diff --git a/core/artwork/e2e/acquire_serve_test.go b/core/artwork/e2e/acquire_serve_test.go
index 426e65281..ec6ba342e 100644
--- a/core/artwork/e2e/acquire_serve_test.go
+++ b/core/artwork/e2e/acquire_serve_test.go
@@ -52,6 +52,14 @@ var _ = Describe("Acquisition → serve loop", func() {
 			return err == nil && ia.Hash == ""
 		}
 	}
+	// Enqueues the way the serving paths do, so the drain is driven by a plain queue row.
+	bump := func(kind, id string) {
+		GinkgoHelper()
+		Expect(ds.ArtworkQueue(ctx).EnqueueBump(model.ArtworkQueueItem{
+			ItemKind: kind, ItemID: id, ImageType: model.ImageTypePrimary,
+			Priority: model.ArtworkPriorityBump,
+		})).To(Succeed())
+	}
 
 	BeforeEach(func() {
 		DeferCleanup(configtest.SetupConfig())
@@ -109,7 +117,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Acquisition → serve loop", func() {
 
 	It("acquires album folder art and serves the exact bytes under its hash", func() {
 		seedFolderAlbum("al1")
-		worker.Bump("al", "al1")
+		bump("al", "al1")
 		runWorkerUntil(ctx, worker, itemFound(model.KindAlbumArtwork, "al1"))
 
 		ia, err := artRepo.GetItemArtwork(model.KindAlbumArtwork, "al1", model.ImageTypePrimary)
@@ -126,7 +134,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Acquisition → serve loop", func() {
 	It("acquires an artist's uploaded image and serves it", func() {
 		name := writeUpload(consts.EntityArtist, "artist-e2e.png", artistPngFixture)
 		artistRepo.SetData(model.Artists{{ID: "ar1", Name: "Artist", UploadedImage: name}})
-		worker.Bump("ar", "ar1")
+		bump("ar", "ar1")
 		runWorkerUntil(ctx, worker, itemFound(model.KindArtistArtwork, "ar1"))
 
 		ia, err := artRepo.GetItemArtwork(model.KindArtistArtwork, "ar1", model.ImageTypePrimary)
@@ -143,7 +151,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Acquisition → serve loop", func() {
 		seedFolderAlbum("al1")
 		plRepo.SetData(model.Playlists{{ID: "pl1", Name: "Playlist"}})
 		plRepo.TracksRepo = &tests.MockPlaylistTrackRepo{AlbumIDs: []string{"al1"}}
-		worker.Bump("pl", "pl1")
+		bump("pl", "pl1")
 		runWorkerUntil(ctx, worker, itemFound(model.KindPlaylistArtwork, "pl1"))
 
 		ia, err := artRepo.GetItemArtwork(model.KindPlaylistArtwork, "pl1", model.ImageTypePrimary)
@@ -162,7 +170,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Acquisition → serve loop", func() {
 	It("acquires a radio station's uploaded image and serves it", func() {
 		name := writeUpload(consts.EntityRadio, "radio-e2e.jpg", coverFixture)
 		radioRepo.Data["ra1"] = &model.Radio{ID: "ra1", Name: "Station", UploadedImage: name}
-		worker.Bump("ra", "ra1")
+		bump("ra", "ra1")
 		runWorkerUntil(ctx, worker, itemFound(model.KindRadioArtwork, "ra1"))
 
 		ia, err := artRepo.GetItemArtwork(model.KindRadioArtwork, "ra1", model.ImageTypePrimary)
@@ -205,7 +213,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Acquisition → serve loop", func() {
 
 	It("stores dimensions, mime and a real blurhash alongside the acquired bytes", func() {
 		seedFolderAlbum("al1")
-		worker.Bump("al", "al1")
+		bump("al", "al1")
 		runWorkerUntil(ctx, worker, itemFound(model.KindAlbumArtwork, "al1"))
 
 		ia, err := artRepo.GetItemArtwork(model.KindAlbumArtwork, "al1", model.ImageTypePrimary)
@@ -222,7 +230,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Acquisition → serve loop", func() {
 	It("acquires GIF artwork, whose decoder only core/artwork's blank import registers", func() {
 		writeUploadedImage(consts.EntityRadio, "station.gif", gifFixture)
 		radioRepo.Data["ra1"] = &model.Radio{ID: "ra1", Name: "Station", UploadedImage: "station.gif"}
-		worker.Bump("ra", "ra1")
+		bump("ra", "ra1")
 		runWorkerUntil(ctx, worker, itemFound(model.KindRadioArtwork, "ra1"))
 
 		ia, err := artRepo.GetItemArtwork(model.KindRadioArtwork, "ra1", model.ImageTypePrimary)
@@ -239,8 +247,8 @@ var _ = Describe("Acquisition → serve loop", func() {
 			{ID: "al1", Name: "Album", FolderIDs: []string{"f1"}, LibraryID: 0},
 			{ID: "al2", Name: "Same Cover", FolderIDs: []string{"f1"}, LibraryID: 0},
 		})
-		worker.Bump("al", "al1")
-		worker.Bump("al", "al2")
+		bump("al", "al1")
+		bump("al", "al2")
 		runWorkerUntil(ctx, worker, func() bool {
 			return itemFound(model.KindAlbumArtwork, "al1")() && itemFound(model.KindAlbumArtwork, "al2")()
 		})
@@ -256,7 +264,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Acquisition → serve loop", func() {
 	It("stops serving a file-backed image once its source file changes underneath", func() {
 		name := writeUpload(consts.EntityRadio, "radio-stale.jpg", coverFixture)
 		radioRepo.Data["ra1"] = &model.Radio{ID: "ra1", Name: "Station", UploadedImage: name}
-		worker.Bump("ra", "ra1")
+		bump("ra", "ra1")
 		runWorkerUntil(ctx, worker, itemFound(model.KindRadioArtwork, "ra1"))
 
 		ia, err := artRepo.GetItemArtwork(model.KindRadioArtwork, "ra1", model.ImageTypePrimary)
@@ -284,7 +292,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Acquisition → serve loop", func() {
 
 	It("records an absent state for an entity with no art and reports it unavailable", func() {
 		albumRepo.SetData(model.Albums{{ID: "alx", Name: "Artless", LibraryID: 0}})
-		worker.Bump("al", "alx")
+		bump("al", "alx")
 		runWorkerUntil(ctx, worker, itemAbsent(model.KindAlbumArtwork, "alx"))
 
 		_, err := svc.Get(ctx, model.MustParseArtworkID("al-alx"), 0, false)
diff --git a/core/artwork/e2e/resolution_harness_test.go b/core/artwork/e2e/resolution_harness_test.go
index 78836df7f..ac52e5b50 100644
--- a/core/artwork/e2e/resolution_harness_test.go
+++ b/core/artwork/e2e/resolution_harness_test.go
@@ -139,7 +139,11 @@ func scan() {
 
 func acquire(kind model.Kind, id string) model.ItemArtwork {
 	GinkgoHelper()
-	rworker.Bump(kind.Prefix(), id)
+	// Enqueues the way the serving paths do, so the drain is driven by a plain queue row.
+	Expect(rds.ArtworkQueue(rctx).EnqueueBump(model.ArtworkQueueItem{
+		ItemKind: kind.Prefix(), ItemID: id, ImageType: model.ImageTypePrimary,
+		Priority: model.ArtworkPriorityBump,
+	})).To(Succeed())
 	var ia *model.ItemArtwork
 	runResolutionWorkerUntil(func() bool {
 		got, err := rds.Artwork(rctx).GetItemArtwork(kind, id, model.ImageTypePrimary)
diff --git a/core/artwork/worker.go b/core/artwork/worker.go
index d09889aeb..3042c47b0 100644
--- a/core/artwork/worker.go
+++ b/core/artwork/worker.go
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ type drainPool struct {
 	name        string
 	kinds       []string
 	concurrency int
-	wake        chan struct{}
 }
 
 // Worker drains the artwork queue: each external agent is rate-limited and circuit-broken
@@ -75,8 +74,8 @@ func newDrainPools() []*drainPool {
 	// More external slots than the rate allows would only sleep in the limiter.
 	external := min(max(2, 2*conf.Server.DevArtworkExternalMaxRPS), budget-local)
 	return []*drainPool{
-		{name: "local", kinds: localDrainKinds, concurrency: local, wake: make(chan struct{}, 1)},
-		{name: "external", kinds: externalDrainKinds, concurrency: external, wake: make(chan struct{}, 1)},
+		{name: "local", kinds: localDrainKinds, concurrency: local},
+		{name: "external", kinds: externalDrainKinds, concurrency: external},
 	}
 }
 
@@ -120,28 +119,6 @@ func (w *Worker) runPool(ctx context.Context, p *drainPool) {
 		case <-ctx.Done():
 			return
 		case <-ticker.C:
-		case <-p.wake:
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-// Bump enqueues an item at the highest priority and wakes the drain loops.
-func (w *Worker) Bump(kind, id string) {
-	item := model.ArtworkQueueItem{
-		ItemKind:  kind,
-		ItemID:    id,
-		ImageType: model.ImageTypePrimary,
-		Priority:  model.ArtworkPriorityBump,
-	}
-	if err := w.proc.ds.ArtworkQueue(context.Background()).Enqueue(item); err != nil {
-		log.Warn("Artwork: Could not bump queue item", "kind", kind, "id", id, err)
-		return
-	}
-	// Wake every pool: a spurious wake only costs an empty dequeue.
-	for _, p := range w.pools {
-		select {
-		case p.wake <- struct{}{}:
-		default:
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/core/artwork/worker_test.go b/core/artwork/worker_test.go
index f548bb0e9..1f3b52840 100644
--- a/core/artwork/worker_test.go
+++ b/core/artwork/worker_test.go
@@ -500,15 +500,6 @@ var _ = Describe("Worker", func() {
 		})
 	})
 
-	Describe("Bump", func() {
-		It("enqueues at Bump priority and wakes the loop", func() {
-			w.Bump("al", "al9")
-			it := findQueued(queueRepo, "al", "al9")
-			Expect(it).ToNot(BeNil())
-			Expect(it.Priority).To(Equal(model.ArtworkPriorityBump))
-		})
-	})
-
 	Describe("gate/breaker", func() {
 		It("opens after 5 consecutive external errors and short-circuits the step", func() {
 			var calls int
diff --git a/server/subsonic/e2e/subsonic_artwork_test.go b/server/subsonic/e2e/subsonic_artwork_test.go
index 70bb02702..c1976983b 100644
--- a/server/subsonic/e2e/subsonic_artwork_test.go
+++ b/server/subsonic/e2e/subsonic_artwork_test.go
@@ -146,8 +146,13 @@ var _ = Describe("Artwork Serving", Ordered, func() {
 	})
 
 	It("drains the queue: folder art is acquired, the artless album settles absent", func() {
-		worker.Bump("al", artfulID)
-		worker.Bump("al", artlessID)
+		// Enqueues the way the serving paths do, so the drain is driven by a plain queue row.
+		for _, id := range []string{artfulID, artlessID} {
+			Expect(ds.ArtworkQueue(ctx).EnqueueBump(model.ArtworkQueueItem{
+				ItemKind: model.KindAlbumArtwork.Prefix(), ItemID: id,
+				ImageType: model.ImageTypePrimary, Priority: model.ArtworkPriorityBump,
+			})).To(Succeed())
+		}
 		runWorkerUntil(ctx, worker, func() bool {
 			found, err := ds.Artwork(ctx).GetItemArtwork(model.KindAlbumArtwork, artfulID, model.ImageTypePrimary)
 			if err != nil || found.Hash == "" {