diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md
index 6222f93c2..0637a7a00 100644
--- a/CHANGES.md
+++ b/CHANGES.md
@@ -6,6 +6,14 @@
 
 #### Bug fixes
 
+### Version 2026.09.03-0
+
+#### Features
+
+#### Bug fixes
+
+* Fixes an issue with uploading PNG files to a manuscript.
+
 ### Version 2026.08.13-0
 
 #### Features
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 5dfd37c9f..cfb409792 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "kotahi",
-  "version": "2026.09.02-1",
+  "version": "2026.09.02-2",
   "private": true,
   "description": "Kotahi - open journals",
   "repository": {
diff --git a/packages/client/app/components/component-submit/src/components/SubmitPage.jsx b/packages/client/app/components/component-submit/src/components/SubmitPage.jsx
index 06c1fdc0f..46831b31e 100644
--- a/packages/client/app/components/component-submit/src/components/SubmitPage.jsx
+++ b/packages/client/app/components/component-submit/src/components/SubmitPage.jsx
@@ -69,20 +69,17 @@ const SubmitPage = () => {
   const decisionPurpose = 'decision'
   const reviewPurpose = 'review'
 
-  const { data, loading, error } = useQuery(
-    USER_MANUSCRIPT,
-    {
-      variables: {
-        id: params.version,
-        groupId: config.groupId,
-        submitPurpose,
-        decisionPurpose,
-        reviewPurpose,
-      },
-      partialRefetch: true,
+  const { data, loading, error } = useQuery(USER_MANUSCRIPT, {
+    variables: {
+      id: params.version,
+      groupId: config.groupId,
+      submitPurpose,
+      decisionPurpose,
+      reviewPurpose,
     },
-    { refetchOnMount: true },
-  )
+    // stops screen flickering (and losing local UI state, e.g. active tab) when other queries touch overlapping cache entities
+    notifyOnNetworkStatusChange: false,
+  })
 
   let channelId
 
diff --git a/packages/client/app/start.js b/packages/client/app/start.js
index cd43d7ee7..0f2ec220b 100644
--- a/packages/client/app/start.js
+++ b/packages/client/app/start.js
@@ -88,6 +88,31 @@ const cacheConfig = {
             return incoming
           },
         },
+        storedObjects: {
+          // storedObjects entries have no `id`, so Apollo can't normalize
+          // them individually. Different queries (e.g. the manuscript
+          // query vs the asset manager's file list query) select different
+          // subsets of storedObjects fields, keyed by `type`. Without this
+          // merge, whichever query writes last wins outright and silently
+          // drops fields the other query needs, forcing it to refetch.
+          merge(existing = [], incoming = []) {
+            const merged = [...existing]
+
+            incoming.forEach(incomingItem => {
+              const index = merged.findIndex(
+                item => item.type === incomingItem.type,
+              )
+
+              if (index > -1) {
+                merged[index] = { ...merged[index], ...incomingItem }
+              } else {
+                merged.push(incomingItem)
+              }
+            })
+
+            return merged
+          },
+        },
       },
     },
   },
diff --git a/packages/client/package.json b/packages/client/package.json
index f13cc45bc..7eb605519 100644
--- a/packages/client/package.json
+++ b/packages/client/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "kotahi",
-  "version": "2026.09.02-1",
+  "version": "2026.09.02-2",
   "private": true,
   "description": "Kotahi - open journals",
   "repository": {
@@ -83,9 +83,9 @@
     "split-pane-react": "^0.1.3",
     "striptags": "^3.1.1",
     "styled-components": "^6.4.1",
-    "wax-prosemirror-core": "0.10.2",
-    "wax-prosemirror-services": "0.10.2",
-    "wax-table-service": "0.10.2",
+    "wax-prosemirror-core": "0.10.3",
+    "wax-prosemirror-services": "0.10.3",
+    "wax-table-service": "0.10.3",
     "y-prosemirror": "1.2.0",
     "y-protocols": "1.0.5",
     "y-textarea": "^1.0.0",
diff --git a/packages/client/yarn.lock b/packages/client/yarn.lock
index 7e868e106..465f1c6fc 100644
--- a/packages/client/yarn.lock
+++ b/packages/client/yarn.lock
@@ -5431,9 +5431,9 @@ __metadata:
     storybook: "npm:^10.4.6"
     striptags: "npm:^3.1.1"
     styled-components: "npm:^6.4.1"
-    wax-prosemirror-core: "npm:0.10.2"
-    wax-prosemirror-services: "npm:0.10.2"
-    wax-table-service: "npm:0.10.2"
+    wax-prosemirror-core: "npm:0.10.3"
+    wax-prosemirror-services: "npm:0.10.3"
+    wax-table-service: "npm:0.10.3"
     y-prosemirror: "npm:1.2.0"
     y-protocols: "npm:1.0.5"
     y-textarea: "npm:^1.0.0"
@@ -8492,9 +8492,9 @@ __metadata:
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
-"wax-prosemirror-core@npm:0.10.2, wax-prosemirror-core@npm:^0.10.2":
-  version: 0.10.2
-  resolution: "wax-prosemirror-core@npm:0.10.2"
+"wax-prosemirror-core@npm:0.10.3, wax-prosemirror-core@npm:^0.10.3":
+  version: 0.10.3
+  resolution: "wax-prosemirror-core@npm:0.10.3"
   dependencies:
     crypto-js: "npm:^4.2.0"
     deepmerge: "npm:^4.2.2"
@@ -8523,13 +8523,13 @@ __metadata:
     react: ^19.2.6
     react-dom: ^19.2.6
     styled-components: ^6.4.1
-  checksum: 10c0/10d68c966242614ca4e1bce87f8bd80fc29e7e819a29202e01541351917bcebdb89b122ab81be96b6047af7342bce310062d7de22d65b7ad1e17db25e8911b52
+  checksum: 10c0/83c28496cfd9383a1676a7e508cd918cb913219c8d61209dd5cb2aeec69bc1cfbe8bc7c9437f028f14759b3ccbb22d6721d190651ec8bea5befbcb51d8bca4f3
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
-"wax-prosemirror-services@npm:0.10.2":
-  version: 0.10.2
-  resolution: "wax-prosemirror-services@npm:0.10.2"
+"wax-prosemirror-services@npm:0.10.3":
+  version: 0.10.3
+  resolution: "wax-prosemirror-services@npm:0.10.3"
   dependencies:
     highlight.js: "npm:^10.1.1"
     inversify: "npm:^5.0.1"
@@ -8552,7 +8552,7 @@ __metadata:
     react-i18next: "npm:^13.3.1"
     use-deep-compare-effect: "npm:^1.3.1"
     uuid: "npm:^7.0.3"
-    wax-prosemirror-core: "npm:^0.10.2"
+    wax-prosemirror-core: "npm:^0.10.3"
     y-prosemirror: "npm:1.2.0"
     y-protocols: "npm:1.0.5"
     y-webrtc: "npm:10.2.0"
@@ -8563,13 +8563,13 @@ __metadata:
     react: ^19.2.6
     react-dom: ^19.2.6
     styled-components: ^6.4.1
-  checksum: 10c0/c3b3773a35bb1eeb24e8afaab2c547304caf449714501e356900530d48c1b7e22a3491d51626f1f49f056124d4a19b581dc31854c709e45a8aa3d55649a0cc44
+  checksum: 10c0/08f7a2e22b0d7732b10dcb12baf2e018ce96787bcab6a3322c88ff1183457a5adcfb98d10784327baf0856c420158ec3626f9cae427d124ea822af481ab6cd69
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
-"wax-table-service@npm:0.10.2":
-  version: 0.10.2
-  resolution: "wax-table-service@npm:0.10.2"
+"wax-table-service@npm:0.10.3":
+  version: 0.10.3
+  resolution: "wax-table-service@npm:0.10.3"
   dependencies:
     inversify: "npm:^5.0.1"
     lodash: "npm:^4.17.4"
@@ -8579,13 +8579,13 @@ __metadata:
     prosemirror-view: "npm:1.30.2"
     react-i18next: "npm:^13.3.1"
     uuid: "npm:^7.0.3"
-    wax-prosemirror-core: "npm:^0.10.2"
+    wax-prosemirror-core: "npm:^0.10.3"
   peerDependencies:
     i18next: ^23.6.0
     react: ^19.2.6
     react-dom: ^19.2.6
     styled-components: ^6.4.1
-  checksum: 10c0/c0db173cb8863a3be629102e99b6f8e4e9d2c094237e9878fa2e5c18e7f95053ffe3388078d71ae133d9e6b09b69afff56922350bba30f269597cd37e5d67338
+  checksum: 10c0/8dc768a926afdc33ffd0cbd79437c644aa5c4084d2f1d85b49ee6985716c9b45da83ef8c73b64fb516252d0a10839dcf57f61bc755e95deff04dd5fcd390faec
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
diff --git a/packages/server/package.json b/packages/server/package.json
index 391989a47..e14ea410b 100644
--- a/packages/server/package.json
+++ b/packages/server/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "kotahi",
-  "version": "2026.09.02-1",
+  "version": "2026.09.02-2",
   "private": true,
   "description": "Kotahi - open journals",
   "repository": {