diff --git a/alembic/versions/0045_image_prediction_table.py b/alembic/versions/0045_image_prediction_table.py
index ebfa6c2..df11de2 100644
--- a/alembic/versions/0045_image_prediction_table.py
+++ b/alembic/versions/0045_image_prediction_table.py
@@ -1,13 +1,22 @@
-"""image_prediction table + backfill from image_record.tagger_predictions
+"""image_prediction table (DDL only — backfill runs as a background task)
 
 Normalizes the per-image tagger predictions out of the JSON blob into a
-queryable table (#768). Backfills from the existing JSON in one set-based
-INSERT…SELECT over json_each — fast because the #764 prune already shrank
-each row to its >=0.70 entries. The old image_record.tagger_predictions
-column is left in place here (vestigial) and dropped in a follow-up once the
-code cutover is verified — dropping it needs an ACCESS EXCLUSIVE lock on the
-hot image_record table (the 0044 lock class), so it's deferred to a
-quiesced-worker window.
+queryable table (#768). This migration creates ONLY the table + indexes — it
+is pure DDL and commits instantly, so web boots immediately.
+
+The data backfill from the existing image_record.tagger_predictions JSON is
+deliberately NOT done here. Doing it inline made the whole migration one
+transaction over the ~100 GB TOAST: nothing committed until the very end, it
+was invisible/unmonitorable mid-run, and an early MATERIALIZED-CTE form spilled
+the full 100 GB to temp. Instead the backfill is the
+backend.app.tasks.admin.backfill_image_predictions_task — batched by id window,
+committed per chunk (visible progress + resumable), idempotent
+(ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING). Trigger it from Settings → Maintenance once web is up.
+
+The old image_record.tagger_predictions column is left in place (vestigial) and
+dropped in a follow-up once the backfill + code cutover are verified — dropping
+it needs an ACCESS EXCLUSIVE lock on the hot image_record table (the 0044 lock
+class), so it's deferred to a quiesced-worker window.
 
 Revision ID: 0045
 Revises: 0044
@@ -48,40 +57,10 @@ def upgrade() -> None:
         "ix_image_prediction_name_score", "image_prediction",
         ["raw_name", "score"],
     )
-    # Backfill from the JSON blob. json_each expands {name: {category,
-    # confidence}} into one row per prediction. category defaults to 'general'
-    # to mirror the suggestion read path; rows with no confidence are skipped.
-    # Filter to >= the store floor (ml_settings.tagger_store_floor, default
-    # 0.70) right here so this is self-sufficient — it does NOT depend on the
-    # #764 prune having run, and extracting only the >=floor tail keeps
-    # image_prediction small (~tens of rows/image) even from the full JSON.
-    # Guard json_each against non-object rows (some tagger_predictions are JSON
-    # scalars/null → "cannot deconstruct a scalar"). The inline CASE passes an
-    # empty object for those, so json_each yields nothing — a single STREAMING
-    # pass with NO materialization/temp spill (an earlier MATERIALIZED-CTE guard
-    # forced ~100 GB to temp on NFS and was pathologically slow).
-    op.execute(
-        """
-        INSERT INTO image_prediction (image_record_id, raw_name, category, score)
-        SELECT ir.id,
-               je.key,
-               COALESCE(je.value ->> 'category', 'general'),
-               (je.value ->> 'confidence')::double precision
-        FROM image_record ir,
-             json_each(
-                 CASE WHEN json_typeof(ir.tagger_predictions) = 'object'
-                      THEN ir.tagger_predictions
-                      ELSE '{}'::json END
-             ) je
-        WHERE je.value ->> 'confidence' IS NOT NULL
-          AND (je.value ->> 'confidence')::double precision
-              >= COALESCE(
-                  (SELECT tagger_store_floor FROM ml_settings WHERE id = 1),
-                  0.70
-              )
-        ON CONFLICT (image_record_id, raw_name) DO NOTHING
-        """
-    )
+    # No data backfill here — see the module docstring. The one-time copy from
+    # image_record.tagger_predictions runs as backfill_image_predictions_task
+    # (batched, resumable, idempotent), kept out of this transaction so web boots
+    # without waiting on a ~100 GB pass.
 
 
 def downgrade() -> None:
diff --git a/backend/app/api/admin.py b/backend/app/api/admin.py
index 3f77d9a..fed2c77 100644
--- a/backend/app/api/admin.py
+++ b/backend/app/api/admin.py
@@ -360,3 +360,16 @@ async def trigger_prune_predictions():
 
     async_result = prune_low_confidence_predictions_task.delay()
     return jsonify({"task_id": async_result.id, "status": "queued"}), 202
+
+
+@admin_bp.route("/maintenance/backfill-predictions", methods=["POST"])
+async def trigger_backfill_predictions():
+    """Operator-triggered #768 backfill: copy stored tagger predictions from the
+    image_record.tagger_predictions JSON into the normalized image_prediction
+    table. Batched + resumable + idempotent; runs on the maintenance_long lane.
+    Run this once after deploying migration 0045 (which creates the empty table)
+    to populate predictions for the existing library."""
+    from ..tasks.admin import backfill_image_predictions_task
+
+    async_result = backfill_image_predictions_task.delay()
+    return jsonify({"task_id": async_result.id, "status": "queued"}), 202
diff --git a/backend/app/tasks/admin.py b/backend/app/tasks/admin.py
index 7123a71..4ca9faf 100644
--- a/backend/app/tasks/admin.py
+++ b/backend/app/tasks/admin.py
@@ -303,3 +303,116 @@ def prune_low_confidence_predictions_task(self, after_id: int = 0) -> dict:
         "floor": floor, "scanned": scanned, "pruned": pruned,
         "allowlist_clamped": clamped, "last_id": last_id,
     }
+
+
+# Backfill image_prediction from image_record.tagger_predictions (#768).
+# Deliberately NOT done in migration 0045: a single INSERT…SELECT over the
+# ~100 GB TOAST is one transaction — invisible until commit, unmonitorable, and
+# the MATERIALIZED-CTE form spilled the whole 100 GB to temp on NFS. Instead we
+# walk image_record in id WINDOWS, running a bounded INSERT…SELECT over each
+# window and committing per chunk: progress is visible (image_prediction grows
+# live), it's resumable (re-enqueues from the last committed id), and json_each
+# stays in the DB executor streaming each window (no Python-side 100 GB load, no
+# materialization). Idempotent via ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING.
+_BACKFILL_PRED_CHUNK_SECONDS = 600  # re-enqueue boundary, like normalize_tags
+_BACKFILL_PRED_ID_WINDOW = 2000     # image_record ids per committed batch
+
+
+@celery.task(
+    name="backend.app.tasks.admin.backfill_image_predictions_task",
+    bind=True,
+    autoretry_for=(OperationalError, DBAPIError),
+    retry_backoff=15, retry_backoff_max=180, max_retries=1,
+    soft_time_limit=1800, time_limit=2400,  # 30 min / 40 min
+)
+def backfill_image_predictions_task(self, after_id: int = 0) -> dict:
+    """One-time #768 backfill: copy each image_record's stored tagger
+    predictions (the >= store-floor entries) from the tagger_predictions JSON
+    into the normalized image_prediction table.
+
+    Batched by id window + committed per chunk so it's monitorable and
+    resumable; idempotent (ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING) so re-running is safe.
+    Filters to >= ml_settings.tagger_store_floor (default 0.70) so the table
+    stays small even from the full pre-prune JSON tail. Guards json_each against
+    non-object rows (scalar/null tagger_predictions → "cannot deconstruct a
+    scalar") via an inline CASE. Self-resumes on the soft time limit."""
+    import time
+
+    from celery.exceptions import SoftTimeLimitExceeded
+    from sqlalchemy import func, select, text
+
+    from ..models import ImageRecord, MLSettings
+
+    _INSERT_WINDOW = text(
+        """
+        INSERT INTO image_prediction (image_record_id, raw_name, category, score)
+        SELECT ir.id,
+               je.key,
+               COALESCE(je.value ->> 'category', 'general'),
+               (je.value ->> 'confidence')::double precision
+        FROM image_record ir,
+             json_each(
+                 CASE WHEN json_typeof(ir.tagger_predictions) = 'object'
+                      THEN ir.tagger_predictions
+                      ELSE '{}'::json END
+             ) je
+        WHERE ir.id > :lo AND ir.id <= :hi
+          AND je.value ->> 'confidence' IS NOT NULL
+          AND (je.value ->> 'confidence')::double precision >= :floor
+        ON CONFLICT (image_record_id, raw_name) DO NOTHING
+        """
+    )
+
+    SessionLocal = _sync_session_factory()
+    started = time.monotonic()
+    last_id = after_id
+    inserted = 0
+    windows = 0
+    with SessionLocal() as session:
+        floor = session.execute(
+            select(MLSettings.tagger_store_floor).where(MLSettings.id == 1)
+        ).scalar_one()
+        max_id = session.execute(
+            select(func.max(ImageRecord.id))
+        ).scalar() or 0
+
+        try:
+            while last_id < max_id:
+                hi = last_id + _BACKFILL_PRED_ID_WINDOW
+                res = session.execute(
+                    _INSERT_WINDOW, {"lo": last_id, "hi": hi, "floor": floor}
+                )
+                session.commit()
+                inserted += res.rowcount or 0
+                windows += 1
+                last_id = hi  # advance only after commit, for resume
+                if time.monotonic() - started > _BACKFILL_PRED_CHUNK_SECONDS:
+                    log.info(
+                        "backfill_image_predictions chunk done (windows=%d "
+                        "inserted=%d up to id=%d/%d) — re-enqueuing",
+                        windows, inserted, min(last_id, max_id), max_id,
+                    )
+                    backfill_image_predictions_task.delay(last_id)
+                    return {
+                        "partial": True, "last_id": last_id, "max_id": max_id,
+                        "inserted": inserted, "windows": windows,
+                    }
+        except SoftTimeLimitExceeded:
+            log.warning(
+                "backfill_image_predictions soft-limited at id=%d "
+                "(inserted=%d) — re-enqueuing", last_id, inserted,
+            )
+            backfill_image_predictions_task.delay(last_id)
+            return {
+                "partial": True, "last_id": last_id, "max_id": max_id,
+                "inserted": inserted, "windows": windows,
+            }
+
+    log.info(
+        "backfill_image_predictions complete: floor=%s inserted=%d windows=%d "
+        "max_id=%d", floor, inserted, windows, max_id,
+    )
+    return {
+        "floor": floor, "inserted": inserted, "windows": windows,
+        "max_id": max_id, "last_id": max_id,
+    }
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/settings/BackfillPredictionsCard.vue b/frontend/src/components/settings/BackfillPredictionsCard.vue
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f1d6aaa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/components/settings/BackfillPredictionsCard.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+<template>
+  <!-- #768: one-time copy of stored tagger predictions from the
+       image_record.tagger_predictions JSON into the normalized
+       image_prediction table. Migration 0045 creates the empty table; this
+       populates it for the existing library. -->
+  <v-card>
+    <v-card-title>Backfill normalized predictions</v-card-title>
+    <v-card-text>
+      <p class="text-body-2 mb-3">
+        Copies each image's stored tagger predictions into the new
+        <code>image_prediction</code> table (the source the suggestions and
+        allowlist now read from). Run this <strong>once</strong> after the
+        upgrade so existing images get their suggestions back — newly tagged
+        images populate it automatically. Batched, resumable and idempotent;
+        safe to run more than once and to leave running in the background.
+      </p>
+      <v-btn color="primary" rounded="pill" :loading="busy" @click="run">
+        <v-icon start>mdi-database-import-outline</v-icon> Backfill predictions now
+      </v-btn>
+      <span v-if="queued" class="ml-3 text-caption text-success">Queued ✓</span>
+      <QueueStatusBar queue="maintenance_long" queue-label="Maintenance (long)" />
+    </v-card-text>
+  </v-card>
+</template>
+
+<script setup>
+import { ref } from 'vue'
+
+import { useApi } from '../../composables/useApi.js'
+import { toast } from '../../utils/toast.js'
+import QueueStatusBar from './QueueStatusBar.vue'
+
+const api = useApi()
+const busy = ref(false)
+const queued = ref(false)
+
+async function run () {
+  busy.value = true
+  queued.value = false
+  try {
+    await api.post('/api/admin/maintenance/backfill-predictions')
+    queued.value = true
+    toast({ text: 'Prediction backfill queued', type: 'success' })
+  } catch (e) {
+    toast({ text: e?.body?.detail || e?.message || 'Failed to queue', type: 'error' })
+  } finally {
+    busy.value = false
+  }
+}
+</script>
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/settings/MaintenancePanel.vue b/frontend/src/components/settings/MaintenancePanel.vue
index 69761d1..3baf30e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/settings/MaintenancePanel.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/settings/MaintenancePanel.vue
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
       <ThumbnailBackfillCard />
     </div>
     <MLThresholdSliders class="mt-4" />
+    <BackfillPredictionsCard class="mt-4" />
     <PrunePredictionsCard class="mt-4" />
     <AllowlistTable class="mt-4" />
     <AliasTable class="mt-4" />
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ import MLBackfillCard from './MLBackfillCard.vue'
 import CentroidRecomputeCard from './CentroidRecomputeCard.vue'
 import ThumbnailBackfillCard from './ThumbnailBackfillCard.vue'
 import MLThresholdSliders from './MLThresholdSliders.vue'
+import BackfillPredictionsCard from './BackfillPredictionsCard.vue'
 import PrunePredictionsCard from './PrunePredictionsCard.vue'
 import AllowlistTable from './AllowlistTable.vue'
 import AliasTable from './AliasTable.vue'
diff --git a/tests/test_tasks_admin.py b/tests/test_tasks_admin.py
index d975259..80bf4e1 100644
--- a/tests/test_tasks_admin.py
+++ b/tests/test_tasks_admin.py
@@ -49,6 +49,13 @@ def test_prune_low_confidence_predictions_task_registered():
     )
 
 
+def test_backfill_image_predictions_task_registered():
+    assert (
+        "backend.app.tasks.admin.backfill_image_predictions_task"
+        in celery.tasks
+    )
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_prune_low_confidence_predictions(db_sync, tmp_path):
     # #764: drop stored tagger predictions below the store floor (default