diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 901ace78..409ed194 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -524,6 +524,14 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 * Excluding all genres collapses to a single untagged-genre rule instead of hundreds of `notContains` filters that stalled Navidrome; empty smart playlists settle without a false "Playlist not found" after a long spinner.
 
 
+### Local index live search — no junk hits on `=` and syntax characters
+
+**By [@cucadmuh](https://github.com/cucadmuh), reported by zunoz on the Psysonic Discord, PR [#983](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/983)**
+
+* Queries such as `1=2` or `M=c` no longer return unrelated albums and artists — FTS5 was parsing `=` and similar characters as query syntax instead of a literal token.
+* Wildcard-only queries (`**`, `****`) are rejected for both local index and server search; titles that contain censorship stars (e.g. `***Flawless`) remain searchable.
+
+
 ### In-page browse — virtual scroll and cover-art priority
 
 **By [@cucadmuh](https://github.com/cucadmuh), PR [#783](https://github.com/Psychotoxical/psysonic/pull/783)**
diff --git a/src-tauri/crates/psysonic-library/src/live_search.rs b/src-tauri/crates/psysonic-library/src/live_search.rs
index bb20c623..f1b7ae8c 100644
--- a/src-tauri/crates/psysonic-library/src/live_search.rs
+++ b/src-tauri/crates/psysonic-library/src/live_search.rs
@@ -659,6 +659,55 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn live_search_equals_query_returns_no_false_positives() {
+        let store = LibraryStore::open_in_memory();
+        TrackRepository::new(&store)
+            .upsert_batch(&[
+                track(
+                    "s1",
+                    "t1",
+                    "Intro",
+                    "Smith & Myers",
+                    "Volume 1 & 2",
+                    "al_vol",
+                    "ar1",
+                ),
+                track("s1", "t2", "Hello", "Adele", "25", "al_25", "ar2"),
+                track("s1", "t3", "Track", "Y.O.M.C.", "Single", "al_yo", "ar3"),
+            ])
+            .unwrap();
+        for q in ["1=2", "1=1", "M=c"] {
+            let resp = run_live_search(&store, "s1", q, None, 5, 5, 10).unwrap();
+            assert!(
+                resp.tracks.is_empty() && resp.albums.is_empty() && resp.artists.is_empty(),
+                "query {q:?} must not fuzzy-match unrelated library rows"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn live_search_censorship_stars_in_title_is_searchable() {
+        let store = LibraryStore::open_in_memory();
+        TrackRepository::new(&store)
+            .upsert_batch(&[
+                track(
+                    "s1",
+                    "t1",
+                    "***Flawless",
+                    "Beyoncé",
+                    "BEYONCÉ",
+                    "al1",
+                    "ar1",
+                ),
+                track("s1", "t2", "Other Song", "Artist", "Album", "al2", "ar2"),
+            ])
+            .unwrap();
+        let resp = run_live_search(&store, "s1", "***Flawless", None, 5, 5, 10).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(resp.tracks.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(resp.tracks[0].title, "***Flawless");
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn live_search_multiword_album_matches_any_token_not_only_first() {
         let store = LibraryStore::open_in_memory();
diff --git a/src-tauri/crates/psysonic-library/src/search.rs b/src-tauri/crates/psysonic-library/src/search.rs
index 1075ea3c..2e02cc7f 100644
--- a/src-tauri/crates/psysonic-library/src/search.rs
+++ b/src-tauri/crates/psysonic-library/src/search.rs
@@ -62,6 +62,32 @@ pub fn search_tracks(
 /// Callers clamp their requested `limit` into `1..=PAGE_LIMIT_MAX`.
 pub(crate) const PAGE_LIMIT_MAX: u32 = 500;
 
+/// Characters that break FTS5 quoted tokens — not `*` (censorship stars in titles).
+const FTS_QUERY_SYNTAX_CHARS: &[char] = &['=', ':', '(', ')', '^', '<', '>', '%', '|', '\\'];
+
+fn is_wildcard_only_token(token: &str) -> bool {
+    !token.is_empty() && token.chars().all(|c| c == '*')
+}
+
+/// True when `token` can be safely wrapped in FTS5 quotes for prefix/phrase match.
+pub(crate) fn fts_token_is_safe(token: &str) -> bool {
+    let t = token.trim();
+    !t.is_empty()
+        && !is_wildcard_only_token(t)
+        && !t.chars().any(|c| FTS_QUERY_SYNTAX_CHARS.contains(&c))
+        && t.chars().any(|c| c.is_alphanumeric() || c as u32 >= 0x80)
+}
+
+/// Whitespace-split tokens when every segment is FTS-safe; otherwise `None`.
+pub(crate) fn fts_safe_whitespace_tokens(raw: &str) -> Option<Vec<&str>> {
+    let tokens: Vec<&str> = raw.split_whitespace().filter(|t| !t.is_empty()).collect();
+    if tokens.is_empty() || !tokens.iter().all(|t| fts_token_is_safe(t)) {
+        None
+    } else {
+        Some(tokens)
+    }
+}
+
 /// Local FTS is skipped below this length — single-character queries (e.g. Cyrillic
 /// «а», Latin «a») match huge fractions of a large library and bm25+LIMIT can
 /// take tens of seconds (§5.9: no heavy work on every keystroke).
@@ -92,13 +118,11 @@ pub(crate) fn fts_prefix_token_expr(raw: &str) -> Option<String> {
 
 /// Navidrome-style any-word prefix match (`"a"* OR "b"*`).
 pub(crate) fn fts_prefix_token_or_expr(raw: &str) -> Option<String> {
-    let tokens: Vec<String> = raw
-        .split_whitespace()
+    let tokens: Vec<String> = fts_safe_whitespace_tokens(raw)?
+        .into_iter()
         .map(|t| format!("\"{}\"*", t.replace('"', "\"\"")))
         .collect();
-    if tokens.is_empty() {
-        None
-    } else if tokens.len() == 1 {
+    if tokens.len() == 1 {
         Some(tokens.into_iter().next().unwrap())
     } else {
         Some(tokens.join(" OR "))
@@ -106,8 +130,8 @@ pub(crate) fn fts_prefix_token_or_expr(raw: &str) -> Option<String> {
 }
 
 fn fts_token_expr_with(raw: &str, prefix: bool) -> Option<String> {
-    let tokens: Vec<String> = raw
-        .split_whitespace()
+    let tokens: Vec<String> = fts_safe_whitespace_tokens(raw)?
+        .into_iter()
         .map(|t| {
             let quoted = format!("\"{}\"", t.replace('"', "\"\""));
             if prefix {
@@ -117,11 +141,7 @@ fn fts_token_expr_with(raw: &str, prefix: bool) -> Option<String> {
             }
         })
         .collect();
-    if tokens.is_empty() {
-        None
-    } else {
-        Some(tokens.join(" "))
-    }
+    Some(tokens.join(" "))
 }
 
 /// Column-scoped prefix match (`artist : "met"*` → Metallica).
@@ -470,6 +490,37 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(fts_query("   ").is_none());
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn fts_prefix_token_or_expr_rejects_syntax_metachar_tokens() {
+        assert!(fts_prefix_token_or_expr("1=2").is_none());
+        assert!(fts_prefix_token_or_expr("1=1").is_none());
+        assert!(fts_prefix_token_or_expr("M=c").is_none());
+        assert!(fts_prefix_token_or_expr("V()>P").is_none());
+        assert!(fts_prefix_token_or_expr("**").is_none());
+        assert!(fts_prefix_token_or_expr("****").is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn fts_prefix_token_or_expr_allows_censorship_stars_in_titles() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            fts_prefix_token_or_expr("***Flawless").as_deref(),
+            Some("\"***Flawless\"*")
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            fts_prefix_token_or_expr("B********").as_deref(),
+            Some("\"B********\"*")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn fts_prefix_token_or_expr_still_builds_safe_tokens() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            fts_prefix_token_or_expr("love supreme").as_deref(),
+            Some("\"love\"* OR \"supreme\"*")
+        );
+        assert_eq!(fts_prefix_token_or_expr("25").as_deref(), Some("\"25\"*"));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn aliased_track_columns_prefixes_every_column() {
         let cols = aliased_track_columns("t");
diff --git a/src/api/subsonicSearch.ts b/src/api/subsonicSearch.ts
index 3f3f9950..75c506d4 100644
--- a/src/api/subsonicSearch.ts
+++ b/src/api/subsonicSearch.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { api, libraryFilterParams } from './subsonicClient';
+import { searchQueryIsFtsSafe } from '../utils/library/searchQueryFtsSafe';
 import type {
   SearchResults,
   SubsonicAlbum,
@@ -26,6 +27,7 @@ export async function search(
   },
 ): Promise<SearchResults> {
   if (!query.trim()) return { artists: [], albums: [], songs: [] };
+  if (!searchQueryIsFtsSafe(query)) return { artists: [], albums: [], songs: [] };
   const data = await api<{
     searchResult3: {
       artist?: SubsonicArtist[];
@@ -58,6 +60,7 @@ export async function search(
  * Caller handles empty results gracefully (Tracks page falls back to its random pool).
  */
 export async function searchSongsPaged(query: string, songCount: number, songOffset: number): Promise<SubsonicSong[]> {
+  if (!searchQueryIsFtsSafe(query.trim())) return [];
   const data = await api<{ searchResult3: { song?: SubsonicSong[] } }>('search3.view', {
     query,
     artistCount: 0,
diff --git a/src/components/LiveSearch.tsx b/src/components/LiveSearch.tsx
index 7ba139ca..8a6f2aa0 100644
--- a/src/components/LiveSearch.tsx
+++ b/src/components/LiveSearch.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import {
   LIVE_SEARCH_DEBOUNCE_NETWORK_MS,
   LIVE_SEARCH_DEBOUNCE_RACE_MS,
   EMPTY_SEARCH_RESULTS,
-  liveSearchQueryTooShort,
+  liveSearchQueryRejected,
   mergeLiveSearchResults,
   runLocalLiveSearch,
   runNetworkLiveSearch,
@@ -261,10 +261,10 @@ export default function LiveSearch() {
         setLoading(true);
         const searchT0 = performance.now();
         try {
-          if (liveSearchQueryTooShort(q)) {
+          if (liveSearchQueryRejected(q)) {
             if (!isStale()) {
               setResults(EMPTY_SEARCH_RESULTS);
-              setSearchSource('local');
+              setSearchSource(null);
               setOpen(true);
             }
             return;
@@ -688,7 +688,7 @@ export default function LiveSearch() {
           )}
 
           {!hasResults && !loading && (
-            <div className="search-empty">{t('search.noResults', { query })}</div>
+            <div className="search-empty">{t('search.noResults', { query: query.trim() })}</div>
           )}
 
           {share.shareMatch && (
diff --git a/src/components/MobileSearchOverlay.tsx b/src/components/MobileSearchOverlay.tsx
index 378b5df6..757fe4af 100644
--- a/src/components/MobileSearchOverlay.tsx
+++ b/src/components/MobileSearchOverlay.tsx
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@ export default function MobileSearchOverlay({ onClose }: { onClose: () => void }
         {/* ── No results ── */}
         {!loading && query && !hasResults && !isLiveSearchDropdownBlocked(scope) && (
           <div className="mobile-search-noresults">
-            {t('search.noResults', { query })}
+            {t('search.noResults', { query: query.trim() })}
           </div>
         )}
 
diff --git a/src/utils/library/liveSearchLocal.test.ts b/src/utils/library/liveSearchLocal.test.ts
index 4c84130e..a848d604 100644
--- a/src/utils/library/liveSearchLocal.test.ts
+++ b/src/utils/library/liveSearchLocal.test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { onInvoke } from '@/test/mocks/tauri';
 import type { SearchResults } from '../../api/subsonicTypes';
 import { useAuthStore } from '@/store/authStore';
 import {
+  liveSearchQueryRejected,
   liveSearchQueryTooShort,
   mergeLiveSearchResults,
   runLocalLiveSearch,
@@ -92,6 +93,16 @@ describe('runLocalLiveSearch', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('liveSearchQueryRejected', () => {
+  it('rejects syntax junk and single-character queries', () => {
+    expect(liveSearchQueryRejected('**')).toBe(true);
+    expect(liveSearchQueryRejected('1=2')).toBe(true);
+    expect(liveSearchQueryRejected('а')).toBe(true);
+    expect(liveSearchQueryRejected('ab')).toBe(false);
+    expect(liveSearchQueryRejected('metallica')).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
 describe('liveSearchQueryTooShort', () => {
   it('treats one grapheme as too short', () => {
     expect(liveSearchQueryTooShort('а')).toBe(true);
diff --git a/src/utils/library/liveSearchLocal.ts b/src/utils/library/liveSearchLocal.ts
index dfe65b10..9e3e845e 100644
--- a/src/utils/library/liveSearchLocal.ts
+++ b/src/utils/library/liveSearchLocal.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {
   trackToSong,
 } from './advancedSearchLocal';
 import { logLibrarySearch, timed } from './libraryDevLog';
+import { searchQueryIsFtsSafe } from './searchQueryFtsSafe';
 
 export const LIVE_SEARCH_DEBOUNCE_LOCAL_MS = 200;
 export const LIVE_SEARCH_DEBOUNCE_NETWORK_MS = 300;
@@ -45,6 +46,14 @@ export function liveSearchQueryTooShort(query: string): boolean {
   return !q || queryGraphemeCount(q) < LOCAL_FTS_MIN_QUERY_CHARS;
 }
 
+/** Skip local FTS and search3 when the query would only produce junk wildcard hits. */
+export function liveSearchQueryRejected(query: string): boolean {
+  const q = query.trim();
+  if (!q) return true;
+  if (liveSearchQueryTooShort(q)) return true;
+  return !searchQueryIsFtsSafe(q);
+}
+
 export type LiveSearchStaleCheck = () => boolean;
 
 export interface LiveSearchRunContext {
@@ -61,7 +70,7 @@ export async function runLocalLiveSearch(
 ): Promise<SearchResults | null> {
   if (!serverId || ctx.isStale()) return null;
   const q = query.trim();
-  if (liveSearchQueryTooShort(q)) return null;
+  if (liveSearchQueryRejected(q)) return null;
   const t0 = performance.now();
   try {
     const { result: resp, ms: invokeMs } = await timed(() =>
@@ -131,7 +140,7 @@ export async function runNetworkLiveSearch(
   signal?: AbortSignal,
 ): Promise<SearchResults | null> {
   const q = query.trim();
-  if (liveSearchQueryTooShort(q)) return null;
+  if (liveSearchQueryRejected(q)) return null;
   try {
     return await search(q, {
       signal,
diff --git a/src/utils/library/searchQueryFtsSafe.test.ts b/src/utils/library/searchQueryFtsSafe.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0c288cb9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/library/searchQueryFtsSafe.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { searchQueryIsFtsSafe, searchTokenIsFtsSafe } from './searchQueryFtsSafe';
+
+describe('searchQueryIsFtsSafe', () => {
+  it('rejects equals and wildcard-only junk queries', () => {
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('1=2')).toBe(false);
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('**')).toBe(false);
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('***')).toBe(false);
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('****')).toBe(false);
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('M=c')).toBe(false);
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('V()>P')).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('accepts normal search terms and censorship stars in titles', () => {
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('metallica')).toBe(true);
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('love supreme')).toBe(true);
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('25')).toBe(true);
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('AC/DC')).toBe(true);
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('***Flawless')).toBe(true);
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('B********')).toBe(true);
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('F**k This Industry')).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects when any token is unsafe', () => {
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('dark side')).toBe(true);
+    expect(searchQueryIsFtsSafe('dark = side')).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('searchTokenIsFtsSafe', () => {
+  it('requires at least one letter or digit', () => {
+    expect(searchTokenIsFtsSafe('***')).toBe(false);
+    expect(searchTokenIsFtsSafe('!!!')).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/utils/library/searchQueryFtsSafe.ts b/src/utils/library/searchQueryFtsSafe.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..df9764c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/library/searchQueryFtsSafe.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+/**
+ * Shared guard for local FTS and Subsonic search3.
+ * - Wildcard-only tokens (`**`, `****`) match everything on search3 / FTS5.
+ * - `=` and other query syntax break quoted FTS tokens (`1=2` → junk hits).
+ * - Asterisks in real tags (`***Flawless`, `B********`) stay searchable.
+ */
+
+/** FTS5 / search3 syntax — not `*` (censorship stars in titles are valid). */
+const FTS_QUERY_SYNTAX_CHARS = new Set(['=', ':', '(', ')', '^', '<', '>', '%', '|', '\\']);
+
+function isWildcardOnlyToken(token: string): boolean {
+  return token.length > 0 && [...token].every(ch => ch === '*');
+}
+
+export function searchTokenIsFtsSafe(token: string): boolean {
+  const t = token.trim();
+  if (!t || isWildcardOnlyToken(t)) return false;
+  if ([...t].some(ch => FTS_QUERY_SYNTAX_CHARS.has(ch))) return false;
+  return [...t].some(ch => /\p{L}|\p{N}/u.test(ch) || ch.charCodeAt(0) >= 0x80);
+}
+
+/** Every whitespace token must be safe — mirrors `fts_safe_whitespace_tokens` in Rust. */
+export function searchQueryIsFtsSafe(query: string): boolean {
+  const tokens = query.trim().split(/\s+/).filter(Boolean);
+  return tokens.length > 0 && tokens.every(searchTokenIsFtsSafe);
+}