diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 4a75a1e9..2aa3b436 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ heading, and (b) bumping `pubspec.yaml` `version:` in the same commit.
 
 ### Added
 
+- **Before/after compare cards.** `clide draw --file compare.json` (template
+  `compare`) renders two or more images side by side, each with its own
+  label/description and tap-to-zoom; images aspect-fit so differing shapes
+  don't distort. (T-319)
 - **Phosphor glyph cards.** `clide icon show gear folder` (or `--file` entries
   with label/description/color) renders glyphs in the conversation at a hero
   size plus a real-UI-size strip (10–48), for previewing and comparing icons.
diff --git a/lib/builtin/claude/src/conversation_view.dart b/lib/builtin/claude/src/conversation_view.dart
index 693beac5..01666950 100644
--- a/lib/builtin/claude/src/conversation_view.dart
+++ b/lib/builtin/claude/src/conversation_view.dart
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ library;
 import 'dart:async';
 import 'dart:convert';
 import 'dart:io';
+import 'dart:typed_data' show Uint8List;
+import 'dart:ui' as ui;
 
 import 'package:clide/builtin/claude/src/activity_cluster.dart';
 import 'package:clide/builtin/claude/src/bash_tail_source.dart';
@@ -24,6 +26,7 @@ import 'package:clide/builtin/claude/src/image_thumbnail.dart';
 import 'package:clide/builtin/claude/src/prompt_card.dart';
 import 'package:clide/builtin/claude/src/transcript_reader.dart';
 import 'package:clide/src/svg/svg_document.dart' show buildSvgDocument;
+import 'package:clide/src/svg/svg_node.dart' show SvgDocument;
 import 'package:clide/widgets/src/draw/drawing_card.dart';
 import 'package:clide/widgets/src/svg/svg_painter.dart' show SvgView;
 import 'package:clide/builtin/claude/src/workflow_run.dart';
@@ -714,25 +717,17 @@ class _ConversationTurn extends StatelessWidget {
   /// CustomPaint engine (D-103), display-only per D-78, with an optional
   /// label/description caption.
   Widget _drawing(BuildContext context, DrawingMessage m) {
-    final doc = buildSvgDocument(m.svg);
     return ConversationCard(
       accent: tokens.globalTextMuted,
       label: ClideSettings.i18n.string(context, 'conversation.label.drawing', namespace: 'builtin.claude', placeholder: 'drawing'),
-      body: DrawingCard(
-        document: doc,
+      body: _DrawingWithImages(
+        doc: buildSvgDocument(m.svg),
         label: m.label,
         description: m.description,
         source: m.source,
         sourceLabel: m.source == null
             ? null
             : ClideSettings.i18n.string(context, 'conversation.draw.viewSource', namespace: 'builtin.claude', placeholder: 'view d2 source'),
-        // A data-lightbox element opens the whole drawing, zoomable (T-318).
-        onLightbox: () => ClideKernel.of(context).dialog.show<Object>(
-          (ctx, dismiss) => ClideLightbox(
-            onDismiss: dismiss,
-            child: SvgView(document: doc),
-          ),
-        ),
       ),
     );
   }
@@ -1336,3 +1331,99 @@ String _summarizeActivity(BuildContext context, ConversationItem item) {
       return '${label('conversation.label.icon', 'icons')} ${entries.map((e) => e.name).join(', ')}';
   }
 }
+
+/// Decode every annotated `<image>` href in [doc] into a `ui.Image` (T-319) —
+/// the resolver the renderer + lightbox paint through. A missing/undecodable
+/// file is skipped (its cell paints empty), never thrown. [load] (read bytes)
+/// and [decode] are injectable so the path is testable off the real filesystem.
+Future<Map<String, ui.Image>> loadDrawingImages(
+  SvgDocument doc, {
+  Future<Uint8List?> Function(String path)? load,
+  Future<ui.Image> Function(Uint8List bytes)? decode,
+}) async {
+  final reader = load ?? _readFileBytes;
+  final decoder = decode ?? decodeImageFromList;
+  final out = <String, ui.Image>{};
+  for (final href in doc.annotations.map((a) => a.href).whereType<String>().toSet()) {
+    try {
+      final bytes = await reader(href);
+      if (bytes != null) out[href] = await decoder(bytes);
+    } catch (_) {
+      // Missing/undecodable — leave that cell empty.
+    }
+  }
+  return out;
+}
+
+Future<Uint8List?> _readFileBytes(String path) async {
+  try {
+    return await File(path).readAsBytes();
+  } catch (_) {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
+/// Wraps a [DrawingCard], loading any `<image>` hrefs the SVG references into
+/// `ui.Image`s first (T-319) — the renderer + lightbox both paint through the
+/// resolver. A drawing with no images (d2, raw svg) loads nothing and renders
+/// immediately; a missing/unreadable file is skipped (that cell paints empty).
+class _DrawingWithImages extends StatefulWidget {
+  const _DrawingWithImages({required this.doc, this.label, this.description, this.source, this.sourceLabel});
+
+  final SvgDocument doc;
+  final String? label, description, source, sourceLabel;
+
+  @override
+  State<_DrawingWithImages> createState() => _DrawingWithImagesState();
+}
+
+class _DrawingWithImagesState extends State<_DrawingWithImages> {
+  final Map<String, ui.Image> _images = {};
+
+  @override
+  void initState() {
+    super.initState();
+    _load();
+  }
+
+  Future<void> _load() async {
+    final imgs = await loadDrawingImages(widget.doc);
+    if (imgs.isEmpty) return;
+    if (!mounted) {
+      for (final img in imgs.values) {
+        img.dispose();
+      }
+      return;
+    }
+    setState(() => _images.addAll(imgs));
+  }
+
+  @override
+  void dispose() {
+    for (final img in _images.values) {
+      img.dispose();
+    }
+    super.dispose();
+  }
+
+  @override
+  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
+    final resolver = _images.isEmpty ? null : (String href) => _images[href];
+    return DrawingCard(
+      document: widget.doc,
+      images: resolver,
+      label: widget.label,
+      description: widget.description,
+      source: widget.source,
+      sourceLabel: widget.sourceLabel,
+      // A data-lightbox element opens the whole drawing, zoomable (T-318); the
+      // lightbox paints through the same image resolver (T-319).
+      onLightbox: () => ClideKernel.of(context).dialog.show<Object>(
+        (ctx, dismiss) => ClideLightbox(
+          onDismiss: dismiss,
+          child: SvgView(document: widget.doc, images: resolver),
+        ),
+      ),
+    );
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/main.dart b/lib/main.dart
index 93a6c131..567d759c 100644
--- a/lib/main.dart
+++ b/lib/main.dart
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ import 'package:clide/clide.dart' show clideVersion;
 import 'package:clide/src/daemon/claude_account_commands.dart';
 import 'package:clide/src/daemon/dispatcher.dart';
 import 'package:clide/src/daemon/draw_commands.dart';
+import 'package:clide/src/draw/compare_template.dart' show compareTemplateHandler;
 import 'package:clide/src/draw/d2_template.dart' show d2TemplateHandler;
 import 'package:clide/src/daemon/editor_commands.dart';
 import 'package:clide/src/daemon/files_commands.dart';
@@ -402,7 +403,17 @@ Future<void> main() async {
     registerDrawCommands(
       dispatcher,
       () => kernelMessages?.publish,
-      registry: DrawingRegistry()..register('d2', d2TemplateHandler()),
+      registry: DrawingRegistry()
+        ..register('d2', d2TemplateHandler())
+        ..register(
+          'compare',
+          compareTemplateHandler(
+            resolvePath: (path) {
+              final file = File(path.startsWith('/') ? path : '${workRoot.path}/$path');
+              return file.existsSync() ? file.absolute.path : null;
+            },
+          ),
+        ),
       readFile: (path) async {
         final file = File(path.startsWith('/') ? path : '${workRoot.path}/$path');
         try {
diff --git a/test/builtin/claude/drawing_images_test.dart b/test/builtin/claude/drawing_images_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5d5e6556
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/builtin/claude/drawing_images_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+/// T-319: loadDrawingImages decodes the annotated `<image>` hrefs a drawing
+/// card references, skipping files it can't read — the resolver the compare
+/// card and lightbox paint through.
+library;
+
+import 'dart:async';
+import 'dart:typed_data';
+import 'dart:ui' as ui;
+
+import 'package:clide/builtin/claude/src/conversation_view.dart' show loadDrawingImages;
+import 'package:clide/src/svg/svg_document.dart' show buildSvgDocument;
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+
+Future<ui.Image> _pixelImage() {
+  final c = Completer<ui.Image>();
+  ui.decodeImageFromPixels(Uint8List(4), 1, 1, ui.PixelFormat.rgba8888, c.complete);
+  return c.future;
+}
+
+void main() {
+  TestWidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();
+
+  test('decodes annotated image hrefs and skips a missing file', () async {
+    final img = await _pixelImage();
+    final doc = buildSvgDocument(
+      '<svg viewBox="0 0 40 10">'
+      '<image href="a.png" x="0" y="0" width="20" height="10" data-label="A"/>'
+      '<image href="gone.png" x="20" y="0" width="20" height="10" data-label="B"/>'
+      '</svg>',
+    );
+    final imgs = await loadDrawingImages(
+      doc,
+      load: (p) async => p == 'a.png' ? Uint8List(4) : null, // gone.png → null → skipped
+      decode: (_) async => img,
+    );
+    expect(imgs.keys.toList(), ['a.png']);
+    expect(imgs['a.png'], same(img));
+    img.dispose();
+  });
+
+  test('a doc with no image references loads nothing', () async {
+    final doc = buildSvgDocument('<svg viewBox="0 0 10 10"><rect width="10" height="10" data-label="x"/></svg>');
+    expect(await loadDrawingImages(doc, load: (_) async => Uint8List(4)), isEmpty);
+  });
+}