diff --git a/app/src/main/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/Media3PlayerHandle.kt b/app/src/main/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/Media3PlayerHandle.kt
index 258d2b58..67eb8376 100644
--- a/app/src/main/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/Media3PlayerHandle.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/Media3PlayerHandle.kt
@@ -95,6 +95,20 @@ class Media3PlayerHandle(
 
     override fun clear() = controller.clearMediaItems()
 
+    override fun itemUris(): List<String?> =
+        (0 until controller.mediaItemCount).map {
+            controller
+                .getMediaItemAt(it)
+                .localConfiguration
+                ?.uri
+                ?.toString()
+        }
+
+    override fun replaceItem(
+        index: Int,
+        item: QueueItem,
+    ) = controller.replaceMediaItem(index, toMediaItem(item))
+
     override fun seekToIndex(index: Int) {
         Log.d(TAG, "seekToIndex($index) playerDuration=${controller.duration} state=${controller.playbackState}")
         controller.seekTo(index, 0)
diff --git a/app/src/main/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/PlaybackController.kt b/app/src/main/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/PlaybackController.kt
index 21325ffd..b93f536c 100644
--- a/app/src/main/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/PlaybackController.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/PlaybackController.kt
@@ -959,7 +959,30 @@ class PlaybackController(
 
     fun refreshMediaItems() {
         scope.launch {
-            startLock.withLock { reloadWindowLocked() }
+            startLock.withLock {
+                val player = player ?: return@withLock
+                val snapshot = snapshot ?: return@withLock
+                if (snapshot.size == 0L || player.isEnded) return@withLock
+                downloads.awaitLoaded()
+                val position = (windowStart + player.currentIndex).coerceIn(0, snapshot.size - 1)
+                val window = queueRepository.window(snapshot, position, QUEUE_WINDOW_RADIUS)
+                val uris = player.itemUris()
+                if (window.size != player.itemCount || uris.size != window.size) {
+                    reloadWindowLocked()
+                    return@withLock
+                }
+                // Only an item whose local file appeared or went away needs rebuilding. Re-setting
+                // the whole window would re-prepare the player and audibly pause playback.
+                var replaced = false
+                window.forEachIndexed { index, entry ->
+                    val local = downloads.localUri(entry.item.song.id) != null
+                    if (local != (uris[index]?.startsWith(FILE_SCHEME) == true)) {
+                        player.replaceItem(index, entry.item.toQueueItem())
+                        replaced = true
+                    }
+                }
+                if (replaced) refresh(position)
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -1249,5 +1272,6 @@ class PlaybackController(
         const val WINDOW_SHIFT_DELAY_MS = 400L
         const val RESTART_THRESHOLD_MS = 3_000L
         const val SEED_PIN_TRIES = 1_000_000
+        const val FILE_SCHEME = "file:"
     }
 }
diff --git a/app/src/main/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/PlayerHandle.kt b/app/src/main/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/PlayerHandle.kt
index b397f7b4..47e940d2 100644
--- a/app/src/main/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/PlayerHandle.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/PlayerHandle.kt
@@ -53,6 +53,15 @@ interface PlayerHandle {
 
     fun clear()
 
+    /** The resolved URI of each item in the current window, in window order. */
+    fun itemUris(): List<String?> = emptyList()
+
+    /** Rebuilds one window item in place, without re-preparing the playing one. */
+    fun replaceItem(
+        index: Int,
+        item: QueueItem,
+    ) = Unit
+
     fun seekToIndex(index: Int)
 
     fun seekTo(positionMs: Long)
diff --git a/app/src/test/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/FakePlayer.kt b/app/src/test/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/FakePlayer.kt
index fcb279e2..89dab613 100644
--- a/app/src/test/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/FakePlayer.kt
+++ b/app/src/test/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/FakePlayer.kt
@@ -61,6 +61,20 @@ class FakePlayerHandle : PlayerHandle {
 
     override val currentItem: QueueItem? get() = items.getOrNull(index)
 
+    /** Overrides the URIs the window reports; defaults to a stream URI per item. */
+    @Volatile
+    var uris: List<String> = emptyList()
+
+    override fun itemUris(): List<String?> = uris.ifEmpty { items.map { "http://stream/${it.id}" } }
+
+    override fun replaceItem(
+        index: Int,
+        item: QueueItem,
+    ) {
+        operations += "replaceItem($index, ${item.id})"
+        if (index in items.indices) items[index] = item
+    }
+
     override fun setWindow(
         items: List<QueueItem>,
         startIndex: Int,
diff --git a/app/src/test/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/PlaybackControllerTest.kt b/app/src/test/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/PlaybackControllerTest.kt
index b71001dd..2e3d7683 100644
--- a/app/src/test/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/PlaybackControllerTest.kt
+++ b/app/src/test/kotlin/com/subtracks/playback/PlaybackControllerTest.kt
@@ -2300,7 +2300,7 @@ class PlaybackControllerTest {
     }
 
     @Test
-    fun refreshingMediaItemsRebuildsTheWindowAtTheSamePosition() {
+    fun refreshingMediaItemsLeavesAnUnaffectedQueueAlone() {
         seedAlbum(3, sourceId = 1)
         controller.playAlbum(1, "al1", 0)
         await { handle.operations.contains("play") }
@@ -2308,12 +2308,28 @@ class PlaybackControllerTest {
         val windows = handle.operations.count { it.startsWith("setWindow") }
 
         controller.refreshMediaItems()
+        Thread.sleep(200)
 
-        await { handle.operations.count { it.startsWith("setWindow") } > windows }
+        assertEquals(windows, handle.operations.count { it.startsWith("setWindow") })
         assertEquals("s1", handle.currentItem?.id)
         assertEquals(42_000L, handle.positionMs)
     }
 
+    @Test
+    fun refreshingMediaItemsReplacesOnlyAnItemWhoseLocalFileIsGone() {
+        seedAlbum(3, sourceId = 1)
+        controller.playAlbum(1, "al1", 0)
+        await { handle.operations.contains("play") }
+        val windows = handle.operations.count { it.startsWith("setWindow") }
+        handle.uris = handle.items.mapIndexed { index, item -> if (index == 0) "file:///gone" else "http://stream/${item.id}" }
+
+        controller.refreshMediaItems()
+
+        await { handle.operations.any { it.startsWith("replaceItem(0,") } }
+        assertEquals(windows, handle.operations.count { it.startsWith("setWindow") })
+        assertEquals(0, handle.operations.count { it.startsWith("replaceItem(1,") })
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun positionTickerAdvancesPositionWithoutEmittingPlaybackState() =
         runBlocking {