Add generic file attachments to chat messages

Messages can now carry an arbitrary file (MessageFile), parallel to the
existing MessageImage feature rather than a refactor of it. Files serve
with Content-Disposition: attachment to force a download and prevent an
uploaded HTML/SVG from executing same-origin. No content-type allowlist,
same 8MB cap as images for now (a separate size-limit redesign is tracked
as its own issue).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

backend/README.md

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# KeepItTalking backend (Phase 1 + 2 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8, image uploads, emoji & reactions, user profiles, site invites & email, password reset)
+# KeepItTalking backend (Phase 1 + 2 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8, image uploads, file attachments, emoji & reactions, user profiles, site invites & email, password reset)
 
 FastAPI + SQLAlchemy 2.0 (async) + PostgreSQL + Redis. Implements auth, room
 CRUD (open and private), room roles (owner/admin/member) and direct
@@ -6,8 +6,9 @@ membership management, a WebSocket chat endpoint that fans out across
 multiple app-server instances via Redis pub/sub, Web Push notifications for
 offline room members, a site-admin portal (user/room/bot management + an
 audit log), a bot/extension layer (scoped API tokens, live bot WebSocket
-access, incoming and outgoing webhooks, message editing), image uploads in
+access, incoming and outgoing webhooks, message editing), image uploads and
-chat messages, emoji reactions on messages, self-service user profiles
+generic file attachments in chat messages, emoji reactions on messages,
+self-service user profiles
 (display name, avatar), self-service password change and a token-based
 forgot-password flow, and admin-issued email invites for new accounts
 plus email notifications when a user is added to a room. See
@@ -364,6 +365,39 @@ cleanup job for this yet. Not a security issue, since serving still goes
 through the same room-membership gate as everything else; just an eventual
 disk-space housekeeping item.
 
+## File attachments
+
+A message can also carry a generic file attachment (`Message.file_id`,
+nullable, alongside the pre-existing `content` and `image_id`) — a
+parallel `MessageFile` model/table, not a generalization of `MessageImage`,
+so the working image feature stayed untouched. `app/storage.py`'s
+`save_image`/`delete_image` were content-agnostic already (no Pillow
+usage) and were renamed to `save_file`/`delete_file` now that both features
+share them; `ImageTooLargeError` was likewise renamed to
+`UploadTooLargeError`.
+
+- `POST /api/rooms/{room_id}/files` (room-member gated, multipart) — same
+  8 MB cap as images (`MAX_FILE_BYTES`, currently an alias of
+  `MAX_IMAGE_BYTES`; a real, independently-configurable size-limit redesign
+  is a separate later task — see the open file/image size-limit issue), but
+  **no content-type allowlist** — arbitrary file types are the point of this
+  endpoint, unlike `/images`.
+- `GET /api/rooms/{room_id}/files/{file_id}` (room-member gated) — 404s if
+  the file doesn't belong to that room, otherwise streams it via
+  `FileResponse(..., filename=...)`. Passing `filename=` makes Starlette set
+  `Content-Disposition: attachment`, which forces a download in the browser
+  regardless of content-type — the deliberate mitigation against a
+  user-uploaded `.html`/`.svg` executing script same-origin (session-cookie
+  theft) if opened directly. This is why there's no content-type blocklist
+  on top of it: forcing a download already neutralizes that whole class of
+  risk.
+- The WS `"message"` handler and `message_events.py` push-body/broadcast
+  logic mirror the image path exactly (an optional `file_id`, validated
+  against the room; push body says "`{username} sent a file`" for a
+  file-only message).
+
+Same orphaned-upload disk-space caveat as images applies here too.
+
 ## Emoji & reactions
 
 An emoji picker in the frontend composer is purely client-side (a static
@@ -402,11 +436,11 @@ scoped out.
   everywhere it's displayed.
 - `POST /api/auth/me/avatar` / `DELETE /api/auth/me/avatar` — reuse
   `app/storage.py`'s upload primitives (`read_capped`, `process_image`,
-  `save_image`) from image uploads, but call `process_image(..., square=True,
+  `save_file`) from image uploads, but call `process_image(..., square=True,
   max_dimension=512)` — a new option that center-crops before downscaling,
   since avatars need a fixed square shape at a much smaller size than a
   message image. Unlike message images (which never delete), the previous
-  avatar file **is deleted** on replace/remove (`storage.delete_image`) —
+  avatar file **is deleted** on replace/remove (`storage.delete_file`) —
   safe to do here because it's strictly one file per user, no accumulation
   risk to accept the way an orphaned message-image upload has.
 - `GET /api/users/{user_id}/avatar` (`app/routers/users.py`, new router) —

backend/alembic/versions/5b1a142dc271_message_file_attachments.py

@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+"""message file attachments
+
+Revision ID: 5b1a142dc271
+Revises: 456cd78ca571
+Create Date: 2026-08-14 21:53:05.055721
+
+"""
+from typing import Sequence, Union
+
+from alembic import op
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+
+
+# revision identifiers, used by Alembic.
+revision: str = '5b1a142dc271'
+down_revision: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = '456cd78ca571'
+branch_labels: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = None
+depends_on: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = None
+
+
+def upgrade() -> None:
+    """Upgrade schema."""
+    # ### commands auto generated by Alembic - please adjust! ###
+    op.create_table('message_files',
+    sa.Column('id', sa.Uuid(), nullable=False),
+    sa.Column('room_id', sa.Uuid(), nullable=False),
+    sa.Column('uploaded_by', sa.Uuid(), nullable=False),
+    sa.Column('storage_filename', sa.String(length=64), nullable=False),
+    sa.Column('original_filename', sa.String(length=255), nullable=False),
+    sa.Column('content_type', sa.String(length=150), nullable=False),
+    sa.Column('size_bytes', sa.BigInteger(), nullable=False),
+    sa.Column('created_at', sa.DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=sa.text('now()'), nullable=False),
+    sa.ForeignKeyConstraint(['room_id'], ['rooms.id'], ),
+    sa.ForeignKeyConstraint(['uploaded_by'], ['users.id'], ),
+    sa.PrimaryKeyConstraint('id')
+    )
+    op.create_index(op.f('ix_message_files_room_id'), 'message_files', ['room_id'], unique=False)
+    op.add_column('messages', sa.Column('file_id', sa.Uuid(), nullable=True))
+    op.create_foreign_key('messages_file_id_fkey', 'messages', 'message_files', ['file_id'], ['id'])
+    op.drop_constraint(op.f('messages_content_or_image_required'), 'messages', type_='check')
+    op.create_check_constraint('messages_content_or_attachment_required', 'messages', 'content IS NOT NULL OR image_id IS NOT NULL OR file_id IS NOT NULL')
+    # ### end Alembic commands ###
+
+
+def downgrade() -> None:
+    """Downgrade schema."""
+    # ### commands auto generated by Alembic - please adjust! ###
+    op.drop_constraint('messages_content_or_attachment_required', 'messages', type_='check')
+    op.create_check_constraint(op.f('messages_content_or_image_required'), 'messages', 'content IS NOT NULL OR image_id IS NOT NULL')
+    op.drop_constraint('messages_file_id_fkey', 'messages', type_='foreignkey')
+    op.drop_column('messages', 'file_id')
+    op.drop_index(op.f('ix_message_files_room_id'), table_name='message_files')
+    op.drop_table('message_files')
+    # ### end Alembic commands ###

backend/app/models/__init__.py

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ from app.models.event_subscription import EventSubscription
 from app.models.invite import InviteStatus
 from app.models.membership import RoomMembership, RoomRole
 from app.models.message import Message
+from app.models.message_file import MessageFile
 from app.models.message_image import MessageImage
 from app.models.message_reaction import MessageReaction
 from app.models.password_reset import PasswordReset
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ __all__ = [
     "RoomMembership",
     "RoomRole",
     "Message",
+    "MessageFile",
     "MessageImage",
     "MessageReaction",
     "InviteStatus",

backend/app/models/message.py

@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ class Message(Base):
     __tablename__ = "messages"
     __table_args__ = (
         CheckConstraint(
-            "content IS NOT NULL OR image_id IS NOT NULL",
+            "content IS NOT NULL OR image_id IS NOT NULL OR file_id IS NOT NULL",
-            name="messages_content_or_image_required",
+            name="messages_content_or_attachment_required",
         ),
     )
 
@@ -21,9 +21,10 @@ class Message(Base):
     user_id: Mapped[uuid.UUID] = mapped_column(ForeignKey("users.id"), nullable=False)
     # Nullable since Phase "image uploads": a message can be an image with
     # no caption. The CheckConstraint above still requires at least one of
-    # content/image_id.
+    # content/image_id/file_id.
     content: Mapped[str | None] = mapped_column(Text)
     image_id: Mapped[uuid.UUID | None] = mapped_column(ForeignKey("message_images.id"))
+    file_id: Mapped[uuid.UUID | None] = mapped_column(ForeignKey("message_files.id"))
     created_at: Mapped[datetime] = mapped_column(
         DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=func.now(), index=True, nullable=False
     )
@@ -32,3 +33,4 @@ class Message(Base):
 
     user = relationship("User")
     image = relationship("MessageImage")
+    file = relationship("MessageFile")

backend/app/models/message_file.py

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import uuid
+from datetime import datetime
+
+from sqlalchemy import BigInteger, DateTime, ForeignKey, String, func
+from sqlalchemy.orm import Mapped, mapped_column, relationship
+
+from app.models.base import Base
+
+
+class MessageFile(Base):
+    __tablename__ = "message_files"
+
+    id: Mapped[uuid.UUID] = mapped_column(primary_key=True, default=uuid.uuid4)
+    room_id: Mapped[uuid.UUID] = mapped_column(ForeignKey("rooms.id"), index=True, nullable=False)
+    uploaded_by: Mapped[uuid.UUID] = mapped_column(ForeignKey("users.id"), nullable=False)
+    storage_filename: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(64), nullable=False)
+    original_filename: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(255), nullable=False)
+    # Wider than MessageImage's content_type column -- generic MIME strings
+    # (e.g. the Office Open XML types) run 60-80 chars, unlike images'
+    # four known short values.
+    content_type: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(150), nullable=False)
+    size_bytes: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(BigInteger, nullable=False)
+    created_at: Mapped[datetime] = mapped_column(
+        DateTime(timezone=True), server_default=func.now(), nullable=False
+    )
+
+    room = relationship("Room")
+    uploader = relationship("User")

backend/app/routers/auth.py

@@ -22,12 +22,12 @@ from app.services.password_service import (
 )
 from app.storage import (
     ALLOWED_IMAGE_CONTENT_TYPES,
-    ImageTooLargeError,
     InvalidImageError,
-    delete_image,
+    UploadTooLargeError,
+    delete_file,
     process_image,
     read_capped,
-    save_image,
+    save_file,
 )
 
 AVATAR_MAX_DIMENSION = 512
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ async def upload_avatar(
 
     try:
         data = await read_capped(file)
-    except ImageTooLargeError:
+    except UploadTooLargeError:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=413, detail="Image exceeds 8 MB limit")
 
     try:
@@ -102,14 +102,14 @@ async def upload_avatar(
         raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="File is not a valid image")
 
     previous_filename = current_user.avatar_filename
-    storage_filename = save_image(data, ext)
+    storage_filename = save_file(data, ext)
     current_user.avatar_filename = storage_filename
     current_user.avatar_content_type = file.content_type
     await db.commit()
     await db.refresh(current_user)
 
     if previous_filename:
-        delete_image(previous_filename)
+        delete_file(previous_filename)
 
     return current_user
 
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ async def remove_avatar(
     await db.refresh(current_user)
 
     if previous_filename:
-        delete_image(previous_filename)
+        delete_file(previous_filename)
 
     return current_user
 

backend/app/routers/rooms.py

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import pathlib
 import uuid
 
 from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, File, HTTPException, Query, Request, UploadFile
@@ -11,8 +12,9 @@ from app.dependencies import (
     require_room_role,
     require_scope,
 )
-from app.models import MessageImage, RoomRole, User
+from app.models import MessageFile, MessageImage, RoomRole, User
-from app.schemas.message import MessageRead
+from app.schemas.message import MessageFileInfo, MessageRead
+from app.schemas.message_file import MessageFileCreated
 from app.schemas.message_image import MessageImageCreated
 from app.schemas.room import (
     MyRoomItem,
@@ -71,12 +73,13 @@ from app.services.webhook_service import (
 from app.services.ssrf import UnsafeWebhookUrlError
 from app.storage import (
     ALLOWED_IMAGE_CONTENT_TYPES,
+    MAX_FILE_BYTES,
     UPLOADS_DIR,
-    ImageTooLargeError,
     InvalidImageError,
+    UploadTooLargeError,
     process_image,
     read_capped,
-    save_image,
+    save_file,
 )
 
 router = APIRouter(prefix="/api/rooms", tags=["rooms"])
@@ -284,6 +287,15 @@ async def transfer_ownership_endpoint(
         )
 
 
+def _to_message_file_info(file: MessageFile) -> MessageFileInfo:
+    return MessageFileInfo(
+        id=file.id,
+        filename=file.original_filename,
+        size_bytes=file.size_bytes,
+        content_type=file.content_type,
+    )
+
+
 @router.get("/{room_id}/messages", response_model=list[MessageRead])
 async def get_room_messages_endpoint(
     room_id: uuid.UUID,
@@ -304,6 +316,7 @@ async def get_room_messages_endpoint(
             username=m.user.username,
             content=m.content,
             image_id=m.image_id,
+            file=_to_message_file_info(m.file) if m.file else None,
             reactions=reactions_by_message.get(m.id, []),
             created_at=m.created_at,
             edited_at=m.edited_at,
@@ -326,7 +339,7 @@ async def upload_room_image_endpoint(
 
     try:
         data = await read_capped(file)
-    except ImageTooLargeError:
+    except UploadTooLargeError:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=413, detail="Image exceeds 8 MB limit")
 
     try:
@@ -334,7 +347,7 @@ async def upload_room_image_endpoint(
     except InvalidImageError:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="File is not a valid image")
 
-    storage_filename = save_image(data, ext)
+    storage_filename = save_file(data, ext)
     image = MessageImage(
         room_id=room_id,
         uploaded_by=current_user.id,
@@ -366,6 +379,67 @@ async def get_room_image_endpoint(
     )
 
 
+@router.post("/{room_id}/files", response_model=MessageFileCreated, status_code=201)
+async def upload_room_file_endpoint(
+    room_id: uuid.UUID,
+    file: UploadFile = File(...),
+    current_user: User = Depends(get_current_user),
+    db: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db),
+):
+    await require_room_member(room_id, current_user, db)
+
+    try:
+        data = await read_capped(file, cap=MAX_FILE_BYTES)
+    except UploadTooLargeError:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=413, detail="File exceeds 8 MB limit")
+
+    original_filename = file.filename or "file"
+    ext = pathlib.Path(original_filename).suffix
+    storage_filename = save_file(data, ext)
+    message_file = MessageFile(
+        room_id=room_id,
+        uploaded_by=current_user.id,
+        storage_filename=storage_filename,
+        original_filename=original_filename,
+        content_type=file.content_type or "application/octet-stream",
+        size_bytes=len(data),
+    )
+    db.add(message_file)
+    await db.commit()
+    await db.refresh(message_file)
+    return MessageFileCreated(
+        id=message_file.id,
+        filename=message_file.original_filename,
+        size_bytes=message_file.size_bytes,
+        content_type=message_file.content_type,
+    )
+
+
+@router.get("/{room_id}/files/{file_id}")
+async def get_room_file_endpoint(
+    room_id: uuid.UUID,
+    file_id: uuid.UUID,
+    current_user: User = Depends(get_current_user),
+    db: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db),
+):
+    await require_room_member(room_id, current_user, db)
+    message_file = await db.get(MessageFile, file_id)
+    if message_file is None or message_file.room_id != room_id:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="File not found")
+    # `filename=` makes Starlette set Content-Disposition: attachment,
+    # forcing a download instead of an inline render regardless of
+    # content-type -- the mitigation for a same-origin-served, user-
+    # uploaded file (e.g. .html/.svg) executing script in this app's own
+    # origin if opened directly. No content-type allowlist needed on top
+    # of this; see backend/README.md.
+    return FileResponse(
+        UPLOADS_DIR / message_file.storage_filename,
+        media_type=message_file.content_type,
+        filename=message_file.original_filename,
+        headers={"Cache-Control": "private, max-age=31536000, immutable"},
+    )
+
+
 @router.post("/{room_id}/members", response_model=RoomMemberRead, status_code=201)
 async def add_member_endpoint(
     room_id: uuid.UUID,

backend/app/schemas/message.py

@@ -10,6 +10,15 @@ class ReactionSummary(BaseModel):
     user_ids: list[str]
 
 
+class MessageFileInfo(BaseModel):
+    model_config = ConfigDict(from_attributes=True)
+
+    id: uuid.UUID
+    filename: str
+    size_bytes: int
+    content_type: str
+
+
 class MessageRead(BaseModel):
     model_config = ConfigDict(from_attributes=True)
 
@@ -19,6 +28,7 @@ class MessageRead(BaseModel):
     username: str
     content: str | None
     image_id: uuid.UUID | None
+    file: MessageFileInfo | None
     reactions: list[ReactionSummary]
     created_at: datetime
     edited_at: datetime | None

backend/app/schemas/message_file.py

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+import uuid
+
+from pydantic import BaseModel
+
+
+class MessageFileCreated(BaseModel):
+    id: uuid.UUID
+    filename: str
+    size_bytes: int
+    content_type: str

backend/app/services/message_events.py

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import uuid
 from sqlalchemy import select
 from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
 
-from app.models import Message, Room, RoomMembership, User
+from app.models import Message, MessageFile, Room, RoomMembership, User
 from app.schemas.message import ReactionSummary
 from app.services.push_service import send_push_to_user
 from app.services.webhook_service import dispatch_event
@@ -27,11 +27,12 @@ async def _notify_offline_members(
         return
 
     room = await db.get(Room, room_id)
-    body = (
+    if message.content:
-        f"{sender.username}: {message.content}"[:120]
+        body = f"{sender.username}: {message.content}"[:120]
-        if message.content
+    elif message.file_id:
-        else f"{sender.username} sent an image"
+        body = f"{sender.username} sent a file"
-    )
+    else:
+        body = f"{sender.username} sent an image"
     payload = {
         "title": f"#{room.name}" if room else "New message",
         "body": body,
@@ -41,7 +42,17 @@ async def _notify_offline_members(
         await send_push_to_user(db, user_id, payload)
 
 
-def _message_payload(message: Message, username: str) -> dict:
+async def _message_payload(db: AsyncSession, message: Message, username: str) -> dict:
+    file_payload = None
+    if message.file_id:
+        message_file = await db.get(MessageFile, message.file_id)
+        if message_file:
+            file_payload = {
+                "id": str(message_file.id),
+                "filename": message_file.original_filename,
+                "size_bytes": message_file.size_bytes,
+                "content_type": message_file.content_type,
+            }
     return {
         "type": "message",
         "id": str(message.id),
@@ -50,6 +61,7 @@ def _message_payload(message: Message, username: str) -> dict:
         "username": username,
         "content": message.content,
         "image_id": str(message.image_id) if message.image_id else None,
+        "file": file_payload,
         "reactions": [],
         "created_at": message.created_at.isoformat(),
         "edited_at": message.edited_at.isoformat() if message.edited_at else None,
@@ -67,7 +79,7 @@ async def broadcast_new_message(
     """The full side-effect sequence for a newly created message, shared by
     the WS "message" handler and the incoming-webhook receiver so both
     trigger identical fan-out/push/event behavior."""
-    payload = _message_payload(message, sender.username)
+    payload = await _message_payload(db, message, sender.username)
     await broadcaster.publish(room_id, payload)
     await _notify_offline_members(db, presence, room_id, sender, message)
     await dispatch_event(db, "message.created", room_id, payload)

backend/app/services/message_service.py

@@ -24,8 +24,11 @@ async def create_message(
     user_id: uuid.UUID,
     content: str | None = None,
     image_id: uuid.UUID | None = None,
+    file_id: uuid.UUID | None = None,
 ) -> Message:
-    message = Message(room_id=room_id, user_id=user_id, content=content, image_id=image_id)
+    message = Message(
+        room_id=room_id, user_id=user_id, content=content, image_id=image_id, file_id=file_id
+    )
     db.add(message)
     await db.commit()
     await db.refresh(message)
@@ -54,7 +57,7 @@ async def list_recent_messages(
     result = await db.execute(
         select(Message)
         .where(Message.room_id == room_id)
-        .options(selectinload(Message.user))
+        .options(selectinload(Message.user), selectinload(Message.file))
         .order_by(Message.created_at.desc())
         .limit(limit)
     )

backend/app/storage.py

@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ from PIL import Image, UnidentifiedImageError
 UPLOADS_DIR = pathlib.Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent.parent / "uploads"
 
 MAX_IMAGE_BYTES = 8 * 1024 * 1024
+# Separate named constant (same value for now) so a later size-limit
+# redesign for generic file attachments doesn't have to touch image
+# behavior.
+MAX_FILE_BYTES = MAX_IMAGE_BYTES
 _READ_CHUNK_BYTES = 1024 * 1024
 _MAX_DIMENSION = 2000
 
@@ -23,7 +27,7 @@ ALLOWED_IMAGE_CONTENT_TYPES: dict[str, tuple[str, str]] = {
 }
 
 
-class ImageTooLargeError(Exception):
+class UploadTooLargeError(Exception):
     pass
 
 
@@ -43,7 +47,7 @@ async def read_capped(file, cap: int = MAX_IMAGE_BYTES) -> bytes:
             break
         total += len(chunk)
         if total > cap:
-            raise ImageTooLargeError()
+            raise UploadTooLargeError()
         chunks.append(chunk)
     return b"".join(chunks)
 
@@ -89,14 +93,14 @@ def process_image(
     return out.getvalue(), ext
 
 
-def save_image(data: bytes, ext: str) -> str:
+def save_file(data: bytes, ext: str) -> str:
     UPLOADS_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
     storage_filename = f"{uuid.uuid4()}{ext}"
     (UPLOADS_DIR / storage_filename).write_bytes(data)
     return storage_filename
 
 
-def delete_image(storage_filename: str) -> None:
+def delete_file(storage_filename: str) -> None:
     """Best-effort delete -- a missing file (already gone, or never
     written) is not an error."""
     (UPLOADS_DIR / storage_filename).unlink(missing_ok=True)

backend/app/ws/chat.py

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ from sqlalchemy import select
 from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
 
 from app.database import get_db
-from app.models import ApiToken, Message, MessageImage, RoomMembership, User
+from app.models import ApiToken, Message, MessageFile, MessageImage, RoomMembership, User
 from app.services.bot_service import resolve_token
 from app.services.message_events import (
     broadcast_message_update,
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ class ClientEnvelope(BaseModel):
     room_id: uuid.UUID | None = None
     content: str | None = None
     image_id: uuid.UUID | None = None
+    file_id: uuid.UUID | None = None
     message_id: uuid.UUID | None = None
     emoji: str | None = None
 
@@ -110,9 +111,16 @@ async def chat_endpoint(websocket: WebSocket, db: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db)
                 joined_rooms.discard(envelope.room_id)
 
             elif envelope.type == "message":
-                if envelope.room_id is None or (not envelope.content and envelope.image_id is None):
+                if envelope.room_id is None or (
+                    not envelope.content
+                    and envelope.image_id is None
+                    and envelope.file_id is None
+                ):
                     await websocket.send_json(
-                        {"type": "error", "detail": "room_id and content or image_id required"}
+                        {
+                            "type": "error",
+                            "detail": "room_id and content or image_id or file_id required",
+                        }
                     )
                     continue
                 if _missing_scope(api_token, "write:messages"):
@@ -134,8 +142,15 @@ async def chat_endpoint(websocket: WebSocket, db: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db)
                         await websocket.send_json({"type": "error", "detail": "Invalid image"})
                         continue
                     image_id = image.id
+                file_id = None
+                if envelope.file_id is not None:
+                    message_file = await db.get(MessageFile, envelope.file_id)
+                    if message_file is None or message_file.room_id != envelope.room_id:
+                        await websocket.send_json({"type": "error", "detail": "Invalid file"})
+                        continue
+                    file_id = message_file.id
                 message = await create_message(
-                    db, envelope.room_id, user.id, envelope.content, image_id
+                    db, envelope.room_id, user.id, envelope.content, image_id, file_id
                 )
                 await broadcast_new_message(db, broadcaster, presence, envelope.room_id, message, user)
 

backend/tests/test_files.py

@@ -0,0 +1,198 @@
+import uuid
+
+from tests.conftest import register_and_login
+
+
+def _unique(prefix: str) -> str:
+    return f"{prefix}-{uuid.uuid4().hex[:8]}"
+
+
+async def test_upload_file_succeeds(client, db_session):
+    await register_and_login(client, db_session, username=_unique("alice"))
+    room = (await client.post("/api/rooms", json={"name": _unique("general")})).json()
+
+    resp = await client.post(
+        f"/api/rooms/{room['id']}/files",
+        files={"file": ("report.pdf", b"%PDF-1.4 not a real pdf", "application/pdf")},
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 201, resp.text
+    body = resp.json()
+    assert "id" in body
+    assert body["filename"] == "report.pdf"
+    assert body["size_bytes"] == len(b"%PDF-1.4 not a real pdf")
+    assert body["content_type"] == "application/pdf"
+
+
+async def test_upload_any_content_type_accepted(client, db_session):
+    await register_and_login(client, db_session, username=_unique("alice"))
+    room = (await client.post("/api/rooms", json={"name": _unique("general")})).json()
+
+    # Unlike /images, /files has no content-type allowlist -- arbitrary
+    # files are the point of this endpoint.
+    resp = await client.post(
+        f"/api/rooms/{room['id']}/files",
+        files={"file": ("archive.zip", b"PK\x03\x04 not a real zip", "application/zip")},
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 201, resp.text
+
+
+async def test_upload_oversized_file_rejected(client, db_session):
+    await register_and_login(client, db_session, username=_unique("alice"))
+    room = (await client.post("/api/rooms", json={"name": _unique("general")})).json()
+
+    oversized = b"0" * (9 * 1024 * 1024)
+    resp = await client.post(
+        f"/api/rooms/{room['id']}/files",
+        files={"file": ("huge.bin", oversized, "application/octet-stream")},
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 413
+
+
+async def test_serve_file_requires_room_membership(client, db_session):
+    await register_and_login(client, db_session, username=_unique("alice"))
+    room = (await client.post("/api/rooms", json={"name": _unique("general")})).json()
+    upload = await client.post(
+        f"/api/rooms/{room['id']}/files",
+        files={"file": ("notes.txt", b"hello", "text/plain")},
+    )
+    file_id = upload.json()["id"]
+
+    ok = await client.get(f"/api/rooms/{room['id']}/files/{file_id}")
+    assert ok.status_code == 200
+
+    await register_and_login(client, db_session, username=_unique("bob"))
+    resp = await client.get(f"/api/rooms/{room['id']}/files/{file_id}")
+    assert resp.status_code == 403
+
+
+async def test_serve_file_404s_for_wrong_room(client, db_session):
+    await register_and_login(client, db_session, username=_unique("alice"))
+    room_a = (await client.post("/api/rooms", json={"name": _unique("room-a")})).json()
+    room_b = (await client.post("/api/rooms", json={"name": _unique("room-b")})).json()
+    upload = await client.post(
+        f"/api/rooms/{room_a['id']}/files",
+        files={"file": ("notes.txt", b"hello", "text/plain")},
+    )
+    file_id = upload.json()["id"]
+
+    resp = await client.get(f"/api/rooms/{room_b['id']}/files/{file_id}")
+    assert resp.status_code == 404
+
+
+async def test_serve_file_forces_download(client, db_session):
+    # The security-relevant assertion for this feature: a user-uploaded
+    # file must never render inline (e.g. an uploaded .html executing
+    # script same-origin) -- Content-Disposition: attachment forces a
+    # download in the browser regardless of content-type.
+    await register_and_login(client, db_session, username=_unique("alice"))
+    room = (await client.post("/api/rooms", json={"name": _unique("general")})).json()
+    upload = await client.post(
+        f"/api/rooms/{room['id']}/files",
+        files={"file": ("notes.txt", b"hello", "text/plain")},
+    )
+    file_id = upload.json()["id"]
+
+    resp = await client.get(f"/api/rooms/{room['id']}/files/{file_id}")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    disposition = resp.headers["content-disposition"]
+    assert "attachment" in disposition
+    assert "notes.txt" in disposition
+
+
+def _register_ws(ws_client, username: str) -> dict:
+    from app.schemas.user import UserCreate
+    from app.services.auth_service import register_user
+
+    async def _seed():
+        async with ws_client.session_factory() as session:
+            await register_user(
+                session,
+                UserCreate(username=username, email=f"{username}@example.com", password="password123"),
+            )
+
+    ws_client.portal.call(_seed)
+    resp = ws_client.post(
+        "/api/auth/login", json={"username_or_email": username, "password": "password123"}
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 200, resp.text
+    return resp.json()
+
+
+def test_ws_file_only_message_roundtrips(ws_client):
+    _register_ws(ws_client, _unique("alice"))
+    room = ws_client.post("/api/rooms", json={"name": _unique("general")}).json()
+
+    upload = ws_client.post(
+        f"/api/rooms/{room['id']}/files",
+        files={"file": ("notes.txt", b"hello", "text/plain")},
+    )
+    file_id = upload.json()["id"]
+
+    with ws_client.websocket_connect("/ws/chat") as ws:
+        ws.send_json({"type": "join", "room_id": room["id"]})
+        assert ws.receive_json()["type"] == "joined"
+
+        ws.send_json({"type": "message", "room_id": room["id"], "file_id": file_id})
+        message = ws.receive_json()
+        assert message["type"] == "message"
+        assert message["content"] is None
+        assert message["file"]["id"] == file_id
+        assert message["file"]["filename"] == "notes.txt"
+        assert message["file"]["size_bytes"] == len(b"hello")
+
+    history = ws_client.get(f"/api/rooms/{room['id']}/messages").json()
+    persisted = next(m for m in history if m["id"] == message["id"])
+    assert persisted["content"] is None
+    assert persisted["file"]["id"] == file_id
+    assert persisted["file"]["filename"] == "notes.txt"
+
+
+def test_ws_message_requires_content_or_image_or_file(ws_client):
+    _register_ws(ws_client, _unique("alice"))
+    room = ws_client.post("/api/rooms", json={"name": _unique("general")}).json()
+
+    with ws_client.websocket_connect("/ws/chat") as ws:
+        ws.send_json({"type": "join", "room_id": room["id"]})
+        assert ws.receive_json()["type"] == "joined"
+
+        ws.send_json({"type": "message", "room_id": room["id"]})
+        resp = ws.receive_json()
+        assert resp["type"] == "error"
+
+
+def test_push_body_says_sent_a_file_for_file_only_message(ws_client, monkeypatch):
+    calls = []
+    monkeypatch.setattr("app.services.push_service.webpush", lambda **kw: calls.append(kw))
+
+    alice = _register_ws(ws_client, _unique("alice"))
+    room = ws_client.post("/api/rooms", json={"name": _unique("general")}).json()
+
+    _register_ws(ws_client, _unique("bob"))
+    ws_client.post(f"/api/rooms/{room['id']}/join")
+    ws_client.post(
+        "/api/push/subscribe",
+        json={
+            "endpoint": f"https://push.example.com/ep-{_unique('bob')}",
+            "keys": {"p256dh": "p256dh-bob", "auth": "auth-bob"},
+        },
+    )
+
+    ws_client.post(
+        "/api/auth/login", json={"username_or_email": alice["username"], "password": "password123"}
+    )
+    upload = ws_client.post(
+        f"/api/rooms/{room['id']}/files",
+        files={"file": ("notes.txt", b"hello", "text/plain")},
+    )
+    file_id = upload.json()["id"]
+
+    with ws_client.websocket_connect("/ws/chat") as ws:
+        ws.send_json({"type": "join", "room_id": room["id"]})
+        assert ws.receive_json()["type"] == "joined"
+        ws.send_json({"type": "message", "room_id": room["id"], "file_id": file_id})
+        assert ws.receive_json()["type"] == "message"
+        ws.send_json({"type": "join", "room_id": room["id"]})
+        assert ws.receive_json()["type"] == "joined"
+
+    assert len(calls) == 1
+    assert "sent a file" in calls[0]["data"]

frontend/src/api/rooms.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
 import { apiFetch, ApiError, NetworkError } from './client'
-import type { Message, MyRoomItem, Room, RoomListItem, RoomMember, RoomRole } from '../types'
+import type {
+  Message,
+  MessageFileInfo,
+  MyRoomItem,
+  Room,
+  RoomListItem,
+  RoomMember,
+  RoomRole,
+} from '../types'
 
 export function listRooms(): Promise<RoomListItem[]> {
   return apiFetch<RoomListItem[]>('/api/rooms')
@@ -114,3 +122,37 @@ export async function uploadRoomImage(roomId: string, file: File): Promise<{ id:
 export function getRoomImageUrl(roomId: string, imageId: string): string {
   return `/api/rooms/${roomId}/images/${imageId}`
 }
+
+// Not apiFetch, same multipart-boundary reason as uploadRoomImage.
+export async function uploadRoomFile(roomId: string, file: File): Promise<MessageFileInfo> {
+  const formData = new FormData()
+  formData.append('file', file)
+
+  let response: Response
+  try {
+    response = await fetch(`/api/rooms/${roomId}/files`, {
+      method: 'POST',
+      credentials: 'include',
+      body: formData,
+    })
+  } catch {
+    throw new NetworkError()
+  }
+
+  if (!response.ok) {
+    let detail = response.statusText
+    try {
+      const body = await response.json()
+      detail = body.detail ?? detail
+    } catch {
+      // response had no JSON body
+    }
+    throw new ApiError(response.status, detail)
+  }
+
+  return (await response.json()) as MessageFileInfo
+}
+
+export function getRoomFileUrl(roomId: string, fileId: string): string {
+  return `/api/rooms/${roomId}/files/${fileId}`
+}

frontend/src/components/Composer.css

@@ -130,6 +130,38 @@
   object-fit: cover;
 }
 
+.composer-attachment-file {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 6px;
+  background: var(--ds-surface-2);
+  border: 1px solid var(--ds-border);
+  border-radius: var(--radius);
+  padding: 6px 28px 6px 10px;
+  color: var(--ds-text);
+  max-width: 260px;
+}
+
+.composer-attachment-file svg {
+  flex: none;
+  color: var(--ds-muted);
+}
+
+.composer-attachment-filename {
+  font-size: 0.82rem;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  white-space: nowrap;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  text-overflow: ellipsis;
+}
+
+.composer-attachment-size {
+  font-size: 0.72rem;
+  color: var(--ds-muted);
+  font-family: var(--mono);
+  flex: none;
+}
+
 .composer-attachment-remove {
   position: absolute;
   top: -6px;

frontend/src/components/Composer.tsx

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { useRef, useState, type ChangeEvent, type KeyboardEvent } from 'react'
 import { useOnlineStatus } from '../hooks/useOnlineStatus'
-import { uploadRoomImage } from '../api/rooms'
+import { uploadRoomFile, uploadRoomImage } from '../api/rooms'
 import { EmojiPicker } from './EmojiPicker'
 import './Composer.css'
 
@@ -8,12 +8,21 @@ interface ComposerProps {
   roomId: string
   roomName: string
   disabled?: boolean
-  onSend: (content: string, imageId?: string) => void
+  onSend: (content: string, imageId?: string, fileId?: string) => void
+}
+
+function formatFileSize(bytes: number): string {
+  if (bytes < 1024) return `${bytes} B`
+  if (bytes < 1024 * 1024) return `${(bytes / 1024).toFixed(1)} KB`
+  return `${(bytes / (1024 * 1024)).toFixed(1)} MB`
 }
 
 export function Composer({ roomId, roomName, disabled, onSend }: ComposerProps) {
   const [value, setValue] = useState('')
   const [pendingImage, setPendingImage] = useState<{ id: string; previewUrl: string } | null>(null)
+  const [pendingFile, setPendingFile] = useState<{ id: string; filename: string; size: number } | null>(
+    null,
+  )
   const [uploading, setUploading] = useState(false)
   const [uploadError, setUploadError] = useState<string | null>(null)
   const [emojiPickerOpen, setEmojiPickerOpen] = useState(false)
@@ -30,10 +39,11 @@ export function Composer({ roomId, roomName, disabled, onSend }: ComposerProps)
 
   function handleSend() {
     const trimmed = value.trim()
-    if (!trimmed && !pendingImage) return
+    if (!trimmed && !pendingImage && !pendingFile) return
-    onSend(trimmed, pendingImage?.id)
+    onSend(trimmed, pendingImage?.id, pendingFile?.id)
     setValue('')
     removePendingImage()
+    setPendingFile(null)
     requestAnimationFrame(autoGrow)
   }
 
@@ -52,11 +62,16 @@ export function Composer({ roomId, roomName, disabled, onSend }: ComposerProps)
     setUploadError(null)
     setUploading(true)
     try {
-      const { id } = await uploadRoomImage(roomId, file)
+      if (file.type.startsWith('image/')) {
-      setPendingImage((prev) => {
+        const { id } = await uploadRoomImage(roomId, file)
-        if (prev) URL.revokeObjectURL(prev.previewUrl)
+        setPendingImage((prev) => {
-        return { id, previewUrl: URL.createObjectURL(file) }
+          if (prev) URL.revokeObjectURL(prev.previewUrl)
-      })
+          return { id, previewUrl: URL.createObjectURL(file) }
+        })
+      } else {
+        const uploaded = await uploadRoomFile(roomId, file)
+        setPendingFile({ id: uploaded.id, filename: uploaded.filename, size: uploaded.size_bytes })
+      }
     } catch (err) {
       setUploadError(err instanceof Error ? err.message : 'Upload failed')
     } finally {
@@ -104,12 +119,34 @@ export function Composer({ roomId, roomName, disabled, onSend }: ComposerProps)
           </button>
         </div>
       )}
+      {pendingFile && (
+        <div className="composer-attachment composer-attachment-file">
+          <svg width="16" height="16" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" aria-hidden="true">
+            <path
+              d="M6 2.5h6l4 4V16a1.5 1.5 0 0 1-1.5 1.5h-8A1.5 1.5 0 0 1 5 16V4A1.5 1.5 0 0 1 6 2.5Z"
+              stroke="currentColor"
+              strokeWidth="1.4"
+              strokeLinejoin="round"
+            />
+            <path d="M12 2.5V6a1 1 0 0 0 1 1h3.5" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="1.4" strokeLinejoin="round" />
+          </svg>
+          <span className="composer-attachment-filename">{pendingFile.filename}</span>
+          <span className="composer-attachment-size">{formatFileSize(pendingFile.size)}</span>
+          <button
+            type="button"
+            className="composer-attachment-remove"
+            onClick={() => setPendingFile(null)}
+            aria-label="Remove attached file"
+          >
+            ×
+          </button>
+        </div>
+      )}
       {uploadError && <div className="composer-status composer-error">{uploadError}</div>}
       <div className="composer-box">
         <input
           ref={fileInputRef}
           type="file"
-          accept="image/jpeg,image/png,image/gif,image/webp"
           className="composer-file-input"
           onChange={handleFileSelected}
         />
@@ -118,7 +155,7 @@ export function Composer({ roomId, roomName, disabled, onSend }: ComposerProps)
           className="composer-attach"
           onClick={() => fileInputRef.current?.click()}
           disabled={disabled || uploading}
-          aria-label="Attach an image"
+          aria-label="Attach a file"
         >
           {uploading ? (
             <svg className="composer-spinner" width="15" height="15" viewBox="0 0 20 20" aria-hidden="true">
@@ -171,7 +208,7 @@ export function Composer({ roomId, roomName, disabled, onSend }: ComposerProps)
           type="button"
           className="composer-send"
           onClick={handleSend}
-          disabled={disabled || (!value.trim() && !pendingImage)}
+          disabled={disabled || (!value.trim() && !pendingImage && !pendingFile)}
           aria-label="Send message"
         >
           <svg width="15" height="15" viewBox="0 0 20 20" aria-hidden="true">

frontend/src/components/MessageList.css

@@ -62,6 +62,49 @@
   margin-bottom: 4px;
 }
 
+.message-file-attachment {
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 8px;
+  background: var(--ds-surface-2);
+  border: 1px solid var(--ds-border);
+  border-radius: var(--radius);
+  padding: 8px 12px;
+  margin-bottom: 4px;
+  color: var(--ds-text);
+  text-decoration: none;
+  max-width: min(320px, 100%);
+}
+
+.message-file-attachment:hover {
+  border-color: var(--ds-accent);
+}
+
+.message-file-attachment svg {
+  flex: none;
+  color: var(--ds-muted);
+}
+
+.message-file-info {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  min-width: 0;
+}
+
+.message-file-name {
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  white-space: nowrap;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  text-overflow: ellipsis;
+}
+
+.message-file-size {
+  font-size: 0.72rem;
+  color: var(--ds-muted);
+  font-family: var(--mono);
+}
+
 .message-text {
   font-size: 0.88rem;
   line-height: 1.45;

frontend/src/components/MessageList.tsx

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react'
-import { getRoomImageUrl } from '../api/rooms'
+import { getRoomFileUrl, getRoomImageUrl } from '../api/rooms'
 import { useAuth } from '../context/AuthContext'
 import { avatarUrlFor, displayNameFor, senderColorIndex } from '../lib/messageGrouping'
 import type { ChatMessageEnvelope, Message, RoomMember } from '../types'
@@ -9,6 +9,12 @@ import { MessageContent } from './MessageContent'
 import { UserAvatar } from './UserAvatar'
 import './MessageList.css'
 
+function formatFileSize(bytes: number): string {
+  if (bytes < 1024) return `${bytes} B`
+  if (bytes < 1024 * 1024) return `${(bytes / 1024).toFixed(1)} KB`
+  return `${(bytes / (1024 * 1024)).toFixed(1)} MB`
+}
+
 interface MessageListProps {
   roomId: string
   messages: (Message | ChatMessageEnvelope)[]
@@ -103,6 +109,27 @@ export function MessageList({ roomId, messages, members, onEdit, onReact }: Mess
                       onClick={() => setLightboxSrc(getRoomImageUrl(roomId, msg.image_id!))}
                     />
                   )}
+                  {msg.file && (
+                    <a
+                      href={getRoomFileUrl(roomId, msg.file.id)}
+                      download={msg.file.filename}
+                      className="message-file-attachment"
+                    >
+                      <svg width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" aria-hidden="true">
+                        <path
+                          d="M6 2.5h6l4 4V16a1.5 1.5 0 0 1-1.5 1.5h-8A1.5 1.5 0 0 1 5 16V4A1.5 1.5 0 0 1 6 2.5Z"
+                          stroke="currentColor"
+                          strokeWidth="1.4"
+                          strokeLinejoin="round"
+                        />
+                        <path d="M12 2.5V6a1 1 0 0 0 1 1h3.5" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="1.4" strokeLinejoin="round" />
+                      </svg>
+                      <span className="message-file-info">
+                        <span className="message-file-name">{msg.file.filename}</span>
+                        <span className="message-file-size">{formatFileSize(msg.file.size_bytes)}</span>
+                      </span>
+                    </a>
+                  )}
                   {msg.content && (
                     <div className="message-text">
                       <MessageContent content={msg.content} />

frontend/src/types.ts

@@ -52,6 +52,13 @@ export interface ReactionSummary {
   user_ids: string[]
 }
 
+export interface MessageFileInfo {
+  id: string
+  filename: string
+  size_bytes: number
+  content_type: string
+}
+
 export interface Message {
   id: string
   room_id: string
@@ -59,6 +66,7 @@ export interface Message {
   username: string
   content: string | null
   image_id: string | null
+  file: MessageFileInfo | null
   reactions: ReactionSummary[]
   created_at: string
   edited_at: string | null
@@ -72,6 +80,7 @@ export interface ChatMessageEnvelope {
   username: string
   content: string | null
   image_id: string | null
+  file: MessageFileInfo | null
   reactions: ReactionSummary[]
   created_at: string
   edited_at: string | null

frontend/src/ws/useChatSocket.ts

@@ -82,11 +82,17 @@ export function useChatSocket({ roomId, onMessage, onUnauthenticated }: UseChatS
     }
   }, [roomId])
 
-  const send = useCallback((content: string, imageId?: string) => {
+  const send = useCallback((content: string, imageId?: string, fileId?: string) => {
     const ws = socketRef.current
     if (!ws || ws.readyState !== WebSocket.OPEN) return
     ws.send(
-      JSON.stringify({ type: 'message', room_id: roomId, content: content || null, image_id: imageId ?? null }),
+      JSON.stringify({
+        type: 'message',
+        room_id: roomId,
+        content: content || null,
+        image_id: imageId ?? null,
+        file_id: fileId ?? null,
+      }),
     )
   }, [roomId])