diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index d798a5fb..02f4ab89 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -13,6 +13,11 @@
 - `llm()` from the analysis sandbox. Sandbox externals are now `search` and `list_documents` only.
 - `list_documents` top-level tool from the analysis skill (still available as `await list_documents()` inside `execute_code`).
 
+### Changed
+
+- `search.limit` default lowered from `10` to `5`. Reduces text + binary noise in vision-tool returns (picture count tracks result count after expansion + dedup); the cite path still selects from all returned chunks.
+- Search result formatter surfaces picture captions on a labelled line when a chunk's expanded refs include pictures. The OpenAI vision API has no identifier field for binary parts, so the caption is the only signal a model can use to map a description to the figure it sees.
+
 ### Fixed
 
 - Chat TUI's state-edit screen now syntax-highlights JSON instead of falling back to plain text. Adds `tree-sitter` + `tree-sitter-json` to the `[tui]` extra.
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/client/search.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/client/search.py
index c2f0a10a..a712ac40 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/client/search.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/client/search.py
@@ -139,14 +139,23 @@ async def _populate_image_data(client: "HaikuRAG", results: list[SearchResult])
         )
         if not bytes_by_ref:
             continue
+        captions_by_ref = await client.document_item_repository.get_captions_for_chunk(
+            doc_id, list(bytes_by_ref.keys())
+        )
         for r in doc_results:
             attached: dict[str, str] = {}
+            captions: dict[str, str] = {}
             for ref in r.doc_item_refs:
                 blob = bytes_by_ref.get(ref)
                 if blob:
                     attached[ref] = base64.b64encode(blob).decode("ascii")
+                    caption = captions_by_ref.get(ref)
+                    if caption:
+                        captions[ref] = caption
             if attached:
                 r.image_data = attached
+            if captions:
+                r.picture_captions = captions
 
 
 async def expand_context(
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/models.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/models.py
index 13436e60..bf7cb4e6 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/models.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/models.py
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ class ProcessingConfig(BaseModel):
 
 
 class SearchConfig(BaseModel):
-    limit: int = 10
+    limit: int = 5
     max_context_chars: int = 10000
     vector_index_metric: Literal["cosine", "l2", "dot"] = "cosine"
     vector_refine_factor: int = 30
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/store/models/chunk.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/store/models/chunk.py
index 5e86ec80..d6d3ba6c 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/store/models/chunk.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/store/models/chunk.py
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ class SearchResult(BaseModel):
     headings: list[str] | None = None
     labels: list[str] = []
     image_data: dict[str, str] | None = None
+    picture_captions: dict[str, str] = {}
 
     @classmethod
     def from_chunk(
@@ -198,6 +199,15 @@ class SearchResult(BaseModel):
             if primary_label:
                 parts.append(f"Type: {primary_label}")
 
+        # Surface picture captions when present. Order matches the binary
+        # attachments emitted by build_binary_parts_from_results, so the model
+        # can correlate caption ↔ attached image by position (BinaryContent
+        # identifiers don't survive serialization to the OpenAI vision API).
+        if self.picture_captions:
+            for self_ref, caption in self.picture_captions.items():
+                if caption:
+                    parts.append(f"Figure caption ({self_ref}): {caption}")
+
         # The actual content
         parts.append(f"Content:\n{self.content}")
 
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/store/repositories/document_item.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/store/repositories/document_item.py
index 7dde27b5..09052e98 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/store/repositories/document_item.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/store/repositories/document_item.py
@@ -206,3 +206,32 @@ class DocumentItemRepository:
             if data:
                 result[row["self_ref"]] = data
         return result
+
+    async def get_captions_for_chunk(
+        self, document_id: str, refs: list[str]
+    ) -> dict[str, str]:
+        """Fetch caption text for multiple self_refs within a single document.
+
+        Returns ``{self_ref: text}`` for refs that have non-empty text. Used
+        alongside ``get_pictures_for_chunk`` to label figures in agent-facing
+        search results — the OpenAI vision message format has no identifier
+        field for binary parts, so the caption is the only signal a model can
+        use to correlate a description with the picture it sees.
+        """
+        if not refs:
+            return {}
+
+        safe_id = escape_sql_string(document_id)
+        refs_sql = ", ".join(f"'{escape_sql_string(r)}'" for r in refs)
+        rows = await (
+            self.store.document_items_table.query()
+            .select(["self_ref", "text"])
+            .where(f"document_id = '{safe_id}' AND self_ref IN ({refs_sql})")
+            .to_list()
+        )
+        result: dict[str, str] = {}
+        for row in rows:
+            text = row.get("text") or ""
+            if text:
+                result[row["self_ref"]] = text
+        return result
diff --git a/tests/store/test_document_items.py b/tests/store/test_document_items.py
index b6741834..145fe0fc 100644
--- a/tests/store/test_document_items.py
+++ b/tests/store/test_document_items.py
@@ -502,6 +502,55 @@ class TestPictureDataStorage:
             # Empty refs returns empty dict
             assert await repo.get_pictures_for_chunk("doc-1", []) == {}
 
+    async def test_get_captions_for_chunk(self, temp_db_path):
+        """Captions are returned for refs whose text is non-empty.
+
+        In practice pictures carry their caption in the ``text`` field
+        (populated by the VLM picture-description pass during ingest); this
+        method surfaces that text alongside the picture bytes so the model can
+        correlate a description with the binary it sees.
+        """
+        async with HaikuRAG(temp_db_path, create=True) as rag:
+            repo = DocumentItemRepository(rag.store)
+            await repo.create_items(
+                "doc-1",
+                [
+                    DocumentItem(
+                        document_id="doc-1",
+                        position=0,
+                        self_ref="#/pictures/0",
+                        label="picture",
+                        text="Figure 1. CCS generation over time.",
+                        picture_data=b"\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\nfake",
+                    ),
+                    DocumentItem(
+                        document_id="doc-1",
+                        position=1,
+                        self_ref="#/pictures/1",
+                        label="picture",
+                        text="",  # no VLM caption available
+                        picture_data=b"\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\nfake2",
+                    ),
+                    DocumentItem(
+                        document_id="doc-1",
+                        position=2,
+                        self_ref="#/texts/0",
+                        label="paragraph",
+                        text="Inline prose.",
+                    ),
+                ],
+            )
+
+            captions = await repo.get_captions_for_chunk(
+                "doc-1",
+                ["#/pictures/0", "#/pictures/1", "#/texts/0", "#/pictures/999"],
+            )
+            assert captions == {
+                "#/pictures/0": "Figure 1. CCS generation over time.",
+                "#/texts/0": "Inline prose.",
+            }
+            assert await repo.get_captions_for_chunk("doc-1", []) == {}
+
     async def test_hot_paths_exclude_picture_data(self, temp_db_path):
         """Light read paths must NOT pull picture_data into memory."""
         async with HaikuRAG(temp_db_path, create=True) as rag:
diff --git a/tests/test_chunk.py b/tests/test_chunk.py
index 4d37945e..f0679d1f 100644
--- a/tests/test_chunk.py
+++ b/tests/test_chunk.py
@@ -279,6 +279,50 @@ def test_search_result_format_for_agent_with_rank():
     assert "Content:\nThis is the chunk content about elections." in formatted
 
 
+def test_search_result_format_for_agent_picture_captions():
+    """Picture captions render as labelled lines so the model can correlate them
+    with binary parts (BinaryContent.identifier doesn't survive serialization
+    to the OpenAI vision API; insertion order is the only reliable signal)."""
+    result = SearchResult(
+        content="...surrounding text...",
+        score=0.5,
+        chunk_id="chunk-xyz",
+        labels=["picture", "text"],
+        picture_captions={
+            "#/pictures/0": "Figure 1. Results from each model.",
+            "#/pictures/1": "Figure 2. Projected annual emissions.",
+        },
+    )
+
+    formatted = result.format_for_agent(rank=1, total=2)
+
+    lines = formatted.splitlines()
+    cap0 = next(
+        i for i, line in enumerate(lines) if "Figure caption (#/pictures/0)" in line
+    )
+    cap1 = next(
+        i for i, line in enumerate(lines) if "Figure caption (#/pictures/1)" in line
+    )
+    content_line = next(
+        i for i, line in enumerate(lines) if line.startswith("Content:")
+    )
+    assert cap0 < cap1 < content_line
+    assert "Figure 1. Results from each model." in formatted
+    assert "Figure 2. Projected annual emissions." in formatted
+
+
+def test_search_result_format_for_agent_no_captions_no_line():
+    """Without picture_captions, no caption lines appear (zero-overhead for text chunks)."""
+    result = SearchResult(
+        content="prose",
+        score=0.5,
+        chunk_id="chunk-abc",
+        labels=["text"],
+    )
+    formatted = result.format_for_agent(rank=1, total=1)
+    assert "Figure caption" not in formatted
+
+
 def test_search_result_format_for_agent_rank_only():
     """Test format_for_agent with rank but no total."""
     result = SearchResult(