diff --git a/plugins/README.md b/plugins/README.md
index b04e12bd9..7042b8c45 100644
--- a/plugins/README.md
+++ b/plugins/README.md
@@ -174,6 +174,14 @@ Capabilities define what your plugin can do. They're automatically detected base
 
 Provides artist and album metadata. All methods are **optional** — implement only the ones your data source supports.
 
+> **Returning "not found".** When you have no data for an item, return an empty response and no
+> error. In the Go PDK that is `return nil, nil`. Navidrome reads it as a definitive "not found"
+> and stops asking.
+>
+> Return an error only when the plugin itself failed, such as an unreachable API or a broken host
+> call. Navidrome retries failed calls with backoff. A plugin that errors on "no data" makes
+> Navidrome retry every item it has no data for.
+
 | Function                          | Input                      | Output                           | Description              |
 |-----------------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------------|--------------------------|
 | `nd_get_artist_mbid`              | `{id, name}`               | `{mbid}`                         | Get MusicBrainz ID       |
diff --git a/plugins/capabilities/metadata_agent.go b/plugins/capabilities/metadata_agent.go
index f856562c6..72cb1622f 100644
--- a/plugins/capabilities/metadata_agent.go
+++ b/plugins/capabilities/metadata_agent.go
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ import "github.com/navidrome/navidrome/plugins/types"
 // Plugins implementing this capability can choose which methods to implement.
 // Each method is optional - plugins only need to provide the functionality they support.
 //
+// To say "no data for this item", return a nil response and a nil error. Return an error only when
+// the plugin itself failed, because Navidrome retries failed calls with backoff.
+//
 //nd:capability name=metadata
 type MetadataAgent interface {
 	// GetArtistMBID retrieves the MusicBrainz ID for an artist.
diff --git a/plugins/pdk/go/metadata/metadata.go b/plugins/pdk/go/metadata/metadata.go
index c561c2893..bb0ae9620 100644
--- a/plugins/pdk/go/metadata/metadata.go
+++ b/plugins/pdk/go/metadata/metadata.go
@@ -186,6 +186,9 @@ type TopSongsResponse struct {
 //
 // Plugins implementing this capability can choose which methods to implement.
 // Each method is optional - plugins only need to provide the functionality they support.
+//
+// To say "no data for this item", return a nil response and a nil error. Return an error only when
+// the plugin itself failed, because Navidrome retries failed calls with backoff.
 type Metadata interface{}
 
 // ArtistMBIDProvider provides the GetArtistMBID function.
diff --git a/plugins/pdk/go/metadata/metadata_stub.go b/plugins/pdk/go/metadata/metadata_stub.go
index e72cca103..572eba4da 100644
--- a/plugins/pdk/go/metadata/metadata_stub.go
+++ b/plugins/pdk/go/metadata/metadata_stub.go
@@ -184,6 +184,9 @@ type TopSongsResponse struct {
 //
 // Plugins implementing this capability can choose which methods to implement.
 // Each method is optional - plugins only need to provide the functionality they support.
+//
+// To say "no data for this item", return a nil response and a nil error. Return an error only when
+// the plugin itself failed, because Navidrome retries failed calls with backoff.
 type Metadata interface{}
 
 // ArtistMBIDProvider provides the GetArtistMBID function.