diff --git a/docs/deploy/aws-lambda.mdx b/docs/deploy/aws-lambda.mdx
index 3a35e805cf..dc59d80158 100644
--- a/docs/deploy/aws-lambda.mdx
+++ b/docs/deploy/aws-lambda.mdx
@@ -223,14 +223,16 @@ The render bucket is created with CloudFormation `Retain` on delete — `hyperfr
 - Each `--region` is an independent stack. Cross-region failover is not built
   in.
 - The distributed AWS path is SDR-only.
-- Video length is bounded by the plan step. One Lambda invocation extracts
-  every frame of every video and uploads them before any chunk starts, and it
-  must finish inside Lambda's 15-minute limit. On a 10,240 MB function, a
-  26-minute 576×1024 24 fps H.264 clip plans in about 3.5 minutes. Larger
-  frames, high-bitrate footage and more videos take proportionally longer.
-  ffmpeg extracts long clips in 2-minute segments, so `FFMPEG_PROCESS_TIMEOUT_MS`
-  applies to each segment, not to the whole clip. Split edits that approach the
-  limit into separate renders.
+- Each render chunk extracts only the video frames it shows, so the plan step
+  no longer grows with video length. On a 10,240 MB function, a 26-minute
+  576×1024 24 fps H.264 clip plans in about 20 seconds. Each chunk downloads
+  the whole source file of every video it shows. Variable-frame-rate and HDR
+  sources are the exception: the plan step still extracts every frame of those,
+  inside Lambda's 15-minute limit, in 2-minute segments, so
+  `FFMPEG_PROCESS_TIMEOUT_MS` applies to each segment, not to the whole clip.
+- A chunk must also finish inside 15 minutes. For long renders, raise
+  `--max-parallel-chunks` (`maxParallelChunks` in the SDK) so each chunk covers
+  fewer frames.
 
 ## Related topics
 
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/index.ts b/packages/engine/src/index.ts
index bb01945821..0ff6cbf4af 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/index.ts
@@ -221,6 +221,8 @@ export {
   type VideoElement,
   type ImageElement,
   type ExtractedFrames,
+  type DeferredFrameRange,
+  type FrameRange,
   type ExtractionOptions,
   type ExtractionResult,
   type ExtractionPhaseBreakdown,
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/services/extractedFrameIndex.ts b/packages/engine/src/services/extractedFrameIndex.ts
index af6e1bde54..a041033ac1 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/services/extractedFrameIndex.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/services/extractedFrameIndex.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ export function extractedFrameIndex(file: string, format: ExtractedFrameFormat):
 export function framePathsFromDirectory(
   outputDir: string,
   format: ExtractedFrameFormat,
+  allowGaps = false,
 ): Map<number, string> {
   const suffix = `.${format}`;
   const indexed = new Map<number, string>();
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ export function framePathsFromDirectory(
     }
     indexed.set(index, join(outputDir, file));
   }
+  if (allowGaps) return new Map([...indexed].sort(([a], [b]) => a - b));
 
   const ordered = new Map<number, string>();
   for (let index = 0; index < indexed.size; index += 1) {
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/services/videoFrameExtractor.test.ts b/packages/engine/src/services/videoFrameExtractor.test.ts
index ad0f9c6dc1..2f917e9a3d 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/services/videoFrameExtractor.test.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/services/videoFrameExtractor.test.ts
@@ -1926,6 +1926,112 @@ describe.skipIf(!HAS_FFMPEG)("frame sampling at the output frame rate", () => {
     },
     60_000,
   );
+
+  // A distributed chunk extracts only the frames it renders; they must be the full extraction's.
+  describe("partial extraction", () => {
+    const gopSource = join(FIXTURE_DIR, "gop-30fps.mp4");
+
+    beforeAll(async () => {
+      // Real motion and long GOPs, so range seeks land mid-GOP.
+      const synth = await runFfmpeg([
+        "-y",
+        "-hide_banner",
+        "-loglevel",
+        "error",
+        "-f",
+        "lavfi",
+        "-i",
+        "testsrc2=s=64x36:r=30:d=20",
+        "-c:v",
+        "libx264",
+        "-g",
+        "250",
+        "-pix_fmt",
+        "yuv420p",
+        gopSource,
+      ]);
+      if (!synth.success) throw new Error(`gop fixture synthesis failed: ${synth.stderr}`);
+    }, 30_000);
+
+    function frameBytes(dir: string): Map<string, Buffer> {
+      return new Map(readdirSync(dir).map((name) => [name, readFileSync(join(dir, name))]));
+    }
+
+    it.each([
+      { fps: 24, startTime: 1.3, duration: 17 },
+      { fps: 60, startTime: 0, duration: 20 },
+    ])(
+      "frameRanges at $fps fps write the same files as a full extraction",
+      async (c) => {
+        const full = await extractVideoFramesRange(
+          gopSource,
+          `full-${c.fps}`,
+          c.startTime,
+          c.duration,
+          { fps: c.fps, outputDir: FIXTURE_DIR, format: "jpg" },
+        );
+        const last = full.totalFrames;
+        const ranges = [
+          { firstFrame: 0, frames: 5 },
+          { firstFrame: 97, frames: 40 },
+          { firstFrame: last - 3, frames: 3 },
+        ];
+        const partial = await extractVideoFramesRange(
+          gopSource,
+          `partial-${c.fps}`,
+          c.startTime,
+          c.duration,
+          { fps: c.fps, outputDir: FIXTURE_DIR, format: "jpg", frameRanges: ranges },
+        );
+        const fullFrames = frameBytes(full.outputDir);
+        const partialFrames = frameBytes(partial.outputDir);
+        expect(partialFrames.size).toBe(48);
+        for (const [name, bytes] of partialFrames) {
+          expect(fullFrames.get(name)?.equals(bytes), name).toBe(true);
+        }
+      },
+      60_000,
+    );
+
+    it.each([
+      { fps: 24, mediaStart: 3.3 },
+      { fps: 30, mediaStart: 0 },
+      { fps: 60, mediaStart: 7.77 },
+    ])(
+      "a deferred window to the source end at $fps fps reports the full frame count",
+      async (c) => {
+        const video = (): VideoElement => ({
+          id: `defer-${c.fps}`,
+          src: gopSource,
+          start: 0,
+          end: Infinity,
+          mediaStart: c.mediaStart,
+          loop: false,
+          hasAudio: false,
+        });
+        const full = await extractAllVideoFrames([video()], FIXTURE_DIR, {
+          fps: c.fps,
+          outputDir: join(FIXTURE_DIR, `defer-full-${c.fps}`),
+        });
+        const deferred = await extractAllVideoFrames([video()], FIXTURE_DIR, {
+          fps: c.fps,
+          outputDir: join(FIXTURE_DIR, `defer-${c.fps}`),
+          deferRangeExtraction: true,
+        });
+        expect(deferred.errors).toEqual([]);
+        const result = deferred.extracted[0]!;
+        expect(result.totalFrames).toBe(full.extracted[0]!.totalFrames);
+        expect(result.framePaths.size).toBe(0);
+        expect(readdirSync(result.outputDir)).toEqual([]);
+        expect(result.deferredRange).toEqual({
+          startTime: c.mediaStart,
+          durationSeconds: expect.any(Number),
+          format: "jpg",
+        });
+      },
+      60_000,
+    );
+  });
 });
 
 describe.skipIf(!HAS_FFMPEG)("held tails on sparse-timestamp sources", () => {
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/services/videoFrameExtractor.ts b/packages/engine/src/services/videoFrameExtractor.ts
index 4e196c1707..1dfee36d99 100644
--- a/packages/engine/src/services/videoFrameExtractor.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/src/services/videoFrameExtractor.ts
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ export interface ExtractedFrames {
   totalFrames: number;
   metadata: VideoMetadata;
   framePaths: Map<number, string>;
+  deferredRange?: DeferredFrameRange;
   /**
    * True when the extractor owns `outputDir` and cleanup should rm it when
    * the render ends. Cache hits set this to false so the shared entry isn't
@@ -194,6 +195,18 @@ export function extractionFrameCountForDuration(
   return Math.max(1, Number.isSafeInteger(frames) ? frames : Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER);
 }
 
+export interface FrameRange {
+  firstFrame: number;
+  frames: number;
+}
+
+/** The window a deferred extraction samples; frame k is the source frame on screen at `startTime + k / fps`. */
+export interface DeferredFrameRange {
+  startTime: number;
+  durationSeconds: number;
+  format: "jpg" | "png";
+}
+
 export interface ExtractionOptions {
   /** Exact configured rate. Rational rates are passed to FFmpeg verbatim. */
   fps: FpsInput;
@@ -222,6 +235,13 @@ export interface ExtractionOptions {
    * candidate enforce lane may opt into typed aggregation.
    */
   collectProbeFailures?: boolean;
+  /** Extract only these runs of output frames, named as a full extraction names them. CFR only. */
+  frameRanges?: readonly FrameRange[];
+  /**
+   * Leave CFR windows longer than a second unextracted, returning `deferredRange` and an exact
+   * `totalFrames` so another process can extract just the frames it needs with `frameRanges`.
+   */
+  deferRangeExtraction?: boolean;
 }
 
 export const EXTRACT_CACHE_MIN_AGE_MS = 60 * 60 * 1000;
@@ -870,16 +890,28 @@ interface SegmentedExtraction {
   filterAndEncodeArgs: string[];
   videoPath: string;
   startTime: number;
-  totalFrames: number;
   fps: number;
-  segmentFrames: number;
+  segments: readonly FrameRange[];
   runOptions: { signal?: AbortSignal; timeout: number };
 }
 
+/** Split runs so no single ffmpeg process extracts more than `segmentFrames` frames. */
+function splitFrameRanges(ranges: readonly FrameRange[], segmentFrames: number): FrameRange[] {
+  const segments: FrameRange[] = [];
+  for (const range of ranges) {
+    for (let offset = 0; offset < range.frames; offset += segmentFrames) {
+      segments.push({
+        firstFrame: range.firstFrame + offset,
+        frames: Math.min(segmentFrames, range.frames - offset),
+      });
+    }
+  }
+  return segments;
+}
+
 async function runSegmentedExtraction(job: SegmentedExtraction): Promise<RunFfmpegResult> {
-  const { decodeArgs, filterAndEncodeArgs, videoPath, startTime, totalFrames, fps, segmentFrames } =
-    job;
-  const segmentCount = Math.ceil(totalFrames / segmentFrames);
+  const { decodeArgs, filterAndEncodeArgs, videoPath, startTime, fps, segments } = job;
+  const segmentCount = segments.length;
   // One failed segment fails the range, so stop the others instead of finishing them.
   const failed = new AbortController();
   const signal = job.runOptions.signal
@@ -890,8 +922,7 @@ async function runSegmentedExtraction(job: SegmentedExtraction): Promise<RunFfmp
   const worker = async () => {
     while (next < segmentCount && !signal.aborted) {
       const index = next++;
-      const firstFrame = index * segmentFrames;
-      const frames = Math.min(segmentFrames, totalFrames - firstFrame);
+      const { firstFrame, frames } = segments[index]!;
       const result = await runFfmpeg(
         [
           ...decodeArgs,
@@ -991,6 +1022,9 @@ export async function extractVideoFramesRange(
   const decodeWithVideoToolbox = isHdr && isMacOS && !toneMappedToSdr;
 
   const sampleCfrAtOutputFps = !options.finalFrameOnly && !metadata.isVFR;
+  if (options.frameRanges && !sampleCfrAtOutputFps) {
+    throw new Error("frameRanges extraction needs a constant-frame-rate source");
+  }
 
   const args: string[] = [];
   if (decodeWithVideoToolbox) {
@@ -1092,15 +1126,17 @@ export async function extractVideoFramesRange(
     const segmentFrames = Math.round(EXTRACTION_SEGMENT_SECONDS * fps);
     const totalFrames = extractionFrameCountForDuration(duration, normalizedFps, false);
     processResult =
-      sampleCfrAtOutputFps && totalFrames > segmentFrames
+      sampleCfrAtOutputFps && (options.frameRanges || totalFrames > segmentFrames)
         ? await runSegmentedExtraction({
             decodeArgs,
             filterAndEncodeArgs: [...filterArgs, ...encodeArgs],
             videoPath,
             startTime,
-            totalFrames,
             fps,
-            segmentFrames,
+            segments: splitFrameRanges(
+              options.frameRanges ?? [{ firstFrame: 0, frames: totalFrames }],
+              segmentFrames,
+            ),
             runOptions,
           })
         : await runFfmpeg([...args, ...filterArgs, ...encodeArgs], runOptions);
@@ -1154,7 +1190,7 @@ export async function extractVideoFramesRange(
     );
   }
 
-  const framePaths = framePathsFromDirectory(videoOutputDir, format);
+  const framePaths = framePathsFromDirectory(videoOutputDir, format, !!options.frameRanges);
   if (framePaths.size === 0 && duration > 0) {
     throw new VideoSourceExtractionError(
       "zero_output",
@@ -1168,7 +1204,7 @@ export async function extractVideoFramesRange(
   // frames predicted by the probed duration, the duration is likely
   // inflated (container duration includes a longer audio track). Correct
   // it so downstream coverage accounting uses the actual video extent.
-  if (framePaths.size > 0 && duration > 0 && !options.finalFrameOnly) {
+  if (framePaths.size > 0 && duration > 0 && !options.finalFrameOnly && !options.frameRanges) {
     const expectedAtFps = extractionFrameCountForDuration(duration, normalizedFps, metadata.isVFR);
     if (expectedAtFps > 0 && framePaths.size <= expectedAtFps * 0.6) {
       const correctedDuration = startTime + framePaths.size / fps;
@@ -2186,6 +2222,68 @@ export async function extractAllVideoFrames(
     return rehydratePublishedCache(work, cacheTarget);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Every output slot before the source's end holds a frame, so decoding the last second gives
+   * the exact count. Anything unusual returns null and takes the normal path.
+   */
+  async function deferExtraction(work: PreparedExtraction): Promise<ExtractedFrames | null> {
+    if (
+      work.finalFrameOnly ||
+      work.metadata.isVFR ||
+      work.sdrToHdrTransfer !== undefined ||
+      work.hdrToSdrTransformKey !== undefined
+    ) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    const expectedFrames = extractionFrameCountForDuration(
+      work.videoDuration,
+      configuredFps,
+      false,
+    );
+    const tailFrames = Math.min(expectedFrames, Math.ceil(fps));
+    if (expectedFrames <= tailFrames) return null;
+    const probeDir = join(options.outputDir, `${work.video.id}.tail-probe`);
+    try {
+      const tail = await extractVideoFramesRange(
+        work.videoPath,
+        work.video.id,
+        work.extractionMediaStart,
+        work.videoDuration,
+        {
+          ...scopedExtractionOptions(work),
+          frameRanges: [{ firstFrame: expectedFrames - tailFrames, frames: tailFrames }],
+        },
+        signal,
+        config,
+        probeDir,
+      );
+      const totalFrames = expectedFrames - tailFrames + tail.totalFrames;
+      // A full extraction this short rewrites the probed duration; let it.
+      if (totalFrames <= expectedFrames * 0.6) return null;
+      const outputDir = join(options.outputDir, work.video.id);
+      mkdirSync(outputDir, { recursive: true });
+      return {
+        videoId: work.video.id,
+        srcPath: work.videoPath,
+        outputDir,
+        framePattern: `${FRAME_FILENAME_PREFIX}%05d.${work.format}`,
+        fps,
+        totalFrames,
+        metadata: work.metadata,
+        framePaths: new Map(),
+        deferredRange: {
+          startTime: work.extractionMediaStart,
+          durationSeconds: work.videoDuration,
+          format: work.format,
+        },
+      };
+    } catch {
+      return null;
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(probeDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  }
+
   async function executeDirectMiss(
     miss: UniqueExtractionMiss,
     maxTransientRetries = options.maxTransientRetries ?? 0,
@@ -2350,8 +2448,17 @@ export async function extractAllVideoFrames(
   }
 
   const uniqueOutcomes = new Map<string, ExtractionOutcome>();
+  if (options.deferRangeExtraction) {
+    const works = [...uniqueWorks.values()];
+    const deferred = await Promise.all(works.map(deferExtraction));
+    works.forEach((work, i) => {
+      const result = deferred[i];
+      if (result) uniqueOutcomes.set(work.dedupeKey, { result });
+    });
+  }
   const cacheMisses: UniqueExtractionMiss[] = [];
   for (const work of uniqueWorks.values()) {
+    if (uniqueOutcomes.has(work.dedupeKey)) continue;
     const lookup = lookupCacheFor(work);
     if ("work" in lookup) {
       cacheMisses.push(lookup);
@@ -2419,7 +2526,7 @@ export async function extractAllVideoFrames(
       errors.push(item.error);
     } else if ("result" in item) {
       extracted.push(item.result);
-      totalFramesExtracted += item.result.totalFrames;
+      if (!item.result.deferredRange) totalFramesExtracted += item.result.totalFrames;
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/plan.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/plan.ts
index 93edeafa31..fe7a6db4b8 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/plan.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/plan.ts
@@ -26,8 +26,17 @@
  * never have to handle them.
  */
 
-import { cpSync, existsSync, mkdirSync, renameSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, relative, sep } from "node:path";
+import {
+  copyFileSync,
+  cpSync,
+  existsSync,
+  linkSync,
+  mkdirSync,
+  renameSync,
+  rmSync,
+  writeFileSync,
+} from "node:fs";
+import { extname, isAbsolute, join, relative, sep } from "node:path";
 import { type CanvasResolution, fpsToNumber } from "@hyperframes/core";
 import {
   type EngineConfig,
@@ -276,6 +285,12 @@ export interface BuildLocalExecutionPlanOptions {
    * transport cap because it publishes role-scoped content-addressed objects.
    */
   readonly executionPlanSizeLimitBytes?: number;
+  /**
+   * Leave long constant-frame-rate video windows unextracted and ship their
+   * sources, so each chunk extracts only the frames it renders. Plan v2 only:
+   * chunks write those frames into their own work directory.
+   */
+  readonly deferVideoExtraction?: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -825,6 +840,53 @@ export function resolveDistributedEngineConfig(config: DistributedRenderConfig):
   };
 }
 
+function pathInside(root: string, path: string): string | null {
+  const rel = relative(root, path);
+  return rel === "" || rel.startsWith("..") || isAbsolute(rel) ? null : rel;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Return a planDir-relative path chunks can extract a deferred video from.
+ * Sources the plan already ships under `compiled/` are reused; anything else
+ * (downloads, files outside the project) is linked into `video-sources/`.
+ * Call after the staged `compiled/` and `video-frames/` trees are promoted.
+ */
+function createVideoSourceShipper(input: {
+  planDir: string;
+  projectDir: string;
+  workCompiledDir: string;
+  workVideoFramesDir: string;
+}): (srcPath: string) => string {
+  const shipped = new Map<string, string>();
+  return (srcPath) => {
+    const known = shipped.get(srcPath);
+    if (known) return known;
+    // Downloads were staged under the frame tree, which now lives at video-frames/.
+    const stagedRel = pathInside(input.workVideoFramesDir, srcPath);
+    const current = stagedRel === null ? srcPath : join(input.planDir, "video-frames", stagedRel);
+    let result: string | null = null;
+    for (const root of stagedRel === null ? [input.workCompiledDir, input.projectDir] : []) {
+      const rel = pathInside(root, srcPath);
+      if (rel !== null && existsSync(join(input.planDir, "compiled", rel))) {
+        result = ["compiled", ...rel.split(sep)].join("/");
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+    if (result === null) {
+      result = `video-sources/${shipped.size}${extname(current)}`;
+      const destination = join(input.planDir, ...result.split("/"));
+      mkdirSync(join(input.planDir, "video-sources"), { recursive: true });
+      try {
+        linkSync(current, destination);
+      } catch {
+        copyFileSync(current, destination);
+      }
+    }
+    shipped.set(srcPath, result);
+    return result;
+  };
+}
+
 /**
  * Build the shared local execution representation used by both transport
  * protocols. See the module docstring for the directory layout.
@@ -1043,6 +1105,7 @@ export async function buildLocalExecutionPlan(
     abortSignal,
     assertNotAborted,
     materializeSymlinks: true,
+    deferRangeExtraction: options.deferVideoExtraction,
   });
   if (extractResult.failureToEnforce) throw extractResult.failureToEnforce;
   if (extractResult.extractionResult) {
@@ -1082,6 +1145,7 @@ export async function buildLocalExecutionPlan(
   const stagedVideoFrames = join(compiledDir, "__hyperframes_video_frames");
   const videoFramesDst = join(planDir, "video-frames");
   if (existsSync(videoFramesDst)) rmSync(videoFramesDst, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  rmSync(join(planDir, "video-sources"), { recursive: true, force: true });
   if (existsSync(stagedVideoFrames)) {
     renameSync(stagedVideoFrames, videoFramesDst);
   } else {
@@ -1097,6 +1161,12 @@ export async function buildLocalExecutionPlan(
   // page's native `<video>` element decodes the source mp4 ~1 frame
   // off the pre-extracted images the in-process baseline was captured
   // from.
+  const shipVideoSource = createVideoSourceShipper({
+    planDir,
+    projectDir,
+    workCompiledDir: compiledDir,
+    workVideoFramesDir: stagedVideoFrames,
+  });
   const planVideosJson: PlanVideosJson = buildPlanVideosJson({
     videos: composition.videos,
     compositionEnd: job.duration ?? Number.NaN,
@@ -1107,6 +1177,9 @@ export async function buildLocalExecutionPlan(
       fps: ext.fps,
       totalFrames: ext.totalFrames,
       metadata: ext.metadata,
+      ...(ext.deferredRange
+        ? { deferredRange: { ...ext.deferredRange, sourcePath: shipVideoSource(ext.srcPath) } }
+        : {}),
     })),
   });
   mkdirSync(join(planDir, "meta"), { recursive: true });
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/planV2.test.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/planV2.test.ts
index 11fbe1ec85..287e4a51cf 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/planV2.test.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/planV2.test.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import {
   writeFileSync,
 } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join } from "node:path";
+import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 import { recomputePlanHashFromPlanDir } from "../render/stages/freezePlan.js";
 import { canonicalJsonStringify, sha256Hex } from "../render/stages/planHash.js";
 import { CURRENT_PLAN_PROTOCOL } from "./planProtocol.js";
@@ -65,6 +65,8 @@ function createV1Plan(
     framePattern?: string;
     videoStart?: number;
     videoEnd?: number;
+    /** Ship this planDir-relative source instead of extracted frames. */
+    deferredSource?: string;
   },
 ): string {
   const {
@@ -79,6 +81,7 @@ function createV1Plan(
     framePattern = "frame_%05d.jpg",
     videoStart = 0,
     videoEnd = 1,
+    deferredSource,
   } = options ?? {};
   const planDir = join(root, "v1");
   mkdirSync(join(planDir, "compiled"), { recursive: true });
@@ -97,9 +100,14 @@ function createV1Plan(
   if (video) {
     const framesDir = join(planDir, "video-frames", "hero");
     mkdirSync(framesDir, { recursive: true });
-    writeFileSync(join(framesDir, "frame_00001.jpg"), "frame zero");
-    writeFileSync(join(framesDir, "frame_00002.jpg"), "frame one");
-    writeFileSync(join(framesDir, "frame_00003.jpg"), "never rendered");
+    if (deferredSource === undefined) {
+      writeFileSync(join(framesDir, "frame_00001.jpg"), "frame zero");
+      writeFileSync(join(framesDir, "frame_00002.jpg"), "frame one");
+      writeFileSync(join(framesDir, "frame_00003.jpg"), "never rendered");
+    } else if (!deferredSource.startsWith("..")) {
+      mkdirSync(dirname(join(planDir, deferredSource)), { recursive: true });
+      writeFileSync(join(planDir, deferredSource), "source video");
+    }
     writeFileSync(
       join(planDir, "meta", "videos.json"),
       JSON.stringify({
@@ -133,6 +141,16 @@ function createV1Plan(
               hasAlpha: false,
               colorSpace: videoColorSpace,
             },
+            ...(deferredSource === undefined
+              ? {}
+              : {
+                  deferredRange: {
+                    sourcePath: deferredSource,
+                    startTime: 0,
+                    durationSeconds: 0.1,
+                    format: "jpg",
+                  },
+                }),
           },
         ],
       }),
@@ -409,6 +427,49 @@ describe("Plan v2 manifest", () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it("ships a deferred video's source only to the chunks that show it", () => {
+    const root = tempPath("hf-plan-v2-deferred-source-");
+    const v1 = createV1Plan(root, {
+      video: true,
+      videoStart: 1 / 30,
+      deferredSource: "video-sources/0.mp4",
+    });
+    const manifest = readPlanV2Manifest(createPlanV2FromV1(v1, join(root, "v2")).planDir);
+    const chunk0 = listPlanV2ArtifactsForTarget(manifest, { role: "chunk", chunkIndex: 0 });
+    const chunk1 = listPlanV2ArtifactsForTarget(manifest, { role: "chunk", chunkIndex: 1 });
+    const assembler = listPlanV2ArtifactsForTarget(manifest, { role: "assembler" });
+
+    expect(manifest.limitations.videoDependencyMode).toBe("source-extract");
+    expect(chunk0.some((artifact) => artifact.path === "video-sources/0.mp4")).toBe(false);
+    expect(chunk1.some((artifact) => artifact.path === "video-sources/0.mp4")).toBe(true);
+    expect(assembler.some((artifact) => artifact.path === "video-sources/0.mp4")).toBe(false);
+    expect(manifest.artifacts.some((artifact) => artifact.path.startsWith("video-frames/"))).toBe(
+      false,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("keeps a deferred source the page itself loads in every chunk", () => {
+    const root = tempPath("hf-plan-v2-deferred-compiled-source-");
+    const v1 = createV1Plan(root, {
+      video: true,
+      videoStart: 1 / 30,
+      deferredSource: "compiled/hero.mp4",
+    });
+    const manifest = readPlanV2Manifest(createPlanV2FromV1(v1, join(root, "v2")).planDir);
+
+    expect(manifest.limitations.videoDependencyMode).toBe("source-extract");
+    for (const chunkIndex of [0, 1]) {
+      const artifacts = listPlanV2ArtifactsForTarget(manifest, { role: "chunk", chunkIndex });
+      expect(artifacts.some((artifact) => artifact.path === "compiled/hero.mp4")).toBe(true);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a deferred video source outside the plan directory", () => {
+    const root = tempPath("hf-plan-v2-deferred-escape-");
+    const v1 = createV1Plan(root, { video: true, deferredSource: "../outside.mp4" });
+    expect(() => createPlanV2FromV1(v1, join(root, "v2"))).toThrow(PlanV2IntegrityError);
+  });
+
   it("gives a chunk the frames of a video starting a hair after its frame, as export shows it", () => {
     const root = tempPath("hf-plan-v2-snapped-start-");
     const v1 = createV1Plan(root, { video: true, videoStart: 1 / 30 + 1e-6, videoEnd: 1 });
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/planV2.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/planV2.ts
index 6233e383bd..730daa9593 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/planV2.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/planV2.ts
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ export interface PlanV2Manifest {
 }
 
 export interface PlanV2Limitations {
-  readonly videoDependencyMode: "exact-rendered-frames" | "full-source-pack";
+  readonly videoDependencyMode: "exact-rendered-frames" | "full-source-pack" | "source-extract";
 }
 
 export interface PlanV2Result {
@@ -288,6 +288,8 @@ function artifactTargets(
   if (path === "plan.json" || path === "meta/chunks.json" || path === "meta/encoder.json") {
     return { chunks: "all", assembler: true };
   }
+  // Each chunk's page loads every <video> src at init (a missing one fails the
+  // chunk), so deferred sources under compiled/ still go to every chunk.
   if (
     path === "meta/composition.json" ||
     path === "meta/videos.json" ||
@@ -295,7 +297,7 @@ function artifactTargets(
   ) {
     return { chunks: "all", assembler: false };
   }
-  if (path.startsWith("video-frames/")) {
+  if (path.startsWith("video-frames/") || path.startsWith("video-sources/")) {
     return {
       chunks: videoDependencies === null ? "all" : (videoDependencies.get(path) ?? []),
       assembler: false,
@@ -309,6 +311,13 @@ function artifactTargets(
 function listVideoFramePaths(executionPlanDir: string, videos: PlanVideosJson): ExtractedFrames[] {
   return videos.extracted.map((video) => {
     const outputDir = resolveExtractedVideoOutputDir(executionPlanDir, video.videoId);
+    if (video.deferredRange) {
+      const framePaths = new Map<number, string>();
+      for (let index = 0; index < video.totalFrames; index++) {
+        framePaths.set(index, join(outputDir, String(index)));
+      }
+      return { ...video, outputDir, framePaths, ownedByLookup: false };
+    }
     const frameNames = readdirSync(outputDir).sort();
     const framePaths = new Map<number, string>();
     for (const frameName of frameNames) {
@@ -391,7 +400,7 @@ function buildVideoChunkDependencies(
   executionPlanDir: string,
   dimensions: Record<string, unknown>,
 ): {
-  mode: "exact-rendered-frames" | "full-source-pack";
+  mode: PlanV2Limitations["videoDependencyMode"];
   dependencies: ReadonlyMap<string, readonly number[]> | null;
 } {
   const videoRoot = join(executionPlanDir, "video-frames");
@@ -415,13 +424,41 @@ function buildVideoChunkDependencies(
     extracted,
     resolveRenderFpsConfig({ num: fpsNum, den: fpsDen }).value,
   );
-  const mutable = new Map<string, Set<number>>();
+  const deferredSources = new Map(
+    parsedVideos.extracted.flatMap((video) =>
+      video.deferredRange ? [[video.videoId, video.deferredRange.sourcePath] as const] : [],
+    ),
+  );
+  const dependencies = collectChunkVideoDependencies({
+    executionPlanDir,
+    table,
+    chunks: parsedChunks,
+    fpsNum,
+    fpsDen,
+    deferredSources,
+  });
+  return {
+    mode: deferredSources.size > 0 ? "source-extract" : "exact-rendered-frames",
+    dependencies,
+  };
+}
 
-  for (const chunk of parsedChunks) {
+function collectChunkVideoDependencies(input: {
+  executionPlanDir: string;
+  table: ReturnType<typeof createFrameLookupTable>;
+  chunks: readonly ChunkSliceJson[];
+  fpsNum: number;
+  fpsDen: number;
+  deferredSources: ReadonlyMap<string, string>;
+}): ReadonlyMap<string, readonly number[]> {
+  const mutable = new Map<string, Set<number>>();
+  for (const chunk of input.chunks) {
     for (let frame = chunk.startFrame; frame < chunk.endFrame; frame++) {
-      const globalTime = (frame * fpsDen) / fpsNum;
-      for (const payload of table.getActiveFramePayloads(globalTime).values()) {
-        const path = relative(resolve(executionPlanDir), payload.framePath).split(sep).join("/");
+      const globalTime = (frame * input.fpsDen) / input.fpsNum;
+      for (const [videoId, payload] of input.table.getActiveFramePayloads(globalTime)) {
+        const path =
+          input.deferredSources.get(videoId) ??
+          relative(resolve(input.executionPlanDir), payload.framePath).split(sep).join("/");
         assertSafeRelativePath(path);
         const indexes = mutable.get(path) ?? new Set<number>();
         indexes.add(chunk.index);
@@ -429,12 +466,7 @@ function buildVideoChunkDependencies(
       }
     }
   }
-  return {
-    mode: "exact-rendered-frames",
-    dependencies: new Map(
-      [...mutable].map(([path, indexes]) => [path, [...indexes].sort((a, b) => a - b)]),
-    ),
-  };
+  return new Map([...mutable].map(([path, indexes]) => [path, [...indexes].sort((a, b) => a - b)]));
 }
 
 function manifestPayload(
@@ -504,7 +536,7 @@ function buildPlanV2Publication(executionPlanDir: string): PlanV2Publication {
     if (isExtractionCacheCompleteSentinelPath(file.path)) continue;
     const targets = artifactTargets(file.path, videoDependencyPlan.dependencies);
     if (
-      file.path.startsWith("video-frames/") &&
+      (file.path.startsWith("video-frames/") || file.path.startsWith("video-sources/")) &&
       targets.chunks !== "all" &&
       targets.chunks.length === 0 &&
       !targets.assembler
@@ -648,6 +680,7 @@ export async function planV2WithPublisher(
   try {
     await buildLocalExecutionPlan(projectDir, config, stagingRoot, {
       executionPlanSizeLimitBytes: Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER,
+      deferVideoExtraction: true,
     });
     return await publishPlanV2FromExecutionPlan(stagingRoot, publisher);
   } catch (error) {
@@ -814,7 +847,8 @@ function parsePlanV2Manifest(value: unknown): Readonly<PlanV2Manifest> {
   if (
     !isRecord(value.limitations) ||
     (value.limitations.videoDependencyMode !== "exact-rendered-frames" &&
-      value.limitations.videoDependencyMode !== "full-source-pack")
+      value.limitations.videoDependencyMode !== "full-source-pack" &&
+      value.limitations.videoDependencyMode !== "source-extract")
   ) {
     throw new PlanV2IntegrityError("unsupported video dependency mode");
   }
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/renderChunk.test.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/renderChunk.test.ts
index f4ab4a3795..ad1dff4c4b 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/renderChunk.test.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/renderChunk.test.ts
@@ -19,16 +19,18 @@
  */
 
 import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, expect, it } from "bun:test";
-import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, readFileSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
+import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, readFileSync, readdirSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { join } from "node:path";
-import type { CaptureOptions } from "@hyperframes/engine";
+import { type CaptureOptions, extractVideoFramesRange } from "@hyperframes/engine";
 import { HOST_CHROME_FAILURE_PATTERNS } from "./__test_utils__/hostChromeFailures.js";
 import { RenderQualityError } from "../renderOrchestrator.js";
 import { plan } from "./plan.js";
 import {
   CHUNK_INDEX_OUT_OF_RANGE,
   distributedCaptureSessionDependencies,
+  extractDeferredVideoFramesForChunk,
   MISSING_PLAN_ARTIFACT,
   MISSING_RUNTIME_ENV_SNAPSHOT,
   PLAN_HASH_MISMATCH,
@@ -579,3 +581,140 @@ describe("resolveLockedVp9CpuUsed", () => {
     expect(resolveLockedVp9CpuUsed({ encoder: "libx264-software" })).toBeUndefined();
   });
 });
+
+describe("extractDeferredVideoFramesForChunk", () => {
+  const root = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "hf-deferred-chunk-"));
+  const planDir = join(root, "plan");
+  const range = {
+    sourcePath: "video-sources/0.mp4",
+    startTime: 1.5,
+    durationSeconds: 2.5,
+    format: "jpg" as const,
+  };
+  const metadata = {
+    durationSeconds: 4,
+    videoStreamDurationSeconds: 4,
+    videoStreamStartSeconds: 0,
+    width: 64,
+    height: 36,
+    fps: 30,
+    videoCodec: "h264",
+    hasAudio: false,
+    isVFR: false,
+    hasAlpha: false,
+    colorSpace: null,
+  };
+  const planVideos = (loop: boolean) => ({
+    videos: [
+      { id: "clip", src: "clip.mp4", start: 0, end: 4, mediaStart: 1.5, loop, hasAudio: false },
+    ],
+    extracted: [
+      {
+        videoId: "clip",
+        srcPath: "/planner/clip.mp4",
+        framePattern: "frame_%05d.jpg",
+        fps: 30,
+        totalFrames: 75,
+        metadata,
+        deferredRange: range,
+      },
+    ],
+  });
+
+  beforeAll(() => {
+    mkdirSync(join(planDir, "video-sources"), { recursive: true });
+    const synth = spawnSync("ffmpeg", [
+      "-v",
+      "error",
+      "-y",
+      "-f",
+      "lavfi",
+      "-i",
+      "testsrc2=s=64x36:r=30:d=4",
+      "-c:v",
+      "libx264",
+      "-g",
+      "60",
+      "-pix_fmt",
+      "yuv420p",
+      join(planDir, range.sourcePath),
+    ]);
+    if (synth.status !== 0) throw new Error(synth.stderr.toString());
+  });
+
+  afterAll(() => {
+    rmSync(root, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  });
+
+  it("extracts exactly the frames the chunk shows, identical to the planner's", async () => {
+    const full = await extractVideoFramesRange(
+      join(planDir, range.sourcePath),
+      "clip",
+      range.startTime,
+      range.durationSeconds,
+      { fps: 30, outputDir: join(root, "full"), format: "jpg" },
+    );
+    const [chunk] = await extractDeferredVideoFramesForChunk({
+      planDir,
+      planVideos: planVideos(false),
+      slice: { index: 1, startFrame: 30, endFrame: 45 },
+      fps: { num: 30, den: 1 },
+      outputRoot: join(root, "chunk-1"),
+      cfg: {},
+    });
+
+    expect([...chunk!.framePaths.keys()]).toEqual(Array.from({ length: 15 }, (_, i) => 30 + i));
+    for (const [index, path] of chunk!.framePaths) {
+      expect(readFileSync(path).equals(readFileSync(full.framePaths.get(index)!))).toBe(true);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("extracts nothing for a chunk past the clip, and holds no frames", async () => {
+    const [chunk] = await extractDeferredVideoFramesForChunk({
+      planDir,
+      planVideos: { ...planVideos(false), videos: [{ ...planVideos(false).videos[0]!, end: 1 }] },
+      slice: { index: 2, startFrame: 60, endFrame: 90 },
+      fps: { num: 30, den: 1 },
+      outputRoot: join(root, "chunk-2"),
+      cfg: {},
+    });
+    expect(chunk!.framePaths.size).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  it("wraps a looping clip back to its first frames", async () => {
+    const [chunk] = await extractDeferredVideoFramesForChunk({
+      planDir,
+      planVideos: planVideos(true),
+      slice: { index: 3, startFrame: 70, endFrame: 80 },
+      fps: { num: 30, den: 1 },
+      outputRoot: join(root, "chunk-3"),
+      cfg: {},
+    });
+    expect([...chunk!.framePaths.keys()].sort((a, b) => a - b)).toEqual([
+      0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74,
+    ]);
+    expect(readdirSync(join(root, "chunk-3", "clip"))).toHaveLength(10);
+  });
+
+  it("fails closed when the plan lacks the source", async () => {
+    const missing = { ...planVideos(false) };
+    missing.extracted = [
+      { ...missing.extracted[0]!, deferredRange: { ...range, sourcePath: "video-sources/9.mp4" } },
+    ];
+    let caught: unknown;
+    try {
+      await extractDeferredVideoFramesForChunk({
+        planDir,
+        planVideos: missing,
+        slice: { index: 0, startFrame: 0, endFrame: 5 },
+        fps: { num: 30, den: 1 },
+        outputRoot: join(root, "chunk-missing"),
+        cfg: {},
+      });
+    } catch (error) {
+      caught = error;
+    }
+    expect(caught).toBeInstanceOf(RenderChunkValidationError);
+    expect((caught as RenderChunkValidationError).code).toBe(MISSING_PLAN_ARTIFACT);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/renderChunk.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/renderChunk.ts
index 12d52af801..0c20ee79ff 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/renderChunk.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/renderChunk.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,8 @@ import {
   deriveBeginFrameProbeTimeTicks,
   type EngineConfig,
   type ExtractedFrames,
+  extractVideoFramesRange,
+  type FrameRange,
   type FrameLookupTable,
   getEncoderPreset,
   initializeSession,
@@ -409,6 +411,92 @@ export function rebuildExtractedFramesFromPlanDir(
   return result;
 }
 
+function contiguousRuns(sortedIndexes: readonly number[]): FrameRange[] {
+  const runs: FrameRange[] = [];
+  for (const index of sortedIndexes) {
+    const last = runs[runs.length - 1];
+    if (last && last.firstFrame + last.frames === index) last.frames++;
+    else runs.push({ firstFrame: index, frames: 1 });
+  }
+  return runs;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Extract the frames this chunk shows from videos the planner left
+ * unextracted. Frames land in `outputRoot/<videoId>/` under the names a full
+ * extraction gives them, so the lookup indexes them exactly as it would
+ * frames the planner wrote.
+ */
+export async function extractDeferredVideoFramesForChunk(input: {
+  planDir: string;
+  planVideos: PlanVideosJson;
+  slice: ChunkSliceJson;
+  fps: { num: number; den: number };
+  outputRoot: string;
+  cfg: Pick<EngineConfig, "ffmpegProcessTimeout">;
+}): Promise<ExtractedFrames[]> {
+  const deferred = input.planVideos.extracted.filter((video) => video.deferredRange);
+  if (deferred.length === 0) return [];
+  const table = createFrameLookupTable(
+    input.planVideos.videos,
+    deferred.map((video) => ({
+      ...video,
+      outputDir: input.outputRoot,
+      framePaths: new Map(Array.from({ length: video.totalFrames }, (_, i) => [i, String(i)])),
+    })),
+    resolveRenderFpsConfig(input.fps).value,
+  );
+  const shown = new Map<string, Set<number>>();
+  for (let frame = input.slice.startFrame; frame < input.slice.endFrame; frame++) {
+    const globalTime = (frame * input.fps.den) / input.fps.num;
+    for (const [videoId, payload] of table.getActiveFramePayloads(globalTime)) {
+      const indexes = shown.get(videoId) ?? new Set<number>();
+      indexes.add(payload.frameIndex);
+      shown.set(videoId, indexes);
+    }
+  }
+  return Promise.all(
+    deferred.map(async (video) => {
+      const outputDir = join(input.outputRoot, video.videoId);
+      const indexes = [...(shown.get(video.videoId) ?? [])].sort((a, b) => a - b);
+      if (indexes.length === 0) {
+        return { ...video, outputDir, framePaths: new Map<number, string>(), ownedByLookup: false };
+      }
+      const range = video.deferredRange!;
+      const sourcePath = join(input.planDir, ...range.sourcePath.split("/"));
+      if (!existsSync(sourcePath)) {
+        throw new RenderChunkValidationError(
+          MISSING_PLAN_ARTIFACT,
+          `[renderChunk] planDir is missing the source for video ${JSON.stringify(video.videoId)}: ${range.sourcePath}`,
+        );
+      }
+      const extracted = await extractVideoFramesRange(
+        sourcePath,
+        video.videoId,
+        range.startTime,
+        range.durationSeconds,
+        {
+          fps: input.fps,
+          outputDir: input.outputRoot,
+          format: range.format,
+          frameRanges: contiguousRuns(indexes),
+        },
+        undefined,
+        input.cfg,
+      );
+      const missing = indexes.find((index) => !extracted.framePaths.has(index));
+      if (missing !== undefined) {
+        throw new RenderChunkValidationError(
+          INVALID_VIDEO_METADATA,
+          `[renderChunk] video ${JSON.stringify(video.videoId)} has no frame ${missing}; ` +
+            `the plan expected ${video.totalFrames} frames from ${range.sourcePath}.`,
+        );
+      }
+      return { ...video, outputDir, framePaths: extracted.framePaths, ownedByLookup: false };
+    }),
+  );
+}
+
 /** Plan-time JSON manifest written by `freezePlan`. */
 interface PlanJson {
   protocol?: unknown;
@@ -667,28 +755,6 @@ export async function renderChunk(
       forceScreenshotExplicitlyOptedOut: !encoder.forceScreenshot,
     };
 
-    // Build the immutable frame lookup once. Each browser session/worker gets
-    // its own injector hook because the hook remembers the last injected frame
-    // per video; sharing that state across a fresh retry page can suppress the
-    // first injection and produce a blank/stale frame.
-    const videoFrameLookup =
-      planVideos && planVideos.extracted.length > 0
-        ? createFrameLookupTable(
-            planVideos.videos,
-            rebuildExtractedFramesFromPlanDir(
-              planDir,
-              planVideos.extracted,
-              v2Manifest === null ? "dense-v1" : "sparse-v2",
-            ),
-            resolveRenderFpsConfig(job.config.fps).value,
-          )
-        : null;
-    const createChunkVideoFrameInjector = createChunkVideoFrameInjectorFactory(videoFrameLookup);
-
-    const videoCaptureBeyondViewport = resolveVideoCaptureBeyondViewport(
-      planVideos?.videos.length ?? 0,
-    );
-
     // ── Per-chunk work + frames directories ──
     // Suffix workDir with pid + random bytes so concurrent invocations on
     // the SAME `(planDir, chunkIndex)` (e.g. a scheduler that double-fires
@@ -700,6 +766,40 @@ export async function renderChunk(
     mkdirSync(workDir, { recursive: true });
     const framesDir = join(workDir, "captured-frames");
     mkdirSync(framesDir, { recursive: true });
+    // Beside workDir, not in it: a screenshot retry wipes workDir.
+    const videoFramesDir = `${workDir}.video-frames`;
+
+    // Build the immutable frame lookup once. Each browser session/worker gets
+    // its own injector hook because the hook remembers the last injected frame
+    // per video; sharing that state across a fresh retry page can suppress the
+    // first injection and produce a blank/stale frame.
+    const videoFrameLookup =
+      planVideos && planVideos.extracted.length > 0
+        ? createFrameLookupTable(
+            planVideos.videos,
+            [
+              ...rebuildExtractedFramesFromPlanDir(
+                planDir,
+                planVideos.extracted.filter((video) => !video.deferredRange),
+                v2Manifest === null ? "dense-v1" : "sparse-v2",
+              ),
+              ...(await extractDeferredVideoFramesForChunk({
+                planDir,
+                planVideos,
+                slice,
+                fps: { num: plan.dimensions.fpsNum, den: plan.dimensions.fpsDen },
+                outputRoot: videoFramesDir,
+                cfg,
+              })),
+            ],
+            resolveRenderFpsConfig(job.config.fps).value,
+          )
+        : null;
+    const createChunkVideoFrameInjector = createChunkVideoFrameInjectorFactory(videoFrameLookup);
+
+    const videoCaptureBeyondViewport = resolveVideoCaptureBeyondViewport(
+      planVideos?.videos.length ?? 0,
+    );
 
     // ── File server with the seeded-random shim ──
     // `Math.random` / `crypto.getRandomValues` are seeded from virtual
@@ -1048,6 +1148,7 @@ export async function renderChunk(
     // leaves the framesDir in place for inspection.
     try {
       rmSync(workDir, { recursive: true, force: true, maxRetries: 3, retryDelay: 100 });
+      rmSync(videoFramesDir, { recursive: true, force: true, maxRetries: 3, retryDelay: 100 });
     } catch (err) {
       log.warn("[renderChunk] failed to remove work dir", {
         workDir,
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/shared.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/shared.ts
index e14c013b88..ef574f8d8f 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/shared.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/distributed/shared.ts
@@ -97,9 +97,18 @@ export interface PlanVideosJson {
     fps: number;
     totalFrames: number;
     metadata: VideoMetadata;
+    /** Present when chunks extract their own frames from `sourcePath` (relative to the planDir). */
+    deferredRange?: PlanDeferredFrameRange;
   }>;
 }
 
+export interface PlanDeferredFrameRange {
+  sourcePath: string;
+  startTime: number;
+  durationSeconds: number;
+  format: "jpg" | "png";
+}
+
 export const INVALID_VIDEO_METADATA = "INVALID_VIDEO_METADATA" as const;
 
 /**
@@ -173,6 +182,25 @@ function readNonNegativeInteger(value: unknown, field: string): number {
   return value;
 }
 
+function readDeferredFrameRange(value: unknown, field: string): PlanDeferredFrameRange {
+  const range = readRecord(value, field);
+  const sourcePath = readNonEmptyString(range.sourcePath, `${field}.sourcePath`);
+  if (sourcePath.startsWith("/") || sourcePath.split(/[\\/]/).some((part) => part === "..")) {
+    metadataError(`${field}.sourcePath`, "must stay inside the plan directory");
+  }
+  const durationSeconds = readFiniteNumber(range.durationSeconds, `${field}.durationSeconds`);
+  if (durationSeconds <= 0) metadataError(`${field}.durationSeconds`, "must be positive");
+  if (range.format !== "jpg" && range.format !== "png") {
+    metadataError(`${field}.format`, 'must be "jpg" or "png"');
+  }
+  return {
+    sourcePath,
+    startTime: readFiniteNumber(range.startTime, `${field}.startTime`),
+    durationSeconds,
+    format: range.format,
+  };
+}
+
 function readRateSpec(value: unknown, field: string): RateSpec | undefined {
   if (value === undefined) return undefined;
   if (typeof value === "number") return readFiniteNumber(value, field);
@@ -260,6 +288,9 @@ export function parsePlanVideosJson(value: unknown): PlanVideosJson {
       fps: readFiniteNumber(entry.fps, `${field}.fps`),
       totalFrames: readNonNegativeInteger(entry.totalFrames, `${field}.totalFrames`),
       metadata: readVideoMetadata(entry.metadata, `${field}.metadata`),
+      ...(entry.deferredRange === undefined
+        ? {}
+        : { deferredRange: readDeferredFrameRange(entry.deferredRange, `${field}.deferredRange`) }),
     };
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/extractVideosStage.ts b/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/extractVideosStage.ts
index adb435b972..994249f572 100644
--- a/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/extractVideosStage.ts
+++ b/packages/producer/src/services/render/stages/extractVideosStage.ts
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ export interface ExtractVideosStageInput {
    * passes `true` so the planDir is self-contained.
    */
   materializeSymlinks?: boolean;
+  deferRangeExtraction?: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface ExtractVideosStageResult {
@@ -382,6 +383,7 @@ export async function runExtractVideosStage(
     abortSignal,
     assertNotAborted,
     materializeSymlinks,
+    deferRangeExtraction,
   } = input;
 
   const stage2Start = Date.now();
@@ -501,6 +503,7 @@ export async function runExtractVideosStage(
         timelineEnd: composition.duration,
         maxTransientRetries: extractionPolicy.maxTransientRetries,
         collectProbeFailures: extractionPolicy.failureMode === "enforce",
+        deferRangeExtraction,
       },
       abortSignal,
       cfg,