diff --git a/implementations/main.cpp b/implementations/main.cpp
index 189967f..2b31548 100644
--- a/implementations/main.cpp
+++ b/implementations/main.cpp
@@ -1280,12 +1280,20 @@ public:
             out.frames++;
 
             std::string note;
+            bool rising = finger && !inPress;
+            if (rising) {
+                inPress = true; pressMatched = false; pressRejected = false;
+                pressFrames = 0; rescans = 0; pressFid = 0;
+                out.presses++;
+                // The frame that detected the finger is the finger LANDING --
+                // partial contact, and the frame that rejects most often.
+                // Capture once more now that it has settled, so the image the
+                // matcher sees on the first report is a real one. One capture,
+                // ~50 ms, on the frame that decides every quick tap.
+                auto c2 = SendCommand(app_, ta::Cmd::CaptureImage, cap);
+                if (c2.invoked) { c = c2; note += " recap"; }
+            }
             for (ta::Event ev : tracker.Observe(finger, en::Mode::Authenticate)) {
-                if (ev == ta::Event::FingerTouched) {
-                    inPress = true; pressMatched = false; pressRejected = false;
-                    pressFrames = 0; rescans = 0; pressFid = 0;
-                    out.presses++;
-                }
                 std::vector<std::byte> evbuf(ta::EventContextSize);
                 ta::BuildEventContext(evbuf, { .event = ev });
                 // A zero-initialised buffer cannot tell "the matcher never
diff --git a/interfaces/Fingerprintd-Engine.cppm b/interfaces/Fingerprintd-Engine.cppm
index 3750ff9..fb3bdc6 100644
--- a/interfaces/Fingerprintd-Engine.cppm
+++ b/interfaces/Fingerprintd-Engine.cppm
@@ -88,8 +88,14 @@ export namespace fingerprintd::engine {
     // trace. Sending event 7 on every held frame instead feeds the algorithm
     // near-duplicate images from a single press.
     //
-    // Authentication does want event 7, which reaches the matcher
-    // unconditionally; event 5 only reaches it when device+0x10a8 is 1 or 2.
+    // Authentication wants event 7, which reaches the matcher unconditionally,
+    // and ONLY event 7. Event 5 reaches it too (when device+0x10a8 is 1 or 2,
+    // which it is here): measured on the daemon, the rising-edge frame sent
+    // both and got two verdicts back from one image -- `rej rej`, `-11 -11`,
+    // `MATCH MATCH`. Each REPORT_EVENT that runs the matcher costs 250-300 ms,
+    // so the second one is a third of a second of redundant work on every
+    // press, on the frame where speed matters most. Enrolment keeps event 5:
+    // there it is the sample trigger, not a duplicate.
     class TouchTracker {
     public:
         // Returns the events to report for this frame, in order.
@@ -97,7 +103,7 @@ export namespace fingerprintd::engine {
             std::vector<Event> out;
             bool rising = finger && !prev_;
             bool falling = !finger && prev_;
-            if (rising)
+            if (rising && mode == Mode::Enrol)
                 out.push_back(Event::FingerTouched);
             if (finger && mode == Mode::Authenticate)
                 out.push_back(Event::ImageReady);
diff --git a/tests/Engine/main.cpp b/tests/Engine/main.cpp
index ae2c85f..993af56 100644
--- a/tests/Engine/main.cpp
+++ b/tests/Engine/main.cpp
@@ -115,11 +115,14 @@ int main() {
         auto e4 = t.Observe(false, Mode::Enrol);
         Check(e4.empty(), "enrol: idle reports nothing");
 
-        // Authentication: every frame with a finger reaches the matcher.
+        // Authentication: every frame with a finger reaches the matcher, ONCE.
+        // Event 5 also runs the matcher here, so sending it on the rising edge
+        // produced two verdicts from one image and cost ~300 ms extra on the
+        // frame where speed matters most.
         TouchTracker a;
         auto a1 = a.Observe(true, Mode::Authenticate);
-        Check(a1.size() == 2 && a1[0] == Event::FingerTouched && a1[1] == Event::ImageReady,
-              "auth: rising edge reports touched then image-ready");
+        Check(a1.size() == 1 && a1[0] == Event::ImageReady,
+              "auth: rising edge reports image-ready only -- one matcher run, not two");
         auto a2 = a.Observe(true, Mode::Authenticate);
         Check(a2.size() == 1 && a2[0] == Event::ImageReady, "auth: a held frame still reports image-ready");
         auto a3 = a.Observe(false, Mode::Authenticate);