diff --git a/docs/decisions.md b/docs/decisions.md
index 50b383b..793031a 100644
--- a/docs/decisions.md
+++ b/docs/decisions.md
@@ -568,11 +568,13 @@ and replays as before: routing, the join edge and `iteration_max` are
 unchanged. Only the new `launch-many` step knows about branches: it starts
 every branch at once, and starts the ones a crash left unstarted.
 
-**The list is a value; branch results are values.** A source's list rides in
-its report like any produced value, so the store needs no new channel to count
-branches, and a body reaches heavy content through the bag by entry. A join
-collects values only, in branch order. A file output of a branch would need a
-blob assembled at open; nothing asked for it yet.
+**The list is a value; branch results are values or files.** A source's list
+rides in its report like any produced value, so the store needs no new channel
+to count branches, and a body reaches heavy content through the bag by entry.
+A join collects what the branches produced in branch order: a value as it is,
+a file as its text, read from the blob store when the join opens. An agent
+branch hands back a file far more easily than a value, which has to ride inside
+its one-line result marker.
 
 **A failed branch fails the region after the rest have finished.** Cancelling
 siblings loses work that already cost; collecting partial results lets a join
diff --git a/docs/entities/assembly-line.md b/docs/entities/assembly-line.md
index 0c7872a..c5dbac3 100644
--- a/docs/entities/assembly-line.md
+++ b/docs/entities/assembly-line.md
@@ -100,8 +100,9 @@ cancel its siblings. An empty list passes through `to` as a success at once.
 The edges out of `to`, and their `iteration_max`, are the ordinary ones.
 
 A need with `collect: <name>` is filled, at open, with a JSON array of what
-the latest round of branches produced under `<name>` (a **value**), in
-branch order, however they reported. The fan-out region does not nest, a
+the latest round of branches produced under `<name>`, in branch order,
+however they reported: a produced value as it is, a produced file as its
+text (UTF-8). The fan-out region does not nest, a
 body belongs to one fan-out, and a body cannot itself fan out.
 
 ### Edges
@@ -142,7 +143,7 @@ edges:
 - a fan-out names a real body, lists a value its own station produces, has a
   success edge to its body, and its body has an edge for `failed`; a body
   belongs to one fan-out and does not fan out itself; a collected name is a
-  value that exactly one body produces (two fan-outs whose bodies produce the
+  name that exactly one body produces (two fan-outs whose bodies produce the
   same name would mix their branches)
 - every required need of every node is seeded at start or produced on every
   path into it; a node with a custom start event must have its required
diff --git a/packages/store/src/assembly-run-store-fanout.test.ts b/packages/store/src/assembly-run-store-fanout.test.ts
index 1445253..24e4284 100644
--- a/packages/store/src/assembly-run-store-fanout.test.ts
+++ b/packages/store/src/assembly-run-store-fanout.test.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { BlobsStore } from "./blobs.js";
 import { FAN_STATIONS, fanLine } from "./fanout.fixtures.js";
 import { setupStoreFixture } from "./assembly-run-store.fixtures.js";
 
-const { store, events, definitions } = setupStoreFixture();
+const { store, events, definitions, pool } = setupStoreFixture();
 
 async function runAfterSplit(listed: string[]): Promise<string> {
   await seedFanLine();
@@ -174,4 +175,30 @@ describe("AssemblyRunStore across a fan-out", () => {
       merge: [{ runId, nodeId: "merge", iteration: 1 }],
     });
   });
+
+  it("hands the join the text of each branch's file output, in branch order", async () => {
+    await definitions().put("line", "fan", fanLine());
+    const fileWorker = { ...FAN_STATIONS.worker!, produces: [{ name: "result", kind: "file" as const }] };
+
+    await definitions().put("station", "splitter", FAN_STATIONS.splitter!);
+    await definitions().put("station", "worker", fileWorker);
+    await definitions().put("station", "merger", FAN_STATIONS.merger!);
+    const { run } = await store().start({ lineId: "fan", repo: null, startItems: {} });
+    const { visit: entry } = await store().openVisit(run.id, "split", 1);
+
+    await store().report(entry.id, { outcome: "success", produced: { items: JSON.stringify(["a", "b"]) } });
+    const blobs = new BlobsStore({ connection: pool() });
+    const branches = await openBranches(run.id, 2);
+
+    for (const [index, visitId] of [...branches.entries()].reverse().map(([index, id]) => [index, id] as const)) {
+      const { hash } = await blobs.put(Buffer.from(`patch ${index}`));
+
+      await store().report(visitId, { outcome: "success", produced: { result: hash } });
+    }
+
+    const { visit } = await store().openVisit(run.id, "merge", 1);
+    const { needs } = visit.brief;
+
+    expect(JSON.parse(needs.results!)).toEqual(["patch 0", "patch 1"]);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/store/src/fan-needs.ts b/packages/store/src/fan-needs.ts
index a66673e..7484227 100644
--- a/packages/store/src/fan-needs.ts
+++ b/packages/store/src/fan-needs.ts
@@ -29,20 +29,38 @@ function newestListing(visits: readonly Visit[], sourceId: string, over: string)
   return listings.filter((listed) => listed !== undefined).at(-1);
 }
 
-/** Each `collect` need of the station, filled with a JSON array of what the newest round of branches produced under that name, in branch order. */
-export function collectNeeds(node: LineNode, station: StationBody, visits: readonly Visit[]): Record<string, Item> {
+/** How a collected output is read back: what kind a station produces a name as, and the text of a file's blob. */
+export interface CollectReaders {
+  produceKind(stationHash: string | null, name: string): Promise<"value" | "file">;
+  blobText(hash: string): Promise<string>;
+}
+
+/** Each `collect` need of the station, filled with a JSON array of what the newest round of branches produced under that name, in branch order: a value as it is, a file as its text. */
+export async function collectNeeds(node: LineNode, station: StationBody, visits: readonly Visit[], readers: CollectReaders): Promise<Record<string, Item>> {
   const collecting = station.needs.filter((need) => need.collect !== undefined);
+  const filled = await Promise.all(
+    collecting.map(async (need): Promise<[string, Item]> => {
+      const texts = await collected(visits, need.collect!, readers);
 
-  return Object.fromEntries(
-    collecting.map((need): [string, Item] => [node.bind?.[need.name] ?? need.name, { kind: "value", ref: JSON.stringify(collected(visits, need.collect!)), by: "fanout" }]),
+      return [node.bind?.[need.name] ?? need.name, { kind: "value", ref: JSON.stringify(texts), by: "fanout" }];
+    }),
   );
+
+  return Object.fromEntries(filled);
 }
 
-function collected(visits: readonly Visit[], name: string): string[] {
+async function collected(visits: readonly Visit[], name: string, readers: CollectReaders): Promise<string[]> {
   const branches = visits.filter((visit) => visit.branch !== null && producedValue(visit, name) !== undefined);
   const newest = Math.max(0, ...branches.map((visit) => visit.iteration));
   const round = branches.filter((visit) => visit.iteration === newest);
   const ordered = round.sort((first, second) => first.branch! - second.branch!);
 
-  return ordered.map((visit) => producedValue(visit, name)!);
+  return Promise.all(ordered.map((visit) => textOf(visit, name, readers)));
+}
+
+async function textOf(visit: Visit, name: string, readers: CollectReaders): Promise<string> {
+  const produced = producedValue(visit, name)!;
+  const kind = await readers.produceKind(visit.stationHash, name);
+
+  return kind === "file" ? readers.blobText(produced) : produced;
 }
diff --git a/packages/store/src/line-fanout.test.ts b/packages/store/src/line-fanout.test.ts
index ef19a70..607c013 100644
--- a/packages/store/src/line-fanout.test.ts
+++ b/packages/store/src/line-fanout.test.ts
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ describe("validateLine on a fan-out", () => {
         }),
       }),
     ).toContain(
-      'node "merge" collects "nothing", which no fan-out body produces as a value',
+      'node "merge" collects "nothing", which no fan-out body produces',
     );
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/store/src/line-fanout.ts b/packages/store/src/line-fanout.ts
index 98bf575..6c399b1 100644
--- a/packages/store/src/line-fanout.ts
+++ b/packages/store/src/line-fanout.ts
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ function collectProblem(
 
   if (count === 0) {
     return [
-      `node "${nodeId}" collects "${collect}", which no fan-out body produces as a value`,
+      `node "${nodeId}" collects "${collect}", which no fan-out body produces`,
     ];
   }
 
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ function collectProblem(
     : [];
 }
 
-// How many fan-out bodies produce each value name: a collected name must come from exactly one, or the branches of two fan-outs would mix.
+// How many fan-out bodies produce each name: a collected name must come from exactly one, or the branches of two fan-outs would mix.
 function producersByName(
   line: LineBody,
   sources: FanSource[],
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ function producersByName(
   const stationNodes = line.nodes.filter(hasStation);
   const names = stationNodes
     .filter((node) => bodyIds.has(node.id))
-    .flatMap((node) => valuesProducedBy(node, bodies));
+    .flatMap((node) => namesProducedBy(node, bodies));
 
   return names.reduce(
     (counts, name) => counts.set(name, (counts.get(name) ?? 0) + 1),
@@ -152,13 +152,11 @@ function producersByName(
   );
 }
 
-function valuesProducedBy(
+function namesProducedBy(
   node: LineNode & { station: string },
   bodies: Bodies,
 ): string[] {
   const produces = resolvedStationOf(node, bodies)?.produces ?? [];
 
-  return produces
-    .filter((produce) => produce.kind === "value")
-    .map((produce) => produce.name);
+  return produces.map((produce) => produce.name);
 }
diff --git a/packages/store/src/open-visit.ts b/packages/store/src/open-visit.ts
index 0a48cf9..e205b54 100644
--- a/packages/store/src/open-visit.ts
+++ b/packages/store/src/open-visit.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // Resolution at open (docs/assembly_run_storage.md, "Resolution at open"): station, agent definition and variant, needs from the bag, conversation, failure context, deadline.
 
-import { collectNeeds, itemNeed } from "./fan-needs.js";
+import { BlobsStore } from "./blobs.js";
+import { collectNeeds, itemNeed, type CollectReaders } from "./fan-needs.js";
 import { forRepo } from "./repo-name.js";
 import type { Pool } from "pg";
 import { DefinitionsStore } from "./definitions.js";
@@ -76,7 +77,7 @@ export class OpenVisitResolver {
     const station = await this.stationRef(node.station!);
     const bag = await this.deps.bag(request.run.id);
     const visits = await visitsWith(this.deps.pool, request.run.id);
-    const fanned = { ...itemNeed(request.line, node, request.branch, visits), ...collectNeeds(node, station.body, visits) };
+    const fanned = { ...itemNeed(request.line, node, request.branch, visits), ...(await collectNeeds(node, station.body, visits, this.collectReaders())) };
     const { needs: resolvedNeeds, missing } = resolveNeeds(station.body.needs, node.bind, { ...bag, ...fanned });
 
     if (missing.length > 0) {
@@ -113,6 +114,31 @@ export class OpenVisitResolver {
     };
   }
 
+  private collectReaders(): CollectReaders {
+    const blobs = new BlobsStore({ connection: this.deps.pool });
+    // Every branch of a fan-out ran the same station, so one open looks it up once.
+    const stations = new Map<string, Promise<StationBody | undefined>>();
+
+    const stationOf = (hash: string): Promise<StationBody | undefined> => {
+      const known = stations.get(hash) ?? this.deps.definitions.byHashOnly<StationBody>("station", hash).then((row) => row?.body);
+
+      stations.set(hash, known);
+
+      return known;
+    };
+
+    return {
+      produceKind: async (stationHash, name) => producedKind(stationHash ? await stationOf(stationHash) : undefined, name),
+      blobText: async (hash) => {
+        const blob = await blobs.get(hash);
+
+        enforce(blob, `a collected file is gone: ${hash}`);
+
+        return blob.bytes.toString("utf8");
+      },
+    };
+  }
+
   private async stationRef(ref: string): Promise<ResolvedStation> {
     const [id, hash] = ref.split("@");
     const row = hash
@@ -271,3 +297,9 @@ function dispatchTagsFor(station: ResolvedStation, settings: { body: AgentSettin
   return [];
 }
 
+/** What a station produces `name` as; a value when it declares no such produce. */
+function producedKind(station: StationBody | undefined, name: string): "value" | "file" {
+  const produces = station?.produces ?? [];
+
+  return produces.find((produce) => produce.name === name)?.kind ?? "value";
+}