diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 791f873..daa4452 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ Follows [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/) · versioned wi
## [Unreleased]
### Changed
+- **Audiobook cast normalization extraction.** Same-speaker post-cast merging now lives in
+ `audiobook-cast.js`, keeping deterministic segment cleanup separate from live casting orchestration.
- **Audiobook segmentation extraction.** Quote segmentation, conservative turn-taking, and dialogue-piece validation
now live in `audiobook-segmentation.js`; the live casting pipeline remains compatible with the same global helpers.
- **Rehearser voice-design extraction.** Character development, backend selection, and backend-refresh synchronization
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index c2ea603..2264402 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.24.38
+1.24.39
diff --git a/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md b/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
index 994df25..8462b77 100644
--- a/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
+++ b/docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ Done incrementally as global-scope ordered files (no ES-module change needed)
- ✅ `rehearser-voice-design.js` — character development, backend selection, and backend-refresh synchronization.
- ✅ `audiobook-segmentation.js` — quote segmentation, conservative turn-taking, and dialogue-piece validation.
- ✅ `audiobook-parse.js` — dialogue detection, dehyphenation, and speaker-heuristic constants; the casting pipeline remains in `audiobook.js`.
-- ✅ `audiobook-cast.js` — cast Markdown export and legacy page-stamping migration helpers; live casting remains in `audiobook.js`.
+- ✅ `audiobook-cast.js` — cast Markdown export, legacy page-stamping migration, and deterministic same-speaker post-cast normalization helpers; live casting remains in `audiobook.js`.
- ✅ `static/css/resource-diagnostics.css` — isolated Performance/resource diagnostic panel styles.
- ✅ `static/css/background-jobs.css` — isolated background-job history and retry-panel styles.
- ✅ `static/css/voice-design.css` — isolated Voice Design form, samples, and preview-match styles.
diff --git a/static/index.html b/static/index.html
index 7aaac00..3a12ecd 100644
--- a/static/index.html
+++ b/static/index.html
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
-
+
@@ -27,10 +27,10 @@
-
-
-
-
+
+
+
+
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ window.toggleNavTree = function(treeId, chevronId) {
-
+