diff --git a/core/artwork/e2e/blurhash_test.go b/core/artwork/e2e/blurhash_test.go
index d11171aaf..f40e83820 100644
--- a/core/artwork/e2e/blurhash_test.go
+++ b/core/artwork/e2e/blurhash_test.go
@@ -61,6 +61,9 @@ var _ = Describe("BlurHash", func() {
 		// A future file mtime must be capped at now, or the !Before checks would pin the hash
 		// (and the client's cover cache) until wall time caught up.
 		Expect(updated.BlurHashUpdatedAt.After(time.Now())).To(BeFalse())
+		// The scanner caps the folder's images_updated_at too, so the artwork version is not future
+		// and the freshly computed hash is accepted by the DTO instead of the fake.
+		Expect(updated.BlurHashUpdatedAt.Before(updated.ArtworkUpdatedAt())).To(BeFalse())
 	})
 
 	It("recomputes when the cover is swapped in place", func() {
diff --git a/scanner/walk_dir_tree.go b/scanner/walk_dir_tree.go
index 887344b1b..b02ec0dde 100644
--- a/scanner/walk_dir_tree.go
+++ b/scanner/walk_dir_tree.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"slices"
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/conf"
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/core/storage"
@@ -160,7 +161,13 @@ func loadDir(ctx context.Context, job *scanJob, dirPath string, checker *IgnoreC
 				folder.numPlaylists++
 			case model.IsImageFile(name):
 				folder.imageFiles[entry.Name()] = entry
-				folder.imagesUpdatedAt = utils.TimeNewest(folder.imagesUpdatedAt, fileInfo.ModTime(), folder.modTime)
+				imagesAt := utils.TimeNewest(folder.imagesUpdatedAt, fileInfo.ModTime(), folder.modTime)
+				// Cap at now: a future-stamped image (clock skew) would otherwise become a future artwork
+				// version that pins the emitted blurhash to the fake until wall time caught up.
+				if now := time.Now(); imagesAt.After(now) {
+					imagesAt = now
+				}
+				folder.imagesUpdatedAt = imagesAt
 			}
 		}
 	}