diff --git a/playwright/background-effects.spec.ts b/playwright/background-effects.spec.ts
index 81d7a3ee4..39bfb5990 100644
--- a/playwright/background-effects.spec.ts
+++ b/playwright/background-effects.spec.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,13 @@ SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only OR LicenseRef-Element-Commercial
 Please see LICENSE in the repository root for full details.
 */
 
-import { expect, test, type Locator, type Page } from "@playwright/test";
+import {
+  expect,
+  test,
+  type Browser,
+  type Locator,
+  type Page,
+} from "@playwright/test";
 
 import { SpaHelpers } from "./spa-helpers.ts";
 
@@ -24,7 +30,7 @@ test.describe("background effects", () => {
     await page.goto("/");
     await SpaHelpers.createCall(page, "Effect user", "Background effects");
     const preview = page.locator("video").first();
-    const camera = await averageColour(preview);
+    const camera = await cameraColour(preview);
 
     await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Camera", exact: true }).click();
     const tile = page
@@ -102,6 +108,334 @@ async function drawsPerSecond(page: Page): Promise<number> {
   });
 }
 
+test.describe("joining with a background chosen", () => {
+  test("publishes no frame of the room", async ({ browser }) => {
+    // Two first builds of the pipeline, one of them held back.
+    test.setTimeout(180_000);
+    const hostContext = await browser.newContext();
+    const host = await hostContext.newPage();
+    await recordIncomingFrames(host);
+    await host.goto("/");
+    await SpaHelpers.createCall(host, "Host", "Join with a background", true);
+    await expect(host.getByTestId("incall_videomute")).toBeEnabled({
+      timeout: 10_000,
+    });
+    const inviteLink = await SpaHelpers.getCallInviteLink(host);
+    await host.keyboard.press("Escape");
+
+    const guestContext = await browser.newContext();
+    const guest = await guestContext.newPage();
+    await guest.goto(inviteLink);
+    await guest.getByTestId("joincall_displayName").fill("Guest");
+    await guest.getByTestId("joincall_joincall").click();
+    const preview = guest.locator("video").first();
+    await expect(preview).toBeVisible();
+    const camera = await cameraColour(preview);
+    await guest.getByRole("button", { name: "Camera", exact: true }).click();
+    const tile = guest.getByRole("menuitemradio", { name: "Background 1" });
+    await tile.click();
+    const picture = await averageColour(tile.locator("img"));
+    await expect
+      .poll(async () => distance(await averageColour(preview), picture), {
+        timeout: 60_000,
+      })
+      .toBeLessThan(distance(camera, picture) / 2);
+    // A pipeline built again for the call's track now takes as long as it
+    // does on the slower route. Routing bypasses the cache, so it waits.
+    let heldBack = 0;
+    await guest.route("**/*.tflite*", async (route) => {
+      heldBack += 1;
+      await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 15_000));
+      await route.continue();
+    });
+    await guest.keyboard.press("Escape");
+    await guest.getByTestId("lobby_joinCall").click();
+
+    const guestTile = host
+      .getByTestId("videoTile")
+      .filter({ has: host.getByTestId("name_tag").getByText("Guest") });
+    await expect(guestTile.locator("video")).toBeVisible({ timeout: 60_000 });
+    // Visible can come before the stream is attached.
+    let trackId: string | undefined;
+    await expect
+      .poll(async () => {
+        trackId = await guestTile
+          .locator("video")
+          .evaluate(
+            (video: HTMLVideoElement) =>
+              (video.srcObject as MediaStream | null)?.getVideoTracks()[0]?.id,
+          );
+        return trackId;
+      })
+      .toBeDefined();
+    await expectNoFrameOfTheRoom(host, trackId!, 0, camera, picture);
+    // Otherwise nothing was waited for.
+    expect(heldBack).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+
+    await hostContext.close();
+    await guestContext.close();
+  });
+});
+
+test.describe("the first build", () => {
+  test("survives the camera turned off and on while it runs", async ({
+    page,
+  }) => {
+    test.setTimeout(120_000);
+    const failures: string[] = [];
+    page.on("console", (m) => {
+      if (m.text().includes("Failed to attach video processor"))
+        failures.push(m.text());
+    });
+    await page.goto("/");
+    await SpaHelpers.createCall(page, "Toggling user", "Toggle while building");
+    const preview = page.locator("video").first();
+    const camera = await cameraColour(preview);
+
+    const held = await holdBackTheModel(page);
+    await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Camera", exact: true }).click();
+    const tile = page.getByRole("menuitemradio", { name: "Background 1" });
+    await tile.click();
+    const picture = await averageColour(tile.locator("img"));
+    await page.keyboard.press("Escape");
+    // New preview tracks, each attached while the first is still building.
+    for (let i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
+      await page.getByTestId("incall_videomute").click();
+      await page.getByTestId("incall_videomute").click();
+    }
+
+    await expect
+      .poll(async () => distance(await averageColour(preview), picture), {
+        timeout: 60_000,
+      })
+      .toBeLessThan(distance(camera, picture) / 2);
+    expect(failures).toEqual([]);
+    expect(held()).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
+});
+
+test.describe("turning the camera on with a background chosen", () => {
+  test("publishes no frame of the room when the camera started off", async ({
+    browser,
+  }) => {
+    test.setTimeout(120_000);
+    const { host, guest, close } = await hostAndGuest(browser);
+    const camera = await cameraColour(guest.locator("video").first());
+    await guest.getByTestId("incall_videomute").click();
+    await guest.getByTestId("lobby_joinCall").click();
+
+    const picture = await chooseBackground(guest);
+    const held = await holdBackTheModel(guest);
+    await guest.getByTestId("incall_videomute").click();
+
+    const trackId = await incomingTrackId(host);
+    await expectNoFrameOfTheRoom(host, trackId, 0, camera, picture);
+    expect(held()).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    await close();
+  });
+
+  test("publishes no frame of the room when the camera was turned off", async ({
+    browser,
+  }) => {
+    test.setTimeout(120_000);
+    const { host, guest, close } = await hostAndGuest(browser);
+    const camera = await cameraColour(guest.locator("video").first());
+    await guest.getByTestId("lobby_joinCall").click();
+    const trackId = await incomingTrackId(host);
+    await expect
+      .poll(async () => (await framesOf(host, trackId)).length, {
+        timeout: 20_000,
+      })
+      .toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    await guest.getByTestId("incall_videomute").click();
+
+    const picture = await chooseBackground(guest);
+    const held = await holdBackTheModel(guest);
+    const before = (await framesOf(host, trackId)).length;
+    await guest.getByTestId("incall_videomute").click();
+
+    await expectNoFrameOfTheRoom(host, trackId, before, camera, picture);
+    expect(held()).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    await close();
+  });
+});
+
+/** A host in a call, recording what it receives, and a guest in its lobby. */
+async function hostAndGuest(browser: Browser): Promise<{
+  host: Page;
+  guest: Page;
+  close: () => Promise<void>;
+}> {
+  const hostContext = await browser.newContext();
+  const host = await hostContext.newPage();
+  await recordIncomingFrames(host);
+  await host.goto("/");
+  await SpaHelpers.createCall(host, "Host", "Camera with a background", true);
+  await expect(host.getByTestId("incall_videomute")).toBeEnabled({
+    timeout: 10_000,
+  });
+  const inviteLink = await SpaHelpers.getCallInviteLink(host);
+  await host.keyboard.press("Escape");
+
+  const guestContext = await browser.newContext();
+  const guest = await guestContext.newPage();
+  await guest.goto(inviteLink);
+  await guest.getByTestId("joincall_displayName").fill("Guest");
+  await guest.getByTestId("joincall_joincall").click();
+  await expect(guest.locator("video").first()).toBeVisible();
+  return {
+    host,
+    guest,
+    close: async (): Promise<void> => {
+      await hostContext.close();
+      await guestContext.close();
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+/** Chooses the first shipped picture in the call, and answers its colour. */
+async function chooseBackground(guest: Page): Promise<Colour> {
+  // The lobby has a camera button of its own, so wait for the call's.
+  await expect(guest.getByTestId("incall_leave")).toBeVisible({
+    timeout: 30_000,
+  });
+  await expect(guest.getByTestId("incall_videomute")).toBeEnabled({
+    timeout: 10_000,
+  });
+  await guest.getByRole("button", { name: "Camera", exact: true }).click();
+  const tile = guest.getByRole("menuitemradio", { name: "Background 1" });
+  await tile.click();
+  await expect(tile).toHaveAttribute("aria-checked", "true");
+  const picture = await averageColour(tile.locator("img"));
+  await guest.keyboard.press("Escape");
+  return picture;
+}
+
+/** Makes the pipeline's first build as slow as on the slower route. */
+/** Answers how often it held the model back, which a check should see. */
+async function holdBackTheModel(page: Page): Promise<() => number> {
+  let held = 0;
+  // Routing bypasses the cache, so it waits.
+  await page.route("**/*.tflite*", async (route) => {
+    held += 1;
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 5_000));
+    await route.continue();
+  });
+  return () => held;
+}
+
+/** The id of the guest's camera track, as the host receives it. */
+async function incomingTrackId(host: Page): Promise<string> {
+  const guestTile = host
+    .getByTestId("videoTile")
+    .filter({ has: host.getByTestId("name_tag").getByText("Guest") });
+  await expect(guestTile.locator("video")).toBeVisible({ timeout: 60_000 });
+  // Visible can come before the stream is attached.
+  let trackId: string | undefined;
+  await expect
+    .poll(async () => {
+      trackId = await guestTile
+        .locator("video")
+        .evaluate(
+          (video: HTMLVideoElement) =>
+            (video.srcObject as MediaStream | null)?.getVideoTracks()[0]?.id,
+        );
+      return trackId;
+    })
+    .toBeDefined();
+  return trackId!;
+}
+
+/** Waits for the picture to arrive, then finds no frame of the room since. */
+async function expectNoFrameOfTheRoom(
+  host: Page,
+  trackId: string,
+  since: number,
+  camera: Colour,
+  picture: Colour,
+): Promise<void> {
+  await expect
+    .poll(
+      async () => {
+        const frames = (await framesOf(host, trackId)).slice(since);
+        // A black frame, as a track starts, is nearer the picture than the
+        // camera, but shows neither.
+        return frames.some(
+          (f) =>
+            distance(f, picture) <
+            Math.min(distance(f, camera), distance(f, [0, 0, 0])),
+        );
+      },
+      { timeout: 60_000 },
+    )
+    .toBe(true);
+  const frames = (await framesOf(host, trackId)).slice(since);
+  expect(
+    frames.filter((f) => distance(f, camera) < distance(f, picture)),
+  ).toEqual([]);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Records the mean colour of every frame of every video track the page
+ * receives, from the moment it arrives: a tile may attach it later than its
+ * first frame.
+ */
+async function recordIncomingFrames(page: Page): Promise<void> {
+  await page.addInitScript(() => {
+    const frames: Record<string, [number, number, number][]> = {};
+    (window as unknown as { receivedFrames: typeof frames }).receivedFrames =
+      frames;
+    const record = (track: MediaStreamTrack): void => {
+      if (track.kind !== "video" || frames[track.id]) return;
+      const seen: [number, number, number][] = (frames[track.id] = []);
+      const video = document.createElement("video");
+      video.muted = true;
+      video.srcObject = new MediaStream([track]);
+      const canvas = document.createElement("canvas");
+      canvas.width = canvas.height = 16;
+      const context = canvas.getContext("2d", { willReadFrequently: true })!;
+      const step = (): void => {
+        context.drawImage(video, 0, 0, 16, 16);
+        const { data } = context.getImageData(0, 0, 16, 16);
+        const sum = [0, 0, 0];
+        for (let i = 0; i < data.length; i += 4)
+          for (let c = 0; c < 3; c++) sum[c] += data[i + c];
+        seen.push(sum.map((v) => v / (data.length / 4)) as Colour);
+        video.requestVideoFrameCallback(step);
+      };
+      video.requestVideoFrameCallback(step);
+      void video.play();
+    };
+    const Connection = window.RTCPeerConnection;
+    window.RTCPeerConnection = class extends Connection {
+      public constructor(...args: ConstructorParameters<typeof Connection>) {
+        super(...args);
+        this.addEventListener("track", (e) => record(e.track));
+      }
+    };
+  });
+}
+
+async function framesOf(page: Page, trackId: string): Promise<Colour[]> {
+  return page.evaluate(
+    (id) =>
+      (
+        window as unknown as {
+          receivedFrames: Record<string, [number, number, number][]>;
+        }
+      ).receivedFrames[id] ?? [],
+    trackId,
+  );
+}
+
+/** The camera's colour, once the preview is showing it rather than nothing. */
+async function cameraColour(preview: Locator): Promise<Colour> {
+  await expect
+    .poll(async () => Math.max(...(await averageColour(preview))))
+    .toBeGreaterThan(40);
+  return averageColour(preview);
+}
+
 /** The mean colour of a video's current frame or an image, drawn small. */
 async function averageColour(element: Locator): Promise<Colour> {
   return element.evaluate(