diff --git a/ui/src/lib/server/minio.ts b/ui/src/lib/server/minio.ts
index e1c276a..338fbf1 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/server/minio.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/server/minio.ts
@@ -37,10 +37,12 @@ function rewriteHost(presignedUrl: string): string {
 /**
  * Returns a presigned URL for a chapter markdown file.
  * URL is valid for ~15 minutes (set by the scraper).
- * The returned URL points to the public MinIO endpoint and can be used
- * server-side (in a +page.server.ts load function) to fetch the markdown content.
+ *
+ * @param rewrite - if true, rewrites the MinIO host to PUBLIC_MINIO_PUBLIC_URL
+ *   (for browser use). Defaults to false — the server-side load function fetches
+ *   the URL directly from the internal MinIO endpoint.
  */
-export async function presignChapter(slug: string, n: number): Promise<string> {
+export async function presignChapter(slug: string, n: number, rewrite = false): Promise<string> {
 	log.debug('minio', 'presigning chapter', { slug, n });
 	let res: Response;
 	try {
@@ -56,7 +58,7 @@ export async function presignChapter(slug: string, n: number): Promise<string> {
 	}
 	const data = (await res.json()) as { url: string };
 	log.debug('minio', 'presign chapter ok', { slug, n });
-	return rewriteHost(data.url);
+	return rewrite ? rewriteHost(data.url) : data.url;
 }
 
 /**