diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/ProfileApiController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/ProfileApiController.php
index de27b38e..fdcf958d 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/ProfileApiController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/ProfileApiController.php
@@ -7,10 +7,11 @@ namespace App\Http\Controllers\Api;
 use App\Http\Controllers\Controller;
 use App\Models\Artwork;
 use App\Models\User;
-use Carbon\CarbonInterface;
+use App\Services\CollectionService;
+use App\Services\Maturity\ArtworkMaturityService;
 use App\Services\ThumbnailPresenter;
 use App\Support\UsernamePolicy;
-use App\Services\Maturity\ArtworkMaturityService;
+use Carbon\CarbonInterface;
 use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Builder;
 use Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse;
 use Illuminate\Http\Request;
@@ -26,6 +27,28 @@ use UnexpectedValueException;
  */
 final class ProfileApiController extends Controller
 {
+    public function __construct(private readonly CollectionService $collections) {}
+
+    /**
+     * GET /api/profile/{username}/collections
+     * Returns the profile collection cards without rendering the profile page.
+     */
+    public function collections(Request $request, string $username): JsonResponse
+    {
+        $user = $this->resolveUser($username);
+        if (! $user) {
+            return response()->json(['error' => 'User not found'], 404);
+        }
+
+        $viewer = $request->user();
+        $isOwner = $viewer && (int) $viewer->id === (int) $user->id;
+        $profileCollections = $this->collections->getProfileCollections($user, $viewer);
+
+        return response()->json([
+            'data' => $this->collections->mapCollectionCardPayloads($profileCollections, $isOwner, $viewer),
+        ]);
+    }
+
     /**
      * GET /api/profile/{username}/artworks
      * Returns cursor-paginated artworks for the profile page tabs.
@@ -39,18 +62,18 @@ final class ProfileApiController extends Controller
         }
 
         $isOwner = Auth::check() && Auth::id() === $user->id;
-        $sort    = $request->input('sort', 'latest');
+        $sort = $request->input('sort', 'latest');
 
         $query = Artwork::with([
-                'user:id,name,username,level,rank',
-                'user.profile:user_id,avatar_hash',
+            'user:id,name,username,level,rank',
+            'user.profile:user_id,avatar_hash',
             'group:id,name,slug,avatar_path',
-                'stats:artwork_id,views,downloads,favorites',
-                'categories' => function ($query) {
-                    $query->select('categories.id', 'categories.content_type_id', 'categories.parent_id', 'categories.name', 'categories.slug', 'categories.sort_order')
-                        ->with(['contentType:id,slug,name']);
-                },
-            ])
+            'stats:artwork_id,views,downloads,favorites',
+            'categories' => function ($query) {
+                $query->select('categories.id', 'categories.content_type_id', 'categories.parent_id', 'categories.name', 'categories.slug', 'categories.sort_order')
+                    ->with(['contentType:id,slug,name']);
+            },
+        ])
             ->where('user_id', $user->id)
             ->whereNull('artworks.deleted_at');
 
@@ -85,9 +108,9 @@ final class ProfileApiController extends Controller
             ->values();
 
         return response()->json([
-            'data'        => $data,
+            'data' => $data,
             'next_cursor' => $paginator->nextCursor()?->encode(),
-            'has_more'    => $paginator->hasMorePages(),
+            'has_more' => $paginator->hasMorePages(),
         ]);
     }
 
@@ -110,7 +133,7 @@ final class ProfileApiController extends Controller
         $perPage = 12;
         $offset = max(0, (int) base64_decode((string) $request->input('cursor', ''), true));
 
-        $favIds = DB::table($favouriteTable . ' as af')
+        $favIds = DB::table($favouriteTable.' as af')
             ->join('artworks as a', 'a.id', '=', 'af.artwork_id')
             ->where('af.user_id', $user->id)
             ->whereNull('a.deleted_at')
@@ -128,22 +151,22 @@ final class ProfileApiController extends Controller
             ->pluck('a.id');
 
         $hasMore = $favIds->count() > $perPage;
-        $favIds  = $favIds->take($perPage);
+        $favIds = $favIds->take($perPage);
 
         if ($favIds->isEmpty()) {
             return response()->json(['data' => [], 'next_cursor' => null, 'has_more' => false]);
         }
 
         $indexed = Artwork::with([
-                'user:id,name,username,level,rank',
-                'user.profile:user_id,avatar_hash',
+            'user:id,name,username,level,rank',
+            'user.profile:user_id,avatar_hash',
             'group:id,name,slug,avatar_path',
-                'stats:artwork_id,views,downloads,favorites',
-                'categories' => function ($query) {
-                    $query->select('categories.id', 'categories.content_type_id', 'categories.parent_id', 'categories.name', 'categories.slug', 'categories.sort_order')
-                        ->with(['contentType:id,slug,name']);
-                },
-            ])
+            'stats:artwork_id,views,downloads,favorites',
+            'categories' => function ($query) {
+                $query->select('categories.id', 'categories.content_type_id', 'categories.parent_id', 'categories.name', 'categories.slug', 'categories.sort_order')
+                    ->with(['contentType:id,slug,name']);
+            },
+        ])
             ->whereIn('id', $favIds)
             ->get()
             ->keyBy('id');
@@ -154,9 +177,9 @@ final class ProfileApiController extends Controller
             ->values();
 
         return response()->json([
-            'data'        => $data,
+            'data' => $data,
             'next_cursor' => $hasMore ? base64_encode((string) ($offset + $perPage)) : null,
-            'has_more'    => $hasMore,
+            'has_more' => $hasMore,
         ]);
     }
 
@@ -182,7 +205,7 @@ final class ProfileApiController extends Controller
         }
 
         return response()->json([
-            'stats'          => $stats,
+            'stats' => $stats,
             'follower_count' => $followerCount,
         ]);
     }
@@ -190,6 +213,7 @@ final class ProfileApiController extends Controller
     private function resolveUser(string $username): ?User
     {
         $normalized = UsernamePolicy::normalize($username);
+
         return User::query()->whereRaw('LOWER(username) = ?', [$normalized])->first();
     }
 
@@ -208,17 +232,17 @@ final class ProfileApiController extends Controller
     {
         $statsColumn = match ($sort) {
             'trending' => 'profile_artwork_stats.ranking_score',
-            'rising'   => 'profile_artwork_stats.heat_score',
-            'views'    => 'profile_artwork_stats.views',
-            'favs'     => 'profile_artwork_stats.favorites',
-            default    => null,
+            'rising' => 'profile_artwork_stats.heat_score',
+            'views' => 'profile_artwork_stats.views',
+            'favs' => 'profile_artwork_stats.favorites',
+            default => null,
         };
 
         if ($statsColumn !== null) {
             return $query
                 ->leftJoin('artwork_stats as profile_artwork_stats', 'profile_artwork_stats.artwork_id', '=', 'artworks.id')
                 ->select('artworks.*')
-                ->selectRaw('COALESCE(' . $statsColumn . ', 0) as cursor_sort_value')
+                ->selectRaw('COALESCE('.$statsColumn.', 0) as cursor_sort_value')
                 ->orderByDesc('cursor_sort_value')
                 ->orderByDesc('published_at')
                 ->orderByDesc('id');
@@ -235,7 +259,7 @@ final class ProfileApiController extends Controller
     private function mapArtworkCardPayload(Artwork $art): array
     {
         $present = ThumbnailPresenter::present($art, 'md');
-        $category = $art->categories->first();
+        $category = $art->resolvedPrimaryCategory();
         $contentType = $category?->contentType;
         $stats = $art->stats;
         $group = $art->group;
@@ -245,7 +269,7 @@ final class ProfileApiController extends Controller
         $avatarUrl = $isGroupPublisher ? $group->avatarUrl() : ($art->user?->profile?->avatar_url ?? null);
         $profileUrl = $isGroupPublisher
             ? $group->publicUrl()
-            : ($username ? '/@' . $username : null);
+            : ($username ? '/@'.$username : null);
         $publisherType = $isGroupPublisher ? 'group' : 'user';
 
         return [
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/User/ProfileController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/User/ProfileController.php
index 1b3c2562..6af6bd97 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/User/ProfileController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/User/ProfileController.php
@@ -25,40 +25,43 @@ use App\Models\GroupReleaseContributor;
 use App\Models\ProfileComment;
 use App\Models\Story;
 use App\Models\User;
-use Carbon\CarbonInterface;
-use App\Services\Security\CaptchaVerifier;
-use App\Services\AvatarService;
-use App\Services\ArtworkService;
-use App\Services\FollowService;
 use App\Services\AchievementService;
+use App\Services\ArtworkService;
+use App\Services\AvatarService;
 use App\Services\CollectionService;
-use App\Services\FollowAnalyticsService;
-use App\Services\LeaderboardService;
-use App\Services\UserSuggestionService;
 use App\Services\Countries\CountryCatalogService;
+use App\Services\FollowAnalyticsService;
+use App\Services\FollowService;
+use App\Services\LeaderboardService;
 use App\Services\Maturity\ArtworkMaturityService;
-use App\Services\ThumbnailPresenter;
-use App\Services\Worlds\WorldRewardService;
-use App\Services\XPService;
-use App\Services\UsernameApprovalService;
 use App\Services\Profile\CreatorJourneyService;
 use App\Services\Profile\WorldProfileHistoryService;
+use App\Services\Security\CaptchaVerifier;
+use App\Services\ThumbnailPresenter;
+use App\Services\UsernameApprovalService;
 use App\Services\UserStatsService;
+use App\Services\UserSuggestionService;
+use App\Services\Worlds\WorldRewardService;
+use App\Services\XPService;
 use App\Support\AvatarUrl;
 use App\Support\CoverUrl;
 use App\Support\Seo\SeoFactory;
 use App\Support\UsernamePolicy;
+use Carbon\Carbon;
+use Carbon\CarbonInterface;
 use Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse;
 use Illuminate\Http\RedirectResponse;
 use Illuminate\Http\Request;
+use Illuminate\Support\Collection;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Auth;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
-use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Redirect;
-use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
-use Illuminate\View\View;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Hash;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Mail;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Redirect;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;
 use Illuminate\Validation\Rules\Password as PasswordRule;
+use Illuminate\View\View;
 use Inertia\Inertia;
 
 class ProfileController extends Controller
@@ -95,9 +98,7 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
         private readonly CreatorJourneyService $creatorJourney,
         private readonly WorldRewardService $worldRewards,
         private readonly WorldProfileHistoryService $worldProfileHistory,
-    )
-    {
-    }
+    ) {}
 
     public function showByUsername(Request $request, string $username)
     {
@@ -253,11 +254,11 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
             abort(404);
         }
 
-        $url = url('/@' . strtolower((string) $user->username) . '/followers');
+        $url = url('/@'.strtolower((string) $user->username).'/followers');
         $query = $request->query();
 
         if ($query !== []) {
-            $url .= '?' . http_build_query($query);
+            $url .= '?'.http_build_query($query);
         }
 
         return redirect()->to($url, 301);
@@ -267,18 +268,18 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
     public function toggleFollow(Request $request, string $username): JsonResponse
     {
         $normalized = UsernamePolicy::normalize($username);
-        $target     = User::query()->whereRaw('LOWER(username) = ?', [$normalized])->firstOrFail();
-        $actorId    = (int) Auth::id();
+        $target = User::query()->whereRaw('LOWER(username) = ?', [$normalized])->firstOrFail();
+        $actorId = (int) Auth::id();
 
         if ($actorId === $target->id) {
             return response()->json(['error' => 'Cannot follow yourself.'], 422);
         }
 
         $following = $this->followService->toggle($actorId, (int) $target->id);
-        $count     = $this->followService->followersCount((int) $target->id);
+        $count = $this->followService->followersCount((int) $target->id);
 
         return response()->json([
-            'following'      => $following,
+            'following' => $following,
             'follower_count' => $count,
         ]);
     }
@@ -295,8 +296,8 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
 
         $comment = ProfileComment::create([
             'profile_user_id' => $target->id,
-            'author_user_id'  => Auth::id(),
-            'body'            => $request->input('body'),
+            'author_user_id' => Auth::id(),
+            'body' => $request->input('body'),
         ]);
 
         app(XPService::class)->awardCommentCreated((int) Auth::id(), (int) $comment->id, 'profile');
@@ -347,27 +348,49 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
                 $profile = DB::table('user_profiles')->where('user_id', $user->id)->first();
                 if ($profile) {
                     $profileData = (array) $profile;
-                    if (isset($profile->website)) $user->homepage = $profile->website;
-                    if (isset($profile->about)) $user->about_me = $profile->about;
-                    if (isset($profile->birthdate)) $user->birth = $profile->birthdate;
-                    if (isset($profile->gender)) $user->gender = $profile->gender;
-                    if (isset($profile->country_code)) $user->country_code = $profile->country_code;
-                    if (isset($profile->signature)) $user->signature = $profile->signature;
-                    if (isset($profile->description)) $user->description = $profile->description;
-                    if (isset($profile->mlist)) $user->mlist = $profile->mlist;
-                    if (isset($profile->friend_upload_notice)) $user->friend_upload_notice = $profile->friend_upload_notice;
-                    if (isset($profile->auto_post_upload)) $user->auto_post_upload = $profile->auto_post_upload;
+                    if (isset($profile->website)) {
+                        $user->homepage = $profile->website;
+                    }
+                    if (isset($profile->about)) {
+                        $user->about_me = $profile->about;
+                    }
+                    if (isset($profile->birthdate)) {
+                        $user->birth = $profile->birthdate;
+                    }
+                    if (isset($profile->gender)) {
+                        $user->gender = $profile->gender;
+                    }
+                    if (isset($profile->country_code)) {
+                        $user->country_code = $profile->country_code;
+                    }
+                    if (isset($profile->signature)) {
+                        $user->signature = $profile->signature;
+                    }
+                    if (isset($profile->description)) {
+                        $user->description = $profile->description;
+                    }
+                    if (isset($profile->mlist)) {
+                        $user->mlist = $profile->mlist;
+                    }
+                    if (isset($profile->friend_upload_notice)) {
+                        $user->friend_upload_notice = $profile->friend_upload_notice;
+                    }
+                    if (isset($profile->auto_post_upload)) {
+                        $user->auto_post_upload = $profile->auto_post_upload;
+                    }
                 }
             }
-        } catch (\Throwable $e) {}
+        } catch (\Throwable $e) {
+        }
 
-        if (!empty($user->birth)) {
+        if (! empty($user->birth)) {
             try {
-                $dt = \Carbon\Carbon::parse($user->birth);
+                $dt = Carbon::parse($user->birth);
                 $birthDay = $dt->format('d');
                 $birthMonth = $dt->format('m');
                 $birthYear = $dt->format('Y');
-            } catch (\Throwable $e) {}
+            } catch (\Throwable $e) {
+            }
         }
 
         $selectedCountry = $this->countryCatalog->resolveUserCountry($user);
@@ -375,7 +398,7 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
 
         // Avatar URL
         $avatarHash = $profileData['avatar_hash'] ?? $user->icon ?? null;
-        $avatarUrl = !empty($avatarHash)
+        $avatarUrl = ! empty($avatarHash)
             ? AvatarUrl::forUser((int) $user->id, $avatarHash, 256)
             : AvatarUrl::default();
 
@@ -449,7 +472,7 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
 
         $avatarUrl = AvatarUrl::forUser((int) $user->id, null, 256);
 
-        if (!empty($validated['remove_avatar'])) {
+        if (! empty($validated['remove_avatar'])) {
             $avatarService->removeAvatar((int) $user->id);
             $avatarUrl = AvatarUrl::default();
         }
@@ -631,8 +654,8 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
             'country_code' => $selectedCountry?->iso2,
         ];
 
-        if (!empty($validated['gender'])) {
-            $profileUpdates['gender'] = strtoupper((string) $validated['gender']);
+        if (array_key_exists('gender', $validated)) {
+            $profileUpdates['gender'] = $this->normalizeProfileGender($validated['gender'] ?? null);
         }
 
         $this->persistProfileUpdates((int) $request->user()->id, $profileUpdates);
@@ -698,7 +721,7 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
 
     private function persistProfileUpdates(int $userId, array $updates): void
     {
-        if ($updates === [] || !Schema::hasTable('user_profiles')) {
+        if ($updates === [] || ! Schema::hasTable('user_profiles')) {
             return;
         }
 
@@ -716,6 +739,29 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
         DB::table('user_profiles')->updateOrInsert(['user_id' => $userId], $filtered);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Normalize gender to the MySQL enum values used by user_profiles.gender.
+     */
+    private function normalizeProfileGender(mixed $value): ?string
+    {
+        if ($value === null) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        $normalized = strtolower(trim((string) $value));
+
+        if ($normalized === '') {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        return match ($normalized) {
+            'm', 'male', 'man', 'boy' => 'M',
+            'f', 'female', 'woman', 'girl' => 'F',
+            'x', 'n', 'na', 'n/a', 'nonbinary', 'non-binary', 'prefer_not_to_say', 'prefer not to say' => 'X',
+            default => null,
+        };
+    }
+
     private function resolveCountrySelection(int|string|null $countryId = null, ?string $countryCode = null): ?Country
     {
         if (is_numeric($countryId) && (int) $countryId > 0) {
@@ -799,7 +845,7 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
         );
     }
 
-    public function update(ProfileUpdateRequest $request, \App\Services\AvatarService $avatarService): RedirectResponse|JsonResponse
+    public function update(ProfileUpdateRequest $request, AvatarService $avatarService): RedirectResponse|JsonResponse
     {
         $user = $request->user();
 
@@ -826,6 +872,7 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
                     if ($request->expectsJson()) {
                         return response()->json(['errors' => $error], 422);
                     }
+
                     return Redirect::back()->withErrors($error);
                 }
 
@@ -838,6 +885,7 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
                     if ($request->expectsJson()) {
                         return response()->json(['errors' => $error], 422);
                     }
+
                     return Redirect::back()->withErrors($error);
                 }
 
@@ -852,7 +900,7 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
             }
         }
 
-        if (!empty($validated['email']) && empty($user->email)) {
+        if (! empty($validated['email']) && empty($user->email)) {
             $user->email = $validated['email'];
             $user->email_verified_at = null;
         }
@@ -860,11 +908,13 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
         $user->save();
 
         $profileUpdates = [];
-        if (!empty($validated['about'])) $profileUpdates['about'] = $validated['about'];
+        if (! empty($validated['about'])) {
+            $profileUpdates['about'] = $validated['about'];
+        }
 
-        if (!empty($validated['web'])) {
+        if (! empty($validated['web'])) {
             $profileUpdates['website'] = $validated['web'];
-        } elseif (!empty($validated['homepage'])) {
+        } elseif (! empty($validated['homepage'])) {
             $profileUpdates['website'] = $validated['homepage'];
         }
 
@@ -872,13 +922,11 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
         $month = $validated['month'] ?? null;
         $year = $validated['year'] ?? null;
         if ($year && $month && $day) {
-            $profileUpdates['birthdate'] = sprintf('%04d-%02d-%02d', (int)$year, (int)$month, (int)$day);
+            $profileUpdates['birthdate'] = sprintf('%04d-%02d-%02d', (int) $year, (int) $month, (int) $day);
         }
 
-        if (!empty($validated['gender'])) {
-            $g = strtolower($validated['gender']);
-            $map = ['m' => 'M', 'f' => 'F', 'n' => 'X', 'x' => 'X'];
-            $profileUpdates['gender'] = $map[$g] ?? strtoupper($validated['gender']);
+        if (array_key_exists('gender', $validated)) {
+            $profileUpdates['gender'] = $this->normalizeProfileGender($validated['gender'] ?? null);
         }
 
         if (array_key_exists('country_id', $validated) || array_key_exists('country', $validated)) {
@@ -902,19 +950,26 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
             $profileUpdates['auto_post_upload'] = filter_var($validated['auto_post_upload'], FILTER_VALIDATE_BOOLEAN) ? 1 : 0;
         }
 
-        if (isset($validated['signature'])) $profileUpdates['signature'] = $validated['signature'];
-        if (isset($validated['description'])) $profileUpdates['description'] = $validated['description'];
+        if (isset($validated['signature'])) {
+            $profileUpdates['signature'] = $validated['signature'];
+        }
+        if (isset($validated['description'])) {
+            $profileUpdates['description'] = $validated['description'];
+        }
 
-        if (isset($validated['about'])) $profileUpdates['about'] = $validated['about'];
+        if (isset($validated['about'])) {
+            $profileUpdates['about'] = $validated['about'];
+        }
 
         if ($request->hasFile('avatar')) {
             try {
                 $avatarService->storeFromUploadedFile($user->id, $request->file('avatar'));
             } catch (\Exception $e) {
                 if ($request->expectsJson()) {
-                    return response()->json(['errors' => ['avatar' => ['Avatar processing failed: ' . $e->getMessage()]]], 422);
+                    return response()->json(['errors' => ['avatar' => ['Avatar processing failed: '.$e->getMessage()]]], 422);
                 }
-                return Redirect::back()->with('error', 'Avatar processing failed: ' . $e->getMessage());
+
+                return Redirect::back()->with('error', 'Avatar processing failed: '.$e->getMessage());
             }
         }
 
@@ -924,11 +979,12 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
             $file = $request->file('emoticon');
             if (in_array($file->getMimeType(), $allowedImageMimes, true)) {
                 $ext = $file->guessExtension() ?: 'jpg';
-                $fname = $user->id . '_emoticon_' . time() . '.' . $ext;
-                \Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage::disk('public')->putFileAs('user-emoticons/'.$user->id, $file, $fname);
+                $fname = $user->id.'_emoticon_'.time().'.'.$ext;
+                Storage::disk('public')->putFileAs('user-emoticons/'.$user->id, $file, $fname);
                 try {
-                    \Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB::table('users')->where('id', $user->id)->update(['eicon' => $fname]);
-                } catch (\Exception $e) {}
+                    DB::table('users')->where('id', $user->id)->update(['eicon' => $fname]);
+                } catch (\Exception $e) {
+                }
             }
         }
 
@@ -936,26 +992,27 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
             $file = $request->file('photo');
             if (in_array($file->getMimeType(), $allowedImageMimes, true)) {
                 $ext = $file->guessExtension() ?: 'jpg';
-                $fname = $user->id . '_photo_' . time() . '.' . $ext;
-                \Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage::disk('public')->putFileAs('user-picture/'.$user->id, $file, $fname);
-                if (\Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema::hasTable('user_profiles')) {
+                $fname = $user->id.'_photo_'.time().'.'.$ext;
+                Storage::disk('public')->putFileAs('user-picture/'.$user->id, $file, $fname);
+                if (Schema::hasTable('user_profiles')) {
                     $profileUpdates['cover_image'] = $fname;
                 } else {
                     try {
-                        \Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB::table('users')->where('id', $user->id)->update(['picture' => $fname]);
-                    } catch (\Exception $e) {}
+                        DB::table('users')->where('id', $user->id)->update(['picture' => $fname]);
+                    } catch (\Exception $e) {
+                    }
                 }
             }
         }
 
         try {
-            if (\Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema::hasTable('user_profiles')) {
-                if (!empty($profileUpdates)) {
-                    \Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB::table('user_profiles')->updateOrInsert(['user_id' => $user->id], $profileUpdates);
+            if (Schema::hasTable('user_profiles')) {
+                if (! empty($profileUpdates)) {
+                    DB::table('user_profiles')->updateOrInsert(['user_id' => $user->id], $profileUpdates);
                 }
             } else {
-                if (!empty($profileUpdates)) {
-                    \Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB::table('users')->where('id', $user->id)->update($profileUpdates);
+                if (! empty($profileUpdates)) {
+                    DB::table('users')->where('id', $user->id)->update($profileUpdates);
                 }
             }
         } catch (\Exception $e) {
@@ -1016,11 +1073,10 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
         string $component = 'Profile/ProfileShow',
         bool $galleryOnly = false,
         ?string $initialTab = null,
-    )
-    {
-        $isOwner  = Auth::check() && Auth::id() === $user->id;
-        $viewer   = Auth::user();
-        $perPage  = 24;
+    ) {
+        $isOwner = Auth::check() && Auth::id() === $user->id;
+        $viewer = Auth::user();
+        $perPage = 24;
 
         // ── Artworks (cursor-paginated) ──────────────────────────────────────
         $artworks = $this->artworkService->getArtworksByUser($user->id, $isOwner, $perPage, $viewer)
@@ -1044,7 +1100,7 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
             ];
         }
         if ($favourites !== null && $favouriteTable !== null) {
-            $favIds = DB::table($favouriteTable . ' as af')
+            $favIds = DB::table($favouriteTable.' as af')
                 ->join('artworks as a', 'a.id', '=', 'af.artwork_id')
                 ->where('af.user_id', $user->id)
                 ->whereNull('a.deleted_at')
@@ -1065,25 +1121,25 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
                 $favIds = $favIds->take($favouriteLimit);
 
                 $indexed = Artwork::with([
-                        'user:id,name,username,level,rank',
-                        'user.profile:user_id,avatar_hash',
-                        'group:id,name,slug,avatar_path',
-                        'stats:artwork_id,views,downloads,favorites',
-                        'categories' => function ($query) {
-                            $query->select('categories.id', 'categories.content_type_id', 'categories.parent_id', 'categories.name', 'categories.slug', 'categories.sort_order')
-                                ->with(['contentType:id,slug,name']);
-                        },
-                    ])
+                    'user:id,name,username,level,rank',
+                    'user.profile:user_id,avatar_hash',
+                    'group:id,name,slug,avatar_path',
+                    'stats:artwork_id,views,downloads,favorites',
+                    'categories' => function ($query) {
+                        $query->select('categories.id', 'categories.content_type_id', 'categories.parent_id', 'categories.name', 'categories.slug', 'categories.sort_order')
+                            ->with(['contentType:id,slug,name']);
+                    },
+                ])
                     ->whereIn('id', $favIds)
                     ->get()
                     ->keyBy('id');
 
                 $favourites = [
                     'data' => $favIds
-                    ->filter(fn ($id) => $indexed->has($id))
-                    ->map(fn ($id) => $this->mapArtworkCardPayload($indexed[$id]))
-                    ->values()
-                    ->all(),
+                        ->filter(fn ($id) => $indexed->has($id))
+                        ->map(fn ($id) => $this->mapArtworkCardPayload($indexed[$id]))
+                        ->values()
+                        ->all(),
                     'next_cursor' => $hasMore ? base64_encode((string) $favouriteLimit) : null,
                 ];
             }
@@ -1105,8 +1161,8 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
         }
 
         // ── Follower data ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-        $followerCount    = 0;
-        $recentFollowers  = collect();
+        $followerCount = 0;
+        $recentFollowers = collect();
         $viewerIsFollowing = false;
         $followingCount = 0;
 
@@ -1124,11 +1180,11 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
                 ->select(['u.id', 'u.username', 'u.name', 'up.avatar_hash', 'uf.created_at as followed_at'])
                 ->get()
                 ->map(fn ($row) => (object) [
-                    'id'          => $row->id,
-                    'username'    => $row->username,
-                    'uname'       => $row->username ?? $row->name,
-                    'avatar_url'  => AvatarUrl::forUser((int) $row->id, $row->avatar_hash, 50),
-                    'profile_url' => '/@' . strtolower((string) ($row->username ?? $row->id)),
+                    'id' => $row->id,
+                    'username' => $row->username,
+                    'uname' => $row->username ?? $row->name,
+                    'avatar_url' => AvatarUrl::forUser((int) $row->id, $row->avatar_hash, 50),
+                    'profile_url' => '/@'.strtolower((string) ($row->username ?? $row->id)),
                     'followed_at' => $row->followed_at,
                 ]);
 
@@ -1203,14 +1259,14 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
                 ])
                 ->get()
                 ->map(fn ($row) => (object) [
-                    'id'          => $row->id,
-                    'body'        => $row->body,
-                    'created_at'  => $row->created_at,
-                    'author_id'   => $row->author_id,
+                    'id' => $row->id,
+                    'body' => $row->body,
+                    'created_at' => $row->created_at,
+                    'author_id' => $row->author_id,
                     'author_name' => $row->author_username ?? $row->author_name ?? 'Unknown',
                     'author_level' => (int) ($row->author_level ?? 1),
                     'author_rank' => (string) ($row->author_rank ?? 'Newbie'),
-                    'author_profile_url' => '/@' . strtolower((string) ($row->author_username ?? $row->author_id)),
+                    'author_profile_url' => '/@'.strtolower((string) ($row->author_username ?? $row->author_id)),
                     'author_avatar' => AvatarUrl::forUser((int) $row->author_id, $row->author_avatar_hash, 50),
                     'author_signature' => $row->author_signature,
                 ]);
@@ -1256,8 +1312,11 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
                 'published_at' => $story->published_at?->toISOString(),
             ]);
 
+        $profileCollectionsPayload = null;
+        if ($initialTab === 'collections') {
             $profileCollections = $this->collections->getProfileCollections($user, $viewer);
             $profileCollectionsPayload = $this->collections->mapCollectionCardPayloads($profileCollections, $isOwner, $viewer);
+        }
 
         // ── Profile data ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
         $profile = $user->profile;
@@ -1276,15 +1335,16 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
         if (! $isOwner) {
             try {
                 $this->userStats->incrementProfileViews($user->id);
-            } catch (\Throwable) {}
+            } catch (\Throwable) {
+            }
         }
 
         // ── Normalise artworks for JSON serialisation ────────────────────
         $artworkItems = collect($artworks->items())->values();
         $artworkPayload = [
-            'data'        => $artworkItems,
+            'data' => $artworkItems,
             'next_cursor' => $artworks->nextCursor()?->encode(),
-            'has_more'    => $artworks->hasMorePages(),
+            'has_more' => $artworks->hasMorePages(),
         ];
 
         // ── Avatar URL on user object ────────────────────────────────────
@@ -1293,24 +1353,24 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
         // ── Auth context for JS ───────────────────────────────────────────
         $authData = null;
         if (Auth::check()) {
-            /** @var \App\Models\User $authUser */
-            $authUser       = Auth::user();
-            $authAvatarUrl  = AvatarUrl::forUser((int) $authUser->id, $authUser->profile?->avatar_hash, 64);
+            /** @var User $authUser */
+            $authUser = Auth::user();
+            $authAvatarUrl = AvatarUrl::forUser((int) $authUser->id, $authUser->profile?->avatar_hash, 64);
             $authData = [
                 'user' => [
-                    'id'       => $authUser->id,
+                    'id' => $authUser->id,
                     'username' => $authUser->username,
-                    'name'     => $authUser->name,
-                    'avatar'   => $authAvatarUrl,
+                    'name' => $authUser->name,
+                    'avatar' => $authAvatarUrl,
                 ],
             ];
         }
 
         $usernameSlug = strtolower((string) ($user->username ?? ''));
-        $canonical = url('/@' . $usernameSlug);
-        $galleryUrl = url('/@' . $usernameSlug . '/gallery');
+        $canonical = url('/@'.$usernameSlug);
+        $galleryUrl = url('/@'.$usernameSlug.'/gallery');
         $profileTabUrls = collect(self::PROFILE_TABS)
-            ->mapWithKeys(fn (string $tab) => [$tab => url('/@' . $usernameSlug . '/' . $tab)])
+            ->mapWithKeys(fn (string $tab) => [$tab => url('/@'.$usernameSlug.'/'.$tab)])
             ->all();
         $achievementSummary = $this->achievements->summary((int) $user->id);
         $worldRewardSummary = $this->worldRewards->summaryForUser($user);
@@ -1360,17 +1420,17 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
         }
 
         $pageTitle = $galleryOnly
-            ? (($user->username ?? $user->name ?? 'User') . ' Gallery on Skinbase')
+            ? (($user->username ?? $user->name ?? 'User').' Gallery on Skinbase')
             : ($isTabLanding
-                ? (($user->username ?? $user->name ?? 'User') . ' ' . $tabMetaLabel . ' on Skinbase')
-                : (($user->username ?? $user->name ?? 'User') . ' on Skinbase'));
+                ? (($user->username ?? $user->name ?? 'User').' '.$tabMetaLabel.' on Skinbase')
+                : (($user->username ?? $user->name ?? 'User').' on Skinbase'));
         $pageDescription = $galleryOnly
-            ? ('Browse the public gallery of ' . ($user->username ?? $user->name) . ' on Skinbase.')
+            ? ('Browse the public gallery of '.($user->username ?? $user->name).' on Skinbase.')
             : ($resolvedInitialTab === 'followers'
-                ? ('People who follow ' . ($user->username ?? $user->name) . ' on Skinbase.')
+                ? ('People who follow '.($user->username ?? $user->name).' on Skinbase.')
                 : ($isTabLanding
-                    ? ('Explore the ' . strtolower((string) $tabMetaLabel) . ' section for ' . ($user->username ?? $user->name) . ' on Skinbase.')
-                    : ('View the profile of ' . ($user->username ?? $user->name) . ' on Skinbase — artworks, favourites and more.')));
+                    ? ('Explore the '.strtolower((string) $tabMetaLabel).' section for '.($user->username ?? $user->name).' on Skinbase.')
+                    : ('View the profile of '.($user->username ?? $user->name).' on Skinbase — artworks, favourites and more.')));
         $profileSeo = app(SeoFactory::class)->profilePage(
             $pageTitle,
             $galleryOnly ? $galleryUrl : $activeProfileUrl,
@@ -1383,72 +1443,72 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
         )->toArray();
 
         return Inertia::render($component, [
-            'user'              => [
-                'id'            => $user->id,
-                'username'      => $user->username,
-                'name'          => $user->name,
-                'avatar_url'    => $avatarUrl,
-                'cover_url'     => $heroBgUrl,
-                'cover_position'=> (int) ($user->cover_position ?? 50),
-                'created_at'    => $user->created_at?->toISOString(),
+            'user' => [
+                'id' => $user->id,
+                'username' => $user->username,
+                'name' => $user->name,
+                'avatar_url' => $avatarUrl,
+                'cover_url' => $heroBgUrl,
+                'cover_position' => (int) ($user->cover_position ?? 50),
+                'created_at' => $user->created_at?->toISOString(),
                 'last_visit_at' => $user->last_visit_at ? (string) $user->last_visit_at : null,
-                'xp'            => $xpSummary['xp'],
-                'level'         => $xpSummary['level'],
-                'rank'          => $xpSummary['rank'],
+                'xp' => $xpSummary['xp'],
+                'level' => $xpSummary['level'],
+                'rank' => $xpSummary['rank'],
                 'next_level_xp' => $xpSummary['next_level_xp'],
                 'current_level_xp' => $xpSummary['current_level_xp'],
                 'progress_percent' => $xpSummary['progress_percent'],
                 'max_level' => $xpSummary['max_level'],
             ],
-            'profile'           => $profile ? [
-                'about'        => $profile->about ?? null,
-                'website'      => $profile->website ?? null,
+            'profile' => $profile ? [
+                'about' => $profile->about ?? null,
+                'website' => $profile->website ?? null,
                 'country_code' => $countryCode,
-                'gender'       => $profile->gender ?? null,
-                'birthdate'    => $profile->birthdate ?? null,
-                'cover_image'  => $profile->cover_image ?? null,
+                'gender' => $profile->gender ?? null,
+                'birthdate' => $profile->birthdate ?? null,
+                'cover_image' => $profile->cover_image ?? null,
             ] : null,
-            'artworks'          => $artworkPayload,
-            'featuredArtworks'  => $featuredArtworks?->values(),
-            'favourites'        => $favourites,
-            'stats'             => $statsPayload,
-            'socialLinks'       => $socialLinks,
-            'followerCount'     => $followerCount,
-            'recentFollowers'   => $recentFollowers->values(),
-            'followersListing'  => $followersListing,
-            'followContext'     => $followContext,
-            'followAnalytics'   => $followAnalytics,
-            'suggestedUsers'    => $suggestedUsers,
+            'artworks' => $artworkPayload,
+            'featuredArtworks' => $featuredArtworks?->values(),
+            'favourites' => $favourites,
+            'stats' => $statsPayload,
+            'socialLinks' => $socialLinks,
+            'followerCount' => $followerCount,
+            'recentFollowers' => $recentFollowers->values(),
+            'followersListing' => $followersListing,
+            'followContext' => $followContext,
+            'followAnalytics' => $followAnalytics,
+            'suggestedUsers' => $suggestedUsers,
             'viewerIsFollowing' => $viewerIsFollowing,
-            'heroBgUrl'         => $heroBgUrl,
-            'profileComments'   => $profileComments->values(),
-            'creatorStories'    => $creatorStories->values(),
-            'collections'       => $profileCollectionsPayload,
-            'achievements'      => $achievementSummary,
-            'worldRewards'      => $worldRewardSummary,
-            'worldHistory'      => $worldHistory,
-            'leaderboardRank'   => $leaderboardRank,
-            'journey'           => $journey,
+            'heroBgUrl' => $heroBgUrl,
+            'profileComments' => $profileComments->values(),
+            'creatorStories' => $creatorStories->values(),
+            'collections' => $profileCollectionsPayload,
+            'achievements' => $achievementSummary,
+            'worldRewards' => $worldRewardSummary,
+            'worldHistory' => $worldHistory,
+            'leaderboardRank' => $leaderboardRank,
+            'journey' => $journey,
             'groupContributionHistory' => $groupContributionHistory,
-            'countryName'       => $countryName,
-            'isOwner'           => $isOwner,
-            'auth'              => $authData,
-            'initialTab'        => $resolvedInitialTab,
-            'profileUrl'        => $canonical,
-            'galleryUrl'        => $galleryUrl,
+            'countryName' => $countryName,
+            'isOwner' => $isOwner,
+            'auth' => $authData,
+            'initialTab' => $resolvedInitialTab,
+            'profileUrl' => $canonical,
+            'galleryUrl' => $galleryUrl,
             'collectionCreateUrl' => $isOwner ? route('settings.collections.create') : null,
             'collectionReorderUrl' => $isOwner ? route('settings.collections.reorder-profile') : null,
             'collectionsFeaturedUrl' => route('collections.featured'),
             'collectionFeatureLimit' => (int) config('collections.featured_limit', 3),
-            'profileTabUrls'    => $profileTabUrls,
-            'journeyApiUrl'     => route('api.profile.journey', ['username' => $usernameSlug]),
+            'profileTabUrls' => $profileTabUrls,
+            'journeyApiUrl' => route('api.profile.journey', ['username' => $usernameSlug]),
         ])->withViewData([
-            'page_title'            => $pageTitle,
-            'page_canonical'        => $galleryOnly ? $galleryUrl : $activeProfileUrl,
+            'page_title' => $pageTitle,
+            'page_canonical' => $galleryOnly ? $galleryUrl : $activeProfileUrl,
             'page_meta_description' => $pageDescription,
-            'og_image'              => $avatarUrl,
-            'seo'                   => $profileSeo,
-            'useUnifiedSeo'         => true,
+            'og_image' => $avatarUrl,
+            'seo' => $profileSeo,
+            'useUnifiedSeo' => true,
         ]);
     }
 
@@ -1456,7 +1516,7 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
      * Build the canonical featured artwork representation shared by SSR and
      * the lazy Artworks-tab endpoint.
      */
-    private function loadFeaturedArtworks(User $user, ?User $viewer): ?\Illuminate\Support\Collection
+    private function loadFeaturedArtworks(User $user, ?User $viewer): ?Collection
     {
         if (! Schema::hasTable('artwork_features')) {
             return collect();
@@ -1509,13 +1569,13 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
 
     private function redirectToProfileTab(Request $request, string $username, string $tab): RedirectResponse
     {
-        $baseUrl = url('/@' . strtolower($username) . '/' . $tab);
+        $baseUrl = url('/@'.strtolower($username).'/'.$tab);
 
         $query = $request->query();
         unset($query['tab']);
 
         if ($query !== []) {
-            $baseUrl .= '?' . http_build_query($query);
+            $baseUrl .= '?'.http_build_query($query);
         }
 
         return redirect()->to($baseUrl, 301);
@@ -1634,10 +1694,10 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
      * Load the same top-three public releases per group as the previous
      * per-group LIMIT query, while keeping the existing two-column ordering.
      *
-     * @param array<int, int> $groupIds
-     * @return \Illuminate\Support\Collection<int, \Illuminate\Support\Collection<int, string>>
+     * @param  array<int, int>  $groupIds
+     * @return Collection<int, Collection<int, string>>
      */
-    private function loadRecentGroupReleaseTitles(User $user, array $groupIds): \Illuminate\Support\Collection
+    private function loadRecentGroupReleaseTitles(User $user, array $groupIds): Collection
     {
         $eligibleReleases = GroupRelease::query()
             ->whereIn('group_id', $groupIds)
@@ -1686,7 +1746,7 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
     private function mapArtworkCardPayload(Artwork $art): array
     {
         $present = ThumbnailPresenter::present($art, 'md');
-        $category = $art->categories->first();
+        $category = $art->resolvedPrimaryCategory();
         $contentType = $category?->contentType;
         $stats = $art->stats;
         $group = $art->group;
@@ -1696,7 +1756,7 @@ class ProfileController extends Controller
         $avatarUrl = $isGroupPublisher ? $group->avatarUrl() : ($art->user?->profile?->avatar_url ?? null);
         $profileUrl = $isGroupPublisher
             ? $group->publicUrl()
-            : ($username ? '/@' . $username : null);
+            : ($username ? '/@'.$username : null);
         $publisherType = $isGroupPublisher ? 'group' : 'user';
 
         return app(ArtworkMaturityService::class)->decoratePayload([
diff --git a/resources/js/Pages/Profile/ProfileShow.jsx b/resources/js/Pages/Profile/ProfileShow.jsx
index f504a9c4..71f3d7d4 100644
--- a/resources/js/Pages/Profile/ProfileShow.jsx
+++ b/resources/js/Pages/Profile/ProfileShow.jsx
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import GroupProfileSummary from '../../components/groups/GroupProfileSummary'
 import useLazyProfileFeaturedArtworks from '../../lib/useLazyProfileFeaturedArtworks'
 import useLazyProfileFavourites from '../../lib/useLazyProfileFavourites'
 import useLazyProfileWorldHistory from '../../lib/useLazyProfileWorldHistory'
+import useLazyProfileCollections from '../../lib/useLazyProfileCollections'
 
 const VALID_TABS = ['posts', 'artworks', 'stories', 'achievements', 'worlds', 'collections', 'about', 'stats', 'favourites', 'activity', 'followers']
 
@@ -104,6 +105,11 @@ export default function ProfileShow() {
     initialWorldHistory: worldHistory,
     enabled: activeTab === 'worlds' || activeTab === 'achievements',
   })
+  const collectionsState = useLazyProfileCollections({
+    username: user?.username || user?.name || '',
+    initialCollections: collections,
+    enabled: activeTab === 'collections',
+  })
 
   const handleTabChange = useCallback((tab) => {
     if (!VALID_TABS.includes(tab)) return
@@ -252,12 +258,15 @@ export default function ProfileShow() {
         )}
         {activeTab === 'collections' && (
           <TabCollections
-            collections={collections}
+            collections={collectionsState.items}
             isOwner={isOwner}
             createUrl={collectionCreateUrl}
             reorderUrl={collectionReorderUrl}
             featuredUrl={collectionsFeaturedUrl}
             featureLimit={collectionFeatureLimit}
+            loading={collectionsState.loading}
+            error={collectionsState.error}
+            onRetry={collectionsState.retry}
           />
         )}
         {activeTab === 'about' && (
diff --git a/resources/js/components/profile/tabs/TabCollections.hydration.test.jsx b/resources/js/components/profile/tabs/TabCollections.hydration.test.jsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d72f8e56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/resources/js/components/profile/tabs/TabCollections.hydration.test.jsx
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+import React from 'react'
+import { renderToString } from 'react-dom/server'
+import { hydrateRoot } from 'react-dom/client'
+import { act } from '@testing-library/react'
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import TabCollections from './TabCollections'
+
+const card = (id, overrides = {}) => ({
+  id,
+  title: `Collection ${id}`,
+  slug: `collection-${id}`,
+  type: 'personal',
+  mode: 'manual',
+  visibility: 'public',
+  is_featured: id === 1,
+  artworks_count: id === 1 ? 12 : 0,
+  likes_count: id === 1 ? 4 : 0,
+  followers_count: 0,
+  collaborators_count: 1,
+  updated_at: '2026-08-30T09:00:00.000000Z',
+  featured_at: id === 1 ? '2026-08-29T09:00:00.000000Z' : null,
+  description_excerpt: id === 1 ? 'A populated card.' : '',
+  smart_summary: null,
+  owner: { name: 'Fixture Owner', username: 'fixture', profile_url: '/@fixture/collections' },
+  cover_image: id === 1 ? 'https://cdn.example.test/cover.webp' : null,
+  cover_image_maturity: { should_blur: false, is_mature_effective: false },
+  saved: false,
+  save_url: null,
+  unsave_url: null,
+  login_url: '/login',
+  url: `/@fixture/collections/collection-${id}`,
+  ...overrides,
+})
+
+const props = {
+  collections: [card(1), card(2)],
+  isOwner: false,
+  createUrl: null,
+  reorderUrl: null,
+  featuredUrl: '/collections/featured',
+  featureLimit: 3,
+}
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  document.body.innerHTML = ''
+  vi.restoreAllMocks()
+})
+
+describe('TabCollections SSR hydration', () => {
+  it('hydrates populated collection cards without markup drift or errors', async () => {
+    const container = document.createElement('div')
+    const serverMarkup = renderToString(<TabCollections {...props} />)
+    container.innerHTML = serverMarkup
+    const parsedServerMarkup = container.innerHTML
+    document.body.appendChild(container)
+    const recoverableErrors = []
+
+    const root = hydrateRoot(container, <TabCollections {...props} />, {
+      onRecoverableError: (error) => recoverableErrors.push(error),
+    })
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0))
+    })
+
+    expect(container.innerHTML).toBe(parsedServerMarkup)
+    expect(recoverableErrors).toHaveLength(0)
+    expect(container.textContent).toContain('Collection 1')
+    expect(container.textContent).toContain('12 artworks')
+
+    await act(async () => root.unmount())
+  })
+
+  it('hydrates loaded-empty state without a lazy request', async () => {
+    const fetchMock = vi.spyOn(globalThis, 'fetch')
+    const emptyProps = { ...props, collections: [] }
+    const container = document.createElement('div')
+    const serverMarkup = renderToString(<TabCollections {...emptyProps} />)
+    container.innerHTML = serverMarkup
+    const parsedServerMarkup = container.innerHTML
+    document.body.appendChild(container)
+    const recoverableErrors = []
+
+    const root = hydrateRoot(container, <TabCollections {...emptyProps} />, {
+      onRecoverableError: (error) => recoverableErrors.push(error),
+    })
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0))
+    })
+
+    expect(container.innerHTML).toBe(parsedServerMarkup)
+    expect(recoverableErrors).toHaveLength(0)
+    expect(container.textContent).toContain('No public collections yet')
+    expect(fetchMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+
+    await act(async () => root.unmount())
+  })
+})
diff --git a/resources/js/components/profile/tabs/TabCollections.jsx b/resources/js/components/profile/tabs/TabCollections.jsx
index 16354648..b375030f 100644
--- a/resources/js/components/profile/tabs/TabCollections.jsx
+++ b/resources/js/components/profile/tabs/TabCollections.jsx
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ async function requestJson(url, { method = 'POST', body } = {}) {
 
 const FILTERS = ['all', 'featured', 'smart', 'manual']
 
-export default function TabCollections({ collections, isOwner, createUrl, reorderUrl, featuredUrl, featureLimit = 3 }) {
+export default function TabCollections({ collections, isOwner, createUrl, reorderUrl, featuredUrl, featureLimit = 3, loading = false, error = false, onRetry }) {
   const [items, setItems] = useState(Array.isArray(collections) ? collections : [])
   const [busyId, setBusyId] = useState(null)
   const [filter, setFilter] = useState('all')
@@ -140,6 +140,15 @@ export default function TabCollections({ collections, isOwner, createUrl, reorde
       aria-labelledby="tab-collections"
       className="pt-6"
     >
+      {loading ? <p className="py-10 text-center text-sm text-slate-400">Loading collections…</p> : null}
+      {error ? (
+        <div className="mb-5 rounded-[24px] border border-rose-300/20 bg-rose-400/10 px-5 py-4 text-sm text-rose-100">
+          <span>Collections could not be loaded.</span>
+          {onRetry ? <button type="button" onClick={onRetry} className="ml-3 underline">Retry</button> : null}
+        </div>
+      ) : null}
+      {!loading && !error ? (
+      <>
       <div className="mb-5 flex flex-col gap-3 md:flex-row md:items-end md:justify-between">
         <div>
           <p className="text-[11px] font-semibold uppercase tracking-[0.22em] text-sky-200/80">Collections</p>
@@ -218,6 +227,8 @@ export default function TabCollections({ collections, isOwner, createUrl, reorde
           ))}
         </div>
       )}
+      </>
+      ) : null}
     </div>
   )
 }
diff --git a/resources/js/lib/useLazyProfileCollections.js b/resources/js/lib/useLazyProfileCollections.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..618ab097
--- /dev/null
+++ b/resources/js/lib/useLazyProfileCollections.js
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react'
+
+export default function useLazyProfileCollections({ username, initialCollections, enabled }) {
+  const hasInitialValue = Array.isArray(initialCollections)
+  const [items, setItems] = useState(() => hasInitialValue ? initialCollections : [])
+  const [loaded, setLoaded] = useState(hasInitialValue)
+  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false)
+  const [error, setError] = useState(false)
+  const requestKeyRef = useRef(username)
+  const requestedRef = useRef(hasInitialValue)
+  const abortRef = useRef(null)
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (requestKeyRef.current === username) return undefined
+
+    abortRef.current?.abort()
+    abortRef.current = null
+    requestKeyRef.current = username
+    requestedRef.current = false
+    setItems([])
+    setLoaded(false)
+    setLoading(false)
+    setError(false)
+
+    return undefined
+  }, [username])
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!hasInitialValue || requestKeyRef.current !== username) return undefined
+
+    abortRef.current?.abort()
+    abortRef.current = null
+    requestedRef.current = true
+    setItems(initialCollections)
+    setLoaded(true)
+    setLoading(false)
+    setError(false)
+
+    return undefined
+  }, [hasInitialValue, initialCollections, username])
+
+  const load = useCallback(async () => {
+    if (!enabled || hasInitialValue || requestKeyRef.current !== username || requestedRef.current || !username) return
+
+    requestedRef.current = true
+    const controller = new AbortController()
+    const requestKey = requestKeyRef.current
+    abortRef.current = controller
+    setLoading(true)
+    setError(false)
+
+    try {
+      const response = await fetch(`/api/profile/${encodeURIComponent(username)}/collections`, {
+        headers: { Accept: 'application/json' },
+        credentials: 'same-origin',
+        signal: controller.signal,
+      })
+
+      if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Collections could not be loaded.')
+
+      const payload = await response.json()
+      if (requestKey !== requestKeyRef.current || controller.signal.aborted) return
+
+      setItems(Array.isArray(payload?.data) ? payload.data : [])
+      setLoaded(true)
+    } catch (caught) {
+      if (caught?.name === 'AbortError' || requestKey !== requestKeyRef.current) return
+      requestedRef.current = false
+      setError(true)
+    } finally {
+      if (requestKey === requestKeyRef.current) {
+        abortRef.current = null
+        setLoading(false)
+      }
+    }
+  }, [enabled, hasInitialValue, username])
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (enabled) load()
+  }, [enabled, load])
+
+  useEffect(() => () => abortRef.current?.abort(), [])
+
+  return { items, loaded, loading, error, retry: load }
+}
diff --git a/resources/js/lib/useLazyProfileCollections.test.jsx b/resources/js/lib/useLazyProfileCollections.test.jsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4ce1a42e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/resources/js/lib/useLazyProfileCollections.test.jsx
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+import React from 'react'
+import { render, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react'
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import useLazyProfileCollections from './useLazyProfileCollections'
+
+function Harness({ username = 'alice', initial = null, enabled = false }) {
+  const state = useLazyProfileCollections({
+    username,
+    initialCollections: initial,
+    enabled,
+  })
+
+  return <output data-testid="state">{JSON.stringify(state)}</output>
+}
+
+describe('useLazyProfileCollections', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => vi.restoreAllMocks())
+
+  it('does not request while the profile remains on Posts', () => {
+    const fetchMock = vi.spyOn(globalThis, 'fetch')
+    render(<Harness />)
+    expect(fetchMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
+  it('requests once on first Collections activation and reuses the result', async () => {
+    const fetchMock = vi.spyOn(globalThis, 'fetch').mockResolvedValue({
+      ok: true,
+      json: async () => ({ data: [{ id: 1, title: 'One' }] }),
+    })
+    const view = render(<Harness />)
+
+    view.rerender(<Harness enabled />)
+    await waitFor(() => expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1))
+    await waitFor(() => expect(JSON.parse(view.getByTestId('state').textContent).items).toHaveLength(1))
+
+    view.rerender(<Harness enabled={false} />)
+    view.rerender(<Harness enabled />)
+    expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+  })
+
+  it('treats an empty response as loaded and does not refetch', async () => {
+    const fetchMock = vi.spyOn(globalThis, 'fetch').mockResolvedValue({ ok: true, json: async () => ({ data: [] }) })
+    const view = render(<Harness enabled />)
+
+    await waitFor(() => expect(JSON.parse(view.getByTestId('state').textContent).loaded).toBe(true))
+    view.rerender(<Harness enabled={false} />)
+    view.rerender(<Harness enabled />)
+    expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+  })
+
+  it('uses direct Collections SSR data without a lazy request', () => {
+    const fetchMock = vi.spyOn(globalThis, 'fetch')
+    const initial = [{ id: 9, title: 'SSR collection' }]
+    const view = render(<Harness initial={initial} enabled />)
+
+    expect(fetchMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(JSON.parse(view.getByTestId('state').textContent).items).toEqual(initial)
+  })
+
+  it('ignores a stale response after profile navigation', async () => {
+    let resolveAlice
+    const fetchMock = vi.spyOn(globalThis, 'fetch').mockImplementation(() => new Promise((resolve) => { resolveAlice = resolve }))
+    const view = render(<Harness username="alice" enabled />)
+    await waitFor(() => expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1))
+
+    view.rerender(<Harness username="bob" enabled />)
+    resolveAlice({ ok: true, json: async () => ({ data: [{ id: 'alice' }] }) })
+    await waitFor(() => expect(JSON.parse(view.getByTestId('state').textContent).items).toEqual([]))
+  })
+})
diff --git a/tests/Feature/Profile/ProfileCollectionsLazyTest.php b/tests/Feature/Profile/ProfileCollectionsLazyTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..77b1a7fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Feature/Profile/ProfileCollectionsLazyTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,195 @@
+<?php
+
+use App\Models\Collection;
+use App\Models\Artwork;
+use App\Models\User;
+use App\Services\SmartCollectionService;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
+use Inertia\Testing\AssertableInertia;
+
+function profileCollectionsLazyFixture(): array
+{
+    $user = User::factory()->create(['username' => 'lazycollections']);
+    $collections = Collection::factory()->for($user)->count(3)->sequence(
+        ['title' => 'First collection', 'profile_order' => 0],
+        ['title' => 'Featured collection', 'is_featured' => true, 'profile_order' => 1],
+        ['title' => 'Third collection', 'profile_order' => 2],
+    )->create();
+
+    return [$user, $collections];
+}
+
+it('omits collection production from the default Posts SSR request', function (): void {
+    [$user] = profileCollectionsLazyFixture();
+    $collectionQueries = [];
+
+    DB::listen(function ($query) use (&$collectionQueries): void {
+        if (preg_match('/(?:from|join) [`"]?(collections|collection_artwork)[`"]?/i', $query->sql)) {
+            $collectionQueries[] = $query->sql;
+        }
+    });
+
+    $this->get('/@' . $user->username)
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertInertia(fn (AssertableInertia $page) => $page
+            ->where('initialTab', 'posts')
+            ->where('collections', null));
+
+    expect($collectionQueries)->toBe([]);
+});
+
+it('keeps collections in direct Collections SSR with the existing order and limit', function (): void {
+    [$user, $collections] = profileCollectionsLazyFixture();
+
+    $this->get('/@' . $user->username . '/collections')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertInertia(fn (AssertableInertia $page) => $page
+            ->where('initialTab', 'collections')
+            ->has('collections', 3)
+            ->where('collections.0.id', $collections[1]->id)
+            ->where('collections.1.id', $collections[0]->id)
+            ->where('collections.2.id', $collections[2]->id));
+});
+
+it('returns the same profile card payload from the lazy endpoint without tracking a view', function (): void {
+    [$user] = profileCollectionsLazyFixture();
+    $before = (int) ($user->profile_views_count ?? 0);
+
+    $expected = app(\App\Services\CollectionService::class)
+        ->mapCollectionCardPayloads(
+            app(\App\Services\CollectionService::class)->getProfileCollections($user, null),
+            false,
+            null,
+        );
+
+    $this->getJson('/api/profile/' . $user->username . '/collections')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertJson(['data' => $expected]);
+
+    expect((int) $user->fresh()->profile_views_count)->toBe($before);
+});
+
+it('keeps private collections owner-only in the lazy endpoint', function (): void {
+    [$user] = profileCollectionsLazyFixture();
+    Collection::factory()->for($user)->create([
+        'title' => 'Private collection',
+        'visibility' => Collection::VISIBILITY_PRIVATE,
+    ]);
+
+    $this->getJson('/api/profile/' . $user->username . '/collections')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertJsonMissing(['title' => 'Private collection']);
+
+    $this->actingAs($user)
+        ->getJson('/api/profile/' . $user->username . '/collections')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertJsonFragment(['title' => 'Private collection']);
+});
+
+it('preserves the authenticated non-owner payload and viewer state', function (): void {
+    [$user] = profileCollectionsLazyFixture();
+    $viewer = User::factory()->create(['username' => 'collectionviewer']);
+    $service = app(\App\Services\CollectionService::class);
+    $expected = $service->mapCollectionCardPayloads(
+        $service->getProfileCollections($user, $viewer),
+        false,
+        $viewer,
+    );
+
+    $this->actingAs($viewer)
+        ->getJson('/api/profile/' . $user->username . '/collections')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertJson(['data' => $expected]);
+});
+
+it('keeps the existing first twelve collection order', function (): void {
+    $user = User::factory()->create(['username' => 'collectionlimit']);
+    Collection::factory()->for($user)->count(13)->sequence(
+        fn ($sequence) => ['profile_order' => $sequence->index],
+    )->create();
+
+    $service = app(\App\Services\CollectionService::class);
+    $expectedIds = $service->getProfileCollections($user, null)->pluck('id')->all();
+
+    expect($expectedIds)->toHaveCount(12);
+    $this->getJson('/api/profile/' . $user->username . '/collections')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertJsonPath('data.*.id', $expectedIds);
+});
+
+it('bulk-loads manual collection covers without mapper fan-out', function (): void {
+    $user = User::factory()->create(['username' => 'collectionmapper']);
+    $collections = Collection::factory()->for($user)->count(3)->create();
+
+    foreach ($collections as $index => $collection) {
+        $artwork = Artwork::factory()->for($user)->create([
+            'title' => 'Collection artwork ' . $index,
+        ]);
+        $collection->artworks()->attach($artwork->id, ['order_num' => 1]);
+    }
+
+    $service = app(\App\Services\CollectionService::class);
+    $loaded = $service->getProfileCollections($user, null);
+
+    DB::flushQueryLog();
+    DB::enableQueryLog();
+    $payload = $service->mapCollectionCardPayloads($loaded, false, null);
+    $queries = DB::getQueryLog();
+
+    expect($payload)->toHaveCount(3)
+        ->and($queries)->toHaveCount(2)
+        ->and(collect($payload)->pluck('cover_artwork_id')->filter()->count())->toBe(3);
+});
+
+it('keeps manual mapper query counts bounded from one through twelve collections', function (): void {
+    $user = User::factory()->create(['username' => 'collectionmatrix']);
+    $collections = Collection::factory()->for($user)->count(12)->create();
+
+    foreach ($collections as $index => $collection) {
+        $artwork = Artwork::factory()->for($user)->create(['title' => 'Matrix artwork ' . $index]);
+        $collection->artworks()->attach($artwork->id, ['order_num' => 1]);
+    }
+
+    $service = app(\App\Services\CollectionService::class);
+    $matrix = [];
+
+    foreach ([1, 3, 6, 12] as $size) {
+        DB::flushQueryLog();
+        DB::enableQueryLog();
+        $loaded = $service->getProfileCollections($user, null, $size);
+        $producer = count(DB::getQueryLog());
+
+        DB::flushQueryLog();
+        $service->mapCollectionCardPayloads($loaded, false, null);
+        $mapper = count(DB::getQueryLog());
+        $matrix[$size] = [$producer, $mapper, $producer + $mapper];
+    }
+
+    expect($matrix[1][1])->toBe($matrix[3][1])
+        ->and($matrix[3][1])->toBe($matrix[6][1])
+        ->and($matrix[6][1])->toBe($matrix[12][1]);
+
+});
+
+it('does not alter the smart collection cover and rule-output path', function (): void {
+    $user = User::factory()->create(['username' => 'smartguard']);
+    $artwork = Artwork::factory()->for($user)->create(['title' => 'Smart result']);
+    $collection = Collection::factory()->for($user)->create([
+        'mode' => Collection::MODE_SMART,
+        'smart_rules_json' => ['match' => 'all', 'rules' => [['field' => 'is_featured', 'value' => true]]],
+    ]);
+
+    $smart = Mockery::mock(SmartCollectionService::class);
+    $smart->shouldReceive('firstArtwork')->once()->withArgs(fn (Collection $actual, bool $ownerView): bool => $actual->is($collection) && $ownerView === false)->andReturn($artwork);
+    $smart->shouldReceive('smartSummary')->once()->andReturn('smart rule summary');
+    app()->instance(SmartCollectionService::class, $smart);
+
+    $payload = app(\App\Services\CollectionService::class)->mapCollectionCardPayloads(
+        new \Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Collection([$collection->load('user')]),
+        false,
+        null,
+    );
+
+    expect($payload[0]['cover_artwork_id'])->toBe($artwork->id)
+        ->and($payload[0]['smart_summary'])->toBe('smart rule summary');
+});