diff --git a/api/video/enrichment.py b/api/video/enrichment.py
index 9695784f..e3e50bde 100644
--- a/api/video/enrichment.py
+++ b/api/video/enrichment.py
@@ -58,7 +58,17 @@ def register_routes(bp):
         if "tvdb_api_key" in body:
             db.set_setting("tvdb_api_key", body.get("tvdb_api_key") or "")
         if "omdb_api_key" in body:
-            db.set_setting("omdb_api_key", body.get("omdb_api_key") or "")
+            new_key = body.get("omdb_api_key") or ""
+            changed = new_key != (db.get_setting("omdb_api_key") or "")
+            db.set_setting("omdb_api_key", new_key)
+            # A new/changed OMDb key → re-try every title that still has no rating
+            # (covers items wrongly marked 'synced' during a prior bad-key run).
+            if new_key and changed:
+                try:
+                    for kind in ("movie", "show"):
+                        db.enrichment_retry("omdb", kind, scope="failed")
+                except Exception:
+                    logger.exception("video enrichment: omdb re-try reset failed")
         try:
             from core.video.enrichment.engine import rebuild_video_enrichment_engine
             rebuild_video_enrichment_engine()
diff --git a/core/video/enrichment/clients.py b/core/video/enrichment/clients.py
index 1fb13471..df740aac 100644
--- a/core/video/enrichment/clients.py
+++ b/core/video/enrichment/clients.py
@@ -481,6 +481,12 @@ class TVDBClient:
         return {"id": tvdb_id, "metadata": {k: v for k, v in meta.items() if v}}
 
 
+class OMDbAuthError(Exception):
+    """OMDb rejected the API key (HTTP 401 / 'Invalid API key!'). Distinct from a
+    transient error or a genuine 'no rating' so the worker can pause instead of
+    churning the whole library on a bad key."""
+
+
 class OMDBClient:
     """Ratings provider — IMDb / Rotten Tomatoes / Metacritic by imdb_id. Not a
     matcher (we already have the id), so it's used as a ratings backfill, not a
@@ -515,10 +521,16 @@ class OMDBClient:
             return None
         import requests
         r = requests.get(self.BASE, params={"apikey": self.api_key, "i": imdb_id}, timeout=12)
+        # A bad/expired key is a 401 (sometimes a 200 with "Invalid API key!") — a
+        # config problem that affects EVERY item, so flag it distinctly.
+        if r.status_code == 401:
+            raise OMDbAuthError("OMDb rejected the API key (HTTP 401)")
         r.raise_for_status()
         d = r.json() or {}
         if d.get("Response") != "True":
-            return None
+            if "invalid api key" in (d.get("Error") or "").lower():
+                raise OMDbAuthError(d.get("Error") or "Invalid OMDb API key")
+            return None        # genuine "no data for this title"
         out = {}
         ir = d.get("imdbRating")
         if ir and ir != "N/A":
diff --git a/core/video/enrichment/worker.py b/core/video/enrichment/worker.py
index 85f4912f..a56f40a2 100644
--- a/core/video/enrichment/worker.py
+++ b/core/video/enrichment/worker.py
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ class VideoEnrichmentWorker:
         self._stop = threading.Event()
         self.current_item = None
         self.stats = {"matched": 0, "not_found": 0, "errors": 0}
+        self.note = None                 # a human reason when auto-paused (e.g. bad key)
+        self._rating_errors = 0          # consecutive ratings failures (transient backoff)
 
     # ── lifecycle ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     def start(self):
@@ -149,23 +151,45 @@ class VideoEnrichmentWorker:
     def _process_ratings_one(self) -> bool:
         """OMDb worker: fetch IMDb/RT/Metacritic for the next library item that has
         an imdb_id but no ratings yet."""
+        from .clients import OMDbAuthError
         item = self.db.ratings_next()
         if not item:
+            self._rating_errors = 0
             return False
         self.current_item = {"type": item["kind"], "name": item["title"]}
         try:
             r = self.client.ratings(item["imdb_id"])
-            if r:
-                self.db.apply_ratings(item["kind"], item["id"], r)   # marks synced
-                self.stats["matched"] += 1
-                logger.info("Rated %s '%s' -> IMDb %s", item["kind"], item["title"], item["imdb_id"])
-            else:
-                self.db.mark_ratings_synced(item["kind"], item["id"])
-                self.stats["not_found"] += 1
-        except Exception:
-            logger.exception("OMDb ratings fetch failed for '%s'", item["title"])
+        except OMDbAuthError as e:
+            # Bad/expired key affects EVERY item — pause instead of churning the
+            # whole library + flooding the log. Transient pause (not persisted) so
+            # fixing the key (which rebuilds the engine) resumes automatically. The
+            # item is NOT marked synced, so it'll be tried again once the key works.
+            if not self.paused:
+                logger.warning("OMDb rejected the API key — pausing ratings until it's fixed (%s)", e)
+            self.note = "OMDb API key rejected"
+            self.pause(persist=False)
+            return False
+        except Exception as e:
+            # Transient (network / rate-limit / 5xx) — don't burn the item to
+            # 'synced'; back off, and pause after a few in a row so we don't spin.
             self.stats["errors"] += 1
-            self.db.mark_ratings_synced(item["kind"], item["id"])    # move on (no loop)
+            self._rating_errors = getattr(self, "_rating_errors", 0) + 1
+            logger.warning("OMDb ratings fetch failed for '%s': %s", item["title"], e)
+            if self._rating_errors >= 3:
+                logger.warning("OMDb: pausing ratings after repeated errors")
+                self.note = "OMDb temporarily unavailable"
+                self.pause(persist=False)
+                self._rating_errors = 0
+            return False
+        self._rating_errors = 0
+        self.note = None
+        if r:
+            self.db.apply_ratings(item["kind"], item["id"], r)       # marks synced
+            self.stats["matched"] += 1
+            logger.info("Rated %s '%s' -> IMDb %s", item["kind"], item["title"], item["imdb_id"])
+        else:
+            self.db.mark_ratings_synced(item["kind"], item["id"])    # genuine no-data
+            self.stats["not_found"] += 1
         return True
 
     def _sync_episodes_once(self) -> bool:
@@ -248,6 +272,7 @@ class VideoEnrichmentWorker:
             "paused": self.paused,
             "idle": idle,
             "current_item": self.current_item,
+            "note": self.note,
             "stats": {**self.stats, "pending": pending},
             "progress": progress,
             "breakdown": breakdown,
diff --git a/tests/test_video_api.py b/tests/test_video_api.py
index a3221f59..9501e0b9 100644
--- a/tests/test_video_api.py
+++ b/tests/test_video_api.py
@@ -83,6 +83,18 @@ def test_tmdb_detail_endpoint(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     assert client.get("/api/video/tmdb/bogus/1").status_code == 400
 
 
+def test_omdb_key_change_retries_unrated(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    client, videoapi = _make_client(tmp_path)
+    db = videoapi._video_db
+    mid = db.upsert_movie("plex", {"server_id": "m1", "title": "A", "imdb_id": "tt1"})
+    db.apply_ratings("movie", mid, {})              # burned: synced, but no rating
+    assert db.ratings_next() is None                # not pending
+    monkeypatch.setattr("core.video.enrichment.engine.rebuild_video_enrichment_engine", lambda: None)
+    resp = client.post("/api/video/enrichment/config", json={"omdb_api_key": "NEWKEY"})
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    assert db.ratings_next() is not None            # new key → re-queued for rating
+
+
 def test_show_detail_endpoint(tmp_path):
     client, videoapi = _make_client(tmp_path)
     try:
diff --git a/tests/test_video_enrichment.py b/tests/test_video_enrichment.py
index edcb160e..87a0b5eb 100644
--- a/tests/test_video_enrichment.py
+++ b/tests/test_video_enrichment.py
@@ -325,6 +325,48 @@ def test_omdb_worker_processes_ratings_queue(db):
     assert w.process_one() is False
 
 
+def test_omdb_worker_pauses_on_bad_key_without_burning_items(db):
+    # A rejected key affects every title — the worker must pause (not churn the
+    # whole library) and must NOT mark items synced, so they retry once fixed.
+    from core.video.enrichment.clients import OMDbAuthError
+    db.upsert_movie("plex", {"server_id": "m1", "title": "A", "imdb_id": "tt1"})
+
+    class Omdb:
+        enabled = True
+        def ratings(self, imdb_id): raise OMDbAuthError("401")
+
+    w = VideoEnrichmentWorker(db, "omdb", Omdb())
+    assert w.process_one() is False               # backed off, didn't process
+    assert w.paused is True and w.note            # paused itself with a reason
+    assert db.ratings_next() is not None          # item NOT burned to 'synced'
+
+
+def test_omdb_worker_keeps_item_on_transient_error(db):
+    db.upsert_movie("plex", {"server_id": "m1", "title": "A", "imdb_id": "tt1"})
+
+    class Omdb:
+        enabled = True
+        def ratings(self, imdb_id): raise RuntimeError("network blip")
+
+    w = VideoEnrichmentWorker(db, "omdb", Omdb())
+    assert w.process_one() is False
+    assert db.ratings_next() is not None          # not marked synced → retried later
+    assert w.stats["errors"] == 1 and w.paused is False   # one blip doesn't pause
+
+
+def test_omdb_ratings_raises_on_invalid_key(monkeypatch):
+    from core.video.enrichment.clients import OMDbAuthError
+
+    class _R:
+        status_code = 401
+        text = ""
+        def raise_for_status(self): raise AssertionError("should short-circuit on 401")
+        def json(self): return {}
+    monkeypatch.setitem(sys.modules, "requests", types.SimpleNamespace(get=lambda u, **k: _R()))
+    with pytest.raises(OMDbAuthError):
+        OMDBClient("BADKEY").ratings("tt0111161")
+
+
 def test_omdb_breakdown_is_ratings_coverage(db):
     a = db.upsert_movie("plex", {"server_id": "m1", "title": "A", "imdb_id": "tt1"})   # pending
     db.upsert_movie("plex", {"server_id": "m2", "title": "B", "imdb_id": "tt2"})