diff --git a/web/src/app/api/wanted/route.test.ts b/web/src/app/api/wanted/route.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a93ae2e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/app/api/wanted/route.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, afterEach } from "vitest";
+
+vi.mock("@/lib/musicbrainz", () => ({ searchReleaseGroup: vi.fn() }));
+import { searchReleaseGroup } from "@/lib/musicbrainz";
+import { prisma } from "@/lib/db";
+import { GET, POST } from "./route";
+
+const mockSearch = vi.mocked(searchReleaseGroup);
+afterEach(() => mockSearch.mockReset());
+
+function postReq(body: unknown) {
+  return new Request("http://localhost/api/wanted", { method: "POST", headers: { "content-type": "application/json" }, body: JSON.stringify(body) });
+}
+
+describe("wanted API", () => {
+  it("lists monitored, non-fulfilled releases only", async () => {
+    await prisma.monitoredRelease.createMany({
+      data: [
+        { artistMbid: "a1", artistName: "A", rgMbid: "rg1", album: "Wanted", secondaryTypes: [], monitored: true, state: "wanted" },
+        { artistMbid: "a1", artistName: "A", rgMbid: "rg2", album: "Done", secondaryTypes: [], monitored: true, state: "fulfilled" },
+        { artistMbid: "a1", artistName: "A", rgMbid: "rg3", album: "Dormant", secondaryTypes: [], monitored: false, state: "wanted" },
+      ],
+    });
+    const res = await GET();
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+    const wanted = (await res.json()).wanted;
+    expect(wanted.map((w: any) => w.album)).toEqual(["Wanted"]);
+  });
+
+  it("adds a standalone wanted release from artist+album", async () => {
+    mockSearch.mockResolvedValue({ rgMbid: "rg9", title: "Continuum", primaryType: "Album", secondaryTypes: [], firstReleaseDate: "2006-09-12", artistMbid: "a1", artistName: "John Mayer" });
+    const res = await POST(postReq({ artist: "John Mayer", album: "Continuum" }));
+    expect(res.status).toBe(201);
+    const row = await prisma.monitoredRelease.findUnique({ where: { rgMbid: "rg9" } });
+    expect(row).toMatchObject({ artistName: "John Mayer", album: "Continuum", monitored: true, watchedArtistId: null });
+  });
+
+  it("re-monitors an existing release-group (200) instead of duplicating", async () => {
+    await prisma.monitoredRelease.create({ data: { artistMbid: "a1", artistName: "John Mayer", rgMbid: "rg9", album: "Continuum", secondaryTypes: [], monitored: false } });
+    mockSearch.mockResolvedValue({ rgMbid: "rg9", title: "Continuum", primaryType: "Album", secondaryTypes: [], firstReleaseDate: "2006", artistMbid: "a1", artistName: "John Mayer" });
+    const res = await POST(postReq({ artist: "John Mayer", album: "Continuum" }));
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+    expect((await prisma.monitoredRelease.findUnique({ where: { rgMbid: "rg9" } }))!.monitored).toBe(true);
+    expect(await prisma.monitoredRelease.count({ where: { rgMbid: "rg9" } })).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it("400s a bad body, 404s no MB match, 502s on MB failure", async () => {
+    expect((await POST(postReq({ artist: "X" }))).status).toBe(400);
+    mockSearch.mockResolvedValue(null);
+    expect((await POST(postReq({ artist: "X", album: "Y" }))).status).toBe(404);
+    mockSearch.mockRejectedValue(new Error("boom"));
+    expect((await POST(postReq({ artist: "X", album: "Y" }))).status).toBe(502);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/web/src/app/api/wanted/route.ts b/web/src/app/api/wanted/route.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8fdd1e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/app/api/wanted/route.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+import { prisma } from "@/lib/db";
+import { searchReleaseGroup } from "@/lib/musicbrainz";
+
+export async function GET() {
+  const items = await prisma.monitoredRelease.findMany({
+    where: { monitored: true, state: { not: "fulfilled" } },
+    orderBy: [{ lastSearchedAt: { sort: "asc", nulls: "first" } }, { createdAt: "asc" }],
+  });
+  return Response.json({
+    wanted: items.map((r) => ({
+      id: r.id,
+      artistName: r.artistName,
+      album: r.album,
+      state: r.state,
+      currentQualityClass: r.currentQualityClass,
+      lastSearchedAt: r.lastSearchedAt,
+      watchedArtistId: r.watchedArtistId,
+    })),
+  });
+}
+
+export async function POST(request: Request) {
+  let body: unknown;
+  try {
+    body = await request.json();
+  } catch {
+    return Response.json({ error: "invalid JSON" }, { status: 400 });
+  }
+  const { artist, album } = (body ?? {}) as { artist?: unknown; album?: unknown };
+  if (typeof artist !== "string" || !artist.trim() || typeof album !== "string" || !album.trim()) {
+    return Response.json({ error: "artist and album are required" }, { status: 400 });
+  }
+
+  let match;
+  try {
+    match = await searchReleaseGroup(artist.trim(), album.trim());
+  } catch {
+    return Response.json({ error: "MusicBrainz unavailable" }, { status: 502 });
+  }
+  if (!match) {
+    return Response.json({ error: "no matching release-group found" }, { status: 404 });
+  }
+
+  const existing = await prisma.monitoredRelease.findUnique({ where: { rgMbid: match.rgMbid } });
+  if (existing) {
+    const updated = await prisma.monitoredRelease.update({ where: { rgMbid: match.rgMbid }, data: { monitored: true } });
+    return Response.json({ id: updated.id, album: updated.album, monitored: updated.monitored }, { status: 200 });
+  }
+  const created = await prisma.monitoredRelease.create({
+    data: {
+      artistMbid: match.artistMbid,
+      artistName: match.artistName,
+      rgMbid: match.rgMbid,
+      album: match.title,
+      primaryType: match.primaryType,
+      secondaryTypes: match.secondaryTypes,
+      firstReleaseDate: match.firstReleaseDate,
+      monitored: true,
+    },
+  });
+  return Response.json({ id: created.id, album: created.album, monitored: created.monitored }, { status: 201 });
+}