diff --git a/api/community.js b/api/community.js
index bda1d87..def2c96 100644
--- a/api/community.js
+++ b/api/community.js
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ export default async function handler(req, res) {
   if (op === "ref-done" || op === "compared") {
     if (!bearer(req, process.env.COMMUNITY_RENDER_SECRET)) return json(res, 401, { error: "Unauthorized" });
     const r = op === "ref-done"
-      ? await finishRef(String(data.id), { ok: data.ok === true, reason: data.reason, duration: data.duration, width: data.width, height: data.height, sheets: data.sheets })
+      ? await finishRef(String(data.id), { ok: data.ok === true, reason: data.reason, duration: data.duration, width: data.width, height: data.height, sheets: data.sheets, video: data.video })
       : await finishCompare(String(data.id), { round: data.round, ok: data.ok === true, reason: data.reason, times: data.times });
     return json(res, r.ok ? 200 : 400, r);
   }
diff --git a/src/community.js b/src/community.js
index b026d99..ab3f6c2 100644
--- a/src/community.js
+++ b/src/community.js
@@ -113,6 +113,7 @@ export async function readSource(src, fetcher = fetch) {
     } catch { /* page layout changed: Claude reads the page itself */ }
   }
   if (out.title) out.title = text(out.title);
+  if (!out.video) out.error = `The page gave no video (${html.length} bytes${/cf-chl|challenge-platform|Just a moment/.test(html) ? ", a bot check" : ""}).`;
   return out;
 }
 
@@ -138,10 +139,11 @@ async function reference(src, video, { now, dispatch, wait }) {
   let meta = await getJson(refPath(src.id));
   const stuck = m => m && m.status !== "ready" && now - Date.parse(m.requested) > RETRY_MS;
   if (!meta || stuck(meta)) {
-    if (!video || !SOURCES[src.host].video.test(video)) return { status: "failed", reason: "The video of this page could not be found." };
+    // a page that does not show its video to this server (a bot check, say) is read by the job itself
+    if (video && !SOURCES[src.host].video.test(video)) video = null;
     meta = { status: "preparing", video, requested: iso(now) };
     await putJson(refPath(src.id), meta);
-    if (!(await dispatch("reference", src.id, { video }).catch(() => false))) {
+    if (!(await dispatch("reference", src.id, video ? { video } : { page: src.url }).catch(() => false))) {
       meta = { ...meta, status: "failed", reason: "The video could not be sent to be read right now; try again later." };
       await putJson(refPath(src.id), meta);
     }
@@ -157,7 +159,7 @@ export async function getRecreationBrief(args, { fetcher = fetch, dispatch = dis
   if (holds(existing, now)) return { ok: true, alreadyExists: true, ...publicRecord(existing), message: "This video is already a Community template (or one is being made from it). Do not recreate it: give the user this status." };
   const page = await readSource(src, fetcher);
   const ref = await reference(src, page.video, { now, dispatch, wait });
-  if (ref.status === "failed") return { ok: false, template: src.id, error: `${ref.reason || "The video could not be read."} A template is only made when it can be compared with its original video, so this one cannot be recreated now.` };
+  if (ref.status === "failed") return { ok: false, template: src.id, error: `${ref.reason || "The video could not be read."}${page.error ? ` (${page.error})` : ""} A template is only made when it can be compared with its original video, so this one cannot be recreated now.` };
   const out = {
     ok: true, alreadyExists: false, template: src.id,
     source: { site: src.site, page: src.page, id: src.slug, url: src.url, title: page.title, author: page.author, authorUrl: page.authorUrl, video: page.video },
@@ -346,9 +348,14 @@ export async function putRef(id, file, bytes) {
   return { ok: true };
 }
 /** Reference job finished: the video's size, duration and the times of each sheet's frames. */
-export async function finishRef(id, { ok, reason, duration, width, height, sheets }) {
+export async function finishRef(id, { ok, reason, duration, width, height, sheets, video }) {
   const m = await getJson(refPath(id));
   if (m?.status !== "preparing") return { ok: false, error: "No reference is being prepared." };
+  if (ok && !m.video) {
+    const host = Object.values(SOURCES).find(s => s.video.test(String(video)));
+    if (!host) return { ok: false, error: "video must be the source page's video." };
+    m.video = video;
+  }
   if (ok && !(num(duration, 0.5, 600) && num(width, 16, 8192) && num(height, 16, 8192) && sheets && times(sheets.general, duration) && (sheets.inicio == null || times(sheets.inicio, duration)))) return { ok: false, error: "duration, width, height and sheets.general are required." };
   const next = ok ? { ...m, status: "ready", duration, width, height, sheets: { general: sheets.general, ...(sheets.inicio ? { inicio: sheets.inicio } : {}) }, reason: null }
     : { ...m, status: "failed", reason: String(reason || "The video could not be read.").slice(0, 300) };
diff --git a/tests/community.test.js b/tests/community.test.js
index 958b234..4a1e021 100644
--- a/tests/community.test.js
+++ b/tests/community.test.js
@@ -111,11 +111,25 @@ test("comparisons are limited and an abandoned proposal frees its video", async
   const other = await proposeTemplate({ url, compositions: compositions(), card }, { caller: "3.3.3.3", ...opts, now: later });
   assert.equal(other.accepted, true); assert.notEqual(other.code, r.code);
 });
-test("a page without a readable video is not recreated", async () => {
+test("a page that hides its video from the server is read by the reference job", async () => {
+  setStore(mem()); jobs.length = 0;
+  const noVideo = async () => ({ ok: true, text: async () => "<html>Just a moment...</html>" });
+  const url = "https://prompt-motion.com/parkerrex-1a54fe", id = "c-pm-parkerrex-1a54fe";
+  const b = await getRecreationBrief({ url }, { ...opts, fetcher: noVideo });
+  assert.equal(b.reference.status, "preparing");
+  assert.deepEqual(jobs.at(-1), { kind: "reference", id, page: url });
+  assert.equal((await finishRef(id, { ok: true, duration: 20, width: 1920, height: 1080, sheets: { general: [1] }, video: "https://evil.com/x.mp4" })).ok, false);
+  assert.equal((await finishRef(id, { ok: true, duration: 20, width: 1920, height: 1080, sheets: { general: [1] }, video: "https://media.prompt-motion.com/x/v.mp4" })).ok, true);
+  await proposeTemplate({ url, compositions: compositions(), card }, { caller: "4.4.4.4", ...opts, fetcher: noVideo });
+  assert.equal(jobs.at(-1).video, "https://media.prompt-motion.com/x/v.mp4");
+});
+test("a job that cannot read the video fails the brief", async () => {
   setStore(mem());
-  const noVideo = async () => ({ ok: true, text: async () => PM.replace(/"contentUrl":"[^"]+",/, "") });
-  const b = await getRecreationBrief({ url: "https://prompt-motion.com/parkerrex-1a54fe" }, { ...opts, fetcher: noVideo });
-  assert.equal(b.ok, false); assert.match(b.error, /compared/);
+  const id = "c-pm-parkerrex-1a54fe";
+  await getRecreationBrief({ url: "https://prompt-motion.com/parkerrex-1a54fe" }, opts);
+  await finishRef(id, { ok: false, reason: "el video respondió 403" });
+  const b = await getRecreationBrief({ url: "https://prompt-motion.com/parkerrex-1a54fe" }, opts);
+  assert.equal(b.ok, false); assert.match(b.error, /403.*compared/);
 });
 test("daily limit per caller", async () => {
   setStore(mem());