diff --git a/lib/hooks/block-image-read.cjs b/lib/hooks/block-image-read.cjs
deleted file mode 100644
index 78d87e27..00000000
--- a/lib/hooks/block-image-read.cjs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,170 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env node
-/**
- * CCS Image Read Blocking Hook
- *
- * Blocks Claude's Read tool from reading image files to prevent context overflow.
- * Each image can consume 100K+ tokens, causing immediate context exhaustion.
- *
- * This is a PreToolUse hook that runs BEFORE the tool is executed.
- *
- * Behavior (matches WebSearch pattern):
- * - ENABLED by default for third-party profiles (settings, cliproxy)
- * - DISABLED for native Claude accounts (account, default profiles)
- * - User can override via config: hooks.block_image_read.enabled: false
- *
- * Usage:
- *   Configured in ~/.claude/settings.json:
- *   {
- *     "hooks": {
- *       "PreToolUse": [{
- *         "matcher": "Read",
- *         "hooks": [{
- *           "type": "command",
- *           "command": "node ~/.ccs/hooks/block-image-read.cjs",
- *           "timeout": 5
- *         }]
- *       }]
- *     }
- *   }
- *
- * Environment Variables (set by CCS):
- *   CCS_BLOCK_IMAGE_READ=1    - Enable blocking (default for third-party)
- *   CCS_BLOCK_IMAGE_READ=0    - Disable blocking
- *   CCS_PROFILE_TYPE          - Profile type (account, default, settings, cliproxy)
- *   CCS_DEBUG=1               - Enable debug output
- *
- * Exit codes:
- *   0 - Allow tool (pass-through)
- *   2 - Block tool (deny with message)
- *
- * @module hooks/block-image-read
- */
-
-// Image file extensions to block
-const IMAGE_EXTENSIONS = /\.(png|jpg|jpeg|webp|gif|bmp|tiff|tif|ico|svg|heic|heif|avif)$/i;
-
-// Read input from stdin
-let input = '';
-process.stdin.setEncoding('utf8');
-process.stdin.on('data', (chunk) => {
-  input += chunk;
-});
-process.stdin.on('end', () => {
-  processHook();
-});
-
-// Handle stdin not being available
-process.stdin.on('error', () => {
-  process.exit(0);
-});
-
-/**
- * Check if hook should skip (for native Claude accounts).
- * Matches WebSearch hook pattern.
- */
-function shouldSkipHook() {
-  // Account/default profiles use native Claude - don't block
-  const profileType = process.env.CCS_PROFILE_TYPE;
-  if (profileType === 'account' || profileType === 'default') {
-    if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
-      console.error(`[CCS Hook] Skipping image block for profile type: ${profileType}`);
-    }
-    return true;
-  }
-
-  // Explicit disable via config
-  if (process.env.CCS_BLOCK_IMAGE_READ === '0') {
-    if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
-      console.error('[CCS Hook] Image read blocking disabled by config');
-    }
-    return true;
-  }
-
-  return false;
-}
-
-/**
- * Main hook processing logic
- */
-function processHook() {
-  try {
-    // Skip for native accounts or explicit disable
-    if (shouldSkipHook()) {
-      process.exit(0);
-    }
-
-    const data = JSON.parse(input);
-
-    // Only handle Read tool
-    if (data.tool_name !== 'Read') {
-      process.exit(0);
-    }
-
-    const filePath = data.tool_input?.file_path || '';
-
-    if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
-      console.error(`[CCS Hook] Read intercepted: ${filePath}`);
-    }
-
-    // Check if file is an image
-    if (IMAGE_EXTENSIONS.test(filePath)) {
-      if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
-        console.error(`[CCS Hook] Blocking image read: ${filePath}`);
-      }
-      outputBlock(filePath);
-      return;
-    }
-
-    // Allow non-image files
-    process.exit(0);
-  } catch (err) {
-    if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
-      console.error('[CCS Hook] Parse error:', err.message);
-    }
-    // Don't block on parse errors
-    process.exit(0);
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * Output block response and exit
- */
-function outputBlock(filePath) {
-  // Extract just the filename for cleaner display
-  const fileName = filePath.split(/[/\\]/).pop() || filePath;
-
-  const message = [
-    '[Image Read Blocked - Context Protection]',
-    '',
-    `File: ${fileName}`,
-    `Path: ${filePath}`,
-    '',
-    'Image files consume 100K+ tokens each and will exhaust context.',
-    '',
-    'The image was generated successfully. To view it:',
-    '  - Open the file path above in your image viewer',
-    '  - Use your file manager to navigate to the location',
-    '  - On macOS: open "' + filePath + '"',
-    '  - On Linux: xdg-open "' + filePath + '"',
-    '  - On Windows: start "" "' + filePath + '"',
-    '',
-    'If you need to analyze the image, use the ai-multimodal skill',
-    'which processes images via Gemini API without loading into context.',
-  ].join('\n');
-
-  const output = {
-    decision: 'block',
-    reason: 'Image file blocked to prevent context overflow',
-    // User-facing message (shows in CLI output)
-    systemMessage: `[Image Read Blocked] ${fileName} - Open file directly to view.`,
-    hookSpecificOutput: {
-      hookEventName: 'PreToolUse',
-      permissionDecision: 'deny',
-      // Claude reads this - explains what happened and alternatives
-      permissionDecisionReason: message,
-    },
-  };
-
-  console.log(JSON.stringify(output));
-  process.exit(2);
-}
diff --git a/lib/hooks/image-analyzer-transformer.cjs b/lib/hooks/image-analyzer-transformer.cjs
index d8bb71e1..09362bb6 100755
--- a/lib/hooks/image-analyzer-transformer.cjs
+++ b/lib/hooks/image-analyzer-transformer.cjs
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
  *   CCS_CURRENT_PROVIDER                      - Current CLIProxy provider (e.g., agy, gemini, codex)
  *   CCS_IMAGE_ANALYSIS_TIMEOUT=60             - Timeout in seconds (default: 60)
  *   CCS_PROFILE_TYPE                          - Profile type (account/default skip)
+ *   ANTHROPIC_MODEL                           - Fallback model if provider not in mapping
  *   CCS_DEBUG=1                               - Enable debug output
  *
  * Exit codes:
@@ -107,14 +108,14 @@ function getDebugContext(filePath, stats) {
   const providerModels = parseProviderModels(process.env.CCS_IMAGE_ANALYSIS_PROVIDER_MODELS);
   const model = providerModels[currentProvider] || DEFAULT_MODEL;
   const timeout = parseInt(process.env.CCS_IMAGE_ANALYSIS_TIMEOUT || DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_SEC, 10);
-  const isDefaultModel = !providerModels[currentProvider];
+  const modelsToTry = getModelsToTry();
 
   return {
     file: path.basename(filePath),
     size: stats ? `${(stats.size / 1024).toFixed(1)} KB` : 'unknown',
     provider: currentProvider,
     model: model,
-    config: isDefaultModel ? 'default' : 'user-configured',
+    modelsToTry: modelsToTry.length > 1 ? modelsToTry.join(' -> ') : model,
     timeout: `${timeout}s`,
     endpoint: `http://${CLIPROXY_HOST}:${CLIPROXY_PORT}${CLIPROXY_PATH}`,
   };
@@ -148,6 +149,7 @@ function parseProviderModels(envValue) {
 
 /**
  * Get model for current provider from provider_models mapping
+ * Returns primary model only (for display/logging)
  */
 function getModelForProvider() {
   const currentProvider = process.env.CCS_CURRENT_PROVIDER || '';
@@ -155,6 +157,93 @@ function getModelForProvider() {
   return providerModels[currentProvider] || DEFAULT_MODEL;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Get list of models to try in order:
+ * 1. provider_models[current_provider] (if exists)
+ * 2. DEFAULT_MODEL
+ * 3. ANTHROPIC_MODEL from profile (if different and exists)
+ */
+function getModelsToTry() {
+  const currentProvider = process.env.CCS_CURRENT_PROVIDER || '';
+  const providerModels = parseProviderModels(process.env.CCS_IMAGE_ANALYSIS_PROVIDER_MODELS);
+  const anthropicModel = process.env.ANTHROPIC_MODEL;
+
+  const models = [];
+  const seen = new Set();
+
+  // 1. Provider-specific model
+  if (providerModels[currentProvider]) {
+    models.push(providerModels[currentProvider]);
+    seen.add(providerModels[currentProvider]);
+  }
+
+  // 2. Default model
+  if (!seen.has(DEFAULT_MODEL)) {
+    models.push(DEFAULT_MODEL);
+    seen.add(DEFAULT_MODEL);
+  }
+
+  // 3. ANTHROPIC_MODEL fallback
+  if (anthropicModel && !seen.has(anthropicModel)) {
+    models.push(anthropicModel);
+  }
+
+  return models;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Analyze with retry logic - tries models in order until one succeeds
+ */
+async function analyzeWithRetry(base64Data, mediaType, timeoutMs) {
+  const models = getModelsToTry();
+  // Defensive check - should never happen but provides clear error
+  if (models.length === 0) {
+    throw new Error('No models configured for image analysis');
+  }
+  let lastError = null;
+
+  for (let i = 0; i < models.length; i++) {
+    const model = models[i];
+    try {
+      debugLog(`Trying model ${i + 1}/${models.length}`, { model });
+      const result = await analyzeViaCliProxy(base64Data, mediaType, model, timeoutMs);
+      if (i > 0) {
+        debugLog('Retry succeeded', { model, attempt: i + 1 });
+      }
+      return { description: result, model };
+    } catch (err) {
+      lastError = err;
+      const isLastModel = i === models.length - 1;
+
+      // Don't retry on certain errors (auth, rate limit, timeout, file access, network)
+      const errMsg = err.message || '';
+      const noRetryPatterns = [
+        'AUTH_ERROR', 'RATE_LIMIT', 'TIMEOUT',
+        'EACCES', 'EPERM', 'ECONNREFUSED',
+        'ENOTFOUND', 'ENETUNREACH', 'EAI_AGAIN'  // Network errors - no point retrying
+      ];
+      const shouldNotRetry = noRetryPatterns.some(p => errMsg.includes(p));
+
+      if (shouldNotRetry || isLastModel) {
+        debugLog('Analysis failed, no more retries', {
+          model,
+          error: errMsg,
+          reason: shouldNotRetry ? 'non-retryable error' : 'last model'
+        });
+        throw err;
+      }
+
+      debugLog('Model failed, trying next', {
+        model,
+        error: errMsg.substring(0, 100),
+        nextModel: models[i + 1]
+      });
+    }
+  }
+
+  throw lastError || new Error('No models available');
+}
+
 /**
  * Check if file is an analyzable image or PDF
  */
@@ -555,6 +644,38 @@ function outputUnknownError(filePath, error) {
   process.exit(2);
 }
 
+/**
+ * CLIProxy unavailable fallback - blocks Read to prevent context overflow
+ * When CLIProxy is not running, we cannot analyze the image.
+ * Blocking prevents the image from loading into Claude's context (100K+ tokens).
+ */
+function outputCliProxyUnavailableFallback(filePath) {
+  const fileName = filePath.split(/[/\\]/).pop() || filePath;
+
+  // Keep message minimal to avoid context pollution and hallucination
+  const message = [
+    '[Image Read Blocked]',
+    '',
+    `File: ${fileName}`,
+    '',
+    'CLIProxy unavailable. Image blocked to prevent context overflow.',
+  ].join('\n');
+
+  const output = {
+    decision: 'block',
+    reason: 'CLIProxy unavailable - image blocked to prevent context overflow',
+    systemMessage: `[Image Blocked] ${fileName} - CLIProxy unavailable. Start: ccs config`,
+    hookSpecificOutput: {
+      hookEventName: 'PreToolUse',
+      permissionDecision: 'deny',
+      permissionDecisionReason: message,
+    },
+  };
+
+  console.log(JSON.stringify(output));
+  process.exit(2);
+}
+
 /**
  * Output success response and exit
  */
@@ -682,12 +803,12 @@ async function processHook() {
     // Check CLIProxy availability
     const cliProxyAvailable = await isCliProxyAvailable();
     if (!cliProxyAvailable) {
-      debugLog('Skipping: CLIProxy not available', {
+      debugLog('Blocking: CLIProxy not available', {
         endpoint: `http://${CLIPROXY_HOST}:${CLIPROXY_PORT}`,
-        action: 'passing through to native Read',
+        action: 'blocking to prevent context overflow',
       });
-      // Pass through to native Read
-      process.exit(0);
+      outputCliProxyUnavailableFallback(filePath);
+      return;
     }
 
     const model = getModelForProvider();
@@ -707,15 +828,16 @@ async function processHook() {
       base64Length: `${(base64Data.length / 1024).toFixed(1)}KB`,
     });
 
-    // Analyze via CLIProxy
-    const description = await analyzeViaCliProxy(base64Data, mediaType, model, timeoutMs);
+    // Analyze via CLIProxy with retry logic
+    const { description, model: usedModel } = await analyzeWithRetry(base64Data, mediaType, timeoutMs);
 
     debugLog('Analysis complete', {
       responseLength: `${description.length} chars`,
+      model: usedModel,
     });
 
     // Output success
-    outputSuccess(filePath, description, model, stats.size);
+    outputSuccess(filePath, description, usedModel, stats.size);
   } catch (err) {
     if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
       console.error('[CCS Hook] Error:', err.message);
diff --git a/src/ccs.ts b/src/ccs.ts
index 6cf8140c..1d447e48 100644
--- a/src/ccs.ts
+++ b/src/ccs.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import {
   ensureProfileHooks,
 } from './utils/websearch-manager';
 import { getGlobalEnvConfig } from './config/unified-config-loader';
-import { getImageReadBlockHookEnv } from './utils/hooks/image-read-block-hook-env';
+import { ensureProfileHooks as ensureImageAnalyzerHooks } from './utils/hooks/image-analyzer-profile-hook-injector';
 import { fail, info } from './utils/ui';
 
 // Import centralized error handling
@@ -165,12 +165,10 @@ async function execClaudeWithProxy(
   const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32';
   const needsShell = isWindows && /\.(cmd|bat|ps1)$/i.test(claudeCli);
   const webSearchEnv = getWebSearchHookEnv();
-  const imageReadBlockEnv = getImageReadBlockHookEnv();
   const env = {
     ...process.env,
     ...envVars,
     ...webSearchEnv,
-    ...imageReadBlockEnv,
     CCS_PROFILE_TYPE: 'settings', // Signal to WebSearch hook this is a third-party provider
   };
 
@@ -523,6 +521,8 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
       // CLIPROXY FLOW: OAuth-based profiles (gemini, codex, agy, qwen) or user-defined variants
       // Inject WebSearch hook into profile settings before launch
       ensureProfileHooks(profileInfo.name);
+      // Inject Image Analyzer hook into profile settings before launch
+      ensureImageAnalyzerHooks(profileInfo.name);
 
       const provider = profileInfo.provider || (profileInfo.name as CLIProxyProvider);
       const customSettingsPath = profileInfo.settingsPath; // undefined for hardcoded profiles
@@ -535,6 +535,8 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
       // COPILOT FLOW: GitHub Copilot subscription via copilot-api proxy
       // Inject WebSearch hook into profile settings before launch
       ensureProfileHooks(profileInfo.name);
+      // Inject Image Analyzer hook into profile settings before launch
+      ensureImageAnalyzerHooks(profileInfo.name);
 
       const { executeCopilotProfile } = await import('./copilot');
       const copilotConfig = profileInfo.copilotConfig;
@@ -549,6 +551,8 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
       // WebSearch is server-side tool - third-party providers have no access
       // Inject WebSearch hook into profile settings before launch
       ensureProfileHooks(profileInfo.name);
+      // Inject Image Analyzer hook into profile settings before launch
+      ensureImageAnalyzerHooks(profileInfo.name);
 
       ensureMcpWebSearch();
 
@@ -615,7 +619,6 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
         // Use --settings flag (backward compatible)
         const expandedSettingsPath = getSettingsPath(profileInfo.name);
         const webSearchEnv = getWebSearchHookEnv();
-        const imageReadBlockEnv = getImageReadBlockHookEnv();
         // Get global env vars (DISABLE_TELEMETRY, etc.) for third-party profiles
         const globalEnvConfig = getGlobalEnvConfig();
         const globalEnv = globalEnvConfig.enabled ? globalEnvConfig.env : {};
@@ -637,7 +640,6 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
           ...globalEnv,
           ...settingsEnv, // Explicitly inject all settings env vars
           ...webSearchEnv,
-          ...imageReadBlockEnv,
           CCS_PROFILE_TYPE: 'settings', // Signal to WebSearch hook this is a third-party provider
         };
         execClaude(claudeCli, ['--settings', expandedSettingsPath, ...remainingArgs], envVars);
@@ -660,18 +662,22 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
 
       // Execute Claude with instance isolation
       // Skip WebSearch hook - account profiles use native server-side WebSearch
+      // Skip Image Analyzer hook - account profiles have native vision support
       const envVars: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = {
         CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR: instancePath,
         CCS_PROFILE_TYPE: 'account',
         CCS_WEBSEARCH_SKIP: '1',
+        CCS_IMAGE_ANALYSIS_SKIP: '1',
       };
       execClaude(claudeCli, remainingArgs, envVars);
     } else {
       // DEFAULT: No profile configured, use Claude's own defaults
       // Skip WebSearch hook - native Claude has server-side WebSearch
+      // Skip Image Analyzer hook - native Claude has native vision support
       const envVars: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = {
         CCS_PROFILE_TYPE: 'default',
         CCS_WEBSEARCH_SKIP: '1',
+        CCS_IMAGE_ANALYSIS_SKIP: '1',
       };
       execClaude(claudeCli, remainingArgs, envVars);
     }
diff --git a/src/cliproxy/cliproxy-executor.ts b/src/cliproxy/cliproxy-executor.ts
index 808a1814..0d640a8e 100644
--- a/src/cliproxy/cliproxy-executor.ts
+++ b/src/cliproxy/cliproxy-executor.ts
@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@ import { DEFAULT_BACKEND } from './platform-detector';
 import { configureProviderModel, getCurrentModel } from './model-config';
 import { resolveProxyConfig, PROXY_CLI_FLAGS } from './proxy-config-resolver';
 import { getWebSearchHookEnv } from '../utils/websearch-manager';
-import { getImageReadBlockHookEnv } from '../utils/hooks/image-read-block-hook-env';
 import { getImageAnalysisHookEnv } from '../utils/hooks/get-image-analysis-hook-env';
 import { supportsModelConfig, isModelBroken, getModelIssueUrl, findModel } from './model-catalog';
 import { CodexReasoningProxy } from './codex-reasoning-proxy';
@@ -969,13 +968,11 @@ export async function execClaudeWithCLIProxy(
     ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL: finalBaseUrl,
   };
   const webSearchEnv = getWebSearchHookEnv();
-  const imageReadBlockEnv = getImageReadBlockHookEnv();
   const imageAnalysisEnv = getImageAnalysisHookEnv(provider);
   const env = {
     ...process.env,
     ...effectiveEnvVars,
     ...webSearchEnv,
-    ...imageReadBlockEnv,
     ...imageAnalysisEnv,
     CCS_PROFILE_TYPE: 'cliproxy', // Signal to WebSearch hook this is a third-party provider
   };
diff --git a/src/cliproxy/services/variant-settings.ts b/src/cliproxy/services/variant-settings.ts
index 872ae910..d50c0cf2 100644
--- a/src/cliproxy/services/variant-settings.ts
+++ b/src/cliproxy/services/variant-settings.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { expandPath } from '../../utils/helpers';
 import { getClaudeEnvVars, CLIPROXY_DEFAULT_PORT } from '../config-generator';
 import { CLIProxyProvider } from '../types';
 import { ensureProfileHooks } from '../../utils/websearch/profile-hook-injector';
+import { ensureProfileHooks as ensureImageAnalyzerHooks } from '../../utils/hooks/image-analyzer-profile-hook-injector';
 
 /** Environment settings structure */
 interface SettingsEnv {
@@ -109,6 +110,9 @@ export function createSettingsFile(
   // Inject WebSearch hooks into variant settings
   ensureProfileHooks(`${provider}-${name}`);
 
+  // Inject Image Analyzer hooks into variant settings
+  ensureImageAnalyzerHooks(`${provider}-${name}`);
+
   return settingsPath;
 }
 
@@ -134,6 +138,9 @@ export function createSettingsFileUnified(
   // Inject WebSearch hooks into variant settings
   ensureProfileHooks(`${provider}-${name}`);
 
+  // Inject Image Analyzer hooks into variant settings
+  ensureImageAnalyzerHooks(`${provider}-${name}`);
+
   return settingsPath;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/config/unified-config-types.ts b/src/config/unified-config-types.ts
index c654d9ec..5a8dcffe 100644
--- a/src/config/unified-config-types.ts
+++ b/src/config/unified-config-types.ts
@@ -545,6 +545,9 @@ export const DEFAULT_IMAGE_ANALYSIS_CONFIG: ImageAnalysisConfig = {
     kiro: 'kiro-claude-haiku-4-5',
     ghcp: 'claude-haiku-4.5',
     claude: 'claude-haiku-4-5-20251001',
+    // 'vision-model' is a generic placeholder - users can override via config.yaml
+    qwen: 'vision-model',
+    iflow: 'qwen3-vl-plus',
   },
 };
 
diff --git a/src/utils/hooks/image-analyzer-profile-hook-injector.ts b/src/utils/hooks/image-analyzer-profile-hook-injector.ts
index 4d4e4f12..94d414da 100644
--- a/src/utils/hooks/image-analyzer-profile-hook-injector.ts
+++ b/src/utils/hooks/image-analyzer-profile-hook-injector.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  * Injects image analyzer hooks into per-profile settings files.
  * This replaces the global ~/.claude/settings.json approach.
  *
- * Only injects for CLIProxy profiles (agy, gemini) that support vision analysis.
+ * Injects for profiles configured in image_analysis.provider_models.
  *
  * @module utils/hooks/image-analyzer-profile-injector
  */
@@ -94,14 +94,15 @@ export function ensureProfileHooks(profileName: string): boolean {
       return false;
     }
 
-    // Only inject for CLIProxy profiles with vision support
-    const visionProfiles = ['agy', 'gemini'];
-    if (!visionProfiles.includes(profileName)) {
+    const imageConfig = getImageAnalysisConfig();
+
+    // Only inject for profiles that have a model mapping in provider_models
+    // This allows dynamic extension without hardcoding profile names
+    const configuredProviders = Object.keys(imageConfig.provider_models);
+    if (!configuredProviders.includes(profileName)) {
       return false;
     }
 
-    const imageConfig = getImageAnalysisConfig();
-
     // Skip if image analysis is disabled
     if (!imageConfig.enabled) {
       return false;
diff --git a/src/utils/hooks/image-read-block-hook-env.ts b/src/utils/hooks/image-read-block-hook-env.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index b2cc91fc..00000000
--- a/src/utils/hooks/image-read-block-hook-env.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,60 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * Image Read Block Hook Environment Variables
- *
- * Provides environment variables for image read blocking hook configuration.
- * Prevents context overflow when skills generate images and agent tries to read them.
- *
- * Enabled by default for third-party profiles (settings, cliproxy).
- * Disabled for native Claude accounts where context is managed server-side.
- *
- * @module utils/hooks/image-read-block-hook-env
- */
-
-import { loadOrCreateUnifiedConfig } from '../../config/unified-config-loader';
-
-/**
- * Configuration for image read blocking.
- */
-export interface ImageReadBlockConfig {
-  /** Whether blocking is enabled (default: true) */
-  enabled: boolean;
-}
-
-/**
- * Get image read block configuration from unified config.
- * Defaults to ENABLED (opt-out feature) - matches WebSearch pattern.
- */
-export function getImageReadBlockConfig(): ImageReadBlockConfig {
-  const config = loadOrCreateUnifiedConfig();
-  // Access hooks config via type assertion since it's a new field not yet in UnifiedConfig type
-  const hooksConfig = (
-    config as unknown as { hooks?: { block_image_read?: { enabled?: boolean } } }
-  ).hooks;
-  return {
-    // Default to TRUE - enabled by default, user can opt-out
-    enabled: hooksConfig?.block_image_read?.enabled ?? true,
-  };
-}
-
-/**
- * Get environment variables for image read block hook configuration.
- *
- * Like WebSearch, this respects CCS_PROFILE_TYPE:
- * - 'account' or 'default' profiles: Skip blocking (native Claude)
- * - 'settings' or 'cliproxy' profiles: Apply blocking
- *
- * @returns Record of environment variables to set before spawning Claude
- */
-export function getImageReadBlockHookEnv(): Record<string, string> {
-  const config = getImageReadBlockConfig();
-  const env: Record<string, string> = {};
-
-  if (config.enabled) {
-    env.CCS_BLOCK_IMAGE_READ = '1';
-  } else {
-    // Explicit disable signal
-    env.CCS_BLOCK_IMAGE_READ = '0';
-  }
-
-  return env;
-}
diff --git a/src/utils/hooks/index.ts b/src/utils/hooks/index.ts
index d952a096..7e05c9d5 100644
--- a/src/utils/hooks/index.ts
+++ b/src/utils/hooks/index.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
  * @module utils/hooks
  */
 
-export { getImageReadBlockHookEnv, getImageReadBlockConfig } from './image-read-block-hook-env';
 export { getImageAnalysisHookEnv } from './get-image-analysis-hook-env';
 export {
   getImageAnalyzerHookPath,
diff --git a/src/utils/image-analysis/hook-installer.ts b/src/utils/image-analysis/hook-installer.ts
index 99c4f624..3832131b 100644
--- a/src/utils/image-analysis/hook-installer.ts
+++ b/src/utils/image-analysis/hook-installer.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
 /**
  * Image Analysis Hook Installer
  *
- * Manages installation of:
- * 1. block-image-read.cjs hook (blocks image reads to prevent context overflow)
- * 2. Prompt templates for image analysis (user-customizable)
+ * Manages installation of prompt templates for image analysis (user-customizable).
  *
  * @module utils/image-analysis/hook-installer
  */
@@ -13,16 +11,6 @@ import * as path from 'path';
 import { info, warn } from '../ui';
 import { getCcsDir } from '../config-manager';
 
-// Hook file name
-const IMAGE_BLOCK_HOOK = 'block-image-read.cjs';
-
-/**
- * Get path to installed hook script
- */
-export function getHookPath(): string {
-  return path.join(getCcsDir(), 'hooks', IMAGE_BLOCK_HOOK);
-}
-
 /**
  * Get CCS hooks directory
  */
@@ -37,72 +25,6 @@ export function getPromptsDir(): string {
   return path.join(getCcsDir(), 'prompts', 'image-analysis');
 }
 
-/**
- * Check if image block hook is installed
- */
-export function hasImageBlockHook(): boolean {
-  return fs.existsSync(getHookPath());
-}
-
-/**
- * Install image block hook to ~/.ccs/hooks/
- *
- * This hook intercepts Read tool calls for image files and blocks them
- * to prevent context overflow (images consume 100K+ tokens each).
- *
- * @returns true if hook installed successfully
- */
-export function installImageBlockHook(): boolean {
-  try {
-    // Ensure hooks directory exists
-    const hooksDir = getCcsHooksDir();
-    if (!fs.existsSync(hooksDir)) {
-      fs.mkdirSync(hooksDir, { recursive: true, mode: 0o700 });
-    }
-
-    const hookPath = getHookPath();
-
-    // Find the bundled hook script
-    // In npm package: node_modules/ccs/lib/hooks/
-    // In development: lib/hooks/
-    const possiblePaths = [
-      path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', '..', 'lib', 'hooks', IMAGE_BLOCK_HOOK),
-      path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'lib', 'hooks', IMAGE_BLOCK_HOOK),
-      path.join(__dirname, '..', 'lib', 'hooks', IMAGE_BLOCK_HOOK),
-    ];
-
-    let sourcePath: string | null = null;
-    for (const p of possiblePaths) {
-      if (fs.existsSync(p)) {
-        sourcePath = p;
-        break;
-      }
-    }
-
-    if (!sourcePath) {
-      if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
-        console.error(warn(`Image block hook source not found: ${IMAGE_BLOCK_HOOK}`));
-      }
-      return false;
-    }
-
-    // Copy hook to ~/.ccs/hooks/
-    fs.copyFileSync(sourcePath, hookPath);
-    fs.chmodSync(hookPath, 0o755);
-
-    if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
-      console.error(info(`Installed image block hook: ${hookPath}`));
-    }
-
-    return true;
-  } catch (error) {
-    if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
-      console.error(warn(`Failed to install image block hook: ${(error as Error).message}`));
-    }
-    return false;
-  }
-}
-
 /**
  * Install prompt templates to ~/.ccs/prompts/image-analysis/
  * Only installs if directory doesn't exist (doesn't overwrite user edits)
@@ -179,28 +101,3 @@ export function installImageAnalysisPrompts(): boolean {
     return false;
   }
 }
-
-/**
- * Uninstall image block hook from ~/.ccs/hooks/
- *
- * @returns true if hook uninstalled successfully
- */
-export function uninstallImageBlockHook(): boolean {
-  try {
-    const hookPath = getHookPath();
-
-    if (fs.existsSync(hookPath)) {
-      fs.unlinkSync(hookPath);
-      if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
-        console.error(info(`Uninstalled image block hook: ${hookPath}`));
-      }
-    }
-
-    return true;
-  } catch (error) {
-    if (process.env.CCS_DEBUG) {
-      console.error(warn(`Failed to uninstall image block hook: ${(error as Error).message}`));
-    }
-    return false;
-  }
-}
diff --git a/src/utils/image-analysis/index.ts b/src/utils/image-analysis/index.ts
index 1fea2b08..3a322ac9 100644
--- a/src/utils/image-analysis/index.ts
+++ b/src/utils/image-analysis/index.ts
@@ -1,15 +1,7 @@
 /**
  * Image Analysis Utilities
  *
- * Exports hook installer functions for image blocking and prompt management
+ * Exports hook installer functions for prompt management
  */
 
-export {
-  getHookPath,
-  getCcsHooksDir,
-  getPromptsDir,
-  hasImageBlockHook,
-  installImageBlockHook,
-  installImageAnalysisPrompts,
-  uninstallImageBlockHook,
-} from './hook-installer';
+export { getCcsHooksDir, getPromptsDir, installImageAnalysisPrompts } from './hook-installer';
diff --git a/src/utils/shell-executor.ts b/src/utils/shell-executor.ts
index d60e3574..9ee00511 100644
--- a/src/utils/shell-executor.ts
+++ b/src/utils/shell-executor.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 import { spawn, ChildProcess } from 'child_process';
 import { ErrorManager } from './error-manager';
 import { getWebSearchHookEnv } from './websearch-manager';
-import { getImageReadBlockHookEnv } from './hooks/image-read-block-hook-env';
 
 /**
  * Escape arguments for shell execution (Windows compatibility)
@@ -53,12 +52,11 @@ export function execClaude(
 
   // Get WebSearch hook config env vars
   const webSearchEnv = getWebSearchHookEnv();
-  const imageReadBlockEnv = getImageReadBlockHookEnv();
 
   // Prepare environment (merge with process.env if envVars provided)
   const env = envVars
-    ? { ...process.env, ...envVars, ...webSearchEnv, ...imageReadBlockEnv }
-    : { ...process.env, ...webSearchEnv, ...imageReadBlockEnv };
+    ? { ...process.env, ...envVars, ...webSearchEnv }
+    : { ...process.env, ...webSearchEnv };
 
   let child: ChildProcess;
   if (needsShell) {
diff --git a/tests/e2e/image-analyzer-hook.e2e.test.ts b/tests/e2e/image-analyzer-hook.e2e.test.ts
index b3da61dd..de00aa62 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/image-analyzer-hook.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/image-analyzer-hook.e2e.test.ts
@@ -468,7 +468,7 @@ describe('Image Analyzer Hook', () => {
       resetMockState();
     });
 
-    it('should pass through when CLIProxy is unavailable', async () => {
+    it('should block when CLIProxy is unavailable to prevent context overflow', async () => {
       // Force hook to use a port that's definitely not running
       const result = invokeHook(
         {
@@ -483,9 +483,13 @@ describe('Image Analyzer Hook', () => {
         }
       );
 
-      // Should pass through (exit 0) when CLIProxy not available
-      expect(result.code).toBe(0);
-      expect(result.stderr).toContain('CLIProxy not available');
+      // Should block (exit 2) when CLIProxy not available to prevent context overflow
+      expect(result.code).toBe(2);
+      const output = JSON.parse(result.stdout);
+      expect(output.decision).toBe('block');
+      expect(output.hookSpecificOutput.permissionDecisionReason).toContain(
+        'CLIProxy unavailable'
+      );
     });
 
     it('should analyze PNG via mock CLIProxy and return analysis', () => {
@@ -634,7 +638,7 @@ describe('Image Analyzer Hook', () => {
 
       // Should output debug info to stderr
       expect(result.stderr).toContain('[CCS Hook]');
-      expect(result.stderr).toContain('Analyzing');
+      expect(result.stderr).toContain('Starting image analysis');
     });
 
     it('should handle API error response gracefully (pass through)', () => {