diff --git a/web/src/screens/AutoTuneScreen.test.tsx b/web/src/screens/AutoTuneScreen.test.tsx
index 253f0be38..2d718e0f9 100644
--- a/web/src/screens/AutoTuneScreen.test.tsx
+++ b/web/src/screens/AutoTuneScreen.test.tsx
@@ -150,4 +150,54 @@ describe('AutoTuneScreen', () => {
       { axis: 'TvGenre', value: 'Comedy', name: 'Comedy', number: '502' }
     ]);
   });
+
+  it('keys selection by axis+value so same-named proposals stay independent', async () => {
+    // A TV show literally titled "Comedy" and the "Comedy" TV genre — identical names, different
+    // axes. Keying selection on the name would couple them (toggling one flips both).
+    const collision = [
+      { axis: 'TvShow', value: 'Comedy', name: 'Comedy', number: '500', itemCount: 30, alreadyExists: false },
+      { axis: 'TvGenre', value: 'Comedy', name: 'Comedy', number: '501', itemCount: 640, alreadyExists: false }
+    ];
+    const fetchSpy = vi.spyOn(window, 'fetch').mockImplementation((input: RequestInfo | URL, init?: RequestInit) => {
+      const path = input.toString();
+      const method = (init?.method ?? 'GET').toUpperCase();
+      if (path === '/api/v1/channel-templates') {
+        return Promise.resolve(jsonResponse(templates));
+      }
+      if (path === '/api/v1/channel-templates/default') {
+        return Promise.resolve(jsonResponse(templates[0]));
+      }
+      if (path === '/api/v1/channels/auto-tune/preview' && method === 'POST') {
+        return Promise.resolve(jsonResponse(collision));
+      }
+      if (path === '/api/v1/channels/auto-tune' && method === 'POST') {
+        return Promise.resolve(jsonResponse({ results: [], createdCount: 0, skippedCount: 0, failedCount: 0 }));
+      }
+      return Promise.resolve(jsonResponse(null, 404));
+    });
+
+    render(<AutoTuneScreen />);
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /Preview channels/ }));
+    await screen.findByText('TV Shows');
+
+    // Two distinct row checkboxes both named "Comedy" (one per axis), both selected by default.
+    const boxes = screen.getAllByRole('checkbox', { name: 'Comedy' });
+    expect(boxes).toHaveLength(2);
+    expect(boxes[0]).toHaveAttribute('aria-checked', 'true');
+    expect(boxes[1]).toHaveAttribute('aria-checked', 'true');
+
+    // Deselecting the TV-show "Comedy" must NOT deselect the genre "Comedy".
+    fireEvent.click(boxes[0]);
+    const after = screen.getAllByRole('checkbox', { name: 'Comedy' });
+    expect(after[0]).toHaveAttribute('aria-checked', 'false');
+    expect(after[1]).toHaveAttribute('aria-checked', 'true');
+
+    // Exactly one remains selected → create posts only the still-selected genre proposal.
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: /Create 1 channel/ }));
+    const createCall = fetchSpy.mock.calls.find(
+      (call) => call[0] === '/api/v1/channels/auto-tune' && (call[1]?.method ?? '').toUpperCase() === 'POST'
+    );
+    const body = JSON.parse(String(createCall?.[1]?.body));
+    expect(body.channels).toEqual([{ axis: 'TvGenre', value: 'Comedy', name: 'Comedy', number: '501' }]);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/web/src/screens/AutoTuneScreen.tsx b/web/src/screens/AutoTuneScreen.tsx
index 683e403e6..0dc7f9c61 100644
--- a/web/src/screens/AutoTuneScreen.tsx
+++ b/web/src/screens/AutoTuneScreen.tsx
@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@ const eyebrowStyle: CSSProperties = {
 
 const monoStyle: CSSProperties = { fontFamily: 'var(--font-mono)', fontVariantNumeric: 'tabular-nums' };
 
+// Selection identity — axis+value uniquely identifies a proposal. Keying on the display
+// name would couple two same-named proposals (e.g. a TV show titled "Comedy" and the
+// "Comedy" genre), flipping/creating both. An axis id never contains a space, so a single
+// space separates it unambiguously from the metadata value.
+const proposalKey = (proposal: { axis: string; value: string }) => `${proposal.axis} ${proposal.value}`;
+
 type TemplatesState =
   | { status: 'loading' }
   | { status: 'error'; message: string }
@@ -163,7 +169,7 @@ export function AutoTuneScreen() {
         }
         setPreviewState({ status: 'success', proposals });
         // Default selection: every proposal that doesn't already exist.
-        setSelected(new Set(proposals.filter((proposal) => !proposal.alreadyExists).map((proposal) => proposal.name)));
+        setSelected(new Set(proposals.filter((proposal) => !proposal.alreadyExists).map(proposalKey)));
       })
       .catch((error: unknown) => {
         if (activeRef.current && id === previewSeqRef.current) {
@@ -173,7 +179,9 @@ export function AutoTuneScreen() {
   };
 
   const proposals = previewState.status === 'success' ? previewState.proposals : [];
-  const selectedProposals = proposals.filter((proposal) => !proposal.alreadyExists && selected.has(proposal.name));
+  const selectedProposals = proposals.filter(
+    (proposal) => !proposal.alreadyExists && selected.has(proposalKey(proposal))
+  );
 
   const runCreate = () => {
     if (selectedProposals.length === 0 || templateId === '') {
@@ -276,7 +284,13 @@ export function AutoTuneScreen() {
             </Button>
             <Tooltip
               placement="bottom"
-              label={selectedProposals.length ? 'Create the selected channels' : 'Select at least one channel'}
+              label={
+                selectedProposals.length === 0
+                  ? 'Select at least one channel'
+                  : templateId === ''
+                    ? 'Choose a channel template on the Configure step first'
+                    : 'Create the selected channels'
+              }
             >
               <Button
                 variant="primary"
@@ -544,6 +558,13 @@ function ConfigureStep({
                   Retry
                 </Button>
               </div>
+            ) : templateOptions.length === 0 ? (
+              <div
+                role="status"
+                style={{ font: 'var(--text-xs)/1.4 var(--font-sans)', color: 'var(--text-secondary)', padding: '4px 2px' }}
+              >
+                No channel templates yet — create one under Templates first.
+              </div>
             ) : (
               <Select
                 size="sm"
@@ -606,7 +627,7 @@ function PreviewStep({
 
   const selectable = proposals.filter((proposal) => !proposal.alreadyExists);
   const existingCount = proposals.length - selectable.length;
-  const selectedCount = selectable.filter((proposal) => selected.has(proposal.name)).length;
+  const selectedCount = selectable.filter((proposal) => selected.has(proposalKey(proposal))).length;
 
   const setAll = (rows: AutoTuneProposal[], on: boolean) => {
     setSelected((current) => {
@@ -614,9 +635,9 @@ function PreviewStep({
       rows.forEach((row) => {
         if (!row.alreadyExists) {
           if (on) {
-            next.add(row.name);
+            next.add(proposalKey(row));
           } else {
-            next.delete(row.name);
+            next.delete(proposalKey(row));
           }
         }
       });
@@ -624,13 +645,13 @@ function PreviewStep({
     });
   };
 
-  const toggle = (name: string) => {
+  const toggle = (key: string) => {
     setSelected((current) => {
       const next = new Set(current);
-      if (next.has(name)) {
-        next.delete(name);
+      if (next.has(key)) {
+        next.delete(key);
       } else {
-        next.add(name);
+        next.add(key);
       }
       return next;
     });
@@ -663,8 +684,8 @@ function PreviewStep({
 
       {groups.map(({ axis, rows }) => {
         const groupSelectable = rows.filter((row) => !row.alreadyExists);
-        const allOn = groupSelectable.length > 0 && groupSelectable.every((row) => selected.has(row.name));
-        const someOn = groupSelectable.some((row) => selected.has(row.name));
+        const allOn = groupSelectable.length > 0 && groupSelectable.every((row) => selected.has(proposalKey(row)));
+        const someOn = groupSelectable.some((row) => selected.has(proposalKey(row)));
         const AxisIcon = axis.icon;
         const OrderIcon = axis.shuffled ? Shuffle : ListOrdered;
         return (
@@ -707,10 +728,10 @@ function PreviewStep({
             </div>
             <div>
               {rows.map((row, i) => {
-                const on = selected.has(row.name);
+                const on = selected.has(proposalKey(row));
                 return (
                   <div
-                    key={row.name}
+                    key={proposalKey(row)}
                     style={{
                       borderTop: i ? '1px solid var(--border-hairline)' : 'none',
                       opacity: row.alreadyExists ? 0.55 : 1
@@ -721,7 +742,7 @@ function PreviewStep({
                         checked={on && !row.alreadyExists}
                         disabled={row.alreadyExists}
                         label={row.name}
-                        onChange={() => toggle(row.name)}
+                        onChange={() => toggle(proposalKey(row))}
                       />
                       <span style={{ ...monoStyle, minWidth: 42, font: 'var(--text-sm) var(--font-mono)', color: 'var(--text-secondary)' }}>
                         {row.number}