diff --git a/py/api/autotag_routes.py b/py/api/autotag_routes.py
index b3b3158..f72db79 100644
--- a/py/api/autotag_routes.py
+++ b/py/api/autotag_routes.py
@@ -64,6 +64,12 @@ def path_is_within(candidate, root) -> bool:
     return child != parent and child.is_relative_to(parent)
 
 
+async def _refusal(title):
+    """The single error event of an auto-tag batch refused by another job."""
+    message = f"{title} already running"
+    yield {"type": "error", "status": "error", "message": message}
+
+
 class AutotagRoutesMixin:
     """Mixin providing auto-tagging API endpoints."""
 
@@ -454,7 +460,10 @@ class AutotagRoutesMixin:
                 return web.json_response(
                     {"success": False, "error": _BUSY_ERROR}, status=409
                 )
-            return self._long_job_busy_response(busy.title)
+            # Both legacy pages read this route as a stream, where a 409 reads
+            # as a lost connection: refuse with one error frame instead (the
+            # admin page keys on ``type``, the gallery on ``status``).
+            return await self._stream_sse(request, _refusal(busy.title))
         async with self._jobs.hold(
             AUTOTAG_BATCH_JOB_KIND,
             "Auto-tag images (legacy page)",
diff --git a/py/api/lora_integration.py b/py/api/lora_integration.py
index 18da1df..7e66c2d 100644
--- a/py/api/lora_integration.py
+++ b/py/api/lora_integration.py
@@ -37,6 +37,15 @@ def _lora_settings_mutation(values):
     return mutate
 
 
+def _lora_error_frame(message):
+    """An import stream's error event, as the admin page's modal reads it.
+
+    The modal shows ``status`` and ``progress`` from every frame and closes
+    on ``type: error``, naming ``message``.
+    """
+    return {"type": "error", "status": message, "progress": 0, "message": message}
+
+
 class LoraIntegrationMixin:
     """Mixin providing LoraManager detection, scanning, and trigger word endpoints."""
 
@@ -290,7 +299,7 @@ class LoraIntegrationMixin:
             if busy is not None:
                 await response.prepare(request)
                 message = f"{busy.title} already running"
-                await send_progress({"type": "error", "message": message})
+                await send_progress(_lora_error_frame(message))
                 await response.write_eof()
                 return response
 
@@ -303,9 +312,7 @@ class LoraIntegrationMixin:
                 except Exception as e:
                     self.logger.exception("LoRA scan failed")
                     job.finish("failed")
-                    await send_progress(
-                        {"type": "error", "message": self._public_error(e)}
-                    )
+                    await send_progress(_lora_error_frame(self._public_error(e)))
 
                 await response.write_eof()
             return response
diff --git a/tests/js/legacy-refusals.test.js b/tests/js/legacy-refusals.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6daec1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/js/legacy-refusals.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+// The legacy admin and gallery pages show a server refusal's reason (#220, PR #289 review I1 and M8): a job that
+// runs in the workspace refuses their record-changing requests, and a corrupt config.json refuses a settings save.
+// Each page must name the reason, not report a lost connection, a bare HTTP status or a success.
+const test = require('node:test');
+const assert = require('node:assert/strict');
+const fs = require('node:fs');
+const path = require('node:path');
+const vm = require('node:vm');
+
+function elements() {
+    const nodes = {};
+    return {
+        nodes,
+        getElementById: id => nodes[id] ||= { id, textContent: '', innerHTML: '', disabled: false, style: {},
+            value: '', checked: false, addEventListener() {}, querySelectorAll: () => [] },
+    };
+}
+
+function jsonResponse(status, body) {
+    return { ok: status >= 200 && status < 300, status, statusText: status === 409 ? 'Conflict' : 'OK',
+        json: async () => body };
+}
+
+function sseResponse(frames) {
+    const bytes = new TextEncoder().encode(frames.map(frame => `data: ${JSON.stringify(frame)}\n\n`).join(''));
+    let sent = false;
+    return { ok: true, status: 200, body: { getReader: () => ({
+        read: async () => (sent ? { done: true } : (sent = true, { done: false, value: bytes })),
+    }) } };
+}
+
+function load(file, className, fetchUrl, extra = {}, dom = elements()) {
+    const timers = [];
+    const notifications = [];
+    const storage = new Map([['pm_cached', '1'], ['userData', 'keep']]);
+    const localStorage = {
+        getItem: key => storage.get(key) ?? null,
+        setItem: (key, value) => storage.set(key, String(value)),
+        removeItem: key => storage.delete(key),
+    };
+    const context = vm.createContext({
+        document: { readyState: 'loading', addEventListener() {}, getElementById: dom.getElementById,
+            querySelectorAll: () => [] },
+        window: {}, console: { error() {}, warn() {}, debug() {} },
+        setTimeout: callback => timers.push(callback),
+        confirm: () => true,
+        localStorage,
+        Object: { ...Object, keys: target => (target === localStorage ? [...storage.keys()] : Object.keys(target)) },
+        TextDecoder, TextEncoder, JSON,
+        ApiClient: { fetchUrl },
+        ...extra,
+    });
+    const source = fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, `../../web/js/${file}`), 'utf8');
+    const Page = vm.runInContext(`${source}\n${className};`, context, { filename: path.join(__dirname, `../../web/js/${file}`) });
+    const page = Object.create(Page.prototype);
+    page.showNotification = (message, type) => notifications.push([type, message]);
+    page.showModal = id => notifications.push(['show', id]);
+    page.hideModal = id => notifications.push(['hide', id]);
+    return { page, dom, timers, notifications, storage };
+}
+
+const BUSY = 'Scan for metadata already running';
+
+test('gallery cache clear reports a refused server clear and never claims success', async () => {
+    const calls = [];
+    const { page, dom, notifications, storage } = load('gallery.js', 'GalleryManager', async url => {
+        calls.push(url);
+        return jsonResponse(409, { success: false, error: BUSY });
+    });
+    page.getSettings = () => ({ thumbnailsGenerated: true });
+    dom.getElementById('thumbnailStatus').textContent = 'Generated';
+
+    await page.clearCache();
+
+    assert.deepEqual(calls, ['/prompt_manager/images/clear-thumbnails']);
+    assert.deepEqual(notifications, [['error', `Thumbnails were not cleared: ${BUSY}`]]);
+    assert.equal(dom.nodes.thumbnailStatus.textContent, 'Generated');
+    assert.equal(storage.get('gallerySettings'), undefined); // thumbnailsGenerated is not reset
+});
+
+test('gallery cache clear still says so when the server clears', async () => {
+    const { page, dom, notifications, storage } = load('gallery.js', 'GalleryManager',
+        async () => jsonResponse(200, { success: true, cleared_count: 3 }));
+    page.getSettings = () => ({ thumbnailsGenerated: true });
+
+    await page.clearCache();
+
+    assert.deepEqual(notifications, [['success', 'PromptManager cache cleared successfully! Original images untouched.']]);
+    assert.equal(dom.nodes.thumbnailStatus.textContent, 'Not generated');
+    assert.equal(JSON.parse(storage.get('gallerySettings')).thumbnailsGenerated, false);
+    assert.equal(storage.get('userData'), 'keep');
+    assert.equal(storage.has('pm_cached'), false);
+});
+
+test('admin LoRA import shows a refusal frame and closes its modal', async () => {
+    const { page, dom, timers, notifications } = load('admin.js', 'PromptAdmin',
+        async () => sseResponse([{ type: 'error', status: BUSY, progress: 0, message: BUSY }]));
+    page.saveLoraSettings = async () => true;
+    page.loadStatistics = () => assert.fail('a refused import must not reload statistics');
+
+    await page.runLoraImport();
+
+    assert.equal(dom.nodes.loraImportStatus.textContent, `Error: ${BUSY}`);
+    assert.deepEqual(notifications.filter(([type]) => type === 'error'), [['error', `LoRA import failed: ${BUSY}`]]);
+    assert.equal(timers.length, 1);
+    timers[0]();
+    assert.deepEqual(notifications.at(-1), ['hide', 'loraImportModal']);
+});
+
+test('admin settings save shows why config.json refused it', async () => {
+    const message = 'config.json cannot be read, so nothing was saved. Fix or remove the file, then save again.';
+    const { page, notifications } = load('admin.js', 'PromptAdmin',
+        async () => jsonResponse(409, { success: false, persisted: false, code: 'config-unreadable', error: message }));
+    page.settings = {};
+    page._collectScanPaths = () => [];
+    page.saveLoraSettings = async () => assert.fail('nothing else is saved after a refusal');
+
+    await page.saveSettings();
+
+    assert.deepEqual(notifications, [['error', `Failed to save settings: ${message}`]]);
+});
+
+test('admin settings save keeps its plain message when the reply has no reason', async () => {
+    const { page, notifications } = load('admin.js', 'PromptAdmin', async () => ({ ok: false, status: 500,
+        json: async () => { throw new SyntaxError('not json'); } }));
+    page.settings = {};
+    page._collectScanPaths = () => [];
+
+    await page.saveSettings();
+
+    assert.deepEqual(notifications, [['error', 'Failed to save settings']]);
+});
+
+test('admin maintenance names the job that refused it', async () => {
+    const { page, dom, notifications } = load('admin.js', 'PromptAdmin',
+        async () => jsonResponse(409, { success: false, error: BUSY }), {
+            escapeHtml: text => String(text),
+            document: { readyState: 'loading', addEventListener() {}, getElementById: id => dom.getElementById(id),
+                querySelectorAll: selector => (selector === '.maintenance-option:checked' ? [{ id: 'vacuum' }] : []) },
+        });
+
+    await page.runMaintenance();
+
+    const results = dom.nodes.maintenanceResults.innerHTML;
+    assert.match(results, /Maintenance Failed/);
+    assert.match(results, new RegExp(BUSY));
+    assert.doesNotMatch(results, /HTTP 409/);
+    assert.deepEqual(notifications, [['error', '❌ Maintenance failed']]);
+    assert.equal(dom.nodes.runMaintenanceBtn.disabled, false);
+});
diff --git a/tests/test_api_lora.py b/tests/test_api_lora.py
index 743f1e3..78957d4 100644
--- a/tests/test_api_lora.py
+++ b/tests/test_api_lora.py
@@ -767,6 +767,12 @@ class TestLoraScanRoute(LoraAPITestCase):
         body = await resp.text()
         self.assertNotIn(str(self.tmp_root), body)
         self.assertIn("x.db", body)
+        # The admin page's modal shows the failure as its status and closes.
+        error = self._sse_events(body)[-1]
+        self.assertEqual(
+            (error["type"], error["status"], error["progress"]),
+            ("error", error["message"], 0),
+        )
 
     @staticmethod
     def _sse_events(text):
diff --git a/tests/test_job_admission.py b/tests/test_job_admission.py
index 61cf20c..59e4821 100644
--- a/tests/test_job_admission.py
+++ b/tests/test_job_admission.py
@@ -295,6 +295,70 @@ class TestLegacyRoutesHoldTheRegistry(_LegacyHoldCase):
         await self._busy(resp)
         self.assertEqual(self._db_digest(), before)
 
+    async def test_read_only_maintenance_runs_during_scan(self):
+        # The legacy statistics and consistency checks only read: they hold
+        # the registry as "read", so a long scan does not block them.
+        self.api.db.save_prompt(text="keep me", prompt_hash="h1")
+        _gate, scan = self._run_job()
+        listed = []
+        real = self.api._run_maintenance_operations
+
+        def observed(operations):
+            listed.extend(
+                (job.kind, job.admission, job.state) for job in self.api._jobs.list()
+            )
+            return real(operations)
+
+        self.api._run_maintenance_operations = observed
+        resp = await self.client.request(
+            "POST",
+            "/prompt_manager/maintenance",
+            json={
+                "operations": [
+                    "statistics",
+                    "check_consistency",
+                    "check_hash_duplicates",
+                ]
+            },
+        )
+        body = await resp.json()
+        self.assertEqual(resp.status, 200)
+        self.assertIs(body["success"], True)
+        self.assertEqual(
+            set(body["results"]),
+            {"statistics", "check_consistency", "check_hash_duplicates"},
+        )
+        self.assertIn(("maintenance", "read", "running"), listed)
+        self.assertEqual(scan.state, "running")
+        maintenance = self.api._jobs.list()[-1]
+        self.assertEqual(
+            (maintenance.kind, maintenance.admission, maintenance.state),
+            ("maintenance", "read", "finished"),
+        )
+
+    async def test_mixed_maintenance_selection_is_refused_during_scan(self):
+        # One write operation among read-only ones makes the run "records".
+        self.api.db.save_prompt(text="keep me", prompt_hash="h1")
+        before = self._db_digest()
+        self._run_job()
+        resp = await self.client.request(
+            "POST",
+            "/prompt_manager/maintenance",
+            json={"operations": ["statistics", "vacuum"]},
+        )
+        await self._busy(resp)
+        self.assertEqual(self._db_digest(), before)
+
+    async def test_default_maintenance_selection_is_refused_during_scan(self):
+        # No "operations" key means the default list, which vacuums.
+        self.api.db.save_prompt(text="keep me", prompt_hash="h1")
+        before = self._db_digest()
+        self._run_job()
+        resp = await self.client.request("POST", "/prompt_manager/maintenance", json={})
+        await self._busy(resp)
+        self.assertEqual(self._db_digest(), before)
+        self.assertEqual([j.kind for j in self.api._jobs.list()], ["scan"])
+
     async def test_legacy_maintenance_refused_while_image_tags_runs(self):
         self._run_job("image-tags", "Add tags to 3 images")
         resp = await self.client.request("POST", "/prompt_manager/maintenance")
@@ -365,18 +429,43 @@ class TestLegacyRoutesHoldTheRegistry(_LegacyHoldCase):
             text = await resp.text()
         self.assertEqual(resp.status, 200)  # the legacy page reads a stream
         events = [json.loads(line[6:]) for line in text.split("\n\n") if line]
+        # The admin page's modal shows ``status`` and closes on ``type: error``.
+        message = "Scan for metadata already running"
         self.assertEqual(
             events,
-            [{"type": "error", "message": "Scan for metadata already running"}],
+            [{"type": "error", "status": message, "progress": 0, "message": message}],
         )
         self.assertEqual(imported, [])
 
     async def test_legacy_autotag_refused_while_scan_runs(self):
+        # Both pages read this route as a stream (a 409 reads as a lost
+        # connection there), so a refusal by another job is one error frame:
+        # the admin page keys on ``type``, the gallery on ``status``.
         self._run_job()
         resp = await self.client.request(
             "POST", "/prompt_manager/autotag/start", json={}
         )
-        await self._busy(resp)
+        text = await resp.text()
+        self.assertEqual(resp.status, 200)
+        self.assertEqual(resp.headers["Content-Type"], "text/event-stream")
+        events = [json.loads(line[6:]) for line in text.split("\n\n") if line]
+        message = "Scan for metadata already running"
+        self.assertEqual(
+            events, [{"type": "error", "status": "error", "message": message}]
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(
+            [j.kind for j in self.api._jobs.list() if j.kind == "autotag"], []
+        )
+
+    async def test_second_legacy_autotag_batch_keeps_its_json_409(self):
+        from py.api.autotag_routes import _BUSY_ERROR
+
+        self._run_job("autotag", "Auto-tag images (legacy page)")
+        resp = await self.client.request(
+            "POST", "/prompt_manager/autotag/start", json={}
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(resp.status, 409)
+        self.assertEqual(await resp.json(), {"success": False, "error": _BUSY_ERROR})
 
     async def test_legacy_payloads_unchanged_when_idle(self):
         resp = await self.client.request(
diff --git a/web/js/admin.js b/web/js/admin.js
index da699ac..e74d347 100644
--- a/web/js/admin.js
+++ b/web/js/admin.js
@@ -1180,6 +1180,11 @@
                                         `Done — ${data.imported} imported, ${data.skipped} skipped`;
                                     this.loadStatistics();
                                     setTimeout(() => this.hideModal("loraImportModal"), 2000);
+                                } else if (data.type === "error") {
+                                    // A refusal (another job runs) or a failed import: name it and close the modal.
+                                    document.getElementById("loraImportStatus").textContent = `Error: ${data.message}`;
+                                    this.showNotification(`LoRA import failed: ${data.message}`, "error");
+                                    setTimeout(() => this.hideModal("loraImportModal"), 3000);
                                 }
                             } catch (e) { /* skip malformed SSE */ }
                         }
@@ -1231,10 +1236,13 @@
                         }
                         this.hideModal("settingsModal");
                     } else {
-                        throw new Error("Failed to save settings");
+                        // A refusal names its reason (a corrupt config.json, a changed file): show it.
+                        const data = await response.json().catch(() => ({}));
+                        throw new Error(data.error ? `Failed to save settings: ${data.error}` : "Failed to save settings");
                     }
                 } catch (error) {
-                    this.showNotification("Failed to save settings", "error");
+                    const reason = error.message.startsWith("Failed to save settings:") ? error.message : "Failed to save settings";
+                    this.showNotification(reason, "error");
                 }
             }
 
@@ -1848,7 +1856,9 @@
                             throw new Error(data.error || 'Maintenance failed');
                         }
                     } else {
-                        throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}: ${response.statusText}`);
+                        // A refusal names the job that runs ("Scan for metadata already running").
+                        const data = await response.json().catch(() => ({}));
+                        throw new Error(data.error || `HTTP ${response.status}: ${response.statusText}`);
                     }
                 } catch (error) {
                     console.error('Maintenance error:', error);
diff --git a/web/js/gallery.js b/web/js/gallery.js
index 56596f7..7f6b2d6 100644
--- a/web/js/gallery.js
+++ b/web/js/gallery.js
@@ -2129,8 +2129,11 @@ Seed: ${this.currentMetadata.seed || 'Unknown'}`;
                                 headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }
                             });
                             
-                            if (response.ok) {
-                                const data = await response.json();
+                            if (!response.ok) {
+                                // Refused (a running job holds the thumbnails): say why and claim nothing.
+                                const data = await response.json().catch(() => ({}));
+                                this.showNotification(`Thumbnails were not cleared: ${data.error || `HTTP ${response.status}`}`, 'error');
+                                return;
                             }
                         } catch (e) {
                             console.warn('Could not clear server thumbnails:', e);