diff --git a/apps/desktop-client/src/main/adapters/media-image.test.ts b/apps/desktop-client/src/main/adapters/media-image.test.ts
index 23376e2..374e261 100644
--- a/apps/desktop-client/src/main/adapters/media-image.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop-client/src/main/adapters/media-image.test.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ vi.mock("electron", () => ({
 }));
 
 vi.mock("../transport/api-client", () => ({
+  fetchDesktopApiURL: vi.fn(),
   resolveDesktopApiURL: (path: string) => `http://127.0.0.1:8080${path}`,
 }));
 
@@ -27,10 +28,12 @@ import {
 } from "./media-image";
 
 describe("media image helpers", () => {
-  it("resolves API asset URLs through the desktop API base and requests png output", () => {
-    expect(buildAssetURLCandidates("/api/public/assets/12").at(0)).toBe(
+  it("resolves public asset URLs through public and authenticated desktop candidates", () => {
+    expect(buildAssetURLCandidates("/api/public/assets/12")).toEqual([
       "http://127.0.0.1:8080/api/public/assets/12?format=png",
-    );
+      "http://127.0.0.1:8080/api/desktop/content/assets/12?format=png",
+      "http://127.0.0.1:8080/api/public/assets/12",
+    ]);
   });
 
   it("centers crop rectangles at the requested ratio", () => {
diff --git a/apps/desktop-client/src/main/adapters/media-image.ts b/apps/desktop-client/src/main/adapters/media-image.ts
index 50fdbec..c127443 100644
--- a/apps/desktop-client/src/main/adapters/media-image.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop-client/src/main/adapters/media-image.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { Buffer } from "node:buffer";
 
 import { nativeImage } from "electron";
 
-import { resolveDesktopApiURL } from "../transport/api-client";
+import { fetchDesktopApiURL, resolveDesktopApiURL } from "../transport/api-client";
 
 export interface ImageAssetBlob {
   blob: Blob;
@@ -20,6 +20,24 @@ export interface CropRect {
 
 const passthroughImageTypes = new Set(["image/png", "image/jpeg", "image/jpg", "image/gif"]);
 
+function buildDesktopAssetFallbackURL(publicAssetUrl: URL): string | null {
+  if (!publicAssetUrl.pathname.startsWith("/api/public/assets/")) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const token = publicAssetUrl.pathname.slice("/api/public/assets/".length);
+  if (!token) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const fallbackURL = new URL(resolveDesktopApiURL(`/api/desktop/content/assets/${token}`));
+  publicAssetUrl.searchParams.forEach((value, key) => {
+    fallbackURL.searchParams.set(key, value);
+  });
+  fallbackURL.searchParams.set("format", "png");
+  return fallbackURL.toString();
+}
+
 export function buildAssetURLCandidates(sourceUrl: string): string[] {
   const trimmed = sourceUrl.trim();
   if (!trimmed) {
@@ -46,6 +64,11 @@ export function buildAssetURLCandidates(sourceUrl: string): string[] {
         apiAssetUrl.searchParams.set("format", "png");
       }
       pushCandidate(apiAssetUrl.toString());
+
+      const desktopAssetFallbackURL = buildDesktopAssetFallbackURL(apiAssetUrl);
+      if (desktopAssetFallbackURL) {
+        pushCandidate(desktopAssetFallbackURL);
+      }
     }
 
     pushCandidate(parsed.toString());
@@ -56,9 +79,29 @@ export function buildAssetURLCandidates(sourceUrl: string): string[] {
   return candidates;
 }
 
+function shouldUseDesktopAssetFetch(candidate: string): boolean {
+  try {
+    return new URL(candidate).pathname.startsWith("/api/desktop/content/assets/");
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+function fileNameForImageType(sourceType: string): string {
+  if (sourceType === "image/gif") {
+    return "image.gif";
+  }
+  if (sourceType === "image/jpeg" || sourceType === "image/jpg") {
+    return "image.jpg";
+  }
+  return "image.png";
+}
+
 export async function fetchImageAssetBlob(sourceUrl: string): Promise<ImageAssetBlob | null> {
   for (const candidate of buildAssetURLCandidates(sourceUrl)) {
-    const response = await fetch(candidate).catch(() => null);
+    const response = await (
+      shouldUseDesktopAssetFetch(candidate) ? fetchDesktopApiURL(candidate) : fetch(candidate)
+    ).catch(() => null);
     if (!response?.ok) {
       continue;
     }
@@ -80,7 +123,7 @@ export async function fetchImageAssetBlob(sourceUrl: string): Promise<ImageAsset
         blob: sourceBlob,
         width: size.width,
         height: size.height,
-        fileName: sourceType === "image/gif" ? "image.gif" : sourceType === "image/jpeg" || sourceType === "image/jpg" ? "image.jpg" : "image.png",
+        fileName: fileNameForImageType(sourceType),
       };
     }
 
diff --git a/apps/desktop-client/src/main/transport/api-client.ts b/apps/desktop-client/src/main/transport/api-client.ts
index e5706e4..99cd2ca 100644
--- a/apps/desktop-client/src/main/transport/api-client.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop-client/src/main/transport/api-client.ts
@@ -147,6 +147,24 @@ export function resolveDesktopApiURL(path: string): string {
   return resolveDesktopURL(path);
 }
 
+export async function fetchDesktopApiURL(input: string | URL, init: RequestInit = {}): Promise<Response> {
+  const headers = new Headers(init.headers);
+  if (transportSession.clientToken && !headers.has("Authorization")) {
+    headers.set("Authorization", `Bearer ${transportSession.clientToken}`);
+  }
+
+  const url =
+    input instanceof URL
+      ? input.toString()
+      : /^https?:\/\//i.test(input)
+        ? input
+        : resolveDesktopURL(input);
+  return fetch(url, {
+    ...init,
+    headers,
+  });
+}
+
 function resolveObservedRequestURL(path: string | undefined, baseURL: string): string {
   if (!path) {
     return baseURL;