diff --git a/core/library/direct_id.py b/core/library/direct_id.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3932db26
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/library/direct_id.py
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+"""Direct-ID detection for manual matching (Ashh's request).
+
+The manual-match modal fuzzy-searches a service and shows the top 8 hits.
+When the right release isn't in those 8 (common name like "Idols"), the user
+is stuck. But they often already KNOW the exact ID — so let them paste it
+and match directly instead of fighting the search ranking.
+
+This module is the pure detector: given a service + the text the user typed,
+return the canonical ID if the text *is* an ID (bare or pasted as a URL/URI),
+else None. No network, no I/O — the caller decides whether to do a direct
+lookup or fall through to the normal fuzzy search.
+
+Conservative by design: only return an ID when the text matches that
+service's ID shape unambiguously. Anything else returns None so a normal
+text search still runs (pasting "Idols" never looks like an ID).
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import re
+from typing import Optional
+
+# MusicBrainz MBIDs are UUIDs (8-4-4-4-12 hex). Accept a bare UUID or one
+# embedded in a musicbrainz.org URL (/artist/<id>, /release/<id>, ...).
+_UUID_RE = re.compile(
+    r"([0-9a-f]{8}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{12})",
+    re.IGNORECASE,
+)
+
+
+def extract_direct_id(service: str, entity_type: str, query: str) -> Optional[str]:
+    """Return the canonical service ID if ``query`` is one, else None.
+
+    ``entity_type`` is accepted for future per-type shapes (e.g. Spotify
+    track vs album URLs); MusicBrainz UUIDs are type-agnostic so it's unused
+    there today."""
+    if not query:
+        return None
+    text = query.strip()
+    if not text:
+        return None
+
+    service = (service or "").strip().lower()
+
+    if service == "musicbrainz":
+        # Bare UUID, or a MB URL — but ONLY a UUID. A search like "Idols"
+        # can't match, so normal search is never hijacked.
+        m = _UUID_RE.search(text)
+        if m and (text == m.group(1) or "musicbrainz.org" in text.lower()):
+            return m.group(1).lower()
+        return None
+
+    return None
diff --git a/core/library/service_search.py b/core/library/service_search.py
index 38fd450e..d431b41a 100644
--- a/core/library/service_search.py
+++ b/core/library/service_search.py
@@ -59,10 +59,65 @@ def _detect_provider(items, client):
     return 'spotify'
 
 
+def _mb_direct_lookup(entity_type, mbid):
+    """Confirm a pasted MusicBrainz MBID by fetching that exact entity.
+    Returns a one-item result list (same shape as the search path) so the
+    modal shows it for confirmation, or [] if the ID doesn't resolve."""
+    if not mb_worker or not mb_worker.mb_service:
+        raise ValueError("MusicBrainz worker not initialized")
+    mb_client = mb_worker.mb_service.mb_client
+
+    if entity_type == 'artist':
+        a = mb_client.get_artist(mbid)
+        if not a:
+            return []
+        extra = a.get('disambiguation') or a.get('country') or a.get('type') or ''
+        return [{'id': a['id'], 'name': a.get('name', ''), 'image': None,
+                 'extra': f"Direct ID match{' · ' + extra if extra else ''}"}]
+
+    if entity_type == 'album':
+        # A pasted album ID may be a release OR a release-group — try release
+        # first (what the matcher stores), fall back to release-group.
+        r = mb_client.get_release(mbid) or mb_client.get_release_group(mbid)
+        if not r:
+            return []
+        artists = ', '.join(ac.get('name', '') for ac in r.get('artist-credit', []) if isinstance(ac, dict))
+        cover_url = f"https://coverartarchive.org/release/{r['id']}/front-250" if r.get('id') else None
+        bits = ' · '.join(b for b in (artists, r.get('date', '')) if b)
+        return [{'id': r['id'], 'name': r.get('title', ''), 'image': cover_url,
+                 'extra': f"Direct ID match{' · ' + bits if bits else ''}"}]
+
+    if entity_type == 'track':
+        rec = mb_client.get_recording(mbid)
+        if not rec:
+            return []
+        artists = ', '.join(ac.get('name', '') for ac in rec.get('artist-credit', []) if isinstance(ac, dict))
+        return [{'id': rec['id'], 'name': rec.get('title', ''), 'image': None,
+                 'extra': f"Direct ID match{' · ' + artists if artists else ''}"}]
+    return []
+
+
 def _search_service(service, entity_type, query):
     """Search a service and return normalized results."""
     import requests as req_lib
 
+    # Direct-ID fast path (Ashh): if the user pasted an exact service ID
+    # (e.g. a MusicBrainz MBID for a release the top-8 fuzzy search missed),
+    # confirm it by direct lookup and return just that entity. A failed
+    # lookup falls through to the normal search, so a paste that merely
+    # LOOKS like an ID can't dead-end the modal.
+    from core.library.direct_id import extract_direct_id
+    direct_id = extract_direct_id(service, entity_type, query)
+    if direct_id:
+        try:
+            if service == 'musicbrainz':
+                hit = _mb_direct_lookup(entity_type, direct_id)
+                if hit:
+                    return hit
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.debug("Direct-ID lookup failed for %s %s: %s", service, direct_id, e)
+        # fall through to fuzzy search
+
     if service == 'spotify':
         if not spotify_enrichment_worker or not spotify_enrichment_worker.client:
             raise ValueError("Spotify worker not initialized")
diff --git a/tests/library/test_direct_id_match.py b/tests/library/test_direct_id_match.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..50ca48fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/library/test_direct_id_match.py
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+"""Direct-ID manual matching (Ashh: 'just slap MB ID in that search').
+
+When the right release isn't in the top-8 fuzzy results, the user pastes the
+exact ID. extract_direct_id detects it (pure); _search_service confirms it
+via a direct lookup and returns just that entity, falling back to fuzzy
+search if the paste only looks ID-ish.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+
+from core.library.direct_id import extract_direct_id
+
+MBID = "1af02ea7-3f00-40ca-804b-41e2dca7e4a9"
+
+
+# ── pure detector ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def test_bare_mbid_detected():
+    assert extract_direct_id("musicbrainz", "album", MBID) == MBID
+    assert extract_direct_id("musicbrainz", "artist", MBID.upper()) == MBID  # normalized
+
+
+def test_mbid_in_url_detected():
+    for url in (
+        f"https://musicbrainz.org/release/{MBID}",
+        f"https://musicbrainz.org/release/{MBID}/cover-art",
+        f"  https://beta.musicbrainz.org/artist/{MBID}  ",
+    ):
+        assert extract_direct_id("musicbrainz", "album", url) == MBID
+
+
+def test_plain_text_query_is_not_an_id():
+    assert extract_direct_id("musicbrainz", "album", "Idols") is None
+    assert extract_direct_id("musicbrainz", "album", "Yungblud Idols") is None
+    assert extract_direct_id("musicbrainz", "album", "") is None
+    assert extract_direct_id("musicbrainz", "album", "   ") is None
+
+
+def test_loose_uuid_without_url_context_is_rejected():
+    # A UUID embedded in free text (not the whole query, no MB URL) is NOT
+    # treated as a direct ID — avoids hijacking a genuine search.
+    assert extract_direct_id("musicbrainz", "album", f"album {MBID} deluxe") is None
+
+
+def test_non_musicbrainz_services_have_no_direct_id_yet():
+    assert extract_direct_id("spotify", "album", MBID) is None
+    assert extract_direct_id("deezer", "track", "12345") is None
+
+
+# ── _search_service direct dispatch ──────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def _wire_mb(monkeypatch, **methods):
+    import core.library.service_search as ss
+    mb_client = MagicMock(**methods)
+    worker = SimpleNamespace(mb_service=SimpleNamespace(mb_client=mb_client))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(ss, "mb_worker", worker)
+    return ss, mb_client
+
+
+def test_pasted_mbid_returns_single_confirmed_release(monkeypatch):
+    ss, mb_client = _wire_mb(monkeypatch)
+    mb_client.get_release.return_value = {
+        "id": MBID, "title": "Idols", "date": "2025-06-20",
+        "artist-credit": [{"name": "Yungblud"}],
+    }
+    results = ss._search_service("musicbrainz", "album", MBID)
+
+    assert len(results) == 1
+    assert results[0]["id"] == MBID
+    assert results[0]["name"] == "Idols"
+    assert "Direct ID match" in results[0]["extra"]
+    assert "Yungblud" in results[0]["extra"]
+    mb_client.get_release.assert_called_once_with(MBID)
+    mb_client.search_release.assert_not_called()   # never fuzzy-searched
+
+
+def test_album_falls_back_to_release_group(monkeypatch):
+    ss, mb_client = _wire_mb(
+        monkeypatch,
+        get_release=lambda mbid: None,
+        get_release_group=lambda mbid: {"id": MBID, "title": "Idols", "artist-credit": []},
+    )
+    results = ss._search_service("musicbrainz", "album", MBID)
+    assert len(results) == 1 and results[0]["name"] == "Idols"
+
+
+def test_unresolvable_mbid_falls_through_to_fuzzy(monkeypatch):
+    # ID-shaped but doesn't resolve → don't dead-end; run the normal search.
+    ss, mb_client = _wire_mb(
+        monkeypatch,
+        get_release=lambda mbid: None,
+        get_release_group=lambda mbid: None,
+        search_release=lambda q, limit=8, strict=False: [
+            {"id": "other", "title": "Idols (fuzzy)", "artist-credit": [], "date": "", "score": 90},
+        ],
+    )
+    results = ss._search_service("musicbrainz", "album", MBID)
+    assert len(results) == 1 and results[0]["id"] == "other"   # fuzzy result
+
+
+def test_plain_query_skips_direct_lookup(monkeypatch):
+    ss, mb_client = _wire_mb(
+        monkeypatch,
+        search_release=lambda q, limit=8, strict=False: [
+            {"id": "r1", "title": "Idols", "artist-credit": [], "date": "", "score": 100},
+        ],
+    )
+    results = ss._search_service("musicbrainz", "album", "Idols")
+    assert results[0]["id"] == "r1"
+    mb_client.get_release.assert_not_called()       # no wasted direct lookup
diff --git a/webui/static/library.js b/webui/static/library.js
index e9850567..922cb82e 100644
--- a/webui/static/library.js
+++ b/webui/static/library.js
@@ -6065,7 +6065,9 @@ function openManualMatchModal(entityType, entityId, service, defaultQuery, artis
     const searchInput = document.createElement('input');
     searchInput.type = 'text';
     searchInput.className = 'enhanced-match-search-input';
-    searchInput.placeholder = `Search ${serviceLabels[service] || service}...`;
+    searchInput.placeholder = service === 'musicbrainz'
+        ? `Search ${serviceLabels[service]}… or paste a MusicBrainz ID/URL`
+        : `Search ${serviceLabels[service] || service}...`;
     searchInput.value = defaultQuery;
     searchRow.appendChild(searchInput);
     const searchBtn = document.createElement('button');