diff --git a/core/artwork/e2e/resolution_harness_test.go b/core/artwork/e2e/resolution_harness_test.go
index 6b90e7795..1a917cb2d 100644
--- a/core/artwork/e2e/resolution_harness_test.go
+++ b/core/artwork/e2e/resolution_harness_test.go
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ func expectAlbumFolderCover(al model.Album, suffix string) {
 	Expect(serveBytes(al.CoverArtID())).To(Equal(libFileBytes(suffix)))
 	ia := acquire(model.KindAlbumArtwork, al.ID)
 	Expect(ia.Source).To(Equal("folder"))
-	Expect(ia.SourcePath).To(HaveSuffix(suffix))
+	Expect(filepath.ToSlash(ia.SourcePath)).To(HaveSuffix(suffix))
 }
 
 // requireNoStateRow guards the byte-level folder assertions: a drain resolves every ready queue
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ func expectArtistFolder(ar model.Artist, suffix string) {
 	Expect(serveBytes(model.NewArtworkID(model.KindArtistArtwork, ar.ID, nil))).To(Equal(libFileBytes(suffix)))
 	ia := acquire(model.KindArtistArtwork, ar.ID)
 	Expect(ia.Source).To(Equal("folder"))
-	Expect(ia.SourcePath).To(HaveSuffix(suffix))
+	Expect(filepath.ToSlash(ia.SourcePath)).To(HaveSuffix(suffix))
 }
 
 // writeUploadedImage drops raw bytes into the per-entity upload folder under DataFolder, matching
diff --git a/core/artwork/folders_artist.go b/core/artwork/folders_artist.go
index b75cddde6..b858a0db5 100644
--- a/core/artwork/folders_artist.go
+++ b/core/artwork/folders_artist.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package artwork
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"io/fs"
@@ -38,17 +39,24 @@ func fromArtistFolder(ctx context.Context, libFS fs.FS, libPath, artistFolder, p
 		// return backslash separators on Windows.
 		rel = filepath.ToSlash(rel)
 		current := artistFolder
+		var unreadable error
 		for range maxArtistFolderTraversalDepth {
 			reader, hit, err := findImageInFolder(ctx, libFS, rel, current, pattern)
 			if err == nil {
 				return reader, hit, nil
 			}
+			if errors.Is(err, errSourceUnreadable) {
+				unreadable = err
+			}
 			if rel == "." {
 				break // reached library root; don't traverse above it
 			}
 			rel = path.Dir(rel)
 			current = filepath.Dir(current)
 		}
+		if unreadable != nil {
+			return nil, "", unreadable
+		}
 		return nil, "", fmt.Errorf(`no matches for '%s' in '%s' or its parent directories (within library)`, pattern, artistFolder)
 	}
 }
@@ -82,15 +90,20 @@ func findImageInFolder(ctx context.Context, libFS fs.FS, relFolder, absFolder, p
 	// suffixes (e.g., artist.jpg before artist.1.jpg)
 	slices.SortFunc(imagePaths, compareImageFiles)
 
+	var openErr error
 	for _, p := range imagePaths {
 		f, err := libFS.Open(p)
 		if err != nil {
 			log.Warn(ctx, "Could not open cover art file", "file", p, err)
+			openErr = fmt.Errorf("%w: %s: %w", errSourceUnreadable, p, err)
 			continue
 		}
 		_, name := path.Split(p)
 		return f, filepath.Join(absFolder, name), nil
 	}
+	if openErr != nil {
+		return nil, "", openErr
+	}
 
 	return nil, "", fmt.Errorf(`no matches for '%s' in '%s'`, pattern, absFolder)
 }
diff --git a/core/artwork/folders_artist_test.go b/core/artwork/folders_artist_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e27b591b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/artwork/folders_artist_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+package artwork
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+
+	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
+	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
+)
+
+var _ = Describe("findImageInFolder", func() {
+	var ctx context.Context
+	var dir string
+
+	BeforeEach(func() {
+		ctx = context.Background()
+		dir = GinkgoT().TempDir()
+	})
+
+	It("returns the first matching image", func() {
+		Expect(os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(dir, "artist.jpg"), []byte("img"), 0o600)).To(Succeed())
+
+		r, hit, err := findImageInFolder(ctx, os.DirFS(dir), ".", dir, "artist.*")
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		defer r.Close()
+		Expect(hit).To(HaveSuffix("artist.jpg"))
+	})
+
+	// The glob matched, so the image exists; failing to open it says nothing about whether the
+	// artist has one, and must not let the resolver settle on absent.
+	It("reports a matched but unreadable image as unreadable, not as a miss", func() {
+		img := filepath.Join(dir, "artist.jpg")
+		Expect(os.WriteFile(img, []byte("img"), 0o600)).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(os.Chmod(img, 0o000)).To(Succeed())
+		DeferCleanup(func() { _ = os.Chmod(img, 0o600) })
+
+		_, _, err := findImageInFolder(ctx, os.DirFS(dir), ".", dir, "artist.*")
+		Expect(err).To(MatchError(errSourceUnreadable))
+	})
+
+	It("reports a plain miss when nothing matches", func() {
+		_, _, err := findImageInFolder(ctx, os.DirFS(dir), ".", dir, "artist.*")
+		Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
+		Expect(errors.Is(err, errSourceUnreadable)).To(BeFalse(), "no match is definitive, not transient")
+	})
+})
diff --git a/core/artwork/resolve.go b/core/artwork/resolve.go
index 0e15c1dad..af165c8ac 100644
--- a/core/artwork/resolve.go
+++ b/core/artwork/resolve.go
@@ -192,10 +192,12 @@ func resolveArtist(ctx context.Context, ds model.DataStore, ag *agents.Agents, f
 			if lib.FS == nil || artistFolder == "" {
 				continue
 			}
-			if res, ok := resolveArtistFolderPattern(ctx, lib, artistFolder, pattern); ok {
+			res, ok := resolveArtistFolderPattern(ctx, lib, artistFolder, pattern)
+			if ok {
 				res.extError = extErr
 				return res, nil
 			}
+			localErr = localErr || res.localError
 		}
 	}
 	return resolution{extError: extErr, localError: localErr}, nil
@@ -393,9 +395,9 @@ func resolveArtistImageFolder(ar *model.Artist) (resolution, bool) {
 }
 
 func resolveArtistFolderPattern(ctx context.Context, lib libraryView, artistFolder, pattern string) (resolution, bool) {
-	r, path, _ := fromArtistFolder(ctx, lib.FS, lib.absRoot, artistFolder, pattern)()
+	r, path, err := fromArtistFolder(ctx, lib.FS, lib.absRoot, artistFolder, pattern)()
 	if r == nil {
-		return resolution{}, false
+		return resolution{localError: errors.Is(err, errSourceUnreadable)}, false
 	}
 	return resolution{reader: r, source: "folder", sourcePath: path, refMtime: mtimeOf(path)}, true
 }