@@ -42,6 +42,20 @@ function sleep(ms, signal) {
   });
 }
 
+// The server reports 0% until its progress parser sees a counter, which can be
+// the whole job for a one-page upload. An empty bar looks like no progress at
+// all, so a zero is sent as indeterminate and the bar animates like a local
+// kernel stage that has no counter yet.
+function remoteProgress(stage, value) {
+  const percent = Math.min(100, Math.max(0, Number(value) || 0));
+  return {
+    stage: String(stage || 'Remote translation').slice(0, 200),
+    completed: percent,
+    total: 100,
+    percent: percent > 0 ? percent : null,
+  };
+}
+
 function taskId(record) {
   return String(record?.taskId ?? record?.task_id ?? '');
 }
@@ -192,6 +206,7 @@ export function createRemoteKernel({
       ...(service ? { service, next_service: service } : {}),
     };
     const deadline = now() + jobTimeoutMs;
+    onProgress?.(remoteProgress('Remote translation', 0));
     // An accepted job answers immediately, so a server that stays silent is stuck.
     const submitTimeout = AbortSignal.timeout(submitTimeoutMs);
     const response = await request(`${base}/translate`, {
@@ -225,15 +240,8 @@ export function createRemoteKernel({
             throw Error(`Remote translation failed: ${record.error || record.message || status}`);
           const list = record.result?.fileList ?? record.fileList;
           if (Array.isArray(list) && list.length && record.finished === true) files = list;
-          else if (record.finished !== true && Number.isFinite(Number(record.progress))) {
-            const percent = Math.min(100, Math.max(0, Number(record.progress)));
-            onProgress?.({
-              stage: String(record.message || 'Remote translation').slice(0, 200),
-              completed: percent,
-              total: 100,
-              percent,
-            });
-          }
+          else if (record.finished !== true)
+            onProgress?.(remoteProgress(record.message, record.progress));
         }
         if (!files) await sleep(pollIntervalMs, signal);
       }
 
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ async function pdf(pages = 2) {
 // Speaks the zotero-pdf2zh protocol and "translates" by echoing the upload.
 async function fakeServer(
   t,
-  { health = { status: 'ok', version: '2.4.3' }, fail = false, stall = '' } = {},
+  { health = { status: 'ok', version: '2.4.3' }, fail = false, stall = '', running = [] } = {},
 ) {
   const files = new Map();
   const history = [];
@@ -35,7 +35,22 @@ async function fakeServer(
     };
     if (req.url === '/health') return send(200, health);
     if (stall === 'poll' && req.url.startsWith('/api/')) return;
-    if (req.url === '/api/tasks') return send(200, { status: 'success', tasks: [] });
+    if (req.url === '/api/tasks') {
+      const [progress] = running.splice(0, 1);
+      const tasks =
+        progress === undefined
+          ? []
+          : [
+              {
+                taskId: `task-${history.length}`,
+                finished: false,
+                status: 'running',
+                progress,
+                message: 'translate 0/100',
+              },
+            ];
+      return send(200, { status: 'success', tasks });
+    }
     if (req.url === '/api/history') return send(200, { status: 'success', history });
     if (req.url.startsWith('/translatedFile/')) {
       const name = decodeURIComponent(req.url.slice('/translatedFile/'.length));
@@ -284,3 +299,28 @@ test('runner keeps the Fast kernel and cache-only misses off the remote server',
   assert.equal(await data.translate({ remoteKernel, cacheOnly: true }), null);
   assert.equal(server.requests.length, 0);
 });
+
+test('a remote job stuck at 0% reports indeterminate progress, then real percentages', async (t) => {
+  const server = await fakeServer(t, { running: [0, 0, 40] });
+  const kernel = createRemoteKernel({ pollIntervalMs: 10 });
+  const events = [];
+  await kernel.translatePage({
+    url: server.url,
+    bytes: await pdf(),
+    page: 1,
+    language: 'zh',
+    onProgress: (progress) => events.push(progress),
+  });
+  assert.equal(events[0].percent, null);
+  assert.ok(events.length >= 3);
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    events.map((event) => event.percent),
+    [null, null, null, 40].slice(0, events.length),
+  );
+  assert.deepEqual(events.at(-1), {
+    stage: 'translate 0/100',
+    completed: 40,
+    total: 100,
+    percent: 40,
+  });
+});