diff --git a/backend/app/api/admin.py b/backend/app/api/admin.py
index 9e4b2b2..69d058e 100644
--- a/backend/app/api/admin.py
+++ b/backend/app/api/admin.py
@@ -245,6 +245,32 @@ async def tags_reset_content():
     return jsonify(result)
 
 
+@admin_bp.route("/tags/normalize", methods=["POST"])
+async def tags_normalize():
+    """#714: retro-normalize existing tags to the #701 canonical form (Title
+    Case + collapsed whitespace) and merge case/whitespace-variant duplicates.
+
+    dry_run=true (default) returns a projection inline — group/collision/rename
+    counts + a sample of the changes — so the UI shows exactly what'll happen.
+    dry_run=false dispatches the long-running maintenance task (the merge FK
+    repoints can touch many tags); the UI tails the activity dashboard for the
+    summary. Idempotent; back up first (the merges are irreversible)."""
+    from ..services.tag_service import normalize_existing_tags
+
+    body = await request.get_json(silent=True) or {}
+    dry_run = bool(body.get("dry_run", True))
+
+    if dry_run:
+        async with get_session() as session:
+            result = await normalize_existing_tags(session, dry_run=True)
+        return jsonify(result)
+
+    from ..tasks.admin import normalize_tags_task
+
+    async_result = normalize_tags_task.delay()
+    return jsonify({"task_id": async_result.id, "status": "queued"}), 202
+
+
 @admin_bp.route("/maintenance/db-stats", methods=["GET"])
 async def db_stats():
     """Per-table bloat readout (pg_stat_user_tables) for the high-churn tables
@@ -289,3 +315,14 @@ async def trigger_vacuum():
 
     vacuum_analyze.delay()
     return jsonify({"status": "queued"}), 202
+
+
+@admin_bp.route("/maintenance/reextract-archives", methods=["POST"])
+async def trigger_reextract_archives():
+    """Operator-triggered re-extract (#713): PostAttachments that are actually
+    archives but were filed opaquely (pre magic-byte gate) get extracted and
+    their members linked to the post. Idempotent; runs on the maintenance queue."""
+    from ..tasks.admin import reextract_archive_attachments_task
+
+    async_result = reextract_archive_attachments_task.delay()
+    return jsonify({"task_id": async_result.id, "status": "queued"}), 202
diff --git a/backend/app/api/downloads.py b/backend/app/api/downloads.py
index c3ae536..b3e553c 100644
--- a/backend/app/api/downloads.py
+++ b/backend/app/api/downloads.py
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ def _list_record(event: DownloadEvent, source: Source | None, artist: Artist | N
         "bytes_downloaded": event.bytes_downloaded,
         "error": event.error,
         "summary": _summary_from_metadata(event.metadata_),
+        # plan #709: mid-walk live counts for a RUNNING native-ingester event
+        # (None otherwise; phase 3 overwrites metadata with run_stats on finish).
+        "live": (event.metadata_ or {}).get("live"),
     }
 
 
diff --git a/backend/app/api/tags.py b/backend/app/api/tags.py
index 94bddff..288ade6 100644
--- a/backend/app/api/tags.py
+++ b/backend/app/api/tags.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ from ..services.tag_service import (
     TagMergeConflict,
     TagService,
     TagValidationError,
+    normalize_tag_name,
 )
 from ..utils.tag_prefix import parse_kind_prefix
 
@@ -141,6 +142,11 @@ async def create_tag():
 
     fandom_id = body.get("fandom_id")
 
+    # #701: Title-Case operator-entered tags. Only here (the explicit create
+    # endpoint), NOT in the shared find_or_create — the ML tagger uses that path
+    # and must keep the booru vocabulary's casing for allowlist matching.
+    name = normalize_tag_name(name)
+
     async with get_session() as session:
         svc = TagService(session)
         try:
diff --git a/backend/app/services/archive_extractor.py b/backend/app/services/archive_extractor.py
index 45babef..d6b6566 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/archive_extractor.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/archive_extractor.py
@@ -16,9 +16,45 @@ log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 ARCHIVE_EXTS = {".zip", ".cbz", ".rar", ".7z"}
 
+# Magic-byte signatures, so an archive with a mangled / extension-less filename
+# is still recognised. Patreon attachment download URLs sanitize to names like
+# `01_https___www.patreon.com_media-u_v3_131083093`, whose `Path.suffix` is junk
+# (`.com_media-u_v3_131083093`), never `.zip` — an extension-only gate filed
+# those as opaque PostAttachments and NEVER extracted them (operator-flagged
+# 2026-06-06). Detection is by extension first (cheap), then header sniff.
+_RAR_MAGIC = b"Rar!\x1a\x07"
+_7Z_MAGIC = b"7z\xbc\xaf\x27\x1c"
+
+
+def detect_archive_format(path: Path) -> str | None:
+    """Return "zip" | "rar" | "7z" for an archive, else None.
+
+    Trusts a known extension first, then falls back to magic-byte sniffing so a
+    mis-named or extension-less archive is still handled. (zip covers .cbz too.)
+    """
+    ext = Path(path).suffix.lower()
+    if ext in (".zip", ".cbz"):
+        return "zip"
+    if ext == ".rar":
+        return "rar"
+    if ext == ".7z":
+        return "7z"
+    try:
+        if zipfile.is_zipfile(path):
+            return "zip"
+        with open(path, "rb") as fh:
+            head = fh.read(8)
+    except OSError:
+        return None
+    if head.startswith(_RAR_MAGIC):
+        return "rar"
+    if head.startswith(_7Z_MAGIC):
+        return "7z"
+    return None
+
 
 def is_archive(path: Path) -> bool:
-    return Path(path).suffix.lower() in ARCHIVE_EXTS
+    return detect_archive_format(path) is not None
 
 
 @contextmanager
@@ -32,16 +68,16 @@ def extract_archive(path: Path):
     members: list[tuple[str, Path]] = []
     try:
         try:
-            ext = Path(path).suffix.lower()
-            if ext in (".zip", ".cbz"):
+            fmt = detect_archive_format(path)
+            if fmt == "zip":
                 with zipfile.ZipFile(path) as zf:
                     zf.extractall(base)
-            elif ext == ".rar":
+            elif fmt == "rar":
                 import rarfile
 
                 with rarfile.RarFile(path) as rf:
                     rf.extractall(base)
-            elif ext == ".7z":
+            elif fmt == "7z":
                 import py7zr
 
                 with py7zr.SevenZipFile(path, "r") as zf:
diff --git a/backend/app/services/cleanup_service.py b/backend/app/services/cleanup_service.py
index f4ee687..605c215 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/cleanup_service.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/cleanup_service.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ the one-and-done GS/IR migration tooling.)
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import logging
 from datetime import UTC, datetime, timedelta
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any
@@ -22,6 +23,8 @@ from ..models import Artist, ImageRecord, LibraryAuditRun, Tag
 from ..models.series_page import SeriesPage
 from ..models.tag import image_tag
 
+log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
 
 def project_artist_cascade(session: Session, *, slug: str) -> dict:
     """Read-only projection of what delete_artist_cascade would touch.
@@ -665,3 +668,139 @@ def cancel_audit_run(session: Session, *, audit_id: int) -> None:
         .where(LibraryAuditRun.status == "running")
         .values(status="cancelled", finished_at=datetime.now(UTC))
     )
+
+
+# -- archive-attachment re-extraction (#713 part 2) ------------------------
+
+_ARCHIVE_EXT_FOR_FORMAT = {"zip": ".zip", "rar": ".rar", "7z": ".7z"}
+
+
+def _reextract_archive_to_post(
+    importer, archive_path: Path, post, source_row, artist, images_root: Path,
+) -> list[int]:
+    """Extract one stored archive and link its members to `post`.
+
+    The stored attachment has no adjacent sidecar (it lives in the sha-addressed
+    attachment store). Stage a copy + a reconstructed sidecar UNDER the artist's
+    library dir (`images_root/<slug>/<platform>/<post>/`) — the importer
+    re-derives the artist from the path AND copies members relative to it, so the
+    members land in the real library and resolve to the right artist — then re-run
+    `attach_in_place`: the archive extracts and `find_or_create_post` re-attaches
+    the members to the SAME Post (source_id + external_post_id). Removes only the
+    staged archive + sidecar afterward; the imported member files stay. Returns
+    the new member image ids.
+    """
+    import json
+    import shutil
+
+    from .archive_extractor import detect_archive_format
+
+    fmt = detect_archive_format(archive_path)
+    ext = _ARCHIVE_EXT_FOR_FORMAT.get(fmt or "", ".zip")
+    platform = source_row.platform if source_row is not None else "imported"
+    sidecar = {
+        "category": source_row.platform if source_row is not None
+        else (post.raw_metadata or {}).get("category"),
+        "id": post.external_post_id,
+        "title": post.post_title or "",
+        "content": post.description or "",
+        "published_at": post.post_date.isoformat() if post.post_date else None,
+        "url": post.post_url,
+    }
+    work = images_root / artist.slug / platform / str(post.external_post_id)
+    work.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    staged = work / f"archive{ext}"  # clean ext → is_archive + find_sidecar
+    sidecar_path = staged.with_suffix(".json")
+    try:
+        shutil.copy2(archive_path, staged)
+        sidecar_path.write_text(json.dumps(sidecar))
+        res = importer.attach_in_place(staged, artist=artist, source=source_row)
+        return list(res.member_image_ids or [])
+    finally:
+        # Drop only the staged archive + sidecar; the extracted member files
+        # were copied into the library alongside them and must stay.
+        staged.unlink(missing_ok=True)
+        sidecar_path.unlink(missing_ok=True)
+
+
+def reextract_archive_attachments(session: Session, *, images_root: Path) -> dict:
+    """Re-process existing PostAttachments that are ACTUALLY archives but were
+    filed opaquely before #713 part 1 (extension-only is_archive missed mangled /
+    extension-less Patreon attachment names). For each: extract the members,
+    import them, and link them to the attachment's post.
+
+    Idempotent — members dedupe by sha256, the archive dedupes by sha — so it's
+    safe to run repeatedly. Returns a summary dict for task_run.metadata.
+    """
+    from ..models import ImportSettings, Post, PostAttachment, Source
+    from ..tasks.ml import tag_and_embed
+    from ..tasks.thumbnail import generate_thumbnail
+    from .archive_extractor import is_archive
+    from .importer import Importer
+    from .thumbnailer import Thumbnailer
+
+    summary = {
+        "scanned": 0, "archives": 0, "members_imported": 0,
+        "posts_touched": 0, "skipped_no_post": 0, "skipped_no_artist": 0,
+        "errors": 0,
+    }
+    settings = ImportSettings.load_sync(session)
+    importer = Importer(
+        session=session, images_root=images_root, import_root=images_root,
+        thumbnailer=Thumbnailer(images_root=images_root), settings=settings,
+    )
+
+    attachments = session.execute(
+        select(PostAttachment).order_by(PostAttachment.id)
+    ).scalars().all()
+    enqueue_ids: list[int] = []
+    for att in attachments:
+        summary["scanned"] += 1
+        stored = Path(att.path)
+        try:
+            if not stored.is_file() or not is_archive(stored):
+                continue
+        except OSError:
+            continue
+        summary["archives"] += 1
+        if att.post_id is None:
+            summary["skipped_no_post"] += 1
+            continue
+        post = session.get(Post, att.post_id)
+        if post is None:
+            summary["skipped_no_post"] += 1
+            continue
+        artist = session.get(Artist, att.artist_id) if att.artist_id else None
+        if artist is None and post.artist_id:
+            artist = session.get(Artist, post.artist_id)
+        if artist is None or not artist.slug:
+            # The importer re-derives the artist from the staged path, so we need
+            # a real artist+slug to anchor under. (Shouldn't happen for
+            # subscription posts; skip rather than orphan the members.)
+            summary["skipped_no_artist"] += 1
+            continue
+        source_row = session.get(Source, post.source_id) if post.source_id else None
+        try:
+            ids = _reextract_archive_to_post(
+                importer, stored, post, source_row, artist, images_root,
+            )
+            session.commit()
+        except Exception as exc:  # one bad archive must not strand the rest
+            session.rollback()
+            summary["errors"] += 1
+            log.warning("re-extract failed for attachment %s: %s", att.id, exc)
+            continue
+        if ids:
+            summary["members_imported"] += len(ids)
+            summary["posts_touched"] += 1
+            enqueue_ids.extend(ids)
+
+    # Thumbnails + ML for the newly-imported members (best-effort; off the
+    # critical path — a Redis hiccup must not fail the whole re-extract).
+    for img_id in enqueue_ids:
+        try:
+            generate_thumbnail.delay(img_id)
+            tag_and_embed.delay(img_id)
+        except Exception as exc:
+            log.warning("re-extract enqueue failed for image %s: %s", img_id, exc)
+    return summary
diff --git a/backend/app/services/download_backends.py b/backend/app/services/download_backends.py
index 02095f8..082b92b 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/download_backends.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/download_backends.py
@@ -139,6 +139,8 @@ async def _run_native_ingester(
             resume_cursor=source_config.resume_cursor,
             time_budget_seconds=source_config.timeout,
             posts_base=int(overrides.get("_backfill_posts", 0)),
+            # plan #709: live progress writes to this running event mid-walk.
+            event_id=ctx.get("event_id"),
         ),
     )
     return dl_result, resolved_campaign_id
diff --git a/backend/app/services/ingest_core.py b/backend/app/services/ingest_core.py
index 2b5286c..210a801 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/ingest_core.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/ingest_core.py
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ Plain-HTTP homelab: no secure-context Web API.
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import json
 import logging
 import time
 from collections.abc import Callable
@@ -48,6 +49,12 @@ DEAD_LETTER_THRESHOLD = 3
 # last_error is Text but bound it so a giant traceback doesn't bloat the row.
 _ERROR_MAX = 1000
 
+# plan #709: throttle the live-progress write to the running DownloadEvent to one
+# every ~5s — a steady cadence for the Downloads view regardless of how big/slow a
+# page is (page boundaries can be minutes apart on image-dense backfills, so a
+# page-tied update would lurch). Trivial churn (~one single-row UPDATE / 5s).
+_LIVE_PROGRESS_INTERVAL = 5.0
+
 
 class Ingester:
     """Generic native-ingest orchestration. Subclass with a platform adapter
@@ -92,6 +99,7 @@ class Ingester:
         time_budget_seconds: float = 870.0,
         seen_threshold: int = _TICK_SEEN_THRESHOLD,
         posts_base: int = 0,
+        event_id: int | None = None,
     ) -> DownloadResult:
         """Walk + download for one source, returning a gallery-dl-shaped result.
 
@@ -109,6 +117,7 @@ class Ingester:
         checkpoint = mode in ("backfill", "recovery")
         ledger_key = self._ledger_key
         start = time.monotonic()
+        last_live = start  # plan #709: last live-progress write timestamp
         log_lines: list[str] = []
         written: list[str] = []
         quarantined_paths: list[str] = []
@@ -288,6 +297,19 @@ class Ingester:
                 if to_fail:
                     self._record_failures(source_id, to_fail)
 
+                # plan #709: time-throttled live progress to the running event so
+                # the Downloads view ticks ~every 5s, independent of page size.
+                now = time.monotonic()
+                if event_id is not None and (now - last_live) >= _LIVE_PROGRESS_INTERVAL:
+                    last_live = now
+                    self._write_live_progress(event_id, {
+                        "downloaded": downloaded,
+                        "skipped": skipped_count,
+                        "errors": errors,
+                        "quarantined": quarantined,
+                        "posts": posts_processed,
+                    })
+
                 if early_out:
                     break
             else:
@@ -474,6 +496,25 @@ class Ingester:
             )
             session.commit()
 
+    def _write_live_progress(self, event_id: int, counts: dict) -> None:
+        """Throttled mid-walk write of live counts to the RUNNING download_event
+        (plan #709) so the Downloads view shows progress before the chunk
+        finishes. A short session (never held across the walk); the `status =
+        'running'` guard avoids clobbering an event phase 3 already finalized.
+        `metadata` is JSONB — jsonb_set sets just the `live` key, leaving the rest
+        for phase 3 to overwrite with the final run_stats."""
+        with self.session_factory() as session:
+            session.execute(
+                text(
+                    "UPDATE download_event SET metadata = jsonb_set("
+                    "  coalesce(metadata, '{}'::jsonb), '{live}',"
+                    "  cast(:live AS jsonb)) "
+                    "WHERE id = :eid AND status = 'running'"
+                ),
+                {"live": json.dumps(counts), "eid": event_id},
+            )
+            session.commit()
+
     def _still_running(self, source_id: int) -> bool:
         """True while the source is armed for a deep walk (plan #708 B4).
 
diff --git a/backend/app/services/showcase_service.py b/backend/app/services/showcase_service.py
index f34051b..e60870c 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/showcase_service.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/showcase_service.py
@@ -20,11 +20,20 @@ class ShowcaseService:
     async def random_sample(self, limit: int = 60) -> list[dict]:
         if limit < 1 or limit > 200:
             raise ValueError("limit must be between 1 and 200")
+        # Over-sample then random-order (#699): SYSTEM_ROWS reads CONTIGUOUS rows
+        # from each sampled page, so sequentially-imported near-duplicates
+        # (multi-image posts, variant sets) come back adjacent and cluster in the
+        # showcase ("three near-identical in a row"). Sampling a multiple of
+        # `limit` spans more pages, and ORDER BY random() before taking `limit`
+        # breaks the physical adjacency — far better spread, still cheap
+        # (random() over a few hundred rows, not the whole table).
+        oversample = min(limit * 5, 1000)
         stmt = select(ImageRecord).from_statement(
             text(
-                "SELECT * FROM image_record "
-                "TABLESAMPLE SYSTEM_ROWS(:n)"
-            ).bindparams(n=limit)
+                "SELECT * FROM ("
+                "  SELECT * FROM image_record TABLESAMPLE SYSTEM_ROWS(:o)"
+                ") sub ORDER BY random() LIMIT :n"
+            ).bindparams(o=oversample, n=limit)
         )
         rows = (await self.session.execute(stmt)).scalars().all()
         return [
diff --git a/backend/app/services/tag_service.py b/backend/app/services/tag_service.py
index 9f7a0e6..60ffddd 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/tag_service.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/tag_service.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 """Tag CRUD + autocomplete + image-tag association."""
 
+import logging
 from collections.abc import Sequence
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 
@@ -12,6 +13,21 @@ from ..models import Tag, TagKind, image_tag
 from ..models.tag_allowlist import TagAllowlist
 from ..models.tag_reference_embedding import TagReferenceEmbedding
 
+log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+def normalize_tag_name(name: str) -> str:
+    """Canonical tag form (#701): collapse whitespace + Title Case.
+
+    Per-word capitalize (NOT str.title(), which mangles apostrophes:
+    don't → Don'T). Lowercasing the word tail also folds ALL-CAPS input
+    (HATSUNE MIKU → Hatsune Miku); acronym casing is sacrificed, an accepted
+    Title-Case trade-off (operator-chosen 2026-06-06).
+    """
+    return " ".join(
+        w[:1].upper() + w[1:].lower() for w in (name or "").split()
+    )
+
 
 class TagValidationError(ValueError):
     """Raised when tag construction breaks the kind/fandom rules."""
@@ -71,6 +87,10 @@ class TagService:
         - if fandom_id is set, the referenced tag must exist and have
           kind == TagKind.fandom
         """
+        # NOTE: case is NOT normalized here — find_or_create is the shared path
+        # the ML tagger / allowlist also use, and Title-Casing the booru
+        # vocabulary breaks allowlist matching. Display-casing (Title Case) is
+        # applied at the user-entry layer (api/tags create_tag) only (#701).
         name = name.strip()
         if not name:
             raise TagValidationError("Tag name cannot be empty")
@@ -93,13 +113,17 @@ class TagService:
         # inserts; without the savepoint the outer transaction would
         # poison and the calling request crashes. Mirrors
         # importer._get_or_create.
+        # Case-insensitive match (#701): a normalized (Title Case) input must
+        # find an existing differently-cased tag instead of forking a duplicate.
         stmt = (
             select(Tag)
-            .where(Tag.name == name)
+            .where(func.lower(Tag.name) == name.lower())
             .where(Tag.kind == kind)
             .where(
                 Tag.fandom_id.is_(None) if fandom_id is None else Tag.fandom_id == fandom_id
             )
+            .order_by(Tag.id)
+            .limit(1)
         )
         existing = (await self.session.execute(stmt)).scalar_one_or_none()
         if existing:
@@ -249,9 +273,11 @@ class TagService:
         if tag is None:
             raise TagValidationError(f"Tag {tag_id} not found")
 
+        # Case-insensitive clash (#701) — renaming onto a differently-cased tag
+        # is still a merge, not a silent fork.
         clash_stmt = (
             select(Tag)
-            .where(Tag.name == new_name)
+            .where(func.lower(Tag.name) == new_name.lower())
             .where(Tag.kind == tag.kind)
             .where(
                 Tag.fandom_id.is_(None)
@@ -259,6 +285,8 @@ class TagService:
                 else Tag.fandom_id == tag.fandom_id
             )
             .where(Tag.id != tag_id)
+            .order_by(Tag.id)
+            .limit(1)
         )
         clash = (await self.session.execute(clash_stmt)).scalar_one_or_none()
         if clash is not None:
@@ -501,6 +529,21 @@ class TagService:
             update(Tag).where(Tag.fandom_id == src).values(fandom_id=tgt)
         )
 
+    async def _image_assoc_counts(self, tag_ids: list[int]) -> dict[int, int]:
+        """image_tag row counts keyed by tag_id, for the survivor heuristic
+        (the best-connected tag in a collision group survives → fewest
+        FK repoints). Tags with zero associations are absent from the map."""
+        if not tag_ids:
+            return {}
+        rows = (
+            await self.session.execute(
+                select(image_tag.c.tag_id, func.count())
+                .where(image_tag.c.tag_id.in_(tag_ids))
+                .group_by(image_tag.c.tag_id)
+            )
+        ).all()
+        return {tid: int(n) for tid, n in rows}
+
     async def _create_protective_aliases(
         self, src_name: str, src_kind: TagKind, tgt: int
     ) -> bool:
@@ -548,3 +591,161 @@ class TagService:
             if res.rowcount:
                 created = True
         return created
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# #714: retro-normalize existing tags to the #701 canonical (Title Case +
+# collapsed whitespace) and merge case/whitespace-variant duplicates.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+_NORMALIZE_SAMPLE_CAP = 50
+
+
+def _group_existing_tags(
+    rows,
+) -> dict[tuple, list[tuple[int, str]]]:
+    """Group (id, name, kind, fandom_id) rows by their post-normalization
+    identity: (kind, COALESCE(fandom_id, -1), canonical_name). Every tag that
+    would collapse to the same canonical lives in ONE group, so the canonical
+    form is unique within (kind, fandom) once each group is resolved."""
+    groups: dict[tuple, list[tuple[int, str]]] = {}
+    for tag_id, name, kind, fandom_id in rows:
+        canonical = normalize_tag_name(name)
+        key = (kind, fandom_id if fandom_id is not None else -1, canonical)
+        groups.setdefault(key, []).append((tag_id, name))
+    return groups
+
+
+def _group_needs_change(canonical: str, members: list[tuple[int, str]]) -> bool:
+    """A group is already canonical iff it's a single member whose name equals
+    the canonical form. Anything else (a collision, or a lone mis-cased tag)
+    needs work."""
+    if len(members) > 1:
+        return True
+    return members[0][1] != canonical
+
+
+def _best_connected(tag_ids: list[int], counts: dict[int, int]) -> int:
+    """The tag with the most image associations (→ fewest FK repoints when it
+    survives), tie-broken to the lowest id for determinism. Module-level so the
+    key closes over its parameter, not a loop variable (ruff B023)."""
+    return max(tag_ids, key=lambda tid: (counts.get(tid, 0), -tid))
+
+
+async def normalize_existing_tags(
+    session: AsyncSession, *, dry_run: bool = False
+) -> dict:
+    """Convert the back-catalog to the #701 canonical tag form.
+
+    For each (kind, fandom, canonical) group: pick a survivor, merge any
+    case/whitespace-variant siblings INTO it via the tested merge path
+    (TagService._do_merge — FK repoints + protective aliases), then rename the
+    survivor to the canonical form. Idempotent: a group that is already a lone
+    canonical tag is a no-op, so re-running is safe.
+
+    dry_run=True returns a projection (counts + a sample of the changes) with no
+    mutations. Live runs commit per group and isolate failures per group so one
+    bad group can't strand the rest.
+
+    Returns (dry_run):
+      {"groups": N, "collisions": M, "tags_to_merge": K, "tags_to_rename": R,
+       "total_changes": T, "sample": [{"to", "from": [...], "kind", "merge"}]}
+    Returns (live):
+      {"groups_processed", "merged", "renamed", "aliases_created", "errors",
+       "sample": [...]}
+    """
+    rows = (
+        await session.execute(
+            select(Tag.id, Tag.name, Tag.kind, Tag.fandom_id)
+        )
+    ).all()
+    groups = _group_existing_tags(rows)
+
+    # Deterministic sample/ordering: by kind then canonical name.
+    touched = sorted(
+        (
+            (key, members)
+            for key, members in groups.items()
+            if _group_needs_change(key[2], members)
+        ),
+        key=lambda km: (
+            km[0][0].value if hasattr(km[0][0], "value") else str(km[0][0]),
+            km[0][2].lower(),
+        ),
+    )
+
+    sample = [
+        {
+            "to": key[2],
+            "from": [name for _id, name in members],
+            "kind": key[0].value if hasattr(key[0], "value") else str(key[0]),
+            "merge": len(members) > 1,
+        }
+        for key, members in touched[:_NORMALIZE_SAMPLE_CAP]
+    ]
+
+    if dry_run:
+        collisions = sum(1 for key, m in touched if len(m) > 1)
+        tags_to_merge = sum(len(m) - 1 for key, m in touched if len(m) > 1)
+        # A group renames iff the canonical form isn't already one of its
+        # members' exact names (else that member is picked as survivor → no
+        # rename, the rest merge into it).
+        tags_to_rename = sum(
+            1
+            for key, m in touched
+            if key[2] not in {name for _id, name in m}
+        )
+        return {
+            "groups": len(groups),
+            "collisions": collisions,
+            "tags_to_merge": tags_to_merge,
+            "tags_to_rename": tags_to_rename,
+            "total_changes": len(touched),
+            "sample": sample,
+        }
+
+    svc = TagService(session)
+    summary = {
+        "groups_processed": 0,
+        "merged": 0,
+        "renamed": 0,
+        "aliases_created": 0,
+        "errors": 0,
+        "sample": sample,
+    }
+    for key, members in touched:
+        canonical = key[2]
+        names_by_id = dict(members)
+        # Survivor: prefer a member already named canonically (no rename, no
+        # self-alias); else the best-connected (fewest FK repoints); else
+        # lowest id for determinism.
+        survivor_id = next(
+            (tid for tid, name in members if name == canonical), None
+        )
+        if survivor_id is None:
+            counts = await svc._image_assoc_counts(list(names_by_id))
+            survivor_id = _best_connected(list(names_by_id), counts)
+        loser_ids = [tid for tid in names_by_id if tid != survivor_id]
+        try:
+            survivor = await session.get(Tag, survivor_id)
+            for loser_id in loser_ids:
+                loser = await session.get(Tag, loser_id)
+                if loser is None:
+                    continue
+                result = await svc._do_merge(loser, survivor)
+                if result.alias_created:
+                    summary["aliases_created"] += 1
+            if survivor.name != canonical:
+                survivor.name = canonical
+                await session.flush()
+                summary["renamed"] += 1
+            await session.commit()
+            summary["groups_processed"] += 1
+            summary["merged"] += len(loser_ids)
+        except Exception as exc:  # one bad group must not strand the rest
+            await session.rollback()
+            summary["errors"] += 1
+            log.warning(
+                "tag normalize failed for group %r: %s", canonical, exc
+            )
+    return summary
diff --git a/backend/app/tasks/admin.py b/backend/app/tasks/admin.py
index fec90c8..f115387 100644
--- a/backend/app/tasks/admin.py
+++ b/backend/app/tasks/admin.py
@@ -55,3 +55,50 @@ def bulk_delete_images_task(self, *, image_ids: list[int]) -> dict:
         return cleanup_service.delete_images(
             session, image_ids=image_ids, images_root=IMAGES_ROOT,
         )
+
+
+@celery.task(
+    name="backend.app.tasks.admin.reextract_archive_attachments_task",
+    bind=True,
+    autoretry_for=(OperationalError, DBAPIError),
+    retry_backoff=15, retry_backoff_max=180, max_retries=1,
+    soft_time_limit=1800, time_limit=2400,  # 30 min / 40 min
+)
+def reextract_archive_attachments_task(self) -> dict:
+    """Wraps cleanup_service.reextract_archive_attachments (#713 part 2):
+    re-extract PostAttachments that are actually archives but were filed
+    opaquely before the magic-byte gate, and link their members to the post."""
+    SessionLocal = _sync_session_factory()
+    with SessionLocal() as session:
+        return cleanup_service.reextract_archive_attachments(
+            session, images_root=IMAGES_ROOT,
+        )
+
+
+@celery.task(
+    name="backend.app.tasks.admin.normalize_tags_task",
+    bind=True,
+    autoretry_for=(OperationalError, DBAPIError),
+    retry_backoff=15, retry_backoff_max=180, max_retries=1,
+    soft_time_limit=1800, time_limit=2400,  # 30 min / 40 min
+)
+def normalize_tags_task(self) -> dict:
+    """Wraps tag_service.normalize_existing_tags (#714): Title-Case the
+    back-catalog and merge case/whitespace-variant duplicate tags via the
+    tested async merge path. Runs under its own asyncio loop + per-task async
+    engine (NullPool, disposed when the loop ends), mirroring download_source."""
+    import asyncio
+
+    from ..services.tag_service import normalize_existing_tags
+    from ._async_session import async_session_factory
+
+    async def _run() -> dict:
+        async_factory, async_engine = async_session_factory()
+        try:
+            async with async_factory() as session:
+                # normalize_existing_tags commits per group internally.
+                return await normalize_existing_tags(session, dry_run=False)
+        finally:
+            await async_engine.dispose()
+
+    return asyncio.run(_run())
diff --git a/backend/app/utils/safe_probe.py b/backend/app/utils/safe_probe.py
index d8e5360..beb0bc1 100644
--- a/backend/app/utils/safe_probe.py
+++ b/backend/app/utils/safe_probe.py
@@ -149,9 +149,8 @@ def _run_probe(path_str: str) -> tuple[str, str | None]:
     call the same code path.
     """
     path = Path(path_str)
-    ext = path.suffix.lower()
     try:
-        total, test_bad = _inspect_archive(path, ext)
+        total, test_bad = _inspect_archive(path)
     except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001 — clean rejection
         return ("error", f"{type(exc).__name__}: {exc}")
     if total is not None and total > MAX_ARCHIVE_UNCOMPRESSED_BYTES:
@@ -162,24 +161,29 @@ def _run_probe(path_str: str) -> tuple[str, str | None]:
     return ("ok", None)
 
 
-def _inspect_archive(path: Path, ext: str):
+def _inspect_archive(path: Path):
     """Return (total_uncompressed_bytes | None, first_bad_member | None)
-    for the archive. Format-specific; raises on a structurally-broken
-    container (caught by the child as a clean rejection)."""
-    if ext in (".zip", ".cbz"):
+    for the archive. Format detected by extension OR magic bytes (so a
+    mis-named archive is still bomb-guarded + integrity-tested, matching the
+    extractor's gate); raises on a structurally-broken container (caught by the
+    child as a clean rejection)."""
+    from ..services.archive_extractor import detect_archive_format
+
+    fmt = detect_archive_format(path)
+    if fmt == "zip":
         import zipfile
 
         with zipfile.ZipFile(path) as zf:
             total = sum(zi.file_size for zi in zf.infolist())
             return total, zf.testzip()
-    if ext == ".rar":
+    if fmt == "rar":
         import rarfile
 
         with rarfile.RarFile(path) as rf:
             total = sum(getattr(ri, "file_size", 0) for ri in rf.infolist())
             rf.testrar()
             return total, None
-    if ext == ".7z":
+    if fmt == "7z":
         import py7zr
 
         with py7zr.SevenZipFile(path, "r") as zf:
@@ -187,5 +191,5 @@ def _inspect_archive(path: Path, ext: str):
             total = getattr(info, "uncompressed", None)
             ok = zf.test()  # True / None when all members pass
             return total, (None if ok in (True, None) else "7z test reported corruption")
-    # Unknown extension — nothing to test; treat as clean.
+    # Not a recognised archive — nothing to test; treat as clean.
     return None, None
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/discovery/ArtistCard.vue b/frontend/src/components/discovery/ArtistCard.vue
index dc2f5ae..813aeda 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/discovery/ArtistCard.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/discovery/ArtistCard.vue
@@ -49,9 +49,11 @@ function onCardClick() {
   position: relative;
   display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
   gap: 2px; aspect-ratio: 3 / 1;
-  /* Explicit floor + ceiling so tall source images can't escape the
-     preview slot even on browsers where aspect-ratio doesn't compute. */
-  min-height: 150px; max-height: 220px;
+  /* Floor so tall source images can't escape the slot. NO max-height: an
+     aspect-ratio box capped by max-height shrinks its own WIDTH to keep the
+     ratio, leaving dead space beside the previews on a wide (single-column)
+     card. The grid below keeps columns ≲400px so the strip stays a sane height. */
+  min-height: 120px;
   overflow: hidden;
   background: rgb(var(--v-theme-surface-light));
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomPicker.vue b/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomPicker.vue
index e9ed4a8..d412b6c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomPicker.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomPicker.vue
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@ const store = useTagStore()
 const selectedId = ref(null)
 const newName = ref('')
 
-onMounted(() => { if (store.fandomCache.length === 0) store.loadFandoms() })
+// Always refresh on open so the list reflects fandoms created elsewhere (#712).
+onMounted(() => store.loadFandoms())
 
 async function onCreate() {
   const f = await store.createFandom(newName.value.trim())
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomSetDialog.vue b/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomSetDialog.vue
index 4706d59..07f38da 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomSetDialog.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/modal/FandomSetDialog.vue
@@ -84,7 +84,8 @@ const busy = ref(false)
 const error = ref(null)
 const collision = ref(null)
 
-onMounted(() => { if (store.fandomCache.length === 0) store.loadFandoms() })
+// Always refresh on open so the list reflects fandoms created elsewhere (#712).
+onMounted(() => store.loadFandoms())
 
 async function onCreate() {
   const name = newName.value.trim()
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/modal/ImageViewer.vue b/frontend/src/components/modal/ImageViewer.vue
index 5bf9c79..53e17be 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/modal/ImageViewer.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/modal/ImageViewer.vue
@@ -106,7 +106,11 @@ function onKeyDown(ev) {
     // overlay's own Esc handling fire instead of closing the whole
     // modal mid-interaction. Vuetify marks open overlays with
     // `.v-overlay--active`.
-    if (document.querySelector('.v-overlay--active')) return
+    // EXCLUDE tooltips (`.v-tooltip`): they're also `.v-overlay--active` while
+    // shown, so one lingering after a hover/click (e.g. just after accepting a
+    // suggested tag) wrongly suppressed the close (#700). Only real interactive
+    // overlays (menus/dialogs) should keep ESC from closing the modal.
+    if (document.querySelector('.v-overlay--active:not(.v-tooltip)')) return
     ev.preventDefault()
     emit('close')
   } else if (ev.key === 'ArrowLeft') {
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/modal/TagPanel.vue b/frontend/src/components/modal/TagPanel.vue
index 319b0b9..4123c18 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/modal/TagPanel.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/modal/TagPanel.vue
@@ -2,45 +2,43 @@
   <aside class="fc-tag-panel" aria-label="Tags for this image">
     <h3 class="fc-tag-panel__title">Tags</h3>
     <div class="fc-tag-panel__chips">
-      <v-chip
+      <!-- #711: the kebab + its menu used to be NESTED inside the v-chip, which
+           swallowed/mis-routed the click and mis-anchored the (teleported) menu
+           so it never opened. Render the kebab as a SIBLING of the chip and use
+           the standard v-menu activator slot — Vuetify wires the click and
+           stacks the overlay above the modal natively. -->
+      <span
         v-for="tag in modal.current?.tags || []"
-        :key="tag.id" size="small" closable
-        :color="store.colorFor(tag.kind)" variant="tonal"
-        @click:close="onRemove(tag.id)"
+        :key="tag.id" class="fc-tag-panel__chip"
       >
-        <v-icon start size="x-small">{{ iconFor(tag.kind) }}</v-icon>
-        {{ tag.name }}<span v-if="tag.fandom_id">→</span>
-        <!-- Operator-flagged 2026-06-04: the `#activator` + `v-bind` menu
-             never opened inside this teleported modal. Drive it explicitly
-             instead (same mechanism as the dialogs below, which work): the
-             icon toggles `openTagId` with @click.stop (shielding the chip's
-             close button), and `activator="parent"` + `:open-on-click=false`
-             anchors the menu for positioning only. One tag's menu open at a
-             time, so a single id is enough. -->
-        <span class="kebab-wrap">
-          <v-icon
-            size="x-small" class="ml-1 kebab-icon"
-            icon="mdi-dots-vertical"
-            @click.stop="openTagId = openTagId === tag.id ? null : tag.id"
-          />
-          <v-menu
-            :model-value="openTagId === tag.id"
-            activator="parent" :open-on-click="false"
-            @update:model-value="v => { if (!v) openTagId = null }"
-          >
-            <v-list density="compact">
-              <v-list-item @click="openRename(tag)">
-                <v-list-item-title>Rename…</v-list-item-title>
-              </v-list-item>
-              <v-list-item
-                v-if="tag.kind === 'character'" @click="openSetFandom(tag)"
-              >
-                <v-list-item-title>Set fandom…</v-list-item-title>
-              </v-list-item>
-            </v-list>
-          </v-menu>
-        </span>
-      </v-chip>
+        <v-chip
+          size="small" closable
+          :color="store.colorFor(tag.kind)" variant="tonal"
+          @click:close="onRemove(tag.id)"
+        >
+          <v-icon start size="x-small">{{ iconFor(tag.kind) }}</v-icon>
+          {{ tag.name }}<span v-if="tag.fandom_id">→</span>
+        </v-chip>
+        <v-menu location="bottom end">
+          <template #activator="{ props }">
+            <v-btn
+              v-bind="props" icon="mdi-dots-vertical" size="x-small"
+              variant="text" density="comfortable"
+              class="fc-tag-panel__kebab" @click.stop
+            />
+          </template>
+          <v-list density="compact">
+            <v-list-item @click="openRename(tag)">
+              <v-list-item-title>Rename…</v-list-item-title>
+            </v-list-item>
+            <v-list-item
+              v-if="tag.kind === 'character'" @click="openSetFandom(tag)"
+            >
+              <v-list-item-title>Set fandom…</v-list-item-title>
+            </v-list-item>
+          </v-list>
+        </v-menu>
+      </span>
       <span v-if="!modal.current?.tags?.length" class="text-caption">No tags yet.</span>
     </div>
 
@@ -88,9 +86,6 @@ import FandomSetDialog from './FandomSetDialog.vue'
 const modal = useModalStore()
 const store = useTagStore()
 const errorMsg = ref(null)
-// Which tag chip's kebab menu is open (only one at a time). Drives each
-// chip menu's v-model so opening never depends on Vuetify's activator click.
-const openTagId = ref(null)
 
 const KIND_ICONS = {
   general: 'mdi-tag', character: 'mdi-account-circle',
@@ -153,6 +148,7 @@ async function onFandomUpdated() {
   margin-bottom: 12px;
 }
 .fc-tag-panel__chips { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 6px; }
-.kebab-wrap { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; }
-.kebab-icon { cursor: pointer; }
+.fc-tag-panel__chip { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 1px; }
+.fc-tag-panel__kebab { opacity: 0.7; }
+.fc-tag-panel__chip:hover .fc-tag-panel__kebab { opacity: 1; }
 </style>
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/settings/ArchiveReextractCard.vue b/frontend/src/components/settings/ArchiveReextractCard.vue
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5f612cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/components/settings/ArchiveReextractCard.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+<template>
+  <!-- #713: re-extract PostAttachments that are really archives but were filed
+       opaquely before the magic-byte gate, and attach their images to the post. -->
+  <v-card>
+    <v-card-title>Re-extract archive attachments</v-card-title>
+    <v-card-text>
+      <p class="text-body-2 mb-3">
+        Some posts attached an archive (zip) whose images weren't extracted
+        because the downloaded file had no usable extension. This scans existing
+        attachments, extracts any that are really archives, and attaches their
+        images to the post. Idempotent — safe to run more than once.
+      </p>
+      <v-btn color="primary" rounded="pill" :loading="busy" @click="run">
+        <v-icon start>mdi-folder-zip-outline</v-icon> Re-extract archives now
+      </v-btn>
+      <span v-if="queued" class="ml-3 text-caption text-success">Queued ✓</span>
+      <QueueStatusBar queue="maintenance" queue-label="Maintenance" />
+    </v-card-text>
+  </v-card>
+</template>
+
+<script setup>
+import { ref } from 'vue'
+
+import { useApi } from '../../composables/useApi.js'
+import { toast } from '../../utils/toast.js'
+import QueueStatusBar from './QueueStatusBar.vue'
+
+const api = useApi()
+const busy = ref(false)
+const queued = ref(false)
+
+async function run () {
+  busy.value = true
+  queued.value = false
+  try {
+    await api.post('/api/admin/maintenance/reextract-archives')
+    queued.value = true
+    toast({ text: 'Archive re-extract queued', type: 'success' })
+  } catch (e) {
+    toast({ text: e?.body?.detail || e?.message || 'Failed to queue', type: 'error' })
+  } finally {
+    busy.value = false
+  }
+}
+</script>
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/settings/MaintenancePanel.vue b/frontend/src/components/settings/MaintenancePanel.vue
index f550c77..76b85c5 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/settings/MaintenancePanel.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/settings/MaintenancePanel.vue
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
     <AllowlistTable class="mt-4" />
     <AliasTable class="mt-4" />
     <DbMaintenanceCard class="mt-6" />
+    <ArchiveReextractCard class="mt-6" />
     <BackupCard class="mt-6" />
     <!-- TagMaintenanceCard moved to Cleanup tab (v26.05.25.7) — it
          operates on the existing library which fits the Cleanup-tab
@@ -33,6 +34,7 @@ import MLThresholdSliders from './MLThresholdSliders.vue'
 import AllowlistTable from './AllowlistTable.vue'
 import AliasTable from './AliasTable.vue'
 import DbMaintenanceCard from './DbMaintenanceCard.vue'
+import ArchiveReextractCard from './ArchiveReextractCard.vue'
 import BackupCard from './BackupCard.vue'
 import { useSystemActivityStore } from '../../stores/systemActivity.js'
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/settings/TagMaintenanceCard.vue b/frontend/src/components/settings/TagMaintenanceCard.vue
index db8fc73..2232074 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/settings/TagMaintenanceCard.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/settings/TagMaintenanceCard.vue
@@ -136,6 +136,64 @@
         >Delete {{ resetPreview.count }} content tag(s) +
           {{ resetPreview.applications }} application(s)</v-btn>
       </div>
+
+      <v-divider class="my-5" />
+
+      <!-- #714: standardize existing tags to the canonical Title-Case form
+           and merge case/whitespace-variant duplicates. -->
+      <p class="text-body-2 mb-2">
+        <strong>Standardize tag casing.</strong>
+        New tags are saved Title Case, but older tags keep whatever casing they
+        were created with. This renames every existing tag to
+        <code>Title Case</code> (collapsing extra spaces) and
+        <strong>merges</strong> tags that differ only by case or spacing
+        (e.g. <code>hatsune miku</code> + <code>Hatsune&nbsp;&nbsp;Miku</code>)
+        into one — repointing their images, allowlist entries and series pages.
+      </p>
+      <v-alert type="warning" variant="tonal" density="compact" class="mb-3">
+        The merges are irreversible — back up first
+        (Settings → Maintenance → Backup). Safe to run more than once.
+      </v-alert>
+
+      <v-btn
+        color="accent" variant="flat" rounded="pill"
+        prepend-icon="mdi-magnify"
+        :loading="loadingNormPreview"
+        class="mb-3"
+        @click="onNormPreview"
+      >Preview tag standardization</v-btn>
+
+      <div v-if="normPreview">
+        <p class="text-body-2 mb-2">
+          <strong>{{ normPreview.total_changes }}</strong> tag group(s) to
+          change — <strong>{{ normPreview.tags_to_rename }}</strong> rename(s),
+          <strong>{{ normPreview.collisions }}</strong> collision(s) merging
+          <strong>{{ normPreview.tags_to_merge }}</strong> tag(s) away.
+        </p>
+        <div v-if="normPreview.sample?.length" class="fc-name-grid mb-3">
+          <span
+            v-for="s in normPreview.sample" :key="s.to + s.kind"
+            class="fc-name"
+          >
+            <template v-if="s.merge">{{ s.from.join(' + ') }} → </template>{{ s.to }}
+          </span>
+        </div>
+        <v-btn
+          color="error" variant="flat" rounded="pill"
+          prepend-icon="mdi-format-letter-case"
+          :disabled="!normPreview.total_changes"
+          :loading="normCommitting"
+          @click="onNormCommit"
+        >Standardize {{ normPreview.total_changes }} tag group(s)</v-btn>
+        <span
+          v-if="normResult"
+          class="ml-3 text-caption"
+          :class="normResult === 'ok' ? 'text-success' : 'text-warning'"
+        >
+          <template v-if="normResult === 'ok'">Standardization complete ✓</template>
+          <template v-else>Finished with status: {{ normResult }}</template>
+        </span>
+      </div>
     </v-card-text>
   </v-card>
 </template>
@@ -155,6 +213,10 @@ const kindCommitting = ref(false)
 const resetPreview = ref(null)
 const loadingResetPreview = ref(false)
 const resetCommitting = ref(false)
+const normPreview = ref(null)
+const loadingNormPreview = ref(false)
+const normCommitting = ref(false)
+const normResult = ref(null)
 
 async function onPreview() {
   loadingPreview.value = true
@@ -212,6 +274,33 @@ async function onResetCommit() {
     resetCommitting.value = false
   }
 }
+
+async function onNormPreview() {
+  loadingNormPreview.value = true
+  normResult.value = null
+  try {
+    normPreview.value = await store.normalizeTags({ dryRun: true })
+  } finally {
+    loadingNormPreview.value = false
+  }
+}
+
+async function onNormCommit() {
+  normCommitting.value = true
+  normResult.value = null
+  try {
+    // Long op (FK repoints): enqueue the maintenance task, then tail the
+    // activity dashboard until its row reaches a terminal status. (The
+    // per-run summary dict isn't exposed by /activity/runs, so we surface
+    // the terminal status — the dry-run preview is the detailed view.)
+    const { task_id: taskId } = await store.normalizeTags({ dryRun: false })
+    const row = await store.pollTaskUntilDone(taskId)
+    normResult.value = row?.status || 'ok'
+    normPreview.value = { total_changes: 0, tags_to_rename: 0, collisions: 0, tags_to_merge: 0, sample: [] }
+  } finally {
+    normCommitting.value = false
+  }
+}
 </script>
 
 <style scoped>
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/subscriptions/ActiveDownloadsPanel.vue b/frontend/src/components/subscriptions/ActiveDownloadsPanel.vue
index e35abd6..6f8fb43 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/subscriptions/ActiveDownloadsPanel.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/components/subscriptions/ActiveDownloadsPanel.vue
@@ -23,6 +23,18 @@
         <span class="fc-active__dot" />
         <PlatformChip :platform="e.platform" size="x-small" />
         <span class="fc-active__artist">{{ e.artist_name || '—' }}</span>
+        <!-- #709: live per-file progress for native (Patreon) downloads. -->
+        <span v-if="e.live" class="fc-active__counts">
+          <span class="fc-active__count" title="downloaded">↓ {{ e.live.downloaded }}</span>
+          <span v-if="e.live.skipped" class="fc-active__count" title="skipped">
+            ⤼ {{ e.live.skipped }}</span>
+          <span
+            v-if="e.live.errors" class="fc-active__count fc-active__count--err"
+            title="errors"
+          >✕ {{ e.live.errors }}</span>
+          <span class="fc-active__count fc-active__count--posts" title="posts scanned">
+            {{ e.live.posts }} posts</span>
+        </span>
         <v-spacer />
         <span class="fc-active__timer" :title="`started ${e.started_at}`">
           {{ elapsed(e.started_at) }}
@@ -123,6 +135,13 @@ function elapsed (startedIso) {
   font-size: 0.78rem; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.05em;
   color: rgb(var(--v-theme-on-surface-variant));
 }
+.fc-active__counts {
+  display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 8px;
+  font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums; font-size: 0.78rem;
+}
+.fc-active__count { color: rgb(var(--v-theme-on-surface-variant)); }
+.fc-active__count--err { color: rgb(var(--v-theme-error)); }
+.fc-active__count--posts { opacity: 0.7; }
 @keyframes fc-active-pulse {
   0%, 100% { opacity: 1; transform: scale(1); }
   50% { opacity: 0.35; transform: scale(0.7); }
diff --git a/frontend/src/stores/admin.js b/frontend/src/stores/admin.js
index 4b98834..06d4ed6 100644
--- a/frontend/src/stores/admin.js
+++ b/frontend/src/stores/admin.js
@@ -142,6 +142,22 @@ export const useAdminStore = defineStore('admin', () => {
     }
   }
 
+  // #714: Title-Case the back-catalog + merge case/whitespace-variant tags.
+  // dry-run returns a projection inline; live returns {task_id} (long op —
+  // FK repoints) the caller polls via pollTaskUntilDone.
+  async function normalizeTags({ dryRun = true } = {}) {
+    lastError.value = null
+    try {
+      return await api.post(
+        '/api/admin/tags/normalize',
+        { body: { dry_run: dryRun } },
+      )
+    } catch (e) {
+      lastError.value = e.message
+      throw e
+    }
+  }
+
   // --- Task progress polling (taps FC-3i activity dashboard) --------
 
   /**
@@ -178,6 +194,7 @@ export const useAdminStore = defineStore('admin', () => {
     pruneUnusedTags,
     purgeLegacyTags,
     resetContentTagging,
+    normalizeTags,
     pollTaskUntilDone,
   }
 })
diff --git a/frontend/src/stores/artistDirectory.js b/frontend/src/stores/artistDirectory.js
index baede1d..950be2f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/stores/artistDirectory.js
+++ b/frontend/src/stores/artistDirectory.js
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ export const useArtistDirectoryStore = defineStore('artistDirectory', () => {
   const q = ref('')
   const platform = ref(null)
   let started = false
+  // Has a load ATTEMPT completed yet? Gates the "No artists match" empty state
+  // so it can't flash on the very first render (loading is still false before
+  // onMounted fires the first loadMore) or between a query change and its fetch.
+  const loaded = ref(false)
   // Typed "alice" then "alice bob" used to drop the second fetch
   // entirely (loading flag still true from the first), so the UI
   // showed alice results while the input said "alice bob". Inflight
@@ -35,6 +39,7 @@ export const useArtistDirectoryStore = defineStore('artistDirectory', () => {
       nextCursor.value = body.next_cursor
       started = true
     })
+    if (t.isCurrent()) loaded.value = true
   }
 
   async function reset() {
@@ -42,6 +47,7 @@ export const useArtistDirectoryStore = defineStore('artistDirectory', () => {
     cards.value = []
     nextCursor.value = null
     started = false
+    loaded.value = false
     await loadMore()
   }
 
@@ -50,7 +56,8 @@ export const useArtistDirectoryStore = defineStore('artistDirectory', () => {
 
   const hasMore = computed(() => !started || nextCursor.value !== null)
   const isEmpty = computed(
-    () => !loading.value && cards.value.length === 0 && error.value === null
+    () => loaded.value && !loading.value
+      && cards.value.length === 0 && error.value === null
   )
 
   return {
diff --git a/frontend/src/stores/tags.js b/frontend/src/stores/tags.js
index 9365550..050a064 100644
--- a/frontend/src/stores/tags.js
+++ b/frontend/src/stores/tags.js
@@ -34,10 +34,20 @@ export const useTagStore = defineStore('tags', () => {
   }
 
   async function loadFandoms() {
-    fandomCache.value = await api.get('/api/tags/autocomplete', {
-      params: { q: ' ', kind: 'fandom', limit: 200 }
-    })
-    return fandomCache.value
+    // List ALL fandoms via the cursor-paged tag directory. (#712: the old impl
+    // abused /tags/autocomplete with q=' ', which the backend strips to empty
+    // and returns [] — so the picker showed no existing fandoms.)
+    const all = []
+    let cursor = null
+    do {
+      const params = { kind: 'fandom', limit: 200 }
+      if (cursor) params.cursor = cursor
+      const body = await api.get('/api/tags/directory', { params })
+      all.push(...(body.cards || []))
+      cursor = body.next_cursor
+    } while (cursor)
+    fandomCache.value = all
+    return all
   }
 
   async function createFandom(name) {
diff --git a/frontend/src/views/ArtistsView.vue b/frontend/src/views/ArtistsView.vue
index 3e3c613..f5582f3 100644
--- a/frontend/src/views/ArtistsView.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/views/ArtistsView.vue
@@ -76,9 +76,11 @@ onMounted(async () => {
 }
 .fc-artists__grid {
   display: grid;
-  /* min(440px, 100%) so a card never exceeds the viewport — on phones the
-     min-track collapses to 100% (single column) instead of overflowing. */
-  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(min(440px, 100%), 1fr));
+  /* min(360px, 100%) so a card never exceeds the viewport (phones collapse to
+     one column). 360 keeps a LONE column under ~732px wide, so the 3/1 preview
+     strip stays ≲244px tall and always fills the card width (no dead space),
+     while giving 2+ columns on a normal desktop. */
+  grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fill, minmax(min(360px, 100%), 1fr));
   gap: 12px;
 }
 .fc-artists__sentinel {
diff --git a/tests/test_api_tags.py b/tests/test_api_tags.py
index c4ead6e..c630baa 100644
--- a/tests/test_api_tags.py
+++ b/tests/test_api_tags.py
@@ -52,11 +52,12 @@ async def test_create_tag_missing_name_400(client):
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_create_tag_name_only_defaults_to_general(client):
-    """IR-style: name without kind and without `kind:` prefix → general."""
+    """IR-style: name without kind and without `kind:` prefix → general.
+    #701: operator-entered names are Title-Cased at the create endpoint."""
     resp = await client.post("/api/tags", json={"name": "sunset"})
     assert resp.status_code == 201
     body = await resp.get_json()
-    assert body["name"] == "sunset"
+    assert body["name"] == "Sunset"
     assert body["kind"] == "general"
 
 
@@ -73,21 +74,22 @@ async def test_create_tag_with_kind_prefix(client):
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_explicit_kind_overrides_prefix_parsing(client):
     """If caller passes explicit kind, don't re-parse the name —
-    colon and prefix stay literal."""
+    colon and prefix stay literal. #701: still Title-Cased as a single word."""
     resp = await client.post(
         "/api/tags", json={"name": "character:Saber", "kind": "general"}
     )
     assert resp.status_code == 201
     body = await resp.get_json()
-    assert body["name"] == "character:Saber"
+    assert body["name"] == "Character:saber"
     assert body["kind"] == "general"
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_unknown_prefix_kept_literal(client):
-    """`http:example` — `http` not in KNOWN_KINDS → kind=general, literal name."""
+    """`http:example` — `http` not in KNOWN_KINDS → kind=general, literal name.
+    #701: Title-Cased as one word (no internal whitespace to split on)."""
     resp = await client.post("/api/tags", json={"name": "http://example.com"})
     assert resp.status_code == 201
     body = await resp.get_json()
-    assert body["name"] == "http://example.com"
+    assert body["name"] == "Http://example.com"
     assert body["kind"] == "general"
diff --git a/tests/test_archive_extractor.py b/tests/test_archive_extractor.py
index 24e3a95..420655c 100644
--- a/tests/test_archive_extractor.py
+++ b/tests/test_archive_extractor.py
@@ -39,6 +39,24 @@ def test_cbz_alias(tmp_path):
         assert [n for n, _ in members] == ["p1.jpg"]
 
 
+def test_misnamed_zip_detected_and_extracted(tmp_path):
+    """A real zip whose filename has no usable extension (Patreon attachment
+    URL-blob name) is detected by magic bytes and its members extracted —
+    previously it was filed as an opaque attachment and never opened."""
+    z = tmp_path / "01_https___www.patreon.com_media-u_v3_131083093"
+    _zip(z, {"a.jpg": b"img", "b.png": b"img2"})
+    assert is_archive(z)
+    with extract_archive(z) as members:
+        assert sorted(n for n, _ in members) == ["a.jpg", "b.png"]
+
+
+def test_non_archive_with_dotted_name_is_not_archive(tmp_path):
+    """A non-archive file with a dotted/extension-less name isn't misdetected."""
+    f = tmp_path / "01_https___www.patreon.com_media-u_v3_999"
+    f.write_bytes(b"\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\n not really but not a zip")
+    assert not is_archive(f)
+
+
 def test_corrupt_archive_yields_nothing(tmp_path):
     bad = tmp_path / "broken.zip"
     bad.write_bytes(b"not a zip at all")
diff --git a/tests/test_patreon_ingester.py b/tests/test_patreon_ingester.py
index 95da4bd..2e32075 100644
--- a/tests/test_patreon_ingester.py
+++ b/tests/test_patreon_ingester.py
@@ -421,6 +421,34 @@ async def test_preview_page_limit_caps_walk(source_id, sync_engine, tmp_path):
     assert result["has_more"] is True
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_write_live_progress_updates_running_event(
+    source_id, sync_engine, tmp_path, db,
+):
+    """plan #709: live counts land in the RUNNING event's metadata.live; a
+    finalized event is left alone (status guard)."""
+    from backend.app.models import DownloadEvent
+
+    ing = _ingester(sync_engine, tmp_path, _FakeClient([]), _FakeDownloader(tmp_path))
+    running = DownloadEvent(source_id=source_id, status="running")
+    done = DownloadEvent(source_id=source_id, status="ok")
+    db.add_all([running, done])
+    await db.commit()
+
+    counts = {"downloaded": 3, "skipped": 1, "errors": 0, "quarantined": 0, "posts": 4}
+    ing._write_live_progress(running.id, counts)
+    ing._write_live_progress(done.id, {"downloaded": 9})  # guarded: status != running
+
+    live = (await db.execute(
+        select(DownloadEvent.metadata_).where(DownloadEvent.id == running.id)
+    )).scalar_one()
+    assert live["live"] == counts
+    done_meta = (await db.execute(
+        select(DownloadEvent.metadata_).where(DownloadEvent.id == done.id)
+    )).scalar_one()
+    assert "live" not in (done_meta or {})
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_still_running_reads_backfill_state(source_id, sync_engine, tmp_path, db):
     """plan #708 B4: _still_running reflects the source's `_backfill_state` — the
diff --git a/tests/test_reextract_archives.py b/tests/test_reextract_archives.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b16a1c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_reextract_archives.py
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+"""#713 part 2: re-extract archive PostAttachments that were filed opaquely
+(magic-byte gate missed them) and link their members to the post."""
+
+import hashlib
+import io
+import zipfile
+
+import pytest
+from PIL import Image
+from sqlalchemy import select
+
+from backend.app.models import (
+    Artist,
+    ImageProvenance,
+    ImageRecord,
+    Post,
+    PostAttachment,
+    Source,
+)
+from backend.app.services import cleanup_service
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.integration
+
+
+def _jpeg(color, size=256):
+    buf = io.BytesIO()
+    Image.new("RGB", (size, size), color).save(buf, "JPEG")
+    return buf.getvalue()
+
+
+def test_reextract_links_archive_members_to_post(db_sync, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    from backend.app.tasks import ml as ml_mod
+    from backend.app.tasks import thumbnail as thumb_mod
+
+    # No broker in this path — the post-import enqueue is best-effort anyway.
+    monkeypatch.setattr(thumb_mod.generate_thumbnail, "delay", lambda *a, **k: None)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(ml_mod.tag_and_embed, "delay", lambda *a, **k: None)
+
+    images_root = tmp_path / "images"
+    images_root.mkdir()
+
+    artist = Artist(name="Bob", slug="bob")
+    db_sync.add(artist)
+    db_sync.flush()
+    source = Source(
+        artist_id=artist.id, platform="patreon",
+        url="https://patreon.com/bob", enabled=True, config_overrides={},
+    )
+    db_sync.add(source)
+    db_sync.flush()
+    post = Post(
+        source_id=source.id, artist_id=artist.id, external_post_id="59102952",
+        post_url="https://www.patreon.com/posts/59102952",
+    )
+    db_sync.add(post)
+    db_sync.flush()
+
+    # A real zip stored under a mangled / extension-less name (the failure case).
+    store_dir = images_root / "attachments" / "abc"
+    store_dir.mkdir(parents=True)
+    arc = store_dir / "01_https___www.patreon.com_media-u_v3_59102952"
+    with zipfile.ZipFile(arc, "w") as zf:
+        zf.writestr("inside.jpg", _jpeg("red"))
+    sha = hashlib.sha256(arc.read_bytes()).hexdigest()
+    db_sync.add(PostAttachment(
+        post_id=post.id, artist_id=artist.id, sha256=sha, path=str(arc),
+        original_filename=arc.name, ext="", size_bytes=arc.stat().st_size,
+    ))
+    db_sync.commit()
+
+    summary = cleanup_service.reextract_archive_attachments(
+        db_sync, images_root=images_root,
+    )
+    assert summary["archives"] == 1
+    assert summary["members_imported"] == 1
+    assert summary["posts_touched"] == 1
+
+    images = db_sync.execute(select(ImageRecord)).scalars().all()
+    assert len(images) == 1
+    prov = db_sync.execute(
+        select(ImageProvenance).where(ImageProvenance.post_id == post.id)
+    ).scalars().all()
+    assert len(prov) == 1
+    assert prov[0].image_record_id == images[0].id
+
+    # Idempotent — a second run imports nothing new (member dedups by sha256).
+    again = cleanup_service.reextract_archive_attachments(
+        db_sync, images_root=images_root,
+    )
+    assert again["members_imported"] == 0
+    assert db_sync.execute(select(ImageRecord)).scalars().all() == images
diff --git a/tests/test_safe_probe.py b/tests/test_safe_probe.py
index 98a67b3..85e5c85 100644
--- a/tests/test_safe_probe.py
+++ b/tests/test_safe_probe.py
@@ -40,11 +40,21 @@ def test_probe_archive_corrupt_zip_clean_rejection(tmp_path):
 def test_inspect_archive_reports_size_and_clean_integrity(tmp_path):
     z = tmp_path / "sized.zip"
     _zip(z, {"a.txt": b"x" * 100, "b.txt": b"y" * 50})
-    total, bad = safe_probe._inspect_archive(z, ".zip")
+    total, bad = safe_probe._inspect_archive(z)
     assert total == 150
     assert bad is None
 
 
+def test_inspect_archive_detects_misnamed_zip(tmp_path):
+    """A zip with a mangled / extension-less name (Patreon URL-blob attachment)
+    is still bomb-guarded + integrity-tested via magic-byte detection."""
+    z = tmp_path / "01_https___www.patreon.com_media-u_v3_131083093"
+    _zip(z, {"a.txt": b"x" * 100})
+    total, bad = safe_probe._inspect_archive(z)
+    assert total == 100
+    assert bad is None
+
+
 def test_run_probe_bomb_guard(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     """In-process call to _run_probe so the monkeypatched cap takes effect.
     The public probe_archive runs in a subprocess which re-imports the
diff --git a/tests/test_tag_normalize.py b/tests/test_tag_normalize.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b61c383
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_tag_normalize.py
@@ -0,0 +1,189 @@
+"""#714: retro-normalize existing tags to the #701 canonical (Title Case +
+collapsed whitespace) and merge case/whitespace-variant duplicates.
+
+normalize_existing_tags commits per group, so case-variant duplicates are
+seeded with DIRECT inserts (find_or_create would case-insensitively dedup
+them, which is exactly the pre-#701 state we're cleaning up), and assertions
+re-query via fresh selects rather than touching post-commit ORM entities.
+"""
+import pytest
+from sqlalchemy import func, select
+
+from backend.app.models import Tag, TagKind, image_tag
+from backend.app.models.tag_alias import TagAlias
+from backend.app.services.tag_service import (
+    TagService,
+    normalize_existing_tags,
+)
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.integration
+
+_IMG_SEQ = 0
+
+
+async def _img(db):
+    """Minimal valid ImageRecord; returns its id."""
+    global _IMG_SEQ
+    _IMG_SEQ += 1
+    from backend.app.models import ImageRecord
+
+    rec = ImageRecord(
+        path=f"/tmp/fc_norm_{_IMG_SEQ}.png",
+        sha256=f"{_IMG_SEQ:064d}",
+        size_bytes=1,
+        mime="image/png",
+        origin="uploaded",
+    )
+    db.add(rec)
+    await db.flush()
+    return rec.id
+
+
+async def _raw_tag(db, name, kind, fandom_id=None):
+    """Insert a Tag row verbatim — bypasses find_or_create's case-insensitive
+    dedup so we can plant the case-variant duplicates #714 exists to fix."""
+    t = Tag(name=name, kind=kind, fandom_id=fandom_id)
+    db.add(t)
+    await db.flush()
+    return t
+
+
+async def _link(db, image_id, tag_id, source="manual"):
+    await db.execute(
+        image_tag.insert().values(
+            image_record_id=image_id, tag_id=tag_id, source=source
+        )
+    )
+
+
+async def _count_named(db, name, kind):
+    return await db.scalar(
+        select(func.count())
+        .select_from(Tag)
+        .where(Tag.name == name)
+        .where(Tag.kind == kind)
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_dry_run_projection_counts(db):
+    # Collision group with an already-canonical member (→ no rename, 1 merge).
+    await _raw_tag(db, "hatsune miku", TagKind.character)
+    await _raw_tag(db, "Hatsune Miku", TagKind.character)
+    # Lone mis-cased + extra whitespace (→ rename, no merge).
+    await _raw_tag(db, "looking  at   viewer", TagKind.general)
+    # Already canonical (→ no change).
+    await _raw_tag(db, "Already Canonical", TagKind.general)
+
+    proj = await normalize_existing_tags(db, dry_run=True)
+
+    assert proj["collisions"] == 1
+    assert proj["tags_to_merge"] == 1
+    assert proj["tags_to_rename"] == 1  # only the whitespace group renames
+    assert proj["total_changes"] == 2
+    # Nothing mutated by a dry run.
+    assert await _count_named(db, "hatsune miku", TagKind.character) == 1
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_live_merges_case_variants_and_repoints_images(db):
+    a = await _raw_tag(db, "hatsune miku", TagKind.character)
+    b = await _raw_tag(db, "HATSUNE MIKU", TagKind.character)
+    i1, i2, i3 = await _img(db), await _img(db), await _img(db)
+    await _link(db, i1, a.id)
+    await _link(db, i2, a.id)
+    await _link(db, i2, b.id)  # shared → must dedup on the survivor
+    await _link(db, i3, b.id)
+
+    summary = await normalize_existing_tags(db, dry_run=False)
+
+    assert summary["errors"] == 0
+    assert summary["merged"] == 1
+    assert summary["renamed"] == 1
+    assert summary["groups_processed"] == 1
+
+    # Exactly one canonical character tag survives; the variant is gone.
+    assert await _count_named(db, "Hatsune Miku", TagKind.character) == 1
+    total_chars = await db.scalar(
+        select(func.count()).select_from(Tag).where(Tag.kind == TagKind.character)
+    )
+    assert total_chars == 1
+    survivor_id = await db.scalar(
+        select(Tag.id)
+        .where(Tag.name == "Hatsune Miku")
+        .where(Tag.kind == TagKind.character)
+    )
+    # Union of {i1,i2} and {i2,i3} with the shared i2 deduped == 3.
+    assoc = await db.scalar(
+        select(func.count())
+        .select_from(image_tag)
+        .where(image_tag.c.tag_id == survivor_id)
+    )
+    assert assoc == 3
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_idempotent_second_run_is_noop(db):
+    await _raw_tag(db, "kafka", TagKind.character)
+    await _raw_tag(db, "KAFKA", TagKind.character)
+
+    first = await normalize_existing_tags(db, dry_run=False)
+    assert first["groups_processed"] == 1
+
+    proj = await normalize_existing_tags(db, dry_run=True)
+    assert proj["total_changes"] == 0
+    again = await normalize_existing_tags(db, dry_run=False)
+    assert again["groups_processed"] == 0
+    assert again["merged"] == 0
+    assert again["renamed"] == 0
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_same_name_different_fandom_not_merged(db):
+    f1 = await _raw_tag(db, "Bleach", TagKind.fandom)
+    f2 = await _raw_tag(db, "Naruto", TagKind.fandom)
+    await _raw_tag(db, "alice", TagKind.character, fandom_id=f1.id)
+    await _raw_tag(db, "Alice", TagKind.character, fandom_id=f2.id)
+
+    summary = await normalize_existing_tags(db, dry_run=False)
+
+    assert summary["merged"] == 0
+    assert summary["renamed"] == 1  # only the f1 "alice" recases
+    # Both characters survive — same canonical name, distinct fandoms.
+    assert await _count_named(db, "Alice", TagKind.character) == 2
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_same_name_different_kind_not_merged(db):
+    await _raw_tag(db, "forge", TagKind.artist)
+    await _raw_tag(db, "Forge", TagKind.general)
+
+    summary = await normalize_existing_tags(db, dry_run=False)
+
+    assert summary["merged"] == 0
+    assert await _count_named(db, "Forge", TagKind.artist) == 1
+    assert await _count_named(db, "Forge", TagKind.general) == 1
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_ml_known_loser_keeps_protective_alias(db):
+    # Survivor is the already-canonical (manual, ML-unknown) tag; the ML-sourced
+    # variant merges away and must leave an alias so the tagger re-resolves it.
+    canon = await _raw_tag(db, "Nemu", TagKind.general)
+    canon_id = canon.id  # capture before the service commits
+    ml = await _raw_tag(db, "nemu", TagKind.general)
+    img = await _img(db)
+    await _link(db, img, ml.id, source="ml_auto")
+
+    summary = await normalize_existing_tags(db, dry_run=False)
+
+    assert summary["merged"] == 1
+    assert summary["aliases_created"] == 1
+    assert await _count_named(db, "Nemu", TagKind.general) == 1
+    alias_rows = await db.scalar(
+        select(func.count())
+        .select_from(TagAlias)
+        .where(TagAlias.alias_string == "nemu")
+        .where(TagAlias.canonical_tag_id == canon_id)
+    )
+    assert alias_rows == 1
diff --git a/tests/test_tag_service.py b/tests/test_tag_service.py
index a8ceb16..3cb8a9b 100644
--- a/tests/test_tag_service.py
+++ b/tests/test_tag_service.py
@@ -59,6 +59,27 @@ async def test_character_with_fandom(db):
     assert char.fandom_id == fandom.id
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_find_or_create_dedups_case_insensitive(db):
+    """#701: find_or_create matches case-insensitively so a differently-cased
+    entry finds the existing tag instead of forking. (Display Title-Casing is
+    applied at the create API, not here — this path is shared with the ML
+    tagger, which keeps the booru vocabulary's casing.)"""
+    svc = TagService(db)
+    t1 = await svc.find_or_create("hatsune miku", TagKind.character)
+    assert t1.name == "hatsune miku"  # stored as given; not recased here
+    t2 = await svc.find_or_create("HATSUNE MIKU", TagKind.character)
+    assert t2.id == t1.id  # case variant → same tag, no fork
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_normalize_tag_name():
+    from backend.app.services.tag_service import normalize_tag_name
+    assert normalize_tag_name("hatsune miku") == "Hatsune Miku"
+    assert normalize_tag_name("  looking   at  viewer ") == "Looking At Viewer"
+    assert normalize_tag_name("HATSUNE MIKU") == "Hatsune Miku"
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_character_same_name_different_fandoms(db):
     svc = TagService(db)