diff --git a/internal/handlers/imageenc_internal_test.go b/internal/handlers/imageenc_internal_test.go
index be2db22..d4f8c6b 100644
--- a/internal/handlers/imageenc_internal_test.go
+++ b/internal/handlers/imageenc_internal_test.go
@@ -96,3 +96,70 @@ func TestHandleImageEnc_InvalidFitMode_Returns400(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("status = %d, want %d", rec.Code, http.StatusBadRequest)
 	}
 }
+
+// TestHandleImageEnc_IfNoneMatch_Returns304 verifies that an image served
+// through an encrypted URL carries an ETag, and that a request whose
+// If-None-Match is that ETag is answered 304 Not Modified with no body.
+func TestHandleImageEnc_IfNoneMatch_Returns304(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	h, srv := newSignedHostServer(t, slog.New(slog.DiscardHandler))
+	target := encPhotoURL(t, h)
+
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	srv.ServeHTTP(rec, httptest.NewRequestWithContext(
+		t.Context(), http.MethodGet, target, nil))
+
+	etag := rec.Header().Get("ETag")
+	t.Logf("GET: %d, ETag %q", rec.Code, etag)
+
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusOK || etag == "" {
+		t.Fatalf("GET: status = %d, ETag = %q, want %d and an ETag",
+			rec.Code, etag, http.StatusOK)
+	}
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequestWithContext(t.Context(), http.MethodGet, target, nil)
+	req.Header.Set("If-None-Match", etag)
+
+	rec = httptest.NewRecorder()
+	srv.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+	t.Logf("GET with If-None-Match: %d, %d body bytes", rec.Code, rec.Body.Len())
+
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusNotModified || rec.Body.Len() != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("status = %d with %d body bytes, want %d with none",
+			rec.Code, rec.Body.Len(), http.StatusNotModified)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestHandleImageEnc_HEAD_ReturnsHeadersOnly verifies that HEAD on an
+// encrypted URL is answered 200 with the headers GET sends and no body.
+func TestHandleImageEnc_HEAD_ReturnsHeadersOnly(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	h, _ := newSignedHostServer(t, slog.New(slog.DiscardHandler))
+
+	r := chi.NewRouter()
+	r.Head("/v1/e/{token}/*", h.HandleImageEnc())
+
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	r.ServeHTTP(rec, httptest.NewRequestWithContext(
+		t.Context(), http.MethodHead, encPhotoURL(t, h), nil))
+	t.Logf("HEAD: %d, headers %v, %d body bytes",
+		rec.Code, rec.Header(), rec.Body.Len())
+
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("status = %d, want %d", rec.Code, http.StatusOK)
+	}
+
+	for _, name := range []string{
+		"Content-Type", "Content-Length", "Cache-Control", "ETag",
+	} {
+		if rec.Header().Get(name) == "" {
+			t.Errorf("HEAD response has no %s", name)
+		}
+	}
+
+	if rec.Body.Len() != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("HEAD response body has %d bytes, want none", rec.Body.Len())
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/server/routes_internal_test.go b/internal/server/routes_internal_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f072a3d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/server/routes_internal_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+package server
+
+import (
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestEncryptedImageRouteAnswersHEAD verifies that HEAD on the encrypted image
+// route reaches its handler, as GET does, instead of being answered 405 Method
+// Not Allowed. The handler refuses a token it cannot decrypt with 400, so that
+// status shows the request got through.
+func TestEncryptedImageRouteAnswersHEAD(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	s := newTestServer(t)
+
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	s.ServeHTTP(rec, httptest.NewRequestWithContext(
+		t.Context(), http.MethodHead, encryptedImagePath, nil))
+	t.Logf("status %d", rec.Code)
+
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusBadRequest {
+		t.Errorf("status = %d, want %d from the encrypted image handler",
+			rec.Code, http.StatusBadRequest)
+	}
+}