diff --git a/amethyst/src/androidTest/assets/avif/animated-tiny-3frames.avif b/amethyst/src/androidTest/assets/avif/animated-tiny-3frames.avif
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b726c99c29
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diff --git a/amethyst/src/androidTest/assets/avif/still-tiny-8x8-exif-gps.avif b/amethyst/src/androidTest/assets/avif/still-tiny-8x8-exif-gps.avif
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7b583a7e5c
Binary files /dev/null and b/amethyst/src/androidTest/assets/avif/still-tiny-8x8-exif-gps.avif differ
diff --git a/amethyst/src/androidTest/assets/avif/still-tiny-8x8.avif b/amethyst/src/androidTest/assets/avif/still-tiny-8x8.avif
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0fc9359262
Binary files /dev/null and b/amethyst/src/androidTest/assets/avif/still-tiny-8x8.avif differ
diff --git a/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/AvifInstrumentedTestSupport.kt b/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/AvifInstrumentedTestSupport.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fabf3eaed5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/AvifInstrumentedTestSupport.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst
+
+import android.content.Context
+import android.net.Uri
+import androidx.core.content.FileProvider
+import androidx.test.platform.app.InstrumentationRegistry
+import java.io.File
+import java.util.UUID
+
+/**
+ * Shared helpers for AVIF instrumented tests.
+ *
+ * [copyAssetToCache] always uses a UUID-prefixed filename so concurrent or
+ * back-to-back test runs cannot collide on a shared cache path.
+ *
+ * [contentUriFor] wraps a file with FileProvider so `ContentResolver.getType()`
+ * returns the correct MIME — it returns null for `file://` URIs, which makes
+ * `MetadataStripper` skip the AVIF branch entirely.
+ */
+object AvifInstrumentedTestSupport {
+    val appContext: Context get() = InstrumentationRegistry.getInstrumentation().targetContext
+    val testContext: Context get() = InstrumentationRegistry.getInstrumentation().context
+
+    fun copyAssetToCache(assetPath: String): File {
+        val cacheDir = appContext.cacheDir.also { it.mkdirs() }
+        val out = File(cacheDir, "${UUID.randomUUID()}-${assetPath.substringAfterLast('/')}")
+        testContext.assets.open(assetPath).use { input ->
+            out.outputStream().use { output -> input.copyTo(output) }
+        }
+        return out
+    }
+
+    fun contentUriFor(file: File): Uri =
+        FileProvider.getUriForFile(
+            appContext,
+            "${appContext.packageName}.provider",
+            file,
+        )
+}
diff --git a/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/images/AvifAnimatedDecodeInstrumentedTest.kt b/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/images/AvifAnimatedDecodeInstrumentedTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cb51d7813f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/images/AvifAnimatedDecodeInstrumentedTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.service.images
+
+import android.graphics.drawable.Animatable
+import android.graphics.drawable.AnimatedImageDrawable
+import android.os.Build
+import androidx.core.net.toUri
+import androidx.test.ext.junit.runners.AndroidJUnit4
+import coil3.ImageLoader
+import coil3.asDrawable
+import coil3.gif.AnimatedImageDecoder
+import coil3.request.ImageRequest
+import coil3.request.SuccessResult
+import coil3.size.ScaleDrawable
+import coil3.toBitmap
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.AvifInstrumentedTestSupport.appContext
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.AvifInstrumentedTestSupport.copyAssetToCache
+import kotlinx.coroutines.runBlocking
+import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.Assert.assertTrue
+import org.junit.Assume.assumeTrue
+import org.junit.Test
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith
+
+@RunWith(AndroidJUnit4::class)
+class AvifAnimatedDecodeInstrumentedTest {
+    private val avifLoader: ImageLoader by lazy {
+        ImageLoader
+            .Builder(appContext)
+            .components {
+                add(AvifAnimatedDecoderFactory())
+                add(AnimatedImageDecoder.Factory())
+            }.build()
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun stillAvifDecodesToBitmap() =
+        runBlocking {
+            assumeTrue("AVIF requires API 31+", Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 31)
+            val avif = copyAssetToCache("avif/still-tiny-8x8.avif")
+
+            val result =
+                avifLoader.execute(
+                    ImageRequest.Builder(appContext).data(avif.toUri()).build(),
+                )
+
+            assertTrue("Expected SuccessResult, got ${result::class.simpleName}", result is SuccessResult)
+            val bitmap = (result as SuccessResult).image.toBitmap()
+            assertEquals(8, bitmap.width)
+            assertEquals(8, bitmap.height)
+        }
+
+    @Test
+    fun animatedAvifDecodesToAnimatedImageDrawable() =
+        runBlocking {
+            assumeTrue("Animated AVIF requires API 31+", Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 31)
+            val avif = copyAssetToCache("avif/animated-tiny-3frames.avif")
+
+            val result =
+                avifLoader.execute(
+                    ImageRequest.Builder(appContext).data(avif.toUri()).build(),
+                )
+
+            assertTrue("Expected SuccessResult", result is SuccessResult)
+            val drawable = (result as SuccessResult).image.asDrawable(appContext.resources)
+            // AnimatedImageDecoder wraps AnimatedImageDrawable in a ScaleDrawable.
+            // Both are Animatable; a BitmapDrawable (the failure case) is not.
+            assertTrue(
+                "Animated AVIF must be Animatable — Coil's AvifAnimatedDecoderFactory was not invoked if this fails (got ${drawable::class.simpleName})",
+                drawable is Animatable,
+            )
+            // Unwrap ScaleDrawable to confirm the inner drawable is AnimatedImageDrawable.
+            val inner = if (drawable is ScaleDrawable) drawable.child else drawable
+            assertTrue(
+                "Inner drawable must be AnimatedImageDrawable, got ${inner::class.simpleName}",
+                inner is AnimatedImageDrawable,
+            )
+        }
+}
diff --git a/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/images/ThumbnailDiskCacheAvifInstrumentedTest.kt b/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/images/ThumbnailDiskCacheAvifInstrumentedTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..49345c4550
--- /dev/null
+++ b/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/images/ThumbnailDiskCacheAvifInstrumentedTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.service.images
+
+import android.os.Build
+import androidx.test.ext.junit.runners.AndroidJUnit4
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.AvifInstrumentedTestSupport.appContext
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.AvifInstrumentedTestSupport.copyAssetToCache
+import org.junit.After
+import org.junit.Assert.assertFalse
+import org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull
+import org.junit.Assert.assertNull
+import org.junit.Assert.assertTrue
+import org.junit.Assume.assumeTrue
+import org.junit.Before
+import org.junit.Test
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith
+import java.io.File
+import java.util.UUID
+
+@RunWith(AndroidJUnit4::class)
+class ThumbnailDiskCacheAvifInstrumentedTest {
+    private lateinit var cacheDir: File
+    private lateinit var cache: ThumbnailDiskCache
+
+    @Before
+    fun setUp() {
+        cacheDir = File(appContext.cacheDir, "thumbnail-test-${UUID.randomUUID()}")
+        cache = ThumbnailDiskCache(cacheDir)
+    }
+
+    @After
+    fun tearDown() {
+        cacheDir.deleteRecursively()
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun animatedAvifIsNotCached() {
+        val url = "https://example.com/profile-pic-${UUID.randomUUID()}.avif"
+        val source = copyAssetToCache("avif/animated-tiny-3frames.avif")
+
+        val saved = cache.generateFromFile(url, source)
+
+        assertFalse(
+            "generateFromFile must return false for animated AVIF (would otherwise freeze avatar on first frame)",
+            saved,
+        )
+        assertNull(
+            "load() must return null for an animated-AVIF URL that was skipped",
+            cache.load(url),
+        )
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun stillAvifIsCachedAsBitmap() {
+        // generateFromFile uses BitmapFactory.decodeFile to read the source,
+        // which requires platform AVIF decode support (API 31+). On older
+        // devices the still-AVIF path returns false because decode fails,
+        // not because of the animated-skip branch.
+        assumeTrue("Still AVIF decode requires API 31+", Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 31)
+
+        val url = "https://example.com/profile-pic-${UUID.randomUUID()}.avif"
+        val source = copyAssetToCache("avif/still-tiny-8x8.avif")
+
+        val saved = cache.generateFromFile(url, source)
+
+        assertTrue("generateFromFile must return true for still AVIF", saved)
+        val bitmap = cache.load(url)
+        assertNotNull("load() must return a non-null Bitmap for a cached still AVIF", bitmap)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/uploads/AvifMetadataStripperPoisonedFixtureInstrumentedTest.kt b/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/uploads/AvifMetadataStripperPoisonedFixtureInstrumentedTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a2f3b19e03
--- /dev/null
+++ b/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/uploads/AvifMetadataStripperPoisonedFixtureInstrumentedTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.service.uploads
+
+import androidx.test.ext.junit.runners.AndroidJUnit4
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.AvifInstrumentedTestSupport.appContext
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.AvifInstrumentedTestSupport.contentUriFor
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.AvifInstrumentedTestSupport.copyAssetToCache
+import org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull
+import org.junit.Assert.assertThrows
+import org.junit.Test
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith
+
+@RunWith(AndroidJUnit4::class)
+class AvifMetadataStripperPoisonedFixtureInstrumentedTest {
+    @Test
+    fun stripDispatcherThrowsAvifMetadataNotVerifiableExceptionForPoisonedAvif() {
+        // Regression for commit b9112550b: NewUserMetadataViewModel calls
+        // MetadataStripper.strip(uri, "image/avif", context) at line 218.
+        // The viewmodel only catches AvifMetadataNotVerifiableException to
+        // surface the AVIF-specific error string; any other exception type
+        // would fall through to "Upload cancelled" and confuse the user.
+        //
+        // Note: strip() dispatches by mimeType param, then internally
+        // stripImageMetadata() re-resolves via contentResolver.getType(uri).
+        // A content:// URI (FileProvider) is required so getType() returns
+        // "image/avif" and the AVIF inspection branch is reached.
+        val avif = copyAssetToCache("avif/still-tiny-8x8-exif-gps.avif")
+        val uri = contentUriFor(avif)
+        val ex =
+            assertThrows(AvifMetadataNotVerifiableException::class.java) {
+                MetadataStripper.strip(uri, AVIF_MIME, appContext)
+            }
+        assertNotNull("Exception must have a non-null message for UI display", ex.message)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/uploads/AvifUploadPipelineInstrumentedTest.kt b/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/uploads/AvifUploadPipelineInstrumentedTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..983d217776
--- /dev/null
+++ b/amethyst/src/androidTest/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/uploads/AvifUploadPipelineInstrumentedTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.service.uploads
+
+import android.os.Build
+import androidx.core.net.toUri
+import androidx.test.ext.junit.runners.AndroidJUnit4
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.AvifInstrumentedTestSupport.appContext
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.AvifInstrumentedTestSupport.contentUriFor
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.AvifInstrumentedTestSupport.copyAssetToCache
+import kotlinx.coroutines.runBlocking
+import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull
+import org.junit.Assert.assertThrows
+import org.junit.Assert.assertTrue
+import org.junit.Assume.assumeTrue
+import org.junit.Test
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith
+import java.io.File
+
+@RunWith(AndroidJUnit4::class)
+class AvifUploadPipelineInstrumentedTest {
+    /**
+     * Drives [assetPath] through [MediaCompressor.compress] with [AVIF_MIME] and asserts the
+     * bytes survive unchanged. AVIF must bypass JPEG re-encoding regardless of whether the
+     * source is still or animated.
+     */
+    private fun assertAvifBytesPreserved(
+        assetPath: String,
+        description: String,
+    ) = runBlocking {
+        val avif = copyAssetToCache(assetPath)
+        val originalBytes = avif.readBytes()
+
+        val result =
+            MediaCompressor().compress(
+                uri = avif.toUri(),
+                contentType = AVIF_MIME,
+                applicationContext = appContext,
+                mediaQuality = CompressorQuality.MEDIUM,
+            )
+
+        assertEquals(AVIF_MIME, result.contentType)
+        val resultBytes = File(result.uri.path!!).readBytes()
+        assertTrue(description, originalBytes.contentEquals(resultBytes))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun stillAvifPassesThroughMediaCompressorUnchanged() =
+        assertAvifBytesPreserved(
+            "avif/still-tiny-8x8.avif",
+            "Still AVIF bytes must be preserved through MediaCompressor",
+        )
+
+    @Test
+    fun animatedAvifPassesThroughMediaCompressorUnchanged() =
+        assertAvifBytesPreserved(
+            "avif/animated-tiny-3frames.avif",
+            "Animated AVIF bytes must be preserved (headline regression to prevent)",
+        )
+
+    @Test
+    fun avifMetadataStripperReturnsCleanFile() {
+        // Use a content:// URI via FileProvider so contentResolver.getType() returns AVIF_MIME.
+        // ContentResolver.getType() returns null for file:// URIs even on API 36 (AVIF is not
+        // recognised via MimeTypeMap for the file:// scheme). FileProvider uses
+        // MimeTypeMap.getSingleton().getMimeTypeFromExtension("avif") which returns "image/avif"
+        // on API 31+, matching production behaviour (gallery pickers always deliver content://).
+        val avif = copyAssetToCache("avif/still-tiny-8x8.avif")
+        val uri = contentUriFor(avif)
+        val result = MetadataStripper.stripImageMetadata(uri, appContext)
+        assertTrue("Clean AVIF should be marked stripped=true", result.stripped)
+        assertEquals("Clean AVIF URI should be the original", uri, result.uri)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun avifPreviewMetadataGeneratesBlurhashAndThumbhash() {
+        assumeTrue("AVIF decoding requires API 31+", Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 31)
+        val avif = copyAssetToCache("avif/still-tiny-8x8.avif")
+
+        val result =
+            PreviewMetadataCalculator.computeFromUri(
+                context = appContext,
+                uri = avif.toUri(),
+                mimeType = AVIF_MIME,
+            )
+
+        assertNotNull("PreviewMetadataCalculator must return non-null on API 31+", result)
+        assertNotNull("AVIF blurhash should be generated via ImageDecoder", result!!.blurhash)
+        assertNotNull("AVIF thumbhash should be generated via ImageDecoder", result.thumbhash)
+        assertNotNull("AVIF dimensions should be returned", result.dim)
+        assertEquals(8, result.dim!!.width)
+        assertEquals(8, result.dim.height)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun poisonedAvifMetadataStripperThrowsAvifMetadataNotVerifiableException() {
+        val avif = copyAssetToCache("avif/still-tiny-8x8-exif-gps.avif")
+        val ex =
+            assertThrows(AvifMetadataNotVerifiableException::class.java) {
+                MetadataStripper.stripImageMetadata(contentUriFor(avif), appContext)
+            }
+        assertNotNull("Exception must have a non-null message", ex.message)
+    }
+}