diff --git a/frontend/src/admin/DraftQueue.tsx b/frontend/src/admin/DraftQueue.tsx
index 96f729e..07d65c5 100644
--- a/frontend/src/admin/DraftQueue.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/admin/DraftQueue.tsx
@@ -42,6 +42,16 @@ function priceLabel(source: PriceSource): string {
  *
  * The label is the state. `original_image_path` is the only thing consulted,
  * so there is no second flag that could disagree with what the button does.
+ *
+ * `enabled` is computed by the caller as `backgroundRemoval || cutOut`, not as
+ * `backgroundRemoval` alone. The two branches this button offers need opposite
+ * things: removing calls the sidecar and has nothing to do without one, but
+ * restoring is a pure database swap that needs no sidecar at all. Gating both
+ * on `backgroundRemoval` hides Restore the moment REMBG_URL is unset — which
+ * happens for real when the sidecar is decommissioned after photos were
+ * already cut out — leaving a cut-out photo with no control and no way back to
+ * the original short of hand-editing the database. That breaks the invariant
+ * this whole feature rests on: the original is always restorable.
  */
 function DraftPhoto({
   image,
@@ -148,7 +158,7 @@ function DraftCard({
               key={image.id}
               image={image}
               itemId={draft.item_id}
-              enabled={backgroundRemoval}
+              enabled={backgroundRemoval || image.original_image_path !== null}
               onChanged={onChanged}
             />
           ))}
diff --git a/frontend/src/admin/draftsApi.ts b/frontend/src/admin/draftsApi.ts
index aaa3555..b5a5eaa 100644
--- a/frontend/src/admin/draftsApi.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/admin/draftsApi.ts
@@ -41,8 +41,11 @@ export interface DraftQueueResponse {
   drafts: Draft[];
   /**
    * Whether a background-removal sidecar is configured. False hides the
-   * control rather than showing one that would answer 502 — an environment
-   * without a sidecar is a working environment.
+   * remove-background control rather than showing one that would answer 502
+   * — an environment without a sidecar is a working environment. It does
+   * *not* hide Restore original: that endpoint is a pure database swap and
+   * needs no sidecar, so DraftQueue shows it whenever a photo has an
+   * original to restore, regardless of this flag.
    */
   backgroundRemoval: boolean;
 }