frontend/Dockerfile.dev

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ FROM node:22-alpine
 WORKDIR /frontend
 
 COPY package*.json .
+COPY patches ./patches
 
 RUN npm ci
 

frontend/package-lock.json

@@ -7,10 +7,13 @@
         "": {
             "name": "frontend",
             "version": "0.0.0",
+            "hasInstallScript": true,
             "dependencies": {
                 "@tailwindcss/vite": "^4.3.3",
+                "@uswriting/exiftool": "1.0.9",
                 "axios": "^1.20.0",
                 "pinia": "^4.0.3",
+                "pretty-bytes": "^7.2.0",
                 "tailwindcss": "^4.3.3",
                 "vue": "^3.5.32",
                 "vue-router": "^4.6.4"
@@ -24,6 +27,12 @@
                 "vue-tsc": "^3.2.6"
             }
         },
+        "node_modules/@6over3/zeroperl-ts": {
+            "version": "1.0.10",
+            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@6over3/zeroperl-ts/-/zeroperl-ts-1.0.10.tgz",
+            "integrity": "sha512-d7fBgN1UaP9BR6kZMyNsjIrxPd0QLqqx29VSprhK66m1csm/7E/anr+rEfp3gJDSne5FfDpM6aKtDGHyXG/vYQ==",
+            "license": "Apache-2.0"
+        },
         "node_modules/@babel/helper-string-parser": {
             "version": "7.29.7",
             "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@babel/helper-string-parser/-/helper-string-parser-7.29.7.tgz",
@@ -886,6 +895,15 @@
                 "undici-types": "~6.21.0"
             }
         },
+        "node_modules/@uswriting/exiftool": {
+            "version": "1.0.9",
+            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@uswriting/exiftool/-/exiftool-1.0.9.tgz",
+            "integrity": "sha512-tziE5oH/Wf4gJ/g/ZVGBxCjnoHz27SxXRZ4KoFa4c0qN/6uBfvBFEQ272dq7LxbzhXkvGqHdmDyNJe/WUZCV5A==",
+            "license": "Apache-2.0",
+            "dependencies": {
+                "@6over3/zeroperl-ts": "1.0.10"
+            }
+        },
         "node_modules/@vitejs/plugin-vue": {
             "version": "6.0.9",
             "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@vitejs/plugin-vue/-/plugin-vue-6.0.9.tgz",
@@ -1907,6 +1925,18 @@
                 "node": "^10 || ^12 || >=14"
             }
         },
+        "node_modules/pretty-bytes": {
+            "version": "7.2.0",
+            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/pretty-bytes/-/pretty-bytes-7.2.0.tgz",
+            "integrity": "sha512-T2kroepGB5DRVbkN/nOpW03+VRWqdtJhZNuCW3wYk3chdPjgi4GcTBOaxWfHq1MIM0ypidxsSWbQaAiRpxnXmg==",
+            "license": "MIT",
+            "engines": {
+                "node": ">=20"
+            },
+            "funding": {
+                "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/sindresorhus"
+            }
+        },
         "node_modules/proxy-from-env": {
             "version": "2.1.0",
             "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/proxy-from-env/-/proxy-from-env-2.1.0.tgz",
@@ -2156,6 +2186,23 @@
             "peerDependencies": {
                 "typescript": ">=5.0.0"
             }
+        },
+        "node_modules/yaml": {
+            "version": "2.9.1",
+            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/yaml/-/yaml-2.9.1.tgz",
+            "integrity": "sha512-3NxN8+78OdzbT7C/WjGsyfPAtJaN3FNDsWxv7Y7mcDsT/oOmgW8BpyQQFFBnvZE3j9Y2Sdz1ULFLezL7Eb2yFw==",
+            "license": "ISC",
+            "optional": true,
+            "peer": true,
+            "bin": {
+                "yaml": "bin.mjs"
+            },
+            "engines": {
+                "node": ">= 14.6"
+            },
+            "funding": {
+                "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/eemeli"
+            }
         }
     }
 }

frontend/package.json

@@ -6,12 +6,15 @@
     "scripts": {
         "dev": "vite --host 0.0.0.0",
         "build": "vue-tsc -b && vite build",
-        "preview": "vite preview"
+        "preview": "vite preview",
+        "postinstall": "node patches/patch-exiftool-stderr.mjs && node patches/patch-zeroperl-worker-fetch.mjs"
     },
     "dependencies": {
         "@tailwindcss/vite": "^4.3.3",
+        "@uswriting/exiftool": "1.0.9",
         "axios": "^1.20.0",
         "pinia": "^4.0.3",
+        "pretty-bytes": "^7.2.0",
         "tailwindcss": "^4.3.3",
         "vue": "^3.5.32",
         "vue-router": "^4.6.4"

frontend/patches/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# Dependency patches
+
+## `@uswriting/exiftool@1.0.9` — stderr vs warnings
+
+We do **not** use a `patch-package` diff here: the published `dist/*.js` files are one minified line each, so unified diffs are huge and hard to review.
+
+Instead, `patches/patch-exiftool-stderr.mjs` runs on `postinstall` and removes two **documented** guard strings:
+
+| Guard | Role |
+| ----- | ---- |
+| `READ_STDERR_GUARD` | After exit 0 on **read**, fail if stderr is non-empty |
+| `WRITE_STDERR_GUARD` | After exit 0 on **write**, fail if stderr is non-empty |
+
+See the script for exact literals and upstream context.
+
+When upgrading `@uswriting/exiftool`, run `npm install` and confirm the script still finds both guards (or update the script for the new bundle).
+
+## `@6over3/zeroperl-ts@1.0.10` — WASM load in module workers
+
+`patches/patch-zeroperl-worker-fetch.mjs` changes the WASM loader so a custom `fetch` (from `@uswriting/exiftool` options) is honored even when `document` is missing (Web Workers).
+
+| Snippet | Role |
+| ----- | ---- |
+| `if(Ee())a=await...` → `if(Ee()\|\|e)a=await...` (ESM) | Use fetch path when `options.fetch` is set |
+| `if(pe())a=await...` → `if(pe()\|\|e)a=await...` (CJS) | Same for CJS bundle |
+
+Workers still pass Vite’s WASM URL via `zeroperl.wasm?url` and `exiftoolParseOptions.fetch` in app code.
+
+When upgrading `@6over3/zeroperl-ts`, re-run `npm install` and confirm the script still matches (or update literals).

frontend/patches/patch-exiftool-stderr.mjs

@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+/**
+ * Patch @uswriting/exiftool@1.0.9 after install.
+ *
+ * Problem: parseMetadata / writeMetadata fail when ExifTool prints warnings to stderr
+ * even if exit code is 0 (no stdout / no strip bytes returned).
+ *
+ * Fix: remove the two stderr early-return checks in the published bundle.
+ *
+ * Upstream: https://github.com/6over3/exiftool (issue: warnings incorrectly treated as errors)
+ *
+ * Re-verify when bumping @uswriting/exiftool: search dist for these exact snippets.
+ */
+import fs from 'node:fs';
+import path from 'node:path';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
+
+const READ_STDERR_GUARD =
+    'if(o&&o.trim())return{success:!1,data:void 0,error:o,exitCode:0};';
+
+const WRITE_STDERR_GUARD =
+    'if(d&&d.trim())return{success:!1,data:void 0,error:d,exitCode:0};';
+
+const packageRoot = path.resolve(
+    path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)),
+    '../node_modules/@uswriting/exiftool/dist'
+);
+
+const targets = ['esm/index.js', 'cjs/index.cjs'];
+
+const patchFile = (relativePath) => {
+    const filePath = path.join(packageRoot, relativePath);
+
+    if (!fs.existsSync(filePath)) {
+        throw new Error(`patch-exiftool-stderr: missing ${filePath} (is @uswriting/exiftool installed?)`);
+    }
+
+    const original = fs.readFileSync(filePath, 'utf8');
+    const alreadyPatched =
+        !original.includes(READ_STDERR_GUARD) && !original.includes(WRITE_STDERR_GUARD);
+
+    if (alreadyPatched) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (!original.includes(READ_STDERR_GUARD) || !original.includes(WRITE_STDERR_GUARD)) {
+        throw new Error(
+            `patch-exiftool-stderr: ${relativePath} does not match @uswriting/exiftool@1.0.9; update or remove this script`
+        );
+    }
+
+    const patched = original
+        .replaceAll(READ_STDERR_GUARD, '')
+        .replaceAll(WRITE_STDERR_GUARD, '');
+
+    fs.writeFileSync(filePath, patched);
+};
+
+for (const relativePath of targets) {
+    patchFile(relativePath);
+}

frontend/patches/patch-zeroperl-worker-fetch.mjs

@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+/**
+ * Patch @6over3/zeroperl-ts@1.0.10 after install.
+ *
+ * Problem: WASM loader treats only `window` + `document` as browser. Module workers have
+ * neither, so it dynamic-imports `node:fs/promises` and fails under Vite.
+ * Custom `fetch` from @uswriting/exiftool is ignored on that branch.
+ *
+ * Fix: use the fetch path when a custom fetch is provided (`Ee() || e`).
+ *
+ * Upstream: https://github.com/6over3/zeroperl-ts
+ *
+ * Re-verify when bumping @6over3/zeroperl-ts: search dist for the ORIGINAL snippets below.
+ */
+import fs from 'node:fs';
+import path from 'node:path';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
+
+const patches = [
+    {
+        relativePath: 'esm/index.js',
+        original: 'if(Ee())a=await(await(e??fetch)(q)).arrayBuffer();',
+        patched: 'if(Ee()||e)a=await(await(e??fetch)(q)).arrayBuffer();'
+    },
+    {
+        relativePath: 'cjs/index.cjs',
+        original: 'if(pe())a=await(await(e??fetch)(w)).arrayBuffer();',
+        patched: 'if(pe()||e)a=await(await(e??fetch)(w)).arrayBuffer();'
+    }
+];
+
+const packageRoot = path.resolve(
+    path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)),
+    '../node_modules/@6over3/zeroperl-ts/dist'
+);
+
+const patchFile = ({ relativePath, original, patched }) => {
+    const filePath = path.join(packageRoot, relativePath);
+
+    if (!fs.existsSync(filePath)) {
+        throw new Error(`patch-zeroperl-worker-fetch: missing ${filePath} (is @6over3/zeroperl-ts installed?)`);
+    }
+
+    const content = fs.readFileSync(filePath, 'utf8');
+
+    if (content.includes(patched)) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (!content.includes(original)) {
+        throw new Error(
+            `patch-zeroperl-worker-fetch: ${relativePath} does not match @6over3/zeroperl-ts@1.0.10; update or remove this script`
+        );
+    }
+
+    fs.writeFileSync(filePath, content.replaceAll(original, patched));
+};
+
+for (const entry of patches) {
+    patchFile(entry);
+}

frontend/src/components/upload/MetadataInspector.vue

@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+<template>
+    <section class="flex min-h-48 flex-col rounded-lg border border-border bg-card" aria-live="polite">
+        <header class="border-b border-border px-4 py-3">
+            <h2 class="text-sm font-medium text-card-foreground">Metadata</h2>
+            <p v-if="fileName" class="mt-0.5 truncate text-xs text-muted-foreground">{{ fileName }}</p>
+        </header>
+
+        <div class="flex flex-1 flex-col gap-3 p-4">
+            <p v-if="!fileName" class="text-sm text-muted-foreground">Select an image to view its metadata.</p>
+
+            <p v-else-if="entry.status === 'error'" class="text-sm text-destructive">
+                {{ entry.message }}
+            </p>
+
+            <template v-else-if="entry.status === 'ready'">
+                <div
+                    class="inline-flex w-fit rounded-md border border-border p-0.5"
+                    role="tablist"
+                    aria-label="Metadata view"
+                >
+                    <button
+                        type="button"
+                        role="tab"
+                        class="rounded px-3 py-1.5 text-xs font-medium transition-colors"
+                        :class="
+                            activeTab === 'original'
+                                ? 'bg-muted text-foreground'
+                                : 'text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground'
+                        "
+                        :aria-selected="activeTab === 'original'"
+                        @click="activeTab = 'original'"
+                    >
+                        Original
+                    </button>
+                    <button
+                        type="button"
+                        role="tab"
+                        class="rounded px-3 py-1.5 text-xs font-medium transition-colors"
+                        :class="
+                            activeTab === 'stripped'
+                                ? 'bg-muted text-foreground'
+                                : 'text-muted-foreground hover:text-foreground'
+                        "
+                        :aria-selected="activeTab === 'stripped'"
+                        @click="activeTab = 'stripped'"
+                    >
+                        Stripped
+                    </button>
+                </div>
+
+                <pre
+                    role="tabpanel"
+                    class="max-h-96 min-h-32 flex-1 overflow-auto rounded-md bg-muted p-3 text-xs leading-relaxed whitespace-pre-wrap text-foreground"
+                    >{{ activeTab === 'original' ? entry.output : entry.afterStripOutput }}</pre
+                >
+            </template>
+
+            <p v-else class="text-sm text-muted-foreground">{{ entry.message }}</p>
+        </div>
+    </section>
+</template>
+
+<script setup lang="ts">
+import { ref, watch, type PropType } from 'vue';
+import type { MetadataPreviewEntry } from '@/types/metadata/MetadataPreview';
+import type { MetadataTab } from '@/types/metadata/MetadataTab';
+
+const props = defineProps({
+    fileName: {
+        type: String as PropType<string | null>,
+        default: null
+    },
+    entry: {
+        type: Object as PropType<MetadataPreviewEntry>,
+        required: true
+    }
+});
+
+const activeTab = ref<MetadataTab>('original');
+
+watch(
+    () => props.fileName,
+    () => {
+        activeTab.value = 'original';
+    }
+);
+</script>

frontend/src/consts/exiftoolWorkerInitJpeg.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+import { base64ToBytes } from '@/utils/base64ToBytes';
+
+const EXIFTOOL_WORKER_INIT_JPEG_BASE64 =
+    '/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQEASABIAAD/2wBDAP//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////2wBDAf//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////wAARCAABAAEDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAb/xAAUEAEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/EABQRAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AL+AD//Z';
+
+export const EXIFTOOL_WORKER_INIT_JPEG = base64ToBytes(EXIFTOOL_WORKER_INIT_JPEG_BASE64);

frontend/src/stores/exiftool.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,188 @@
+import { defineStore } from 'pinia';
+import { ref } from 'vue';
+import type { ExiftoolInitStatus } from '@/types/metadata/ExiftoolInitStatus';
+import type { ExiftoolWorkerOutMessage } from '@/types/workers/exiftoolWorkerOutMessage';
+
+export const useExiftoolStore = defineStore('exiftool', () => {
+    const initStatus = ref<ExiftoolInitStatus>('idle');
+    const initErrorMessage = ref<string | null>(null);
+
+    const worker = ref<Worker | null>(null);
+
+    let initPromise: Promise<void> | null = null;
+    let initPromiseResolve: (() => void) | null = null;
+    let initPromiseReject: ((error: Error) => void) | null = null;
+
+    const readMetadataWaiters = new Map<
+        string,
+        { resolve: (output: string) => void; reject: (error: Error) => void }
+    >();
+
+    const stripMetadataWaiters = new Map<
+        string,
+        { resolve: (data: ArrayBuffer) => void; reject: (error: Error) => void }
+    >();
+
+    const initializeExiftool = async (): Promise<void> => {
+        if (initStatus.value === 'ready') {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (initStatus.value === 'error') {
+            throw new Error(initErrorMessage.value ?? 'ExifTool is unavailable');
+        }
+
+        if (initStatus.value === 'idle') {
+            initStatus.value = 'loading';
+            initErrorMessage.value = null;
+            initPromise = new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+                initPromiseResolve = resolve;
+                initPromiseReject = reject;
+            });
+
+            if (!worker.value) {
+                worker.value = new Worker(new URL('../workers/exiftoolWorker.ts', import.meta.url), {
+                    type: 'module'
+                });
+
+                worker.value.addEventListener('message', handleWorkerMessage);
+
+                worker.value.addEventListener('error', event => {
+                    console.error('[exiftool] worker error', event.message, event.error ?? event);
+                });
+
+                worker.value.addEventListener('messageerror', event => {
+                    console.error('[exiftool] worker messageerror', event);
+                });
+            }
+
+            worker.value.postMessage({ type: 'init' });
+        }
+
+        if (!initPromise) {
+            throw new Error('ExifTool is not initializing');
+        }
+
+        await initPromise;
+    };
+
+    const handleWorkerMessage = (event: MessageEvent<ExiftoolWorkerOutMessage>): void => {
+        const message = event.data;
+
+        if (message.type === 'init-done') {
+            initStatus.value = 'ready';
+            initPromiseResolve?.();
+            initPromiseResolve = null;
+            initPromiseReject = null;
+
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (message.type === 'init-error') {
+            console.error('[exiftool] init-error', message.message);
+            initStatus.value = 'error';
+            initErrorMessage.value = message.message;
+            initPromiseReject?.(new Error(message.message));
+            initPromiseResolve = null;
+            initPromiseReject = null;
+
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (message.type === 'read-metadata-done') {
+            const waiter = readMetadataWaiters.get(message.id);
+
+            if (!waiter) {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            readMetadataWaiters.delete(message.id);
+            waiter.resolve(message.output);
+
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (message.type === 'read-metadata-error') {
+            const waiter = readMetadataWaiters.get(message.id);
+
+            if (!waiter) {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            readMetadataWaiters.delete(message.id);
+            console.error('[exiftool] read-metadata-error', { id: message.id, message: message.message });
+            waiter.reject(new Error(message.message));
+
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (message.type === 'strip-metadata-done') {
+            const waiter = stripMetadataWaiters.get(message.id);
+
+            if (!waiter) {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            stripMetadataWaiters.delete(message.id);
+            waiter.resolve(message.data);
+
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (message.type === 'strip-metadata-error') {
+            const waiter = stripMetadataWaiters.get(message.id);
+
+            if (!waiter) {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            stripMetadataWaiters.delete(message.id);
+            console.error('[exiftool] strip-metadata-error', { id: message.id, message: message.message });
+            waiter.reject(new Error(message.message));
+        }
+    };
+
+    const readMetadata = async (file: File): Promise<string> => {
+        await initializeExiftool();
+
+        const id = crypto.randomUUID();
+
+        const workerInstance = worker.value;
+
+        if (!workerInstance) {
+            throw new Error('ExifTool worker is unavailable');
+        }
+
+        return new Promise<string>((resolve, reject) => {
+            readMetadataWaiters.set(id, { resolve, reject });
+            workerInstance.postMessage({ type: 'read-metadata', id, file });
+        });
+    };
+
+    const stripAllMetadata = async (file: File): Promise<Blob> => {
+        await initializeExiftool();
+
+        const id = crypto.randomUUID();
+
+        const workerInstance = worker.value;
+
+        if (!workerInstance) {
+            throw new Error('ExifTool worker is unavailable');
+        }
+
+        const data = await new Promise<ArrayBuffer>((resolve, reject) => {
+            stripMetadataWaiters.set(id, { resolve, reject });
+            workerInstance.postMessage({ type: 'strip-metadata', id, file });
+        });
+
+        return new Blob([data], { type: file.type || 'application/octet-stream' });
+    };
+
+    return {
+        initStatus,
+        initErrorMessage,
+        initializeExiftool,
+        readMetadata,
+        stripAllMetadata
+    };
+});

frontend/src/stores/metadata.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,194 @@
+import { defineStore, storeToRefs } from 'pinia';
+import { ref } from 'vue';
+import { useExiftoolStore } from '@/stores/exiftool';
+import type { MetadataPreviewEntry } from '@/types/metadata/MetadataPreview';
+
+const EXIFTOOL_PREPARE_ERROR_MESSAGE = 'Could not prepare ExifTool';
+const EXIFTOOL_INITIALIZING_MESSAGE = 'Initializing ExifTool';
+const METADATA_LOADING_MESSAGE = 'Loading metadata';
+const METADATA_LOAD_ERROR_MESSAGE = 'Could not load image metadata';
+const METADATA_STRIP_ERROR_MESSAGE = 'Could not strip image metadata';
+const METADATA_IDLE_MESSAGE = 'Waiting to load metadata';
+const METADATA_READY_MESSAGE = 'Metadata stripped';
+
+const METADATA_IDLE_PREVIEW: MetadataPreviewEntry = {
+    status: 'idle',
+    message: METADATA_IDLE_MESSAGE
+};
+
+const METADATA_LOADING_PREVIEW: MetadataPreviewEntry = {
+    status: 'loading',
+    message: METADATA_LOADING_MESSAGE
+};
+
+export const useMetadataStore = defineStore('metadata', () => {
+    const previewsByKey = ref<Record<string, MetadataPreviewEntry>>({});
+    const strippedBlobByKey = ref<Record<string, Blob>>({});
+
+    const exiftoolStore = useExiftoolStore();
+
+    const { initStatus: exiftoolInitStatus } = storeToRefs(exiftoolStore);
+    const { initializeExiftool, readMetadata, stripAllMetadata } = exiftoolStore;
+
+    const makeKeyFromFile = (file: File): string => `${file.name}\0${file.size}\0${file.lastModified}`;
+
+    const getPreview = (file?: File | null): MetadataPreviewEntry => {
+        if (!file) {
+            return METADATA_IDLE_PREVIEW;
+        }
+
+        const key = makeKeyFromFile(file);
+
+        return previewsByKey.value[key] ?? METADATA_IDLE_PREVIEW;
+    };
+
+    const getStrippedBlob = (file?: File | null): Blob | null => {
+        if (!file) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        const key = makeKeyFromFile(file);
+
+        return strippedBlobByKey.value[key] ?? null;
+    };
+
+    const loadPreview = async (file: File): Promise<MetadataPreviewEntry> => {
+        const key = makeKeyFromFile(file);
+
+        if (exiftoolInitStatus.value === 'error') {
+            const entry: MetadataPreviewEntry = {
+                status: 'error',
+                message: EXIFTOOL_PREPARE_ERROR_MESSAGE
+            };
+
+            previewsByKey.value = { ...previewsByKey.value, [key]: entry };
+
+            return entry;
+        }
+
+        if (exiftoolInitStatus.value === 'ready') {
+            previewsByKey.value = {
+                ...previewsByKey.value,
+                [key]: METADATA_LOADING_PREVIEW
+            };
+        } else {
+            previewsByKey.value = {
+                ...previewsByKey.value,
+                [key]: { status: 'pending', message: EXIFTOOL_INITIALIZING_MESSAGE }
+            };
+
+            try {
+                await initializeExiftool();
+
+                previewsByKey.value = {
+                    ...previewsByKey.value,
+                    [key]: METADATA_LOADING_PREVIEW
+                };
+            } catch (error) {
+                console.error('[metadata] ExifTool init failed', { file: file.name, error });
+
+                const entry: MetadataPreviewEntry = {
+                    status: 'error',
+                    message: EXIFTOOL_PREPARE_ERROR_MESSAGE
+                };
+
+                previewsByKey.value = { ...previewsByKey.value, [key]: entry };
+
+                return entry;
+            }
+        }
+
+        let output: string;
+
+        try {
+            output = await readMetadata(file);
+        } catch (error) {
+            console.error('[metadata] read failed', { file: file.name, error });
+
+            const entry: MetadataPreviewEntry = {
+                status: 'error',
+                message: METADATA_LOAD_ERROR_MESSAGE
+            };
+
+            previewsByKey.value = { ...previewsByKey.value, [key]: entry };
+
+            return entry;
+        }
+
+        let strippedBlob: Blob;
+
+        try {
+            strippedBlob = await stripAllMetadata(file);
+        } catch (error) {
+            console.error('[metadata] strip failed', {
+                file: file.name,
+                type: file.type,
+                size: file.size,
+                error
+            });
+
+            const entry: MetadataPreviewEntry = {
+                status: 'error',
+                message: METADATA_STRIP_ERROR_MESSAGE
+            };
+
+            previewsByKey.value = { ...previewsByKey.value, [key]: entry };
+
+            return entry;
+        }
+
+        const strippedFile = new File([strippedBlob], file.name, {
+            type: file.type || strippedBlob.type || 'application/octet-stream',
+            lastModified: file.lastModified
+        });
+
+        let afterStripOutput: string;
+
+        try {
+            afterStripOutput = await readMetadata(strippedFile);
+        } catch (error) {
+            console.error('[metadata] read after strip failed', { file: file.name, error });
+
+            const entry: MetadataPreviewEntry = {
+                status: 'error',
+                message: METADATA_LOAD_ERROR_MESSAGE
+            };
+
+            previewsByKey.value = { ...previewsByKey.value, [key]: entry };
+
+            return entry;
+        }
+
+        strippedBlobByKey.value = { ...strippedBlobByKey.value, [key]: strippedBlob };
+
+        const entry: MetadataPreviewEntry = {
+            status: 'ready',
+            message: METADATA_READY_MESSAGE,
+            output,
+            afterStripOutput
+        };
+
+        previewsByKey.value = { ...previewsByKey.value, [key]: entry };
+
+        return entry;
+    };
+
+    const loadPreviews = (files: readonly File[]): Promise<MetadataPreviewEntry[]> =>
+        Promise.all(files.map(file => loadPreview(file)));
+
+    const clearAllPreviews = (): void => {
+        previewsByKey.value = {};
+        strippedBlobByKey.value = {};
+    };
+
+    return {
+        previewsByKey,
+        strippedBlobByKey,
+        makeKeyFromFile,
+        getPreview,
+        getStrippedBlob,
+        loadPreview,
+        loadPreviews,
+        clearAllPreviews
+    };
+});

frontend/src/types/metadata/ExiftoolInitStatus.ts

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export type ExiftoolInitStatus = 'idle' | 'loading' | 'ready' | 'error';

frontend/src/types/metadata/MetadataPreview.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+export type MetadataPreviewEntry =
+    | { status: 'idle'; message: string }
+    | { status: 'pending'; message: string }
+    | { status: 'loading'; message: string }
+    | { status: 'ready'; message: string; output: string; afterStripOutput: string }
+    | { status: 'error'; message: string };

frontend/src/types/metadata/MetadataTab.ts

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export type MetadataTab = 'original' | 'stripped';

frontend/src/types/upload/PickedUploadAnalysis.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+export type PickedUploadAnalysis = {
+    accepted: File[];
+    nonImageCount: number;
+    oversizedImagesCount: number;
+    queueOmittedImagesCount: number;
+};

frontend/src/types/workers/exiftoolWorkerInMessage.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+export type ExiftoolWorkerInMessage =
+    | { type: 'init' }
+    | { type: 'read-metadata'; id: string; file: File }
+    | { type: 'strip-metadata'; id: string; file: File };

frontend/src/types/workers/exiftoolWorkerJob.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+export type ExiftoolWorkerJob =
+    | { type: 'init' }
+    | { type: 'read-metadata'; id: string; file: File }
+    | { type: 'strip-metadata'; id: string; file: File };

frontend/src/types/workers/exiftoolWorkerOutMessage.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+export type ExiftoolWorkerOutMessage =
+    | { type: 'init-done' }
+    | { type: 'init-error'; message: string }
+    | { type: 'read-metadata-done'; id: string; output: string }
+    | { type: 'read-metadata-error'; id: string; message: string }
+    | { type: 'strip-metadata-done'; id: string; data: ArrayBuffer }
+    | { type: 'strip-metadata-error'; id: string; message: string };

frontend/src/utils/base64ToBytes.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+export function base64ToBytes(base64: string): Uint8Array {
+    const binary = atob(base64);
+    const bytes = new Uint8Array(binary.length);
+
+    for (let i = 0; i < binary.length; i++) {
+        bytes[i] = binary.charCodeAt(i);
+    }
+
+    return bytes;
+}

frontend/src/utils/http/resolveAxiosErrorMessage.ts

@@ -1,23 +1,40 @@
-import axios from 'axios';
+import { isAxiosError } from 'axios';
+import { resolveErrorMessage } from '@/utils/resolveErrorMessage';
 
-export function resolveAxiosErrorMessage(error: unknown, fallback = 'Request failed'): string {
-    if (axios.isAxiosError(error)) {
-        const data = error.response?.data;
-        if (typeof data === 'object' && data !== null && 'message' in data) {
-            const message = (data as { message: unknown }).message;
-            if (typeof message === 'string') {
-                return message;
-            }
-            if (Array.isArray(message)) {
-                return message.map(String).join(', ');
-            }
+const getAxiosErrorResponseMessage = (data: unknown): string | null => {
+    if (typeof data === 'string') {
+        return data;
+    }
+
+    if (typeof data !== 'object' || data === null || !('message' in data)) {
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    const { message } = data;
+
+    if (typeof message === 'string') {
+        return message;
+    }
+
+    if (Array.isArray(message)) {
+        const texts = message.filter((item): item is string => typeof item === 'string');
+
+        if (texts.length === 1) {
+            return texts[0];
         }
-        if (error.message) {
-            return error.message;
+
+        if (texts.length > 1) {
+            return texts.join(', ');
         }
     }
-    if (error instanceof Error) {
-        return error.message;
+
+    return null;
+};
+
+export const resolveAxiosErrorMessage = (error: unknown, fallback: string): string => {
+    if (!isAxiosError(error) || !error.response) {
+        return resolveErrorMessage(error, fallback);
     }
-    return fallback;
-}
+
+    return getAxiosErrorResponseMessage(error.response.data) ?? resolveErrorMessage(error, fallback);
+};

frontend/src/utils/resolveErrorMessage.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+export function resolveErrorMessage(error: unknown, fallback = 'Something went wrong'): string {
+    if (error instanceof Error && error.message.length > 0) {
+        return error.message;
+    }
+
+    return fallback;
+}

frontend/src/utils/toArrayBuffer.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+export function toArrayBuffer(data: unknown): ArrayBuffer | null {
+    if (data instanceof ArrayBuffer) {
+        return data;
+    }
+
+    if (data instanceof Uint8Array) {
+        const { buffer, byteOffset, byteLength } = data;
+
+        if (buffer instanceof ArrayBuffer) {
+            return buffer.slice(byteOffset, byteOffset + byteLength);
+        }
+    }
+
+    return null;
+}

frontend/src/views/UploadView.vue

@@ -1,6 +1,195 @@
 <template>
-    <main class="flex min-h-screen flex-col p-8">
-        <h1 class="text-2xl font-semibold tracking-tight">Upload</h1>
-        <p class="mt-2 text-muted-foreground">Upload UI coming soon.</p>
+    <main class="mx-auto flex min-h-screen max-w-3xl flex-col gap-6 p-8">
+        <div>
+            <h1 class="text-2xl font-semibold tracking-tight">Upload</h1>
+            <p class="mt-2 text-sm text-muted-foreground">
+                Choose up to {{ maxQueueSize }} images, up to
+                {{ maxImageSizeFormatted }}
+                each.
+            </p>
+        </div>
+
+        <div>
+            <label
+                class="inline-flex items-center justify-center rounded-md bg-primary px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-primary-foreground transition-colors hover:opacity-90"
+                :class="loadingMetadata ? 'cursor-not-allowed opacity-60' : 'cursor-pointer'"
+            >
+                Choose images
+                <input
+                    ref="fileInputRef"
+                    type="file"
+                    accept="image/*"
+                    multiple
+                    class="sr-only"
+                    :disabled="loadingMetadata"
+                    @change="onFileInputChange"
+                />
+            </label>
+
+            <p v-if="selectionError" class="mt-2 text-sm text-destructive">{{ selectionError }}</p>
+        </div>
+
+        <ul v-if="queueRows.length > 0" class="divide-y divide-border rounded-lg border border-border">
+            <li v-for="row in queueRows" :key="row.key">
+                <button
+                    type="button"
+                    class="flex w-full items-center gap-3 px-4 py-3 text-left transition-colors hover:bg-muted/60"
+                    :class="isFileSelected(row.file) ? 'bg-muted/80' : ''"
+                    @click="selectedFile = row.file"
+                >
+                    <span class="min-w-0 flex-1 truncate text-sm font-medium">{{ row.file.name }}</span>
+                    <span class="shrink-0 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+                        {{ prettyBytes(row.file.size, { maximumFractionDigits: 1 }) }}
+                    </span>
+                    <span class="shrink-0 text-xs" :class="statusTextClass(row.preview)">
+                        {{ row.preview.message }}
+                    </span>
+                </button>
+            </li>
+        </ul>
+
+        <MetadataInspector :file-name="selectedFile?.name ?? null" :entry="selectedPreview" />
     </main>
 </template>
+
+<script setup lang="ts">
+import { computed, onBeforeMount, ref } from 'vue';
+import MetadataInspector from '@/components/upload/MetadataInspector.vue';
+import { config } from '@/config';
+import { useExiftoolStore } from '@/stores/exiftool';
+import { useMetadataStore } from '@/stores/metadata';
+import type { MetadataPreviewEntry } from '@/types/metadata/MetadataPreview';
+import type { PickedUploadAnalysis } from '@/types/upload/PickedUploadAnalysis';
+import prettyBytes from 'pretty-bytes';
+
+const { maxQueueSize, maxImageBytes } = config.validation.upload;
+
+const exiftoolStore = useExiftoolStore();
+const metadataStore = useMetadataStore();
+
+const { initializeExiftool } = exiftoolStore;
+const { makeKeyFromFile, getPreview, loadPreviews, clearAllPreviews } = metadataStore;
+
+const queuedFiles = ref<File[]>([]);
+const selectedFile = ref<File | null>(null);
+const selectionError = ref<string | null>(null);
+const loadingMetadata = ref(false);
+const fileInputRef = ref<HTMLInputElement | null>(null);
+
+onBeforeMount(async () => {
+    try {
+        await initializeExiftool();
+    } catch (error) {
+        console.error(error);
+    }
+});
+
+const maxImageSizeFormatted = computed(() => prettyBytes(maxImageBytes, { binary: true, maximumFractionDigits: 1 }));
+
+const queueRows = computed(() =>
+    queuedFiles.value.map(file => ({
+        file,
+        key: makeKeyFromFile(file),
+        preview: getPreview(file)
+    }))
+);
+
+const selectedPreview = computed(() => getPreview(selectedFile.value));
+
+const isFileSelected = (file: File): boolean =>
+    selectedFile.value !== null && makeKeyFromFile(selectedFile.value) === makeKeyFromFile(file);
+
+const statusTextClass = (entry: MetadataPreviewEntry): string =>
+    entry.status === 'error' ? 'text-destructive' : 'text-muted-foreground';
+
+const onFileInputChange = async (event: Event): Promise<void> => {
+    if (loadingMetadata.value) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    const input = event.target as HTMLInputElement;
+    const picked = input.files ? [...input.files] : [];
+
+    resetUploadSelection();
+
+    if (picked.length === 0) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    const { accepted, nonImageCount, oversizedImagesCount, queueOmittedImagesCount } = analyzePickedUploadFiles(picked);
+
+    if (nonImageCount === picked.length) {
+        selectionError.value = 'Only image files can be added.';
+
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (accepted.length === 0) {
+        selectionError.value = `Each image must be at most ${maxImageSizeFormatted.value}.`;
+
+        return;
+    }
+
+    selectionError.value = buildPickedUploadWarning({ nonImageCount, oversizedImagesCount, queueOmittedImagesCount });
+
+    queuedFiles.value = accepted;
+    selectedFile.value = accepted[0] ?? null;
+
+    loadingMetadata.value = true;
+
+    try {
+        await loadPreviews(accepted);
+    } catch (error) {
+        console.error(error);
+    } finally {
+        loadingMetadata.value = false;
+    }
+};
+
+const resetUploadSelection = (): void => {
+    selectionError.value = null;
+    clearAllPreviews();
+    queuedFiles.value = [];
+    selectedFile.value = null;
+
+    if (fileInputRef.value) {
+        fileInputRef.value.value = '';
+    }
+};
+
+const analyzePickedUploadFiles = (picked: File[]): PickedUploadAnalysis => {
+    const images = picked.filter(file => file.type.startsWith('image/'));
+    const nonImageCount = picked.length - images.length;
+    const imagesWithinSizeLimit = images.filter(file => file.size <= maxImageBytes);
+    const oversizedImagesCount = images.length - imagesWithinSizeLimit.length;
+    const accepted = imagesWithinSizeLimit.slice(0, maxQueueSize);
+    const queueOmittedImagesCount = imagesWithinSizeLimit.length - accepted.length;
+
+    return {
+        accepted,
+        nonImageCount,
+        oversizedImagesCount,
+        queueOmittedImagesCount
+    };
+};
+
+const buildPickedUploadWarning = (
+    summary: Pick<PickedUploadAnalysis, 'nonImageCount' | 'oversizedImagesCount' | 'queueOmittedImagesCount'>
+): string | null => {
+    const parts: string[] = [];
+
+    if (summary.nonImageCount > 0) {
+        parts.push(`${summary.nonImageCount} non-image file(s) were skipped.`);
+    }
+
+    if (summary.oversizedImagesCount > 0) {
+        parts.push(`${summary.oversizedImagesCount} image(s) exceeded the size limit and were skipped.`);
+    }
+
+    if (summary.queueOmittedImagesCount > 0) {
+        parts.push(`Only the first ${maxQueueSize} valid images were added.`);
+    }
+
+    return parts.length > 0 ? parts.join(' ') : null;
+};
+</script>

frontend/src/workers/exiftoolWorker.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,215 @@
+import zeroperlWasmUrl from '@6over3/zeroperl-ts/zeroperl.wasm?url';
+import { parseMetadata, writeMetadata } from '@uswriting/exiftool';
+import { EXIFTOOL_WORKER_INIT_JPEG } from '@/consts/exiftoolWorkerInitJpeg';
+import type { ExiftoolWorkerInMessage } from '@/types/workers/exiftoolWorkerInMessage';
+import type { ExiftoolWorkerJob } from '@/types/workers/exiftoolWorkerJob';
+import { resolveErrorMessage } from '@/utils/resolveErrorMessage';
+import { toArrayBuffer } from '@/utils/toArrayBuffer';
+
+/** Custom fetch function for `@uswriting/exiftool` to load `zeroperl.wasm` from the worker. */
+const exiftoolParseOptions = { fetch: () => fetch(zeroperlWasmUrl) };
+
+const jobQueue: ExiftoolWorkerJob[] = [];
+let drainPromise: Promise<void> | null = null;
+
+let initialized = false;
+let initializeWorkerPromise: Promise<void> | null = null;
+
+/**
+ * Cold-start the ExifTool WASM stack inside this worker (once per worker lifetime).
+ *
+ * `@uswriting/exiftool` has no public `init()` API: the first `parseMetadata` / `writeMetadata`
+ * call downloads `zeroperl.wasm`, boots Perl, and mounts the bundled ExifTool script. To init
+ * before the user picks a file, we must trigger that path ourselves.
+ *
+ * We run `parseMetadata` on {@link EXIFTOOL_WORKER_INIT_JPEG} so the library performs
+ * a real read without needing a user `File`. Output is discarded; sets {@link initialized}.
+ *
+ * @throws When warmup `parseMetadata` fails (network, WASM, or ExifTool error).
+ * @see Main thread `initializeExiftool()` posts `{ type: 'init' }` when idle.
+ */
+const initializeWorker = async (): Promise<void> => {
+    if (initialized) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (!initializeWorkerPromise) {
+        initializeWorkerPromise = (async () => {
+            try {
+                const result = await parseMetadata(
+                    { name: 'init.jpg', data: EXIFTOOL_WORKER_INIT_JPEG },
+                    exiftoolParseOptions
+                );
+
+                if (!result.success) {
+                    throw new Error(result.error);
+                }
+
+                initialized = true;
+            } catch (error) {
+                initializeWorkerPromise = null;
+
+                throw error;
+            }
+        })();
+    }
+
+    return initializeWorkerPromise;
+};
+
+const enqueue = (job: ExiftoolWorkerJob): void => {
+    jobQueue.push(job);
+
+    if (!drainPromise) {
+        drainPromise = (async () => {
+            try {
+                await drain();
+            } catch {
+                console.error('Failed to drain ExifTool worker');
+            }
+
+            drainPromise = null;
+        })();
+    }
+};
+
+const drain = async (): Promise<void> => {
+    while (jobQueue.length > 0) {
+        const job = jobQueue.shift();
+
+        if (!job) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        await processJob(job);
+    }
+};
+
+const processJob = async (job: ExiftoolWorkerJob): Promise<void> => {
+    if (job.type === 'init') {
+        try {
+            await initializeWorker();
+
+            self.postMessage({ type: 'init-done' });
+        } catch (error) {
+            self.postMessage({
+                type: 'init-error',
+                message: resolveErrorMessage(error, 'Could not prepare ExifTool')
+            });
+        }
+
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (job.type === 'read-metadata') {
+        try {
+            await initializeWorker();
+
+            const result = await parseMetadata(job.file, exiftoolParseOptions);
+
+            if (!result.success) {
+                const message = result.error ?? 'Could not load image metadata';
+
+                console.error('[exiftool-worker] read failed', { id: job.id, file: job.file.name, message });
+
+                self.postMessage({ type: 'read-metadata-error', id: job.id, message });
+
+                return;
+            }
+
+            self.postMessage({ type: 'read-metadata-done', id: job.id, output: result.data });
+        } catch (error) {
+            const message = resolveErrorMessage(error, 'Could not load image metadata');
+
+            console.error('[exiftool-worker] read threw', { id: job.id, file: job.file.name, error });
+
+            self.postMessage({
+                type: 'read-metadata-error',
+                id: job.id,
+                message
+            });
+        }
+
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (job.type === 'strip-metadata') {
+        try {
+            await initializeWorker();
+
+            const result = await writeMetadata(
+                job.file,
+                {},
+                { args: ['-all='], ...exiftoolParseOptions }
+            );
+
+            if (!result.success) {
+                const message = result.error ?? 'Could not strip image metadata';
+
+                console.error('[exiftool-worker] strip failed', {
+                    id: job.id,
+                    file: job.file.name,
+                    type: job.file.type,
+                    exitCode: result.exitCode,
+                    message
+                });
+
+                self.postMessage({
+                    type: 'strip-metadata-error',
+                    id: job.id,
+                    message
+                });
+
+                return;
+            }
+
+            const data = toArrayBuffer(result.data);
+
+            if (!data) {
+                const message = 'Strip succeeded but returned no image bytes';
+
+                console.error('[exiftool-worker] strip missing data', {
+                    id: job.id,
+                    file: job.file.name,
+                    dataType: result.data === null ? 'null' : typeof result.data
+                });
+
+                self.postMessage({ type: 'strip-metadata-error', id: job.id, message });
+
+                return;
+            }
+
+            self.postMessage({ type: 'strip-metadata-done', id: job.id, data }, { transfer: [data] });
+        } catch (error) {
+            const message = resolveErrorMessage(error, 'Failed to strip metadata');
+
+            console.error('[exiftool-worker] strip failed', { id: job.id, file: job.file.name, error });
+
+            self.postMessage({
+                type: 'strip-metadata-error',
+                id: job.id,
+                message
+            });
+        }
+    }
+};
+
+self.addEventListener('message', (event: MessageEvent<ExiftoolWorkerInMessage>) => {
+    const message = event.data;
+
+    if (message.type === 'init') {
+        enqueue({ type: 'init' });
+
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (message.type === 'read-metadata') {
+        enqueue({ type: 'read-metadata', id: message.id, file: message.file });
+
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (message.type === 'strip-metadata') {
+        enqueue({ type: 'strip-metadata', id: message.id, file: message.file });
+    }
+});