diff --git a/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/ChaseCamera.cs b/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/ChaseCamera.cs
index 174df3a..96712cb 100644
--- a/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/ChaseCamera.cs
+++ b/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/ChaseCamera.cs
@@ -46,21 +46,15 @@ public sealed class ChaseCamera : ICamera
     private float _playerYaw;
     private Vector3 _lookAt;
 
-    // K-fix11 (2026-04-26): smoothed Z follow. Without this the camera
-    // tracks player.Z 1:1 — during a 3 m jump the camera also rises 3 m
-    // and the player's screen position never changes, making the jump
-    // visually invisible. A retail observer sees ACdream's jump arc
-    // clearly because retail's chase camera lags the Z follow. Mirror
-    // that: the camera Z target uses an exponential low-pass filter
-    // toward player.Z with a ~150 ms time constant. Initialised on
-    // first Update so spawn doesn't snap.
-    private float _smoothedPlayerZ;
-    private bool _smoothedZInitialised;
-    /// <summary>Time constant for the camera-Z smoothing filter (seconds).
-    /// Smaller = camera catches up faster (less perceptible jump arc on
-    /// screen). Larger = jumps look bigger but camera lags on slope
-    /// transitions. 0.15 = retail-feel feedback for a ~0.5–1.0 s jump.</summary>
-    public float ZFollowTimeConstant { get; set; } = 0.15f;
+    // K-fix12 (2026-04-26): retail-feel jump camera. The camera Z is
+    // pinned to the LAST GROUNDED Z while the player is airborne — the
+    // character rises above the camera on screen, visually matching
+    // retail's "you can see yourself jump" feedback. Walking on the
+    // ground tracks Z directly (no lag on hill transitions); falling
+    // catches up immediately so we don't end up below ground when
+    // landing in a pit. Only the upward-while-airborne case is pinned.
+    private float _trackedZ;
+    private bool _trackedZInitialised;
 
     public Matrix4x4 View =>
         Matrix4x4.CreateLookAt(Position, _lookAt, Vector3.UnitZ);
@@ -69,30 +63,37 @@ public sealed class ChaseCamera : ICamera
         Matrix4x4.CreatePerspectiveFieldOfView(FovY, Aspect, 1f, 5000f);
 
     /// <summary>
-    /// Update the camera position to follow the player. <paramref name="dt"/>
-    /// drives the Z-smoothing filter.
+    /// Update the camera position to follow the player. <paramref name="isOnGround"/>
+    /// drives the airborne-pin behavior: while airborne and rising, the
+    /// camera stays at last-grounded Z so the jump is visible on screen.
     /// </summary>
-    public void Update(Vector3 playerPosition, float playerYaw, float dt = 1f / 60f)
+    public void Update(Vector3 playerPosition, float playerYaw, bool isOnGround = true, float dt = 1f / 60f)
     {
         _playerYaw = playerYaw;
 
-        // K-fix11: smooth the camera's Z target using an exponential
-        // low-pass filter. Camera Z lags player Z so airborne motion
-        // visibly shows up on screen.
-        if (!_smoothedZInitialised)
+        // K-fix12: track the camera's reference Z.
+        //   - On ground: snap directly to player.Z (smooth slope walking).
+        //   - Airborne + rising: stay pinned (player visibly rises above camera).
+        //   - Airborne + falling below tracked Z: catch up so we don't lag below
+        //     ground when landing somewhere lower (a cliff / hole).
+        if (!_trackedZInitialised)
         {
-            _smoothedPlayerZ = playerPosition.Z;
-            _smoothedZInitialised = true;
+            _trackedZ = playerPosition.Z;
+            _trackedZInitialised = true;
         }
-        else
+        else if (isOnGround)
         {
-            float alpha = 1f - MathF.Exp(-MathF.Max(dt, 1e-4f) / MathF.Max(ZFollowTimeConstant, 1e-4f));
-            _smoothedPlayerZ += (playerPosition.Z - _smoothedPlayerZ) * alpha;
+            _trackedZ = playerPosition.Z;
         }
+        else if (playerPosition.Z < _trackedZ)
+        {
+            _trackedZ = playerPosition.Z;   // catch up to falls / drops
+        }
+        // else: airborne and rising — keep _trackedZ pinned.
 
         // Look-at uses the actual player Z so the camera always points
-        // at the character — when player rises above the lagged camera
-        // the camera tilts up slightly to keep them in frame.
+        // at the character — when the player rises above the pinned
+        // camera the look-at tilts up to keep them centered in frame.
         _lookAt = playerPosition + new Vector3(0f, 0f, EyeHeight);
 
         // Camera offset: behind the player (-forward direction) plus any
@@ -107,7 +108,7 @@ public sealed class ChaseCamera : ICamera
         Position = new Vector3(
             playerPosition.X - forwardX * horizontalDist,
             playerPosition.Y - forwardY * horizontalDist,
-            _smoothedPlayerZ + EyeHeight + verticalDist);   // ← uses smoothed Z, not raw
+            _trackedZ + EyeHeight + verticalDist);   // ← uses tracked Z (pinned to ground while airborne)
     }
 
     /// <summary>
diff --git a/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/GameWindow.cs b/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/GameWindow.cs
index a456fd9..92a7913 100644
--- a/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/GameWindow.cs
+++ b/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/GameWindow.cs
@@ -3987,11 +3987,16 @@ public sealed class GameWindow : IDisposable
                 _worldState.RelocateEntity(pe, currentLb);
             }
 
-            // Update chase camera. K-fix11 (2026-04-26): pass dt so the
-            // Z-smoothing low-pass filter tracks correctly on variable
-            // frame rates — without this the camera tracks player.Z 1:1
-            // and jumps look invisible (camera rises with player).
-            _chaseCamera.Update(result.Position, _playerController.Yaw, (float)dt);
+            // Update chase camera. K-fix12 (2026-04-26): pass isOnGround
+            // so the camera pins its Z to last-grounded while the
+            // player is airborne — without this the camera follows
+            // player.Z 1:1 during a jump and the player's screen
+            // position never changes. With the pin: player visibly
+            // rises above the camera, matching retail "you can see
+            // yourself jump" feedback.
+            _chaseCamera.Update(result.Position, _playerController.Yaw,
+                isOnGround: result.IsOnGround,
+                dt: (float)dt);
 
             // Send outbound movement messages to the live server.
             if (_liveSession is not null)