diff --git a/components/StudioKindCards.vue b/components/StudioKindCards.vue
index 79a5938..57f9e0e 100644
--- a/components/StudioKindCards.vue
+++ b/components/StudioKindCards.vue
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 <template>
   <div class="mb-4 grid grid-cols-3 gap-3">
-    <NuxtLink
-      to="/?studio=video"
+    <button
+      type="button"
       class="rounded-3xl border px-4 py-4 text-left transition"
       :class="current === 'video' ? 'border-amber-300 bg-amber-400/10 text-amber-50' : 'border-white/10 text-zinc-400 hover:border-white/20 hover:text-zinc-200'"
+      @click="emit('select', 'video')"
     >
       <svg class="h-10 w-10" viewBox="0 0 40 40" fill="none" aria-hidden="true">
         <rect x="4" y="10" width="24" height="20" rx="3" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" />
@@ -12,11 +13,12 @@
       </svg>
       <span class="mt-3 block font-display text-lg font-bold text-zinc-100">Video</span>
       <span class="mt-0.5 block text-xs text-zinc-500">MiniMax H3 · LTX</span>
-    </NuxtLink>
-    <NuxtLink
-      to="/?studio=image"
+    </button>
+    <button
+      type="button"
       class="rounded-3xl border px-4 py-4 text-left transition"
       :class="current === 'image' ? 'border-amber-300 bg-amber-400/10 text-amber-50' : 'border-white/10 text-zinc-400 hover:border-white/20 hover:text-zinc-200'"
+      @click="emit('select', 'image')"
     >
       <svg class="h-10 w-10" viewBox="0 0 40 40" fill="none" aria-hidden="true">
         <rect x="6" y="8" width="28" height="24" rx="3" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" />
@@ -25,7 +27,7 @@
       </svg>
       <span class="mt-3 block font-display text-lg font-bold text-zinc-100">Image</span>
       <span class="mt-0.5 block text-xs text-zinc-500">Flux · Krea</span>
-    </NuxtLink>
+    </button>
     <NuxtLink
       to="/music"
       class="rounded-3xl border px-4 py-4 text-left transition"
@@ -45,4 +47,8 @@
 defineProps<{
   current: 'video' | 'image' | 'music'
 }>()
+
+const emit = defineEmits<{
+  select: [kind: 'video' | 'image']
+}>()
 </script>
diff --git a/pages/index.vue b/pages/index.vue
index 153f329..a8d39c7 100644
--- a/pages/index.vue
+++ b/pages/index.vue
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
     />
 
     <main class="mx-auto min-w-0 max-w-7xl space-y-6 px-4 py-6 sm:px-6">
-      <StudioKindCards :current="imageStudio ? 'image' : 'video'" />
+      <StudioKindCards :current="imageStudio ? 'image' : 'video'" @select="selectStudioKind" />
       <div class="grid min-w-0 gap-6 lg:grid-cols-[minmax(0,1fr)_minmax(0,1fr)] lg:items-stretch">
       <section id="studio-input" class="glass min-w-0 max-w-full space-y-5 rounded-3xl p-5 sm:p-6">
         <div>
@@ -2594,10 +2594,14 @@ function selectStudioKind(kind: 'video' | 'image') {
   if (kind === 'video') {
     studioMode.value = 'video'
     outputFocus.value = 'video'
-    return
+  } else {
+    studioMode.value = 'editv2'
+    outputFocus.value = 'edit'
+  }
+  const studio = kind === 'video' ? 'video' : 'image'
+  if (String(route.query.studio || '') !== studio) {
+    void router.replace({ path: '/', query: { ...route.query, studio } })
   }
-  studioMode.value = 'editv2'
-  outputFocus.value = 'edit'
 }
 
 function applyStudioQueryFromRoute() {
@@ -3974,7 +3978,7 @@ onMounted(async () => {
   await refreshStudioQueue()
   await refreshLiveQueue()
   await loadPromptPresets()
-  if (route.query.clip || route.query.still) applyIncomingLibraryItem()
+  if (route.query.clip || route.query.still) await applyIncomingLibraryItem()
   else applyIncomingDirectorScript()
   await applyIncomingQueuedJob()
   applyStudioQueryFromRoute()
@@ -4386,21 +4390,28 @@ async function deleteDirectorScript() {
   }
 }
 
-function applyIncomingLibraryItem() {
+async function applyIncomingLibraryItem() {
   const clipId = String(route.query.clip || '').trim()
   const stillId = String(route.query.still || '').trim()
   const use = String(route.query.use || '') === '1'
+  const studio = String(route.query.studio || '').toLowerCase()
   if (clipId) {
     const clip = clips.value.find(item => item.id === clipId)
     if (clip) {
-      if (use) void useClipAsInput(clip)
+      if (use) await useClipAsInput(clip)
       else openClip(clip)
     }
   } else if (stillId) {
     const still = stills.value.find(item => item.id === stillId)
     if (still) {
-      if (use) void useStillAsInput(still)
-      else openStill(still)
+      if (use) {
+        await useStillAsInput(still)
+        // Prefer Video for "use as input" unless the link explicitly asked for Image.
+        if (studio === 'image') selectStudioKind('image')
+        else selectStudioKind('video')
+      } else {
+        openStill(still)
+      }
     }
   }
   void router.replace({ path: '/', query: {} })
@@ -6267,19 +6278,29 @@ async function loadStillAsEditRef(stillId: string) {
   setEditRef(new File([blob], stillFileName(still) || 'still-b.png', { type: blob.type || 'image/png' }))
 }
 
-function stillUseAsInputMessage(still: LibraryStill) {
-  const dest = inferStillPipeline(still)
-  const mode = still.settings?.mode
-  if (dest === 'imagev2' && mode === 'generate') return 'Generate settings loaded. Tweak and generate.'
-  if (dest === 'imagev2' && mode === 'compose') {
-    return still.settings?.referenceStillId
-      ? 'Compose settings loaded. Tweak and generate.'
-      : 'Compose settings loaded. Re-add still B, then generate.'
+function stillUseAsInputMessage(_still: LibraryStill) {
+  return 'Loaded as input. Switch to Image only if you want to edit it there.'
+}
+
+async function useStillAsInput(still: LibraryStill) {
+  try {
+    // Use as input = put pixels in the start-still slot. Do NOT jump to Image studio
+    // or overwrite video settings — that trapped people on the Image tab.
+    folderId.value = still.folderId
+    browseFolderId.value = still.folderId
+    const generateOnly = inferStillPipeline(still) === 'imagev2' && still.settings?.mode === 'generate'
+    if (generateOnly) {
+      toast('That still is text-to-image only (no canvas to reuse). Pick a different image.')
+      return
+    }
+    const blob = await $fetch<Blob>(`/api/library/stills/${still.id}`, { responseType: 'blob' })
+    if (still.hideInput && showPrivacyToggles.value) hideInputPreview.value = true
+    readFile(new File([blob], stillFileName(still), { type: blob.type || 'image/png' }), { stillId: still.id })
+    scrollToStudioInput()
+    toast(stillUseAsInputMessage(still))
+  } catch (error: any) {
+    toast(error?.data?.statusMessage || 'Could not load that still')
   }
-  if (dest === 'imagev2' && mode === 'refine') return 'Refine settings loaded. Paint a mask, then generate.'
-  if (dest === 'imagev2') return 'Image v2 settings loaded. Tweak and generate.'
-  if (dest === 'image' && still.settings) return 'Image edit settings loaded. Tweak and generate.'
-  return 'Loaded as input. It stays in Output, not the upload library.'
 }
 
 async function sendOutputStillToBackup() {
@@ -6342,30 +6363,6 @@ async function saveEditAsInput() {
   }
 }
 
-async function useStillAsInput(still: LibraryStill) {
-  try {
-    applyStillSettings(still)
-    const dest = inferStillPipeline(still)
-    const generate = dest === 'imagev2' && still.settings?.mode === 'generate'
-    if (!generate) {
-      const blob = await $fetch<Blob>(`/api/library/stills/${still.id}`, { responseType: 'blob' })
-      if (still.hideInput && showPrivacyToggles.value) hideInputPreview.value = true
-      readFile(new File([blob], stillFileName(still), { type: blob.type || 'image/png' }), { stillId: still.id })
-    }
-    if (dest === 'imagev2' && still.settings?.mode === 'compose' && still.settings.referenceStillId) {
-      try {
-        await loadStillAsEditRef(still.settings.referenceStillId)
-      } catch {
-        toast('Compose settings loaded, but still B is missing. Re-add it.')
-      }
-    }
-    scrollToStudioInput()
-    toast(stillUseAsInputMessage(still))
-  } catch (error: any) {
-    toast(error?.data?.statusMessage || 'Could not load that still')
-  }
-}
-
 async function useClipAsInput(item: LibraryClip, collection = false) {
   await rerun(item, collection)
   scrollToStudioInput()
diff --git a/pages/library.vue b/pages/library.vue
index 3ce06f9..220defe 100644
--- a/pages/library.vue
+++ b/pages/library.vue
@@ -1054,11 +1054,11 @@ function openInStudio(entry: LibraryEntry) {
 
 function useInStudio(entry: LibraryEntry) {
   if (entry.kind === 'clip' && entry.group) {
-    navigateTo({ path: '/', query: { clip: focusedPartId.value || entry.group.head.id, use: '1' } })
+    navigateTo({ path: '/', query: { clip: focusedPartId.value || entry.group.head.id, use: '1', studio: 'video' } })
     return
   }
   if (entry.stillGroup) {
-    navigateTo({ path: '/', query: { still: focusedPartId.value || entry.stillGroup.head.id, use: '1' } })
+    navigateTo({ path: '/', query: { still: focusedPartId.value || entry.stillGroup.head.id, use: '1', studio: 'video' } })
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/pages/music.vue b/pages/music.vue
index 7a7830b..5042fc9 100644
--- a/pages/music.vue
+++ b/pages/music.vue
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
     />
 
     <main class="mx-auto min-w-0 max-w-7xl space-y-6 px-4 py-6 sm:px-6">
-      <StudioKindCards current="music" />
+      <StudioKindCards current="music" @select="goStudio" />
       <div class="grid min-w-0 gap-6 lg:grid-cols-[minmax(0,1fr)_minmax(0,1fr)] lg:items-stretch">
       <section class="glass min-w-0 max-w-full space-y-5 rounded-3xl p-5 sm:p-6">
         <div>
@@ -327,6 +327,10 @@ function selectEngineFamily(family: 'ace' | 'yue') {
   }
 }
 
+function goStudio(kind: 'video' | 'image') {
+  void navigateTo({ path: '/', query: { studio: kind } })
+}
+
 function applyEngine(engine: MusicEngine) {
   if (engine === 'yue') {
     engineFamily.value = 'yue'