diff --git a/backend/app/services/patreon_client.py b/backend/app/services/patreon_client.py
index b896c4b..98ba7d6 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/patreon_client.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/patreon_client.py
@@ -562,6 +562,49 @@ class PatreonClient:
                 return
             current_cursor = next_cursor
 
+    # -- detail (full body enrichment) -------------------------------------
+
+    def fetch_post_detail_content(self, post_id: str) -> str | None:
+        """Best-effort fetch of a post's full HTML `content` from the per-post
+        DETAIL endpoint (`/api/posts/{id}`).
+
+        The feed/list endpoint (`/api/posts`) frequently returns `content` as
+        null even though we request it — the full body (its formatting, inline
+        `<img>`, and external `<a href>` links) only comes back from the
+        single-post detail resource. The downloader calls this to enrich a post
+        whose feed body was empty before writing the importer sidecar.
+
+        Best-effort BY DESIGN: the media download is the primary job, so a body
+        we can't fetch must never fail the walk. Every failure path (no id,
+        transport error, non-200, non-JSON, missing/empty content) returns None
+        rather than raising — distinct from the loud drift/auth raises on the
+        feed path, which gate real downloads.
+        """
+        if not post_id:
+            return None
+        if self._request_sleep > 0:
+            time.sleep(self._request_sleep)  # pace the API endpoint (plan #703)
+        url = f"{_POSTS_URL}/{post_id}"
+        params = {"fields[post]": "content", "json-api-version": "1.0"}
+        try:
+            resp = self._session.get(url, params=params, timeout=_TIMEOUT_SECONDS)
+        except requests.RequestException as exc:
+            log.warning("Patreon post-detail fetch failed (post %s): %s", post_id, exc)
+            return None
+        if resp.status_code != 200:
+            log.warning(
+                "Patreon post-detail fetch HTTP %s (post %s)", resp.status_code, post_id
+            )
+            return None
+        try:
+            payload = resp.json()
+        except ValueError:
+            return None
+        data = payload.get("data") if isinstance(payload, dict) else None
+        attrs = data.get("attributes") if isinstance(data, dict) else None
+        content = attrs.get("content") if isinstance(attrs, dict) else None
+        return content if isinstance(content, str) and content.strip() else None
+
     # -- verify ------------------------------------------------------------
 
     def verify_auth(self, campaign_id: str) -> tuple[bool | None, str]:
diff --git a/backend/app/services/patreon_downloader.py b/backend/app/services/patreon_downloader.py
index 7abc2df..6990bc6 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/patreon_downloader.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/patreon_downloader.py
@@ -168,10 +168,17 @@ class PatreonDownloader:
         validate: bool = True,
         rate_limit: float = 0.0,
         session: requests.Session | None = None,
+        content_fetcher: Callable[[str], str | None] | None = None,
     ):
         self.images_root = Path(images_root)
         self.cookies_path = str(cookies_path) if cookies_path else None
         self._validate = validate
+        # Best-effort enrichment seam: (post_id) -> full HTML body, or None. The
+        # feed endpoint often omits `content`; the adapter wires this to
+        # PatreonClient.fetch_post_detail_content so the sidecar captures the
+        # real body (formatting + inline <img> + external <a href> links).
+        # None in unit tests / when enrichment isn't wanted.
+        self._content_fetcher = content_fetcher
         # Politeness: seconds to sleep before each actual media download (paces
         # the CDN; honors ImportSettings.download_rate_limit_seconds, the same
         # value gallery-dl used as its between-downloads `sleep`). 0 = no pacing.
@@ -495,6 +502,18 @@ class PatreonDownloader:
         attrs = post.get("attributes") or {}
         title = attrs.get("title")
         content = attrs.get("content")
+        # The feed/list endpoint frequently returns an empty `content`; the full
+        # HTML body (formatting + inline <img> + external <a href> links) only
+        # comes from the per-post detail endpoint. Enrich on first write for this
+        # post and MEMOIZE by mutating the shared `post` dict — so a multi-image
+        # post fetches detail exactly once, and a fully-seen post (no fresh
+        # download → no sidecar write) never pays the extra GET.
+        if (not isinstance(content, str) or not content.strip()) and self._content_fetcher:
+            fetched = self._content_fetcher(str(post.get("id") or ""))
+            if fetched:
+                attrs["content"] = fetched
+                post["attributes"] = attrs
+                content = fetched
         published = attrs.get("published_at")
         url = attrs.get("url")
         data = {
diff --git a/backend/app/services/patreon_ingester.py b/backend/app/services/patreon_ingester.py
index be2c973..c4e8d73 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/patreon_ingester.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/patreon_ingester.py
@@ -112,7 +112,10 @@ class PatreonIngester(Ingester):
             downloader
             if downloader is not None
             else PatreonDownloader(
-                self.images_root, cookies_path, validate=validate, rate_limit=rate_limit
+                self.images_root, cookies_path, validate=validate, rate_limit=rate_limit,
+                # Enrich empty feed bodies from the per-post detail endpoint, via
+                # the SAME client (shares its cookie session + request pacing).
+                content_fetcher=resolved_client.fetch_post_detail_content,
             )
         )
         super().__init__(
diff --git a/tests/test_patreon_client.py b/tests/test_patreon_client.py
index fe46b91..101dd36 100644
--- a/tests/test_patreon_client.py
+++ b/tests/test_patreon_client.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import json
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import pytest
+import requests
 
 from backend.app.services import patreon_client as pc_mod
 from backend.app.services.patreon_client import (
@@ -352,3 +353,56 @@ def test_request_sleep_paces_before_fetch(monkeypatch):
     monkeypatch.setattr(pc_mod.time, "sleep", lambda s: slept.append(s))
     client._fetch("5555", None)
     assert slept == [1.5]
+
+
+# -- fetch_post_detail_content (best-effort full-body enrichment) ----------
+
+
+def test_fetch_post_detail_content_returns_body(monkeypatch):
+    payload = {"data": {"id": "42", "attributes": {"content": "<p>full body</p>"}}}
+    captured: dict = {}
+    client = PatreonClient(cookies_path=None)
+
+    def _get(url, params=None, timeout=None):
+        captured["url"] = url
+        captured["params"] = params
+        return _FakeResp(200, json_data=payload)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(client._session, "get", _get)
+    assert client.fetch_post_detail_content("42") == "<p>full body</p>"
+    assert captured["url"].endswith("/api/posts/42")
+    assert captured["params"]["fields[post]"] == "content"
+
+
+def test_fetch_post_detail_content_empty_body_is_none(monkeypatch):
+    payload = {"data": {"attributes": {"content": "   "}}}
+    client = _client_returning(monkeypatch, _FakeResp(200, json_data=payload))
+    assert client.fetch_post_detail_content("42") is None
+
+
+def test_fetch_post_detail_content_blank_id_skips_request(monkeypatch):
+    calls: list = []
+    client = PatreonClient(cookies_path=None)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        client._session, "get",
+        lambda *a, **k: calls.append(1) or _FakeResp(200, json_data={}),
+    )
+    assert client.fetch_post_detail_content("") is None
+    assert calls == []
+
+
+def test_fetch_post_detail_content_swallows_http_and_transport_errors(monkeypatch):
+    # Non-200 → None (best-effort; a missing body must never fail the walk).
+    client = _client_returning(monkeypatch, _FakeResp(500))
+    assert client.fetch_post_detail_content("42") is None
+    # Non-JSON body (HTML challenge) → None, not a raise.
+    client = _client_returning(monkeypatch, _FakeResp(200, raise_json=True))
+    assert client.fetch_post_detail_content("42") is None
+    # Transport error → None.
+    client = PatreonClient(cookies_path=None)
+
+    def _boom(*a, **k):
+        raise requests.ConnectionError("boom")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(client._session, "get", _boom)
+    assert client.fetch_post_detail_content("42") is None
diff --git a/tests/test_patreon_downloader.py b/tests/test_patreon_downloader.py
index 4b19873..e09608f 100644
--- a/tests/test_patreon_downloader.py
+++ b/tests/test_patreon_downloader.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ via monkeypatching `_run_ytdlp`. PURE module → no DB, so unmarked (fast lane).
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import json
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import pytest
@@ -536,3 +537,43 @@ def test_range_ignored_by_server_refetches_clean(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     outcomes = dl.download_post(_post(), [_img("a.png")], "artist-x")
     assert outcomes[0].status == "downloaded"
     assert outcomes[0].path.read_bytes() == full  # clean, not full[:400] + full
+
+
+# -- content enrichment (adaptive detail-fetch of an empty feed body) -------
+
+
+def test_enriches_empty_content_via_fetcher(tmp_path):
+    """An empty feed body is backfilled from the detail-fetch seam — once per
+    post (memoized on the shared dict) — and lands in the importer sidecar."""
+    calls: list[str] = []
+
+    def _fetcher(post_id: str) -> str:
+        calls.append(post_id)
+        return "<p>full body</p>"
+
+    dl = PatreonDownloader(
+        images_root=tmp_path, cookies_path=None, validate=False,
+        session=_FakeSession(), content_fetcher=_fetcher,
+    )
+    post = _post()
+    post["attributes"]["content"] = ""  # feed returned an empty body
+    dl.download_post(post, [_img("a.png"), _img("b.png")], "artist-x")
+
+    post_dir = tmp_path / "artist-x" / "patreon" / pd_mod._post_dir_name(post)
+    sc = find_sidecar(post_dir / "01_a.png")
+    assert sc is not None
+    assert json.loads(sc.read_text())["content"] == "<p>full body</p>"
+    # Fetched ONCE for the post, not once per media item.
+    assert calls == ["1001"]
+
+
+def test_no_enrichment_when_feed_body_present(tmp_path):
+    """A non-empty feed body is trusted as-is; the detail endpoint isn't hit."""
+    calls: list[str] = []
+    dl = PatreonDownloader(
+        images_root=tmp_path, cookies_path=None, validate=False,
+        session=_FakeSession(),
+        content_fetcher=lambda pid: calls.append(pid) or "x",
+    )
+    dl.download_post(_post(), [_img("a.png")], "artist-x")  # _post body is non-empty
+    assert calls == []