diff --git a/src/app/(app)/pdf/[id]/page.tsx b/src/app/(app)/pdf/[id]/page.tsx
index cd79988..91d36c6 100644
--- a/src/app/(app)/pdf/[id]/page.tsx
+++ b/src/app/(app)/pdf/[id]/page.tsx
@@ -326,7 +326,13 @@ export default function PDFViewerPage() {
                 {/* header: status badge + model attribution */}
                 <div className="flex items-start justify-between gap-3">
                   <div className="inline-flex items-center gap-2 rounded-md border border-line bg-surface-solid px-2.5 py-1">
-                    <LoadingSpinner className="h-3.5 w-3.5 text-accent" />
+                    {parseUiState === 'failed' ? (
+                      <svg className="h-3.5 w-3.5 text-accent" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="1.8" viewBox="0 0 24 24" aria-hidden>
+                        <path strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" d="M12 9v4m0 4h.01M10.3 3.86 1.82 18a2 2 0 0 0 1.71 3h16.94a2 2 0 0 0 1.71-3L13.7 3.86a2 2 0 0 0-3.42 0Z" />
+                      </svg>
+                    ) : (
+                      <LoadingSpinner className="h-3.5 w-3.5 text-accent" />
+                    )}
                     <span className="text-[10px] font-semibold uppercase tracking-[0.08em] text-soft">PDF Layout Parse</span>
                   </div>
                   <div className="inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-md border border-accent-line bg-accent-wash px-2 py-1">
@@ -336,33 +342,36 @@ export default function PDFViewerPage() {
                 </div>
 
                 <div className="mt-3 flex flex-col gap-3">
-                  {/* animated layout scanner */}
+                  {/* animated layout scanner — static "halted" view when failed */}
                   <div className="mx-auto w-full max-w-[15rem]">
-                    <PdfLayoutScan />
+                    <PdfLayoutScan failed={parseUiState === 'failed'} />
                   </div>
 
                   {/* live status + progress */}
-                  <div className="min-w-0">
-                    {parseUiState === 'failed' ? (
-                      <p className="mb-3 text-sm font-semibold text-foreground">{statusText}</p>
-                    ) : null}
-
-                    <div className="flex items-end justify-between gap-2">
-                      <p className="text-[11px] font-semibold text-foreground tabular-nums">
-                        {hasMeasuredProgress ? `Page ${pagesParsed} / ${totalPages}` : 'Awaiting first page'}
+                  {parseUiState === 'failed' ? (
+                    <div className="min-w-0">
+                      <p className="text-sm font-semibold text-foreground">{statusText}</p>
+                      <p className="mt-1 text-[11px] font-medium uppercase tracking-[0.06em] text-soft">{stageLabel}</p>
+                    </div>
+                  ) : (
+                    <div className="min-w-0">
+                      <div className="flex items-end justify-between gap-2">
+                        <p className="text-[11px] font-semibold text-foreground tabular-nums">
+                          {hasMeasuredProgress ? `Page ${pagesParsed} / ${totalPages}` : 'Awaiting first page'}
+                        </p>
+                        <p className="text-[10px] font-medium uppercase tracking-[0.06em] text-soft">{stageLabel}</p>
+                      </div>
+                      <div className="mt-1.5 h-2 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-full bg-surface-solid ring-1 ring-line">
+                        <div
+                          className="progress-fill h-full rounded-full bg-accent transition-[width] duration-slow ease-standard"
+                          style={{ width: `${hasMeasuredProgress ? progressPercent : 6}%` }}
+                        />
+                      </div>
+                      <p className="mt-1.5 text-[10px] tabular-nums text-soft">
+                        {hasMeasuredProgress ? `${Math.round(progressPercent)}% complete` : 'Calibrating layout pass'}
                       </p>
-                      <p className="text-[10px] font-medium uppercase tracking-[0.06em] text-soft">{stageLabel}</p>
                     </div>
-                    <div className="mt-1.5 h-2 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-full bg-surface-solid ring-1 ring-line">
-                      <div
-                        className="progress-fill h-full rounded-full bg-accent transition-[width] duration-slow ease-standard"
-                        style={{ width: `${hasMeasuredProgress ? progressPercent : 6}%` }}
-                      />
-                    </div>
-                    <p className="mt-1.5 text-[10px] tabular-nums text-soft">
-                      {hasMeasuredProgress ? `${Math.round(progressPercent)}% complete` : 'Calibrating layout pass'}
-                    </p>
-                  </div>
+                  )}
                 </div>
 
                 {/* attribution footer */}
diff --git a/src/components/reader/PdfLayoutScan.module.css b/src/components/reader/PdfLayoutScan.module.css
index 5b46a19..0c44b79 100644
--- a/src/components/reader/PdfLayoutScan.module.css
+++ b/src/components/reader/PdfLayoutScan.module.css
@@ -58,6 +58,28 @@
   to { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0) scale(1); }
 }
 
+/* ── failed / halted state ────────────────────────────────────────────── */
+.tagFailed {
+  color: var(--foreground);
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--foreground) 12%, transparent);
+  box-shadow: none;
+  animation: none;
+}
+
+.pageFailed {
+  display: grid;
+  place-items: center;
+  opacity: 0.55;
+  filter: grayscale(0.4);
+}
+.alert {
+  width: 38%;
+  height: 38%;
+  stroke: var(--accent);
+  stroke-width: 1.6;
+  color: var(--accent);
+}
+
 /* ── region boxes (one shown at a time, centered) ─────────────────────── */
 .solos {
   position: absolute;
diff --git a/src/components/reader/PdfLayoutScan.tsx b/src/components/reader/PdfLayoutScan.tsx
index 9314065..7f46d00 100644
--- a/src/components/reader/PdfLayoutScan.tsx
+++ b/src/components/reader/PdfLayoutScan.tsx
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ import styles from './PdfLayoutScan.module.css';
  * (see PARSED_PDF_BLOCK_KINDS in types/parsed-pdf). Purely decorative; honours
  * prefers-reduced-motion by freezing on a single region. Styles live in the
  * adjacent CSS module so they stay out of the global stylesheet.
+ *
+ * When `failed` is set the animation is replaced by a static "halted" view —
+ * the beam stops, the page dims, and an alert glyph sits on it — so the loader
+ * never implies active work after a parse failure.
  */
 
 // Only a handful of real shapes — most regions are just text lines.
@@ -92,18 +96,44 @@ function BlockContent({ shape }: { shape: BlockShape }) {
   );
 }
 
-export function PdfLayoutScan() {
+export function PdfLayoutScan({ failed = false }: { failed?: boolean }) {
   const [active, setActive] = useState(0);
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (typeof window === 'undefined') return;
+    if (typeof window === 'undefined' || failed) return; // no cycling once halted
     const reduced = window.matchMedia?.('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)').matches;
     if (reduced) return; // freeze on the first region for reduced-motion users
     const id = window.setInterval(() => {
       setActive((i) => (i + 1) % SCAN_BLOCKS.length);
     }, STEP_MS);
     return () => window.clearInterval(id);
-  }, []);
+  }, [failed]);
+
+  if (failed) {
+    return (
+      <div className={styles.stage} aria-hidden>
+        <div className={styles.tagRow}>
+          <span className={cx(styles.tag, styles.tagFailed)}>Parse halted</span>
+        </div>
+
+        <div className={cx(styles.page, styles.pageFailed)}>
+          <svg className={styles.alert} viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" aria-hidden>
+            <path
+              d="M12 3.5 21 19H3L12 3.5Z"
+              strokeLinejoin="round"
+            />
+            <path d="M12 10v4" strokeLinecap="round" />
+            <circle cx="12" cy="16.5" r="0.6" fill="currentColor" stroke="none" />
+          </svg>
+
+          <span className={cx(styles.corner, styles.cornerTl)} />
+          <span className={cx(styles.corner, styles.cornerTr)} />
+          <span className={cx(styles.corner, styles.cornerBl)} />
+          <span className={cx(styles.corner, styles.cornerBr)} />
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
 
   return (
     <div className={styles.stage} aria-hidden>