diff --git a/docs/CHANGELOG.md b/docs/CHANGELOG.md
index 70df01a..2bf402a 100644
--- a/docs/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/docs/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ This changelog follows [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/) principle
 
 ---
 
-## [Unreleased] - 2026-02-22
+## [1.3.0] - 2026-02-22
 
 ### Added
 
diff --git a/docs/NFO_GUIDE.md b/docs/NFO_GUIDE.md
index 3d23829..4e93cb9 100644
--- a/docs/NFO_GUIDE.md
+++ b/docs/NFO_GUIDE.md
@@ -673,7 +673,73 @@ The XML serialisation lives in `src/core/utils/nfo_generator.py`
 
 ---
 
-## 11. Support
+## 11. Automatic NFO Repair
+
+Every time the server starts, Aniworld scans all existing `tvshow.nfo` files and
+automatically repairs any that are missing required tags.
+
+### How It Works
+
+1. **Scan** — `perform_nfo_repair_scan()` in
+   `src/server/services/initialization_service.py` is called from the FastAPI
+   lifespan after `perform_media_scan_if_needed()`.
+2. **Detect** — `nfo_needs_repair(nfo_path)` from
+   `src/core/services/nfo_repair_service.py` parses each `tvshow.nfo` with
+   `lxml` and checks for the 13 required tags listed below.
+3. **Repair** — Series whose NFO is incomplete are queued for background reload
+   via `BackgroundLoaderService.add_series_loading_task()`.  The background
+   loader re-fetches metadata from TMDB and rewrites the NFO with all tags
+   populated.
+
+### Tags Checked (13 required)
+
+| XPath          | Tag name        |
+| -------------- | --------------- |
+| `./title`      | `title`         |
+| `./originaltitle` | `originaltitle` |
+| `./year`       | `year`          |
+| `./plot`       | `plot`          |
+| `./runtime`    | `runtime`       |
+| `./premiered`  | `premiered`     |
+| `./status`     | `status`        |
+| `./imdbid`     | `imdbid`        |
+| `./genre`      | `genre`         |
+| `./studio`     | `studio`        |
+| `./country`    | `country`       |
+| `./actor/name` | `actor/name`    |
+| `./watched`    | `watched`       |
+
+### Log Messages
+
+| Message | Meaning |
+| --- | --- |
+| `NFO repair scan complete: 0 of N series queued for repair` | All NFOs are complete — no action needed |
+| `NFO repair scan complete: X of N series queued for repair` | X series had incomplete NFOs and have been queued |
+| `NFO repair scan skipped: TMDB API key not configured` | Set `tmdb_api_key` in `data/config.json` |
+| `NFO repair scan skipped: anime directory not configured` | Set `anime_directory` in `data/config.json` |
+
+### Triggering a Manual Repair
+
+You can also repair a single series on demand via the API:
+
+```http
+POST /api/nfo/update/{series_key}
+```
+
+This calls `NFOService.update_tvshow_nfo()` directly and overwrites the existing
+`tvshow.nfo` with fresh data from TMDB.
+
+### Source Files
+
+| File | Purpose |
+| ---- | ------- |
+| `src/core/services/nfo_repair_service.py` | `REQUIRED_TAGS`, `parse_nfo_tags`, `find_missing_tags`, `nfo_needs_repair`, `NfoRepairService` |
+| `src/server/services/initialization_service.py` | `perform_nfo_repair_scan` startup hook |
+| `src/server/fastapi_app.py` | Wires `perform_nfo_repair_scan` into the lifespan |
+
+---
+
+## 12. Support
 
 ### Getting Help
 
diff --git a/docs/instructions.md b/docs/instructions.md
index 3de7c14..a9f0d0b 100644
--- a/docs/instructions.md
+++ b/docs/instructions.md
@@ -118,3 +118,299 @@ For each task completed:
 ---
 
 ## TODO List:
+
+---
+
+### Task 0: Populate all required NFO tags during normal creation
+
+**Goal:** Ensure `create_tvshow_nfo()` writes every required tag from the start, so newly created NFOs are complete and never require a repair pass. All missing fields must be mapped inside `_tmdb_to_nfo_model()` in `src/core/services/nfo_service.py`.
+
+**Required tags currently missing from creation path:**
+
+| Field           | Current state          | Fix                                                 |
+| --------------- | ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
+| `originaltitle` | Never set              | `tmdb_data.get("original_name")`                    |
+| `year`          | Never set              | Extract 4-digit year from `first_air_date`          |
+| `plot`          | May be empty           | `tmdb_data.get("overview")`                         |
+| `runtime`       | Never set              | `tmdb_data.get("episode_run_time", [None])[0]`      |
+| `premiered`     | Never set              | `tmdb_data.get("first_air_date")`                   |
+| `status`        | Never set              | `tmdb_data.get("status")`                           |
+| `imdbid`        | Only `imdb_id` written | Add explicit `imdbid` field alongside `imdb_id`     |
+| `genre`         | Not checked            | Map each `tmdb_data["genres"]` entry                |
+| `studio`        | Not checked            | Map each `tmdb_data["networks"]` entry              |
+| `country`       | Never set              | `tmdb_data.get("origin_country", [])`               |
+| `actor`         | Not checked            | Map each `credits["cast"]` entry                    |
+| `watched`       | Pydantic default       | Set explicitly to `False`                           |
+| `tagline`       | Never set              | `tmdb_data.get("tagline")`                          |
+| `outline`       | Never set              | Set equal to `plot` (same `overview` source)        |
+| `sorttitle`     | Never set              | Set equal to `title`                                |
+| `dateadded`     | Never set              | `datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")`      |
+| `mpaa`          | Never set              | Extract US rating from `content_ratings` via helper |
+
+**Implementation steps:**
+
+1. Open `src/core/services/nfo_service.py` — read the full file before making any changes
+2. In `_tmdb_to_nfo_model()`, add assignments for all fields listed above and pass them to `TVShowNFO(...)`
+3. Add `_extract_mpaa_rating(content_ratings)` helper — mirrors existing `_extract_fsk_rating` but looks for country code `"US"`; refactor both into `_extract_rating_by_country(content_ratings, country_code: str)` to eliminate duplication
+4. Add `from datetime import datetime` import if not already present
+5. No changes needed to `update_tvshow_nfo()` — it re-calls `_tmdb_to_nfo_model()` already
+6. If `TVShowNFO` Pydantic model is missing fields (`originaltitle`, `outline`, `sorttitle`, `dateadded`, `mpaa`, `country`, `watched`), add them with `Optional[...]` defaults of `None` / `False`
+7. Open `src/core/utils/nfo_generator.py` — read the full file before making changes
+8. Confirm `_add_element` calls exist (ungated) for: `tagline`, `outline`, `sorttitle`, `dateadded`, `originaltitle`, `year`, `runtime`, `premiered`, `status`, `country`, `imdbid`
+9. Verify `mpaa` fallback: prefer `fsk` when `nfo_prefer_fsk_rating=True` AND `fsk is not None`; otherwise write `mpaa`
+10. Verify `_add_element` does NOT suppress `"false"` strings — `watched=False` must appear as `<watched>false</watched>`
+11. Keep both files under 500 lines; if `nfo_service.py` exceeds limit, extract `_tmdb_to_nfo_model` into `src/core/utils/nfo_mapper.py`
+
+**Validation steps:**
+
+- Read the updated `_tmdb_to_nfo_model()` and confirm all 17 fields are explicitly assigned
+- Read the updated `nfo_generator.py` and confirm every field has a corresponding `_add_element` call
+- Delete a real series' `tvshow.nfo`, trigger creation, open result and cross-check every tag against `tvshow.nfo.good`
+- Confirm no wildcard imports added (`from module import *`)
+- Confirm both files stay under 500 lines (`wc -l src/core/services/nfo_service.py src/core/utils/nfo_generator.py`)
+
+**Test steps** — create `tests/unit/test_nfo_creation_tags.py`:
+
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_originaltitle`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_year_from_first_air_date`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_plot_from_overview`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_runtime`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_premiered`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_status`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_imdbid`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_genres`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_studios_from_networks`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_country`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_actors`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_watched_false`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_tagline`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_outline_from_overview`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_sorttitle_from_name`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_dateadded`
+- `test_tmdb_to_nfo_model_sets_mpaa_from_content_ratings`
+- `test_extract_rating_by_country_returns_us_rating`
+- `test_extract_rating_by_country_returns_none_when_no_match`
+- `test_extract_rating_by_country_handles_empty_results`
+- `test_generate_nfo_includes_all_required_tags` — generate XML from a fully-populated `TVShowNFO`; parse with `lxml`; assert every required tag present
+- `test_generate_nfo_writes_watched_false` — assert `<watched>false</watched>` not omitted
+- `test_generate_nfo_minimal_model_does_not_crash`
+- `test_generate_nfo_writes_fsk_over_mpaa_when_prefer_fsk` — both set, prefer_fsk=True → FSK value written
+- `test_generate_nfo_writes_mpaa_when_no_fsk` — `fsk=None`, `mpaa="TV-14"`, prefer_fsk=True → `<mpaa>TV-14</mpaa>`
+
+```bash
+conda run -n AniWorld python -m pytest tests/unit/test_nfo_creation_tags.py -v --tb=short
+conda run -n AniWorld python -m pytest tests/ -v --tb=short
+```
+
+**Documentation steps:**
+
+- Update `docs/NFO_GUIDE.md` — add "Tag Reference" table: tag → TMDB source field → optional/required
+- Add entry in `docs/CHANGELOG.md` under `[Unreleased]`
+- Update `docs/ARCHITECTURE.md` under the NFO services section to reflect new fields and the `_extract_rating_by_country` helper
+
+**Commit step:**
+
+```bash
+git add src/core/services/nfo_service.py src/core/utils/nfo_generator.py tests/unit/test_nfo_creation_tags.py docs/
+git commit -m "feat: write all required NFO tags on creation"
+```
+
+### Task 1: Create `NfoRepairService` — detect missing/empty NFO tags
+
+**Goal:** Implement a service that parses an existing `tvshow.nfo` file and determines whether required tags are missing or empty, compared to the Kodi/Jellyfin standard defined in `tvshow.nfo.good`.
+
+**Required tags to check** (must be present and non-empty):
+
+- `title`, `originaltitle`, `year`, `plot`, `runtime`, `premiered`, `status`
+- `imdbid` (not just `imdb_id`)
+- At least one `genre`, `studio`, `country`, `actor/name`
+- `watched`
+
+**Implementation steps:**
+
+1. Create `src/core/services/nfo_repair_service.py` (max 500 lines, type hints, docstrings)
+2. Define `REQUIRED_TAGS: dict[str, str]` — XPath expression → human-readable label for each required tag
+3. Implement `def parse_nfo_tags(nfo_path: Path) -> dict` — uses `lxml.etree.parse()`, returns tag→value(s), silent on parse errors
+4. Implement `def find_missing_tags(nfo_path: Path) -> list[str]` — calls `parse_nfo_tags()`, returns list of tag names that are absent or have empty text
+5. Implement `def nfo_needs_repair(nfo_path: Path) -> bool` — returns `bool(find_missing_tags(nfo_path))`
+6. Implement class `NfoRepairService`:
+    - `__init__(self, nfo_service: NFOService)` — inject existing `NFOService`
+    - `async def repair_series(self, series_path: Path, series_name: str) -> bool` — calls `nfo_needs_repair()`, logs which tags are missing, calls `nfo_service.update_tvshow_nfo(series_path, series_name)`, returns `True` if repair was triggered
+7. Add structured logging at INFO level for: repair triggered (with list of missing tags), repair skipped, repair completed
+
+**Validation steps:**
+
+- Manually verify `find_missing_tags()` returns correct results when given `tvshow.nfo.bad` as input
+- Manually verify `find_missing_tags()` returns an empty list when given `tvshow.nfo.good` as input
+- Check that no imports are wildcard (`from module import *`)
+- Check file stays under 500 lines
+
+**Test steps** — create `tests/unit/test_nfo_repair_service.py`:
+
+- `test_find_missing_tags_with_bad_nfo` — use fixture copying `tvshow.nfo.bad`; assert all 13 expected missing tags are returned
+- `test_find_missing_tags_with_good_nfo` — use fixture copying `tvshow.nfo.good`; assert empty list returned
+- `test_nfo_needs_repair_returns_true_for_bad_nfo`
+- `test_nfo_needs_repair_returns_false_for_good_nfo`
+- `test_repair_series_calls_update_when_nfo_needs_repair` — mock `NFOService.update_tvshow_nfo`; assert it is called exactly once
+- `test_repair_series_skips_when_nfo_is_complete` — mock `NFOService.update_tvshow_nfo`; assert it is NOT called
+- `test_parse_nfo_tags_handles_missing_file_gracefully` — pass nonexistent path; expect empty dict or graceful return
+- `test_parse_nfo_tags_handles_malformed_xml_gracefully` — pass file with invalid XML; expect graceful return
+
+**Run tests:**
+
+```bash
+conda run -n AniWorld python -m pytest tests/unit/test_nfo_repair_service.py -v --tb=short
+```
+
+**Documentation steps:**
+
+- Add entry for `NfoRepairService` in `docs/ARCHITECTURE.md` under the NFO services section
+- Add entry in `docs/CHANGELOG.md` under a new `[Unreleased]` section
+
+**Commit step:**
+
+```
+git add src/core/services/nfo_repair_service.py tests/unit/test_nfo_repair_service.py docs/
+git commit -m "feat: add NfoRepairService for missing NFO tag detection"
+```
+
+---
+
+### Task 2: Add `perform_nfo_repair_scan()` startup hook in `initialization_service.py`
+
+**Goal:** Add a new async function that runs every startup (not run-once), scans all series folders for NFOs with missing tags, and queues repair tasks via `BackgroundLoaderService`.
+
+**Implementation steps:**
+
+1. Open `src/server/services/initialization_service.py`
+2. Add import for `NfoRepairService` from `src.core.services.nfo_repair_service`
+3. Implement `async def perform_nfo_repair_scan(background_loader=None) -> None`:
+    - Guard: if `not settings.tmdb_api_key` → log warning and return early
+    - Guard: if `not settings.anime_directory` → log warning and return early
+    - Create `NfoRepairService` instance using `NFOServiceFactory` (follow same pattern as existing `perform_nfo_scan_if_needed()`)
+    - Iterate all subdirectories in `settings.anime_directory`
+    - For each series folder that contains a `tvshow.nfo`: call `nfo_needs_repair(nfo_path)`
+    - If repair needed: queue via `background_loader.add_series_loading_task()` (non-blocking), or call `repair_service.repair_series()` directly if no background_loader provided
+    - Log summary at INFO level: `"NFO repair scan complete: X of Y series queued for repair"`
+4. Keep function under 60 lines; extract helpers if needed
+
+**Validation steps:**
+
+- Read the function and confirm it does NOT use a run-once DB flag (unlike `perform_nfo_scan_if_needed`)
+- Confirm both guards (tmdb_api_key, anime_directory) are present
+- Confirm the function is async and uses `await` where needed
+- Confirm `initialization_service.py` stays under 500 lines after the addition
+
+**Test steps** — add to `tests/unit/test_initialization_service.py` (create if not exists):
+
+- `test_perform_nfo_repair_scan_skips_without_tmdb_api_key` — patch `settings.tmdb_api_key = ""`; assert no repair is attempted
+- `test_perform_nfo_repair_scan_skips_without_anime_directory` — patch `settings.anime_directory = ""`; assert no repair is attempted
+- `test_perform_nfo_repair_scan_queues_deficient_series` — create temp dir with one bad NFO; mock `NfoRepairService.nfo_needs_repair` returning True; assert background_loader is called
+- `test_perform_nfo_repair_scan_skips_complete_series` — create temp dir with one good NFO; mock `nfo_needs_repair` returning False; assert background_loader NOT called
+
+**Run tests:**
+
+```bash
+conda run -n AniWorld python -m pytest tests/unit/test_initialization_service.py -v --tb=short
+```
+
+**Documentation steps:**
+
+- Update `docs/ARCHITECTURE.md` startup sequence diagram/description to include the new `perform_nfo_repair_scan` step
+- Add note in `docs/CONFIGURATION.md` that `tmdb_api_key` is required for the repair scan
+
+**Commit step:**
+
+```
+git add src/server/services/initialization_service.py tests/unit/test_initialization_service.py docs/
+git commit -m "feat: add perform_nfo_repair_scan startup hook"
+```
+
+---
+
+### Task 3: Wire `perform_nfo_repair_scan` into `fastapi_app.py` lifespan
+
+**Goal:** Call the new repair scan on every application startup, after the existing NFO creation scan.
+
+**Implementation steps:**
+
+1. Open `src/server/fastapi_app.py`
+2. Add `perform_nfo_repair_scan` to the existing import from `src.server.services.initialization_service`
+3. In the `lifespan()` async context manager, after the line `await perform_nfo_scan_if_needed()`, add:
+    ```
+    await perform_nfo_repair_scan(background_loader)
+    ```
+    (pass the `background_loader` instance so repairs are queued non-blocking)
+4. Confirm the call is inside the startup block (before `yield`), not in the shutdown block
+
+**Validation steps:**
+
+- Read `fastapi_app.py` and confirm ordering: `perform_nfo_scan_if_needed` runs before `perform_nfo_repair_scan`
+- Confirm `background_loader` is instantiated before the repair scan call
+- Start the server locally and check logs for `"NFO repair scan"` log lines
+- Confirm app boot completes without errors even if TMDB key is missing
+
+**Test steps** — add to `tests/integration/test_nfo_repair_startup.py` (new file):
+
+- `test_startup_triggers_nfo_repair_scan` — use TestClient with lifespan; mock `perform_nfo_repair_scan`; assert it was called once during startup
+- `test_startup_repair_scan_receives_background_loader` — assert `perform_nfo_repair_scan` is called with a non-None `background_loader` argument
+
+**Run tests:**
+
+```bash
+conda run -n AniWorld python -m pytest tests/integration/test_nfo_repair_startup.py -v --tb=short
+```
+
+**Full regression test — run all tests and confirm nothing broken:**
+
+```bash
+conda run -n AniWorld python -m pytest tests/ -v --tb=short
+```
+
+**Documentation steps:**
+
+- Update startup sequence in `docs/ARCHITECTURE.md` to add the new step after `perform_nfo_scan_if_needed`
+- Update `docs/CHANGELOG.md` unreleased section with the wiring change
+
+**Commit step:**
+
+```
+git add src/server/fastapi_app.py tests/integration/test_nfo_repair_startup.py docs/
+git commit -m "feat: wire NFO repair scan into app startup lifespan"
+```
+
+---
+
+### Task 4: End-to-end validation of NFO repair
+
+**Goal:** Prove the full flow works with a real (or realistic) deficient NFO file.
+
+**Validation steps:**
+
+1. Copy `tvshow.nfo.bad` into a test series folder inside `settings.anime_directory`
+2. Ensure `tmdb_api_key` is configured in `data/config.json`
+3. Start the server: `conda run -n AniWorld python -m uvicorn src.server.fastapi_app:app --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8000 --reload`
+4. Wait for background tasks to complete (check WebSocket or logs)
+5. Open the repaired `tvshow.nfo` and confirm all previously missing tags are now present and non-empty
+6. Restart the server and confirm the repair scan runs again but does NOT re-queue series whose NFO is already complete (verify via logs: `"0 of Y series queued for repair"`)
+7. Place `tvshow.nfo.good` in the same folder; restart; confirm it is NOT queued for repair
+
+**Run full test suite one final time:**
+
+```bash
+conda run -n AniWorld python -m pytest tests/ -v --tb=short
+```
+
+**Final documentation steps:**
+
+- Review `docs/NFO_GUIDE.md` and add a section "Automatic NFO Repair" explaining the startup scan, which tags are checked, and how to trigger a manual repair via the API (`/api/nfo/update/{series}`)
+- Update `docs/CHANGELOG.md` to move all unreleased entries under a dated release heading `[1.x.x] - 2026-02-22`
+
+**Final commit step:**
+
+```
+git add docs/
+git commit -m "docs: document NFO repair feature"
+```
+
+---