diff --git a/web/app/dev/stabilization/fixture.tsx b/web/app/dev/stabilization/fixture.tsx
index f03b46b07..6a4da6bb1 100644
--- a/web/app/dev/stabilization/fixture.tsx
+++ b/web/app/dev/stabilization/fixture.tsx
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ const posters = ["/1pdfLvkbY9ohJlCjQH2CZjjYVvJ.jpg", "/qJ2tW6WMUDux911r6m7haRef0
 const titles = ["Dune: Part Two", "The Dark Knight", "Interstellar", "The Shawshank Redemption"];
 const media: MediaItem[] = Array.from({ length: 24 }, (_, i) => ({ id: -i - 1, mediaType: "movie", title: titles[i % 4], year: "2024", image: `https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500${posters[i % 4]}`, backdrop: `https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w780${posters[i % 4]}`, rating: "8.4", overview: "Controlled test data", activityAt: 100 - i }));
 
-export function StabilizationFixture() {
+export function StabilizationFixture({ testLiveUrl }: { testLiveUrl?: string } = {}) {
   const [ready, setReady] = useState(false);
   useEffect(() => setReady(true), []);
   const [page, setPage] = useState("tv");
@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ export function StabilizationFixture() {
       <PlayerOverlay />
       <div className="fixture-tools">
         <button onClick={() => { setPage("tv"); setActiveChannel(channels[0]); setActiveStream({ source: "CC0 live-player sample", addonName: "Test fixture", quality: "HD", size: "", url: "https://interactive-examples.mdn.mozilla.net/media/cc0-videos/flower.mp4" }); }}>Test guide mini-player</button>
+        <button onClick={() => { setPage("tv"); setActiveChannel(channels[0]); setActiveStream({ source: "Unavailable live-player sample", addonName: "Test fixture", quality: "HD", size: "", url: "https://example.invalid/unavailable.m3u8" }); }}>Test mini-player startup failure</button>
+        {testLiveUrl && <button onClick={() => { setPage("tv"); setActiveChannel(channels[0]); setActiveStream({ source: "Provider playback verification", addonName: "Live TV", quality: "Live", size: "", url: testLiveUrl }); }}>Test supplied IPTV source</button>}
         <button onClick={() => { setSettings((old) => ({ ...old, homeServers: (["plex", "jellyfin", "emby"] as const).map((type) => ({ id: type, type, name: `Fixture ${type}`, url: `https://${type}.invalid`, token: "fixture-only", userId: "fixture", enabled: true })) })); setPage("library"); }}>Test home server libraries</button>
         <button onClick={() => setActiveStream({ source: "YouTube player example", addonName: "Test fixture", quality: "", size: "", url: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7lc1UVf-VE" })}>Test YouTube embed</button>
         <button onClick={() => setActiveStream({ source: "Browser conversion test", addonName: "Local fixture", quality: "540p", size: "", url: "http://127.0.0.1:3099/media/multi.mkv", remux: true })}>Test MKV browser player</button>
diff --git a/web/app/dev/stabilization/page.tsx b/web/app/dev/stabilization/page.tsx
index 3e77d89a6..49418dae3 100644
--- a/web/app/dev/stabilization/page.tsx
+++ b/web/app/dev/stabilization/page.tsx
@@ -6,5 +6,5 @@ export const dynamic = "force-dynamic";
 export default async function Page({ searchParams }: { searchParams: Promise<{ mobile?: string }> }) {
   if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "development" || process.env.ARVIO_UI_FIXTURES !== "true") notFound();
   if ((await searchParams).mobile === "1") return <iframe title="Mobile QA viewport" src="/dev/stabilization" style={{ display: "block", width: 390, height: 844, border: "1px solid #444", margin: "20px auto" }} />;
-  return <StabilizationFixture />;
+  return <StabilizationFixture testLiveUrl={process.env.ARVIO_TEST_LIVE_URL} />;
 }
diff --git a/web/app/tv-guide.css b/web/app/tv-guide.css
index 802f9baf1..4e4d6130c 100644
--- a/web/app/tv-guide.css
+++ b/web/app/tv-guide.css
@@ -9,10 +9,10 @@
 .player-overlay.player-docked .player-error p { font-size: 13px; }
 .player-overlay.player-docked .player-error-actions { flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 4px; }
 .player-overlay.player-docked .player-error-actions button { font-size: 12px; padding: 6px; min-height: 32px; }
-.player-dock-controls { position: absolute; z-index: 5; bottom: 8px; inset-inline: 8px; display: flex; gap: 6px; align-items: center; pointer-events: none; }
+.player-dock-controls { position: absolute; z-index: 50; bottom: 8px; inset-inline: 8px; display: flex; gap: 6px; align-items: center; pointer-events: none; }
 .player-dock-controls span { color: white; background: #000b; border-radius: 3px; padding: 4px 6px; font-size: 11px; margin-inline-end: auto; }
 .player-dock-controls button, .player-dock-return { pointer-events: auto; width: 36px; height: 36px; display: grid; place-items: center; border: 0; border-radius: 4px; background: #000b; color: white; }
-.player-dock-return { position: absolute; inset-inline-end: 24px; top: 90px; z-index: 20; }
+.player-dock-return { position: absolute; inset-inline-end: 24px; top: 90px; z-index: 50; }
 .player-dock-controls button:focus-visible, .player-dock-return:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid white; }
 .livetv-preview-play { position: absolute; inset: 0; display: grid; place-items: center; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0; border-radius: inherit; background: #0003; color: white; cursor: pointer; }
 .livetv-preview-play svg { box-sizing: content-box; padding: 12px; background: #000b; border: 1px solid #ffffff80; border-radius: 50%; }
diff --git a/web/components/player/PlayerOverlay.tsx b/web/components/player/PlayerOverlay.tsx
index 45da44afa..145dae401 100644
--- a/web/components/player/PlayerOverlay.tsx
+++ b/web/components/player/PlayerOverlay.tsx
@@ -1595,7 +1595,7 @@ function VideoPlayer({
         ))}
       </video>
       {dock.docked && <div className="player-dock-controls">
-        <span>ON AIR</span>
+        <span role="status">{error ? "Unavailable" : buffering ? "Connecting" : playing ? "LIVE" : "Paused"}</span>
         <button type="button" onClick={togglePlay} aria-label={playing ? "Pause" : "Play"} title={playing ? "Pause" : "Play"}>{playing ? <Pause size={20} /> : <Play size={20} />}</button>
         <button type="button" onClick={dock.expand} aria-label="Expand player" title="Expand player"><Maximize size={20} /></button>
         <button type="button" onClick={onClose} aria-label="Stop channel" title="Stop channel"><X size={20} /></button>
diff --git a/web/lib/settingsOutbox.ts b/web/lib/settingsOutbox.ts
index 32e56e62d..6efe894e5 100644
--- a/web/lib/settingsOutbox.ts
+++ b/web/lib/settingsOutbox.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ export function hasPendingSettings(auth: AuthClient, profileId?: string | null)
 }
 
 export function queueSettings(auth: AuthClient, profileId: string, settings: AppSettings, baseline: AppSettings | null) {
-  if (!auth.session) return;
+  if (!auth.session || !baseline) return;
   const key = keyFor(auth.session.userId);
   const entries = loadStored<Pending[]>(key, []);
   const previous = entries.find((entry) => entry.profileId === profileId);
@@ -32,6 +32,12 @@ export async function flushSettingsOutbox(auth: AuthClient): Promise<void> {
     while (auth.session?.userId === userId) {
       const entry = loadStored<Pending[]>(key, [])[0];
       if (!entry) return;
+      // Older clients queued full default snapshots before profile hydration.
+      // They have no acknowledged baseline, so cannot safely describe user edits.
+      if (!entry.baseline) {
+        saveStored(key, loadStored<Pending[]>(key, []).filter(pending => pending.id !== entry.id));
+        continue;
+      }
       await saveCloudSettings(auth, entry.settings, [], entry.profileId, [], entry.baseline, entry.changedAt);
       // Do not acknowledge a newer edit queued while the request was in flight.
       saveStored(key, loadStored<Pending[]>(key, []).filter((pending) => pending.id !== entry.id));
diff --git a/web/lib/store.tsx b/web/lib/store.tsx
index 51cb12e72..9658e9fc5 100644
--- a/web/lib/store.tsx
+++ b/web/lib/store.tsx
@@ -1329,6 +1329,9 @@ export function AppProvider({
     } catch {
       baseline = null;
     }
+    // Profile hydration is asynchronous. Until this profile has an acknowledged
+    // baseline, settings still belong to the previous profile or browser defaults.
+    if (!baseline) return;
     const accountId = authClient.session?.userId;
     const submitted = { settings, activeProfileId };
     setSettingsSyncState("pending");
diff --git a/web/tests/tv-polish.test.cjs b/web/tests/tv-polish.test.cjs
index e67de55a4..b6ae73e54 100644
--- a/web/tests/tv-polish.test.cjs
+++ b/web/tests/tv-polish.test.cjs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 const test = require('node:test');
 const assert = require('node:assert/strict');
-const { load } = require('./load.cjs');
+const { load, storage } = require('./load.cjs');
 const { spawnSync } = require('node:child_process');
 const path = require('node:path');
 
@@ -41,3 +41,20 @@ test('late cloud hydration keeps the profile selected on this device', () => {
   assert.equal(hydratedProfileId(null, profiles, 'missing'), 'arvind');
   assert.equal(hydratedProfileId('deleted', [], 'missing'), null);
 });
+
+test('unhydrated settings never overwrite cloud playlists, including legacy queued defaults', async () => {
+  const persisted = storage();
+  const writes = [];
+  const auth = { session: { userId: 'test' } };
+  const outbox = load('lib/settingsOutbox.ts', { './storage': persisted, './cloud': { saveCloudSettings: async (...args) => writes.push(args) } });
+  outbox.queueSettings(auth, 'new-profile', { iptvPlaylists: [] }, null);
+  assert.equal(outbox.hasPendingSettings(auth), false);
+  persisted.saveStored('arvio.web.settingsOutbox.v1:test', [{ id: 'legacy', profileId: 'new-profile', settings: { iptvPlaylists: [] }, baseline: null, changedAt: 1 }]);
+  await outbox.flushSettingsOutbox(auth);
+  assert.equal(writes.length, 0);
+  assert.equal(outbox.hasPendingSettings(auth), false);
+  // An explicit deletion after hydration must still sync.
+  outbox.queueSettings(auth, 'new-profile', { iptvPlaylists: [] }, { iptvPlaylists: [{ id: 'one' }] });
+  await outbox.flushSettingsOutbox(auth);
+  assert.equal(writes.length, 1);
+});