diff --git a/apps/api/src/server.test.ts b/apps/api/src/server.test.ts
index ea90306..e71df21 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/server.test.ts
+++ b/apps/api/src/server.test.ts
@@ -218,6 +218,22 @@ describe('dashboard', () => {
     expect(database).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
   })
 
+  it.each([
+    ['/api/v1/playlists/generate', { seedTrackId: '9ad3649a-a78f-4aea-99dc-473c7c1c5501', name: 'bad\u0000name' }],
+    ['/api/v1/playlists/proposals', { title: 'bad\u0000title' }],
+  ])('rejects a NUL character in the %s name or title before any query runs', async (url, payload) => {
+    // Postgres text cannot hold NUL, so a database error would otherwise surface as a 500.
+    const database = vi.fn(async () => { throw new Error('invalid byte sequence for encoding "UTF8": 0x00') })
+    const app = createServer({ database: database as unknown as Database, jobQueue: { send: vi.fn() } })
+    await app.ready()
+    const headers = { cookie: `musearr_session=${app.jwt.sign({ sub: 'owner-id', role: 'owner' })}` }
+    const response = await app.inject({ method: 'POST', url, headers, payload })
+
+    expect(response.statusCode).toBe(400)
+    expect(response.json()).toMatchObject({ code: 'INVALID_REQUEST' })
+    expect(database).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
   it('requires a local session before managing playlist proposals', async () => {
     const getRes = await createServer().inject({
       method: 'GET',
diff --git a/packages/contracts/src/index.ts b/packages/contracts/src/index.ts
index 889af7c..c09508b 100644
--- a/packages/contracts/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/contracts/src/index.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { z } from 'zod'
+import { noNul } from './text.js'
 
 export * from './lidarr.js'
 export * from './local-ai.js'
@@ -188,9 +189,6 @@ export const DailyBriefResponseSchema = z.object({
   brief: DailyBriefSchema.nullable(),
 })
 
-// Postgres text cannot hold NUL, so reject it here instead of failing in a query.
-const noNul = (value: string) => !value.includes('\u0000')
-
 export const ScrobbleItemSchema = z.object({
   artistName: z.string().trim().min(1).refine(noNul),
   trackTitle: z.string().trim().min(1).refine(noNul),
@@ -235,7 +233,7 @@ export const PlaylistProposalSchema = z.object({
 
 export const CreatePlaylistProposalRequestSchema = z.object({
   kind: RecommendationKindSchema.default('daily_mix'),
-  title: z.string().trim().min(1).max(280).optional(),
+  title: z.string().trim().min(1).max(280).refine(noNul).optional(),
   limit: z.number().int().min(5).max(100).default(20),
 })
 
diff --git a/packages/contracts/src/playlists.ts b/packages/contracts/src/playlists.ts
index 776e636..b0c732d 100644
--- a/packages/contracts/src/playlists.ts
+++ b/packages/contracts/src/playlists.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { z } from 'zod'
+import { noNul } from './text.js'
 
 /**
  * A generated playlist is an eventually-consistent object. Items that already
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ export const PlaylistGenerationStatusSchema = z.enum([
 
 export const GeneratePlaylistRequestSchema = z.object({
   seedTrackId: z.string().uuid(),
-  name: z.string().trim().min(1).max(120).optional(),
+  name: z.string().trim().min(1).max(120).refine(noNul).optional(),
   targetSize: z.number().int().min(5).max(100).default(25),
   /** Ask Lidarr to acquire suggestions that are not already in the library. */
   acquireMissing: z.boolean().default(false),
diff --git a/packages/contracts/src/text.ts b/packages/contracts/src/text.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7b73fcb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/contracts/src/text.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+/** Postgres text cannot hold NUL, so reject it at validation instead of failing in a query. */
+export const noNul = (value: string): boolean => !value.includes('\u0000')