diff --git a/src/hooks/useAudio.ts b/src/hooks/useAudio.ts
index 9d19622..297d656 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useAudio.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useAudio.ts
@@ -318,8 +318,9 @@ async function play(episode: Episode): Promise<void> {
 		const podcastTitle = feed?.customName || feed?.podcast.title || "";
 		// Cover art must NEVER gate playback (it was a curl subprocess blocking
 		// play() by up to 8s). Serve the disk-cached file synchronously when it
-		// exists; on a miss, start playback bare and fetch in the background —
-		// the backend applies late art at runtime (mpv video-add).
+		// exists; on a miss, play bare and warm the cache for the next play —
+		// runtime video-add can't become an albumart track, so late art only
+		// works via the load-time cover-art-files property.
 		const coverUrl = feed?.podcast.coverUrl;
 		const coverArtPath = coverUrl ? cachedCoverPath(coverUrl) : null;
 
@@ -339,13 +340,7 @@ async function play(episode: Episode): Promise<void> {
 		});
 
 		if (coverUrl && !coverArtPath) {
-			fetchCoverArt(coverUrl)
-				.then((path) => {
-					if (path && currentEpisode()?.id === episode.id) {
-						b.addCoverArt(path).catch(() => {});
-					}
-				})
-				.catch(() => {});
+			prefetchCoverArt(coverUrl);
 		}
 
 		setCurrentEpisode(episode);
@@ -424,8 +419,13 @@ async function load(episode: Episode): Promise<void> {
 	// `pause` off instead of paying the ~2s stream-open cold. Fire-and-forget
 	// — a failed preload just makes the first play take the cold path.
 	if (episode.audioUrl && backend) {
+		// The preload must carry the cover AT LOAD: cover-art-files only
+		// applies when the file loads, and the runtime video-add fallback
+		// never becomes an albumart track (verified). Restore already waits
+		// on feeds/progress at boot, so the bounded fetch (~300ms typical,
+		// 8s worst case) is free.
 		const coverUrl = feed?.podcast.coverUrl;
-		if (coverUrl) prefetchCoverArt(coverUrl);
+		const coverArtPath = coverUrl ? await fetchCoverArt(coverUrl) : null;
 		const backendSnap = backend;
 		backendSnap
 			.preload(episode.audioUrl, {
@@ -435,9 +435,7 @@ async function load(episode: Episode): Promise<void> {
 				mediaTitle: podcastTitle
 					? `${podcastTitle} — ${episode.title}`
 					: episode.title,
-				coverArtPath: coverUrl
-					? (cachedCoverPath(coverUrl) ?? undefined)
-					: undefined,
+				coverArtPath: coverArtPath ?? undefined,
 			})
 			.catch(() => {});
 	}
diff --git a/src/pages/Feed/FeedPage.tsx b/src/pages/Feed/FeedPage.tsx
index da058ba..d84c385 100644
--- a/src/pages/Feed/FeedPage.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/Feed/FeedPage.tsx
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import { createMemo, createEffect, For, Show, onMount, onCleanup } from "solid-j
 import { useFeedStore } from "@/stores/feed";
 import { useDownloadStore } from "@/stores/download";
 import { useAppStore } from "@/stores/app";
+import { prefetchCoverArt } from "@/utils/cover-art";
 import { DownloadStatus } from "@/types/episode";
 import { format } from "date-fns";
 import { useTheme } from "@/context/ThemeContext";
@@ -63,6 +64,22 @@ function FeedPage() {
 		() => feedStore.getAllEpisodesChronological() as EpItem[],
 	);
 
+	// ── Cover warm-up ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+	// Prefetch covers for episodes around the focus (plus the top of the
+	// list) so plays land on a warm cache: cover-art-files only applies at
+	// file load, and there is no working runtime fallback. Single-flight +
+	// cache short-circuit keep repeat runs cheap (hits resolve immediately).
+	createEffect(() => {
+		const list = episodes();
+		const focusIdx = focusedEpIdx();
+		const start = Math.max(0, focusIdx - 10);
+		const end = Math.min(list.length, focusIdx + 11);
+		for (let i = start; i < end; i++) {
+			const item = list[i];
+			if (item?.feed.podcast.coverUrl) prefetchCoverArt(item.feed.podcast.coverUrl);
+		}
+	});
+
 	// ── Fetch More ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 	// A "[Fetch More]" row at the bottom of the list advances every feed's
 	// loaded window by 50 episodes. manual mode: Enter on the row. auto mode:
diff --git a/src/utils/audio-player.ts b/src/utils/audio-player.ts
index 6f51c76..882768a 100644
--- a/src/utils/audio-player.ts
+++ b/src/utils/audio-player.ts
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ export interface AudioBackend {
 	 * (mpv `video-add`). Lets play() start without waiting on art; the
 	 * Now Playing artwork pops in when the download lands.
 	 */
-	addCoverArt(path: string): Promise<void>;
 	pause(): Promise<void>;
 	resume(): Promise<void>;
 	stop(): Promise<void>;
@@ -561,12 +560,6 @@ export class MpvBackend implements AudioBackend {
 					Math.round((opts?.volume ?? 1) * 100),
 				]);
 				await this.send(["set_property", "speed", opts?.speed ?? 1]);
-				if (opts?.coverArtPath) {
-					// File is already loaded: cover-art-files only applies at
-					// load, so add the art as a runtime albumart track instead.
-					await this.send(["set_property", "cover-art-files", opts.coverArtPath]);
-					await this.send(["video-add", opts.coverArtPath]);
-				}
 				if (opts?.mediaTitle) {
 					await this.send(["set_property", "force-media-title", opts.mediaTitle]);
 				}
@@ -591,14 +584,6 @@ export class MpvBackend implements AudioBackend {
 		});
 	}
 
-	async addCoverArt(path: string): Promise<void> {
-		if (!this._loadedUrl) return;
-		// Keep the property pointing at the latest art too, so a subsequent
-		// loadfile of the same episode carries it.
-		await this.send(["set_property", "cover-art-files", path]);
-		await this.send(["video-add", path]);
-	}
-
 	async pause(): Promise<void> {
 		await this.send(["set_property", "pause", true]);
 		this._intentPlaying = false;
@@ -716,7 +701,6 @@ class NoopBackend implements AudioBackend {
 	readonly name: BackendName = "none";
 	async play(): Promise<void> {}
 	async preload(): Promise<void> {}
-	async addCoverArt(): Promise<void> {}
 	async pause(): Promise<void> {}
 	async resume(): Promise<void> {}
 	async stop(): Promise<void> {}