diff --git a/app/(app)/promote/[id]/page.tsx b/app/(app)/promote/[id]/page.tsx
index c02a00fa..7adcaea0 100644
--- a/app/(app)/promote/[id]/page.tsx
+++ b/app/(app)/promote/[id]/page.tsx
@@ -162,7 +162,9 @@ export default async function PromoteDetailPage({ params }: Props) {
                         p.status === "posted" ? "badge-pass" : p.status === "failed" ? "badge-fail" : ""
                       }`}
                     >
-                      {p.status}
+                      {/* Cookie-auth posts land as 'pending' until the browser
+                          worker publishes and reconciles the real outcome. */}
+                      {p.status === "pending" ? "posting…" : p.status}
                     </span>
                     {p.provider && (
                       <span className="text-xs text-[var(--color-muted)]">via {p.provider}</span>
diff --git a/lib/promote/reconcilePromo.ts b/lib/promote/reconcilePromo.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1f67773f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/promote/reconcilePromo.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+// Reconcile a Promote (promo_post) row once its cookie-auth (browser) post
+// settles in the Playwright worker.
+//
+// Cookie-auth posts are only *enqueued* by the sweep, which records the
+// promo_post as 'pending' with a link to the sp_post (sp_post_id). The worker
+// is where the post actually publishes or fails, so it's where we flip the
+// promo_post to its real status, fill in the public post_url, and refund the
+// credit for a post that never landed. No-op for sp_posts that didn't
+// originate from Promote (no linked promo_post row).
+
+import type { SupabaseClient } from "@supabase/supabase-js";
+
+export async function reconcilePromo(
+  supabase: SupabaseClient<any>,
+  postId: string,
+  outcome: "posted" | "failed",
+  opts: { postUrl?: string | null; platformPostId?: string | null; error?: string | null } = {},
+): Promise<void> {
+  const { data: promo } = await supabase
+    .from("promo_post")
+    .select("id, status, credits_spent, promo_list(user_id)")
+    .eq("sp_post_id", postId)
+    .maybeSingle();
+  if (!promo) return; // not a promote-originated post
+
+  // Only reconcile a still-pending row (keeps this idempotent if it re-runs).
+  if (promo.status !== "pending") return;
+
+  if (outcome === "posted") {
+    await supabase
+      .from("promo_post")
+      .update({
+        status: "posted",
+        post_url: opts.postUrl || null,
+        external_post_id: opts.platformPostId || null,
+        posted_at: new Date().toISOString(),
+        error: null,
+      })
+      .eq("id", promo.id);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Failed: refund the up-front credit, then mark failed. Zeroing credits_spent
+  // keeps the refund idempotent if this somehow re-runs.
+  const spent = (promo.credits_spent as number | null) ?? 0;
+  // PostgREST embeds a many-to-one relation as an object (or array in some
+  // client typings) — normalize.
+  const list = Array.isArray(promo.promo_list) ? promo.promo_list[0] : promo.promo_list;
+  const ownerId = (list as { user_id?: string } | null)?.user_id;
+  if (spent > 0 && ownerId) {
+    await supabase.rpc("consume_credit", { p_owner: ownerId, p_count: -spent });
+  }
+  await supabase
+    .from("promo_post")
+    .update({ status: "failed", error: opts.error ?? null, credits_spent: 0 })
+    .eq("id", promo.id);
+}
diff --git a/lib/promote/sweep.ts b/lib/promote/sweep.ts
index 0791b3c9..0a5173f1 100644
--- a/lib/promote/sweep.ts
+++ b/lib/promote/sweep.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@ export type PromoteSweepResult = {
   postsAttempted: number;
   postsSucceeded: number;
   postsFailed: number;
+  // Cookie-auth posts enqueued this sweep but not yet published (reconciled
+  // later by the worker).
+  postsPending: number;
   listsPaused: number;
 };
 
@@ -63,6 +66,7 @@ export async function processDuePromoteLists(
     postsAttempted: 0,
     postsSucceeded: 0,
     postsFailed: 0,
+    postsPending: 0,
     listsPaused: 0,
   };
 
@@ -98,6 +102,7 @@ export async function processDuePromoteLists(
       result.postsAttempted += r.attempted;
       result.postsSucceeded += r.succeeded;
       result.postsFailed += r.failed;
+      result.postsPending += r.pending;
       if (r.paused) result.listsPaused++;
     } catch (err) {
       console.error(
@@ -123,8 +128,8 @@ async function processOneList(
   supabase: SupabaseClient<any>,
   list: PromoList,
   clients: PromoteSweepClients,
-): Promise<{ attempted: number; succeeded: number; failed: number; paused: boolean }> {
-  const out = { attempted: 0, succeeded: 0, failed: 0, paused: false };
+): Promise<{ attempted: number; succeeded: number; failed: number; pending: number; paused: boolean }> {
+  const out = { attempted: 0, succeeded: 0, failed: 0, pending: 0, paused: false };
 
   // Resolve accounts
   const accounts = await resolveAccounts(supabase, list);
@@ -238,7 +243,12 @@ async function processOneList(
         source: "manual", // reuse existing source type
       });
 
-      // Record the promo_post
+      // Cookie-auth posts (reddit/instagram/mastodon/x/linkedin/facebook/threads)
+      // are only *enqueued* here — the Playwright worker publishes later. Record
+      // them as 'pending' with a link to the sp_post so the worker can reconcile
+      // the real URL/status (and refund on failure). Only synchronous API posts
+      // (bluesky/telegram/discord + OAuth reddit/mastodon) are 'posted' now.
+      const isPending = postResult.ok && postResult.pending === true;
       await supabase.from("promo_post").insert({
         list_id: list.id,
         link_id: targetLink.id,
@@ -247,23 +257,27 @@ async function processOneList(
         body: pitch.body,
         provider: pitch.provider,
         model: pitch.model,
-        status: postResult.ok ? "posted" : "failed",
-        external_post_id: postResult.ok ? postResult.platformPostId : null,
-        post_url: postResult.ok ? postResult.webUrl || null : null,
+        status: !postResult.ok ? "failed" : isPending ? "pending" : "posted",
+        external_post_id: postResult.ok && !isPending ? postResult.platformPostId : null,
+        post_url: postResult.ok && !isPending ? postResult.webUrl || null : null,
         error: postResult.ok ? null : postResult.error,
         credits_spent: 1,
-        posted_at: postResult.ok ? new Date().toISOString() : null,
+        posted_at: postResult.ok && !isPending ? new Date().toISOString() : null,
+        sp_post_id: postResult.ok && isPending ? postResult.postId : null,
       });
 
-      if (postResult.ok) {
-        out.succeeded++;
-      } else {
+      if (!postResult.ok) {
         out.failed++;
-        // Refund credit on post failure
+        // Synchronous failure — refund the credit now. (Async cookie failures
+        // are refunded later by reconcilePromo in the worker.)
         await supabase.rpc("consume_credit", {
           p_owner: list.user_id,
           p_count: -1,
         });
+      } else if (isPending) {
+        out.pending++;
+      } else {
+        out.succeeded++;
       }
     } catch (err) {
       out.failed++;
diff --git a/lib/sp/browserPost.ts b/lib/sp/browserPost.ts
index 448d4c19..e2e748cc 100644
--- a/lib/sp/browserPost.ts
+++ b/lib/sp/browserPost.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ import {
   type ImageStylePref,
 } from "@/lib/sp/imageGen";
 import { reconcileOutreach } from "@/lib/sp/outreachReconcile";
+import { reconcilePromo } from "@/lib/promote/reconcilePromo";
 import { pickDefaultSubreddit } from "@/lib/sp/redditSubreddit";
 import { makeCodeWaiter } from "@/lib/sp/verificationChallenge";
 
@@ -176,6 +177,10 @@ export async function processBrowserPost(args: {
       auth_mode: "cookie",
     });
     await reconcileOutreach(supabase, postId, "sent", null);
+    await reconcilePromo(supabase, postId, "posted", {
+      postUrl: result.webUrl,
+      platformPostId: result.platformPostId,
+    });
     console.log(`[browser-post] ${postId} published to ${account.platform} → ${result.webUrl}`);
   } catch (err) {
     const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
@@ -230,4 +235,5 @@ async function fail(
     auth_mode: "cookie",
   });
   await reconcileOutreach(supabase, postId, "failed", message);
+  await reconcilePromo(supabase, postId, "failed", { error: message });
 }
diff --git a/lib/sp/post.ts b/lib/sp/post.ts
index 18a9a6b7..dcab8f8b 100644
--- a/lib/sp/post.ts
+++ b/lib/sp/post.ts
@@ -71,6 +71,11 @@ export type PostOk = {
   postId: string;
   webUrl: string;
   platformPostId: string;
+  // True when the post was only *enqueued* (cookie-auth → async Playwright
+  // worker) and hasn't actually published yet. Callers must not treat this as a
+  // completed post: webUrl/platformPostId are empty and the real outcome is
+  // reconciled later from the worker. Absent/false = published synchronously.
+  pending?: boolean;
 };
 export type PostErr = { ok: false; error: string };
 export type PostResult = PostOk | PostErr;
@@ -137,7 +142,9 @@ export async function postViaAccount(args: {
       return { ok: false, error: insErr?.message ?? "Could not queue post." };
     }
     await enqueueBrowserPost(row.id);
-    return { ok: true, postId: row.id, webUrl: "", platformPostId: "" };
+    // Only enqueued — the Playwright worker publishes later and the caller
+    // reconciles the real URL/status then. Not a completed post.
+    return { ok: true, postId: row.id, webUrl: "", platformPostId: "", pending: true };
   }
 
   let title: string | null = null;
diff --git a/supabase/migrations/20260717140000_promo_post_sp_link.sql b/supabase/migrations/20260717140000_promo_post_sp_link.sql
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a5cf5d97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/supabase/migrations/20260717140000_promo_post_sp_link.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+-- Link a promo_post to the sp_post it enqueued for cookie-auth (browser)
+-- platforms (reddit, instagram, mastodon, x, linkedin, facebook, threads).
+--
+-- Those platforms post asynchronously: postViaAccount only *queues* an sp_post
+-- and returns before the Playwright worker actually publishes. Until now the
+-- sweep marked the promo_post 'posted' at enqueue time with a null post_url —
+-- so the "View post" link was missing and a post that later failed (dead
+-- cookies / login wall) still read as posted. Storing the sp_post id lets the
+-- worker reconcile the real outcome (URL, posted/failed, credit refund) back
+-- onto the promo_post once the browser post settles.
+alter table public.promo_post
+  add column if not exists sp_post_id uuid references public.sp_post(id) on delete set null;
+
+create index if not exists promo_post_sp_post_idx on public.promo_post(sp_post_id);
diff --git a/tests/promote/reconcile-promo.test.ts b/tests/promote/reconcile-promo.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7eb45f8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/promote/reconcile-promo.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
+import { reconcilePromo } from "@/lib/promote/reconcilePromo";
+
+// Minimal chainable Supabase stub: select→eq→maybeSingle resolves `promo`;
+// update(payload)→eq resolves; rpc records the call.
+function makeSupabase(promo: unknown) {
+  const updates: Record<string, unknown>[] = [];
+  const rpcs: { name: string; args: unknown }[] = [];
+  const client = {
+    from() {
+      return {
+        select() {
+          return this;
+        },
+        eq() {
+          return this;
+        },
+        maybeSingle() {
+          return Promise.resolve({ data: promo, error: null });
+        },
+        update(payload: Record<string, unknown>) {
+          updates.push(payload);
+          return { eq: () => Promise.resolve({ error: null }) };
+        },
+      };
+    },
+    rpc(name: string, args: unknown) {
+      rpcs.push({ name, args });
+      return Promise.resolve({ error: null });
+    },
+  };
+  // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
+  return { client: client as any, updates, rpcs };
+}
+
+describe("reconcilePromo", () => {
+  it("posted → fills the real URL + marks posted, no refund", async () => {
+    const { client, updates, rpcs } = makeSupabase({
+      id: "p1",
+      status: "pending",
+      credits_spent: 1,
+      promo_list: { user_id: "u1" },
+    });
+
+    await reconcilePromo(client, "sp1", "posted", {
+      postUrl: "https://reddit.com/r/x/comments/abc",
+      platformPostId: "t3_abc",
+    });
+
+    expect(rpcs).toHaveLength(0);
+    expect(updates).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(updates[0]).toMatchObject({
+      status: "posted",
+      post_url: "https://reddit.com/r/x/comments/abc",
+      external_post_id: "t3_abc",
+      error: null,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("failed → refunds the credit and marks failed", async () => {
+    const { client, updates, rpcs } = makeSupabase({
+      id: "p1",
+      status: "pending",
+      credits_spent: 1,
+      promo_list: { user_id: "u1" },
+    });
+
+    await reconcilePromo(client, "sp1", "failed", { error: "Login wall: session expired" });
+
+    expect(rpcs).toEqual([{ name: "consume_credit", args: { p_owner: "u1", p_count: -1 } }]);
+    expect(updates[0]).toMatchObject({ status: "failed", credits_spent: 0, error: "Login wall: session expired" });
+  });
+
+  it("is a no-op when the row is no longer pending (idempotent)", async () => {
+    const { client, updates, rpcs } = makeSupabase({
+      id: "p1",
+      status: "posted",
+      credits_spent: 1,
+      promo_list: { user_id: "u1" },
+    });
+
+    await reconcilePromo(client, "sp1", "failed", { error: "late failure" });
+
+    expect(updates).toHaveLength(0);
+    expect(rpcs).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+
+  it("is a no-op for an sp_post with no linked promo_post", async () => {
+    const { client, updates, rpcs } = makeSupabase(null);
+
+    await reconcilePromo(client, "sp-not-promo", "posted", { postUrl: "https://x" });
+
+    expect(updates).toHaveLength(0);
+    expect(rpcs).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/worker/index.ts b/worker/index.ts
index b8a287cc..dd76019d 100644
--- a/worker/index.ts
+++ b/worker/index.ts
@@ -1280,7 +1280,7 @@ async function promoteSweep() {
   const r = await processDuePromoteLists(supabase, { anthropic, openai });
   if (r.postsAttempted > 0) {
     console.log(
-      `[worker] promote sweep lists=${r.listsProcessed} attempted=${r.postsAttempted} ok=${r.postsSucceeded} fail=${r.postsFailed} paused=${r.listsPaused}`,
+      `[worker] promote sweep lists=${r.listsProcessed} attempted=${r.postsAttempted} ok=${r.postsSucceeded} pending=${r.postsPending} fail=${r.postsFailed} paused=${r.listsPaused}`,
     );
   }
 }