diff --git a/crates/context/src/component_review/tests.rs b/crates/context/src/component_review/tests.rs
index 3ef5108ef..2cc7b7fd3 100644
--- a/crates/context/src/component_review/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/context/src/component_review/tests.rs
@@ -599,6 +599,24 @@ fn visual_approvals_survive_shared_source_edits_but_not_changed_scope_or_pixels(
         before["packet"]["revision"].as_str().unwrap()
     )))
     .unwrap();
+    // Component decisions approve the isolated preview, not its contextual
+    // surroundings or the dependency closure of a shared document.
+    let mut component_previous = previous.clone();
+    component_previous["packet"]["stage"] = json!("components");
+    let mut component_current = after.clone();
+    component_current["packet"]["stage"] = json!("components");
+    component_current["packet"]["components"][1]["dependencies"] = json!(["shared.css", "unrelated.png"]);
+    component_current["packet"]["components"][1]["context"] = json!({"kind":"image","url":"/files/unrelated-context.png"});
+    component_current["capture"]["components"][1]["views"]["preview"]["rasterElements"] = json!(12);
+    assert_eq!(super::visual_approval::carry(&component_previous, &mut component_current, &dir.join("blobs")), 1);
+    assert_eq!(component_current["draft"]["decisions"]["control"]["action"], "approve");
+    assert!(component_current["receipt"].is_null());
+    for field in ["box", "medium", "note", "preview"] {
+        let mut changed = component_current.clone();
+        changed["draft"]["decisions"].as_object_mut().unwrap().remove("control");
+        changed["packet"]["components"][1][field] = json!("changed");
+        assert_eq!(super::visual_approval::carry(&component_previous, &mut changed, &dir.join("blobs")), 0, "component scope: {field}");
+    }
     for field in ["box", "medium", "note", "context"] {
         let mut changed = after.clone();
         changed["packet"]["components"][1][field] = json!("changed");
diff --git a/crates/context/src/component_review/visual_approval.rs b/crates/context/src/component_review/visual_approval.rs
index 48719d39a..3e6bdb86e 100644
--- a/crates/context/src/component_review/visual_approval.rs
+++ b/crates/context/src/component_review/visual_approval.rs
@@ -14,9 +14,20 @@ fn identity(state: &Value, component: &Value, blobs: &Path) -> Option<Value> {
     let prefix = format!("/files/{}/", state["packet"]["revision"].as_str()?);
     let mut definition = component.clone();
     definition.as_object_mut()?.remove("revision");
-    // Dependency paths remain part of scope; their bytes are checked by sources_current.
+    let component_stage = state["packet"]["stage"] == "components";
+    if component_stage {
+        // The checkpoint approves the isolated component. Context is explicitly
+        // reference-only; shared document dependencies and thumbnails are not
+        // additional things the user approves. Source integrity still binds the
+        // full frozen closure and is checked separately by sources_current.
+        for key in ["dependencies", "context", "thumbnail"] {
+            definition.as_object_mut()?.remove(key);
+        }
+    }
     let mut views = serde_json::Map::new();
-    for key in ["preview", "context", "thumbnail", "comp"] {
+    let keys: &[&str] = if component_stage { &["preview", "comp"] }
+        else { &["preview", "context", "thumbnail", "comp"] };
+    for &key in keys {
         let view = if key == "comp" {
             &state["packet"]["comp"]
         } else {
@@ -60,6 +71,9 @@ fn identity(state: &Value, component: &Value, blobs: &Path) -> Option<Value> {
                 "rasterElements",
                 "semanticControls",
             ] {
+                // These counts describe the entire shared document, including
+                // components outside this decision's isolated preview.
+                if component_stage && matches!(field, "svgElements" | "rasterElements" | "semanticControls") { continue; }
                 scoped[field] = proof[field].clone();
             }
         }