diff --git a/src/daemon/handlers/__tests__/interaction.test.ts b/src/daemon/handlers/__tests__/interaction.test.ts
index 9e4184b1a..4b8d94b89 100644
--- a/src/daemon/handlers/__tests__/interaction.test.ts
+++ b/src/daemon/handlers/__tests__/interaction.test.ts
@@ -935,6 +935,67 @@ test('press coordinates appends touch-visualization events while recording', asy
   }
 });
 
+test('press coordinates on iOS recording captures a non-compact snapshot for the touch reference frame', async () => {
+  const sessionStore = makeSessionStore();
+  const sessionName = 'ios-direct-press-frame';
+  const session = makeSession(sessionName);
+  session.snapshot = undefined;
+  session.recording = {
+    platform: 'ios',
+    outPath: '/tmp/demo.mp4',
+    startedAt: Date.now() - 1_000,
+    showTouches: true,
+    gestureEvents: [],
+    child: { kill: () => {} } as any,
+    wait: Promise.resolve({ stdout: '', stderr: '', exitCode: 0 }),
+  };
+  sessionStore.set(sessionName, session);
+
+  mockDispatch.mockResolvedValue({ x: 220, y: 600 });
+  // Regression: a compact snapshot has no Application/Window node, so viewport inference would
+  // return a leaf-element bounding box and the recording overlay would misplace tap markers.
+  mockCaptureSnapshotForSession.mockResolvedValueOnce({
+    nodes: attachRefs([
+      {
+        index: 0,
+        type: 'XCUIElementTypeApplication',
+        rect: { x: 0, y: 0, width: 440, height: 956 },
+      },
+      {
+        index: 1,
+        type: 'XCUIElementTypeCell',
+        rect: { x: 16, y: 156, width: 370, height: 52 },
+        hittable: true,
+      },
+    ]),
+    createdAt: Date.now(),
+    backend: 'xctest',
+  });
+
+  const response = await handleInteractionCommands({
+    req: {
+      token: 't',
+      session: sessionName,
+      command: 'press',
+      positionals: ['220', '600'],
+      flags: {},
+    },
+    sessionName,
+    sessionStore,
+    contextFromFlags,
+  });
+
+  expect(response?.ok).toBe(true);
+  expect(mockCaptureSnapshotForSession.mock.calls[0]?.[4]).toEqual({
+    interactiveOnly: true,
+    compact: false,
+  });
+  const event = sessionStore.get(sessionName)?.recording?.gestureEvents[0];
+  expect(event?.kind).toBe('tap');
+  expect(event?.referenceWidth).toBe(440);
+  expect(event?.referenceHeight).toBe(956);
+});
+
 test('press coordinates on Android recording uses physical screen size when no snapshot exists', async () => {
   const sessionStore = makeSessionStore();
   const sessionName = 'android-direct-press-frame';
diff --git a/src/daemon/handlers/interaction-snapshot.ts b/src/daemon/handlers/interaction-snapshot.ts
index ad2ae1305..2675d20a8 100644
--- a/src/daemon/handlers/interaction-snapshot.ts
+++ b/src/daemon/handlers/interaction-snapshot.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ export type CaptureSnapshotForSession = (
   flags: CommandFlags | undefined,
   sessionStore: SessionStore,
   contextFromFlags: ContextFromFlags,
-  options: { interactiveOnly: boolean; androidFreshnessMode?: 'ref-refresh' },
+  options: { interactiveOnly: boolean; compact?: boolean; androidFreshnessMode?: 'ref-refresh' },
 ) => Promise<SnapshotState>;
 
 export async function captureSnapshotForSession(
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@ export async function captureSnapshotForSession(
   flags: CommandFlags | undefined,
   sessionStore: SessionStore,
   contextFromFlags: ContextFromFlags,
-  options: { interactiveOnly: boolean; androidFreshnessMode?: 'ref-refresh' },
+  options: { interactiveOnly: boolean; compact?: boolean; androidFreshnessMode?: 'ref-refresh' },
 ): Promise<SnapshotState> {
   const effectiveFlags = {
     ...(flags ?? {}),
     snapshotInteractiveOnly: options.interactiveOnly,
-    snapshotCompact: options.interactiveOnly,
+    snapshotCompact: options.compact ?? options.interactiveOnly,
   };
   const dispatchContext = contextFromFlags(
     effectiveFlags,
diff --git a/src/daemon/handlers/interaction-touch-reference-frame.ts b/src/daemon/handlers/interaction-touch-reference-frame.ts
index ff2ea89c3..6be45221d 100644
--- a/src/daemon/handlers/interaction-touch-reference-frame.ts
+++ b/src/daemon/handlers/interaction-touch-reference-frame.ts
@@ -48,8 +48,11 @@ async function resolveDirectTouchReferenceFrame(params: {
     return undefined;
   }
 
+  // Compact snapshots prune Application/Window containers, leaving viewport inference to fall
+  // back to a bounding box of leaf elements — a garbage reference frame for screen-point touches.
   const snapshot = await captureSnapshotForSession(session, flags, sessionStore, contextFromFlags, {
     interactiveOnly: true,
+    compact: false,
   });
   const referenceFrame = getSnapshotReferenceFrame(snapshot);
   if (referenceFrame && session.recording) {