bugfix: equalise login response time across user-existence branches (0.34.1)

A login attempt against a non-existent username returned 401 in <1ms, while the wrong-password branch ran argon2 verify (~50-100ms). Timing the difference let an attacker enumerate valid usernames without ever seeing a successful response. Run verify_password against a fixed dummy argon2id hash on the no-user branch so both paths spend the same compute. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
feat: gitea actions for build, push, and ssh deploy (0.34.0)
2026-05-28 07:46:46 +02:00 · 2026-05-28 06:56:13 +02:00 · 2026-05-28 06:41:26 +02:00 · 2026-05-27 20:27:05 +02:00 · 2026-05-27 20:26:23 +02:00 · 2026-05-26 22:47:21 +02:00
58 changed files with 7248 additions and 423 deletions
--- a/.gitea/README.md
+++ b/.gitea/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+# Gitea Actions
+
+The [`deploy`](workflows/deploy.yml) workflow runs on every push to `main`
+(and via manual `workflow_dispatch`). It tests, builds, pushes the images
+to a private registry, and rolls the stack over by SSH on the target host.
+
+## Required secrets
+
+Set under *Repo Settings → Actions → Secrets*:
+
+| Name                 | Example                  | Purpose                                                          |
+| -------------------- | ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `REGISTRY_URL`       | `registry.example.com`   | Registry host. No scheme, no trailing slash.                     |
+| `REGISTRY_USERNAME`  | `mangalord-ci`           | `docker login` user.                                             |
+| `REGISTRY_PASSWORD`  | `<token>`                | `docker login` token/password.                                   |
+| `SSH_HOST`           | `mangalord.example.com`  | Deploy target hostname/IP.                                       |
+| `SSH_USER`           | `deploy`                 | SSH user on the target (must be in the `docker` group).          |
+| `SSH_PRIVATE_KEY`    | `-----BEGIN OPENSSH...`  | Private key authorised in the target user's `authorized_keys`.   |
+| `SSH_PORT`           | `22`                     | Optional. Defaults to `22` if unset.                             |
+
+## Required variables
+
+Set under *Repo Settings → Actions → Variables* (not secrets — they appear
+in logs):
+
+| Name          | Example                  | Purpose                                                                |
+| ------------- | ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `DEPLOY_PATH` | `/srv/mangalord`         | Directory on target holding `docker-compose.yml`, `.env`, and the prod overlay. |
+
+## One-time host setup
+
+The workflow assumes the deploy target already has:
+
+1. Docker + Docker Compose v2 installed and the `SSH_USER` in the `docker` group.
+2. `$DEPLOY_PATH/docker-compose.yml` (copy of the repo's [docker-compose.yml](../docker-compose.yml)).
+3. `$DEPLOY_PATH/docker-compose.prod.yml` (copy of the repo's [docker-compose.prod.yml](../docker-compose.prod.yml)).
+4. `$DEPLOY_PATH/.env` populated from [.env.example](../.env.example) with production values (real `POSTGRES_PASSWORD`, `COOKIE_SECURE=true`, etc.).
+
+Bootstrap once:
+
+```bash
+ssh deploy@mangalord.example.com
+sudo mkdir -p /srv/mangalord && sudo chown deploy:deploy /srv/mangalord
+cd /srv/mangalord
+# place docker-compose.yml, docker-compose.prod.yml, and .env here
+```
+
+The first workflow run will pull the images, bring the stack up, and run
+the embedded migrations on startup.
+
+## Image tags
+
+Every push produces three tags per image:
+
+- `mangalord-{backend,frontend}:latest`
+- `mangalord-{backend,frontend}:<git-sha>` — used by the deploy job; lets
+  you pin a deploy to a specific commit
+- `mangalord-{backend,frontend}:<version>` — the version from
+  [backend/Cargo.toml](../backend/Cargo.toml) (verified in lockstep with
+  [frontend/package.json](../frontend/package.json))
+
+## Rollback
+
+SSH to the target, set `IMAGE_TAG` to a previous commit SHA, and re-up:
+
+```bash
+cd /srv/mangalord
+export REGISTRY_URL=registry.example.com
+export IMAGE_TAG=<previous-sha>
+docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d
+```
--- a/.gitea/workflows/deploy.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/deploy.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+name: deploy
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  test-backend:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    container:
+      image: rust:1-slim
+    services:
+      postgres:
+        image: postgres:16-alpine
+        env:
+          POSTGRES_USER: mangalord
+          POSTGRES_PASSWORD: mangalord
+          POSTGRES_DB: mangalord
+        options: >-
+          --health-cmd "pg_isready -U mangalord"
+          --health-interval 5s
+          --health-timeout 5s
+          --health-retries 10
+    env:
+      DATABASE_URL: postgres://mangalord:mangalord@postgres:5432/mangalord
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Install build deps
+        run: |
+          apt-get update
+          apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends pkg-config libssl-dev ca-certificates
+      - name: Cache cargo registry and target
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.cargo/registry
+            ~/.cargo/git
+            backend/target
+          key: cargo-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('backend/Cargo.lock') }}
+          restore-keys: |
+            cargo-${{ runner.os }}-
+      - name: cargo test
+        working-directory: backend
+        run: cargo test --locked
+
+  test-frontend:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: '22'
+          cache: npm
+          cache-dependency-path: frontend/package-lock.json
+      - name: npm ci
+        working-directory: frontend
+        run: npm ci
+      - name: vitest
+        working-directory: frontend
+        run: npm test
+
+  build-and-push:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: [test-backend, test-frontend]
+    outputs:
+      image_tag: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.image_tag }}
+      version: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.version }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Resolve image tags
+        id: meta
+        run: |
+          version="$(grep -m1 '^version' backend/Cargo.toml | cut -d'"' -f2)"
+          frontend_version="$(grep -m1 '"version"' frontend/package.json | cut -d'"' -f4)"
+          if [ "$version" != "$frontend_version" ]; then
+            echo "Version mismatch: backend=$version frontend=$frontend_version" >&2
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "image_tag=${GITHUB_SHA}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          echo "version=${version}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+      - uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+
+      - name: docker login
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
+        with:
+          registry: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}
+          username: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_USERNAME }}
+          password: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_PASSWORD }}
+
+      - name: Build & push backend
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+        with:
+          context: ./backend
+          push: true
+          tags: |
+            ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}/mangalord-backend:latest
+            ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}/mangalord-backend:${{ steps.meta.outputs.image_tag }}
+            ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}/mangalord-backend:${{ steps.meta.outputs.version }}
+          cache-from: type=gha,scope=backend
+          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max,scope=backend
+
+      - name: Build & push frontend
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+        with:
+          context: ./frontend
+          push: true
+          tags: |
+            ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}/mangalord-frontend:latest
+            ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}/mangalord-frontend:${{ steps.meta.outputs.image_tag }}
+            ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}/mangalord-frontend:${{ steps.meta.outputs.version }}
+          cache-from: type=gha,scope=frontend
+          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max,scope=frontend
+
+  deploy:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: build-and-push
+    steps:
+      - name: SSH deploy
+        uses: appleboy/ssh-action@v1.0.3
+        with:
+          host: ${{ secrets.SSH_HOST }}
+          username: ${{ secrets.SSH_USER }}
+          key: ${{ secrets.SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+          port: ${{ secrets.SSH_PORT || 22 }}
+          envs: REGISTRY_URL,REGISTRY_USERNAME,REGISTRY_PASSWORD,IMAGE_TAG,DEPLOY_PATH
+          script_stop: true
+          script: |
+            set -euo pipefail
+            cd "$DEPLOY_PATH"
+            echo "$REGISTRY_PASSWORD" | docker login "$REGISTRY_URL" -u "$REGISTRY_USERNAME" --password-stdin
+            export REGISTRY_URL IMAGE_TAG
+            docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.prod.yml pull
+            docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d
+            docker image prune -f
+            docker logout "$REGISTRY_URL"
+        env:
+          REGISTRY_URL: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_URL }}
+          REGISTRY_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_USERNAME }}
+          REGISTRY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_PASSWORD }}
+          IMAGE_TAG: ${{ needs.build-and-push.outputs.image_tag }}
+          DEPLOY_PATH: ${{ vars.DEPLOY_PATH }}
--- a/backend/Cargo.lock
+++ b/backend/Cargo.lock
@@ -397,6 +397,28 @@ dependencies = [
 "windows-link",
 ]

+[[package]]
+name = "chrono-tz"
+version = "0.9.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "93698b29de5e97ad0ae26447b344c482a7284c737d9ddc5f9e52b74a336671bb"
+dependencies = [
+ "chrono",
+ "chrono-tz-build",
+ "phf 0.11.3",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "chrono-tz-build"
+version = "0.3.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "0c088aee841df9c3041febbb73934cfc39708749bf96dc827e3359cd39ef11b1"
+dependencies = [
+ "parse-zoneinfo",
+ "phf 0.11.3",
+ "phf_codegen 0.11.3",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "concurrent-queue"
 version = "2.5.0"
@@ -423,6 +445,24 @@ dependencies = [
 "version_check",
 ]

+[[package]]
+name = "cookie_store"
+version = "0.22.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "15b2c103cf610ec6cae3da84a766285b42fd16aad564758459e6ecf128c75206"
+dependencies = [
+ "cookie",
+ "document-features",
+ "idna",
+ "log",
+ "publicsuffix",
+ "serde",
+ "serde_derive",
+ "serde_json",
+ "time",
+ "url",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "core-foundation-sys"
 version = "0.8.7"
@@ -601,6 +641,15 @@ dependencies = [
 "syn",
 ]

+[[package]]
+name = "document-features"
+version = "0.2.12"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "d4b8a88685455ed29a21542a33abd9cb6510b6b129abadabdcef0f4c55bc8f61"
+dependencies = [
+ "litrs",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "dotenvy"
 version = "0.15.7"
@@ -1386,6 +1435,12 @@ version = "0.8.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "92daf443525c4cce67b150400bc2316076100ce0b3686209eb8cf3c31612e6f0"

+[[package]]
+name = "litrs"
+version = "1.0.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "11d3d7f243d5c5a8b9bb5d6dd2b1602c0cb0b9db1621bafc7ed66e35ff9fe092"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "lock_api"
 version = "0.4.14"
@@ -1415,7 +1470,7 @@ checksum = "c41e0c4fef86961ac6d6f8a82609f55f31b05e4fce149ac5710e439df7619ba4"

 [[package]]
 name = "mangalord"
-version = "0.23.0"
+version = "0.34.0"
 dependencies = [
 "anyhow",
 "argon2",
@@ -1426,6 +1481,7 @@ dependencies = [
 "bytes",
 "chromiumoxide",
 "chrono",
+ "chrono-tz",
 "dotenvy",
 "futures-core",
 "futures-util",
@@ -1835,6 +1891,15 @@ dependencies = [
 "windows-link",
 ]

+[[package]]
+name = "parse-zoneinfo"
+version = "0.3.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "1f2a05b18d44e2957b88f96ba460715e295bc1d7510468a2f3d3b44535d26c24"
+dependencies = [
+ "regex",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "password-hash"
 version = "0.5.0"
@@ -2039,6 +2104,22 @@ dependencies = [
 "unicode-ident",
 ]

+[[package]]
+name = "psl-types"
+version = "2.0.11"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "33cb294fe86a74cbcf50d4445b37da762029549ebeea341421c7c70370f86cac"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "publicsuffix"
+version = "2.3.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "6f42ea446cab60335f76979ec15e12619a2165b5ae2c12166bef27d283a9fadf"
+dependencies = [
+ "idna",
+ "psl-types",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "quinn"
 version = "0.11.9"
@@ -2240,6 +2321,8 @@ checksum = "eddd3ca559203180a307f12d114c268abf583f59b03cb906fd0b3ff8646c1147"
 dependencies = [
 "base64",
 "bytes",
+ "cookie",
+ "cookie_store",
 "futures-core",
 "http",
 "http-body",
--- a/backend/Cargo.toml
+++ b/backend/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "mangalord"
-version = "0.23.0"
+version = "0.34.1"
 edition = "2021"
 default-run = "mangalord"

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
 serde_json = "1"
 uuid = { version = "1", features = ["v4", "serde"] }
 chrono = { version = "0.4", features = ["serde"] }
+chrono-tz = "0.9"
 tracing = "0.1"
 tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3", features = ["env-filter"] }
 tower = { version = "0.5", features = ["util"] }
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ futures-util = "0.3"
 bytes = "1"
 chromiumoxide = { version = "0.7", features = ["tokio-runtime", "_fetcher-rusttls-tokio"], default-features = false }
 scraper = "0.20"
-reqwest = { version = "0.12", default-features = false, features = ["rustls-tls", "socks"] }
+reqwest = { version = "0.12", default-features = false, features = ["rustls-tls", "socks", "cookies"] }

 [dev-dependencies]
 tempfile = "3"
--- a/backend/migrations/0013_drop_chapters_unique_number.sql
+++ b/backend/migrations/0013_drop_chapters_unique_number.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+-- Real-world sources publish multiple chapters at the same number:
+-- different uploaders, translator notices/farewells, paid-vs-free
+-- re-uploads, and our own users can legitimately have two versions of
+-- "Ch.52" with different scanlations. The (manga_id, number) UNIQUE
+-- from 0001_init silently collapses all of those into a single row via
+-- ON CONFLICT, dropping data. Drop the constraint and lean on the
+-- chapter id (UUID) as the only chapter identity going forward.
+
+ALTER TABLE chapters DROP CONSTRAINT chapters_manga_id_number_key;
+
+-- The UNIQUE was also our only index on (manga_id, number) since
+-- 0007 dropped the redundant explicit one. Chapter list pages
+-- ORDER BY number ASC and the manga page is a hot read path, so put
+-- the index back without the uniqueness. Secondary sort by created_at
+-- so duplicate-numbered chapters have a stable order in lists and
+-- prev/next navigation.
+CREATE INDEX chapters_manga_id_number_idx
+    ON chapters (manga_id, number, created_at);
--- a/backend/migrations/0014_crawler_jobs_dedup_index.sql
+++ b/backend/migrations/0014_crawler_jobs_dedup_index.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+-- Dedup SyncChapterContent jobs in flight.
+--
+-- Without this, the daemon's bookmark/cron enqueue paths would have to do a
+-- pre-check + insert race that's incorrect under concurrency. The partial
+-- unique index lets both producers use plain `INSERT ... ON CONFLICT DO
+-- NOTHING`: at most one (pending|running) job per chapter_id exists, and the
+-- slot frees again as soon as the job transitions to done/failed/dead so a
+-- re-enqueue is possible after the row is reaped or a force-refetch is wanted.
+--
+-- Scoped to sync_chapter_content payloads only so Discover / SyncManga /
+-- SyncChapterList jobs (which don't carry a chapter_id) remain un-deduped.
+CREATE UNIQUE INDEX crawler_jobs_chapter_content_dedup_idx
+    ON crawler_jobs ((payload->>'chapter_id'))
+ WHERE state IN ('pending', 'running')
+   AND payload->>'kind' = 'sync_chapter_content';
--- a/backend/migrations/0015_crawler_state.sql
+++ b/backend/migrations/0015_crawler_state.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+-- Small key-value table for daemon state that needs to survive restarts.
+--
+-- Used so far only by the cron scheduler (`last_metadata_tick_at`) so it can
+-- detect that the most recent slot was missed (e.g. the backend was down at
+-- midnight) and fire immediately on startup before resuming the regular
+-- schedule. JSONB on the value column lets future keys carry richer payloads
+-- without another migration.
+CREATE TABLE crawler_state (
+    key         text PRIMARY KEY,
+    value       jsonb NOT NULL,
+    updated_at  timestamptz NOT NULL DEFAULT now()
+);
--- a/backend/src/api/auth.rs
+++ b/backend/src/api/auth.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 //! expire naturally rather than being explicitly invalidated, so other
 //! devices keep their existing logins).

+use std::sync::OnceLock;
+
 use axum::extract::{Path, State};
 use axum::http::StatusCode;
 use axum::response::IntoResponse;
@@ -102,9 +104,15 @@ async fn login(
        ));
    }

-    let user = repo::user::find_by_username(&state.db, username)
-        .await?
-        .ok_or(AppError::Unauthenticated)?;
+    let user = repo::user::find_by_username(&state.db, username).await?;
+    let Some(user) = user else {
+        // No such user. Run argon2 against a stable dummy hash so the
+        // response time matches the wrong-password branch — otherwise
+        // an attacker can enumerate usernames by timing the no-user
+        // 401 against the wrong-password 401.
+        let _ = verify_password(&input.password, dummy_password_hash());
+        return Err(AppError::Unauthenticated);
+    };
    if !verify_password(&input.password, &user.password_hash) {
        return Err(AppError::Unauthenticated);
    }
@@ -113,6 +121,21 @@ async fn login(
    Ok((StatusCode::OK, jar, Json(AuthResponse { user })))
 }

+/// Lazily-computed argon2 hash used to equalise login response time
+/// across the "no such user" and "wrong password" branches. Computing
+/// it once (on the first login of the process) is enough — the hash is
+/// never compared against a real password, only used to force argon2
+/// to do the same amount of work it would for a real verify.
+fn dummy_password_hash() -> &'static str {
+    static DUMMY: OnceLock<String> = OnceLock::new();
+    DUMMY
+        .get_or_init(|| {
+            crate::auth::password::hash_password("login-timing-equaliser")
+                .expect("hash_password on a fixed input cannot fail")
+        })
+        .as_str()
+}
+
 async fn logout(
    State(state): State<AppState>,
    jar: CookieJar,
--- a/backend/src/api/bookmarks.rs
+++ b/backend/src/api/bookmarks.rs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ use uuid::Uuid;
 use crate::api::pagination::PagedResponse;
 use crate::app::AppState;
 use crate::auth::extractor::CurrentUser;
+use crate::crawler::pipeline;
 use crate::domain::{Bookmark, BookmarkSummary};
 use crate::error::{AppError, AppResult};
 use crate::repo;
@@ -86,6 +87,29 @@ async fn create(
        input.page,
    )
    .await?;
+
+    // Fire-and-forget: kick off content syncs for any pending chapters of
+    // the newly-bookmarked manga. The dedup index makes this idempotent
+    // across repeated bookmarks of the same manga; failure here must not
+    // surface to the user (the daily cron sweeps anything missed).
+    let pool = state.db.clone();
+    let manga_id = input.manga_id;
+    tokio::spawn(async move {
+        match pipeline::enqueue_pending_for_manga(&pool, manga_id).await {
+            Ok(summary) => tracing::info!(
+                %manga_id,
+                inserted = summary.inserted,
+                skipped = summary.skipped,
+                failed = summary.failed,
+                "bookmark hook: enqueued pending chapters"
+            ),
+            Err(e) => tracing::warn!(
+                %manga_id, error = ?e,
+                "bookmark hook: enqueue_pending_for_manga failed"
+            ),
+        }
+    });
+
    Ok((StatusCode::CREATED, Json(bookmark)))
 }

--- a/backend/src/api/chapters.rs
+++ b/backend/src/api/chapters.rs
@@ -26,9 +26,9 @@ use crate::upload::{parse_image, UploadedImage};
 pub fn routes() -> Router<AppState> {
    Router::new()
        .route("/mangas/:manga_id/chapters", get(list).post(create))
-        .route("/mangas/:manga_id/chapters/:number", get(get_one))
+        .route("/mangas/:manga_id/chapters/:chapter_id", get(get_one))
        .route(
-            "/mangas/:manga_id/chapters/:number/pages",
+            "/mangas/:manga_id/chapters/:chapter_id/pages",
            get(list_pages),
        )
 }
@@ -60,10 +60,10 @@ async fn list(

 async fn get_one(
    State(state): State<AppState>,
-    Path((manga_id, number)): Path<(Uuid, i32)>,
+    Path((manga_id, chapter_id)): Path<(Uuid, Uuid)>,
 ) -> AppResult<Json<Chapter>> {
    repo::manga::get(&state.db, manga_id).await?;
-    let chapter = repo::chapter::find_by_manga_and_number(&state.db, manga_id, number)
+    let chapter = repo::chapter::find_by_id_in_manga(&state.db, manga_id, chapter_id)
        .await?
        .ok_or(AppError::NotFound)?;
    Ok(Json(chapter))
@@ -164,10 +164,10 @@ struct PagesResponse {

 async fn list_pages(
    State(state): State<AppState>,
-    Path((manga_id, number)): Path<(Uuid, i32)>,
+    Path((manga_id, chapter_id)): Path<(Uuid, Uuid)>,
 ) -> AppResult<Json<PagesResponse>> {
    repo::manga::get(&state.db, manga_id).await?;
-    let chapter = repo::chapter::find_by_manga_and_number(&state.db, manga_id, number)
+    let chapter = repo::chapter::find_by_id_in_manga(&state.db, manga_id, chapter_id)
        .await?
        .ok_or(AppError::NotFound)?;
    let pages = repo::page::list_for_chapter(&state.db, chapter.id).await?;
--- a/backend/src/api/mangas.rs
+++ b/backend/src/api/mangas.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 use axum::extract::{Multipart, Path, Query, State};
 use axum::http::StatusCode;
-use axum::routing::{delete, get, post};
+use axum::routing::{delete, get, post, put};
 use axum::{Json, Router};
 use serde::Deserialize;
 use serde_json::json;
@@ -14,12 +14,14 @@ use crate::domain::patch::Patch;
 use crate::domain::tag::TagRef;
 use crate::error::{AppError, AppResult};
 use crate::repo;
+use crate::storage::StorageError;
 use crate::upload::{parse_image, UploadedImage};

 pub fn routes() -> Router<AppState> {
    Router::new()
        .route("/mangas", get(list).post(create))
        .route("/mangas/:id", get(get_one).patch(update))
+        .route("/mangas/:id/cover", put(put_cover).delete(delete_cover))
        .route("/mangas/:id/tags", post(attach_tag))
        .route("/mangas/:id/tags/:tag_id", delete(detach_tag))
 }
@@ -259,6 +261,82 @@ async fn update(
    Ok(Json(repo::manga::get_detail(&state.db, id).await?))
 }

+/// `PUT /api/v1/mangas/:id/cover` is multipart/form-data with a single
+/// required `cover` part containing image bytes. MIME is sniffed by
+/// magic bytes (jpeg/png/webp/gif/avif); filename and Content-Type from
+/// the client are ignored. Replaces any existing cover, deleting the
+/// previous blob if its extension differs. Returns the refreshed
+/// `MangaDetail`.
+async fn put_cover(
+    State(state): State<AppState>,
+    CurrentUser(_user): CurrentUser,
+    Path(id): Path<Uuid>,
+    mut multipart: Multipart,
+) -> AppResult<Json<MangaDetail>> {
+    // TODO(auth): until uploaders are tracked (Phase 5), any signed-in
+    // user can edit any manga's cover. Restrict to uploader + admin
+    // once that column lands.
+    if !repo::manga::exists(&state.db, id).await? {
+        return Err(AppError::NotFound);
+    }
+
+    let mut cover: Option<UploadedImage> = None;
+    while let Some(field) = next_field(&mut multipart).await? {
+        if field.name() == Some("cover") {
+            let bytes = read_field_bytes(field).await?.to_vec();
+            cover = Some(parse_image(bytes, state.upload.max_file_bytes, "cover")?);
+        }
+    }
+    let img = cover.ok_or_else(|| AppError::ValidationFailed {
+        message: "cover part is required".into(),
+        details: json!({ "cover": "required" }),
+    })?;
+
+    // Read the old key BEFORE writing so we can clean up an orphan if
+    // the extension changed (e.g., .png → .jpg). Same-extension is a
+    // `put` overwrite — no delete needed.
+    let old_key = repo::manga::get(&state.db, id).await?.cover_image_path;
+    let new_key = format!("mangas/{}/cover.{}", id, img.ext);
+    state.storage.put(&new_key, &img.bytes).await?;
+
+    if let Some(prev) = old_key.as_deref() {
+        if prev != new_key {
+            // Swallow NotFound — AppError maps it to a client 404,
+            // which would be wrong here. The DB row can outlive a
+            // manually-deleted blob.
+            match state.storage.delete(prev).await {
+                Ok(()) | Err(StorageError::NotFound) => {}
+                Err(e) => return Err(e.into()),
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    repo::manga::set_cover_image_path(&state.db, id, &new_key).await?;
+    Ok(Json(repo::manga::get_detail(&state.db, id).await?))
+}
+
+/// `DELETE /api/v1/mangas/:id/cover` clears `cover_image_path` and
+/// removes the blob. Idempotent: removing a non-existent cover succeeds
+/// with the unchanged detail.
+async fn delete_cover(
+    State(state): State<AppState>,
+    CurrentUser(_user): CurrentUser,
+    Path(id): Path<Uuid>,
+) -> AppResult<Json<MangaDetail>> {
+    // TODO(auth): same caveat as put_cover.
+    if !repo::manga::exists(&state.db, id).await? {
+        return Err(AppError::NotFound);
+    }
+    if let Some(key) = repo::manga::get(&state.db, id).await?.cover_image_path {
+        match state.storage.delete(&key).await {
+            Ok(()) | Err(StorageError::NotFound) => {}
+            Err(e) => return Err(e.into()),
+        }
+        repo::manga::clear_cover_image_path(&state.db, id).await?;
+    }
+    Ok(Json(repo::manga::get_detail(&state.db, id).await?))
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
 pub struct AttachTagBody {
    pub name: String,
--- a/backend/src/app.rs
+++ b/backend/src/app.rs
@@ -1,14 +1,27 @@
 use std::sync::Arc;
+use std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool;

+use anyhow::Context;
+use async_trait::async_trait;
 use axum::extract::DefaultBodyLimit;
 use axum::http::{HeaderName, HeaderValue, Method};
 use axum::Router;
 use sqlx::postgres::PgPoolOptions;
 use sqlx::PgPool;
+use tokio_util::sync::CancellationToken;
 use tower_http::cors::{AllowOrigin, CorsLayer};
 use tower_http::trace::TraceLayer;

-use crate::config::{AuthConfig, Config, UploadConfig};
+use crate::config::{AuthConfig, Config, CrawlerConfig, CrawlerModePref, UploadConfig};
+use crate::crawler::browser_manager::{self, BrowserManager};
+use crate::crawler::content::{self, SyncOutcome};
+use crate::crawler::daemon::{self, ChapterDispatcher, DaemonConfig, MetadataPass};
+use crate::crawler::jobs::JobPayload;
+use crate::crawler::pipeline::{self, MetadataStats};
+use crate::crawler::rate_limit::HostRateLimiters;
+use crate::crawler::session;
+use crate::crawler::source::{target as target_source, DiscoverMode};
+use crate::repo;
 use crate::storage::{LocalStorage, Storage};

 #[derive(Clone)]
@@ -19,7 +32,23 @@ pub struct AppState {
    pub upload: UploadConfig,
 }

-pub async fn build(config: Config) -> anyhow::Result<Router> {
+/// Bundle returned by [`build`]. The router is what `axum::serve` consumes;
+/// the daemon (when enabled) outlives the HTTP server and is awaited via
+/// [`AppHandle::shutdown`] after the listener has finished gracefully.
+pub struct AppHandle {
+    pub router: Router,
+    pub daemon: Option<daemon::DaemonHandle>,
+}
+
+impl AppHandle {
+    pub async fn shutdown(self) {
+        if let Some(d) = self.daemon {
+            d.shutdown().await;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+pub async fn build(config: Config) -> anyhow::Result<AppHandle> {
    let db = PgPoolOptions::new()
        .max_connections(10)
        .connect(&config.database_url)
@@ -28,13 +57,291 @@ pub async fn build(config: Config) -> anyhow::Result<Router> {

    let storage: Arc<dyn Storage> = Arc::new(LocalStorage::new(config.storage_dir.clone()));

+    let daemon = if config.crawler.daemon_enabled {
+        Some(spawn_crawler_daemon(db.clone(), Arc::clone(&storage), &config.crawler).await?)
+    } else {
+        tracing::info!("crawler daemon disabled (CRAWLER_DAEMON=false)");
+        None
+    };
+
    let state = AppState {
        db,
        storage,
        auth: config.auth.clone(),
        upload: config.upload.clone(),
    };
-    Ok(router(state).layer(cors_layer(&config.cors_allowed_origins)))
+    let router = router(state).layer(cors_layer(&config.cors_allowed_origins));
+    Ok(AppHandle { router, daemon })
+}
+
+async fn spawn_crawler_daemon(
+    db: PgPool,
+    storage: Arc<dyn Storage>,
+    cfg: &CrawlerConfig,
+) -> anyhow::Result<daemon::DaemonHandle> {
+    // Reqwest client with cookie jar pre-seeded so CDN image fetches
+    // include PHPSESSID. Same shape as bin/crawler.rs main().
+    let cookie_jar = Arc::new(reqwest::cookie::Jar::default());
+    if let (Some(sid), Some(domain), Some(start_url)) =
+        (&cfg.phpsessid, &cfg.cookie_domain, &cfg.start_url)
+    {
+        let cookie_str = format!("PHPSESSID={sid}; Domain={domain}; Path=/");
+        let seed_url = reqwest::Url::parse(start_url)
+            .context("parse CRAWLER_START_URL for cookie seed")?;
+        cookie_jar.add_cookie_str(&cookie_str, &seed_url);
+    }
+    let mut http_builder = reqwest::Client::builder()
+        .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(30))
+        .no_proxy()
+        .cookie_provider(cookie_jar);
+    if let Some(ua) = &cfg.user_agent {
+        http_builder = http_builder.user_agent(ua);
+    }
+    if let Some(proxy) = &cfg.proxy {
+        http_builder = http_builder
+            .proxy(reqwest::Proxy::all(proxy).with_context(|| format!("parse proxy: {proxy}"))?);
+    }
+    let http = http_builder.build().context("build crawler reqwest")?;
+
+    let mut rate = HostRateLimiters::new(std::time::Duration::from_millis(cfg.rate_ms));
+    if let Some(host) = &cfg.cdn_host {
+        rate = rate.with_override(host, std::time::Duration::from_millis(cfg.cdn_rate_ms));
+    }
+    let rate = Arc::new(rate);
+
+    // Browser manager. on_launch re-injects PHPSESSID on every fresh
+    // chromium spawn so an idle teardown followed by re-launch stays
+    // authenticated without operator action.
+    let mut launch_opts = cfg.browser.clone();
+    if let Some(proxy) = &cfg.proxy {
+        launch_opts.extra_args.push(format!("--proxy-server={proxy}"));
+    }
+    let on_launch = match (&cfg.phpsessid, &cfg.cookie_domain, &cfg.start_url) {
+        (Some(sid), Some(domain), Some(start_url)) => {
+            let sid = sid.clone();
+            let domain = domain.clone();
+            let start_url = start_url.clone();
+            let on_launch: browser_manager::OnLaunch = Arc::new(move |browser| {
+                let sid = sid.clone();
+                let domain = domain.clone();
+                let start_url = start_url.clone();
+                Box::pin(async move {
+                    session::inject_phpsessid(&browser, &sid, &domain)
+                        .await
+                        .context("on_launch: inject_phpsessid")?;
+                    session::verify_session(&browser, &start_url)
+                        .await
+                        .context("on_launch: verify_session")?;
+                    Ok(())
+                })
+            });
+            on_launch
+        }
+        _ => browser_manager::noop_on_launch(),
+    };
+    let browser_manager = BrowserManager::new(launch_opts, cfg.idle_timeout, on_launch);
+
+    let session_expired = Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(false));
+
+    let metadata_pass: Option<Arc<dyn MetadataPass>> = cfg.start_url.as_ref().map(|url| {
+        let m: Arc<dyn MetadataPass> = Arc::new(RealMetadataPass {
+            browser_manager: Arc::clone(&browser_manager),
+            db: db.clone(),
+            storage: Arc::clone(&storage),
+            http: http.clone(),
+            rate: Arc::clone(&rate),
+            start_url: url.clone(),
+            mode_pref: cfg.mode,
+            incremental_stop_after: cfg.incremental_stop_after,
+        });
+        m
+    });
+
+    let dispatcher: Arc<dyn ChapterDispatcher> = Arc::new(RealChapterDispatcher {
+        browser_manager: Arc::clone(&browser_manager),
+        db: db.clone(),
+        storage: Arc::clone(&storage),
+        http,
+        rate: Arc::clone(&rate),
+    });
+
+    // Shared cancellation: daemon shutdown cancels the BrowserManager's
+    // idle reaper too. Reaper itself is added to the daemon's extra_tasks
+    // so DaemonHandle::shutdown awaits its completion.
+    let cancel = CancellationToken::new();
+    let reaper_task = browser_manager::spawn_idle_reaper(
+        Arc::clone(&browser_manager),
+        cancel.clone(),
+    );
+    // Also close the browser explicitly on shutdown so we don't rely on
+    // kill-on-drop when other Arc<Browser> holders may still exist.
+    let shutdown_task = {
+        let cancel = cancel.clone();
+        let mgr = Arc::clone(&browser_manager);
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            cancel.cancelled().await;
+            mgr.shutdown().await;
+        })
+    };
+
+    let daemon_handle = daemon::spawn(
+        db,
+        cancel,
+        DaemonConfig {
+            metadata_pass,
+            dispatcher,
+            chapter_workers: cfg.chapter_workers,
+            daily_at: cfg.daily_at,
+            tz: cfg.tz,
+            retention_days: cfg.retention_days,
+            session_expired,
+            extra_tasks: vec![reaper_task, shutdown_task],
+        },
+    );
+
+    Ok(daemon_handle)
+}
+
+// Real impls of the daemon traits, owning the browser manager + I/O. Kept
+// in app.rs because they need the same builder-side env wiring that
+// AppState gets — the daemon module itself stays free of reqwest / storage
+// details so its tests don't pull them in.
+
+struct RealMetadataPass {
+    browser_manager: Arc<BrowserManager>,
+    db: PgPool,
+    storage: Arc<dyn Storage>,
+    http: reqwest::Client,
+    rate: Arc<HostRateLimiters>,
+    start_url: String,
+    mode_pref: CrawlerModePref,
+    incremental_stop_after: usize,
+}
+
+#[async_trait]
+impl MetadataPass for RealMetadataPass {
+    async fn run(&self) -> anyhow::Result<MetadataStats> {
+        let mode = resolve_mode(
+            &self.db,
+            target_source::SOURCE_ID,
+            self.mode_pref,
+            self.incremental_stop_after,
+        )
+        .await?;
+        pipeline::run_metadata_pass(
+            &self.browser_manager,
+            &self.db,
+            self.storage.as_ref(),
+            &self.http,
+            &self.rate,
+            &self.start_url,
+            0,
+            false,
+            mode,
+        )
+        .await
+    }
+}
+
+/// Pick the active mode for this tick. `Explicit` short-circuits the
+/// DB lookup. `Auto` reads `seed_completed_at`: missing → Backfill
+/// (initial seed for this source), present → Incremental with the
+/// configured threshold.
+///
+/// A DB error during the Auto lookup propagates as `Err` rather than
+/// silently degrading to Backfill — the daemon's `run_tick` catches
+/// the error, logs, and skips the tick. That's safer than running a
+/// full re-backfill (including a drop pass against stale-looking rows)
+/// when the DB is flaky.
+async fn resolve_mode(
+    db: &PgPool,
+    source_id: &str,
+    pref: CrawlerModePref,
+    incremental_stop_after: usize,
+) -> anyhow::Result<DiscoverMode> {
+    match pref {
+        CrawlerModePref::Explicit(m) => {
+            tracing::info!(?m, "crawler mode: explicit (CRAWLER_MODE override)");
+            Ok(m)
+        }
+        CrawlerModePref::Auto => {
+            let seeded = repo::crawler::seed_completed_at(db, source_id)
+                .await
+                .context("seed_completed_at lookup for mode auto-detection")?;
+            match seeded {
+                Some(at) => {
+                    tracing::info!(
+                        seed_completed_at = %at.to_rfc3339(),
+                        "crawler mode: auto → incremental (seed previously completed)"
+                    );
+                    Ok(DiscoverMode::Incremental {
+                        stop_after_unchanged: incremental_stop_after,
+                    })
+                }
+                None => {
+                    tracing::info!("crawler mode: auto → backfill (no seed marker for source)");
+                    Ok(DiscoverMode::Backfill)
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+struct RealChapterDispatcher {
+    browser_manager: Arc<BrowserManager>,
+    db: PgPool,
+    storage: Arc<dyn Storage>,
+    http: reqwest::Client,
+    rate: Arc<HostRateLimiters>,
+}
+
+#[async_trait]
+impl ChapterDispatcher for RealChapterDispatcher {
+    async fn dispatch(&self, payload: JobPayload) -> anyhow::Result<SyncOutcome> {
+        match payload {
+            JobPayload::SyncChapterContent {
+                source_id: _,
+                chapter_id,
+                source_chapter_key: _,
+            } => {
+                // Look up manga_id + source_url for this chapter.
+                let row: Option<(uuid::Uuid, String)> = sqlx::query_as(
+                    "SELECT c.manga_id, cs.source_url \
+                       FROM chapters c \
+                       JOIN chapter_sources cs ON cs.chapter_id = c.id \
+                      WHERE c.id = $1 \
+                      LIMIT 1",
+                )
+                .bind(chapter_id)
+                .fetch_optional(&self.db)
+                .await
+                .context("look up chapter for dispatch")?;
+                let Some((manga_id, source_url)) = row else {
+                    // Chapter (or its source row) is gone — ack done.
+                    return Ok(SyncOutcome::Skipped);
+                };
+                let lease = self.browser_manager.acquire().await?;
+                let outcome = content::sync_chapter_content(
+                    &lease,
+                    &self.db,
+                    self.storage.as_ref(),
+                    &self.http,
+                    &self.rate,
+                    chapter_id,
+                    manga_id,
+                    &source_url,
+                    false,
+                )
+                .await?;
+                drop(lease);
+                Ok(outcome)
+            }
+            // Other payload kinds aren't dispatched by this daemon yet —
+            // metadata-driven jobs (Discover/SyncManga/SyncChapterList)
+            // are handled inline by the cron's metadata pass.
+            _ => Ok(SyncOutcome::Skipped),
+        }
+    }
 }

 /// Build a router from a pre-assembled state. Used by integration tests
--- a/backend/src/bin/crawler.rs
+++ b/backend/src/bin/crawler.rs
@@ -1,47 +1,40 @@
 //! Crawler binary.
 //!
-//! Walks the source's manga listing (all pages), fetches each manga's
-//! metadata + chapter list, downloads the cover into `Storage`, and
-//! reconciles everything into the DB. Chapter *content* (page images)
-//! is out of scope for now — only chapter rows + their source links
-//! are written.
+//! Now an ops escape hatch sitting alongside the in-process daemon: walks
+//! the source's manga listing (all pages), fetches each manga's metadata +
+//! chapter list, downloads covers, reconciles chapters — and then, for any
+//! chapter belonging to a bookmarked manga whose `page_count` is still 0,
+//! fetches the chapter pages inline. The daemon does the same work through
+//! `crawler_jobs`; the CLI is kept around for force-refetches and manual
+//! backfills.
 //!
-//! Configuration:
-//! - **Start URL** (required): first CLI positional arg, else
-//!   `$CRAWLER_START_URL`. This is the manga *list* page (page 1).
-//! - **Database** (required): `$DATABASE_URL`.
-//! - **Storage dir**: `$STORAGE_DIR`, default `./data/storage` —
-//!   matches the API binary so both write to the same local tree.
-//! - **Browser**: see `LaunchOptions::from_env` —
-//!   `CRAWLER_BROWSER_MODE` (`headed`|`headless`) and
-//!   `CRAWLER_BROWSER_ARGS`.
-//! - **Rate limit**: `CRAWLER_RATE_MS` (ms between requests, default
-//!   `1000`).
-//! - **Cap**: `CRAWLER_LIMIT` (max manga detail fetches per run,
-//!   default `0` = no cap).
-//! - **Skip chapters**: `CRAWLER_SKIP_CHAPTERS=1` — turn off the
-//!   chapter selector in the parser AND skip the per-manga
-//!   `sync_manga_chapters` write. Use this for "metadata only" runs.
-//! - **Proxy**: `$CRAWLER_PROXY` — single URL applied to both
-//!   Chromium (`--proxy-server`) and `reqwest::Proxy::all`. Supports
-//!   `http://`, `https://`, and `socks5://` (with optional user:pass).
-//!   Example: `socks5://user:pass@host:1080`. Unset → direct.
+//! Configuration mirrors the daemon's `CRAWLER_*` env vars (see
+//! `crate::config::CrawlerConfig`) plus the CLI-only:
+//! - **Start URL**: first CLI positional arg, else `$CRAWLER_START_URL`.
+//! - **Skip chapters / chapter content / force re-fetch / keep browser**:
+//!   `CRAWLER_SKIP_CHAPTERS`, `CRAWLER_SKIP_CHAPTER_CONTENT`,
+//!   `CRAWLER_FORCE_REFETCH_CHAPTERS`, `CRAWLER_KEEP_BROWSER_OPEN`.
+//! - **Limit**: `CRAWLER_LIMIT` (max manga detail fetches per run).
+//!
+//! See `crawler::pipeline::run_metadata_pass` for the shared metadata
+//! flow.

 use std::path::PathBuf;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::time::Duration;

 use anyhow::{anyhow, Context};
-use mangalord::crawler::{
-    browser::{self, LaunchOptions},
-    rate_limit::RateLimiter,
-    source::{target::TargetSource, DiscoverMode, FetchContext, Source},
-};
-use mangalord::repo;
+use futures_util::stream::{self, StreamExt};
+use mangalord::crawler::browser::{BrowserMode, LaunchOptions};
+use mangalord::crawler::browser_manager::{self, BrowserManager};
+use mangalord::crawler::content::{self, SyncOutcome};
+use mangalord::crawler::pipeline;
+use mangalord::crawler::rate_limit::HostRateLimiters;
+use mangalord::crawler::session;
+use mangalord::crawler::source::DiscoverMode;
 use mangalord::storage::{LocalStorage, Storage};
 use sqlx::postgres::PgPoolOptions;
 use sqlx::PgPool;
-use tokio::sync::Mutex;
 use tracing_subscriber::EnvFilter;
 use uuid::Uuid;

@@ -64,11 +57,31 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
        .unwrap_or_else(|_| "./data/storage".to_string())
        .into();
    let rate_ms = env_u64("CRAWLER_RATE_MS", 1000);
+    let cdn_host = std::env::var("CRAWLER_CDN_HOST")
+        .ok()
+        .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty());
+    let cdn_rate_ms = env_u64("CRAWLER_CDN_RATE_MS", rate_ms);
    let limit = env_u64("CRAWLER_LIMIT", 0) as usize;
    let skip_chapters = env_bool("CRAWLER_SKIP_CHAPTERS", false);
+    let incremental_stop_after = env_u64("CRAWLER_INCREMENTAL_STOP_AFTER", 20).max(1) as usize;
+    let mode = parse_crawler_mode(incremental_stop_after)?;
+    let skip_chapter_content = env_bool("CRAWLER_SKIP_CHAPTER_CONTENT", false);
+    let chapter_workers = env_u64("CRAWLER_CHAPTER_WORKERS", 1).max(1) as usize;
+    let force_refetch_chapters = env_bool("CRAWLER_FORCE_REFETCH_CHAPTERS", false);
+    let phpsessid = std::env::var("CRAWLER_PHPSESSID")
+        .ok()
+        .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty());
+    let cookie_domain = std::env::var("CRAWLER_COOKIE_DOMAIN")
+        .ok()
+        .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty())
+        .or_else(|| session::registrable_domain(&start_url));
+    let user_agent = std::env::var("CRAWLER_USER_AGENT")
+        .ok()
+        .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty());
    let proxy_url = std::env::var("CRAWLER_PROXY")
        .ok()
        .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty());
+    let keep_browser_open = env_bool("CRAWLER_KEEP_BROWSER_OPEN", false);

    let db = PgPoolOptions::new()
        .max_connections(5)
@@ -79,13 +92,21 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {

    let storage: Arc<dyn Storage> = Arc::new(LocalStorage::new(&storage_dir));

-    // `no_proxy()` disables reqwest's own env-based detection so the
-    // single `CRAWLER_PROXY` knob is the only thing that influences
-    // routing. Otherwise an unrelated `HTTPS_PROXY` in the shell would
-    // silently route cover downloads while the browser stayed direct.
+    let cookie_jar = Arc::new(reqwest::cookie::Jar::default());
+    if let (Some(sid), Some(domain)) = (&phpsessid, &cookie_domain) {
+        let cookie_str = format!("PHPSESSID={sid}; Domain={domain}; Path=/");
+        let seed_url =
+            reqwest::Url::parse(&start_url).context("parse start URL for cookie seed")?;
+        cookie_jar.add_cookie_str(&cookie_str, &seed_url);
+        tracing::info!(domain, "seeded PHPSESSID into reqwest cookie jar");
+    }
    let mut http_builder = reqwest::Client::builder()
        .timeout(Duration::from_secs(30))
-        .no_proxy();
+        .no_proxy()
+        .cookie_provider(cookie_jar);
+    if let Some(ua) = &user_agent {
+        http_builder = http_builder.user_agent(ua);
+    }
    if let Some(proxy) = &proxy_url {
        http_builder = http_builder
            .proxy(reqwest::Proxy::all(proxy).with_context(|| format!("parse proxy URL: {proxy}"))?);
@@ -96,204 +117,273 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
    if let Some(proxy) = &proxy_url {
        options.extra_args.push(format!("--proxy-server={proxy}"));
    }
+    let keep_open = match (keep_browser_open, options.mode) {
+        (true, BrowserMode::Headed) => true,
+        (true, BrowserMode::Headless) => {
+            tracing::warn!(
+                "CRAWLER_KEEP_BROWSER_OPEN ignored in headless mode (no window to inspect)"
+            );
+            false
+        }
+        _ => false,
+    };
    tracing::info!(
        ?options,
        %start_url,
        rate_ms,
+        cdn_host = ?cdn_host,
+        cdn_rate_ms,
        limit,
        skip_chapters,
+        skip_chapter_content,
+        chapter_workers,
+        force_refetch_chapters,
+        phpsessid_set = phpsessid.is_some(),
+        cookie_domain = ?cookie_domain,
+        user_agent = ?user_agent,
        proxy = ?proxy_url,
+        keep_open,
+        ?mode,
        storage_dir = %storage_dir.display(),
        "starting crawler"
    );

-    let handle = browser::launch(options).await.context("launch browser")?;
+    // BrowserManager with idle_timeout = ZERO so the CLI keeps Chromium
+    // alive for the entire run — same lifecycle as the old direct
+    // `browser::launch()` flow. on_launch re-injects PHPSESSID + runs the
+    // session probe; bad cookies fail fast before any real work happens.
+    let on_launch: browser_manager::OnLaunch = match (&phpsessid, &cookie_domain) {
+        (Some(sid), Some(domain)) => {
+            let sid = sid.clone();
+            let domain = domain.clone();
+            let start_url_clone = start_url.clone();
+            Arc::new(move |browser| {
+                let sid = sid.clone();
+                let domain = domain.clone();
+                let start_url = start_url_clone.clone();
+                Box::pin(async move {
+                    session::inject_phpsessid(&browser, &sid, &domain)
+                        .await
+                        .context("inject_phpsessid")?;
+                    session::verify_session(&browser, &start_url)
+                        .await
+                        .context("verify_session")?;
+                    Ok(())
+                })
+            })
+        }
+        _ => browser_manager::noop_on_launch(),
+    };
+    let session_ready = phpsessid.is_some() && cookie_domain.is_some();
+    let manager = BrowserManager::new(options, Duration::ZERO, on_launch);
+
    let result = run(
-        handle.browser(),
+        Arc::clone(&manager),
        &db,
-        storage.as_ref(),
+        Arc::clone(&storage),
        &http,
        &start_url,
        rate_ms,
+        cdn_host.as_deref(),
+        cdn_rate_ms,
        limit,
        skip_chapters,
+        skip_chapter_content || !session_ready,
+        chapter_workers,
+        force_refetch_chapters,
+        mode,
    )
    .await;
-    handle.close().await.ok();
+
+    if keep_open {
+        tracing::info!(
+            "crawler finished; browser kept open. Press Ctrl+C to close and exit."
+        );
+        let _ = tokio::signal::ctrl_c().await;
+        tracing::info!("Ctrl+C received; closing browser");
+    }
+    manager.shutdown().await;
    result
 }

+#[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
 async fn run(
-    browser: &chromiumoxide::Browser,
+    manager: Arc<BrowserManager>,
    db: &PgPool,
-    storage: &dyn Storage,
+    storage: Arc<dyn Storage>,
    http: &reqwest::Client,
    start_url: &str,
    rate_ms: u64,
+    cdn_host: Option<&str>,
+    cdn_rate_ms: u64,
    limit: usize,
    skip_chapters: bool,
+    skip_chapter_content: bool,
+    chapter_workers: usize,
+    force_refetch_chapters: bool,
+    mode: DiscoverMode,
 ) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
-    let rate = Mutex::new(RateLimiter::new(Duration::from_millis(rate_ms)));
-    let source = {
-        let s = TargetSource::new(start_url.to_string());
-        if skip_chapters {
-            s.without_chapter_parsing()
-        } else {
-            s
+    let mut rate = HostRateLimiters::new(Duration::from_millis(rate_ms));
+    if let Some(host) = cdn_host {
+        rate = rate.with_override(host, Duration::from_millis(cdn_rate_ms));
    }
-    };
-    let ctx = FetchContext {
-        browser,
-        rate: &rate,
-    };
+    let rate = Arc::new(rate);

-    let source_id = source.id();
-    repo::crawler::ensure_source(
+    let stats = pipeline::run_metadata_pass(
+        manager.as_ref(),
        db,
-        source_id,
-        "Target Site",
-        &origin_of(start_url).unwrap_or_else(|| start_url.to_string()),
+        storage.as_ref(),
+        http,
+        rate.as_ref(),
+        start_url,
+        limit,
+        skip_chapters,
+        mode,
    )
+    .await?;
+    tracing::info!(?stats, "metadata pass complete");
+
+    if !skip_chapter_content {
+        sync_bookmarked_chapter_content(
+            Arc::clone(&manager),
+            db,
+            Arc::clone(&storage),
+            http,
+            Arc::clone(&rate),
+            "target",
+            chapter_workers,
+            force_refetch_chapters,
+        )
+        .await?;
+    }
+
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Find every chapter whose manga is bookmarked by at least one user and
+/// that hasn't been content-synced yet, then fan them out across `workers`
+/// concurrent tasks. Same as before except the browser comes from a
+/// BrowserManager lease so it interleaves cleanly with the metadata pass.
+///
+/// A `SessionExpired` result aborts the phase.
+#[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
+async fn sync_bookmarked_chapter_content(
+    manager: Arc<BrowserManager>,
+    db: &PgPool,
+    storage: Arc<dyn Storage>,
+    http: &reqwest::Client,
+    rate: Arc<HostRateLimiters>,
+    source_id: &str,
+    workers: usize,
+    force_refetch: bool,
+) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    let pending: Vec<(Uuid, Uuid, String)> = sqlx::query_as(
+        r#"
+        SELECT id, manga_id, source_url FROM (
+            SELECT DISTINCT c.id, c.manga_id, c.created_at, cs.source_url
+              FROM chapters c
+              JOIN bookmarks b ON b.manga_id = c.manga_id
+              JOIN chapter_sources cs ON cs.chapter_id = c.id
+             WHERE cs.source_id = $1
+               AND cs.dropped_at IS NULL
+               AND (c.page_count = 0 OR $2)
+        ) sub
+        ORDER BY manga_id, created_at ASC
+        "#,
+    )
+    .bind(source_id)
+    .bind(force_refetch)
+    .fetch_all(db)
    .await
-    .context("ensure_source")?;
+    .context("query pending chapter content")?;

-    let run_started_at = chrono::Utc::now();
+    if pending.is_empty() {
+        tracing::info!("chapter content: nothing pending");
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+    tracing::info!(count = pending.len(), workers, "chapter content phase starting");

-    let max_refs = (limit > 0).then_some(limit);
-    tracing::info!(?max_refs, "discovering manga list");
-    let refs = source
-        .discover(&ctx, DiscoverMode::Backfill, max_refs)
-        .await
-        .context("discover failed")?;
-    tracing::info!(count = refs.len(), "discovered manga list");
+    let session_expired = Arc::new(std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::new(false));
+    let stats = std::sync::Mutex::new(WorkerStats::default());

-    let to_fetch = refs;
-    let total = to_fetch.len();
-
-    for (i, r) in to_fetch.iter().enumerate() {
-        tracing::info!(idx = i + 1, total, key = %r.source_manga_key, "fetching metadata");
-        let manga = match source.fetch_manga(&ctx, r).await {
-            Ok(m) => m,
+    stream::iter(pending.into_iter())
+        .for_each_concurrent(workers.max(1), |(chapter_id, manga_id, source_url)| {
+            let session_expired = Arc::clone(&session_expired);
+            let storage = Arc::clone(&storage);
+            let rate = Arc::clone(&rate);
+            let manager = Arc::clone(&manager);
+            let stats = &stats;
+            async move {
+                if session_expired.load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed) {
+                    return;
+                }
+                let lease = match manager.acquire().await {
+                    Ok(l) => l,
                    Err(e) => {
-                tracing::warn!(key = %r.source_manga_key, url = %r.url, error = ?e, "fetch_manga failed");
-                continue;
+                        tracing::error!(%chapter_id, error = ?e, "browser acquire failed");
+                        let mut s = stats.lock().unwrap();
+                        s.failed += 1;
+                        return;
                    }
                };
-
-        let upsert = match repo::crawler::upsert_manga_from_source(db, source_id, &r.url, &manga)
-            .await
-        {
-            Ok(u) => u,
-            Err(e) => {
-                tracing::error!(key = %r.source_manga_key, error = ?e, "upsert_manga_from_source failed");
-                continue;
+                let outcome = content::sync_chapter_content(
+                    &lease,
+                    db,
+                    storage.as_ref(),
+                    http,
+                    rate.as_ref(),
+                    chapter_id,
+                    manga_id,
+                    &source_url,
+                    force_refetch,
+                )
+                .await;
+                drop(lease);
+                let mut s = stats.lock().unwrap();
+                match outcome {
+                    Ok(SyncOutcome::Fetched { pages }) => {
+                        tracing::info!(%chapter_id, pages, "chapter content fetched");
+                        s.fetched += 1;
                    }
-        };
+                    Ok(SyncOutcome::Skipped) => s.skipped += 1,
+                    Ok(SyncOutcome::SessionExpired) => {
+                        tracing::error!(
+                            %chapter_id,
+                            "session expired mid-run — refresh CRAWLER_PHPSESSID and re-run"
+                        );
+                        session_expired
+                            .store(true, std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed);
+                    }
+                    Err(e) => {
+                        tracing::warn!(
+                            %chapter_id, error = ?e, "chapter content sync failed"
+                        );
+                        s.failed += 1;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        })
+        .await;
+
+    let total = stats.into_inner().unwrap();
    tracing::info!(
-            key = %manga.source_manga_key,
-            manga_id = %upsert.manga_id,
-            status = ?upsert.status,
-            title = %manga.title,
-            "manga upserted"
+        fetched = total.fetched,
+        skipped = total.skipped,
+        failed = total.failed,
+        "chapter content phase done"
    );

-        // Cover image: download when missing in storage (backfill for
-        // mangas synced before cover-download support, plus the New
-        // path) or when metadata changed (cover URL is part of
-        // metadata_hash, so an Updated status implies the URL may
-        // have moved). Failures are non-fatal.
-        let needs_cover = upsert.cover_image_path.is_none()
-            || matches!(upsert.status, repo::crawler::UpsertStatus::Updated);
-        if needs_cover {
-            if let Some(cover_url) = manga.cover_url.as_deref() {
-                if let Err(e) = download_and_store_cover(
-                    db,
-                    storage,
-                    http,
-                    &rate,
-                    &r.url,
-                    upsert.manga_id,
-                    cover_url,
-                )
-                .await
-                {
-                    tracing::warn!(manga_id = %upsert.manga_id, error = ?e, "cover download failed");
+    if session_expired.load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed) {
+        anyhow::bail!("session expired during chapter content phase");
    }
-            }
-        }
-
-        if !skip_chapters {
-            match repo::crawler::sync_manga_chapters(
-                db,
-                source_id,
-                upsert.manga_id,
-                &manga.chapters,
-            )
-            .await
-            {
-                Ok(diff) => tracing::info!(
-                    manga_id = %upsert.manga_id,
-                    new = diff.new,
-                    refreshed = diff.refreshed,
-                    dropped = diff.dropped,
-                    "chapters synced"
-                ),
-                Err(e) => tracing::warn!(manga_id = %upsert.manga_id, error = ?e, "chapter sync failed"),
-            }
-        }
-    }
-
-    if limit == 0 {
-        match repo::crawler::mark_dropped_mangas(db, source_id, run_started_at).await {
-            Ok(n) => tracing::info!(dropped = n, "marked unseen manga as dropped"),
-            Err(e) => tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "drop-pass failed"),
-        }
-    } else {
-        tracing::info!(limit, "partial sync — skipping drop pass");
-    }
-
    Ok(())
 }

-async fn download_and_store_cover(
-    db: &PgPool,
-    storage: &dyn Storage,
-    http: &reqwest::Client,
-    rate: &Mutex<RateLimiter>,
-    manga_url: &str,
-    manga_id: Uuid,
-    cover_url: &str,
-) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
-    let absolute = reqwest::Url::parse(manga_url)
-        .context("parse manga URL")?
-        .join(cover_url)
-        .context("join cover URL onto manga URL")?;
-
-    rate.lock().await.wait().await;
-    let resp = http
-        .get(absolute.clone())
-        .send()
-        .await
-        .with_context(|| format!("GET {absolute}"))?
-        .error_for_status()
-        .with_context(|| format!("non-2xx for {absolute}"))?;
-    let bytes = resp.bytes().await.context("read cover body")?;
-
-    // `infer` sniffs the magic bytes — same crate the upload handler
-    // uses, so we don't trust the URL's extension.
-    let kind = infer::get(&bytes);
-    let ext = kind.map(|k| k.extension()).unwrap_or("bin");
-    let key = format!("mangas/{manga_id}/cover.{ext}");
-
-    storage
-        .put(&key, &bytes)
-        .await
-        .with_context(|| format!("store cover at {key}"))?;
-    repo::manga::set_cover_image_path(db, manga_id, &key)
-        .await
-        .with_context(|| format!("update cover_image_path for {manga_id}"))?;
-    tracing::info!(manga_id = %manga_id, key = %key, bytes = bytes.len(), %absolute, "cover stored");
-    Ok(())
+#[derive(Default, Clone, Copy)]
+struct WorkerStats {
+    fetched: usize,
+    skipped: usize,
+    failed: usize,
 }

 fn resolve_start_url() -> anyhow::Result<String> {
@@ -307,10 +397,36 @@ fn resolve_start_url() -> anyhow::Result<String> {
    })
 }

-fn origin_of(url: &str) -> Option<String> {
-    let (scheme, rest) = url.split_once("://")?;
-    let host = rest.split('/').next()?;
-    Some(format!("{scheme}://{host}"))
+/// Parse the CLI's `CRAWLER_MODE`. Defaults to `backfill` because the
+/// binary is operator-driven (manual reseeds, force-refetches) — the
+/// auto-detect logic lives in the daemon. `auto` is rejected because
+/// the CLI has no DB state to consult before the run.
+fn parse_crawler_mode(incremental_stop_after: usize) -> anyhow::Result<DiscoverMode> {
+    parse_crawler_mode_str(
+        std::env::var("CRAWLER_MODE").ok().as_deref(),
+        incremental_stop_after,
+    )
+}
+
+/// Pure variant of [`parse_crawler_mode`] — testable without env-var
+/// mutation.
+fn parse_crawler_mode_str(
+    raw: Option<&str>,
+    incremental_stop_after: usize,
+) -> anyhow::Result<DiscoverMode> {
+    match raw.map(|s| s.trim().to_ascii_lowercase()).as_deref() {
+        None | Some("") | Some("backfill") => Ok(DiscoverMode::Backfill),
+        Some("incremental") => Ok(DiscoverMode::Incremental {
+            stop_after_unchanged: incremental_stop_after,
+        }),
+        Some("auto") => Err(anyhow!(
+            "CRAWLER_MODE=auto isn't supported by the CLI (use backfill or incremental); \
+             the daemon does auto-detection"
+        )),
+        Some(other) => Err(anyhow!(
+            "CRAWLER_MODE must be one of: backfill, incremental (got {other:?})"
+        )),
+    }
 }

 fn env_u64(name: &str, default: u64) -> u64 {
@@ -327,3 +443,56 @@ fn env_bool(name: &str, default: bool) -> bool {
        _ => default,
    }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn cli_mode_defaults_to_backfill_when_unset_or_blank() {
+        let none = parse_crawler_mode_str(None, 20).unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(none, DiscoverMode::Backfill));
+        let blank = parse_crawler_mode_str(Some(""), 20).unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(blank, DiscoverMode::Backfill));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn cli_mode_recognizes_backfill_and_incremental() {
+        let backfill = parse_crawler_mode_str(Some("backfill"), 20).unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(backfill, DiscoverMode::Backfill));
+
+        let incremental = parse_crawler_mode_str(Some("incremental"), 9).unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(
+            incremental,
+            DiscoverMode::Incremental { stop_after_unchanged: 9 }
+        ));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn cli_mode_rejects_auto_explicitly() {
+        let err = parse_crawler_mode_str(Some("auto"), 20).unwrap_err();
+        let msg = format!("{err}");
+        assert!(
+            msg.contains("daemon"),
+            "rejection should point operator at the daemon: {msg}"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn cli_mode_rejects_unknown_value() {
+        let err = parse_crawler_mode_str(Some("garbage"), 20).unwrap_err();
+        let msg = format!("{err}");
+        assert!(msg.contains("backfill"));
+        assert!(msg.contains("incremental"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn cli_mode_is_case_insensitive_and_trims() {
+        let mixed = parse_crawler_mode_str(Some("  Incremental  "), 4).unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(
+            mixed,
+            DiscoverMode::Incremental { stop_after_unchanged: 4 }
+        ));
+    }
+}
+
--- a/backend/src/config.rs
+++ b/backend/src/config.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,20 @@
 use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+use chrono::NaiveTime;
+use chrono_tz::Tz;
+
+use crate::crawler::browser::LaunchOptions;
+use crate::crawler::source::DiscoverMode;
+
+/// What `CRAWLER_MODE` was set to. `Auto` is the daemon's default —
+/// pick Backfill until `seed_completed_at` is written, then flip to
+/// Incremental. `Explicit` forces a single mode regardless.
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug)]
+pub enum CrawlerModePref {
+    Auto,
+    Explicit(DiscoverMode),
+}

 #[derive(Clone, Debug)]
 pub struct AuthConfig {
@@ -45,6 +61,62 @@ pub struct Config {
    pub auth: AuthConfig,
    pub upload: UploadConfig,
    pub cors_allowed_origins: Vec<String>,
+    pub crawler: CrawlerConfig,
+}
+
+/// All crawler-daemon knobs read from env. Mirrors the env vars the
+/// `bin/crawler` binary already reads, plus the new daemon-only knobs
+/// (daily_at, tz, idle_timeout, retention_days, daemon_enabled).
+///
+/// `daemon_enabled = false` skips the daemon spawn entirely — used by
+/// integration tests and dev runs that don't want background activity.
+#[derive(Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct CrawlerConfig {
+    pub daemon_enabled: bool,
+    pub daily_at: NaiveTime,
+    pub tz: Tz,
+    pub idle_timeout: Duration,
+    pub chapter_workers: usize,
+    pub retention_days: u32,
+    pub start_url: Option<String>,
+    pub rate_ms: u64,
+    pub cdn_host: Option<String>,
+    pub cdn_rate_ms: u64,
+    pub phpsessid: Option<String>,
+    pub cookie_domain: Option<String>,
+    pub user_agent: Option<String>,
+    pub proxy: Option<String>,
+    pub browser: LaunchOptions,
+    /// Mode preference for the metadata pass. Daemon default is `Auto`
+    /// (Backfill until `seed_completed_at` is written, then Incremental).
+    pub mode: CrawlerModePref,
+    /// `stop_after_unchanged` threshold supplied to Incremental in both
+    /// `Auto` (post-seed) and `Explicit(Incremental)` modes.
+    pub incremental_stop_after: usize,
+}
+
+impl Default for CrawlerConfig {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            daemon_enabled: false,
+            daily_at: NaiveTime::from_hms_opt(0, 0, 0).unwrap(),
+            tz: Tz::UTC,
+            idle_timeout: Duration::from_secs(600),
+            chapter_workers: 1,
+            retention_days: 7,
+            start_url: None,
+            rate_ms: 1000,
+            cdn_host: None,
+            cdn_rate_ms: 1000,
+            phpsessid: None,
+            cookie_domain: None,
+            user_agent: None,
+            proxy: None,
+            browser: LaunchOptions::headless(),
+            mode: CrawlerModePref::Auto,
+            incremental_stop_after: 20,
+        }
+    }
 }

 impl Config {
@@ -77,10 +149,96 @@ impl Config {
                        .collect()
                })
                .unwrap_or_default(),
+            crawler: CrawlerConfig::from_env()?,
        })
    }
 }

+impl CrawlerConfig {
+    pub fn from_env() -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
+        // Parse CRAWLER_DAILY_AT (HH:MM, 24h). Invalid → fail fast.
+        let daily_at = match std::env::var("CRAWLER_DAILY_AT").ok().as_deref() {
+            None | Some("") => NaiveTime::from_hms_opt(0, 0, 0).unwrap(),
+            Some(raw) => NaiveTime::parse_from_str(raw, "%H:%M").map_err(|e| {
+                anyhow::anyhow!("CRAWLER_DAILY_AT must be HH:MM (got {raw:?}): {e}")
+            })?,
+        };
+        let tz: Tz = match std::env::var("CRAWLER_TZ").ok().as_deref() {
+            None | Some("") => Tz::UTC,
+            Some(raw) => raw
+                .parse()
+                .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("CRAWLER_TZ must be a valid IANA TZ (got {raw:?}): {e}"))?,
+        };
+        let incremental_stop_after =
+            env_u64("CRAWLER_INCREMENTAL_STOP_AFTER", 20).max(1) as usize;
+        let mode = parse_mode_env(incremental_stop_after)?;
+        Ok(Self {
+            daemon_enabled: env_bool("CRAWLER_DAEMON", true),
+            daily_at,
+            tz,
+            idle_timeout: Duration::from_secs(env_u64("CRAWLER_IDLE_TIMEOUT_S", 600)),
+            chapter_workers: env_u64("CRAWLER_CHAPTER_WORKERS", 1).max(1) as usize,
+            retention_days: env_u64("CRAWLER_JOB_RETENTION_DAYS", 7) as u32,
+            start_url: std::env::var("CRAWLER_START_URL")
+                .ok()
+                .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty()),
+            rate_ms: env_u64("CRAWLER_RATE_MS", 1000),
+            cdn_host: std::env::var("CRAWLER_CDN_HOST")
+                .ok()
+                .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty()),
+            cdn_rate_ms: env_u64("CRAWLER_CDN_RATE_MS", env_u64("CRAWLER_RATE_MS", 1000)),
+            phpsessid: std::env::var("CRAWLER_PHPSESSID")
+                .ok()
+                .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty()),
+            cookie_domain: std::env::var("CRAWLER_COOKIE_DOMAIN")
+                .ok()
+                .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty()),
+            user_agent: std::env::var("CRAWLER_USER_AGENT")
+                .ok()
+                .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty()),
+            proxy: std::env::var("CRAWLER_PROXY")
+                .ok()
+                .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty()),
+            browser: LaunchOptions::from_env(),
+            mode,
+            incremental_stop_after,
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+/// Parse `CRAWLER_MODE`. Empty/unset → `Auto`. Recognized values are
+/// `auto`, `backfill`, and `incremental` (case-insensitive). Anything
+/// else is a hard error so a typo can't silently fall through to the
+/// default and mask itself.
+fn parse_mode_env(incremental_stop_after: usize) -> anyhow::Result<CrawlerModePref> {
+    parse_mode_str(std::env::var("CRAWLER_MODE").ok().as_deref(), incremental_stop_after)
+}
+
+/// Pure variant of [`parse_mode_env`] — testable without env-var
+/// mutation. Takes the raw value (or `None` if unset).
+pub(crate) fn parse_mode_str(
+    raw: Option<&str>,
+    incremental_stop_after: usize,
+) -> anyhow::Result<CrawlerModePref> {
+    match raw.map(|s| s.trim().to_ascii_lowercase()).as_deref() {
+        None | Some("") | Some("auto") => Ok(CrawlerModePref::Auto),
+        Some("backfill") => Ok(CrawlerModePref::Explicit(DiscoverMode::Backfill)),
+        Some("incremental") => Ok(CrawlerModePref::Explicit(DiscoverMode::Incremental {
+            stop_after_unchanged: incremental_stop_after,
+        })),
+        Some(other) => Err(anyhow::anyhow!(
+            "CRAWLER_MODE must be one of: auto, backfill, incremental (got {other:?})"
+        )),
+    }
+}
+
+fn env_u64(name: &str, default: u64) -> u64 {
+    std::env::var(name)
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|s| s.parse().ok())
+        .unwrap_or(default)
+}
+
 fn env_bool(name: &str, default: bool) -> bool {
    match std::env::var(name).ok().as_deref() {
        Some("1") | Some("true") | Some("TRUE") | Some("yes") => true,
@@ -102,3 +260,63 @@ fn env_usize(name: &str, default: usize) -> usize {
        .and_then(|s| s.parse().ok())
        .unwrap_or(default)
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_mode_str_defaults_to_auto_when_unset_or_blank() {
+        let none = parse_mode_str(None, 20).unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(none, CrawlerModePref::Auto));
+        let blank = parse_mode_str(Some(""), 20).unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(blank, CrawlerModePref::Auto));
+        let whitespace = parse_mode_str(Some("   "), 20).unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(whitespace, CrawlerModePref::Auto));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_mode_str_recognizes_each_keyword() {
+        let auto = parse_mode_str(Some("auto"), 20).unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(auto, CrawlerModePref::Auto));
+
+        let backfill = parse_mode_str(Some("backfill"), 20).unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(
+            backfill,
+            CrawlerModePref::Explicit(DiscoverMode::Backfill)
+        ));
+
+        let incremental = parse_mode_str(Some("incremental"), 7).unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(
+            incremental,
+            CrawlerModePref::Explicit(DiscoverMode::Incremental {
+                stop_after_unchanged: 7
+            })
+        ));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_mode_str_is_case_insensitive_and_trims_whitespace() {
+        let mixed = parse_mode_str(Some("  Incremental  "), 5).unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(
+            mixed,
+            CrawlerModePref::Explicit(DiscoverMode::Incremental {
+                stop_after_unchanged: 5
+            })
+        ));
+        let upper = parse_mode_str(Some("BACKFILL"), 5).unwrap();
+        assert!(matches!(
+            upper,
+            CrawlerModePref::Explicit(DiscoverMode::Backfill)
+        ));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_mode_str_hard_errors_on_unknown_value() {
+        let err = parse_mode_str(Some("backfil"), 20).unwrap_err();
+        let msg = format!("{err}");
+        assert!(msg.contains("backfill"), "error should list valid values: {msg}");
+        assert!(msg.contains("auto"));
+        assert!(msg.contains("incremental"));
+    }
+}
--- a/backend/src/crawler/browser.rs
+++ b/backend/src/crawler/browser.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 //! caller-provided.

 use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::sync::Arc;

 use anyhow::Context;
 use chromiumoxide::browser::{Browser, BrowserConfig};
@@ -26,12 +27,12 @@ use tokio::task::JoinHandle;
 #[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
 pub enum BrowserMode {
    /// Real window. Needs `$DISPLAY` (or `xvfb-run` wrapping the
-    /// binary). This is the default the old Puppeteer crawler used and
-    /// the assumed mode for the target site until we prove headless
-    /// works against it.
+    /// binary). Opt-in via `CRAWLER_BROWSER_MODE=headed` — useful for
+    /// debugging a flow visually or for sites that fingerprint
+    /// headless Chrome. Not used in production.
    Headed,
-    /// No window. Faster, lower resource use, but more likely to trip
-    /// fingerprinting on hostile sites.
+    /// No window. Faster, lower resource use, runs without a display.
+    /// This is the default for both `from_env()` and `Default`.
    Headless,
 }

@@ -64,13 +65,13 @@ impl LaunchOptions {
    }

    /// Reads `CRAWLER_BROWSER_MODE` (`headless`|`headed`, default
-    /// `headed`) and `CRAWLER_BROWSER_ARGS` (whitespace-separated
+    /// `headless`) and `CRAWLER_BROWSER_ARGS` (whitespace-separated
    /// Chromium flags). Flags containing whitespace aren't supported
    /// through the env var — use the programmatic API for those.
    pub fn from_env() -> Self {
        let mode = match std::env::var("CRAWLER_BROWSER_MODE").as_deref() {
-            Ok("headless") => BrowserMode::Headless,
-            _ => BrowserMode::Headed,
+            Ok("headed") => BrowserMode::Headed,
+            _ => BrowserMode::Headless,
        };
        let extra_args = std::env::var("CRAWLER_BROWSER_ARGS")
            .map(|s| parse_args(&s))
@@ -81,7 +82,7 @@ impl LaunchOptions {

 impl Default for LaunchOptions {
    fn default() -> Self {
-        Self::headed()
+        Self::headless()
    }
 }

@@ -95,25 +96,49 @@ pub(crate) fn parse_args(s: &str) -> Vec<String> {
 /// Owned browser plus the spawned task that drives its CDP event loop.
 /// Dropping `Handle` without calling `close` leaks the Chromium process
 /// — always call `close().await` in production paths.
+///
+/// The browser is stored behind an `Arc` so it can be shared across
+/// worker tasks (via [`Handle::shared`]) without copying. `Browser::new_page`
+/// only needs `&self`, so multiple workers can drive the same browser
+/// concurrently as long as the manager keeps the `Arc` alive.
 pub struct Handle {
-    browser: Browser,
+    browser: Arc<Browser>,
    driver: JoinHandle<()>,
 }

 impl Handle {
+    /// Borrow the browser. Equivalent to `&*handle.shared()`.
    pub fn browser(&self) -> &Browser {
        &self.browser
    }

-    pub fn browser_mut(&mut self) -> &mut Browser {
-        &mut self.browser
+    /// Clone the shared handle. Workers hold these to call `new_page`
+    /// concurrently. The browser only exits when the last `Arc<Browser>`
+    /// is dropped (kill-on-drop), or when `close()` is called on the
+    /// originating `Handle` while it is the sole holder.
+    pub fn shared(&self) -> Arc<Browser> {
+        Arc::clone(&self.browser)
    }

-    /// Closes the browser and awaits the driver task. Safe to call
-    /// multiple times — subsequent calls are no-ops.
-    pub async fn close(mut self) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
-        let _ = self.browser.close().await;
-        let _ = self.browser.wait().await;
+    /// Closes the browser and awaits the driver task. If other Arcs to
+    /// the browser are still alive we fall back to drop-kills-Chromium
+    /// semantics and just join the driver — this is the rare case where
+    /// shutdown raced an outstanding worker; the OS-level kill is the
+    /// safety net.
+    pub async fn close(self) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+        match Arc::try_unwrap(self.browser) {
+            Ok(mut owned) => {
+                let _ = owned.close().await;
+                let _ = owned.wait().await;
+            }
+            Err(shared) => {
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    strong_count = Arc::strong_count(&shared),
+                    "Handle::close while Arc<Browser> still shared — relying on kill-on-drop"
+                );
+                drop(shared);
+            }
+        }
        let _ = self.driver.await;
        Ok(())
    }
@@ -184,7 +209,10 @@ pub async fn launch(options: LaunchOptions) -> anyhow::Result<Handle> {
        }
    });

-    Ok(Handle { browser, driver })
+    Ok(Handle {
+        browser: Arc::new(browser),
+        driver,
+    })
 }

 fn cache_dir() -> anyhow::Result<PathBuf> {
@@ -223,4 +251,14 @@ mod tests {
        assert!(parse_args("").is_empty());
        assert!(parse_args("   \t\n").is_empty());
    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn default_launch_options_are_headless() {
+        // Headless is the production-safe default — no display required,
+        // smaller resource footprint. `Headed` stays available as an
+        // opt-in for debugging via CRAWLER_BROWSER_MODE=headed.
+        assert_eq!(LaunchOptions::default().mode, BrowserMode::Headless);
+        assert_eq!(LaunchOptions::headless().mode, BrowserMode::Headless);
+        assert_eq!(LaunchOptions::headed().mode, BrowserMode::Headed);
+    }
 }
--- a/backend/src/crawler/browser_manager.rs
+++ b/backend/src/crawler/browser_manager.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,262 @@
+//! Lazy-launch / idle-teardown Chromium manager for the daemon.
+//!
+//! The first worker that calls [`BrowserManager::acquire`] triggers a real
+//! Chromium launch (and the `on_launch` hook — used to re-inject the
+//! PHPSESSID cookie on every fresh process). Each acquire bumps an active
+//! counter; the returned [`BrowserLease`] decrements it on drop.
+//!
+//! When the active counter hits zero, a background reaper task waits
+//! `idle_timeout`. If still zero on wake, it closes Chromium and clears the
+//! cached handle. The next acquire re-launches.
+//!
+//! `idle_timeout = Duration::ZERO` disables the reaper — Chromium stays alive
+//! until [`BrowserManager::shutdown`].
+
+use std::ops::Deref;
+use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicUsize, Ordering};
+use std::sync::Arc;
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+use anyhow::Context;
+use chromiumoxide::browser::Browser;
+use futures_util::future::BoxFuture;
+use tokio::sync::{Mutex, Notify};
+use tokio::task::JoinHandle;
+use tokio_util::sync::CancellationToken;
+
+use crate::crawler::browser::{self, LaunchOptions};
+
+/// Hook invoked on every fresh launch with the new browser. Typically used
+/// to re-inject PHPSESSID + run the session probe. Errors abort the
+/// `acquire` that triggered the launch — the next acquire will re-launch.
+pub type OnLaunch =
+    Arc<dyn Fn(Arc<Browser>) -> BoxFuture<'static, anyhow::Result<()>> + Send + Sync>;
+
+/// Returns an `OnLaunch` that does nothing — useful when no session is
+/// configured (e.g. CLI metadata-only runs).
+pub fn noop_on_launch() -> OnLaunch {
+    Arc::new(|_| Box::pin(async { Ok(()) }))
+}
+
+/// Decoupled active-lease tracker. Owns the atomic counter and the idle
+/// notifier so the wiring is unit-testable without standing up a real
+/// `BrowserManager` (which would require launching Chromium).
+#[derive(Default)]
+pub(crate) struct ActiveTracker {
+    counter: AtomicUsize,
+    idle_signal: Notify,
+}
+
+impl ActiveTracker {
+    pub(crate) fn new() -> Arc<Self> {
+        Arc::new(Self::default())
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn acquire(self: &Arc<Self>) {
+        self.counter.fetch_add(1, Ordering::AcqRel);
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn release(self: &Arc<Self>) {
+        if self.counter.fetch_sub(1, Ordering::AcqRel) == 1 {
+            self.idle_signal.notify_one();
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn current(&self) -> usize {
+        self.counter.load(Ordering::Acquire)
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn idle_signal(&self) -> &Notify {
+        &self.idle_signal
+    }
+}
+
+pub struct BrowserManager {
+    inner: Mutex<Inner>,
+    active: Arc<ActiveTracker>,
+    launch_opts: LaunchOptions,
+    idle_timeout: Duration,
+    on_launch: OnLaunch,
+}
+
+struct Inner {
+    handle: Option<browser::Handle>,
+    shared: Option<Arc<Browser>>,
+}
+
+impl BrowserManager {
+    pub fn new(
+        launch_opts: LaunchOptions,
+        idle_timeout: Duration,
+        on_launch: OnLaunch,
+    ) -> Arc<Self> {
+        Arc::new(Self {
+            inner: Mutex::new(Inner {
+                handle: None,
+                shared: None,
+            }),
+            active: ActiveTracker::new(),
+            launch_opts,
+            idle_timeout,
+            on_launch,
+        })
+    }
+
+    /// Acquire a shared browser lease. The first acquire after a teardown
+    /// launches a fresh Chromium (and runs `on_launch`); subsequent acquires
+    /// while a process is alive just bump the counter and clone the `Arc`.
+    pub async fn acquire(&self) -> anyhow::Result<BrowserLease> {
+        let mut guard = self.inner.lock().await;
+        if guard.handle.is_none() {
+            let handle = browser::launch(self.launch_opts.clone())
+                .await
+                .context("BrowserManager: launch chromium")?;
+            let shared = handle.shared();
+            // Run the on-launch hook before publishing the handle so a session
+            // probe failure doesn't leave a half-initialized browser behind.
+            if let Err(e) = (self.on_launch)(Arc::clone(&shared)).await {
+                // Close the just-launched browser since we won't be using it.
+                let _ = handle.close().await;
+                return Err(e.context("BrowserManager: on_launch hook failed"));
+            }
+            guard.handle = Some(handle);
+            guard.shared = Some(shared);
+        }
+        let browser = guard
+            .shared
+            .as_ref()
+            .expect("shared set above")
+            .clone();
+        self.active.acquire();
+        Ok(BrowserLease {
+            browser,
+            active: Arc::clone(&self.active),
+        })
+    }
+
+    /// Forcefully close the cached browser regardless of active count.
+    /// Used on daemon shutdown. After this returns the next acquire will
+    /// re-launch from scratch.
+    pub async fn shutdown(&self) {
+        let mut guard = self.inner.lock().await;
+        guard.shared = None;
+        if let Some(handle) = guard.handle.take() {
+            let _ = handle.close().await;
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn idle_timeout(&self) -> Duration {
+        self.idle_timeout
+    }
+
+    fn active(&self) -> Arc<ActiveTracker> {
+        Arc::clone(&self.active)
+    }
+}
+
+/// Background reaper. Returns immediately when `idle_timeout == 0`.
+/// Otherwise spawns a task that:
+///   1. Waits on `idle_signal` (woken when active hits zero).
+///   2. Sleeps `idle_timeout`.
+///   3. Re-checks the counter under the mutex — if still zero, takes the
+///      handle and closes it.
+///
+/// Repeats forever until `cancel` fires.
+pub fn spawn_idle_reaper(mgr: Arc<BrowserManager>, cancel: CancellationToken) -> JoinHandle<()> {
+    tokio::spawn(async move {
+        if mgr.idle_timeout().is_zero() {
+            // Block until cancellation, then exit.
+            cancel.cancelled().await;
+            return;
+        }
+        let active = mgr.active();
+        loop {
+            tokio::select! {
+                _ = cancel.cancelled() => return,
+                _ = active.idle_signal().notified() => {}
+            }
+            if active.current() > 0 {
+                continue;
+            }
+            tokio::select! {
+                _ = cancel.cancelled() => return,
+                _ = tokio::time::sleep(mgr.idle_timeout()) => {}
+            }
+            let mut guard = mgr.inner.lock().await;
+            if active.current() > 0 {
+                // A worker grabbed a lease during the sleep — abort teardown.
+                continue;
+            }
+            let handle = guard.handle.take();
+            guard.shared = None;
+            drop(guard);
+            if let Some(h) = handle {
+                let _ = h.close().await;
+                tracing::info!("BrowserManager: idle teardown — Chromium closed");
+            }
+        }
+    })
+}
+
+/// A worker-side handle that keeps the browser alive while in scope.
+/// `Deref<Target = Browser>` so callers can pass `&*lease` to APIs that
+/// expect `&Browser`.
+pub struct BrowserLease {
+    browser: Arc<Browser>,
+    active: Arc<ActiveTracker>,
+}
+
+impl Deref for BrowserLease {
+    type Target = Browser;
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Browser {
+        &self.browser
+    }
+}
+
+impl Drop for BrowserLease {
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        self.active.release();
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn noop_on_launch_is_send_sync() {
+        fn assert_send_sync<T: Send + Sync>(_: &T) {}
+        let h = noop_on_launch();
+        assert_send_sync(&h);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn active_tracker_signals_idle_only_on_zero_transition() {
+        let tracker = ActiveTracker::new();
+        let signaled = Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(false));
+        {
+            let s = Arc::clone(&signaled);
+            let t = Arc::clone(&tracker);
+            tokio::spawn(async move {
+                t.idle_signal().notified().await;
+                s.store(true, Ordering::Release);
+            });
+        }
+
+        tracker.acquire();
+        tracker.acquire();
+        assert_eq!(tracker.current(), 2);
+        tracker.release();
+        assert_eq!(tracker.current(), 1);
+        tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(20)).await;
+        assert!(!signaled.load(Ordering::Acquire), "no idle signal at count 1");
+        tracker.release();
+        tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(20)).await;
+        assert_eq!(tracker.current(), 0);
+        assert!(
+            signaled.load(Ordering::Acquire),
+            "idle signal fires on 1 -> 0 transition"
+        );
+    }
+}
--- a/backend/src/crawler/content.rs
+++ b/backend/src/crawler/content.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,268 @@
+//! Chapter content sync — fetch a logged-in chapter page, extract its
+//! image URLs in `pageN` order, download each to storage, and atomically
+//! persist a `pages` row per image plus the chapter's `page_count`.
+//!
+//! Only chapters belonging to a manga someone has bookmarked are
+//! candidates. The crawler scans bookmarks at the start of each run and
+//! enqueues unfetched chapters; the API also enqueues at bookmark-time
+//! so users get instant feedback. Both feed into the same queue and
+//! dedup by chapter id.
+
+// Implementation lands in the next commits in this branch. Module is
+// declared so other crates can `use crawler::content` without breaking
+// builds while iteration is in progress.
+
+use anyhow::Context;
+use sqlx::PgPool;
+use uuid::Uuid;
+
+use crate::crawler::detect::PageError;
+use crate::crawler::rate_limit::HostRateLimiters;
+use crate::crawler::session;
+use crate::storage::Storage;
+
+/// Parse the chapter page DOM and return the page images in `pageN`
+/// order. Filters out the loader `<img class="loading">` and any
+/// `<img>` without a numeric `id="pageN"`.
+///
+/// Reader pages don't render the site's `#logo` element, so the
+/// universal logo-sentinel can't apply here — instead we assert
+/// `a#pic_container` is present. Its absence means the response is the
+/// transient broken-page response (or a redirect to some other layout)
+/// and the caller should retry.
+pub fn parse_chapter_pages(html: &str) -> Result<Vec<ChapterImage>, PageError> {
+    let doc = scraper::Html::parse_document(html);
+    let container_sel = scraper::Selector::parse("a#pic_container").unwrap();
+    if doc.select(&container_sel).next().is_none() {
+        return Err(PageError::transient("reader: a#pic_container missing"));
+    }
+    let sel = scraper::Selector::parse("a#pic_container img:not(.loading)").unwrap();
+    let mut pages: Vec<ChapterImage> = doc
+        .select(&sel)
+        .filter_map(|img| {
+            let id = img.value().id()?;
+            let n: i32 = id.strip_prefix("page")?.parse().ok()?;
+            let src = img.value().attr("src")?.trim().to_string();
+            if src.is_empty() {
+                return None;
+            }
+            Some(ChapterImage { page_number: n, url: src })
+        })
+        .collect();
+    pages.sort_by_key(|p| p.page_number);
+    Ok(pages)
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub struct ChapterImage {
+    pub page_number: i32,
+    pub url: String,
+}
+
+/// Outcome of a single chapter sync — surfaced to callers for logging
+/// and exit-code decisions.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum SyncOutcome {
+    /// All images downloaded and stored, chapter row updated.
+    Fetched { pages: usize },
+    /// `page_count > 0` already — no-op unless force_refetch is set.
+    Skipped,
+    /// Session probe failed mid-sync (avatar selector missing on the
+    /// chapter page). Caller should abort the whole crawler run.
+    SessionExpired,
+}
+
+/// Fetch all images for one chapter and persist them atomically. On
+/// any error after the first storage put, the DB transaction rolls
+/// back so the chapter stays at `page_count = 0` and is retried on the
+/// next run. Bytes already written to storage become orphans; a future
+/// reaper sweeps them.
+#[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
+pub async fn sync_chapter_content(
+    browser: &chromiumoxide::Browser,
+    db: &PgPool,
+    storage: &dyn Storage,
+    http: &reqwest::Client,
+    rate: &HostRateLimiters,
+    chapter_id: Uuid,
+    manga_id: Uuid,
+    source_url: &str,
+    force_refetch: bool,
+) -> anyhow::Result<SyncOutcome> {
+    // Skip if already fetched, unless caller explicitly forces.
+    if !force_refetch {
+        let (page_count,): (i32,) =
+            sqlx::query_as("SELECT page_count FROM chapters WHERE id = $1")
+                .bind(chapter_id)
+                .fetch_one(db)
+                .await
+                .context("read chapter page_count")?;
+        if page_count > 0 {
+            return Ok(SyncOutcome::Skipped);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Nav to chapter page (rate-limited per host).
+    rate.wait_for(source_url).await?;
+    let page = browser
+        .new_page(source_url)
+        .await
+        .with_context(|| format!("open chapter page {source_url}"))?;
+    page.wait_for_navigation().await.context("wait for chapter nav")?;
+
+    // Session probe: avatar present == still logged in. Missing means
+    // PHPSESSID expired; bail the entire crawler run.
+    if page.find_element("#avatar_menu").await.is_err() {
+        page.close().await.ok();
+        return Ok(SyncOutcome::SessionExpired);
+    }
+
+    let html = page.content().await.context("read chapter html")?;
+    page.close().await.ok();
+
+    let images = parse_chapter_pages(&html)
+        .with_context(|| format!("parse chapter pages at {source_url}"))?;
+    if images.is_empty() {
+        anyhow::bail!("no page images parsed from {source_url}");
+    }
+
+    // Resolve image URLs against the chapter URL (they may be relative).
+    let base = reqwest::Url::parse(source_url).context("parse chapter URL")?;
+
+    // Fetch every image bytes-first into memory before writing
+    // anything. Lets us bail the whole chapter cleanly if any image
+    // fails — DB stays at page_count=0, no partial rows persisted.
+    let mut fetched: Vec<(i32, Vec<u8>, &'static str)> = Vec::with_capacity(images.len());
+    for img in &images {
+        let url = base.join(&img.url).with_context(|| {
+            format!("join image URL {} onto {source_url}", img.url)
+        })?;
+        rate.wait_for(url.as_str()).await?;
+        let resp = http
+            .get(url.clone())
+            // Source CDNs commonly check Referer. Set it to the
+            // chapter page — matches what the browser would send.
+            .header(reqwest::header::REFERER, source_url)
+            .send()
+            .await
+            .with_context(|| format!("GET {url}"))?
+            .error_for_status()
+            .with_context(|| format!("non-2xx for {url}"))?;
+        let bytes = resp.bytes().await.context("read image body")?.to_vec();
+        let ext = infer::get(&bytes).map(|k| k.extension()).unwrap_or("bin");
+        fetched.push((img.page_number, bytes, ext));
+    }
+
+    // Atomic write: storage puts + page row inserts + page_count
+    // update, all in one transaction. If anything fails, rollback +
+    // the chapter is retried next run. Storage orphans the bytes; a
+    // reaper sweeps them later.
+    let mut tx = db.begin().await.context("open chapter sync tx")?;
+    for (page_number, bytes, ext) in &fetched {
+        let key = format!(
+            "mangas/{manga_id}/chapters/{chapter_id}/pages/{:04}.{ext}",
+            page_number
+        );
+        storage
+            .put(&key, bytes)
+            .await
+            .with_context(|| format!("put {key}"))?;
+        // (chapter_id, page_number) is unique — re-runs idempotent.
+        sqlx::query(
+            "INSERT INTO pages (chapter_id, page_number, storage_key, content_type)
+             VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4)
+             ON CONFLICT (chapter_id, page_number) DO UPDATE
+             SET storage_key = EXCLUDED.storage_key,
+                 content_type = EXCLUDED.content_type",
+        )
+        .bind(chapter_id)
+        .bind(page_number)
+        .bind(&key)
+        .bind(format!("image/{ext}"))
+        .execute(&mut *tx)
+        .await
+        .with_context(|| format!("insert page row {page_number}"))?;
+    }
+    sqlx::query("UPDATE chapters SET page_count = $1 WHERE id = $2")
+        .bind(fetched.len() as i32)
+        .bind(chapter_id)
+        .execute(&mut *tx)
+        .await
+        .context("update page_count")?;
+    tx.commit().await.context("commit chapter sync")?;
+
+    Ok(SyncOutcome::Fetched { pages: fetched.len() })
+}
+
+// Suppress unused-import warning for `session` until the bin/crawler
+// wiring lands in this branch and uses it through this module.
+#[allow(dead_code)]
+fn _keep_session_in_scope() {
+    let _ = session::registrable_domain;
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_chapter_pages_skips_loader_and_sorts_by_id() {
+        // Loader image, two real pages out of order, and one with no id.
+        let html = r#"
+          <html><body id="body"><a id="pic_container">
+            <img class="loading" src="/images/ajax-loader2.gif">
+            <img id="page2" class="page2" src="https://cdn/2.jpg">
+            <img id="page1" class="page1" src="https://cdn/1.jpg">
+            <img src="https://cdn/orphan.jpg">
+            <img id="not-a-page" src="https://cdn/not-a-page.jpg">
+          </a></body></html>
+        "#;
+        let pages = parse_chapter_pages(html).expect("parse");
+        assert_eq!(pages.len(), 2);
+        assert_eq!(pages[0].page_number, 1);
+        assert_eq!(pages[0].url, "https://cdn/1.jpg");
+        assert_eq!(pages[1].page_number, 2);
+        assert_eq!(pages[1].url, "https://cdn/2.jpg");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_chapter_pages_drops_images_without_src() {
+        let html = r#"
+          <a id="pic_container">
+            <img id="page1" src="">
+            <img id="page2" src="https://cdn/2.jpg">
+          </a>
+        "#;
+        let pages = parse_chapter_pages(html).expect("parse");
+        assert_eq!(pages.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(pages[0].page_number, 2);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_chapter_pages_handles_three_digit_page_ids() {
+        let html = r#"
+          <a id="pic_container">
+            <img id="page126" src="https://cdn/126.jpg">
+            <img id="page9" src="https://cdn/9.jpg">
+            <img id="page50" src="https://cdn/50.jpg">
+          </a>
+        "#;
+        let pages = parse_chapter_pages(html).expect("parse");
+        assert_eq!(
+            pages.iter().map(|p| p.page_number).collect::<Vec<_>>(),
+            vec![9, 50, 126]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_chapter_pages_returns_transient_when_container_missing() {
+        // Reader doesn't render #logo, so the universal logo sentinel
+        // can't be used here — a#pic_container is the reader-specific
+        // marker. Broken-page response trips this.
+        let html = "<html><body>\
+            <p>we're sorry, the request file are not found.</p>\
+            </body></html>";
+        let err = parse_chapter_pages(html).expect_err("expected Transient");
+        assert!(err.is_transient(), "got non-transient: {err}");
+    }
+}
--- a/backend/src/crawler/daemon.rs
+++ b/backend/src/crawler/daemon.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,633 @@
+//! In-process crawler daemon.
+//!
+//! Owns a cron task that fires a daily metadata pass and N worker tasks
+//! that drain `SyncChapterContent` jobs from `crawler_jobs`. The dispatch
+//! seams ([`MetadataPass`], [`ChapterDispatcher`]) are traits so tests can
+//! inject stubs without standing up a real Chromium / `Source` impl.
+//!
+//! ## Cron
+//!
+//! Each tick:
+//!   1. Acquire a Postgres advisory lock on a dedicated pool connection
+//!      (multi-replica safety). Skip the tick on contention.
+//!   2. Call [`MetadataPass::run`] (typically `pipeline::run_metadata_pass`).
+//!   3. Enqueue `SyncChapterContent` jobs for any bookmarked manga whose
+//!      chapters still have `page_count = 0`.
+//!   4. Reap `done` jobs older than `retention_days`.
+//!   5. Persist `last_metadata_tick_at` and release the lock.
+//!
+//! If the last persisted tick is older than the most recent scheduled slot
+//! (e.g. backend was down at midnight), the daemon fires immediately on
+//! startup before resuming the regular schedule.
+//!
+//! ## Workers
+//!
+//! Each worker leases one chapter-content job at a time, dispatches via the
+//! [`ChapterDispatcher`], and acks `done` / `failed` / re-`pending` based on
+//! the outcome. A `SessionExpired` outcome flips the sticky
+//! `session_expired` flag — all workers idle while it's set (until operator
+//! restart with a refreshed PHPSESSID).
+//!
+//! Worker dispatch is wrapped in `catch_unwind` so a panicking handler
+//! marks the job failed instead of taking down the worker task.
+
+use std::panic::AssertUnwindSafe;
+use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering};
+use std::sync::Arc;
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+use async_trait::async_trait;
+use chrono::{DateTime, Datelike, NaiveTime, TimeZone, Timelike, Utc};
+use chrono_tz::Tz;
+use futures_util::FutureExt;
+use serde_json::json;
+use sqlx::PgPool;
+use tokio::task::JoinSet;
+use tokio_util::sync::CancellationToken;
+
+use crate::crawler::content::SyncOutcome;
+use crate::crawler::jobs::{self, JobPayload, Lease, KIND_SYNC_CHAPTER_CONTENT};
+use crate::crawler::pipeline;
+
+/// Fixed `pg_try_advisory_lock` key. ASCII "MANGALRD" interpreted as a
+/// big-endian i64. Hardcoded so every replica agrees on the lock identity
+/// without consulting config.
+pub const CRON_LOCK_KEY: i64 = 0x4D414E47414C5244;
+
+const STATE_KEY_LAST_TICK: &str = "last_metadata_tick_at";
+
+#[async_trait]
+pub trait MetadataPass: Send + Sync {
+    async fn run(&self) -> anyhow::Result<pipeline::MetadataStats>;
+}
+
+#[async_trait]
+pub trait ChapterDispatcher: Send + Sync {
+    async fn dispatch(&self, payload: JobPayload) -> anyhow::Result<SyncOutcome>;
+}
+
+/// Configuration for [`spawn`]. Use `None` for `metadata_pass` to disable
+/// the cron entirely (worker-pool-only mode — useful when only the
+/// bookmark-triggered enqueue path is wanted).
+pub struct DaemonConfig {
+    pub metadata_pass: Option<Arc<dyn MetadataPass>>,
+    pub dispatcher: Arc<dyn ChapterDispatcher>,
+    pub chapter_workers: usize,
+    pub daily_at: NaiveTime,
+    pub tz: Tz,
+    pub retention_days: u32,
+    pub session_expired: Arc<AtomicBool>,
+    /// Tasks that should run alongside the cron + workers and be cancelled
+    /// on shutdown. Used to hand the daemon ownership of the browser
+    /// manager's idle reaper.
+    pub extra_tasks: Vec<tokio::task::JoinHandle<()>>,
+}
+
+pub struct DaemonHandle {
+    cancel: CancellationToken,
+    join: JoinSet<()>,
+    extra: Vec<tokio::task::JoinHandle<()>>,
+}
+
+impl DaemonHandle {
+    /// Trigger shutdown and await all worker / cron / extra tasks.
+    pub async fn shutdown(mut self) {
+        self.cancel.cancel();
+        while self.join.join_next().await.is_some() {}
+        for task in self.extra.drain(..) {
+            let _ = task.await;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Cancellation token that drives shutdown — exposed so callers
+    /// (`app::spawn_crawler_daemon`) can hand the same token to auxiliary
+    /// tasks (e.g. the BrowserManager idle reaper) and have them stop on
+    /// the daemon's signal.
+    pub fn cancel_token(&self) -> CancellationToken {
+        self.cancel.clone()
+    }
+}
+
+/// Spawn the daemon. Returns immediately; tasks run in the background.
+/// Pass an external [`CancellationToken`] so auxiliary tasks (e.g. a
+/// BrowserManager idle reaper) can share the same shutdown signal —
+/// typically created in the caller, cloned into both spawns.
+pub fn spawn(pool: PgPool, cancel: CancellationToken, cfg: DaemonConfig) -> DaemonHandle {
+    let mut join = JoinSet::new();
+
+    let DaemonConfig {
+        metadata_pass,
+        dispatcher,
+        chapter_workers,
+        daily_at,
+        tz,
+        retention_days,
+        session_expired,
+        extra_tasks,
+    } = cfg;
+
+    if let Some(metadata) = metadata_pass {
+        let ctx = CronContext {
+            pool: pool.clone(),
+            cancel: cancel.clone(),
+            daily_at,
+            tz,
+            retention_days,
+            metadata,
+        };
+        join.spawn(async move { ctx.run().await });
+    } else {
+        tracing::info!("crawler daemon: no metadata_pass — cron disabled");
+    }
+
+    for worker_id in 0..chapter_workers.max(1) {
+        let ctx = WorkerContext {
+            pool: pool.clone(),
+            cancel: cancel.clone(),
+            dispatcher: Arc::clone(&dispatcher),
+            session_expired: Arc::clone(&session_expired),
+            id: worker_id,
+        };
+        join.spawn(async move { ctx.run().await });
+    }
+
+    DaemonHandle {
+        cancel,
+        join,
+        extra: extra_tasks,
+    }
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Cron
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+struct CronContext {
+    pool: PgPool,
+    cancel: CancellationToken,
+    daily_at: NaiveTime,
+    tz: Tz,
+    retention_days: u32,
+    metadata: Arc<dyn MetadataPass>,
+}
+
+impl CronContext {
+    async fn run(self) {
+        // On startup, fire immediately if the most recent slot has already
+        // passed and we never recorded a tick for it.
+        let now = Utc::now();
+        let mut catchup = match read_last_tick(&self.pool).await {
+            Ok(Some(last)) => previous_fire(now, self.daily_at, self.tz) > last,
+            Ok(None) => true,
+            Err(e) => {
+                tracing::warn!(?e, "cron: read_last_tick failed; assuming no catch-up");
+                false
+            }
+        };
+
+        loop {
+            if catchup {
+                tracing::info!("cron: catch-up tick (missed scheduled slot)");
+                self.run_tick().await;
+                catchup = false;
+                continue;
+            }
+            // Recompute next-fire from now() each iteration so clock jumps
+            // (NTP step, suspend/resume) don't strand us on a stale instant.
+            let next = next_fire(Utc::now(), self.daily_at, self.tz);
+            let wait = (next - Utc::now()).to_std().unwrap_or(Duration::ZERO);
+            tracing::info!(
+                next_fire_utc = %next.to_rfc3339(),
+                wait_seconds = wait.as_secs(),
+                "cron: sleeping until next slot"
+            );
+            tokio::select! {
+                _ = tokio::time::sleep(wait) => {}
+                _ = self.cancel.cancelled() => {
+                    tracing::info!("cron: shutdown");
+                    return;
+                }
+            }
+            self.run_tick().await;
+        }
+    }
+
+    async fn run_tick(&self) {
+        let mut conn = match self.pool.acquire().await {
+            Ok(c) => c,
+            Err(e) => {
+                tracing::error!(?e, "cron: acquire conn failed; skipping tick");
+                return;
+            }
+        };
+        // pg_try_advisory_lock is session-scoped — we must hold the same
+        // connection for the unlock or the call silently no-ops on a
+        // different connection from the pool.
+        let acquired: bool = sqlx::query_scalar("SELECT pg_try_advisory_lock($1)")
+            .bind(CRON_LOCK_KEY)
+            .fetch_one(&mut *conn)
+            .await
+            .unwrap_or(false);
+        if !acquired {
+            tracing::info!("cron: tick skipped — another replica holds the lock");
+            return;
+        }
+
+        match self.metadata.run().await {
+            Ok(stats) => tracing::info!(?stats, "cron: metadata pass done"),
+            Err(e) => tracing::error!(?e, "cron: metadata pass failed"),
+        }
+
+        match pipeline::enqueue_bookmarked_pending(&self.pool).await {
+            Ok(summary) => tracing::info!(?summary, "cron: enqueued bookmarked-pending"),
+            Err(e) => tracing::error!(?e, "cron: enqueue_bookmarked_pending failed"),
+        }
+
+        match jobs::reap_done(&self.pool, self.retention_days).await {
+            Ok(n) => tracing::info!(reaped = n, "cron: done-job reaper finished"),
+            Err(e) => tracing::error!(?e, "cron: done-job reaper failed"),
+        }
+
+        if let Err(e) = write_last_tick(&self.pool, Utc::now()).await {
+            tracing::warn!(?e, "cron: persist last_metadata_tick_at failed");
+        }
+
+        let _ = sqlx::query("SELECT pg_advisory_unlock($1)")
+            .bind(CRON_LOCK_KEY)
+            .execute(&mut *conn)
+            .await;
+        drop(conn);
+    }
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Workers
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+struct WorkerContext {
+    pool: PgPool,
+    cancel: CancellationToken,
+    dispatcher: Arc<dyn ChapterDispatcher>,
+    session_expired: Arc<AtomicBool>,
+    id: usize,
+}
+
+impl WorkerContext {
+    async fn run(self) {
+        loop {
+            if self.cancel.is_cancelled() {
+                tracing::info!(worker = self.id, "worker: shutdown");
+                return;
+            }
+            if self.session_expired.load(Ordering::Acquire) {
+                tokio::select! {
+                    _ = tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_secs(30)) => continue,
+                    _ = self.cancel.cancelled() => return,
+                }
+            }
+            let leases = match jobs::lease(
+                &self.pool,
+                Some(KIND_SYNC_CHAPTER_CONTENT),
+                1,
+                Duration::from_secs(60),
+            )
+            .await
+            {
+                Ok(v) => v,
+                Err(e) => {
+                    tracing::warn!(worker = self.id, ?e, "worker: lease failed");
+                    tokio::select! {
+                        _ = tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_secs(5)) => continue,
+                        _ = self.cancel.cancelled() => return,
+                    }
+                }
+            };
+            let Some(lease) = leases.into_iter().next() else {
+                tokio::select! {
+                    _ = tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_secs(1)) => continue,
+                    _ = self.cancel.cancelled() => return,
+                }
+            };
+            self.process_lease(lease).await;
+        }
+    }
+
+    async fn process_lease(&self, lease: Lease) {
+        // Consumer-side dedup safety net: if the chapter already has pages
+        // (because a force-refetch race or a job that was re-enqueued
+        // after a previous one finished), ack done without re-fetching.
+        if let JobPayload::SyncChapterContent { chapter_id, .. } = &lease.payload {
+            let page_count: Option<i32> = sqlx::query_scalar(
+                "SELECT page_count FROM chapters WHERE id = $1",
+            )
+            .bind(chapter_id)
+            .fetch_optional(&self.pool)
+            .await
+            .ok()
+            .flatten();
+            if matches!(page_count, Some(n) if n > 0) {
+                let _ = jobs::ack_done(&self.pool, lease.id).await;
+                return;
+            }
+        }
+
+        let outcome = AssertUnwindSafe(self.dispatcher.dispatch(lease.payload.clone()))
+            .catch_unwind()
+            .await;
+        match outcome {
+            Ok(Ok(SyncOutcome::Fetched { .. } | SyncOutcome::Skipped)) => {
+                let _ = jobs::ack_done(&self.pool, lease.id).await;
+            }
+            Ok(Ok(SyncOutcome::SessionExpired)) => {
+                tracing::error!(
+                    worker = self.id,
+                    lease_id = %lease.id,
+                    "session expired — workers will idle until restart"
+                );
+                self.session_expired.store(true, Ordering::Release);
+                let _ = jobs::release(&self.pool, lease.id).await;
+            }
+            Ok(Err(e)) => {
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    worker = self.id,
+                    lease_id = %lease.id,
+                    error = ?e,
+                    "worker: dispatch error — ack failed"
+                );
+                let _ = jobs::ack_failed(
+                    &self.pool,
+                    lease.id,
+                    &format!("{e:#}"),
+                    lease.attempts,
+                    lease.max_attempts,
+                )
+                .await;
+            }
+            Err(_panic) => {
+                tracing::error!(
+                    worker = self.id,
+                    lease_id = %lease.id,
+                    "worker: dispatcher panicked — ack failed"
+                );
+                let _ = jobs::ack_failed(
+                    &self.pool,
+                    lease.id,
+                    "worker panicked",
+                    lease.attempts,
+                    lease.max_attempts,
+                )
+                .await;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Cron timing primitives
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/// Compute the next UTC instant when `daily_at` (interpreted in `tz`) will
+/// fire, strictly after `now`. Handles DST gaps (spring-forward) by
+/// advancing past the gap; on DST overlap (fall-back) picks the later
+/// instant so the job runs once, not twice.
+pub fn next_fire(now: DateTime<Utc>, daily_at: NaiveTime, tz: Tz) -> DateTime<Utc> {
+    let now_local = now.with_timezone(&tz);
+    // Start with today's slot in the local TZ.
+    let mut candidate = local_at(now_local.date_naive(), daily_at, tz);
+    // If today's slot is in the past (or now), roll forward day-by-day.
+    while candidate <= now {
+        let next_day = candidate
+            .with_timezone(&tz)
+            .date_naive()
+            .succ_opt()
+            .unwrap_or_else(|| {
+                // Defensive: succ_opt only fails at chrono's max date.
+                chrono::NaiveDate::from_ymd_opt(
+                    candidate.year(),
+                    candidate.month(),
+                    candidate.day(),
+                )
+                .expect("valid date")
+            });
+        candidate = local_at(next_day, daily_at, tz);
+    }
+    candidate
+}
+
+/// The most recent fire instant at or before `now`. Used to detect missed
+/// slots after a restart.
+pub fn previous_fire(now: DateTime<Utc>, daily_at: NaiveTime, tz: Tz) -> DateTime<Utc> {
+    let now_local = now.with_timezone(&tz);
+    let today = local_at(now_local.date_naive(), daily_at, tz);
+    if today <= now {
+        return today;
+    }
+    let yesterday = now_local
+        .date_naive()
+        .pred_opt()
+        .expect("a day before now");
+    local_at(yesterday, daily_at, tz)
+}
+
+/// Resolve a local date+time to a UTC instant in `tz`, navigating DST
+/// edges deterministically:
+///   - `LocalResult::Single` → that instant.
+///   - `LocalResult::Ambiguous(_, latest)` → the later instant (fall-back
+///     hour). Picking latest means a daily job fires once across the
+///     repeated hour, not twice.
+///   - `LocalResult::None` → spring-forward gap. Advance the local time
+///     by 1 minute and try again, repeating up to 120 times (so the worst
+///     case is still well inside an hour-long gap).
+fn local_at(date: chrono::NaiveDate, time: NaiveTime, tz: Tz) -> DateTime<Utc> {
+    use chrono::LocalResult;
+    for offset_minutes in 0..120 {
+        let mut t = time;
+        if offset_minutes > 0 {
+            let added = chrono::NaiveTime::from_num_seconds_from_midnight_opt(
+                ((time.num_seconds_from_midnight() as i64 + offset_minutes * 60) % 86_400) as u32,
+                0,
+            )
+            .unwrap_or(time);
+            t = added;
+        }
+        let naive = date.and_time(t);
+        match tz.from_local_datetime(&naive) {
+            LocalResult::Single(dt) => return dt.with_timezone(&Utc),
+            LocalResult::Ambiguous(_, latest) => return latest.with_timezone(&Utc),
+            LocalResult::None => continue,
+        }
+    }
+    // Should be unreachable — DST gaps are always less than an hour.
+    Utc.from_utc_datetime(&date.and_time(time))
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// crawler_state I/O
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+async fn read_last_tick(pool: &PgPool) -> sqlx::Result<Option<DateTime<Utc>>> {
+    let row: Option<serde_json::Value> = sqlx::query_scalar(
+        "SELECT value FROM crawler_state WHERE key = $1",
+    )
+    .bind(STATE_KEY_LAST_TICK)
+    .fetch_optional(pool)
+    .await?;
+    Ok(row.and_then(|v| {
+        v.get("at")
+            .and_then(|s| s.as_str())
+            .and_then(|s| DateTime::parse_from_rfc3339(s).ok())
+            .map(|dt| dt.with_timezone(&Utc))
+    }))
+}
+
+async fn write_last_tick(pool: &PgPool, at: DateTime<Utc>) -> sqlx::Result<()> {
+    sqlx::query(
+        "INSERT INTO crawler_state (key, value, updated_at) \
+         VALUES ($1, $2, now()) \
+         ON CONFLICT (key) DO UPDATE \
+            SET value = EXCLUDED.value, updated_at = now()",
+    )
+    .bind(STATE_KEY_LAST_TICK)
+    .bind(json!({ "at": at.to_rfc3339() }))
+    .execute(pool)
+    .await?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Test helpers (not gated on cfg(test) — integration tests in tests/ dir
+// need them too).
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+pub mod test_support {
+    //! Lightweight stubs the daemon tests use. Public because integration
+    //! tests live outside this module.
+    use super::*;
+    use std::sync::atomic::AtomicUsize;
+
+    pub struct CountingMetadataPass {
+        pub count: AtomicUsize,
+    }
+
+    impl Default for CountingMetadataPass {
+        fn default() -> Self {
+            Self {
+                count: AtomicUsize::new(0),
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[async_trait]
+    impl MetadataPass for CountingMetadataPass {
+        async fn run(&self) -> anyhow::Result<pipeline::MetadataStats> {
+            self.count.fetch_add(1, Ordering::AcqRel);
+            Ok(pipeline::MetadataStats::default())
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub type DispatchFn = Arc<
+        dyn Fn(JobPayload) -> futures_util::future::BoxFuture<'static, anyhow::Result<SyncOutcome>>
+            + Send
+            + Sync,
+    >;
+
+    pub struct StubDispatcher {
+        pub handler: DispatchFn,
+    }
+
+    #[async_trait]
+    impl ChapterDispatcher for StubDispatcher {
+        async fn dispatch(&self, payload: JobPayload) -> anyhow::Result<SyncOutcome> {
+            (self.handler)(payload).await
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn always_done() -> Arc<StubDispatcher> {
+        Arc::new(StubDispatcher {
+            handler: Arc::new(|_| Box::pin(async { Ok(SyncOutcome::Fetched { pages: 1 }) })),
+        })
+    }
+
+    pub fn panicking_dispatcher() -> Arc<StubDispatcher> {
+        Arc::new(StubDispatcher {
+            handler: Arc::new(|_| Box::pin(async { panic!("intentional dispatcher panic") })),
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use chrono::Duration as ChronoDuration;
+
+    fn dt_utc(y: i32, mo: u32, d: u32, h: u32, mi: u32) -> DateTime<Utc> {
+        Utc.with_ymd_and_hms(y, mo, d, h, mi, 0).unwrap()
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn next_fire_in_utc_at_midnight_advances_one_day() {
+        let now = dt_utc(2026, 5, 25, 12, 0); // noon UTC
+        let at = NaiveTime::from_hms_opt(0, 0, 0).unwrap();
+        let next = next_fire(now, at, Tz::UTC);
+        // Next midnight is May 26 00:00 UTC.
+        assert_eq!(next, dt_utc(2026, 5, 26, 0, 0));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn next_fire_before_today_slot_returns_today() {
+        let now = dt_utc(2026, 5, 25, 23, 0); // 23:00 UTC
+        let at = NaiveTime::from_hms_opt(23, 30, 0).unwrap();
+        let next = next_fire(now, at, Tz::UTC);
+        assert_eq!(next, dt_utc(2026, 5, 25, 23, 30));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn next_fire_skips_spring_forward_gap_in_europe_berlin() {
+        // 2024-03-31: clocks jump 02:00 -> 03:00 in Berlin (CET -> CEST).
+        // Asking for daily_at = 02:30 on the morning of the jump should
+        // land on the *next valid* local instant past the gap. We test
+        // by computing `next_fire` at 2024-03-31 00:30 UTC (= 01:30 CET,
+        // i.e. just before the gap). The next 02:30 local does not exist,
+        // so the helper advances past it.
+        let now = dt_utc(2024, 3, 31, 0, 30); // 01:30 local Berlin (CET = UTC+1)
+        let at = NaiveTime::from_hms_opt(2, 30, 0).unwrap();
+        let next = next_fire(now, at, Tz::Europe__Berlin);
+        // Local Berlin time skips from 02:00 -> 03:00. After the +1 minute
+        // search, the first valid slot is 03:00 local on 2024-03-31, which
+        // is 01:00 UTC (CEST = UTC+2).
+        // We assert the result is strictly between (now) and 1h later
+        // and is in UTC — the exact minute depends on how many +1m steps
+        // were required.
+        assert!(next > now);
+        assert!(next < now + ChronoDuration::hours(2));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn next_fire_on_fall_back_picks_later_instant() {
+        // 2024-10-27: clocks jump 03:00 -> 02:00 (CEST -> CET) in Berlin.
+        // 02:30 happens twice on that day. We pick the later one.
+        let now = dt_utc(2024, 10, 26, 12, 0); // day before, noon UTC
+        let at = NaiveTime::from_hms_opt(2, 30, 0).unwrap();
+        let next = next_fire(now, at, Tz::Europe__Berlin);
+        // First 02:30 local is 00:30 UTC (CEST = UTC+2).
+        // Second 02:30 local is 01:30 UTC (CET = UTC+1).
+        // We expect the later instant: 01:30 UTC on 2024-10-27.
+        assert_eq!(next, dt_utc(2024, 10, 27, 1, 30));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn previous_fire_returns_today_when_now_is_after_slot() {
+        let now = dt_utc(2026, 5, 25, 12, 0); // noon UTC
+        let at = NaiveTime::from_hms_opt(0, 0, 0).unwrap();
+        let prev = previous_fire(now, at, Tz::UTC);
+        assert_eq!(prev, dt_utc(2026, 5, 25, 0, 0));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn previous_fire_returns_yesterday_when_now_is_before_today_slot() {
+        let now = dt_utc(2026, 5, 25, 8, 0); // 08:00 UTC
+        let at = NaiveTime::from_hms_opt(23, 30, 0).unwrap();
+        let prev = previous_fire(now, at, Tz::UTC);
+        assert_eq!(prev, dt_utc(2026, 5, 24, 23, 30));
+    }
+}
--- a/backend/src/crawler/detect.rs
+++ b/backend/src/crawler/detect.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,250 @@
+//! Transient-page detection.
+//!
+//! The target site occasionally responds with a 403 + tiny "we're sorry,
+//! the request file are not found" body on pages that actually exist.
+//! Selectors on that body match nothing, which is indistinguishable from
+//! a genuinely empty page unless we look for the broken-page markers
+//! explicitly. The same shape covers full-site outages: 5xx pages,
+//! Cloudflare interstitials, and "site is down" placeholders all share
+//! the trait that the normal layout (`#logo` in the header) is absent.
+//!
+//! Helpers here are split into two signals so callers can compose them:
+//! - [`is_broken_page_body`]: pattern-match on the known broken-page
+//!   string. Works for *any* page on the site, including the reader,
+//!   which doesn't render `#logo`.
+//! - [`has_logo_sentinel`]: assert `#logo` is in the parsed DOM. Site-
+//!   structural marker — present on the manga list, manga detail,
+//!   chapter-list, and login probe pages. **Not** present on the reader,
+//!   so callers in the reader path must rely on the body signature only.
+//!
+//! [`PageError::Transient`] is the typed signal returned by parser and
+//! navigate wrappers. Job handlers map it to "reschedule with backoff"
+//! rather than the per-page silent skip the parsers used to do.
+
+use std::future::Future;
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+use thiserror::Error;
+
+/// Universal substring of the broken-page body. The site renders the
+/// exact string verbatim in a single `<p>`, so a case-insensitive
+/// substring match is enough — we deliberately do *not* anchor to the
+/// kaomoji because that part is more likely to change than the prose.
+const BROKEN_PAGE_MARKER: &str = "we're sorry, the request file are not found";
+
+/// Outcome of a page fetch or parse when the caller wants to
+/// distinguish "site/page is transiently broken — retry later" from
+/// other errors. `Transient` is the only retry-friendly variant; every
+/// other failure mode stays as `anyhow::Error` and is treated as today.
+#[derive(Debug, Error)]
+pub enum PageError {
+    /// Page came back but the site signaled trouble — broken-page body
+    /// signature, structural sentinel missing, etc. Caller should
+    /// reschedule this fetch rather than treat it as data.
+    #[error("transient page error: {reason}")]
+    Transient { reason: String },
+    #[error(transparent)]
+    Other(#[from] anyhow::Error),
+}
+
+impl PageError {
+    pub fn transient(reason: impl Into<String>) -> Self {
+        Self::Transient { reason: reason.into() }
+    }
+
+    pub fn is_transient(&self) -> bool {
+        matches!(self, Self::Transient { .. })
+    }
+}
+
+/// Returns true when the response body matches the known broken-page
+/// template. Case-insensitive substring match — small bodies (~150B)
+/// make the scan trivially fast, and the broken page is always tiny so
+/// false positives on a real catalog page are not a concern.
+pub fn is_broken_page_body(html: &str) -> bool {
+    html.to_ascii_lowercase().contains(BROKEN_PAGE_MARKER)
+}
+
+/// Returns true when the parsed document contains `#logo` — the site's
+/// header logo element, present on every full-layout page and absent on
+/// the broken-page response and on the reader.
+pub fn has_logo_sentinel(doc: &scraper::Html) -> bool {
+    let sel = scraper::Selector::parse("#logo").expect("#logo is a valid selector");
+    doc.select(&sel).next().is_some()
+}
+
+/// Retry `op` up to `max_attempts` times whenever it returns
+/// [`PageError::Transient`], sleeping `delay` between attempts.
+/// Non-transient errors short-circuit immediately. Used by discover-loop
+/// callers so a single broken page doesn't drop the whole walk — the
+/// caller can fall back on the job system's retry/backoff once the
+/// inline budget is exhausted.
+pub async fn retry_on_transient<F, Fut, T>(
+    mut op: F,
+    max_attempts: u32,
+    delay: Duration,
+) -> Result<T, PageError>
+where
+    F: FnMut() -> Fut,
+    Fut: Future<Output = Result<T, PageError>>,
+{
+    debug_assert!(max_attempts >= 1, "max_attempts must be at least 1");
+    let mut attempt = 0u32;
+    loop {
+        attempt += 1;
+        match op().await {
+            Ok(v) => return Ok(v),
+            Err(e) if !e.is_transient() => return Err(e),
+            Err(e) if attempt >= max_attempts => return Err(e),
+            Err(e) => {
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    attempt,
+                    max_attempts,
+                    error = %e,
+                    "transient error; sleeping before retry"
+                );
+                tokio::time::sleep(delay).await;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn broken_page_body_matches_exact_template() {
+        let html = "<html><head></head><body>\
+                    <p>we're sorry, the request file are not found.   Σ(っ°Д °;)っ</p>\
+                    </body></html>";
+        assert!(is_broken_page_body(html));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn broken_page_body_is_case_insensitive() {
+        let html = "<p>WE'RE SORRY, THE REQUEST FILE ARE NOT FOUND.</p>";
+        assert!(is_broken_page_body(html));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn broken_page_body_does_not_match_normal_listing() {
+        let html = "<html><body><div id='logo'></div>\
+                    <ul><li>Manga A</li><li>Manga B</li></ul></body></html>";
+        assert!(!is_broken_page_body(html));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn broken_page_body_does_not_match_empty_string() {
+        assert!(!is_broken_page_body(""));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn logo_sentinel_present_on_normal_page() {
+        let doc = scraper::Html::parse_document(
+            "<html><body><div id='logo'>Site</div><main>...</main></body></html>",
+        );
+        assert!(has_logo_sentinel(&doc));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn logo_sentinel_absent_on_broken_page() {
+        let doc = scraper::Html::parse_document(
+            "<html><head></head><body>\
+             <p>we're sorry, the request file are not found.</p></body></html>",
+        );
+        assert!(!has_logo_sentinel(&doc));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn logo_sentinel_absent_on_empty_document() {
+        let doc = scraper::Html::parse_document("");
+        assert!(!has_logo_sentinel(&doc));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn page_error_transient_constructor_sets_reason() {
+        let e = PageError::transient("logo missing");
+        assert!(e.is_transient());
+        assert_eq!(e.to_string(), "transient page error: logo missing");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn page_error_other_is_not_transient() {
+        let e: PageError = anyhow::anyhow!("something else").into();
+        assert!(!e.is_transient());
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn retry_returns_ok_after_a_transient_streak() {
+        let mut attempt = 0u32;
+        let result: Result<i32, PageError> = retry_on_transient(
+            || {
+                attempt += 1;
+                let n = attempt;
+                async move {
+                    if n < 3 {
+                        Err(PageError::transient("not yet"))
+                    } else {
+                        Ok(42)
+                    }
+                }
+            },
+            5,
+            Duration::from_millis(0),
+        )
+        .await;
+        assert_eq!(result.unwrap(), 42);
+        assert_eq!(attempt, 3);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn retry_gives_up_after_max_attempts_on_persistent_transient() {
+        let mut attempt = 0u32;
+        let result: Result<i32, PageError> = retry_on_transient(
+            || {
+                attempt += 1;
+                async { Err(PageError::transient("always")) }
+            },
+            3,
+            Duration::from_millis(0),
+        )
+        .await;
+        let err = result.expect_err("expected Transient");
+        assert!(err.is_transient());
+        assert_eq!(attempt, 3, "retried max_attempts times, no more");
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn retry_does_not_retry_non_transient_errors() {
+        let mut attempt = 0u32;
+        let result: Result<i32, PageError> = retry_on_transient(
+            || {
+                attempt += 1;
+                async { Err(PageError::Other(anyhow::anyhow!("permanent"))) }
+            },
+            5,
+            Duration::from_millis(0),
+        )
+        .await;
+        assert!(result.is_err());
+        assert!(!result.unwrap_err().is_transient());
+        assert_eq!(attempt, 1, "non-transient must fail immediately");
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn retry_returns_ok_on_first_attempt_without_sleeping() {
+        let mut attempt = 0u32;
+        let result: Result<i32, PageError> = retry_on_transient(
+            || {
+                attempt += 1;
+                async { Ok(7) }
+            },
+            5,
+            Duration::from_secs(60),
+        )
+        .await;
+        assert_eq!(result.unwrap(), 7);
+        assert_eq!(attempt, 1);
+    }
+}
--- a/backend/src/crawler/jobs.rs
+++ b/backend/src/crawler/jobs.rs
@@ -5,11 +5,11 @@
 //! `leased_until`, and ack by transitioning to `done` (or backoff /
 //! `dead`). Handlers are idempotent so a crash mid-run is recoverable
 //! by replay.
-//!
-//! Scaffold only — the actual queue wrapper and handler dispatch land
-//! once we have the first `Source` impl exercising the pipeline.
+
+use std::time::Duration;

 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use sqlx::PgPool;
 use uuid::Uuid;

 use super::source::DiscoverMode;
@@ -53,3 +53,217 @@ pub enum JobState {
    Failed,
    Dead,
 }
+
+/// Kind discriminator stored in `payload->>'kind'`. Public so callers
+/// (daemon worker, bookmark hook) can filter `lease()` to a single kind
+/// without re-spelling the literal.
+pub const KIND_SYNC_CHAPTER_CONTENT: &str = "sync_chapter_content";
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub enum EnqueueResult {
+    Inserted(Uuid),
+    Skipped,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct Lease {
+    pub id: Uuid,
+    pub payload: JobPayload,
+    pub attempts: i32,
+    pub max_attempts: i32,
+}
+
+/// Exponential backoff for `ack_failed` retries. `attempts` is the
+/// post-increment value reported by `lease()` (so the first failure has
+/// `attempts == 1` and waits 60s, the second 120s, etc.). Capped at 1h to
+/// avoid runaway long sleeps that would outlive the daemon process.
+fn backoff_for(attempts: i32) -> Duration {
+    let shift = attempts.saturating_sub(1).clamp(0, 20) as u32;
+    let secs = 60u64.saturating_mul(1u64 << shift);
+    Duration::from_secs(secs.min(3600))
+}
+
+/// Insert a new pending job. For `SyncChapterContent` payloads the
+/// partial unique index `crawler_jobs_chapter_content_dedup_idx` blocks
+/// a second `(pending|running)` insert per chapter_id, returning
+/// `Skipped`. The slot frees again once the previous job leaves the
+/// in-flight states (done/failed/dead), so a re-enqueue after a force
+/// refetch succeeds.
+pub async fn enqueue(pool: &PgPool, payload: &JobPayload) -> sqlx::Result<EnqueueResult> {
+    let json = serde_json::to_value(payload).expect("JobPayload is always serializable");
+    let id: Option<Uuid> = sqlx::query_scalar(
+        "INSERT INTO crawler_jobs (payload) VALUES ($1) \
+         ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING RETURNING id",
+    )
+    .bind(json)
+    .fetch_optional(pool)
+    .await?;
+    Ok(match id {
+        Some(id) => EnqueueResult::Inserted(id),
+        None => EnqueueResult::Skipped,
+    })
+}
+
+/// Lease up to `max` rows whose `state` is `pending`, or `running` with
+/// an expired `leased_until` (the crashed-worker recovery path). The
+/// inner CTE uses `FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED` so concurrent leasers don't
+/// block each other and each row is handed to exactly one worker.
+///
+/// `kind_filter` matches against `payload->>'kind'`; `None` means
+/// any kind.
+pub async fn lease(
+    pool: &PgPool,
+    kind_filter: Option<&str>,
+    max: i64,
+    lease_duration: Duration,
+) -> sqlx::Result<Vec<Lease>> {
+    let lease_ms: i64 = lease_duration.as_millis().min(i64::MAX as u128) as i64;
+    let rows: Vec<(Uuid, serde_json::Value, i32, i32)> = sqlx::query_as(
+        r#"
+        WITH leased AS (
+            SELECT id FROM crawler_jobs
+             WHERE (state = 'pending' OR (state = 'running' AND leased_until < now()))
+               AND scheduled_at <= now()
+               AND ($1::text IS NULL OR payload->>'kind' = $1)
+             ORDER BY scheduled_at
+             LIMIT $2
+             FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED
+        )
+        UPDATE crawler_jobs j
+           SET state = 'running',
+               attempts = j.attempts + 1,
+               leased_until = now() + ($3::bigint || ' milliseconds')::interval,
+               updated_at = now()
+          FROM leased l
+         WHERE j.id = l.id
+        RETURNING j.id, j.payload, j.attempts, j.max_attempts
+        "#,
+    )
+    .bind(kind_filter)
+    .bind(max)
+    .bind(lease_ms)
+    .fetch_all(pool)
+    .await?;
+
+    let mut leases = Vec::with_capacity(rows.len());
+    for (id, payload_json, attempts, max_attempts) in rows {
+        let payload: JobPayload = serde_json::from_value(payload_json).map_err(|e| {
+            sqlx::Error::Decode(format!("invalid JobPayload JSON for job {id}: {e}").into())
+        })?;
+        leases.push(Lease {
+            id,
+            payload,
+            attempts,
+            max_attempts,
+        });
+    }
+    Ok(leases)
+}
+
+/// Mark a leased job as successfully completed.
+pub async fn ack_done(pool: &PgPool, lease_id: Uuid) -> sqlx::Result<()> {
+    sqlx::query(
+        "UPDATE crawler_jobs \
+            SET state = 'done', leased_until = NULL, updated_at = now() \
+          WHERE id = $1",
+    )
+    .bind(lease_id)
+    .execute(pool)
+    .await?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Mark a leased job as failed. If the current attempt count has reached
+/// `max_attempts` the job is terminally dead and stops retrying;
+/// otherwise it goes back to `pending` with `scheduled_at` pushed into
+/// the future by the exponential backoff.
+pub async fn ack_failed(
+    pool: &PgPool,
+    lease_id: Uuid,
+    error: &str,
+    attempts: i32,
+    max_attempts: i32,
+) -> sqlx::Result<()> {
+    if attempts >= max_attempts {
+        sqlx::query(
+            "UPDATE crawler_jobs \
+                SET state = 'dead', last_error = $2, leased_until = NULL, updated_at = now() \
+              WHERE id = $1",
+        )
+        .bind(lease_id)
+        .bind(error)
+        .execute(pool)
+        .await?;
+    } else {
+        let backoff_ms: i64 = backoff_for(attempts).as_millis().min(i64::MAX as u128) as i64;
+        sqlx::query(
+            "UPDATE crawler_jobs \
+                SET state = 'pending', last_error = $2, leased_until = NULL, \
+                    scheduled_at = now() + ($3::bigint || ' milliseconds')::interval, \
+                    updated_at = now() \
+              WHERE id = $1",
+        )
+        .bind(lease_id)
+        .bind(error)
+        .bind(backoff_ms)
+        .execute(pool)
+        .await?;
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Return a leased job to `pending` without burning a retry attempt.
+/// Used on graceful shutdown and on session-expired aborts where the
+/// failure isn't the job's fault.
+pub async fn release(pool: &PgPool, lease_id: Uuid) -> sqlx::Result<()> {
+    sqlx::query(
+        "UPDATE crawler_jobs \
+            SET state = 'pending', leased_until = NULL, \
+                attempts = GREATEST(0, attempts - 1), updated_at = now() \
+          WHERE id = $1",
+    )
+    .bind(lease_id)
+    .execute(pool)
+    .await?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Delete `done` jobs whose `updated_at` is older than `retention_days`
+/// days. `0` disables the reaper without touching the table. Returns the
+/// number of rows removed.
+pub async fn reap_done(pool: &PgPool, retention_days: u32) -> sqlx::Result<u64> {
+    if retention_days == 0 {
+        return Ok(0);
+    }
+    let result = sqlx::query(
+        "DELETE FROM crawler_jobs \
+          WHERE state = 'done' \
+            AND updated_at < now() - ($1::bigint || ' days')::interval",
+    )
+    .bind(retention_days as i64)
+    .execute(pool)
+    .await?;
+    Ok(result.rows_affected())
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn backoff_grows_exponentially_and_caps_at_one_hour() {
+        // attempts == 1 → 60s, doubling each step.
+        assert_eq!(backoff_for(1), Duration::from_secs(60));
+        assert_eq!(backoff_for(2), Duration::from_secs(120));
+        assert_eq!(backoff_for(3), Duration::from_secs(240));
+        assert_eq!(backoff_for(4), Duration::from_secs(480));
+        assert_eq!(backoff_for(5), Duration::from_secs(960));
+        assert_eq!(backoff_for(6), Duration::from_secs(1920));
+        // 7th: 60 * 64 = 3840 → capped to 3600.
+        assert_eq!(backoff_for(7), Duration::from_secs(3600));
+        assert_eq!(backoff_for(20), Duration::from_secs(3600));
+        // Garbage / zero / negatives stay sane.
+        assert_eq!(backoff_for(0), Duration::from_secs(60));
+        assert_eq!(backoff_for(-5), Duration::from_secs(60));
+    }
+}
--- a/backend/src/crawler/mod.rs
+++ b/backend/src/crawler/mod.rs
@@ -14,7 +14,13 @@
 //! - [`diff`]: change detection — new / updated / dropped semantics.

 pub mod browser;
+pub mod browser_manager;
+pub mod content;
+pub mod daemon;
+pub mod detect;
 pub mod diff;
 pub mod jobs;
+pub mod pipeline;
 pub mod rate_limit;
+pub mod session;
 pub mod source;
--- a/backend/src/crawler/pipeline.rs
+++ b/backend/src/crawler/pipeline.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,467 @@
+//! Crawler pipeline — the reusable metadata pass and the enqueue helpers
+//! that fan out chapter-content work. Shared between the daemon (cron tick)
+//! and the CLI (`bin/crawler.rs`) so behavior stays in lockstep.
+
+use anyhow::Context;
+use sqlx::PgPool;
+use uuid::Uuid;
+
+use crate::crawler::browser_manager::BrowserManager;
+use crate::crawler::jobs::{self, EnqueueResult, JobPayload};
+use crate::crawler::rate_limit::HostRateLimiters;
+use crate::crawler::source::target::TargetSource;
+use crate::crawler::source::{DiscoverMode, FetchContext, Source};
+use crate::repo;
+use crate::storage::Storage;
+
+/// Coarse counters surfaced for logging at the end of a metadata pass.
+#[derive(Debug, Default, Clone, Copy)]
+pub struct MetadataStats {
+    pub discovered: usize,
+    pub upserted: usize,
+    pub covers_fetched: usize,
+    pub mangas_failed: usize,
+}
+
+/// Decide whether the per-ref loop should stop based on the Incremental
+/// streak counter. Pulled out as a pure function so the rule is unit-
+/// testable without standing up the walker or DB.
+pub(crate) fn should_stop(mode: DiscoverMode, consecutive_unchanged: usize) -> bool {
+    match mode {
+        DiscoverMode::Backfill => false,
+        DiscoverMode::Incremental { stop_after_unchanged } => {
+            consecutive_unchanged >= stop_after_unchanged
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Runs the discover → fetch → upsert → cover → chapter-list-diff pipeline
+/// for the target source. Pure metadata; chapter content is enqueued as
+/// separate `SyncChapterContent` jobs by the caller after this returns.
+///
+/// `limit == 0` means no cap (full sweep up to the source's own bound).
+/// `skip_chapters == true` is the "metadata-only" mode (parser doesn't
+/// extract chapters, and `sync_manga_chapters` is skipped — otherwise an
+/// empty chapter list would soft-drop existing rows).
+///
+/// `mode` controls the walk:
+/// - `Backfill` — oldest-first, no early exit. The only mode that runs
+///   the end-of-walk drop pass + writes `seed_completed_at`.
+/// - `Incremental { stop_after_unchanged }` — newest-first, breaks out
+///   after N consecutive Unchanged upserts. Drop pass is skipped (the
+///   tail of the index is never visited, so its `last_seen_at` is
+///   stale and using it to soft-drop would be unsafe).
+#[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
+pub async fn run_metadata_pass(
+    browser_manager: &BrowserManager,
+    db: &PgPool,
+    storage: &dyn Storage,
+    http: &reqwest::Client,
+    rate: &HostRateLimiters,
+    start_url: &str,
+    limit: usize,
+    skip_chapters: bool,
+    mode: DiscoverMode,
+) -> anyhow::Result<MetadataStats> {
+    let lease = browser_manager
+        .acquire()
+        .await
+        .context("acquire browser lease for metadata pass")?;
+    let browser_ref: &chromiumoxide::Browser = &lease;
+
+    let source = {
+        let s = TargetSource::new(start_url.to_string());
+        if skip_chapters {
+            s.without_chapter_parsing()
+        } else {
+            s
+        }
+    };
+    let ctx = FetchContext {
+        browser: browser_ref,
+        rate,
+    };
+
+    let source_id = source.id();
+    repo::crawler::ensure_source(
+        db,
+        source_id,
+        "Target Site",
+        &origin_of(start_url).unwrap_or_else(|| start_url.to_string()),
+    )
+    .await
+    .context("ensure_source")?;
+
+    let run_started_at = chrono::Utc::now();
+    let max_refs = (limit > 0).then_some(limit);
+
+    tracing::info!(?mode, ?max_refs, "starting metadata pass");
+    let mut walker = source
+        .discover(&ctx, mode)
+        .await
+        .context("discover failed")?;
+
+    let mut stats = MetadataStats::default();
+    let mut consecutive_unchanged: usize = 0;
+    let mut walked_to_completion = false;
+    let mut hit_limit = false;
+    let mut hit_incremental_stop = false;
+
+    'outer: loop {
+        let batch = match walker.next_batch(&ctx).await? {
+            Some(b) => b,
+            None => {
+                walked_to_completion = true;
+                break;
+            }
+        };
+        for r in batch {
+            if max_refs.map(|m| stats.discovered >= m).unwrap_or(false) {
+                hit_limit = true;
+                tracing::info!(cap = ?max_refs, "max_results reached; halting walk");
+                break 'outer;
+            }
+            stats.discovered += 1;
+            tracing::info!(
+                idx = stats.discovered,
+                key = %r.source_manga_key,
+                "fetching metadata"
+            );
+            let manga = match source.fetch_manga(&ctx, &r).await {
+                Ok(m) => m,
+                Err(e) => {
+                    tracing::warn!(
+                        key = %r.source_manga_key,
+                        url = %r.url,
+                        error = ?e,
+                        "fetch_manga failed"
+                    );
+                    stats.mangas_failed += 1;
+                    continue;
+                }
+            };
+
+            let upsert = match repo::crawler::upsert_manga_from_source(
+                db, source_id, &r.url, &manga,
+            )
+            .await
+            {
+                Ok(u) => u,
+                Err(e) => {
+                    tracing::error!(
+                        key = %r.source_manga_key,
+                        error = ?e,
+                        "upsert_manga_from_source failed"
+                    );
+                    stats.mangas_failed += 1;
+                    continue;
+                }
+            };
+            stats.upserted += 1;
+            tracing::info!(
+                key = %manga.source_manga_key,
+                manga_id = %upsert.manga_id,
+                status = ?upsert.status,
+                title = %manga.title,
+                "manga upserted"
+            );
+
+            // Cover image: download when missing in storage or when metadata
+            // signaled an update (cover URL is part of metadata_hash, so
+            // Updated implies the URL may have moved). Failures are non-fatal.
+            let needs_cover = upsert.cover_image_path.is_none()
+                || matches!(upsert.status, repo::crawler::UpsertStatus::Updated);
+            if needs_cover {
+                if let Some(cover_url) = manga.cover_url.as_deref() {
+                    match download_and_store_cover(
+                        db,
+                        storage,
+                        http,
+                        rate,
+                        &r.url,
+                        upsert.manga_id,
+                        cover_url,
+                    )
+                    .await
+                    {
+                        Ok(()) => stats.covers_fetched += 1,
+                        Err(e) => tracing::warn!(
+                            manga_id = %upsert.manga_id,
+                            error = ?e,
+                            "cover download failed"
+                        ),
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            if !skip_chapters {
+                match repo::crawler::sync_manga_chapters(
+                    db,
+                    source_id,
+                    upsert.manga_id,
+                    &manga.chapters,
+                )
+                .await
+                {
+                    Ok(diff) => tracing::info!(
+                        manga_id = %upsert.manga_id,
+                        new = diff.new,
+                        refreshed = diff.refreshed,
+                        dropped = diff.dropped,
+                        "chapters synced"
+                    ),
+                    Err(e) => tracing::warn!(
+                        manga_id = %upsert.manga_id,
+                        error = ?e,
+                        "chapter sync failed"
+                    ),
+                }
+            }
+
+            // Incremental stop: count consecutive Unchanged upserts and
+            // bail once the threshold is reached. New/Updated resets the
+            // streak so a fresh entry mid-batch doesn't accidentally trip
+            // the cutoff.
+            match upsert.status {
+                repo::crawler::UpsertStatus::Unchanged => {
+                    consecutive_unchanged += 1;
+                }
+                repo::crawler::UpsertStatus::New | repo::crawler::UpsertStatus::Updated => {
+                    consecutive_unchanged = 0;
+                }
+            }
+            if should_stop(mode, consecutive_unchanged) {
+                hit_incremental_stop = true;
+                tracing::info!(
+                    consecutive_unchanged,
+                    "incremental stop threshold reached; halting walk"
+                );
+                break 'outer;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Drop pass: only when the walk truly covered everything the source
+    // surfaces. `last_seen_at` on un-visited rows is stale, so running
+    // the drop on a partial walk would soft-drop the tail of the index.
+    let full_walk = walked_to_completion && !hit_limit && !hit_incremental_stop;
+    let backfill_complete = full_walk && matches!(mode, DiscoverMode::Backfill);
+    if full_walk {
+        match repo::crawler::mark_dropped_mangas(db, source_id, run_started_at).await {
+            Ok(n) => tracing::info!(dropped = n, "marked unseen manga as dropped"),
+            Err(e) => tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "drop-pass failed"),
+        }
+    } else {
+        tracing::info!(
+            ?mode,
+            hit_limit,
+            hit_incremental_stop,
+            "partial sync — skipping drop pass"
+        );
+    }
+    if backfill_complete {
+        if let Err(e) = repo::crawler::mark_seed_completed(db, source_id, run_started_at).await {
+            tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "mark_seed_completed failed");
+        } else {
+            tracing::info!(source_id, "seed marked complete");
+        }
+    }
+
+    tracing::info!(
+        ?mode,
+        discovered = stats.discovered,
+        upserted = stats.upserted,
+        covers_fetched = stats.covers_fetched,
+        mangas_failed = stats.mangas_failed,
+        walked_to_completion,
+        hit_limit,
+        hit_incremental_stop,
+        "metadata pass complete"
+    );
+
+    drop(lease);
+    Ok(stats)
+}
+
+/// Enqueue a `SyncChapterContent` job for every chapter of *any* bookmarked
+/// manga that still has `page_count = 0` and a non-dropped source row.
+/// Returns `(inserted, skipped)` counts. Dedup index handles repeats.
+pub async fn enqueue_bookmarked_pending(pool: &PgPool) -> anyhow::Result<EnqueueSummary> {
+    let rows: Vec<(String, Uuid, String)> = sqlx::query_as(
+        r#"
+        SELECT cs.source_id, c.id AS chapter_id, cs.source_chapter_key
+          FROM chapters c
+          JOIN bookmarks b ON b.manga_id = c.manga_id
+          JOIN chapter_sources cs ON cs.chapter_id = c.id
+         WHERE c.page_count = 0
+           AND cs.dropped_at IS NULL
+         GROUP BY cs.source_id, c.id, cs.source_chapter_key, c.manga_id, c.created_at
+         ORDER BY c.manga_id, c.created_at ASC
+        "#,
+    )
+    .fetch_all(pool)
+    .await
+    .context("query bookmarked-pending chapters")?;
+
+    let mut summary = EnqueueSummary::default();
+    for (source_id, chapter_id, source_chapter_key) in rows {
+        let payload = JobPayload::SyncChapterContent {
+            source_id,
+            chapter_id,
+            source_chapter_key,
+        };
+        match jobs::enqueue(pool, &payload).await {
+            Ok(EnqueueResult::Inserted(_)) => summary.inserted += 1,
+            Ok(EnqueueResult::Skipped) => summary.skipped += 1,
+            Err(e) => {
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    %chapter_id,
+                    error = ?e,
+                    "enqueue chapter content failed"
+                );
+                summary.failed += 1;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(summary)
+}
+
+/// Enqueue chapter-content jobs for a *single* manga (the bookmark-create
+/// hook). Same dedup semantics as [`enqueue_bookmarked_pending`].
+pub async fn enqueue_pending_for_manga(
+    pool: &PgPool,
+    manga_id: Uuid,
+) -> anyhow::Result<EnqueueSummary> {
+    let rows: Vec<(String, Uuid, String)> = sqlx::query_as(
+        r#"
+        SELECT DISTINCT cs.source_id, c.id AS chapter_id, cs.source_chapter_key
+          FROM chapters c
+          JOIN chapter_sources cs ON cs.chapter_id = c.id
+         WHERE c.manga_id = $1
+           AND c.page_count = 0
+           AND cs.dropped_at IS NULL
+         ORDER BY cs.source_id, c.id
+        "#,
+    )
+    .bind(manga_id)
+    .fetch_all(pool)
+    .await
+    .context("query pending chapters for manga")?;
+
+    let mut summary = EnqueueSummary::default();
+    for (source_id, chapter_id, source_chapter_key) in rows {
+        let payload = JobPayload::SyncChapterContent {
+            source_id,
+            chapter_id,
+            source_chapter_key,
+        };
+        match jobs::enqueue(pool, &payload).await {
+            Ok(EnqueueResult::Inserted(_)) => summary.inserted += 1,
+            Ok(EnqueueResult::Skipped) => summary.skipped += 1,
+            Err(e) => {
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    %chapter_id,
+                    error = ?e,
+                    "enqueue chapter content failed"
+                );
+                summary.failed += 1;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(summary)
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Default, Clone, Copy)]
+pub struct EnqueueSummary {
+    pub inserted: usize,
+    pub skipped: usize,
+    pub failed: usize,
+}
+
+/// Download a cover image and persist its storage path. Local to the
+/// pipeline because the CLI still calls it from its inline chapter-content
+/// loop; once the worker pool fully replaces that path we can fold this
+/// into `pipeline` proper.
+async fn download_and_store_cover(
+    db: &PgPool,
+    storage: &dyn Storage,
+    http: &reqwest::Client,
+    rate: &HostRateLimiters,
+    manga_url: &str,
+    manga_id: Uuid,
+    cover_url: &str,
+) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    let absolute = reqwest::Url::parse(manga_url)
+        .context("parse manga URL")?
+        .join(cover_url)
+        .context("join cover URL onto manga URL")?;
+
+    rate.wait_for(absolute.as_str()).await?;
+    let resp = http
+        .get(absolute.clone())
+        .header(reqwest::header::REFERER, manga_url)
+        .send()
+        .await
+        .with_context(|| format!("GET {absolute}"))?
+        .error_for_status()
+        .with_context(|| format!("non-2xx for {absolute}"))?;
+    let bytes = resp.bytes().await.context("read cover body")?;
+    let kind = infer::get(&bytes);
+    let ext = kind.map(|k| k.extension()).unwrap_or("bin");
+    let key = format!("mangas/{manga_id}/cover.{ext}");
+
+    storage
+        .put(&key, &bytes)
+        .await
+        .with_context(|| format!("store cover at {key}"))?;
+    repo::manga::set_cover_image_path(db, manga_id, &key)
+        .await
+        .with_context(|| format!("update cover_image_path for {manga_id}"))?;
+    tracing::info!(
+        manga_id = %manga_id,
+        key = %key,
+        bytes = bytes.len(),
+        %absolute,
+        "cover stored"
+    );
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+fn origin_of(url: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    let (scheme, rest) = url.split_once("://")?;
+    let host = rest.split('/').next()?;
+    Some(format!("{scheme}://{host}"))
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn backfill_never_stops_regardless_of_streak() {
+        assert!(!should_stop(DiscoverMode::Backfill, 0));
+        assert!(!should_stop(DiscoverMode::Backfill, 100));
+        assert!(!should_stop(DiscoverMode::Backfill, usize::MAX));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn incremental_stops_when_streak_meets_threshold() {
+        let mode = DiscoverMode::Incremental {
+            stop_after_unchanged: 3,
+        };
+        assert!(!should_stop(mode, 0));
+        assert!(!should_stop(mode, 2));
+        assert!(should_stop(mode, 3), "stops at exactly the threshold");
+        assert!(should_stop(mode, 100), "stops at anything past threshold");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn incremental_with_zero_threshold_stops_immediately() {
+        // A nonsensical config (no Unchanged needed to stop) shouldn't
+        // panic — it just means the very first ref triggers the bail.
+        let mode = DiscoverMode::Incremental {
+            stop_after_unchanged: 0,
+        };
+        assert!(should_stop(mode, 0));
+    }
+}
--- a/backend/src/crawler/rate_limit.rs
+++ b/backend/src/crawler/rate_limit.rs
@@ -1,11 +1,22 @@
 //! Per-host request pacing.
 //!
-//! Single-token bucket: each `wait().await` either returns immediately
-//! (if at least `interval` has elapsed since the last call) or sleeps
-//! just enough to satisfy it. Uses `tokio::time::Instant` so tests can
-//! run under `start_paused` virtual time without sleeping for real.
+//! `RateLimiter` is a single-token bucket: each `wait().await` returns
+//! immediately when at least `interval` has elapsed since the last call,
+//! otherwise sleeps just enough to satisfy it. Uses
+//! `tokio::time::Instant` so tests can run under `start_paused` virtual
+//! time without sleeping for real.
+//!
+//! `HostRateLimiters` is the multi-host wrapper actually used by the
+//! crawler — concurrent workers issuing requests to different origins
+//! (catalog vs. CDN) don't contend on a shared budget; each host gets
+//! its own bucket. `wait_for(url)` extracts the host, lazily creates a
+//! limiter for it, and serializes only against other callers hitting
+//! the same host.

+use std::collections::HashMap;
+use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::time::Duration;
+use tokio::sync::Mutex;
 use tokio::time::Instant;

 #[derive(Debug)]
@@ -33,6 +44,70 @@ impl RateLimiter {
    }
 }

+/// Per-host rate limiter map. The outer `Mutex<HashMap>` is held only
+/// during the entry-or-insert + Arc clone; the per-host `Mutex<RateLimiter>`
+/// is held during the actual `wait().await`. So N workers calling
+/// `wait_for(url)` on N different hosts contend nowhere except the brief
+/// HashMap lookup; workers hitting the same host serialize on that
+/// host's bucket.
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct HostRateLimiters {
+    default_interval: Duration,
+    overrides: HashMap<String, Duration>,
+    map: Mutex<HashMap<String, Arc<Mutex<RateLimiter>>>>,
+}
+
+impl HostRateLimiters {
+    pub fn new(default_interval: Duration) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            default_interval,
+            overrides: HashMap::new(),
+            map: Mutex::new(HashMap::new()),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Set a per-host interval that overrides `default_interval`. Calls
+    /// after a host's limiter has been instantiated do *not* re-create
+    /// it — set all overrides before the first `wait_for` to that host.
+    pub fn with_override(mut self, host: impl Into<String>, interval: Duration) -> Self {
+        self.overrides.insert(host.into(), interval);
+        self
+    }
+
+    /// Block until the per-host budget allows the next request to
+    /// `url`'s host. Returns an error only when the URL has no host
+    /// (malformed input).
+    pub async fn wait_for(&self, url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+        let host = host_of(url)
+            .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("no host in url: {url}"))?;
+        let limiter = {
+            let mut map = self.map.lock().await;
+            map.entry(host.clone())
+                .or_insert_with(|| {
+                    let interval = self
+                        .overrides
+                        .get(&host)
+                        .copied()
+                        .unwrap_or(self.default_interval);
+                    Arc::new(Mutex::new(RateLimiter::new(interval)))
+                })
+                .clone()
+        };
+        limiter.lock().await.wait().await;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+}
+
+/// Extract the host (no port) from a URL string. Returns `None` for
+/// inputs without a `scheme://host` shape — those would never have
+/// reached the network layer anyway.
+fn host_of(url: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    let after_scheme = url.split_once("://")?.1;
+    let host_with_port = after_scheme.split('/').next()?;
+    let host = host_with_port.rsplit_once(':').map_or(host_with_port, |(h, _)| h);
+    (!host.is_empty()).then(|| host.to_ascii_lowercase())
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
    use super::*;
@@ -66,4 +141,44 @@ mod tests {
        // Already 250ms past — no further wait needed.
        assert_eq!(Instant::now() - t0, Duration::ZERO);
    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn host_of_parses_scheme_path_and_port() {
+        assert_eq!(host_of("https://Example.com/path").as_deref(), Some("example.com"));
+        assert_eq!(host_of("http://cdn.foo.bar/img.jpg").as_deref(), Some("cdn.foo.bar"));
+        assert_eq!(host_of("http://localhost:8080/x").as_deref(), Some("localhost"));
+        assert!(host_of("not a url").is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test(start_paused = true)]
+    async fn host_rate_limiters_pace_per_host() {
+        // Two hosts at 100ms each. Two consecutive calls to the SAME
+        // host wait 100ms total. Two consecutive calls to DIFFERENT
+        // hosts both fire immediately.
+        let rl = HostRateLimiters::new(Duration::from_millis(100));
+
+        let t0 = Instant::now();
+        rl.wait_for("https://a.example/x").await.unwrap();
+        rl.wait_for("https://b.example/y").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(Instant::now() - t0, Duration::ZERO, "different hosts don't contend");
+
+        let t1 = Instant::now();
+        rl.wait_for("https://a.example/x").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(
+            Instant::now() - t1,
+            Duration::from_millis(100),
+            "second call to same host waits a full interval"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test(start_paused = true)]
+    async fn host_rate_limiters_honor_overrides() {
+        let rl = HostRateLimiters::new(Duration::from_millis(1000))
+            .with_override("fast.example", Duration::from_millis(100));
+
+        rl.wait_for("https://fast.example/a").await.unwrap();
+        let t0 = Instant::now();
+        rl.wait_for("https://fast.example/b").await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(Instant::now() - t0, Duration::from_millis(100));
+    }
 }
--- a/backend/src/crawler/session.rs
+++ b/backend/src/crawler/session.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,288 @@
+//! PHPSESSID injection + login probe.
+//!
+//! The catalog site we crawl renders chapter pages as a single multi-
+//! page list only for logged-in users. We don't try to bypass the
+//! login (CAPTCHA wall) — instead the operator pastes their browser's
+//! `PHPSESSID` cookie into `CRAWLER_PHPSESSID` and the crawler injects
+//! it into Chromium *and* reqwest before the first navigation.
+//!
+//! Two things the cookie alone doesn't give us:
+//! 1. The cookie value is only meaningful to the *server* — we have
+//!    no way to predict from the value alone whether it's still valid.
+//!    `verify_session` does a navigation and inspects the probe page
+//!    for three outcomes: broken-page response (transient — retry the
+//!    probe), `#logo` present but `#avatar_menu` absent (genuine logout
+//!    — bail loudly), or both present (authenticated). The earlier
+//!    avatar-only check conflated "site is hiccuping" with "session is
+//!    dead" and refused to start the crawler when the site had a brief
+//!    503.
+//! 2. The reqwest client (used for cover and chapter-image downloads)
+//!    has its own cookie store; we seed it for the catalog host only.
+//!    CDN hosts are deliberately *not* given the cookie — they serve
+//!    image bytes by signed URLs and don't need it.
+
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+use anyhow::{anyhow, Context};
+use chromiumoxide::browser::Browser;
+use chromiumoxide::cdp::browser_protocol::network::CookieParam;
+
+use crate::crawler::detect::{has_logo_sentinel, is_broken_page_body};
+
+/// Outcome of inspecting a probe-page response.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum SessionProbe {
+    /// `#logo` present and `#avatar_menu` present — session valid.
+    Ok,
+    /// `#logo` present but `#avatar_menu` absent — site rendered the
+    /// normal layout for an unauthenticated visitor; refresh PHPSESSID.
+    Unauthenticated,
+    /// Broken-page body signature or `#logo` missing — site is hiccuping.
+    /// Caller retries the probe rather than blaming the session.
+    Transient,
+}
+
+/// Compute the cookie domain (e.g. `.example.com`) from a start URL.
+/// The leading dot makes the cookie cover every subdomain — the source
+/// often redirects between `www.` and other prefixes mid-crawl, and a
+/// host-only cookie would silently drop on the cross-subdomain hop.
+///
+/// Caveat: this takes the last two dot-labels, which is wrong for
+/// multi-part TLDs (`.co.uk`, `.com.br` would resolve to `.co.uk` and
+/// attach to every site on `.co.uk`). For those, the operator should
+/// override via `CRAWLER_COOKIE_DOMAIN` rather than relying on this
+/// function — pulling in the Public Suffix List for one knob isn't
+/// worth it yet.
+pub fn registrable_domain(url: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    let after_scheme = url.split_once("://")?.1;
+    let host_with_port = after_scheme.split('/').next()?;
+    let host = host_with_port
+        .rsplit_once(':')
+        .map_or(host_with_port, |(h, _)| h)
+        .to_ascii_lowercase();
+    if host.is_empty() {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let labels: Vec<&str> = host.split('.').filter(|l| !l.is_empty()).collect();
+    if labels.len() < 2 {
+        // Bare hostname (e.g. `localhost`) — return as-is, no leading
+        // dot. Setting `.localhost` as cookie domain is invalid.
+        return Some(host);
+    }
+    let registrable = &labels[labels.len() - 2..];
+    Some(format!(".{}", registrable.join(".")))
+}
+
+/// Inject the PHPSESSID cookie into the browser's cookie store for the
+/// catalog domain. Must be called before any navigation that depends on
+/// authentication; subsequent navigations include the cookie
+/// automatically.
+pub async fn inject_phpsessid(
+    browser: &Browser,
+    sid: &str,
+    cookie_domain: &str,
+) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    let cookie = CookieParam {
+        name: "PHPSESSID".to_string(),
+        value: sid.to_string(),
+        url: None,
+        domain: Some(cookie_domain.to_string()),
+        path: Some("/".to_string()),
+        secure: None,
+        http_only: Some(true),
+        same_site: None,
+        expires: None,
+        priority: None,
+        same_party: None,
+        source_scheme: None,
+        source_port: None,
+        partition_key: None,
+    };
+    browser
+        .set_cookies(vec![cookie])
+        .await
+        .context("set PHPSESSID in chromium cookie store")?;
+    tracing::info!(domain = cookie_domain, "injected PHPSESSID into browser");
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Three-way classification of a probe-page response. Pure over HTML so
+/// it's unit-testable without a real browser. Order matters: a body
+/// matching the broken-page template is `Transient` even if the page
+/// happens to contain `#avatar_menu` HTML somewhere — trust the universal
+/// site signal over a stray selector match.
+pub fn classify_probe(html: &str) -> SessionProbe {
+    if is_broken_page_body(html) {
+        return SessionProbe::Transient;
+    }
+    let doc = scraper::Html::parse_document(html);
+    if !has_logo_sentinel(&doc) {
+        return SessionProbe::Transient;
+    }
+    let avatar_sel = scraper::Selector::parse("#avatar_menu").unwrap();
+    if doc.select(&avatar_sel).next().is_some() {
+        SessionProbe::Ok
+    } else {
+        SessionProbe::Unauthenticated
+    }
+}
+
+/// In-startup retry budget for the session probe. Small but non-zero —
+/// startup hitting a 5-second site hiccup shouldn't fail the operator
+/// with "PHPSESSID expired" when the session is actually fine.
+const PROBE_MAX_ATTEMPTS: u32 = 3;
+const PROBE_RETRY_DELAY: Duration = Duration::from_secs(2);
+
+/// Navigate to `probe_url` and classify the response. Retries the probe
+/// on `Transient` outcomes (broken-page body, missing `#logo`); fails
+/// fast on `Unauthenticated`; returns `Ok(())` on success.
+///
+/// This burns one navigation per attempt against the catalog's rate
+/// limiter. The trade is worth it — failing here costs ~1s; failing 30
+/// minutes into a backfill costs 30 minutes.
+pub async fn verify_session(browser: &Browser, probe_url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    let mut attempt = 0u32;
+    loop {
+        attempt += 1;
+        let html = fetch_probe_html(browser, probe_url).await?;
+        match classify_probe(&html) {
+            SessionProbe::Ok => {
+                tracing::info!(attempt, "session probe ok — #logo + #avatar_menu present");
+                return Ok(());
+            }
+            SessionProbe::Unauthenticated => {
+                return Err(anyhow!(
+                    "session probe failed — #avatar_menu not present at {probe_url} \
+                     (page rendered the normal layout); PHPSESSID is missing, expired, \
+                     or revoked. Refresh CRAWLER_PHPSESSID and re-run."
+                ));
+            }
+            SessionProbe::Transient if attempt < PROBE_MAX_ATTEMPTS => {
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    attempt,
+                    max_attempts = PROBE_MAX_ATTEMPTS,
+                    "session probe got a transient page; retrying"
+                );
+                tokio::time::sleep(PROBE_RETRY_DELAY).await;
+            }
+            SessionProbe::Transient => {
+                return Err(anyhow!(
+                    "session probe failed — probe page at {probe_url} returned a \
+                     broken-page response after {PROBE_MAX_ATTEMPTS} attempts. \
+                     The site appears to be down or rate-limiting us; try again \
+                     later before refreshing CRAWLER_PHPSESSID."
+                ));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+async fn fetch_probe_html(browser: &Browser, probe_url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
+    let page = browser
+        .new_page(probe_url)
+        .await
+        .with_context(|| format!("open probe page {probe_url}"))?;
+    page.wait_for_navigation().await.context("wait for nav on probe")?;
+    let html = page.content().await.context("read probe html")?;
+    page.close().await.ok();
+    Ok(html)
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn registrable_domain_strips_subdomain() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            registrable_domain("https://www.target-site.com/manga/foo/").as_deref(),
+            Some(".target-site.com")
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            registrable_domain("https://m.example.org").as_deref(),
+            Some(".example.org")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn registrable_domain_keeps_two_label_host() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            registrable_domain("https://example.com/").as_deref(),
+            Some(".example.com")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn registrable_domain_handles_port() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            registrable_domain("http://www.foo.bar:8080/x").as_deref(),
+            Some(".foo.bar")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn registrable_domain_bare_hostname_no_leading_dot() {
+        // .localhost would be invalid as a cookie Domain.
+        assert_eq!(registrable_domain("http://localhost:5173").as_deref(), Some("localhost"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn registrable_domain_returns_none_for_garbage() {
+        assert!(registrable_domain("not a url").is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn classify_probe_ok_when_logo_and_avatar_present() {
+        let html = r#"<html><body>
+            <header><div id="logo">Target</div><div id="avatar_menu"></div></header>
+        </body></html>"#;
+        assert_eq!(classify_probe(html), SessionProbe::Ok);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn classify_probe_unauth_when_logo_present_but_avatar_absent() {
+        // Real "logged out" response: site layout renders fine, just no
+        // avatar widget. This is the only state that should blame the
+        // session cookie.
+        let html = r#"<html><body>
+            <header><div id="logo">Target</div></header>
+            <main>Please log in.</main>
+        </body></html>"#;
+        assert_eq!(classify_probe(html), SessionProbe::Unauthenticated);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn classify_probe_transient_on_broken_page_body() {
+        let html = "<html><body>\
+                    <p>we're sorry, the request file are not found.</p>\
+                    </body></html>";
+        assert_eq!(classify_probe(html), SessionProbe::Transient);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn classify_probe_transient_when_logo_missing() {
+        // No broken-body marker, but no site layout either — treat as
+        // transient (could be a Cloudflare interstitial, a 5xx page,
+        // etc.) rather than blaming the session.
+        let html = "<html><body><h1>Service Unavailable</h1></body></html>";
+        assert_eq!(classify_probe(html), SessionProbe::Transient);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn classify_probe_transient_on_empty_response() {
+        assert_eq!(classify_probe(""), SessionProbe::Transient);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn classify_probe_trusts_broken_body_over_stray_avatar_match() {
+        // Defensive: if a broken-page body somehow contains an
+        // #avatar_menu element (e.g. an unrelated debug page on the
+        // same template), the body signature still wins.
+        let html = r#"<html><body>
+            <p>we're sorry, the request file are not found.</p>
+            <div id="logo"></div>
+            <div id="avatar_menu"></div>
+        </body></html>"#;
+        assert_eq!(classify_probe(html), SessionProbe::Transient);
+    }
+}
--- a/backend/src/crawler/source.rs
+++ b/backend/src/crawler/source.rs
@@ -74,12 +74,32 @@ pub struct SourceChapter {
 }

 /// Context passed to every `Source` call. Carries the browser handle
-/// plus a shared rate limiter so impls that issue multiple requests in
-/// one call (e.g. pagination walks) honor the same per-host budget as
-/// the outer job loop.
+/// plus the per-host rate-limiter map so impls that issue multiple
+/// requests in one call (pagination walks, multi-page chapter image
+/// fetches) honor the right budget for each origin.
 pub struct FetchContext<'a> {
    pub browser: &'a Browser,
-    pub rate: &'a tokio::sync::Mutex<crate::crawler::rate_limit::RateLimiter>,
+    pub rate: &'a crate::crawler::rate_limit::HostRateLimiters,
+}
+
+/// Lazy iterator over discovered manga refs. The caller drives the
+/// walk one batch at a time, so it can break out as soon as a
+/// downstream stop condition is met (e.g. N consecutive Unchanged
+/// upserts in Incremental mode) without paying for pages it won't use.
+///
+/// Batches are typically one source-index page each. Within a batch
+/// refs are already in the right per-page order for the active mode
+/// (Backfill reverses each page to oldest-first; Incremental leaves
+/// the source's natural newest-first ordering).
+#[async_trait]
+pub trait DiscoverWalk: Send {
+    /// Return the next batch of refs, or `Ok(None)` when the source has
+    /// no more pages. The walker is single-use; calling `next_batch`
+    /// after `None` is allowed and continues to return `None`.
+    async fn next_batch(
+        &mut self,
+        ctx: &FetchContext<'_>,
+    ) -> anyhow::Result<Option<Vec<SourceMangaRef>>>;
 }

 #[async_trait]
@@ -87,16 +107,17 @@ pub trait Source: Send + Sync {
    /// Stable identifier — also the row key in the `sources` table.
    fn id(&self) -> &'static str;

-    /// Returns up to `max_results` manga refs in source order. Pass
-    /// `None` for an uncapped walk (full backfill / incremental sweep).
-    /// Implementations should stop paginating as soon as the cap is
-    /// reached so partial runs don't pay for pages they won't use.
+    /// Begin discovery in `mode`. Returns a walker the caller drives
+    /// page-by-page via `next_batch`. The initial page-1 probe (used
+    /// to determine `last_page` and warm the cache for sites that
+    /// can't be paged without knowing the bound) happens inside this
+    /// call, so a fresh walker is ready to yield its first batch
+    /// without further setup.
    async fn discover(
        &self,
        ctx: &FetchContext<'_>,
        mode: DiscoverMode,
-        max_results: Option<usize>,
-    ) -> anyhow::Result<Vec<SourceMangaRef>>;
+    ) -> anyhow::Result<Box<dyn DiscoverWalk + Send>>;

    async fn fetch_manga(
        &self,
--- a/backend/src/crawler/source/target.rs
+++ b/backend/src/crawler/source/target.rs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 //! (`td:has(label:contains("Author:"))`) are implemented by walking
 //! the parsed tree.

+use std::collections::VecDeque;
 use std::time::Duration;

 use anyhow::Context;
@@ -14,9 +15,24 @@ use async_trait::async_trait;
 use sha2::{Digest, Sha256};

 use super::{
-    DiscoverMode, FetchContext, Source, SourceChapter, SourceChapterRef, SourceManga,
-    SourceMangaRef,
+    DiscoverMode, DiscoverWalk, FetchContext, Source, SourceChapter, SourceChapterRef,
+    SourceManga, SourceMangaRef,
 };
+use crate::crawler::detect::{
+    has_logo_sentinel, is_broken_page_body, retry_on_transient, PageError,
+};
+
+/// `sources.id` value for this Source impl. Exposed as a const so the
+/// daemon can look up per-source state (e.g. `seed_completed_at`)
+/// before constructing the Source itself.
+pub const SOURCE_ID: &str = "target";
+
+/// In-loop retry budget for transient pages encountered during a single
+/// `discover` walk. Bounded small because the job system itself retries
+/// the whole `Discover` job on failure — these inline retries only need
+/// to absorb a brief site hiccup mid-walk.
+const PAGE_TRANSIENT_RETRY_ATTEMPTS: u32 = 3;
+const PAGE_TRANSIENT_RETRY_DELAY: Duration = Duration::from_secs(2);

 pub struct TargetSource {
    base_url: String,
@@ -50,34 +66,31 @@ impl TargetSource {
 #[async_trait]
 impl Source for TargetSource {
    fn id(&self) -> &'static str {
-        "target"
+        SOURCE_ID
    }

    async fn discover(
        &self,
        ctx: &FetchContext<'_>,
        mode: DiscoverMode,
-        max_results: Option<usize>,
-    ) -> anyhow::Result<Vec<SourceMangaRef>> {
+    ) -> anyhow::Result<Box<dyn DiscoverWalk + Send>> {
        // Always visit page 1 first because that's the only way to
-        // discover `last_page`. We cache the HTML so we don't have to
-        // re-navigate when the iteration reaches page 1 again.
-        let first_html = navigate(ctx, self.base_url.as_str()).await?;
+        // discover `last_page`. Retry it on transient — a broken first
+        // page would otherwise abort the whole walk before we've even
+        // started.
+        let first_html = retry_on_transient(
+            || async { navigate(ctx, self.base_url.as_str()).await },
+            PAGE_TRANSIENT_RETRY_ATTEMPTS,
+            PAGE_TRANSIENT_RETRY_DELAY,
+        )
+        .await?;
        let last_page = {
            let doc = scraper::Html::parse_document(&first_html);
            parse_last_page(&doc)
        };

        let backfill = matches!(mode, DiscoverMode::Backfill);
-        let order: Vec<i32> = match (last_page, backfill) {
-            (None, _) => vec![1],
-            // Backfill = oldest-first: walk pages last → 1, then
-            // reverse within each page (the listing is update_date
-            // DESC, so the bottom of the last page is the oldest
-            // entry the source still surfaces).
-            (Some(last), true) => (1..=last).rev().collect(),
-            (Some(last), false) => (1..=last).collect(),
-        };
+        let order = build_page_order(last_page, backfill);
        tracing::info!(
            ?mode,
            last_page = ?last_page,
@@ -85,29 +98,12 @@ impl Source for TargetSource {
            "walking pagination"
        );

-        let mut all = Vec::new();
-        for page_num in order {
-            let html = if page_num == 1 {
-                first_html.clone()
-            } else {
-                navigate(ctx, &page_url(&self.base_url, page_num)).await?
-            };
-            let mut page_refs = {
-                let doc = scraper::Html::parse_document(&html);
-                parse_manga_list_from(&doc)
-            };
-            if backfill {
-                page_refs.reverse();
-            }
-            tracing::info!(page_num, count = page_refs.len(), "page walked");
-            all.extend(page_refs);
-            if cap_reached(&all, max_results) {
-                tracing::info!(cap = ?max_results, "max_results reached; halting pagination");
-                break;
-            }
-        }
-
-        Ok(truncate_to_cap(all, max_results))
+        Ok(Box::new(TargetSourceWalker {
+            base_url: self.base_url.clone(),
+            backfill,
+            pages_remaining: order,
+            first_page_html: Some(first_html),
+        }))
    }

    async fn fetch_manga(
@@ -116,8 +112,12 @@ impl Source for TargetSource {
        r: &SourceMangaRef,
    ) -> anyhow::Result<SourceManga> {
        let html = navigate(ctx, r.url.as_str()).await?;
-        parse_manga_detail(&html, &r.source_manga_key, self.parse_chapters)
-            .with_context(|| format!("parse manga detail at {}", r.url))
+        // Convert PageError → anyhow::Error via `?`. PageError stays
+        // downcastable from the wrapped anyhow::Error so the pipeline
+        // can still recognize Transient via `error.downcast_ref::<PageError>()`.
+        let manga = parse_manga_detail(&html, &r.source_manga_key, self.parse_chapters)
+            .with_context(|| format!("parse manga detail at {}", r.url))?;
+        Ok(manga)
    }

    async fn fetch_chapter_list(
@@ -137,29 +137,118 @@ impl Source for TargetSource {
    }
 }

-fn cap_reached<T>(buf: &[T], max: Option<usize>) -> bool {
-    matches!(max, Some(m) if buf.len() >= m)
+/// Build the queue of page numbers `TargetSource::discover` will walk.
+/// Backfill is oldest-first: pages `last..=1` (within each page the
+/// walker reverses entries, since the source orders by update_date
+/// DESC). Incremental is newest-first: pages `1..=last` in natural
+/// order. If `last_page` is unknown (source surfaces no pagination)
+/// only page 1 is visited.
+fn build_page_order(last_page: Option<i32>, backfill: bool) -> VecDeque<i32> {
+    match (last_page, backfill) {
+        (None, _) => VecDeque::from([1]),
+        (Some(last), true) => (1..=last).rev().collect(),
+        (Some(last), false) => (1..=last).collect(),
+    }
 }

-fn truncate_to_cap<T>(mut buf: Vec<T>, max: Option<usize>) -> Vec<T> {
-    if let Some(m) = max {
-        buf.truncate(m);
+/// Walker returned by [`TargetSource::discover`]. Pops one source-index
+/// page per `next_batch` call. Page 1's HTML is cached at construction
+/// time (the discover call needed it to read `last_page` anyway) so the
+/// batch covering page 1 doesn't re-fetch.
+struct TargetSourceWalker {
+    base_url: String,
+    backfill: bool,
+    pages_remaining: VecDeque<i32>,
+    first_page_html: Option<String>,
+}
+
+#[async_trait]
+impl DiscoverWalk for TargetSourceWalker {
+    async fn next_batch(
+        &mut self,
+        ctx: &FetchContext<'_>,
+    ) -> anyhow::Result<Option<Vec<SourceMangaRef>>> {
+        let Some(page_num) = self.pages_remaining.pop_front() else {
+            return Ok(None);
+        };
+        let mut page_refs = if page_num == 1 {
+            // Reuse the cached page-1 HTML from the initial probe. Take
+            // it (rather than clone) so a malformed page-order queue
+            // that re-visits page 1 still falls back to a real fetch.
+            match self.first_page_html.take() {
+                Some(html) => {
+                    let doc = scraper::Html::parse_document(&html);
+                    parse_manga_list_from(&doc)?
+                }
+                None => {
+                    retry_on_transient(
+                        || async {
+                            let html = navigate(ctx, self.base_url.as_str()).await?;
+                            let doc = scraper::Html::parse_document(&html);
+                            parse_manga_list_from(&doc)
+                        },
+                        PAGE_TRANSIENT_RETRY_ATTEMPTS,
+                        PAGE_TRANSIENT_RETRY_DELAY,
+                    )
+                    .await?
+                }
+            }
+        } else {
+            retry_on_transient(
+                || async {
+                    let url = page_url(&self.base_url, page_num);
+                    let html = navigate(ctx, &url).await?;
+                    let doc = scraper::Html::parse_document(&html);
+                    parse_manga_list_from(&doc)
+                },
+                PAGE_TRANSIENT_RETRY_ATTEMPTS,
+                PAGE_TRANSIENT_RETRY_DELAY,
+            )
+            .await?
+        };
+        if self.backfill {
+            page_refs.reverse();
+        }
+        tracing::info!(page_num, count = page_refs.len(), "page walked");
+        Ok(Some(page_refs))
    }
-    buf
 }

 /// Single point of rate-limited navigation. Every Source request goes
-/// through here, so the limiter is the only knob that controls
-/// per-host RPS.
-async fn navigate(ctx: &FetchContext<'_>, url: &str) -> anyhow::Result<String> {
-    ctx.rate.lock().await.wait().await;
-    let page = ctx.browser.new_page(url).await?;
-    page.wait_for_navigation().await?;
+/// through here, so the per-host limiter map is the only knob that
+/// controls per-origin RPS. Also the choke point for transient-page
+/// detection — every fetched body is screened by
+/// [`classify_navigate_html`] before being handed to a selector.
+async fn navigate(ctx: &FetchContext<'_>, url: &str) -> Result<String, PageError> {
+    ctx.rate.wait_for(url).await?;
+    let page = ctx
+        .browser
+        .new_page(url)
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| PageError::Other(anyhow::Error::from(e)))?;
+    page.wait_for_navigation()
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| PageError::Other(anyhow::Error::from(e)))?;
    // Stopgap until we wait on a specific selector per page type —
    // gives any post-load JS a beat to finish injecting content.
    tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_secs(1)).await;
-    let html = page.content().await?;
-    page.close().await?;
+    let html = page
+        .content()
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| PageError::Other(anyhow::Error::from(e)))?;
+    page.close().await.ok();
+    classify_navigate_html(html)
+}
+
+/// Classify a fetched body. The broken-page template is universal across
+/// the site — every page type (list, detail, chapter list, reader) gets
+/// the same `we're sorry, the request file are not found` body when the
+/// server is hiccuping. Catching it here means individual parsers
+/// downstream don't have to repeat the check.
+fn classify_navigate_html(html: String) -> Result<String, PageError> {
+    if is_broken_page_body(&html) {
+        return Err(PageError::transient("broken-page body signature"));
+    }
    Ok(html)
 }

@@ -204,14 +293,23 @@ fn page_url(template_url: &str, page: i32) -> String {
 }

 #[cfg(test)]
-fn parse_manga_list(html: &str) -> Vec<SourceMangaRef> {
+fn parse_manga_list(html: &str) -> Result<Vec<SourceMangaRef>, PageError> {
    let doc = scraper::Html::parse_document(html);
    parse_manga_list_from(&doc)
 }

-fn parse_manga_list_from(doc: &scraper::Html) -> Vec<SourceMangaRef> {
+/// Parse a manga listing page. `#logo` is present on every well-formed
+/// listing page on the source; its absence means the response is a
+/// broken-page placeholder (transient) rather than a genuinely empty
+/// listing. Empty listings (last-page tail, search with no hits) remain
+/// `Ok(vec![])`.
+fn parse_manga_list_from(doc: &scraper::Html) -> Result<Vec<SourceMangaRef>, PageError> {
+    if !has_logo_sentinel(doc) {
+        return Err(PageError::transient("manga list: #logo sentinel missing"));
+    }
    let sel = scraper::Selector::parse("#left_side .pic_list .updatesli span a").unwrap();
-    doc.select(&sel)
+    Ok(doc
+        .select(&sel)
        .filter_map(|a| {
            let url = a.value().attr("href")?.trim().to_string();
            if url.is_empty() {
@@ -227,16 +325,22 @@ fn parse_manga_list_from(doc: &scraper::Html) -> Vec<SourceMangaRef> {
                url,
            })
        })
-        .collect()
+        .collect())
 }

 fn parse_manga_detail(
    html: &str,
    key: &str,
    include_chapters: bool,
-) -> anyhow::Result<SourceManga> {
+) -> Result<SourceManga, PageError> {
    let doc = scraper::Html::parse_document(html);

+    // Sentinel first: a broken-page response will trip this before any
+    // anyhow context is added for missing required fields.
+    if !has_logo_sentinel(&doc) {
+        return Err(PageError::transient("manga detail: #logo sentinel missing"));
+    }
+
    let title = first_text(&doc, ".w-title h1").context("missing .w-title h1")?;
    let summary = first_text(&doc, ".manga_summary");
    let cover_url = first_attr(&doc, ".cover > img:nth-child(1)", "src");
@@ -334,7 +438,7 @@ fn parse_chapter_list(doc: &scraper::Html) -> Vec<SourceChapterRef> {
            let title_text = collapse_whitespace(&a.text().collect::<String>());
            let number = parse_chapter_number(&title_text).unwrap_or(0);
            Some(SourceChapterRef {
-                source_chapter_key: derive_key_from_url(&url),
+                source_chapter_key: derive_chapter_key_from_url(&url),
                number,
                title: (!title_text.is_empty()).then_some(title_text),
                url,
@@ -366,6 +470,29 @@ fn derive_key_from_url(url: &str) -> String {
        .to_string()
 }

+/// Chapter URLs on this source point at the reader's page 1, e.g.
+/// `.../uu/br_chapter-379272/pg-1/`. The chapter identity is the
+/// `br_chapter-N` (or `to_chapter-N`) segment — the `pg-\d+` segment
+/// identifies a page *within* a chapter, so naively taking the last
+/// path component returns `"pg-1"` for every chapter and collapses
+/// them all under one source_chapter_key downstream.
+fn derive_chapter_key_from_url(url: &str) -> String {
+    let trimmed = url.split('?').next().unwrap_or(url).trim_end_matches('/');
+    let without_reader_page = match trimmed.rsplit_once('/') {
+        Some((prefix, last)) if is_reader_page_segment(last) => prefix,
+        _ => trimmed,
+    };
+    without_reader_page
+        .rsplit('/')
+        .find(|s| !s.is_empty())
+        .unwrap_or(url)
+        .to_string()
+}
+
+fn is_reader_page_segment(s: &str) -> bool {
+    s.len() > 3 && s.starts_with("pg-") && s[3..].bytes().all(|b| b.is_ascii_digit())
+}
+
 fn first_text(doc: &scraper::Html, sel: &str) -> Option<String> {
    let s = scraper::Selector::parse(sel).ok()?;
    let el = doc.select(&s).next()?;
@@ -471,6 +598,7 @@ mod tests {

    const LISTING_HTML: &str = r#"
        <html><body>
+        <header><div id="logo">Target</div></header>
        <div id="left_side">
          <div class="pic_list">
            <div class="updatesli">
@@ -489,6 +617,7 @@ mod tests {

    const DETAIL_HTML: &str = r#"
        <html><body>
+        <header><div id="logo">Target</div></header>
        <div class="w-title"><h1>Test Manga Title</h1></div>
        <div class="cover"><img src="/cover.jpg"><img src="/extra-not-cover.jpg"></div>
        <div class="manga_summary">A summary of the manga.</div>
@@ -514,7 +643,7 @@ mod tests {

    #[test]
    fn parse_manga_list_extracts_title_url_and_derives_key() {
-        let refs = parse_manga_list(LISTING_HTML);
+        let refs = parse_manga_list(LISTING_HTML).expect("parse");
        assert_eq!(refs.len(), 2, "third entry has empty href and is skipped");
        assert_eq!(refs[0].title, "Foo Manga");
        assert_eq!(refs[0].url, "https://target.example/manga/foo");
@@ -523,6 +652,30 @@ mod tests {
        assert_eq!(refs[1].source_manga_key, "bar-baz");
    }

+    #[test]
+    fn parse_manga_list_returns_transient_when_logo_missing() {
+        // Broken-page response: no #logo, no listing. Empty Vec would
+        // hide this as "page has no mangas"; Transient is the signal
+        // upstream code retries on.
+        let html = r#"<html><body>\
+            <p>we're sorry, the request file are not found.</p>\
+            </body></html>"#;
+        let err = parse_manga_list(html).expect_err("expected Transient");
+        assert!(err.is_transient(), "got non-transient: {err}");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_manga_list_ok_empty_when_logo_present_but_no_items() {
+        // Last page of pagination, "no results" search, etc. Legitimately
+        // empty must stay distinguishable from "page is broken".
+        let html = r#"<html><body>\
+            <header><div id="logo">Target</div></header>\
+            <div id="left_side"><div class="pic_list"></div></div>\
+            </body></html>"#;
+        let refs = parse_manga_list(html).expect("logo present == not transient");
+        assert!(refs.is_empty());
+    }
+
    #[test]
    fn parse_manga_detail_pulls_all_fields() {
        let m = parse_manga_detail(DETAIL_HTML, "test-key", true).expect("parse");
@@ -577,6 +730,61 @@ mod tests {
        assert_eq!(strip_tag_count("Tag (a) (12)"), "Tag (a)");
    }

+    #[test]
+    fn parse_chapter_list_keeps_all_chapters_with_unique_keys() {
+        // Real listing fixture from the target site. 15 rows: chapters
+        // with various Ch.N markup, one hiatus row, three "notice." rows,
+        // and duplicates of Ch.1 and Ch.52 from different uploaders.
+        // Every row must survive parsing and every chapter must have a
+        // distinct source_chapter_key — chapter URLs all end in `/pg-1/`
+        // (the reader's page-1 entry point), and a naive
+        // last-segment-of-URL derivation returns "pg-1" for every row,
+        // collapsing the whole list into one downstream chapter row.
+        let html = include_str!(
+            "../../../tests/fixtures/target/chapter_list_uu.html"
+        );
+        let doc = scraper::Html::parse_document(html);
+        let chapters = parse_chapter_list(&doc);
+
+        assert_eq!(chapters.len(), 15, "every row kept (notices/hiatus included)");
+
+        let mut keys: Vec<&str> =
+            chapters.iter().map(|c| c.source_chapter_key.as_str()).collect();
+        keys.sort();
+        let dupe = keys.windows(2).find(|w| w[0] == w[1]).map(|w| w[0]);
+        assert!(dupe.is_none(), "duplicate chapter key: {dupe:?}");
+        for c in &chapters {
+            assert_ne!(
+                c.source_chapter_key, "pg-1",
+                "key must not be the reader-page segment: {:?}", c
+            );
+        }
+
+        // Latest chapter is first (source orders newest → oldest).
+        assert_eq!(chapters[0].number, 67);
+        assert_eq!(chapters[0].title.as_deref(), Some("Ch.67 : Official"));
+        assert_eq!(chapters[0].source_chapter_key, "br_chapter-379272");
+
+        // Duplicate-number chapters (different uploaders) survive as
+        // two rows. The (manga_id, number) UNIQUE collapse is a
+        // downstream schema concern handled separately.
+        assert_eq!(
+            chapters.iter().filter(|c| c.number == 52).count(),
+            2,
+            "two Ch.52 uploads must both survive parsing"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            chapters.iter().filter(|c| c.number == 1).count(),
+            2,
+            "Ch.1 Official and Ch.1 Team Hazama are both kept"
+        );
+
+        // Notices / hiatus rows have no leading digit so they parse to
+        // number=0. They are not filtered out.
+        let zero = chapters.iter().filter(|c| c.number == 0).count();
+        assert!(zero >= 4, "hiatus + 3 notices kept; got {zero}");
+    }
+
    #[test]
    fn parse_chapter_number_grabs_first_integer_run() {
        assert_eq!(parse_chapter_number("Ch.1"), Some(1));
@@ -630,6 +838,45 @@ mod tests {
        assert_eq!(derive_key_from_url("/manga/bar"), "bar");
    }

+    #[test]
+    fn derive_chapter_key_strips_trailing_reader_page_segment() {
+        // Listing links go to page 1 of the reader; strip /pg-\d+/.
+        assert_eq!(
+            derive_chapter_key_from_url(".../uu/br_chapter-379272/pg-1/"),
+            "br_chapter-379272"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            derive_chapter_key_from_url(".../uu/to_chapter-13/pg-1/"),
+            "to_chapter-13"
+        );
+        // Defensive: deep-link to a non-first page should still resolve
+        // to the same chapter identity.
+        assert_eq!(
+            derive_chapter_key_from_url(".../uu/br_chapter-379272/pg-25/"),
+            "br_chapter-379272"
+        );
+        // No reader-page suffix → behaves like derive_key_from_url.
+        assert_eq!(
+            derive_chapter_key_from_url(".../uu/br_chapter-379272/"),
+            "br_chapter-379272"
+        );
+        // Query strings are stripped.
+        assert_eq!(
+            derive_chapter_key_from_url(".../uu/br_chapter-379272/pg-1/?ref=x"),
+            "br_chapter-379272"
+        );
+        // `pg-foo` is not a valid reader-page segment; treated as identity.
+        assert_eq!(
+            derive_chapter_key_from_url(".../uu/something/pg-foo/"),
+            "pg-foo"
+        );
+        // Bare `pg-` (no digits) likewise not stripped.
+        assert_eq!(
+            derive_chapter_key_from_url(".../uu/something/pg-/"),
+            "pg-"
+        );
+    }
+
    #[test]
    fn metadata_hash_is_stable_and_field_sensitive() {
        let base = parse_manga_detail(DETAIL_HTML, "k", true).unwrap();
@@ -644,7 +891,9 @@ mod tests {

    #[test]
    fn missing_optional_fields_parse_to_none() {
-        let html = r#"<html><body><div class="w-title"><h1>Minimal</h1></div></body></html>"#;
+        let html = r#"<html><body>\
+            <header><div id="logo">Target</div></header>\
+            <div class="w-title"><h1>Minimal</h1></div></body></html>"#;
        let m = parse_manga_detail(html, "min", true).unwrap();
        assert_eq!(m.title, "Minimal");
        assert!(m.summary.is_none());
@@ -668,8 +917,77 @@ mod tests {

    #[test]
    fn parse_manga_detail_errors_on_missing_title() {
-        let html = "<html><body><p>nothing</p></body></html>";
+        // Logo present (page is alive) — failure here is a real parse
+        // miss (Other), not Transient.
+        let html = r#"<html><body>\
+            <header><div id="logo">Target</div></header>\
+            <p>nothing</p></body></html>"#;
        let err = parse_manga_detail(html, "x", true).unwrap_err();
+        assert!(!err.is_transient(), "expected Other, got Transient: {err}");
        assert!(err.to_string().contains("missing .w-title h1"));
    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn classify_navigate_html_passes_normal_body_through() {
+        let body = "<html><body><header><div id='logo'>Target</div></header>\
+                    <p>content</p></body></html>"
+            .to_string();
+        let out = classify_navigate_html(body.clone()).expect("ok");
+        assert_eq!(out, body);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn classify_navigate_html_returns_transient_for_broken_template() {
+        let body = "<html><head></head><body>\
+                    <p>we're sorry, the request file are not found.</p>\
+                    </body></html>"
+            .to_string();
+        let err = classify_navigate_html(body).expect_err("expected Transient");
+        assert!(err.is_transient(), "got non-transient: {err}");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_manga_detail_returns_transient_when_logo_missing() {
+        // Broken-page response on a detail URL — must be reported as
+        // Transient so the job is retried rather than logging "missing
+        // .w-title h1" against a permanently-skipped manga.
+        let html = "<html><body>\
+            <p>we're sorry, the request file are not found.</p>\
+            </body></html>";
+        let err = parse_manga_detail(html, "x", true).expect_err("expected Transient");
+        assert!(err.is_transient(), "got non-transient: {err}");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn build_page_order_backfill_is_last_to_one() {
+        // Backfill walks pages oldest-first: queue is [last, last-1, ..., 1]
+        // so popping from the front yields the last page first.
+        let order = build_page_order(Some(3), true);
+        assert_eq!(Vec::from(order), vec![3, 2, 1]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn build_page_order_incremental_is_one_to_last() {
+        // Incremental walks newest-first in natural source order.
+        let order = build_page_order(Some(3), false);
+        assert_eq!(Vec::from(order), vec![1, 2, 3]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn build_page_order_falls_back_to_page_one_only_without_pagination() {
+        let backfill = build_page_order(None, true);
+        assert_eq!(Vec::from(backfill), vec![1]);
+        let incremental = build_page_order(None, false);
+        assert_eq!(Vec::from(incremental), vec![1]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn build_page_order_single_page_index_yields_one_entry() {
+        // Sources with exactly one page should not yield duplicates
+        // regardless of mode.
+        let backfill = build_page_order(Some(1), true);
+        assert_eq!(Vec::from(backfill), vec![1]);
+        let incremental = build_page_order(Some(1), false);
+        assert_eq!(Vec::from(incremental), vec![1]);
+    }
 }
--- a/backend/src/main.rs
+++ b/backend/src/main.rs
@@ -12,10 +12,21 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {

    let config = mangalord::config::Config::from_env()?;
    let addr: SocketAddr = config.bind_address.parse()?;
-    let app = mangalord::app::build(config).await?;
+    let mangalord::app::AppHandle { router, daemon } = mangalord::app::build(config).await?;

    tracing::info!(%addr, "mangalord listening");
    let listener = tokio::net::TcpListener::bind(addr).await?;
-    axum::serve(listener, app).await?;
+    axum::serve(listener, router)
+        .with_graceful_shutdown(async {
+            let _ = tokio::signal::ctrl_c().await;
+            tracing::info!("ctrl-c received; shutting down");
+        })
+        .await?;
+
+    // Drain background tasks (crawler daemon) before exiting so Chromium
+    // gets a clean shutdown rather than relying on kill-on-drop.
+    if let Some(d) = daemon {
+        d.shutdown().await;
+    }
    Ok(())
 }
--- a/backend/src/repo/chapter.rs
+++ b/backend/src/repo/chapter.rs
@@ -12,12 +12,15 @@ pub async fn list_for_manga(
    limit: i64,
    offset: i64,
 ) -> AppResult<Vec<Chapter>> {
+    // Secondary sort by created_at gives duplicate-numbered chapters
+    // (multiple uploaders/translations of the same number) a stable
+    // order in lists and prev/next reader navigation.
    let rows = sqlx::query_as::<_, Chapter>(
        r#"
        SELECT id, manga_id, number, title, page_count, created_at
        FROM chapters
        WHERE manga_id = $1
-        ORDER BY number ASC
+        ORDER BY number ASC, created_at ASC
        LIMIT $2 OFFSET $3
        "#,
    )
@@ -29,33 +32,40 @@ pub async fn list_for_manga(
    Ok(rows)
 }

-pub async fn find_by_manga_and_number(
+/// Look up a chapter by its UUID, scoped to its manga so a UUID guessed
+/// from a different manga's URL doesn't accidentally resolve.
+pub async fn find_by_id_in_manga(
    pool: &PgPool,
    manga_id: Uuid,
-    number: i32,
+    chapter_id: Uuid,
 ) -> AppResult<Option<Chapter>> {
    let row = sqlx::query_as::<_, Chapter>(
        r#"
        SELECT id, manga_id, number, title, page_count, created_at
        FROM chapters
-        WHERE manga_id = $1 AND number = $2
+        WHERE manga_id = $1 AND id = $2
        "#,
    )
    .bind(manga_id)
-    .bind(number)
+    .bind(chapter_id)
    .fetch_optional(pool)
    .await?;
    Ok(row)
 }

 /// Accepts any `PgExecutor` so the upload handler can run this inside a
-/// transaction with the per-page inserts. Returns `AppError::Conflict`
-/// on the (manga_id, number) unique violation so handlers can surface a
-/// clean 409.
+/// transaction with the per-page inserts.
 ///
 /// `uploaded_by` records who uploaded the chapter and feeds the
 /// per-user upload history. `None` means "historical / API token with
 /// no associated user" — kept nullable to support that case.
+///
+/// Chapter identity is the row UUID; the same (manga_id, number)
+/// combination can repeat (multiple translations, re-uploads). The
+/// `is_unique_violation` branch below is a defensive holdover from
+/// 0001's (manga_id, number) UNIQUE — it can no longer fire under
+/// normal operation, but we surface a clean 409 if a future migration
+/// re-adds any chapter uniqueness.
 pub async fn create<'e, E: PgExecutor<'e>>(
    executor: E,
    manga_id: Uuid,
@@ -80,7 +90,7 @@ pub async fn create<'e, E: PgExecutor<'e>>(
    match result {
        Ok(c) => Ok(c),
        Err(e) if is_unique_violation(&e) => Err(AppError::Conflict(format!(
-            "chapter {number} already exists for this manga"
+            "chapter {number} conflicts with an existing chapter for this manga"
        ))),
        Err(e) => Err(AppError::Database(e)),
    }
--- a/backend/src/repo/crawler.rs
+++ b/backend/src/repo/crawler.rs
@@ -332,15 +332,15 @@ pub async fn sync_manga_chapters(

        match existing {
            None => {
-                // New chapter row. The (manga_id, number) unique
-                // constraint protects against re-inserts if the same
-                // number arrives via a different source_chapter_key.
+                // New chapter row. As of 0013 there's no (manga_id,
+                // number) UNIQUE, so duplicate-numbered chapters from
+                // the source (different uploaders, notices, alt
+                // translations) each get their own row — chapter
+                // identity is the UUID, not the number.
                let (chapter_id,): (Uuid,) = sqlx::query_as(
                    r#"
                    INSERT INTO chapters (manga_id, number, title, page_count)
                    VALUES ($1, $2, $3, 0)
-                    ON CONFLICT (manga_id, number) DO UPDATE
-                    SET title = EXCLUDED.title
                    RETURNING id
                    "#,
                )
@@ -412,6 +412,53 @@ pub async fn sync_manga_chapters(
    Ok(diff)
 }

+/// Record that a complete Backfill walk has finished for `source_id`.
+/// The presence of this row is what the daemon's mode auto-detection
+/// uses to flip from Backfill to Incremental on subsequent ticks.
+///
+/// Keyed `seed_completed:<source_id>` in `crawler_state`. JSON payload
+/// stores the timestamp so we can surface "last fully reseeded at" in
+/// future ops tooling without another migration.
+pub async fn mark_seed_completed(
+    pool: &PgPool,
+    source_id: &str,
+    at: DateTime<Utc>,
+) -> sqlx::Result<()> {
+    let key = format!("seed_completed:{source_id}");
+    sqlx::query(
+        "INSERT INTO crawler_state (key, value, updated_at) \
+         VALUES ($1, $2, now()) \
+         ON CONFLICT (key) DO UPDATE \
+            SET value = EXCLUDED.value, updated_at = now()",
+    )
+    .bind(&key)
+    .bind(serde_json::json!({ "at": at.to_rfc3339() }))
+    .execute(pool)
+    .await?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Read the timestamp written by [`mark_seed_completed`], if any.
+/// `None` means no complete Backfill has ever finished for this
+/// source — the daemon should run Backfill on the next tick.
+pub async fn seed_completed_at(
+    pool: &PgPool,
+    source_id: &str,
+) -> sqlx::Result<Option<DateTime<Utc>>> {
+    let key = format!("seed_completed:{source_id}");
+    let row: Option<serde_json::Value> =
+        sqlx::query_scalar("SELECT value FROM crawler_state WHERE key = $1")
+            .bind(&key)
+            .fetch_optional(pool)
+            .await?;
+    Ok(row.and_then(|v| {
+        v.get("at")
+            .and_then(|s| s.as_str())
+            .and_then(|s| DateTime::parse_from_rfc3339(s).ok())
+            .map(|dt| dt.with_timezone(&Utc))
+    }))
+}
+
 pub async fn mark_dropped_mangas(
    pool: &PgPool,
    source_id: &str,
--- a/backend/src/repo/manga.rs
+++ b/backend/src/repo/manga.rs
@@ -262,6 +262,17 @@ pub async fn set_cover_image_path<'e, E: PgExecutor<'e>>(
    Ok(())
 }

+pub async fn clear_cover_image_path<'e, E: PgExecutor<'e>>(
+    executor: E,
+    id: Uuid,
+) -> AppResult<()> {
+    sqlx::query("UPDATE mangas SET cover_image_path = NULL, updated_at = now() WHERE id = $1")
+        .bind(id)
+        .execute(executor)
+        .await?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 pub async fn exists(pool: &PgPool, id: Uuid) -> AppResult<bool> {
    let (exists,): (bool,) =
        sqlx::query_as("SELECT EXISTS(SELECT 1 FROM mangas WHERE id = $1)")
--- a/backend/tests/api_auth.rs
+++ b/backend/tests/api_auth.rs
@@ -567,6 +567,91 @@ async fn user_a_cannot_delete_user_b_token(pool: PgPool) {
    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::NO_CONTENT);
 }

+/// Username enumeration via login response time: an attacker probes
+/// for valid usernames by measuring how long /auth/login takes. Before
+/// the equalisation fix, the no-user branch returned 401 in <1 ms
+/// while the wrong-password branch took ~50-100 ms (the argon2 verify
+/// cost). This test asserts the no-user branch now spends at least
+/// some meaningful fraction of the wrong-password branch's time.
+///
+/// Tolerance is intentionally loose so CI variance doesn't flap the
+/// test. The unequalised gap is large enough (~50x) that even a noisy
+/// CI run with a 5x slack still catches it.
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn login_no_user_branch_runs_argon2_for_timing_equalisation(pool: PgPool) {
+    use std::time::Instant;
+
+    let h = common::harness(pool);
+
+    // Register the victim user so the wrong-password branch has a real
+    // argon2 hash to verify against.
+    let _ = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(common::post_json(
+            "/api/v1/auth/register",
+            json!({ "username": "victim", "password": "hunter2hunter2" }),
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    // Warm-up: first login of the process initialises the dummy hash
+    // lazily. Skip that cost when measuring.
+    let _ = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(common::post_json(
+            "/api/v1/auth/login",
+            json!({ "username": "victim", "password": "wrong" }),
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let _ = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(common::post_json(
+            "/api/v1/auth/login",
+            json!({ "username": "ghost", "password": "wrong" }),
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    // Median-of-N is more stable than a single sample.
+    async fn sample_min(
+        app: &axum::Router,
+        username: &str,
+        n: u32,
+    ) -> std::time::Duration {
+        let mut samples = Vec::with_capacity(n as usize);
+        for _ in 0..n {
+            let req = common::post_json(
+                "/api/v1/auth/login",
+                json!({ "username": username, "password": "wrong-guess" }),
+            );
+            let t = Instant::now();
+            let resp = app.clone().oneshot(req).await.unwrap();
+            let d = t.elapsed();
+            assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::UNAUTHORIZED);
+            samples.push(d);
+        }
+        // Use the minimum: it's the floor that argon2 takes, robust
+        // against unrelated stalls (DB connection acquisition, etc.).
+        *samples.iter().min().unwrap()
+    }
+
+    let wrong_pwd = sample_min(&h.app, "victim", 3).await;
+    let no_user = sample_min(&h.app, "ghost", 3).await;
+
+    // 5x slack: argon2 dominates both branches, so they should be
+    // within an order of magnitude. Unequalised, no_user would be
+    // ~50-100x faster. Asserting "no_user >= wrong_pwd / 5" catches
+    // the bug without being flaky in CI.
+    assert!(
+        no_user * 5 >= wrong_pwd,
+        "login timing leaks user existence: no_user={no_user:?}, wrong_pwd={wrong_pwd:?}"
+    );
+}
+
 #[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
 async fn delete_unknown_token_is_404(pool: PgPool) {
    let h = common::harness(pool);
--- a/backend/tests/api_bookmarks.rs
+++ b/backend/tests/api_bookmarks.rs
@@ -438,3 +438,196 @@ async fn list_me_returns_paged_envelope(pool: PgPool) {
    // without paging through.
    assert_eq!(body["page"]["total"], 0);
 }
+
+// -------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Bookmark create -> SyncChapterContent job enqueue (background task)
+// -------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+async fn seed_chapter_with_source(
+    pool: &PgPool,
+    manga_id: Uuid,
+    number: i32,
+    source_id: &str,
+    source_chapter_key: &str,
+    source_url: &str,
+    dropped: bool,
+) -> Uuid {
+    let chapter_id: Uuid =
+        mangalord::repo::chapter::create(pool, manga_id, number, None, None)
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
+            .id;
+    sqlx::query("INSERT INTO sources (id, name, base_url) VALUES ($1, $2, $3) ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING")
+        .bind(source_id)
+        .bind(source_id)
+        .bind("https://example.com")
+        .execute(pool)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let dropped_at = if dropped { "now()" } else { "NULL" };
+    sqlx::query(&format!(
+        "INSERT INTO chapter_sources (source_id, source_chapter_key, chapter_id, source_url, dropped_at) \
+         VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4, {dropped_at})"
+    ))
+    .bind(source_id)
+    .bind(source_chapter_key)
+    .bind(chapter_id)
+    .bind(source_url)
+    .execute(pool)
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+    chapter_id
+}
+
+/// Poll `crawler_jobs` for the expected pending count, up to ~1.5s, so the
+/// detached `tokio::spawn` from the bookmark create handler has time to
+/// land regardless of CI scheduling jitter.
+async fn wait_for_pending_count(pool: &PgPool, expected: i64) -> i64 {
+    for _ in 0..30 {
+        let count: i64 = sqlx::query_scalar(
+            "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM crawler_jobs \
+              WHERE state = 'pending' \
+                AND payload->>'kind' = 'sync_chapter_content'",
+        )
+        .fetch_one(pool)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+        if count >= expected {
+            return count;
+        }
+        tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(50)).await;
+    }
+    sqlx::query_scalar::<_, i64>(
+        "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM crawler_jobs \
+          WHERE state = 'pending' \
+            AND payload->>'kind' = 'sync_chapter_content'",
+    )
+    .fetch_one(pool)
+    .await
+    .unwrap()
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn create_enqueues_sync_chapter_content_jobs_for_pending_chapters(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = common::harness(pool.clone());
+    let (_, cookie) = common::register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let manga_id = common::seed_manga_via_api(&h.app, &cookie, "Berserk").await;
+
+    // Two zero-page chapters with non-dropped sources.
+    let c1 = seed_chapter_with_source(&pool, manga_id, 1, "target", "ch1", "https://example.com/c1", false).await;
+    let c2 = seed_chapter_with_source(&pool, manga_id, 2, "target", "ch2", "https://example.com/c2", false).await;
+
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(common::post_json_with_cookie(
+            "/api/v1/bookmarks",
+            json!({ "manga_id": manga_id.to_string() }),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::CREATED);
+
+    let count = wait_for_pending_count(&pool, 2).await;
+    assert_eq!(count, 2, "both pending chapters should be enqueued");
+
+    let chapter_ids: Vec<String> = sqlx::query_scalar(
+        "SELECT payload->>'chapter_id' FROM crawler_jobs \
+          WHERE payload->>'kind' = 'sync_chapter_content' \
+          ORDER BY payload->>'chapter_id'",
+    )
+    .fetch_all(&pool)
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+    let mut expected = vec![c1.to_string(), c2.to_string()];
+    expected.sort();
+    assert_eq!(chapter_ids, expected);
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn re_bookmark_after_delete_does_not_re_enqueue_pending_jobs(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = common::harness(pool.clone());
+    let (_, cookie) = common::register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let manga_id = common::seed_manga_via_api(&h.app, &cookie, "Berserk").await;
+    let _ = seed_chapter_with_source(&pool, manga_id, 1, "target", "ch1", "https://example.com/c1", false).await;
+
+    // First bookmark — should enqueue 1.
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(common::post_json_with_cookie(
+            "/api/v1/bookmarks",
+            json!({ "manga_id": manga_id.to_string() }),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let bookmark_id = common::body_json(resp).await["id"].as_str().unwrap().to_string();
+    assert_eq!(wait_for_pending_count(&pool, 1).await, 1);
+
+    // Delete the bookmark, then re-bookmark — the existing pending job
+    // is still there so the dedup index suppresses the second enqueue.
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(common::delete_with_cookie(
+            &format!("/api/v1/bookmarks/{bookmark_id}"),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::NO_CONTENT);
+
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(common::post_json_with_cookie(
+            "/api/v1/bookmarks",
+            json!({ "manga_id": manga_id.to_string() }),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::CREATED);
+
+    // Give the background task time to attempt re-enqueue (it should be a no-op).
+    tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(300)).await;
+    let final_count: i64 = sqlx::query_scalar(
+        "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM crawler_jobs \
+          WHERE state IN ('pending', 'running') \
+            AND payload->>'kind' = 'sync_chapter_content'",
+    )
+    .fetch_one(&pool)
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(final_count, 1, "dedup index keeps the queue at a single in-flight row");
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn create_skips_chapters_with_dropped_sources(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = common::harness(pool.clone());
+    let (_, cookie) = common::register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let manga_id = common::seed_manga_via_api(&h.app, &cookie, "Berserk").await;
+
+    let _alive = seed_chapter_with_source(&pool, manga_id, 1, "target", "ch1", "https://example.com/c1", false).await;
+    let _dropped = seed_chapter_with_source(&pool, manga_id, 2, "target", "ch2", "https://example.com/c2", true).await;
+
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(common::post_json_with_cookie(
+            "/api/v1/bookmarks",
+            json!({ "manga_id": manga_id.to_string() }),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::CREATED);
+
+    assert_eq!(
+        wait_for_pending_count(&pool, 1).await,
+        1,
+        "only the chapter with a non-dropped source row gets enqueued"
+    );
+}
--- a/backend/tests/api_chapters.rs
+++ b/backend/tests/api_chapters.rs
@@ -12,12 +12,18 @@ async fn seed_manga(h: &common::Harness, cookie: &str, title: &str) -> Uuid {
    common::seed_manga_via_api(&h.app, cookie, title).await
 }

-async fn seed_chapter(pool: &PgPool, manga_id: Uuid, number: i32, title: Option<&str>) {
+async fn seed_chapter(
+    pool: &PgPool,
+    manga_id: Uuid,
+    number: i32,
+    title: Option<&str>,
+) -> Uuid {
    // Historical seed — uploaded_by remains NULL, mirroring the
    // pre-Phase-5 rows in the production DB.
    mangalord::repo::chapter::create(pool, manga_id, number, title, None)
        .await
-        .unwrap();
+        .unwrap()
+        .id
 }

 #[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
@@ -81,16 +87,16 @@ async fn list_chapters_returns_404_for_unknown_manga(pool: PgPool) {
 }

 #[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
-async fn get_chapter_by_number(pool: PgPool) {
+async fn get_chapter_by_id(pool: PgPool) {
    let h = common::harness(pool.clone());
    let (_, cookie) = common::register_user(&h.app).await;
    let manga_id = seed_manga(&h, &cookie, "Berserk").await;
-    seed_chapter(&pool, manga_id, 1, Some("The Brand")).await;
+    let chapter_id = seed_chapter(&pool, manga_id, 1, Some("The Brand")).await;

    let resp = h
        .app
        .oneshot(common::get(&format!(
-            "/api/v1/mangas/{manga_id}/chapters/1"
+            "/api/v1/mangas/{manga_id}/chapters/{chapter_id}"
        )))
        .await
        .unwrap();
@@ -99,18 +105,20 @@ async fn get_chapter_by_number(pool: PgPool) {
    assert_eq!(body["number"], 1);
    assert_eq!(body["title"], "The Brand");
    assert_eq!(body["page_count"], 0);
+    assert_eq!(body["id"], chapter_id.to_string());
 }

 #[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
-async fn get_chapter_unknown_number_is_404(pool: PgPool) {
+async fn get_chapter_unknown_id_is_404(pool: PgPool) {
    let h = common::harness(pool);
    let (_, cookie) = common::register_user(&h.app).await;
    let manga_id = seed_manga(&h, &cookie, "Berserk").await;
+    let unknown_chapter = Uuid::new_v4();

    let resp = h
        .app
        .oneshot(common::get(&format!(
-            "/api/v1/mangas/{manga_id}/chapters/99"
+            "/api/v1/mangas/{manga_id}/chapters/{unknown_chapter}"
        )))
        .await
        .unwrap();
@@ -122,10 +130,34 @@ async fn get_chapter_unknown_number_is_404(pool: PgPool) {
 #[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
 async fn get_chapter_unknown_manga_is_404(pool: PgPool) {
    let h = common::harness(pool);
-    let unknown = Uuid::nil();
+    let unknown_manga = Uuid::nil();
+    let unknown_chapter = Uuid::new_v4();
    let resp = h
        .app
-        .oneshot(common::get(&format!("/api/v1/mangas/{unknown}/chapters/1")))
+        .oneshot(common::get(&format!(
+            "/api/v1/mangas/{unknown_manga}/chapters/{unknown_chapter}"
+        )))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::NOT_FOUND);
+}
+
+/// Cross-manga isolation: a chapter id belonging to manga A must not
+/// resolve when accessed via manga B's URL. The (manga_id, id) scoping
+/// in `find_by_id_in_manga` enforces this.
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn get_chapter_from_wrong_manga_is_404(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = common::harness(pool.clone());
+    let (_, cookie) = common::register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let manga_a = seed_manga(&h, &cookie, "Berserk").await;
+    let manga_b = seed_manga(&h, &cookie, "Vagabond").await;
+    let chapter_id = seed_chapter(&pool, manga_a, 1, Some("Episode 1")).await;
+
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .oneshot(common::get(&format!(
+            "/api/v1/mangas/{manga_b}/chapters/{chapter_id}"
+        )))
        .await
        .unwrap();
    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::NOT_FOUND);
@@ -136,12 +168,12 @@ async fn list_pages_empty_for_chapter_without_upload(pool: PgPool) {
    let h = common::harness(pool.clone());
    let (_, cookie) = common::register_user(&h.app).await;
    let manga_id = seed_manga(&h, &cookie, "Berserk").await;
-    seed_chapter(&pool, manga_id, 1, None).await;
+    let chapter_id = seed_chapter(&pool, manga_id, 1, None).await;

    let resp = h
        .app
        .oneshot(common::get(&format!(
-            "/api/v1/mangas/{manga_id}/chapters/1/pages"
+            "/api/v1/mangas/{manga_id}/chapters/{chapter_id}/pages"
        )))
        .await
        .unwrap();
@@ -155,11 +187,12 @@ async fn list_pages_returns_404_for_unknown_chapter(pool: PgPool) {
    let h = common::harness(pool);
    let (_, cookie) = common::register_user(&h.app).await;
    let manga_id = seed_manga(&h, &cookie, "Berserk").await;
+    let unknown_chapter = Uuid::new_v4();

    let resp = h
        .app
        .oneshot(common::get(&format!(
-            "/api/v1/mangas/{manga_id}/chapters/99/pages"
+            "/api/v1/mangas/{manga_id}/chapters/{unknown_chapter}/pages"
        )))
        .await
        .unwrap();
--- a/backend/tests/api_mangas_cover.rs
+++ b/backend/tests/api_mangas_cover.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,412 @@
+mod common;
+
+use axum::http::StatusCode;
+use serde_json::{json, Value};
+use sqlx::PgPool;
+use tower::ServiceExt;
+use uuid::Uuid;
+
+use common::{
+    body_json, delete_with_cookie, fake_jpeg_bytes, fake_png_bytes, get, harness,
+    post_multipart_with_cookie, put_multipart, put_multipart_with_cookie, register_user,
+    MultipartBuilder,
+};
+
+async fn create_manga_with_cover(
+    app: &axum::Router,
+    cookie: &str,
+    title: &str,
+    cover: Option<(&str, &[u8])>,
+) -> Value {
+    let mut form =
+        MultipartBuilder::new().add_json("metadata", json!({ "title": title }));
+    if let Some((ct, bytes)) = cover {
+        form = form.add_file("cover", "cover.bin", ct, bytes);
+    }
+    let resp = app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(post_multipart_with_cookie("/api/v1/mangas", form, cookie))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(
+        resp.status(),
+        StatusCode::CREATED,
+        "seed create_manga failed: {:?}",
+        resp.status()
+    );
+    body_json(resp).await
+}
+
+fn id_of(body: &Value) -> Uuid {
+    Uuid::parse_str(body["id"].as_str().unwrap()).unwrap()
+}
+
+fn cover_form(bytes: &[u8]) -> MultipartBuilder {
+    MultipartBuilder::new().add_file("cover", "cover.bin", "application/octet-stream", bytes)
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn put_cover_sets_path_when_none_existed(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = harness(pool);
+    let (_, cookie) = register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let manga = create_manga_with_cover(&h.app, &cookie, "Cover Me", None).await;
+    let id = id_of(&manga);
+    assert!(manga["cover_image_path"].is_null());
+
+    let bytes = fake_png_bytes();
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(put_multipart_with_cookie(
+            &format!("/api/v1/mangas/{id}/cover"),
+            cover_form(&bytes),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+    let body = body_json(resp).await;
+    let expected_key = format!("mangas/{id}/cover.png");
+    assert_eq!(body["cover_image_path"], expected_key);
+    assert_eq!(body["title"], "Cover Me");
+
+    let file_resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(get(&format!("/api/v1/files/{expected_key}")))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(file_resp.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn put_cover_replaces_existing_same_extension(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = harness(pool);
+    let (_, cookie) = register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let original = fake_png_bytes();
+    let manga = create_manga_with_cover(
+        &h.app,
+        &cookie,
+        "Replace Me",
+        Some(("image/png", &original)),
+    )
+    .await;
+    let id = id_of(&manga);
+    let original_key = format!("mangas/{id}/cover.png");
+    assert_eq!(manga["cover_image_path"], original_key);
+
+    let mut replacement = fake_png_bytes();
+    replacement.extend_from_slice(b"-replacement-marker");
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(put_multipart_with_cookie(
+            &format!("/api/v1/mangas/{id}/cover"),
+            cover_form(&replacement),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+    let body = body_json(resp).await;
+    assert_eq!(body["cover_image_path"], original_key);
+
+    let file_resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(get(&format!("/api/v1/files/{original_key}")))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(file_resp.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+    let body_bytes = http_body_util::BodyExt::collect(file_resp.into_body())
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+        .to_bytes();
+    assert_eq!(body_bytes.as_ref(), replacement.as_slice());
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn put_cover_replaces_existing_different_extension_and_deletes_old_blob(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = harness(pool);
+    let (_, cookie) = register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let png = fake_png_bytes();
+    let manga = create_manga_with_cover(
+        &h.app,
+        &cookie,
+        "Switch Ext",
+        Some(("image/png", &png)),
+    )
+    .await;
+    let id = id_of(&manga);
+    let old_key = format!("mangas/{id}/cover.png");
+    assert_eq!(manga["cover_image_path"], old_key);
+
+    let jpeg = fake_jpeg_bytes();
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(put_multipart_with_cookie(
+            &format!("/api/v1/mangas/{id}/cover"),
+            cover_form(&jpeg),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+    let body = body_json(resp).await;
+    let new_key = format!("mangas/{id}/cover.jpg");
+    assert_eq!(body["cover_image_path"], new_key);
+
+    let new_file = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(get(&format!("/api/v1/files/{new_key}")))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(new_file.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+
+    let old_file = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(get(&format!("/api/v1/files/{old_key}")))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(old_file.status(), StatusCode::NOT_FOUND);
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn put_cover_rejects_unauthenticated(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = harness(pool);
+    let (_, cookie) = register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let manga = create_manga_with_cover(&h.app, &cookie, "Public Read", None).await;
+    let id = id_of(&manga);
+
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(put_multipart(
+            &format!("/api/v1/mangas/{id}/cover"),
+            cover_form(&fake_png_bytes()),
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::UNAUTHORIZED);
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn put_cover_404_on_unknown_id(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = harness(pool);
+    let (_, cookie) = register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let id = Uuid::new_v4();
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(put_multipart_with_cookie(
+            &format!("/api/v1/mangas/{id}/cover"),
+            cover_form(&fake_png_bytes()),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::NOT_FOUND);
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn put_cover_rejects_non_image_with_unsupported_media_type(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = harness(pool);
+    let (_, cookie) = register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let manga = create_manga_with_cover(&h.app, &cookie, "Not Image", None).await;
+    let id = id_of(&manga);
+
+    let pdf = b"%PDF-1.4\n%\xc4\xe5".to_vec();
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(put_multipart_with_cookie(
+            &format!("/api/v1/mangas/{id}/cover"),
+            cover_form(&pdf),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::UNSUPPORTED_MEDIA_TYPE);
+    let body = body_json(resp).await;
+    assert_eq!(body["error"]["code"], "unsupported_media_type");
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn put_cover_rejects_oversized(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = harness(pool);
+    let (_, cookie) = register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let manga = create_manga_with_cover(&h.app, &cookie, "Too Big", None).await;
+    let id = id_of(&manga);
+
+    // Harness max_file_bytes is 256 KiB; 300 KiB trips the cap.
+    let mut bytes = fake_png_bytes();
+    bytes.resize(300 * 1024, 0);
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(put_multipart_with_cookie(
+            &format!("/api/v1/mangas/{id}/cover"),
+            cover_form(&bytes),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::PAYLOAD_TOO_LARGE);
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn put_cover_rejects_missing_cover_part(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = harness(pool);
+    let (_, cookie) = register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let manga = create_manga_with_cover(&h.app, &cookie, "Empty Form", None).await;
+    let id = id_of(&manga);
+
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(put_multipart_with_cookie(
+            &format!("/api/v1/mangas/{id}/cover"),
+            MultipartBuilder::new(),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::UNPROCESSABLE_ENTITY);
+    let body = body_json(resp).await;
+    assert_eq!(body["error"]["code"], "validation_failed");
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn put_cover_preserves_other_metadata(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = harness(pool);
+    let (_, cookie) = register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let manga = create_manga_with_cover(
+        &h.app,
+        &cookie,
+        "Keep My Fields",
+        None,
+    )
+    .await;
+    let id = id_of(&manga);
+
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(put_multipart_with_cookie(
+            &format!("/api/v1/mangas/{id}/cover"),
+            cover_form(&fake_png_bytes()),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+    let body = body_json(resp).await;
+    assert_eq!(body["title"], "Keep My Fields");
+    assert_eq!(body["status"], "ongoing");
+    assert_eq!(body["authors"], json!([]));
+    assert_eq!(body["genres"], json!([]));
+    assert_eq!(body["tags"], json!([]));
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn delete_cover_clears_path_and_removes_blob(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = harness(pool);
+    let (_, cookie) = register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let png = fake_png_bytes();
+    let manga = create_manga_with_cover(
+        &h.app,
+        &cookie,
+        "Bye Cover",
+        Some(("image/png", &png)),
+    )
+    .await;
+    let id = id_of(&manga);
+    let key = format!("mangas/{id}/cover.png");
+
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(delete_with_cookie(
+            &format!("/api/v1/mangas/{id}/cover"),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+    let body = body_json(resp).await;
+    assert!(body["cover_image_path"].is_null());
+    assert_eq!(body["title"], "Bye Cover");
+
+    let file_resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(get(&format!("/api/v1/files/{key}")))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(file_resp.status(), StatusCode::NOT_FOUND);
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn delete_cover_is_idempotent_when_no_cover_present(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = harness(pool);
+    let (_, cookie) = register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let manga = create_manga_with_cover(&h.app, &cookie, "Never Had One", None).await;
+    let id = id_of(&manga);
+
+    for _ in 0..2 {
+        let resp = h
+            .app
+            .clone()
+            .oneshot(delete_with_cookie(
+                &format!("/api/v1/mangas/{id}/cover"),
+                &cookie,
+            ))
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+        let body = body_json(resp).await;
+        assert!(body["cover_image_path"].is_null());
+    }
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn delete_cover_rejects_unauthenticated(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = harness(pool);
+    let (_, cookie) = register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let manga = create_manga_with_cover(&h.app, &cookie, "Locked", None).await;
+    let id = id_of(&manga);
+
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(
+            axum::http::Request::builder()
+                .method("DELETE")
+                .uri(format!("/api/v1/mangas/{id}/cover"))
+                .body(axum::body::Body::empty())
+                .unwrap(),
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::UNAUTHORIZED);
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn delete_cover_404_on_unknown_id(pool: PgPool) {
+    let h = harness(pool);
+    let (_, cookie) = register_user(&h.app).await;
+    let id = Uuid::new_v4();
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .clone()
+        .oneshot(delete_with_cookie(
+            &format!("/api/v1/mangas/{id}/cover"),
+            &cookie,
+        ))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::NOT_FOUND);
+}
--- a/backend/tests/api_uploads.rs
+++ b/backend/tests/api_uploads.rs
@@ -139,13 +139,17 @@ async fn files_endpoint_streams_in_multiple_frames(pool: PgPool) {
        .await
        .unwrap();
    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::CREATED);
+    let chapter_id = common::body_json(resp).await["id"]
+        .as_str()
+        .unwrap()
+        .to_string();

    // Fetch the page back via the streaming files endpoint.
    let pages = h
        .app
        .clone()
        .oneshot(common::get(&format!(
-            "/api/v1/mangas/{manga_id}/chapters/1/pages"
+            "/api/v1/mangas/{manga_id}/chapters/{chapter_id}/pages"
        )))
        .await
        .unwrap();
@@ -317,8 +321,12 @@ async fn create_chapter_rejects_renamed_non_image_page(pool: PgPool) {
    assert_eq!(body["error"]["code"], "unsupported_media_type");
 }

+/// Multiple chapters can share the same number — different
+/// scanlations, re-uploads, translator notes. As of migration 0013,
+/// (manga_id, number) is not unique and each upload gets its own
+/// chapter id.
 #[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
-async fn create_chapter_returns_409_on_duplicate_number(pool: PgPool) {
+async fn create_chapter_allows_duplicate_numbers_as_separate_chapters(pool: PgPool) {
    let h = common::harness(pool);
    let (_, cookie) = common::register_user(&h.app).await;
    let manga_id = common::seed_manga_via_api(&h.app, &cookie, "Berserk").await;
@@ -334,10 +342,27 @@ async fn create_chapter_returns_409_on_duplicate_number(pool: PgPool) {
    };
    let first = h.app.clone().oneshot(make()).await.unwrap();
    assert_eq!(first.status(), StatusCode::CREATED);
-    let second = h.app.oneshot(make()).await.unwrap();
-    assert_eq!(second.status(), StatusCode::CONFLICT);
-    let body = common::body_json(second).await;
-    assert_eq!(body["error"]["code"], "conflict");
+    let first_id = common::body_json(first).await["id"].as_str().unwrap().to_string();
+
+    let second = h.app.clone().oneshot(make()).await.unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(second.status(), StatusCode::CREATED);
+    let second_id = common::body_json(second).await["id"].as_str().unwrap().to_string();
+
+    assert_ne!(first_id, second_id, "each upload gets a distinct chapter id");
+
+    // List endpoint surfaces both rows.
+    let resp = h
+        .app
+        .oneshot(common::get(&format!("/api/v1/mangas/{manga_id}/chapters")))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+    let body = common::body_json(resp).await;
+    let items = body["items"].as_array().unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(items.len(), 2, "both Ch.1 uploads listed separately");
+    for item in items {
+        assert_eq!(item["number"], 1);
+    }
 }

 #[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
--- a/backend/tests/common/mod.rs
+++ b/backend/tests/common/mod.rs
@@ -336,6 +336,37 @@ pub fn post_multipart_with_cookie(
        .unwrap()
 }

+pub fn put_multipart_with_cookie(
+    uri: &str,
+    builder: MultipartBuilder,
+    cookie: &str,
+) -> Request<Body> {
+    let (boundary, body) = builder.finalize();
+    Request::builder()
+        .method("PUT")
+        .uri(uri)
+        .header(
+            header::CONTENT_TYPE,
+            format!("multipart/form-data; boundary={boundary}"),
+        )
+        .header(header::COOKIE, cookie)
+        .body(Body::from(body))
+        .unwrap()
+}
+
+pub fn put_multipart(uri: &str, builder: MultipartBuilder) -> Request<Body> {
+    let (boundary, body) = builder.finalize();
+    Request::builder()
+        .method("PUT")
+        .uri(uri)
+        .header(
+            header::CONTENT_TYPE,
+            format!("multipart/form-data; boundary={boundary}"),
+        )
+        .body(Body::from(body))
+        .unwrap()
+}
+
 /// Realistic PNG file header bytes — enough for `infer` to identify.
 pub fn fake_png_bytes() -> Vec<u8> {
    vec![0x89, 0x50, 0x4e, 0x47, 0x0d, 0x0a, 0x1a, 0x0a, 0, 0, 0, 0]
--- a/backend/tests/crawler_daemon.rs
+++ b/backend/tests/crawler_daemon.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,372 @@
+//! Integration tests for the crawler daemon's cron + worker pool. The
+//! daemon's full real path requires Chromium and a live source; here we
+//! test the seam (MetadataPass / ChapterDispatcher traits) and the
+//! cron/worker control-flow.
+
+use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicUsize, Ordering};
+use std::sync::Arc;
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+use chrono::NaiveTime;
+use chrono_tz::Tz;
+use mangalord::crawler::content::SyncOutcome;
+use mangalord::crawler::daemon::{
+    self, test_support::CountingMetadataPass, ChapterDispatcher, DaemonConfig, MetadataPass,
+    CRON_LOCK_KEY,
+};
+use mangalord::crawler::jobs::{self, JobPayload};
+use mangalord::crawler::pipeline;
+use serde_json::json;
+use sqlx::PgPool;
+use tokio_util::sync::CancellationToken;
+use uuid::Uuid;
+
+fn far_future_daily_at() -> NaiveTime {
+    // Some time hours from "now" so the scheduler sleeps for the whole test.
+    NaiveTime::from_hms_opt(23, 59, 0).unwrap()
+}
+
+fn make_cfg(
+    metadata_pass: Option<Arc<dyn MetadataPass>>,
+    dispatcher: Arc<dyn ChapterDispatcher>,
+    session_expired: Arc<std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool>,
+    workers: usize,
+) -> DaemonConfig {
+    DaemonConfig {
+        metadata_pass,
+        dispatcher,
+        chapter_workers: workers,
+        daily_at: far_future_daily_at(),
+        tz: Tz::UTC,
+        retention_days: 7,
+        session_expired,
+        extra_tasks: Vec::new(),
+    }
+}
+
+async fn enqueue_chapter_job(pool: &PgPool) -> Uuid {
+    let chapter_id = Uuid::new_v4();
+    let payload = JobPayload::SyncChapterContent {
+        source_id: "target".into(),
+        chapter_id,
+        source_chapter_key: format!("ch-{chapter_id}"),
+    };
+    let res = jobs::enqueue(pool, &payload).await.unwrap();
+    match res {
+        jobs::EnqueueResult::Inserted(_) => chapter_id,
+        jobs::EnqueueResult::Skipped => unreachable!("fresh chapter_id"),
+    }
+}
+
+async fn count_state(pool: &PgPool, state: &str) -> i64 {
+    sqlx::query_scalar::<_, i64>("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM crawler_jobs WHERE state = $1")
+        .bind(state)
+        .fetch_one(pool)
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+}
+
+struct AlwaysDoneDispatcher {
+    seen: AtomicUsize,
+}
+#[async_trait::async_trait]
+impl ChapterDispatcher for AlwaysDoneDispatcher {
+    async fn dispatch(&self, _payload: JobPayload) -> anyhow::Result<SyncOutcome> {
+        self.seen.fetch_add(1, Ordering::AcqRel);
+        Ok(SyncOutcome::Fetched { pages: 1 })
+    }
+}
+
+struct PanickingDispatcher {
+    seen: AtomicUsize,
+}
+#[async_trait::async_trait]
+impl ChapterDispatcher for PanickingDispatcher {
+    async fn dispatch(&self, _payload: JobPayload) -> anyhow::Result<SyncOutcome> {
+        self.seen.fetch_add(1, Ordering::AcqRel);
+        panic!("intentional dispatcher panic");
+    }
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn workers_drain_jobs_through_dispatcher(pool: PgPool) {
+    enqueue_chapter_job(&pool).await;
+    enqueue_chapter_job(&pool).await;
+    enqueue_chapter_job(&pool).await;
+
+    let dispatcher = Arc::new(AlwaysDoneDispatcher {
+        seen: AtomicUsize::new(0),
+    });
+    let session_expired = Arc::new(std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::new(false));
+    let cancel = CancellationToken::new();
+    let handle = daemon::spawn(
+        pool.clone(),
+        cancel.clone(),
+        make_cfg(None, dispatcher.clone(), session_expired, 2),
+    );
+
+    // Wait for the workers to drain all three jobs.
+    let dispatcher_seen = || dispatcher.seen.load(Ordering::Acquire);
+    for _ in 0..40 {
+        if dispatcher_seen() >= 3 {
+            break;
+        }
+        tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(50)).await;
+    }
+    assert!(
+        dispatcher_seen() >= 3,
+        "expected at least 3 dispatches, got {}",
+        dispatcher_seen()
+    );
+
+    handle.shutdown().await;
+    assert_eq!(count_state(&pool, "done").await, 3);
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn workers_idle_while_session_expired(pool: PgPool) {
+    let id = enqueue_chapter_job(&pool).await;
+    let dispatcher = Arc::new(AlwaysDoneDispatcher {
+        seen: AtomicUsize::new(0),
+    });
+    let session_expired = Arc::new(std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::new(true));
+    let cancel = CancellationToken::new();
+    let handle = daemon::spawn(
+        pool.clone(),
+        cancel.clone(),
+        make_cfg(None, dispatcher.clone(), Arc::clone(&session_expired), 1),
+    );
+
+    // Wait long enough that a non-idled worker would have leased and ack'd.
+    tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(800)).await;
+    assert_eq!(
+        dispatcher.seen.load(Ordering::Acquire),
+        0,
+        "dispatcher must not be invoked while session_expired flag is set"
+    );
+    assert_eq!(count_state(&pool, "pending").await, 1);
+    let _ = id;
+
+    handle.shutdown().await;
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn dispatcher_panic_is_contained_and_job_is_acked_failed(pool: PgPool) {
+    enqueue_chapter_job(&pool).await;
+    enqueue_chapter_job(&pool).await;
+
+    let dispatcher = Arc::new(PanickingDispatcher {
+        seen: AtomicUsize::new(0),
+    });
+    let session_expired = Arc::new(std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::new(false));
+    let cancel = CancellationToken::new();
+    let handle = daemon::spawn(
+        pool.clone(),
+        cancel.clone(),
+        make_cfg(None, dispatcher.clone(), session_expired, 1),
+    );
+
+    // Wait for the worker to handle both panicking jobs.
+    for _ in 0..40 {
+        if dispatcher.seen.load(Ordering::Acquire) >= 2 {
+            break;
+        }
+        tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(50)).await;
+    }
+    assert!(
+        dispatcher.seen.load(Ordering::Acquire) >= 2,
+        "worker must keep going after a panic — handled at least 2 jobs"
+    );
+
+    handle.shutdown().await;
+
+    // attempts=1 below max=5, so the panicking jobs go back to pending with
+    // backoff and `last_error = "worker panicked"`.
+    let last_errors: Vec<String> = sqlx::query_scalar(
+        "SELECT last_error FROM crawler_jobs WHERE last_error IS NOT NULL",
+    )
+    .fetch_all(&pool)
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(last_errors.len(), 2);
+    assert!(last_errors.iter().all(|e| e == "worker panicked"));
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn cron_skips_tick_when_advisory_lock_held(pool: PgPool) {
+    // With no last_metadata_tick_at row, the daemon does a catch-up tick
+    // immediately on spawn. We hold the advisory lock on a separate
+    // connection beforehand so the catch-up's pg_try_advisory_lock returns
+    // false and the tick must skip without invoking the metadata pass.
+    let mut lock_conn = pool.acquire().await.unwrap();
+    sqlx::query("SELECT pg_advisory_lock($1)")
+        .bind(CRON_LOCK_KEY)
+        .execute(&mut *lock_conn)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    let counter = Arc::new(CountingMetadataPass::default());
+    let dispatcher = Arc::new(AlwaysDoneDispatcher {
+        seen: AtomicUsize::new(0),
+    });
+    let session_expired = Arc::new(std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::new(false));
+    let cancel = CancellationToken::new();
+    // daily_at far in the future so after the (skipped) catch-up the
+    // cron sleeps for the rest of the test rather than racing for the lock.
+    let cfg = make_cfg(
+        Some(counter.clone() as Arc<dyn MetadataPass>),
+        dispatcher,
+        session_expired,
+        1,
+    );
+    let handle = daemon::spawn(pool.clone(), cancel.clone(), cfg);
+
+    tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(800)).await;
+    assert_eq!(
+        counter.count.load(Ordering::Acquire),
+        0,
+        "cron must skip the catch-up tick while the advisory lock is held"
+    );
+
+    sqlx::query("SELECT pg_advisory_unlock($1)")
+        .bind(CRON_LOCK_KEY)
+        .execute(&mut *lock_conn)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    drop(lock_conn);
+
+    handle.shutdown().await;
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn cron_catches_up_when_last_tick_is_stale(pool: PgPool) {
+    // Pre-seed last_metadata_tick_at well in the past so previous_fire(now)
+    // > last_tick is trivially true and the daemon catches up immediately.
+    sqlx::query(
+        "INSERT INTO crawler_state (key, value) VALUES ($1, $2)
+         ON CONFLICT (key) DO UPDATE SET value = EXCLUDED.value",
+    )
+    .bind("last_metadata_tick_at")
+    .bind(json!({"at": "2020-01-01T00:00:00Z"}))
+    .execute(&pool)
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+
+    let counter = Arc::new(CountingMetadataPass::default());
+    let dispatcher = Arc::new(AlwaysDoneDispatcher {
+        seen: AtomicUsize::new(0),
+    });
+    let session_expired = Arc::new(std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::new(false));
+    let cancel = CancellationToken::new();
+    let handle = daemon::spawn(
+        pool.clone(),
+        cancel.clone(),
+        make_cfg(
+            Some(counter.clone() as Arc<dyn MetadataPass>),
+            dispatcher,
+            session_expired,
+            1,
+        ),
+    );
+
+    for _ in 0..40 {
+        if counter.count.load(Ordering::Acquire) >= 1 {
+            break;
+        }
+        tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(50)).await;
+    }
+    assert!(
+        counter.count.load(Ordering::Acquire) >= 1,
+        "catch-up tick should have fired immediately"
+    );
+
+    handle.shutdown().await;
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn enqueue_bookmarked_pending_skips_dropped_sources(pool: PgPool) {
+    // Setup: one manga with two chapters (page_count = 0). One has a
+    // non-dropped source; the other's source is dropped. A user bookmarks
+    // the manga. Expectation: only the non-dropped chapter is enqueued.
+    let user_id: Uuid = sqlx::query_scalar(
+        "INSERT INTO users (username, password_hash) VALUES ($1, $2) RETURNING id",
+    )
+    .bind("alice")
+    .bind("not-a-real-hash")
+    .fetch_one(&pool)
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+    let manga_id: Uuid = sqlx::query_scalar(
+        "INSERT INTO mangas (title) VALUES ($1) RETURNING id",
+    )
+    .bind("Berserk")
+    .fetch_one(&pool)
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+    sqlx::query("INSERT INTO sources (id, name, base_url) VALUES ($1, $2, $3) ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING")
+        .bind("target")
+        .bind("Target")
+        .bind("https://example.com")
+        .execute(&pool)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let c1: Uuid = sqlx::query_scalar(
+        "INSERT INTO chapters (manga_id, number, page_count) VALUES ($1, 1, 0) RETURNING id",
+    )
+    .bind(manga_id)
+    .fetch_one(&pool)
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+    let c2: Uuid = sqlx::query_scalar(
+        "INSERT INTO chapters (manga_id, number, page_count) VALUES ($1, 2, 0) RETURNING id",
+    )
+    .bind(manga_id)
+    .fetch_one(&pool)
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+    // c1: alive source. c2: dropped source.
+    sqlx::query(
+        "INSERT INTO chapter_sources (source_id, source_chapter_key, chapter_id, source_url) \
+         VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4)",
+    )
+    .bind("target")
+    .bind("ch1")
+    .bind(c1)
+    .bind("https://example.com/ch1")
+    .execute(&pool)
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+    sqlx::query(
+        "INSERT INTO chapter_sources (source_id, source_chapter_key, chapter_id, source_url, dropped_at) \
+         VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4, now())",
+    )
+    .bind("target")
+    .bind("ch2")
+    .bind(c2)
+    .bind("https://example.com/ch2")
+    .execute(&pool)
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+    sqlx::query("INSERT INTO bookmarks (user_id, manga_id) VALUES ($1, $2)")
+        .bind(user_id)
+        .bind(manga_id)
+        .execute(&pool)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    let summary = pipeline::enqueue_bookmarked_pending(&pool).await.unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(summary.inserted, 1, "only the non-dropped chapter enqueued");
+    assert_eq!(summary.skipped, 0);
+    let payloads: Vec<serde_json::Value> = sqlx::query_scalar(
+        "SELECT payload FROM crawler_jobs WHERE payload->>'kind' = 'sync_chapter_content'",
+    )
+    .fetch_all(&pool)
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(payloads.len(), 1);
+    assert_eq!(
+        payloads[0]["chapter_id"].as_str().unwrap(),
+        c1.to_string()
+    );
+}
+
--- a/backend/tests/crawler_incremental.rs
+++ b/backend/tests/crawler_incremental.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+//! Integration tests for the incremental-mode coordination state:
+//! `mark_seed_completed` / `seed_completed_at` round-trip via the
+//! `crawler_state` table.
+//!
+//! End-to-end pipeline behavior (walker + stop-on-Unchanged) requires
+//! a real `chromiumoxide::Browser` to construct a `FetchContext`, so
+//! the live integration of that path is covered by
+//! `crawler_browser_smoke.rs` instead. The pure stop logic itself is
+//! unit-tested in `crawler::pipeline::tests`.
+
+use chrono::Utc;
+use mangalord::repo::crawler;
+use sqlx::PgPool;
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn seed_completed_at_none_before_any_run(pool: PgPool) {
+    crawler::ensure_source(&pool, "target", "T", "https://x.example")
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let res = crawler::seed_completed_at(&pool, "target").await.unwrap();
+    assert!(res.is_none(), "fresh source has no seed marker");
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn mark_seed_completed_then_read_round_trips_timestamp(pool: PgPool) {
+    crawler::ensure_source(&pool, "target", "T", "https://x.example")
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let at = Utc::now();
+    crawler::mark_seed_completed(&pool, "target", at)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let read = crawler::seed_completed_at(&pool, "target")
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+        .expect("marker present after mark");
+    // RFC3339 round-trip is millisecond-precise on chrono::Utc; allow a
+    // 1ms tolerance to absorb postgres jsonb whitespace canonicalization.
+    let drift = (read - at).num_milliseconds().abs();
+    assert!(drift <= 1, "round-trip drift: {drift}ms (at={at}, read={read})");
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn mark_seed_completed_overwrites_previous_value(pool: PgPool) {
+    crawler::ensure_source(&pool, "target", "T", "https://x.example")
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let first = Utc::now() - chrono::Duration::hours(1);
+    let second = Utc::now();
+    crawler::mark_seed_completed(&pool, "target", first)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    crawler::mark_seed_completed(&pool, "target", second)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let read = crawler::seed_completed_at(&pool, "target")
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+        .expect("marker present");
+    let drift = (read - second).num_milliseconds().abs();
+    assert!(drift <= 1, "should reflect the latest mark, not the first");
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn seed_completed_is_per_source(pool: PgPool) {
+    // Two sources, only one is marked complete. The other must still
+    // report None — the key is namespaced by source_id.
+    crawler::ensure_source(&pool, "target", "T", "https://x.example")
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    crawler::ensure_source(&pool, "other", "O", "https://y.example")
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    crawler::mark_seed_completed(&pool, "target", Utc::now())
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert!(crawler::seed_completed_at(&pool, "target")
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+        .is_some());
+    assert!(crawler::seed_completed_at(&pool, "other")
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+        .is_none());
+}
--- a/backend/tests/crawler_jobs.rs
+++ b/backend/tests/crawler_jobs.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,441 @@
+//! Integration tests for `crawler::jobs` queue operations.
+//!
+//! Uses `#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]` which provisions a fresh
+//! migrated DB per test. No browser, no axum router — these exercise the SQL
+//! shape and dedup-index semantics directly against Postgres.
+
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+use mangalord::crawler::jobs::{
+    self, EnqueueResult, JobPayload, KIND_SYNC_CHAPTER_CONTENT,
+};
+use mangalord::crawler::source::DiscoverMode;
+use sqlx::PgPool;
+use uuid::Uuid;
+
+fn chapter_content_payload(chapter_id: Uuid) -> JobPayload {
+    JobPayload::SyncChapterContent {
+        source_id: "target".into(),
+        chapter_id,
+        source_chapter_key: format!("ch-{chapter_id}"),
+    }
+}
+
+fn discover_payload() -> JobPayload {
+    JobPayload::Discover {
+        source_id: "target".into(),
+        mode: DiscoverMode::Backfill,
+    }
+}
+
+async fn job_state(pool: &PgPool, id: Uuid) -> String {
+    sqlx::query_scalar::<_, String>("SELECT state FROM crawler_jobs WHERE id = $1")
+        .bind(id)
+        .fetch_one(pool)
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+}
+
+async fn job_attempts(pool: &PgPool, id: Uuid) -> i32 {
+    sqlx::query_scalar::<_, i32>("SELECT attempts FROM crawler_jobs WHERE id = $1")
+        .bind(id)
+        .fetch_one(pool)
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+}
+
+async fn job_count(pool: &PgPool) -> i64 {
+    sqlx::query_scalar::<_, i64>("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM crawler_jobs")
+        .fetch_one(pool)
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn enqueue_inserts_pending_row_with_round_trip_payload(pool: PgPool) {
+    let chapter_id = Uuid::new_v4();
+    let payload = chapter_content_payload(chapter_id);
+
+    let result = jobs::enqueue(&pool, &payload).await.unwrap();
+    let id = match result {
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(id) => id,
+        EnqueueResult::Skipped => panic!("expected Inserted on first enqueue"),
+    };
+
+    assert_eq!(job_state(&pool, id).await, "pending");
+    assert_eq!(job_attempts(&pool, id).await, 0);
+
+    let raw_payload: serde_json::Value =
+        sqlx::query_scalar("SELECT payload FROM crawler_jobs WHERE id = $1")
+            .bind(id)
+            .fetch_one(&pool)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+    let decoded: JobPayload = serde_json::from_value(raw_payload).unwrap();
+    match decoded {
+        JobPayload::SyncChapterContent {
+            source_id,
+            chapter_id: c,
+            source_chapter_key,
+        } => {
+            assert_eq!(source_id, "target");
+            assert_eq!(c, chapter_id);
+            assert_eq!(source_chapter_key, format!("ch-{chapter_id}"));
+        }
+        _ => panic!("payload variant mismatch"),
+    }
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn duplicate_chapter_content_while_pending_is_skipped(pool: PgPool) {
+    let chapter_id = Uuid::new_v4();
+    let p = chapter_content_payload(chapter_id);
+
+    let first = jobs::enqueue(&pool, &p).await.unwrap();
+    assert!(matches!(first, EnqueueResult::Inserted(_)));
+
+    let second = jobs::enqueue(&pool, &p).await.unwrap();
+    assert!(matches!(second, EnqueueResult::Skipped));
+
+    assert_eq!(job_count(&pool).await, 1);
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn duplicate_after_done_releases_dedup_slot(pool: PgPool) {
+    let chapter_id = Uuid::new_v4();
+    let p = chapter_content_payload(chapter_id);
+
+    let first_id = match jobs::enqueue(&pool, &p).await.unwrap() {
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(id) => id,
+        EnqueueResult::Skipped => panic!("first enqueue should insert"),
+    };
+    // Move the first job out of (pending|running) so the partial index drops it.
+    sqlx::query("UPDATE crawler_jobs SET state = 'done' WHERE id = $1")
+        .bind(first_id)
+        .execute(&pool)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    let second = jobs::enqueue(&pool, &p).await.unwrap();
+    assert!(
+        matches!(second, EnqueueResult::Inserted(_)),
+        "after done the chapter_id slot is free again"
+    );
+    assert_eq!(job_count(&pool).await, 2);
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn different_chapter_ids_can_coexist(pool: PgPool) {
+    let p1 = chapter_content_payload(Uuid::new_v4());
+    let p2 = chapter_content_payload(Uuid::new_v4());
+    assert!(matches!(
+        jobs::enqueue(&pool, &p1).await.unwrap(),
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(_)
+    ));
+    assert!(matches!(
+        jobs::enqueue(&pool, &p2).await.unwrap(),
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(_)
+    ));
+    assert_eq!(job_count(&pool).await, 2);
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn non_chapter_content_payloads_are_never_deduped(pool: PgPool) {
+    let p = discover_payload();
+    assert!(matches!(
+        jobs::enqueue(&pool, &p).await.unwrap(),
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(_)
+    ));
+    assert!(matches!(
+        jobs::enqueue(&pool, &p).await.unwrap(),
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(_)
+    ));
+    assert_eq!(job_count(&pool).await, 2);
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn lease_marks_running_and_bumps_attempts_and_sets_leased_until(pool: PgPool) {
+    let id = match jobs::enqueue(&pool, &chapter_content_payload(Uuid::new_v4()))
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+    {
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(id) => id,
+        EnqueueResult::Skipped => unreachable!(),
+    };
+
+    let leases = jobs::lease(&pool, None, 10, Duration::from_secs(60))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(leases.len(), 1);
+    let lease = &leases[0];
+    assert_eq!(lease.id, id);
+    assert_eq!(lease.attempts, 1);
+
+    assert_eq!(job_state(&pool, id).await, "running");
+
+    let leased_until: Option<chrono::DateTime<chrono::Utc>> =
+        sqlx::query_scalar("SELECT leased_until FROM crawler_jobs WHERE id = $1")
+            .bind(id)
+            .fetch_one(&pool)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+    let leased_until = leased_until.expect("leased_until set");
+    assert!(leased_until > chrono::Utc::now());
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn lease_with_kind_filter_only_matches_that_kind(pool: PgPool) {
+    let discover_id = match jobs::enqueue(&pool, &discover_payload()).await.unwrap() {
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(id) => id,
+        _ => unreachable!(),
+    };
+    let chapter_id = match jobs::enqueue(&pool, &chapter_content_payload(Uuid::new_v4()))
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+    {
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(id) => id,
+        _ => unreachable!(),
+    };
+
+    let leases = jobs::lease(
+        &pool,
+        Some(KIND_SYNC_CHAPTER_CONTENT),
+        10,
+        Duration::from_secs(60),
+    )
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(leases.len(), 1, "only chapter content payload leases");
+    assert_eq!(leases[0].id, chapter_id);
+    // discover is still pending
+    assert_eq!(job_state(&pool, discover_id).await, "pending");
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn concurrent_leases_under_skip_locked_return_disjoint_ids(pool: PgPool) {
+    // 4 pending jobs, two concurrent calls each asking for up to 2.
+    let mut ids = Vec::new();
+    for _ in 0..4 {
+        let id = match jobs::enqueue(&pool, &chapter_content_payload(Uuid::new_v4()))
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
+        {
+            EnqueueResult::Inserted(id) => id,
+            _ => unreachable!(),
+        };
+        ids.push(id);
+    }
+
+    let (a, b) = tokio::join!(
+        jobs::lease(&pool, None, 2, Duration::from_secs(60)),
+        jobs::lease(&pool, None, 2, Duration::from_secs(60)),
+    );
+    let a = a.unwrap();
+    let b = b.unwrap();
+    let mut seen: Vec<Uuid> = a.iter().chain(b.iter()).map(|l| l.id).collect();
+    seen.sort();
+    seen.dedup();
+    let count = a.len() + b.len();
+    assert_eq!(
+        seen.len(),
+        count,
+        "no id appears in both lease results (SKIP LOCKED)"
+    );
+    assert!(count >= 2, "at least one lease saw work");
+    assert!(count <= 4);
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn stale_running_lease_can_be_reclaimed(pool: PgPool) {
+    let id = match jobs::enqueue(&pool, &chapter_content_payload(Uuid::new_v4()))
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+    {
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(id) => id,
+        _ => unreachable!(),
+    };
+
+    let first = jobs::lease(&pool, None, 1, Duration::from_secs(60))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(first.len(), 1);
+    // Pretend the worker crashed: rewind leased_until into the past.
+    sqlx::query("UPDATE crawler_jobs SET leased_until = now() - interval '1 minute' WHERE id = $1")
+        .bind(id)
+        .execute(&pool)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    let second = jobs::lease(&pool, None, 1, Duration::from_secs(60))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(second.len(), 1, "stale running row was re-leased");
+    assert_eq!(second[0].id, id);
+    assert_eq!(second[0].attempts, 2, "attempts bumped again");
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn ack_done_transitions_state_and_clears_lease(pool: PgPool) {
+    let id = match jobs::enqueue(&pool, &chapter_content_payload(Uuid::new_v4()))
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+    {
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(id) => id,
+        _ => unreachable!(),
+    };
+    let leases = jobs::lease(&pool, None, 1, Duration::from_secs(60))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    jobs::ack_done(&pool, leases[0].id).await.unwrap();
+
+    assert_eq!(job_state(&pool, id).await, "done");
+    let leased_until: Option<chrono::DateTime<chrono::Utc>> =
+        sqlx::query_scalar("SELECT leased_until FROM crawler_jobs WHERE id = $1")
+            .bind(id)
+            .fetch_one(&pool)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+    assert!(leased_until.is_none());
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn ack_failed_under_max_returns_to_pending_with_future_schedule(pool: PgPool) {
+    let id = match jobs::enqueue(&pool, &chapter_content_payload(Uuid::new_v4()))
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+    {
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(id) => id,
+        _ => unreachable!(),
+    };
+    let leases = jobs::lease(&pool, None, 1, Duration::from_secs(60))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let lease = &leases[0];
+    jobs::ack_failed(&pool, lease.id, "boom", lease.attempts, lease.max_attempts)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    assert_eq!(job_state(&pool, id).await, "pending");
+
+    let (scheduled_at, last_error): (chrono::DateTime<chrono::Utc>, Option<String>) =
+        sqlx::query_as("SELECT scheduled_at, last_error FROM crawler_jobs WHERE id = $1")
+            .bind(id)
+            .fetch_one(&pool)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+    assert!(scheduled_at > chrono::Utc::now());
+    assert_eq!(last_error.as_deref(), Some("boom"));
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn ack_failed_at_max_marks_dead(pool: PgPool) {
+    let id = match jobs::enqueue(&pool, &chapter_content_payload(Uuid::new_v4()))
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+    {
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(id) => id,
+        _ => unreachable!(),
+    };
+    // Force a single lease then mark "this was attempt N where N == max_attempts".
+    let leases = jobs::lease(&pool, None, 1, Duration::from_secs(60))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let lease = &leases[0];
+    jobs::ack_failed(&pool, lease.id, "final boom", lease.max_attempts, lease.max_attempts)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    assert_eq!(job_state(&pool, id).await, "dead");
+    let last_error: Option<String> =
+        sqlx::query_scalar("SELECT last_error FROM crawler_jobs WHERE id = $1")
+            .bind(id)
+            .fetch_one(&pool)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(last_error.as_deref(), Some("final boom"));
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn release_returns_to_pending_and_undoes_attempt_increment(pool: PgPool) {
+    let id = match jobs::enqueue(&pool, &chapter_content_payload(Uuid::new_v4()))
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+    {
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(id) => id,
+        _ => unreachable!(),
+    };
+    let leases = jobs::lease(&pool, None, 1, Duration::from_secs(60))
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(leases[0].attempts, 1);
+    jobs::release(&pool, leases[0].id).await.unwrap();
+
+    assert_eq!(job_state(&pool, id).await, "pending");
+    assert_eq!(job_attempts(&pool, id).await, 0);
+    let leased_until: Option<chrono::DateTime<chrono::Utc>> =
+        sqlx::query_scalar("SELECT leased_until FROM crawler_jobs WHERE id = $1")
+            .bind(id)
+            .fetch_one(&pool)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+    assert!(leased_until.is_none());
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn reap_done_deletes_old_rows_keeps_fresh(pool: PgPool) {
+    // Two done rows: one old (updated_at 10 days ago), one fresh.
+    let old_id = match jobs::enqueue(&pool, &chapter_content_payload(Uuid::new_v4()))
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+    {
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(id) => id,
+        _ => unreachable!(),
+    };
+    let fresh_id = match jobs::enqueue(&pool, &chapter_content_payload(Uuid::new_v4()))
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+    {
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(id) => id,
+        _ => unreachable!(),
+    };
+
+    sqlx::query("UPDATE crawler_jobs SET state='done', updated_at = now() - interval '10 days' WHERE id = $1")
+        .bind(old_id)
+        .execute(&pool)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    sqlx::query("UPDATE crawler_jobs SET state='done' WHERE id = $1")
+        .bind(fresh_id)
+        .execute(&pool)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    let deleted = jobs::reap_done(&pool, 7).await.unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(deleted, 1);
+
+    let remaining: Vec<Uuid> = sqlx::query_scalar("SELECT id FROM crawler_jobs ORDER BY id")
+        .fetch_all(&pool)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(remaining, vec![fresh_id], "only fresh row remains");
+}
+
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn reap_done_zero_is_a_no_op(pool: PgPool) {
+    let id = match jobs::enqueue(&pool, &chapter_content_payload(Uuid::new_v4()))
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+    {
+        EnqueueResult::Inserted(id) => id,
+        _ => unreachable!(),
+    };
+    sqlx::query("UPDATE crawler_jobs SET state='done', updated_at = now() - interval '999 days' WHERE id = $1")
+        .bind(id)
+        .execute(&pool)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    let deleted = jobs::reap_done(&pool, 0).await.unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(deleted, 0);
+    assert_eq!(job_count(&pool).await, 1);
+}
--- a/backend/tests/crawler_sync.rs
+++ b/backend/tests/crawler_sync.rs
@@ -232,6 +232,82 @@ async fn sync_chapters_adds_new_refreshes_existing_and_drops_vanished(pool: PgPo
    assert!(dropped.0.is_some(), "ch2 should be soft-dropped");
 }

+/// Real-world sources publish multiple chapters at the same number
+/// (different uploaders, translator notes, re-releases). After the
+/// (manga_id, number) UNIQUE drop in 0013, each `SourceChapterRef`
+/// becomes its own `chapters` row even when the parsed number matches
+/// — chapter identity is now the chapter id, not the number.
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
+async fn sync_chapters_keeps_duplicate_numbered_chapters_as_separate_rows(pool: PgPool) {
+    crawler::ensure_source(&pool, "target", "T", "https://x.example")
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let m = sample_manga("foo", "Foo Manga", "hash-1");
+    let up = crawler::upsert_manga_from_source(&pool, "target", "https://x.example/foo", &m)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    // Two distinct uploads of Ch.52 (different uploaders → different
+    // URLs/keys, same parsed number) plus a notice/hiatus row that
+    // parses to number=0 alongside a real chapter at number 1.
+    let chapters = vec![
+        SourceChapterRef {
+            source_chapter_key: "br_chapter-A".into(),
+            number: 52,
+            title: Some("Ch.52 : Official".into()),
+            url: "https://x.example/foo/A/pg-1/".into(),
+        },
+        SourceChapterRef {
+            source_chapter_key: "br_chapter-B".into(),
+            number: 52,
+            title: Some("Ch.52 : Official (alt)".into()),
+            url: "https://x.example/foo/B/pg-1/".into(),
+        },
+        SourceChapterRef {
+            source_chapter_key: "br_chapter-NOTICE".into(),
+            number: 0,
+            title: Some("hitaus.".into()),
+            url: "https://x.example/foo/notice/pg-1/".into(),
+        },
+        SourceChapterRef {
+            source_chapter_key: "br_chapter-1".into(),
+            number: 1,
+            title: Some("Ch.1 : Official".into()),
+            url: "https://x.example/foo/1/pg-1/".into(),
+        },
+    ];
+
+    let diff = crawler::sync_manga_chapters(&pool, "target", up.manga_id, &chapters)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(
+        diff,
+        ChapterDiff {
+            new: 4,
+            refreshed: 0,
+            dropped: 0
+        },
+        "every source ref yields a new chapter row"
+    );
+
+    let rows: (i64,) =
+        sqlx::query_as("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM chapters WHERE manga_id = $1")
+            .bind(up.manga_id)
+            .fetch_one(&pool)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(rows.0, 4, "4 distinct chapter rows even with duplicate numbers");
+
+    let ch52_count: (i64,) = sqlx::query_as(
+        "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM chapters WHERE manga_id = $1 AND number = 52",
+    )
+    .bind(up.manga_id)
+    .fetch_one(&pool)
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(ch52_count.0, 2, "both Ch.52 uploads survive as separate rows");
+}
+
 #[sqlx::test(migrations = "./migrations")]
 async fn mark_dropped_mangas_only_drops_unseen(pool: PgPool) {
    crawler::ensure_source(&pool, "target", "T", "https://x.example")
--- a/backend/tests/fixtures/target/chapter_list_uu.html
+++ b/backend/tests/fixtures/target/chapter_list_uu.html
@@ -0,0 +1,194 @@
+<table class="listing" id="chapter_table">
+	<tbody>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/br_chapter-379272/pg-1/"><b>Ch.67</b>
+						: Official </a>
+					<b style="color:#FEFD7F;width;30px;display:inline-block;margin-left:5px">new</b>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">
+				<a href=".../2843005/upload/">bloomingdale</a>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">May 20, 2026</td>
+		</tr>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/br_chapter-328248/pg-1/"><b>hitaus.</b>
+					</a>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">
+				<a href=".../2843005/upload/">bloomingdale</a>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">Jan 15, 2026</td>
+		</tr>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/br_chapter-326351/pg-1/"><b>Ch.66</b>
+						: Official </a>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">
+				<a href=".../2843005/upload/">bloomingdale</a>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">Jan 10, 2026</td>
+		</tr>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/br_chapter-295078/pg-1/"><b>Ch.52</b>
+						: Official </a>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">
+				<a href=".../2843005/upload/">bloomingdale</a>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">Aug 28, 2025</td>
+		</tr>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/br_chapter-294815/pg-1/"><b>Ch.52</b>
+						: Official </a>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">
+				<a href=".../4300634/upload/">mina</a>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">Aug 27, 2025</td>
+		</tr>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/br_chapter-249964/pg-1/"><b>Ch.10</b>
+						: Official </a>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">
+				<a href=".../2843005/upload/">bloomingdale</a>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">Jan 5, 2025</td>
+		</tr>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/to_chapter-13/pg-1/"><b>Ch.13</b>
+						: Thank you, we'll see you in the next one! </a>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no"></td>
+			<td class="no">Dec 30, 2024</td>
+		</tr>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/br_chapter-249095/pg-1/"><b>Ch.9</b>
+						: Official </a>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">
+				<a href=".../2843005/upload/">bloomingdale</a>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">Dec 28, 2024</td>
+		</tr>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/br_chapter-248930/pg-1/"><b>Ch.1</b>
+						: Official </a>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">
+				<a href=".../2843005/upload/">bloomingdale</a>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">Dec 26, 2024</td>
+		</tr>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/to_chapter-12/pg-1/"><b>Ch.12</b>
+					</a>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no"></td>
+			<td class="no">Dec 1, 2024</td>
+		</tr>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/br_chapter-244844/pg-1/"><b>notice.</b>
+						: Officials </a>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">
+				<a href=".../2843005/upload/">bloomingdale</a>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">Nov 26, 2024</td>
+		</tr>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/to_chapter-11/pg-1/"><b>Ch.11</b>
+					</a>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no"></td>
+			<td class="no">Nov 18, 2024</td>
+		</tr>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/br_chapter-221180/pg-1/"><b>notice.</b>
+					</a>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">
+				<a href=".../3781074/upload/">Izanami</a>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">Jun 21, 2024</td>
+		</tr>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/br_chapter-234803/pg-1/"><b>notice.</b>
+					</a>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">
+				<a href=".../2843005/upload/">bloomingdale</a>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">Sep 13, 2024</td>
+		</tr>
+		<tr>
+			<td>
+				<h4>
+					<a class="chico"
+						href=".../uu/br_chapter-220299/pg-1/"><b>Ch.1</b>
+						: Team Hazama </a>
+				</h4>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">
+				<a href=".../1457681/upload/">purplepandabear</a>
+			</td>
+			<td class="no">Jun 16, 2024</td>
+		</tr>
+	</tbody>
+</table>
--- a/docker-compose.prod.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.prod.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# Production overlay: layer on top of docker-compose.yml on the deploy
+# host so the backend and frontend run from pre-built registry images
+# instead of building locally.
+#
+#   docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d
+#
+# REGISTRY_URL and IMAGE_TAG are injected by .gitea/workflows/deploy.yml
+# at deploy time. IMAGE_TAG defaults to `latest` so a manual
+# `docker compose ... up -d` on the host still works.
+
+services:
+  backend:
+    build: !reset null
+    image: ${REGISTRY_URL}/mangalord-backend:${IMAGE_TAG:-latest}
+    pull_policy: always
+    restart: unless-stopped
+
+  frontend:
+    build: !reset null
+    image: ${REGISTRY_URL}/mangalord-frontend:${IMAGE_TAG:-latest}
+    pull_policy: always
+    restart: unless-stopped
--- a/frontend/e2e/manga-edit.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/e2e/manga-edit.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+import { test, expect, type Page } from '@playwright/test';
+
+const userFixture = {
+    id: 'u1',
+    username: 'alice',
+    created_at: '2026-01-01T00:00:00Z'
+};
+
+const baseManga = {
+    id: 'm1',
+    title: 'Berserk',
+    status: 'ongoing',
+    alt_titles: ['Old Alt'],
+    description: 'Original description',
+    cover_image_path: null,
+    created_at: '2026-01-01T00:00:00Z',
+    updated_at: '2026-01-01T00:00:00Z',
+    authors: [{ id: 'a1', name: 'Kentaro Miura' }],
+    genres: [],
+    tags: []
+};
+
+async function stubAuthenticatedAndGenres(page: Page) {
+    await page.route('**/api/v1/auth/me', (route) =>
+        route.fulfill({
+            status: 200,
+            contentType: 'application/json',
+            body: JSON.stringify({ user: userFixture })
+        })
+    );
+    await page.route('**/api/v1/genres', (route) =>
+        route.fulfill({
+            status: 200,
+            contentType: 'application/json',
+            body: JSON.stringify([
+                { id: 'g-action', name: 'Action' },
+                { id: 'g-fantasy', name: 'Fantasy' }
+            ])
+        })
+    );
+}
+
+test('anonymous user sees sign-in prompt on /manga/[id]/edit', async ({ page }) => {
+    await page.route('**/api/v1/auth/me', (route) =>
+        route.fulfill({
+            status: 401,
+            contentType: 'application/json',
+            body: JSON.stringify({
+                error: { code: 'unauthenticated', message: 'unauthenticated' }
+            })
+        })
+    );
+    await page.route('**/api/v1/genres', (route) =>
+        route.fulfill({ status: 200, contentType: 'application/json', body: '[]' })
+    );
+    await page.route('**/api/v1/mangas/m1', (route) =>
+        route.fulfill({
+            status: 200,
+            contentType: 'application/json',
+            body: JSON.stringify(baseManga)
+        })
+    );
+
+    await page.goto('/manga/m1/edit');
+    await expect(page.getByTestId('edit-signin')).toBeVisible();
+});
+
+test('/manga/[id]/edit PATCHes the changed metadata and lands on the manga page', async ({
+    page
+}) => {
+    await stubAuthenticatedAndGenres(page);
+
+    let patchBody: Record<string, unknown> | null = null;
+    let mangaAfter = { ...baseManga };
+    await page.route('**/api/v1/mangas/m1', async (route) => {
+        const method = route.request().method();
+        if (method === 'GET') {
+            await route.fulfill({
+                status: 200,
+                contentType: 'application/json',
+                body: JSON.stringify(mangaAfter)
+            });
+        } else if (method === 'PATCH') {
+            patchBody = JSON.parse(route.request().postData() ?? '{}');
+            mangaAfter = {
+                ...mangaAfter,
+                title: (patchBody.title as string) ?? mangaAfter.title,
+                description:
+                    'description' in (patchBody as Record<string, unknown>)
+                        ? ((patchBody.description as string | null) ?? null)
+                        : mangaAfter.description
+            };
+            await route.fulfill({
+                status: 200,
+                contentType: 'application/json',
+                body: JSON.stringify(mangaAfter)
+            });
+        } else {
+            await route.fallback();
+        }
+    });
+    await page.route('**/api/v1/mangas/m1/chapters*', (route) =>
+        route.fulfill({
+            status: 200,
+            contentType: 'application/json',
+            body: JSON.stringify({
+                items: [],
+                page: { limit: 50, offset: 0, total: 0 }
+            })
+        })
+    );
+    await page.route('**/api/v1/me/bookmarks*', (route) =>
+        route.fulfill({
+            status: 200,
+            contentType: 'application/json',
+            body: JSON.stringify({
+                items: [],
+                page: { limit: 50, offset: 0, total: 0 }
+            })
+        })
+    );
+    await page.route('**/api/v1/me/read-progress/m1', (route) =>
+        route.fulfill({
+            status: 404,
+            contentType: 'application/json',
+            body: JSON.stringify({
+                error: { code: 'not_found', message: 'no progress' }
+            })
+        })
+    );
+
+    await page.goto('/manga/m1');
+    // Edit link is gated on session.user — it should be visible to the
+    // stubbed authenticated user.
+    await page.getByTestId('edit-manga-link').click();
+    await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/manga\/m1\/edit$/);
+
+    const titleInput = page.getByTestId('manga-title');
+    await expect(titleInput).toHaveValue('Berserk');
+    await titleInput.fill('Berserk (Deluxe)');
+    await page.getByTestId('manga-edit-submit').click();
+
+    await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/manga\/m1$/);
+    await expect(page.getByTestId('manga-title')).toHaveText('Berserk (Deluxe)');
+    expect(patchBody).not.toBeNull();
+    expect((patchBody as Record<string, unknown>).title).toBe('Berserk (Deluxe)');
+});
--- a/frontend/e2e/reader-mode.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/e2e/reader-mode.spec.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { test, expect, type Page } from '@playwright/test';

 const mangaId = '22222222-2222-2222-2222-222222222222';
+const chapterId = 'c2222222-2222-2222-2222-222222222222';
 const mangaFixture = {
    id: mangaId,
    title: 'Vagabond',
@@ -11,7 +12,7 @@ const mangaFixture = {
    updated_at: '2026-01-01T00:00:00Z'
 };
 const chapterFixture = {
-    id: 'c1',
+    id: chapterId,
    manga_id: mangaId,
    number: 1,
    title: null,
@@ -20,24 +21,24 @@ const chapterFixture = {
 };
 const pagesFixture = [
    {
-        id: 'p1',
-        chapter_id: 'c1',
+        id: 'p1111111-2222-2222-2222-222222222222',
+        chapter_id: chapterId,
        page_number: 1,
-        storage_key: 'mangas/m2/chapters/c1/pages/0001.png',
+        storage_key: `mangas/${mangaId}/chapters/${chapterId}/pages/0001.png`,
        content_type: 'image/png'
    },
    {
-        id: 'p2',
-        chapter_id: 'c1',
+        id: 'p2222222-2222-2222-2222-222222222222',
+        chapter_id: chapterId,
        page_number: 2,
-        storage_key: 'mangas/m2/chapters/c1/pages/0002.png',
+        storage_key: `mangas/${mangaId}/chapters/${chapterId}/pages/0002.png`,
        content_type: 'image/png'
    },
    {
-        id: 'p3',
-        chapter_id: 'c1',
+        id: 'p3333333-2222-2222-2222-222222222222',
+        chapter_id: chapterId,
        page_number: 3,
-        storage_key: 'mangas/m2/chapters/c1/pages/0003.png',
+        storage_key: `mangas/${mangaId}/chapters/${chapterId}/pages/0003.png`,
        content_type: 'image/png'
    }
 ];
@@ -92,14 +93,16 @@ async function mockReaderApis(page: Page) {
            })
        })
    );
-    await page.route(`**/api/v1/mangas/${mangaId}/chapters/1`, (route) =>
+    await page.route(`**/api/v1/mangas/${mangaId}/chapters/${chapterId}`, (route) =>
        route.fulfill({
            status: 200,
            contentType: 'application/json',
            body: JSON.stringify(chapterFixture)
        })
    );
-    await page.route(`**/api/v1/mangas/${mangaId}/chapters/1/pages`, (route) =>
+    await page.route(
+        `**/api/v1/mangas/${mangaId}/chapters/${chapterId}/pages`,
+        (route) =>
            route.fulfill({
                status: 200,
                contentType: 'application/json',
@@ -131,7 +134,7 @@ test.beforeEach(async ({ context }) => {

 test('switching to continuous mode stacks all pages and hides chevrons', async ({ page }) => {
    await mockReaderApis(page);
-    await page.goto(`/manga/${mangaId}/chapter/1`);
+    await page.goto(`/manga/${mangaId}/chapter/${chapterId}`);

    // Default single-page mode is active.
    await expect(page.getByTestId('reader-page')).toBeVisible();
@@ -149,7 +152,7 @@ test('switching to continuous mode stacks all pages and hides chevrons', async (

 test('arrow keys do not paginate while in continuous mode', async ({ page }) => {
    await mockReaderApis(page);
-    await page.goto(`/manga/${mangaId}/chapter/1`);
+    await page.goto(`/manga/${mangaId}/chapter/${chapterId}`);
    await page.getByTestId('reader-mode-continuous').click();
    await expect(page.getByTestId('reader-continuous')).toBeVisible();

@@ -164,7 +167,7 @@ test('arrow keys do not paginate while in continuous mode', async ({ page }) =>

 test('gap select updates the inline gap on the continuous container', async ({ page }) => {
    await mockReaderApis(page);
-    await page.goto(`/manga/${mangaId}/chapter/1`);
+    await page.goto(`/manga/${mangaId}/chapter/${chapterId}`);
    await page.getByTestId('reader-mode-continuous').click();

    const container = page.getByTestId('reader-continuous');
@@ -192,7 +195,7 @@ test('reader-mode preference set on one page is honored when the reader opens',
    });
    await mockReaderApis(page);

-    await page.goto(`/manga/${mangaId}/chapter/1`);
+    await page.goto(`/manga/${mangaId}/chapter/${chapterId}`);
    await expect(page.getByTestId('reader-continuous')).toBeVisible();
    await expect(page.getByTestId('page-indicator')).toHaveText('3 pages');
    await expect(page.getByTestId('reader-continuous')).toHaveAttribute(
--- a/frontend/e2e/reader.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/e2e/reader.spec.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { test, expect, type Page } from '@playwright/test';

 const mangaId = '11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111';
+const chapterId = 'c1111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111';
 const mangaFixture = {
    id: mangaId,
    title: 'Berserk',
@@ -12,7 +13,7 @@ const mangaFixture = {
 };
 const chaptersFixture = [
    {
-        id: 'c1',
+        id: chapterId,
        manga_id: mangaId,
        number: 1,
        title: 'The Brand',
@@ -22,24 +23,24 @@ const chaptersFixture = [
 ];
 const pagesFixture = [
    {
-        id: 'p1',
-        chapter_id: 'c1',
+        id: 'p1111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111',
+        chapter_id: chapterId,
        page_number: 1,
-        storage_key: 'mangas/m1/chapters/c1/pages/0001.png',
+        storage_key: `mangas/${mangaId}/chapters/${chapterId}/pages/0001.png`,
        content_type: 'image/png'
    },
    {
-        id: 'p2',
-        chapter_id: 'c1',
+        id: 'p2222222-1111-1111-1111-111111111111',
+        chapter_id: chapterId,
        page_number: 2,
-        storage_key: 'mangas/m1/chapters/c1/pages/0002.png',
+        storage_key: `mangas/${mangaId}/chapters/${chapterId}/pages/0002.png`,
        content_type: 'image/png'
    },
    {
-        id: 'p3',
-        chapter_id: 'c1',
+        id: 'p3333333-1111-1111-1111-111111111111',
+        chapter_id: chapterId,
        page_number: 3,
-        storage_key: 'mangas/m1/chapters/c1/pages/0003.png',
+        storage_key: `mangas/${mangaId}/chapters/${chapterId}/pages/0003.png`,
        content_type: 'image/png'
    }
 ];
@@ -86,14 +87,16 @@ async function mockReaderApis(page: Page) {
            })
        })
    );
-    await page.route(`**/api/v1/mangas/${mangaId}/chapters/1`, (route) =>
+    await page.route(`**/api/v1/mangas/${mangaId}/chapters/${chapterId}`, (route) =>
        route.fulfill({
            status: 200,
            contentType: 'application/json',
            body: JSON.stringify(chaptersFixture[0])
        })
    );
-    await page.route(`**/api/v1/mangas/${mangaId}/chapters/1/pages`, (route) =>
+    await page.route(
+        `**/api/v1/mangas/${mangaId}/chapters/${chapterId}/pages`,
+        (route) =>
            route.fulfill({
                status: 200,
                contentType: 'application/json',
@@ -123,7 +126,7 @@ test('manga overview shows title, cover, and a chapter list', async ({ page }) =

 test('reader paginates with arrow keys and j/k, and preloads the next page', async ({ page }) => {
    await mockReaderApis(page);
-    await page.goto(`/manga/${mangaId}/chapter/1`);
+    await page.goto(`/manga/${mangaId}/chapter/${chapterId}`);

    // Page 1 shown, preload for page 2 in the DOM.
    await expect(page.getByTestId('page-indicator')).toHaveText('Page 1 / 3');
--- a/frontend/package.json
+++ b/frontend/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
  "name": "mangalord-frontend",
-  "version": "0.23.0",
+  "version": "0.34.1",
  "private": true,
  "type": "module",
  "scripts": {
--- a/frontend/src/lib/api/chapters.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/api/chapters.test.ts
@@ -76,17 +76,17 @@ describe('chapters api client', () => {
        expect(result.page.total).toBeNull();
    });

-    it('getChapter hits /v1/mangas/{id}/chapters/{n}', async () => {
+    it('getChapter hits /v1/mangas/{id}/chapters/{chapter_id}', async () => {
        fetchSpy.mockResolvedValueOnce(ok(chapterFixture));
-        const c = await getChapter('m1', 1);
+        const c = await getChapter('m1', 'ch-uuid-1');
        expect(c).toEqual(chapterFixture);
        const url = fetchSpy.mock.calls[0][0] as string;
-        expect(url).toMatch(/\/v1\/mangas\/m1\/chapters\/1$/);
+        expect(url).toMatch(/\/v1\/mangas\/m1\/chapters\/ch-uuid-1$/);
    });

    it('getChapter surfaces 404 via ApiError.code', async () => {
        fetchSpy.mockResolvedValueOnce(envelope(404, 'not_found', 'not found'));
-        await expect(getChapter('m1', 99)).rejects.toMatchObject({
+        await expect(getChapter('m1', 'unknown-uuid')).rejects.toMatchObject({
            status: 404,
            code: 'not_found'
        });
@@ -143,10 +143,10 @@ describe('chapters api client', () => {
                ]
            })
        );
-        const pages = await getChapterPages('m1', 1);
+        const pages = await getChapterPages('m1', 'ch-uuid-1');
        expect(pages).toHaveLength(1);
        expect(pages[0].storage_key).toContain('0001.png');
        const url = fetchSpy.mock.calls[0][0] as string;
-        expect(url).toMatch(/\/v1\/mangas\/m1\/chapters\/1\/pages$/);
+        expect(url).toMatch(/\/v1\/mangas\/m1\/chapters\/ch-uuid-1\/pages$/);
    });
 });
--- a/frontend/src/lib/api/chapters.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/api/chapters.ts
@@ -32,9 +32,9 @@ export async function listChapters(
    );
 }

-export async function getChapter(mangaId: string, number: number): Promise<Chapter> {
+export async function getChapter(mangaId: string, chapterId: string): Promise<Chapter> {
    return request<Chapter>(
-        `/v1/mangas/${encodeURIComponent(mangaId)}/chapters/${number}`
+        `/v1/mangas/${encodeURIComponent(mangaId)}/chapters/${encodeURIComponent(chapterId)}`
    );
 }

@@ -48,10 +48,10 @@ export type ChapterPage = {

 export async function getChapterPages(
    mangaId: string,
-    number: number
+    chapterId: string
 ): Promise<ChapterPage[]> {
    const r = await request<{ pages: ChapterPage[] }>(
-        `/v1/mangas/${encodeURIComponent(mangaId)}/chapters/${number}/pages`
+        `/v1/mangas/${encodeURIComponent(mangaId)}/chapters/${encodeURIComponent(chapterId)}/pages`
    );
    return r.pages;
 }
--- a/frontend/src/lib/api/mangas.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/api/mangas.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ import {
    createManga,
    getManga,
    updateManga,
+    updateMangaCover,
+    deleteMangaCover,
    attachTag,
    detachTag
 } from './mangas';
@@ -184,6 +186,49 @@ describe('mangas api client', () => {
        });
    });

+    it('updateMangaCover PUTs multipart with the cover blob', async () => {
+        fetchSpy.mockResolvedValueOnce(
+            ok(detailFixture({ cover_image_path: 'mangas/b1/cover.png' }))
+        );
+        const cover = new Blob([new Uint8Array([0x89, 0x50, 0x4e, 0x47])], { type: 'image/png' });
+        const updated = await updateMangaCover('b1', cover);
+        expect(updated.cover_image_path).toBe('mangas/b1/cover.png');
+        const url = fetchSpy.mock.calls[0][0] as string;
+        expect(url).toMatch(/\/v1\/mangas\/b1\/cover$/);
+        const init = fetchSpy.mock.calls[0][1] as RequestInit;
+        expect(init.method).toBe('PUT');
+        expect(init.body).toBeInstanceOf(FormData);
+        const form = init.body as FormData;
+        expect(form.get('cover')).toBeInstanceOf(Blob);
+        // Boundary is filled in by the browser when body is FormData.
+        expect(init.headers).toBeUndefined();
+    });
+
+    it('updateMangaCover throws ApiError on payload_too_large', async () => {
+        fetchSpy.mockResolvedValue(
+            envelope(413, 'payload_too_large', 'cover exceeds size cap')
+        );
+        const cover = new Blob([new Uint8Array(1)]);
+        await expect(updateMangaCover('b1', cover)).rejects.toMatchObject({
+            name: 'ApiError',
+            status: 413,
+            code: 'payload_too_large'
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('deleteMangaCover DELETEs and returns the refreshed detail with null path', async () => {
+        fetchSpy.mockResolvedValueOnce(
+            ok(detailFixture({ cover_image_path: null }))
+        );
+        const updated = await deleteMangaCover('b1');
+        expect(updated.cover_image_path).toBeNull();
+        const url = fetchSpy.mock.calls[0][0] as string;
+        expect(url).toMatch(/\/v1\/mangas\/b1\/cover$/);
+        const init = fetchSpy.mock.calls[0][1] as RequestInit;
+        expect(init.method).toBe('DELETE');
+        expect(init.body).toBeUndefined();
+    });
+
    it('attachTag POSTs the name and returns the TagRef', async () => {
        fetchSpy.mockResolvedValueOnce(
            ok({ id: 't9', name: 'Dark Fantasy', added_by: 'u1' }, 201)
--- a/frontend/src/lib/api/mangas.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/api/mangas.ts
@@ -109,6 +109,31 @@ export async function updateManga(
    });
 }

+/**
+ * PUT /api/v1/mangas/:id/cover (multipart). Replaces the cover image and
+ * returns the refreshed detail. As with createManga the browser fills in
+ * the multipart boundary automatically, so we must NOT set Content-Type.
+ */
+export async function updateMangaCover(
+    id: string,
+    cover: Blob
+): Promise<MangaDetail> {
+    const form = new FormData();
+    form.append('cover', cover);
+    return request<MangaDetail>(
+        `/v1/mangas/${encodeURIComponent(id)}/cover`,
+        { method: 'PUT', body: form }
+    );
+}
+
+/** DELETE /api/v1/mangas/:id/cover. Returns the refreshed detail. */
+export async function deleteMangaCover(id: string): Promise<MangaDetail> {
+    return request<MangaDetail>(
+        `/v1/mangas/${encodeURIComponent(id)}/cover`,
+        { method: 'DELETE' }
+    );
+}
+
 export async function attachTag(
    mangaId: string,
    name: string
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/BookmarkList.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/BookmarkList.svelte
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
                </a>
                {#if b.chapter_id && b.chapter_number != null}
                    <a
-                        href="/manga/{b.manga_id}/chapter/{b.chapter_number}"
+                        href="/manga/{b.manga_id}/chapter/{b.chapter_id}"
                        class="target"
                    >
                        Chapter {b.chapter_number}{#if b.page != null && b.page > 0} — page {b.page}{/if}
--- a/frontend/src/routes/manga/[id]/+page.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/routes/manga/[id]/+page.svelte
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
    import AddToCollectionModal from '$lib/components/AddToCollectionModal.svelte';
    import Plus from '@lucide/svelte/icons/plus';
    import FolderPlus from '@lucide/svelte/icons/folder-plus';
+    import Pencil from '@lucide/svelte/icons/pencil';
    import UploadCloud from '@lucide/svelte/icons/upload-cloud';

    let { data } = $props();
@@ -29,6 +30,9 @@
            ? chapters.find((c) => c.id === readProgress.chapter_id) ?? null
            : null
    );
+    /** Reader link target — always the chapter id when we have one,
+     *  even for chapters past the loaded `chapters` list page. */
+    const continueChapterId = $derived(readProgress?.chapter_id ?? null);
    const continueChapterNumber = $derived(
        continueChapter?.number ?? readProgress?.chapter_number ?? null
    );
@@ -324,6 +328,14 @@
                        <FolderPlus size={16} aria-hidden="true" />
                        <span>Add to collection</span>
                    </button>
+                    <a
+                        class="action"
+                        href="/manga/{manga.id}/edit"
+                        data-testid="edit-manga-link"
+                    >
+                        <Pencil size={16} aria-hidden="true" />
+                        <span>Edit</span>
+                    </a>
                    <a
                        class="action"
                        href="/manga/{manga.id}/upload-chapter"
@@ -351,10 +363,10 @@

    <section aria-label="chapters">
        <h2>Chapters</h2>
-        {#if continueChapterNumber != null}
+        {#if continueChapterId != null && continueChapterNumber != null}
            <a
                class="continue"
-                href="/manga/{manga.id}/chapter/{continueChapterNumber}"
+                href="/manga/{manga.id}/chapter/{continueChapterId}"
                data-testid="continue-reading"
            >
                <span class="continue-label">Continue reading</span>
@@ -372,7 +384,7 @@
            <ol class="chapter-list" data-testid="chapter-list">
                {#each chapters as c (c.id)}
                    <li>
-                        <a href="/manga/{manga.id}/chapter/{c.number}">
+                        <a href="/manga/{manga.id}/chapter/{c.id}">
                            Chapter {c.number}{#if c.title}: {c.title}{/if}
                        </a>
                        <span class="pages">({c.page_count} pages)</span>
--- a/frontend/src/routes/manga/[id]/chapter/[chapter_id]/+page.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/routes/manga/[id]/chapter/[chapter_id]/+page.svelte
@@ -135,11 +135,11 @@
        // navigation feels continuous in single mode. Harmless in
        // continuous mode (the reader just shows everything).
        const target = mode === 'single' ? `?page=last` : '';
-        void goto(`/manga/${manga.id}/chapter/${prevChapter.number}${target}`);
+        void goto(`/manga/${manga.id}/chapter/${prevChapter.id}${target}`);
    }
    function jumpToNextChapter() {
        if (!nextChapter) return;
-        void goto(`/manga/${manga.id}/chapter/${nextChapter.number}`);
+        void goto(`/manga/${manga.id}/chapter/${nextChapter.id}`);
    }

    function next() {
--- a/frontend/src/routes/manga/[id]/chapter/[chapter_id]/+page.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/routes/manga/[id]/chapter/[chapter_id]/+page.ts
@@ -6,11 +6,10 @@ import type { PageLoad } from './$types';
 export const ssr = false;

 export const load: PageLoad = async ({ params, url }) => {
-    const number = Number(params.n);
    const [manga, chapter, pages, readProgress, chapterList] = await Promise.all([
        getManga(params.id),
-        getChapter(params.id, number),
-        getChapterPages(params.id, number),
+        getChapter(params.id, params.chapter_id),
+        getChapterPages(params.id, params.chapter_id),
        // `null` for guests or first-time openers — the reader uses
        // this to seed its session-local high-water mark.
        getMyReadProgressForManga(params.id),
--- a/frontend/src/routes/manga/[id]/edit/+page.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/routes/manga/[id]/edit/+page.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,481 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+    import { goto } from '$app/navigation';
+    import { ApiError, fileUrl } from '$lib/api/client';
+    import {
+        deleteMangaCover,
+        updateManga,
+        updateMangaCover,
+        type MangaStatus
+    } from '$lib/api/mangas';
+    import { session } from '$lib/session.svelte';
+    import { formatBytes, validateImageFile } from '$lib/upload-validation';
+    import Chip from '$lib/components/Chip.svelte';
+    import Plus from '@lucide/svelte/icons/plus';
+    import Trash2 from '@lucide/svelte/icons/trash-2';
+
+    let { data } = $props();
+    const manga = $derived(data.manga);
+    const genres = $derived(data.genres);
+
+    // Snapshot data.manga into local state once. The edit form is the
+    // source of truth from here on — we deliberately don't re-derive
+    // from `data` after the initial paint.
+    /* svelte-ignore state_referenced_locally */
+    let mangaTitle = $state(data.manga.title);
+    /* svelte-ignore state_referenced_locally */
+    let mangaStatus = $state<MangaStatus>(data.manga.status);
+    /* svelte-ignore state_referenced_locally */
+    let mangaDescription = $state(data.manga.description ?? '');
+    /* svelte-ignore state_referenced_locally */
+    let mangaAuthors = $state<string[]>(data.manga.authors.map((a) => a.name));
+    let authorDraft = $state('');
+    /* svelte-ignore state_referenced_locally */
+    let mangaAltTitles = $state<string[]>([...data.manga.alt_titles]);
+    let altTitleDraft = $state('');
+    /* svelte-ignore state_referenced_locally */
+    let mangaGenreIds = $state<string[]>(data.manga.genres.map((g) => g.id));
+
+    let coverFile = $state<File | null>(null);
+    let coverError = $state<string | null>(null);
+    let pendingCoverRemoval = $state(false);
+    /* svelte-ignore state_referenced_locally */
+    let currentCoverPath = $state<string | null>(data.manga.cover_image_path);
+
+    let submitting = $state(false);
+    let mangaError = $state<string | null>(null);
+
+    const canSubmit = $derived(
+        mangaTitle.trim().length > 0 && !coverError && !submitting
+    );
+
+    function addAuthor() {
+        const name = authorDraft.trim();
+        if (!name) return;
+        if (!mangaAuthors.some((a) => a.toLowerCase() === name.toLowerCase())) {
+            mangaAuthors = [...mangaAuthors, name];
+        }
+        authorDraft = '';
+    }
+    function removeAuthor(name: string) {
+        mangaAuthors = mangaAuthors.filter((a) => a !== name);
+    }
+    function addAltTitle() {
+        const t = altTitleDraft.trim();
+        if (!t) return;
+        if (!mangaAltTitles.includes(t)) {
+            mangaAltTitles = [...mangaAltTitles, t];
+        }
+        altTitleDraft = '';
+    }
+    function removeAltTitle(t: string) {
+        mangaAltTitles = mangaAltTitles.filter((x) => x !== t);
+    }
+    function toggleGenre(id: string) {
+        mangaGenreIds = mangaGenreIds.includes(id)
+            ? mangaGenreIds.filter((g) => g !== id)
+            : [...mangaGenreIds, id];
+    }
+    function onCoverChange(e: Event) {
+        const input = e.target as HTMLInputElement;
+        const file = input.files?.[0] ?? null;
+        coverFile = file;
+        coverError = file ? validateImageFile(file) : null;
+        // Picking a replacement supersedes a pending "remove" click.
+        if (file) pendingCoverRemoval = false;
+    }
+    function markCoverForRemoval() {
+        pendingCoverRemoval = true;
+        coverFile = null;
+        coverError = null;
+        // Clear the file input so re-picking the same file still fires
+        // `change` and undoes the removal.
+        const input = document.getElementById('cover-input') as HTMLInputElement | null;
+        if (input) input.value = '';
+    }
+    function undoCoverRemoval() {
+        pendingCoverRemoval = false;
+    }
+
+    async function submit(e: SubmitEvent) {
+        e.preventDefault();
+        if (!canSubmit) return;
+        if (authorDraft.trim()) addAuthor();
+        if (altTitleDraft.trim()) addAltTitle();
+        submitting = true;
+        mangaError = null;
+        try {
+            // The textarea is the source of truth for description on
+            // screen, so we always send it — trimmed-empty collapses to
+            // null (explicit clear).
+            await updateManga(manga.id, {
+                title: mangaTitle.trim(),
+                status: mangaStatus,
+                authors: mangaAuthors,
+                alt_titles: mangaAltTitles,
+                genre_ids: mangaGenreIds,
+                description: mangaDescription.trim() || null
+            });
+            if (pendingCoverRemoval) {
+                const refreshed = await deleteMangaCover(manga.id);
+                currentCoverPath = refreshed.cover_image_path;
+            } else if (coverFile) {
+                const refreshed = await updateMangaCover(manga.id, coverFile);
+                currentCoverPath = refreshed.cover_image_path;
+            }
+            await goto(`/manga/${manga.id}`);
+        } catch (e) {
+            if (e instanceof ApiError && e.status === 401) {
+                await goto(`/login?next=/manga/${manga.id}/edit`);
+                return;
+            }
+            mangaError = e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e);
+            submitting = false;
+        }
+    }
+</script>
+
+<svelte:head>
+    <title>Edit {manga.title} — Mangalord</title>
+</svelte:head>
+
+<h1>Edit manga</h1>
+
+{#if !session.loaded}
+    <p class="status" data-testid="edit-loading">Loading…</p>
+{:else if !session.user}
+    <p class="status" data-testid="edit-signin">
+        <a href="/login?next=/manga/{manga.id}/edit">Sign in</a> to edit this manga.
+    </p>
+{:else}
+    <form onsubmit={submit} action="javascript:void(0)" data-testid="manga-edit-form">
+        <section class="card">
+            <h2>Manga details</h2>
+            <label class="form-field">
+                <span>Title <span aria-hidden="true">*</span></span>
+                <input
+                    type="text"
+                    bind:value={mangaTitle}
+                    required
+                    maxlength="200"
+                    data-testid="manga-title"
+                />
+            </label>
+
+            <label class="form-field">
+                <span>Status</span>
+                <select bind:value={mangaStatus} data-testid="manga-status">
+                    <option value="ongoing">Ongoing</option>
+                    <option value="completed">Completed</option>
+                </select>
+            </label>
+
+            <div class="form-field">
+                <span>Authors</span>
+                <div class="token-row">
+                    {#each mangaAuthors as a (a)}
+                        <Chip label={a} variant="primary" onRemove={() => removeAuthor(a)} />
+                    {/each}
+                </div>
+                <div class="token-input-row">
+                    <input
+                        type="text"
+                        bind:value={authorDraft}
+                        onkeydown={(e) => {
+                            if (e.key === 'Enter') {
+                                e.preventDefault();
+                                addAuthor();
+                            }
+                        }}
+                        placeholder="Add author"
+                        maxlength="200"
+                        data-testid="manga-author-input"
+                    />
+                    <button
+                        type="button"
+                        class="icon-btn primary"
+                        onclick={addAuthor}
+                        disabled={!authorDraft.trim()}
+                        aria-label="Add author"
+                        title="Add author"
+                    >
+                        <Plus size={16} aria-hidden="true" />
+                    </button>
+                </div>
+            </div>
+
+            <div class="form-field">
+                <span>Genres</span>
+                <div class="genre-grid" data-testid="manga-genres">
+                    {#each genres as g (g.id)}
+                        <label class="genre-toggle">
+                            <input
+                                type="checkbox"
+                                checked={mangaGenreIds.includes(g.id)}
+                                onchange={() => toggleGenre(g.id)}
+                            />
+                            <span>{g.name}</span>
+                        </label>
+                    {/each}
+                </div>
+            </div>
+
+            <div class="form-field">
+                <span>Alternative titles</span>
+                <div class="token-row">
+                    {#each mangaAltTitles as t (t)}
+                        <Chip label={t} onRemove={() => removeAltTitle(t)} />
+                    {/each}
+                </div>
+                <div class="token-input-row">
+                    <input
+                        type="text"
+                        bind:value={altTitleDraft}
+                        onkeydown={(e) => {
+                            if (e.key === 'Enter') {
+                                e.preventDefault();
+                                addAltTitle();
+                            }
+                        }}
+                        placeholder="Add alternative title"
+                        maxlength="200"
+                        data-testid="manga-alt-input"
+                    />
+                    <button
+                        type="button"
+                        class="icon-btn primary"
+                        onclick={addAltTitle}
+                        disabled={!altTitleDraft.trim()}
+                        aria-label="Add alternative title"
+                        title="Add alternative title"
+                    >
+                        <Plus size={16} aria-hidden="true" />
+                    </button>
+                </div>
+            </div>
+
+            <label class="form-field">
+                <span>Description</span>
+                <textarea
+                    bind:value={mangaDescription}
+                    rows="4"
+                    data-testid="manga-description"
+                ></textarea>
+            </label>
+
+            <div class="form-field">
+                <span>Cover</span>
+                {#if currentCoverPath && !pendingCoverRemoval}
+                    <div class="cover-preview" data-testid="cover-preview">
+                        <img
+                            src={fileUrl(currentCoverPath)}
+                            alt="Current cover"
+                        />
+                        <button
+                            type="button"
+                            class="icon-btn danger"
+                            onclick={markCoverForRemoval}
+                            aria-label="Remove cover"
+                            title="Remove cover"
+                            data-testid="cover-remove"
+                        >
+                            <Trash2 size={16} aria-hidden="true" />
+                        </button>
+                    </div>
+                {:else if pendingCoverRemoval}
+                    <p class="hint" data-testid="cover-pending-removal">
+                        Cover will be removed on save.
+                        <button
+                            type="button"
+                            class="text-link"
+                            onclick={undoCoverRemoval}
+                            data-testid="cover-undo-remove"
+                        >
+                            Undo
+                        </button>
+                    </p>
+                {/if}
+                <input
+                    id="cover-input"
+                    type="file"
+                    accept="image/*"
+                    onchange={onCoverChange}
+                    data-testid="manga-cover"
+                />
+                {#if coverFile}
+                    <span class="hint">
+                        Will upload: {coverFile.name} ({formatBytes(coverFile.size)})
+                    </span>
+                {/if}
+                {#if coverError}
+                    <span class="field-error" role="alert">{coverError}</span>
+                {/if}
+            </div>
+        </section>
+
+        <div class="actions">
+            <button
+                class="primary"
+                type="submit"
+                disabled={!canSubmit}
+                data-testid="manga-edit-submit"
+            >
+                {submitting ? 'Saving…' : 'Save changes'}
+            </button>
+            <a class="cancel" href="/manga/{manga.id}" data-testid="manga-edit-cancel">
+                Cancel
+            </a>
+        </div>
+        {#if mangaError}
+            <p role="alert" class="form-error" data-testid="manga-edit-error">{mangaError}</p>
+        {/if}
+    </form>
+{/if}
+
+<style>
+    .status {
+        color: var(--text-muted);
+    }
+
+    form {
+        display: flex;
+        flex-direction: column;
+        gap: var(--space-4);
+    }
+
+    .card {
+        background: var(--surface);
+        border: 1px solid var(--border);
+        border-radius: var(--radius-md);
+        padding: var(--space-4);
+        display: flex;
+        flex-direction: column;
+        gap: var(--space-3);
+    }
+
+    .actions {
+        display: flex;
+        gap: var(--space-3);
+        align-items: center;
+    }
+
+    .primary {
+        background: var(--primary);
+        color: var(--primary-contrast);
+        border-color: var(--primary);
+    }
+
+    .primary:hover:not(:disabled) {
+        background: var(--primary-hover);
+        border-color: var(--primary-hover);
+    }
+
+    .cancel {
+        color: var(--text-muted);
+    }
+
+    .hint {
+        color: var(--text-muted);
+        font-size: var(--font-sm);
+    }
+
+    .field-error {
+        color: var(--danger);
+        font-size: var(--font-sm);
+    }
+
+    .form-error {
+        color: var(--danger);
+    }
+
+    .token-row {
+        display: flex;
+        flex-wrap: wrap;
+        gap: var(--space-2);
+        margin-bottom: var(--space-1);
+    }
+
+    .token-input-row {
+        display: flex;
+        gap: var(--space-2);
+    }
+
+    .token-input-row input {
+        flex: 1;
+        min-width: 0;
+    }
+
+    .genre-grid {
+        display: grid;
+        grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(150px, 1fr));
+        gap: var(--space-2);
+    }
+
+    .genre-toggle {
+        display: inline-flex;
+        align-items: center;
+        gap: var(--space-2);
+        color: var(--text);
+        font-size: var(--font-sm);
+        cursor: pointer;
+    }
+
+    .icon-btn {
+        display: inline-flex;
+        align-items: center;
+        justify-content: center;
+        width: 32px;
+        height: 32px;
+        padding: 0;
+        background: transparent;
+        color: var(--text-muted);
+        border: 1px solid transparent;
+        border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+    }
+
+    .icon-btn:hover:not(:disabled) {
+        background: var(--surface-elevated);
+        color: var(--text);
+    }
+
+    .icon-btn.primary {
+        background: var(--primary);
+        color: var(--primary-contrast);
+        border-color: var(--primary);
+    }
+
+    .icon-btn.primary:hover:not(:disabled) {
+        background: var(--primary-hover);
+        border-color: var(--primary-hover);
+    }
+
+    .icon-btn.danger:hover:not(:disabled) {
+        color: var(--danger);
+    }
+
+    .cover-preview {
+        display: flex;
+        align-items: flex-start;
+        gap: var(--space-2);
+    }
+
+    .cover-preview img {
+        max-width: 160px;
+        height: auto;
+        border: 1px solid var(--border);
+        border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+        display: block;
+    }
+
+    .text-link {
+        background: none;
+        border: none;
+        padding: 0;
+        color: var(--primary);
+        cursor: pointer;
+        font: inherit;
+    }
+
+    .text-link:hover {
+        text-decoration: underline;
+    }
+</style>
--- a/frontend/src/routes/manga/[id]/edit/+page.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/routes/manga/[id]/edit/+page.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+import { getManga } from '$lib/api/mangas';
+import { listGenres, type Genre } from '$lib/api/genres';
+import type { PageLoad } from './$types';
+
+export const ssr = false;
+
+export const load: PageLoad = async ({ params }) => {
+    const [manga, genres] = await Promise.all([
+        getManga(params.id),
+        listGenres()
+    ]);
+    return { manga, genres: genres as Genre[] };
+};
--- a/frontend/src/routes/profile/history/+page.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/routes/profile/history/+page.svelte
@@ -60,8 +60,8 @@
                {#each progress as p (p.manga_id)}
                    <li class="entry">
                        <a
-                            href={p.chapter_number != null
-                                ? `/manga/${p.manga_id}/chapter/${p.chapter_number}`
+                            href={p.chapter_id != null
+                                ? `/manga/${p.manga_id}/chapter/${p.chapter_id}`
                                : `/manga/${p.manga_id}`}
                            class="cover-link"
                            tabindex="-1"
@@ -89,9 +89,9 @@
                                {p.manga_title}
                            </a>
                            <span class="target">
-                                {#if p.chapter_number != null}
+                                {#if p.chapter_id != null && p.chapter_number != null}
                                    <a
-                                        href="/manga/{p.manga_id}/chapter/{p.chapter_number}"
+                                        href="/manga/{p.manga_id}/chapter/{p.chapter_id}"
                                    >
                                        Continue Ch. {p.chapter_number}{#if p.page > 1} — page {p.page}{/if}
                                    </a>
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@
                            <div class="meta">
                                <a href="/manga/{u.manga_id}" class="title">{u.manga_title}</a>
                                <span class="target">
-                                    <a href="/manga/{u.manga_id}/chapter/{u.chapter.number}">
+                                    <a href="/manga/{u.manga_id}/chapter/{u.chapter.id}">
                                        Chapter {u.chapter.number}{#if u.chapter.title}: {u.chapter.title}{/if}
                                    </a>
                                    <span class="muted">({u.chapter.page_count} pages)</span>
--- a/frontend/vite.config.ts
+++ b/frontend/vite.config.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,18 @@
 import { sveltekit } from '@sveltejs/kit/vite';
-import { defineConfig } from 'vite';
+import { defineConfig, loadEnv } from 'vite';

-export default defineConfig({
+export default defineConfig(({ mode }) => {
+    // Pull in .env so VITE_PORT / BACKEND_URL pin the dev URL across runs.
+    // Empty prefix loads every key, not just VITE_*.
+    const env = { ...process.env, ...loadEnv(mode, process.cwd(), '') };
+    return {
        plugins: [sveltekit()],
        server: {
-        port: 5173,
+            port: Number(env.VITE_PORT ?? 5173),
+            strictPort: env.VITE_PORT != null,
            proxy: {
                '/api': {
-                target: process.env.BACKEND_URL ?? 'http://localhost:8080',
+                    target: env.BACKEND_URL ?? 'http://localhost:8080',
                    changeOrigin: true
                }
            }
@@ -17,4 +22,5 @@ export default defineConfig({
            include: ['src/**/*.test.ts'],
            globals: false
        }
+    };
 });
Author	SHA1	Message	Date
MechaCat02	4863219cf6	bugfix: equalise login response time across user-existence branches (0.34.1) A login attempt against a non-existent username returned 401 in <1ms, while the wrong-password branch ran argon2 verify (~50-100ms). Timing the difference let an attacker enumerate valid usernames without ever seeing a successful response. Run verify_password against a fixed dummy argon2id hash on the no-user branch so both paths spend the same compute. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-05-28 07:46:46 +02:00
MechaCat02	e7662d18d6	feat: gitea actions for build, push, and ssh deploy (0.34.0) Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-05-28 06:56:13 +02:00
MechaCat02	45ce0d8f12	feat: incremental crawl mode with seed-completion gate (0.33.0) Daemon now auto-detects mode per source: Backfill until the first full walk records `seed_completed:<source>` in `crawler_state`, then Incremental (newest-first, stops after N consecutive Unchanged upserts). `CRAWLER_MODE` overrides to a fixed mode; CLI rejects `auto` since it has no pre-run DB state. `Source::discover` returns a lazy `DiscoverWalk` so Incremental can break out mid-walk without prefetching pages. The drop pass and seed marker are now gated on a true full walk — fixes a latent soft-drop of the index tail under partial sweeps. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-05-28 06:41:26 +02:00
MechaCat02	51f42b03e9	feat: default crawler browser to headless (0.32.0) LaunchOptions::from_env() and LaunchOptions::default() now return BrowserMode::Headless. The in-process daemon (via CrawlerConfig::from_env) and the standalone crawler binary both pick this up — no display required for production runs, smaller resource footprint. `Headed` stays as an explicit opt-in via CRAWLER_BROWSER_MODE=headed for debugging or sites that fingerprint headless Chrome. New unit test locks the default in place. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-05-27 20:27:05 +02:00
MechaCat02	fa0a7da311	feat: edit existing manga metadata (0.31.0) Adds PUT /mangas/:id/cover (multipart) and DELETE /mangas/:id/cover so covers can be replaced or cleared after creation, and wires a dedicated /manga/[id]/edit SvelteKit route that combines the existing PATCH with the new cover endpoints. Cover PUT cleans up the old blob when the extension changes, swallowing StorageError::NotFound so a manually-gone file doesn't surface as a 404 to the client. Edit link on the manga detail page is gated on session.user, matching the auth posture of the underlying handlers. Also pins the local-dev port story via loadEnv() in vite.config.ts so VITE_PORT / BACKEND_URL from a (gitignored) .env keep the dev URL stable across runs. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-05-27 20:26:23 +02:00
MechaCat02	9ff49166a5	feat: transient-page detection across the crawler (0.30.0) Until now, when the target site returned its 403 "we're sorry, the request file are not found" response on a page that actually exists, selectors matched nothing and the crawler treated the page as "legitimately empty". Pagination walks silently dropped whole pages worth of mangas, fetch_manga skipped individual entries, and the startup session probe blamed PHPSESSID for what was a site hiccup. This branch adds a single detection layer that the whole pipeline routes through: - `crawler::detect`: PageError::Transient typed signal, plus two primitives (`is_broken_page_body` matches the universal 403 body; `has_logo_sentinel` asserts #logo, the site-wide header element) and a `retry_on_transient` helper that retries a closure on Transient with a small attempt budget. - `navigate()` screens every fetched body for the broken-page signature before handing it to a selector. - Parsers (`parse_manga_list_from`, `parse_manga_detail`, `parse_chapter_pages`) check their structural sentinels (#logo for full-layout pages; a#pic_container for the reader, which doesn't render #logo) and return Result<_, PageError>. Empty Vec is now reserved for genuinely empty pages. - `discover()` retries each pagination page up to 3× (2s apart) before failing the whole Discover job — at which point the existing job system's retry/backoff takes over for longer outages. - `verify_session` is three-state: broken-page → retry probe; #logo present but #avatar_menu absent → genuine logout (the only state that should blame PHPSESSID); both present → ok. Test coverage added at the helper level: 13 unit tests for the detection module (body signature, logo sentinel, PageError, retry helper), parser-level tests for both transient and legitimately-empty inputs, and 6 unit tests for the session probe classifier. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-05-26 22:47:21 +02:00
MechaCat02	b845d88766	feat: bookmark create enqueues SyncChapterContent jobs (0.29.0) After a successful bookmark insert, the create handler spawns a detached tokio task that calls pipeline::enqueue_pending_for_manga for every chapter of the manga where page_count = 0 and the source row is not dropped. Bookmark create returns 201 immediately; enqueue work happens in the background and its failure is logged without surfacing to the user (the daily cron sweeps anything missed). The Phase A dedup index handles re-bookmarks idempotently — deleting and recreating a bookmark does not duplicate in-flight jobs — and the Phase B worker pool drains them. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-05-25 20:59:14 +02:00
MechaCat02	9fe0f26d75	feat: in-process crawler daemon with cron and worker pool (0.28.0) The backend now boots an internal crawler daemon that runs a daily metadata pass (CRAWLER_DAILY_AT in CRAWLER_TZ, advisory-lock guarded for multi-replica safety) and drains SyncChapterContent jobs from crawler_jobs through a worker pool. Chromium launches lazily on first job and is torn down after CRAWLER_IDLE_TIMEOUT_S seconds of inactivity. Modules: - crawler::browser_manager — lazy-launch / idle-teardown wrapper around browser::Handle, with an on_launch hook that re-injects PHPSESSID on every fresh Chromium spawn. - crawler::pipeline — run_metadata_pass (the shared discover/upsert /cover/sync-chapters loop) and the enqueue_bookmarked_pending helper used by the cron tick. - crawler::daemon — cron task + worker pool, behind two trait seams (MetadataPass, ChapterDispatcher) so tests can inject stubs without standing up Chromium or a live source. Behavior: - CRAWLER_DAEMON=false skips daemon spawn entirely (default for tests). - Catch-up tick fires on startup if the last persisted slot was missed. - A SyncOutcome::SessionExpired sets a sticky AtomicBool; workers idle until operator restart with a refreshed PHPSESSID. - Worker dispatch wrapped in catch_unwind so a panicking handler marks the job failed instead of taking down the worker. - Migration 0015 adds a small crawler_state k-v table for the last_metadata_tick_at watermark. Dep additions: chrono-tz (IANA TZ parsing). CLI (bin/crawler) reuses pipeline::run_metadata_pass and now holds the browser via BrowserManager so the on_launch session injection flow stays in one place. Inline chapter-content sync semantics are unchanged — the queue is for the daemon, force-refetches and manual backfills still bypass it. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-05-25 20:32:02 +02:00
MechaCat02	93c7fd63fc	feat: crawler job queue ops and dedup index (0.27.0) Adds enqueue / lease / ack_done / ack_failed / release / reap_done on crawler::jobs, backed by the existing crawler_jobs table. lease() uses a single FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED CTE that also re-claims stale running rows (crashed-worker recovery), and ack_failed applies an exponential backoff capped at 1h before retrying. Migration 0014 adds a partial unique index on (payload->>'chapter_id') restricted to (pending\|running) sync_chapter_content jobs, so producers can just INSERT ... ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING without racing each other. The slot frees again the moment the job leaves the in-flight states, so a future force-refetch can re-enqueue. Library-only — no daemon, no API hook. Those land in the next two phases. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-05-25 19:59:09 +02:00
MechaCat02	89b84252a5	bugfix: subquery-wrap pending chapters query so DISTINCT + ORDER BY agree (0.26.1) PG rejects `SELECT DISTINCT c.id, c.manga_id, cs.source_url ... ORDER BY c.manga_id, c.created_at` because the ORDER BY references a column not in the DISTINCT projection. Wrap the DISTINCT in a subquery (which includes created_at) and apply the ORDER BY in the outer SELECT. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-05-24 22:20:15 +02:00
MechaCat02	728d704a66	feat: CRAWLER_KEEP_BROWSER_OPEN waits for Ctrl+C in headed mode (0.26.0) Debug aid: when set in headed mode, the crawler blocks on Ctrl+C at every shutdown point (early auth bails + normal completion) instead of closing the browser immediately. Operator can inspect DOM, cookies, and network state in the visible Chromium window before exit. Ignored in headless (no window to inspect) — logged as a warning if set under headless so the operator doesn't sit waiting. chromiumoxide's `Browser` is `kill_on_drop`, so the close-or-wait helper must await Ctrl+C before the Handle is dropped — otherwise the Chromium child gets killed out from under the operator. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-05-24 21:33:18 +02:00
MechaCat02	d24e68c78d	feat: chapter content sync via PHPSESSID + per-host pacing (0.25.0) After the metadata pass, the crawler now fetches per-chapter image content for chapters belonging to bookmarked mangas. Logged-in chapter pages render every page image at once (no per-page navigation), so the crawler reuses the operator's browser session via a pasted PHPSESSID cookie. Each chapter sync is a single transaction: storage puts + page row inserts + page_count update commit together, or roll back together on any image error so the chapter stays at page_count=0 and is retried next run. New crawler modules: - `rate_limit::HostRateLimiters`: per-host buckets keyed by URL host, with optional per-host overrides. Replaces the single shared `Mutex<RateLimiter>`. Catalog and CDN no longer share a budget; default 1 req/s per host. - `session`: derives `.<registrable>.<tld>` from the start URL (override via `CRAWLER_COOKIE_DOMAIN` for multi-part TLDs), injects PHPSESSID into the Chromium cookie store, probes `#avatar_menu` at startup to fail fast on a bad/expired cookie. - `content`: parses `a#pic_container img:not(.loading)` with `pageN` id-based sorting (DOM order isn't trusted), then performs the atomic chapter sync. bin/crawler additions: - Concurrent chapter content phase via `futures_util::for_each_concurrent` (`CRAWLER_CHAPTER_WORKERS`, default 1). Browser is borrowed across workers — chromiumoxide allows concurrent `new_page` on `&self` — and per-host rate limit gates total RPS regardless of worker count. - reqwest gets the `cookies` feature, a `Jar` seeded with PHPSESSID for the catalog domain only (CDN intentionally not given the cookie), and `Referer` is set on cover + chapter image fetches. - New env knobs: `CRAWLER_PHPSESSID`, `CRAWLER_COOKIE_DOMAIN`, `CRAWLER_USER_AGENT`, `CRAWLER_CHAPTER_WORKERS`, `CRAWLER_SKIP_CHAPTER_CONTENT`, `CRAWLER_FORCE_REFETCH_CHAPTERS`, `CRAWLER_CDN_HOST` + `CRAWLER_CDN_RATE_MS`. - Mid-run session-expired detection: `#avatar_menu` is re-checked on every chapter page nav; first failure aborts the phase with a cookie-refresh message. Bookmark-driven enqueueing is sync-on-crawl-tick only: the bookmarked chapters with `page_count = 0` are queried at the start of the chapter-content phase. Sync-on-bookmark via an API hook is deferred to a follow-up branch — that needs a daemon consumer of crawler_jobs, which doesn't exist yet. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-05-23 00:28:36 +02:00
MechaCat02	51346227dd	feat: route reader by chapter id, allow duplicate-numbered chapters (0.24.0) Real-world sources publish multiple chapters at the same number: different scanlators ("Ch.52 from bloomingdale" + "Ch.52 from mina"), translator notices and farewells, alt-translations. The (manga_id, number) UNIQUE constraint from 0001 silently collapsed all of those into a single row via the upsert path in repo::crawler. Migration 0013 drops the constraint; sync_manga_chapters now plain-INSERTs each SourceChapterRef so every parsed chapter survives as its own row. Identity moves from the (manga_id, number) tuple to the chapter UUID: - `GET /api/v1/mangas/:manga_id/chapters/:chapter_id` (replaces :number) - `GET /api/v1/mangas/:manga_id/chapters/:chapter_id/pages` - `repo::chapter::find_by_id_in_manga` (replaces find_by_manga_and_number) - Frontend reader route renamed to `/manga/[id]/chapter/[chapter_id]` - Chapter links throughout (manga page list, continue-reading CTA, reader prev/next, history rows, bookmark cards) use chapter.id - API clients getChapter/getChapterPages take a chapter id string read_progress + bookmarks already FK chapter_id; they only enrich with chapter_number for display, which is preserved. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-05-22 23:37:07 +02:00
MechaCat02	c51353ead3	bugfix: chapter source key uses chapter id, not /pg-1/ (0.23.1) Listing links point at the reader's page 1 (`.../uu/br_chapter-N/pg-1/`). The generic `derive_key_from_url` took the last URL segment and returned `"pg-1"` for every chapter, so all parsed chapters collapsed onto a single `chapter_sources` row downstream and the first-manga chapter was the only row that survived. New `derive_chapter_key_from_url` strips a trailing `/pg-\d+/` before picking the chapter-identifying segment (`br_chapter-N` / `to_chapter-N`). Notices, hiatus rows, and duplicate-numbered chapters are preserved as distinct parser entries. The (manga_id, number) UNIQUE collapse in the chapters table is a separate, follow-up concern handled in feat/chapter-id-routing. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>	2026-05-22 23:15:36 +02:00