diff --git a/server/services/liveGroupingScoring.js b/server/services/liveGroupingScoring.js
index 5473b3b..844b4af 100644
--- a/server/services/liveGroupingScoring.js
+++ b/server/services/liveGroupingScoring.js
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ function scoreCandidate(left, right, options = {}) {
     const laya = exact ? 0 : layaSignal(options.layaHint, leftIdentity, rightIdentity);
     const total = algorithm * weights.algorithm + structure * weights.structure +
         metadata * weights.metadata + laya * weights.laya;
-    return { matched: total >= MERGE_THRESHOLD, blocker: null, total, signals: { algorithm, structure, metadata, laya } };
+    return { matched: exact || total >= MERGE_THRESHOLD, blocker: null, total, signals: { algorithm, structure, metadata, laya } };
 }
 
 module.exports = {
diff --git a/server/services/liveProjectionService.js b/server/services/liveProjectionService.js
index e209834..80fed49 100644
--- a/server/services/liveProjectionService.js
+++ b/server/services/liveProjectionService.js
@@ -82,10 +82,10 @@ function projectCatalog(items, options = {}) {
             : fingerprint;
         if (!candidateBuckets.has(candidateKey)) candidateBuckets.set(candidateKey, []);
         const groups = candidateBuckets.get(candidateKey);
-        const matchingGroup = groups.find(group => scoreCandidate(group[0], projected, {
+        const matchingGroup = groups.find(group => group.some(member => scoreCandidate(member, projected, {
             mode: options.mode || 'algo',
-            layaHint: options.identityHints?.get(pairKey(group[0], projected))
-        }).matched);
+            layaHint: options.identityHints?.get(pairKey(member, projected))
+        }).matched));
         if (matchingGroup) matchingGroup.push(projected);
         else groups.push([projected]);
     }
@@ -152,6 +152,16 @@ async function collectIdentityHints(items, mode, layaClient) {
     return hints;
 }
 
+async function collectOptionalIdentityHints(items, mode, layaClient) {
+    if (mode === 'algo') return new Map();
+    try {
+        return await collectIdentityHints(items, mode, layaClient);
+    } catch (error) {
+        console.warn('[LiveProjection] Laya identity hints unavailable; continuing deterministically');
+        return new Map();
+    }
+}
+
 function catalogInputHash(items) {
     return stableHash(items
         .map(item => `${item.id}\0${item.name}\0${item.category_id || ''}`)
@@ -241,10 +251,12 @@ function rebuild(database = null, options = {}) {
         apply();
         return projectionState(database);
     } catch (error) {
+        const diagnosticCode = /^SQLITE_[A-Z_]+$/.test(error.code || '') ? error.code : 'INTERNAL';
+        console.error(`[LiveProjection] Rebuild transaction failed (${diagnosticCode}, ${error.name || 'Error'})`);
         database.prepare(`
             UPDATE catalog_projection_state SET status = 'error', completed_at = ?, error = ?
             WHERE projection = 'live'
-        `).run(Date.now(), 'Live catalog projection failed');
+        `).run(Date.now(), `Live catalog projection failed [${diagnosticCode}]`);
         throw error;
     }
 }
@@ -256,12 +268,8 @@ async function rebuildWithSignals(database = null, options = {}) {
     const mode = ['algo', 'hybrid', 'laya'].includes(configured) ? configured : 'algo';
     let identityHints = new Map();
     if (mode !== 'algo') {
-        try {
-            const layaClient = options.layaClient || new (require('./layaService').LayaService)();
-            identityHints = await collectIdentityHints(items, mode, layaClient);
-        } catch (error) {
-            console.warn('[LiveProjection] Laya identity hints unavailable; continuing deterministically');
-        }
+        const layaClient = options.layaClient || new (require('./layaService').LayaService)();
+        identityHints = await collectOptionalIdentityHints(items, mode, layaClient);
     }
     return rebuild(database, { ...options, items, mode, identityHints });
 }
@@ -375,6 +383,7 @@ function serializeChannels(rows, includeHidden = false) {
 module.exports = {
     catalogInputHash,
     collectIdentityHints,
+    collectOptionalIdentityHints,
     displayNameForFingerprint,
     getChannels,
     identityCandidatePairs,
diff --git a/test/liveGroupingScoring.test.js b/test/liveGroupingScoring.test.js
index dee2b92..f133471 100644
--- a/test/liveGroupingScoring.test.js
+++ b/test/liveGroupingScoring.test.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ const {
 } = require('../server/services/liveGroupingScoring');
 const {
     collectIdentityHints,
+    collectOptionalIdentityHints,
     normalizeChannelName,
     projectCatalog
 } = require('../server/services/liveProjectionService');
@@ -44,6 +45,16 @@ test('exact algorithm match survives a contradictory Laya opinion', () => {
     assert.equal(score.signals.laya, 0);
 });
 
+test('exact generic fingerprints merge in Laya-only mode without family metadata', () => {
+    const left = channel('a', '1000 x Hora TV', { category_id: 'one' });
+    const right = channel('b', '|UY| 1000 x Hora TV', { category_id: 'two' });
+    const score = scoreCandidate(left, right, { mode: 'laya' });
+    assert.equal(score.total, 55);
+    assert.equal(score.matched, true);
+    const groups = projectCatalog([left, right], { mode: 'laya' });
+    assert.equal(groups.length, 1);
+});
+
 test('different channel numbers block even when Laya proposes a merge', () => {
     const left = channel('a', 'beIN Sports 1');
     const right = channel('b', 'beIN Sports 2');
@@ -110,3 +121,28 @@ test('hybrid mode caps the positive Laya contribution at weight 10', () => {
     assert.equal(score.total, 72);
     assert.equal(score.matched, true);
 });
+
+test('Laya bridge followed by an exact alias stays in one unique fingerprint group', () => {
+    const items = [
+        channel('a', 'beIN Sports 1 Event'),
+        channel('b', 'beIN Sports 1'),
+        channel('c', 'beIN Sports 1')
+    ];
+    const hints = new Map([[
+        ['a', 'b'].sort().join('\0'),
+        { sameIdentityProbability: 1, confidence: 1 }
+    ]]);
+    const groups = projectCatalog(items, { mode: 'hybrid', identityHints: hints });
+    assert.equal(groups.length, 1);
+    assert.equal(groups[0].fingerprint, 'bein sports 1');
+    assert.equal(groups[0].variants.length, 3);
+});
+
+test('optional Laya failure degrades to an empty signal set', async () => {
+    const hints = await collectOptionalIdentityHints([
+        channel('a', 'beIN Sports 1 Event'), channel('b', 'beIN Sports 1')
+    ], 'hybrid', {
+        identityHintBatch: async () => { throw new Error('runtime unavailable at https://private.invalid'); }
+    });
+    assert.equal(hints.size, 0);
+});