diff --git a/backend/database/database.go b/backend/database/database.go
index 3300ecf..00d48ee 100644
--- a/backend/database/database.go
+++ b/backend/database/database.go
@@ -322,6 +322,16 @@ func runMigrations(
 		}
 	}
 
+	// Migration 8: rebuild FTS5 search_index with
+	// contentless_delete=1 so individual rows can be deleted.
+	if version < 8 {
+		if err := migration8ContentlessDelete(
+			ctx, db, logger,
+		); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -1078,6 +1088,72 @@ func migration7PhantomFilePath(
 	return nil
 }
 
+// migration8ContentlessDelete rebuilds the FTS5 search_index with
+// contentless_delete=1 so that individual rows can be deleted.
+// This is a prerequisite for inline tag edit → DB sync in Phase 16.
+//
+// SAFETY: Hand-crafted SQL for FTS5 schema migration.
+func migration8ContentlessDelete(
+	ctx context.Context,
+	db *sql.DB,
+	logger *slog.Logger,
+) error {
+	logger.Info(
+		"applying migration 8: rebuilding FTS5 search_index with contentless_delete=1",
+	)
+
+	// Drop the old contentless FTS5 table (content='' only).
+	if _, err := db.ExecContext(
+		ctx, `DROP TABLE IF EXISTS search_index`,
+	); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf(
+			"migration 8: could not drop search_index: %w", err,
+		)
+	}
+
+	// Recreate with contentless_delete=1 added.
+	// SAFETY: Must match backend/database/sql/schemas/search_index.sql exactly.
+	if _, err := db.ExecContext(ctx, `
+		CREATE VIRTUAL TABLE IF NOT EXISTS search_index USING fts5(
+			file_path,
+			title,
+			artist,
+			album,
+			content='',
+			contentless_delete=1,
+			tokenize='unicode61 remove_diacritics 2'
+		)
+	`); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf(
+			"migration 8: could not recreate search_index: %w", err,
+		)
+	}
+
+	// Repopulate from track_metadata VIEW.
+	// SAFETY: FTS5 INSERT from VIEW; no user input.
+	if _, err := db.ExecContext(ctx, `
+		INSERT INTO search_index(rowid, file_path, title, artist, album)
+		SELECT id, file_path, title, artist_name, album
+		FROM track_metadata
+	`); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf(
+			"migration 8: could not repopulate search_index: %w", err,
+		)
+	}
+
+	if _, err := db.ExecContext(
+		ctx, "PRAGMA user_version = 8",
+	); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf(
+			"migration 8: could not set user_version: %w", err,
+		)
+	}
+
+	logger.Info("migration 8 complete")
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 // readLibraryDirFromTOML reads the TOML config file and returns
 // the Library.DirectoryPath value, or "" if not configured.
 func readLibraryDirFromTOML(logger *slog.Logger) string {
diff --git a/backend/database/search.go b/backend/database/search.go
index 406a2cc..5b637d6 100644
--- a/backend/database/search.go
+++ b/backend/database/search.go
@@ -117,21 +117,25 @@ func (d *DB) InsertSearchIndex(
 	return err
 }
 
-// DeleteSearchIndex is a no-op for contentless FTS5 tables.
-// Contentless FTS5 (content=”) does not support DELETE.
-// Stale entries are harmless: they point to rowids that no longer
-// match in track_metadata, so JOINs in search queries filter them
-// out.  The index is fully rebuilt during FullRescan.
-func (d *DB) DeleteSearchIndex(_ int64) error {
+// DeleteSearchIndex removes a single row from the FTS5 search_index
+// by rowid.  This is supported because the table uses
+// contentless_delete=1.  Phase 16 uses this for inline tag edits
+// (delete old entry, reinsert with updated metadata).
+func (d *DB) DeleteSearchIndex(rowid int64) error {
+	_, err := d.db.ExecContext(d.Ctx,
+		`DELETE FROM search_index WHERE rowid = ?`, rowid,
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("could not delete search index entry: %w", err)
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
 // ClearSearchIndex removes all rows from the FTS5 search_index.
-// The search_index is a contentless FTS5 table (content=”), which
-// does not support DELETE.  We drop and recreate it instead.
+// We drop and recreate it to ensure a clean slate for full rebuilds.
 func (d *DB) ClearSearchIndex() error {
-	// SAFETY: FTS5 contentless table cannot be DELETEd from.
-	// Drop + recreate is the only way to clear it.  No parameters.
+	// SAFETY: Drop + recreate for full rebuild.  No parameters.
 	if _, err := d.db.ExecContext(d.Ctx,
 		`DROP TABLE IF EXISTS search_index`,
 	); err != nil {
@@ -145,6 +149,7 @@ func (d *DB) ClearSearchIndex() error {
 			artist,
 			album,
 			content='',
+			contentless_delete=1,
 			tokenize='unicode61 remove_diacritics 2'
 		)
 	`); err != nil {
diff --git a/backend/database/sql/schemas/search_index.sql b/backend/database/sql/schemas/search_index.sql
index d2f4f2c..efbaf35 100644
--- a/backend/database/sql/schemas/search_index.sql
+++ b/backend/database/sql/schemas/search_index.sql
@@ -4,5 +4,6 @@ CREATE VIRTUAL TABLE IF NOT EXISTS search_index USING fts5(
     artist,
     album,
     content='',
+    contentless_delete=1,
     tokenize='unicode61 remove_diacritics 2'
 );
diff --git a/backend/library/library.go b/backend/library/library.go
index 97baa40..f04494e 100644
--- a/backend/library/library.go
+++ b/backend/library/library.go
@@ -1077,11 +1077,10 @@ func (l *Library) updateAudioFileMetadata(
 	}
 
 	// Re-index in FTS5 search_index.
-	// Contentless FTS5 (content='') does not support DELETE, so we
-	// cannot remove the old entry.  Inserting a new row with the
-	// same rowid is accepted by FTS5 — the old entry becomes stale
-	// but harmless (search JOINs against track_metadata filter it).
-	// The index is fully rebuilt during FullRescan.
+	// With contentless_delete=1 (migration 8), DeleteSearchIndex
+	// now works for individual row removal.  For scan updates we
+	// still do delete + reinsert; Phase 16 will use the same
+	// pattern for inline tag edits.
 	tags := result.tags
 	if tags == nil {
 		tags = &metadata.TrackMetadata{}