diff --git a/webui/src/app/router.test.tsx b/webui/src/app/router.test.tsx
index f347a5be..7f1921f9 100644
--- a/webui/src/app/router.test.tsx
+++ b/webui/src/app/router.test.tsx
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ function createShellBridge(overrides: Partial<ShellBridge> = {}): ShellBridge {
     resolveLegacyPath: vi.fn<(pathname: string) => ShellPageId | null>(() => 'search'),
     setActivePageChrome: vi.fn(),
     activateLegacyPath: vi.fn(),
+    navigateToArtistDetail: vi.fn(),
     showReactHost: vi.fn(),
     ...overrides,
   };
diff --git a/webui/src/platform/shell/bridge.test.ts b/webui/src/platform/shell/bridge.test.ts
index 00dd88d4..a33f44cd 100644
--- a/webui/src/platform/shell/bridge.test.ts
+++ b/webui/src/platform/shell/bridge.test.ts
@@ -88,4 +88,13 @@ describe('bindWindowWebRouter', () => {
       replace: true,
     });
   });
+
+  it('refuses artist detail navigation without an artist id', async () => {
+    const navigate = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+
+    bindWindowWebRouter({ navigate } as never);
+
+    await expect(window.SoulSyncWebRouter?.navigateToPage('artist-detail', {} as never)).resolves.toBe(false);
+    expect(navigate).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/webui/src/platform/shell/bridge.ts b/webui/src/platform/shell/bridge.ts
index 1ca85768..1c9683f5 100644
--- a/webui/src/platform/shell/bridge.ts
+++ b/webui/src/platform/shell/bridge.ts
@@ -88,6 +88,9 @@ export function bindWindowWebRouter(router: AnyRouter) {
     async navigateToPage(pageId, options) {
       const route = getShellRouteByPageId(pageId);
       if (!route) return false;
+      if (pageId === 'artist-detail' && !options?.artistId) {
+        return false;
+      }
 
       let href: `/${string}` = route.path;
       if (pageId === 'artist-detail' && options?.artistId) {
diff --git a/webui/src/platform/shell/globals.d.ts b/webui/src/platform/shell/globals.d.ts
index 27de813c..241464d3 100644
--- a/webui/src/platform/shell/globals.d.ts
+++ b/webui/src/platform/shell/globals.d.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,15 @@ declare global {
       resolveLegacyPath: (pathname: string) => ShellPageId | null;
       setActivePageChrome: (pageId: ShellPageId) => void;
       activateLegacyPath: (pathname: string) => void;
+      navigateToArtistDetail: (
+        artistId: string | number,
+        artistName: string,
+        sourceOverride?: string | null,
+        options?: {
+          skipOriginPush?: boolean;
+          skipRouteChange?: boolean;
+        },
+      ) => void;
       showReactHost: (pageId: ShellPageId) => void;
     };
   }
diff --git a/webui/src/platform/shell/route-manifest.test.ts b/webui/src/platform/shell/route-manifest.test.ts
index 4430dd11..369f7b3d 100644
--- a/webui/src/platform/shell/route-manifest.test.ts
+++ b/webui/src/platform/shell/route-manifest.test.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ describe('shellRouteManifest', () => {
     expect(resolveShellPageFromPath('/discover')).toBe('discover');
     expect(resolveShellPageFromPath('/watchlist')).toBe('watchlist');
     expect(resolveShellPageFromPath('/active-downloads')).toBe('active-downloads');
-    expect(resolveShellPageFromPath('/artist-detail')).toBe('artist-detail');
+    expect(resolveShellPageFromPath('/artist-detail')).toBeNull();
     expect(resolveShellPageFromPath('/artist-detail/spotify/2YZyLoL8N0Wb9xBt1NhZWg')).toBe('artist-detail');
     expect(resolveShellPageFromPath('/artists')).toBeNull();
   });
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ describe('shellRouteManifest', () => {
     expect(resolveLegacyShellPageFromPath('/search')).toBe('search');
     expect(resolveLegacyShellPageFromPath('/active-downloads')).toBe('active-downloads');
     expect(resolveLegacyShellPageFromPath('/tools')).toBe('tools');
+    expect(resolveLegacyShellPageFromPath('/artist-detail')).toBeNull();
     expect(resolveLegacyShellPageFromPath('/artist-detail/deezer/12345')).toBe('artist-detail');
     expect(resolveLegacyShellPageFromPath('/issues')).toBeNull();
     expect(resolveLegacyShellPageFromPath('/does-not-exist')).toBeNull();
diff --git a/webui/src/platform/shell/route-manifest.ts b/webui/src/platform/shell/route-manifest.ts
index 6b1a209e..469d46d1 100644
--- a/webui/src/platform/shell/route-manifest.ts
+++ b/webui/src/platform/shell/route-manifest.ts
@@ -72,7 +72,10 @@ export function getShellRouteByPath(pathname: string): ShellRouteDefinition | un
 
 export function resolveShellPageFromPath(pathname: string): ShellPageId | null {
   const normalized = normalizeShellPath(pathname);
-  if (normalized === '/artist-detail' || normalized.startsWith('/artist-detail/')) {
+  if (normalized === '/artist-detail') {
+    return null;
+  }
+  if (normalized.startsWith('/artist-detail/')) {
     return 'artist-detail';
   }
   return getShellRouteByPath(pathname)?.pageId ?? null;
@@ -80,7 +83,10 @@ export function resolveShellPageFromPath(pathname: string): ShellPageId | null {
 
 export function resolveLegacyShellPageFromPath(pathname: string): ShellPageId | null {
   const normalized = normalizeShellPath(pathname);
-  if (normalized === '/artist-detail' || normalized.startsWith('/artist-detail/')) {
+  if (normalized === '/artist-detail') {
+    return null;
+  }
+  if (normalized.startsWith('/artist-detail/')) {
     return 'artist-detail';
   }
   const route = getShellRouteByPath(pathname);
diff --git a/webui/src/routeTree.gen.ts b/webui/src/routeTree.gen.ts
index d90bb0ce..ca94e35b 100644
--- a/webui/src/routeTree.gen.ts
+++ b/webui/src/routeTree.gen.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import { Route as rootRouteImport } from './routes/__root'
 import { Route as SplatRouteImport } from './routes/$'
 import { Route as IssuesRouteRouteImport } from './routes/issues/route'
 import { Route as IndexRouteImport } from './routes/index'
+import { Route as ArtistDetailSourceIdRouteImport } from './routes/artist-detail/$source/$id'
 
 const SplatRoute = SplatRouteImport.update({
   id: '/$',
@@ -28,35 +29,44 @@ const IndexRoute = IndexRouteImport.update({
   path: '/',
   getParentRoute: () => rootRouteImport,
 } as any)
+const ArtistDetailSourceIdRoute = ArtistDetailSourceIdRouteImport.update({
+  id: '/artist-detail/$source/$id',
+  path: '/artist-detail/$source/$id',
+  getParentRoute: () => rootRouteImport,
+} as any)
 
 export interface FileRoutesByFullPath {
   '/': typeof IndexRoute
   '/issues': typeof IssuesRouteRoute
   '/$': typeof SplatRoute
+  '/artist-detail/$source/$id': typeof ArtistDetailSourceIdRoute
 }
 export interface FileRoutesByTo {
   '/': typeof IndexRoute
   '/issues': typeof IssuesRouteRoute
   '/$': typeof SplatRoute
+  '/artist-detail/$source/$id': typeof ArtistDetailSourceIdRoute
 }
 export interface FileRoutesById {
   __root__: typeof rootRouteImport
   '/': typeof IndexRoute
   '/issues': typeof IssuesRouteRoute
   '/$': typeof SplatRoute
+  '/artist-detail/$source/$id': typeof ArtistDetailSourceIdRoute
 }
 export interface FileRouteTypes {
   fileRoutesByFullPath: FileRoutesByFullPath
-  fullPaths: '/' | '/issues' | '/$'
+  fullPaths: '/' | '/issues' | '/$' | '/artist-detail/$source/$id'
   fileRoutesByTo: FileRoutesByTo
-  to: '/' | '/issues' | '/$'
-  id: '__root__' | '/' | '/issues' | '/$'
+  to: '/' | '/issues' | '/$' | '/artist-detail/$source/$id'
+  id: '__root__' | '/' | '/issues' | '/$' | '/artist-detail/$source/$id'
   fileRoutesById: FileRoutesById
 }
 export interface RootRouteChildren {
   IndexRoute: typeof IndexRoute
   IssuesRouteRoute: typeof IssuesRouteRoute
   SplatRoute: typeof SplatRoute
+  ArtistDetailSourceIdRoute: typeof ArtistDetailSourceIdRoute
 }
 
 declare module '@tanstack/react-router' {
@@ -82,6 +92,13 @@ declare module '@tanstack/react-router' {
       preLoaderRoute: typeof IndexRouteImport
       parentRoute: typeof rootRouteImport
     }
+    '/artist-detail/$source/$id': {
+      id: '/artist-detail/$source/$id'
+      path: '/artist-detail/$source/$id'
+      fullPath: '/artist-detail/$source/$id'
+      preLoaderRoute: typeof ArtistDetailSourceIdRouteImport
+      parentRoute: typeof rootRouteImport
+    }
   }
 }
 
@@ -89,6 +106,7 @@ const rootRouteChildren: RootRouteChildren = {
   IndexRoute: IndexRoute,
   IssuesRouteRoute: IssuesRouteRoute,
   SplatRoute: SplatRoute,
+  ArtistDetailSourceIdRoute: ArtistDetailSourceIdRoute,
 }
 export const routeTree = rootRouteImport
   ._addFileChildren(rootRouteChildren)
diff --git a/webui/src/routes/artist-detail/$source/$id.tsx b/webui/src/routes/artist-detail/$source/$id.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8ae2f2c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webui/src/routes/artist-detail/$source/$id.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router';
+import { useLayoutEffect } from 'react';
+
+import { useShellBridge } from '@/platform/shell/route-controllers';
+
+export const Route = createFileRoute('/artist-detail/$source/$id')({
+  component: ArtistDetailPage,
+});
+
+// Thin legacy handoff: TanStack owns the URL shape here, but the vanilla JS
+// artist-detail page still renders the actual experience for now.
+function ArtistDetailPage() {
+  const bridge = useShellBridge();
+  const { source, id } = Route.useParams();
+
+  useLayoutEffect(() => {
+    if (!bridge) return;
+
+    const normalizedSource = source.toLowerCase() === 'library' ? null : source.toLowerCase();
+    bridge.navigateToArtistDetail(id, '', normalizedSource, {
+      skipOriginPush: true,
+      skipRouteChange: true,
+    });
+  }, [bridge, id, source]);
+
+  return null;
+}
diff --git a/webui/src/routes/artist-detail/-route.test.tsx b/webui/src/routes/artist-detail/-route.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0f96ac5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webui/src/routes/artist-detail/-route.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+import { createMemoryHistory } from '@tanstack/react-router';
+import { render, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+
+import type { ShellBridge, ShellPageId } from '@/platform/shell/bridge';
+
+import { createAppQueryClient } from '@/app/query-client';
+import { AppRouterProvider, createAppRouter } from '@/app/router';
+
+function createShellBridge(overrides: Partial<ShellBridge> = {}): ShellBridge {
+  return {
+    getCurrentProfileContext: vi.fn(() => ({ profileId: 2, isAdmin: false })),
+    isPageAllowed: vi.fn(() => true),
+    getProfileHomePage: vi.fn<() => ShellPageId>(() => 'discover'),
+    resolveLegacyPath: vi.fn<(pathname: string) => ShellPageId | null>(() => 'artist-detail'),
+    setActivePageChrome: vi.fn(),
+    activateLegacyPath: vi.fn(),
+    navigateToArtistDetail: vi.fn(),
+    showReactHost: vi.fn(),
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+function renderArtistDetailRoute(initialEntries = ['/artist-detail/library/42']) {
+  const queryClient = createAppQueryClient();
+  const history = createMemoryHistory({ initialEntries });
+  const router = createAppRouter({ history, queryClient });
+
+  return {
+    history,
+    router,
+    ...render(<AppRouterProvider router={router} queryClient={queryClient} />),
+  };
+}
+
+describe('artist-detail route', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    window.SoulSyncWebShellBridge = createShellBridge();
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    window.SoulSyncWebShellBridge = undefined;
+  });
+
+  it('hands off canonical artist-detail URLs to the legacy shell', async () => {
+    renderArtistDetailRoute(['/artist-detail/spotify/2YZyLoL8N0Wb9xBt1NhZWg']);
+
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(window.SoulSyncWebShellBridge?.navigateToArtistDetail).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        '2YZyLoL8N0Wb9xBt1NhZWg',
+        '',
+        'spotify',
+        {
+          skipOriginPush: true,
+          skipRouteChange: true,
+        },
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('normalizes library sources before handing off', async () => {
+    renderArtistDetailRoute(['/artist-detail/library/42']);
+
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(window.SoulSyncWebShellBridge?.navigateToArtistDetail).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        '42',
+        '',
+        null,
+        {
+          skipOriginPush: true,
+          skipRouteChange: true,
+        },
+      );
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/webui/src/routes/issues/-route.test.tsx b/webui/src/routes/issues/-route.test.tsx
index 402966e1..547745ef 100644
--- a/webui/src/routes/issues/-route.test.tsx
+++ b/webui/src/routes/issues/-route.test.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ function createShellBridge(overrides: Partial<ShellBridge> = {}): ShellBridge {
     resolveLegacyPath: vi.fn<(pathname: string) => ShellPageId | null>(() => 'search'),
     setActivePageChrome: vi.fn(),
     activateLegacyPath: vi.fn(),
+    navigateToArtistDetail: vi.fn(),
     showReactHost: vi.fn(),
     ...overrides,
   };
diff --git a/webui/static/init.js b/webui/static/init.js
index c874f6fc..f00e5852 100644
--- a/webui/static/init.js
+++ b/webui/static/init.js
@@ -2154,10 +2154,6 @@ function _getPageFromPath() {
     const basePage = segs[0];
     if (!_DEEPLINK_VALID_PAGES.has(basePage)) return 'dashboard';
     // Context-dependent pages fall back to a sensible parent
-    if (basePage === 'artist-detail') {
-        // /artist-detail/:id deep-link — keep on artist-detail; bare /artist-detail falls back to library
-        return (segs.length >= 2 && segs[1]) ? 'artist-detail' : 'library';
-    }
     if (basePage === 'playlist-explorer') return 'library';
     return basePage;
 }
@@ -2168,35 +2164,13 @@ function _normalizeArtistDetailSource(source) {
 }
 
 function buildArtistDetailPath(artistId, source = null) {
-    if (!artistId) return '/artist-detail';
+    if (!artistId) {
+        throw new Error('artistId is required for artist-detail navigation');
+    }
     const normalizedSource = _normalizeArtistDetailSource(source);
     return '/artist-detail/' + encodeURIComponent(normalizedSource) + '/' + encodeURIComponent(String(artistId));
 }
 
-/** Extract artist source + ID from /artist-detail/:source/:id or legacy /artist-detail/:id URLs. */
-function _getDeepLinkArtistDetail(pathname = window.location.pathname) {
-    const path = (pathname || '').replace(/^\/+|\/+$/g, '');
-    const segs = path.split('/');
-    if (segs[0] !== 'artist-detail' || !segs[1]) return null;
-
-    if (segs[2]) {
-        return {
-            source: _normalizeArtistDetailSource(decodeURIComponent(segs[1])),
-            artistId: decodeURIComponent(segs.slice(2).join('/')),
-        };
-    }
-
-    return {
-        source: 'library',
-        artistId: decodeURIComponent(segs[1]),
-    };
-}
-
-/** Legacy convenience wrapper for callers that only need the artist ID. */
-function _getDeepLinkArtistId() {
-    return _getDeepLinkArtistDetail()?.artistId || null;
-}
-
 // ===============================
 // MOBILE NAVIGATION
 // ===============================
@@ -2310,6 +2284,10 @@ function navigateToPage(pageId, options = {}) {
         return;
     }
 
+    if (pageId === 'artist-detail' && !options.artistId) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
     const router = getWebRouter();
     if (router && !options.skipRouteChange) {
         notifyPageWillChange(pageId);
@@ -2386,7 +2364,10 @@ async function loadPageData(pageId) {
             case 'library':
                 // Check if we should return to artist detail view instead of list
                 if (artistDetailPageState.currentArtistId && artistDetailPageState.currentArtistName) {
-                    navigateToPage('artist-detail');
+                    navigateToPage('artist-detail', {
+                        artistId: artistDetailPageState.currentArtistId,
+                        artistSource: artistDetailPageState.currentArtistSource,
+                    });
                     if (!artistDetailPageState.isInitialized) {
                         initializeArtistDetailPage();
                         loadArtistDetailData(artistDetailPageState.currentArtistId, artistDetailPageState.currentArtistName);
@@ -2400,7 +2381,7 @@ async function loadPageData(pageId) {
                 }
                 break;
             case 'artist-detail':
-                // Artist detail page is handled separately by navigateToArtistDetail()
+                // Artist detail page is entered through the route handoff and legacy navigator.
                 break;
             case 'discover':
                 if (!discoverPageInitialized) {
diff --git a/webui/static/library.js b/webui/static/library.js
index 19818b16..dfdc5fac 100644
--- a/webui/static/library.js
+++ b/webui/static/library.js
@@ -815,7 +815,7 @@ function navigateToArtistDetail(artistId, artistName, sourceOverride = null, opt
             navigateToPage('artist-detail', {
                 artistId,
                 artistSource: normalizedSource,
-                skipRouteChange: true
+                skipRouteChange: options.skipRouteChange === true
             });
             _updateArtistDetailBackButtonLabel();
         }
diff --git a/webui/static/search.js b/webui/static/search.js
index fd6d2604..682d48f0 100644
--- a/webui/static/search.js
+++ b/webui/static/search.js
@@ -1197,16 +1197,7 @@ async function loadInitialData() {
             return;
         }
 
-        if (targetPage === 'artist-detail') {
-            const deepArtist = _getDeepLinkArtistDetail();
-            if (deepArtist?.artistId && typeof navigateToArtistDetail === 'function') {
-                navigateToArtistDetail(deepArtist.artistId, '', deepArtist.source === 'library' ? null : deepArtist.source);
-            } else {
-                navigateToPage('library', { skipRouteChange: true, forceReload: true });
-            }
-        } else {
-            navigateToPage(targetPage, { skipRouteChange: true, forceReload: true });
-        }
+        navigateToPage(targetPage, { forceReload: true });
     } catch (error) {
         console.error('Error loading initial data:', error);
     }
diff --git a/webui/static/shell-bridge.js b/webui/static/shell-bridge.js
index 8d2ac58a..64c73f6e 100644
--- a/webui/static/shell-bridge.js
+++ b/webui/static/shell-bridge.js
@@ -80,16 +80,6 @@ function activateLegacyPath(pathname) {
         return;
     }
 
-    if (targetPage === 'artist-detail') {
-        const deepArtist = _getDeepLinkArtistDetail(pathname);
-        if (deepArtist?.artistId && typeof navigateToArtistDetail === 'function') {
-            navigateToArtistDetail(deepArtist.artistId, '', deepArtist.source === 'library' ? null : deepArtist.source, { skipOriginPush: true, skipRouteChange: true });
-            return;
-        }
-        navigateToPage('library', { replace: true });
-        return;
-    }
-
     notifyPageWillChange(targetPage);
     activatePage(targetPage, { forceReload: true });
 }
@@ -107,16 +97,6 @@ function syncActivePageFromLocation() {
         return;
     }
 
-    if (targetPage === 'artist-detail') {
-        const deepArtist = _getDeepLinkArtistDetail();
-        if (deepArtist?.artistId && typeof navigateToArtistDetail === 'function') {
-            navigateToArtistDetail(deepArtist.artistId, '', deepArtist.source === 'library' ? null : deepArtist.source, { skipOriginPush: true, skipRouteChange: true });
-            return;
-        }
-        navigateToPage('library', { replace: true });
-        return;
-    }
-
     notifyPageWillChange(targetPage);
     const route = router?.routeManifest?.find((entry) => entry.pageId === targetPage);
     if (route?.kind === 'react') {
@@ -185,6 +165,7 @@ window.SoulSyncWebShellBridge = {
     activateLegacyPath(pathname) {
         activateLegacyPath(pathname);
     },
+    navigateToArtistDetail,
     showReactHost(pageId) {
         showReactHost(pageId);
     },