diff --git a/backend/app/downloads/probe.py b/backend/app/downloads/probe.py
index dfcb0ffa..109339e6 100644
--- a/backend/app/downloads/probe.py
+++ b/backend/app/downloads/probe.py
@@ -34,21 +34,16 @@ _IMAGE_FORMATS = {
 }
 
 
-def probe_media(path: Path) -> tuple[str | None, str | None, int | None, int | None, int | None]:
-    """(vcodec, acodec, width, height, duration_s) from one ffprobe call; all None if ffprobe fails
-    or the file isn't playable media (an unprobeable file — or a still image — is treated as a generic
-    non-media file, so it becomes a download-only 'file' rather than a broken 'video').
-
-    A video stream flagged `attached_pic` (embedded cover art in an mp3/m4a) is skipped — it's a
-    thumbnail, not a real video track, so an audio file with album art still classifies as audio."""
-    data = editmod.run_ffprobe_json(path, show_streams=True, show_format=True)
-    if data is None:
-        return None, None, None, None, None
-
+def _facts_from_probe(
+    data: dict,
+) -> tuple[str | None, str | None, int | None, int | None, int | None]:
+    """(vcodec, acodec, width, height, duration_s) parsed from a NON-None ffprobe JSON dict. A still
+    image / image-sequence container yields no vcodec (→ generic 'file'); a video stream flagged
+    `attached_pic` (embedded cover art in an mp3/m4a) is skipped — it's a thumbnail, not a real video
+    track, so an audio file with album art still classifies as audio."""
     fmt = data.get("format") or {}
     fmt_names = {n.strip() for n in (fmt.get("format_name") or "").split(",")}
     if fmt_names & _IMAGE_FORMATS:
-        # A still image / image sequence is a generic file, not video — no vcodec means media_kind='file'.
         return None, None, None, None, None
 
     vcodec = acodec = None
@@ -74,22 +69,39 @@ def probe_media(path: Path) -> tuple[str | None, str | None, int | None, int | N
     return vcodec, acodec, width, height, duration
 
 
+def probe_media(path: Path) -> tuple[str | None, str | None, int | None, int | None, int | None]:
+    """(vcodec, acodec, width, height, duration_s) from one ffprobe call; all None if ffprobe fails
+    or the file isn't playable media (an unprobeable file — or a still image — is treated as a generic
+    non-media file, so it becomes a download-only 'file' rather than a broken 'video')."""
+    data = editmod.run_ffprobe_json(path, show_streams=True, show_format=True)
+    if data is None:
+        return None, None, None, None, None
+    return _facts_from_probe(data)
+
+
 def resolve_media_facts(
     path: Path, info: dict
 ) -> tuple[str | None, str | None, int | None, int | None]:
     """(vcodec, acodec, width, height) for the stored download asset: PROBE the finished file on disk
-    (the ground truth), and fall back to the extractor's `info` dict only for a field the probe could
-    not read. yt-dlp's `info` omits codec/dimension fields for some sources (Facebook among them), so
-    deriving media_kind from it there labelled a real H.264 video a download-only 'file'. The file is
-    already on disk, so the probe is authoritative; `info` only fills a gap the probe left."""
-    pv, pa, pw, ph, _dur = probe_media(path)
+    (the ground truth). yt-dlp's `info` omits codec/dimension fields for some sources (Facebook among
+    them), so deriving media_kind from it there labelled a real H.264 video a download-only 'file'.
+
+    Precedence is by whether the probe RAN, not per-field: if ffprobe read the file, its codec verdict
+    is authoritative — INCLUDING a deliberate None (cover-art-only audio, a still image). A per-field
+    `probe or info` fallback would let `info`'s stale vcodec resurrect a video track the file doesn't
+    have (yt-dlp reports a progressive `vcodec` for an audio-mode download whose video it then strips),
+    mislabelling an audio download as a broken in-app 'video'. Only when ffprobe could NOT read the
+    file at all do we fall back to `info` (the pre-probe behaviour, a safety net); the cosmetic
+    dimensions still gap-fill from `info` in either case."""
+    data = editmod.run_ffprobe_json(path, show_streams=True, show_format=True)
     info_v = info.get("vcodec") if info.get("vcodec") not in (None, "none") else None
     info_a = info.get("acodec") if info.get("acodec") not in (None, "none") else None
     info_w = int(info["width"]) if info.get("width") else None
     info_h = int(info["height"]) if info.get("height") else None
-    return (
-        pv or info_v,
-        pa or info_a,
-        pw if pw is not None else info_w,
-        ph if ph is not None else info_h,
-    )
+    if data is None:
+        # ffprobe could not read the file — fall back to the extractor's info entirely.
+        return info_v, info_a, info_w, info_h
+    pv, pa, pw, ph, _dur = _facts_from_probe(data)
+    # Probe ran → its codecs win outright (a None means "no such track", not "unknown"); info only
+    # gap-fills the cosmetic width/height the probe couldn't read.
+    return pv, pa, pw if pw is not None else info_w, ph if ph is not None else info_h
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_upload.py b/backend/tests/test_upload.py
index fc83527f..6e7a9d01 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_upload.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_upload.py
@@ -405,16 +405,91 @@ class TestProbeClassifier:
 
 
 class TestResolveMediaFacts:
+    # These stub run_ffprobe_json (one level below probe_media) so the REAL probe parsing + the
+    # probe-vs-info precedence are exercised together — the precedence keys off whether ffprobe RAN.
+    @staticmethod
+    def _ffprobe(monkeypatch, data):
+        monkeypatch.setattr(probemod.editmod, "run_ffprobe_json", lambda *a, **k: data)
+
     def test_probe_wins_when_info_lacks_codecs(self, monkeypatch):
-        # THE regression: info has no vcodec/acodec/dims (Facebook), but the file probes as h264/aac.
-        monkeypatch.setattr(probemod, "probe_media", lambda _p: ("h264", "aac", 720, 1280, 24))
+        # THE original regression: info has no vcodec/acodec/dims (Facebook), but the file probes as
+        # h264/aac.
+        self._ffprobe(
+            monkeypatch,
+            {
+                "format": {"format_name": "mov,mp4,m4a"},
+                "streams": [
+                    {"codec_type": "video", "codec_name": "h264", "width": 720, "height": 1280},
+                    {"codec_type": "audio", "codec_name": "aac"},
+                ],
+            },
+        )
         v, a, w, h = probemod.resolve_media_facts(Path("x"), {"width": None, "height": None})
         assert (v, a, w, h) == ("h264", "aac", 720, 1280)
         assert mediakind.derive(v, a) == mediakind.VIDEO  # NOT 'file'
 
-    def test_info_fills_only_fields_the_probe_could_not_read(self, monkeypatch):
-        # Probe failed / not media (all None) → fall back to info so we never regress the working path.
-        monkeypatch.setattr(probemod, "probe_media", lambda _p: (None, None, None, None, None))
+    def test_probe_wins_over_a_DIFFERING_populated_info(self, monkeypatch):
+        # Both the probe AND info are populated but DISAGREE (info carries a pre-remux/pre-merge codec).
+        # The finished file on disk is ground truth, so the probe wins outright — pins the precedence a
+        # `info or probe` inversion would silently break.
+        self._ffprobe(
+            monkeypatch,
+            {
+                "format": {"format_name": "mov,mp4,m4a"},
+                "streams": [
+                    {"codec_type": "video", "codec_name": "h264", "width": 1920, "height": 1080},
+                    {"codec_type": "audio", "codec_name": "aac"},
+                ],
+            },
+        )
+        v, a, w, h = probemod.resolve_media_facts(
+            Path("x"), {"vcodec": "vp9", "acodec": "opus", "width": 640, "height": 480}
+        )
+        assert (v, a, w, h) == ("h264", "aac", 1920, 1080)  # probe, not info
+
+    def test_cover_art_audio_download_is_not_resurrected_to_video_by_info(self, monkeypatch):
+        # THE bug this fix targets: an audio-mode download from a progressive source embeds cover art,
+        # and yt-dlp's info still carries the source's video codec. The probe correctly finds only audio
+        # (the attached_pic is skipped); info's vcodec must NOT resurrect a video track → media_kind
+        # stays audio, not a broken in-app 'video'.
+        self._ffprobe(
+            monkeypatch,
+            {
+                "format": {"format_name": "mp3", "duration": "180.0"},
+                "streams": [
+                    {
+                        "codec_type": "video",
+                        "codec_name": "mjpeg",
+                        "disposition": {"attached_pic": 1},
+                    },
+                    {"codec_type": "audio", "codec_name": "mp3"},
+                ],
+            },
+        )
+        v, a, w, h = probemod.resolve_media_facts(
+            Path("x"), {"vcodec": "avc1", "acodec": "mp4a", "width": 1280, "height": 720}
+        )
+        assert v is None and a == "mp3"  # info's avc1 did NOT win
+        assert mediakind.derive(v, a) == mediakind.AUDIO  # NOT VIDEO
+
+    def test_still_image_download_is_not_resurrected_to_video_by_info(self, monkeypatch):
+        # A downloaded still image: the probe returns no vcodec (image-format guard). info's image
+        # "vcodec" must not turn it into a broken 'video' → stays a generic file.
+        self._ffprobe(
+            monkeypatch,
+            {
+                "format": {"format_name": "png_pipe"},
+                "streams": [{"codec_type": "video", "codec_name": "png", "width": 8, "height": 8}],
+            },
+        )
+        v, a, w, h = probemod.resolve_media_facts(
+            Path("x"), {"vcodec": "png", "width": 8, "height": 8}
+        )
+        assert v is None and mediakind.derive(v, a) == mediakind.FILE
+
+    def test_info_fills_in_only_when_ffprobe_could_not_read_the_file(self, monkeypatch):
+        # ffprobe failed entirely (None) → fall back to info so we never regress the working path.
+        self._ffprobe(monkeypatch, None)
         v, a, w, h = probemod.resolve_media_facts(
             Path("x"), {"vcodec": "vp9", "acodec": "opus", "width": 1920, "height": 1080}
         )
@@ -422,7 +497,7 @@ class TestResolveMediaFacts:
 
     def test_info_none_codec_string_is_treated_as_absent(self, monkeypatch):
         # yt-dlp writes the literal "none" for a missing stream — it must not become a codec name.
-        monkeypatch.setattr(probemod, "probe_media", lambda _p: (None, None, None, None, None))
+        self._ffprobe(monkeypatch, None)  # probe failed → info path, where the "none" scrub applies
         v, a, w, h = probemod.resolve_media_facts(Path("x"), {"vcodec": "none", "acodec": "aac"})
         assert (v, a) == (None, "aac")
         assert mediakind.derive(v, a) == mediakind.AUDIO