diff --git a/backend/src/routes/intake.ts b/backend/src/routes/intake.ts
index 62db46c..d3542e3 100644
--- a/backend/src/routes/intake.ts
+++ b/backend/src/routes/intake.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { asyncRoute } from '../asyncRoute';
 import { hashToken } from '../uploadLinks';
 import { uploadImages, verifyUploadedImages, insertItemImages } from '../imageUpload';
 import { intakeViewLimiter, intakeSubmitLimiter } from '../rateLimit';
+import { draftQueued } from '../intake/draftingWorker';
 
 const router = Router();
 
@@ -148,6 +149,14 @@ router.post(
       }
 
       await client.query('COMMIT');
+
+      // Deliberately not awaited, and catching for itself. A slow or failing
+      // model must not become a failed upload for someone who did nothing
+      // wrong, which is the whole reason drafting does not happen inline. The
+      // sweeper picks up anything this misses, so the cost of it failing here
+      // is a few minutes' delay rather than a lost submission.
+      void draftQueued(1).catch((err) => console.error('[drafting] after submission:', err));
+
       // No item id in the response: the sender has no business knowing about
       // the catalogue, and nothing they could do with it.
       res.status(201).json({ ok: true });
diff --git a/backend/src/server.ts b/backend/src/server.ts
index af7d9cb..0c89560 100755
--- a/backend/src/server.ts
+++ b/backend/src/server.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { renderTemplate, greeting, formatDuration } from './emailTemplates';
 import { getSettings } from './adminSettings';
 import { loadStoredTemplate } from './routes/adminEmailTemplates';
 import { validateEnv } from './envValidation';
+import { draftQueued } from './intake/draftingWorker';
 
 // Release cart holds whose expiry has passed.
 async function sweepExpiredCarts(): Promise<void> {
@@ -96,6 +97,16 @@ interface ReminderRow {
 setInterval(() => void sweepExpiredCarts(), 5 * 60 * 1000);
 cron.schedule('0 9 * * *', () => void sendCartReminders());
 
+// Every five minutes, in the same shape as the cart sweep. This is what makes a
+// restart mid-draft recoverable rather than a permanently stalled row, and what
+// picks up anything the post-submission call missed. Unlike the two above,
+// draftQueued does not catch at its own top level — the initial query can
+// reject — so it catches here instead, for the reason the comment above gives.
+setInterval(
+  () => void draftQueued().catch((err) => console.error('[drafting] sweep:', err)),
+  5 * 60 * 1000
+);
+
 const PORT = parseInt(process.env.PORT || '3000', 10);
 
 // Checked at boot rather than left to be discovered by the first request that