diff --git a/web/prisma/migrations/20260714192517_add_request_force/migration.sql b/web/prisma/migrations/20260714192517_add_request_force/migration.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e94543
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/prisma/migrations/20260714192517_add_request_force/migration.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+-- AlterTable
+ALTER TABLE "Request" ADD COLUMN     "force" BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT false;
diff --git a/web/prisma/schema.prisma b/web/prisma/schema.prisma
index 23e6e5c..7b16ea8 100644
--- a/web/prisma/schema.prisma
+++ b/web/prisma/schema.prisma
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ model Request {
   album       String
   status      RequestStatus @default(pending)
   createdAt   DateTime      @default(now())
+  // Force re-acquisition: skip the "already in library" dedupe so an owned album is
+  // re-downloaded on demand. The import step still keeps the copy only if it's higher
+  // quality, so a forced upgrade never downgrades. Set by the Library "Replace / upgrade".
+  force       Boolean       @default(false)
   job         Job?
   libraryItem LibraryItem?
 
diff --git a/web/src/app/api/library/[id]/upgrade/route.test.ts b/web/src/app/api/library/[id]/upgrade/route.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fc9fa28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/app/api/library/[id]/upgrade/route.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
+import { prisma } from "@/lib/db";
+import { POST } from "./route";
+
+const ctx = (id: string) => ({ params: Promise.resolve({ id }) });
+
+async function owned(artist: string, album: string, rgMbid: string | null) {
+  return prisma.libraryItem.create({
+    data: { artist, album, path: "/m", source: "scan", format: "FLAC", qualityClass: 2, rgMbid },
+  });
+}
+
+describe("POST /api/library/[id]/upgrade", () => {
+  it("enqueues a forced re-acquire request against the matching release", async () => {
+    await prisma.monitoredRelease.create({
+      data: { artistMbid: "a1", artistName: "Adele", rgMbid: "rg-25", album: "25", secondaryTypes: [],
+        monitored: true, state: "fulfilled", currentQualityClass: 2 },
+    });
+    const item = await owned("Adele", "25", "rg-25");
+
+    const res = await POST(new Request("http://x", { method: "POST" }), ctx(item.id));
+    expect(res.status).toBe(202);
+    expect((await res.json()).enqueued).toBe(true);
+
+    const reqRow = await prisma.request.findFirst({ where: { album: "25" }, include: { job: true } });
+    expect(reqRow?.force).toBe(true);
+    expect(reqRow?.monitoredReleaseId).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(reqRow?.job).toBeTruthy();
+  });
+
+  it("400s when there is no matching release", async () => {
+    const item = await owned("Nobody", "Untracked", null);
+    const res = await POST(new Request("http://x", { method: "POST" }), ctx(item.id));
+    expect(res.status).toBe(400);
+  });
+
+  it("does not stack a second job while one is in flight", async () => {
+    const mr = await prisma.monitoredRelease.create({
+      data: { artistMbid: "a1", artistName: "Adele", rgMbid: "rg-21", album: "21", secondaryTypes: [], monitored: true, state: "wanted" },
+    });
+    const item = await owned("Adele", "21", "rg-21");
+    await prisma.request.create({
+      data: { artist: "Adele", album: "21", monitoredReleaseId: mr.id, job: { create: { state: "downloading" } } },
+    });
+    const res = await POST(new Request("http://x", { method: "POST" }), ctx(item.id));
+    expect(res.status).toBe(202);
+    expect((await res.json()).enqueued).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("404s an unknown library item", async () => {
+    const res = await POST(new Request("http://x", { method: "POST" }), ctx("nope"));
+    expect(res.status).toBe(404);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/web/src/app/api/library/[id]/upgrade/route.ts b/web/src/app/api/library/[id]/upgrade/route.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..32bad36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/app/api/library/[id]/upgrade/route.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+import { prisma } from "@/lib/db";
+
+// POST /api/library/[id]/upgrade — force a re-acquire of an owned album: enqueue a job that
+// skips the "already in library" dedupe (Request.force). The pipeline downloads the best
+// available copy and the import step keeps it only if it's higher quality, so this can upgrade
+// but never downgrades. Requires a matching MonitoredRelease (scanned/monitored albums have
+// one) to carry the acquisition context.
+export async function POST(_request: Request, { params }: { params: Promise<{ id: string }> }) {
+  const { id } = await params;
+  const item = await prisma.libraryItem.findUnique({ where: { id } });
+  if (!item) return Response.json({ error: "not found" }, { status: 404 });
+
+  // Prefer the release-group match; fall back to an artist+album match.
+  const release =
+    (item.rgMbid ? await prisma.monitoredRelease.findUnique({ where: { rgMbid: item.rgMbid } }) : null) ??
+    (await prisma.monitoredRelease.findFirst({ where: { artistName: item.artist, album: item.album } }));
+  if (!release) {
+    return Response.json(
+      { error: "no release info for this album — follow the artist or re-scan to enable upgrades" },
+      { status: 400 },
+    );
+  }
+
+  // Don't stack a second job on a release that's already in flight.
+  const activeJob = await prisma.job.findFirst({
+    where: { request: { monitoredReleaseId: release.id }, state: { notIn: ["imported", "needs_attention"] } },
+  });
+  if (activeJob) return Response.json({ enqueued: false }, { status: 202 });
+
+  await prisma.request.create({
+    data: {
+      artist: release.artistName,
+      album: release.album,
+      monitoredReleaseId: release.id,
+      force: true,
+      job: { create: {} },
+    },
+  });
+  await prisma.monitoredRelease.update({ where: { id: release.id }, data: { lastSearchedAt: new Date() } });
+  return Response.json({ enqueued: true }, { status: 202 });
+}
diff --git a/web/src/app/api/library/route.ts b/web/src/app/api/library/route.ts
index cc70ef6..9d5711b 100644
Binary files a/web/src/app/api/library/route.ts and b/web/src/app/api/library/route.ts differ
diff --git a/web/src/app/library/library-client.tsx b/web/src/app/library/library-client.tsx
index 5e93ad9..82696f0 100644
--- a/web/src/app/library/library-client.tsx
+++ b/web/src/app/library/library-client.tsx
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ type Album = {
   year: string | null;
   primaryType: string | null;
   artistMbid: string | null;
+  monitoredReleaseId: string | null;
   trackNames: string[];
 };
 
@@ -115,6 +116,18 @@ export function LibraryClient() {
     refresh();
   }, []);
 
+  async function upgrade() {
+    if (!open) return;
+    const res = await fetch(`/api/library/${open.id}/upgrade`, { method: "POST" }).catch(() => null);
+    if (res && (res.status === 202 || res.ok)) {
+      const body = await res.json().catch(() => null);
+      toast(body?.enqueued === false ? `Already searching for ${open.album}` : `Re-acquiring ${open.album} — keeps it only if better`);
+      show(null);
+    } else {
+      toast((res && (await res.json().catch(() => null))?.error) || "Couldn't start the upgrade");
+    }
+  }
+
   async function checkIntegrity() {
     setChecking(true);
     try {
@@ -349,6 +362,11 @@ export function LibraryClient() {
               </>
             ) : (
               <>
+                {open.monitoredReleaseId ? (
+                  <button className="btn sm ghost" onClick={upgrade}>
+                    Replace / upgrade
+                  </button>
+                ) : null}
                 <button className="btn sm ghost" onClick={startEdit}>
                   Edit metadata
                 </button>
diff --git a/worker/lyra_worker/pipeline.py b/worker/lyra_worker/pipeline.py
index 8bc4ea6..709dc9e 100644
--- a/worker/lyra_worker/pipeline.py
+++ b/worker/lyra_worker/pipeline.py
@@ -146,6 +146,19 @@ def _is_upgrade_job(conn: psycopg.Connection, job_id: str) -> bool:
         return bool(row and row[0])
 
 
+def _is_force_job(conn: psycopg.Connection, job_id: str) -> bool:
+    """A user-forced re-acquire (Library 'Replace / upgrade'): skip the already-in-library
+    dedupe so an owned album is re-downloaded. The import step still keeps the new copy only
+    if it's higher quality, so a forced upgrade can never downgrade what's on disk."""
+    with conn.cursor() as cur:
+        cur.execute(
+            'SELECT force FROM "Request" WHERE id = (SELECT "requestId" FROM "Job" WHERE id = %s)',
+            (job_id,),
+        )
+        row = cur.fetchone()
+        return bool(row and row[0])
+
+
 def _already_in_library_at_cutoff(conn: psycopg.Connection, target: MBTarget, cutoff: int) -> bool:
     with conn.cursor() as cur:
         cur.execute(
@@ -237,8 +250,11 @@ def run_pipeline(
         if resolved is not None:
             target = resolved
     # dedupe: a monitor-driven upgrade job proceeds unless the existing copy already meets
-    # the cutoff; a plain request short-circuits on any existing copy (slice-1 behavior).
-    if upgrade_cutoff is not None and _is_upgrade_job(conn, job_id):
+    # the cutoff; a plain request short-circuits on any existing copy (slice-1 behavior). A
+    # user-forced re-acquire skips the dedupe entirely (keep-if-better still guards the import).
+    if _is_force_job(conn, job_id):
+        _dedupe_hit = False
+    elif upgrade_cutoff is not None and _is_upgrade_job(conn, job_id):
         _dedupe_hit = _already_in_library_at_cutoff(conn, target, upgrade_cutoff)
     else:
         _dedupe_hit = _already_in_library(conn, target)
diff --git a/worker/tests/conftest.py b/worker/tests/conftest.py
index 5ef2559..f70cf0c 100644
--- a/worker/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/worker/tests/conftest.py
@@ -56,13 +56,13 @@ def conn():
     connection.close()
 
 
-def insert_request(conn, artist="Artist", album="Album"):
+def insert_request(conn, artist="Artist", album="Album", force=False):
     """Insert a Request + its Job (state 'requested') and return the job id."""
     with conn.cursor() as cur:
         cur.execute(
-            'INSERT INTO "Request" (id, artist, album, status, "createdAt") '
-            "VALUES (gen_random_uuid()::text, %s, %s, 'pending', now()) RETURNING id",
-            (artist, album),
+            'INSERT INTO "Request" (id, artist, album, status, force, "createdAt") '
+            "VALUES (gen_random_uuid()::text, %s, %s, 'pending', %s, now()) RETURNING id",
+            (artist, album, force),
         )
         request_id = cur.fetchone()[0]
         cur.execute(
diff --git a/worker/tests/test_pipeline.py b/worker/tests/test_pipeline.py
index f2245ff..fd2f795 100644
--- a/worker/tests/test_pipeline.py
+++ b/worker/tests/test_pipeline.py
@@ -124,6 +124,25 @@ def test_dedupe_skips_already_in_library(conn):
         assert cur.fetchone()[0] == 1  # not duplicated
 
 
+def test_force_reacquires_an_album_already_in_library(conn):
+    # First acquisition puts the album in the library.
+    job1 = insert_request(conn, artist="Radiohead", album="In Rainbows")
+    claim_next(conn)
+    run_pipeline(conn, job1, [FakeQobuz()], dest_root="/tmp/lib")
+    # A forced re-acquire skips the dedupe → it searches + persists candidates again.
+    job2 = insert_request(conn, artist="Radiohead", album="In Rainbows", force=True)
+    claim_next(conn)
+    run_pipeline(conn, job2, [FakeQobuz()], dest_root="/tmp/lib", upgrade_cutoff=2)
+
+    assert _job_state(conn, job2) == ("imported", "import")
+    with conn.cursor() as cur:
+        cur.execute('SELECT count(*) FROM "Candidate" WHERE "jobId" = %s', (job2,))
+        assert cur.fetchone()[0] >= 1  # dedupe bypassed — it actually ran the search
+        cur.execute('SELECT count(*) FROM "LibraryItem" WHERE artist = %s AND album = %s',
+                    ("Radiohead", "In Rainbows"))
+        assert cur.fetchone()[0] == 1  # still not duplicated (keep-if-better import)
+
+
 def test_below_threshold_candidates_are_persisted_for_diagnosis(conn):
     from lyra_worker.adapters.fakes import FakeQobuz
     from lyra_worker.types import MBTarget