diff --git a/implementations/main.cpp b/implementations/main.cpp
index 5115340..789b6b9 100644
--- a/implementations/main.cpp
+++ b/implementations/main.cpp
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ int g_rescan = -1;          // -1 = leave the config's value alone
 // arise (every frame is terminal), so the knob only matters with a budget.
 bool g_undecidedIsNoMatch = false;
 bool g_irqObserve = false;
+bool g_edgeWake = false;
 
 // The namespace key the trustlet hashes into the SFS group's directory name.
 // It defaults to Android's because that is what this device's existing store
@@ -718,6 +719,10 @@ public:
     // The line fd, for poll(): readable when an edge event is queued.
     int IrqFd() const { return irq_; }
 
+    // Discard anything already queued, so a wait sees only NEW edges. Without
+    // this the burst from the previous press wakes the next wait instantly.
+    void DrainEdges() { ReadEdges(); }
+
     // Drain queued edge events. Each is a gpio_v2_line_event with a kernel
     // timestamp in ns and RISING/FALLING.
     struct Edge { std::uint64_t ns; bool rising; };
@@ -735,6 +740,13 @@ public:
         return out;
     }
 
+    // Block up to timeoutMs for an edge, then drain. Empty on timeout. This is
+    // what turns the capture loop from a fixed-cadence poll into a
+    // wake-on-contact: the line is silent at idle and pulses within
+    // milliseconds of a finger landing, hundreds of milliseconds before a
+    // polled capture notices.
+    std::vector<Edge> WaitEdges(int timeoutMs);
+
     // Rail up, settle, release reset, settle. Both lines are driven low first
     // so a warm restart starts where a cold one does.
     bool PowerOn() {
@@ -820,6 +832,17 @@ private:
     bool on_ = false;
 };
 
+std::vector<Sensor::Edge> Sensor::WaitEdges(int timeoutMs) {
+    if (irq_ < 0) {
+        std::this_thread::sleep_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(timeoutMs));
+        return {};
+    }
+    pollfd pfd{ irq_, POLLIN, 0 };
+    int r = ::poll(&pfd, 1, timeoutMs);
+    if (r <= 0) return {};
+    return ReadEdges();
+}
+
 // ---- The trustlet
 //
 // The loader is IQSEEComCompatAppLoader (UID 122): op 1 loadFromBuffer, op 2
@@ -1284,6 +1307,9 @@ public:
         auto a = SendCommand(app_, ta::Cmd::Authenticate, au);
         Report(ta::Cmd::Authenticate, a);
         if (!a.Ok()) return out;
+        // The previous press's burst is still queued; drop it so the first
+        // wait of this session cannot be woken by an old finger.
+        if (g_edgeWake) sensor_.DrainEdges();
 
         en::TouchTracker tracker;
         bool inPress = false, pressMatched = false, pressRejected = false;
@@ -1362,15 +1388,24 @@ public:
             }
             SendCommand(app_, ta::Cmd::QueryEventStatus, q);
             if (g_verbose) {
-                // The IRQ line alongside the metric: if it tracks the finger
-                // under an armed session, lift detection can become an edge
-                // wait instead of a poll.
                 auto irq = sensor_.ReadIrq();
                 std::println("  frame {:3} @{:5}ms: metric={:<4}{} irq={}{}", i + 1,
                              msSince(t0), c.metric, finger ? " FINGER" : "       ",
                              irq ? std::to_string(*irq) : "?", note);
             }
-            std::this_thread::sleep_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(g_frameGapMs));
+            // WAKE ON CONTACT. Measured: gpio75 is silent at idle under
+            // WAIT_TOUCH (0 edges in 60 s) and bursts within milliseconds of a
+            // finger landing -- and the burst arrives HUNDREDS of ms before a
+            // fixed-cadence capture notices, which is why a quick tap only
+            // ever yielded one frame. Waiting on the edge instead of sleeping
+            // means the first capture of a press happens at contact.
+            //
+            // While a finger is DOWN the sensor keeps pulsing, so the wait
+            // returns immediately and the loop runs as fast as QTEE allows --
+            // exactly what a press wants. The timeout is the idle fallback, so
+            // a release is still noticed promptly.
+            if (g_edgeWake) sensor_.WaitEdges(g_frameGapMs);
+            else std::this_thread::sleep_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(g_frameGapMs));
         }
         fingerPresent_.store(false);
         std::println("  verify loop: {} frames in {} ms ({} ms/frame incl. {} ms gap)",
@@ -1534,7 +1569,8 @@ private:
             return;
         }
         PostEvent(std::make_unique<Event>(Event{ .kind = Event::Kind::Ready }));
-        if (g_irqObserve) session_.StartIrqObserver();
+        if (g_irqObserve && !g_edgeWake) session_.StartIrqObserver();
+        else if (g_irqObserve) std::println("--irq-observe ignored: --edge-wake owns the line fd");
 
         for (;;) {
             Job j;
@@ -2147,6 +2183,9 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
         if (a.starts_with("--frame-gap=")) g_frameGapMs = std::stoi(std::string(a.substr(12)));
         if (a == "--undecided=nomatch") g_undecidedIsNoMatch = true;
         if (a == "--irq-observe") g_irqObserve = true;
+        // The observer thread and the loop would both drain the same fd, so
+        // the diagnostic and the wake are mutually exclusive.
+        if (a == "--edge-wake") g_edgeWake = true;
         if (a.starts_with("--log-dir=")) g_logDir = a.substr(10);
         if (a.starts_with("--state-dir=")) g_stateDir = a.substr(12);
         if (a.starts_with("--rescan=")) g_rescan = std::stoi(std::string(a.substr(9)));