Current state with latest updates

app/Observers/ArtworkObserver.php

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ namespace App\Observers;
 
 use App\Events\Achievements\AchievementCheckRequested;
 use App\Models\Artwork;
+use App\Jobs\GenerateFeaturedArtworkThumbnailsJob;
 use App\Jobs\RecComputeSimilarByTagsJob;
 use App\Jobs\RecComputeSimilarHybridJob;
 use App\Jobs\Posts\AutoUploadPostJob;
@@ -15,6 +16,7 @@ use App\Services\Profile\CreatorJourneyService;
 use App\Services\UserStatsService;
 use App\Services\XPService;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Cache;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
 
 /**
  * Syncs artwork documents to Meilisearch on every relevant model event.
@@ -61,6 +63,25 @@ class ArtworkObserver
 
         $this->indexer->update($artwork);
 
+        // A changed hash/extension means any previously persisted
+        // featured_thumbnail_variants_json now refers to the WRONG object paths (they
+        // were computed from the old hash) — the variant names would still read as
+        // "available" while pointing at objects that don't exist under the new hash,
+        // which would surface as a broken hero image. Reset the audit state immediately
+        // (via a direct query, not a model save, to avoid re-entering this observer) so
+        // hasFeaturedThumbnail() safely reports "not audited" until the queued job below
+        // re-verifies and repopulates it; the public homepage never blocks on that check.
+        if ($artwork->wasChanged(['hash', 'file_ext'])) {
+            DB::table('artworks')->where('id', $artwork->id)->update([
+                'featured_thumbnail_variants_json' => null,
+                'featured_thumbnails_checked_at' => null,
+            ]);
+
+            if (! empty($artwork->hash) && ! empty($artwork->file_ext) && $artwork->features()->exists()) {
+                GenerateFeaturedArtworkThumbnailsJob::dispatch((int) $artwork->id, true);
+            }
+        }
+
         // §7.5 On-demand: recompute similarity when tags/categories could have changed.
         // The pivot sync happens outside this observer, so we dispatch on every
         // meaningful update and let the job be idempotent (cheap if nothing changed).
@@ -146,7 +167,7 @@ class ArtworkObserver
 
     private function shouldClearFeaturedCaches(Artwork $artwork): bool
     {
-        if (! $artwork->wasChanged(['published_at', 'is_public', 'is_approved', 'deleted_at', 'has_missing_thumbnails'])) {
+        if (! $artwork->wasChanged(['published_at', 'is_public', 'is_approved', 'deleted_at', 'has_missing_thumbnails', 'hash', 'file_ext'])) {
             return false;
         }