diff --git a/frontend/src/arthur/ui/stage.cljs b/frontend/src/arthur/ui/stage.cljs
index 6237972..14598ac 100644
--- a/frontend/src/arthur/ui/stage.cljs
+++ b/frontend/src/arthur/ui/stage.cljs
@@ -266,10 +266,19 @@
   made. On a node that draws nothing — a peg — there is no box and the cross
   marks its own origin, which is what it turns about.
 
-  AN INDICATOR AND NOT A HANDLE. There is nothing to drag it to: no pivot is
-  stored, so moving it could only mean something for the next drag and would be
-  gone by the one after. A pivot that has to persist is a peg, which is a node,
-  and is moved and keyed as any other node is."
+  THE CROSS IS NOT A HANDLE FOR THE PIVOT. There is nothing to drag it to: no
+  pivot is stored, so moving it could only mean something for the next drag and
+  would be gone by the one after. A pivot that has to persist is a peg.
+
+  A PEG GETS A ROSETTE INSTEAD OF A BOX, and it has to get something: it draws
+  nothing, so it has no bounds to hang handles on — and the stage's other way in,
+  dragging what is under the pointer, is `pick/choose` on the DRAWN ops, which
+  never returns a node that draws nothing. Without this a peg could be made and
+  then only be typed at in the inspector, which is not a pivot anybody would use.
+  So the handles fall back to a fixed-size cluster about its own origin: the cross
+  moves it, a knob turns it, four corners scale it. FIXED SIZE, in stage pixels,
+  because there is no drawing to be proportional to — the same reason the ghost's
+  cross is always drawn at a fixed size."
   [ctx]
   (let [{:keys [world bounds]} @(rf/subscribe [::sub/selected-placement])
         [_ _ _ path] @(rf/subscribe [::sub/selection])
@@ -287,7 +296,7 @@
                    (begin! ctx kind path (xy svg event (:w ctx) (:h ctx))))))]
     (when world
       [:g.handles
-       (when-let [[x0 y0 x1 y1] bounds]
+       (if-let [[x0 y0 x1 y1] bounds]
          (let [corners (partition 2 (through world [x0 y0 x1 y0 x1 y1 x0 y1]))
                [cx cy tx ty] (through world [(/ (+ x0 x1) 2) (/ (+ y0 y1) 2) (/ (+ x0 x1) 2) y0])
                len     (max 1e-6 (js/Math.hypot (- tx cx) (- ty cy)))
@@ -300,9 +309,25 @@
              (for [[i [x y]] (map-indexed vector corners)]
                ^{:key i}
                [:rect.corner {:x (- x 1.8) :y (- y 1.8) :width 3.6 :height 3.6
-                              :on-pointer-down (grab :scale)}]))]))
-       [:path.pivot {:d (str "M " (- px 3) " " py " H " (+ px 3)
-                             " M " px " " (- py 3) " V " (+ py 3))}]])))
+                              :on-pointer-down (grab :scale)}]))])
+         ;; A peg. Same three gestures, hung on nothing.
+         (let [r 7]
+           [:<>
+            [:line.knob-arm {:x1 px :y1 (- py r) :x2 px :y2 (- py r 8)}]
+            [:circle.knob {:cx px :cy (- py r 8) :r 2.2 :on-pointer-down (grab :turn)}]
+            (doall
+             (for [[i [x y]] (map-indexed vector [[(- px r) (- py r)] [(+ px r) (- py r)]
+                                                  [(+ px r) (+ py r)] [(- px r) (+ py r)]])]
+               ^{:key i}
+               [:rect.corner {:x (- x 1.8) :y (- y 1.8) :width 3.6 :height 3.6
+                              :on-pointer-down (grab :scale)}]))
+            ;; What moves a peg. A transparent disc rather than the cross itself,
+            ;; because `.pivot` is `pointer-events: none` — it is a mark on the
+            ;; picture in every other case and must not eat a click meant for the
+            ;; shape under it.
+            [:circle.peg-grab {:cx px :cy py :r r :on-pointer-down (grab :move)}]]))
+       [:path.pivot {:d (str "M " (- px 4) " " py " H " (+ px 4)
+                             " M " px " " (- py 4) " V " (+ py 4))}]])))
 
 (defn- group-handles [ctx placements]
   (let [boxes (keep stage-bounds placements)]
diff --git a/frontend/test/browser/peg.mjs b/frontend/test/browser/peg.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2bd1543
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/test/browser/peg.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+// Browser smoke test for pegs: a peg is made over a shape, nothing moves, and
+// the stage gives it handles that actually drag.
+//
+// WHAT A UNIT TEST CANNOT SEE. A peg is a `:group`, so it draws nothing, and
+// both of the stage's ways in key off a DRAWN op: `pick/choose` hit-tests the
+// ops, and `handles` hangs its box, corners and knob off `pick/bounds-of`. So a
+// peg was selectable only from a timeline row and had nothing to grab — the
+// pivot that `gesture/refusal` tells you to make was unusable on the stage, and
+// every assertion about the maths still passed. Hence this: the handles are
+// asserted as DOM, with real pointer events through them.
+//
+// Uses an in-memory fixture and performs no server-side writes.
+import { spawn } from 'node:child_process';
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
+import { join } from 'node:path';
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+
+const url = process.env.ARTHUR_URL ?? 'http://localhost:8778/';
+const profile = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'arthur-peg-'));
+const port = 9341;
+const chrome = spawn(process.env.CHROME ?? '/usr/bin/chromium', [
+  '--headless=new', '--no-sandbox', '--disable-gpu', '--no-first-run',
+  '--no-default-browser-check', '--mute-audio', '--window-size=1440,1000',
+  `--user-data-dir=${profile}`, `--remote-debugging-port=${port}`, url,
+], { stdio: 'ignore' });
+const sleep = ms => new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, ms));
+let ws, id = 0;
+const pending = new Map();
+const send = (method, params) => new Promise(res => {
+  const n = ++id; pending.set(n, res);
+  ws.send(JSON.stringify({ id: n, method, params }));
+});
+const evalJS = async expr => {
+  const r = await send('Runtime.evaluate',
+    { expression: `(function(){${expr}})()`, returnByValue: true, awaitPromise: true });
+  if (r.exceptionDetails) throw new Error(r.exceptionDetails.exception?.description ?? JSON.stringify(r.exceptionDetails));
+  return r.result.value;
+};
+let failures = 0;
+const ok = (cond, what, extra = '') => {
+  console.log(`  ${cond ? 'ok  ' : 'FAIL'} ${what}${extra ? ' — ' + extra : ''}`);
+  if (!cond) failures++;
+};
+
+try {
+  let target;
+  for (let i = 0; i < 100 && !target; i++) {
+    await sleep(100);
+    try {
+      target = (await fetch(`http://127.0.0.1:${port}/json/list`).then(r => r.json()))
+        .find(t => t.type === 'page' && t.url.startsWith(url));
+    } catch {}
+  }
+  assert(target, 'editor page');
+  ws = new WebSocket(target.webSocketDebuggerUrl);
+  await new Promise(r => ws.addEventListener('open', r));
+  ws.addEventListener('message', e => {
+    const m = JSON.parse(e.data);
+    if (m.id && pending.has(m.id)) { pending.get(m.id)(m.result); pending.delete(m.id); }
+  });
+  await send('Runtime.enable');
+  await send('Page.enable');
+  for (let i = 0; i < 160; i++) {
+    if (await evalJS('return !!(window.cljs && window.re_frame && window.arthur)')) break;
+    await sleep(250);
+  }
+
+  // Local route, a turned+scaled shape in :main, selected.
+  const setup = await evalJS(`
+    const c = cljs.core, k = c.keyword, v = c.vector, m = c.hash_map;
+    c.swap_BANG_(re_frame.db.app_db, db => c.assoc(db, k('route'), k('local-test')));
+    const blank = arthur.domain.clip.blank();
+    let doc = arthur.domain.paint.new_shape(blank, k('main'), k('shape'), 0,
+                v(100, 80, 140, 80, 140, 110, 100, 110), k('brow'));
+    doc = c.update_in(doc, v(k('symbols'), k('main'), k('nodes'), k('shape'), k('channels')),
+            ch => c.merge(ch, m(v(k('xform'), k('rot')), arthur.domain.channel.framed(0.4),
+                                v(k('xform'), k('scale')), arthur.domain.channel.framed(v(1.5, 0.75)))));
+    const entry = m(k('clip'), doc, k('store'), m());
+    const cid = arthur.footage.store.install_BANG_(entry, 'peg-probe');
+    c.swap_BANG_(re_frame.db.app_db, db =>
+      c.assoc(c.assoc_in(db, v(k('ui'), k('open')), k('main')),
+              k('clip/current'), cid, k('paint/revision'), 0));
+    re_frame.core.dispatch_sync(v(k('arthur.events.ui/select'),
+      v(k('node'), k('main'), k('shape'), v(k('shape')))));
+    return {cid: String(cid)};
+  `);
+  console.log('setup:', JSON.stringify(setup));
+  await sleep(600);
+
+  const before = await evalJS(`
+    const c = cljs.core, k = c.keyword, v = c.vector;
+    const db = c.deref(re_frame.db.app_db);
+    const e = arthur.footage.store.entry(c.get(db, k('clip/current')));
+    const res = arthur.domain.clip.resolver(c.get(e,k('clip')), k('main'), c.get(e,k('store')),
+                                            arthur.domain.palette.index_of, null);
+    const ops = res.call(null, 0);
+    return Array.from(c.get(c.first(ops), k('pts')));
+  `);
+  ok(Array.isArray(before) && before.length === 8, 'the shape draws before the peg', JSON.stringify(before));
+
+  // Add the peg, exactly as the menu item does.
+  const made = await evalJS(`
+    const c = cljs.core, k = c.keyword, v = c.vector;
+    re_frame.core.dispatch_sync(v(k('arthur.events.ui/peg'), v(k('shape'))));
+    const db = c.deref(re_frame.db.app_db);
+    const e = arthur.footage.store.entry(c.get(db, k('clip/current')));
+    const doc = c.get(e, k('clip'));
+    const nodes = c.get_in(doc, v(k('symbols'), k('main'), k('nodes')));
+    const shape = c.get(nodes, k('shape'));
+    const pegId = c.get(shape, k('parent'));
+    const peg = c.get(nodes, pegId);
+    const res = arthur.domain.clip.resolver(doc, k('main'), c.get(e,k('store')),
+                                            arthur.domain.palette.index_of, null);
+    const sel = c.clj__GT_js(c.get_in(db, v(k('ui'), k('selection'))));
+    return {
+      kind: String(c.get(peg, k('kind'))),
+      pegPos: c.clj__GT_js(c.get_in(peg, v(k('channels'), v(k('xform'),k('pos')), k('value')))),
+      hasPinv: !!c.get(shape, k('pinv')),
+      pts: Array.from(c.get(c.first(res.call(null, 0)), k('pts'))),
+      selection: sel ? sel.map(String) : null,
+      problems: c.clj__GT_js(arthur.domain.clip.problems(doc)),
+    };
+  `);
+  ok(made.kind === ':group', 'the peg is a group', made.kind);
+  ok(made.hasPinv, 'the child got a :pinv');
+  ok((made.problems ?? []).length === 0, 'the document still validates', JSON.stringify(made.problems));
+  const moved = Math.max(...before.map((b, i) => Math.abs(b - made.pts[i])));
+  ok(moved < 1e-9, 'nothing moved when the peg appeared', `max drift ${moved}`);
+  ok(String(made.selection?.[2]) !== ':shape', 'the peg is selected afterwards', JSON.stringify(made.selection));
+  console.log('peg pos:', JSON.stringify(made.pegPos));
+
+  await sleep(700);
+  // THE BIT THAT UNIT TESTS CANNOT SEE: does the stage render grabbable handles?
+  const dom = await evalJS(`
+    const q = s => document.querySelector(s);
+    const g = q('.paint-overlay .handles');
+    const grab = q('.paint-overlay .handles .peg-grab');
+    const r = grab && grab.getBoundingClientRect();
+    return {
+      handles: !!g,
+      pegGrab: !!grab,
+      pegGrabEvents: grab ? getComputedStyle(grab).pointerEvents : null,
+      knobs: document.querySelectorAll('.paint-overlay .handles .knob').length,
+      corners: document.querySelectorAll('.paint-overlay .handles .corner').length,
+      boxes: document.querySelectorAll('.paint-overlay .handles .box').length,
+      rect: r ? {x: r.x + r.width/2, y: r.y + r.height/2, w: r.width} : null,
+    };
+  `);
+  console.log('dom:', JSON.stringify(dom));
+  ok(dom.handles, 'the stage draws handles for the selected peg');
+  ok(dom.pegGrab, 'there is a .peg-grab to drag it by');
+  ok(dom.pegGrabEvents && dom.pegGrabEvents !== 'none', 'and it accepts pointer events', String(dom.pegGrabEvents));
+  ok(dom.knobs === 1, 'a turn knob', String(dom.knobs));
+  ok(dom.corners === 4, 'four scale corners', String(dom.corners));
+  ok(dom.boxes === 0, 'and no box, because a peg draws nothing', String(dom.boxes));
+
+  // Drag it, through real pointer events on that element.
+  if (dom.rect) {
+    const { x, y } = dom.rect;
+    for (const [type, dx] of [['mousePressed', 0], ['mouseMoved', 18], ['mouseMoved', 36], ['mouseReleased', 36]]) {
+      await send('Input.dispatchMouseEvent', {
+        type, x: x + dx, y, button: 'left', buttons: 1, clickCount: 1, pointerType: 'mouse',
+      });
+      await sleep(80);
+    }
+    await sleep(400);
+    const after = await evalJS(`
+      const c = cljs.core, k = c.keyword, v = c.vector;
+      const db = c.deref(re_frame.db.app_db);
+      const e = arthur.footage.store.entry(c.get(db, k('clip/current')));
+      const doc = c.get(e, k('clip'));
+      const nodes = c.get_in(doc, v(k('symbols'), k('main'), k('nodes')));
+      const pegId = c.get(c.get(nodes, k('shape')), k('parent'));
+      const res = arthur.domain.clip.resolver(doc, k('main'), c.get(e,k('store')),
+                                              arthur.domain.palette.index_of, null);
+      return {pos: c.clj__GT_js(c.get_in(nodes, v(pegId, k('channels'), v(k('xform'),k('pos')), k('value')))),
+              pts: Array.from(c.get(c.first(res.call(null, 0)), k('pts')))};
+    `);
+    const dx = after.pts[0] - made.pts[0];
+    const dy = after.pts[1] - made.pts[1];
+    console.log('after drag: peg pos', JSON.stringify(after.pos), 'child moved by', dx.toFixed(3), dy.toFixed(3));
+    ok(dx > 2, 'dragging the peg cross moved its child', `dx=${dx.toFixed(3)}`);
+    ok(Math.abs(dy) < 1.5, 'and only horizontally, as dragged', `dy=${dy.toFixed(3)}`);
+  }
+  console.log(failures ? `\n${failures} FAILED` : '\nPASS: a peg can be made, selected, and dragged on the stage');
+} finally {
+  if (ws) ws.close();
+  chrome.kill();
+  try {
+    rmSync(profile, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  } catch (error) {
+    if (error.code !== 'ENOTEMPTY') throw error;
+  }
+}
+if (failures) process.exitCode = 1;
diff --git a/static/arthur/app.css b/static/arthur/app.css
index 4ae29f5..6a75457 100644
--- a/static/arthur/app.css
+++ b/static/arthur/app.css
@@ -1425,6 +1425,8 @@ button.share-button:hover, button.share-button.on { filter: brightness(1.1); }
 .paint-overlay .handles .knob { fill: #161820; stroke: #fff1be; stroke-width: 0.6; cursor: grab; }
 .paint-overlay .handles .corner { fill: #fff1be; stroke: #161820; stroke-width: 0.5; cursor: nwse-resize; }
 .paint-overlay .handles .pivot { stroke: #fff1be; stroke-width: 0.6; pointer-events: none; }
+/* A peg draws nothing, so the cross is the only thing to grab it by. */
+.paint-overlay .handles .peg-grab { fill: transparent; stroke: none; cursor: move; }
 .paint-overlay .marquee { fill: rgba(230, 202, 139, 0.12); stroke: #e6ca8b; stroke-width: 0.6; stroke-dasharray: 2 1; pointer-events: none; }
 
 /* The creation-target outline and its name tag. Solid, no handles, and a tag pinned just