diff --git a/internal/bot/bot.go b/internal/bot/bot.go
index 91beaf9..91675cd 100644
--- a/internal/bot/bot.go
+++ b/internal/bot/bot.go
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ const (
 
 	// Included in content hashes so renderer/template changes never reuse
 	// stale Telegram file_ids or S3 objects from an older deployment.
-	renderCacheVersion = "presigned-v2-inline-thumbnail"
+	renderCacheVersion = "presigned-v3-square-thumbnail"
 )
 
 // outputFormat is one of the three generation formats.
diff --git a/internal/render/render.go b/internal/render/render.go
index 3525fb7..754bb3f 100644
--- a/internal/render/render.go
+++ b/internal/render/render.go
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"image"
-	_ "image/jpeg"
+	"image/color"
+	"image/draw"
+	"image/jpeg"
 	_ "image/png"
 	"math"
 	"os"
@@ -384,11 +386,12 @@ func (r *Renderer) renderRaster(ctx context.Context, workdir string, dpi int, pd
 }
 
 // renderThumbnail creates the dedicated small JPEG used only by Telegram's
-// inline-result picker. Reusing the full-resolution photo URL as its thumbnail
-// can leave clients displaying a 320-pixel partial decode over the full photo
-// canvas even though the downloaded media itself is intact.
+// inline-result picker. It centers the aspect-correct preview on a square
+// canvas because some clients force inline thumbnails into a square slot.
+// Supplying the rectangular preview directly makes those clients stretch it.
 func (r *Renderer) renderThumbnail(ctx context.Context, workdir string, dpi int, pdfPath, outPath string) error {
-	base := strings.TrimSuffix(outPath, filepath.Ext(outPath))
+	base := strings.TrimSuffix(outPath, filepath.Ext(outPath)) + "-source"
+	sourcePath := base + ".jpg"
 	args := []string{
 		"-jpeg", "-jpegopt", "quality=82,progressive=n,optimize=y",
 		"-r", strconv.Itoa(dpi), "-singlefile", "-f", "1", "-l", "1",
@@ -397,16 +400,45 @@ func (r *Renderer) renderThumbnail(ctx context.Context, workdir string, dpi int,
 	if err := r.run(ctx, workdir, r.Pdftoppm, args...); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("render inline thumbnail: %w", err)
 	}
-	width, height, err := imageSize(outPath)
+	width, height, err := imageSize(sourcePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("inspect inline thumbnail: %w", err)
 	}
 	if width > inlineThumbnailSide || height > inlineThumbnailSide {
 		return fmt.Errorf("inline thumbnail is unexpectedly large: %dx%d", width, height)
 	}
+
+	sourceData, err := os.ReadFile(sourcePath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("read inline thumbnail: %w", err)
+	}
+	source, err := jpeg.Decode(bytes.NewReader(sourceData))
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("decode inline thumbnail: %w", err)
+	}
+	thumbnail := squareThumbnail(source)
+	var encoded bytes.Buffer
+	if err := jpeg.Encode(&encoded, thumbnail, &jpeg.Options{Quality: 82}); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("encode inline thumbnail: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(outPath, encoded.Bytes(), 0o600); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("write inline thumbnail: %w", err)
+	}
 	return nil
 }
 
+// squareThumbnail pads rather than stretches the already-scaled preview.
+func squareThumbnail(source image.Image) *image.RGBA {
+	canvas := image.NewRGBA(image.Rect(0, 0, inlineThumbnailSide, inlineThumbnailSide))
+	draw.Draw(canvas, canvas.Bounds(), image.NewUniform(color.White), image.Point{}, draw.Src)
+	bounds := source.Bounds()
+	x := (inlineThumbnailSide - bounds.Dx()) / 2
+	y := (inlineThumbnailSide - bounds.Dy()) / 2
+	target := image.Rect(x, y, x+bounds.Dx(), y+bounds.Dy())
+	draw.Draw(canvas, target, source, bounds.Min, draw.Src)
+	return canvas
+}
+
 func imageSize(path string) (int, int, error) {
 	file, err := os.Open(path)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/render/render_test.go b/internal/render/render_test.go
index 1d6de7a..aa91572 100644
--- a/internal/render/render_test.go
+++ b/internal/render/render_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"image"
+	"image/color"
+	"image/draw"
 	_ "image/png"
 	"os/exec"
 	"strings"
@@ -121,8 +123,8 @@ func TestRenderIntegration(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("decode thumbnail size: %v", err)
 	}
-	if thumbWidth > inlineThumbnailSide || thumbHeight > inlineThumbnailSide {
-		t.Errorf("thumbnail is %dx%d, want each side <= %d", thumbWidth, thumbHeight, inlineThumbnailSide)
+	if thumbWidth != inlineThumbnailSide || thumbHeight != inlineThumbnailSide {
+		t.Errorf("thumbnail is %dx%d, want a %dx%d padded square", thumbWidth, thumbHeight, inlineThumbnailSide, inlineThumbnailSide)
 	}
 
 	linked, err := r.Render(ctx, "", `\hypertarget{details}{Details}\par\hyperlink{details}{Go to details}`, 150)
@@ -134,6 +136,29 @@ func TestRenderIntegration(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestSquareThumbnailPadsWithoutStretching(t *testing.T) {
+	source := image.NewRGBA(image.Rect(0, 0, 160, 80))
+	draw.Draw(source, source.Bounds(), image.NewUniform(color.Black), image.Point{}, draw.Src)
+
+	thumbnail := squareThumbnail(source)
+	if thumbnail.Bounds() != image.Rect(0, 0, inlineThumbnailSide, inlineThumbnailSide) {
+		t.Fatalf("thumbnail bounds = %v", thumbnail.Bounds())
+	}
+	for _, sample := range []struct {
+		point image.Point
+		want  color.RGBA
+	}{
+		{image.Pt(160, 119), color.RGBA{255, 255, 255, 255}},
+		{image.Pt(160, 120), color.RGBA{0, 0, 0, 255}},
+		{image.Pt(79, 160), color.RGBA{255, 255, 255, 255}},
+		{image.Pt(80, 160), color.RGBA{0, 0, 0, 255}},
+	} {
+		if got := thumbnail.RGBAAt(sample.point.X, sample.point.Y); got != sample.want {
+			t.Errorf("pixel at %v = %v, want %v", sample.point, got, sample.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func pngSizeBytes(data []byte) (int, int, error) {
 	return imageSizeBytes(data)
 }