diff --git a/src/core/services/anilist/cover-art-fetcher.test.ts b/src/core/services/anilist/cover-art-fetcher.test.ts
index 0c5c8522..5a0b1c72 100644
--- a/src/core/services/anilist/cover-art-fetcher.test.ts
+++ b/src/core/services/anilist/cover-art-fetcher.test.ts
@@ -356,3 +356,78 @@ test('fetchIfMissing falls back to internal parser when guessit throws', async (
     cleanupDbPath(dbPath);
   }
 });
+
+test('fetchIfMissing keeps the cover but withholds metadata when the season is unresolved', async () => {
+  const dbPath = makeDbPath();
+  const db = new Database(dbPath);
+  ensureSchema(db);
+  const videoId = getOrCreateVideoRecord(db, 'local:/tmp/cover-fetcher-unresolved.mkv', {
+    canonicalTitle: 'Unresolved Show (2013) - S03E01 - Something [1080p].mkv',
+    sourcePath: '/tmp/cover-fetcher-unresolved.mkv',
+    sourceType: SOURCE_TYPE_LOCAL,
+    sourceUrl: null,
+  });
+
+  const originalFetch = globalThis.fetch;
+  globalThis.fetch = ((input: RequestInfo | URL, init?: RequestInit) => {
+    const url = typeof input === 'string' ? input : input instanceof URL ? input.href : input.url;
+    if (!url.includes('graphql')) {
+      return Promise.resolve(
+        new Response(Buffer.from('01020304'), {
+          status: 200,
+          headers: { 'content-type': 'image/png' },
+        }),
+      );
+    }
+
+    const payload = JSON.parse(String(init?.body ?? '{}')) as {
+      variables?: { search?: string; id?: number };
+    };
+    if (typeof payload.variables?.id === 'number') {
+      // No sequel edges, so season 3 cannot be reached from the season 1 anchor.
+      return Promise.resolve(createJsonResponse({ data: { Media: { relations: { edges: [] } } } }));
+    }
+    return Promise.resolve(
+      createJsonResponse({
+        data: {
+          Page: {
+            media: [
+              {
+                id: 55,
+                episodes: 13,
+                format: 'TV',
+                seasonYear: 2013,
+                coverImage: { large: 'https://images.test/s1.jpg', medium: null },
+                title: { romaji: 'Unresolved Show', english: 'Unresolved Show', native: null },
+              },
+            ],
+          },
+        },
+      }),
+    );
+  }) as typeof fetch;
+
+  try {
+    const fetcher = createCoverArtFetcher(
+      { acquire: async () => {}, recordResponse: () => {} },
+      console,
+      {
+        runGuessit: async () =>
+          JSON.stringify({ title: 'Unresolved Show', season: 3, episode: 1, year: 2013 }),
+      },
+    );
+
+    const fetched = await fetcher.fetchIfMissing(db, videoId, 'Unresolved Show');
+    const stored = getCoverArt(db, videoId);
+
+    assert.equal(fetched, true);
+    // Artwork is a reasonable stand-in; the season 1 identity and episode count are not.
+    assert.ok(stored?.coverBlob);
+    assert.equal(stored?.anilistId, null);
+    assert.equal(stored?.episodesTotal, null);
+  } finally {
+    globalThis.fetch = originalFetch;
+    db.close();
+    cleanupDbPath(dbPath);
+  }
+});
diff --git a/src/core/services/anilist/cover-art-fetcher.ts b/src/core/services/anilist/cover-art-fetcher.ts
index b55f3c3c..efd65f76 100644
--- a/src/core/services/anilist/cover-art-fetcher.ts
+++ b/src/core/services/anilist/cover-art-fetcher.ts
@@ -299,27 +299,34 @@ export function createCoverArtFetcher(
         coverBlob = await downloadImage(coverUrl);
       }
 
+      // An unresolved season means `selected` is the season 1 entry. Its artwork is a
+      // reasonable stand-in, but its id and episode count are not: they feed anime-level
+      // metadata that would otherwise be cached wrong and never re-resolved.
+      const seasonResolved = resolution?.seasonResolved !== false;
+
       upsertCoverArt(db, videoId, {
-        anilistId: selected.id,
+        anilistId: seasonResolved ? selected.id : null,
         coverUrl,
         coverBlob,
-        titleRomaji: selected.title?.romaji ?? null,
-        titleEnglish: selected.title?.english ?? null,
-        episodesTotal: selected.episodes ?? null,
+        titleRomaji: seasonResolved ? (selected.title?.romaji ?? null) : null,
+        titleEnglish: seasonResolved ? (selected.title?.english ?? null) : null,
+        episodesTotal: seasonResolved ? (selected.episodes ?? null) : null,
       });
 
-      updateAnimeAnilistInfo(db, videoId, {
-        anilistId: selected.id,
-        titleRomaji: selected.title?.romaji ?? null,
-        titleEnglish: selected.title?.english ?? null,
-        titleNative: selected.title?.native ?? null,
-        episodesTotal: selected.episodes ?? null,
-      });
+      if (seasonResolved) {
+        updateAnimeAnilistInfo(db, videoId, {
+          anilistId: selected.id,
+          titleRomaji: selected.title?.romaji ?? null,
+          titleEnglish: selected.title?.english ?? null,
+          titleNative: selected.title?.native ?? null,
+          episodesTotal: selected.episodes ?? null,
+        });
+      }
 
       logger.info(
-        'cover-art: cached art for videoId=%d anilistId=%d title="%s"',
+        'cover-art: cached art for videoId=%d anilistId=%s title="%s"',
         videoId,
-        selected.id,
+        seasonResolved ? String(selected.id) : 'none (season unresolved)',
         selected.title?.romaji ?? searchBase,
       );
 
diff --git a/src/core/services/anilist/season-resolver.test.ts b/src/core/services/anilist/season-resolver.test.ts
index 4a768f3e..b0fedbc7 100644
--- a/src/core/services/anilist/season-resolver.test.ts
+++ b/src/core/services/anilist/season-resolver.test.ts
@@ -287,3 +287,21 @@ test('refuses a season beyond the sequel-hop cap instead of returning a partial
   // Declines before spending any relation requests.
   assert.deepEqual(relationLookups, []);
 });
+
+test('air-order fallback declines when a franchise entry has no air year', async () => {
+  // The middle season has no year, so ordering it would shift every later season by one.
+  const { execute } = createExecutor(
+    [
+      { id: 1, episodes: 12, format: 'TV', seasonYear: 2013, title: { english: 'Show' } },
+      { id: 2, episodes: 12, format: 'TV', title: { english: 'Show Zoku' } },
+      { id: 3, episodes: 12, format: 'TV', seasonYear: 2020, title: { english: 'Show Kan' } },
+    ],
+    {},
+  );
+
+  const result = await resolveAnilistSeasonMedia({ title: 'Show', season: 2 }, { execute });
+
+  assert.equal(result?.id, 1);
+  assert.equal(result?.seasonResolved, false);
+  assert.equal(result?.via, 'anchor');
+});
diff --git a/src/core/services/anilist/season-resolver.ts b/src/core/services/anilist/season-resolver.ts
index eab49290..cccfc6ad 100644
--- a/src/core/services/anilist/season-resolver.ts
+++ b/src/core/services/anilist/season-resolver.ts
@@ -325,9 +325,12 @@ export function pickByAirOrder(
   });
   if (franchise.length < season) return null;
 
+  // Ordering by air date is only meaningful when every entry has one: an unknown year
+  // would sort last and shift the season index while still reporting a resolved match.
+  if (franchise.some((entry) => airYear(entry) === null)) return null;
+
   const ordered = [...franchise].sort((a, b) => {
-    const yearDelta =
-      (airYear(a) ?? Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER) - (airYear(b) ?? Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER);
+    const yearDelta = (airYear(a) ?? 0) - (airYear(b) ?? 0);
     if (yearDelta !== 0) return yearDelta;
     return a.id - b.id;
   });