diff --git a/network/network_protocol.gd b/network/network_protocol.gd
index c4496f3..484896a 100644
--- a/network/network_protocol.gd
+++ b/network/network_protocol.gd
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 class_name NetworkProtocol
 extends RefCounted
 
-const PROTOCOL_VERSION: int = 6
+const PROTOCOL_VERSION: int = 7
 const GAME_BUILD: String = "prealpha"
 const MAX_GAME_VERSION_LENGTH: int = 64
 const MAX_DISPLAY_NAME_LENGTH: int = 24
diff --git a/network/network_session.gd b/network/network_session.gd
index 8d7205a..e4c22df 100644
--- a/network/network_session.gd
+++ b/network/network_session.gd
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ const AUTHENTICATION_TIMEOUT_SECONDS: float = 60.0
 const INPUT_INTERVAL: float = 1.0 / 30.0
 const SNAPSHOT_INTERVAL: float = 1.0 / 30.0
 const MOVEMENT_SNAPSHOT_BATCH_SIZE: int = 8
-const MOVEMENT_SNAPSHOT_FIELD_COUNT: int = 12
+const MOVEMENT_SNAPSHOT_FIELD_COUNT: int = 13
 const MAX_MOVEMENT_INPUT_SEQUENCE: int = 2147483647
 const MAX_MOVEMENT_ONE_WAY_TRANSIT_SECONDS: float = 0.25
 
@@ -1837,6 +1837,7 @@ static func _encode_movement_snapshot(snapshot: Dictionary) -> Array:
 		str(action["id"]),
 		int(action["sequence"]),
 		float(action["elapsed"]),
+		bool(action.get("paused", false)),
 		bool(snapshot.get("sitting", false)),
 		bool(snapshot.get("casting", false)),
 	]
@@ -1860,6 +1861,7 @@ static func _decode_movement_snapshot(value: Variant) -> Dictionary:
 		or typeof(fields[9]) not in [TYPE_FLOAT, TYPE_INT]
 		or typeof(fields[10]) != TYPE_BOOL
 		or typeof(fields[11]) != TYPE_BOOL
+		or typeof(fields[12]) != TYPE_BOOL
 	):
 		return {}
 	var position: Vector3 = fields[2]
@@ -1880,9 +1882,10 @@ static func _decode_movement_snapshot(value: Variant) -> Dictionary:
 			StringName(str(fields[7])),
 			int(fields[8]),
 			float(fields[9]),
+			bool(fields[10]),
 		),
-		"sitting": bool(fields[10]),
-		"casting": bool(fields[11]),
+		"sitting": bool(fields[11]),
+		"casting": bool(fields[12]),
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/tests/fish_hotbar_showcase_validation.gd b/tests/fish_hotbar_showcase_validation.gd
index 945155d..5281d77 100644
--- a/tests/fish_hotbar_showcase_validation.gd
+++ b/tests/fish_hotbar_showcase_validation.gd
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ func _run() -> void:
 	var invalid_state: Dictionary = valid_state.duplicate(true)
 	invalid_state["display_scale"] = 1000.0
 	assert(not NetworkFishShowcaseProtocol.validate_state(invalid_state))
-	assert(NetworkProtocol.PROTOCOL_VERSION == 6)
+	assert(NetworkProtocol.PROTOCOL_VERSION == 7)
 	assert(NetworkProtocol.ENET_CHANNEL_COUNT == 10)
 	assert(
 		NetworkProtocol.FISH_QUALITY_CAPABILITY
diff --git a/tests/fish_quality_validation.gd b/tests/fish_quality_validation.gd
index 595c17a..7d729ac 100644
--- a/tests/fish_quality_validation.gd
+++ b/tests/fish_quality_validation.gd
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ func _run() -> void:
 	_validate_mail_round_trip()
 	_validate_collection_mastery()
 	_validate_version_four_migration()
-	assert(NetworkProtocol.PROTOCOL_VERSION == 6)
+	assert(NetworkProtocol.PROTOCOL_VERSION == 7)
 	assert(NetworkProtocol.ENET_CHANNEL_COUNT == 10)
 	assert(NetworkProtocol.FISH_QUALITY_CAPABILITY == "fish_quality_v1")
 	print("Fish quality validation: PASS")
diff --git a/tests/movement_multiplayer_validation.gd b/tests/movement_multiplayer_validation.gd
index aec3e35..a870d13 100644
--- a/tests/movement_multiplayer_validation.gd
+++ b/tests/movement_multiplayer_validation.gd
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ extends SceneTree
 
 const MainScene: PackedScene = preload("res://main/main.tscn")
 const PlayerScene: PackedScene = preload("res://player/player.tscn")
-const TEST_PORT: int = 18141
+const TEST_PORT: int = 18171
 
 
 func _initialize() -> void:
@@ -59,6 +59,26 @@ func _validate_compact_snapshot_encoding() -> void:
 			encoded_snapshots[0]
 		) == moving_snapshot
 	)
+	var paused_snapshot: Dictionary = moving_snapshot.duplicate(true)
+	paused_snapshot["animation_state"] = (
+		NetworkPlayerAnimationProtocol.make_state(
+			NetworkPlayerAnimationProtocol.LOCOMOTION_IDLE,
+			true,
+			&"strike",
+			7,
+			0.5,
+			true,
+		)
+	)
+	var paused_encoded: Array = NetworkSession._encode_movement_snapshot(
+		paused_snapshot
+	)
+	assert(paused_encoded.size() == NetworkSession.MOVEMENT_SNAPSHOT_FIELD_COUNT)
+	var paused_decoded: Dictionary = (
+		NetworkSession._decode_movement_snapshot(paused_encoded)
+	)
+	assert(not paused_decoded.is_empty())
+	assert(bool(paused_decoded["animation_state"]["action"]["paused"]))
 
 
 func _validate_transit_estimation() -> void:
@@ -235,6 +255,10 @@ func _run_host() -> void:
 	assert(session.set_host_open(true))
 	var remote_peer_id: int = await _wait_for_remote_peer(session)
 	assert(remote_peer_id > 1)
+	# Authentication completes before the client has necessarily created and
+	# begun observing the host avatar. Give its gameplay scene a bounded moment
+	# to settle before emitting the one-shot locomotion/action sequence.
+	await create_timer(1.0).timeout
 	var player := main.get("_player") as Player
 	player.configure_network_remote(true)
 	player.apply_authoritative_network_input(_movement_input(1, true))
@@ -254,9 +278,9 @@ func _run_host() -> void:
 	)
 	await create_timer(1.0).timeout
 	player.apply_authoritative_network_input(
-		_movement_input(6, false, false, true, &"strike", 2)
+		_movement_input(6, false, false, true, &"strike", 2, true)
 	)
-	await create_timer(0.5).timeout
+	await create_timer(2.0).timeout
 	player.apply_authoritative_network_input(
 		_movement_input(7, false, false, false, &"", 3)
 	)
@@ -294,7 +318,7 @@ func _run_client() -> void:
 	var spawn_service := main.get_node(
 		"%PlayerSpawnService"
 	) as PlayerSpawnService
-	var host_avatar: Player = spawn_service.get_avatar(1)
+	var host_avatar: Player = await _wait_for_avatar(spawn_service, 1)
 	assert(host_avatar != null)
 	var animation_player := host_avatar.get_node(
 		"Visuals/CharacterRig/AnimationPlayer"
@@ -306,11 +330,12 @@ func _run_client() -> void:
 	var saw_idle_sneak: bool = false
 	var saw_net_draw: bool = false
 	var saw_net_strike: bool = false
+	var saw_net_strike_paused: bool = false
 	var saw_animation_advance: bool = false
 	var saw_dust: bool = false
 	var previous_animation: StringName = &""
 	var previous_animation_position: float = -1.0
-	var observation_deadline: int = Time.get_ticks_msec() + 14000
+	var observation_deadline: int = Time.get_ticks_msec() + 18000
 	while Time.get_ticks_msec() < observation_deadline:
 		await process_frame
 		var current_animation: StringName = animation_player.current_animation
@@ -319,7 +344,17 @@ func _run_client() -> void:
 		saw_sneaking = saw_sneaking or current_animation == &"sneaking"
 		saw_idle_sneak = saw_idle_sneak or current_animation == &"idle_sneak"
 		saw_net_draw = saw_net_draw or current_animation == &"draw"
-		saw_net_strike = saw_net_strike or current_animation == &"strike"
+		saw_net_strike = (
+			saw_net_strike
+			or current_animation == &"strike"
+			or animation_player.assigned_animation == &"strike"
+		)
+		saw_net_strike_paused = (
+			saw_net_strike_paused
+			or bool(host_avatar.get(
+				"_network_target_animation_action_paused"
+			))
+		)
 		var current_position: float = (
 			animation_player.current_animation_position
 		)
@@ -339,16 +374,18 @@ func _run_client() -> void:
 			and saw_idle_sneak
 			and saw_net_draw
 			and saw_net_strike
+			and saw_net_strike_paused
 			and saw_animation_advance
 			and saw_dust
-		):
-			break
+			):
+				break
 	assert(saw_running)
 	assert(saw_walking)
 	assert(saw_sneaking)
 	assert(saw_idle_sneak)
 	assert(saw_net_draw)
 	assert(saw_net_strike)
+	assert(saw_net_strike_paused)
 	assert(saw_animation_advance)
 	assert(saw_dust)
 	print("Movement multiplayer client validation: PASS")
@@ -367,6 +404,7 @@ func _movement_input(
 	sneaking: bool = false,
 	action_id: StringName = &"",
 	action_sequence: int = 0,
+	action_paused: bool = false,
 ) -> Dictionary:
 	return {
 		"sequence": sequence,
@@ -381,6 +419,8 @@ func _movement_input(
 		"animation_action": NetworkPlayerAnimationProtocol.make_action_state(
 			action_id,
 			action_sequence,
+			0.0,
+			action_paused,
 		),
 	}
 
@@ -407,3 +447,16 @@ func _wait_for_remote_peer(session: NetworkSession) -> int:
 			if peer_id != session.get_local_peer_id():
 				return peer_id
 	return 0
+
+
+func _wait_for_avatar(
+	spawn_service: PlayerSpawnService,
+	peer_id: int,
+) -> Player:
+	var deadline: int = Time.get_ticks_msec() + 8000
+	while Time.get_ticks_msec() < deadline:
+		await process_frame
+		var avatar := spawn_service.get_avatar(peer_id) as Player
+		if avatar != null:
+			return avatar
+	return null
diff --git a/tests/world_spawn_protocol_validation.gd b/tests/world_spawn_protocol_validation.gd
index f433321..0238e3a 100644
--- a/tests/world_spawn_protocol_validation.gd
+++ b/tests/world_spawn_protocol_validation.gd
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ const NET_STRIKE_MARKER_DISTANCE: float = 0.85
 
 
 func _initialize() -> void:
-	assert(NetworkProtocol.PROTOCOL_VERSION == 6)
+	assert(NetworkProtocol.PROTOCOL_VERSION == 7)
 	assert(
 		NetworkWorldSpawnProtocol.CAPABILITY
 		== NetworkProtocol.WORLD_SPAWN_CAPABILITY