diff --git a/backend/Cargo.lock b/backend/Cargo.lock
index fa34138..a8a5899 100644
--- a/backend/Cargo.lock
+++ b/backend/Cargo.lock
@@ -1517,7 +1517,7 @@ checksum = "c41e0c4fef86961ac6d6f8a82609f55f31b05e4fce149ac5710e439df7619ba4"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "mangalord"
-version = "0.87.22"
+version = "0.87.23"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "argon2",
diff --git a/backend/Cargo.toml b/backend/Cargo.toml
index 9c02428..2e601b8 100644
--- a/backend/Cargo.toml
+++ b/backend/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "mangalord"
-version = "0.87.22"
+version = "0.87.23"
 edition = "2021"
 default-run = "mangalord"
 
diff --git a/frontend/package.json b/frontend/package.json
index 11fcffa..8d9296f 100644
--- a/frontend/package.json
+++ b/frontend/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "mangalord-frontend",
-  "version": "0.87.22",
+  "version": "0.87.23",
   "private": true,
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/frontend/src/hooks.server.test.ts b/frontend/src/hooks.server.test.ts
index 226da79..a2c7b9d 100644
--- a/frontend/src/hooks.server.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/hooks.server.test.ts
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ describe('hooks.server proxy', () => {
     // 0.87.9 the upstream fetch kept running until the proxy wall-clock
     // timeout fired.
     it('chains an already-aborted client signal into the upstream signal immediately', async () => {
-        // Capture the signal the proxy hands fetch; resolve when called.
+        // Capture the signal the proxy hands fetch.
         let upstream: AbortSignal | undefined;
         fetchSpy.mockImplementation(async (_url, init) => {
             upstream = (init as RequestInit).signal ?? undefined;
@@ -225,6 +225,26 @@ describe('hooks.server proxy', () => {
         expect(upstream?.aborted).toBe(true);
     });
 
+    it('returns 502 when fetch itself rejects with AbortError on an already-aborted signal', async () => {
+        // Production Node fetch rejects synchronously with AbortError if
+        // the signal is already aborted on entry — the prior test mocks
+        // fetch to resolve 200, which leaves the rejection-path
+        // observation uncovered. Mirror Node's real behaviour and
+        // confirm the handler maps the rejection to 502 / upstream_unavailable
+        // (same envelope as any other network failure).
+        const errSpy = vi.spyOn(console, 'error').mockImplementation(() => {});
+        fetchSpy.mockRejectedValueOnce(new DOMException('aborted', 'AbortError'));
+        const resolve = vi.fn();
+        const ctrl = new AbortController();
+        ctrl.abort();
+        const event = makeEventWithSignal('/api/v1/health', ctrl.signal);
+        const resp = await handle({ event, resolve });
+        expect(resp.status).toBe(502);
+        const body = await resp.json();
+        expect(body.error.code).toBe('upstream_unavailable');
+        expect(errSpy).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+
     it('chains a mid-flight client-disconnect into the upstream signal', async () => {
         // The mid-flight shape: request.signal is live when the handler
         // starts, then aborts while the upstream fetch is in progress.
@@ -232,13 +252,13 @@ describe('hooks.server proxy', () => {
         let upstream: AbortSignal | undefined;
         fetchSpy.mockImplementation(async (_url, init) => {
             upstream = (init as RequestInit).signal ?? undefined;
-            // Let the handler's chaining listener attach, then trip the
-            // client signal — the upstream signal should reflect.
+            // Let the handler's chaining listener attach (it runs on
+            // the next microtask after `handle()` calls fetch), THEN
+            // trip the client signal. `AbortSignal#dispatchEvent` is
+            // synchronous, so the listener runs in-line — no further
+            // tick needed; we observe `upstream.aborted` immediately.
             await Promise.resolve();
             clientCtrl.abort();
-            // Tick once so the listener observes the abort before we
-            // check.
-            await Promise.resolve();
             return new Response('[]', { status: 200 });
         });
         const resolve = vi.fn();
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/api/admin.test.ts b/frontend/src/lib/api/admin.test.ts
index c8320a3..173230a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/api/admin.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/api/admin.test.ts
@@ -731,28 +731,19 @@ describe('admin crawler api client', () => {
     });
 
     it('getAnalysisMangaCoverage propagates an abort rejection', async () => {
-        // Mid-flight abort: caller flips the AbortController, the fetch
-        // promise rejects, and the api client lets the rejection
-        // surface to its caller (the debounce-race handler treats
-        // AbortError as silent cancellation rather than an error toast).
+        // Production Node fetch rejects synchronously with AbortError
+        // when called with an already-aborted signal. Mirror that
+        // (instead of wiring our own listener and asserting the
+        // rejection we self-fire) so the test exercises the contract
+        // the consumer relies on — the CancellableLoader at
+        // $lib/util/cancellable.ts treats AbortError as `null` and
+        // skips the state update.
         const ctrl = new AbortController();
-        fetchSpy.mockImplementationOnce(
-            (_url, init) =>
-                new Promise((_resolve, reject) => {
-                    const signal = (init as RequestInit).signal;
-                    signal?.addEventListener(
-                        'abort',
-                        () => reject(new DOMException('aborted', 'AbortError')),
-                        { once: true }
-                    );
-                })
-        );
-        const inflight = getAnalysisMangaCoverage(
-            { limit: 25 },
-            { signal: ctrl.signal }
-        );
         ctrl.abort();
-        await expect(inflight).rejects.toMatchObject({ name: 'AbortError' });
+        fetchSpy.mockRejectedValueOnce(new DOMException('aborted', 'AbortError'));
+        await expect(
+            getAnalysisMangaCoverage({ limit: 25 }, { signal: ctrl.signal })
+        ).rejects.toMatchObject({ name: 'AbortError' });
     });
 
     it('getAnalysisChapterCoverage unwraps items', async () => {
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/util/cancellable.test.ts b/frontend/src/lib/util/cancellable.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3db1be8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/util/cancellable.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,173 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { CancellableLoader } from './cancellable';
+
+/**
+ * Helper: a Promise that resolves when `signal` aborts. Mirrors the
+ * shape a real `fetch(url, { signal })` rejects on cancellation.
+ */
+function rejectsOnAbort<T = never>(signal: AbortSignal, value?: T): Promise<T> {
+    return new Promise<T>((resolve, reject) => {
+        if (signal.aborted) {
+            reject(new DOMException('aborted', 'AbortError'));
+            return;
+        }
+        signal.addEventListener(
+            'abort',
+            () => reject(new DOMException('aborted', 'AbortError')),
+            { once: true }
+        );
+        // The caller wires its own resolve via the AbortSignal listeners
+        // in the test; if a value is provided, resolve after a tick.
+        if (value !== undefined) {
+            // microtask so the test can call run() again first.
+            queueMicrotask(() => resolve(value));
+        }
+    });
+}
+
+describe('CancellableLoader', () => {
+    it('returns the resolved value when no successor cancels the call', async () => {
+        const loader = new CancellableLoader();
+        const result = await loader.run(async () => 42);
+        expect(result).toBe(42);
+    });
+
+    it('aborts the predecessor signal when a successor starts', async () => {
+        const loader = new CancellableLoader();
+
+        // Predecessor: long-running, observes its own abort.
+        let predecessorSignal: AbortSignal | null = null;
+        const predecessor = loader.run(({ signal }) => {
+            predecessorSignal = signal;
+            return rejectsOnAbort(signal);
+        });
+
+        // Tick the microtask queue so the predecessor's signal is set.
+        await Promise.resolve();
+        expect(predecessorSignal).toBeInstanceOf(AbortSignal);
+        expect(predecessorSignal!.aborted).toBe(false);
+
+        // Successor: resolves immediately.
+        const successor = loader.run(async () => 'B');
+        // The predecessor's signal must have been aborted.
+        expect(predecessorSignal!.aborted).toBe(true);
+
+        // Successor wins; predecessor is swallowed.
+        expect(await successor).toBe('B');
+        expect(await predecessor).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it('suppresses a predecessor whose body resolves AFTER the successor started', async () => {
+        // Race: predecessor's fetch hasn't been cancelled in time (e.g.
+        // it had already started writing the response). Its resolved
+        // value must still NOT leak into the loader's caller — the
+        // successor owns the state.
+        const loader = new CancellableLoader();
+
+        // Predecessor: ignores its signal, resolves slowly.
+        let predecessorResolve: (v: string) => void = () => {};
+        const predecessor = loader.run(
+            () =>
+                new Promise<string>((resolve) => {
+                    predecessorResolve = resolve;
+                })
+        );
+        await Promise.resolve();
+
+        // Successor: replaces predecessor, resolves quickly.
+        const successor = loader.run(async () => 'fresh');
+        expect(await successor).toBe('fresh');
+
+        // Now resolve the (ignored) predecessor late.
+        predecessorResolve('stale');
+        expect(await predecessor).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it('returns null on AbortError without rethrowing', async () => {
+        const loader = new CancellableLoader();
+        // Start a never-resolving call. We can fire its abort by
+        // starting a fresh run() — the AbortError swallow is what
+        // we're pinning here. Crucially, DON'T await `pending` before
+        // starting the successor; the await must come after.
+        const pending = loader.run(({ signal }) => rejectsOnAbort<string>(signal));
+        await Promise.resolve();
+        const successor = loader.run(async () => 'B');
+        expect(await pending).toBeNull();
+        await successor;
+    });
+
+    it('propagates non-AbortError rejections', async () => {
+        const loader = new CancellableLoader();
+        const err = new Error('network kaboom');
+        await expect(loader.run(async () => { throw err; })).rejects.toBe(err);
+    });
+
+    it('isOwnerOf is true only for the current in-flight call', async () => {
+        const loader = new CancellableLoader();
+        // No call in flight: every signal is non-owner.
+        expect(loader.isOwnerOf(new AbortController().signal)).toBe(false);
+
+        let signal: AbortSignal | null = null;
+        const pending = loader.run(({ signal: s }) => {
+            signal = s;
+            return rejectsOnAbort(s);
+        });
+        await Promise.resolve();
+
+        // Mid-flight: the active call's signal is the owner.
+        expect(loader.isOwnerOf(signal!)).toBe(true);
+        // A stranger signal is not.
+        expect(loader.isOwnerOf(new AbortController().signal)).toBe(false);
+
+        // Starting a successor flips ownership.
+        const successor = loader.run(async () => 'next');
+        expect(loader.isOwnerOf(signal!)).toBe(false);
+        await pending;
+        await successor;
+    });
+
+    it('cancel() aborts the current call and leaves the slot empty', async () => {
+        const loader = new CancellableLoader();
+        let signal: AbortSignal | null = null;
+        const pending = loader.run(({ signal: s }) => {
+            signal = s;
+            return rejectsOnAbort(s);
+        });
+        await Promise.resolve();
+        expect(signal!.aborted).toBe(false);
+
+        loader.cancel();
+        expect(signal!.aborted).toBe(true);
+        expect(await pending).toBeNull();
+        // After cancel, isOwnerOf is false for the old signal — slot
+        // empty, no successor queued.
+        expect(loader.isOwnerOf(signal!)).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it('rapid burst of three calls: only the last resolves', async () => {
+        // The exact debounce-race shape the dashboard's search box used
+        // to suffer from. Three back-to-back calls; only the third's
+        // value wins; predecessors return null.
+        const loader = new CancellableLoader();
+
+        const a = loader.run(({ signal }) => rejectsOnAbort<string>(signal));
+        await Promise.resolve();
+        const b = loader.run(({ signal }) => rejectsOnAbort<string>(signal));
+        await Promise.resolve();
+        const c = loader.run(async () => 'WIN');
+
+        const [ra, rb, rc] = await Promise.all([a, b, c]);
+        expect(ra).toBeNull();
+        expect(rb).toBeNull();
+        expect(rc).toBe('WIN');
+    });
+
+    it('cleanup: late re-call after a no-cancellation completion finds an empty slot', async () => {
+        const loader = new CancellableLoader();
+        const v = await loader.run(async () => 'first');
+        expect(v).toBe('first');
+        // No predecessor abort fires on the second run; ownership flows.
+        const v2 = await loader.run(async () => 'second');
+        expect(v2).toBe('second');
+    });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/util/cancellable.ts b/frontend/src/lib/util/cancellable.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bc51276
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/util/cancellable.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+/**
+ * A loader that cancels its in-flight predecessor on each call.
+ *
+ * Background — 0.87.9 added per-loader AbortControllers to the admin
+ * analysis dashboard so a debounced search-burst couldn't race itself
+ * (slow first response overwriting a faster second). The 0.87.16
+ * rereview noted that the contract (predecessor-abort + result-
+ * ownership check + spinner guard) was only inlined into a single
+ * Svelte component and untested.
+ *
+ * Lift the four invariants into a reusable, testable helper:
+ *
+ *   1. **Predecessor abort.** Every `run()` aborts whatever came before
+ *      via the prior AbortController.
+ *   2. **Late-result suppression.** A predecessor whose fetch finishes
+ *      AFTER the successor's run() started must not surface its value
+ *      — `run()` returns `null` ("superseded") on that path so the
+ *      caller can skip the state update.
+ *   3. **AbortError swallowed.** Aborts are normal cancellation, not
+ *      errors to toast; `run()` returns `null` rather than rethrowing.
+ *   4. **Ownership-aware finally.** Whichever call still owns the
+ *      controller clears `this.current` on completion; a later call
+ *      that overwrote it leaves the marker alone (or the spinner would
+ *      flicker on the older call's abort).
+ *
+ * Usage:
+ *   const loader = new CancellableLoader<Result>();
+ *   const result = await loader.run(({ signal }) =>
+ *     fetch(url, { signal }).then(r => r.json())
+ *   );
+ *   if (result === null) return;  // superseded or aborted
+ *   // …apply result…
+ *
+ * Note the `null` outcome is INTENTIONAL — the caller MUST decide
+ * whether to flip its spinner off (yes if no other call is in flight,
+ * no if a successor is). The `isOwnerOf` helper makes that decision
+ * explicit:
+ *   if (loader.isOwnerOf(signal)) loading = false;
+ */
+export class CancellableLoader {
+    private current: AbortController | null = null;
+
+    /**
+     * Run `fn` with a fresh AbortController, aborting any prior in-
+     * flight call. Returns the resolved value, or `null` when this
+     * call was superseded mid-flight OR fn rejected with AbortError.
+     * Other errors propagate.
+     */
+    async run<T>(fn: (ctx: { signal: AbortSignal }) => Promise<T>): Promise<T | null> {
+        this.current?.abort();
+        const ctrl = new AbortController();
+        this.current = ctrl;
+        try {
+            const value = await fn({ signal: ctrl.signal });
+            // Successor may have replaced us between the await above
+            // and here. Drop the result silently — the caller should
+            // not write stale data over the successor's state.
+            if (this.current !== ctrl) return null;
+            return value;
+        } catch (e) {
+            // AbortError is normal cancellation; non-Abort errors
+            // (network, 5xx, JSON parse) propagate to the caller.
+            if ((e as { name?: string } | null | undefined)?.name === 'AbortError') {
+                return null;
+            }
+            throw e;
+        } finally {
+            // Only clear the marker if this call still owns it. A
+            // predecessor that lost ownership leaves the successor's
+            // controller untouched.
+            if (this.current === ctrl) this.current = null;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * True iff the given signal belongs to the current in-flight call.
+     * Use from the caller's finally{} to decide whether to flip
+     * loading=false. Reading `signal.aborted` directly works for the
+     * abort case but not for the superseded-without-abort case (only
+     * `null` from `run()` covers both).
+     */
+    isOwnerOf(signal: AbortSignal): boolean {
+        return this.current?.signal === signal;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Abort the current in-flight call without queueing a successor.
+     * Used from onDestroy so a late response can't write into a dead
+     * page.
+     */
+    cancel(): void {
+        this.current?.abort();
+        this.current = null;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/routes/admin/analysis/+page.svelte b/frontend/src/routes/admin/analysis/+page.svelte
index 1a61b8b..ff3248a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/routes/admin/analysis/+page.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/routes/admin/analysis/+page.svelte
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
         type AnalysisEvent
     } from '$lib/api/admin';
     import { chapterLabel } from '$lib/api/chapters';
+    import { CancellableLoader } from '$lib/util/cancellable';
     import CoverageBadge from '$lib/components/CoverageBadge.svelte';
     import Modal from '$lib/components/Modal.svelte';
     import AnalysisHistoryTable from '$lib/components/analysis/AnalysisHistoryTable.svelte';
@@ -71,11 +72,14 @@
     let live = $state(false);
     let source: EventSource | null = null;
     let sseErrors = 0;
-    // Per-loader AbortController so a debounced search-keystroke burst
-    // (or unmount) can cancel its predecessor's response — without this,
-    // a slow first request would overwrite a faster second one, mirroring
-    // the issue the crawler page already solved at line 55.
-    let coverageAbort: AbortController | null = null;
+    // Per-loader cancellation guard. A debounced search-keystroke burst
+    // (or unmount) cancels its predecessor's response — without this,
+    // a slow first request would overwrite a faster second one.
+    // `CancellableLoader` lifts the four invariants (predecessor abort,
+    // late-result suppression, AbortError swallow, ownership-aware
+    // finally) into $lib/util/cancellable, where they're unit-tested.
+    // The inlined version in 0.87.9 was structurally untested.
+    const coverageLoader = new CancellableLoader();
 
     // Global "now analyzing" pointer, driven by the `started` SSE event so
     // the operator sees what the worker is on even when nothing is
@@ -135,7 +139,7 @@
         if (clearTimer) clearTimeout(clearTimer);
         // Cancel any in-flight coverage fetch so a late response can't
         // overwrite state after the page is gone.
-        coverageAbort?.abort();
+        coverageLoader.cancel();
     });
 
     function pushTicker(text: string) {
@@ -342,35 +346,36 @@
             loadingMore = true;
         }
         error = null;
-        // Cancel any in-flight predecessor — a debounced search burst
-        // would otherwise race; the slow first response could overwrite
-        // the faster second result.
-        coverageAbort?.abort();
-        const ctrl = new AbortController();
-        coverageAbort = ctrl;
         try {
-            const r = await getAnalysisMangaCoverage(
-                {
-                    search: query.trim() || undefined,
-                    limit: LIMIT,
-                    offset
-                },
-                { signal: ctrl.signal }
+            const r = await coverageLoader.run(({ signal }) =>
+                getAnalysisMangaCoverage(
+                    {
+                        search: query.trim() || undefined,
+                        limit: LIMIT,
+                        offset
+                    },
+                    { signal }
+                )
             );
+            // `null` = superseded by a successor call, or AbortError.
+            // Skip state updates AND leave the spinner alone — the
+            // successor (which is still in-flight) owns it. Without
+            // this guard, an unconditional `loading = false` in a
+            // finally{} would clear the spinner while the successor
+            // is still loading, producing a flicker.
+            if (r === null) return;
             mangas = reset ? r.items : [...mangas, ...r.items];
             total = r.page.total ?? mangas.length;
+            loading = false;
+            loadingMore = false;
         } catch (e) {
-            // Aborts are normal cancellation, not errors to surface.
-            if ((e as { name?: string })?.name === 'AbortError') return;
             error = e instanceof ApiError ? e.message : 'Failed to load coverage.';
-        } finally {
-            // Only clear the in-flight markers if this call still owns
-            // them — a later call may have superseded us already.
-            if (coverageAbort === ctrl) coverageAbort = null;
-            if (!ctrl.signal.aborted) {
-                loading = false;
-                loadingMore = false;
-            }
+            // Non-Abort error: this call genuinely failed and OWNS
+            // (any successor would have flipped run() to null before
+            // throwing). Clear the spinner so the error message is
+            // readable.
+            loading = false;
+            loadingMore = false;
         }
     }