diff --git a/backend/app/youtube/search_scrape.py b/backend/app/youtube/search_scrape.py
index cfdbc95e..391416c8 100644
--- a/backend/app/youtube/search_scrape.py
+++ b/backend/app/youtube/search_scrape.py
@@ -42,6 +42,9 @@ _HEADERS = {
     "Accept-Language": "en-US,en;q=0.9",
 }
 
+# The top-level keys a first page (contents) and a continuation page (onResponseReceivedCommands)
+# put their result list under.
+_RESULT_FRAMES = {"contents", "onResponseReceivedCommands"}
 _KEY_RE = re.compile(r'"INNERTUBE_API_KEY":"([^"]+)"')
 _VER_RE = re.compile(r'"INNERTUBE_CLIENT_VERSION":"([^"]+)"')
 
@@ -65,29 +68,36 @@ def _runs_text(node: dict | None) -> str | None:
 
 
 def _get_config(client: httpx.Client) -> tuple[str, str]:
-    """The current InnerTube (api_key, client_version), cached after the first fetch."""
+    """The current InnerTube (api_key, client_version), cached after the first fetch that FOUND them.
+
+    The fallback pair is never cached: it used to be, so one failed fetch (or a consent page with no
+    keys on it) at the wrong moment pinned every later search to a hard-coded key and version for
+    the life of the process — and when those went stale, search returned nothing, with no error
+    anywhere (E32 S2). Now the next search simply tries the live pair again."""
     global _config
     if _config is not None:
         return _config
     try:
-        resp = client.get(_RESULTS_URL, params={"search_query": "music"})
-        html = resp.text
-        key = _KEY_RE.search(html)
-        ver = _VER_RE.search(html)
-        _config = (
-            key.group(1) if key else _FALLBACK_KEY,
-            ver.group(1) if ver else _FALLBACK_CLIENT_VERSION,
-        )
+        html = client.get(_RESULTS_URL, params={"search_query": "music"}).text
     except httpx.HTTPError as exc:
-        # The fallback pair is CACHED in `_config` for the life of the process, so one failed
-        # fetch at the wrong moment pins every later search to a hard-coded key and version —
-        # and when those go stale, search returns nothing at all, with no error anywhere.
         log.warning(
             "the InnerTube config could not be fetched; falling back to the pinned key",
             extra=logs.event("youtube.scrape.config_fallback", reason=type(exc).__name__),
         )
-        _config = (_FALLBACK_KEY, _FALLBACK_CLIENT_VERSION)
-    return _config
+        return (_FALLBACK_KEY, _FALLBACK_CLIENT_VERSION)
+    key = _KEY_RE.search(html)
+    ver = _VER_RE.search(html)
+    if key and ver:
+        _config = (key.group(1), ver.group(1))
+        return _config
+    log.warning(
+        "the results page carried no InnerTube config; falling back to the pinned key",
+        extra=logs.event("youtube.scrape.config_fallback", reason="not_on_page"),
+    )
+    return (
+        key.group(1) if key else _FALLBACK_KEY,
+        ver.group(1) if ver else _FALLBACK_CLIENT_VERSION,
+    )
 
 
 def _video_item(vr: dict) -> dict | None:
@@ -182,6 +192,10 @@ def search(q: str, continuation: str | None = None) -> dict:
         except ValueError as exc:  # non-JSON body (blocked / consent / captcha)
             raise ScrapeError("InnerTube returned a non-JSON response") from exc
 
+    # Even a search with no results carries its result list's frame. Without one this is not "no
+    # results" but a shape we do not know (YouTube moved, or a block page in JSON) — say so.
+    if not isinstance(data, dict) or not _RESULT_FRAMES & data.keys():
+        raise ScrapeError("InnerTube returned an unexpected shape")
     items: list[dict] = []
     _collect_videos(data, items, set())
     return {"items": items, "next_page_token": _find_continuation(data)}
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_search_scrape.py b/backend/tests/test_search_scrape.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b2dc0d79
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/tests/test_search_scrape.py
@@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
+"""youtube/search_scrape — the zero-quota InnerTube search (E32 S2: the module was 20% covered).
+
+Everything here breaks silently when YouTube moves: a parser that stops finding videos, a cursor that
+stops paging, a fallback key that outlives its usefulness. The network is an httpx MockTransport.
+"""
+
+import json
+
+import httpx
+import pytest
+
+from app.youtube import search_scrape
+
+RESULTS_HTML = (
+    '<script>{"INNERTUBE_API_KEY":"live-key","INNERTUBE_CLIENT_VERSION":"2.20261001"}</script>'
+)
+
+
+def _video(vid: str, title: str, *, simple: bool = False) -> dict:
+    return {
+        "videoRenderer": {
+            "videoId": vid,
+            "title": {"simpleText": title}
+            if simple
+            else {"runs": [{"text": title[:3]}, {"text": title[3:]}]},
+            "ownerText": {
+                "runs": [
+                    {
+                        "text": "Chan",
+                        "navigationEndpoint": {"browseEndpoint": {"browseId": "UCchan"}},
+                    }
+                ]
+            },
+            "thumbnail": {"thumbnails": [{"url": "small.jpg"}, {"url": "big.jpg"}]},
+        }
+    }
+
+
+PAGE = {
+    "contents": {
+        "sectionListRenderer": {
+            "contents": [
+                {
+                    "itemSectionRenderer": {
+                        "contents": [
+                            _video("v1", "First video"),
+                            {"channelRenderer": {"channelId": "UCx"}},  # not a video: skipped
+                            {
+                                "reelShelfRenderer": {
+                                    "items": [{"reelItemRenderer": {"videoId": "s1"}}]
+                                }
+                            },
+                            _video("v2", "Second", simple=True),
+                            _video("v1", "First video"),  # a repeat in another shelf: once
+                            {"videoRenderer": {"title": {"simpleText": "no id"}}},
+                        ]
+                    }
+                },
+                {
+                    "continuationItemRenderer": {
+                        "continuationEndpoint": {"continuationCommand": {"token": "NEXT"}}
+                    }
+                },
+            ]
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def net(monkeypatch):
+    """Route every httpx.Client the module opens through a handler the test sets."""
+    calls: list[httpx.Request] = []
+    state: dict = {"handler": None}
+
+    def transport(request: httpx.Request) -> httpx.Response:
+        calls.append(request)
+        return state["handler"](request)
+
+    real = httpx.Client
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        search_scrape.httpx,
+        "Client",
+        lambda **kw: real(transport=httpx.MockTransport(transport), **kw),
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr(search_scrape, "_config", None)
+    state["calls"] = calls
+    return state
+
+
+def _serve(results_html=RESULTS_HTML, search=PAGE, status=200):
+    def handler(request: httpx.Request) -> httpx.Response:
+        if request.url.path == "/results":
+            if isinstance(results_html, Exception):
+                raise results_html
+            return httpx.Response(200, text=results_html)
+        if isinstance(search, str):
+            return httpx.Response(status, text=search)
+        return httpx.Response(status, json=search)
+
+    return handler
+
+
+def test_a_page_flattens_its_videos_in_order_and_hands_back_the_cursor(net):
+    net["handler"] = _serve()
+    page = search_scrape.search("cats")
+    assert page["next_page_token"] == "NEXT"
+    assert [i["id"] for i in page["items"]] == ["v1", "v2"]
+    assert page["items"][0] == {
+        "id": "v1",
+        "channel_id": "UCchan",
+        "channel_title": "Chan",
+        "title": "First video",
+        "published_at": None,
+        "thumbnail_url": "big.jpg",
+        "live_broadcast": "none",
+    }
+    assert page["items"][1]["title"] == "Second"
+    post = net["calls"][-1]
+    assert post.url.params["key"] == "live-key"
+    body = json.loads(post.content)
+    assert body["query"] == "cats" and body["params"] == search_scrape._TYPE_VIDEO
+    assert body["context"]["client"]["clientVersion"] == "2.20261001"
+
+
+def test_the_next_page_sends_the_cursor_not_the_query_and_the_end_has_none(net):
+    net["handler"] = _serve(search={"onResponseReceivedCommands": [_video("v9", "Last")]})
+    page = search_scrape.search("cats", continuation="NEXT")
+    body = json.loads(net["calls"][-1].content)
+    assert body["continuation"] == "NEXT" and "query" not in body
+    assert [i["id"] for i in page["items"]] == ["v9"]
+    assert page["next_page_token"] is None
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("search", "status"),
+    [
+        ("<html>consent</html>", 200),
+        ({"error": "blocked"}, 429),
+        ({"responseContext": {}, "alerts": ["unusual traffic"]}, 200),
+        ([], 200),
+    ],
+    ids=["not-json", "http-error", "unknown-shape", "not-an-object"],
+)
+def test_a_blocked_or_garbled_answer_is_an_error_not_an_empty_page(net, search, status):
+    net["handler"] = _serve(search=search, status=status)
+    with pytest.raises(search_scrape.ScrapeError):
+        search_scrape.search("cats")
+
+
+def test_a_search_with_no_results_is_an_empty_page_not_an_error(net):
+    net["handler"] = _serve(search={"contents": {"sectionListRenderer": {"contents": []}}})
+    assert search_scrape.search("zzzzqqq") == {"items": [], "next_page_token": None}
+
+
+def test_the_live_key_is_fetched_once_and_cached(net):
+    net["handler"] = _serve()
+    search_scrape.search("a")
+    search_scrape.search("b")
+    assert [c.url.path for c in net["calls"]].count("/results") == 1
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "results_html",
+    [httpx.ConnectError("down"), "<html>a consent page, no keys</html>"],
+    ids=["fetch-failed", "no-key-on-page"],
+)
+def test_a_failed_key_fetch_falls_back_for_now_and_tries_again_next_time(net, results_html):
+    """The fallback pair used to be CACHED for the life of the process: one failed fetch pinned
+    every later search to a hard-coded key, and once that went stale search returned nothing,
+    with no error anywhere (E32 S2)."""
+    net["handler"] = _serve(results_html=results_html)
+    search_scrape.search("a")
+    assert net["calls"][-1].url.params["key"] == search_scrape._FALLBACK_KEY
+
+    net["handler"] = _serve()
+    search_scrape.search("b")
+    assert net["calls"][-1].url.params["key"] == "live-key"
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_shorts_probe.py b/backend/tests/test_shorts_probe.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a05cc7b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/tests/test_shorts_probe.py
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+"""youtube/shorts.probe_is_short — three answers, and the third is not the second (E32 S2: 33% covered).
+
+A Short answers 200 at /shorts/<id>; a regular video redirects to /watch. Anything else — an error
+page, a network failure — is "undetermined, ask again", never "not a Short": that would file a Short
+in the normal feed for good.
+"""
+
+import httpx
+import pytest
+
+from app.youtube import shorts
+
+
+def _client(respond) -> httpx.Client:
+    return httpx.Client(transport=httpx.MockTransport(respond))
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("status", "expected"),
+    [(200, True), (301, False), (302, False), (303, False), (307, False), (308, False)]
+    + [(404, None), (429, None), (500, None)],
+)
+def test_the_status_decides_short_regular_or_undetermined(status, expected):
+    seen: list[httpx.Request] = []
+
+    def respond(request: httpx.Request) -> httpx.Response:
+        seen.append(request)
+        return httpx.Response(status, headers={"location": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x"})
+
+    assert shorts.probe_is_short(_client(respond), "abc123") is expected
+    assert str(seen[0].url) == "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/abc123"
+    assert len(seen) == 1  # a redirect is the answer, never followed
+
+
+def test_a_network_failure_is_undetermined_not_regular():
+    def respond(request: httpx.Request) -> httpx.Response:
+        raise httpx.ConnectTimeout("slow", request=request)
+
+    assert shorts.probe_is_short(_client(respond), "abc123") is None
+
+
+def test_the_client_skips_the_consent_interstitial():
+    with shorts.make_client() as c:
+        assert "SOCS=" in c.headers["cookie"]