diff --git a/server/package.json b/server/package.json
index 114ca94..6a6375e 100644
--- a/server/package.json
+++ b/server/package.json
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
   "scripts": {
     "start": "bun server.js",
     "dev": "bun --hot server.js",
-    "test": "bun test ./recommendations.test.js && bun test --timeout 60000 ./media-cache.test.js && bun test ./notes.test.js && bun test ./transcriptions.test.js && bun test ./admin-analytics.test.js && bun test ./remote.test.js && bun test ./party.test.js && bun test ./uploads.test.js && bun test ./innertube.test.js && bun test ./related.test.js && bun test ./ytdlp-pool.test.js && bun test ./p2p-db.test.js && bun test ./p2p-admit.test.js && bun test ./p2p-retention.test.js && bun test ./p2p-routes.test.js && bun test ./p2p-hub.test.js && bun test --timeout 60000 ./p2p-intake.test.js && bun test ./flags.test.js"
+    "test": "bun test ./recommendations.test.js && bun test --timeout 60000 ./media-cache.test.js && bun test ./notes.test.js && bun test ./transcriptions.test.js && bun test ./admin-analytics.test.js && bun test ./remote.test.js && bun test ./party.test.js && bun test ./uploads.test.js && bun test ./innertube.test.js && bun test ./related.test.js && bun test ./ytdlp-pool.test.js && bun test ./warm-queue.test.js && bun test ./p2p-db.test.js && bun test ./p2p-admit.test.js && bun test ./p2p-retention.test.js && bun test ./p2p-routes.test.js && bun test ./p2p-hub.test.js && bun test --timeout 60000 ./p2p-intake.test.js && bun test ./flags.test.js"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@hono/node-server": "^1.14.0",
diff --git a/server/server.js b/server/server.js
index b904559..7596424 100644
--- a/server/server.js
+++ b/server/server.js
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ import { ingest as collectVideoMetadata, syncListening, linkListening, startThum
 import { registerCatalogRoutes } from './recommendations.js';
 import QRCode from 'qrcode';
 import { createYtdlpPool } from './ytdlp-pool.js';
+import { createWarmQueue } from './warm-queue.js';
 import { dirname, join as pathJoin } from 'node:path';
 
 // A media proxy must not die because one client's stream hit an edge case
@@ -728,15 +729,20 @@ function pickFormat(formats, { formatId, wantAudio, wantHeight }) {
 // GET /api/streams/warm?v=<id> — fire-and-forget: resolve streams into
 // streamCache so the real /api/streams a moment later is instant. Bounded
 // so a scrolling user can't queue dozens of yt-dlp processes.
-const WARM_MAX = 2;
-let warmActive = 0;
+const streamWarmQueue = createWarmQueue({
+  concurrency: 2,
+  maxQueued: 8,
+  run: async (id) => {
+    try { if (await media.getReady(id)) return; } catch { /* fall through */ }
+    await resolveStreams(id);
+  },
+});
 app.get('/api/streams/warm', async (c) => {
   const id = (c.req.query('v') || '').trim();
   if (!/^[A-Za-z0-9_-]{11}$/.test(id)) return c.body(null, 204);
-  if (warmActive >= WARM_MAX) return c.body(null, 204);
-  try { if (await media.getReady(id)) return c.body(null, 204); } catch { /* fall through */ }
-  warmActive++;
-  resolveStreams(id).catch(() => {}).finally(() => { warmActive--; });
+  // Best effort: bounded queue preserves a small burst (e.g. the first three
+  // search cards) while limiting background extractor work.
+  streamWarmQueue.enqueue(id);
   return c.body(null, 204);
 });
 
diff --git a/server/warm-queue.js b/server/warm-queue.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b11998d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/warm-queue.js
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+// Bounded scheduler for best-effort stream prewarming. Requests beyond the
+// active limit wait in a short FIFO instead of being silently discarded.
+export function createWarmQueue({ concurrency = 2, maxQueued = 8, run }) {
+  const queued = [];
+  const known = new Set();
+  let active = 0;
+
+  function pump() {
+    while (active < concurrency && queued.length) {
+      const id = queued.shift();
+      active++;
+      Promise.resolve().then(() => run(id)).catch(() => {}).finally(() => {
+        active--;
+        known.delete(id);
+        pump();
+      });
+    }
+  }
+
+  function enqueue(id) {
+    if (known.has(id)) return true;
+    if (active >= concurrency && queued.length >= maxQueued) return false;
+    known.add(id);
+    queued.push(id);
+    pump();
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  return { enqueue, get pending() { return queued.length + active; } };
+}
diff --git a/server/warm-queue.test.js b/server/warm-queue.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bdd589d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/warm-queue.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test';
+import { createWarmQueue } from './warm-queue.js';
+
+describe('stream warm queue', () => {
+  test('runs at the concurrency limit and drains queued requests FIFO', async () => {
+    const started = [];
+    const releases = new Map();
+    const q = createWarmQueue({ concurrency: 2, maxQueued: 2, run: (id) => {
+      started.push(id);
+      return new Promise((resolve) => releases.set(id, resolve));
+    } });
+
+    q.enqueue('a'); q.enqueue('b'); q.enqueue('c');
+    expect(q.pending).toBe(3);
+    await Promise.resolve();
+    expect(started).toEqual(['a', 'b']);
+    releases.get('a')();
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0));
+    expect(started).toEqual(['a', 'b', 'c']);
+    releases.get('b')(); releases.get('c')();
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0));
+    expect(q.pending).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  test('deduplicates in-flight ids and rejects work past the queue bound', async () => {
+    const releases = [];
+    const q = createWarmQueue({ concurrency: 1, maxQueued: 1, run: () => new Promise((resolve) => releases.push(resolve)) });
+    expect(q.enqueue('a')).toBe(true);
+    await Promise.resolve();
+    expect(q.enqueue('a')).toBe(true);
+    expect(q.enqueue('b')).toBe(true);
+    expect(q.enqueue('c')).toBe(false);
+    releases[0]();
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0));
+    releases[1]();
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0));
+    expect(q.pending).toBe(0);
+  });
+});