diff --git a/web/src/lib/api/queries.test.ts b/web/src/lib/api/queries.test.ts
index 100cec33..e55b68f7 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/api/queries.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/api/queries.test.ts
@@ -30,3 +30,11 @@ describe('qk search keys', () => {
     expect(qk.searchTracks('foo')).toEqual(['searchTracks', { q: 'foo' }]);
   });
 });
+
+describe('qk M6a keys', () => {
+  test('M6a query keys are stable', () => {
+    expect(qk.home()).toEqual(['home']);
+    expect(qk.albumsAlpha()).toEqual(['albumsAlpha']);
+    expect(qk.artistTracks('a1')).toEqual(['artistTracks', 'a1']);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/web/src/lib/api/queries.ts b/web/src/lib/api/queries.ts
index 307a8f90..07d92820 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/api/queries.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/api/queries.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@ export const qk = {
     ['adminQuarantineActions', { limit: limit ?? 50 }] as const,
   suggestions:            (limit?: number) =>
     ['suggestions', { limit: limit ?? 12 }] as const,
+  home:         ()                 => ['home'] as const,
+  albumsAlpha:  ()                 => ['albumsAlpha'] as const,
+  artistTracks: (artistId: string) => ['artistTracks', artistId] as const,
 };
 
 export function createArtistsQuery(sort: ArtistSort) {
diff --git a/web/src/lib/api/types.ts b/web/src/lib/api/types.ts
index 86674f63..1ee37d68 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/api/types.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/api/types.ts
@@ -12,12 +12,15 @@ export type Page<T> = {
 export type ArtistRef = {
   id: string;
   name: string;
+  sort_name: string;
   album_count: number;
+  cover_url: string;   // "" when no representative album cover
 };
 
 export type AlbumRef = {
   id: string;
   title: string;
+  sort_title: string;
   artist_id: string;
   artist_name: string;
   year?: number;
@@ -236,3 +239,13 @@ export type ArtistSuggestion = {
   score: number;
   attribution: SeedContribution[]; // up to 3 entries, ordered by contribution DESC
 };
+
+// Mirrors internal/api/types.go HomePayload. All slices are non-null
+// per the server contract — empty sections render as [].
+export type HomePayload = {
+  recently_added_albums: AlbumRef[];
+  rediscover_albums:     AlbumRef[];
+  rediscover_artists:    ArtistRef[];
+  most_played_tracks:    TrackRef[];
+  last_played_artists:   ArtistRef[];
+};
diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/AlbumCard.test.ts b/web/src/lib/components/AlbumCard.test.ts
index 6a95cbd0..9a29dd54 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/components/AlbumCard.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/AlbumCard.test.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import { enqueueTracks } from '$lib/player/store.svelte';
 const album: AlbumRef = {
   id: 'xyz',
   title: 'Kind of Blue',
+  sort_title: 'Kind of Blue',
   artist_id: 'm-davis',
   artist_name: 'Miles Davis',
   year: 1959,
diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/ArtistRow.test.ts b/web/src/lib/components/ArtistRow.test.ts
index 333b78c2..5ff56b58 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/components/ArtistRow.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/ArtistRow.test.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ vi.mock('@tanstack/svelte-query', async (orig) => {
   return { ...actual, useQueryClient: () => ({}) };
 });
 
-const artist: ArtistRef = { id: 'abc', name: 'alice', album_count: 12 };
+const artist: ArtistRef = { id: 'abc', name: 'alice', sort_name: 'alice', album_count: 12, cover_url: '' };
 
 describe('ArtistRow', () => {
   test('renders initial, name, album count inside a link to /artists/:id', () => {
diff --git a/web/src/routes/albums/[id]/album.test.ts b/web/src/routes/albums/[id]/album.test.ts
index fa5673b1..fa39ac20 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/albums/[id]/album.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/routes/albums/[id]/album.test.ts
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ afterEach(() => {
 describe('album detail page', () => {
   test('renders hero metadata + one TrackRow per track', () => {
     const detail: AlbumDetail = {
-      id: 'xyz', title: 'Kind of Blue',
+      id: 'xyz', title: 'Kind of Blue', sort_title: 'Kind of Blue',
       artist_id: 'md', artist_name: 'Miles Davis',
       year: 1959, track_count: 2, duration_sec: 544 + 565,
       cover_url: '/api/albums/xyz/cover',
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ describe('album detail page', () => {
 
   test('back link points to /artists/:artistId with the artist name', () => {
     const detail: AlbumDetail = {
-      id: 'xyz', title: 'T',
+      id: 'xyz', title: 'T', sort_title: 'T',
       artist_id: 'md', artist_name: 'Miles Davis',
       track_count: 0, duration_sec: 0,
       cover_url: '/api/albums/xyz/cover',
diff --git a/web/src/routes/artists.test.ts b/web/src/routes/artists.test.ts
index 25d8beb1..2ce6c39c 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/artists.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/routes/artists.test.ts
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ afterEach(() => {
 
 describe('artists list page', () => {
   test('renders a row per artist', () => {
-    const alice: ArtistRef = { id: 'a', name: 'Alice', album_count: 3 };
-    const bob:   ArtistRef = { id: 'b', name: 'Bob',   album_count: 1 };
+    const alice: ArtistRef = { id: 'a', name: 'Alice', sort_name: 'Alice', album_count: 3, cover_url: '' };
+    const bob:   ArtistRef = { id: 'b', name: 'Bob',   sort_name: 'Bob',   album_count: 1, cover_url: '' };
     (createArtistsQuery as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mockReturnValue(
       mockInfiniteQuery({ pages: [page([alice, bob], 2)] })
     );
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ describe('artists list page', () => {
 
   test('"End of library" when hasNextPage is false and at least one page loaded', () => {
     (createArtistsQuery as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mockReturnValue(
-      mockInfiniteQuery({ pages: [page<ArtistRef>([{ id: 'a', name: 'A', album_count: 1 }], 1)] })
+      mockInfiniteQuery({ pages: [page<ArtistRef>([{ id: 'a', name: 'A', sort_name: 'A', album_count: 1, cover_url: '' }], 1)] })
     );
     render(ArtistsPage);
     expect(screen.getByText(/end of library/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
diff --git a/web/src/routes/artists/[id]/artist.test.ts b/web/src/routes/artists/[id]/artist.test.ts
index db4a332c..90b61b80 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/artists/[id]/artist.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/routes/artists/[id]/artist.test.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ import { createArtistQuery } from '$lib/api/queries';
 function album(id: string, title: string, year?: number): AlbumRef {
   return {
     id, title,
+    sort_title: title,
     artist_id: 'abc', artist_name: 'Alice',
     year, track_count: 10, duration_sec: 2400,
     cover_url: `/api/albums/${id}/cover`
@@ -54,7 +55,7 @@ afterEach(() => {
 describe('artist detail page', () => {
   test('renders artist name, subtitle, and one AlbumCard per album', () => {
     const detail: ArtistDetail = {
-      id: 'abc', name: 'Alice', album_count: 2,
+      id: 'abc', name: 'Alice', sort_name: 'Alice', album_count: 2, cover_url: '',
       albums: [album('a1', 'First', 2020), album('a2', 'Second')]
     };
     (createArtistQuery as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mockReturnValue(mockQuery({ data: detail }));
@@ -67,7 +68,7 @@ describe('artist detail page', () => {
 
   test('back link points to Library', () => {
     (createArtistQuery as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mockReturnValue(mockQuery({
-      data: { id: 'abc', name: 'Alice', album_count: 0, albums: [] }
+      data: { id: 'abc', name: 'Alice', sort_name: 'Alice', album_count: 0, cover_url: '', albums: [] }
     }));
     render(ArtistPage);
     const back = screen.getByRole('link', { name: /library/i });
diff --git a/web/src/routes/library/liked/liked.test.ts b/web/src/routes/library/liked/liked.test.ts
index bcb2d29b..8dfb625e 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/library/liked/liked.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/routes/library/liked/liked.test.ts
@@ -42,9 +42,9 @@ afterEach(() => vi.clearAllMocks());
 
 describe('liked library page', () => {
   test('renders three sections when each has items', () => {
-    const ar: ArtistRef = { id: 'a1', name: 'X', album_count: 1 };
+    const ar: ArtistRef = { id: 'a1', name: 'X', sort_name: 'X', album_count: 1, cover_url: '' };
     const al: AlbumRef = {
-      id: 'al1', title: 'Y', artist_id: 'a1', artist_name: 'X',
+      id: 'al1', title: 'Y', sort_title: 'Y', artist_id: 'a1', artist_name: 'X',
       year: 2020, track_count: 1, duration_sec: 100, cover_url: '/x'
     };
     const tr: TrackRef = {
diff --git a/web/src/routes/search/albums/albums.test.ts b/web/src/routes/search/albums/albums.test.ts
index 32eaed58..78a3e6e2 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/search/albums/albums.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/routes/search/albums/albums.test.ts
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ function page<T>(items: T[], total: number, offset = 0, limit = 50): Page<T> {
 }
 
 const album: AlbumRef = {
-  id: 'al1', title: 'Kind of Blue', artist_id: 'a1', artist_name: 'Miles Davis',
+  id: 'al1', title: 'Kind of Blue', sort_title: 'Kind of Blue', artist_id: 'a1', artist_name: 'Miles Davis',
   year: 1959, track_count: 5, duration_sec: 2630, cover_url: '/api/albums/al1/cover'
 };
 
diff --git a/web/src/routes/search/artists/artists.test.ts b/web/src/routes/search/artists/artists.test.ts
index 0c18d635..19c47e70 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/search/artists/artists.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/routes/search/artists/artists.test.ts
@@ -43,8 +43,8 @@ afterEach(() => {
 
 describe('search artists overflow', () => {
   test('renders a row per artist', () => {
-    const a1: ArtistRef = { id: 'a1', name: 'Miles Davis',  album_count: 12 };
-    const a2: ArtistRef = { id: 'a2', name: 'Miles Mosley', album_count: 1 };
+    const a1: ArtistRef = { id: 'a1', name: 'Miles Davis',  sort_name: 'Miles Davis',  album_count: 12, cover_url: '' };
+    const a2: ArtistRef = { id: 'a2', name: 'Miles Mosley', sort_name: 'Miles Mosley', album_count: 1,  cover_url: '' };
     (createSearchArtistsInfiniteQuery as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mockReturnValue(
       mockInfiniteQuery({ pages: [page([a1, a2], 2)] })
     );
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ describe('search artists overflow', () => {
 
   test('Load more is hidden when hasNextPage is false', () => {
     (createSearchArtistsInfiniteQuery as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mockReturnValue(
-      mockInfiniteQuery({ pages: [page<ArtistRef>([{ id: 'a', name: 'A', album_count: 1 }], 1)] })
+      mockInfiniteQuery({ pages: [page<ArtistRef>([{ id: 'a', name: 'A', sort_name: 'A', album_count: 1, cover_url: '' }], 1)] })
     );
     render(ArtistsOverflow);
     expect(screen.queryByRole('button', { name: /load more/i })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
diff --git a/web/src/routes/search/search.test.ts b/web/src/routes/search/search.test.ts
index 4c4927b6..18bfd292 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/search/search.test.ts
+++ b/web/src/routes/search/search.test.ts
@@ -53,9 +53,9 @@ function emptyResp(): SearchResponse {
   };
 }
 
-const artist: ArtistRef = { id: 'a1', name: 'Miles Davis', album_count: 12 };
+const artist: ArtistRef = { id: 'a1', name: 'Miles Davis', sort_name: 'Miles Davis', album_count: 12, cover_url: '' };
 const album: AlbumRef = {
-  id: 'al1', title: 'Kind of Blue', artist_id: 'a1', artist_name: 'Miles Davis',
+  id: 'al1', title: 'Kind of Blue', sort_title: 'Kind of Blue', artist_id: 'a1', artist_name: 'Miles Davis',
   year: 1959, track_count: 5, duration_sec: 2630, cover_url: '/api/albums/al1/cover'
 };
 const track: TrackRef = {