diff --git a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.test.ts b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.test.ts
index 31f180bcc923c..7812b6a3a952c 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.test.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,16 @@ import {
   type CDPSession,
   type Page,
 } from "playwright-core";
-import { afterAll, afterEach, beforeAll, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from "vite-plus/test";
+import {
+  afterAll,
+  afterEach,
+  beforeAll,
+  beforeEach,
+  describe,
+  expect,
+  it,
+  vi,
+} from "vite-plus/test";
 
 import * as ServerBrowserPage from "./ServerBrowserPage.ts";
 
@@ -388,3 +397,78 @@ describe("server browser drag", () => {
     }
   });
 });
+
+describe("server browser capture", () => {
+  it("fails a capture the page never answers instead of waiting for it", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    try {
+      const cdp = { send: () => new Promise(() => {}) } as unknown as CDPSession;
+      const capture = ServerBrowserPage.captureViewport(cdp, { format: "jpeg" }).then(
+        () => null,
+        (error: unknown) => error,
+      );
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(5_000);
+      expect(await capture).toMatchObject({ tag: "PreviewAutomationTimeoutError" });
+    } finally {
+      vi.useRealTimers();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("sends no new screenshot while an earlier one is unanswered", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    try {
+      const firstAnswer = Promise.withResolvers<{ data: string }>();
+      const send = vi
+        .fn()
+        .mockReturnValueOnce(firstAnswer.promise)
+        .mockResolvedValue({ data: "second" });
+      const cdp = { send } as unknown as CDPSession;
+      const outcome = (capture: Promise<string>) =>
+        capture.then(
+          (data) => data,
+          (error: unknown) => error,
+        );
+
+      const first = outcome(ServerBrowserPage.captureViewport(cdp, { format: "jpeg" }));
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(5_000);
+      expect(await first).toMatchObject({ tag: "PreviewAutomationTimeoutError" });
+
+      const blocked = outcome(ServerBrowserPage.captureViewport(cdp, { format: "jpeg" }));
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(5_000);
+      expect(await blocked).toMatchObject({ tag: "PreviewAutomationTimeoutError" });
+      expect(send).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+      firstAnswer.resolve({ data: "first" });
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0);
+      expect(await ServerBrowserPage.captureViewport(cdp, { format: "jpeg" })).toBe("second");
+      expect(send).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    } finally {
+      vi.useRealTimers();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("lets only one waiting capture send once the unanswered one settles", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    try {
+      const firstAnswer = Promise.withResolvers<{ data: string }>();
+      const send = vi
+        .fn()
+        .mockReturnValueOnce(firstAnswer.promise)
+        .mockReturnValue(new Promise(() => {}));
+      const cdp = { send } as unknown as CDPSession;
+      const captures = [1, 2, 3].map(() =>
+        ServerBrowserPage.captureViewport(cdp, { format: "jpeg" }).catch(() => null),
+      );
+
+      firstAnswer.resolve({ data: "first" });
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0);
+      expect(send).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(5_000);
+      await Promise.all(captures);
+      expect(send).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    } finally {
+      vi.useRealTimers();
+    }
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.ts b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.ts
index 9525ac7c5b579..46a0d199512f1 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/preview/ServerBrowserPage.ts
@@ -206,6 +206,8 @@ const withoutTreeDataPayloads = (tree: string) =>
 // The broker waits 15s for the host; a snapshot, retry included, answers well before.
 const SNAPSHOT_TIMEOUT_MS = 10_000;
 const FRAME_ANSWER_MS = 1_000;
+// A tab that draws no frames never answers a screenshot, and callers hold the tab's queue while waiting.
+const CAPTURE_TIMEOUT_MS = 5_000;
 
 // Include password and CSS-masked text in open shadow roots, normalized like accessible text.
 const DOTTED_SCRIPT = `(() => {
@@ -238,6 +240,12 @@ const tooBusy = () =>
     "The page was too busy to capture a snapshot in time. Wait for it to settle and take another snapshot.",
   );
 
+const noFrame = () =>
+  new ServerBrowserOperationError(
+    "PreviewAutomationTimeoutError",
+    "The page drew no frame to capture in time. Try again once the tab is showing or has settled.",
+  );
+
 const VALUE_TOO_LONG = "A password field holds a value too long to hide, so no snapshot was taken.";
 
 /** Reuse one CDP session per out-of-process frame across snapshots. */
@@ -444,17 +452,41 @@ const readPageMetrics = async (cdp: CDPSession) => {
   );
 };
 
+// CDP cannot cancel a screenshot, so a session keeps at most one unanswered.
+const unansweredCaptures = new WeakMap<CDPSession, Promise<void>>();
+
 // Never pass a clip scale: Chromium mirrors the top-left of the page into a `backdrop-filter`
 // in any capture it shrinks.
 export const captureViewport = async (
   cdp: CDPSession,
   options: { readonly format: "png" | "jpeg"; readonly quality?: number },
 ) => {
-  const { data } = await cdp.send("Page.captureScreenshot", {
-    format: options.format,
-    ...(options.quality === undefined ? {} : { quality: options.quality }),
+  let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined;
+  const expired = new Promise<never>((_, reject) => {
+    timer = setTimeout(() => reject(noFrame()), CAPTURE_TIMEOUT_MS);
   });
-  return data;
+  try {
+    // Callers waiting on the same capture wake together; only the first may send.
+    for (
+      let unanswered = unansweredCaptures.get(cdp);
+      unanswered;
+      unanswered = unansweredCaptures.get(cdp)
+    ) {
+      await Promise.race([unanswered, expired]);
+    }
+    const captured = cdp.send("Page.captureScreenshot", {
+      format: options.format,
+      ...(options.quality === undefined ? {} : { quality: options.quality }),
+    });
+    const settled = captured.then(constVoid, constVoid);
+    unansweredCaptures.set(cdp, settled);
+    void settled.then(() => {
+      if (unansweredCaptures.get(cdp) === settled) unansweredCaptures.delete(cdp);
+    });
+    return (await Promise.race([captured, expired])).data;
+  } finally {
+    clearTimeout(timer);
+  }
 };
 
 /** Runs in the page's own isolated world, as the server has no image library. */