diff --git a/src/core/services/anilist/anilist-updater.test.ts b/src/core/services/anilist/anilist-updater.test.ts
index 3b99e1c4..d5e961f9 100644
--- a/src/core/services/anilist/anilist-updater.test.ts
+++ b/src/core/services/anilist/anilist-updater.test.ts
@@ -605,3 +605,33 @@ test('updateAnilistPostWatchProgress returns error when search fails', async ()
     globalThis.fetch = originalFetch;
   }
 });
+
+test('updateAnilistPostWatchProgress does not requeue a search that matched nothing', async () => {
+  const originalFetch = globalThis.fetch;
+  globalThis.fetch = (async () =>
+    createJsonResponse({ data: { Page: { media: [] } } })) as typeof fetch;
+
+  try {
+    const result = await updateAnilistPostWatchProgress('token', 'Unknown Show', 3);
+    assert.equal(result.status, 'error');
+    assert.equal(result.retryable, false);
+    assert.match(result.message, /no matches/i);
+  } finally {
+    globalThis.fetch = originalFetch;
+  }
+});
+
+test('updateAnilistPostWatchProgress still allows retry when the search itself fails', async () => {
+  const originalFetch = globalThis.fetch;
+  globalThis.fetch = (async () =>
+    createJsonResponse({ errors: [{ message: 'upstream exploded' }] })) as typeof fetch;
+
+  try {
+    const result = await updateAnilistPostWatchProgress('token', 'Demo Show', 3);
+    assert.equal(result.status, 'error');
+    assert.notEqual(result.retryable, false);
+    assert.match(result.message, /search failed/i);
+  } finally {
+    globalThis.fetch = originalFetch;
+  }
+});
diff --git a/src/core/services/anilist/anilist-updater.ts b/src/core/services/anilist/anilist-updater.ts
index bbb6da8f..21149fc2 100644
--- a/src/core/services/anilist/anilist-updater.ts
+++ b/src/core/services/anilist/anilist-updater.ts
@@ -305,7 +305,13 @@ export async function updateAnilistPostWatchProgress(
     }
 
     if (!resolution) {
-      return { status: 'error', message: 'AniList search returned no matches.' };
+      // A well-formed search that matched nothing is deterministic for this title, so
+      // requeueing it just burns rate limit. Transient failures throw and are caught above.
+      return {
+        status: 'error',
+        retryable: false,
+        message: 'AniList search returned no matches.',
+      };
     }
     if (!resolution.seasonResolved) {
       // Updating the season 1 entry here is worse than not updating at all.