diff --git a/app/src/app/api/projects/route.ts b/app/src/app/api/projects/route.ts
index ac22a72..95db0c0 100644
--- a/app/src/app/api/projects/route.ts
+++ b/app/src/app/api/projects/route.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ export async function GET() {
 
   const { data, error } = await supabase
     .from('projects')
-    .select('*, style:styles(*)')
+    // Ids only, and in one round trip: the dashboard badge reports progress
+    // from these rows rather than from a status column nothing ever wrote.
+    .select('*, style:styles(*), figures(id), surfaces(id), compositions(id)')
     .eq('user_id', userId)
     .order('updated_at', { ascending: false })
 
diff --git a/app/src/components/layout/ProjectStepNav.tsx b/app/src/components/layout/ProjectStepNav.tsx
index 6e3825d..be632df 100644
--- a/app/src/components/layout/ProjectStepNav.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/layout/ProjectStepNav.tsx
@@ -7,28 +7,36 @@ import { Users, Palette, Ruler, Layers, Download, Check, ArrowLeft } from 'lucid
 import { useProject } from '@/hooks/useProject'
 import { useFigures } from '@/hooks/useFigures'
 import { useSurface } from '@/hooks/useSurface'
+import { useComposition } from '@/hooks/useComposition'
+import { PROJECT_STEPS, type ProjectStepId } from '@/lib/config/project-steps'
+import { deriveProjectProgress } from '@/lib/domain/project-progress'
 
-const STEPS = [
-  { id: 'figures', label: 'Figures', icon: Users, href: 'figures' },
-  { id: 'style', label: 'Style', icon: Palette, href: 'style' },
-  { id: 'surface', label: 'Surface', icon: Ruler, href: 'surface' },
-  { id: 'compose', label: 'Compose', icon: Layers, href: 'compose' },
-  { id: 'export', label: 'Export', icon: Download, href: 'export' },
-]
+/** Icons are the only per-step thing the nav owns; the steps themselves are config. */
+const STEP_ICONS: Record<ProjectStepId, typeof Users> = {
+  figures: Users,
+  style: Palette,
+  surface: Ruler,
+  compose: Layers,
+  export: Download,
+}
 
 export function ProjectStepNav({ projectId }: { projectId: string }) {
   const pathname = usePathname()
   const { data: project } = useProject(projectId)
   const { data: figures } = useFigures(projectId)
   const { data: surface } = useSurface(projectId)
+  const { data: composition } = useComposition(projectId)
 
-  const completedSteps = new Set<string>()
-  if (figures && figures.length > 0) completedSteps.add('figures')
-  if (project?.style_id) completedSteps.add('style')
-  if (surface) completedSteps.add('surface')
-  if (figures?.some(f => f.styled_url)) completedSteps.add('compose')
+  // Same derivation the dashboard badge uses, so the two cannot disagree.
+  const { completed } = deriveProjectProgress({
+    figureCount: figures?.length ?? 0,
+    hasStyle: !!project?.style_id,
+    hasSurface: !!surface,
+    hasComposition: !!composition,
+  })
+  const completedSteps = new Set<ProjectStepId>(completed)
 
-  const activeIndex = STEPS.findIndex(s => pathname.endsWith(`/${s.href}`))
+  const activeIndex = PROJECT_STEPS.findIndex(s => pathname.endsWith(`/${s.href}`))
 
   return (
     <nav className="border-b border-white/[0.06] bg-background/80 backdrop-blur-xl">
@@ -46,11 +54,12 @@ export function ProjectStepNav({ projectId }: { projectId: string }) {
 
         {/* Steps — horizontally scrollable on mobile */}
         <div className="flex items-center gap-0.5 overflow-x-auto scrollbar-none -mx-1 px-1">
-          {STEPS.map((step, i) => {
+          {PROJECT_STEPS.map((step, i) => {
             const href = `/project/${projectId}/${step.href}`
             const isActive = pathname.endsWith(`/${step.href}`)
             const isComplete = completedSteps.has(step.id)
             const isPast = i < activeIndex
+            const Icon = STEP_ICONS[step.id]
 
             return (
               <div key={step.id} className="flex items-center shrink-0">
@@ -80,7 +89,7 @@ export function ProjectStepNav({ projectId }: { projectId: string }) {
                       <Check className="h-3 w-3 text-primary" />
                     </div>
                   ) : (
-                    <step.icon className="h-4 w-4" />
+                    <Icon className="h-4 w-4" />
                   )}
                   <span className="hidden sm:inline">{step.label}</span>
                 </Link>
diff --git a/app/src/components/projects/ProjectCard.tsx b/app/src/components/projects/ProjectCard.tsx
index 84e2e88..6a52ac0 100644
--- a/app/src/components/projects/ProjectCard.tsx
+++ b/app/src/components/projects/ProjectCard.tsx
@@ -5,24 +5,24 @@ import { Card, CardContent } from '@/components/ui/card'
 import { Badge } from '@/components/ui/badge'
 import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
 import { Trash2, Palette, ArrowUpRight } from 'lucide-react'
+import { deriveProjectProgress } from '@/lib/domain/project-progress'
 import type { Project } from '@/types/database'
 
-const STATUS_LABELS: Record<string, string> = {
-  draft: 'Draft',
-  uploading: 'Uploading',
-  generating: 'Generating',
-  composing: 'Composing',
-  previewing: 'Previewing',
-  exported: 'Exported',
-  printed: 'Printed',
-}
-
 interface ProjectCardProps {
   project: Project
   onDelete: (id: string) => void
 }
 
 export function ProjectCard({ project, onDelete }: ProjectCardProps) {
+  // project.status is never written by anything in the app, so it always read
+  // 'Draft'. The rows say where the project actually is.
+  const progress = deriveProjectProgress({
+    figureCount: project.figures?.length ?? 0,
+    hasStyle: !!project.style_id,
+    hasSurface: (project.surfaces?.length ?? 0) > 0,
+    hasComposition: (project.compositions?.length ?? 0) > 0,
+  })
+
   return (
     <Card className="group relative overflow-hidden rounded-2xl border-white/[0.06] bg-white/[0.02] hover:bg-white/[0.04] transition-all duration-300 card-hover">
       <Link href={`/project/${project.id}/figures`} className="block">
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ export function ProjectCard({ project, onDelete }: ProjectCardProps) {
           <div className="flex items-center justify-between pt-4 border-t border-white/[0.04]">
             <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
               <Badge variant="secondary" className="text-xs font-normal rounded-full px-3">
-                {STATUS_LABELS[project.status] ?? project.status}
+                {progress.label}
               </Badge>
               {project.style && (
                 <span className="flex items-center gap-1.5 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
diff --git a/app/src/lib/config/project-steps.ts b/app/src/lib/config/project-steps.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4d387e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/lib/config/project-steps.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+/**
+ * The steps a project actually moves through in this app. One list, so the
+ * step nav and the dashboard badge cannot disagree about where a project is.
+ */
+export const PROJECT_STEPS = [
+  { id: 'figures', label: 'Figures', href: 'figures', doneLabel: 'Figures added' },
+  { id: 'style', label: 'Style', href: 'style', doneLabel: 'Style chosen' },
+  { id: 'surface', label: 'Surface', href: 'surface', doneLabel: 'Surface set' },
+  { id: 'compose', label: 'Compose', href: 'compose', doneLabel: 'Composed' },
+  { id: 'export', label: 'Export', href: 'export', doneLabel: 'Exported' },
+] as const
+
+export type ProjectStepId = (typeof PROJECT_STEPS)[number]['id']
+
+/** Shown when no step is finished yet. */
+export const NOT_STARTED_LABEL = 'Not started'
diff --git a/app/src/lib/domain/project-progress.test.ts b/app/src/lib/domain/project-progress.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..41b1f7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/lib/domain/project-progress.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import { deriveProjectProgress } from './project-progress'
+import { NOT_STARTED_LABEL } from '@/lib/config/project-steps'
+
+const nothing = { figureCount: 0, hasStyle: false, hasSurface: false, hasComposition: false }
+
+describe('deriveProjectProgress', () => {
+  it('reports nothing started for an empty project', () => {
+    const progress = deriveProjectProgress(nothing)
+    expect(progress.completed).toEqual([])
+    expect(progress.furthest).toBeNull()
+    expect(progress.label).toBe(NOT_STARTED_LABEL)
+  })
+
+  it('counts a step only once its rows exist', () => {
+    expect(deriveProjectProgress({ ...nothing, figureCount: 1 }).completed).toEqual(['figures'])
+    expect(deriveProjectProgress({ ...nothing, hasStyle: true }).completed).toEqual(['style'])
+    expect(deriveProjectProgress({ ...nothing, hasSurface: true }).completed).toEqual(['surface'])
+    expect(deriveProjectProgress({ ...nothing, hasComposition: true }).completed).toEqual(['compose'])
+  })
+
+  it('reports the furthest step reached', () => {
+    const progress = deriveProjectProgress({
+      figureCount: 3,
+      hasStyle: true,
+      hasSurface: true,
+      hasComposition: true,
+    })
+    expect(progress.furthest).toBe('compose')
+    expect(progress.label).toBe('Composed')
+  })
+
+  /** A surface can be defined before any photo is uploaded. */
+  it('does not require the earlier steps to report a later one', () => {
+    const progress = deriveProjectProgress({ ...nothing, hasSurface: true })
+    expect(progress.furthest).toBe('surface')
+    expect(progress.label).toBe('Surface set')
+  })
+
+  /**
+   * The old badge read 'Draft' forever because nothing wrote project.status,
+   * and the step nav separately called compose finished as soon as any figure
+   * had a styled image. Both now answer from the rows.
+   */
+  it('does not treat a styled figure as a finished composition', () => {
+    const progress = deriveProjectProgress({ ...nothing, figureCount: 4, hasStyle: true })
+    expect(progress.completed).not.toContain('compose')
+    expect(progress.furthest).toBe('style')
+  })
+
+  it('leaves export open until an exports row is written', () => {
+    const progress = deriveProjectProgress({
+      figureCount: 2,
+      hasStyle: true,
+      hasSurface: true,
+      hasComposition: true,
+    })
+    expect(progress.completed).not.toContain('export')
+  })
+})
diff --git a/app/src/lib/domain/project-progress.ts b/app/src/lib/domain/project-progress.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..63fd518
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/lib/domain/project-progress.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+import { PROJECT_STEPS, NOT_STARTED_LABEL, type ProjectStepId } from '@/lib/config/project-steps'
+
+/**
+ * What a project has, as far as the app can observe it. These are the rows
+ * themselves, not a status column copied from them — a stored status is a
+ * second copy of this and drifts the moment any step is undone.
+ */
+export interface ProjectProgressInput {
+  figureCount: number
+  hasStyle: boolean
+  hasSurface: boolean
+  hasComposition: boolean
+}
+
+export interface ProjectProgress {
+  completed: ProjectStepId[]
+  /** Furthest finished step — the one-line answer to "where is this project?" */
+  furthest: ProjectStepId | null
+  label: string
+}
+
+export function deriveProjectProgress(input: ProjectProgressInput): ProjectProgress {
+  const completed: ProjectStepId[] = []
+
+  if (input.figureCount > 0) completed.push('figures')
+  if (input.hasStyle) completed.push('style')
+  if (input.hasSurface) completed.push('surface')
+  if (input.hasComposition) completed.push('compose')
+  // 'export' is deliberately never derived: nothing writes an exports row yet,
+  // so claiming it would be a guess. It stays open until that row is written.
+
+  // Steps can be done out of order, so the badge reports the furthest one
+  // reached rather than assuming a contiguous run.
+  const furthest =
+    [...PROJECT_STEPS].reverse().find(step => completed.includes(step.id))?.id ?? null
+
+  const label = furthest
+    ? PROJECT_STEPS.find(step => step.id === furthest)!.doneLabel
+    : NOT_STARTED_LABEL
+
+  return { completed, furthest, label }
+}
diff --git a/app/src/types/database.ts b/app/src/types/database.ts
index 1c5a150..9fae000 100644
--- a/app/src/types/database.ts
+++ b/app/src/types/database.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ export interface Project {
   style?: Style | null
   surface?: Surface | null
   figures?: Figure[]
+  // Existence probes for progress — ids only, see GET /api/projects.
+  surfaces?: { id: string }[]
+  compositions?: { id: string }[]
 }
 
 export type ProjectStatus =