diff --git a/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/service/DocumentService.java b/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/service/DocumentService.java
index 12ea8f4a..3fd9e43a 100644
--- a/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/service/DocumentService.java
+++ b/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/service/DocumentService.java
@@ -336,22 +336,29 @@ public class DocumentService {
     public Document updateDocumentTags(UUID docId, List<String> tagNames) {
         Document doc = documentRepository.findById(docId)
                 .orElseThrow(() -> DomainException.notFound(ErrorCode.DOCUMENT_NOT_FOUND, "Document not found: " + docId));
-
-        Set<Tag> newTags = new HashSet<>();
-
-        for (String name : tagNames) {
-            // Clean the string
-            String cleanName = name.trim();
-            if (cleanName.isEmpty())
-                continue;
-
-            newTags.add(tagService.findOrCreate(cleanName));
-        }
-
-        doc.setTags(newTags);
+        doc.setTags(resolveTags(tagNames));
         return documentRepository.save(doc);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Resolves a list of tag-name strings to {@link Tag} entities, trimming
+     * whitespace and skipping blank entries. Single source of truth for
+     * "name string → Tag" so the find-or-create policy stays consistent
+     * across single-doc updates ({@link #updateDocumentTags}), bulk edits
+     * ({@link #applyBulkEditToDocument}), and the upload-batch path
+     * ({@code applyBatchMetadata}).
+     */
+    private Set<Tag> resolveTags(List<String> tagNames) {
+        if (tagNames == null || tagNames.isEmpty()) return new HashSet<>();
+        Set<Tag> resolved = new HashSet<>();
+        for (String name : tagNames) {
+            String cleanName = name.trim();
+            if (cleanName.isEmpty()) continue;
+            resolved.add(tagService.findOrCreate(cleanName));
+        }
+        return resolved;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Returns all document IDs matching the given filter parameters, ignoring
      * pagination. Used by the bulk-edit "Alle X editieren" fast path so the
@@ -367,19 +374,33 @@ public class DocumentService {
             rankedIds = documentRepository.findRankedIdsByFts(text);
             if (rankedIds.isEmpty()) return List.of();
         }
+
+        Specification<Document> spec = buildSearchSpec(
+                hasText, rankedIds, from, to, sender, receiver, tags, tagQ, status, tagOperator);
+        return documentRepository.findAll(spec).stream().map(Document::getId).toList();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Single source of truth for the search Specification chain. Shared by
+     * {@link #searchDocuments} (paged + sorted) and {@link #findIdsForFilter}
+     * (uncapped, ID-only). Caller does its own FTS short-circuit when the
+     * full-text query returned no rows.
+     */
+    private Specification<Document> buildSearchSpec(boolean hasText, List<UUID> ftsIds,
+                                                    LocalDate from, LocalDate to,
+                                                    UUID sender, UUID receiver,
+                                                    List<String> tags, String tagQ,
+                                                    DocumentStatus status, TagOperator tagOperator) {
         boolean useOrLogic = tagOperator == TagOperator.OR;
         List<Set<UUID>> expandedTagSets = tagService.expandTagNamesToDescendantIdSets(tags);
-
-        Specification<Document> textSpec = hasText ? hasIds(rankedIds) : (root, query, cb) -> null;
-        Specification<Document> spec = Specification.where(textSpec)
+        Specification<Document> textSpec = hasText ? hasIds(ftsIds) : (root, query, cb) -> null;
+        return Specification.where(textSpec)
                 .and(isBetween(from, to))
                 .and(hasSender(sender))
                 .and(hasReceiver(receiver))
                 .and(hasTags(expandedTagSets, useOrLogic))
                 .and(hasTagPartial(tagQ))
                 .and(hasStatus(status));
-
-        return documentRepository.findAll(spec).stream().map(Document::getId).toList();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -423,12 +444,7 @@ public class DocumentService {
 
         if (dto.getTagNames() != null && !dto.getTagNames().isEmpty()) {
             Set<Tag> merged = new HashSet<>(doc.getTags());
-            for (String name : dto.getTagNames()) {
-                String clean = name.trim();
-                if (!clean.isEmpty()) {
-                    merged.add(tagService.findOrCreate(clean));
-                }
-            }
+            merged.addAll(resolveTags(dto.getTagNames()));
             doc.setTags(merged);
         }
 
@@ -522,17 +538,8 @@ public class DocumentService {
             if (rankedIds.isEmpty()) return DocumentSearchResult.of(List.of());
         }
 
-        boolean useOrLogic = tagOperator == TagOperator.OR;
-        List<Set<UUID>> expandedTagSets = tagService.expandTagNamesToDescendantIdSets(tags);
-
-        Specification<Document> textSpec = hasText ? hasIds(rankedIds) : (root, query, cb) -> null;
-        Specification<Document> spec = Specification.where(textSpec)
-                .and(isBetween(from, to))
-                .and(hasSender(sender))
-                .and(hasReceiver(receiver))
-                .and(hasTags(expandedTagSets, useOrLogic))
-                .and(hasTagPartial(tagQ))
-                .and(hasStatus(status));
+        Specification<Document> spec = buildSearchSpec(
+                hasText, rankedIds, from, to, sender, receiver, tags, tagQ, status, tagOperator);
 
         // SENDER, RECEIVER and RELEVANCE sorts load the full match set and slice in memory.
         // JPA's Sort.by("sender.lastName") generates an INNER JOIN that silently drops