diff --git a/asg_client/app/src/main/java/com/mentra/asg_client/service/core/handlers/PhotoCommandHandler.java b/asg_client/app/src/main/java/com/mentra/asg_client/service/core/handlers/PhotoCommandHandler.java
index 4e5e66dae8..2c97890861 100644
--- a/asg_client/app/src/main/java/com/mentra/asg_client/service/core/handlers/PhotoCommandHandler.java
+++ b/asg_client/app/src/main/java/com/mentra/asg_client/service/core/handlers/PhotoCommandHandler.java
@@ -351,15 +351,15 @@ private boolean handleTakePhoto(JSONObject data) {
                 return false;
             }
 
-            // ARCHIVAL CAPTURE: a save-only request (no upload target) has no delivery leg —
+            // ARCHIVAL CAPTURE: a save-only request (no delivery target) has no delivery leg —
             // no webhook upload, no BLE transfer — so there is nothing for the single-flight
             // photo-job gate to protect. Route it down the button-photo path: camera-queue
             // serialized, no CAMERA_BUSY, so SDK callers can burst-save to the gallery and
             // pull the files later over WiFi sync (each stamped with its requestId).
-            // transferMethod is deliberately not consulted: it is always "auto" in practice
-            // and the phone app always supplies a webhookUrl, so this shape is only ever
-            // produced by direct BT-SDK callers that want exactly this behavior.
-            if (save && webhookUrl.isEmpty()) {
+            // A request carrying a bleImgId DOES have a delivery leg (BLE to the phone) and
+            // must go down the normal pipeline even with save=true and no webhookUrl: that
+            // shape is phone-delivery with a kept gallery copy, not an archival capture.
+            if (save && webhookUrl.isEmpty() && bleImgId.isEmpty()) {
                 Log.i(
                         TAG,
                         "PHOTO PIPELINE [ASG 3/3] Local-save capture (no upload target)"
diff --git a/asg_client/app/src/test/java/com/mentra/asg_client/service/core/handlers/PhotoCommandHandlerTransferMethodTest.java b/asg_client/app/src/test/java/com/mentra/asg_client/service/core/handlers/PhotoCommandHandlerTransferMethodTest.java
index 9633bc2920..05c6774352 100644
--- a/asg_client/app/src/test/java/com/mentra/asg_client/service/core/handlers/PhotoCommandHandlerTransferMethodTest.java
+++ b/asg_client/app/src/test/java/com/mentra/asg_client/service/core/handlers/PhotoCommandHandlerTransferMethodTest.java
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.eq;
 import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.nullable;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.never;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
 
@@ -150,4 +151,82 @@ public void takePhoto_invalidTransferMethod_isRejected() throws Exception {
         verify(captureService)
                 .sendPhotoErrorResponse(eq("req-1"), eq("INVALID_TRANSFER_METHOD"), anyString());
     }
+
+    @Test
+    public void takePhoto_saveWithBleImgIdAndNoWebhook_ridesBleTransfer() throws Exception {
+        when(captureService.takePhotoForBleTransfer(
+                        anyString(),
+                        anyString(),
+                        anyString(),
+                        anyBoolean(),
+                        anyString(),
+                        anyString(),
+                        anyBoolean(),
+                        anyBoolean(),
+                        nullable(Long.class),
+                        nullable(Integer.class),
+                        any(PhotoCaptureSettings.class)))
+                .thenReturn(true);
+        JSONObject data =
+                takePhotoData()
+                        .put("webhookUrl", "")
+                        .put("save", true)
+                        .put("transferMethod", "ble");
+
+        assertThat(handler.handleCommand("take_photo", data)).isTrue();
+        verify(captureService)
+                .takePhotoForBleTransfer(
+                        anyString(),
+                        eq("req-1"),
+                        eq("ble-1"),
+                        eq(true),
+                        eq("medium"),
+                        eq("photo"),
+                        eq(true),
+                        eq(true),
+                        nullable(Long.class),
+                        nullable(Integer.class),
+                        any(PhotoCaptureSettings.class));
+        verify(captureService, never())
+                .takePhotoForLocalSave(
+                        anyString(),
+                        anyString(),
+                        anyString(),
+                        anyString(),
+                        anyBoolean(),
+                        anyBoolean(),
+                        nullable(Long.class),
+                        nullable(Integer.class),
+                        any(PhotoCaptureSettings.class));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void takePhoto_saveWithoutBleImgIdOrWebhook_staysLocalSaveCapture() throws Exception {
+        when(captureService.takePhotoForLocalSave(
+                        anyString(),
+                        anyString(),
+                        anyString(),
+                        anyString(),
+                        anyBoolean(),
+                        anyBoolean(),
+                        nullable(Long.class),
+                        nullable(Integer.class),
+                        any(PhotoCaptureSettings.class)))
+                .thenReturn(true);
+        JSONObject data =
+                takePhotoData().put("webhookUrl", "").put("bleImgId", "").put("save", true);
+
+        assertThat(handler.handleCommand("take_photo", data)).isTrue();
+        verify(captureService)
+                .takePhotoForLocalSave(
+                        anyString(),
+                        eq("req-1"),
+                        eq("medium"),
+                        eq("photo"),
+                        eq(true),
+                        eq(true),
+                        nullable(Long.class),
+                        nullable(Integer.class),
+                        any(PhotoCaptureSettings.class));
+    }
 }