diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index de459832..aee4c129 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -8,12 +8,7 @@
 - **`vision: bool` flag on `ModelConfig`.** Tracks whether a configured language model can interpret images. Default `False`. The agent's `search` tool only attaches picture bytes (as `BinaryContent`) to the `ToolReturn` when `qa.model.vision = True`. Without the gate, sending image content to a text-only model behaves inconsistently across providers — Ollama silently accepts and the model hallucinates a confident wrong answer; OpenAI returns 400; others vary. Capability detection from a probe or a model-name whitelist is unreliable, so `vision` is an explicit user-set capability declaration. Set it to `True` for vision-capable QA models (`qwen2.5vl`, `qwen3.6`, `gpt-4o`, `claude-sonnet`, ...).
 - **Synthetic picture chunks at ingest under multimodal embedders.** `build_picture_chunks` (in `client/processing.py`) walks a `DoclingDocument`'s `pictures` and emits one synthetic `Chunk` per `PictureItem` with available bytes. Bytes ride on a `Chunk._picture_data` PrivateAttr (not serialized) so `embed_chunks` can route them through `embed_images` while text chunks keep going through `embed_documents`. Wired into the three ingest paths (`create_document`, `_create_document_from_file`, `_create_or_update_document_from_url`, `_update_document_with_chunks`, and `_rebuild_rechunk`) — guarded by `embedder.supports_images` so text-only configurations are unaffected. Snapshot/merge with `existing_picture_data` keeps picture chunks alive across rebuild round-trips. Picture chunks land in the same `chunks` table with the same vector dim as text chunks, so cross-modal search reuses the existing hybrid+RRF pipeline.
 - **Multimodal embedder support (`provider="vllm"`).** `EmbedderWrapper` gains `supports_images: bool` and `embed_image_query`. The `vllm` provider talks HTTP to a vLLM server's OpenAI-compatible `/v1/embeddings` endpoint — text inputs use the standard `input` field for true server-side batching; image inputs use vLLM's `messages` superset with `image_url` content parts carrying base64 data URIs. Works with `Qwen/Qwen3-VL-Embedding-8B` and `jinaai/jina-embeddings-v4`. No Python ML deps added — uses `httpx`. Text-only providers (`ollama`, `openai`, `cohere`, `sentence-transformers`) report `supports_images=False` and raise a clear error if image methods are called.
-- **Picture-handling mode enum.** `processing.pictures: "none" | "description" | "image"` (default `"none"`) replaces the legacy `generate_picture_images` + `picture_description.enabled` pair.
-  - `none` — no picture bytes, no VLM, just structural picture rows.
-  - `description` — VLM runs at ingest, descriptions woven into chunk text, bytes also retained on `document_items.picture_data` so vision QA can be turned on later without reingesting.
-  - `image` — bytes retained, no VLM.
-  - YAML loader translates legacy configs and emits a deprecation warning.
-  - Rebuild and update under `pictures="none"` skip the picture-bytes snapshot/merge so storage is reclaimed.
+- **Picture bytes are always stored.** Every ingest captures embedded picture bytes into `document_items.picture_data`; rebuilds and updates always preserve them. The single ingest-time decision is whether to run a VLM at ingest, exposed via `processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled: bool` (default `False`). When enabled, descriptions are woven into chunk text; when disabled, chunks contain only their natural text. No reingest is required to flip the VLM on or off — `haiku-rag rebuild --rechunk` recomputes chunk text against the new setting. The legacy `processing.pictures: "none" | "description" | "image"` enum and `processing.conversion_options.generate_picture_images` flag are auto-translated by the YAML loader with a one-time deprecation warning per field.
 - **Storage column for embedded picture bytes.** `DocumentItemRecord.picture_data: bytes | None` (Arrow `large_binary`), addressable by `(document_id, self_ref)`.
   - New accessors `get_picture_bytes`, `get_pictures_for_chunk`, `get_all_picture_data` on `DocumentItemRepository`.
   - Bulk read paths project a metadata-only column set so context expansion and the analysis-sandbox `items.jsonl` build never pull picture bytes into memory.
diff --git a/docs/configuration/processing.md b/docs/configuration/processing.md
index b45e6a12..8c272c5e 100644
--- a/docs/configuration/processing.md
+++ b/docs/configuration/processing.md
@@ -28,9 +28,6 @@ processing:
     name: gpt-oss
     enable_thinking: false
 
-  # Picture handling (none / description / image)
-  pictures: none                             # See "Picture Handling" below
-
   # Conversion options (works with both local and remote converters)
   conversion_options:
     # OCR settings
@@ -48,8 +45,9 @@ processing:
     images_scale: 2.0                        # Image scale factor
     generate_page_images: true               # Include rendered page images (for visualize_chunk)
 
-    # VLM picture description settings (only effective when pictures: description)
+    # VLM picture description (off by default; see "Picture Handling" below)
     picture_description:
+      enabled: false
       model:
         provider: ollama
         name: ministral-3
@@ -106,27 +104,15 @@ conversion_options:
 - **images_scale**: Scale factor for extracted images. Higher values = better quality but larger size. Typical range: 1.0-3.0.
 - **generate_page_images**: When `true` (default), rendered images of each PDF page are included in the document. Required for `visualize_chunk()` to show visual grounding. When `false`, page images are excluded to reduce document size.
 
-Embedded picture extraction is controlled by `processing.pictures` (see [Picture Handling](#picture-handling) below), not by an image-settings flag.
-
 #### Picture Handling
 
-`processing.pictures` is a single enum that decides how embedded picture images (figures, diagrams) are handled at ingest. Three modes:
-
-| Mode | VLM at ingest | `picture_data` populated | Chunk text contains description |
-|---|---|---|---|
-| `none` (default) | no | no | no |
-| `description` | yes | yes | yes |
-| `image` | no | yes | no |
-
-- **`none`**: docling skips picture-image generation. `label="picture"` rows still appear in the items table for structural metadata, but they carry no bytes and no description. Cheapest mode; non-vision QA is unaffected.
-- **`description`**: docling generates picture images, the configured VLM produces a description woven into chunk text, and the bytes are also retained in `document_items.picture_data`. Picture-text is searchable via FTS, vision-capable QA models also receive the bytes via the agent's search tool. Bytes are kept (not just thrown away after the VLM runs) so a vision-only QA strategy can be turned on later without reingesting.
-- **`image`**: docling generates picture images and stores them in `document_items.picture_data` without running the VLM. Vision-capable QA models reason directly about the figures; non-vision QA only sees the picture's caption/surrounding text.
+Picture bytes (figures, diagrams) are always extracted and stored in `document_items.picture_data` for every ingested document. The single configurable knob is whether a Vision Language Model (VLM) runs at ingest time to generate textual descriptions, set via `picture_description.enabled`:
 
 ```yaml
 processing:
-  pictures: description          # none / description / image
   conversion_options:
-    picture_description:         # only effective when pictures: description
+    picture_description:
+      enabled: true              # default false; runs the VLM at ingest
       model:
         provider: ollama         # ollama, openai, or custom
         name: ministral-3        # VLM model name
@@ -135,56 +121,55 @@ processing:
       max_tokens: 200            # Maximum tokens in response
 ```
 
-**Switching modes on an existing database.** No reingest is required if you only need to change between `description` and `image` — the bytes are already there. Run `haiku-rag rebuild --rechunk` after the config change so the chunk-text composition reflects the new mode. Switching *down* to `none` clears `picture_data` on rebuild, reclaiming storage.
+When `enabled: false` (default), the VLM doesn't run; chunks contain only their natural text (captions, surrounding paragraphs). When `enabled: true`, each picture's description is woven into the chunk text and is searchable via FTS.
 
-#### Pictures × embedder × QA model: how the pieces compose
+**Switching the VLM on or off on an existing database.** Picture bytes are already stored, so no reingest is required. Run `haiku-rag rebuild --rechunk` after flipping `enabled` so the chunk-text composition reflects the new setting.
 
-Three orthogonal settings drive what gets stored, what gets retrieved, and what reaches the QA model. Each setting answers one question:
+#### Picture descriptions × embedder × QA model: how the pieces compose
+
+Three settings drive what gets stored, what gets retrieved, and what reaches the QA model:
 
 | Setting | Question it answers | Values |
 |---|---|---|
-| `processing.pictures` | What gets captured at ingest? | `none` / `description` / `image` |
+| `picture_description.enabled` | Should a VLM weave descriptions into chunk text at ingest? | `false` (default) / `true` |
 | `embeddings.model.provider` | Can the embedder index image content? | text-only providers (`ollama`, `openai`, `cohere`, `sentence-transformers`) vs `vllm` (multimodal) |
 | `qa.model.vision` | Can the QA model interpret images? | `false` (default) / `true` |
 
-**What gets stored** for each `pictures` × embedder combination:
+Picture bytes are always stored, regardless of these settings.
 
-| `pictures` | Embedder | Text chunks contain… | `document_items.picture_data` | Synthetic picture chunks |
-|---|---|---|---|---|
-| `none` | text-only or multimodal | regular text only | empty | none |
-| `description` | text-only | text + VLM descriptions | populated (kept for later use) | none |
-| `description` | multimodal | text + VLM descriptions | populated | one per picture, content = description, vector = image embedding |
-| `image` | text-only | text only (caption/surrounding) | populated (kept for later use) | none |
-| `image` | multimodal | text only | populated | one per picture, content = caption/empty, vector = image embedding |
+**What gets stored** for each `picture_description.enabled` × embedder combination:
+
+| `enabled` | Embedder | Text chunks contain… | Synthetic picture chunks |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| `false` | text-only | text only (caption/surrounding) | none |
+| `false` | multimodal | text only | one per picture, content = caption/empty, vector = image embedding |
+| `true` | text-only | text + VLM descriptions | none |
+| `true` | multimodal | text + VLM descriptions | one per picture, content = description, vector = image embedding |
 
 **What QA receives** at search time, given stored state and `qa.model.vision`:
 
-| `pictures` at ingest | `qa.model.vision` | QA receives |
-|---|---|---|
-| `none` | either | text chunks only |
-| `description` | `false` | text chunks (descriptions in chunk text answer figure questions in prose) |
-| `description` | `true` | text chunks + raw picture bytes; vision model uses both signals |
-| `image` | `false` | text chunks only (caption + surrounding text); model has no figure content to draw on |
-| `image` | `true` | text chunks + raw picture bytes; vision model reads the figures directly |
+| `qa.model.vision` | QA receives |
+|---|---|
+| `false` | text chunks only (descriptions in chunk text answer figure questions in prose when `picture_description.enabled` was true) |
+| `true` | text chunks + raw picture bytes; vision model reads the figures directly |
 
 A few invariants worth knowing:
 
 - **`qa.model.vision` is independent of ingestion.** It only controls whether the agent's `search` tool attaches picture bytes to its `ToolReturn`. A text-only QA model with `vision: true` won't suddenly understand images — it will silently accept the bytes and confabulate. Default `false` is the safe choice.
-- **`description` mode preserves the bytes**, so flipping the QA strategy later (text-only → vision, or vice versa) doesn't require reingesting. Just change `qa.model.vision` and optionally `qa.model` itself.
+- **The bytes are always there**, so flipping the QA strategy later (text-only → vision, or vice versa) doesn't require reingesting. Just change `qa.model.vision` and optionally `qa.model` itself.
 - **Cross-modal search** (text query → picture-chunk hits) requires a multimodal embedder. With a text-only embedder, picture-chunk vectors aren't generated; figures only surface via section-bounded expansion off matching text chunks.
-- **`image` mode + text-only embedder** is rarely the right choice — pictures are stored but neither searchable as image vectors nor described in text. Picture bytes are then only reachable via expand-context's section bounds when an adjacent text chunk matches.
 
 **Recommended combinations** by use case:
 
-| Use case | `pictures` | Embedder | `qa.model.vision` |
+| Use case | `picture_description.enabled` | Embedder | `qa.model.vision` |
 |---|---|---|---|
-| Pure text RAG, no figures | `none` | text-only | `false` |
-| Text RAG, figures answered through descriptions | `description` | text-only | `false` |
-| Vision QA on figure-rich docs (no cross-modal search) | `description` | text-only | `true` |
-| Cross-modal search + vision QA (the full multimodal stack) | `description` or `image` | multimodal | `true` |
-| Cross-modal search, text QA only | `description` | multimodal | `false` |
+| Pure text RAG, no figures | `false` | text-only | `false` |
+| Text RAG, figures answered through descriptions | `true` | text-only | `false` |
+| Vision QA on figure-rich docs (no cross-modal search) | `true` or `false` | text-only | `true` |
+| Cross-modal search + vision QA (the full multimodal stack) | `true` or `false` | multimodal | `true` |
+| Cross-modal search, text QA only | `true` | multimodal | `false` |
 
-**`picture_description.model` configuration** (used only under `pictures: description`):
+**`picture_description.model` configuration** (used only when `picture_description.enabled: true`):
 
 - **model**: Standard model configuration
   - `provider`: `ollama` (default), `openai`, or use `base_url` for custom endpoints
@@ -214,9 +199,9 @@ prompts:
 
 ```yaml
 processing:
-  pictures: description
   conversion_options:
     picture_description:
+      enabled: true
       model:
         provider: ollama
         name: ministral-3
@@ -233,9 +218,9 @@ ollama serve
 
 ```yaml
 processing:
-  pictures: description
   conversion_options:
     picture_description:
+      enabled: true
       model:
         provider: openai           # Use OpenAI-compatible API format
         name: granite-vision
@@ -260,9 +245,9 @@ When using `converter: docling-serve`, the VLM calls are made by the docling-ser
 
 ```yaml
 processing:
-  pictures: description
   conversion_options:
     picture_description:
+      enabled: true
       model:
         provider: ollama
         name: ministral-3
diff --git a/docs/configuration/prompts.md b/docs/configuration/prompts.md
index 51bf6956..f0fac0d7 100644
--- a/docs/configuration/prompts.md
+++ b/docs/configuration/prompts.md
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ prompts:
     Be concise and factual.
 ```
 
-The prompt is used when `processing.pictures` is set to `description`. See [Picture Handling](processing.md#picture-handling) for full configuration.
+The prompt is used when `processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled` is `true`. See [Picture Handling](processing.md#picture-handling) for full configuration.
 
 ## Programmatic Configuration
 
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/client/downloads.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/client/downloads.py
index 62bd7611..9578cfbb 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/client/downloads.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/client/downloads.py
@@ -105,10 +105,7 @@ async def download_models(
     if config.reranking.model and config.reranking.model.provider == "ollama":
         required_models.add(config.reranking.model.name)
     pic_desc = config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description
-    if (
-        config.processing.pictures == "description"
-        and pic_desc.model.provider == "ollama"
-    ):
+    if pic_desc.enabled and pic_desc.model.provider == "ollama":
         required_models.add(pic_desc.model.name)
     if (
         config.processing.auto_title
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/loader.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/loader.py
index 5205bfde..ca853b27 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/loader.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/loader.py
@@ -53,56 +53,54 @@ def load_yaml_config(path: Path) -> dict:
 
 
 def _translate_legacy_picture_fields(data: dict) -> None:
-    """Map legacy picture knobs onto ``processing.pictures``.
+    """Map legacy picture-handling knobs onto
+    ``processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled``.
 
-    Older configs expressed the same intent through two booleans on
-    ``conversion_options``: ``generate_picture_images`` and
-    ``picture_description.enabled``. Translation, in priority order:
+    Two earlier shapes need translating:
 
-    - ``picture_description.enabled = true`` (regardless of the image flag)
-      → ``pictures = "description"``.
-    - ``generate_picture_images = true`` (and no description) → ``"image"``.
-    - both false / missing → no translation; default ``"none"`` applies.
+    - ``processing.pictures: "description"`` →
+      ``picture_description.enabled = true``. The other values
+      (``"none"``, ``"image"``) collapse to ``false`` since the only
+      remaining decision is whether the VLM runs; picture bytes are
+      always stored.
+    - ``processing.conversion_options.generate_picture_images: <any>`` is a
+      no-op now (docling always extracts picture bytes) and is dropped
+      with a one-time warning.
 
-    If ``pictures`` is already set on the loaded YAML it wins. Mutates
-    ``data`` in-place and emits one warning per legacy field encountered.
+    If ``picture_description.enabled`` is already explicitly set on the
+    loaded YAML, it wins. Mutates ``data`` in-place and emits one warning
+    per legacy field encountered.
     """
     processing = data.get("processing")
     if not isinstance(processing, dict):
         return
 
-    if "pictures" in processing:
-        # User has migrated; legacy fields may still be present but should not
-        # override the explicit choice. Drop them silently to avoid confusion.
-        opts = processing.get("conversion_options")
-        if isinstance(opts, dict):
-            opts.pop("generate_picture_images", None)
-            pic = opts.get("picture_description")
-            if isinstance(pic, dict):
-                pic.pop("enabled", None)
-        return
+    legacy_pictures = processing.pop("pictures", None)
+    if legacy_pictures is not None:
+        opts = processing.setdefault("conversion_options", {})
+        if not isinstance(opts, dict):
+            opts = {}
+            processing["conversion_options"] = opts
+        pic = opts.setdefault("picture_description", {})
+        if not isinstance(pic, dict):
+            pic = {}
+            opts["picture_description"] = pic
+        if "enabled" not in pic:
+            pic["enabled"] = legacy_pictures == "description"
+        logger.warning(
+            "Config: 'processing.pictures' is deprecated; use "
+            "'processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled' "
+            "instead. Picture bytes are now always stored. Please update "
+            "your haiku.rag.yaml."
+        )
 
     opts = processing.get("conversion_options")
-    if not isinstance(opts, dict):
-        return
-
-    pic = opts.get("picture_description") if isinstance(opts, dict) else None
-    legacy_describe = pic.pop("enabled", None) if isinstance(pic, dict) else None
-    legacy_image = opts.pop("generate_picture_images", None)
-
-    if legacy_describe:
-        processing["pictures"] = "description"
+    if isinstance(opts, dict) and "generate_picture_images" in opts:
+        opts.pop("generate_picture_images", None)
         logger.warning(
-            "Config: 'processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled=true' is "
-            "deprecated; mapped to 'processing.pictures: description'. Please update your "
-            "haiku.rag.yaml."
-        )
-    elif legacy_image:
-        processing["pictures"] = "image"
-        logger.warning(
-            "Config: 'processing.conversion_options.generate_picture_images=true' is "
-            "deprecated; mapped to 'processing.pictures: image'. Please update your "
-            "haiku.rag.yaml."
+            "Config: 'processing.conversion_options.generate_picture_images' "
+            "is deprecated and ignored; picture bytes are always extracted. "
+            "Please update your haiku.rag.yaml."
         )
 
 
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/models.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/models.py
index 34404473..29d36407 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/models.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/models.py
@@ -112,12 +112,14 @@ class AnalysisConfig(BaseModel):
 
 
 class PictureDescriptionConfig(BaseModel):
-    """Settings for the VLM that runs at ingest under ``pictures="description"``.
+    """Whether (and how) to run a VLM over each picture at ingest.
 
-    Whether the VLM runs at all is decided by ``ProcessingConfig.pictures``;
-    these fields only describe *how* it runs once enabled.
+    When ``enabled`` is True, picture descriptions are generated by the
+    configured VLM and woven into chunk text. Picture bytes are stored
+    regardless — this flag only controls the description pass.
     """
 
+    enabled: bool = False
     model: ModelConfig = Field(
         default_factory=lambda: ModelConfig(
             provider="ollama",
@@ -149,15 +151,11 @@ class ConversionOptions(BaseModel):
     images_scale: float = 2.0
     generate_page_images: bool = True
 
-    # VLM picture description (only effective when ProcessingConfig.pictures == "description")
     picture_description: PictureDescriptionConfig = Field(
         default_factory=PictureDescriptionConfig
     )
 
 
-PicturesMode = Literal["none", "description", "image"]
-
-
 class ProcessingConfig(BaseModel):
     chunk_size: int = 256
     converter: str = "docling-local"
@@ -167,18 +165,6 @@ class ProcessingConfig(BaseModel):
     chunking_merge_peers: bool = True
     chunking_use_markdown_tables: bool = False
     conversion_options: ConversionOptions = Field(default_factory=ConversionOptions)
-    pictures: PicturesMode = "none"
-    """How embedded pictures are handled at ingest.
-
-    - ``"none"``: docling skips picture-image generation; structural
-      ``label="picture"`` rows still exist but carry no bytes or description.
-    - ``"description"``: docling generates picture images, the VLM produces
-      text descriptions woven into chunk text, and the bytes are also
-      retained in ``document_items.picture_data`` so a vision-capable QA
-      model can be turned on later without reingesting.
-    - ``"image"``: docling generates picture images and stores them in
-      ``document_items.picture_data``; no VLM runs at ingest.
-    """
     auto_title: bool = False
     title_model: ModelConfig = Field(
         default_factory=lambda: ModelConfig(
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/converters/docling_local.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/converters/docling_local.py
index 982c8b87..baf7456e 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/converters/docling_local.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/converters/docling_local.py
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ class DoclingLocalConverter(DocumentConverter):
 
         opts = self.config.processing.conversion_options
         pic_desc = opts.picture_description
-        runs_vlm = self.config.processing.pictures == "description"
+        runs_vlm = pic_desc.enabled
 
         pipeline_options = PdfPipelineOptions(
             do_ocr=opts.do_ocr,
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/converters/docling_serve.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/converters/docling_serve.py
index f89df3cd..ea3fe173 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/converters/docling_serve.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/converters/docling_serve.py
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ class DoclingServeConverter(DocumentConverter):
         """
         opts = self.config.processing.conversion_options
         pic_desc = opts.picture_description
-        runs_vlm = self.config.processing.pictures == "description"
+        runs_vlm = pic_desc.enabled
 
         data: dict[str, str | list[str]] = {
             "to_formats": "json",
diff --git a/tests/store/test_document_items.py b/tests/store/test_document_items.py
index ab7636b6..ffe4bd3c 100644
--- a/tests/store/test_document_items.py
+++ b/tests/store/test_document_items.py
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ from haiku.rag.client.documents import (
     _store_document_with_chunks,
     _update_document_with_chunks,
 )
-from haiku.rag.config import AppConfig
 from haiku.rag.store.engine import Store
 from haiku.rag.store.models.document_item import (
     DocumentItem,
@@ -647,11 +646,7 @@ class TestPictureDataPreservedThroughRoundTrip:
 
         docling_doc = _docling_doc_with_picture()
 
-        config = AppConfig()
-        # Preservation only kicks in under modes that retain picture bytes.
-        config.processing.pictures = "image"
-
-        async with HaikuRAG(temp_db_path, config=config, create=True) as rag:
+        async with HaikuRAG(temp_db_path, create=True) as rag:
             document = Document(content="Hello world", uri="test://doc")
             document.set_docling(docling_doc)
             created = await _store_document_with_chunks(rag, document, [], docling_doc)
diff --git a/tests/test_chunker.py b/tests/test_chunker.py
index e4705453..8e30e891 100644
--- a/tests/test_chunker.py
+++ b/tests/test_chunker.py
@@ -676,7 +676,6 @@ async def test_serve_chunker_accepts_picture_laden_docling():
     from haiku.rag.converters.docling_serve import DoclingServeConverter
 
     config = AppConfig()
-    config.processing.pictures = "image"
     config.processing.conversion_options.do_ocr = False
     config.processing.chunk_size = 256
     config.processing.chunker_type = "hybrid"
diff --git a/tests/test_config.py b/tests/test_config.py
index ccae77fa..61da2c7f 100644
--- a/tests/test_config.py
+++ b/tests/test_config.py
@@ -239,8 +239,10 @@ def test_init_config_creates_valid_yaml(tmp_path):
     assert config.environment == "production"
 
 
-# Legacy picture-handling field translation (`generate_picture_images` and
-# `picture_description.enabled` → `processing.pictures` enum)
+# Legacy picture-handling field translation:
+#   processing.pictures: "description" -> picture_description.enabled = true
+#   processing.pictures: "none" | "image" -> picture_description.enabled = false
+#   processing.conversion_options.generate_picture_images: <any> -> ignored
 
 
 def _write(tmp_path, body: str):
@@ -249,17 +251,16 @@ def _write(tmp_path, body: str):
     return p
 
 
-def test_load_yaml_legacy_picture_description_maps_to_description(tmp_path):
-    """`picture_description.enabled=true` (with or without the image flag)
-    maps to `processing.pictures: description`."""
+def test_load_yaml_legacy_pictures_description_maps_to_enabled(tmp_path):
+    """`processing.pictures: description` maps to
+    `picture_description.enabled = true` and warns."""
     config_file = _write(
         tmp_path,
         """
 processing:
+  pictures: description
   conversion_options:
-    generate_picture_images: false
     picture_description:
-      enabled: true
       timeout: 120
 """,
     )
@@ -270,15 +271,49 @@ processing:
     finally:
         loader_logger.removeHandler(handler)
     cfg = AppConfig.model_validate(data)
-    assert cfg.processing.pictures == "description"
+    assert cfg.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled is True
     assert cfg.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.timeout == 120
-    assert any(
-        "picture_description.enabled=true" in r.getMessage() for r in handler.records
+    assert any("processing.pictures" in r.getMessage() for r in handler.records)
+
+
+def test_load_yaml_legacy_pictures_image_maps_to_disabled(tmp_path):
+    """`processing.pictures: image` is the bytes-only mode in the old
+    enum; under always-store semantics it collapses to
+    `picture_description.enabled = false`."""
+    config_file = _write(
+        tmp_path,
+        """
+processing:
+  pictures: image
+""",
     )
+    handler = _ListHandler()
+    loader_logger.addHandler(handler)
+    try:
+        data = load_yaml_config(config_file)
+    finally:
+        loader_logger.removeHandler(handler)
+    cfg = AppConfig.model_validate(data)
+    assert cfg.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled is False
 
 
-def test_load_yaml_legacy_generate_picture_images_maps_to_image(tmp_path):
-    """`generate_picture_images=true` alone maps to `pictures: image`."""
+def test_load_yaml_legacy_pictures_none_maps_to_disabled(tmp_path):
+    """`processing.pictures: none` maps to `picture_description.enabled = false`."""
+    config_file = _write(
+        tmp_path,
+        """
+processing:
+  pictures: none
+""",
+    )
+    data = load_yaml_config(config_file)
+    cfg = AppConfig.model_validate(data)
+    assert cfg.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled is False
+
+
+def test_load_yaml_legacy_generate_picture_images_warns_and_drops(tmp_path):
+    """`generate_picture_images` is now a no-op (bytes always extracted);
+    it gets dropped with a deprecation warning."""
     config_file = _write(
         tmp_path,
         """
@@ -294,15 +329,14 @@ processing:
     finally:
         loader_logger.removeHandler(handler)
     cfg = AppConfig.model_validate(data)
-    assert cfg.processing.pictures == "image"
-    assert any(
-        "generate_picture_images=true" in r.getMessage() for r in handler.records
-    )
+    assert cfg.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled is False
+    assert "generate_picture_images" not in data["processing"]["conversion_options"]
+    assert any("generate_picture_images" in r.getMessage() for r in handler.records)
 
 
-def test_load_yaml_no_legacy_fields_keeps_default_none(tmp_path):
-    """Empty processing block leaves the default `none` mode untouched and
-    does not warn."""
+def test_load_yaml_no_legacy_fields_keeps_default_disabled(tmp_path):
+    """Empty processing block leaves picture_description.enabled at the
+    default (False) and does not warn."""
     config_file = _write(
         tmp_path,
         """
@@ -317,29 +351,23 @@ processing:
     finally:
         loader_logger.removeHandler(handler)
     cfg = AppConfig.model_validate(data)
-    assert cfg.processing.pictures == "none"
+    assert cfg.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled is False
     assert not handler.records
 
 
-def test_load_yaml_explicit_pictures_wins_over_legacy(tmp_path):
-    """When the user has migrated to `pictures: ...` we keep their choice
-    and silently drop legacy fields if both are present (e.g. from a
-    half-migrated config)."""
+def test_load_yaml_explicit_enabled_wins_over_legacy_pictures(tmp_path):
+    """If the user already set `picture_description.enabled` explicitly,
+    a stale `processing.pictures` value does not override it."""
     config_file = _write(
         tmp_path,
         """
 processing:
-  pictures: image
+  pictures: none
   conversion_options:
-    generate_picture_images: false
     picture_description:
       enabled: true
 """,
     )
     data = load_yaml_config(config_file)
     cfg = AppConfig.model_validate(data)
-    assert cfg.processing.pictures == "image"
-    # Legacy fields scrubbed so Pydantic validation doesn't trip on extras.
-    opts = data["processing"]["conversion_options"]
-    assert "generate_picture_images" not in opts
-    assert "enabled" not in opts.get("picture_description", {})
+    assert cfg.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled is True
diff --git a/tests/test_converters.py b/tests/test_converters.py
index 87ddbaec..de2fc97b 100644
--- a/tests/test_converters.py
+++ b/tests/test_converters.py
@@ -507,30 +507,23 @@ class TestDoclingLocalConverter:
 
     def test_picture_description_config_defaults(self, config):
         """Test that picture description config has correct defaults."""
-        assert config.processing.pictures == "none"
-        assert (
-            config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.model.provider
-            == "ollama"
-        )
-        assert (
-            config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.model.name
-            == "ministral-3"
-        )
-        assert config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.timeout == 90
-        assert (
-            config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.max_tokens == 200
-        )
+        pic_desc = config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description
+        assert pic_desc.enabled is False
+        assert pic_desc.model.provider == "ollama"
+        assert pic_desc.model.name == "ministral-3"
+        assert pic_desc.timeout == 90
+        assert pic_desc.max_tokens == 200
         # Default prompt is in PromptsConfig
         assert "blind user" in config.prompts.picture_description
 
     def test_picture_description_config_applied(self, config):
         """Test that picture description config is applied to converter."""
-        config.processing.pictures = "description"
+        config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled = True
         config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.timeout = 120
         converter = DoclingLocalConverter(config)
 
-        assert converter.config.processing.pictures == "description"
         pic_desc = converter.config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description
+        assert pic_desc.enabled is True
         assert pic_desc.timeout == 120
 
     @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -542,7 +535,7 @@ class TestDoclingLocalConverter:
         # Disable OCR (not needed for native PDF, avoids model downloads)
         config.processing.conversion_options.do_ocr = False
         # Enable picture description with Ollama
-        config.processing.pictures = "description"
+        config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled = True
         config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.model.provider = (
             "ollama"
         )
@@ -947,15 +940,11 @@ class TestDoclingServeConverterPictureDescription:
 
     @pytest.mark.asyncio
     async def test_picture_description_options_passed_to_api(self, config):
-        """Test that picture description options are passed to docling-serve API.
-
-        ``pictures="description"`` requires picture images for the VLM, which
-        routes the request through the ``target_type=zip`` path. The test
-        mocks the zip workflow.
-        """
+        """Picture-description options reach the docling-serve API when the
+        VLM is enabled."""
         import json
 
-        config.processing.pictures = "description"
+        config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled = True
         config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.model.provider = (
             "ollama"
         )
@@ -1066,7 +1055,7 @@ class TestDoclingServeConverterIntegration:
         Note: Not using VCR because this test involves polling with changing task IDs.
         """
         pdf_path = Path("tests/data/doclaynet.pdf")
-        config.processing.pictures = "description"
+        config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.enabled = True
         config.processing.conversion_options.picture_description.model.provider = (
             "ollama"
         )
diff --git a/tests/test_picture_in_context.py b/tests/test_picture_in_context.py
index 09e53d37..d52daf6d 100644
--- a/tests/test_picture_in_context.py
+++ b/tests/test_picture_in_context.py
@@ -178,10 +178,7 @@ async def test_rechunk_preserves_picture_data(temp_db_path):
 
     docling_doc = _docling_doc_with_picture()
 
-    config = AppConfig()
-    config.processing.pictures = "image"
-
-    async with HaikuRAG(temp_db_path, config=config, create=True) as rag:
+    async with HaikuRAG(temp_db_path, create=True) as rag:
         document = Document(content="x", uri="test://doc")
         document.set_docling(docling_doc)
         created = await _store_document_with_chunks(rag, document, [], docling_doc)
@@ -253,7 +250,6 @@ class _Deps:
 async def test_search_tool_returns_multimodal_when_picture_present():
     """The agent-facing search tool must wrap text + BinaryContent in ToolReturn
     whenever a result carries picture image_data AND the QA model is vision-capable."""
-    from haiku.rag.config import AppConfig
 
     picture_result = SearchResult(
         content="A diagram of the layout",
@@ -352,7 +348,6 @@ async def test_chunk_interleaves_picture_in_structural_order(monkeypatch):
     sit where they appear in the document, not appended at the end.
     """
     from haiku.rag.client.processing import chunk
-    from haiku.rag.config import AppConfig
     from haiku.rag.embeddings import EmbedderWrapper
     from haiku.rag.store.models.chunk import Chunk
 
@@ -513,14 +508,13 @@ async def test_ingest_emits_picture_chunks_with_multimodal_embedder(
 
     docling_doc = _docling_doc_with_picture()
 
-    from haiku.rag.config import AppConfig, EmbeddingModelConfig, EmbeddingsConfig
+    from haiku.rag.config import EmbeddingModelConfig, EmbeddingsConfig
 
     config = AppConfig(
         embeddings=EmbeddingsConfig(
             model=EmbeddingModelConfig(provider="ollama", name="stub", vector_dim=4)
         )
     )
-    config.processing.pictures = "image"
 
     async with HaikuRAG(temp_db_path, config=config, create=True) as rag:
         chunks = await rag.chunk(docling_doc)
@@ -546,7 +540,6 @@ async def test_search_tool_skips_binary_content_when_qa_model_is_text_only():
     is text-only (``qa.model.vision = False``, the default). Sending image
     parts to a text-only model would cause it to hallucinate confidently —
     Ollama silently accepts the bytes and the model guesses."""
-    from haiku.rag.config import AppConfig
 
     picture_result = SearchResult(
         content="A diagram of the layout",