diff --git a/src/app/features/albums/AlbumView.tsx b/src/app/features/albums/AlbumView.tsx
index d6ee37c9..f1a7f01a 100644
--- a/src/app/features/albums/AlbumView.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/albums/AlbumView.tsx
@@ -14,7 +14,14 @@ import { markAsRead } from '../../utils/notifications';
 import { getBlobSafeMimeType } from '../../utils/mimeTypes';
 import { timeDayMonYear } from '../../utils/time';
 import { getMemberDisplayName } from '../../utils/room';
-import { Album, AlbumFile, lastEvent } from './buildAlbums';
+import {
+  Album,
+  AlbumFile,
+  TimelineEvent,
+  lastEvent,
+  looseFiles,
+  looseNoteFor,
+} from './buildAlbums';
 import { folderOf, listFolder, pathLabel } from './albumFolders';
 import { FileReadBy } from './FileReadBy';
 import { ShareSet, useShareEnabled } from './ShareSet';
@@ -106,6 +113,33 @@ function useMarkZoneRead(room: Room) {
   }, [mx, room, hideActivity]);
 }
 
+/** The file events in the room's live timeline that no album thread holds, kept current as it syncs. */
+function useLooseFiles(room: Room): AlbumFile[] {
+  const [, bump] = useState(0);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const on = () => bump((n) => n + 1);
+    room.on(RoomEvent.Timeline, on);
+    room.on(RoomEvent.Redaction, on);
+    return () => {
+      room.off(RoomEvent.Timeline, on);
+      room.off(RoomEvent.Redaction, on);
+    };
+  }, [room]);
+  const events: TimelineEvent[] = room
+    .getLiveTimeline()
+    .getEvents()
+    .map((e) => ({
+      event_id: e.getId(),
+      type: e.getType(),
+      sender: e.getSender(),
+      origin_server_ts: e.getTs(),
+      content: e.getContent(),
+      unsigned: e.getUnsigned() as Record<string, unknown>,
+      threadRoot: e.threadRootId,
+    }));
+  return looseFiles(events);
+}
+
 type AlbumViewProps = { room: Room; onTimeline: () => void };
 export function AlbumView({ room, onTimeline }: AlbumViewProps) {
   useMarkZoneRead(room);
@@ -117,6 +151,13 @@ export function AlbumView({ room, onTimeline }: AlbumViewProps) {
   const authorOf = (a: Album) => getMemberDisplayName(room, a.author) ?? a.author;
   const encrypted = room.hasEncryptionStateEvent();
   const canShare = useShareEnabled(room);
+  const loose = useLooseFiles(room);
+  const looseNote = looseNoteFor(loose, {
+    open: !!open,
+    encrypted,
+    loading,
+    error: !!error,
+  });
 
   let body: React.ReactNode;
   if (loading) body = <Text>Loading albums…</Text>;
@@ -206,6 +247,11 @@ export function AlbumView({ room, onTimeline }: AlbumViewProps) {
     <Scroll hideTrack visibility="Hover">
       <div className={css.Column}>
         {body}
+        {looseNote && (
+          <Text size="T200" className={css.Dim}>
+            {looseNote}
+          </Text>
+        )}
         {/* Stays mounted while an album is open, so a running send keeps its progress. */}
         {canShare && (
           <div hidden={!!open}>
diff --git a/src/app/features/albums/buildAlbums.ts b/src/app/features/albums/buildAlbums.ts
index f7b18382..5d3662e1 100644
--- a/src/app/features/albums/buildAlbums.ts
+++ b/src/app/features/albums/buildAlbums.ts
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ const tsOf = (v: unknown): number => (typeof v === 'number' && Number.isFinite(v
 
 const asString = (v: unknown): string => (typeof v === 'string' ? v : '');
 
-const toFile = (e: ZoneEvent): AlbumFile | undefined => {
+export const toFile = (e: ZoneEvent): AlbumFile | undefined => {
   if (!live(e)) return undefined;
   const kind = KIND_OF_MSGTYPE.get(e.content.msgtype as string);
   if (!kind) return undefined;
@@ -143,3 +143,42 @@ export const lastEvent = (album: Album): { id: string; ts: number } =>
       id: album.id,
       ts: album.ts,
     });
+
+/** A room event with the thread root the SDK resolved for it, when it has one. */
+export type TimelineEvent = ZoneEvent & { threadRoot?: string };
+
+/**
+ * File events that sit in the room outside any album thread: what a poster that does not thread
+ * its files leaves behind. The album list never reads them (it lists threads), so they are named
+ * to the sender instead of left out silently.
+ */
+export const looseFiles = (events: TimelineEvent[]): AlbumFile[] =>
+  events
+    .filter((e) => {
+      const rel = e?.content?.['m.relates_to'] as { rel_type?: unknown } | undefined;
+      return !e?.threadRoot && rel?.rel_type !== 'm.thread';
+    })
+    .map(toFile)
+    .filter((f): f is AlbumFile => !!f);
+
+const NAMED = 3;
+
+/** The line that says loose files exist and are not listed; empty when there are none. */
+export const looseNote = (files: AlbumFile[]): string => {
+  if (files.length === 0) return '';
+  const names = files.slice(0, NAMED).map((f) => f.name || 'unnamed');
+  const more = files.length > NAMED ? ` and ${files.length - NAMED} more` : '';
+  const what = files.length === 1 ? '1 file was' : `${files.length} files were`;
+  return `${what} posted outside an album and ${
+    files.length === 1 ? 'is' : 'are'
+  } not listed here: ${names.join(', ')}${more}. ${
+    files.length === 1 ? 'It is' : 'They are'
+  } in the Timeline.`;
+};
+
+/** Where the album view stands when it decides whether to show the loose-files note. */
+export type ViewState = { open: boolean; encrypted: boolean; loading: boolean; error: boolean };
+
+/** The note for the list view only: never inside an open album, an encrypted zone, or a load that is not finished. */
+export const looseNoteFor = (files: AlbumFile[], view: ViewState): string =>
+  view.open || view.encrypted || view.loading || view.error ? '' : looseNote(files);
diff --git a/src/app/features/albums/publisherWire.test.ts b/src/app/features/albums/publisherWire.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..83bddf3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/features/albums/publisherWire.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { buildAlbums, looseFiles, looseNote, looseNoteFor, TimelineEvent } from './buildAlbums';
+
+// The Commons publisher as it posted before gamecult-ops #121: loose files (no album thread), a
+// flat `org.gamecult.publish.replaces` key, no info.sha256. The sender must see that, not a
+// silently empty or silently unfolded zone.
+const MIND = '@eureka:gamecult.org';
+const file = (
+  id: string,
+  name: string,
+  extra: Record<string, unknown> = {},
+  ts = 1
+): TimelineEvent => ({
+  event_id: id,
+  type: 'm.room.message',
+  sender: MIND,
+  origin_server_ts: ts,
+  content: { msgtype: 'm.file', body: name, filename: name, url: `mxc://x/${id}`, ...extra },
+});
+const text = (id: string, body: string): TimelineEvent => ({
+  event_id: id,
+  type: 'm.room.message',
+  sender: MIND,
+  origin_server_ts: 1,
+  content: { msgtype: 'm.text', body },
+});
+
+describe('loose files from a poster that does not thread', () => {
+  it('are found, with the names the sender sees', () => {
+    const loose = looseFiles([file('$a', 'notes.md'), file('$b', 'plan.pdf')]);
+    expect(loose.map((f) => f.name)).toEqual(['notes.md', 'plan.pdf']);
+  });
+
+  it('are not the album roots, thread replies (by SDK root or by relation), edits or redactions', () => {
+    const events: TimelineEvent[] = [
+      text('$root', 'handoff/eureka'),
+      { ...file('$r1', 'a.md'), threadRoot: '$root' },
+      file('$r2', 'b.md', {
+        'm.relates_to': { rel_type: 'm.thread', event_id: '$root' },
+      }),
+      file('$edit', 'c.md', { 'm.relates_to': { rel_type: 'm.replace', event_id: '$r1' } }),
+      { ...file('$gone', 'd.md'), unsigned: { redacted_because: {} } },
+      file('$loose', 'e.md'),
+    ];
+    expect(looseFiles(events).map((f) => f.id)).toEqual(['$loose']);
+  });
+
+  it('a zone holding only loose files still has no albums, and the note says why', () => {
+    const events = [file('$a', 'notes.md')];
+    expect(buildAlbums([])).toEqual([]);
+    expect(looseNote(looseFiles(events))).toBe(
+      '1 file was posted outside an album and is not listed here: notes.md. It is in the Timeline.'
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('the note names three and counts the rest', () => {
+    const many = looseFiles(['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e'].map((n) => file(`$${n}`, `${n}.md`)));
+    expect(looseNote(many)).toBe(
+      '5 files were posted outside an album and are not listed here: a.md, b.md, c.md and 2 more. They are in the Timeline.'
+    );
+    expect(looseNote([])).toBe('');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('where the loose-files note shows', () => {
+  const loose = looseFiles([file('$a', 'notes.md')]);
+  const list = { open: false, encrypted: false, loading: false, error: false };
+
+  it('on the album list, and only there', () => {
+    expect(looseNoteFor(loose, list)).toContain('notes.md');
+    expect(looseNoteFor(loose, { ...list, open: true })).toBe('');
+    expect(looseNoteFor(loose, { ...list, encrypted: true })).toBe('');
+    expect(looseNoteFor(loose, { ...list, loading: true })).toBe('');
+    expect(looseNoteFor(loose, { ...list, error: true })).toBe('');
+  });
+
+  it('says nothing when there are no loose files', () => {
+    expect(looseNoteFor([], list)).toBe('');
+  });
+
+  it('names m.notice and m.sticker posts as not files', () => {
+    const notice = { ...text('$n', 'hi'), content: { msgtype: 'm.notice', body: 'hi' } };
+    expect(looseFiles([notice])).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('a file with no name reads as unnamed', () => {
+    const bare: TimelineEvent = { ...file('$b', ''), content: { msgtype: 'm.file', body: '' } };
+    expect(looseNote(looseFiles([bare]))).toContain('unnamed');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('the old wire shape inside an album', () => {
+  const root = text('$root', 'handoff/eureka');
+  const albumOf = (replies: TimelineEvent[]) => buildAlbums([{ root, replies }], 'gamecult.org')[0];
+
+  it('a flat replaces key folds nothing: both versions show, none is hidden', () => {
+    const album = albumOf([
+      file('$v1', 'plan.md', { 'org.gamecult.publish.sha256': 'aa' }, 1),
+      file('$v2', 'plan.md', { 'org.gamecult.publish.replaces': '$v1' }, 2),
+    ]);
+    expect(album.files.map((f) => f.id)).toEqual(['$v1', '$v2']);
+    expect(album.files.every((f) => f.earlier.length === 0)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('the nested shape from the fixed publisher folds as before', () => {
+    const album = albumOf([
+      file('$v1', 'plan.md', {}, 1),
+      file('$v2', 'plan.md', { 'org.gamecult.publish': { replaces: '$v1' } }, 2),
+    ]);
+    expect(album.files.map((f) => f.id)).toEqual(['$v2']);
+    expect(album.files[0].earlier.map((f) => f.id)).toEqual(['$v1']);
+  });
+
+  it('a file with no info.sha256 lists fine, with no readers even when a receipt names it', () => {
+    const receipt: TimelineEvent = {
+      event_id: '$rc',
+      type: 'org.gamecult.file_received',
+      sender: '@void:gamecult.org',
+      origin_server_ts: 5,
+      content: { 'org.gamecult.file_received': { event_id: '$v1', sha256: 'aa', size: 1 } },
+    };
+    const album = albumOf([file('$v1', 'plan.md'), receipt]);
+    expect(album.count).toBe(1);
+    expect(album.files[0].readBy).toEqual([]);
+  });
+});