diff --git a/crates/algo/src/selection.rs b/crates/algo/src/selection.rs
index bb7a521114..d6e1837dd1 100644
--- a/crates/algo/src/selection.rs
+++ b/crates/algo/src/selection.rs
@@ -806,6 +806,13 @@ pub fn feather(m: &[f32], w: usize, h: usize, radius: f32) -> Vec<f32> {
     crate::selection_blur::feather(m, w, h, radius)
 }
 
+/// How far [`feather`] spreads, in pixels (`⌈3σ⌉` with σ = `radius`, 0 when it changes nothing).
+/// Samples farther than this from every nonzero sample stay 0, so a working window grown by this
+/// much gives the same result as the whole canvas.
+pub fn feather_reach(radius: f32) -> usize {
+    crate::selection_blur::feather_reach(radius)
+}
+
 /// Anti-aliased polygon (even-odd) coverage over `area`: exact horizontal
 /// coverage, 4 sub-rows per pixel row (or 1 when not anti-aliased). Bands of
 /// rows are filled in parallel, and each sub-row tests only the edges that
diff --git a/crates/algo/src/selection/tests.rs b/crates/algo/src/selection/tests.rs
index 30ae9b23a2..226a4c5a68 100644
--- a/crates/algo/src/selection/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/algo/src/selection/tests.rs
@@ -674,3 +674,16 @@ fn polygon_window_keeps_full_canvas_fractional_coverage() {
         }
     }
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn feather_leaves_everything_beyond_its_reach_at_zero() {
+    for radius in [0.05, 0.5, 2.5, 7.0, 40.0] {
+        let reach = feather_reach(radius);
+        let w = 3 * reach + 20;
+        let mut m = vec![0.0; w];
+        m[0] = 1.0;
+        let out = feather(&m, w, 1, radius);
+        assert!(out[0] > 0.0, "radius {radius}");
+        assert!(out[reach + 1..].iter().all(|v| *v == 0.0), "radius {radius}: nonzero past reach {reach}");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/algo/src/selection_blur.rs b/crates/algo/src/selection_blur.rs
index 4c64250a68..1262e9b77f 100644
--- a/crates/algo/src/selection_blur.rs
+++ b/crates/algo/src/selection_blur.rs
@@ -542,13 +542,9 @@ impl CosKernel {
     }
 }
 
-/// Select › Modify › Feather: Gaussian blur of the mask with `σ = radius`, the kernel truncated
-/// at `⌈3σ⌉` and normalized, zero beyond the canvas. Photoshop's feather radius is the Gaussian's
-/// σ (measured on Photoshop 27.11; the same mapping the mask feather uses, fitted on the
-/// psd-tools corpus in `photocraft_compose::masks::feather_sigma`). It was `radius / 2`: half
-/// as wide as Photoshop's.
-pub(crate) fn feather(m: &[f32], w: usize, h: usize, radius: f32) -> Vec<f32> {
-    let n = w.saturating_mul(h);
+/// The feather's Gaussian σ for `radius`, capped at [`MAX_SIGMA`]. Below 0.1 the feather leaves
+/// the mask as it is.
+fn feather_sigma(radius: f32) -> f32 {
     let sigma = if radius.is_finite() {
         radius.max(0.0)
     } else if radius > 0.0 {
@@ -556,11 +552,28 @@ pub(crate) fn feather(m: &[f32], w: usize, h: usize, radius: f32) -> Vec<f32> {
     } else {
         0.0
     };
+    sigma.min(MAX_SIGMA)
+}
+
+/// How far [`feather`] spreads, in pixels: its kernel's truncation radius `⌈3σ⌉`, or 0 when it
+/// leaves the mask as it is. Samples farther than this from every nonzero sample stay 0.
+pub(crate) fn feather_reach(radius: f32) -> usize {
+    let sigma = feather_sigma(radius);
+    if sigma < 0.1 { 0 } else { (sigma * 3.0).ceil() as usize }
+}
+
+/// Select › Modify › Feather: Gaussian blur of the mask with `σ = radius`, the kernel truncated
+/// at `⌈3σ⌉` and normalized, zero beyond the canvas. Photoshop's feather radius is the Gaussian's
+/// σ (measured on Photoshop 27.11; the same mapping the mask feather uses, fitted on the
+/// psd-tools corpus in `photocraft_compose::masks::feather_sigma`). It was `radius / 2`: half
+/// as wide as Photoshop's.
+pub(crate) fn feather(m: &[f32], w: usize, h: usize, radius: f32) -> Vec<f32> {
+    let n = w.saturating_mul(h);
+    let sigma = feather_sigma(radius);
     if sigma < 0.1 || m.len() != n || n == 0 {
         return m.to_vec();
     }
-    let sigma = sigma.min(MAX_SIGMA);
-    let r = (sigma * 3.0).ceil() as usize;
+    let r = feather_reach(radius);
     let Some(b) = nonzero_bounds(m, w, h) else {
         return m.to_vec();
     };
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/cmd/selection_cmds.rs b/crates/engine/src/cmd/selection_cmds.rs
index 9cf48f3545..362e889fa9 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/cmd/selection_cmds.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/cmd/selection_cmds.rs
@@ -464,11 +464,11 @@ fn modify(s: &mut Session, p: &Value, op: &str) -> Result<Value> {
     let area = if matches!(op, "expand" | "contract" | "border") { modify_window::area(doc, r) } else { canvas };
     let m = sel::mask_from_surface(doc.selection.as_ref(), area);
     let (w, h) = (area.width() as usize, area.height() as usize);
-    // Feather reaches 3σ = 3 r (σ = r, as in Photoshop); the others reach r. A margin past that
+    // Feather reaches ⌈3σ⌉ (σ = r, as in Photoshop); the others reach r. A margin past that
     // keeps the canvas edge out of reach. A selection clear of the canvas edge needs none: both
     // readings agree there.
-    let reach = if op == "feather" { r * 3.0 } else { r };
-    let pad = if touches_edge(&m, w, h) { reach.ceil() as usize + 2 } else { 0 };
+    let reach = if op == "feather" { sel::feather_reach(r) } else { r.ceil() as usize };
+    let pad = if touches_edge(&m, w, h) { reach.saturating_add(2) } else { 0 };
     let grown = |n: usize| pad.checked_mul(2).and_then(|p| n.checked_add(p));
     let (Some(pw), Some(ph)) = (grown(w), grown(h)) else {
         return Err(EngineError::BadParams { cmd: format!("select.modify.{op}"), msg: "the selection is too large to modify".into() });
@@ -675,7 +675,8 @@ pub(crate) fn feather_window(bounds: Rect, canvas: Rect, feather: f32) -> Rect {
     if bounds.is_empty() {
         return Rect::EMPTY;
     }
-    bounds.inflate(((feather * 3.0).ceil() as i32).saturating_add(1)).intersect(&canvas)
+    let reach = i32::try_from(sel::feather_reach(feather)).unwrap_or(i32::MAX);
+    bounds.inflate(reach.saturating_add(1)).intersect(&canvas)
 }
 
 macro_rules! spec {