diff --git a/.changes/backup-pwa-xtream-user-state.md b/.changes/backup-pwa-xtream-user-state.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a2e8acec6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/backup-pwa-xtream-user-state.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+type: fix
+area: backup
+---
+
+Backups made in the browser and self-hosted versions now include Xtream favorites, recently viewed items and resume positions. Restoring such a backup brings them back right away, under whichever playlist the portal is imported as.
diff --git a/.changes/performance-lazy-form-field-defaults.md b/.changes/performance-lazy-form-field-defaults.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d1ae58790
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/performance-lazy-form-field-defaults.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+type: perf
+area: performance
+---
+
+The app loads less code at startup: the text field component and its form
+helpers now load with the screens that show a form instead of with the app.
diff --git a/.changes/portals-hide-na-metadata.md b/.changes/portals-hide-na-metadata.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..baace44be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/portals-hide-na-metadata.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+type: fix
+area: portals
+---
+
+Movie and series details and catalog cards from Stalker and Xtream portals no longer show "N/A", "-" or a zero rating in place of missing information. Fields the provider left empty are simply hidden, and TMDB can now fill in the rating and release year for them.
diff --git a/.changes/search-single-debounce.md b/.changes/search-single-debounce.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1b00e5520
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/search-single-debounce.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+type: perf
+area: search
+---
+
+Search results appear about twice as fast after you stop typing: the search now waits once for typing to pause instead of twice.
diff --git a/.changes/stalker-series-discover-chips.md b/.changes/stalker-series-discover-chips.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..db6945f23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/stalker-series-discover-chips.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+type: fix
+area: stalker
+---
+
+Stalker series details now keep their clickable genre and country chips after TMDB fills in the details, so you can jump to Discover from them as you can for movies.
diff --git a/.github/dependabot.yml b/.github/dependabot.yml
index 965668988..6b4853bf0 100644
--- a/.github/dependabot.yml
+++ b/.github/dependabot.yml
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 # Every Dependabot PR triggers the full pipeline (~15 jobs), so version
 # updates are batched weekly. Nx minor+patch updates use a dedicated group so
 # official packages move together; Nx majors are manual coordinated migrations.
-# Native packaging, parser, and version-locked playback dependencies stay in
-# standalone PRs; other minor+patch updates are grouped per ecosystem. Security
-# updates are separate and are not limited by this schedule; CI enforces complete
-# Nx lockstep.
+# Electron majors are held while Linux armv7l packages ship: Electron 44
+# dropped the linux-armv7l binary. Native packaging, parser, and
+# version-locked playback dependencies stay in standalone PRs; other
+# minor+patch updates are grouped per ecosystem. Security updates are separate
+# and are not limited by this schedule; CI enforces complete Nx lockstep.
 version: 2
 updates:
     - package-ecosystem: npm
@@ -21,6 +22,9 @@ updates:
           - dependency-name: '@nx/*'
             update-types:
                 - version-update:semver-major
+          - dependency-name: electron
+            update-types:
+                - version-update:semver-major
       groups:
           nx-version-updates:
               applies-to: version-updates
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index f5a2e1418..d25580c26 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -353,6 +353,8 @@ jobs:
                   --only open-source/renderer.layoutShiftScore
                   --only playback/renderer.httpRequestsToPlaying
                   --only playback/renderer.layoutShiftScore
+                  --only search/renderer.ipcCallsPerSearch
+                  --only search/renderer.sqlStatementsPerSearch
 
             - name: Upload journey summaries
               if: always()
@@ -428,6 +430,12 @@ jobs:
             - name: Validate icon-only button names
               run: pnpm run a11y:icon-buttons:validate
 
+            # Form-field defaults are provided per lazy component: the root
+            # token import would load Material form-field and @angular/forms
+            # on startup (tools/nx/check-form-field-defaults.mjs).
+            - name: Validate form-field defaults
+              run: pnpm run ui:form-field-defaults:validate
+
             # Nx rejects a non-parallel task with continuous dependencies, and
             # the Playwright plugin infers serve dependencies only when CI is
             # unset, so this checks both the local and the CI inference.
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend-e2e/src/journeys/search-journey-app.ts b/apps/electron-backend-e2e/src/journeys/search-journey-app.ts
index 7d76b54fe..b57418091 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend-e2e/src/journeys/search-journey-app.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend-e2e/src/journeys/search-journey-app.ts
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ export const SEARCH_JOURNEY_PORTAL_NAME = 'Journey search portal';
  * matches 170 series titles, more than the first page of 100.
  */
 export const SEARCH_JOURNEY_QUERY = 'system';
-/** Well below the shell's 350 ms input debounce, like steady typing. */
+/** Well below the shell's 300 ms input debounce, like steady typing. */
 export const SEARCH_JOURNEY_KEY_DELAY_MS = 100;
 const QUIET_MS = 1_000;
 const QUIET_POLL_MS = 100;
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend-e2e/src/performance/search-journey-record.ts b/apps/electron-backend-e2e/src/performance/search-journey-record.ts
index 556f378e8..0e941379c 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend-e2e/src/performance/search-journey-record.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend-e2e/src/performance/search-journey-record.ts
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ export const SEARCH_JOURNEY_UNAVAILABLE_COUNTERS: Readonly<
 export const SEARCH_JOURNEY_QUERY_METHOD = 'dbGlobalSearch';
 
 /**
- * Longest accepted gap between two keydowns. Below the shell's 350 ms input
+ * Longest accepted gap between two keydowns. Below the shell's 300 ms input
  * debounce, so a late key on a busy machine cannot let an intermediate term
  * run a query that steady typing would not.
  */
diff --git a/apps/web/src/app/app.config.ts b/apps/web/src/app/app.config.ts
index 77a486595..c7a748202 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app/app.config.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/app/app.config.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import {
     OverlayContainer,
 } from '@angular/cdk/overlay';
 import { ApplicationConfig, inject, importProvidersFrom } from '@angular/core';
-import { MAT_FORM_FIELD_DEFAULT_OPTIONS } from '@angular/material/form-field';
 import { provideRouter, withComponentInputBinding } from '@angular/router';
 import { provideServiceWorker } from '@angular/service-worker';
 import { provideEffects } from '@ngrx/effects';
@@ -165,9 +164,5 @@ export const appConfig: ApplicationConfig = {
         ...provideParentalLockPrompt(),
         provideParentalLockPlaylistCleanup(),
         ...provideXtreamDataSource(),
-        {
-            provide: MAT_FORM_FIELD_DEFAULT_OPTIONS,
-            useValue: { appearance: 'outline', subscriptSizing: 'dynamic' },
-        },
     ],
 };
diff --git a/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-about-section.component.ts b/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-about-section.component.ts
index 511206c62..d48af2add 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-about-section.component.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-about-section.component.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import {
 } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 import { UpdateChannelOption } from './settings.models';
 import { markSectionForCheckOnFormEvents } from './settings-section-form-render';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults';
 
 interface SettingsUpdateStatusChip {
     readonly labelKey: string;
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ interface SettingsUpdateStatusChip {
 
 @Component({
     selector: 'app-settings-about-section',
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],
     imports: [
         MatButtonModule,
         MatFormFieldModule,
diff --git a/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-epg-section.component.ts b/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-epg-section.component.ts
index d4ec29556..431a94796 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-epg-section.component.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-epg-section.component.ts
@@ -23,9 +23,11 @@ import { EpgSourceStatusComponent } from '@iptvnator/ui/epg';
 import { TranslateModule } from '@ngx-translate/core';
 import { EpgViewModeOption } from './settings.models';
 import { markSectionForCheckOnFormEvents } from './settings-section-form-render';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults';
 
 @Component({
     selector: 'app-settings-epg-section',
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],
     imports: [
         EpgSourceStatusComponent,
         MatButtonModule,
diff --git a/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-general-section.component.ts b/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-general-section.component.ts
index 7bb7b4f33..92582b33c 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-general-section.component.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-general-section.component.ts
@@ -20,9 +20,11 @@ import {
     ThemeOption,
 } from './settings.models';
 import { markSectionForCheckOnFormEvents } from './settings-section-form-render';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults';
 
 @Component({
     selector: 'app-settings-general-section',
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],
     imports: [
         CommonModule,
         MatFormFieldModule,
diff --git a/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-parental-section.component.ts b/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-parental-section.component.ts
index 7e874c010..50ced0a82 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-parental-section.component.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-parental-section.component.ts
@@ -9,9 +9,11 @@ import {
 } from '@angular/material/slide-toggle';
 import { TranslateModule } from '@ngx-translate/core';
 import { ParentalLockRelockMinutes } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults';
 
 @Component({
     selector: 'app-settings-parental-lock-section',
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],
     imports: [
         MatButtonModule,
         MatFormFieldModule,
diff --git a/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-playback-section.component.ts b/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-playback-section.component.ts
index 5fd306029..b806917b2 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-playback-section.component.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-playback-section.component.ts
@@ -22,9 +22,11 @@ import {
 } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 import { SettingsPlayerOption } from './settings.models';
 import { markSectionForCheckOnFormEvents } from './settings-section-form-render';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults';
 
 @Component({
     selector: 'app-settings-playback-section',
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],
     imports: [
         CommonModule,
         MatButtonModule,
diff --git a/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-remote-control-section.component.ts b/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-remote-control-section.component.ts
index 3b69c0636..9e99ac088 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-remote-control-section.component.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-remote-control-section.component.ts
@@ -15,9 +15,11 @@ import { MatTooltipModule } from '@angular/material/tooltip';
 import { TranslateModule } from '@ngx-translate/core';
 import { QRCodeComponent } from 'angularx-qrcode';
 import { markSectionForCheckOnFormEvents } from './settings-section-form-render';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults';
 
 @Component({
     selector: 'app-settings-remote-control-section',
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],
     imports: [
         MatButtonModule,
         MatFormFieldModule,
diff --git a/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-tmdb-section.component.ts b/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-tmdb-section.component.ts
index 428893053..5a751e376 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-tmdb-section.component.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/app/settings/settings-tmdb-section.component.ts
@@ -17,11 +17,13 @@ import { TranslateModule } from '@ngx-translate/core';
 import { TmdbApiService, TmdbCacheService } from '@iptvnator/services';
 import type { TmdbCacheStats } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 import { markSectionForCheckOnFormEvents } from './settings-section-form-render';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults';
 
 type TmdbKeyTestState = 'idle' | 'testing' | 'success' | 'error';
 
 @Component({
     selector: 'app-settings-tmdb-section',
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],
     imports: [
         MatButtonModule,
         MatFormFieldModule,
diff --git a/apps/web/src/m3-theme.scss b/apps/web/src/m3-theme.scss
index acd62acd0..ccf773f13 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/m3-theme.scss
+++ b/apps/web/src/m3-theme.scss
@@ -279,8 +279,9 @@ html {
 
 // ─── Global refined outlined inputs ──────────────────────────────────────────
 // Applied app-wide AFTER mat.all-component-themes so these overrides win the
-// cascade. Pairs with MAT_FORM_FIELD_DEFAULT_OPTIONS (outline + dynamic) set
-// in app.config.ts.
+// cascade. Pairs with the outline + dynamic MAT_FORM_FIELD_DEFAULT_OPTIONS
+// that provideFormFieldDefaults() (@iptvnator/ui/components) sets on each
+// component rendering a form field.
 $app-refined-input-density: mat.define-theme((
     density: (scale: -2),
 ));
diff --git a/docs/architecture/embedded-inline-playback.md b/docs/architecture/embedded-inline-playback.md
index 628a4ad89..64cbe46f9 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/embedded-inline-playback.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/embedded-inline-playback.md
@@ -157,6 +157,14 @@ Contracts:
 - Hosts provide hero chips/meta/actions as `*appDetailTags` / `*appDetailMeta` /
   `*appDetailActions` templates; the shell stamps them into the hero and again
   into the About block. Degradation stays "missing → not rendered".
+- Provider stand-ins count as missing: `N/A` (any case), a lone `-`, and a
+  `0` IMDb/Kinopoisk score are dropped where provider rows are mapped, by
+  `readProviderText` / `readProviderRating`
+  (`libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/provider-metadata.util.ts`) — in
+  `createStalkerInfo()`, the `vod-details-adapters.ts` normalizers and the
+  Xtream store's detail selection. Templates keep plain `@if` guards; do not
+  teach them the placeholder list. Widen the list only with evidence of a
+  provider sending the new stand-in.
 - The shell never wraps the `[detail-player]` slot in a conditional; the
   host's `@if (inlinePlayback())` is the only creator/destroyer of the
   player subtree, so shell state changes cannot recreate the `<video>`.
diff --git a/docs/architecture/iptvnator-ui-guidelines.md b/docs/architecture/iptvnator-ui-guidelines.md
index 5886a24ae..da7192356 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/iptvnator-ui-guidelines.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/iptvnator-ui-guidelines.md
@@ -1033,6 +1033,13 @@ per-theme tokens in `apps/web/src/_settings-theme.scss`.
 
 ## Forms
 
+Every `<mat-form-field>` is outlined with a dynamic subscript. A component
+that renders one adds `providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()]`
+(`@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults`); the root injector does not
+provide the defaults, because the token import there would load Material's
+form field and `@angular/forms` on startup. `pnpm run
+ui:form-field-defaults:validate` (in CI) reports a missing provider.
+
 The add-source forms (M3U URL, Xtream, Stalker) and the edit dialog share one
 vocabulary, so a field reads the same wherever it appears:
 
diff --git a/docs/architecture/performance-journeys.md b/docs/architecture/performance-journeys.md
index b83dbfc00..fac0b08be 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/performance-journeys.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/performance-journeys.md
@@ -927,11 +927,13 @@ put behind the request ledger: global search reads only the local database.
 
 **What typing does.** The header search box
 (`app-workspace-shell-header .search-field input[type="search"]`) applies
-its term after `SEARCH_INPUT_DEBOUNCE_MS` (350 ms,
+its term after `SEARCH_INPUT_DEBOUNCE_MS` (300 ms,
 `WorkspaceShellSearchSyncService`) and writes it to the URL as `q`. On
 `/workspace/search` (`app.routes.ts`, Electron only) `SearchResultsComponent`
-adopts `q` and runs `executeSearch` after its own 300 ms debounce, which
-calls the `dbGlobalSearch` bridge method once with a limit of 101.
+runs `executeSearch` as soon as the applied term reaches the store, with no
+debounce of its own, which calls the `dbGlobalSearch` bridge method once
+with a limit of 101. A newer term supersedes a query still in flight: its
+result is dropped by request version.
 
 **Start.** After J1 has ended, the test clicks the rail's **Global search**
 link and focuses the header search box (not measured), installs the IPC
@@ -941,7 +943,7 @@ been quiet for 1 s: no DOM mutation, no new or pending bridge call, and an
 unchanged `main.sqlStatements` total (30 s timeout, which fails the
 iteration). J1's capture is detached. The test then types the query with one
 `keyboard.type` call per character on a fixed schedule, 100 ms apart from
-the first key (well below the 350 ms debounce, as steady typing would be),
+the first key (well below the 300 ms debounce, as steady typing would be),
 and samples the main process just before each key. The probe's
 capture-phase `keydown` listener on `window` stamps every key in the search
 box before the app sees it; the first one starts the journey and sends
@@ -950,7 +952,7 @@ rejects an iteration whose DOM mutations, bridge calls or SQL statements
 moved between the quiet snapshot and the first key.
 
 **End.** "No DOM mutation for 200 ms after the last keystroke" alone would
-end inside the 650 ms of debounce, before any query ran: nothing in the DOM
+end inside the 300 ms of debounce, before any query ran: nothing in the DOM
 changes while the term waits. So after the sixth key the probe waits for
 the results of the final term to be shown (the path ends with
 `/workspace/search`, the URL `q` is the query, no `.loading-state` is
@@ -975,7 +977,7 @@ window closed until its results replace the old ones.
 `evidence.finalQuery` keeps its term, result length and duration. The
 record also rejects an iteration in which two keydowns were more than
 250 ms apart (`typing-cadence`; the gaps are `evidence.keyIntervalsMs`).
-At that point a late key on a busy machine could let the 350 ms debounce
+At that point a late key on a busy machine could let the 300 ms debounce
 apply an intermediate term, which steady typing does not.
 
 A settle that times out fails the iteration with what the probe and the
@@ -1017,9 +1019,10 @@ counter: global search does not touch the network.
 | `firstKeystrokeToFirstResultMs.p50/.p90` | First mutation batch with a visible result card (for any term) minus the first keydown.                                                  |
 | `lastKeystrokeToSettledMs.p50/.p90`      | Settled moment (the last mutation batch before the 200 ms quiet window) minus the last keydown. The quiet window itself is not included. |
 
-Both are taken in the renderer. With the current debounces both include
-the 650 ms the term waits (350 ms in the shell, then 300 ms in the results
-component); the first also includes the 500 ms of typing.
+Both are taken in the renderer. Both include the 300 ms the term waits in
+the shell; the first also includes the 500 ms of typing. Until the single
+debounce below, the wait was 650 ms (350 ms in the shell, then 300 ms in the
+results component).
 
 ### First measurement
 
@@ -1045,6 +1048,46 @@ debounces (350 ms in the shell, then 300 ms in the results component). The
 query itself, from the bridge call to the rendered first page, takes the
 remaining 30-40 ms.
 
+### One debounce
+
+The results component's own 300 ms timer is gone: the shell debounce is
+now the only one, and global search runs as soon as the shell applies the
+term. `SEARCH_INPUT_DEBOUNCE_MS` went from 350 to 300 ms. It has to stay
+above the gap between keys of steady typing, or a word typed in one go
+queries once per key; 300 ms covers an average typist (about 200-250 ms
+between keys) with some margin, while the query and first page take only
+30-40 ms of the remaining time. The route sync in the component reads the
+store term untracked, so a term the shell applied before it writes `q` is
+no longer pushed back to the previous `q` and queried again.
+
+Local, macOS, 2026-10-11, three J4 runs per build (five measured
+iterations each), the same machine, master `633fde3e0` against this
+change:
+
+| Measurement                          | Two debounces        | One debounce         |
+| ------------------------------------ | -------------------- | -------------------- |
+| `lastKeystrokeToSettledMs` P50 / P90 | 692-695 / 695-697 ms | 336-337 / 337-339 ms |
+| `firstKeystrokeToFirstResultMs` P50  | 1,190 ms             | 832-834 ms           |
+| `renderer.ipcCallsPerSearch`         | 1                    | 1                    |
+| `renderer.sqlStatementsPerSearch`    | 2                    | 2                    |
+| `renderer.domMutationsToResults`     | 402                  | 392                  |
+
+Per keystroke (query calls / SQL / DOM mutations / CD ticks) at 100 ms per
+key, keys 1-5 are unchanged at `0/0/0/1`; key 6 is `1/2/402/9` before and
+`1/2/392/7` after.
+
+Slower typing was measured with a scratch change to the journey (key
+interval and cadence guard raised, quiet window 1 s; not committed). At
+400 ms per key both builds run one query per key from the second
+character, five in all with 2 statements each: the shell debounce already
+expired between keys before this change, and the results timer only
+delayed each query. Before, the queries trail the keys by 650 ms (keys
+`y s t e m` read `0 1 1 1 2`); after, each follows its own key. At 325 ms
+per key the two builds differ: before, one query in 17 of 20 iterations
+(two or four when a gap stretched past 350 ms); after, five. Typing with
+gaps between 300 and 350 ms is the only range where this change adds
+queries; each is a 2-statement query whose stale result is dropped.
+
 About one launch in sixty showed the empty-results view: the single
 `dbGlobalSearch` call went out with the same arguments (`system`, all three
 types, hidden categories included, limit 101) and the main process answered
@@ -1069,8 +1112,8 @@ persisted status (`xtream-import-status:<id>:<type>`) reads `completed` and
 the type has rows, unless the portal has no categories of that type. Rows
 are required because a refresh deletes the catalog without resetting the
 status. `xtream-import-wait.e2e.ts` holds the account check past the overlay
-window and fails without it. No J4 baseline exists yet; J4 counters join the
-ratchet once three runner runs agree.
+window and fails without it. Two J4 counters are enforced since #1899
+(see [Enforced journey counters](#enforced-journey-counters)).
 
 ## `renderer.initialBytes`
 
@@ -1337,6 +1380,14 @@ changes) and the wall-clock entries did not move. Under
 `prefers-reduced-motion` there is no slide, so a user with that preference
 still sees the jump that the journey no longer measures.
 
+The two J4 entries, `search/renderer.ipcCallsPerSearch` 1 and
+`search/renderer.sqlStatementsPerSearch` 2 (#1899, `evidenceRun`
+38165392046), were identical in all 816 J4 iterations of the 136 CI journey
+jobs since #1816 and in all 18 iterations of three runs of #1899. They guard
+the debounce: a search that queried per keystroke, or ran a second query for
+the same term, raises them. Like the entries in the table they carry the
+guard-only note: #1899 halved the J4 wall clock without moving either.
+
 Being deterministic is not the same as being validated. Principle 3 of the
 plan promotes a counter to a guardrail once a PR has shown that lowering it
 lowered the journey's wall-clock. None of these counters has that evidence
@@ -1372,7 +1423,12 @@ Not enforced, with the reason:
 - J3 `renderer.ipcSerialDepthToPlaying` (4 on the runner, 3 on a Mac):
   added after these runs and measured in one runner run so far; a
   candidate once `master` runs agree.
-- J4: not measured yet.
+- J4 `renderer.domMutationsToResults` (402 on `master`, 392 since #1899),
+  `renderer.ipcSerialDepthToResults` (1) and `renderer.layoutShiftScore`
+  (0): identical in the three #1899 runs; candidates once `master` runs
+  agree.
+- J4 `renderer.cdTicksToResults` (11 to 13) and `renderer.longTasks`: see
+  the general reasons above.
 
 Runner counters differ from a Mac (the Linux-only `getWindowState` call, for
 one), so take every journey baseline value from the runner only.
diff --git a/docs/architecture/playlist-backup-restore.md b/docs/architecture/playlist-backup-restore.md
index 0554de983..6e8014478 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/playlist-backup-restore.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/playlist-backup-restore.md
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ settings screen.
 - Manifest types: `libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/playlist-backup.interface.ts`
 - Xtream pending restore storage:
   `libs/services/src/lib/xtream-pending-restore.service.ts`
+- Browser (PWA) Xtream user state:
+  `libs/services/src/lib/pwa-xtream-backup-state.service.ts`
 
 ## Manifest Contract
 
@@ -61,9 +63,12 @@ Xtream backups export only connection metadata plus portable user state.
 - User state:
     - hidden categories by `{ categoryType, xtreamId }`
     - favorites by `{ contentType, xtreamId, addedAt?, position? }`
-    - recently viewed by `{ contentType, xtreamId, viewedAt }`
+    - recently viewed by `{ contentType, xtreamId, viewedAt, backdropUrl? }`
+      (`backdropUrl` is written and read by the browser build only)
     - playback positions as `PlaybackPositionData[]`
     - optional VOD source pins by `{ matchKey, contentId, updatedAt? }`
+    - optional title snapshots `collectionItems` (browser build only; see
+      [Browser runtime](#browser-runtime))
 
 An imported Xtream archive can wait for its catalog to download. Export reads
 that pending snapshot before consulting the catalog: its hidden categories,
@@ -225,6 +230,47 @@ categories/favorites/history can
 remain after a later failure, but the snapshot remains available to retry the
 complete restore. It is consumed only after every restore step succeeds.
 
+### Browser Runtime
+
+Whenever `XTREAM_DATA_SOURCE` resolves to `PwaXtreamDataSource` — the
+browser, or a desktop bridge without the Xtream SQLite API
+(`RuntimeCapabilitiesService.supportsXtreamSqliteDataSource`) — Xtream
+favorites, recently viewed items, playback positions and title snapshots live
+in the `USER_DATA_STORAGE` maps owned by `PwaXtreamDataSource`
+(`XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS`; see
+[PWA portal user data](./pwa-self-hosted.md#pwa-portal-user-data)).
+`PwaXtreamBackupStateService` reads and writes them through that token, so the
+self-hosted server storage is covered too.
+
+- Export converts each playlist's entries to the archive shape. Typed keys
+  (`movie:42`) carry their identity; a legacy bare id resolves only through
+  the snapshot stored under it, and is left out when none identifies it.
+  Recently viewed keeps the newest view per title, with the artwork saved
+  for that view as `backdropUrl`. `collectionItems` carries
+  the snapshots of exported favorites and history, and is omitted when there
+  are none. Hidden categories stay `[]` and `sourcePins` stays absent: the
+  browser tracks neither.
+- An unreadable map (storage error, malformed JSON, a playlist entry that is
+  not a list) fails the export instead of being written as an empty list.
+- A pending restore snapshot still wins over the stored maps, as on desktop.
+- Import parks the restore state like the desktop does, then applies it at
+  once through `XtreamPendingRestoreService.applyAndConsume`: the browser has
+  no catalog cache to wait for. Favorites, history and positions of the
+  imported playlist id are replaced (positions get that id); other playlists'
+  entries are untouched. `collectionItems` merge into the playlist's
+  snapshots, keyed by typed identity; an archive without them leaves the
+  snapshots alone, malformed items are skipped, a damaged cache is replaced,
+  and a quota error on this cache does not fail the restore.
+- The lists are written before the optional title snapshots, so the cache
+  never takes storage space they need (as for additions; see the
+  [snapshot-storage contract](./xtream-portal-compatibility.md)). A failed
+  write fails the entry and keeps the snapshot parked, so the Xtream store
+  replays the complete state when the playlist next opens. That replay
+  carries no title snapshots, so they are still merged after a failed list
+  write, unless storage is full and they would take room the replay needs.
+
+Older builds ignore `collectionItems`; the manifest version stays `1`.
+
 ## Current UX
 
 The settings page now exports/imports “playlist backups” instead of the old
diff --git a/docs/architecture/pwa-self-hosted.md b/docs/architecture/pwa-self-hosted.md
index ebf92c5eb..f055674bf 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/pwa-self-hosted.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/pwa-self-hosted.md
@@ -272,7 +272,11 @@ and sidecar state in localStorage:
 `PwaXtreamDataSource` and `PwaCollectionStorage` reach these keys through the
 `USER_DATA_STORAGE` token from `@iptvnator/services` (default:
 `localStorage`), never through `localStorage` directly, so a deployment can
-substitute a server-synced storage.
+substitute a server-synced storage. The key names are shared as
+`XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS` with the playlist backup, which exports and restores
+the favorites, recent items, positions and snapshots through the same token
+(`PwaXtreamBackupStateService`; see
+[backup/restore](./playlist-backup-restore.md#browser-runtime)).
 
 Entries should include a content snapshot when the item is added. Global
 collection routes and the dashboard can then restore titles, posters, content
diff --git a/docs/architecture/stalker-portal.md b/docs/architecture/stalker-portal.md
index b5ca8d146..90997a8e2 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/stalker-portal.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/stalker-portal.md
@@ -422,6 +422,23 @@ Failure-handling rule:
   not `undefined` collections or renderer exceptions. The workspace Stalker
   context panel and live layout rely on this guarantee.
 
+Detail metadata rule:
+
+- `createStalkerInfo()` (`stalker-vod.utils.ts`) is the mapping both detail
+  templates read: the series view binds `info` directly and the shared VOD
+  view reads it through `normalizeStalkerVod()`. Each field takes the first
+  usable candidate, and portal stand-ins (`N/A`, `-`, an unrated `0` score)
+  become `''` there — see the placeholder rule in
+  [Embedded Inline Playback](./embedded-inline-playback.md). It runs before
+  TMDB enrichment, which keeps a non-empty provider rating and release date,
+  so a surviving stand-in would also block the TMDB value.
+- It also runs AFTER enrichment: the series view re-normalizes the store item
+  on every render, so it carries every `tmdb_*` field over. The key list
+  (`TMDB_ENRICHMENT_KEYS`) is typed as a `Record` over `StalkerVodInfo`'s
+  `tmdb_*` keys, so a new enrichment field fails to compile until it is listed
+  there instead of silently vanishing from the view (as the genre and country
+  Discover chips once did).
+
 ## Stalker Identity Policy
 
 Full Stalker/Ministra portal authentication defaults to MAC-only identity. The
diff --git a/docs/architecture/tmdb-metadata-enrichment.md b/docs/architecture/tmdb-metadata-enrichment.md
index 606eb72fa..3b2af24bd 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/tmdb-metadata-enrichment.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/tmdb-metadata-enrichment.md
@@ -832,8 +832,10 @@ Contracts worth keeping:
   credits and no recommendations carries none of them and reads as
   un-enriched. Since the column is never overwritten, getting this wrong is
   unfixable after the fact — a real provider date arriving later cannot
-  correct it. The same marker is what `trustedReleaseYear` (the
-  recommendations exclusion index) must consult if it ever reads this column.
+  correct it. Stalker entries never reach this column, but the same marker
+  rides in their stored `info`, and `trustedReleaseYear` (the recommendations
+  exclusion index) reads it first: a date TMDB supplied does not gate the
+  exact tier. `createStalkerInfo()` keeps the marker through re-normalization.
 - **The id is stored unvetted.** Every consumer reaches TMDB through
   `TmdbEnrichmentService`, whose `detailsForProviderId` runs
   `assessProviderId` and lets the title search take over when the years
diff --git a/docs/architecture/workspace-shell.md b/docs/architecture/workspace-shell.md
index fad1fa96d..9415513c2 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/workspace-shell.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/workspace-shell.md
@@ -918,6 +918,9 @@ Toolchain notes for the Electron 43 baseline:
    Those dependencies require standalone PRs so their dedicated package,
    worker, playback, and diagnostic-contract validation cannot be hidden by an
    unrelated grouped update.
+   Electron majors are ignored: Electron 44 ships no `linux-armv7l` binary,
+   and the release still packages armv7l AppImage, DEB and Snap builds. Remove
+   the ignore together with those targets when 32-bit ARM support is dropped.
 4. Electron 42 and newer download their development binary on the first
    Electron command instead of during package `postinstall`, so `electron`
    must not remain in pnpm's `onlyBuiltDependencies` allowlist. The first local
diff --git a/docs/architecture/xtream-portal-compatibility.md b/docs/architecture/xtream-portal-compatibility.md
index b1e1ec00f..f24018603 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/xtream-portal-compatibility.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/xtream-portal-compatibility.md
@@ -344,6 +344,12 @@ resolves. An unresolved source exposes no actions. Playback and download
 descriptors also fall back to the catalog title and poster after `info` and
 `movie_data`.
 
+Provider stand-ins in `get_vod_info` / `get_series_info` (`N/A`, `-`, an
+unrated `0` score) are emptied before the response becomes the store
+selection (`stores/xtream-detail-metadata.ts`), since both detail routes bind
+`info` fields directly. A `get_vod_info` response made only of stand-ins
+therefore counts as sparse and gets the fallback page above.
+
 ## Catch-Up Playback URLs
 
 Xtream-compatible portals differ on archive playback URL shape. IPTVnator
diff --git a/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/auto-import/auto-import.component.ts b/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/auto-import/auto-import.component.ts
index 0b86cb5af..4283d80fd 100644
--- a/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/auto-import/auto-import.component.ts
+++ b/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/auto-import/auto-import.component.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import {
     ProviderImportKind,
     SOURCE_TYPE_ICONS,
 } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults';
 
 interface CandidateSummaryRow {
     labelKey: string;
@@ -145,6 +146,7 @@ function maskUrlQueryPasswords(url: string): string {
  */
 @Component({
     selector: 'app-auto-import',
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],
     templateUrl: './auto-import.component.html',
     styleUrl: './auto-import.component.scss',
     changeDetection: ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush,
diff --git a/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/stalker-portal-import/stalker-portal-import.component.ts b/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/stalker-portal-import/stalker-portal-import.component.ts
index 1a19d0403..f4e93c8c2 100644
--- a/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/stalker-portal-import/stalker-portal-import.component.ts
+++ b/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/stalker-portal-import/stalker-portal-import.component.ts
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ import {
     toStalkerImportFeedback,
     toStalkerPlaylistIdentityFields,
 } from './stalker-import-identity';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults';
 
 /**
  * A MAC and the device IDs that belong to exactly it. Kept together because
@@ -75,6 +76,7 @@ interface StalkerSettledIdentity {
         TranslatePipe,
     ],
     selector: 'app-stalker-portal-import',
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],
     templateUrl: './stalker-portal-import.component.html',
     changeDetection: ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush,
     styles: [
diff --git a/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/text-import/text-import.component.ts b/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/text-import/text-import.component.ts
index f767cffb7..f5751e4f6 100644
--- a/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/text-import/text-import.component.ts
+++ b/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/text-import/text-import.component.ts
@@ -12,9 +12,11 @@ import {
 } from '@angular/forms';
 import { MatInputModule } from '@angular/material/input';
 import { TranslatePipe } from '@ngx-translate/core';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults';
 
 @Component({
     selector: 'app-text-import',
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],
     templateUrl: './text-import.component.html',
     styleUrls: ['./text-import.component.scss'],
     changeDetection: ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush,
diff --git a/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/url-upload/url-upload.component.ts b/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/url-upload/url-upload.component.ts
index 59338b8bf..0df1ae15e 100644
--- a/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/url-upload/url-upload.component.ts
+++ b/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/url-upload/url-upload.component.ts
@@ -15,9 +15,11 @@ import { MatFormFieldModule } from '@angular/material/form-field';
 import { MatInputModule } from '@angular/material/input';
 import { TranslatePipe } from '@ngx-translate/core';
 import { RuntimeCapabilitiesService } from '@iptvnator/services';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults';
 
 @Component({
     selector: 'app-url-upload',
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],
     templateUrl: './url-upload.component.html',
     changeDetection: ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush,
     imports: [
diff --git a/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/xtream-code-import/xtream-code-import.component.spec.ts b/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/xtream-code-import/xtream-code-import.component.spec.ts
index 72f4e8099..1c72b0334 100644
--- a/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/xtream-code-import/xtream-code-import.component.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/xtream-code-import/xtream-code-import.component.spec.ts
@@ -228,6 +228,26 @@ describe('XtreamCodeImportComponent form', () => {
         );
     }
 
+    it('outlines its fields with a dynamic subscript without a root provider', () => {
+        // The root injector no longer provides MAT_FORM_FIELD_DEFAULT_OPTIONS
+        // (it pulled Material's form field and @angular/forms into startup);
+        // the form carries provideFormFieldDefaults() itself.
+        const { root } = render();
+        const fields = Array.from(root.querySelectorAll('mat-form-field'));
+
+        expect(fields.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+        for (const field of fields) {
+            expect(field.classList).toContain(
+                'mat-form-field-appearance-outline'
+            );
+            expect(
+                field.querySelector(
+                    '.mat-mdc-form-field-subscript-dynamic-size'
+                )
+            ).not.toBeNull();
+        }
+    });
+
     it('labels the name field like the other add-source forms', () => {
         const { root } = render();
 
diff --git a/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/xtream-code-import/xtream-code-import.component.ts b/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/xtream-code-import/xtream-code-import.component.ts
index ca7c148f9..ac9d137a4 100644
--- a/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/xtream-code-import/xtream-code-import.component.ts
+++ b/libs/playlist/import/feature/src/lib/xtream-code-import/xtream-code-import.component.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import {
     normalizeXtreamServerUrl,
     Playlist,
 } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults';
 
 function xtreamServerUrlValidator(
     control: AbstractControl
@@ -59,6 +60,7 @@ function xtreamServerUrlValidator(
         TranslatePipe,
     ],
     selector: 'app-xtream-code-import',
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],
     templateUrl: './xtream-code-import.component.html',
     changeDetection: ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush,
     styles: [
diff --git a/libs/playlist/shared/ui/src/lib/recent-playlists/playlist-info/playlist-info.component.ts b/libs/playlist/shared/ui/src/lib/recent-playlists/playlist-info/playlist-info.component.ts
index 0f68e88ba..12e0399fe 100644
--- a/libs/playlist/shared/ui/src/lib/recent-playlists/playlist-info/playlist-info.component.ts
+++ b/libs/playlist/shared/ui/src/lib/recent-playlists/playlist-info/playlist-info.component.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ import {
     STALKER_PLAYLIST_CONNECTION_EDITOR,
     STALKER_PLAYLIST_CONNECTION_EDITOR_STATUS,
 } from './stalker-playlist-connection-editor.token';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults';
 
 type DesktopFileSaveBridge = Pick<
     typeof window.electron,
@@ -165,7 +166,7 @@ type DesktopFileSaveBridge = Pick<
             }
         `,
     ],
-    providers: [DatePipe],
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults(), DatePipe],
     changeDetection: ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush,
     imports: [
         ClipboardModule,
diff --git a/libs/portal/shared/ui/src/lib/components/grid-list/grid-list.component.spec.ts b/libs/portal/shared/ui/src/lib/components/grid-list/grid-list.component.spec.ts
index fb81e2adc..5b57a58db 100644
--- a/libs/portal/shared/ui/src/lib/components/grid-list/grid-list.component.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/shared/ui/src/lib/components/grid-list/grid-list.component.spec.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,24 @@ describe('grid list rating helpers', () => {
         ).toBe('7.2');
     });
 
+    it('shows no badge for a provider stand-in or an unrated zero', () => {
+        for (const value of ['N/A', 'n/a', '-', '0', '0.0', 0]) {
+            expect(formatGridRating(value)).toBeUndefined();
+        }
+    });
+
+    it('falls back to the generic rating when imdb rating is a stand-in', () => {
+        expect(
+            resolveGridRating({
+                rating: '6.5',
+                rating_imdb: 'N/A',
+            })
+        ).toBe('6.5');
+        expect(resolveGridRating({ rating: '0', rating_imdb: '-' })).toBe(
+            undefined
+        );
+    });
+
     it('falls back to the generic rating when imdb rating is blank', () => {
         expect(
             resolveGridRating({
diff --git a/libs/portal/shared/ui/src/lib/components/grid-list/grid-list.component.ts b/libs/portal/shared/ui/src/lib/components/grid-list/grid-list.component.ts
index 7f5758c02..fc14fa0ba 100644
--- a/libs/portal/shared/ui/src/lib/components/grid-list/grid-list.component.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/shared/ui/src/lib/components/grid-list/grid-list.component.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { MatProgressSpinnerModule } from '@angular/material/progress-spinner';
 import { MatTooltip } from '@angular/material/tooltip';
 import { TranslatePipe } from '@ngx-translate/core';
 import { applyChannelNameStrip } from '@iptvnator/shared/m3u-utils';
+import { readProviderRating } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 import {
     PortalWatchState,
     getXtreamCatchupDays,
@@ -49,22 +50,19 @@ interface GridListItem {
     [key: string]: unknown;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Card rating badge text. Provider stand-ins (`"N/A"`, `"-"`) and an unrated
+ * zero read as no rating — see `readProviderRating` — so the badge is hidden
+ * and {@link resolveGridRating} can reach the generic `rating` behind them.
+ */
 export function formatGridRating(value: unknown): string | undefined {
-    if (typeof value === 'number' && Number.isFinite(value)) {
-        return value.toFixed(1);
-    }
-
-    if (typeof value !== 'string') {
+    const text = readProviderRating(value);
+    if (text === undefined) {
         return undefined;
     }
 
-    const trimmed = value.trim();
-    if (!trimmed) {
-        return undefined;
-    }
-
-    const numericRating = Number.parseFloat(trimmed);
-    return Number.isFinite(numericRating) ? numericRating.toFixed(1) : trimmed;
+    const numericRating = Number.parseFloat(text);
+    return Number.isFinite(numericRating) ? numericRating.toFixed(1) : text;
 }
 
 export function resolveGridRating(
diff --git a/libs/portal/stalker/data-access/src/lib/stalker-vod.utils.spec.ts b/libs/portal/stalker/data-access/src/lib/stalker-vod.utils.spec.ts
index f99e7f9ad..b0bc7563b 100644
--- a/libs/portal/stalker/data-access/src/lib/stalker-vod.utils.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/stalker/data-access/src/lib/stalker-vod.utils.spec.ts
@@ -253,44 +253,71 @@ describe('stalker-vod.utils regressions', () => {
     });
 
     it('preserves TMDB enrichment fields through info re-normalization', () => {
-        const tmdbCast = [{ name: 'Karl Urban', profileUrl: null }];
+        // Detail views re-normalize the selected item on every render, so
+        // every field `mergeStalkerInfoWithTmdb` can set has to survive here
+        const tmdbCast = [{ name: 'Rowan Quill', profileUrl: null }];
         const tmdbRecommendations = [
-            { tmdbId: 1, title: 'Invincible', year: 2021, posterUrl: null },
+            { tmdbId: 1, title: 'Harbor Static', year: 2021, posterUrl: null },
         ];
+        const tmdbGenres = [{ id: 18, name: 'Drama' }];
+        const tmdbCountries = [{ code: 'NO', name: 'Norway' }];
 
         const info = createStalkerInfo({
             id: '7',
             info: {
-                name: 'The Boys s05',
+                name: 'Lantern Coast s05',
                 movie_image: 'http://portal/poster.jpg',
                 description: 'Plot',
-                actors: 'Karl Urban',
+                actors: 'Rowan Quill',
                 director: '',
-                releasedate: '2026',
-                genre: 'Action',
+                releasedate: '2026-03-01',
+                genre: 'Drama',
                 rating_imdb: '',
                 rating_kinopoisk: '8.1',
+                tmdb_id: 4242,
                 tmdb_cast: tmdbCast,
                 tmdb_directors: [
                     {
-                        name: 'Eric Kripke',
+                        name: 'Mara Tollen',
                         profileUrl: null,
                         tmdbPersonId: 1216630,
                     },
                 ],
-                tmdb_backdrop: 'https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w1280/boys.jpg',
+                tmdb_status: 'returning',
+                tmdb_backdrop: 'https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w1280/coast.jpg',
                 tmdb_trailer: 'abc123def',
                 tmdb_recommendations: tmdbRecommendations,
+                tmdb_genres: tmdbGenres,
+                tmdb_countries: tmdbCountries,
+                tmdb_media_type: 'tv',
+                tmdb_supplied_release_date: true,
             },
         });
 
+        expect(info.tmdb_id).toBe(4242);
         expect(info.tmdb_cast).toEqual(tmdbCast);
-        expect(info.tmdb_directors?.[0]?.name).toBe('Eric Kripke');
+        expect(info.tmdb_directors?.[0]?.name).toBe('Mara Tollen');
+        expect(info.tmdb_status).toBe('returning');
         expect(info.tmdb_backdrop).toBe(
-            'https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w1280/boys.jpg'
+            'https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w1280/coast.jpg'
         );
         expect(info.tmdb_trailer).toBe('abc123def');
         expect(info.tmdb_recommendations).toEqual(tmdbRecommendations);
+        expect(info.tmdb_genres).toEqual(tmdbGenres);
+        expect(info.tmdb_countries).toEqual(tmdbCountries);
+        expect(info.tmdb_media_type).toBe('tv');
+        expect(info.tmdb_supplied_release_date).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it('adds no TMDB fields to a row that was never enriched', () => {
+        const info = createStalkerInfo({
+            id: '8',
+            info: { name: 'Unenriched Title', releasedate: '2019' },
+        });
+
+        expect(
+            Object.keys(info).filter((key) => key.startsWith('tmdb_'))
+        ).toEqual([]);
     });
 
     describe('temporary-link flags survive normalization', () => {
@@ -342,6 +369,82 @@ describe('stalker-vod.utils regressions', () => {
     });
 });
 
+describe('provider placeholders in Stalker VOD info', () => {
+    // The series view renders `info` directly and the shared VOD template
+    // renders it through the view-model adapter, so the stand-ins have to
+    // be gone from `info` itself — not just from one template's guards.
+    const PLACEHOLDER_ROW = {
+        id: '31',
+        cmd: '/media/file_31.mpg',
+        name: 'Placeholder Movie',
+        o_name: 'N/A',
+        screenshot_uri: 'N/A',
+        description: 'N/A',
+        actors: 'n/a',
+        director: '-',
+        year: 'N/A',
+        genres_str: ' N/A ',
+        rating_imdb: 'N/A',
+        rating_kinopoisk: '0',
+    };
+
+    it('maps every stand-in to the empty value the info shape uses for absent', () => {
+        const info = createStalkerInfo(PLACEHOLDER_ROW);
+
+        expect(info).toEqual({
+            name: 'Placeholder Movie',
+            o_name: undefined,
+            movie_image: '',
+            description: '',
+            actors: '',
+            director: '',
+            releasedate: '',
+            genre: '',
+            rating_imdb: '',
+            rating_kinopoisk: '',
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('keeps the series view free of stand-ins through re-normalization', () => {
+        const displayed = normalizeStalkerVodDetailsItem(
+            normalizeStalkerVodDetailsItem({
+                ...PLACEHOLDER_ROW,
+                is_series: 1,
+            })
+        );
+
+        expect(displayed.info.releasedate).toBe('');
+        expect(displayed.info.rating_imdb).toBe('');
+        expect(displayed.info.rating_kinopoisk).toBe('');
+        expect(displayed.info.description).toBe('');
+    });
+
+    it('falls through a placeholder to the usable value behind it', () => {
+        const info = createStalkerInfo({
+            id: '32',
+            year: '2011',
+            genres_str: 'Drama',
+            description: 'Plot from the catalog row',
+            rating_imdb: 7.1,
+            info: {
+                name: 'N/A',
+                o_name: 'Original Title',
+                releasedate: 'N/A',
+                genre: '-',
+                description: 'N/A',
+                rating_imdb: '0.0',
+            },
+        });
+
+        expect(info.name).toBe('Original Title');
+        expect(info.o_name).toBe('Original Title');
+        expect(info.releasedate).toBe('2011');
+        expect(info.genre).toBe('Drama');
+        expect(info.description).toBe('Plot from the catalog row');
+        expect(info.rating_imdb).toBe('7.1');
+    });
+});
+
 describe('firstNonBlankStalkerId', () => {
     it('skips a blank candidate instead of treating it as set', () => {
         expect(firstNonBlankStalkerId('', '  ', '77')).toBe('77');
diff --git a/libs/portal/stalker/data-access/src/lib/stalker-vod.utils.ts b/libs/portal/stalker/data-access/src/lib/stalker-vod.utils.ts
index 18782b89e..7ec8dc9a8 100644
--- a/libs/portal/stalker/data-access/src/lib/stalker-vod.utils.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/stalker/data-access/src/lib/stalker-vod.utils.ts
@@ -4,8 +4,10 @@ import { Observable } from 'rxjs';
 import { PlaylistsService } from '@iptvnator/services';
 import {
     createStalkerVodItem,
+    firstProviderText,
     isStalkerSeriesFlag,
     isStalkerSeriesItem,
+    readProviderRating,
     StalkerVodDetails,
     StalkerVodInfo,
     VodDetailsItem,
@@ -146,50 +148,86 @@ function toStringOrFallback(value: unknown, fallback = ''): string {
     return String(value);
 }
 
-function toOptionalString(value: unknown): string | undefined {
-    if (value === null || value === undefined || value === '') {
-        return undefined;
-    }
-    return String(value);
-}
-
+/**
+ * Maps a raw portal row (or an already-built selection, on re-normalization)
+ * to the `info` both Stalker detail templates render.
+ *
+ * Portals send `"N/A"`, `"-"` or an unrated `"0"` score where they have
+ * nothing, so every field reads the first USABLE candidate and falls back to
+ * `''`, which is how this shape spells "absent". The series view binds
+ * `info` directly, and TMDB enrichment keeps any non-empty provider rating
+ * and release date, so a stand-in surviving this point would be rendered
+ * AND would block the TMDB value that should have replaced it.
+ */
 export function createStalkerInfo(item: StalkerVodSource): StalkerVodInfo {
     const info = item.info ?? {};
+    const text = (...values: unknown[]) => firstProviderText(...values) ?? '';
+    const rating = (primary: unknown, fallback: unknown) =>
+        readProviderRating(primary) ?? readProviderRating(fallback) ?? '';
 
     return {
-        name: toStringOrFallback(
-            info.name ?? info.o_name ?? item.o_name ?? item.name ?? item.title,
-            'Unknown'
+        name:
+            firstProviderText(
+                info.name,
+                info.o_name,
+                item.o_name,
+                item.name,
+                item.title
+            ) ?? 'Unknown',
+        o_name: firstProviderText(info.o_name, item.o_name),
+        movie_image: text(
+            info.movie_image,
+            item.cover,
+            item.screenshot_uri,
+            item.logo
         ),
-        o_name: toOptionalString(info.o_name ?? item.o_name),
-        movie_image: toStringOrFallback(
-            info.movie_image ?? item.cover ?? item.screenshot_uri ?? item.logo
-        ),
-        description: toStringOrFallback(info.description ?? item.description),
-        actors: toStringOrFallback(info.actors ?? item.actors),
-        director: toStringOrFallback(info.director ?? item.director),
-        releasedate: toStringOrFallback(
-            info.releasedate ?? item.releasedate ?? item.year
-        ),
-        genre: toStringOrFallback(info.genre ?? item.genre ?? item.genres_str),
-        rating_imdb: toStringOrFallback(info.rating_imdb ?? item.rating_imdb),
-        rating_kinopoisk: toStringOrFallback(
-            info.rating_kinopoisk ?? item.rating_kinopoisk
-        ),
-        // TMDB enrichment fields must survive re-normalization — detail
-        // views normalize the selected item on every render
-        ...(info.tmdb_id ? { tmdb_id: info.tmdb_id } : {}),
-        ...(info.tmdb_cast ? { tmdb_cast: info.tmdb_cast } : {}),
-        ...(info.tmdb_directors ? { tmdb_directors: info.tmdb_directors } : {}),
-        ...(info.tmdb_status ? { tmdb_status: info.tmdb_status } : {}),
-        ...(info.tmdb_backdrop ? { tmdb_backdrop: info.tmdb_backdrop } : {}),
-        ...(info.tmdb_trailer ? { tmdb_trailer: info.tmdb_trailer } : {}),
-        ...(info.tmdb_recommendations
-            ? { tmdb_recommendations: info.tmdb_recommendations }
-            : {}),
+        description: text(info.description, item.description),
+        actors: text(info.actors, item.actors),
+        director: text(info.director, item.director),
+        releasedate: text(info.releasedate, item.releasedate, item.year),
+        genre: text(info.genre, item.genre, item.genres_str),
+        rating_imdb: rating(info.rating_imdb, item.rating_imdb),
+        rating_kinopoisk: rating(info.rating_kinopoisk, item.rating_kinopoisk),
+        ...pickTmdbEnrichment(info),
     };
 }
 
+type TmdbEnrichmentKey = Extract<keyof StalkerVodInfo, `tmdb_${string}`>;
+
+/**
+ * Every TMDB enrichment field of {@link StalkerVodInfo}. A `Record` over the
+ * `tmdb_*` keys, so adding one to the interface fails to compile until it is
+ * listed here: detail views re-normalize the selected item on every render,
+ * and a field this list missed would vanish right after enrichment.
+ */
+const TMDB_ENRICHMENT_KEYS: Record<TmdbEnrichmentKey, true> = {
+    tmdb_id: true,
+    tmdb_cast: true,
+    tmdb_directors: true,
+    tmdb_status: true,
+    tmdb_backdrop: true,
+    tmdb_trailer: true,
+    tmdb_recommendations: true,
+    tmdb_genres: true,
+    tmdb_countries: true,
+    tmdb_media_type: true,
+    tmdb_supplied_release_date: true,
+};
+
+function pickTmdbEnrichment(
+    info: Partial<StalkerVodInfo>
+): Partial<Pick<StalkerVodInfo, TmdbEnrichmentKey>> {
+    const picked: Record<string, unknown> = {};
+    for (const key of Object.keys(
+        TMDB_ENRICHMENT_KEYS
+    ) as TmdbEnrichmentKey[]) {
+        if (info[key]) {
+            picked[key] = info[key];
+        }
+    }
+    return picked;
+}
+
 /**
  * Narrows a raw portal row to the fields the detail/playback flows need.
  *
diff --git a/libs/portal/stalker/feature/src/lib/stalker-series-view/stalker-series-view.tmdb-facets.spec.ts b/libs/portal/stalker/feature/src/lib/stalker-series-view/stalker-series-view.tmdb-facets.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f0a343a66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/portal/stalker/feature/src/lib/stalker-series-view/stalker-series-view.tmdb-facets.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+import { ComponentFixture } from '@angular/core/testing';
+import { StalkerSeriesViewComponent } from './stalker-series-view.component';
+import { createStalkerSeriesViewHarness } from './stalker-series-view.test-harness';
+
+/**
+ * The view re-normalizes the selected item on every render, so the TMDB
+ * genre and country facets the enrichment merged into the store item have
+ * to survive that pass to become clickable Discover chips.
+ */
+describe('StalkerSeriesViewComponent TMDB facet chips', () => {
+    let fixture: ComponentFixture<StalkerSeriesViewComponent>;
+    const { selectedItem, createFixture } = createStalkerSeriesViewHarness(() =>
+        jest.fn()
+    );
+
+    async function stabilize(): Promise<void> {
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+        await fixture.whenStable();
+    }
+
+    function facetChipLabels(): string[] {
+        return Array.from(
+            (fixture.nativeElement as HTMLElement).querySelectorAll(
+                'button.meta-chip__facet'
+            )
+        ).map((chip) => chip.textContent?.trim() ?? '');
+    }
+
+    beforeEach(async () => {
+        fixture = await createFixture();
+    });
+
+    afterEach(() => {
+        fixture?.destroy();
+    });
+
+    it('renders the enriched genres and countries as Discover chips', async () => {
+        await stabilize();
+
+        // Enrichment patches the store item after selection
+        selectedItem.set({
+            id: '30001',
+            cmd: '/media/file_30001.mpg',
+            info: {
+                name: 'Regular Series',
+                description: 'Series description',
+                movie_image: 'poster.jpg',
+                genre: 'Drama',
+                tmdb_id: 777,
+                tmdb_genres: [
+                    { id: 18, name: 'Drama' },
+                    { id: 9648, name: 'Mystery' },
+                ],
+                tmdb_countries: [{ code: 'NO', name: 'Norway' }],
+                tmdb_media_type: 'tv',
+            },
+        } as never);
+        await stabilize();
+
+        expect(facetChipLabels()).toEqual(
+            expect.arrayContaining(['Drama', 'Mystery', 'Norway'])
+        );
+    });
+});
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/data-sources/pwa-collection-storage.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/data-sources/pwa-collection-storage.ts
index 59d3efec5..7ecee0678 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/data-sources/pwa-collection-storage.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/data-sources/pwa-collection-storage.ts
@@ -6,13 +6,16 @@ import {
     normalizeFavoriteStorage,
     normalizeRecentStorage,
 } from './pwa-collection-identity';
-import type { UserDataStorage } from '@iptvnator/services';
+import {
+    XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS,
+    type UserDataStorage,
+} from '@iptvnator/services';
 import { XtreamContentItem } from './xtream-data-source.interface';
 
 const STORAGE_KEYS = {
-    COLLECTION_ITEMS: 'xtream-collection-items',
-    FAVORITES: 'xtream-favorites',
-    RECENT_ITEMS: 'xtream-recent-items',
+    COLLECTION_ITEMS: XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS.collectionItems,
+    FAVORITES: XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS.favorites,
+    RECENT_ITEMS: XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS.recentItems,
 };
 
 /** Synchronous persistence and migration using only snapshots and cached identity evidence. */
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/data-sources/pwa-xtream-collection-identity.spec.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/data-sources/pwa-xtream-collection-identity.spec.ts
index ef96a02d9..e88aa7578 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/data-sources/pwa-xtream-collection-identity.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/data-sources/pwa-xtream-collection-identity.spec.ts
@@ -342,6 +342,64 @@ describe('PWA Xtream collection identity', () => {
         ).toEqual(types);
     });
 
+    it('restores playback positions under the playlist they are restored to', async () => {
+        await source.restoreUserData('p1', {
+            hiddenCategories: [],
+            favorites: [],
+            recentlyViewed: [],
+            playbackPositions: [
+                {
+                    contentXtreamId: 42,
+                    contentType: 'vod',
+                    positionSeconds: 90,
+                    playlistId: 'exported-id',
+                    updatedAt: '2026-10-01T12:00:00.000Z',
+                },
+            ],
+        });
+
+        expect(await source.getPlaybackPosition('p1', 42, 'vod')).toEqual({
+            contentXtreamId: 42,
+            contentType: 'vod',
+            positionSeconds: 90,
+            playlistId: 'p1',
+            updatedAt: '2026-10-01T12:00:00.000Z',
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('keeps the artwork saved with each view through clear/restore', async () => {
+        await source.restoreUserData('p1', {
+            hiddenCategories: [],
+            playbackPositions: [],
+            favorites: [],
+            recentlyViewed: [
+                {
+                    contentType: 'movie',
+                    xtreamId: 42,
+                    viewedAt: '2026-10-01T12:00:00.000Z',
+                    backdropUrl: 'https://img.example.com/still.jpg',
+                },
+            ],
+        });
+        expect(read('xtream-recent-items').p1).toEqual([
+            {
+                id: 'movie:42',
+                viewedAt: '2026-10-01T12:00:00.000Z',
+                backdropUrl: 'https://img.example.com/still.jpg',
+            },
+        ]);
+
+        const backup = await source.clearPlaylistContent('p1');
+        expect(backup.recentlyViewed).toEqual([
+            {
+                contentType: 'movie',
+                xtreamId: 42,
+                viewedAt: '2026-10-01T12:00:00.000Z',
+                backdropUrl: 'https://img.example.com/still.jpg',
+            },
+        ]);
+    });
+
     it('preserves ambiguous numeric legacy entries without selecting the last matching type', async () => {
         localStorage.setItem(
             'xtream-favorites',
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/data-sources/pwa-xtream-data-source.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/data-sources/pwa-xtream-data-source.ts
index 2c8c8d380..af61c2906 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/data-sources/pwa-xtream-data-source.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/data-sources/pwa-xtream-data-source.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import {
     ParentalLockService,
     PlaylistsService,
     USER_DATA_STORAGE,
+    XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS,
 } from '@iptvnator/services';
 import { firstValueFrom } from 'rxjs';
 import {
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ import {
     typedCollectionRef,
     itemCollectionKey,
     findCollectionItems,
+    normalizeStoredBackdrop,
 } from './pwa-collection-identity';
 import { PwaCollectionStorage } from './pwa-collection-storage';
 
@@ -50,7 +52,7 @@ import { PwaCollectionStorage } from './pwa-collection-storage';
  */
 const STORAGE_KEYS = {
     PLAYLISTS: 'xtream-playlists',
-    PLAYBACK_POSITIONS: 'xtream-playback-positions',
+    PLAYBACK_POSITIONS: XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS.playbackPositions,
 };
 
 interface XtreamCachedContentItem {
@@ -1356,6 +1358,7 @@ export class PwaXtreamDataSource implements IXtreamDataSource {
                 return {
                     ...identity,
                     viewedAt: item.viewedAt,
+                    ...normalizeStoredBackdrop(item),
                 };
             })
             .filter(
@@ -1403,16 +1406,22 @@ export class PwaXtreamDataSource implements IXtreamDataSource {
                 type: item.contentType,
             });
             if (id !== null)
-                recentItems[playlistId].push({ id, viewedAt: item.viewedAt });
+                recentItems[playlistId].push({
+                    id,
+                    viewedAt: item.viewedAt,
+                    ...normalizeStoredBackdrop(item),
+                });
         }
         this.collectionStorage.saveRecentItemsToStorage(recentItems);
 
-        // Restore playback positions
+        // Restore playback positions under this playlist: an archive's carry
+        // the id they were exported with, and the player matches on it.
         this.clearPlaybackPositionsForPlaylist(playlistId);
         const playbackPositions = this.getPlaybackPositionsFromStorage();
         playbackPositions[playlistId] = restoreState.playbackPositions.map(
             (position) => ({
                 ...position,
+                playlistId,
                 updatedAt: position.updatedAt ?? new Date().toISOString(),
             })
         );
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-detail-metadata.spec.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-detail-metadata.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e7f4c87e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-detail-metadata.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+import { XtreamSerieInfo, XtreamVodInfo } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
+import {
+    stripXtreamSerieInfoPlaceholders,
+    stripXtreamVodInfoPlaceholders,
+} from './xtream-detail-metadata';
+
+describe('Xtream detail placeholders', () => {
+    it('empties every stand-in the VOD detail route would render', () => {
+        const info = stripXtreamVodInfoPlaceholders({
+            name: 'Placeholder Film',
+            o_name: 'N/A',
+            movie_image: 'N/A',
+            cover_big: '-',
+            releasedate: 'N/A',
+            genre: 'n/a',
+            duration: 'N/A',
+            country: '-',
+            director: 'N/A',
+            actors: 'N/A',
+            cast: '-',
+            description: 'N/A',
+            plot: ' N/A ',
+            rating_imdb: 'N/A',
+            rating_kinopoisk: '0',
+            backdrop_path: ['N/A', 'https://img.example/backdrop.jpg'],
+            duration_secs: 0,
+        } as unknown as XtreamVodInfo);
+
+        expect(info).toEqual({
+            name: 'Placeholder Film',
+            o_name: '',
+            movie_image: '',
+            cover_big: '',
+            releasedate: '',
+            genre: '',
+            duration: '',
+            country: '',
+            director: '',
+            actors: '',
+            cast: '',
+            description: '',
+            plot: '',
+            rating_imdb: '',
+            rating_kinopoisk: '',
+            backdrop_path: ['https://img.example/backdrop.jpg'],
+            duration_secs: 0,
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('leaves real values, absent fields and non-text fields untouched', () => {
+        const source = {
+            name: 'Real Film',
+            releasedate: '2019-04-05',
+            rating_imdb: '7.4',
+            rating: 0,
+            tmdb_id: 123,
+        } as unknown as XtreamVodInfo;
+
+        expect(stripXtreamVodInfoPlaceholders(source)).toEqual(source);
+    });
+
+    it('empties every stand-in the series detail route would render', () => {
+        const info = stripXtreamSerieInfoPlaceholders({
+            name: 'Placeholder Series',
+            cover: 'N/A',
+            plot: 'N/A',
+            cast: '-',
+            director: 'n/a',
+            genre: 'N/A',
+            releaseDate: 'N/A',
+            rating: '0',
+            rating_5based: 0,
+            episode_run_time: 'N/A',
+            backdrop_path: ['-'],
+        } as unknown as XtreamSerieInfo);
+
+        expect(info).toEqual({
+            name: 'Placeholder Series',
+            cover: '',
+            plot: '',
+            cast: '',
+            director: '',
+            genre: '',
+            releaseDate: '',
+            rating: '',
+            rating_5based: 0,
+            episode_run_time: '',
+            backdrop_path: [],
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('passes a malformed info payload through unchanged', () => {
+        expect(stripXtreamSerieInfoPlaceholders(undefined as never)).toBe(
+            undefined
+        );
+        const list = [] as unknown as XtreamSerieInfo;
+        expect(stripXtreamSerieInfoPlaceholders(list)).toBe(list);
+    });
+});
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-detail-metadata.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-detail-metadata.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..265358861
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-detail-metadata.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+import {
+    readProviderRating,
+    readProviderText,
+    XtreamSerieInfo,
+    XtreamVodInfo,
+} from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
+
+const VOD_TEXT_FIELDS = [
+    'name',
+    'o_name',
+    'movie_image',
+    'cover_big',
+    'releasedate',
+    'genre',
+    'duration',
+    'country',
+    'director',
+    'actors',
+    'cast',
+    'description',
+    'plot',
+] as const satisfies readonly (keyof XtreamVodInfo)[];
+const VOD_RATING_FIELDS = [
+    'rating_imdb',
+    'rating_kinopoisk',
+] as const satisfies readonly (keyof XtreamVodInfo)[];
+
+const SERIE_TEXT_FIELDS = [
+    'name',
+    'cover',
+    'plot',
+    'cast',
+    'director',
+    'genre',
+    'releaseDate',
+    'episode_run_time',
+] as const satisfies readonly (keyof XtreamSerieInfo)[];
+const SERIE_RATING_FIELDS = [
+    'rating',
+] as const satisfies readonly (keyof XtreamSerieInfo)[];
+
+/**
+ * Removes provider stand-ins (`"N/A"`, `"-"`, an unrated `"0"` score) from
+ * an Xtream detail response before it becomes the store selection.
+ *
+ * The VOD and series detail routes bind these `info` fields directly, and
+ * TMDB enrichment keeps any non-empty provider rating and release date — a
+ * stand-in left here is both rendered and shields the TMDB value that should
+ * have replaced it. Only string fields that are present are rewritten, to
+ * `''` (how these shapes spell "absent"), so the response keeps its shape.
+ */
+export function stripXtreamVodInfoPlaceholders(
+    info: XtreamVodInfo
+): XtreamVodInfo {
+    return stripPlaceholders(info, VOD_TEXT_FIELDS, VOD_RATING_FIELDS);
+}
+
+/** {@link stripXtreamVodInfoPlaceholders} for `get_series_info`. */
+export function stripXtreamSerieInfoPlaceholders(
+    info: XtreamSerieInfo
+): XtreamSerieInfo {
+    return stripPlaceholders(info, SERIE_TEXT_FIELDS, SERIE_RATING_FIELDS);
+}
+
+function stripPlaceholders<T extends { backdrop_path?: unknown }>(
+    info: T,
+    textFields: readonly (keyof T)[],
+    ratingFields: readonly (keyof T)[]
+): T {
+    // Broken panels answer with `[]` or nothing; leave those to the callers'
+    // existing sparse-response handling
+    if (!info || typeof info !== 'object' || Array.isArray(info)) {
+        return info;
+    }
+
+    const stripped: Record<keyof T, unknown> = { ...info };
+    const rewrite = (
+        fields: readonly (keyof T)[],
+        read: (value: unknown) => string | undefined
+    ) => {
+        for (const field of fields) {
+            const value = info[field];
+            if (typeof value === 'string') {
+                stripped[field] = read(value) ?? '';
+            }
+        }
+    };
+    rewrite(textFields, readProviderText);
+    rewrite(ratingFields, readProviderRating);
+
+    if (Array.isArray(info.backdrop_path)) {
+        stripped.backdrop_path = info.backdrop_path.filter(
+            (url) => readProviderText(url) !== undefined
+        );
+    }
+
+    return stripped as T;
+}
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-vod-selection.spec.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-vod-selection.spec.ts
index b075af04c..bf289fb51 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-vod-selection.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-vod-selection.spec.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,28 @@ describe('Xtream VOD selection helpers', () => {
         );
     });
 
+    it('strips provider stand-ins from the detail info it publishes', () => {
+        const selection = buildXtreamVodSelection(
+            {
+                info: {
+                    name: 'Placeholder Film',
+                    releasedate: 'N/A',
+                    rating_imdb: 'N/A',
+                    director: '-',
+                },
+            } as unknown as Parameters<typeof buildXtreamVodSelection>[0],
+            undefined,
+            42
+        );
+
+        expect(selection.info).toEqual({
+            name: 'Placeholder Film',
+            releasedate: '',
+            rating_imdb: '',
+            director: '',
+        });
+    });
+
     it('keeps a complete detail playback pair ahead of a catalog collision', () => {
         const catalogItem = {
             stream_id: 42,
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-vod-selection.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-vod-selection.ts
index 07c062732..a8eb9caa6 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-vod-selection.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream-vod-selection.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import {
+    getXtreamVodInfo,
     XtreamVodDetails,
     XtreamVodStream,
 } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
@@ -6,6 +7,7 @@ import {
     resolveXtreamVodPlaybackSource,
     XtreamVodPlaybackItem,
 } from '../services/xtream-vod-playback-source';
+import { stripXtreamVodInfoPlaceholders } from './xtream-detail-metadata';
 
 export type XtreamVodSelection = XtreamVodDetails & {
     [key: string]: unknown;
@@ -35,11 +37,13 @@ export function buildXtreamVodSelection(
         resolveXtreamVodPlaybackSource(
             catalogItem as unknown as XtreamVodPlaybackItem
         );
+    const info = getXtreamVodInfo(vodDetails);
 
     return {
         ...catalogItem,
         ...recoveredCatalogItem,
         ...vodDetails,
+        ...(info ? { info: stripXtreamVodInfoPlaceholders(info) } : {}),
         stream_id: playbackSource?.streamId ?? Number(vodId),
         container_extension: playbackSource?.containerExtension ?? null,
         xtream_id:
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream.store.spec.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream.store.spec.ts
index c4a7d0056..d4f50ad65 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream.store.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream.store.spec.ts
@@ -345,6 +345,39 @@ describe('XtreamStore VOD details recovery', () => {
         expect(store.isLoadingDetails()).toBe(false);
     });
 
+    it('publishes series details without provider stand-ins', async () => {
+        const xtreamApiService = {
+            getSeriesInfo: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+                info: {
+                    name: 'Placeholder Series',
+                    plot: 'N/A',
+                    rating: '0',
+                    releaseDate: 'N/A',
+                },
+                seasons: [],
+                episodes: {},
+            }),
+            getVodInfo: jest.fn(),
+            getVodStream: jest.fn(),
+        };
+        const store = configureStore(xtreamApiService);
+
+        store.fetchSerialDetailsWithMetadata({
+            categoryId: 7,
+            serialId: '99',
+        });
+        await waitForCondition(() => store.selectedItem() !== null);
+
+        expect(
+            (store.selectedItem() as { info: Record<string, unknown> }).info
+        ).toEqual({
+            name: 'Placeholder Series',
+            plot: '',
+            rating: '',
+            releaseDate: '',
+        });
+    });
+
     it('clears the previous series while a reused-route request is pending or fails', async () => {
         const nextDetails = createDeferred<never>();
         const xtreamApiService = {
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream.store.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream.store.ts
index c19a1d5ab..76aedf0e6 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream.store.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/stores/xtream.store.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import {
     createXtreamDetailsRequestGuard,
     resolveXtreamVodDetailsSelection,
 } from './xtream-details-request';
+import { stripXtreamSerieInfoPlaceholders } from './xtream-detail-metadata';
 
 /** Facade composing the Xtream feature stores and cross-feature workflows. */
 export const XtreamStore = signalStore(
@@ -255,6 +256,9 @@ export const XtreamStore = signalStore(
                         store.setSelectedCategory(params.categoryId);
                         store.setSelectedItem({
                             ...serialDetails,
+                            info: stripXtreamSerieInfoPlaceholders(
+                                serialDetails?.info
+                            ),
                             series_id: params.serialId,
                         });
                         store.resetTmdbSeasonMetadata(params.serialId);
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/search-results/search-results.component.spec.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/search-results/search-results.component.spec.ts
index 5cd30c85a..6ede59898 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/search-results/search-results.component.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/search-results/search-results.component.spec.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { signal } from '@angular/core';
 import { TestBed } from '@angular/core/testing';
 import { ActivatedRoute, Router, convertToParamMap } from '@angular/router';
-import { of } from 'rxjs';
+import { BehaviorSubject, of } from 'rxjs';
 import { DatabaseService } from '@iptvnator/services';
 import { SearchResultsComponent } from './search-results.component';
 import {
@@ -54,6 +54,9 @@ class MockXtreamStore {
     readonly searchFilters = signal(DEFAULT_SEARCH_FILTERS);
     readonly searchResults = signal<XtreamContentItem[]>([]);
     readonly isSearching = signal(false);
+    readonly isLoadingContent = signal(false);
+    readonly isLoadingCategories = signal(false);
+    readonly isImporting = signal(false);
 
     setSearchTerm = jest.fn((term: string) => {
         this.searchTerm.set(term);
@@ -377,7 +380,7 @@ describe('SearchResultsComponent global search', () => {
 
     it('refuses to append pages while an edited query is still debouncing', async () => {
         // Regression: the auto-fill can request more results right after the
-        // reset identity changes, i.e. inside the 300ms search debounce. An
+        // reset identity changes, before the search effect has run. An
         // append with the edited term would fetch a page of the NEW query at
         // the OLD offset and interleave it into the old query's results.
         const firstPage = Array.from({ length: 101 }, (_, index) =>
@@ -402,7 +405,7 @@ describe('SearchResultsComponent global search', () => {
         databaseService.globalSearchContent.mockClear();
 
         // The user edits the query; the fresh offset-zero search has not run
-        // yet (debounce pending), so appending must be refused entirely.
+        // yet (effects not flushed), so appending must be refused entirely.
         store.searchTerm.set('matrix reloaded');
         await component.loadMoreGlobalResults();
 
@@ -506,3 +509,190 @@ describe('SearchResultsComponent in-portal result window', () => {
         }
     });
 });
+
+describe('SearchResultsComponent search trigger', () => {
+    let queryParams: BehaviorSubject<ReturnType<typeof convertToParamMap>>;
+    let globalSearchContent: jest.Mock;
+
+    function setUp(initialQuery: string): void {
+        queryParams = new BehaviorSubject(
+            convertToParamMap({ q: initialQuery })
+        );
+        globalSearchContent = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue([]);
+        TestBed.configureTestingModule({
+            providers: [
+                { provide: XtreamStore, useClass: MockXtreamStore },
+                { provide: Router, useValue: { navigate: jest.fn() } },
+                {
+                    provide: ActivatedRoute,
+                    useValue: {
+                        snapshot: {
+                            data: { isGlobalSearch: true },
+                            queryParamMap: queryParams.value,
+                        },
+                        queryParamMap: queryParams.asObservable(),
+                    },
+                },
+                {
+                    provide: DatabaseService,
+                    useValue: { globalSearchContent },
+                },
+            ],
+        });
+    }
+
+    function searchedTerms(): string[] {
+        return globalSearchContent.mock.calls.map(([term]) => term as string);
+    }
+
+    afterEach(() => {
+        jest.useRealTimers();
+    });
+
+    it('queries an applied term at once, without a second debounce', () => {
+        // The shell already debounces typing; a second timer here only added
+        // 300 ms to every search.
+        jest.useFakeTimers();
+        setUp('');
+        const store = TestBed.inject(XtreamStore) as unknown as MockXtreamStore;
+        TestBed.runInInjectionContext(() => new SearchResultsComponent());
+        TestBed.flushEffects();
+
+        store.setSearchTerm('system');
+        TestBed.flushEffects();
+
+        expect(searchedTerms()).toEqual(['system']);
+        expect(jest.getTimerCount()).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it('queries only the route term when the store still holds an older one', () => {
+        setUp('system');
+        const store = TestBed.inject(XtreamStore) as unknown as MockXtreamStore;
+        store.searchTerm.set('matrix');
+
+        TestBed.runInInjectionContext(() => new SearchResultsComponent());
+        TestBed.flushEffects();
+
+        expect(searchedTerms()).toEqual(['system']);
+    });
+
+    it('keeps a term applied ahead of the URL instead of re-querying the stale q', () => {
+        // The shell sets the store term first and writes `q` afterwards; the
+        // route sync must not snap the store back to the previous `q`.
+        setUp('syst');
+        const store = TestBed.inject(XtreamStore) as unknown as MockXtreamStore;
+        TestBed.runInInjectionContext(() => new SearchResultsComponent());
+        TestBed.flushEffects();
+        globalSearchContent.mockClear();
+
+        store.setSearchTerm('system');
+        TestBed.flushEffects();
+        queryParams.next(convertToParamMap({ q: 'system' }));
+        TestBed.flushEffects();
+
+        expect(searchedTerms()).toEqual(['system']);
+        expect(store.searchTerm()).toBe('system');
+    });
+
+    it('ignores an older query that resolves after a newer term', async () => {
+        setUp('');
+        const store = TestBed.inject(XtreamStore) as unknown as MockXtreamStore;
+        const older = createDeferred<GlobalSearchResult[]>();
+        const newer = createDeferred<GlobalSearchResult[]>();
+        globalSearchContent
+            .mockReturnValueOnce(older.promise)
+            .mockReturnValueOnce(newer.promise);
+        TestBed.runInInjectionContext(() => new SearchResultsComponent());
+        TestBed.flushEffects();
+
+        store.setSearchTerm('syst');
+        TestBed.flushEffects();
+        store.setSearchTerm('system');
+        TestBed.flushEffects();
+
+        newer.resolve([
+            createSearchItem({ title: 'System' }) as GlobalSearchResult,
+        ]);
+        await newer.promise;
+        older.resolve([
+            createSearchItem({ title: 'Syst' }) as GlobalSearchResult,
+        ]);
+        await older.promise;
+        await Promise.resolve();
+
+        expect(searchedTerms()).toEqual(['syst', 'system']);
+        expect(store.searchResults().map((item) => item.title)).toEqual([
+            'System',
+        ]);
+    });
+});
+
+describe('SearchResultsComponent in-portal search and catalog loading', () => {
+    beforeEach(() => {
+        TestBed.configureTestingModule({
+            providers: [
+                { provide: XtreamStore, useClass: MockXtreamStore },
+                { provide: Router, useValue: { navigate: jest.fn() } },
+                {
+                    provide: ActivatedRoute,
+                    useValue: {
+                        snapshot: {
+                            data: {},
+                            queryParamMap: convertToParamMap({ q: 'matrix' }),
+                        },
+                        queryParamMap: of(convertToParamMap({ q: 'matrix' })),
+                    },
+                },
+                {
+                    provide: DatabaseService,
+                    useValue: {
+                        globalSearchContent: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue([]),
+                    },
+                },
+            ],
+        });
+    });
+
+    function searchedTerms(store: MockXtreamStore): string[] {
+        return store.searchContent.mock.calls.map(
+            ([params]) => (params as { term: string }).term
+        );
+    }
+
+    it('runs a prefilled search again once the catalog has loaded', () => {
+        // The in-portal search reads the loaded catalog, so a term applied
+        // while it loads would otherwise stay without results.
+        const store = TestBed.inject(XtreamStore) as unknown as MockXtreamStore;
+        store.isLoadingContent.set(true);
+        TestBed.runInInjectionContext(() => new SearchResultsComponent());
+        TestBed.flushEffects();
+        expect(searchedTerms(store)).toEqual(['matrix']);
+
+        store.isLoadingContent.set(false);
+        TestBed.flushEffects();
+
+        expect(searchedTerms(store)).toEqual(['matrix', 'matrix']);
+    });
+
+    it('searches once when a new term and the loaded catalog arrive together', () => {
+        const store = TestBed.inject(XtreamStore) as unknown as MockXtreamStore;
+        store.isLoadingContent.set(true);
+        TestBed.runInInjectionContext(() => new SearchResultsComponent());
+        TestBed.flushEffects();
+        store.searchContent.mockClear();
+
+        store.setSearchTerm('matrix reloaded');
+        store.isLoadingContent.set(false);
+        TestBed.flushEffects();
+
+        expect(searchedTerms(store)).toEqual(['matrix reloaded']);
+    });
+
+    it('searches once when the catalog is already loaded', () => {
+        const store = TestBed.inject(XtreamStore) as unknown as MockXtreamStore;
+        TestBed.runInInjectionContext(() => new SearchResultsComponent());
+        TestBed.flushEffects();
+
+        expect(searchedTerms(store)).toEqual(['matrix']);
+    });
+});
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/search-results/search-results.component.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/search-results/search-results.component.ts
index 23299dfe5..a2c6b0e5f 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/search-results/search-results.component.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/search-results/search-results.component.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
     inject,
     linkedSignal,
     signal,
+    untracked,
 } from '@angular/core';
 import { FormsModule } from '@angular/forms';
 import { MatCheckboxModule } from '@angular/material/checkbox';
@@ -121,6 +122,14 @@ export class SearchResultsComponent implements AfterViewInit {
     readonly isGlobalSearch =
         this.activatedRoute.snapshot.data?.['isGlobalSearch'] === true;
 
+    /** Nothing of the portal's catalog is loading or importing any more. */
+    private readonly isCatalogReady = computed(
+        () =>
+            !this.xtreamStore.isLoadingContent() &&
+            !this.xtreamStore.isLoadingCategories() &&
+            !this.xtreamStore.isImporting()
+    );
+
     /** Whether to group global search results by playlist */
     readonly groupByPlaylist = signal(
         localStorage.getItem(SearchResultsComponent.GROUP_BY_STORAGE_KEY) !==
@@ -249,24 +258,48 @@ export class SearchResultsComponent implements AfterViewInit {
             }
         }
 
-        effect((onCleanup) => {
-            const term = this.searchTerm();
-            if (term.length >= this.minSearchLength) {
-                const timeout = setTimeout(() => this.executeSearch(), 300);
-                onCleanup(() => clearTimeout(timeout));
-            } else if (term.length < this.minSearchLength) {
-                this.clearResultsOnly();
-            }
-        });
-
+        // Created first so a route `q` reaches the store before the search
+        // effect's first run: a term left in the store by an earlier visit
+        // must not be queried on the way to the route's term.
         effect(() => {
             const queryTerm = this.routeSearchTerm();
-            if (queryTerm === this.searchTerm()) {
+            if (queryTerm === untracked(this.searchTerm)) {
                 return;
             }
 
             this.xtreamStore.setSearchTerm(queryTerm);
         });
+
+        // One effect for both triggers, so a term and the end of catalog
+        // loading arriving in the same flush run one search, not two.
+        // - A new term runs at once: typed terms arrive already debounced by
+        //   the workspace shell (SEARCH_INPUT_DEBOUNCE_MS), and a term from
+        //   the URL or a filter change is a single deliberate change. A newer
+        //   term supersedes an older query still in flight (request versions).
+        // - A prefilled in-portal search (a reload or deep link with `q`) can
+        //   run while the portal's catalog is still loading, and the in-portal
+        //   search reads that catalog: it runs again once loading has finished.
+        let previousTerm: string | undefined;
+        let wasCatalogReady: boolean | undefined;
+        effect(() => {
+            const term = this.searchTerm();
+            const ready = this.isCatalogReady();
+            const termChanged = term !== previousTerm;
+            const becameReady =
+                wasCatalogReady === false && ready && !this.isGlobalSearch;
+            previousTerm = term;
+            wasCatalogReady = ready;
+            if (!termChanged && !becameReady) {
+                return;
+            }
+            untracked(() => {
+                if (term.length >= this.minSearchLength) {
+                    this.executeSearch();
+                } else if (termChanged) {
+                    this.clearResultsOnly();
+                }
+            });
+        });
     }
 
     ngAfterViewInit() {
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-fallback.util.spec.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-fallback.util.spec.ts
index 88d4c5428..0082052f2 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-fallback.util.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-fallback.util.spec.ts
@@ -174,4 +174,37 @@ describe('vod-details-fallback.util', () => {
             year: undefined,
         });
     });
+
+    describe('placeholder ratings', () => {
+        // Placeholder-only `info` is stripped upstream, which routes the
+        // movie here — the top-level catalog ratings must not resurface as
+        // "N/A" or a "0.0" score on this page instead.
+        const ratingOf = (
+            detail: Record<string, unknown>,
+            catalog: Record<string, unknown>
+        ) =>
+            buildXtreamVodFallbackViewModel({
+                vodDetails: { info: [], ...detail } as XtreamVodDetails,
+                catalogItem: catalog as Partial<XtreamVodStream>,
+                vodId: 31,
+            })?.rating;
+
+        it('skips stand-ins and unrated zeros to the next usable rating', () => {
+            expect(
+                ratingOf(
+                    { rating_imdb: 'N/A', rating: 0 },
+                    { rating_imdb: '-', rating: '7.25' }
+                )
+            ).toBe('7.25');
+        });
+
+        it('states no rating when every candidate is a stand-in', () => {
+            expect(
+                ratingOf(
+                    { rating_imdb: 'N/A', rating: '0' },
+                    { rating_imdb: '0.0', rating: 0 }
+                )
+            ).toBeUndefined();
+        });
+    });
 });
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-fallback.util.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-fallback.util.ts
index 13a9b80b9..b328f0a04 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-fallback.util.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/feature/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details-fallback.util.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import {
     XtreamVodInfo,
     XtreamVodStream,
     getXtreamVodInfo,
+    readProviderRating,
 } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 
 type XtreamCategoryContext = {
@@ -117,9 +118,9 @@ export function buildXtreamVodFallbackViewModel(
         sanitizeText(info?.cover_big) ??
         undefined;
     const rating =
-        sanitizeText(detailItem?.rating_imdb) ??
+        formatRating(detailItem?.rating_imdb) ??
         formatRating(detailItem?.rating) ??
-        sanitizeText(catalogItem?.rating_imdb) ??
+        formatRating(catalogItem?.rating_imdb) ??
         formatRating(catalogItem?.rating);
     const added = formatUnixDate(
         movieData?.added ??
@@ -200,16 +201,16 @@ function numericValue(value: unknown): number | undefined {
     return undefined;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Provider stand-ins and an unrated zero read as no rating, so the next
+ * candidate is reached — see `readProviderRating`.
+ */
 function formatRating(value: unknown): string | undefined {
-    if (typeof value === 'number' && Number.isFinite(value)) {
-        return value.toFixed(1);
+    const text = readProviderRating(value);
+    if (text === undefined) {
+        return undefined;
     }
-
-    if (typeof value === 'string' && value.trim().length > 0) {
-        return value.trim();
-    }
-
-    return undefined;
+    return typeof value === 'number' ? value.toFixed(1) : text;
 }
 
 function extractYear(value: string | undefined): string | undefined {
diff --git a/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.pwa-xtream.spec.ts b/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.pwa-xtream.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7a1599452
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.pwa-xtream.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,669 @@
+import { TestBed } from '@angular/core/testing';
+import { of } from 'rxjs';
+import {
+    Playlist,
+    PlaylistBackupManifestV1,
+    XtreamPlaylistBackupEntry,
+} from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
+import {
+    createPlaylistBackupService,
+    createPwaXtreamBackupState,
+} from './playlist-backup.service.test-helpers';
+import { existingXtreamPlaylist } from './playlist-backup.xtream-fixtures';
+import { PwaXtreamBackupStateService } from './pwa-xtream-backup-state.service';
+import {
+    USER_DATA_STORAGE,
+    UserDataStorage,
+    XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS,
+} from './user-data-storage';
+
+/**
+ * The browser build keeps Xtream favorites, history, positions and title
+ * snapshots in USER_DATA_STORAGE rather than SQLite. These specs run the
+ * backup with no Electron bridge, against the maps exactly as
+ * `PwaXtreamDataSource` writes them.
+ */
+describe('PlaylistBackupService Xtream user state in the PWA', () => {
+    const KEYS = XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS;
+    const otherPlaylist = {
+        ...existingXtreamPlaylist,
+        _id: 'xtream-2',
+        title: 'Other Portal',
+        serverUrl: 'http://other.example.com',
+        username: 'other',
+    } as Playlist;
+    const heat = {
+        id: 501,
+        xtream_id: 501,
+        type: 'movie',
+        title: 'Heat',
+        poster_url: 'https://img.example.com/heat.jpg',
+        backdrop_url: 'https://img.example.com/heat-wide.jpg',
+    };
+    // Written under a bare id by builds that predate typed keys.
+    const legacyShow = { id: 77, xtream_id: 77, type: 'series', title: 'Show' };
+    const position = {
+        contentXtreamId: 501,
+        contentType: 'vod',
+        positionSeconds: 120,
+        durationSeconds: 3600,
+        playlistId: 'xtream-1',
+        updatedAt: '2026-07-05T20:00:00.000Z',
+    };
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+        delete (window as unknown as { electron?: unknown }).electron;
+        localStorage.clear();
+    });
+
+    afterEach(() => {
+        localStorage.clear();
+        TestBed.resetTestingModule();
+    });
+
+    function seed(storage: UserDataStorage = localStorage): void {
+        const write = (key: string, value: unknown) =>
+            storage.setItem(key, JSON.stringify(value));
+        write(KEYS.favorites, {
+            // 88 is a bare id no snapshot identifies: live, movie or series.
+            'xtream-1': ['movie:501', 77, 88],
+            'xtream-2': ['live:9'],
+        });
+        write(KEYS.recentItems, {
+            'xtream-1': [
+                { id: 'live:601', viewedAt: '2026-07-04T18:30:00.000Z' },
+                {
+                    id: 'movie:501',
+                    viewedAt: '2026-07-01T10:00:00.000Z',
+                    backdropUrl: 'https://img.example.com/heat-old.jpg',
+                },
+                {
+                    id: 'movie:501',
+                    viewedAt: '2026-07-03T10:00:00.000Z',
+                    // Saved by an older build in snake_case.
+                    backdrop_url: 'https://img.example.com/heat-still.jpg',
+                },
+            ],
+            'xtream-2': [
+                { id: 'live:9', viewedAt: '2026-07-02T10:00:00.000Z' },
+            ],
+        });
+        write(KEYS.collectionItems, {
+            'xtream-1': {
+                'movie:501': heat,
+                '77': legacyShow,
+                'movie:999': { xtream_id: 999, type: 'movie', title: 'Gone' },
+            },
+            'xtream-2': { 'live:9': { xtream_id: 9, type: 'live' } },
+        });
+        write(KEYS.playbackPositions, {
+            'xtream-1': [position],
+            'xtream-2': [{ ...position, playlistId: 'xtream-2' }],
+        });
+    }
+
+    function read(key: string, storage: UserDataStorage = localStorage) {
+        return JSON.parse(storage.getItem(key) ?? 'null');
+    }
+
+    function pendingRestore(service: object) {
+        return (
+            service as unknown as {
+                pendingRestoreService: {
+                    getOrThrow(playlistId: string): unknown;
+                    set(playlistId: string, state: unknown): unknown;
+                };
+            }
+        ).pendingRestoreService;
+    }
+
+    function xtreamOnly(manifest: PlaylistBackupManifestV1) {
+        return JSON.stringify({
+            ...manifest,
+            playlists: [xtreamEntry(manifest)],
+        });
+    }
+
+    function playlistsService(playlists: Playlist[]) {
+        return {
+            getAllData: jest.fn(() => of(playlists)),
+            addPlaylist: jest.fn((playlist: Playlist) => of(playlist)),
+            getRawPlaylistById: jest.fn(() => of('#EXTM3U')),
+        };
+    }
+
+    function xtreamEntry(
+        manifest: PlaylistBackupManifestV1,
+        exportedId = 'xtream-1'
+    ): XtreamPlaylistBackupEntry {
+        return manifest.playlists.find(
+            (entry) => entry.exportedId === exportedId
+        ) as XtreamPlaylistBackupEntry;
+    }
+
+    async function exportSeeded(): Promise<PlaylistBackupManifestV1> {
+        seed();
+        const service = createPlaylistBackupService({
+            playlistsService: playlistsService([
+                existingXtreamPlaylist,
+                otherPlaylist,
+            ]),
+        });
+        return (await service.exportBackup()).manifest;
+    }
+
+    describe('export', () => {
+        it('writes each playlist its own favorites, history, positions and snapshots', async () => {
+            const manifest = await exportSeeded();
+
+            expect(xtreamEntry(manifest).userState).toEqual({
+                hiddenCategories: [],
+                favorites: [
+                    { contentType: 'movie', xtreamId: 501 },
+                    { contentType: 'series', xtreamId: 77 },
+                ],
+                // One row per title, its newest view.
+                recentlyViewed: [
+                    {
+                        contentType: 'live',
+                        xtreamId: 601,
+                        viewedAt: '2026-07-04T18:30:00.000Z',
+                    },
+                    {
+                        contentType: 'movie',
+                        xtreamId: 501,
+                        viewedAt: '2026-07-03T10:00:00.000Z',
+                        // The history's own artwork, ahead of the snapshot's.
+                        backdropUrl: 'https://img.example.com/heat-still.jpg',
+                    },
+                ],
+                playbackPositions: [position],
+                // Only what the lists reference, not every cached title.
+                collectionItems: [heat, legacyShow],
+            });
+            expect(xtreamEntry(manifest, 'xtream-2').userState).toEqual({
+                hiddenCategories: [],
+                favorites: [{ contentType: 'live', xtreamId: 9 }],
+                recentlyViewed: [
+                    {
+                        contentType: 'live',
+                        xtreamId: 9,
+                        viewedAt: '2026-07-02T10:00:00.000Z',
+                    },
+                ],
+                playbackPositions: [{ ...position, playlistId: 'xtream-2' }],
+                collectionItems: [{ xtream_id: 9, type: 'live' }],
+            });
+            // No pin store in the browser: absent, never an authoritative [].
+            expect(xtreamEntry(manifest).userState).not.toHaveProperty(
+                'sourcePins'
+            );
+        });
+
+        it('exports empty collections and no snapshots for a playlist with nothing stored', async () => {
+            const service = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([existingXtreamPlaylist]),
+            });
+
+            const { manifest } = await service.exportBackup();
+
+            expect(xtreamEntry(manifest).userState).toEqual({
+                hiddenCategories: [],
+                favorites: [],
+                recentlyViewed: [],
+                playbackPositions: [],
+            });
+            expect(xtreamEntry(manifest).userState).not.toHaveProperty(
+                'collectionItems'
+            );
+        });
+
+        it('exports a parked restore as it is instead of the stored lists', async () => {
+            seed();
+            const service = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([existingXtreamPlaylist]),
+            });
+            const parked = {
+                hiddenCategories: [],
+                favorites: [{ contentType: 'series' as const, xtreamId: 3 }],
+                recentlyViewed: [],
+                playbackPositions: [],
+            };
+            pendingRestore(service).set('xtream-1', parked);
+
+            const { manifest } = await service.exportBackup();
+
+            expect(xtreamEntry(manifest).userState).toEqual(parked);
+        });
+
+        it.each([
+            ['malformed JSON', '{"xtream-1": ['],
+            ['a value that is not a map', '["movie:501"]'],
+            [
+                'a playlist entry that is not a list',
+                '{"xtream-1": "movie:501"}',
+            ],
+        ])('refuses to export when the favorites hold %s', async (_, raw) => {
+            seed();
+            localStorage.setItem(KEYS.favorites, raw);
+            const service = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([existingXtreamPlaylist]),
+            });
+
+            await expect(service.exportBackup()).rejects.toThrow(
+                /xtream-favorites.*unreadable/
+            );
+        });
+
+        it('refuses to export when the storage itself cannot be read', async () => {
+            const service = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([existingXtreamPlaylist]),
+                pwaXtream: createPwaXtreamBackupState({
+                    getItem: () => {
+                        throw new DOMException('denied', 'SecurityError');
+                    },
+                    setItem: jest.fn(),
+                    removeItem: jest.fn(),
+                }),
+            });
+
+            await expect(service.exportBackup()).rejects.toThrow('denied');
+        });
+    });
+
+    describe('import', () => {
+        it('restores every list under the id the playlist is imported as', async () => {
+            const manifest = await exportSeeded();
+            localStorage.clear();
+            // The same portal, already present under another id: a merge.
+            const local = { ...existingXtreamPlaylist, _id: 'local-xtream' };
+            localStorage.setItem(
+                KEYS.favorites,
+                JSON.stringify({
+                    'local-xtream': ['live:1'],
+                    unrelated: ['movie:5'],
+                })
+            );
+            localStorage.setItem(
+                KEYS.collectionItems,
+                JSON.stringify({
+                    'local-xtream': {
+                        'live:1': { xtream_id: 1, type: 'live' },
+                    },
+                })
+            );
+            const service = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([local]),
+            });
+            const summary = await service.importBackup(xtreamOnly(manifest));
+
+            expect(summary).toMatchObject({ merged: 1, failed: 0 });
+            // The archive's lists replace the playlist's; others stay put.
+            expect(read(KEYS.favorites)).toEqual({
+                'local-xtream': ['movie:501', 'series:77'],
+                unrelated: ['movie:5'],
+            });
+            expect(read(KEYS.recentItems)).toEqual({
+                'local-xtream': [
+                    { id: 'live:601', viewedAt: '2026-07-04T18:30:00.000Z' },
+                    {
+                        id: 'movie:501',
+                        viewedAt: '2026-07-03T10:00:00.000Z',
+                        backdropUrl: 'https://img.example.com/heat-still.jpg',
+                    },
+                ],
+            });
+            expect(read(KEYS.playbackPositions)).toEqual({
+                'local-xtream': [{ ...position, playlistId: 'local-xtream' }],
+            });
+            // Snapshots are a cache: merged, keyed by typed identity.
+            expect(read(KEYS.collectionItems)).toEqual({
+                'local-xtream': {
+                    'live:1': { xtream_id: 1, type: 'live' },
+                    'movie:501': heat,
+                    'series:77': legacyShow,
+                },
+            });
+            // Applied at once, so nothing is left for the store to replay.
+            expect(
+                pendingRestore(service).getOrThrow('local-xtream')
+            ).toBeNull();
+        });
+
+        it('round-trips the stored lists through export and import', async () => {
+            const manifest = await exportSeeded();
+            localStorage.clear();
+            const service = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([]),
+            });
+
+            const summary = await service.importBackup(
+                JSON.stringify(manifest)
+            );
+            expect(summary).toMatchObject({ imported: 2, failed: 0 });
+            const reexport = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([
+                    existingXtreamPlaylist,
+                    otherPlaylist,
+                ]),
+            });
+
+            const { manifest: again } = await reexport.exportBackup();
+
+            expect(xtreamEntry(again).userState).toEqual(
+                xtreamEntry(manifest).userState
+            );
+            expect(xtreamEntry(again, 'xtream-2').userState).toEqual(
+                xtreamEntry(manifest, 'xtream-2').userState
+            );
+        });
+
+        it('leaves snapshots alone for an archive without any, and skips damaged ones', async () => {
+            const manifest = await exportSeeded();
+            const entry = xtreamEntry(manifest);
+            const before = read(KEYS.collectionItems);
+            const service = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([existingXtreamPlaylist]),
+            });
+
+            const withoutSnapshots = {
+                ...manifest,
+                playlists: [
+                    {
+                        ...entry,
+                        userState: {
+                            ...entry.userState,
+                            collectionItems: undefined,
+                        },
+                    },
+                ],
+            };
+            await service.importBackup(JSON.stringify(withoutSnapshots));
+            expect(read(KEYS.collectionItems)).toEqual(before);
+
+            const damaged = {
+                ...manifest,
+                playlists: [
+                    {
+                        ...entry,
+                        userState: {
+                            ...entry.userState,
+                            collectionItems: [
+                                null,
+                                { xtream_id: 5, type: 'radio' },
+                                { xtream_id: '6', type: 'movie' },
+                            ],
+                        },
+                    },
+                ],
+            };
+            const summary = await service.importBackup(JSON.stringify(damaged));
+            expect(summary.failed).toBe(0);
+            expect(read(KEYS.collectionItems)).toEqual(before);
+        });
+
+        it('drops entries no runtime could address', async () => {
+            const manifest = await exportSeeded();
+            localStorage.clear();
+            const entry = xtreamEntry(manifest);
+            const service = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([existingXtreamPlaylist]),
+            });
+            const hostile = {
+                ...manifest,
+                playlists: [
+                    {
+                        ...entry,
+                        userState: {
+                            ...entry.userState,
+                            favorites: [
+                                { contentType: 'radio', xtreamId: 1 },
+                                { contentType: 'movie', xtreamId: -4 },
+                                { contentType: 'movie', xtreamId: 501 },
+                                { contentType: 'movie', xtreamId: '501' },
+                            ],
+                            recentlyViewed: [
+                                { contentType: 'live', xtreamId: 601 },
+                            ],
+                            playbackPositions: [
+                                { contentXtreamId: 501, contentType: 'vod' },
+                                { ...position, updatedAt: undefined },
+                            ],
+                        },
+                    },
+                ],
+            };
+
+            await service.importBackup(JSON.stringify(hostile));
+
+            expect(read(KEYS.favorites)).toEqual({
+                'xtream-1': ['movie:501'],
+            });
+            expect(read(KEYS.recentItems)).toEqual({ 'xtream-1': [] });
+            const [restored] = read(KEYS.playbackPositions)['xtream-1'];
+            expect(read(KEYS.playbackPositions)['xtream-1']).toHaveLength(1);
+            expect(typeof restored.updatedAt).toBe('string');
+        });
+
+        it('fails the entry and keeps the restore parked when a write fails', async () => {
+            const manifest = await exportSeeded();
+            localStorage.clear();
+            const storage = createBrowserBackedStorage();
+            storage.setItem.mockImplementation((key: string, value: string) => {
+                if (key === KEYS.recentItems) throw new Error('disk full');
+                localStorage.setItem(key, value);
+            });
+            const service = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([existingXtreamPlaylist]),
+                pwaXtream: createPwaXtreamBackupState(storage),
+            });
+
+            const summary = await service.importBackup(xtreamOnly(manifest));
+
+            expect(summary.failed).toBe(1);
+            expect(summary.errors[0]).toContain('disk full');
+            // The Xtream store replays the whole state when the playlist opens.
+            expect(
+                pendingRestore(service).getOrThrow('xtream-1')
+            ).not.toBeNull();
+            // That replay carries no titles, so they are merged regardless.
+            expect(read(KEYS.collectionItems)).toEqual({
+                'xtream-1': { 'movie:501': heat, 'series:77': legacyShow },
+            });
+        });
+
+        it('replaces a damaged title cache but refuses an unreadable storage', async () => {
+            const manifest = await exportSeeded();
+            localStorage.setItem(KEYS.collectionItems, '{"xtream-1": {');
+            const service = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([existingXtreamPlaylist]),
+            });
+
+            expect(
+                (await service.importBackup(xtreamOnly(manifest))).failed
+            ).toBe(0);
+            expect(read(KEYS.collectionItems)).toEqual({
+                'xtream-1': { 'movie:501': heat, 'series:77': legacyShow },
+            });
+
+            const denied = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([existingXtreamPlaylist]),
+                pwaXtream: createPwaXtreamBackupState({
+                    getItem: () => {
+                        throw new DOMException('denied', 'SecurityError');
+                    },
+                    setItem: jest.fn(),
+                    removeItem: jest.fn(),
+                }),
+            });
+            const summary = await denied.importBackup(xtreamOnly(manifest));
+            expect(summary.failed).toBe(1);
+            expect(summary.errors[0]).toContain('denied');
+        });
+
+        it('still restores the lists when the snapshots exceed the quota', async () => {
+            const manifest = await exportSeeded();
+            localStorage.clear();
+            const storage = createBrowserBackedStorage();
+            storage.setItem.mockImplementation((key: string, value: string) => {
+                if (key === KEYS.collectionItems) {
+                    throw new DOMException('full', 'QuotaExceededError');
+                }
+                localStorage.setItem(key, value);
+            });
+            const service = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([existingXtreamPlaylist]),
+                pwaXtream: createPwaXtreamBackupState(storage),
+            });
+
+            const summary = await service.importBackup(
+                JSON.stringify(manifest)
+            );
+
+            expect(summary.failed).toBe(0);
+            expect(read(KEYS.favorites)['xtream-1']).toEqual([
+                'movie:501',
+                'series:77',
+            ]);
+            expect(read(KEYS.collectionItems)).toBeNull();
+        });
+    });
+
+    describe('near the storage quota', () => {
+        const listKeys = [
+            KEYS.favorites,
+            KEYS.recentItems,
+            KEYS.playbackPositions,
+        ];
+
+        /** Storage that refuses a write once all values exceed `budget`. */
+        function quotaStorage(budget: number) {
+            const data = new Map<string, string>();
+            const used = () =>
+                [...data].reduce((sum, [k, v]) => sum + k.length + v.length, 0);
+            const storage: UserDataStorage = {
+                getItem: (key) => data.get(key) ?? null,
+                setItem: (key, value) => {
+                    const previous = data.get(key);
+                    data.set(key, value);
+                    if (used() <= budget) return;
+                    if (previous === undefined) data.delete(key);
+                    else data.set(key, previous);
+                    throw new DOMException('full', 'QuotaExceededError');
+                },
+                removeItem: (key) => void data.delete(key),
+            };
+            return { data, storage };
+        }
+
+        async function importInto(budget: number) {
+            const manifest = await exportSeeded();
+            const quota = quotaStorage(budget);
+            const service = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([existingXtreamPlaylist]),
+                pwaXtream: createPwaXtreamBackupState(quota.storage),
+            });
+            const summary = await service.importBackup(xtreamOnly(manifest));
+            return { summary, data: quota.data };
+        }
+
+        async function listsSize(): Promise<number> {
+            const { data } = await importInto(Infinity);
+            return listKeys.reduce(
+                (sum, key) => sum + key.length + (data.get(key) ?? '').length,
+                0
+            );
+        }
+
+        it('restores the lists that fit without the optional snapshots', async () => {
+            const { summary, data } = await importInto(await listsSize());
+
+            expect(summary.failed).toBe(0);
+            expect(JSON.parse(data.get(KEYS.favorites) ?? '{}')).toEqual({
+                'xtream-1': ['movie:501', 'series:77'],
+            });
+            expect(data.has(KEYS.collectionItems)).toBe(false);
+        });
+
+        it('leaves the space to the replay when a list does not fit', async () => {
+            const { summary, data } = await importInto((await listsSize()) - 1);
+
+            expect(summary.failed).toBe(1);
+            // The snapshots would only take room the store's replay needs.
+            expect(data.has(KEYS.collectionItems)).toBe(false);
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('follows the Xtream data source on a desktop bridge without its SQLite API', async () => {
+        // A partial or stale preload: XTREAM_DATA_SOURCE falls back to the
+        // browser storage, so the backup must read and restore that too.
+        (window as unknown as { electron?: unknown }).electron = {};
+        const runtime = { supportsXtreamSqliteDataSource: false };
+        const manifest = await (async () => {
+            seed();
+            const exporter = createPlaylistBackupService({
+                playlistsService: playlistsService([existingXtreamPlaylist]),
+                runtime,
+            });
+            return (await exporter.exportBackup()).manifest;
+        })();
+        expect(xtreamEntry(manifest).userState.favorites).toHaveLength(2);
+
+        localStorage.clear();
+        const importer = createPlaylistBackupService({
+            playlistsService: playlistsService([existingXtreamPlaylist]),
+            runtime,
+        });
+        const summary = await importer.importBackup(xtreamOnly(manifest));
+
+        expect(summary.failed).toBe(0);
+        expect(read(KEYS.favorites)).toEqual({
+            'xtream-1': ['movie:501', 'series:77'],
+        });
+        expect(pendingRestore(importer).getOrThrow('xtream-1')).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it('reads and writes through USER_DATA_STORAGE, not localStorage', async () => {
+        // The self-hosted server mode provides a server-synced storage here.
+        const synced = new Map<string, string>();
+        const serverStorage: UserDataStorage = {
+            getItem: (key) => synced.get(key) ?? null,
+            setItem: (key, value) => void synced.set(key, value),
+            removeItem: (key) => void synced.delete(key),
+        };
+        TestBed.configureTestingModule({
+            providers: [
+                { provide: USER_DATA_STORAGE, useValue: serverStorage },
+            ],
+        });
+        const pwaXtream = TestBed.inject(PwaXtreamBackupStateService);
+        seed(serverStorage);
+        const exporter = createPlaylistBackupService({
+            playlistsService: playlistsService([existingXtreamPlaylist]),
+            pwaXtream,
+        });
+
+        const { json, manifest } = await exporter.exportBackup();
+        expect(xtreamEntry(manifest).userState.favorites).toHaveLength(2);
+
+        synced.clear();
+        const importer = createPlaylistBackupService({
+            playlistsService: playlistsService([]),
+            pwaXtream,
+        });
+        await importer.importBackup(json);
+
+        expect(read(KEYS.favorites, serverStorage)).toEqual({
+            'xtream-1': ['movie:501', 'series:77'],
+        });
+        expect(localStorage.getItem(KEYS.favorites)).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    function createBrowserBackedStorage() {
+        return {
+            getItem: (key: string) => localStorage.getItem(key),
+            setItem: jest.fn(),
+            removeItem: (key: string) => localStorage.removeItem(key),
+        };
+    }
+});
diff --git a/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.roundtrip.spec.ts b/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.roundtrip.spec.ts
index e518cc66f..53a5194e7 100644
--- a/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.roundtrip.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.roundtrip.spec.ts
@@ -182,57 +182,49 @@ describe('PlaylistBackupService export → import round-trip', () => {
         return entry;
     }
 
-    it.each([true, false])(
-        'preserves a fresh pending import on re-export (Electron: %s)',
-        async (electron) => {
-            const state = seedState();
-            state.xtreamFavorites.push({
-                xtream_id: 501,
-                type: 'series',
-                position: 1,
-            });
-            const collaborators = createStatefulBackupCollaborators(state);
-            const service = createPlaylistBackupService(collaborators);
-            const original = await service.exportBackup();
-            const originalState = xtreamEntry(original.manifest).userState;
-            expect(originalState.sourcePins).toHaveLength(1);
-            state.xtreamCategories = [];
-            state.xtreamFavorites = [];
-            state.xtreamRecent = [];
-            state.playbackPositions = [];
-            state.sourcePins = [];
-            collaborators.databaseService.getXtreamImportStatus = async () =>
-                'idle';
-            if (!electron) delete electronWindow.electron;
+    // The browser build applies an import at once (see the PWA Xtream spec),
+    // so only the desktop leaves one pending while its catalog downloads.
+    it('preserves a fresh pending import on re-export', async () => {
+        const state = seedState();
+        state.xtreamFavorites.push({
+            xtream_id: 501,
+            type: 'series',
+            position: 1,
+        });
+        const collaborators = createStatefulBackupCollaborators(state);
+        const service = createPlaylistBackupService(collaborators);
+        const original = await service.exportBackup();
+        const originalState = xtreamEntry(original.manifest).userState;
+        expect(originalState.sourcePins).toHaveLength(1);
+        state.xtreamCategories = [];
+        state.xtreamFavorites = [];
+        state.xtreamRecent = [];
+        state.playbackPositions = [];
+        state.sourcePins = [];
+        collaborators.databaseService.getXtreamImportStatus = async () =>
+            'idle';
 
-            const summary = await service.importBackup(original.json);
-            expect(summary.failed).toBe(0);
-            const snapshot =
-                collaborators.pendingRestoreService.getSnapshotOrThrow(
-                    'xtream-1'
-                );
-            expect(snapshot).not.toBeNull();
-            // Pending state must remain exportable even while catalog/storage
-            // reads are unavailable; it is already the complete restore input.
-            jest.spyOn(
-                collaborators.databaseService,
-                'getFavorites'
-            ).mockRejectedValue(new Error('Catalog unavailable'));
-            jest.spyOn(
-                collaborators.playbackPositionService,
-                'getAllPlaybackPositionsOrThrow'
-            ).mockRejectedValue(new Error('Position storage unavailable'));
-            const exported = await service.exportBackup();
-            expect(xtreamEntry(exported.manifest).userState).toEqual(
-                originalState
-            );
-            expect(
-                collaborators.pendingRestoreService.getSnapshotOrThrow(
-                    'xtream-1'
-                )
-            ).toEqual(snapshot);
-        }
-    );
+        const summary = await service.importBackup(original.json);
+        expect(summary.failed).toBe(0);
+        const snapshot =
+            collaborators.pendingRestoreService.getSnapshotOrThrow('xtream-1');
+        expect(snapshot).not.toBeNull();
+        // Pending state must remain exportable even while catalog/storage
+        // reads are unavailable; it is already the complete restore input.
+        jest.spyOn(
+            collaborators.databaseService,
+            'getFavorites'
+        ).mockRejectedValue(new Error('Catalog unavailable'));
+        jest.spyOn(
+            collaborators.playbackPositionService,
+            'getAllPlaybackPositionsOrThrow'
+        ).mockRejectedValue(new Error('Position storage unavailable'));
+        const exported = await service.exportBackup();
+        expect(xtreamEntry(exported.manifest).userState).toEqual(originalState);
+        expect(
+            collaborators.pendingRestoreService.getSnapshotOrThrow('xtream-1')
+        ).toEqual(snapshot);
+    });
 
     it.each([true, false])(
         'honors empty pending collections and optional source pins (present: %s)',
diff --git a/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.test-helpers.ts b/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.test-helpers.ts
index 4a48344cf..4db4ec481 100644
--- a/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.test-helpers.ts
+++ b/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.test-helpers.ts
@@ -8,11 +8,29 @@ import {
     XtreamPendingRestoreState,
 } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
 import { PlaylistBackupService } from './playlist-backup.service';
+import { PwaXtreamBackupStateService } from './pwa-xtream-backup-state.service';
+import {
+    createBrowserUserDataStorage,
+    UserDataStorage,
+} from './user-data-storage';
 import {
     XtreamPendingRestoreService,
     XtreamPendingRestoreSnapshot,
 } from './xtream-pending-restore.service';
 
+/**
+ * The browser build's Xtream backup state over `storage` — jsdom's
+ * localStorage unless a spec passes its own — without Angular DI.
+ */
+export function createPwaXtreamBackupState(
+    storage: UserDataStorage = createBrowserUserDataStorage()
+): PwaXtreamBackupStateService {
+    return Object.assign(
+        Object.create(PwaXtreamBackupStateService.prototype) as object,
+        { storage }
+    ) as unknown as PwaXtreamBackupStateService;
+}
+
 /**
  * Shared factory for PlaylistBackupService specs. Instantiates the service
  * without Angular DI and replaces every collaborator with jest mocks;
@@ -132,6 +150,13 @@ export function createPlaylistBackupService(
             locksFor: jest.fn(() => ({ xtream: [], stalker: [], m3u: [] })),
             replacePlaylistLocks: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(true),
         },
+        pwaXtream: createPwaXtreamBackupState(),
+        // Specs pick the runtime by setting or deleting `window.electron`.
+        runtime: {
+            get supportsXtreamSqliteDataSource() {
+                return !!(window as unknown as { electron?: unknown }).electron;
+            },
+        },
         ...overrides,
     });
 
diff --git a/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.ts b/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.ts
index 3078285ea..85498b79b 100644
--- a/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.ts
+++ b/libs/services/src/lib/playlist-backup.service.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@ import { PlaylistsService } from './playlists.service';
 import { SettingsStore } from './settings-store.service';
 import { DatabaseService } from './database-electron.service';
 import { VodSourcePinService } from './vod-source-pin.service';
+import { RuntimeCapabilitiesService } from './runtime-capabilities.service';
 import { PlaybackPositionService } from './playback-position.service';
+import { PwaXtreamBackupStateService } from './pwa-xtream-backup-state.service';
 import { XtreamPendingRestoreService } from './xtream-pending-restore.service';
 import { ParentalLockService } from './parental-lock/parental-lock.service';
 import { removesParentalLocks } from './parental-lock/parental-lock-store.util';
@@ -62,9 +64,6 @@ export class PlaylistBackupError extends Error {
 
 type PlaylistPortalType = 'm3u' | 'xtream' | 'stalker';
 
-type XtreamContentType = XtreamBackupContentType;
-type XtreamCategoryType = XtreamBackupCategoryType;
-
 @Injectable({
     providedIn: 'root',
 })
@@ -78,6 +77,8 @@ export class PlaylistBackupService {
         XtreamPendingRestoreService
     );
     private readonly parentalLock = inject(ParentalLockService);
+    private readonly pwaXtream = inject(PwaXtreamBackupStateService);
+    private readonly runtime = inject(RuntimeCapabilitiesService);
     private backupImportTail?: Promise<void>;
 
     async exportBackup(): Promise<PlaylistBackupExportPayload> {
@@ -332,7 +333,9 @@ export class PlaylistBackupService {
             };
         }
         // An unavailable pin store is no opinion, never an authoritative [].
-        if (!this.hasElectronApi()) return entry;
+        // Same choice as XTREAM_DATA_SOURCE: user state lives where it reads.
+        if (!this.runtime.supportsXtreamSqliteDataSource)
+            return this.pwaXtream.exportInto(entry);
 
         const [
             liveCategories,
@@ -370,7 +373,7 @@ export class PlaylistBackupService {
                 ...this.optionalLockedXtreamCategories(playlist._id),
                 favorites: favorites.map((item) => ({
                     xtreamId: item.xtream_id,
-                    contentType: item.type as XtreamContentType,
+                    contentType: item.type as XtreamBackupContentType,
                     ...(item.added_at ? { addedAt: item.added_at } : {}),
                     ...(item.position !== undefined
                         ? { position: item.position }
@@ -378,7 +381,7 @@ export class PlaylistBackupService {
                 })),
                 recentlyViewed: recent.map((item) => ({
                     xtreamId: item.xtream_id,
-                    contentType: item.type as XtreamContentType,
+                    contentType: item.type as XtreamBackupContentType,
                     viewedAt: item.viewed_at ?? new Date().toISOString(),
                 })),
                 playbackPositions: playbackPositions.map((item) => ({
@@ -933,21 +936,20 @@ export class PlaylistBackupService {
             );
         }
 
-        if (!this.hasElectronApi()) {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        this.playbackPositionService.assertSupportsAtomicReplacement();
-
-        if (!(await this.hasCompletedOfflineCache(playlistId))) {
-            return;
+        // Browser storage has no catalog cache to wait for: apply at once.
+        const sqlite = this.runtime.supportsXtreamSqliteDataSource;
+        if (sqlite) {
+            this.playbackPositionService.assertSupportsAtomicReplacement();
+            if (!(await this.hasCompletedOfflineCache(playlistId))) return;
         }
 
         const restoreResult = await this.pendingRestoreService.applyAndConsume(
             playlistId,
             restoreSnapshot,
-            (pendingState) =>
-                this.applyXtreamRestoreState(playlistId, pendingState)
+            async (state) =>
+                sqlite
+                    ? this.applyXtreamRestoreState(playlistId, state)
+                    : this.pwaXtream.restore(playlistId, state, entry)
         );
         if (restoreResult !== 'consumed') {
             throw new PlaylistBackupError(
@@ -1213,9 +1215,9 @@ export class PlaylistBackupService {
         categories: Array<{
             hidden: boolean;
             xtream_id: number;
-            type: XtreamCategoryType;
+            type: XtreamBackupCategoryType;
         }>,
-        categoryType: XtreamCategoryType
+        categoryType: XtreamBackupCategoryType
     ): XtreamPendingRestoreState['hiddenCategories'] {
         return categories
             .filter((category) => category.hidden)
@@ -1359,8 +1361,4 @@ export class PlaylistBackupService {
     private getErrorMessage(error: unknown): string {
         return error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
     }
-
-    private hasElectronApi(): boolean {
-        return !!(window as Window & { electron?: unknown }).electron;
-    }
 }
diff --git a/libs/services/src/lib/pwa-xtream-backup-state.service.ts b/libs/services/src/lib/pwa-xtream-backup-state.service.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..36287dbbd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/services/src/lib/pwa-xtream-backup-state.service.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,297 @@
+import { inject, Injectable } from '@angular/core';
+import {
+    PlaybackPositionData,
+    XtreamBackupCollectionItem,
+    XtreamBackupContentType,
+    XtreamBackupFavoriteItem,
+    XtreamBackupRecentlyViewedItem,
+    XtreamPendingRestoreState,
+    XtreamPlaylistBackupEntry,
+} from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
+import { USER_DATA_STORAGE, XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS } from './user-data-storage';
+
+type StoredMap = Record<string, unknown>;
+type UserDataMap = keyof typeof XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS;
+
+interface ResolvedKey {
+    key: string;
+    item: { contentType: XtreamBackupContentType; xtreamId: number };
+}
+
+const CONTENT_TYPES: readonly unknown[] = ['live', 'movie', 'series'];
+
+/**
+ * Backup export and restore of the Xtream favorites, recently viewed items,
+ * playback positions and title snapshots the browser build keeps in
+ * USER_DATA_STORAGE. `PwaXtreamDataSource` owns these maps in a library this
+ * one cannot import, so their stored shapes are read here: keys are
+ * `"<type>:<xtreamId>"`, or a bare provider id written by older builds.
+ */
+@Injectable({ providedIn: 'root' })
+export class PwaXtreamBackupStateService {
+    private readonly storage = inject(USER_DATA_STORAGE);
+
+    /**
+     * The entry with the playlist's stored lists and snapshots filled in;
+     * hidden categories and pins, which the browser build does not track,
+     * stay as `entry` has them. An unreadable store fails the export: restore
+     * treats these lists as authoritative, so "could not read" written as
+     * `[]` would turn the archive into an instruction to delete.
+     */
+    exportInto(entry: XtreamPlaylistBackupEntry): XtreamPlaylistBackupEntry {
+        const playlistId = entry.exportedId;
+        const stored = this.readMap('collectionItems')[playlistId];
+        const snapshots = isRecord(stored) ? stored : {};
+
+        const favorites = new Map<string, XtreamBackupFavoriteItem>();
+        for (const key of this.listFor('favorites', playlistId)) {
+            const ref = resolveKey(key, snapshots);
+            if (ref) favorites.set(ref.key, ref.item);
+        }
+
+        // Newest view wins, artwork included, as in the data source.
+        const recent = new Map<string, XtreamBackupRecentlyViewedItem>();
+        for (const item of this.listFor('recentItems', playlistId)) {
+            if (!isRecord(item)) continue;
+            const ref = resolveKey(item['id'], snapshots);
+            const viewedAt = item['viewedAt'];
+            if (!ref || typeof viewedAt !== 'string') continue;
+            const previous = recent.get(ref.key)?.viewedAt;
+            if (!previous || Date.parse(viewedAt) > Date.parse(previous)) {
+                recent.set(ref.key, {
+                    ...ref.item,
+                    viewedAt,
+                    ...backdropOf(item),
+                });
+            }
+        }
+
+        const byKey = snapshotsByKey(Object.values(snapshots));
+        const collectionItems = [
+            ...new Set([...favorites.keys(), ...recent.keys()]),
+        ]
+            .filter((key) => key in byKey)
+            .map((key) => byKey[key]);
+
+        return {
+            ...entry,
+            userState: {
+                ...entry.userState,
+                favorites: [...favorites.values()],
+                recentlyViewed: [...recent.values()],
+                playbackPositions: this.listFor('playbackPositions', playlistId)
+                    .filter(isPlaybackPosition)
+                    .map((position) => ({ ...position })),
+                ...(collectionItems.length > 0 ? { collectionItems } : {}),
+            },
+        };
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Replaces the playlist's favorites, history and positions with the
+     * restore state, keyed and remapped to `playlistId`, then merges the
+     * archived title snapshots into the playlist's own.
+     *
+     * Lists first, so the optional cache never takes space they need. A
+     * failed write throws with earlier ones applied, and the caller keeps the
+     * pending snapshot for the Xtream store to replay on the next open. The
+     * replay carries no titles (they come from `entry`, not `state`), so they
+     * are still merged then, unless storage is full and they would crowd it.
+     */
+    async restore(
+        playlistId: string,
+        state: XtreamPendingRestoreState,
+        entry: XtreamPlaylistBackupEntry
+    ): Promise<void> {
+        // A user-supplied file: the field may be anything.
+        const archived: unknown = entry.userState.collectionItems;
+        const snapshots = snapshotsByKey(
+            Array.isArray(archived) ? archived : []
+        );
+        try {
+            this.replaceLists(playlistId, state);
+        } catch (error) {
+            if (!isQuotaExceeded(error)) {
+                try {
+                    this.mergeSnapshots(playlistId, snapshots);
+                } catch {
+                    // The list failure is the one to report.
+                }
+            }
+            throw error;
+        }
+        this.mergeSnapshots(playlistId, snapshots);
+    }
+
+    private replaceLists(
+        playlistId: string,
+        state: XtreamPendingRestoreState
+    ): void {
+        const favorites = state.favorites
+            .map((item) => typedKey(item.contentType, item.xtreamId))
+            .filter((key): key is string => key !== null);
+        this.writeFor('favorites', playlistId, [...new Set(favorites)]);
+
+        const recent: StoredMap[] = [];
+        for (const item of state.recentlyViewed) {
+            const id = typedKey(item.contentType, item.xtreamId);
+            if (id !== null && typeof item.viewedAt === 'string') {
+                recent.push({
+                    id,
+                    viewedAt: item.viewedAt,
+                    ...backdropOf(item),
+                });
+            }
+        }
+        this.writeFor('recentItems', playlistId, recent);
+
+        const now = new Date().toISOString();
+        this.writeFor(
+            'playbackPositions',
+            playlistId,
+            state.playbackPositions.filter(isPlaybackPosition).map((item) => ({
+                ...item,
+                playlistId,
+                updatedAt: item.updatedAt ?? now,
+            }))
+        );
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * A display cache the data source itself writes on a best-effort basis:
+     * a damaged one is replaced, as the data source would, and a full
+     * storage skips it. Its titles return once the catalog loads.
+     */
+    private mergeSnapshots(
+        playlistId: string,
+        incoming: Record<string, XtreamBackupCollectionItem>
+    ): void {
+        if (Object.keys(incoming).length === 0) return;
+        const all = this.readMap('collectionItems', { replaceDamaged: true });
+        const current = isRecord(all[playlistId]) ? all[playlistId] : {};
+        try {
+            this.writeMap('collectionItems', {
+                ...all,
+                [playlistId]: { ...current, ...incoming },
+            });
+        } catch (error) {
+            if (!isQuotaExceeded(error)) throw error;
+        }
+    }
+
+    private listFor(name: UserDataMap, playlistId: string): unknown[] {
+        const list = this.readMap(name)[playlistId];
+        if (list === undefined) return [];
+        if (!Array.isArray(list)) {
+            throw new Error(
+                `Stored ${XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS[name]} of playlist "${playlistId}" are unreadable.`
+            );
+        }
+        return list;
+    }
+
+    private writeFor(name: UserDataMap, playlistId: string, list: unknown[]) {
+        this.writeMap(name, { ...this.readMap(name), [playlistId]: list });
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Strict, unlike the data source: a storage error or a damaged value
+     * throws rather than read as "nothing stored", so a write never replaces
+     * entries it could not read. A cache may `replaceDamaged` values.
+     */
+    private readMap(
+        name: UserDataMap,
+        { replaceDamaged = false } = {}
+    ): StoredMap {
+        const key = XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS[name];
+        const raw = this.storage.getItem(key);
+        if (raw === null) return {};
+        let parsed: unknown;
+        try {
+            parsed = JSON.parse(raw);
+        } catch {
+            parsed = null;
+        }
+        if (isRecord(parsed)) return parsed;
+        if (replaceDamaged) return {};
+        throw new Error(`Stored ${key} are unreadable.`);
+    }
+
+    private writeMap(name: UserDataMap, map: StoredMap): void {
+        this.storage.setItem(XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS[name], JSON.stringify(map));
+    }
+}
+
+/**
+ * A typed key carries its own identity. A bare provider id resolves only
+ * through the snapshot stored under it, as the data source does without a
+ * complete catalog: ids repeat across live, movie and series, so a guess
+ * could restore a different title. An unresolvable id is left out.
+ */
+function resolveKey(key: unknown, snapshots: StoredMap): ResolvedKey | null {
+    if (typeof key === 'string' && key.includes(':')) {
+        const [type, id, extra] = key.split(':');
+        return extra === undefined ? resolved(type, Number(id)) : null;
+    }
+    if (typeof key !== 'number' && typeof key !== 'string') return null;
+    const snapshot = snapshots[String(key)];
+    return isRecord(snapshot) && snapshot['xtream_id'] === Number(key)
+        ? resolved(snapshot['type'], Number(key))
+        : null;
+}
+
+function resolved(type: unknown, xtreamId: number): ResolvedKey | null {
+    const key = typedKey(type, xtreamId);
+    if (key === null) return null;
+    const contentType = type as XtreamBackupContentType;
+    return { key, item: { contentType, xtreamId } };
+}
+
+function typedKey(type: unknown, xtreamId: unknown): string | null {
+    return CONTENT_TYPES.includes(type) &&
+        typeof xtreamId === 'number' &&
+        Number.isSafeInteger(xtreamId) &&
+        xtreamId > 0
+        ? `${type}:${xtreamId}`
+        : null;
+}
+
+/** Snapshots by typed key, whatever key they were stored under. */
+function snapshotsByKey(
+    items: unknown[]
+): Record<string, XtreamBackupCollectionItem> {
+    const byKey: Record<string, XtreamBackupCollectionItem> = {};
+    for (const item of items) {
+        if (!isRecord(item)) continue;
+        const key = typedKey(item['type'], item['xtream_id']);
+        if (key !== null) byKey[key] = item as XtreamBackupCollectionItem;
+    }
+    return byKey;
+}
+
+/** Artwork saved with a view, in either spelling the data source reads. */
+function backdropOf(item: object): { backdropUrl?: string } {
+    const record = item as StoredMap;
+    const value = record['backdropUrl'] ?? record['backdrop_url'];
+    return typeof value === 'string' && value.trim()
+        ? { backdropUrl: value.trim() }
+        : {};
+}
+
+function isPlaybackPosition(value: unknown): value is PlaybackPositionData {
+    return (
+        isRecord(value) &&
+        Number.isFinite(value['contentXtreamId']) &&
+        (value['contentType'] === 'vod' ||
+            value['contentType'] === 'episode') &&
+        Number.isFinite(value['positionSeconds'])
+    );
+}
+
+function isQuotaExceeded(error: unknown): boolean {
+    return error instanceof DOMException && error.name === 'QuotaExceededError';
+}
+
+function isRecord(value: unknown): value is StoredMap {
+    return !!value && typeof value === 'object' && !Array.isArray(value);
+}
diff --git a/libs/services/src/lib/user-data-storage.ts b/libs/services/src/lib/user-data-storage.ts
index 78552b563..647c2eaba 100644
--- a/libs/services/src/lib/user-data-storage.ts
+++ b/libs/services/src/lib/user-data-storage.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,18 @@ export function createBrowserUserDataStorage(): UserDataStorage {
     };
 }
 
+/**
+ * The PWA Xtream user-data maps in USER_DATA_STORAGE, each a JSON object
+ * keyed by playlist id. Shared with the playlist backup, which reads and
+ * writes them directly.
+ */
+export const XTREAM_USER_DATA_KEYS = {
+    favorites: 'xtream-favorites',
+    recentItems: 'xtream-recent-items',
+    collectionItems: 'xtream-collection-items',
+    playbackPositions: 'xtream-playback-positions',
+} as const;
+
 /**
  * Browser persistence for PWA user data such as Xtream favorites, recently
  * viewed items and playback positions. Defaults to `localStorage`; the
diff --git a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/index.ts b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/index.ts
index 6c2aec4dd..e01ae1763 100644
--- a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/index.ts
+++ b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/index.ts
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ export * from './lib/stalker-serial-details.interface';
 export * from './lib/stalker-vod-details.interface';
 
 // Unified VOD details (discriminated union + adapters)
+export * from './lib/provider-metadata.util';
 export * from './lib/vod-details-adapters';
 export * from './lib/vod-details-item.interface';
 
diff --git a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/playlist-backup.interface.ts b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/playlist-backup.interface.ts
index 4ddcab746..8fcb6ee96 100644
--- a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/playlist-backup.interface.ts
+++ b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/playlist-backup.interface.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,12 @@ export interface XtreamBackupRecentlyViewedItem {
     contentType: XtreamBackupContentType;
     xtreamId: number;
     viewedAt: string;
+    /**
+     * Artwork the browser build saved with this view, shown ahead of the
+     * title snapshot's. Optional; the desktop build neither writes nor
+     * reads it.
+     */
+    backdropUrl?: string;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -76,6 +82,17 @@ export interface XtreamBackupSourcePin {
     updatedAt?: string;
 }
 
+/**
+ * A favorite or recently viewed title as the browser build last displayed it,
+ * so the restored lists show titles and artwork before the provider catalog
+ * is fetched again. Every other field is the item exactly as it was stored.
+ */
+export interface XtreamBackupCollectionItem {
+    type: XtreamBackupContentType;
+    xtream_id: number;
+    [field: string]: unknown;
+}
+
 export interface XtreamBackupUserState {
     hiddenCategories: XtreamBackupHiddenCategory[];
     favorites: XtreamBackupFavoriteItem[];
@@ -83,6 +100,12 @@ export interface XtreamBackupUserState {
     playbackPositions: PlaybackPositionData[];
     /** Optional: absent in archives written before multi-source existed. */
     sourcePins?: XtreamBackupSourcePin[];
+    /**
+     * Optional and written only by the browser build, which keeps no catalog
+     * between sessions. A cache, not user state: restore merges it into the
+     * playlist's snapshots, and the desktop build ignores it.
+     */
+    collectionItems?: XtreamBackupCollectionItem[];
     /**
      * Parental-lock categories, same shape as `hiddenCategories`. Optional
      * like `sourcePins`: absence means the archive predates the lock and
diff --git a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/provider-metadata.util.spec.ts b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/provider-metadata.util.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..902faad1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/provider-metadata.util.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+import {
+    firstProviderText,
+    readProviderRating,
+    readProviderText,
+} from './provider-metadata.util';
+
+describe('readProviderText', () => {
+    it.each([undefined, null, '', '   ', 'N/A', 'n/a', ' N/a ', '-', ' - '])(
+        'reads %p as absent',
+        (value) => {
+            expect(readProviderText(value)).toBeUndefined();
+        }
+    );
+
+    it('trims real text and keeps a value that only contains a stand-in', () => {
+        expect(readProviderText('  Drama ')).toBe('Drama');
+        expect(readProviderText('Sci-Fi')).toBe('Sci-Fi');
+        expect(readProviderText('N/A Studios')).toBe('N/A Studios');
+    });
+
+    it('reads finite numbers as text and nothing else', () => {
+        expect(readProviderText(2011)).toBe('2011');
+        expect(readProviderText(0)).toBe('0');
+        expect(readProviderText(Number.NaN)).toBeUndefined();
+        expect(readProviderText({})).toBeUndefined();
+    });
+});
+
+describe('firstProviderText', () => {
+    it('skips placeholders and blanks to reach the usable fallback', () => {
+        expect(firstProviderText('N/A', '', '  ', '2011')).toBe('2011');
+        expect(firstProviderText('-', undefined)).toBeUndefined();
+    });
+});
+
+describe('readProviderRating', () => {
+    it.each(['0', '0.0', '0,0', 0, 'N/A', '-', ''])(
+        'reads %p as unrated',
+        (value) => {
+            expect(readProviderRating(value)).toBeUndefined();
+        }
+    );
+
+    it('keeps real scores as the provider wrote them', () => {
+        expect(readProviderRating('7.4')).toBe('7.4');
+        expect(readProviderRating('6,8')).toBe('6,8');
+        expect(readProviderRating(8)).toBe('8');
+    });
+});
diff --git a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/provider-metadata.util.ts b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/provider-metadata.util.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9cd3a6c5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/provider-metadata.util.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+/**
+ * Readers for provider detail metadata (`get_vod_info`, Stalker VOD rows).
+ *
+ * Portals fill a field they have nothing for with a stand-in instead of
+ * leaving it empty — `"N/A"` (in any case) or a lone `"-"` — and a detail
+ * template that renders any truthy value then shows the stand-in as if it
+ * were data: a `⭐ N/A` chip, an "N/A" director, an "N/A" plot. The detail
+ * shell's contract is that missing data simply is not rendered, so these
+ * readers turn every stand-in into "absent" where provider rows are MAPPED,
+ * and templates keep plain truthiness guards instead of each learning the
+ * list.
+ *
+ * Keep the list to stand-ins providers were actually seen sending: every
+ * entry also erases a genuine value that happens to read the same.
+ */
+const PROVIDER_PLACEHOLDERS: ReadonlySet<string> = new Set(['n/a', '-']);
+
+/**
+ * Trimmed provider text, or `undefined` when it is blank or a placeholder.
+ * Finite numbers are read as their text form; anything else is absent.
+ */
+export function readProviderText(value: unknown): string | undefined {
+    const text =
+        typeof value === 'string'
+            ? value.trim()
+            : typeof value === 'number' && Number.isFinite(value)
+              ? String(value)
+              : '';
+    return text && !PROVIDER_PLACEHOLDERS.has(text.toLowerCase())
+        ? text
+        : undefined;
+}
+
+/**
+ * The first candidate that carries real text. `a ?? b` would stop at a
+ * placeholder (or a blank) and never reach the usable fallback behind it.
+ */
+export function firstProviderText(...values: unknown[]): string | undefined {
+    for (const value of values) {
+        const text = readProviderText(value);
+        if (text !== undefined) {
+            return text;
+        }
+    }
+    return undefined;
+}
+
+/**
+ * {@link readProviderText} for an IMDb / Kinopoisk score, where zero is a
+ * placeholder too: both scales start at 1, so a `"0"` / `"0.0"` is the
+ * panel's way of saying "unrated" (TMDB's `vote_average` of 0 is read the
+ * same way by the enrichment merge).
+ */
+export function readProviderRating(value: unknown): string | undefined {
+    const text = readProviderText(value);
+    return text !== undefined && Number(text.replace(',', '.')) === 0
+        ? undefined
+        : text;
+}
diff --git a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/stalker-vod-details.interface.ts b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/stalker-vod-details.interface.ts
index 32c7d5aef..8a87d4258 100644
--- a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/stalker-vod-details.interface.ts
+++ b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/stalker-vod-details.interface.ts
@@ -64,4 +64,6 @@ export interface StalkerVodInfo {
      * this to send Discover clicks to the right media type.
      */
     tmdb_media_type?: TmdbMediaType;
+    /** See `XtreamVodInfo.tmdb_supplied_release_date` — same contract */
+    tmdb_supplied_release_date?: boolean;
 }
diff --git a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/vod-details-adapters.spec.ts b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/vod-details-adapters.spec.ts
index 790d9d049..b8c32c4c1 100644
--- a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/vod-details-adapters.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/vod-details-adapters.spec.ts
@@ -71,6 +71,116 @@ describe('normalized release year', () => {
     });
 });
 
+describe('provider placeholders in the details view model', () => {
+    const PLACEHOLDER_FREE_FIELDS = [
+        'description',
+        'posterUrl',
+        'backdropUrl',
+        'year',
+        'genre',
+        'duration',
+        'country',
+        'director',
+        'actors',
+        'ratingImdb',
+        'ratingKinopoisk',
+    ] as const;
+
+    it('renders none of the stand-ins a Stalker portal sends for empty fields', () => {
+        const meta = normalizeStalkerVod({
+            id: '1',
+            cmd: '',
+            info: {
+                name: 'Placeholder Film',
+                o_name: 'N/A',
+                movie_image: 'N/A',
+                description: 'N/A',
+                actors: 'n/a',
+                director: '-',
+                releasedate: 'N/A',
+                genre: ' N/A ',
+                rating_imdb: 'N/A',
+                rating_kinopoisk: '0',
+            },
+        });
+
+        // A placeholder original title must not shadow the real one
+        expect(meta.title).toBe('Placeholder Film');
+        for (const field of PLACEHOLDER_FREE_FIELDS) {
+            expect(meta[field]).toBeUndefined();
+        }
+    });
+
+    it('renders none of the stand-ins in an Xtream detail response', () => {
+        const meta = normalizeXtreamVod({
+            info: {
+                kinopoisk_url: '',
+                tmdb_id: 0,
+                name: 'N/A',
+                o_name: '',
+                cover_big: '-',
+                movie_image: 'N/A',
+                releasedate: 'N/A',
+                episode_run_time: 0,
+                youtube_trailer: '',
+                director: 'N/A',
+                actors: 'N/A',
+                cast: '-',
+                description: 'N/A',
+                plot: 'n/a',
+                age: '',
+                mpaa_rating: '',
+                rating_count_kinopoisk: 0,
+                country: 'N/A',
+                genre: '-',
+                backdrop_path: ['N/A'],
+                duration_secs: 0,
+                duration: 'N/A',
+                video: [],
+                audio: [],
+                bitrate: 0,
+                rating: 0,
+                rating_imdb: '0.0',
+                rating_kinopoisk: 'N/A',
+            },
+            movie_data: {
+                stream_id: 5,
+                name: 'Catalog Title',
+                added: '',
+                category_id: '1',
+                container_extension: 'mp4',
+                custom_sid: null,
+                direct_source: '',
+            },
+        });
+
+        expect(meta.title).toBe('Catalog Title');
+        for (const field of PLACEHOLDER_FREE_FIELDS) {
+            expect(meta[field]).toBeUndefined();
+        }
+    });
+
+    it('falls through a placeholder to the next usable Xtream field', () => {
+        const meta = normalizeXtreamVod({
+            info: {
+                name: 'Fallback Film',
+                description: 'N/A',
+                plot: 'A plot from the second field',
+                actors: '-',
+                cast: 'First Actor, Second Actor',
+                duration: 'N/A',
+                duration_secs: 5400,
+                rating_imdb: '7.2',
+            } as never,
+        });
+
+        expect(meta.description).toBe('A plot from the second field');
+        expect(meta.actors).toBe('First Actor, Second Actor');
+        expect(meta.duration).toBe('1h 30m');
+        expect(meta.ratingImdb).toBe('7.2');
+    });
+});
+
 describe('youtubeEmbedUrl', () => {
     it('builds an embed URL from a plain video id (TMDB format)', () => {
         expect(youtubeEmbedUrl('zAGVQLHvwOY')).toBe(
diff --git a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/vod-details-adapters.ts b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/vod-details-adapters.ts
index 4334dee27..b8ee83718 100644
--- a/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/vod-details-adapters.ts
+++ b/libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/vod-details-adapters.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 import { XtreamVodDetails, getXtreamVodInfo } from './xtream-vod-details.interface';
 import { StalkerVodDetails } from './stalker-vod-details.interface';
+import {
+    firstProviderText,
+    readProviderRating,
+    readProviderText,
+} from './provider-metadata.util';
 import { parseFacetYear } from './tmdb.interface';
 import {
     NormalizedVodMeta,
@@ -11,24 +16,28 @@ import {
 /**
  * Normalizes Xtream VOD details into a display-friendly format.
  * Handles the various field name variations in Xtream API responses.
+ * Provider stand-ins ("N/A", "-", an unrated "0") read as absent — see
+ * `provider-metadata.util.ts`.
  */
 export function normalizeXtreamVod(item: XtreamVodDetails): NormalizedVodMeta {
     const info = getXtreamVodInfo(item);
     const movieData = item?.movie_data;
 
     return {
-        title: info?.name || movieData?.name || 'Unknown',
-        description: info?.description || info?.plot,
-        posterUrl: info?.movie_image || info?.cover_big,
-        backdropUrl: info?.backdrop_path?.[0],
-        year: extractYear(info?.releasedate),
-        genre: info?.genre,
-        duration: info?.duration || formatDuration(info?.duration_secs),
-        country: info?.country,
-        director: info?.director,
-        actors: info?.actors || info?.cast,
-        ratingImdb: info?.rating_imdb,
-        ratingKinopoisk: info?.rating_kinopoisk,
+        title: firstProviderText(info?.name, movieData?.name) ?? 'Unknown',
+        description: firstProviderText(info?.description, info?.plot),
+        posterUrl: firstProviderText(info?.movie_image, info?.cover_big),
+        backdropUrl: readProviderText(info?.backdrop_path?.[0]),
+        year: extractYear(readProviderText(info?.releasedate)),
+        genre: readProviderText(info?.genre),
+        duration:
+            readProviderText(info?.duration) ??
+            formatDuration(info?.duration_secs),
+        country: readProviderText(info?.country),
+        director: readProviderText(info?.director),
+        actors: firstProviderText(info?.actors, info?.cast),
+        ratingImdb: readProviderRating(info?.rating_imdb),
+        ratingKinopoisk: readProviderRating(info?.rating_kinopoisk),
         youtubeTrailer: info?.youtube_trailer,
         tmdbCast: info?.tmdb_cast,
         tmdbDirectors: info?.tmdb_directors,
@@ -42,24 +51,26 @@ export function normalizeXtreamVod(item: XtreamVodDetails): NormalizedVodMeta {
  * Normalizes Stalker VOD details into a display-friendly format.
  * Stalker has fewer metadata fields than Xtream.
  * Prefers o_name (original title) over name (often formatted/generic).
+ * Provider stand-ins ("N/A", "-", an unrated "0") read as absent — see
+ * `provider-metadata.util.ts`.
  */
 export function normalizeStalkerVod(item: StalkerVodDetails): NormalizedVodMeta {
     const info = item?.info;
 
     return {
-        title: info?.o_name || info?.name || 'Unknown',
-        description: info?.description,
-        posterUrl: info?.movie_image,
+        title: firstProviderText(info?.o_name, info?.name) ?? 'Unknown',
+        description: readProviderText(info?.description),
+        posterUrl: readProviderText(info?.movie_image),
         // Stalker portals never provide a backdrop; TMDB enrichment can
         backdropUrl: info?.tmdb_backdrop,
-        year: extractYear(info?.releasedate),
-        genre: info?.genre,
+        year: extractYear(readProviderText(info?.releasedate)),
+        genre: readProviderText(info?.genre),
         duration: undefined, // Stalker doesn't provide duration
         country: undefined, // Stalker doesn't provide country
-        director: info?.director,
-        actors: info?.actors,
-        ratingImdb: info?.rating_imdb,
-        ratingKinopoisk: info?.rating_kinopoisk,
+        director: readProviderText(info?.director),
+        actors: readProviderText(info?.actors),
+        ratingImdb: readProviderRating(info?.rating_imdb),
+        ratingKinopoisk: readProviderRating(info?.rating_kinopoisk),
         // Stalker portals provide no trailers; TMDB enrichment can
         youtubeTrailer: info?.tmdb_trailer,
         tmdbCast: info?.tmdb_cast,
diff --git a/libs/ui/components/src/index.ts b/libs/ui/components/src/index.ts
index df0b14ba3..cd83984b6 100644
--- a/libs/ui/components/src/index.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/components/src/index.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ export * from './lib/confirm-dialog/confirm-dialog.component';
 export * from './lib/confirm-dialog/dialog.service';
 export * from './lib/content-hero/content-hero.component';
 export * from './lib/expandable-text/expandable-text.component';
+export * from './lib/form-field-defaults/form-field-defaults';
 export * from './lib/external-playback-dock/external-playback-dock.component';
 export * from './lib/portal-detail-shell/content-about.component';
 export * from './lib/portal-detail-shell/detail-template.directives';
diff --git a/libs/ui/components/src/lib/channel-list-container/epg-mapping-dialog/epg-mapping-dialog.component.ts b/libs/ui/components/src/lib/channel-list-container/epg-mapping-dialog/epg-mapping-dialog.component.ts
index bc0e423c8..51d88ed55 100644
--- a/libs/ui/components/src/lib/channel-list-container/epg-mapping-dialog/epg-mapping-dialog.component.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/components/src/lib/channel-list-container/epg-mapping-dialog/epg-mapping-dialog.component.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import { MatSnackBar } from '@angular/material/snack-bar';
 import { EpgRuntimeBridgeService, EpgService } from '@iptvnator/epg/data-access';
 import { TranslatePipe, TranslateService } from '@ngx-translate/core';
 import { debounceTime, from, Subject, switchMap } from 'rxjs';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '../../form-field-defaults/form-field-defaults';
 
 export interface EpgMappingDialogData {
     channelKey: string;
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ const SEARCH_MIN_CHARS = 2;
 
 @Component({
     selector: 'app-epg-mapping-dialog',
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],
     templateUrl: './epg-mapping-dialog.component.html',
     styleUrl: './epg-mapping-dialog.component.scss',
     changeDetection: ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush,
diff --git a/libs/ui/components/src/lib/form-field-defaults/form-field-defaults.ts b/libs/ui/components/src/lib/form-field-defaults/form-field-defaults.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c29c8996e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/ui/components/src/lib/form-field-defaults/form-field-defaults.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+import { Provider } from '@angular/core';
+import {
+    MAT_FORM_FIELD_DEFAULT_OPTIONS,
+    MatFormFieldDefaultOptions,
+} from '@angular/material/form-field';
+
+/** The app's outlined, dynamically sized form fields (see m3-theme.scss). */
+export const APP_FORM_FIELD_DEFAULTS: MatFormFieldDefaultOptions = {
+    appearance: 'outline',
+    subscriptSizing: 'dynamic',
+};
+
+/**
+ * Provide the app's form-field defaults on a component that renders
+ * `<mat-form-field>`. They are not provided in the root injector: importing
+ * the token there loads `@angular/material/form-field` (and, since Material
+ * 22.2, `@angular/forms`) on startup, while every form field lives in a lazy
+ * chunk. `tools/nx/check-form-field-defaults.mjs` enforces this.
+ */
+export function provideFormFieldDefaults(): Provider {
+    return {
+        provide: MAT_FORM_FIELD_DEFAULT_OPTIONS,
+        useValue: APP_FORM_FIELD_DEFAULTS,
+    };
+}
diff --git a/libs/ui/components/src/lib/parental-lock-pin-dialog/parental-lock-pin-dialog.component.ts b/libs/ui/components/src/lib/parental-lock-pin-dialog/parental-lock-pin-dialog.component.ts
index 42fb878d9..486e1d8e8 100644
--- a/libs/ui/components/src/lib/parental-lock-pin-dialog/parental-lock-pin-dialog.component.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/components/src/lib/parental-lock-pin-dialog/parental-lock-pin-dialog.component.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import {
     PARENTAL_LOCK_PIN_MAX_LENGTH,
     PARENTAL_LOCK_PIN_MIN_LENGTH,
 } from '@iptvnator/shared/interfaces';
+import { provideFormFieldDefaults } from '../form-field-defaults/form-field-defaults';
 
 export type ParentalLockPinDialogMode = 'unlock' | 'set';
 
@@ -59,6 +60,7 @@ export interface ParentalLockPinDialogData {
  */
 @Component({
     selector: 'app-parental-lock-pin-dialog',
+    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],
     templateUrl: './parental-lock-pin-dialog.component.html',
     styleUrl: './parental-lock-pin-dialog.component.scss',
     changeDetection: ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush,
diff --git a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details.component.spec.ts b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details.component.spec.ts
index 64c17184e..aef1ade51 100644
--- a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details.component.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/vod-details/vod-details.component.spec.ts
@@ -166,18 +166,20 @@ describe('VodDetailsComponent offline playback', () => {
     };
 
     const render = async ({
+        item = STALKER_VOD,
         playbackPosition = null,
         externalPlayback = null,
         providerOnly = false,
         isWatched = false,
     }: {
+        item?: VodDetailsItem;
         playbackPosition?: number | null;
         externalPlayback?: ExternalPlayerSession | null;
         providerOnly?: boolean;
         isWatched?: boolean;
     } = {}) => {
         fixture = TestBed.createComponent(VodDetailsComponent);
-        fixture.componentRef.setInput('item', STALKER_VOD);
+        fixture.componentRef.setInput('item', item);
         fixture.componentRef.setInput(
             'playbackSessionKey',
             'stalker-host-owned-key'
@@ -378,6 +380,46 @@ describe('VodDetailsComponent offline playback', () => {
         fixture?.destroy();
     });
 
+    it('renders no provider stand-ins in the hero or the About block', async () => {
+        await render({
+            item: createStalkerVodItem(
+                {
+                    id: '43',
+                    cmd: '/media/file_43.mpg',
+                    info: {
+                        name: 'Placeholder Movie',
+                        o_name: 'N/A',
+                        movie_image: 'N/A',
+                        description: 'N/A',
+                        actors: 'N/A',
+                        director: 'N/A',
+                        releasedate: 'N/A',
+                        genre: '-',
+                        rating_imdb: 'N/A',
+                        rating_kinopoisk: '0',
+                    },
+                },
+                'stalker-1'
+            ),
+        });
+        // Watch state stamps the same templates into the About block
+        fixture.componentRef.setInput('inlinePlayback', {
+            streamUrl: 'https://portal.example/movie.mp4',
+            title: 'Placeholder Movie',
+        });
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+
+        const text = fixture.nativeElement.textContent as string;
+        expect(text).toContain('Placeholder Movie');
+        expect(text).not.toMatch(/N\/A/i);
+        expect(text).not.toContain('⭐');
+        expect(
+            fixture.nativeElement.querySelectorAll(
+                '.details__tag:not(.details__tag--clickable), .details__meta-item'
+            ).length
+        ).toBe(0);
+    });
+
     it('renders Offline and plays a completed download from the primary action', async () => {
         completeDownload();
         await render();
diff --git a/libs/workspace/dashboard/data-access/src/lib/dashboard-recommendations.service.spec.ts b/libs/workspace/dashboard/data-access/src/lib/dashboard-recommendations.service.spec.ts
index 10602e866..9dd0d806a 100644
--- a/libs/workspace/dashboard/data-access/src/lib/dashboard-recommendations.service.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/workspace/dashboard/data-access/src/lib/dashboard-recommendations.service.spec.ts
@@ -885,6 +885,45 @@ describe('DashboardRecommendationsService', () => {
         expect(service.items().map((item) => item.title)).toContain('Godzilla');
     });
 
+    it('ignores a release date the TMDB merge supplied when excluding', async () => {
+        // The portal sent no date, so the stored one is the year of
+        // whatever TMDB matched. It must not gate the exact tier, or a
+        // namesake match would keep the watched title on the rail.
+        enrichMovie.mockResolvedValue({
+            recommendations: {
+                results: [
+                    ...recTitles
+                        .slice(0, 5)
+                        .map((title, i) => rec(100 + i, title)),
+                    rec(200, 'Quarry Lights', 2014),
+                ],
+            },
+        });
+        recentAll = [
+            ...recentVod,
+            {
+                title: 'Quarry Lights',
+                type: 'movie',
+                stalker_item: {
+                    id: '9',
+                    category_id: 'vod',
+                    info: {
+                        name: 'Quarry Lights',
+                        releasedate: '1954-11-03',
+                        tmdb_supplied_release_date: true,
+                    },
+                },
+            } as ActivityStub,
+        ];
+        const service = createService();
+
+        await service.load();
+
+        expect(service.items().map((item) => item.title)).not.toContain(
+            'Quarry Lights'
+        );
+    });
+
     it('excludes a watched title whose name ends in a year', async () => {
         // "Blade Runner 2049" is a 2017 film; the 2049 belongs to the
         // NAME, so it must not be read as a release year and used to
diff --git a/libs/workspace/dashboard/data-access/src/lib/dashboard-recommendations.util.ts b/libs/workspace/dashboard/data-access/src/lib/dashboard-recommendations.util.ts
index a232249de..3aa628293 100644
--- a/libs/workspace/dashboard/data-access/src/lib/dashboard-recommendations.util.ts
+++ b/libs/workspace/dashboard/data-access/src/lib/dashboard-recommendations.util.ts
@@ -52,7 +52,10 @@ export type RecommendationCandidate = Omit<
  * gating that key on a title-derived 2049 would fail to exclude the very
  * film the user just watched (TMDB calls it 2017). Only Stalker rows
  * carry a real date (`info.releasedate`); everything else yields `null`,
- * which keeps the exact tier excluding unconditionally.
+ * which keeps the exact tier excluding unconditionally. So does a date the
+ * TMDB merge filled in itself (`tmdb_supplied_release_date`): it is the
+ * year of whatever TMDB matched, and a namesake match would otherwise stop
+ * the watched title from excluding itself.
  *
  * The base tier is different by construction — its key exists only
  * because a trailing year was stripped off — so it keeps using that year.
@@ -63,6 +66,9 @@ export function trustedReleaseYear(
     const info = (
         item.stalker_item as { info?: Record<string, unknown> } | undefined
     )?.info;
+    if (info?.['tmdb_supplied_release_date'] === true) {
+        return null;
+    }
     const releaseDate = info?.['releasedate'];
     return typeof releaseDate === 'string' ? extractYear(releaseDate) : null;
 }
diff --git a/libs/workspace/shell/feature/src/lib/workspace-shell/services/helpers/workspace-shell-constants.ts b/libs/workspace/shell/feature/src/lib/workspace-shell/services/helpers/workspace-shell-constants.ts
index c1e38a4c3..30923b92a 100644
--- a/libs/workspace/shell/feature/src/lib/workspace-shell/services/helpers/workspace-shell-constants.ts
+++ b/libs/workspace/shell/feature/src/lib/workspace-shell/services/helpers/workspace-shell-constants.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,13 @@
 import { PortalRailSection } from '@iptvnator/portal/shared/util';
 
-export const SEARCH_INPUT_DEBOUNCE_MS = 350;
+/**
+ * The one debounce between a keystroke in the header search box and the
+ * applied term; pages that search on the applied term (global search
+ * included) run at once. 300 ms sits above the inter-key gap of steady
+ * typing, so a word typed in one go is applied once.
+ * See docs/architecture/performance-journeys.md (J4).
+ */
+export const SEARCH_INPUT_DEBOUNCE_MS = 300;
 
 /**
  * How long a purely local Xtream load (reading the saved catalog from SQLite)
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 023cb8546..8bd8d804f 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@
         "a11y:icon-buttons:test": "node --test tools/nx/check-icon-button-names.test.mjs",
         "a11y:icon-buttons:check": "node tools/nx/check-icon-button-names.mjs",
         "a11y:icon-buttons:validate": "pnpm run a11y:icon-buttons:test && pnpm run a11y:icon-buttons:check",
+        "ui:form-field-defaults:test": "node --test tools/nx/check-form-field-defaults.test.mjs",
+        "ui:form-field-defaults:check": "node tools/nx/check-form-field-defaults.mjs",
+        "ui:form-field-defaults:validate": "pnpm run ui:form-field-defaults:test && pnpm run ui:form-field-defaults:check",
         "e2e:task-graphs:test": "node --test tools/nx/check-e2e-task-graphs.test.mjs",
         "e2e:task-graphs:check": "node tools/nx/check-e2e-task-graphs.mjs",
         "e2e:task-graphs:validate": "pnpm run e2e:task-graphs:test && pnpm run e2e:task-graphs:check",
diff --git a/tools/nx/check-form-field-defaults.mjs b/tools/nx/check-form-field-defaults.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..624d66be9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/nx/check-form-field-defaults.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,192 @@
+import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process';
+import { readFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
+import path from 'node:path';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
+import ts from 'typescript';
+
+/**
+ * The app's `<mat-form-field>` defaults (outline, dynamic subscript) are
+ * provided per component, not in the root injector: importing
+ * MAT_FORM_FIELD_DEFAULT_OPTIONS in app.config.ts loads
+ * `@angular/material/form-field` and, since Material 22.2, `@angular/forms`
+ * on startup, although every form field lives in a lazy chunk. A component
+ * that renders a form field without the provider silently falls back to the
+ * `fill` appearance, so this guard requires it on each such component, and
+ * allows the provider and the token nowhere else.
+ */
+export const DEFAULTS_FILE =
+    'libs/ui/components/src/lib/form-field-defaults/form-field-defaults.ts';
+const TOKEN = 'MAT_FORM_FIELD_DEFAULT_OPTIONS';
+const PROVIDER = 'provideFormFieldDefaults';
+
+const SCANNED_PATHSPECS = ['apps/web/*.ts', 'libs/*.ts'];
+
+function isScanned(file) {
+    return !/\.(spec|test)\.[cm]?[jt]s$/.test(file);
+}
+
+/** The object literal of an `@Component({...})` decorator, if `node` is one. */
+function componentMetadata(node) {
+    if (
+        !ts.isDecorator(node) ||
+        !ts.isCallExpression(node.expression) ||
+        !ts.isIdentifier(node.expression.expression) ||
+        node.expression.expression.text !== 'Component'
+    ) {
+        return undefined;
+    }
+    const [metadata] = node.expression.arguments;
+    return metadata && ts.isObjectLiteralExpression(metadata)
+        ? metadata
+        : undefined;
+}
+
+function property(metadata, name) {
+    return metadata.properties.find(
+        (entry) =>
+            ts.isPropertyAssignment(entry) &&
+            (ts.isIdentifier(entry.name) || ts.isStringLiteral(entry.name)) &&
+            entry.name.text === name
+    )?.initializer;
+}
+
+/** Literal text of a quoted, backticked or interpolated template. */
+function literalText(node) {
+    if (ts.isStringLiteralLike(node)) return node.text;
+    if (ts.isTemplateExpression(node)) {
+        return [
+            node.head.text,
+            ...node.templateSpans.map((span) => span.literal.text),
+        ].join('');
+    }
+    return undefined;
+}
+
+function isProviderCall(node) {
+    return (
+        ts.isCallExpression(node) &&
+        ts.isIdentifier(node.expression) &&
+        node.expression.text === PROVIDER
+    );
+}
+
+/**
+ * Findings for one TypeScript source. `readTemplate` resolves a
+ * `templateUrl` relative to the component and returns its text.
+ */
+export async function checkComponentSource(file, source, readTemplate) {
+    const sourceFile = ts.createSourceFile(
+        file,
+        source,
+        ts.ScriptTarget.Latest,
+        true
+    );
+    const lineOf = (node) =>
+        sourceFile.getLineAndCharacterOfPosition(node.getStart(sourceFile))
+            .line + 1;
+    const findings = [];
+    const components = [];
+    const componentProviderCalls = new Set();
+
+    const visit = (node) => {
+        const metadata = componentMetadata(node);
+        if (metadata) {
+            const providers = property(metadata, 'providers');
+            const calls =
+                providers && ts.isArrayLiteralExpression(providers)
+                    ? providers.elements.filter(isProviderCall)
+                    : [];
+            calls.forEach((call) => componentProviderCalls.add(call));
+            components.push({ node, metadata, provides: calls.length > 0 });
+        }
+        if (ts.isIdentifier(node) && node.text === TOKEN) {
+            if (file !== DEFAULTS_FILE) {
+                findings.push({
+                    file,
+                    line: lineOf(node),
+                    reason: `uses ${TOKEN}; provide the app defaults with ${PROVIDER}() from @iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults`,
+                });
+            }
+        }
+        ts.forEachChild(node, visit);
+    };
+    visit(sourceFile);
+
+    const visitCalls = (node) => {
+        if (isProviderCall(node) && !componentProviderCalls.has(node)) {
+            findings.push({
+                file,
+                line: lineOf(node),
+                reason: `calls ${PROVIDER}() outside a component's providers; a root or route provider loads Material's form field on startup`,
+            });
+        }
+        ts.forEachChild(node, visitCalls);
+    };
+    visitCalls(sourceFile);
+
+    for (const { node, metadata, provides } of components) {
+        const inline = property(metadata, 'template');
+        const url = property(metadata, 'templateUrl');
+        let template = inline ? literalText(inline) : undefined;
+        if (template === undefined && url && ts.isStringLiteralLike(url)) {
+            template = await readTemplate(
+                path.posix.join(path.posix.dirname(file), url.text)
+            );
+        }
+        if (provides || !/<mat-form-field\b/.test(template ?? '')) continue;
+        findings.push({
+            file,
+            line: lineOf(node),
+            reason: `renders <mat-form-field> without providers: [${PROVIDER}()]`,
+        });
+    }
+    return findings.sort((a, b) => a.line - b.line);
+}
+
+/** Tracked renderer TypeScript files the guard reads, at any depth. */
+export function listScannedFiles(rootDir) {
+    // No shell: `cmd.exe` treats single quotes as literal characters, so a
+    // POSIX-quoted pathspec reaches git intact on Windows and matches nothing.
+    return execFileSync('git', ['ls-files', ...SCANNED_PATHSPECS], {
+        cwd: rootDir,
+        encoding: 'utf8',
+        maxBuffer: 32 * 1024 * 1024,
+    })
+        .trim()
+        .split('\n')
+        .filter(Boolean)
+        .filter(isScanned);
+}
+
+const isMain =
+    process.argv[1] &&
+    path.resolve(process.argv[1]) ===
+        path.resolve(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
+
+if (isMain) {
+    const rootDir = process.cwd();
+    const files = listScannedFiles(rootDir);
+    const readTemplate = (file) => readFile(path.join(rootDir, file), 'utf8');
+
+    const findings = [];
+    for (const file of files) {
+        const source = await readFile(path.join(rootDir, file), 'utf8');
+        findings.push(
+            ...(await checkComponentSource(file, source, readTemplate))
+        );
+    }
+
+    if (findings.length > 0) {
+        console.error(
+            'Form-field defaults must be provided per component, not in the root injector:'
+        );
+        for (const { file, line, reason } of findings) {
+            console.error(`- ${file}:${line} ${reason}`);
+        }
+        process.exitCode = 1;
+    } else {
+        console.log(
+            `Checked ${files.length} renderer files; every <mat-form-field> component provides the app defaults.`
+        );
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tools/nx/check-form-field-defaults.test.mjs b/tools/nx/check-form-field-defaults.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b3301622a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/nx/check-form-field-defaults.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,200 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { readFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
+import path from 'node:path';
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
+
+import {
+    DEFAULTS_FILE,
+    checkComponentSource,
+    listScannedFiles,
+} from './check-form-field-defaults.mjs';
+
+const repoRoot = path.resolve(
+    path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)),
+    '../..'
+);
+const templates = {
+    'libs/a/field.component.html':
+        '<mat-form-field><input matInput /></mat-form-field>',
+    'libs/a/plain.component.html': '<button mat-button>Save</button>',
+};
+const readTemplate = async (file) => templates[file];
+const check = async (file, source) =>
+    (await checkComponentSource(file, source, readTemplate)).map(
+        ({ line, reason }) => ({ line, reason })
+    );
+
+test('accepts a templateUrl form field with the provider', async () => {
+    const source = [
+        '@Component({',
+        "    selector: 'app-field',",
+        '    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],',
+        "    templateUrl: './field.component.html',",
+        '})',
+    ].join('\n');
+
+    assert.deepEqual(await check('libs/a/field.component.ts', source), []);
+});
+
+test('accepts the provider next to other providers', async () => {
+    const source = [
+        '@Component({',
+        '    providers: [DatePipe, provideFormFieldDefaults()],',
+        "    templateUrl: './field.component.html',",
+        '})',
+    ].join('\n');
+
+    assert.deepEqual(await check('libs/a/field.component.ts', source), []);
+});
+
+test('reports a templateUrl form field without the provider', async () => {
+    const source = [
+        '@Component({',
+        "    selector: 'app-field',",
+        "    templateUrl: './field.component.html',",
+        '})',
+    ].join('\n');
+
+    assert.deepEqual(await check('libs/a/field.component.ts', source), [
+        {
+            line: 1,
+            reason: 'renders <mat-form-field> without providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()]',
+        },
+    ]);
+});
+
+test('reports an inline template form field without the provider', async () => {
+    const source = [
+        '@Component({',
+        '    template: `',
+        '        <mat-form-field appearance="outline"></mat-form-field>',
+        '    `,',
+        '})',
+    ].join('\n');
+
+    assert.equal((await check('libs/a/inline.component.ts', source)).length, 1);
+});
+
+test('reads quoted inline templates', async () => {
+    const source = [
+        '@Component({',
+        "    template: '<mat-form-field></mat-form-field>',",
+        '})',
+        'class Single {}',
+        '@Component({',
+        '    template: "<mat-form-field></mat-form-field>",',
+        '})',
+        'class Double {}',
+    ].join('\n');
+
+    assert.deepEqual(
+        (await check('libs/a/quoted.component.ts', source)).map(
+            ({ line }) => line
+        ),
+        [1, 5]
+    );
+});
+
+test('checks each component of a file on its own providers', async () => {
+    const source = [
+        '@Component({',
+        '    providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()],',
+        "    templateUrl: './field.component.html',",
+        '})',
+        'class WithDefaults {}',
+        '@Component({',
+        "    templateUrl: './field.component.html',",
+        '})',
+        'class WithoutDefaults {}',
+    ].join('\n');
+
+    assert.deepEqual(await check('libs/a/field.component.ts', source), [
+        {
+            line: 6,
+            reason: 'renders <mat-form-field> without providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()]',
+        },
+    ]);
+});
+
+test('finds the provider after an earlier array-valued provider', async () => {
+    const source = [
+        '@Component({',
+        '    providers: [',
+        '        { provide: LIST, useValue: [] },',
+        '        provideFormFieldDefaults(),',
+        '    ],',
+        "    templateUrl: './field.component.html',",
+        '})',
+    ].join('\n');
+
+    assert.deepEqual(await check('libs/a/field.component.ts', source), []);
+});
+
+test('reports the provider outside a component', async () => {
+    const appConfig = [
+        'export const appConfig = {',
+        '    providers: [provideRouter(routes), provideFormFieldDefaults()],',
+        '};',
+    ].join('\n');
+    const routes = [
+        'export const routes = [',
+        "    { path: 'settings', providers: [provideFormFieldDefaults()] },",
+        '];',
+    ].join('\n');
+
+    assert.deepEqual(await check('apps/web/src/app/app.config.ts', appConfig), [
+        {
+            line: 2,
+            reason: "calls provideFormFieldDefaults() outside a component's providers; a root or route provider loads Material's form field on startup",
+        },
+    ]);
+    assert.equal(
+        (await check('apps/web/src/app/app.routes.ts', routes)).length,
+        1
+    );
+});
+
+test('ignores templates without a form field', async () => {
+    const source = [
+        '@Component({',
+        "    templateUrl: './plain.component.html',",
+        '})',
+        '@Component({ template: `<mat-icon>add</mat-icon>` })',
+    ].join('\n');
+
+    assert.deepEqual(await check('libs/a/plain.component.ts', source), []);
+});
+
+test('reports the token outside the shared provider', async () => {
+    const source = [
+        "import { MAT_FORM_FIELD_DEFAULT_OPTIONS } from '@angular/material/form-field';",
+        'export const appConfig = {',
+        '    providers: [{ provide: MAT_FORM_FIELD_DEFAULT_OPTIONS, useValue: {} }],',
+        '};',
+    ].join('\n');
+
+    assert.deepEqual(
+        (await check('apps/web/src/app/app.config.ts', source)).map(
+            ({ line }) => line
+        ),
+        [1, 3]
+    );
+    assert.deepEqual(await check(DEFAULTS_FILE, source), []);
+});
+
+test('the shared provider supplies the outline, dynamic defaults', async () => {
+    const source = await readFile(path.join(repoRoot, DEFAULTS_FILE), 'utf8');
+
+    assert.match(source, /appearance: 'outline'/);
+    assert.match(source, /subscriptSizing: 'dynamic'/);
+    assert.match(source, /provide: MAT_FORM_FIELD_DEFAULT_OPTIONS/);
+});
+
+test('scans renderer TypeScript and skips specs', () => {
+    const files = listScannedFiles(repoRoot);
+
+    assert.ok(files.includes(DEFAULTS_FILE));
+    assert.ok(files.includes('apps/web/src/app/app.config.ts'));
+    assert.ok(files.every((file) => !/\.spec\.ts$/.test(file)));
+});
diff --git a/tools/performance/journey-baselines.json b/tools/performance/journey-baselines.json
index 382d39762..d3814bfb3 100644
--- a/tools/performance/journey-baselines.json
+++ b/tools/performance/journey-baselines.json
@@ -3,11 +3,11 @@
     "journeys": {
         "launch": {
             "renderer.initialBytes": {
-                "value": 1595777,
+                "value": 1534604,
                 "unit": "bytes",
                 "slack": 4096,
-                "updatedAt": "2026-10-07",
-                "evidencePr": 1810,
+                "updatedAt": "2026-10-13",
+                "evidencePr": 1928,
                 "measuredWith": "pnpm nx build web && pnpm run perf:initial-bytes"
             },
             "renderer.ipcCallsToFirstCard": {
@@ -112,6 +112,28 @@
                 "evidenceRun": "https://github.com/4gray/iptvnator/actions/runs/37184230956",
                 "measuredWith": "pnpm run perf:journeys (ubuntu-latest, xvfb), identical in all 55 measured iterations of 11 master runs, 2026-10-03 to 2026-10-04"
             }
+        },
+        "search": {
+            "renderer.ipcCallsPerSearch": {
+                "value": 1,
+                "unit": "calls",
+                "slack": 0,
+                "note": "guard only, not validated: no PR has yet shown that lowering this counter lowers the journey wall-clock (Principle 3)",
+                "updatedAt": "2026-10-12",
+                "evidencePr": 1899,
+                "evidenceRun": "https://github.com/4gray/iptvnator/actions/runs/38165392046",
+                "measuredWith": "pnpm run perf:journeys (ubuntu-latest, xvfb), identical in all 18 measured iterations of 3 runs of #1899 (attempts 1-3), and in all 816 J4 iterations of the 136 CI journey jobs since #1816"
+            },
+            "renderer.sqlStatementsPerSearch": {
+                "value": 2,
+                "unit": "statements",
+                "slack": 0,
+                "note": "guard only, not validated: no PR has yet shown that lowering this counter lowers the journey wall-clock (Principle 3)",
+                "updatedAt": "2026-10-12",
+                "evidencePr": 1899,
+                "evidenceRun": "https://github.com/4gray/iptvnator/actions/runs/38165392046",
+                "measuredWith": "pnpm run perf:journeys (ubuntu-latest, xvfb), identical in all 18 measured iterations of 3 runs of #1899 (attempts 1-3), and in all 816 J4 iterations of the 136 CI journey jobs since #1816"
+            }
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/tsconfig.base.json b/tsconfig.base.json
index 01a5e5b29..de5cbeead 100644
--- a/tsconfig.base.json
+++ b/tsconfig.base.json
@@ -105,6 +105,9 @@
             "@iptvnator/ui/components/confirm-dialog": [
                 "libs/ui/components/src/lib/confirm-dialog/dialog.service.ts"
             ],
+            "@iptvnator/ui/components/form-field-defaults": [
+                "libs/ui/components/src/lib/form-field-defaults/form-field-defaults.ts"
+            ],
             "@iptvnator/ui/components/parental-lock-pin-dialog": [
                 "libs/ui/components/src/lib/parental-lock-pin-dialog/parental-lock-pin-dialog.component.ts"
             ],