diff --git a/services/imajin-video/service/src/pipeline/classify_processor.py b/services/imajin-video/service/src/pipeline/classify_processor.py
index b55b0c29..12b74f7a 100644
--- a/services/imajin-video/service/src/pipeline/classify_processor.py
+++ b/services/imajin-video/service/src/pipeline/classify_processor.py
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ from pathlib import Path
 from typing import AsyncIterator, Protocol
 
 import cv2
-import httpx
 import numpy as np
+from model_boss.client import InferenceClient
 
 from config.settings import settings
 from jobs.classify_job_store import ClassifyJobStore
@@ -42,6 +42,25 @@ from models.classify_types import (
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
+# Shared inference client for vision scoring (one connection pool, reused per frame).
+_vision_client: InferenceClient | None = None
+
+
+def _get_vision_client() -> InferenceClient:
+    """Lazily build the shared model-boss client. auto_start_services is OFF — imajin
+    is a consumer and must never try to spin up the coordinator/redis itself."""
+    global _vision_client
+    if _vision_client is None:
+        _vision_client = InferenceClient(
+            coordinator_url=settings.model_boss_base_url,
+            client_id="imajin-video",
+            default_priority="normal",
+            auto_start_services=False,
+            timeout=settings.model_boss_timeout_s,
+        )
+    return _vision_client
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Shared contrastive rubric — MUST mirror the consumer's CLASSIFY_RUBRIC
 # (cocotte content-ingestor classification.ts) so video explicitness is
@@ -467,26 +486,17 @@ class ClassifyVideoProcessor:
         [pos,neg,...] label array, re-normalize per pair.
         """
         texts = [s for d in CLASSIFY_RUBRIC for s in (d.positive, d.negative)]
-        url = f"{settings.model_boss_base_url.rstrip('/')}/v1/vision/score"
         try:
-            async with httpx.AsyncClient(timeout=settings.model_boss_timeout_s) as client:
-                resp = await client.post(
-                    url,
-                    json={
-                        "model": settings.model_boss_vision_model,
-                        "image_base64": image_b64,
-                        "texts": texts,
-                        "mode": "contrastive",
-                        "x_client_id": "imajin-video",
-                        # High priority lets the coordinator spawn a 2nd vision slot on
-                        # the idle GPU so frames score in parallel (pool spawns instance
-                        # N+1 only for priority ≤5; siglip2 max_instances=2 permits it).
-                        "x_priority": settings.classify_vision_priority,
-                    },
-                )
-            resp.raise_for_status()
-            raw_scores = resp.json().get("scores", []) or []
-        except httpx.HTTPError as exc:
+            # job_class=batch → the coordinator may spawn a 2nd vision slot on a free
+            # GPU to parallelize, at low priority that never preempts interactive vision.
+            raw_scores = await _get_vision_client().score(
+                model=settings.model_boss_vision_model,
+                image_base64=image_b64,
+                texts=texts,
+                mode="contrastive",
+                job_class=settings.classify_vision_job_class,
+            )
+        except Exception as exc:
             # model-boss reachability is an INTERNAL fault (transient) — not a bad-media
             # terminal failure. Re-raise so the job records it distinctly from ClassifyError.
             raise RuntimeError(f"model-boss vision unreachable: {exc}") from exc