diff --git a/src/components/ai-fill-marker.test.tsx b/src/components/ai-fill-marker.test.tsx
index fa083a2..7852b67 100644
--- a/src/components/ai-fill-marker.test.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ai-fill-marker.test.tsx
@@ -28,6 +28,67 @@ function fill(over: Partial<QuoteItemAiFill> = {}): QuoteItemAiFill {
 afterEach(cleanup);
 
 describe("AiFillMarker", () => {
+  it("shows the closest item and what differs on a closest match", () => {
+    render(
+      <AiFillMarker
+        item={{
+          id: "i1",
+          ai_fill: fill({
+            status: "no_match",
+            stock_item_id: null,
+            stock_item_name: "",
+            stock_item_sku: "",
+            cost_price: 0,
+            selling_price: 0,
+            markup: 0,
+            supplier_id: "",
+            confidence: "low",
+            reason: "nearest bolt",
+            doubts: [],
+            closest: {
+              stock_item_id: "stk9",
+              name: "HEX BOLT M22X65 GR8.8 ZP",
+              sku: "BOLT-M22X65",
+              cost_price: 8,
+              selling_price: 12,
+              differs: ["length 65 vs 60", "thread M22 vs M16"],
+            },
+          }),
+          pricing_source: "ai_email",
+        }}
+      />,
+    );
+    const badge = screen.getByText(
+      "Closest: HEX BOLT M22X65 GR8.8 ZP (length 65 vs 60, thread M22 vs M16)",
+    );
+    expect(badge).toBeTruthy();
+  });
+
+  it("still says AI: no match when there is no closest item", () => {
+    render(
+      <AiFillMarker
+        item={{
+          id: "i1",
+          ai_fill: fill({
+            status: "no_match",
+            stock_item_id: null,
+            stock_item_name: "",
+            stock_item_sku: "",
+            cost_price: 0,
+            selling_price: 0,
+            markup: 0,
+            supplier_id: "",
+            confidence: null,
+            reason: "nothing in the catalogue",
+            doubts: [],
+          }),
+          pricing_source: "ai_email",
+        }}
+      />,
+    );
+    expect(screen.getByText("AI: no match")).toBeTruthy();
+  });
+
   it("renders nothing without ai_fill", () => {
     const { container } = render(
       <AiFillMarker item={{ id: "i1", ai_fill: null, pricing_source: "manual" }} />,
diff --git a/src/components/ai-fill-marker.tsx b/src/components/ai-fill-marker.tsx
index c5013f7..9661896 100644
--- a/src/components/ai-fill-marker.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ai-fill-marker.tsx
@@ -80,11 +80,37 @@ function FilledNotes({ fill }: { fill: QuoteItemAiFill }) {
 }
 
 function NoMatchNotes({ fill }: { fill: QuoteItemAiFill }) {
+  const closest = fill.closest;
   return (
     <div className="flex flex-col gap-2">
       <span className="text-[11px] font-semibold uppercase tracking-wide text-muted-foreground">
         AI found no match
       </span>
+      {closest ? (
+        <div className="flex flex-col gap-1 rounded-md border border-warn/30 bg-warn/10 px-2 py-1.5">
+          <span className="text-xs font-medium text-warn">Closest</span>
+          <Link
+            href={`/stock/${closest.stock_item_id}`}
+            className="text-sm font-medium text-primary underline-offset-2 hover:underline"
+          >
+            {closest.name}
+          </Link>
+          {closest.sku ? (
+            <span className="font-mono text-xs text-muted-foreground">{closest.sku}</span>
+          ) : null}
+          {closest.differs.length > 0 ? (
+            <ul className="list-disc pl-4 text-xs text-warn">
+              {closest.differs.map((d, i) => (
+                <li key={`${i}-${d}`}>{d}</li>
+              ))}
+            </ul>
+          ) : null}
+          <div className="flex flex-col gap-1">
+            <Row label="Cost">{zar.format(Number(closest.cost_price) || 0)}</Row>
+            <Row label="Selling price">{zar.format(Number(closest.selling_price) || 0)}</Row>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      ) : null}
       {fill.reason ? <p className="text-xs">{fill.reason}</p> : null}
       {fill.candidates.length > 0 ? (
         <div className="flex flex-col gap-1">
@@ -108,6 +134,15 @@ function NoMatchNotes({ fill }: { fill: QuoteItemAiFill }) {
   );
 }
 
+/** The badge text: the closest item when the AI found one, else the
+ *  plain "no match". */
+export function aiFillBadgeLabel(fill: QuoteItemAiFill): string {
+  const closest = fill.closest;
+  if (!closest) return "AI: no match";
+  const differs = closest.differs.length > 0 ? ` (${closest.differs.join(", ")})` : "";
+  return `Closest: ${closest.name}${differs}`;
+}
+
 export function AiFillMarker({
   item,
   className,
@@ -151,7 +186,7 @@ function PosAiFillMarker({
             className,
           )}
         >
-          AI: no match
+          {aiFillBadgeLabel(fill)}
         </PopoverTrigger>
         <PopoverContent align="start">
           <NoMatchNotes fill={fill} />
diff --git a/src/lib/server/quote-assistant-core.test.ts b/src/lib/server/quote-assistant-core.test.ts
index 2b71cef..1b20352 100644
--- a/src/lib/server/quote-assistant-core.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/server/quote-assistant-core.test.ts
@@ -256,6 +256,59 @@ describe("meetsConfidence", () => {
 describe("buildLinePatch", () => {
   const base = { minConfidence: "medium" as const, model: "MiniMax-M2", now: NOW };
 
+  it("writes no price for a closest match and records what differs", () => {
+    const patch = buildLinePatch({
+      ...base,
+      item: line(),
+      decision: decision({
+        match: "closest",
+        differs: ["length 65 vs 60"],
+        confidence: "high",
+      }),
+      candidates: [cand()],
+    });
+    expect(patch).not.toHaveProperty("cost_price");
+    expect(patch).not.toHaveProperty("selling_price");
+    expect(patch).not.toHaveProperty("markup");
+    expect(patch).not.toHaveProperty("pricing_source");
+    const fill = patch.ai_fill as QuoteItemAiFill;
+    expect(fill.status).toBe("no_match");
+    expect(fill.stock_item_id).toBeNull();
+    expect(fill.cost_price).toBe(0);
+    expect(fill.closest).toEqual({
+      stock_item_id: "s-1",
+      name: "M10 Bolt Zinc",
+      sku: "BLT10",
+      cost_price: 1.89,
+      selling_price: 3.4,
+      differs: ["length 65 vs 60"],
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("records no closest item for a plain no-match", () => {
+    const patch = buildLinePatch({
+      ...base,
+      item: line(),
+      decision: decision({ stock_item_id: null, match: "none" }),
+      candidates: [cand()],
+    });
+    const fill = patch.ai_fill as QuoteItemAiFill;
+    expect(fill.status).toBe("no_match");
+    expect(fill.closest).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("writes the price for an exact match", () => {
+    const patch = buildLinePatch({
+      ...base,
+      item: line(),
+      decision: decision({ match: "exact", differs: [] }),
+      candidates: [cand()],
+    });
+    expect(patch.cost_price).toBe(1.89);
+    expect((patch.ai_fill as QuoteItemAiFill).status).toBe("filled");
+    expect((patch.ai_fill as QuoteItemAiFill).closest).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
   it("keeps a supplier already on the line (still records the POS supplier in ai_fill)", () => {
     const patch = buildLinePatch({
       ...base,