diff --git a/src/servers/sidecar/music/index.ts b/src/servers/sidecar/music/index.ts
index 409f76d7..f8054e59 100644
--- a/src/servers/sidecar/music/index.ts
+++ b/src/servers/sidecar/music/index.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@ import type { SidecarCommand, SidecarEvent } from '../protocol';
 import { createSidecarConnector } from '../connect';
 import { streamAudioFile } from './stream-audio';
 import {
-  buildMusicIndex,
+  reindexNow,
+  ensureIndexFresh,
   getIndexStatus,
   getManifest,
   albumVersion,
@@ -31,7 +32,8 @@ const DATA_PATH = process.env.DATA_PATH ?? join(process.cwd(), 'data');
 //
 //   GET  /stream?path=<home-relative>      audio with Range→206 (Content-Range/Length/Accept-Ranges)
 //                                          + `X-Audio-Duration` (seconds, ffprobe). 400/404/416.
-//   GET  /manifest                         { version, generatedAt, albums: { "<rel>": { v, cover, tracks, disco? } } }
+//   GET  /manifest                         ensures a fresh index (debounced rebuild) then returns
+//                                          { version, generatedAt, albums: { "<rel>": { v, cover, tracks, disco? } } }
 //   GET  /meta?path=<rel>                  album meta.json (IndexMeta). ETag: <v>; If-None-Match → 304.
 //   GET  /cover?path=<rel>                 compressed cover.jpg.       ETag: <v>; If-None-Match → 304.
 //   GET  /discography?path=<artist rel>    artist discography.json (only where manifest entry has
@@ -39,7 +41,7 @@ const DATA_PATH = process.env.DATA_PATH ?? join(process.cwd(), 'data');
 //                                          "<Type>" } }, Type ∈ Studio/Live/Compilation/Single/EP/…
 //                                          ETag: <v>; If-None-Match → 304. Source: each artist folder's
 //                                          _discography.md (normalized; the md itself is never modified).
-//   POST /reindex                          start an async build; returns IndexStatus (running: true).
+//   POST /reindex                          run the build to COMPLETION, then return the final IndexStatus.
 //   GET  /reindex/status                   IndexStatus snapshot.
 //   GET  /reindex/stream                   SSE. Triggers a build if idle (`?trigger=0` = watch-only).
 //                                          `event: progress` (IndexStatus) throttled ~200ms, then one
@@ -85,8 +87,11 @@ const server = Bun.serve({
     // ── Index build ──
     if (url.pathname === '/reindex') {
       if (req.method !== 'POST') return new Response('Method not allowed', { status: 405 });
-      void buildMusicIndex(); // fire-and-forget; sets running=true synchronously before the first await
-      return json(getIndexStatus());
+      // Run the resync to completion, THEN respond — so the caller's manifest read right after is fresh.
+      // Incremental builds are near-instant (unchanged albums skip by version stamp). reindexNow joins
+      // an in-flight build rather than starting a second.
+      const result = await reindexNow();
+      return json(result);
     }
     if (url.pathname === '/reindex/status') return json(getIndexStatus());
 
@@ -94,7 +99,7 @@ const server = Bun.serve({
     // streams `progress` events until the build finishes, ending with a `done` event carrying the report.
     if (url.pathname === '/reindex/stream') {
       const trigger = url.searchParams.get('trigger') !== '0';
-      if (trigger && !getIndexStatus().running) void buildMusicIndex();
+      if (trigger) void reindexNow();
 
       const encoder = new TextEncoder();
       const stream = new ReadableStream({
@@ -139,7 +144,12 @@ const server = Bun.serve({
     }
 
     // ── Sync surface ──
-    if (url.pathname === '/manifest') return json(await getManifest());
+    if (url.pathname === '/manifest') {
+      // Every app refresh funnels through here, so rebuild the index first (debounced) — this is what
+      // makes on-disk changes show up on a plain refresh, not only via the explicit reindex sheet.
+      await ensureIndexFresh();
+      return json(await getManifest());
+    }
 
     if (url.pathname === '/meta' || url.pathname === '/cover' || url.pathname === '/discography') {
       const rel = url.searchParams.get('path');
diff --git a/src/servers/sidecar/music/indexer.ts b/src/servers/sidecar/music/indexer.ts
index 6f6d611c..e8c9f5f9 100644
--- a/src/servers/sidecar/music/indexer.ts
+++ b/src/servers/sidecar/music/indexer.ts
@@ -295,6 +295,7 @@ export async function buildMusicIndex(): Promise<IndexStatus> {
     currentPath: '',
     error: null,
   });
+  console.log('[music] resync started');
 
   const prev = await loadManifest();
   const next: Manifest = { version: 1, generatedAt: status.startedAt!, albums: {} };
@@ -320,10 +321,52 @@ export async function buildMusicIndex(): Promise<IndexStatus> {
     status.finishedAt = Date.now();
     status.currentPath = '';
     emitProgress(true); // final push — signals 'done' to SSE subscribers
+    const r = buildReport();
+    if (r.error) {
+      console.error(`[music] resync failed after ${r.elapsedSec}s: ${r.error}`);
+    } else {
+      console.log(
+        `[music] resync done — ${r.built} built, ${r.skipped} skipped, ${r.coversSaved} covers, ${r.tracksIndexed} tracks, ${r.foldersScanned} folders in ${r.elapsedSec}s`,
+      );
+    }
   }
   return getIndexStatus();
 }
 
+// ── Coalesced / debounced build entry points ──
+// So reads (the manifest fetch that every app refresh funnels through) can ensure freshness without
+// stampeding builds: concurrent callers join one in-flight build, and back-to-back reads within the
+// debounce window skip rebuilding. Route ALL build triggers through reindexNow so there's one tracker.
+
+let inflightBuild: Promise<IndexStatus> | null = null;
+let lastBuildFinishedAt = 0;
+
+/** Run a build, joining an in-flight one instead of starting a second; resolves when it completes. */
+export function reindexNow(): Promise<IndexStatus> {
+  if (inflightBuild) return inflightBuild;
+  inflightBuild = buildMusicIndex()
+    .then((s) => {
+      lastBuildFinishedAt = Date.now();
+      return s;
+    })
+    .finally(() => {
+      inflightBuild = null;
+    });
+  return inflightBuild;
+}
+
+/** Ensure the index reflects recent on-disk changes before a read: await any in-flight build, else
+ *  rebuild unless one finished within `debounceMs` (so a refresh that reads the manifest twice in a
+ *  row rebuilds once, not twice). */
+export async function ensureIndexFresh(debounceMs = 3000): Promise<void> {
+  if (inflightBuild) {
+    await inflightBuild;
+    return;
+  }
+  if (Date.now() - lastBuildFinishedAt < debounceMs) return;
+  await reindexNow();
+}
+
 async function walk(dirAbs: string, prev: Manifest, next: Manifest): Promise<void> {
   status.currentPath = relative(MUSIC_ROOT, dirAbs) || '.';
   status.foldersScanned += 1;
@@ -363,11 +406,13 @@ async function walk(dirAbs: string, prev: Manifest, next: Manifest): Promise<voi
     const v = Bun.hash(sigParts.join('|')).toString(16);
     const cacheDir = join(CACHE_ROOT, rel);
 
-    // Skip only if v matches AND every expected output already exists (fixes cover-only/artist folders
-    // that have no meta.json from rebuilding every run).
+    const coverJpg = join(cacheDir, 'cover.jpg');
+    // Skip only if v matches AND every expected output already exists. Expect a cached cover ONLY if one
+    // was successfully cached before (prev.cover) — a source cover that can't be decoded (a junk .jpg)
+    // ends up cover:false and is never re-expected, so it doesn't rebuild every run.
     const expected = [
       audio.length ? 'meta.json' : null,
-      coverName ? 'cover.jpg' : null,
+      prev.albums[rel]?.cover ? 'cover.jpg' : null,
       hasDisco ? 'discography.json' : null,
     ].filter((f): f is string => f !== null);
     const outputsExist = expected.every((f) => existsSync(join(cacheDir, f)));
@@ -378,7 +423,7 @@ async function walk(dirAbs: string, prev: Manifest, next: Manifest): Promise<voi
       await mkdir(cacheDir, { recursive: true });
 
       if (coverName) {
-        const ok = await compressCover(join(dirAbs, coverName), join(cacheDir, 'cover.jpg'));
+        const ok = await compressCover(join(dirAbs, coverName), coverJpg);
         if (ok) status.coversSaved += 1;
       }
 
@@ -389,7 +434,7 @@ async function walk(dirAbs: string, prev: Manifest, next: Manifest): Promise<voi
           emitProgress();
           return t;
         });
-        const meta: IndexMeta = { path: rel, cover: coverName ? 'cover.jpg' : undefined, tracks };
+        const meta: IndexMeta = { path: rel, cover: existsSync(coverJpg) ? 'cover.jpg' : undefined, tracks };
         await writeFile(join(cacheDir, 'meta.json'), JSON.stringify(meta));
       }
 
@@ -407,7 +452,7 @@ async function walk(dirAbs: string, prev: Manifest, next: Manifest): Promise<voi
       status.albumsBuilt += 1;
     }
 
-    next.albums[rel] = { v, cover: !!coverName, tracks: audio.length, ...(hasDisco ? { disco: true } : {}) };
+    next.albums[rel] = { v, cover: existsSync(coverJpg), tracks: audio.length, ...(hasDisco ? { disco: true } : {}) };
   }
 
   for (const d of subdirs) await walk(join(dirAbs, d.name), prev, next);