diff --git a/internal/db/dbq/albums.sql.go b/internal/db/dbq/albums.sql.go
index 98b07b4a..04ce65e6 100644
--- a/internal/db/dbq/albums.sql.go
+++ b/internal/db/dbq/albums.sql.go
@@ -552,6 +552,7 @@ SELECT a.id          AS album_id,
     SELECT file_path
       FROM tracks
      WHERE album_id = a.id
+       AND missing_since IS NULL
      ORDER BY disc_number NULLS LAST, track_number NULLS LAST, id
      LIMIT 1
   ) t ON true
@@ -569,7 +570,9 @@ type ListAlbumsMissingMbidWithTrackRow struct {
 
 // One-shot MBID backfill: returns each album where mbid IS NULL alongside
 // one of its tracks' file_path so the worker can re-read tags. LIMIT
-// supplied by caller for batching/progress purposes.
+// supplied by caller for batching/progress purposes. The track read is
+// one still on disk; an album with none left is skipped until a scan
+// finds its files again (#5139).
 func (q *Queries) ListAlbumsMissingMbidWithTrack(ctx context.Context, limit int32) ([]ListAlbumsMissingMbidWithTrackRow, error) {
 	rows, err := q.db.Query(ctx, listAlbumsMissingMbidWithTrack, limit)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/db/dbq/tracks.sql.go b/internal/db/dbq/tracks.sql.go
index 4cfe2964..638a5687 100644
--- a/internal/db/dbq/tracks.sql.go
+++ b/internal/db/dbq/tracks.sql.go
@@ -668,6 +668,7 @@ const listTracksMissingMbidWithPath = `-- name: ListTracksMissingMbidWithPath :m
 SELECT id, file_path
   FROM tracks
  WHERE mbid IS NULL
+   AND missing_since IS NULL
  ORDER BY id
  LIMIT $1
 `
@@ -679,6 +680,8 @@ type ListTracksMissingMbidWithPathRow struct {
 
 // Track recording-MBID backfill: tracks with NULL mbid that still have
 // a file to re-read. $1 caps the batch (mirrors the album backfill).
+// Missing tracks are skipped: there is no file, and opening it anyway
+// logged a warning per track on every scan (#5139).
 func (q *Queries) ListTracksMissingMbidWithPath(ctx context.Context, limit int32) ([]ListTracksMissingMbidWithPathRow, error) {
 	rows, err := q.db.Query(ctx, listTracksMissingMbidWithPath, limit)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/db/queries/albums.sql b/internal/db/queries/albums.sql
index 6f87dfc8..c9b88fa9 100644
--- a/internal/db/queries/albums.sql
+++ b/internal/db/queries/albums.sql
@@ -145,7 +145,9 @@ UPDATE albums
 -- name: ListAlbumsMissingMbidWithTrack :many
 -- One-shot MBID backfill: returns each album where mbid IS NULL alongside
 -- one of its tracks' file_path so the worker can re-read tags. LIMIT
--- supplied by caller for batching/progress purposes.
+-- supplied by caller for batching/progress purposes. The track read is
+-- one still on disk; an album with none left is skipped until a scan
+-- finds its files again (#5139).
 SELECT a.id          AS album_id,
        a.artist_id   AS artist_id,
        a.title       AS title,
@@ -155,6 +157,7 @@ SELECT a.id          AS album_id,
     SELECT file_path
       FROM tracks
      WHERE album_id = a.id
+       AND missing_since IS NULL
      ORDER BY disc_number NULLS LAST, track_number NULLS LAST, id
      LIMIT 1
   ) t ON true
diff --git a/internal/db/queries/tracks.sql b/internal/db/queries/tracks.sql
index e8075668..6d0b179e 100644
--- a/internal/db/queries/tracks.sql
+++ b/internal/db/queries/tracks.sql
@@ -26,9 +26,12 @@ RETURNING *;
 -- name: ListTracksMissingMbidWithPath :many
 -- Track recording-MBID backfill: tracks with NULL mbid that still have
 -- a file to re-read. $1 caps the batch (mirrors the album backfill).
+-- Missing tracks are skipped: there is no file, and opening it anyway
+-- logged a warning per track on every scan (#5139).
 SELECT id, file_path
   FROM tracks
  WHERE mbid IS NULL
+   AND missing_since IS NULL
  ORDER BY id
  LIMIT $1;
 
diff --git a/internal/library/mbidbackfill_test.go b/internal/library/mbidbackfill_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a645abe4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/library/mbidbackfill_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+package library
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"log/slog"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"git.fabledsword.com/bvandeusen/minstrel/internal/db/dbq"
+)
+
+// The MBID backfills read tags from files, so a track whose file is gone has
+// nothing to give them. Before #5139 they opened it anyway, and every scan
+// logged an "open failed" warning per missing track.
+func TestMBIDBackfill_SkipsMissingTracks_Integration(t *testing.T) {
+	pool := newPool(t)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	q := dbq.New(pool)
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+
+	// The album's first track is missing; its second is on disk, untagged.
+	gone, album, artist := seedTrack(t, pool, filepath.Join(dir, "gone.mp3"))
+	present := filepath.Join(dir, "present.mp3")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(present, []byte("not really audio"), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	two := int32(2)
+	if _, err := q.UpsertTrack(ctx, dbq.UpsertTrackParams{
+		Title: "Present", AlbumID: album.ID, ArtistID: artist.ID, TrackNumber: &two,
+		DurationMs: 1000, FilePath: present, FileSize: 100, FileFormat: "mp3",
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("track: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := pool.Exec(ctx, "UPDATE tracks SET missing_since = now() WHERE id = $1", gone.ID); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("mark missing: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	tracks, err := q.ListTracksMissingMbidWithPath(ctx, 100)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(tracks) != 1 || tracks[0].FilePath != present {
+		t.Errorf("track backfill lists %+v, want only %s", tracks, present)
+	}
+	albums, err := q.ListAlbumsMissingMbidWithTrack(ctx, 100)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(albums) != 1 || albums[0].TrackFilePath != present {
+		t.Errorf("album backfill reads %+v, want the album via %s", albums, present)
+	}
+
+	// With every track gone, the album has no file to read and is skipped.
+	if _, err := pool.Exec(ctx, "UPDATE tracks SET missing_since = now() WHERE album_id = $1", album.ID); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("mark missing: %v", err)
+	}
+	var logs bytes.Buffer
+	logger := slog.New(slog.NewTextHandler(&logs, nil))
+	if res, err := BackfillTrackMBIDs(ctx, pool, logger, -1, nil); err != nil || res.Processed != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("track backfill processed %d (err %v), want 0", res.Processed, err)
+	}
+	if res, err := BackfillMBIDs(ctx, pool, logger, -1, nil); err != nil || res.Processed != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("album backfill processed %d (err %v), want 0", res.Processed, err)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(logs.String(), "open failed") {
+		t.Errorf("a backfill opened a missing file:\n%s", logs.String())
+	}
+}