diff --git a/backend/app/api/artists.py b/backend/app/api/artists.py
index 939fe4f..7b41a6a 100644
--- a/backend/app/api/artists.py
+++ b/backend/app/api/artists.py
@@ -65,6 +65,16 @@ async def autocomplete():
     ])
 
 
+@artists_bp.route("/names", methods=["GET"])
+async def names():
+    """Every artist, id + name + slug, alphabetical. For filter pickers that
+    list artists before anything is typed; `autocomplete` deliberately returns
+    nothing for an empty query."""
+    async with get_session() as session:
+        rows = await ArtistService(session).all_names()
+    return jsonify([{"id": i, "name": n, "slug": s} for i, n, s in rows])
+
+
 @artists_bp.route("/directory", methods=["GET"])
 async def directory():
     """FC-3f: cursor-paginated artists directory.
diff --git a/backend/app/services/artist_service.py b/backend/app/services/artist_service.py
index a4150c8..b7de9dc 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/artist_service.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/artist_service.py
@@ -300,6 +300,18 @@ class ArtistService:
         await self.session.commit()
         return artist
 
+    async def all_names(self) -> list[tuple[int, str, str]]:
+        """Every artist as (id, name, slug), alphabetical.
+
+        For pickers that should show a full list before anything is typed (the
+        Latest feed's artist filter). Three columns and no joins, so it stays
+        cheap on a library of thousands of artists.
+        """
+        rows = (await self.session.execute(
+            select(Artist.id, Artist.name, Artist.slug).order_by(func.lower(Artist.name))
+        )).all()
+        return [(r.id, r.name, r.slug) for r in rows]
+
     async def autocomplete(self, prefix: str, limit: int = 20) -> list[Artist]:
         cleaned = (prefix or "").strip()
         if not cleaned:
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/posts/PostsFilterBar.vue b/frontend/src/components/posts/PostsFilterBar.vue
index d7639b1..92c4884 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/posts/PostsFilterBar.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/posts/PostsFilterBar.vue
@@ -1,21 +1,22 @@
 <template>
   <div class="fc-posts-filters">
+    <!-- The full artist list, filtered client-side as you type. This used to
+         search the server only once something was typed, so opening the
+         dropdown showed an empty menu. -->
     <v-autocomplete
       v-model="artistModel"
       :items="artistOptions"
       :loading="artistLoading"
-      :search="artistQuery"
       item-title="name"
       item-value="id"
       label="Artist"
       density="compact"
       hide-details
       clearable
-      no-filter
       return-object
+      no-data-text="No matching artists"
       class="fc-posts-filters__artist"
-      @update:search="onArtistSearch"
-      @update:model-value="onArtistPicked"
+      @update:model-value="emitFilters"
     />
 
     <v-select
@@ -39,7 +40,8 @@
 
 <script setup>
 import { computed, onMounted, ref, watch } from 'vue'
-import { useSourcesStore } from '../../stores/sources.js'
+
+import { useApi } from '../../composables/useApi.js'
 import { usePlatformsStore } from '../../stores/platforms.js'
 
 const props = defineProps({
@@ -48,18 +50,19 @@ const props = defineProps({
 })
 const emit = defineEmits(['update:filters'])
 
-const sourcesStore = useSourcesStore()
+const api = useApi()
 const platformsStore = usePlatformsStore()
 
-// Artist autocomplete state
-const artistQuery = ref('')
 const artistOptions = ref([])
 const artistLoading = ref(false)
 const artistModel = ref(null)
 
-// Platform v-select state
+// `list`, not `platforms`: the store has never had a `platforms` property, so
+// this read undefined and the dropdown opened empty.
+// test/storeUsage.spec.js now fails on any read of a property the store does
+// not define.
 const platformItems = computed(() =>
-  (platformsStore.platforms || []).map(p => ({ title: p.key, value: p.key }))
+  platformsStore.list.map(p => ({ title: p.name || p.key, value: p.key }))
 )
 const platformModel = ref(props.platform)
 
@@ -67,29 +70,6 @@ const hasFilters = computed(
   () => artistModel.value != null || platformModel.value != null
 )
 
-let _searchTimer = null
-function onArtistSearch(q) {
-  artistQuery.value = q
-  clearTimeout(_searchTimer)
-  if (!q || !q.trim()) {
-    artistOptions.value = artistModel.value ? [artistModel.value] : []
-    return
-  }
-  _searchTimer = setTimeout(async () => {
-    artistLoading.value = true
-    try {
-      const results = await sourcesStore.autocompleteArtist(q, 20)
-      artistOptions.value = results
-    } finally {
-      artistLoading.value = false
-    }
-  }, 200)
-}
-
-function onArtistPicked() {
-  emitFilters()
-}
-
 function emitFilters() {
   emit('update:filters', {
     artist_id: artistModel.value?.id ?? null,
@@ -100,30 +80,38 @@ function emitFilters() {
 function clearAll() {
   artistModel.value = null
   platformModel.value = null
-  artistOptions.value = []
-  artistQuery.value = ''
   emitFilters()
 }
 
-onMounted(async () => {
-  await platformsStore.loadAll()
-  // If a deep-link arrives with an artist_id, hydrate the selected display.
-  if (props.artistId != null) {
-    const seed = { id: props.artistId, name: `Artist #${props.artistId}` }
-    artistModel.value = seed
-    artistOptions.value = [seed]
+// A deep link carries only the id. Once the list is loaded, show the real name
+// rather than a placeholder.
+function selectArtistById(id) {
+  if (id == null) {
+    artistModel.value = null
+    return
   }
+  if (artistModel.value?.id === id) return
+  artistModel.value = artistOptions.value.find(a => a.id === id)
+    || { id, name: `Artist #${id}` }
+}
+
+async function loadArtists() {
+  artistLoading.value = true
+  try {
+    artistOptions.value = await api.get('/api/artists/names')
+  } catch {
+    artistOptions.value = []
+  } finally {
+    artistLoading.value = false
+  }
+}
+
+onMounted(async () => {
+  await Promise.all([platformsStore.loadAll(), loadArtists()])
+  selectArtistById(props.artistId)
 })
 
-watch(() => props.artistId, (val) => {
-  if (val == null) {
-    artistModel.value = null
-  } else if (artistModel.value?.id !== val) {
-    const seed = { id: val, name: `Artist #${val}` }
-    artistModel.value = seed
-    artistOptions.value = [seed]
-  }
-})
+watch(() => props.artistId, (val) => selectArtistById(val))
 
 watch(() => props.platform, (val) => {
   if (platformModel.value !== val) platformModel.value = val || null
diff --git a/frontend/src/views/ArtistsView.vue b/frontend/src/views/ArtistsView.vue
index e03786f..de1c23d 100644
--- a/frontend/src/views/ArtistsView.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/views/ArtistsView.vue
@@ -58,8 +58,9 @@ useInfiniteScroll(sentinelEl, () => {
 
 onMounted(async () => {
   await platformsStore.loadAll()
-  platformItems.value = (platformsStore.platforms || []).map(p => ({
-    title: p.key, value: p.key,
+  // `list` — the store has no `platforms` property (test/storeUsage.spec.js).
+  platformItems.value = platformsStore.list.map(p => ({
+    title: p.name || p.key, value: p.key,
   }))
   // Apply any deep-linked q (and load). setQuery resets + fetches.
   store.setQuery(searchTerm.value || '')
diff --git a/frontend/test/storeUsage.spec.js b/frontend/test/storeUsage.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9fe6972
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/test/storeUsage.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+// Reads of a store property that does not exist.
+//
+// JavaScript returns `undefined` for a missing property instead of failing, and
+// the frontend CI has no type-checker to catch it. `platformsStore.platforms`
+// was read for months by the Latest feed's filter bar and the Artists view. The
+// store exposes `list` and `byKey`, so both platform dropdowns opened empty and
+// only someone clicking them noticed.
+//
+// This scans the source for `platformsStore.<name>` and checks each name
+// against what the store really defines.
+
+import { readdirSync, readFileSync, statSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
+
+import { createPinia, setActivePinia } from 'pinia'
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+
+import { usePlatformsStore } from '../src/stores/platforms.js'
+
+const SRC = fileURLToPath(new URL('../src', import.meta.url))
+const READ = /\bplatformsStore\.([A-Za-z_$][\w$]*)/g
+
+function sourceFiles (dir) {
+  return readdirSync(dir).flatMap((name) => {
+    const path = join(dir, name)
+    if (statSync(path).isDirectory()) return sourceFiles(path)
+    return /\.(vue|js)$/.test(name) ? [path] : []
+  })
+}
+
+function unknownReads (text, known) {
+  return [...text.matchAll(READ)].map(m => m[1]).filter(name => !known.has(name))
+}
+
+function storeKeys () {
+  setActivePinia(createPinia())
+  return new Set(Object.keys(usePlatformsStore()))
+}
+
+describe('platforms store usage', () => {
+  it('every platformsStore.<name> read in src names something the store defines', () => {
+    const known = storeKeys()
+    const offenders = sourceFiles(SRC).flatMap((file) =>
+      unknownReads(readFileSync(file, 'utf8'), known)
+        .map(name => `${file.slice(SRC.length + 1)}: platformsStore.${name}`),
+    )
+    expect(offenders).toEqual([])
+  })
+
+  it('the scan finds the read that shipped broken (positive control)', () => {
+    const known = storeKeys()
+    expect(known.has('list')).toBe(true)
+    expect(unknownReads('(platformsStore.platforms || []).map(p => p)', known))
+      .toEqual(['platforms'])
+  })
+
+  it('the scan actually walks the source tree', () => {
+    const hasRead = /\bplatformsStore\./
+    const withReads = sourceFiles(SRC).filter(f => hasRead.test(readFileSync(f, 'utf8')))
+    expect(withReads.length).toBeGreaterThan(2)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/tests/test_api_artists_create.py b/tests/test_api_artists_create.py
index 5e7750e..55fbd74 100644
--- a/tests/test_api_artists_create.py
+++ b/tests/test_api_artists_create.py
@@ -72,3 +72,16 @@ async def test_patch_rename_validation(client):
         f"/api/artists/{created['id']}", json={})).status_code == 400
     assert (await client.patch(
         "/api/artists/999999", json={"name": "Ghost"})).status_code == 404
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_names_lists_every_artist_alphabetically(client):
+    """The Latest feed's artist filter shows this list before anything is typed.
+    `autocomplete` stays empty for an empty query; this is the full list."""
+    for name in ("zed", "Alice", "bob"):
+        await client.post("/api/artists", json={"name": name})
+    resp = await client.get("/api/artists/names")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    body = await resp.get_json()
+    assert [a["name"] for a in body] == ["Alice", "bob", "zed"]
+    assert set(body[0]) == {"id", "name", "slug"}