diff --git a/ingest.js b/ingest.js
index 8807905..31f97eb 100644
--- a/ingest.js
+++ b/ingest.js
@@ -91,6 +91,13 @@ async function syncLibrary() {
       // as-is (prompt/fullPrompt/videoUrl overrides included) instead of
       // being rebuilt from the H3 job on every sync.
       if (old && old.edited) return old;
+      // playCount/lastPlayedAt only exist once a clip has actually been
+      // played (markPlayed() in server.js), so only carry them forward when
+      // the old record had them — otherwise every 5-min sync silently reset
+      // a clip's play stats back to "never played".
+      const playStats = {};
+      if (old && old.lastPlayedAt !== undefined) playStats.lastPlayedAt = old.lastPlayedAt;
+      if (old && old.playCount !== undefined) playStats.playCount = old.playCount;
       return {
         id: j.id,
         source: "h3console",
@@ -103,6 +110,7 @@ async function syncLibrary() {
         partition: j.partition,
         likes: (old && old.likes) || 0,
         createdAt: Math.round(j.created_at * 1000),
+        ...playStats,
       };
     });
 
diff --git a/ingest.test.js b/ingest.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..17f8ba9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ingest.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+// Regression for a real incident (2026-09-02): syncLibrary()'s rebuild path
+// only carried `likes` forward from the old record, silently resetting
+// playCount/lastPlayedAt to "never played" on every periodic sync (every
+// 5 min in server.js) for any clip that hadn't been touched in admin.html
+// (i.e. wasn't `edited: true`). Run: node --test ingest.test.js
+const test = require("node:test");
+const assert = require("node:assert/strict");
+const fs = require("node:fs");
+const path = require("node:path");
+const os = require("node:os");
+const http = require("node:http");
+
+function startMockH3(jobs) {
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
+      if (req.method === "GET" && req.url.startsWith("/v1/videos")) {
+        res.writeHead(200, { "Content-Type": "application/json" });
+        res.end(JSON.stringify({ jobs }));
+        return;
+      }
+      res.writeHead(404);
+      res.end();
+    });
+    server.listen(0, () => resolve(server));
+  });
+}
+
+test("syncLibrary: carries playCount/lastPlayedAt forward for non-edited clips, not just likes", async () => {
+  const job = {
+    id: "clip-1",
+    status: "done",
+    download: true,
+    created_at: 1700000000,
+    partition: "text",
+    req: { prompt: "a long enough real prompt that will not match the isTestJob short-circuit ".repeat(3), width: 480, height: 832, frames: 240 },
+  };
+  const mockH3 = await startMockH3([job]);
+  const mockH3Port = mockH3.address().port;
+
+  const cwd = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "ingest-test-"));
+  fs.writeFileSync(
+    path.join(cwd, "library.json"),
+    JSON.stringify([{ id: "clip-1", source: "h3console", prompt: "old", fullPrompt: "old", edited: false, width: 480, height: 832, duration: 10, partition: "text", likes: 3, createdAt: 1000, lastPlayedAt: 123456, playCount: 7 }])
+  );
+  fs.copyFileSync(path.join(__dirname, "ingest.js"), path.join(cwd, "ingest.js"));
+
+  process.env.H3_CONSOLE_BASE = `http://localhost:${mockH3Port}`;
+  process.env.H3_CONSOLE_TOKEN = "mock-token";
+  delete require.cache[path.join(cwd, "ingest.js")];
+  const { syncLibrary } = require(path.join(cwd, "ingest.js"));
+
+  const cwdBefore = process.cwd();
+  process.chdir(cwd);
+  try {
+    await syncLibrary();
+  } finally {
+    process.chdir(cwdBefore);
+    mockH3.close();
+  }
+
+  const library = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(cwd, "library.json"), "utf8"));
+  const clip = library.find((c) => c.id === "clip-1");
+  assert.equal(clip.likes, 3, "likes was already carried forward correctly");
+  assert.equal(clip.lastPlayedAt, 123456, "lastPlayedAt must survive a sync, not reset to unplayed");
+  assert.equal(clip.playCount, 7, "playCount must survive a sync, not reset to 0");
+
+  fs.rmSync(cwd, { recursive: true, force: true });
+});
+
+test("syncLibrary: a never-played clip stays without playCount/lastPlayedAt fields (no false '0 plays')", async () => {
+  const job = {
+    id: "clip-2",
+    status: "done",
+    download: true,
+    created_at: 1700000000,
+    partition: "text",
+    req: { prompt: "a long enough real prompt that will not match the isTestJob short-circuit ".repeat(3), width: 480, height: 832, frames: 240 },
+  };
+  const mockH3 = await startMockH3([job]);
+  const mockH3Port = mockH3.address().port;
+
+  const cwd = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "ingest-test-"));
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(cwd, "library.json"), JSON.stringify([]));
+  fs.copyFileSync(path.join(__dirname, "ingest.js"), path.join(cwd, "ingest.js"));
+
+  process.env.H3_CONSOLE_BASE = `http://localhost:${mockH3Port}`;
+  process.env.H3_CONSOLE_TOKEN = "mock-token";
+  delete require.cache[path.join(cwd, "ingest.js")];
+  const { syncLibrary } = require(path.join(cwd, "ingest.js"));
+
+  const cwdBefore = process.cwd();
+  process.chdir(cwd);
+  try {
+    await syncLibrary();
+  } finally {
+    process.chdir(cwdBefore);
+    mockH3.close();
+  }
+
+  const library = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(cwd, "library.json"), "utf8"));
+  const clip = library.find((c) => c.id === "clip-2");
+  assert.equal("lastPlayedAt" in clip, false);
+  assert.equal("playCount" in clip, false);
+
+  fs.rmSync(cwd, { recursive: true, force: true });
+});