Image attachments for character and location reference cards

[smith-and-web]

Summary

Allow attaching images (portraits, location photos, maps) to reference cards. Visual references are standard in fiction writing tools, especially for fantasy/sci-fi writers with complex worldbuilding.

Competitive Context

• Plottr: Character images, location images
• Campfire: Images on all entity types, including maps
• Novelcrafter: Codex supports character portraits
• Scrivener: Document-level images and reference images

Writers often have character art, location inspiration photos, or hand-drawn maps they want visible while drafting. This is expected functionality in the genre.

Scope

• Allow attaching one or more images to any reference (character, location, item, objective, organization)
• Images stored locally in the project data directory (file references in SQLite, not base64 blobs)
• Display primary image as thumbnail on reference card in the references panel
• Expandable image view on click
• Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP

Technical Notes

• New reference_images table: id, reference_type, reference_id, file_path, position, is_primary
• Images copied to a project-specific images/ directory alongside the SQLite database
• Snapshots should include image files (or at minimum record their paths)
• Consider lazy-loading thumbnails for performance with many images

Acceptance Criteria

• Attach images to any reference type
• Thumbnail displayed on reference card
• Click to expand full image
• Multiple images per reference with a primary image designation
• Images persist across sessions
• Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP