diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index be14567..11ebab2 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -72,6 +72,8 @@ LOCAL_WHISPER_API_KEY=not-needed
 LOCAL_WHISPER_MODEL=Systran/faster-whisper-base
 REMOTE_WHISPER_MODEL=Systran/faster-whisper-base
 TRANSCRIPTION_TIMEOUT=600
+# Must be greater than TRANSCRIPTION_TIMEOUT so long Whisper jobs are not re-queued mid-run
+DB_QUEUE_RETRY_AFTER=660
 
 # Host port for docker compose whisper service
 WHISPER_HOST_PORT=8090
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d771c0d..00621da 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -90,8 +90,11 @@ Copy values from `.env.example`. The transcription-related settings are:
 | `REMOTE_WHISPER_MODEL` | Model name for Ollama-host transcription |
 | `WHISPER_HOST_PORT` | Host port published by Compose (default `8090`) |
 | `TRANSCRIPTION_TIMEOUT` | Job/HTTP timeout in seconds (default `600`) |
+| `DB_QUEUE_RETRY_AFTER` | Database queue retry window; must exceed `TRANSCRIPTION_TIMEOUT` (default `660`) |
 | `QUEUE_CONNECTION` | Use `database` (default) so transcription runs in the background |
 
+Finished transcripts are stored on the recording (`transcript` column) and are included in the recordings search box (title, artist, album, filename, and transcript).
+
 Ensure `APP_URL` matches how you access the app (default `http://localhost:8000`).
 
 ## Running locally
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/CancelTranscriptionController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/CancelTranscriptionController.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5bfd55e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/CancelTranscriptionController.php
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Http\Controllers;
+
+use App\Models\Recording;
+use Illuminate\Http\RedirectResponse;
+
+class CancelTranscriptionController extends Controller
+{
+    /**
+     * Stop an in-progress or queued transcription.
+     */
+    public function __invoke(Recording $recording): RedirectResponse
+    {
+        if (! $recording->isTranscribing()) {
+            return back()->with('error', 'No transcription is currently running.');
+        }
+
+        $recording->cancelTranscription();
+
+        return back()->with('success', 'Transcription stopped.');
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/RecordingController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/RecordingController.php
index 95f08de..68b2b1e 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/RecordingController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/RecordingController.php
@@ -17,21 +17,23 @@ class RecordingController extends Controller
      */
     public function index(Request $request): View
     {
+        Recording::query()
+            ->whereIn('transcription_status', ['pending', 'processing'])
+            ->orderBy('id')
+            ->each(fn (Recording $recording) => $recording->recoverOrphanedTranscription());
+
         $query = Recording::query()->latest();
 
         if ($search = $request->string('q')->trim()->toString()) {
-            $query->where(function ($builder) use ($search) {
-                $builder->where('title', 'like', "%{$search}%")
-                    ->orWhere('artist', 'like', "%{$search}%")
-                    ->orWhere('album', 'like', "%{$search}%")
-                    ->orWhere('original_filename', 'like', "%{$search}%")
-                    ->orWhere('transcript', 'like', "%{$search}%");
-            });
+            $query->search($search);
         }
 
         $recordings = $query->paginate(20)->withQueryString();
 
-        return view('recordings.index', compact('recordings', 'search'));
+        return view('recordings.index', [
+            'recordings' => $recordings,
+            'search' => $search ?? '',
+        ]);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -77,6 +79,9 @@ class RecordingController extends Controller
      */
     public function show(Recording $recording): View
     {
+        $recording->recoverOrphanedTranscription();
+        $recording->refresh();
+
         return view('recordings.show', compact('recording'));
     }
 
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/TranscribeController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/TranscribeController.php
index 037b1f0..d6a4ba4 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/TranscribeController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/TranscribeController.php
@@ -11,11 +11,14 @@ class TranscribeController extends Controller
 {
     /**
      * Queue transcription for the recording with the chosen engine.
+     *
+     * Always allowed: stops any current run first, then starts the new engine.
      */
     public function __invoke(TranscribeRecordingRequest $request, Recording $recording): RedirectResponse
     {
-        if ($recording->transcription_status === 'processing') {
-            return back()->with('error', 'Transcription is already in progress.');
+        if ($recording->isTranscribing() || $recording->hasActiveTranscriptionJob()) {
+            $recording->cancelTranscription(silent: true);
+            $recording->refresh();
         }
 
         $driver = $request->validated('driver');
@@ -28,8 +31,8 @@ class TranscribeController extends Controller
             'transcription_percent' => 5,
             'transcription_started_at' => now(),
             'transcription_error' => null,
-            'transcript' => null,
-            'transcribed_at' => null,
+            // Keep the previous transcript until a new run succeeds.
+            'transcribed_at' => $recording->transcribed_at,
         ]);
 
         TranscribeRecording::dispatch($recording->fresh());
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/TranscriptionStatusController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/TranscriptionStatusController.php
index f7daa69..449d9c1 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/TranscriptionStatusController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/TranscriptionStatusController.php
@@ -12,6 +12,12 @@ class TranscriptionStatusController extends Controller
      */
     public function __invoke(Recording $recording): JsonResponse
     {
-        return response()->json($recording->fresh()->transcriptionStatusPayload());
+        $recording = $recording->fresh();
+
+        if ($recording->recoverOrphanedTranscription()) {
+            $recording->refresh();
+        }
+
+        return response()->json($recording->transcriptionStatusPayload());
     }
 }
diff --git a/app/Jobs/TranscribeRecording.php b/app/Jobs/TranscribeRecording.php
index 4af9e8f..6735be6 100644
--- a/app/Jobs/TranscribeRecording.php
+++ b/app/Jobs/TranscribeRecording.php
@@ -13,17 +13,28 @@ class TranscribeRecording implements ShouldQueue
 {
     use Queueable;
 
+    /**
+     * The number of times the job may be attempted.
+     */
+    public int $tries = 1;
+
     /**
      * The number of seconds the job can run before timing out.
      */
-    public int $timeout = 600;
+    public int $timeout;
+
+    /**
+     * ISO-8601 transcription_started_at this job owns (ignored after cancel/restart).
+     */
+    public ?string $runStartedAt = null;
 
     /**
      * Create a new job instance.
      */
     public function __construct(public Recording $recording)
     {
-        //
+        $this->timeout = max(60, (int) config('ai.transcription_timeout', 600));
+        $this->runStartedAt = $recording->transcription_started_at?->toIso8601String();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -31,7 +42,21 @@ class TranscribeRecording implements ShouldQueue
      */
     public function handle(TranscriptionService $transcription): void
     {
-        $this->recording->refresh();
+        $recording = Recording::query()->find($this->recording->id);
+
+        if ($recording === null) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $this->recording = $recording;
+
+        if ($this->runStartedAt !== null && ! $this->recording->ownsTranscriptionRun($this->runStartedAt)) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if ($this->runStartedAt === null && ! $this->recording->isTranscribing()) {
+            return;
+        }
 
         $this->recording->forceFill([
             'transcription_status' => 'processing',
@@ -39,15 +64,27 @@ class TranscribeRecording implements ShouldQueue
             'transcription_error' => null,
         ])->save();
 
-        $this->recording->reportProgress('Preparing audio file…', 15);
+        $this->runStartedAt ??= $this->recording->transcription_started_at?->toIso8601String();
+
+        $this->reportIfOwned('Preparing audio file…', 15);
 
         try {
             $text = $transcription->transcribe(
                 $this->recording,
-                fn (string $message, int $percent) => $this->recording->reportProgress($message, $percent),
+                function (string $message, int $percent): void {
+                    $this->reportIfOwned($message, $percent);
+                },
             );
 
-            $this->recording->reportProgress('Saving transcript…', 90);
+            if (! $this->recording->ownsTranscriptionRun($this->runStartedAt)) {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            $this->reportIfOwned('Saving transcript…', 90);
+
+            if (! $this->recording->ownsTranscriptionRun($this->runStartedAt)) {
+                return;
+            }
 
             $this->recording->forceFill([
                 'transcript' => $text,
@@ -58,18 +95,17 @@ class TranscribeRecording implements ShouldQueue
                 'transcribed_at' => now(),
             ])->save();
         } catch (Throwable $e) {
+            if (! $this->recording->ownsTranscriptionRun($this->runStartedAt)) {
+                return;
+            }
+
             Log::error('Transcription failed', [
                 'recording_id' => $this->recording->id,
                 'driver' => $this->recording->transcription_driver,
                 'message' => $e->getMessage(),
             ]);
 
-            $this->recording->forceFill([
-                'transcription_status' => 'failed',
-                'transcription_progress' => 'Transcription failed',
-                'transcription_percent' => $this->recording->transcription_percent ?: 0,
-                'transcription_error' => $e->getMessage(),
-            ])->save();
+            $this->recording->markTranscriptionFailed($e->getMessage());
 
             throw $e;
         }
@@ -80,10 +116,23 @@ class TranscribeRecording implements ShouldQueue
      */
     public function failed(?Throwable $e): void
     {
-        $this->recording->forceFill([
-            'transcription_status' => 'failed',
-            'transcription_progress' => 'Transcription failed',
-            'transcription_error' => $e?->getMessage() ?: 'Transcription stopped unexpectedly.',
-        ])->save();
+        $recording = Recording::query()->find($this->recording->id);
+
+        if ($recording === null || ! $recording->ownsTranscriptionRun($this->runStartedAt)) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $recording->markTranscriptionFailed(
+            $e?->getMessage() ?: 'Transcription stopped unexpectedly.',
+        );
+    }
+
+    private function reportIfOwned(string $message, int $percent): void
+    {
+        if (! $this->recording->ownsTranscriptionRun($this->runStartedAt)) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $this->recording->reportProgress($message, $percent);
     }
 }
diff --git a/app/Models/Recording.php b/app/Models/Recording.php
index 0c42756..ae949f6 100644
--- a/app/Models/Recording.php
+++ b/app/Models/Recording.php
@@ -2,9 +2,17 @@
 
 namespace App\Models;
 
+use App\Jobs\TranscribeRecording;
+use Carbon\Carbon;
+use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Attributes\Scope;
+use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Builder;
 use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Casts\Attribute;
 use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Cache;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;
+use Illuminate\Support\Str;
+use Throwable;
 
 class Recording extends Model
 {
@@ -86,6 +94,233 @@ class Recording extends Model
         return in_array($this->transcription_status, ['pending', 'processing'], true);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Search title, metadata, and stored transcript text.
+     */
+    #[Scope]
+    protected function search(Builder $query, string $term): void
+    {
+        $like = '%'.$term.'%';
+
+        $query->where(function (Builder $builder) use ($like): void {
+            $builder->where('title', 'like', $like)
+                ->orWhere('artist', 'like', $like)
+                ->orWhere('album', 'like', $like)
+                ->orWhere('original_filename', 'like', $like)
+                ->orWhere('transcript', 'like', $like);
+        });
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Short transcript excerpt, optionally centered on a search hit.
+     */
+    public function transcriptSnippet(?string $term = null, int $radius = 80): ?string
+    {
+        if (! filled($this->transcript)) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        $transcript = preg_replace('/\s+/', ' ', $this->transcript) ?? $this->transcript;
+
+        if ($term === null || $term === '') {
+            return Str::limit($transcript, $radius * 2);
+        }
+
+        $position = mb_stripos($transcript, $term);
+
+        if ($position === false) {
+            return Str::limit($transcript, $radius * 2);
+        }
+
+        $start = max(0, $position - $radius);
+        $excerpt = mb_substr($transcript, $start, ($radius * 2) + mb_strlen($term));
+
+        return ($start > 0 ? '…' : '').$excerpt.(mb_strlen($transcript) > $start + mb_strlen($excerpt) ? '…' : '');
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Whether a TranscribeRecording job for this recording is still on the queue.
+     */
+    public function hasActiveTranscriptionJob(): bool
+    {
+        return DB::table('jobs')
+            ->pluck('payload')
+            ->contains(function (string $payload): bool {
+                if (! str_contains($payload, TranscribeRecording::class)) {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                $data = json_decode($payload, true);
+                $command = $data['data']['command'] ?? null;
+
+                if (! is_string($command)) {
+                    return false;
+                }
+
+                try {
+                    $job = unserialize($command);
+                } catch (Throwable) {
+                    return (bool) preg_match('/id";i:'.$this->id.';/', $payload);
+                }
+
+                return $job instanceof TranscribeRecording
+                    && (int) $job->recording->getKey() === (int) $this->id;
+            });
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Processing/pending with no worker job left (crashed worker, bad retry_after, etc.).
+     */
+    public function isOrphanedTranscription(): bool
+    {
+        if (! $this->isTranscribing()) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        if ($this->hasActiveTranscriptionJob()) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        $reference = $this->transcription_started_at ?? $this->updated_at;
+
+        // Allow a short window after dispatch before the row appears / worker claims it.
+        if ($reference !== null && $reference->gt(now()->subSeconds(15))) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Whether this recording still expects results for the given run.
+     */
+    public function ownsTranscriptionRun(?string $runStartedAt): bool
+    {
+        $this->refresh();
+
+        if (! $this->isTranscribing()) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        if ($runStartedAt === null || $this->transcription_started_at === null) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        return $this->transcription_started_at->getTimestamp() === Carbon::parse($runStartedAt)->getTimestamp();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Remove queued TranscribeRecording jobs for this recording.
+     */
+    public function discardQueuedTranscriptionJobs(): int
+    {
+        $deleted = 0;
+
+        DB::table('jobs')
+            ->orderBy('id')
+            ->get()
+            ->each(function (object $job) use (&$deleted): void {
+                $payload = (string) $job->payload;
+
+                if (! str_contains($payload, TranscribeRecording::class)) {
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                $data = json_decode($payload, true);
+                $command = $data['data']['command'] ?? null;
+
+                if (! is_string($command)) {
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                try {
+                    $queued = unserialize($command);
+                } catch (Throwable) {
+                    if (! preg_match('/id";i:'.$this->id.';/', $payload)) {
+                        return;
+                    }
+
+                    DB::table('jobs')->where('id', $job->id)->delete();
+                    $deleted++;
+
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                if ($queued instanceof TranscribeRecording && (int) $queued->recording->getKey() === (int) $this->id) {
+                    DB::table('jobs')->where('id', $job->id)->delete();
+                    $deleted++;
+                }
+            });
+
+        $this->releaseTranscriptionUniqueLock();
+
+        return $deleted;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Stop transcription: drop queued jobs and mark the run cancelled.
+     *
+     * @param  bool  $silent  When true, skip status update (used before starting a replacement run).
+     */
+    public function cancelTranscription(bool $silent = false): void
+    {
+        $this->discardQueuedTranscriptionJobs();
+
+        if ($silent) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $this->forceFill([
+            'transcription_status' => 'cancelled',
+            'transcription_progress' => 'Stopped by user',
+            'transcription_percent' => $this->transcription_percent ?: 0,
+            'transcription_error' => 'Stopped by user',
+        ])->save();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Release a leftover ShouldBeUnique lock from earlier job versions.
+     */
+    public function releaseTranscriptionUniqueLock(): void
+    {
+        Cache::lock(
+            'laravel_unique_job:'.TranscribeRecording::class.'transcribe-recording:'.$this->id
+        )->forceRelease();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Mark transcription as failed and unblock the UI.
+     */
+    public function markTranscriptionFailed(string $message): void
+    {
+        if (! $this->isTranscribing()) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $this->forceFill([
+            'transcription_status' => 'failed',
+            'transcription_progress' => 'Transcription failed',
+            'transcription_percent' => $this->transcription_percent ?: 0,
+            'transcription_error' => $message,
+        ])->save();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Recover a stuck transcription if the queue job is gone.
+     */
+    public function recoverOrphanedTranscription(): bool
+    {
+        if (! $this->isOrphanedTranscription()) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        $this->markTranscriptionFailed(
+            'Transcription worker stopped before finishing. Start transcription again.',
+        );
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Update the live progress fields shown in the UI.
      */
@@ -141,6 +376,7 @@ class Recording extends Model
             'duration_seconds' => $this->duration_seconds,
             'is_active' => $this->isTranscribing(),
             'has_transcript' => filled($this->transcript),
+            'transcript' => $this->transcript,
             'transcribed_at' => $this->transcribed_at?->toIso8601String(),
         ];
     }
diff --git a/config/queue.php b/config/queue.php
index 79c2c0a..36b1c89 100644
--- a/config/queue.php
+++ b/config/queue.php
@@ -40,7 +40,8 @@ return [
             'connection' => env('DB_QUEUE_CONNECTION'),
             'table' => env('DB_QUEUE_TABLE', 'jobs'),
             'queue' => env('DB_QUEUE', 'default'),
-            'retry_after' => (int) env('DB_QUEUE_RETRY_AFTER', 90),
+            // Must exceed TranscribeRecording::$timeout / TRANSCRIPTION_TIMEOUT (default 600).
+            'retry_after' => (int) env('DB_QUEUE_RETRY_AFTER', 660),
             'after_commit' => false,
         ],
 
diff --git a/resources/views/recordings/index.blade.php b/resources/views/recordings/index.blade.php
index f1bf70c..11ee11f 100644
--- a/resources/views/recordings/index.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/recordings/index.blade.php
@@ -51,6 +51,11 @@
                                 @if ($recording->artist)
                                     <div class="text-xs text-stone-500">{{ $recording->artist }}</div>
                                 @endif
+                                @if ($snippet = $recording->transcriptSnippet($search ?: null))
+                                    <p class="mt-1 max-w-xl text-xs leading-relaxed text-stone-500">
+                                        {{ $snippet }}
+                                    </p>
+                                @endif
                             </td>
                             <td class="px-4 py-3 text-stone-600">{{ $recording->duration_formatted }}</td>
             <td class="px-4 py-3">
diff --git a/resources/views/recordings/partials/status-badge.blade.php b/resources/views/recordings/partials/status-badge.blade.php
index 4093800..ebd5ba5 100644
--- a/resources/views/recordings/partials/status-badge.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/recordings/partials/status-badge.blade.php
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@
     $classes = match ($status) {
         'done' => 'bg-teal-50 text-teal-800 ring-teal-600/20',
         'processing' => 'bg-amber-50 text-amber-800 ring-amber-600/20',
+        'pending' => 'bg-amber-50 text-amber-800 ring-amber-600/20',
         'failed' => 'bg-red-50 text-red-800 ring-red-600/20',
+        'cancelled' => 'bg-stone-100 text-stone-700 ring-stone-500/20',
         default => 'bg-stone-100 text-stone-700 ring-stone-500/20',
     };
 @endphp
diff --git a/resources/views/recordings/show.blade.php b/resources/views/recordings/show.blade.php
index 750db91..db05a84 100644
--- a/resources/views/recordings/show.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/recordings/show.blade.php
@@ -78,13 +78,13 @@
 
             <section class="rounded border border-stone-200 bg-white p-6 shadow-sm">
                 <h2 class="text-sm font-semibold uppercase tracking-wide text-stone-500">Transcribe</h2>
-                <p class="mt-2 text-sm text-stone-600">Choose how to convert this recording to text.</p>
+                <p class="mt-2 text-sm text-stone-600">Choose an engine anytime — starting a new run stops the current one.</p>
 
                 <form method="POST" action="{{ route('recordings.transcribe', $recording) }}" class="mt-4 space-y-4">
                     @csrf
 
                     <label class="flex cursor-pointer gap-3 rounded border border-stone-200 p-3 hover:bg-stone-50">
-                        <input type="radio" name="driver" value="cloud" x-model="driver" class="mt-1 text-teal-700 focus:ring-teal-600" :disabled="status.is_active">
+                        <input type="radio" name="driver" value="cloud" x-model="driver" class="mt-1 text-teal-700 focus:ring-teal-600">
                         <span>
                             <span class="block text-sm font-medium">Cloud (OpenAI Whisper)</span>
                             <span class="block text-xs text-stone-500">Fast; audio is sent to OpenAI.</span>
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@
                     </label>
 
                     <label class="flex cursor-pointer gap-3 rounded border border-stone-200 p-3 hover:bg-stone-50">
-                        <input type="radio" name="driver" value="local" x-model="driver" class="mt-1 text-teal-700 focus:ring-teal-600" :disabled="status.is_active">
+                        <input type="radio" name="driver" value="local" x-model="driver" class="mt-1 text-teal-700 focus:ring-teal-600">
                         <span>
                             <span class="block text-sm font-medium">Local — confidential (faster-whisper)</span>
                             <span class="block text-xs text-stone-500">Runs via Docker Compose (<code class="text-[11px]">docker compose up -d whisper</code>) on port 8090.</span>
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@
                     </label>
 
                     <label class="flex cursor-pointer gap-3 rounded border border-stone-200 p-3 hover:bg-stone-50">
-                        <input type="radio" name="driver" value="ollama" x-model="driver" class="mt-1 text-teal-700 focus:ring-teal-600" :disabled="status.is_active">
+                        <input type="radio" name="driver" value="ollama" x-model="driver" class="mt-1 text-teal-700 focus:ring-teal-600">
                         <span>
                             <span class="block text-sm font-medium">Ollama host</span>
                             <span class="block text-xs text-stone-500">
@@ -117,17 +117,33 @@
                             name="ollama_url"
                             value="{{ old('ollama_url', $recording->ollama_url) }}"
                             placeholder="http://192.168.1.50:8000"
-                            :disabled="status.is_active"
-                            class="w-full rounded border border-stone-300 px-3 py-2 text-sm shadow-sm focus:border-teal-600 focus:outline-none focus:ring-1 focus:ring-teal-600 disabled:opacity-50"
+                            class="w-full rounded border border-stone-300 px-3 py-2 text-sm shadow-sm focus:border-teal-600 focus:outline-none focus:ring-1 focus:ring-teal-600"
                         >
                     </div>
 
+                    <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-3">
+                        <button
+                            type="submit"
+                            class="rounded bg-teal-700 px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-white hover:bg-teal-800"
+                        >
+                            <span x-text="startButtonLabel"></span>
+                        </button>
+                    </div>
+                </form>
+
+                <form
+                    method="POST"
+                    action="{{ route('recordings.transcribe.cancel', $recording) }}"
+                    x-show="status.is_active"
+                    x-cloak
+                    class="mt-3"
+                >
+                    @csrf
                     <button
                         type="submit"
-                        :disabled="status.is_active"
-                        class="rounded bg-teal-700 px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-white hover:bg-teal-800 disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:opacity-50"
+                        class="rounded border border-stone-300 bg-white px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-stone-800 hover:bg-stone-50"
                     >
-                        <span x-text="status.has_transcript ? 'Re-transcribe' : 'Start transcription'"></span>
+                        Stop transcription
                     </button>
                 </form>
             </section>
@@ -136,16 +152,15 @@
         <section class="mt-6 rounded border border-stone-200 bg-white p-6 shadow-sm">
             <div class="flex items-center justify-between gap-4">
                 <h2 class="text-sm font-semibold uppercase tracking-wide text-stone-500">Transcript</h2>
-                @if ($recording->transcript)
-                    <button
-                        type="button"
-                        x-show="!status.is_active && status.has_transcript"
-                        onclick="navigator.clipboard.writeText(@js($recording->transcript))"
-                        class="text-sm text-teal-700 hover:underline"
-                    >
-                        Copy
-                    </button>
-                @endif
+                <button
+                    type="button"
+                    x-show="!status.is_active && status.has_transcript"
+                    x-cloak
+                    @click="navigator.clipboard.writeText(status.transcript || '')"
+                    class="text-sm text-teal-700 hover:underline"
+                >
+                    Copy
+                </button>
             </div>
 
             <div x-show="status.is_active" x-cloak class="mt-4 space-y-3 rounded border border-amber-200 bg-amber-50 p-4">
@@ -181,26 +196,31 @@
                 </ul>
             </div>
 
+            <div x-show="!status.is_active && status.status === 'cancelled'" x-cloak class="mt-4 rounded border border-stone-200 bg-stone-50 p-4 text-sm text-stone-700">
+                Transcription stopped. Choose an engine above to start again.
+            </div>
+
             <div x-show="!status.is_active && status.status === 'failed'" x-cloak class="mt-4 space-y-2 rounded border border-red-200 bg-red-50 p-4 text-sm text-red-800">
                 <p class="font-medium">Transcription failed</p>
                 <p x-text="status.error || 'Check the logs and try again with another engine.'"></p>
             </div>
 
-            @if ($recording->transcript)
-                <div x-show="!status.is_active && status.has_transcript">
-                    <p class="mt-4 whitespace-pre-wrap text-sm leading-relaxed text-stone-800">{{ $recording->transcript }}</p>
-                    @if ($recording->transcribed_at)
-                        <p class="mt-4 text-xs text-stone-500">Transcribed {{ $recording->transcribed_at->format('Y-m-d H:i') }}</p>
-                    @endif
-                </div>
-            @else
+            <div x-show="!status.is_active && status.has_transcript" x-cloak>
+                <p class="mt-4 whitespace-pre-wrap text-sm leading-relaxed text-stone-800" x-text="status.transcript"></p>
                 <p
-                    x-show="!status.is_active && status.status !== 'failed' && !status.has_transcript"
-                    class="mt-4 text-sm text-stone-500"
-                >
-                    No transcript yet. Choose an engine above to start.
-                </p>
-            @endif
+                    class="mt-4 text-xs text-stone-500"
+                    x-show="status.transcribed_at"
+                    x-text="status.transcribed_at ? ('Transcribed ' + formatTimestamp(status.transcribed_at)) : ''"
+                ></p>
+            </div>
+
+            <p
+                x-show="!status.is_active && status.status !== 'failed' && status.status !== 'cancelled' && !status.has_transcript"
+                x-cloak
+                class="mt-4 text-sm text-stone-500"
+            >
+                No transcript yet. Choose an engine above to start.
+            </p>
         </section>
     </div>
 
@@ -222,11 +242,20 @@
                         processing: 'bg-amber-50 text-amber-800 ring-amber-600/20',
                         pending: 'bg-amber-50 text-amber-800 ring-amber-600/20',
                         failed: 'bg-red-50 text-red-800 ring-red-600/20',
+                        cancelled: 'bg-stone-100 text-stone-700 ring-stone-500/20',
                     };
 
                     return map[this.status.status] || 'bg-stone-100 text-stone-700 ring-stone-500/20';
                 },
 
+                get startButtonLabel() {
+                    if (this.status.is_active) {
+                        return 'Switch engine / restart';
+                    }
+
+                    return this.status.has_transcript ? 'Re-transcribe' : 'Start transcription';
+                },
+
                 start() {
                     if (this.status.is_active) {
                         this.beginPolling();
@@ -273,6 +302,9 @@
 
                         if (wasActive && !this.status.is_active) {
                             this.stopPolling();
+                            if (this.status.has_transcript || this.status.status === 'failed' || this.status.status === 'cancelled') {
+                                return;
+                            }
                             window.location.reload();
                         }
                     } catch (error) {
@@ -292,6 +324,17 @@
                     const remain = seconds % 60;
                     return minutes + ':' + String(remain).padStart(2, '0');
                 },
+
+                formatTimestamp(value) {
+                    const date = new Date(value);
+                    if (Number.isNaN(date.getTime())) return value;
+                    const pad = (n) => String(n).padStart(2, '0');
+                    return date.getFullYear()
+                        + '-' + pad(date.getMonth() + 1)
+                        + '-' + pad(date.getDate())
+                        + ' ' + pad(date.getHours())
+                        + ':' + pad(date.getMinutes());
+                },
             };
         }
     </script>
diff --git a/routes/web.php b/routes/web.php
index a487dd8..6805566 100644
--- a/routes/web.php
+++ b/routes/web.php
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 <?php
 
+use App\Http\Controllers\CancelTranscriptionController;
 use App\Http\Controllers\RecordingController;
 use App\Http\Controllers\TranscribeController;
 use App\Http\Controllers\TranscriptionStatusController;
@@ -9,5 +10,7 @@ Route::redirect('/', '/recordings');
 
 Route::resource('recordings', RecordingController::class)->except(['edit', 'update']);
 Route::post('recordings/{recording}/transcribe', TranscribeController::class)->name('recordings.transcribe');
+Route::post('recordings/{recording}/transcribe/cancel', CancelTranscriptionController::class)
+    ->name('recordings.transcribe.cancel');
 Route::get('recordings/{recording}/transcription-status', TranscriptionStatusController::class)
     ->name('recordings.transcription-status');
diff --git a/tests/Feature/RecordingUploadTest.php b/tests/Feature/RecordingUploadTest.php
index ff3a085..a7be7a4 100644
--- a/tests/Feature/RecordingUploadTest.php
+++ b/tests/Feature/RecordingUploadTest.php
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ use App\Models\Recording;
 use App\Services\TranscriptionService;
 use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\RefreshDatabase;
 use Illuminate\Http\UploadedFile;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Bus;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;
 use Laravel\Ai\Transcription;
 use Tests\TestCase;
@@ -202,4 +203,184 @@ class RecordingUploadTest extends TestCase
         $this->assertSame('failed', $recording->transcription_status);
         $this->assertSame('Provider unavailable', $recording->transcription_error);
     }
+
+    public function test_orphaned_processing_is_recovered_on_status_poll(): void
+    {
+        $recording = Recording::query()->create([
+            'title' => 'Stuck',
+            'original_filename' => 'stuck.mp3',
+            'file_path' => 'recordings/stuck.mp3',
+            'file_size_bytes' => 100,
+            'transcription_status' => 'processing',
+            'transcription_progress' => 'Transcribing locally…',
+            'transcription_percent' => 50,
+            'transcription_driver' => 'local',
+            'transcription_started_at' => now()->subMinutes(5),
+            'updated_at' => now()->subMinutes(5),
+        ]);
+
+        $this->getJson(route('recordings.transcription-status', $recording))
+            ->assertOk()
+            ->assertJsonPath('status', 'failed')
+            ->assertJsonPath('is_active', false);
+
+        $recording->refresh();
+        $this->assertSame('failed', $recording->transcription_status);
+        $this->assertStringContainsString('worker stopped', $recording->transcription_error);
+    }
+
+    public function test_orphaned_processing_can_be_restarted(): void
+    {
+        Transcription::fake(['Recovered transcript.']);
+
+        $recording = Recording::query()->create([
+            'title' => 'Restart me',
+            'original_filename' => 'restart.mp3',
+            'file_path' => 'recordings/restart.mp3',
+            'file_size_bytes' => 100,
+            'transcription_status' => 'processing',
+            'transcription_driver' => 'local',
+            'transcription_started_at' => now()->subMinutes(10),
+            'updated_at' => now()->subMinutes(10),
+        ]);
+
+        $this->post(route('recordings.transcribe', $recording), [
+            'driver' => 'cloud',
+        ])->assertRedirect();
+
+        $recording->refresh();
+        $this->assertSame('cloud', $recording->transcription_driver);
+        $this->assertContains($recording->transcription_status, ['pending', 'processing', 'done']);
+    }
+
+    public function test_user_can_stop_an_active_transcription(): void
+    {
+        $recording = Recording::query()->create([
+            'title' => 'Stop me',
+            'original_filename' => 'stop.mp3',
+            'file_path' => 'recordings/stop.mp3',
+            'file_size_bytes' => 100,
+            'transcription_status' => 'processing',
+            'transcription_progress' => 'Transcribing…',
+            'transcription_percent' => 40,
+            'transcription_driver' => 'local',
+            'transcription_started_at' => now(),
+        ]);
+
+        $this->post(route('recordings.transcribe.cancel', $recording))
+            ->assertRedirect()
+            ->assertSessionHas('success');
+
+        $recording->refresh();
+        $this->assertSame('cancelled', $recording->transcription_status);
+        $this->assertSame('Stopped by user', $recording->transcription_error);
+        $this->assertFalse($recording->isTranscribing());
+    }
+
+    public function test_user_can_start_a_different_engine_while_processing(): void
+    {
+        Transcription::fake(['Switched engine transcript.']);
+
+        $recording = Recording::query()->create([
+            'title' => 'Switch me',
+            'original_filename' => 'switch.mp3',
+            'file_path' => 'recordings/switch.mp3',
+            'file_size_bytes' => 100,
+            'transcription_status' => 'processing',
+            'transcription_driver' => 'local',
+            'transcription_started_at' => now()->subMinute(),
+        ]);
+
+        $this->post(route('recordings.transcribe', $recording), [
+            'driver' => 'cloud',
+        ])
+            ->assertRedirect()
+            ->assertSessionHas('success');
+
+        $recording->refresh();
+        $this->assertSame('cloud', $recording->transcription_driver);
+        $this->assertContains($recording->transcription_status, ['pending', 'processing', 'done']);
+        $this->assertNull($recording->transcription_error);
+    }
+
+    public function test_cancelled_job_does_not_overwrite_status(): void
+    {
+        Storage::fake('local');
+        Storage::disk('local')->put('recordings/ignore.mp3', 'fake-audio-bytes');
+
+        Transcription::fake(['Should be ignored.']);
+
+        $recording = Recording::query()->create([
+            'title' => 'Ignore late job',
+            'original_filename' => 'ignore.mp3',
+            'file_path' => 'recordings/ignore.mp3',
+            'file_size_bytes' => 12,
+            'transcription_status' => 'processing',
+            'transcription_driver' => 'cloud',
+            'transcription_started_at' => now()->subMinute(),
+            'transcript' => 'Previous transcript stays.',
+        ]);
+
+        $job = new TranscribeRecording($recording);
+        $recording->cancelTranscription();
+
+        $job->handle(app(TranscriptionService::class));
+
+        $recording->refresh();
+        $this->assertSame('cancelled', $recording->transcription_status);
+        $this->assertSame('Previous transcript stays.', $recording->transcript);
+    }
+
+    public function test_recordings_can_be_searched_by_transcript(): void
+    {
+        Recording::query()->create([
+            'title' => 'Office chat',
+            'original_filename' => 'office.mp3',
+            'file_path' => 'recordings/office.mp3',
+            'file_size_bytes' => 100,
+            'transcription_status' => 'done',
+            'transcript' => 'We should ship the pocket recorder summary feature next week.',
+        ]);
+
+        Recording::query()->create([
+            'title' => 'Kitchen note',
+            'original_filename' => 'kitchen.mp3',
+            'file_path' => 'recordings/kitchen.mp3',
+            'file_size_bytes' => 100,
+            'transcription_status' => 'done',
+            'transcript' => 'Buy milk and eggs.',
+        ]);
+
+        $this->get(route('recordings.index', ['q' => 'pocket recorder']))
+            ->assertOk()
+            ->assertSee('Office chat')
+            ->assertSee('pocket recorder')
+            ->assertDontSee('Kitchen note');
+    }
+
+    public function test_restarting_transcription_keeps_previous_transcript_until_success(): void
+    {
+        Bus::fake();
+
+        $recording = Recording::query()->create([
+            'title' => 'Keep me',
+            'original_filename' => 'keep.mp3',
+            'file_path' => 'recordings/keep.mp3',
+            'file_size_bytes' => 100,
+            'transcription_status' => 'done',
+            'transcription_driver' => 'cloud',
+            'transcript' => 'Old transcript text.',
+            'transcribed_at' => now()->subHour(),
+        ]);
+
+        $this->post(route('recordings.transcribe', $recording), [
+            'driver' => 'local',
+        ])->assertRedirect();
+
+        $recording->refresh();
+        $this->assertSame('Old transcript text.', $recording->transcript);
+        $this->assertSame('local', $recording->transcription_driver);
+        $this->assertSame('pending', $recording->transcription_status);
+        Bus::assertDispatched(TranscribeRecording::class);
+    }
 }