diff --git a/server/src/common/book-cover-storage.test.ts b/server/src/common/book-cover-storage.test.ts
index d809c2d47..d62a1decf 100644
--- a/server/src/common/book-cover-storage.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/common/book-cover-storage.test.ts
@@ -22,9 +22,11 @@ describe('book-cover-storage', () => {
     expect(isExtractedBookCoverFileName('cover_custom.jpg')).toBe(false);
   });
 
-  it('prefers custom covers over extracted covers', () => {
+  it('prefers custom and extracted covers over legacy cover files', () => {
     expect(findPreferredBookCoverFileName(['thumbnail.jpg', 'cover_extracted.jpg', 'cover_custom.png'])).toBe('cover_custom.png');
     expect(findPreferredBookCoverFileName(['thumbnail.jpg', 'cover_extracted.jpg'])).toBe('cover_extracted.jpg');
+    expect(findPreferredBookCoverFileName(['thumbnail.jpg', 'cover.jpg'])).toBe('cover.jpg');
+    expect(findPreferredBookCoverFileName(['thumbnail.jpg', 'cover.png'])).toBe('cover.png');
     expect(findPreferredBookCoverFileName(['thumbnail.jpg'])).toBeNull();
   });
 
diff --git a/server/src/common/book-cover-storage.ts b/server/src/common/book-cover-storage.ts
index de696ce65..b92f9dd83 100644
--- a/server/src/common/book-cover-storage.ts
+++ b/server/src/common/book-cover-storage.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { join } from 'path';
 
 export const COVER_CUSTOM_FILE_PREFIX = 'cover_custom.';
 export const COVER_EXTRACTED_FILE_PREFIX = 'cover_extracted.';
+export const COVER_LEGACY_FILE_PREFIX = 'cover.';
 export const COVER_THUMBNAIL_FILE_NAME = 'thumbnail.jpg';
 
 export function bookCoverDirPath(appDataPath: string, bookId: number): string {
@@ -21,9 +22,13 @@ export function isExtractedBookCoverFileName(fileName: string): boolean {
 }
 
 export function findPreferredBookCoverFileName(files: readonly string[]): string | null {
-  return files.find(isCustomBookCoverFileName) ?? files.find(isExtractedBookCoverFileName) ?? null;
+  return files.find(isCustomBookCoverFileName) ?? files.find(isExtractedBookCoverFileName) ?? files.find(isLegacyBookCoverFileName) ?? null;
 }
 
 export function findExtractedBookCoverFileName(files: readonly string[]): string | null {
   return files.find(isExtractedBookCoverFileName) ?? null;
 }
+
+function isLegacyBookCoverFileName(fileName: string): boolean {
+  return fileName.startsWith(COVER_LEGACY_FILE_PREFIX);
+}
diff --git a/server/src/common/image-content-type.test.ts b/server/src/common/image-content-type.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b41f1c59b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/common/image-content-type.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import { imageContentTypeFromExtension, imageContentTypeFromPath } from './image-content-type';
+
+describe('image content type helpers', () => {
+  describe('imageContentTypeFromPath', () => {
+    it('returns image/png for png file paths', () => {
+      expect(imageContentTypeFromPath('/tmp/cover.png')).toBe('image/png');
+    });
+
+    it('returns image/webp for webp file paths', () => {
+      expect(imageContentTypeFromPath('/tmp/cover.webp')).toBe('image/webp');
+    });
+
+    it('falls back to image/jpeg for unknown extensions', () => {
+      expect(imageContentTypeFromPath('/tmp/cover.unknown')).toBe('image/jpeg');
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('imageContentTypeFromExtension', () => {
+    it('normalizes extension case', () => {
+      expect(imageContentTypeFromExtension('.PNG')).toBe('image/png');
+    });
+
+    it('returns image/jpeg for jpeg aliases', () => {
+      expect(imageContentTypeFromExtension('.jpg')).toBe('image/jpeg');
+      expect(imageContentTypeFromExtension('.jpeg')).toBe('image/jpeg');
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/server/src/common/image-content-type.ts b/server/src/common/image-content-type.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fc43ae070
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/common/image-content-type.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import { extname } from 'path';
+
+const IMAGE_CONTENT_TYPE_BY_EXT: Record<string, string> = {
+  '.jpg': 'image/jpeg',
+  '.jpeg': 'image/jpeg',
+  '.png': 'image/png',
+  '.gif': 'image/gif',
+  '.webp': 'image/webp',
+  '.bmp': 'image/bmp',
+  '.avif': 'image/avif',
+};
+
+export function imageContentTypeFromPath(path: string): string {
+  return imageContentTypeFromExtension(extname(path));
+}
+
+export function imageContentTypeFromExtension(extension: string): string {
+  return IMAGE_CONTENT_TYPE_BY_EXT[extension.toLowerCase()] ?? 'image/jpeg';
+}
diff --git a/server/src/modules/authors/authors.controller.ts b/server/src/modules/authors/authors.controller.ts
index a5eb39b70..cf7b39f08 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/authors/authors.controller.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/authors/authors.controller.ts
@@ -19,13 +19,13 @@ import {
 import { createReadStream } from 'fs';
 import { stat } from 'fs/promises';
 import type { FastifyReply } from 'fastify';
-import { extname } from 'path';
 import { map, Observable } from 'rxjs';
 
 import { Permission, AuditAction, AuditResource } from '@projectx/types';
 import { CurrentUser } from '../../common/decorators/current-user.decorator';
 import { Auditable } from '../../common/decorators/auditable.decorator';
 import { RequirePermission } from '../../common/decorators/require-permission.decorator';
+import { imageContentTypeFromPath } from '../../common/image-content-type';
 import type { RequestUser } from '../../common/types/request-user';
 import type { AuthorMetadataCandidate } from '@projectx/types';
 import { AuthorEnrichmentConfigService } from './author-enrichment-config.service';
@@ -228,8 +228,7 @@ export class AuthorsController {
     reply.header('Cache-Control', 'no-cache');
     reply.header('ETag', `"${Math.floor(mtimeMs)}"`);
 
-    const ext = extname(imagePath).toLowerCase();
-    reply.type(ext === '.png' ? 'image/png' : 'image/jpeg');
+    reply.type(imageContentTypeFromPath(imagePath));
     reply.send(createReadStream(imagePath));
   }
 
diff --git a/server/src/modules/book-bucket/book-bucket.controller.ts b/server/src/modules/book-bucket/book-bucket.controller.ts
index 863c7d232..517b62cd7 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/book-bucket/book-bucket.controller.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/book-bucket/book-bucket.controller.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import { AuditAction, AuditResource } from '@projectx/types';
 import { CurrentUser } from '../../common/decorators/current-user.decorator';
 import { Auditable } from '../../common/decorators/auditable.decorator';
 import { RequirePermission } from '../../common/decorators/require-permission.decorator';
+import { imageContentTypeFromPath } from '../../common/image-content-type';
 import type { MultipartRequest } from '../../common/types/multipart-request';
 import type { RequestUser } from '../../common/types/request-user';
 import { BookBucketService } from './book-bucket.service';
@@ -96,7 +97,7 @@ export class BookBucketController {
     if (!exists) throw new NotFoundException('Cover file not found on disk');
 
     const stream = createReadStream(row.coverPath);
-    const contentType = row.coverPath.endsWith('.png') ? 'image/png' : 'image/jpeg';
+    const contentType = imageContentTypeFromPath(row.coverPath);
     reply.header('Content-Type', contentType);
     reply.header('Cache-Control', 'private, max-age=3600');
     return reply.send(stream);
diff --git a/server/src/modules/book/book.controller.ts b/server/src/modules/book/book.controller.ts
index f28570e2f..c026ffc42 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/book/book.controller.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/book/book.controller.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import type { FastifyReply } from 'fastify';
 import { CurrentUser } from '../../common/decorators/current-user.decorator';
 import { RequirePermission } from '../../common/decorators/require-permission.decorator';
 import { Auditable } from '../../common/decorators/auditable.decorator';
+import { imageContentTypeFromPath } from '../../common/image-content-type';
 import type { RequestUser } from '../../common/types/request-user';
 import { FileWriteService } from '../file-write/file-write.service';
 import { BookService } from './book.service';
@@ -297,8 +298,7 @@ export class BookController {
       return;
     }
 
-    const ext = coverPath.split('.').pop()?.toLowerCase();
-    const contentType = ext === 'png' ? 'image/png' : 'image/jpeg';
+    const contentType = imageContentTypeFromPath(coverPath);
     reply.header('Cache-Control', 'private, max-age=86400');
     reply.header('ETag', etag);
     reply.type(contentType);
diff --git a/server/src/modules/kobo/services/kobo-thumbnail.service.ts b/server/src/modules/kobo/services/kobo-thumbnail.service.ts
index aefe0fcb1..02ead19e6 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/kobo/services/kobo-thumbnail.service.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/kobo/services/kobo-thumbnail.service.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { createReadStream } from 'fs';
 import { join } from 'path';
 import type { FastifyReply } from 'fastify';
 import { bookCoverDirPath, bookThumbnailPath, findPreferredBookCoverFileName } from '../../../common/book-cover-storage';
+import { imageContentTypeFromPath } from '../../../common/image-content-type';
 import { KoboBookAccessService } from './kobo-book-access.service';
 
 @Injectable()
@@ -51,10 +52,9 @@ export class KoboThumbnailService {
         reply.status(304).send();
         return;
       }
-      const ext = cover.split('.').pop()?.toLowerCase();
       reply.header('Cache-Control', 'max-age=86400');
       reply.header('ETag', etag);
-      reply.type(ext === 'png' ? 'image/png' : 'image/jpeg');
+      reply.type(imageContentTypeFromPath(coverPath));
       reply.send(createReadStream(coverPath));
     } catch {
       throw new NotFoundException('No cover image');
diff --git a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cbz-metadata.test.ts b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cbz-metadata.test.ts
index f566ba234..b5535b9d4 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cbz-metadata.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cbz-metadata.test.ts
@@ -151,6 +151,22 @@ describe('extractCbzMetadata', () => {
       expect(r?.description).toBe('Watchmen summary.');
     });
 
+    it('maps CommunityRating from 0-5 scale into 0-10 scale', async () => {
+      const xml = `<ComicInfo><CommunityRating>4.5</CommunityRating></ComicInfo>`;
+      mockReadFile.mockResolvedValue(buildZipWithComicInfo(xml) as unknown as Buffer);
+
+      const r = await extractCbzMetadata('/book.cbz');
+      expect(r?.rating).toBe(9);
+    });
+
+    it('clamps CommunityRating to a maximum of 10 after scaling', async () => {
+      const xml = `<ComicInfo><CommunityRating>8</CommunityRating></ComicInfo>`;
+      mockReadFile.mockResolvedValue(buildZipWithComicInfo(xml) as unknown as Buffer);
+
+      const r = await extractCbzMetadata('/book.cbz');
+      expect(r?.rating).toBe(10);
+    });
+
     it('truncates fractional year to integer', async () => {
       const xml = `<ComicInfo><Year>1986.5</Year></ComicInfo>`;
       mockReadFile.mockResolvedValue(buildZipWithComicInfo(xml) as unknown as Buffer);
diff --git a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cbz-metadata.ts b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cbz-metadata.ts
index 073772cd5..f596a58ea 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cbz-metadata.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cbz-metadata.ts
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ function parseCbxRating(value: string | null): number | null {
   if (!value) return null;
   const parsed = Number(value);
   if (!Number.isFinite(parsed)) return null;
-  return Math.min(5, Math.max(0, parsed * 2));
+  return Math.min(10, Math.max(0, parsed * 2));
 }
 
 function parseIsbn13(value: string | null): string | null {
diff --git a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cover.test.ts b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cover.test.ts
index bb96aa4e6..3c1f21cb0 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cover.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cover.test.ts
@@ -60,8 +60,20 @@ describe('imageExt', () => {
     expect(imageExt(Buffer.from([0xff, 0xd8, 0xff, 0xe0]))).toBe('jpg');
   });
 
-  it('returns "jpg" as default for unknown magic bytes (GIF)', () => {
-    expect(imageExt(Buffer.from([0x47, 0x49, 0x46, 0x38]))).toBe('jpg');
+  it('returns "gif" for GIF magic bytes (GIF8)', () => {
+    expect(imageExt(Buffer.from([0x47, 0x49, 0x46, 0x38, 0x39, 0x61]))).toBe('gif');
+  });
+
+  it('returns "webp" for RIFF/WEBP magic bytes', () => {
+    expect(imageExt(Buffer.from([0x52, 0x49, 0x46, 0x46, 0x24, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x57, 0x45, 0x42, 0x50]))).toBe('webp');
+  });
+
+  it('returns "bmp" for BMP magic bytes (BM)', () => {
+    expect(imageExt(Buffer.from([0x42, 0x4d, 0x00, 0x00]))).toBe('bmp');
+  });
+
+  it('returns "jpg" as default for unknown magic bytes', () => {
+    expect(imageExt(Buffer.from([0x00, 0x11, 0x22, 0x33]))).toBe('jpg');
   });
 
   it('returns "jpg" when first byte is 0x89 but second byte is not 0x50', () => {
diff --git a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cover.ts b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cover.ts
index 8ae732724..a697c33f6 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cover.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/cover.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,23 @@ const THUMBNAIL_HEIGHT = 600;
 
 /** Returns extension based on magic bytes, defaulting to 'jpg'. */
 export function imageExt(bytes: Buffer): string {
-  if (bytes[0] === 0x89 && bytes[1] === 0x50) return 'png';
+  if (bytes.length >= 4 && bytes[0] === 0x89 && bytes[1] === 0x50 && bytes[2] === 0x4e && bytes[3] === 0x47) return 'png';
+  if (bytes.length >= 3 && bytes[0] === 0xff && bytes[1] === 0xd8 && bytes[2] === 0xff) return 'jpg';
+  if (bytes.length >= 4 && bytes[0] === 0x47 && bytes[1] === 0x49 && bytes[2] === 0x46 && bytes[3] === 0x38) return 'gif';
+  if (
+    bytes.length >= 12 &&
+    bytes[0] === 0x52 &&
+    bytes[1] === 0x49 &&
+    bytes[2] === 0x46 &&
+    bytes[3] === 0x46 &&
+    bytes[8] === 0x57 &&
+    bytes[9] === 0x45 &&
+    bytes[10] === 0x42 &&
+    bytes[11] === 0x50
+  ) {
+    return 'webp';
+  }
+  if (bytes.length >= 2 && bytes[0] === 0x42 && bytes[1] === 0x4d) return 'bmp';
   return 'jpg';
 }
 
diff --git a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/fb2-parser.test.ts b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/fb2-parser.test.ts
index aa45f333d..60e13c178 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/fb2-parser.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/fb2-parser.test.ts
@@ -163,6 +163,11 @@ describe('parseFb2File', () => {
       mockReadFile.mockResolvedValue(makeFb2('<book-title>Book</book-title><date>1984</date>') as unknown as Buffer);
       expect((await parseFb2File('/book.fb2'))?.publishedYear).toBe(1984);
     });
+
+    it('parses year from title-info/date value attribute', async () => {
+      mockReadFile.mockResolvedValue(makeFb2('<book-title>Book</book-title><date value="1984-01-01"/>') as unknown as Buffer);
+      expect((await parseFb2File('/book.fb2'))?.publishedYear).toBe(1984);
+    });
   });
 
   describe('description (annotation)', () => {
diff --git a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/fb2-parser.ts b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/fb2-parser.ts
index ee16ae089..188f47294 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/fb2-parser.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/fb2-parser.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,11 @@ const parser = new XMLParser({
 function text(val: unknown): string | null {
   if (typeof val === 'string') return val.trim() || null;
   if (typeof val === 'number') return String(val);
+  if (typeof val === 'object' && val !== null && '#text' in val) {
+    const textNode = (val as Record<string, unknown>)['#text'];
+    if (typeof textNode === 'string') return textNode.trim() || null;
+    if (typeof textNode === 'number') return String(textNode);
+  }
   return null;
 }
 
@@ -39,6 +44,27 @@ function extractAnnotationText(val: unknown): string {
   return '';
 }
 
+function parseFb2YearNode(val: unknown): number | null {
+  const candidates: string[] = [];
+  const direct = text(val);
+  if (direct) candidates.push(direct);
+
+  if (typeof val === 'object' && val !== null) {
+    const objectNode = val as Record<string, unknown>;
+    const valueAttr = text(objectNode['@_value']);
+    if (valueAttr) candidates.push(valueAttr);
+  }
+
+  for (const candidate of candidates) {
+    const match = candidate.match(/(\d{4})/);
+    if (!match) continue;
+    const year = parseInt(match[1], 10);
+    if (!isNaN(year) && year > 1000 && year < 2200) return year;
+  }
+
+  return null;
+}
+
 export interface Fb2Metadata {
   title: string | null;
   description: string | null;
@@ -107,10 +133,7 @@ export async function parseFb2File(absolutePath: string): Promise<Fb2Metadata |
     let publishedYear: number | null = null;
     const publishInfo = description?.['publish-info'] as Record<string, unknown> | undefined;
     const yearRaw = publishInfo?.['year'] ?? titleInfo['date'];
-    if (typeof yearRaw === 'string' || typeof yearRaw === 'number') {
-      const y = parseInt(String(yearRaw), 10);
-      if (!isNaN(y) && y > 1000 && y < 2200) publishedYear = y;
-    }
+    publishedYear = parseFb2YearNode(yearRaw);
 
     // Annotation (description)
     let annotationDescription: string | null = null;
diff --git a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/opf-parser.test.ts b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/opf-parser.test.ts
index e41d4434c..e6b793c6a 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/opf-parser.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/opf-parser.test.ts
@@ -108,6 +108,23 @@ describe('parseOpf', () => {
       expect(r.authors[0].sortName).toBe('Pratchett, Terry');
     });
 
+    it('accepts EPUB3 role values in full relator URI form', () => {
+      const xml = epub3Opf(`
+        <dc:creator id="cr1">Ursula Le Guin</dc:creator>
+        <meta refines="#cr1" property="role">http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/aut</meta>
+      `);
+      const r = parseOpf(xml);
+      expect(r.authors).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(r.authors[0].name).toBe('Ursula Le Guin');
+    });
+
+    it('treats uppercase EPUB2 role codes as authors', () => {
+      const xml = epub2Opf(`<dc:creator opf:role="AUT">Octavia Butler</dc:creator>`);
+      const r = parseOpf(xml);
+      expect(r.authors).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(r.authors[0].name).toBe('Octavia Butler');
+    });
+
     it('returns empty authors array when no creators', () => {
       const r = parseOpf(epub2Opf('<dc:title>Book</dc:title>'));
       expect(r.authors).toHaveLength(0);
diff --git a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/opf-parser.ts b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/opf-parser.ts
index fb79d1a05..6fca236ac 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/opf-parser.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/opf-parser.ts
@@ -82,6 +82,16 @@ function parseProjectxTags(raw: string | null): string[] {
   }
 }
 
+function normalizeCreatorRole(role: string | null | undefined): string {
+  if (!role) return '';
+  const trimmed = role.trim().toLowerCase();
+  if (!trimmed) return '';
+  const pathParts = trimmed.split('/');
+  const withoutPath = pathParts[pathParts.length - 1] ?? trimmed;
+  const colonParts = withoutPath.split(':');
+  return colonParts[colonParts.length - 1] ?? withoutPath;
+}
+
 // Build a map of id → array of refining meta nodes (EPUB 3).
 function buildRefineMap(metas: unknown[]): Map<string, unknown[]> {
   const map = new Map<string, unknown[]>();
@@ -173,7 +183,7 @@ export function parseOpf(xml: string): ParsedOpf {
     const role3 = id ? getRefineValue(refineMap, id, 'role') : null;
     // EPUB 2: opf:role attribute
     const role2 = (mo['@_opf:role'] ?? mo['@_role']) as string | undefined;
-    const role = role3 ?? role2 ?? 'aut';
+    const role = normalizeCreatorRole(role3 ?? role2 ?? 'aut');
     if (role !== 'aut' && role !== '') continue; // skip editors, illustrators, etc.
 
     // EPUB 3: file-as via refines; EPUB 2: opf:file-as attribute
diff --git a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-parser.test.ts b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-parser.test.ts
index 5a51c4696..94a485da5 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-parser.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-parser.test.ts
@@ -187,6 +187,44 @@ describe('parsePdfFile', () => {
     expect(parsed?.pageCount).toBe(123);
   });
 
+  it('does not fall back to Info dictionary publisher/pageCount for projectx-authored PDFs when XMP is present', async () => {
+    mockPdfLoad.mockResolvedValue(
+      makePdfDoc({
+        getCreator: () => 'projectx',
+        getProducer: () => 'Legacy Publisher',
+      }) as never,
+    );
+    mockExtractXmpXml.mockReturnValue('<xmp/>');
+    mockParseXmp.mockReturnValue({
+      title: 'XMP Title',
+      subtitle: null,
+      description: null,
+      publisher: null,
+      publishedYear: null,
+      language: null,
+      authors: [],
+      genres: [],
+      tags: [],
+      isbn10: null,
+      isbn13: null,
+      seriesName: null,
+      seriesIndex: null,
+      rating: null,
+      pageCount: null,
+      googleBooksId: null,
+      goodreadsId: null,
+      amazonId: null,
+      hardcoverId: null,
+      openLibraryId: null,
+      itunesId: null,
+    });
+
+    const parsed = await parsePdfFile('/books/book.pdf');
+
+    expect(parsed?.publisher).toBeNull();
+    expect(parsed?.pageCount).toBeNull();
+  });
+
   it('falls back to legacy ProjectX producer metadata when XMP publisher is absent', async () => {
     mockPdfLoad.mockResolvedValue(
       makePdfDoc({
diff --git a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-parser.ts b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-parser.ts
index 4e9006be4..50ca93f00 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-parser.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-parser.ts
@@ -83,8 +83,7 @@ export async function parsePdfFile(absolutePath: string, options: PdfParseOption
     }
     const doc = await PDFDocument.load(buf, { ignoreEncryption: true });
 
-    // XMP is the authoritative source — richer and semantically correct.
-    // Info Dictionary is used only as fallback for fields XMP doesn't cover.
+    // XMP is the authoritative source; Info Dictionary is fallback-only.
     const xmpXml = extractXmpXml(doc);
     const xmp: XmpParsed | null = xmpXml ? parseXmp(xmpXml) : null;
     const hasXmp = xmp !== null;
@@ -95,6 +94,7 @@ export async function parsePdfFile(absolutePath: string, options: PdfParseOption
     const infoProducer = clean(doc.getProducer());
     const infoSubject = clean(doc.getSubject());
     const infoKeywords = splitCommaList(clean(doc.getKeywords()));
+    const isProjectXInfo = infoCreator === PROJECTX_NS_PREFIX;
 
     const infoAuthors = infoAuthorRaw
       ? infoAuthorRaw
@@ -118,18 +118,18 @@ export async function parsePdfFile(absolutePath: string, options: PdfParseOption
       subtitle: xmp?.subtitle ?? null,
       authors: hasXmp ? xmp.authors : infoAuthors,
       description: hasXmp ? xmp.description : infoSubject,
-      publisher: xmp?.publisher ?? (infoCreator === PROJECTX_NS_PREFIX ? infoProducer : null),
+      publisher: hasXmp ? (xmp.publisher ?? null) : isProjectXInfo ? infoProducer : null,
       publishedYear: xmp?.publishedYear ?? null,
       language: xmp?.language ?? null,
       genres: xmp?.genres?.length ? xmp.genres : [],
-      // Info Dict keywords are genres+tags mixed — only use as tags when XMP is absent
+      // Info Dict keywords are genres+tags mixed; only use as tags when XMP is absent.
       tags: hasXmp ? xmp.tags : infoKeywords,
       isbn10: xmp?.isbn10 ?? null,
       isbn13: xmp?.isbn13 ?? null,
       seriesName: xmp?.seriesName ?? null,
       seriesIndex: xmp?.seriesIndex ?? null,
       rating: xmp?.rating ?? null,
-      pageCount: xmp?.pageCount ?? doc.getPageCount(),
+      pageCount: hasXmp ? (xmp.pageCount ?? (isProjectXInfo ? null : doc.getPageCount())) : doc.getPageCount(),
       googleBooksId: xmp?.googleBooksId ?? null,
       goodreadsId: xmp?.goodreadsId ?? null,
       amazonId: xmp?.amazonId ?? null,
diff --git a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-xmp-reader.test.ts b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-xmp-reader.test.ts
index 1c18346fe..36b14cd5f 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-xmp-reader.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-xmp-reader.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
+import { PDFDocument, PDFName } from 'pdf-lib';
 import { PROJECTX_NS_PREFIX, PROJECTX_NS_URI } from '../../../common/projectx-ns';
-import { parseXmp } from './pdf-xmp-reader';
+import { extractXmpXml, parseXmp } from './pdf-xmp-reader';
 
 // Wraps XMP content in standard RDF envelope
 function xmpDoc(body: string): string {
@@ -250,3 +251,34 @@ describe('parseXmp', () => {
     });
   });
 });
+
+describe('extractXmpXml', () => {
+  it('decodes compressed metadata streams', async () => {
+    const xmp = xmpDoc('<dc:title>Compressed title</dc:title>');
+    const doc = await PDFDocument.create();
+    doc.addPage([200, 200]);
+
+    const metadata = doc.context.flateStream(Buffer.from(xmp, 'utf-8'), {
+      Type: PDFName.of('Metadata'),
+      Subtype: PDFName.of('XML'),
+    });
+    const metadataRef = doc.context.register(metadata);
+    doc.catalog.set(PDFName.of('Metadata'), metadataRef);
+
+    const bytes = await doc.save();
+    const loaded = await PDFDocument.load(bytes, { ignoreEncryption: true });
+    const xml = extractXmpXml(loaded);
+
+    expect(xml).toContain('<dc:title>Compressed title</dc:title>');
+  });
+
+  it('returns null when the PDF has no metadata stream', async () => {
+    const doc = await PDFDocument.create();
+    doc.addPage([200, 200]);
+
+    const bytes = await doc.save();
+    const loaded = await PDFDocument.load(bytes, { ignoreEncryption: true });
+
+    expect(extractXmpXml(loaded)).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-xmp-reader.ts b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-xmp-reader.ts
index 2338c32bf..a52319e0d 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-xmp-reader.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/metadata/lib/pdf-xmp-reader.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { XMLParser } from 'fast-xml-parser';
-import { PDFDocument, PDFName, PDFRawStream, PDFRef } from 'pdf-lib';
+import { decodePDFRawStream, PDFDocument, PDFName, PDFRawStream, PDFRef } from 'pdf-lib';
 
 import { PROJECTX_NS_PREFIX } from '../../../common/projectx-ns';
 
@@ -41,7 +41,12 @@ export function extractXmpXml(doc: PDFDocument): string | null {
   if (!ref) return null;
   const stream = ref instanceof PDFRef ? doc.context.lookup(ref) : ref;
   if (!(stream instanceof PDFRawStream)) return null;
-  return Buffer.from(stream.contents).toString('utf-8');
+  try {
+    const decoded = decodePDFRawStream(stream).decode();
+    return Buffer.from(decoded).toString('utf-8');
+  } catch {
+    return Buffer.from(stream.contents).toString('utf-8');
+  }
 }
 
 // Handles plain text, rdf:Alt (Calibre-style i18n), and rdf:Seq/Bag first-item fallback.
diff --git a/server/src/modules/opds/opds.controller.ts b/server/src/modules/opds/opds.controller.ts
index 8b7661d80..dbb7c2f60 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/opds/opds.controller.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/opds/opds.controller.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import type { FastifyReply } from 'fastify';
 import { bookCoverDirPath, bookThumbnailPath, findPreferredBookCoverFileName } from '../../common/book-cover-storage';
 import { MAX_OFFSET_ROWS, isOffsetWithinLimit } from '../../common/constants/pagination.constants';
 import { Public } from '../../common/decorators/public.decorator';
+import { imageContentTypeFromPath } from '../../common/image-content-type';
 import { OPDS_MIME_ACQ, OPDS_MIME_NAV, OPDS_MIME_SEARCH, fileMimeType } from './opds-xml.helpers';
 import { OpdsAuthGuard } from './opds-auth.guard';
 import type { OpdsRequestUser } from './opds-auth.guard';
@@ -215,10 +216,9 @@ export class OpdsController {
         reply.status(304).send();
         return;
       }
-      const ext = cover.split('.').pop()?.toLowerCase();
       reply.header('Cache-Control', 'no-cache');
       reply.header('ETag', etag);
-      reply.type(ext === 'png' ? 'image/png' : 'image/jpeg');
+      reply.type(imageContentTypeFromPath(coverPath));
       reply.send(createReadStream(coverPath));
     } catch {
       throw new NotFoundException('No cover');
diff --git a/server/src/modules/reader/cbz/cbz.service.ts b/server/src/modules/reader/cbz/cbz.service.ts
index 6c4ed89f6..a2f5dc580 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/reader/cbz/cbz.service.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/reader/cbz/cbz.service.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { readFile } from 'fs/promises';
 import { createInflateRaw } from 'zlib';
 import { createExtractorFromData } from 'node-unrar-js';
 import { getSevenZip } from '../../../common/sevenzip';
+import { imageContentTypeFromPath } from '../../../common/image-content-type';
 
 import type { RequestUser } from '../../../common/types/request-user';
 import { BookService } from '../../book/book.service';
@@ -27,10 +28,7 @@ function naturalSort(a: string, b: string): number {
 }
 
 function mimeForExt(name: string): string {
-  const ext = name.substring(name.lastIndexOf('.')).toLowerCase();
-  if (ext === '.png') return 'image/png';
-  if (ext === '.webp') return 'image/webp';
-  return 'image/jpeg';
+  return imageContentTypeFromPath(name);
 }
 
 // ── CBZ: ZIP byte-offset scan ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/server/src/modules/scanner/lib/hash.test.ts b/server/src/modules/scanner/lib/hash.test.ts
index 5b7762866..cda3785d9 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/scanner/lib/hash.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/scanner/lib/hash.test.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { tmpdir } from 'os';
 import { fingerprintFile } from './hash';
 
 const EMPTY_MD5 = 'd41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e';
-// 1 KB = 1024 bytes. The first read position is BASE (1024), so files <= 1024 bytes produce empty hash.
+// 1 KB = 1024 bytes. The first sampled offset is BASE (1024).
 const FIRST_READ_POSITION = 1024;
 
 let tmpDir: string;
@@ -27,11 +27,22 @@ describe('files smaller than the first read position', () => {
     expect(hash).toBe(EMPTY_MD5);
   });
 
-  it('returns MD5 of empty string for a file with exactly 1024 bytes', async () => {
-    // Position 1024 >= size 1024 → no read
+  it('falls back to hashing from byte 0 for a file with exactly 1024 bytes', async () => {
     await writeFile(join(tmpDir, 'exact.epub'), Buffer.alloc(FIRST_READ_POSITION, 'A'));
     const hash = await fingerprintFile(join(tmpDir, 'exact.epub'));
-    expect(hash).toBe(EMPTY_MD5);
+    expect(hash).not.toBe(EMPTY_MD5);
+  });
+
+  it('produces different fingerprints for different tiny files', async () => {
+    const a = Buffer.alloc(900, 'A');
+    const b = Buffer.alloc(900, 'A');
+    b.write('Z', 0, 'ascii');
+
+    await writeFile(join(tmpDir, 'a.epub'), a);
+    await writeFile(join(tmpDir, 'b.epub'), b);
+
+    const [h1, h2] = await Promise.all([fingerprintFile(join(tmpDir, 'a.epub')), fingerprintFile(join(tmpDir, 'b.epub'))]);
+    expect(h1).not.toBe(h2);
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/server/src/modules/scanner/lib/hash.ts b/server/src/modules/scanner/lib/hash.ts
index d9b44af09..71087c414 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/scanner/lib/hash.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/scanner/lib/hash.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ const BLOCK_SIZE = 1024;
  * Partial MD5 fingerprint — reads 1 KB blocks from exponentially spaced positions
  * (1 KB, 4 KB, 16 KB, … up to 1 GB) rather than the entire file.
  * Used only when path and inode lookups both fail (cross-filesystem move detection).
+ * For files too small to reach the first sample offset, fall back to the first
+ * 1 KB so tiny files do not collapse to the same empty hash.
  */
 export async function fingerprintFile(absolutePath: string): Promise<string> {
   const fh = await open(absolutePath, 'r');
@@ -15,12 +17,24 @@ export async function fingerprintFile(absolutePath: string): Promise<string> {
     const { size } = await fh.stat();
     const hash = createHash('md5');
     const buf = Buffer.allocUnsafe(BLOCK_SIZE);
+    let sampled = false;
 
     for (let i = 0; i <= 10; i++) {
       const position = BASE << (2 * i);
       if (position >= size) break;
       const { bytesRead } = await fh.read(buf, 0, BLOCK_SIZE, position);
-      if (bytesRead > 0) hash.update(buf.subarray(0, bytesRead));
+      if (bytesRead > 0) {
+        hash.update(buf.subarray(0, bytesRead));
+        sampled = true;
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (!sampled && size > 0) {
+      const readLength = Math.min(BLOCK_SIZE, size);
+      const { bytesRead } = await fh.read(buf, 0, readLength, 0);
+      if (bytesRead > 0) {
+        hash.update(buf.subarray(0, bytesRead));
+      }
     }
 
     return hash.digest('hex');
diff --git a/server/src/modules/user/user.controller.test.ts b/server/src/modules/user/user.controller.test.ts
index 387d5ead0..4c65a2d60 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/user/user.controller.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/user/user.controller.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import { Permission } from '@projectx/types';
+import { BadRequestException } from '@nestjs/common';
 
 import { UserController } from './user.controller';
+import { MAX_USER_AVATAR_BYTES } from './user-avatar.service';
 
 describe('UserController', () => {
   const userService = {
@@ -40,6 +42,39 @@ describe('UserController', () => {
     expect(userService.updateMe).toHaveBeenCalledWith(7, dto);
   });
 
+  it('uploads avatar bytes with multipart file limits', async () => {
+    const user = { id: 7 } as any;
+    const buffer = Buffer.from('img');
+    const req = {
+      file: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+        mimetype: 'image/png',
+        toBuffer: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(buffer),
+      }),
+    } as any;
+
+    await controller.uploadMyAvatar(user, req);
+
+    expect(req.file).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ limits: { fileSize: MAX_USER_AVATAR_BYTES } });
+    expect(userAvatarService.uploadOwnAvatar).toHaveBeenCalledWith(user, buffer, 'image/png');
+  });
+
+  it('maps multipart file-size errors to a bad request response', async () => {
+    const tooLargeError = Object.assign(new Error('request file too large'), {
+      code: 'FST_REQ_FILE_TOO_LARGE',
+      statusCode: 413,
+    });
+    const req = {
+      file: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+        mimetype: 'image/jpeg',
+        toBuffer: vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(tooLargeError),
+      }),
+    } as any;
+
+    await expect(controller.uploadMyAvatar({ id: 7 } as any, req)).rejects.toThrow(BadRequestException);
+    await expect(controller.uploadMyAvatar({ id: 7 } as any, req)).rejects.toThrow('Image exceeds 5 MB limit');
+    expect(userAvatarService.uploadOwnAvatar).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it('delegates permission and superuser management and admin reset', async () => {
     const requester = { id: 1 } as any;
     const dto = { permissionNames: [Permission.LibraryDownload] };
diff --git a/server/src/modules/user/user.controller.ts b/server/src/modules/user/user.controller.ts
index 18da34164..29fc9ab24 100644
--- a/server/src/modules/user/user.controller.ts
+++ b/server/src/modules/user/user.controller.ts
@@ -79,9 +79,25 @@ export class UserController {
     description: () => 'User uploaded a profile picture',
   })
   async uploadMyAvatar(@CurrentUser() user: RequestUser, @Req() req: MultipartRequest) {
-    const data = await req.file({ limits: { fileSize: MAX_USER_AVATAR_BYTES } });
+    let data;
+    try {
+      data = await req.file({ limits: { fileSize: MAX_USER_AVATAR_BYTES } });
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (isMultipartFileTooLargeError(error)) {
+        throw new BadRequestException('Image exceeds 5 MB limit');
+      }
+      throw error;
+    }
     if (!data) throw new BadRequestException('No file provided');
-    const buffer = await data.toBuffer();
+    let buffer: Buffer;
+    try {
+      buffer = await data.toBuffer();
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (isMultipartFileTooLargeError(error)) {
+        throw new BadRequestException('Image exceeds 5 MB limit');
+      }
+      throw error;
+    }
     return this.userAvatarService.uploadOwnAvatar(user, buffer, data.mimetype);
   }
 
@@ -230,3 +246,14 @@ export class UserController {
     return this.userService.adminResetPassword(id, requestingUser);
   }
 }
+
+function isMultipartFileTooLargeError(error: unknown): boolean {
+  if (typeof error !== 'object' || error === null) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  const value = error as { code?: unknown; statusCode?: unknown; message?: unknown };
+  if (value.code === 'FST_REQ_FILE_TOO_LARGE') {
+    return true;
+  }
+  return value.statusCode === 413 && typeof value.message === 'string' && value.message.toLowerCase().includes('file too large');
+}
diff --git a/server/test/e2e/metadata-write/metadata-write-harness.ts b/server/test/e2e/metadata-write/metadata-write-harness.ts
index 194223b2a..f0621ca72 100644
--- a/server/test/e2e/metadata-write/metadata-write-harness.ts
+++ b/server/test/e2e/metadata-write/metadata-write-harness.ts
@@ -235,24 +235,42 @@ export async function waitForScanCompletion(db: Db, jobId: number, timeoutMs = 3
 }
 
 export async function locateBookFileByRelPath(ctx: MetadataWriteE2EContext, libraryId: number, relPath: string): Promise<LocatedBookFile> {
-  const [row] = await ctx.db
-    .select({
-      bookId: books.id,
-      bookFileId: bookFiles.id,
-      absolutePath: bookFiles.absolutePath,
-      relPath: bookFiles.relPath,
-      format: bookFiles.format,
-    })
-    .from(bookFiles)
-    .innerJoin(books, eq(books.id, bookFiles.bookId))
-    .where(and(eq(books.libraryId, libraryId), eq(bookFiles.relPath, relPath), eq(books.status, 'present')))
-    .limit(1);
+  const query = async (): Promise<LocatedBookFile | null> => {
+    const [row] = await ctx.db
+      .select({
+        bookId: books.id,
+        bookFileId: bookFiles.id,
+        absolutePath: bookFiles.absolutePath,
+        relPath: bookFiles.relPath,
+        format: bookFiles.format,
+      })
+      .from(bookFiles)
+      .innerJoin(books, eq(books.id, bookFiles.bookId))
+      .where(and(eq(books.libraryId, libraryId), eq(bookFiles.relPath, relPath), eq(books.status, 'present')))
+      .limit(1);
+    return row ?? null;
+  };
 
-  if (!row) {
-    throw new Error(`No present book file found for relPath "${relPath}" in library ${libraryId}`);
-  }
+  const waitForRow = async (timeoutMs: number): Promise<LocatedBookFile | null> => {
+    const deadline = Date.now() + timeoutMs;
+    while (Date.now() < deadline) {
+      const row = await query();
+      if (row) return row;
+      await sleep(100);
+    }
+    return query();
+  };
 
-  return row;
+  const initial = await waitForRow(2_000);
+  if (initial) return initial;
+
+  // In CI and shared dev environments, fixture writes can occasionally race the
+  // first scan trigger. Perform one recovery scan before failing hard.
+  await triggerAndWaitForLibraryScan(ctx, libraryId);
+  const recovered = await waitForRow(2_000);
+  if (recovered) return recovered;
+
+  throw new Error(`No present book file found for relPath "${relPath}" in library ${libraryId}`);
 }
 
 export async function getLatestWriteLogEntry(db: Db, bookId: number, triggeredBy?: 'auto' | 'sync') {