diff --git a/src/background/index.ts b/src/background/index.ts
index 21b184f..64722bb 100644
--- a/src/background/index.ts
+++ b/src/background/index.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,20 @@ const VIDEO_MIME_FALLBACK = 'video/webm;codecs=vp9';
 
 const logger = new Logger('Main');
 
+// Option C: a typed error so saveArchive can distinguish the empty-video
+// failure (operator-facing — shows a clear RECORDING_ERROR popup) from
+// generic createArchive failures (zip/manifest/etc.). The 'empty-video-
+// buffer' code joins the CaptureErrorCode union surfaced by the
+// offscreen recorder (see src/offscreen/recorder.ts: classifyCaptureError)
+// — same operator-facing vocabulary, different production point.
+export class EmptyVideoBufferError extends Error {
+  readonly code = 'empty-video-buffer' as const;
+  constructor(detail: string) {
+    super(`empty-video-buffer: ${detail}`);
+    this.name = 'EmptyVideoBufferError';
+  }
+}
+
 // Состояние
 // Видеобуфер живёт в offscreen-документе (D-16). SW не хранит чанки локально:
 // при экспорте он спрашивает буфер у offscreen через long-lived port (D-17).
@@ -418,14 +432,28 @@ async function createArchive(
 
   const zip = new JSZip();
 
-  // Добавляем видео (D-13: каждая запись — самодостаточный WebM-сегмент)
-  if (videoBufferResponse.segments.length > 0) {
-    const videoBlob = mergeVideoSegments(videoBufferResponse.segments);
-    zip.file('video/last_30sec.webm', videoBlob);
-    logger.log(`✓ Added video: ${videoBlob.size} bytes`);
-  } else {
-    logger.warn('✗ No video segments to add');
+  // Добавляем видео (D-13: каждая запись — самодостаточный WebM-сегмент).
+  //
+  // Option C (debug session empty-archive-port-race): the upstream
+  // silent-skip branch is GONE. Shipping a zip with no video defeats the
+  // entire purpose of the operator-save flow (Phase 1 goal); the operator
+  // must see a clear failure instead of receiving a 88 KB archive with no
+  // last_30sec.webm. saveArchive's catch translates the throw into the
+  // {success: false, error: 'empty-video-buffer'} response shape the
+  // popup already handles via the RECORDING_ERROR surface.
+  if (videoBufferResponse.segments.length === 0) {
+    throw new EmptyVideoBufferError(
+      'no video segments available — buffer fetch returned empty (port replacement timed out, or recorder never started)',
+    );
   }
+  const videoBlob = mergeVideoSegments(videoBufferResponse.segments);
+  if (videoBlob.size === 0) {
+    throw new EmptyVideoBufferError(
+      `merged video blob is zero bytes (segment count=${videoBufferResponse.segments.length})`,
+    );
+  }
+  zip.file('video/last_30sec.webm', videoBlob);
+  logger.log(`✓ Added video: ${videoBlob.size} bytes`);
 
   // Добавляем rrweb события
   const rrwebJson = JSON.stringify(rrwebEvents, null, 2);
@@ -573,6 +601,23 @@ async function saveArchive() {
 
   } catch (error) {
     logger.error('Failed to save archive:', error);
+    // Option C: the empty-video failure is operator-visible. Emit
+    // RECORDING_ERROR so the popup's existing handler can surface it
+    // (same channel codec-unsupported, user-cancelled, etc. ride).
+    // Other createArchive failures (zip libs, JSZip internals) stay
+    // SW-side only — they're not actionable by the operator.
+    if (error instanceof EmptyVideoBufferError) {
+      try {
+        chrome.runtime.sendMessage({
+          type: 'RECORDING_ERROR',
+          error: error.code,
+        });
+      } catch (sendErr) {
+        // Best-effort notification — if the popup is closed we have
+        // nothing else to do.
+        logger.warn('Failed to broadcast RECORDING_ERROR:', sendErr);
+      }
+    }
     return { success: false, error };
   }
 }