diff --git a/lib/connection/connection_bootstrap.dart b/lib/connection/connection_bootstrap.dart
index 5079666b..92c0c377 100644
--- a/lib/connection/connection_bootstrap.dart
+++ b/lib/connection/connection_bootstrap.dart
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import 'dart:convert';
 import '../models/plex/plex_home.dart';
 import '../models/plex/plex_home_user.dart';
 import '../profiles/profile.dart';
+import '../profiles/plex_home_cache_codec.dart';
 import '../profiles/profile_registry.dart';
 import '../services/plex_auth_service.dart';
 import '../services/server_registry.dart';
@@ -225,9 +226,7 @@ class ConnectionBootstrap {
     final raw = storage.getPlexHomeUsersCacheJson(connectionId);
     if (raw == null || raw.isEmpty) return null;
     try {
-      final decoded = jsonDecode(raw);
-      if (decoded is! List) return null;
-      return decoded.whereType<Map<String, dynamic>>().map(PlexHomeUser.fromJson).toList();
+      return decodePlexHomeUsersCache(raw);
     } catch (e, st) {
       appLogger.w('Migration: failed to read Plex Home cache for $connectionId', error: e, stackTrace: st);
       return null;
@@ -238,7 +237,7 @@ class ConnectionBootstrap {
     try {
       final users = await _plexHomeUserFetcher(account.accountToken);
       if (users.isNotEmpty) {
-        await storage.savePlexHomeUsersCache(account.id, users.map((u) => u.toJson()).toList());
+        await storage.savePlexHomeUsersCache(account.id, encodePlexHomeUsersCache(users));
         appLogger.i('Migration: fetched ${users.length} Plex Home users for ${account.id}');
       }
       return users;
diff --git a/lib/profiles/plex_home_cache_codec.dart b/lib/profiles/plex_home_cache_codec.dart
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b3783cfc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/profiles/plex_home_cache_codec.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import 'dart:convert';
+
+import '../models/plex/plex_home_user.dart';
+
+List<Map<String, dynamic>> encodePlexHomeUsersCache(List<PlexHomeUser> users) {
+  return users.map((user) => user.toJson()).toList(growable: false);
+}
+
+String encodePlexHomeUsersCacheJson(List<PlexHomeUser> users) {
+  return jsonEncode(encodePlexHomeUsersCache(users));
+}
+
+List<PlexHomeUser> decodePlexHomeUsersCache(String raw) {
+  final decoded = jsonDecode(raw);
+  if (decoded is! List) {
+    throw const FormatException('Plex Home users cache is not a list');
+  }
+  return decoded.whereType<Map<String, dynamic>>().map(PlexHomeUser.fromJson).toList(growable: false);
+}
diff --git a/lib/profiles/plex_home_service.dart b/lib/profiles/plex_home_service.dart
index 0b1c7520..455b6e48 100644
--- a/lib/profiles/plex_home_service.dart
+++ b/lib/profiles/plex_home_service.dart
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import 'dart:async';
-import 'dart:convert';
 
 import '../connection/connection.dart';
 import '../connection/connection_registry.dart';
@@ -9,6 +8,7 @@ import '../services/plex_auth_service.dart';
 import '../services/storage_service.dart';
 import '../utils/app_logger.dart';
 import 'profile_connection_registry.dart';
+import 'plex_home_cache_codec.dart';
 
 /// Live source of truth for Plex Home users — Plex owns these, so we never
 /// persist them as `Profile` rows. The service fetches `/home/users` per
@@ -188,11 +188,12 @@ class PlexHomeService {
         appLogger.d('PlexHomeService: dropping fetch result for removed account ${conn.accountLabel}');
         return false;
       }
-      final encoded = users.map((u) => u.toJson()).toList();
+      final encoded = encodePlexHomeUsersCache(users);
       // Unchanged fetches (the hourly ticker, mostly) must not emit: every
       // emission fans out through ActiveProfileProvider into a full
       // recompute/notify cascade across the app.
-      if (_byConnection.containsKey(conn.id) && storage.getPlexHomeUsersCacheJson(conn.id) == jsonEncode(encoded)) {
+      if (_byConnection.containsKey(conn.id) &&
+          storage.getPlexHomeUsersCacheJson(conn.id) == encodePlexHomeUsersCacheJson(users)) {
         appLogger.d('PlexHomeService: home users unchanged for ${conn.accountLabel}');
         return true;
       }
@@ -213,12 +214,7 @@ class PlexHomeService {
     final raw = storage.getPlexHomeUsersCacheJson(connectionId);
     if (raw == null) return null;
     try {
-      final decoded = jsonDecode(raw);
-      if (decoded is! List) {
-        appLogger.w('PlexHomeService: cache for $connectionId is not a list — ignoring');
-        return null;
-      }
-      return decoded.whereType<Map<String, dynamic>>().map(PlexHomeUser.fromJson).toList();
+      return decodePlexHomeUsersCache(raw);
     } catch (e, st) {
       appLogger.w('PlexHomeService: failed to read cache for $connectionId', error: e, stackTrace: st);
       return null;
diff --git a/test/profiles/plex_home_cache_codec_test.dart b/test/profiles/plex_home_cache_codec_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..28036973
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/profiles/plex_home_cache_codec_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+import 'package:plezy/models/plex/plex_home_user.dart';
+import 'package:plezy/profiles/plex_home_cache_codec.dart';
+
+void main() {
+  final user = PlexHomeUser(
+    id: 1,
+    uuid: 'user-1',
+    title: 'Owner',
+    thumb: '',
+    hasPassword: false,
+    restricted: false,
+    updatedAt: null,
+    admin: true,
+    guest: false,
+    protected: false,
+  );
+
+  test('round-trips the persisted Plex Home users format', () {
+    final decoded = decodePlexHomeUsersCache(encodePlexHomeUsersCacheJson([user]));
+
+    expect(decoded.map((entry) => entry.toJson()), [user.toJson()]);
+  });
+
+  test('rejects cache payloads that are not lists', () {
+    expect(() => decodePlexHomeUsersCache('{"uuid":"user-1"}'), throwsFormatException);
+  });
+
+  test('ignores non-object entries for compatibility with existing caches', () {
+    final decoded = decodePlexHomeUsersCache('[null, 1, "bad", ${encodePlexHomeUsersCacheJson([user]).substring(1)}');
+
+    expect(decoded.map((entry) => entry.toJson()), [user.toJson()]);
+  });
+}