diff --git a/web/src/app/_ui/masthead.tsx b/web/src/app/_ui/masthead.tsx
index 6f5cea8..1456840 100644
--- a/web/src/app/_ui/masthead.tsx
+++ b/web/src/app/_ui/masthead.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { ThemeToggle } from "./theme-toggle";
+import { WorkerStatus } from "./worker-status";
 
 export function Masthead() {
   return (
@@ -10,10 +11,7 @@ export function Masthead() {
         <div className="tagline">A record label for an audience of one</div>
       </div>
       <div className="press-status">
-        <div>
-          <span className="live-dot" />
-          Worker · listening
-        </div>
+        <WorkerStatus />
         <ThemeToggle />
       </div>
     </header>
diff --git a/web/src/app/_ui/pressed-list.tsx b/web/src/app/_ui/pressed-list.tsx
index bea3e5e..148b6c4 100644
--- a/web/src/app/_ui/pressed-list.tsx
+++ b/web/src/app/_ui/pressed-list.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
-export type PressedItem = { id: string; artist: string; album: string; matrix: string };
+import { CoverArt } from "./cover-art";
+
+export type PressedItem = { id: string; artist: string; album: string; matrix: string; rgMbid: string | null };
 
 export function PressedList({ items }: { items: PressedItem[] }) {
   return (
     <ul className="pressed">
       {items.map((it) => (
         <li key={it.id}>
-          <span className="mark">✓</span>
+          <CoverArt rgMbid={it.rgMbid} alt={it.album} className="pressed-thumb" />
           <span className="name">
             {it.album} <span className="artist">· {it.artist}</span>
           </span>
diff --git a/web/src/app/_ui/worker-status.tsx b/web/src/app/_ui/worker-status.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b30ad6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/app/_ui/worker-status.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+"use client";
+
+import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
+
+/** Live worker liveness in the masthead — polls /api/worker (heartbeat recency). */
+export function WorkerStatus() {
+  const [online, setOnline] = useState<boolean | null>(null);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let alive = true;
+    async function check() {
+      try {
+        const d = await (await fetch("/api/worker")).json();
+        if (alive) setOnline(!!d.online);
+      } catch {
+        if (alive) setOnline(false);
+      }
+    }
+    check();
+    const id = setInterval(check, 10000);
+    return () => {
+      alive = false;
+      clearInterval(id);
+    };
+  }, []);
+
+  const label = online === null ? "…" : online ? "listening" : "offline";
+  return (
+    <div className={`worker-status${online === false ? " off" : ""}`}>
+      <span className="live-dot" />
+      Worker · {label}
+    </div>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/web/src/app/api/requests/route.ts b/web/src/app/api/requests/route.ts
index 8a7fbdf..bb2d339 100644
--- a/web/src/app/api/requests/route.ts
+++ b/web/src/app/api/requests/route.ts
@@ -35,10 +35,11 @@ export async function POST(request: Request) {
 }
 
 export async function GET() {
-  const requests = await prisma.request.findMany({
-    orderBy: { createdAt: "desc" },
-    include: { job: true },
-  });
+  const [requests, releases] = await Promise.all([
+    prisma.request.findMany({ orderBy: { createdAt: "desc" }, include: { job: true } }),
+    prisma.monitoredRelease.findMany({ select: { artistName: true, album: true, rgMbid: true } }),
+  ]);
+  const rgByKey = new Map(releases.map((mr) => [`${mr.artistName} ${mr.album}`, mr.rgMbid]));
 
   return Response.json({
     requests: requests.map((r) => ({
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ export async function GET() {
       album: r.album,
       status: r.status,
       createdAt: r.createdAt,
+      rgMbid: rgByKey.get(`${r.artist} ${r.album}`) ?? null,
       job: r.job ? { state: r.job.state, currentStage: r.job.currentStage } : null,
     })),
   });
diff --git a/web/src/app/api/worker/route.test.ts b/web/src/app/api/worker/route.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..28ac3cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/app/api/worker/route.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
+import { prisma } from "@/lib/db";
+import { GET } from "./route";
+
+async function online() {
+  return (await (await GET()).json()).online;
+}
+
+describe("worker status API", () => {
+  it("reports offline when there is no heartbeat", async () => {
+    expect(await online()).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("reports online for a fresh heartbeat", async () => {
+    await prisma.config.create({ data: { key: "worker.heartbeat", value: "1", secret: false } });
+    expect(await online()).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("reports offline for a stale heartbeat", async () => {
+    await prisma.config.create({ data: { key: "worker.heartbeat", value: "1", secret: false } });
+    await prisma.$executeRaw`UPDATE "Config" SET "updatedAt" = now() - interval '5 minutes' WHERE key = 'worker.heartbeat'`;
+    expect(await online()).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/web/src/app/api/worker/route.ts b/web/src/app/api/worker/route.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0024b4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/app/api/worker/route.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+import { prisma } from "@/lib/db";
+
+// The worker stamps worker.heartbeat every ~15s; it's "online" if that row was updated
+// recently. Uses DB time on both write and read so container clock skew doesn't matter.
+export async function GET() {
+  const rows = await prisma.$queryRaw<{ online: boolean }[]>`
+    SELECT (now() - "updatedAt") < interval '40 seconds' AS online
+    FROM "Config" WHERE key = 'worker.heartbeat'`;
+  return Response.json({ online: rows[0]?.online ?? false });
+}
diff --git a/web/src/app/design.css b/web/src/app/design.css
index fa4df01..5839367 100644
--- a/web/src/app/design.css
+++ b/web/src/app/design.css
@@ -342,3 +342,11 @@ nav.contents .sep { flex: 1; }
 }
 @keyframes toast-in { from { opacity: 0; transform: translateY(10px); } to { opacity: 1; transform: none; } }
 @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { .toast { animation: none; } }
+
+/* ── Worker status (live) ─────────────────────────────── */
+.worker-status.off { color: var(--graphite); }
+.worker-status.off .live-dot { background: var(--graphite); animation: none; }
+
+/* ── Recently-pressed thumbnail ───────────────────────── */
+.pressed li { align-items: center; }
+.pressed-thumb { width: 30px; height: 30px; flex-shrink: 0; }
diff --git a/web/src/app/library/library-client.tsx b/web/src/app/library/library-client.tsx
index 4d782d2..bd8c5b6 100644
--- a/web/src/app/library/library-client.tsx
+++ b/web/src/app/library/library-client.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 import { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from "react";
 import { PageHead } from "../_ui/page-head";
+import { SectionHeader } from "../_ui/section-header";
 import { CoverArt } from "../_ui/cover-art";
 import { AlbumModal } from "../_ui/album-modal";
 
@@ -42,14 +43,17 @@ export function LibraryClient() {
           <span>Filter</span>
           <input aria-label="filter library" placeholder="Artist or album…" value={q} onChange={(e) => setQ(e.target.value)} />
         </label>
-        <span className="rmeta">
-          {shown.length} of {albums.length} albums
-        </span>
       </form>
 
       {albums.length === 0 ? (
         <p className="empty">Nothing pressed yet. Scan your library in Settings, or queue a release from The Floor.</p>
       ) : (
+        <SectionHeader
+          title="Pressings"
+          note={q ? `${shown.length} of ${albums.length} albums` : `${albums.length} albums`}
+        />
+      )}
+      {albums.length > 0 ? (
         <div className="album-grid">
           {shown.map((a) => (
             <button key={a.id} className="album-card" onClick={() => setOpen(a)} aria-label={`Open ${a.album}`}>
@@ -64,7 +68,7 @@ export function LibraryClient() {
             </button>
           ))}
         </div>
-      )}
+      ) : null}
 
       {open ? (
         <AlbumModal
diff --git a/web/src/app/queue.tsx b/web/src/app/queue.tsx
index 865141f..779ebc3 100644
--- a/web/src/app/queue.tsx
+++ b/web/src/app/queue.tsx
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ type Row = {
   album: string;
   status: string;
   createdAt?: string;
+  rgMbid?: string | null;
   job: { state: string; currentStage: string } | null;
 };
 
@@ -129,7 +130,7 @@ export function Queue() {
         <>
           <SectionHeader title="Recently Pressed" note={`${pressed.length} in library`} />
           <PressedList
-            items={pressed.map((r) => ({ id: r.id, artist: r.artist, album: r.album, matrix: pressedMark(r) }))}
+            items={pressed.map((r) => ({ id: r.id, artist: r.artist, album: r.album, matrix: pressedMark(r), rgMbid: r.rgMbid ?? null }))}
           />
         </>
       ) : null}
diff --git a/worker/lyra_worker/main.py b/worker/lyra_worker/main.py
index a4df1d4..70a2da4 100644
--- a/worker/lyra_worker/main.py
+++ b/worker/lyra_worker/main.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ from lyra_worker.registry import (
 from lyra_worker.scan import scan_chunk
 
 IDLE_SLEEP = 2.0
+HEARTBEAT_SECONDS = 15.0  # how often to stamp worker.heartbeat (its updatedAt = liveness)
 MONITOR_TICK_SECONDS = 60.0
 DISCOVER_TICK_SECONDS = 300.0  # check the discovery interval every 5 min (interval itself is hours)
 DEST_ROOT = "/music"  # must match run_pipeline's default library root
@@ -147,6 +148,7 @@ def run_forever() -> None:
     print("worker: waiting for jobs", flush=True)
     last_tick = 0.0
     last_discover_tick = 0.0
+    last_heartbeat = 0.0
     try:
         while True:
             # A transient DB connection loss (e.g. AdminShutdown when Postgres restarts) raises
@@ -157,6 +159,9 @@ def run_forever() -> None:
                 config = get_config(conn)
                 mcfg = MonitorConfig.from_config(config)
                 now = time.monotonic()
+                if now - last_heartbeat >= HEARTBEAT_SECONDS:
+                    _set_config(conn, "worker.heartbeat", "1")  # value irrelevant; updatedAt is the signal
+                    last_heartbeat = now
                 if mcfg.enabled and now - last_tick >= MONITOR_TICK_SECONDS:
                     try:
                         sweep(conn, browser, mcfg)