "Concrete Mathematics",
+             "cover": {"small": "https://covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/675832-S.jpg",
+                       "medium": "https://covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/675832-M.jpg"}}}
+        """.trimIndent()
+        val result = checkNotNull(client.parseResponse(body, "9780201558029"))
+
+        assertEquals("https://covers.openlibrary.org/b/id/675832-M.jpg", result.coverUrl)
     }
 
     @Test

app/app/src/test/java/org/modg/bookshelf/ui/screens/ScanScreenPaparazziTest.kt

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import org.modg.bookshelf.ui.components.BookshelfScaffold
 import org.modg.bookshelf.ui.scan.DuplicateStatus
 import org.modg.bookshelf.ui.scan.FoundBookSheet
 import org.modg.bookshelf.ui.scan.ScanReticle
+import org.modg.bookshelf.ui.scan.SearchingSheet
 import org.modg.bookshelf.ui.scan.SessionBadge
 import org.modg.bookshelf.ui.theme.BookshelfTheme
 
@@ -52,6 +53,10 @@ class ScanScreenPaparazziTest {
     @Test
     fun scanFoundSheetLight() = snapshotBoth("scan-found-sheet") { FoundSheetOverlay() }
 
+    /** The state between "barcode decoded" and "metadata back" — see [SearchingSheet]. */
+    @Test
+    fun scanSearchingSheetLight() = snapshotBoth("scan-searching-sheet") { SearchingSheetOverlay() }
+
     @Composable
     private fun ReticleOverlay() = Shell {
         Box(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(), contentAlignment = Alignment.Center) {
@@ -89,6 +94,19 @@ class ScanScreenPaparazziTest {
         }
     }
 
+    @Composable
+    private fun SearchingSheetOverlay() = Shell {
+        Box(modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize()) {
+            Surface(
+                modifier = Modifier.align(Alignment.BottomCenter).fillMaxWidth(),
+                shape = RoundedCornerShape(topStart = 16.dp, topEnd = 16.dp),
+                color = MaterialTheme.colorScheme.surface,
+            ) {
+                SearchingSheet(isbn13 = "9780765326355")
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     @Composable
     private fun Shell(overlay: @Composable () -> Unit) {
         BookshelfScaffold(

docs/HANDOFF.md

@@ -285,3 +285,52 @@ library, scaffold — each light + dark).
    survive minification.
 4. Still-open user questions, unchanged: where the server will actually live, and
    the two account emails for `create-user.sh`.
+
+## First on-device test — 2026-09-09
+The user installed the signed APK on a real phone. It runs. This closes the
+"never been run" gap that waves 1-4 all carried. Six issues came back; five were
+fixed directly by the orchestrator in commit `356f639` (they were small, and
+spinning up Sonnet workers for two-line Compose edits costs more than it saves).
+
+**The one worth remembering** — `BookCover` branched on `painter.state`, but in
+coil3 that is a `StateFlow<State>`, not a `State`. Every `is
+AsyncImagePainter.State.X` arm was therefore always false, and because a `when`
+used as a statement needs no `else`, it compiled clean and drew NOTHING — no
+cover, no placeholder, no error icon. Kotlin emitted "Check for instance is
+always 'false'" as a *warning* on four consecutive lines and the build stayed
+green. **Grep the build log for `always 'false'` before accepting a wave**; that
+warning class is a silent-dead-code detector and this build had it for months.
+
+Two more cover defects sat behind it, both verified against the live service:
+- `covers.openlibrary.org/b/isbn/{isbn}-L.jpg` answers **200 with a 43-byte 1x1
+  transparent GIF** for an edition with no art. Any image loader calls that a
+  successful load. Only `?default=false` turns a miss into a 404.
+- OL's DTO synthesized that URL unconditionally, so `MetadataMerger`'s
+  fill-blanks rule could never reach Google Books' thumbnail. The SPEC'd cover
+  fallback was dead code. Cover URLs now come from OL's own `cover` object.
+
+Also fixed: sync bar clipped by rounded display corners (now owns its
+navigation-bar inset, wider horizontal padding, moved into Scaffold's `bottomBar`
+slot); setup screen's Password field hidden behind the IME (`safeDrawingPadding`
+outside `verticalScroll`, plus Next/Next/Done IME actions and
+`windowSoftInputMode=adjustResize`); library card titles reflowed (20sp leading,
+author gets its own 4dp gap); scan sheet now names the ISBN and says
+"Searching…" instead of showing a bare spinner.
+
+| Check | Result |
+|---|---|
+| `./tasks/gw assembleDebug` | exit 0 |
+| `./tasks/gw testDebugUnitTest` | exit 0 — 106 tests, 1 skipped, 0 failures |
+| `./tasks/gw verifyPaparazziDebug` | exit 0 against re-recorded snapshots |
+| `./tasks/gw assembleRelease` | exit 0 — 41,777,376 bytes |
+| `apksigner verify` | V2 signer `CN=Bookshelf, O=Montanaro` — real release key |
+
+### Open, not started: metadata coverage
+The user reported 1 of 3 scans resolving, and asked for **research, not a
+change**. Findings are in `docs/METADATA-SOURCES.md`. Headline: Open Library
+answered 88% of a 60-ISBN sample, keyless Google Books returned **429 on 60 of
+60** requests, and both clients collapse every non-200 into `null` — so a
+rate-limited lookup reaches the user as "No match found." Recommended order is a
+free Google Books API key, then distinguishing "couldn't ask" from "not found",
+then retry/backoff, before adding any new source. **Awaiting the user's decision;
+do not implement unasked.**

docs/METADATA-SOURCES.md

@@ -0,0 +1,166 @@
+# Book metadata lookup — why scans miss, and what else we could ask
+
+Research note, 2026-09-09. Written in response to "out of the 3 barcodes I've
+scanned, only 1 has been discovered properly."
+
+**Nothing in here has been implemented.** SPEC's two-source design (Open Library
+primary, Google Books fallback) is unchanged. This is the evidence for deciding
+whether to change it.
+
+---
+
+## Short version
+
+Three separate defects were making lookups *look* far worse than the underlying
+data actually is, and all three are now fixed (commit `356f639`). They are not
+the same problem as "this book isn't in the database":
+
+1. A cover that loaded fine still rendered as nothing, so a **successful** lookup
+   looked like a failed one. That alone could account for the book you did find
+   appearing broken.
+2. Open Library's cover URL was synthesized for every book whether or not art
+   existed, and a missing cover comes back as a **200 with a 43-byte 1×1
+   transparent GIF** — a "successful" load that paints nothing.
+3. Because that synthesized URL was never blank, the merge rule could never fall
+   through to Google Books' thumbnail. The documented fallback was dead code for
+   covers.
+
+What is left is a real coverage question, and there the measurements point at one
+thing above all others: **the Google Books fallback is probably not answering at
+all.** Every keyless request from this machine returned HTTP 429, and the app
+turns any non-200 into `null`, which the UI presents as "No match found — enter
+the details by hand." A rate-limited lookup and a book that genuinely exists
+nowhere are, right now, indistinguishable to both you and me.
+
+My recommendation is to fix the diagnosis before buying more data. Details in
+[Recommendation](#recommendation).
+
+---
+
+## What I measured
+
+**Sample.** 60 ISBNs drawn from the Harvard Library catalog — deliberately a
+third party, so the sample doesn't presuppose the answer by coming from one of
+the two sources under test. Ten publishers, weighted toward the small Catholic
+and homeschool presses that a MODG family's shelf actually carries (Ignatius,
+TAN, Sophia Institute, Bethlehem Books, Baronius) alongside mainstream trade
+(Penguin, Random House, Scholastic, Crossway, Loyola).
+
+**Method.** Direct HTTP against each API, one ISBN at a time, 1.2 s apart. A
+source "hits" only if it returns a usable title.
+
+### Results
+
+| Source | Hit | Miss | Error | Hit rate |
+|---|---|---|---|---|
+| Open Library Books API (what the app calls today) | 53 | 4 | 3 | **88%** |
+| Google Books, keyless (the app's fallback) | 0 | 0 | **60 × HTTP 429** | **0%** |
+| Harvard LibraryCloud | 56 | 4 | 0 | 93% * |
+| Open Library cover art exists for the ISBN | 47 | 13 | 0 | 78% |
+
+\* Harvard is where the sample came from, so its number is inflated by
+construction. It's here to show the API works and answers by ISBN-13, not as a
+fair comparison.
+
+Two further observations from the same runs:
+
+- **Concurrency is punished.** The same 60 ISBNs run six-at-a-time dropped Open
+  Library from 88% to 70%, entirely through transport errors. The app makes one
+  request per scan, so this doesn't bite in normal use — but it does mean
+  "Open Library missed" in a log is not proof the book is absent. By the end of
+  this research my own IP was refused outright for a while.
+- **17% of successful Open Library lookups have no cover art at all** (9 of 53).
+  Even with everything working, roughly one book in six will legitimately show
+  the placeholder. That is a data fact, not a bug, and it's worth knowing before
+  you read a placeholder as a failure.
+
+### What this does not tell us
+
+Worth saying plainly, because it bounds how much weight the numbers carry:
+
+- n = 60, and the sample comes from a research library. It under-represents
+  recent mass-market paperbacks, reprints and print-on-demand editions — which
+  is exactly where Open Library is thinnest. Real shelf coverage is probably
+  *below* 88%.
+- Every request came from a datacenter IP. The Google Books 429 may partly be
+  this host sharing a quota pool with other tenants; **your phone, on a
+  residential or mobile IP, may well get answers.** That's precisely why the
+  app needs to be able to tell us which it got.
+- I don't know which three ISBNs you scanned. If you still have the books to
+  hand, those three numbers are worth more than another 60 sampled ones.
+
+---
+
+## The options
+
+### A. Give Google Books an API key
+Free, 1,000 requests/day, no billing account required. Turns the fallback from
+"silently 429" into a working source. Roughly a dozen lines: a key in
+`local.properties` → `BuildConfig` → `&key=` on the query.
+
+The key ships inside the APK and can be extracted, so restrict it to the Books
+API in the Google Cloud console. At our volume, someone stealing it costs us
+nothing but the quota.
+
+**Effort: hours. Cost: free. Likely the single biggest win.**
+
+### B. Tell the difference between "not found" and "couldn't ask"
+Both clients collapse every non-200, timeout and parse failure into `null`, and
+`MetadataRepository` collapses that into "no match", and the UI writes "No match
+found." A book that's offline, rate-limited, or hit a 500 is reported to you as
+a book that does not exist.
+
+Distinguishing these gets you a retry button instead of a manual-entry form, and
+gets me a real answer next time you say "it missed."
+
+**Effort: half a day. Cost: free. Do this regardless of what else we choose.**
+
+### C. Retry with backoff
+One retry on 429/5xx, a couple of seconds apart. Standing at a bookshelf, a
+two-second retry is invisible; a manual-entry form is not.
+
+**Effort: an hour. Cost: free.**
+
+### D. Add a third free source
+Only worth doing after A–C, when we can see what's actually still missing.
+Ranked by what I'd try first:
+
+| Source | Key? | Notes |
+|---|---|---|
+| **Open Library `search.json`** | No | Searches the whole OL index rather than the edition table the Books API reads. Cheapest possible fallback — same service, one more request, no new failure modes. |
+| **Harvard LibraryCloud** | No | Free, no registration, answers by ISBN-13, verified working. Strong on older, scholarly and small-press books — the shape of gap we'd expect. Returns MODS; no cover art, and no ISBN-13 for pre-EAN books unless we convert. |
+| **Library of Congress** | No | The SRU endpoint (port 210) is blocked from here; the `loc.gov` JSON API responds. Excellent for US imprints. Needs more probing before I'd commit. |
+| **K10plus SRU** | No | Free German-led union catalogue, large and international. Cataloguing conventions differ enough that merging would need care. |
+
+Dead ends, so nobody re-investigates them: **OCLC Classify** (retired 2021),
+**Goodreads API** (retired 2020), **Amazon Product Advertising API** (requires an
+affiliate account with qualifying sales), **WorldCat Search** (requires OCLC
+membership — institutional pricing).
+
+### E. Pay for ISBNdb
+~$15–50/month depending on tier. Genuinely better coverage than anything free,
+including cover art, and a single clean API. It is also a subscription for a
+two-person home library, and I'd want proof that A–D leave a real gap before
+recommending it.
+
+**Effort: hours. Cost: $180–600/year.**
+
+---
+
+## Recommendation
+
+Do **A + B + C** together — they're cheap, they're independent of any decision
+about new sources, and between them they cover the most likely explanation for
+1-in-3. Then rescan the same books and let the app tell us what it actually got.
+
+If a real gap survives that, add **Open Library `search.json`** (D) as an
+in-family fallback before reaching for a new organisation's API, and Harvard
+after that.
+
+I'd hold off on **E** entirely until we have numbers from your own shelf. Paying
+for coverage we might already have would be the wrong order.
+
+One thing worth deciding separately: 17% of books legitimately have no cover art
+anywhere. The placeholder now looks deliberate rather than broken, but if you
+want covers on everything, that's a different feature — photograph the book,
+store it as the cover — and not a metadata-source problem at all.