diff --git a/movie_editor/frontend/index.html b/movie_editor/frontend/index.html
index edf63bf2..ba317f97 100644
--- a/movie_editor/frontend/index.html
+++ b/movie_editor/frontend/index.html
@@ -110,6 +110,7 @@
   <script src="view_bus.js"></script>
   <script src="history.js"></script>
   <script src="media_picker.js"></script>
+  <script src="scene_align.js"></script>
   <script src="store.js"></script>
   <script src="models.js"></script>
   <script src="workflow_import.js"></script>
diff --git a/movie_editor/frontend/package.json b/movie_editor/frontend/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5cc752df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/movie_editor/frontend/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+  "name": "funpack-movie-editor-frontend",
+  "private": true,
+  "description": "Movie Editor browser frontend. Plain <script>-tag modules (no bundler). Node is used only to unit-test pure logic extracted into *.js with dual browser/CommonJS exports (e.g. scene_align.js).",
+  "scripts": {
+    "test": "node --test"
+  }
+}
diff --git a/movie_editor/frontend/scene_align.js b/movie_editor/frontend/scene_align.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..11a5b7cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/movie_editor/frontend/scene_align.js
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+// Pure scene→root matching for the global-prompt re-parse, extracted from store.js so it
+// can be unit-tested in node (no DOM/state deps). The global prompt is authoritative; when
+// it is re-parsed into scene slots, each slot must reuse the old scene root that owns its
+// CONTENT — not the root that merely sits at the same array index. Matching by POSITION
+// first was the "stale scene" bug: a reorder/insert/delete shifted indices and glued one
+// scene's text onto another scene's anchor+render (then that wrong mapping got saved, so it
+// survived restarts and key-clears). See scene_align.test.js for the regression cases.
+//
+// matchParsedToRoots(parsedTexts, rootTexts) → matchByIdx, where matchByIdx[i] is the index
+// of the old root that parsed slot i should reuse, or -1 for none (→ ghost/new upstream).
+// Both inputs are arrays of ALREADY-normalized text (caller applies its own normalizer so
+// this stays the single source of matching truth without duplicating normalization).
+(function (root) {
+  function matchParsedToRoots(parsedTexts, rootTexts) {
+    const n = parsedTexts.length;
+    const m = rootTexts.length;
+    const matchByIdx = new Array(n).fill(-1);
+    const usedRoot = new Array(m).fill(false);
+
+    // Pass 1 — exact text match, nearest original position breaks ties. Pins every
+    // unchanged scene to its own root through any reorder / insert / delete.
+    for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) {
+      const pt = parsedTexts[i];
+      if (!pt) continue; // empty slots can only be positional (Pass 2)
+      let best = -1;
+      let bestDist = Infinity;
+      for (let ri = 0; ri < m; ri++) {
+        if (usedRoot[ri]) continue;
+        if (rootTexts[ri] !== pt) continue;
+        const dist = Math.abs(ri - i);
+        if (dist < bestDist) { best = ri; bestDist = dist; }
+      }
+      if (best >= 0) { matchByIdx[i] = best; usedRoot[best] = true; }
+    }
+
+    // Pass 2 — leftover slots inherit the leftover roots IN ORDER (in-place text edits keep
+    // their render/anchor). A slot with no root left stays -1 → a fresh scene upstream.
+    let rr = 0;
+    for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) {
+      if (matchByIdx[i] >= 0) continue;
+      while (rr < m && usedRoot[rr]) rr++;
+      if (rr >= m) break;
+      matchByIdx[i] = rr;
+      usedRoot[rr] = true;
+    }
+
+    return matchByIdx;
+  }
+
+  const api = { matchParsedToRoots };
+  if (typeof module !== "undefined" && module.exports) module.exports = api; // node test
+  if (root) root.SceneAlign = api;                                          // browser global
+})(typeof window !== "undefined" ? window : null);
diff --git a/movie_editor/frontend/scene_align.test.js b/movie_editor/frontend/scene_align.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b62b1bad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/movie_editor/frontend/scene_align.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+// Regression tests for the global-prompt scene→root matching (scene_align.js).
+// Run: node --test movie_editor/frontend/scene_align.test.js
+//
+// These guard the "stale scene anchor after reorder/insert/delete" bug: a scene's render +
+// anchor live under its root id, so the matcher must bind a parsed slot to the root that
+// owns its CONTENT, never to whatever root sits at the same array index.
+const test = require("node:test");
+const assert = require("node:assert");
+const { matchParsedToRoots } = require("./scene_align.js");
+
+// Helper: resolve each parsed slot to the root's anchor label it would inherit ("new" = -1).
+function anchors(roots, parsedTexts) {
+  const rootTexts = roots.map((r) => r.text);
+  const idx = matchParsedToRoots(parsedTexts, rootTexts);
+  return idx.map((ri) => (ri >= 0 ? roots[ri].anchor : "new"));
+}
+
+const A = { text: "a cat", anchor: "anchorA" };
+const B = { text: "a dog", anchor: "anchorB" };
+const C = { text: "a bird", anchor: "anchorC" };
+
+test("reorder only — anchors follow content, not slot", () => {
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(anchors([A, B], ["a dog", "a cat"]), ["anchorB", "anchorA"]);
+});
+
+test("edit in place — render/anchor preserved", () => {
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(anchors([A], ["a black cat"]), ["anchorA"]);
+});
+
+test("insert at front — existing anchors stay, new slot is fresh", () => {
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(
+    anchors([A, B], ["new scene", "a cat", "a dog"]),
+    ["new", "anchorA", "anchorB"],
+  );
+});
+
+test("delete middle — survivors keep anchors", () => {
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(anchors([A, B, C], ["a cat", "a bird"]), ["anchorA", "anchorC"]);
+});
+
+test("reorder + edit one — unchanged text pins it, edited one follows", () => {
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(anchors([A, B], ["a dog", "a big cat"]), ["anchorB", "anchorA"]);
+});
+
+test("edit + insert + keep — leftover edit takes leftover root, new is fresh", () => {
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(
+    anchors([A, B], ["a cat v2", "NEW", "a dog"]),
+    ["anchorA", "new", "anchorB"],
+  );
+});
+
+test("irreducible (both reordered AND fully rewritten) — positional fallback", () => {
+  // No unchanged text to anchor on → genuinely ambiguous; positional guess is acceptable.
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(anchors([A, B], ["a big dog", "a cute cat"]), ["anchorA", "anchorB"]);
+});
+
+test("duplicate texts — nearest position breaks the tie", () => {
+  const X0 = { text: "x", anchor: "x0" };
+  const X2 = { text: "x", anchor: "x2" };
+  // roots at index 0 and 2; parsed at index 0 and 3 → 0↔x0, 3↔x2.
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(
+    anchors([X0, { text: "y", anchor: "y1" }, X2], ["x", "y", "z", "x"]),
+    ["x0", "y1", "new", "x2"],
+  );
+});
+
+test("empty parsed text is positional only (never exact-matches a root)", () => {
+  // Blank slot must not steal a root by 'exact text'; it takes a leftover root positionally.
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(anchors([A, B], ["", "a cat"]), ["anchorB", "anchorA"]);
+});
+
+test("no old roots — every slot is fresh", () => {
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(anchors([], ["a", "b"]), ["new", "new"]);
+});
+
+test("each root used at most once", () => {
+  const idx = matchParsedToRoots(["a cat", "a cat"], ["a cat"]);
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(idx, [0, -1]); // second duplicate slot finds no root left
+});
diff --git a/movie_editor/frontend/store.js b/movie_editor/frontend/store.js
index a76807ac..54b977dc 100644
--- a/movie_editor/frontend/store.js
+++ b/movie_editor/frontend/store.js
@@ -407,31 +407,19 @@
     const next = [];
     let ghostsOut = [...(ghosts || [])];
     const parsed = parsedScenes || [];
-    const matchByIdx = new Array(parsed.length).fill(null);
 
-    // Pass 1 — exact text match, closest original position wins ties.
-    for (let i = 0; i < parsed.length; i++) {
-      const pt = _normalizeSceneText(parsed[i].text);
-      if (!pt) continue;
-      let best = null, bestDist = Infinity;
-      for (let ri = 0; ri < oldRoots.length; ri++) {
-        const root = oldRoots[ri];
-        if (usedOld.has(root.id)) continue;
-        if (_normalizeSceneText(root.text) !== pt) continue;
-        const dist = Math.abs(ri - i);
-        if (dist < bestDist) { best = root; bestDist = dist; }
-      }
-      if (best) { matchByIdx[i] = best; _markGenUnitUsed(genUnitId(best), usedOld, oldAll); }
-    }
-
-    // Pass 2 — remaining slots take the remaining roots in order (in-place edits).
-    const remainingRoots = oldRoots.filter((r) => !usedOld.has(r.id));
-    let rr = 0;
-    for (let i = 0; i < parsed.length; i++) {
-      if (matchByIdx[i] || rr >= remainingRoots.length) continue;
-      const root = remainingRoots[rr++];
-      matchByIdx[i] = root;
-      _markGenUnitUsed(genUnitId(root), usedOld, oldAll);
+    // Match each parsed slot to the old root that owns its CONTENT — exact text first
+    // (nearest original position breaks ties), then leftover slots take leftover roots in
+    // order. The pure index-based kernel lives in scene_align.js so the two passes can be
+    // unit-tested in node (see scene_align.test.js). Both sides are normalized identically
+    // here before matching, so the kernel can compare raw strings.
+    const matchIdx = window.SceneAlign.matchParsedToRoots(
+      parsed.map((p) => _normalizeSceneText(p.text)),
+      oldRoots.map((r) => _normalizeSceneText(r.text)),
+    );
+    const matchByIdx = matchIdx.map((ri) => (ri >= 0 ? oldRoots[ri] : null));
+    for (const root of matchByIdx) {
+      if (root) _markGenUnitUsed(genUnitId(root), usedOld, oldAll);
     }
 
     // Materialize: matched root → reuse (keeps id/source/render); else ghost by text; else new.