diff --git a/src/app/MainApp.tsx b/src/app/MainApp.tsx
index 8419a86e..d42fb1b8 100644
--- a/src/app/MainApp.tsx
+++ b/src/app/MainApp.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { initAudioListeners } from '../store/initAudioListeners';
+import '../store/playbackEngineBridgeRegister'; // installs the playback-engine bridge at boot
 import { lazy, Suspense, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
 import { BrowserRouter, Route, Routes } from 'react-router-dom';
 import { invoke } from '@tauri-apps/api/core';
diff --git a/src/store/authAudioSettingsActions.ts b/src/store/authAudioSettingsActions.ts
index 53fe5204..b2bd99de 100644
--- a/src/store/authAudioSettingsActions.ts
+++ b/src/store/authAudioSettingsActions.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import {
   sanitizeAutodjOverlapCapSec,
 } from '../utils/playback/autodjOverlapCap';
 import { DEFAULT_LOUDNESS_PRE_ANALYSIS_ATTENUATION_DB } from './authStoreDefaults';
-import { usePlayerStore } from './playerStore';
+import { updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack } from './playbackEngineBridge';
 import type { AuthState } from './authStoreTypes';
 
 type SetState = (
@@ -43,15 +43,15 @@ export function createAudioSettingsActions(set: SetState): Pick<
   return {
     setReplayGainEnabled: (v) => {
       set({ replayGainEnabled: v });
-      usePlayerStore.getState().updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
+      updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
     },
     setNormalizationEngine: (v) => {
       set({ normalizationEngine: v });
-      usePlayerStore.getState().updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
+      updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
     },
     setLoudnessTargetLufs: (v) => {
       set({ loudnessTargetLufs: v });
-      usePlayerStore.getState().updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
+      updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
     },
     setLoudnessPreAnalysisAttenuationDb: (v) => {
       const n = typeof v === 'number' ? v : Number(v);
@@ -60,19 +60,19 @@ export function createAudioSettingsActions(set: SetState): Pick<
     },
     resetLoudnessPreAnalysisAttenuationDbDefault: () => {
       set({ loudnessPreAnalysisAttenuationDb: DEFAULT_LOUDNESS_PRE_ANALYSIS_ATTENUATION_DB });
-      usePlayerStore.getState().updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
+      updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
     },
     setReplayGainMode: (v) => {
       set({ replayGainMode: v });
-      usePlayerStore.getState().updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
+      updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
     },
     setReplayGainPreGainDb: (v) => {
       set({ replayGainPreGainDb: v });
-      usePlayerStore.getState().updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
+      updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
     },
     setReplayGainFallbackDb: (v) => {
       set({ replayGainFallbackDb: v });
-      usePlayerStore.getState().updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
+      updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
     },
     setCrossfadeEnabled: (v) => set({ crossfadeEnabled: v }),
     setCrossfadeSecs: (v) => set({ crossfadeSecs: v }),
diff --git a/src/store/authServerProfileActions.ts b/src/store/authServerProfileActions.ts
index 2b263e16..56c6f761 100644
--- a/src/store/authServerProfileActions.ts
+++ b/src/store/authServerProfileActions.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import type { AuthState } from './authStoreTypes';
 import { generateId } from './authStoreHelpers';
-import { usePlayerStore } from './playerStore';
-import { clearQueueServerForPlayback } from '../utils/playback/playbackServer';
+import { getQueueServerId, clearQueueServerForPlayback } from './playbackEngineBridge';
 import { resolveServerIdForIndexKey } from '../utils/server/serverLookup';
 
 type SetState = (
@@ -44,7 +43,7 @@ export function createServerProfileActions(set: SetState): Pick<
       // queueServerId is the canonical index key (B1); resolve the
       // canonical id back to a server UUID before comparing so a profile
       // delete still clears the matching queue binding.
-      const queueSid = usePlayerStore.getState().queueServerId;
+      const queueSid = getQueueServerId();
       if (queueSid && resolveServerIdForIndexKey(queueSid) === id) {
         clearQueueServerForPlayback();
       }
diff --git a/src/store/authStore.servers.test.ts b/src/store/authStore.servers.test.ts
index f0116d37..235bee49 100644
--- a/src/store/authStore.servers.test.ts
+++ b/src/store/authStore.servers.test.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 import { useAuthStore } from './authStore';
 import { usePlayerStore } from './playerStore';
+import './playbackEngineBridgeRegister'; // wire removeServer's queue-clear through the real engine bridge
 import { resetAuthStore } from '@/test/helpers/storeReset';
 import { resetPlayerStore } from '@/test/helpers/storeReset';
 
diff --git a/src/store/playbackEngineBridge.ts b/src/store/playbackEngineBridge.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c4ae900c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/store/playbackEngineBridge.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+// Playback-engine bridge. Global settings/profile stores (authStore family) need
+// to trigger a few engine effects — clear a deleted server's queue binding, catch
+// the current track up to a changed ReplayGain/normalization mode — but those
+// stores are core and must not import the playback engine (iron rule; the engine
+// will live in @/features/playback). The engine registers its operations here at
+// boot (playbackEngineBridgeRegister.ts, side-effect-imported by MainApp); core
+// callers invoke these neutral delegators.
+//
+// Default (unregistered) = no-op / null. Safe: the only callers are user-triggered
+// settings/profile actions that fire long after boot, by which point the engine
+// (loaded at app start) has registered. At boot there is no current track or queue
+// binding, so the no-op default would be correct even if it were ever reached.
+
+export interface PlaybackEngineBridge {
+  /** Active queue's bound server id, or null when nothing is bound. */
+  getQueueServerId(): string | null;
+  /** Drop the queue's server binding (used when its server profile is deleted). */
+  clearQueueServerForPlayback(): void;
+  /** Re-apply ReplayGain/normalization to the currently playing track. */
+  updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack(): void;
+}
+
+let bridge: PlaybackEngineBridge | null = null;
+
+export function registerPlaybackEngineBridge(impl: PlaybackEngineBridge): void {
+  bridge = impl;
+}
+
+export function getQueueServerId(): string | null {
+  return bridge ? bridge.getQueueServerId() : null;
+}
+
+export function clearQueueServerForPlayback(): void {
+  bridge?.clearQueueServerForPlayback();
+}
+
+export function updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack(): void {
+  bridge?.updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack();
+}
diff --git a/src/store/playbackEngineBridgeRegister.ts b/src/store/playbackEngineBridgeRegister.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1a50a7f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/store/playbackEngineBridgeRegister.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+// Engine-side registration for the playback-engine bridge. Side-effect module:
+// importing it installs the engine's operations into @/store/playbackEngineBridge.
+// MainApp side-effect-imports this at boot. Lives with the engine (moves into
+// @/features/playback alongside playerStore); the bridge itself stays in core.
+import { usePlayerStore } from './playerStore';
+import { clearQueueServerForPlayback } from '../utils/playback/playbackServer';
+import { registerPlaybackEngineBridge } from './playbackEngineBridge';
+
+registerPlaybackEngineBridge({
+  getQueueServerId: () => usePlayerStore.getState().queueServerId,
+  clearQueueServerForPlayback,
+  updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack: () => usePlayerStore.getState().updateReplayGainForCurrentTrack(),
+});