diff --git a/openresty/lua/thumbnail.lua b/openresty/lua/thumbnail.lua
index b2f02ab..6d3eae8 100644
--- a/openresty/lua/thumbnail.lua
+++ b/openresty/lua/thumbnail.lua
@@ -2,10 +2,17 @@ local _M = {}
 
 local THUMB_DIR = "/tmp/thumbs"
 local GENERATION_INTERVAL = 600  -- 10 minutes in seconds
+local NEW_STREAM_DELAY = 60  -- 1 minute delay for new streams
+local NEW_STREAM_CHECK_INTERVAL = 10  -- Check for new streams every 10 seconds
 local FFMPEG_TIMEOUT = 15  -- seconds (needs more time for animated capture)
 local ANIMATION_DURATION = 3  -- seconds of video to capture
 local ANIMATION_FPS = 8  -- frames per second in output
 
+-- Track known live streams (in-memory, resets on nginx restart)
+local known_streams = {}
+-- Track streams with pending thumbnail generation
+local pending_streams = {}
+
 -- SECURITY FIX: Shell escape function to prevent command injection
 local function shell_escape(str)
     -- Escape single quotes by ending the quoted string, adding escaped quote, and starting new quoted string
@@ -141,6 +148,79 @@ local function generate_thumbnail(stream_key)
     return false
 end
 
+-- Generate thumbnail for a specific new stream (delayed callback)
+local function generate_new_stream_thumbnail(premature, realm_name, stream_key)
+    if premature then
+        return
+    end
+
+    -- Clear pending flag
+    pending_streams[realm_name] = nil
+
+    ngx.log(ngx.INFO, "Generating initial thumbnail for new stream: ", realm_name)
+
+    -- Ensure thumb directory exists
+    os.execute("mkdir -p " .. THUMB_DIR)
+
+    -- Generate the thumbnail
+    if generate_thumbnail(stream_key) then
+        ngx.log(ngx.INFO, "Initial thumbnail generated for new stream: ", realm_name)
+    else
+        ngx.log(ngx.WARN, "Failed to generate initial thumbnail for new stream: ", realm_name)
+    end
+end
+
+-- Check for new streams and schedule thumbnail generation
+local function check_for_new_streams(premature)
+    if premature then
+        return
+    end
+
+    local realms = get_live_realms()
+    local current_streams = {}
+
+    for _, realm in ipairs(realms) do
+        if realm.name then
+            current_streams[realm.name] = true
+
+            -- Check if this is a new stream we haven't seen
+            if not known_streams[realm.name] and not pending_streams[realm.name] then
+                ngx.log(ngx.INFO, "New stream detected: ", realm.name, " - scheduling thumbnail in ", NEW_STREAM_DELAY, " seconds")
+
+                local stream_key = get_stream_key_for_realm(realm.name)
+                if stream_key then
+                    -- Mark as pending to avoid duplicate scheduling
+                    pending_streams[realm.name] = true
+
+                    -- Schedule thumbnail generation after delay
+                    local ok, err = ngx.timer.at(NEW_STREAM_DELAY, generate_new_stream_thumbnail, realm.name, stream_key)
+                    if not ok then
+                        ngx.log(ngx.ERR, "Failed to schedule new stream thumbnail: ", err)
+                        pending_streams[realm.name] = nil
+                    end
+                end
+            end
+
+            -- Mark stream as known
+            known_streams[realm.name] = true
+        end
+    end
+
+    -- Clean up streams that are no longer live
+    for name, _ in pairs(known_streams) do
+        if not current_streams[name] then
+            known_streams[name] = nil
+            pending_streams[name] = nil
+        end
+    end
+
+    -- Schedule next check
+    local ok, err = ngx.timer.at(NEW_STREAM_CHECK_INTERVAL, check_for_new_streams)
+    if not ok then
+        ngx.log(ngx.ERR, "Failed to schedule next new stream check: ", err)
+    end
+end
+
 -- Background job: Generate thumbnails for all live streams
 local function generate_all_thumbnails(premature)
     if premature then
@@ -186,11 +266,17 @@ function _M.init_worker()
     -- Ensure thumb directory exists
     os.execute("mkdir -p " .. THUMB_DIR)
 
-    -- Start first generation after 10 seconds (let services start up)
+    -- Start first full generation after 10 seconds (let services start up)
     local ok, err = ngx.timer.at(10, generate_all_thumbnails)
     if not ok then
         ngx.log(ngx.ERR, "Failed to start thumbnail generator: ", err)
     end
+
+    -- Start new stream detection after 15 seconds
+    ok, err = ngx.timer.at(15, check_for_new_streams)
+    if not ok then
+        ngx.log(ngx.ERR, "Failed to start new stream detector: ", err)
+    end
 end
 
 -- Serve existing thumbnail (no generation on request)