diff --git a/packages/raiderio/src/client.test.ts b/packages/raiderio/src/client.test.ts
index 3b83e51..29b96f2 100644
--- a/packages/raiderio/src/client.test.ts
+++ b/packages/raiderio/src/client.test.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { createRaiderIoClient } from "./index";
 type FixtureName =
   | "character-visible-owner"
   | "character-private-owner"
+  | "character-empty-discord"
   | "character-declared-main"
   | "character-declared-main-out-of-scope"
   | "character-renamed-root"
@@ -166,6 +167,17 @@ describe("Raider.IO gateway", () => {
     expect(character.profileGuess).toBe("profile-candidate");
   });
 
+  it("treats an empty customization field as absent, not as schema drift", async () => {
+    // Break caught: Raider.IO sends "" for a customization a player never set.
+    // Rejecting it raised non-retryable schema_drift, so every character with an
+    // empty Discord field failed its search permanently.
+    const character = await clientFor("character-empty-discord").getCharacter(
+      sentinel
+    );
+
+    expect(character.profileGuess).toBeNull();
+  });
+
   it("extracts and normalizes a declared-main character key", async () => {
     const character = await clientFor("character-declared-main").getCharacter(
       sentinel
diff --git a/packages/raiderio/src/normalize.ts b/packages/raiderio/src/normalize.ts
index 591bc1e..fdec04a 100644
--- a/packages/raiderio/src/normalize.ts
+++ b/packages/raiderio/src/normalize.ts
@@ -33,7 +33,10 @@ const characterResponseSchema = z.object({
       .optional(),
     characterCustomizations: z
       .object({
-        discord_profile: z.string().min(1).nullable().optional(),
+        // Raider.IO sends "" for a customization the player never set. That is
+        // an absent value, not structural change: rejecting it would raise
+        // non-retryable schema drift and permanently fail the search.
+        discord_profile: z.string().nullable().optional(),
         main_character: declaredMainSchema.nullable().optional()
       })
       .optional()
@@ -147,7 +150,7 @@ export function normalizeCharacterResponse(
   return {
     ...character,
     ownerId: details.user?.name ?? null,
-    profileGuess: customizations?.discord_profile ?? null,
+    profileGuess: customizations?.discord_profile?.trim() || null,
     declaredMain,
     ...(omittedMembers ? { omittedMembers: true } : {})
   };
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/raiderio/character-empty-discord.json b/tests/fixtures/raiderio/character-empty-discord.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..009f5d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/raiderio/character-empty-discord.json
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+{
+  "status": 200,
+  "body": {
+    "characterDetails": {
+      "character": {
+        "name": "Sentinel",
+        "level": 90,
+        "class": { "name": "Paladin" },
+        "realm": { "slug": "Silvermoon" },
+        "region": { "slug": "EU" }
+      },
+      "user": null,
+      "characterCustomizations": {
+        "isClaimed": false,
+        "biography": "",
+        "discord_profile": "",
+        "main_character": null
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}