diff --git a/src/features/flyer/FlyerUploader.test.tsx b/src/features/flyer/FlyerUploader.test.tsx
index 6af6c929..422ab928 100644
--- a/src/features/flyer/FlyerUploader.test.tsx
+++ b/src/features/flyer/FlyerUploader.test.tsx
@@ -65,8 +65,6 @@ describe('FlyerUploader', () => {
       return () => {};
     });
     console.log(`\n--- [TEST LOG] ---: Starting test: "${expect.getState().currentTestName}"`);
-    // Use fake timers to control polling intervals.
-    vi.useFakeTimers();
     vi.resetAllMocks(); // Resets mock implementations AND call history.
     console.log('--- [TEST LOG] ---: Mocks reset.');
     mockedChecksumModule.generateFileChecksum.mockResolvedValue('mock-checksum');
@@ -74,7 +72,6 @@ describe('FlyerUploader', () => {
   });
 
   afterEach(() => {
-    vi.useRealTimers();
     console.log(`--- [TEST LOG] ---: Finished test: "${expect.getState().currentTestName}"\n`);
   });
 
@@ -117,21 +114,18 @@ describe('FlyerUploader', () => {
     expect(mockedAiApiClient.getJobStatus).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     console.log('--- [TEST LOG] ---: 7. Mocks verified. Advancing timers now...');
 
-    await act(async () => {
-      console.log('--- [TEST LOG] ---: 8a. vi.advanceTimersByTime(3000) starting...');
-      vi.advanceTimersByTime(3000);
-      console.log('--- [TEST LOG] ---: 8b. vi.advanceTimersByTime(3000) complete.');
-    });
+    // With real timers, we now wait for the polling interval to elapse.
     console.log(
       `--- [TEST LOG] ---: 9. Act block finished. Now checking if getJobStatus was called again.`,
     );
 
     try {
+      // The polling interval is 3s, so we wait for a bit longer.
       await waitFor(() => {
         const calls = mockedAiApiClient.getJobStatus.mock.calls.length;
         console.log(`--- [TEST LOG] ---: 10. waitFor check: getJobStatus calls = ${calls}`);
         expect(mockedAiApiClient.getJobStatus).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
-      });
+      }, { timeout: 4000 });
       console.log('--- [TEST LOG] ---: 11. SUCCESS: Second poll confirmed.');
     } catch (error) {
       console.error('--- [TEST LOG] ---: 11. ERROR: waitFor for second poll timed out.');
@@ -194,19 +188,16 @@ describe('FlyerUploader', () => {
     expect(mockedAiApiClient.getJobStatus).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     console.log('--- [TEST LOG] ---: 5. First poll confirmed. Now AWAITING timer advancement.');
 
-    await act(async () => {
-      console.log(`--- [TEST LOG] ---: 6. Advancing timers by 4000ms for the second poll...`);
-      vi.advanceTimersByTime(4000);
-    });
-    console.log(`--- [TEST LOG] ---: 7. Timers advanced. Now AWAITING completion message.`);
-
     try {
       console.log(
         '--- [TEST LOG] ---: 8a. waitFor check: Waiting for completion text and job status count.',
       );
+      // Wait for the second poll to occur and the UI to update.
       await waitFor(() => {
         console.log(
-          `--- [TEST LOG] ---: 8b. waitFor interval: calls=${mockedAiApiClient.getJobStatus.mock.calls.length}`,
+          `--- [TEST LOG] ---: 8b. waitFor interval: calls=${
+            mockedAiApiClient.getJobStatus.mock.calls.length
+          }`,
         );
         expect(
           screen.getByText('Processing complete! Redirecting to flyer 42...'),
@@ -221,12 +212,9 @@ describe('FlyerUploader', () => {
     }
     expect(mockedAiApiClient.getJobStatus).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
 
-    await act(async () => {
-      console.log(`--- [TEST LOG] ---: 10. Advancing timers by 2000ms for redirect...`);
-      vi.advanceTimersByTime(2000);
-    });
+    // Wait for the redirect timer (1.5s in component) to fire.
+    await act(() => new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 2000)));
     console.log(`--- [TEST LOG] ---: 11. Timers advanced. Now asserting navigation.`);
-
     expect(onProcessingComplete).toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(navigateSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/flyers/42');
     console.log('--- [TEST LOG] ---: 12. Callback and navigation confirmed.');
@@ -291,22 +279,16 @@ describe('FlyerUploader', () => {
     // Wait for the first poll to complete and UI to update to "Working..."
     await screen.findByText('Working...');
 
-    // Advance time to trigger the second poll
-    await act(async () => {
-      vi.advanceTimersByTime(3000);
-    });
-
     // Wait for the failure UI
-    await screen.findByText(/Processing failed: Fatal Error/i);
+    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByText(/Processing failed: Fatal Error/i)).toBeInTheDocument(), { timeout: 4000 });
 
     // Verify clearTimeout was called
     expect(clearTimeoutSpy).toHaveBeenCalled();
 
     // Verify no further polling occurs
     const callsBefore = mockedAiApiClient.getJobStatus.mock.calls.length;
-    await act(async () => {
-      vi.advanceTimersByTime(10000);
-    });
+    // Wait for a duration longer than the polling interval
+    await act(() => new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 4000)));
     expect(mockedAiApiClient.getJobStatus).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(callsBefore);
 
     clearTimeoutSpy.mockRestore();
diff --git a/src/hooks/useAuth.test.tsx b/src/hooks/useAuth.test.tsx
index 5a2f9b3f..bdcf7a8a 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useAuth.test.tsx
+++ b/src/hooks/useAuth.test.tsx
@@ -150,6 +150,10 @@ describe('useAuth Hook and AuthProvider', () => {
   describe('login function', () => {
     // This was the failing test
     it('sets token, fetches profile, and updates state on successful login', async () => {
+      // --- FIX ---
+      // Explicitly mock that no token exists initially to prevent state leakage from other tests.
+      mockedTokenStorage.getToken.mockReturnValue(null);
+
       // --- FIX ---
       // The mock for `getAuthenticatedUserProfile` must resolve to a `Response`-like object,
       // as this is the return type of the actual function. The `useApi` hook then
@@ -302,6 +306,10 @@ describe('useAuth Hook and AuthProvider', () => {
     });
 
     it('should not update profile if user is not authenticated', async () => {
+      // --- FIX ---
+      // Explicitly mock that no token exists initially to prevent state leakage from other tests.
+      mockedTokenStorage.getToken.mockReturnValue(null);
+
       const { result } = renderHook(() => useAuth(), { wrapper });
 
       // Wait for initial check to complete
diff --git a/src/middleware/multer.middleware.ts b/src/middleware/multer.middleware.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fa82db7e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/middleware/multer.middleware.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+// src/middleware/multer.middleware.ts
+import multer from 'multer';
+import path from 'path';
+import fs from 'node:fs/promises';
+import { Request, Response, NextFunction } from 'express';
+import { UserProfile } from '../types';
+import { sanitizeFilename } from '../utils/stringUtils';
+import { logger } from '../services/logger.server';
+
+export const flyerStoragePath =
+  process.env.STORAGE_PATH || '/var/www/flyer-crawler.projectium.com/flyer-images';
+export const avatarStoragePath = path.join(process.cwd(), 'public', 'uploads', 'avatars');
+
+// Ensure directories exist at startup
+(async () => {
+  try {
+    await fs.mkdir(flyerStoragePath, { recursive: true });
+    await fs.mkdir(avatarStoragePath, { recursive: true });
+    logger.info('Ensured multer storage directories exist.');
+  } catch (error) {
+    const err = error instanceof Error ? error : new Error(String(error));
+    logger.error({ error: err }, 'Failed to create multer storage directories on startup.');
+  }
+})();
+
+type StorageType = 'flyer' | 'avatar';
+
+const getStorageConfig = (type: StorageType) => {
+  switch (type) {
+    case 'avatar':
+      return multer.diskStorage({
+        destination: (req, file, cb) => cb(null, avatarStoragePath),
+        filename: (req, file, cb) => {
+          const user = req.user as UserProfile | undefined;
+          if (!user) {
+            // This should ideally not happen if auth middleware runs first.
+            return cb(new Error('User not authenticated for avatar upload'), '');
+          }
+          const uniqueSuffix = `${user.user.user_id}-${Date.now()}${path.extname(
+            file.originalname,
+          )}`;
+          cb(null, uniqueSuffix);
+        },
+      });
+    case 'flyer':
+    default:
+      return multer.diskStorage({
+        destination: (req, file, cb) => cb(null, flyerStoragePath),
+        filename: (req, file, cb) => {
+          if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test') {
+            // Use a predictable filename for test flyers for easy cleanup.
+            const ext = path.extname(file.originalname);
+            return cb(null, `${file.fieldname}-test-flyer-image${ext || '.jpg'}`);
+          }
+          const uniqueSuffix = `${Date.now()}-${Math.round(Math.random() * 1e9)}`;
+          const sanitizedOriginalName = sanitizeFilename(file.originalname);
+          cb(null, `${file.fieldname}-${uniqueSuffix}-${sanitizedOriginalName}`);
+        },
+      });
+  }
+};
+
+const imageFileFilter = (req: Request, file: Express.Multer.File, cb: multer.FileFilterCallback) => {
+  if (file.mimetype.startsWith('image/')) {
+    cb(null, true);
+  } else {
+    // Reject the file with a specific error that can be caught by a middleware.
+    const err = new Error('Only image files are allowed!');
+    cb(err);
+  }
+};
+
+interface MulterOptions {
+  storageType: StorageType;
+  fileSize?: number;
+  fileFilter?: 'image';
+}
+
+/**
+ * Creates a configured multer instance for file uploads.
+ * @param options - Configuration for storage type, file size, and file filter.
+ * @returns A multer instance.
+ */
+export const createUploadMiddleware = (options: MulterOptions) => {
+  const multerOptions: multer.Options = {
+    storage: getStorageConfig(options.storageType),
+  };
+
+  if (options.fileSize) {
+    multerOptions.limits = { fileSize: options.fileSize };
+  }
+
+  if (options.fileFilter === 'image') {
+    multerOptions.fileFilter = imageFileFilter;
+  }
+
+  return multer(multerOptions);
+};
+
+/**
+ * A general error handler for multer. Place this after all routes using multer in your router file.
+ * It catches errors from `fileFilter` and other multer issues (e.g., file size limits).
+ */
+export const handleMulterError = (
+  err: Error,
+  req: Request,
+  res: Response,
+  next: NextFunction,
+) => {
+  if (err instanceof multer.MulterError) {
+    // A Multer error occurred when uploading (e.g., file too large).
+    return res.status(400).json({ message: `File upload error: ${err.message}` });
+  } else if (err && err.message === 'Only image files are allowed!') {
+    // A custom error from our fileFilter.
+    return res.status(400).json({ message: err.message });
+  }
+  // If it's not a multer error, pass it on.
+  next(err);
+};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/pages/admin/components/ProfileManager.test.tsx b/src/pages/admin/components/ProfileManager.test.tsx
index bd594c8c..fffdd72d 100644
--- a/src/pages/admin/components/ProfileManager.test.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/admin/components/ProfileManager.test.tsx
@@ -436,7 +436,9 @@ describe('ProfileManager', () => {
       });
     });
 
-    it('should automatically geocode address after user stops typing', async () => {
+    it('should automatically geocode address after user stops typing (using fake timers)', async () => {
+      // Use real timers for the initial async render and data fetch
+      vi.useRealTimers();
       const addressWithoutCoords = { ...mockAddress, latitude: undefined, longitude: undefined };
       mockedApiClient.getUserAddress.mockResolvedValue(
         new Response(JSON.stringify(addressWithoutCoords)),
@@ -454,13 +456,19 @@ describe('ProfileManager', () => {
       fireEvent.change(screen.getByLabelText(/city/i), { target: { value: 'NewCity' } });
       expect(mockedApiClient.geocodeAddress).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
 
-      console.log('[TEST LOG] Waiting 1600ms for debounce...');
-      // Wait for debounce (1500ms) + buffer using real timers to avoid freeze
-      await act(async () => {
-        await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 1600));
+      // Switch to fake timers to control the debounce timeout
+      vi.useFakeTimers();
+
+      // Advance timers to trigger the debounced function
+      act(() => {
+        vi.advanceTimersByTime(1500); // Must match debounce delay in useProfileAddress
       });
       console.log('[TEST LOG] Wait complete. Checking results.');
 
+      // Switch back to real timers to allow the async geocodeAddress promise to resolve
+      vi.useRealTimers();
+
+      // Now wait for the UI to update after the promise resolves
       await waitFor(() => {
         expect(mockedApiClient.geocodeAddress).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
           expect.stringContaining('NewCity'),
@@ -470,17 +478,19 @@ describe('ProfileManager', () => {
       });
     });
 
-    it('should not geocode if address already has coordinates', async () => {
-      console.log('[TEST LOG] Rendering for no-geocode test (Real Timers + Wait)');
+    it('should not geocode if address already has coordinates (using fake timers)', async () => {
+      // Use real timers for the initial async render and data fetch
+      vi.useRealTimers();
       render(<ProfileManager {...defaultAuthenticatedProps} />);
       console.log('[TEST LOG] Waiting for initial address load...');
       await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByLabelText(/city/i)).toHaveValue('Anytown'));
 
-      console.log(
-        '[TEST LOG] Initial address loaded. Waiting 1600ms to ensure no geocode triggers...',
-      );
-      await act(async () => {
-        await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 1600));
+      // Switch to fake timers to control the debounce check
+      vi.useFakeTimers();
+
+      // Advance timers past the debounce threshold. Nothing should happen.
+      act(() => {
+        vi.advanceTimersByTime(1600);
       });
       console.log('[TEST LOG] Wait complete. Verifying no geocode call.');
 
@@ -524,7 +534,7 @@ describe('ProfileManager', () => {
       expect(await screen.findByRole('heading', { name: /theme/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
 
       // Switch back to Profile
-      fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /profile/i }));
+      fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /^profile$/i }));
       expect(await screen.findByLabelText('Profile Form')).toBeInTheDocument();
     });
 
@@ -735,9 +745,7 @@ describe('ProfileManager', () => {
     });
 
     it('should handle account deletion flow', async () => {
-      // Use fake timers to test the setTimeout call
-      vi.useFakeTimers();
-      const { unmount } = render(<ProfileManager {...defaultAuthenticatedProps} />);
+      render(<ProfileManager {...defaultAuthenticatedProps} />);
 
       fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /data & privacy/i }));
 
@@ -767,15 +775,16 @@ describe('ProfileManager', () => {
         );
       });
 
+      // Now, switch to fake timers to control the setTimeout.
+      vi.useFakeTimers();
+
       // Advance timers to trigger the logout and close
       act(() => {
         vi.advanceTimersByTime(3000);
       });
 
-      await waitFor(() => {
-        expect(mockOnClose).toHaveBeenCalled();
-        expect(mockOnSignOut).toHaveBeenCalled();
-      });
+      expect(mockOnClose).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(mockOnSignOut).toHaveBeenCalled();
     });
 
     it('should allow toggling dark mode', async () => {
diff --git a/src/routes/admin.content.routes.test.ts b/src/routes/admin.content.routes.test.ts
index ac01e469..b697f729 100644
--- a/src/routes/admin.content.routes.test.ts
+++ b/src/routes/admin.content.routes.test.ts
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ describe('Admin Content Management Routes (/api/admin)', () => {
       expect(response.body.message).toBe('Brand logo updated successfully.');
       expect(vi.mocked(mockedDb.adminRepo.updateBrandLogo)).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
         brandId,
-        expect.stringContaining('/assets/'),
+        expect.stringContaining('/flyer-images/'),
         expect.anything(),
       );
     });
diff --git a/src/routes/admin.routes.ts b/src/routes/admin.routes.ts
index 80085694..c06c2d42 100644
--- a/src/routes/admin.routes.ts
+++ b/src/routes/admin.routes.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 import { Router, NextFunction, Request, Response } from 'express';
 import passport from './passport.routes';
 import { isAdmin } from './passport.routes'; // Correctly imported
-import fs from 'node:fs/promises';
 import multer from 'multer';
 import { z } from 'zod';
 
@@ -10,6 +9,10 @@ import * as db from '../services/db/index.db';
 import type { UserProfile } from '../types';
 import { geocodingService } from '../services/geocodingService.server';
 import { requireFileUpload } from '../middleware/fileUpload.middleware'; // This was a duplicate, fixed.
+import {
+  createUploadMiddleware,
+  handleMulterError,
+} from '../middleware/multer.middleware';
 import { NotFoundError, ValidationError } from '../services/db/errors.db';
 import { validateRequest } from '../middleware/validation.middleware';
 
@@ -42,6 +45,7 @@ import {
   optionalNumeric,
 } from '../utils/zodUtils';
 import { logger } from '../services/logger.server';
+import fs from 'node:fs/promises';
 
 /**
  * Safely deletes a file from the filesystem, ignoring errors if the file doesn't exist.
@@ -102,19 +106,7 @@ const jobRetrySchema = z.object({
 
 const router = Router();
 
-// --- Multer Configuration for File Uploads ---
-const storagePath =
-  process.env.STORAGE_PATH || '/var/www/flyer-crawler.projectium.com/flyer-images';
-const storage = multer.diskStorage({
-  destination: function (req, file, cb) {
-    cb(null, storagePath);
-  },
-  filename: function (req, file, cb) {
-    const uniqueSuffix = Date.now() + '-' + Math.round(Math.random() * 1e9);
-    cb(null, file.fieldname + '-' + uniqueSuffix + '-' + file.originalname);
-  },
-});
-const upload = multer({ storage: storage });
+const upload = createUploadMiddleware({ storageType: 'flyer' });
 
 // --- Bull Board (Job Queue UI) Setup ---
 const serverAdapter = new ExpressAdapter();
@@ -698,4 +690,7 @@ router.post(
   },
 );
 
+/* Catches errors from multer (e.g., file size, file filter) */
+router.use(handleMulterError);
+
 export default router;
diff --git a/src/routes/ai.routes.ts b/src/routes/ai.routes.ts
index 142bcb3c..7f1ac5b7 100644
--- a/src/routes/ai.routes.ts
+++ b/src/routes/ai.routes.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 // src/routes/ai.routes.ts
 import { Router, Request, Response, NextFunction } from 'express';
-import multer from 'multer';
 import path from 'path';
 import fs from 'node:fs';
 import { z } from 'zod';
@@ -9,8 +8,11 @@ import { optionalAuth } from './passport.routes';
 import * as db from '../services/db/index.db';
 import { createFlyerAndItems } from '../services/db/flyer.db';
 import * as aiService from '../services/aiService.server'; // Correctly import server-side AI service
+import {
+  createUploadMiddleware,
+  handleMulterError,
+} from '../middleware/multer.middleware';
 import { generateFlyerIcon } from '../utils/imageProcessor';
-import { sanitizeFilename } from '../utils/stringUtils';
 import { logger } from '../services/logger.server';
 import { UserProfile, ExtractedCoreData, ExtractedFlyerItem } from '../types';
 import { flyerQueue } from '../services/queueService.server';
@@ -154,40 +156,7 @@ const searchWebSchema = z.object({
   body: z.object({ query: requiredString('A search query is required.') }),
 });
 
-// --- Multer Configuration for File Uploads ---
-const storagePath =
-  process.env.STORAGE_PATH || '/var/www/flyer-crawler.projectium.com/flyer-images';
-
-// Ensure the storage path exists at startup so multer can write files there.
-try {
-  fs.mkdirSync(storagePath, { recursive: true });
-  logger.debug(`AI upload storage path ready: ${storagePath}`);
-} catch (err) {
-  logger.error(
-    { error: errMsg(err) },
-    `Failed to create storage path (${storagePath}). File uploads may fail.`,
-  );
-}
-const diskStorage = multer.diskStorage({
-  destination: function (req, file, cb) {
-    cb(null, storagePath);
-  },
-  filename: function (req, file, cb) {
-    // If in a test environment, use a predictable filename for easy cleanup.
-    if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test') {
-      return cb(null, `${file.fieldname}-test-flyer-image.jpg`);
-    } else {
-      const uniqueSuffix = Date.now() + '-' + Math.round(Math.random() * 1e9);
-      // Sanitize the original filename to remove spaces and special characters
-      return cb(
-        null,
-        file.fieldname + '-' + uniqueSuffix + '-' + sanitizeFilename(file.originalname),
-      );
-    }
-  },
-});
-
-const uploadToDisk = multer({ storage: diskStorage });
+const uploadToDisk = createUploadMiddleware({ storageType: 'flyer' });
 
 // Diagnostic middleware: log incoming AI route requests (headers and sizes)
 router.use((req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction) => {
@@ -722,4 +691,7 @@ router.post(
   },
 );
 
+/* Catches errors from multer (e.g., file size, file filter) */
+router.use(handleMulterError);
+
 export default router;
diff --git a/src/routes/health.routes.ts b/src/routes/health.routes.ts
index ea8392cc..ba5ab528 100644
--- a/src/routes/health.routes.ts
+++ b/src/routes/health.routes.ts
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ router.get('/db-schema', validateRequest(emptySchema), async (req, res, next: Ne
  * This is important for features like file uploads.
  */
 router.get('/storage', validateRequest(emptySchema), async (req, res, next: NextFunction) => {
-  const storagePath = process.env.STORAGE_PATH || '/var/www/flyer-crawler.projectium.com/assets';
+  const storagePath = process.env.STORAGE_PATH || '/var/www/flyer-crawler.projectium.com/flyer-images';
   try {
     await fs.access(storagePath, fs.constants.W_OK); // Use fs.promises
     return res
diff --git a/src/routes/user.routes.ts b/src/routes/user.routes.ts
index bed10dfd..dc0f9542 100644
--- a/src/routes/user.routes.ts
+++ b/src/routes/user.routes.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,16 @@
 // src/routes/user.routes.ts
 import express, { Request, Response, NextFunction } from 'express';
 import passport from './passport.routes';
-import multer from 'multer';
-import path from 'path';
+import multer from 'multer'; // Keep for MulterError type check
 import fs from 'node:fs/promises';
 import * as bcrypt from 'bcrypt'; // This was a duplicate, fixed.
 import { z } from 'zod';
 import { logger } from '../services/logger.server';
 import { UserProfile } from '../types';
+import {
+  createUploadMiddleware,
+  handleMulterError,
+} from '../middleware/multer.middleware';
 import { userService } from '../services/userService';
 import { ForeignKeyConstraintError } from '../services/db/errors.db';
 import { validateRequest } from '../middleware/validation.middleware';
@@ -85,35 +88,10 @@ const emptySchema = z.object({});
 // Any request to a /api/users/* endpoint will now require a valid JWT.
 router.use(passport.authenticate('jwt', { session: false }));
 
-// --- Multer Configuration for Avatar Uploads ---
-
-// Ensure the directory for avatar uploads exists.
-const avatarUploadDir = path.join(process.cwd(), 'public', 'uploads', 'avatars');
-fs.mkdir(avatarUploadDir, { recursive: true }).catch((err) => {
-  logger.error({ err }, 'Failed to create avatar upload directory');
-});
-
-// Define multer storage configuration. The `req.user` object will be available
-// here because the passport middleware runs before this route handler.
-const avatarStorage = multer.diskStorage({
-  destination: (req, file, cb) => cb(null, avatarUploadDir),
-  filename: (req, file, cb) => {
-    const uniqueSuffix = `${(req.user as UserProfile).user.user_id}-${Date.now()}${path.extname(file.originalname)}`;
-    cb(null, uniqueSuffix);
-  },
-});
-
-const avatarUpload = multer({
-  storage: avatarStorage,
-  limits: { fileSize: 1 * 1024 * 1024 }, // 1MB file size limit
-  fileFilter: (req, file, cb) => {
-    if (file.mimetype.startsWith('image/')) {
-      cb(null, true);
-    } else {
-      // Reject the file with a specific error
-      cb(new Error('Only image files are allowed!'));
-    }
-  },
+const avatarUpload = createUploadMiddleware({
+  storageType: 'avatar',
+  fileSize: 1 * 1024 * 1024, // 1MB
+  fileFilter: 'image',
 });
 
 /**
@@ -857,18 +835,7 @@ router.put(
   },
 );
 
-// --- General Multer Error Handler ---
-// This should be placed after all routes that use multer.
-// It catches errors from `fileFilter` and other multer issues (e.g., file size limits).
-router.use((err: Error, req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction) => {
-  if (err instanceof multer.MulterError) {
-    // A Multer error occurred when uploading (e.g., file too large).
-    return res.status(400).json({ message: `File upload error: ${err.message}` });
-  } else if (err && err.message === 'Only image files are allowed!') {
-    // A custom error from our fileFilter.
-    return res.status(400).json({ message: err.message });
-  }
-  next(err); // Pass on to the next error handler if it's not a multer error we handle.
-});
+/* Catches errors from multer (e.g., file size, file filter) */
+router.use(handleMulterError);
 
 export default router;
diff --git a/src/services/aiApiClient.ts b/src/services/aiApiClient.ts
index 84cbf1bb..2883c4a7 100644
--- a/src/services/aiApiClient.ts
+++ b/src/services/aiApiClient.ts
@@ -44,10 +44,12 @@ export const uploadAndProcessFlyer = async (
 
   if (!response.ok) {
     let errorBody;
+    // Clone the response so we can read the body twice (once as JSON, and as text on failure).
+    const clonedResponse = response.clone();
     try {
       errorBody = await response.json();
     } catch (e) {
-      errorBody = { message: await response.text() };
+      errorBody = { message: await clonedResponse.text() };
     }
     // Throw a structured error so the component can inspect the status and body
     throw { status: response.status, body: errorBody };