diff --git a/backend/app/services/patreon_client.py b/backend/app/services/patreon_client.py
index f90f92c..84a4ffd 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/patreon_client.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/patreon_client.py
@@ -612,12 +612,39 @@ class PatreonClient:
         if isinstance(content, str) and content.strip():
             log.info("post-detail: fetched %d chars (post %s)", len(content), post_id)
             return content
-        # 200 OK but content is null/empty — the common silent case (a tier-gated
-        # post serves content:null, or the post genuinely has no text body). Logged
-        # so a recapture that "caught nothing" is diagnosable, not invisible.
+        # Sparse `fields[post]=content` came back null/empty. Patreon serves null
+        # under the sparse fieldset for some post types (polls, embeds/films,
+        # body-only announcements) even when the body plainly exists. Re-fetch the
+        # FULL post resource ONCE — only the empty cases pay this extra GET — which
+        # both DIAGNOSES (logs post_type) and RECOVERS the body when the sparse
+        # fieldset was the cause (#842).
+        try:
+            full = self._session.get(
+                url, params={"json-api-version": "1.0"}, timeout=_TIMEOUT_SECONDS,
+            )
+        except requests.RequestException as exc:
+            log.warning("post-detail full re-fetch failed (post %s): %s", post_id, exc)
+            return None
+        fa = None
+        if full.status_code == 200:
+            try:
+                fp = full.json()
+            except ValueError:
+                fp = None
+            fdata = fp.get("data") if isinstance(fp, dict) else None
+            fa = fdata.get("attributes") if isinstance(fdata, dict) else None
+        fcontent = fa.get("content") if isinstance(fa, dict) else None
+        ptype = fa.get("post_type") if isinstance(fa, dict) else None
+        if isinstance(fcontent, str) and fcontent.strip():
+            log.warning(
+                "post-detail: sparse fieldset gave null but FULL fetch has %d chars "
+                "(post %s, post_type=%s) — using full body",
+                len(fcontent), post_id, ptype,
+            )
+            return fcontent
         log.info(
-            "post-detail: empty/null content (post %s) — body unavailable "
-            "(tier-gated, or post has no text)", post_id,
+            "post-detail: empty/null content (post %s, post_type=%s) even on full "
+            "fetch — body not in the post resource", post_id, ptype,
         )
         return None
 
diff --git a/tests/test_patreon_client.py b/tests/test_patreon_client.py
index dd40aa0..095d218 100644
--- a/tests/test_patreon_client.py
+++ b/tests/test_patreon_client.py
@@ -380,6 +380,28 @@ def test_fetch_post_detail_content_empty_body_is_none(monkeypatch):
     assert client.fetch_post_detail_content("42") is None
 
 
+def test_fetch_post_detail_content_falls_back_to_full_fetch(monkeypatch):
+    """#842: when the sparse fields[post]=content request returns null (Patreon
+    does this for polls / embeds / body-only posts), a one-time FULL re-fetch
+    recovers the body — so inline-only / no-media posts still get their text."""
+    client = PatreonClient(cookies_path=None)
+    seen_params: list = []
+
+    def _get(url, params=None, timeout=None):
+        seen_params.append(params or {})
+        if "fields[post]" in (params or {}):
+            return _FakeResp(200, json_data={"data": {"attributes": {"content": None}}})
+        return _FakeResp(200, json_data={
+            "data": {"attributes": {"content": "<p>body via full</p>", "post_type": "poll"}}
+        })
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(client._session, "get", _get)
+    assert client.fetch_post_detail_content("42") == "<p>body via full</p>"
+    # Sparse request first, then a full re-fetch without the sparse fieldset.
+    assert "fields[post]" in seen_params[0]
+    assert "fields[post]" not in seen_params[1]
+
+
 def test_fetch_post_detail_content_blank_id_skips_request(monkeypatch):
     calls: list = []
     client = PatreonClient(cookies_path=None)