diff --git a/packages/theme/AGENTS.md b/packages/theme/AGENTS.md
index dc0525d..abbbc94 100644
--- a/packages/theme/AGENTS.md
+++ b/packages/theme/AGENTS.md
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ Generate a Slidev deck with `slidev-theme-tahta`. **No CSS, `<style>`, grids, or
 21. Mark tangents with `aside: true` (or `aside: "label"`): an optional deep-dive / 'under the hood' detour gets a left accent rail + a corner tag so the audience knows it's off the main spine. Use it for the curiosity slides, not the core argument.
 22. Math: write `$inline$` and `$$block$$` LaTeX in a slide BODY (default/statement/two-cols/columns markdown) — Slidev renders it with KaTeX in the variant's type. Frontmatter title/field text is injected as HTML and does NOT run KaTeX, with one exception: the `define` layout renders math in its `definition`/`points`. So for a 'term = formula' slide use `define`; for heavier math, put it in a body.
 23. Sections give you wayfinding for free: when a deck has `layout: section` dividers, a thin progress rail at the top edge shows the audience which part they're in. Group a longer talk into 3–6 sections so the rail (and the deck) reads as a structured arc.
+24. Treat technical diagram images as content, not photography. Put a full-canvas diagram in `layout: diagram` with `<Figure src="..." />` so the entire image stays visible. If a screenshot or diagram must sit beside text in `image` or `showcase`, set `fit: contain`; those layouts otherwise use `cover` and intentionally crop.
 
 ## Deck header (first slide)
 ```yaml
@@ -87,8 +88,8 @@ Per-slide frontmatter available on every layout.
 | `logos` | A trust / logo wall. | kicker, title, columns, logos* |
 | `code` | Code, optionally Magic Move. Body is a fenced code block. | kicker, title |
 | `two-cols` | Generic split; left = body, right = after ::right::. Each column is a canvas — compose components in either. | kicker, title |
-| `image` | Text + a side image (markdown body is the text column). | kicker, title, image*, side |
-| `showcase` | Asymmetric image hero (fixed 43/57; deterministic). | kicker, title, subtitle, image*, side |
+| `image` | Text + a side image (markdown body is the text column). Photos default to cover; use fit: contain for screenshots or diagrams. | kicker, title, image*, fit, side |
+| `showcase` | Asymmetric image hero (fixed 43/57; deterministic). Photos default to cover; use fit: contain for screenshots or diagrams. | kicker, title, subtitle, image*, fit, side |
 | `bleed` | Full-bleed image hero with overlaid text. | image*, kicker, stat, title, subtitle, duotone |
 | `embed` | Video or iframe. | kicker, title, video, iframe |
 | `end` | Closing slide. | title, subtitle, contact |
@@ -382,11 +383,12 @@ title: Before vs after
 ```
 
 ### `image`
-Text + a side image (markdown body is the text column).
+Text + a side image (markdown body is the text column). Photos default to cover; use fit: contain for screenshots or diagrams.
 
   - `kicker` (string, optional)
   - `title` (string, optional)
   - `image` (string, **required**) — Path in the deck's public/ folder, e.g. /shot.png.
+  - `fit` (enum, optional) — How the image fits its pane. Defaults to cover; use contain when every edge and label must remain visible. — one of `cover | contain`
   - `side` (enum, optional) — one of `left | right`
 
 ```yaml
@@ -394,6 +396,7 @@ Text + a side image (markdown body is the text column).
 layout: image
 side: right
 image: /shot.png
+fit: contain
 title: The product
 ---
 
@@ -402,12 +405,13 @@ title: The product
 ```
 
 ### `showcase`
-Asymmetric image hero (fixed 43/57; deterministic).
+Asymmetric image hero (fixed 43/57; deterministic). Photos default to cover; use fit: contain for screenshots or diagrams.
 
   - `kicker` (string, optional)
   - `title` (string, optional)
   - `subtitle` (string, optional)
   - `image` (string, **required**)
+  - `fit` (enum, optional) — How the image fits its pane. Defaults to cover; use contain when every edge and label must remain visible. — one of `cover | contain`
   - `side` (enum, optional) — one of `left | right`
 
 ```yaml
diff --git a/packages/theme/README.md b/packages/theme/README.md
index 5d4bcb0..65e28b3 100644
--- a/packages/theme/README.md
+++ b/packages/theme/README.md
@@ -116,6 +116,7 @@ Variant / accent / lang are applied at runtime by `global-bottom.vue`; defaults
 
 ## Gotchas baked into the contract
 - Images for `bleed`/`image`/`showcase` (and `bg: /x.jpg`) go in the deck's `public/`, referenced as `/name.jpg` — use the layout's `image:` field, don't `<img>` them.
+- `image` and `showcase` crop with `cover` by default. Set `fit: contain` for screenshots and diagrams, or use `diagram` with `<Figure>` when the visual should own the slide.
 - In YAML flow rows `{ ... }`, quote any value containing a comma/colon (`"$4,200"`).
 - `cover`/`section`/`statement`/`end` take the title from frontmatter — leave the body empty.
 
diff --git a/packages/theme/layouts.json b/packages/theme/layouts.json
index 676f5b7..9a4858e 100644
--- a/packages/theme/layouts.json
+++ b/packages/theme/layouts.json
@@ -43,7 +43,8 @@
     "Add speaker notes as an HTML comment that is the LAST block of a slide's markdown body: `<!-- what you'll say out loud -->`. It never renders on the slide; tela surfaces it as the presenter note. Author notes for any talk you'll actually present — the deck is the slides plus what you say.",
     "Mark tangents with `aside: true` (or `aside: \"label\"`): an optional deep-dive / 'under the hood' detour gets a left accent rail + a corner tag so the audience knows it's off the main spine. Use it for the curiosity slides, not the core argument.",
     "Math: write `$inline$` and `$$block$$` LaTeX in a slide BODY (default/statement/two-cols/columns markdown) — Slidev renders it with KaTeX in the variant's type. Frontmatter title/field text is injected as HTML and does NOT run KaTeX, with one exception: the `define` layout renders math in its `definition`/`points`. So for a 'term = formula' slide use `define`; for heavier math, put it in a body.",
-    "Sections give you wayfinding for free: when a deck has `layout: section` dividers, a thin progress rail at the top edge shows the audience which part they're in. Group a longer talk into 3–6 sections so the rail (and the deck) reads as a structured arc."
+    "Sections give you wayfinding for free: when a deck has `layout: section` dividers, a thin progress rail at the top edge shows the audience which part they're in. Group a longer talk into 3–6 sections so the rail (and the deck) reads as a structured arc.",
+    "Treat technical diagram images as content, not photography. Put a full-canvas diagram in `layout: diagram` with `<Figure src=\"...\" />` so the entire image stays visible. If a screenshot or diagram must sit beside text in `image` or `showcase`, set `fit: contain`; those layouts otherwise use `cover` and intentionally crop."
   ],
   "layouts": [
     { "id": "cover", "useFor": "Title / opening slide.", "fields": [
@@ -126,17 +127,19 @@
       { "name": "kicker", "type": "string", "required": false },
       { "name": "title", "type": "string", "required": false } ],
       "example": "layout: two-cols\ntitle: Before vs after\n---\n\n**Before** — one region.\n\n::right::\n\n**After** — 18 regions." },
-    { "id": "image", "useFor": "Text + a side image (markdown body is the text column).", "fields": [
+    { "id": "image", "useFor": "Text + a side image (markdown body is the text column). Photos default to cover; use fit: contain for screenshots or diagrams.", "fields": [
       { "name": "kicker", "type": "string", "required": false },
       { "name": "title", "type": "string", "required": false },
       { "name": "image", "type": "string", "required": true, "description": "Path in the deck's public/ folder, e.g. /shot.png." },
+      { "name": "fit", "type": "enum", "required": false, "enum": ["cover", "contain"], "description": "How the image fits its pane. Defaults to cover; use contain when every edge and label must remain visible." },
       { "name": "side", "type": "enum", "required": false, "enum": ["left", "right"] } ],
-      "example": "layout: image\nside: right\nimage: /shot.png\ntitle: The product\n---\n\n- A media column plus a text column" },
-    { "id": "showcase", "useFor": "Asymmetric image hero (fixed 43/57; deterministic).", "fields": [
+      "example": "layout: image\nside: right\nimage: /shot.png\nfit: contain\ntitle: The product\n---\n\n- A media column plus a text column" },
+    { "id": "showcase", "useFor": "Asymmetric image hero (fixed 43/57; deterministic). Photos default to cover; use fit: contain for screenshots or diagrams.", "fields": [
       { "name": "kicker", "type": "string", "required": false },
       { "name": "title", "type": "string", "required": false },
       { "name": "subtitle", "type": "string", "required": false },
       { "name": "image", "type": "string", "required": true },
+      { "name": "fit", "type": "enum", "required": false, "enum": ["cover", "contain"], "description": "How the image fits its pane. Defaults to cover; use contain when every edge and label must remain visible." },
       { "name": "side", "type": "enum", "required": false, "enum": ["left", "right"] } ],
       "example": "layout: showcase\nside: right\nimage: /shot.png\nkicker: The product\ntitle: Finally <span class=\"accent2\">visible</span>\nsubtitle: One line of config." },
     { "id": "bleed", "useFor": "Full-bleed image hero with overlaid text.", "fields": [
diff --git a/packages/theme/layouts/image.vue b/packages/theme/layouts/image.vue
index 6ccb0d6..0d683fc 100644
--- a/packages/theme/layouts/image.vue
+++ b/packages/theme/layouts/image.vue
@@ -3,7 +3,11 @@ import { computed } from 'vue'
 import { useSlideContext } from '@slidev/client'
 const { $frontmatter } = useSlideContext()
 const side = computed(() => $frontmatter.side || 'right')
-const bg = computed(() => ({ backgroundImage: `url(${$frontmatter.image})` }))
+const fit = computed(() => $frontmatter.fit === 'contain' ? 'contain' : 'cover')
+const bg = computed(() => ({
+  backgroundImage: `url(${$frontmatter.image})`,
+  backgroundSize: fit.value,
+}))
 </script>
 
 <template>
@@ -11,9 +15,13 @@ const bg = computed(() => ({ backgroundImage: `url(${$frontmatter.image})` }))
     <SlideBg />
     <div v-if="side === 'left'" class="split-media" :style="bg" />
     <div class="split-body">
-      <div v-if="$frontmatter.kicker" class="kicker">{{ $frontmatter.kicker }}</div>
-      <h2 v-if="$frontmatter.title" class="fs-h2 mb-4" v-html="$frontmatter.title" />
-      <div class="fs-body dim"><slot /></div>
+      <Fit>
+        <div>
+          <div v-if="$frontmatter.kicker" class="kicker">{{ $frontmatter.kicker }}</div>
+          <h2 v-if="$frontmatter.title" class="fs-h2 mb-4" v-html="$frontmatter.title" />
+          <div class="fs-body dim"><slot /></div>
+        </div>
+      </Fit>
     </div>
     <div v-if="side !== 'left'" class="split-media" :style="bg" />
     <Foot />
diff --git a/packages/theme/layouts/showcase.vue b/packages/theme/layouts/showcase.vue
index 2e67471..e922e39 100644
--- a/packages/theme/layouts/showcase.vue
+++ b/packages/theme/layouts/showcase.vue
@@ -3,7 +3,11 @@ import { computed } from 'vue'
 import { useSlideContext } from '@slidev/client'
 const { $frontmatter } = useSlideContext()
 const side = computed(() => $frontmatter.side || 'right')
-const bg = computed(() => ({ backgroundImage: `url(${$frontmatter.image})` }))
+const fit = computed(() => $frontmatter.fit === 'contain' ? 'contain' : 'cover')
+const bg = computed(() => ({
+  backgroundImage: `url(${$frontmatter.image})`,
+  backgroundSize: fit.value,
+}))
 </script>
 <template>
   <div :class="['slidev-layout', 'l-split', side === 'left' ? 'showcase flip' : 'showcase']">
diff --git a/packages/theme/styles/index.css b/packages/theme/styles/index.css
index 7aa22d6..65c546b 100644
--- a/packages/theme/styles/index.css
+++ b/packages/theme/styles/index.css
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@
 /* ===== showcase (deliberate asymmetric hero — fixed ratio, won't reflow with content) ===== */
 .showcase { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 43% 57%; height: 100%; }
 .showcase.flip { grid-template-columns: 57% 43%; }
-.showcase-media { position: relative; background-size: cover; background-position: center; }
+.showcase-media { position: relative; background-size: cover; background-position: center; background-repeat: no-repeat; }
 .showcase-media::after { content: ""; position: absolute; inset: 0; box-shadow: inset 0 0 160px rgba(0,0,0,0.45); }
 .showcase-body { display: flex; flex-direction: column; justify-content: center; padding: var(--pad-y) var(--pad-x); }
 
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@
 /* ===== image split ===== */
 .split { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; height: 100%; }
 .split.left { grid-template-columns: 0.9fr 1.1fr; }
-.split-media { background-size: cover; background-position: center; position: relative;
+.split-media { background-size: cover; background-position: center; background-repeat: no-repeat; position: relative;
   /* feather the seam edge so the image dissolves into the body ground instead of a hard cut */
   --feather: 13%;
   -webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(to right, transparent 0, #000 var(--feather)); mask-image: linear-gradient(to right, transparent 0, #000 var(--feather)); }
@@ -410,8 +410,8 @@
 .filetree .ft-guide { color: color-mix(in oklab, var(--fg-dim) 55%, transparent); }
 
 /* ----- Figure (image / diagram + caption + credit) ----- */
-.tahta-figure { margin: 0; }
-.tahta-figure img { display: block; width: 100%; border-radius: var(--radius-sm); border: var(--surface-border); }
+.tahta-figure { margin: 0; max-width: 100%; max-height: 100%; }
+.tahta-figure img { display: block; width: 100%; max-width: 100%; height: auto; max-height: 100%; object-fit: contain; border-radius: var(--radius-sm); border: var(--surface-border); }
 .tahta-figure figcaption { margin-top: var(--sp-3); font-size: 0.92rem; color: var(--fg-dim); display: flex; justify-content: space-between; gap: var(--sp-4); align-items: baseline; }
 .tahta-figure .tf-credit { font: 500 0.76rem/1.4 var(--font-mono); opacity: 0.8; white-space: nowrap; }
 
@@ -448,6 +448,9 @@
    derived from these same tokens. Here we only size the light-DOM host to the stage. */
 .diagram-stage .mermaid { display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; max-width: 100%; max-height: 60vh; }
 .diagram-stage .mermaid svg { max-width: 100%; max-height: 60vh; height: auto; }
+.diagram-stage .tahta-figure { width: 100%; height: 100%; min-width: 0; min-height: 0; display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; }
+.diagram-stage .tahta-figure img { width: auto; }
+.diagram-stage .tahta-figure:has(figcaption) img { max-height: calc(100% - 2.5rem); }
 .diagram-note { margin: var(--sp-4) auto 0; max-width: 60ch; text-align: center; font-size: 0.95rem; }
 
 /* ===== Grid — cell layout for memory/byte/row-vs-column/matrix visuals ===== */