diff --git a/lib/database/app_database.dart b/lib/database/app_database.dart
index 19827976..fbff4e13 100644
--- a/lib/database/app_database.dart
+++ b/lib/database/app_database.dart
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import '../services/credential_vault.dart';
 import '../utils/app_logger.dart';
 import '../utils/serial_future_queue.dart';
 import '../utils/global_key_utils.dart';
+import '../utils/content_utils.dart';
 
 part 'app_database.g.dart';
 
@@ -1057,12 +1058,18 @@ class AppDatabase extends _$AppDatabase {
     );
   }
 
+  /// Returns uninitialized collection/playlist rules and every show/season
+  /// rule whose local ancestry-derived links must be refreshed before cleanup.
   Future<List<SyncRuleItem>> getUninitializedSyncRulesForServer({
     required String profileId,
     required ServerId serverId,
   }) {
     return (select(syncRules)..where(
-          (t) => t.profileId.equals(profileId) & t.serverId.equals(serverId) & t.downloadLinksInitialized.equals(false),
+          (t) =>
+              t.profileId.equals(profileId) &
+              t.serverId.equals(serverId) &
+              (t.downloadLinksInitialized.equals(false) |
+                  t.targetType.isIn(const [ContentTypes.show, ContentTypes.season])),
         ))
         .get();
   }
diff --git a/lib/database/app_database.g.dart b/lib/database/app_database.g.dart
index 7934ca45..19bc7399 100644
--- a/lib/database/app_database.g.dart
+++ b/lib/database/app_database.g.dart
@@ -3568,9 +3568,9 @@ class SyncRuleItem extends DataClass implements Insertable<SyncRuleItem> {
   final String downloadFilter;
   final bool includeSpecials;
 
-  /// Whether every currently-owned candidate has been associated in
-  /// [SyncRuleDownloads]. Existing rules start false and are backfilled before
-  /// destructive cleanup.
+  /// Gates collection/playlist backfill into [SyncRuleDownloads] before
+  /// destructive cleanup. Show/season coverage is re-derived from
+  /// [DownloadedMedia] ancestry at cleanup time regardless of this value.
   final bool downloadLinksInitialized;
   const SyncRuleItem({
     required this.id,
diff --git a/lib/database/tables.dart b/lib/database/tables.dart
index e8571f27..6e17d9f6 100644
--- a/lib/database/tables.dart
+++ b/lib/database/tables.dart
@@ -106,9 +106,9 @@ class SyncRules extends Table {
   TextColumn get downloadFilter => text().withDefault(const Constant('unwatched'))();
   BoolColumn get includeSpecials => boolean().withDefault(const Constant(true))();
 
-  /// Whether every currently-owned candidate has been associated in
-  /// [SyncRuleDownloads]. Existing rules start false and are backfilled before
-  /// destructive cleanup.
+  /// Gates collection/playlist backfill into [SyncRuleDownloads] before
+  /// destructive cleanup. Show/season coverage is re-derived from
+  /// [DownloadedMedia] ancestry at cleanup time regardless of this value.
   BoolColumn get downloadLinksInitialized => boolean().withDefault(const Constant(false))();
 }
 
diff --git a/test/providers/download_provider_test.dart b/test/providers/download_provider_test.dart
index 20ba3bc6..5528d649 100644
--- a/test/providers/download_provider_test.dart
+++ b/test/providers/download_provider_test.dart
@@ -755,6 +755,53 @@ void main() {
       expect(await db.getDownloadOwner(profileId: 'profile-b', globalKey: 'srv:profile-shared'), isNotNull);
     });
 
+    test('deleteSyncRuleAndDownloads keeps episodes an initialized show rule covers', () async {
+      final p = DownloadProvider.forTesting(downloadManager: downloadManager, database: db);
+      addTearDown(p.dispose);
+      await p.ensureInitialized();
+      final serverManager = MultiServerManager();
+      addTearDown(serverManager.dispose);
+
+      await p.createSyncRule(serverId: ServerId('srv'), ratingKey: 'playlist', targetType: 'playlist', episodeCount: 0);
+      await p.createSyncRule(serverId: ServerId('srv'), ratingKey: 'show-1', targetType: 'show', episodeCount: 1);
+      final targetKey = p.syncRuleKeyFor(ServerId('srv'), 'playlist');
+      final showKey = p.syncRuleKeyFor(ServerId('srv'), 'show-1');
+      final targetRule = (await db.getSyncRule(targetKey))!;
+      final showRule = (await db.getSyncRule(showKey))!;
+      await db.markSyncRuleDownloadLinksInitialized(targetKey);
+      await db.markSyncRuleDownloadLinksInitialized(showKey);
+
+      const downloadKey = 'srv:ep-watched';
+      final episode = testMediaItem(
+        id: 'ep-watched',
+        backend: MediaBackend.plex,
+        kind: MediaKind.episode,
+        title: 'Watched episode',
+        serverId: ServerId('srv'),
+      );
+      await db.insertDownload(
+        serverId: ServerId('srv'),
+        ratingKey: 'ep-watched',
+        globalKey: downloadKey,
+        type: 'episode',
+        grandparentRatingKey: 'show-1',
+        status: DownloadStatus.completed.index,
+      );
+      await db.addDownloadOwner(profileId: 'test-profile', globalKey: downloadKey);
+      await db.associateSyncRuleDownload(targetRule, downloadKey);
+
+      p.debugSeedState(
+        downloads: {downloadKey: const DownloadProgress(globalKey: downloadKey, status: DownloadStatus.completed)},
+        metadata: {downloadKey: episode},
+        ownedDownloadKeys: {downloadKey},
+      );
+
+      await p.deleteSyncRuleAndDownloads(targetKey, serverManager);
+
+      expect(await db.getDownloadedMedia(downloadKey), isNotNull);
+      expect(await db.getSyncRuleDownloadLinks(showRule.id), hasLength(1));
+    });
+
     test('deleteSyncRuleAndDownloads keeps an unresolvable legacy list rule intact', () async {
       final p = DownloadProvider.forTesting(downloadManager: downloadManager, database: db);
       addTearDown(p.dispose);