diff --git a/backend/main_test.go b/backend/main_test.go
index d199eb7..dd87c8e 100644
--- a/backend/main_test.go
+++ b/backend/main_test.go
@@ -160,3 +160,39 @@ func TestPutStatusValidation(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+// A PUT that omits the status field entirely (what a userscript build
+// predating the column sends) is the actual preserve path — the "" case
+// above only exercises the fresh-INSERT default and never touches an
+// existing bucket. This must both keep the archived bucket and still apply
+// the chapter progress carried in the same request.
+func TestPutOmittedStatusPreservesArchivedAndAppliesProgress(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := newTestServer(t)
+
+	seed := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodPut, "/bookmarks/asura:solo",
+		strings.NewReader(`{"title":"Solo","status":"archived"}`))
+	rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	srv.ServeHTTP(rr, auth(seed))
+	if rr.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("seed status = %d, want 200 (body %s)", rr.Code, rr.Body.String())
+	}
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodPut, "/bookmarks/asura:solo",
+		strings.NewReader(`{"title":"Solo","last_chapter":"12","last_chapter_num":12}`))
+	rr = httptest.NewRecorder()
+	srv.ServeHTTP(rr, auth(req))
+	if rr.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("status = %d, want 200 (body %s)", rr.Code, rr.Body.String())
+	}
+
+	var got Bookmark
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(rr.Body.Bytes(), &got); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("decode: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got.Status != "archived" {
+		t.Fatalf("stored status = %q, want %q", got.Status, "archived")
+	}
+	if got.LastChapterNum != 12 {
+		t.Fatalf("stored last_chapter_num = %v, want 12", got.LastChapterNum)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/store.go b/backend/store.go
index 39e40d9..e3df5d2 100644
--- a/backend/store.go
+++ b/backend/store.go
@@ -193,10 +193,11 @@ func scanBookmark(scan func(...any) error) (Bookmark, error) {
 	if latestChapterNum.Valid {
 		b.LatestChapterNum = &latestChapterNum.Float64
 	}
-	// A NULL or empty bucket would leave the row in no list at all, so it
-	// reads as the default rather than being passed through.
+	// A NULL, empty, or unrecognised bucket (e.g. a hand-edited row) would
+	// leave the row in no list at all, so anything outside the three known
+	// buckets reads as the default rather than being passed through.
 	b.Status = status.String
-	if b.Status == "" {
+	if b.Status != statusReading && b.Status != statusArchived && b.Status != statusFinished {
 		b.Status = statusReading
 	}
 	return b, nil
diff --git a/backend/store_test.go b/backend/store_test.go
index c1eddac..619a5ff 100644
--- a/backend/store_test.go
+++ b/backend/store_test.go
@@ -760,6 +760,39 @@ func TestUpsertEmptyStatusPreservesStored(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// Mirrors the poller's read-modify-write in latest.go: Get the current row,
+// mutate only the latest-chapter fields, and Upsert the whole struct back.
+// cur.Status comes from Get (never empty — see scanBookmark), so it must
+// round-trip through Upsert unchanged rather than being reset.
+func TestLatestPollRoundTripPreservesArchived(t *testing.T) {
+	store := newTestStore(t)
+	base := Bookmark{
+		Key: "asura:solo", Site: "asura", SeriesID: "solo",
+		Status: statusArchived, UpdatedAt: time.Now().UnixMilli(),
+	}
+	if _, err := store.Upsert(base); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	cur, found, err := store.Get(base.Key)
+	if err != nil || !found {
+		t.Fatalf("Get: found=%v err=%v", found, err)
+	}
+
+	num := 7.0
+	cur.LatestChapter = "7"
+	cur.LatestChapterNum = &num
+	cur.UpdatedAt = time.Now().UnixMilli()
+
+	stored, err := store.Upsert(cur)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Upsert: %v", err)
+	}
+	if stored.Status != statusArchived {
+		t.Fatalf("Status = %q, want it preserved as %q", stored.Status, statusArchived)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestUpsertReplacesStatusWhenGiven(t *testing.T) {
 	store := newTestStore(t)
 	base := Bookmark{
diff --git a/userscript/manga-bookmark.user.js b/userscript/manga-bookmark.user.js
index 791799b..ee2d1d8 100644
--- a/userscript/manga-bookmark.user.js
+++ b/userscript/manga-bookmark.user.js
@@ -271,11 +271,17 @@
     return res.json();
   }
 
-  async function apiPut(key, obj) {
+  // Only an explicit archive/restore has an opinion about the bucket. Every
+  // other write omits `status`, so the server keeps the stored one — otherwise
+  // a cached value would resend "finished" (which the API rejects with 400) or
+  // silently un-archive a series archived on another device.
+  async function apiPut(key, obj, { sendStatus = false } = {}) {
+    const body = Object.assign({}, obj);
+    if (!sendStatus) delete body.status;
     const res = await fetch(API_BASE + "/bookmarks/" + encodeURIComponent(key), {
       method: "PUT",
       headers: authHeaders({ "Content-Type": "application/json" }),
-      body: JSON.stringify(obj),
+      body: JSON.stringify(body),
     });
     if (!res.ok) throw new Error("PUT /bookmarks " + res.status);
     return res.json();
@@ -433,7 +439,7 @@
     upsertLocal(bm);
     render();
     try {
-      const saved = await apiPut(bm.key, bm);
+      const saved = await apiPut(bm.key, bm, { sendStatus: true });
       upsertLocal(saved); // adopt the stored row: the server owns updated_at
       render();
       toast(next === "archived" ? "Archived" : "Back in your list");
@@ -489,6 +495,7 @@
     const now = Date.now();
     const due = state.list
       .filter((b) => b.site === site && b.series_url)
+      .filter((b) => statusOf(b) !== "finished")
       .filter((b) => now - (checked[b.key] || 0) >= LATEST_CHECK_THROTTLE_MS)
       .sort((a, b) => (checked[a.key] || 0) - (checked[b.key] || 0))
       .slice(0, LATEST_CHECK_BATCH);