diff --git a/docs/uploads.md b/docs/uploads.md
index 3b1ffbb..cdd4155 100644
--- a/docs/uploads.md
+++ b/docs/uploads.md
@@ -178,6 +178,9 @@
   предпросмотр рассчитывается при чтении очереди по текущему шаблону — тем же планировщиком, что и импорт.
   Сохранение шаблона обновляет кеш очереди. Уже импортированные файлы сохраняют фактический путь.
   Если рассчитать путь нельзя, показаны причина и действие для исправления вместо старого пути.
+  Отсутствующий год отмечается предупреждением и не блокирует одобрение или импорт:
+  `{year}` опускается вместе со скобками или разделителем, необязательный фрагмент с годом опускается.
+  В теги неизвестный год не записывается.
 - Прослушивание staging выдаёт сам API с поддержкой Range: приватные файлы tus (`0640`, каталоги `0750`)
   недоступны пользователю nginx. Выдача не зависит от `X_ACCEL`; права существующих файлов менять не нужно.
   Аудио и его метаданные загружаются только после Play (`preload="none"`); раскрытие пачки не запускает запросы к файлам.
diff --git a/packages/i18n/locales/en/errors.json b/packages/i18n/locales/en/errors.json
index da053bb..75e875a 100644
--- a/packages/i18n/locales/en/errors.json
+++ b/packages/i18n/locales/en/errors.json
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@
     "no_target": "No storage accepts uploads (or several do and none is the default)",
     "no_template": "The storage has no path template",
     "missing_field": "Not enough metadata to build the storage path",
+    "missing_year": "Year is missing — check the metadata. The year is omitted from the path",
     "offset_mismatch": "The upload got out of sync; try again",
     "size_mismatch": "The file size does not match the declared one",
     "hash_mismatch": "The file was corrupted in transit (SHA-256 mismatch)",
diff --git a/packages/i18n/locales/ru/errors.json b/packages/i18n/locales/ru/errors.json
index b765d2c..f8843ab 100644
--- a/packages/i18n/locales/ru/errors.json
+++ b/packages/i18n/locales/ru/errors.json
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@
     "no_target": "Нет хранилища, принимающего загрузки (или их несколько и не выбрано по умолчанию)",
     "no_template": "У хранилища не задан шаблон пути",
     "missing_field": "Не хватает метаданных для пути в хранилище",
+    "missing_year": "Не указан год — проверьте метаданные. Год пропущен в пути",
     "offset_mismatch": "Загрузка рассинхронизировалась — повторите",
     "size_mismatch": "Размер файла не совпал с заявленным",
     "hash_mismatch": "Файл повредился при загрузке (не совпал SHA-256)",
diff --git a/services/api/internal/library/meta/template.go b/services/api/internal/library/meta/template.go
index 37a1fdf..0222f13 100644
--- a/services/api/internal/library/meta/template.go
+++ b/services/api/internal/library/meta/template.go
@@ -254,6 +254,65 @@ func (t Template) Render(in TemplateInput) (string, error) {
 	return finishPath(b.String())
 }
 
+// RenderWithoutMissingYear omits an unknown year and its punctuation for uploads.
+// Other required metadata still uses strict rendering. Optional fragments retain
+// their usual all-or-nothing semantics.
+func (t Template) RenderWithoutMissingYear(in TemplateInput) (string, error) {
+	if fieldValue(in, tnode{field: "year"}) != "" {
+		return t.Render(in)
+	}
+	var src strings.Builder
+	for _, n := range t.nodes {
+		if n.isOpt {
+			if _, ok := renderOptional(in, n.opt); ok {
+				src.WriteString("[")
+				for _, o := range n.opt {
+					src.WriteString(templateNodeSource(o))
+				}
+				src.WriteString("]")
+			}
+		} else {
+			src.WriteString(templateNodeSource(n))
+		}
+	}
+	s := src.String()
+	for _, re := range missingYearParts {
+		s = re.ReplaceAllString(s, "")
+	}
+	// A year-only directory disappears as a whole.
+	var segments []string
+	for _, seg := range strings.Split(s, "/") {
+		if strings.TrimSpace(seg) != "" {
+			segments = append(segments, seg)
+		}
+	}
+	tpl, err := ParseTemplate(strings.Join(segments, "/"))
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	return tpl.Render(in)
+}
+
+var missingYearParts = []*regexp.Regexp{
+	regexp.MustCompile(`\(\s*\{year\}\s*\)`),
+	regexp.MustCompile(`\{year\}[ \t]*[-–—_][ \t]*`),
+	regexp.MustCompile(`[ \t]*[-–—_][ \t]*\{year\}`),
+	regexp.MustCompile(`\{year\}`),
+}
+
+func templateNodeSource(n tnode) string {
+	if n.field == "" {
+		return n.lit
+	}
+	if n.multi {
+		return "{" + n.field + ":1" + n.suffix + "}"
+	}
+	if n.pad > 0 {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("{%s:0%d}", n.field, n.pad)
+	}
+	return "{" + n.field + "}"
+}
+
 func renderOptional(in TemplateInput, nodes []tnode) (string, bool) {
 	var b strings.Builder
 	for _, n := range nodes {
diff --git a/services/api/internal/library/meta/template_test.go b/services/api/internal/library/meta/template_test.go
index 36aac86..c43c5a3 100644
--- a/services/api/internal/library/meta/template_test.go
+++ b/services/api/internal/library/meta/template_test.go
@@ -7,6 +7,41 @@ import (
 
 const docTemplate = "{albumartist}/{year} - {album}/{disc:1-}{track:02} - {title}.{ext}"
 
+func TestRenderWithoutMissingYear(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, pattern := range []string{
+		"{artist}/{album} ({year})/{track:02} - {title}.{ext}",
+		"{artist}/{year} - {album}/{track:02} - {title}.{ext}",
+		"{artist}/{album} - {year}/{track:02} - {title}.{ext}",
+		"{artist}/{year}/{album}/{track:02} - {title}.{ext}",
+		"{artist}/[{year} - ]{album}/{track:02} - {title}.{ext}",
+	} {
+		t.Run(pattern, func(t *testing.T) {
+			tpl, err := ParseTemplate(pattern)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			input := in(Fields{Artist: "A", Album: "B", Title: "C", Track: "1"}, 1, "mp3")
+			got, err := tpl.RenderWithoutMissingYear(input)
+			if err != nil || got != "A/B/01 - C.mp3" {
+				t.Fatalf("got %q, %v", got, err)
+			}
+			input.Fields.Title = ""
+			if _, err := tpl.RenderWithoutMissingYear(input); err == nil {
+				t.Fatal("missing title must still fail")
+			}
+			input.Fields.Title, input.Fields.Year = "C", "2026"
+			want, err := tpl.Render(input)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			got, err = tpl.RenderWithoutMissingYear(input)
+			if err != nil || got != want {
+				t.Fatalf("known year: got %q, %v; want %q", got, err, want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func in(f Fields, discs int, ext string) TemplateInput {
 	return TemplateInput{Fields: f, DiscCount: discs, Ext: ext}
 }
diff --git a/services/api/internal/uploads/model.go b/services/api/internal/uploads/model.go
index 7aa72dd..a8f9292 100644
--- a/services/api/internal/uploads/model.go
+++ b/services/api/internal/uploads/model.go
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ const (
 	CodeSizeMismatch  = "uploads.size_mismatch"
 	CodeHashMismatch  = "uploads.hash_mismatch"
 	CodeMissingField  = "uploads.missing_field"
+	CodeMissingYear   = "uploads.missing_year"
 	CodeImportFailed  = "uploads.import_failed"
 	CodeTemplate      = "uploads.no_template"
 )
diff --git a/services/api/internal/uploads/placement.go b/services/api/internal/uploads/placement.go
index 0face37..9a595e0 100644
--- a/services/api/internal/uploads/placement.go
+++ b/services/api/internal/uploads/placement.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ type PlacementPlanner struct {
 
 // --- Раскладка в хранилище ---
 
-// placement — куда ляжет файл; Reason — почему не получится (код), путь тогда nil.
+// placement — куда ляжет файл; Reason при ненулевом пути — предупреждение.
 type placement struct {
 	SourceID *uuid.UUID
 	RelPath  *string
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ func (s *PlacementPlanner) plan(ctx context.Context, f File, m Meta, chosen *uui
 	if m.Disc != nil {
 		discs = max(discs, *m.Disc)
 	}
-	rel, err := tpl.Render(meta.TemplateInput{Fields: m.Fields(), DiscCount: discs, Ext: extFor(f)})
+	rel, err := tpl.RenderWithoutMissingYear(meta.TemplateInput{Fields: m.Fields(), DiscCount: discs, Ext: extFor(f)})
 	if err != nil {
 		var mf *meta.MissingFieldError
 		if errors.As(err, &mf) {
@@ -164,5 +164,8 @@ func (s *PlacementPlanner) plan(ctx context.Context, f File, m Meta, chosen *uui
 	}
 	rel = reuseExisting(root, rel)
 	pl.RelPath, pl.root = &rel, root
+	if m.Year == nil || *m.Year <= 0 {
+		pl.Reason = CodeMissingYear
+	}
 	return pl
 }
diff --git a/services/api/internal/uploads/placement_test.go b/services/api/internal/uploads/placement_test.go
index 385de10..eb1857b 100644
--- a/services/api/internal/uploads/placement_test.go
+++ b/services/api/internal/uploads/placement_test.go
@@ -33,6 +33,28 @@ func (previewStore) BatchMaxDisc(context.Context, uuid.UUID, string) (int, error
 
 type previewRoot string
 
+func TestPreviewMissingYearStillHasImportPath(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	catalog := &previewCatalog{source: library.Source{ID: uuid.New(), Name: "Base", Type: library.SourceLocal,
+		AcceptsUploads: true, WriteTemplate: nullable("{albumartist}/{albumartist} - {album} ({year})/{title}.{ext}")}}
+	planner := &PlacementPlanner{store: previewStore{}, lib: catalog, roots: previewRoot(root)}
+	f := File{Status: StatusPendingReview, OriginalName: "song.mp3", Meta: &Meta{
+		Artist: "Artist feat. Guest", AlbumArtist: "Artist", Album: "Album", Title: "Song"}}
+	planner.previewPlacement(context.Background(), &f)
+	require.NotNil(t, f.TargetRelPath)
+	require.Equal(t, "Artist/Artist - Album/Song.mp3", *f.TargetRelPath)
+	require.NotNil(t, f.TargetStoragePath)
+	require.Equal(t, CodeMissingYear, *f.StatusReason)
+	pl := planner.plan(context.Background(), f, *f.Meta, f.TargetSourceID)
+	require.Equal(t, f.TargetRelPath, pl.RelPath)
+	require.Nil(t, f.Meta.Year, "path rendering must not invent metadata")
+	year := 2026
+	f.Meta.Year = &year
+	planner.previewPlacement(context.Background(), &f)
+	require.Equal(t, "Artist/Artist - Album (2026)/Song.mp3", *f.TargetRelPath)
+	require.Nil(t, f.StatusReason)
+}
+
 func (r previewRoot) Root(library.Source) (string, error) { return string(r), nil }
 
 func TestPreviewUsesCurrentImportTemplate(t *testing.T) {
@@ -42,8 +64,9 @@ func TestPreviewUsesCurrentImportTemplate(t *testing.T) {
 		AcceptsUploads: true, WriteTemplate: nullable("{albumartist}/{album}/{title}.{ext}")}}
 	planner := &PlacementPlanner{store: previewStore{}, lib: catalog, roots: previewRoot(root)}
 	track := 3
+	year := 2026
 	f := File{Status: StatusPendingReview, OriginalName: "song.flac", Meta: &Meta{
-		Artist: "Artist", AlbumArtist: "Artist", Album: "Album", Title: "Song", Track: &track},
+		Artist: "Artist", AlbumArtist: "Artist", Album: "Album", Title: "Song", Track: &track, Year: &year},
 		TargetSourceID: &catalog.source.ID, TargetRelPath: nullable("stale/path.flac"), StatusReason: nullable(CodeNoTarget)}
 	planner.previewPlacement(ctx, &f)
 	require.Equal(t, "Artist/Album/Song.flac", *f.TargetRelPath)
diff --git a/services/api/internal/uploads/service.go b/services/api/internal/uploads/service.go
index efb7546..cd46759 100644
--- a/services/api/internal/uploads/service.go
+++ b/services/api/internal/uploads/service.go
@@ -452,7 +452,7 @@ func (s *Service) reviewOne(ctx context.Context, reviewer, id uuid.UUID, approve
 		return apperr.Conflict(CodeMissingField, "file has no metadata")
 	}
 	pl := s.plan(ctx, f, *f.Meta, f.TargetSourceID)
-	if pl.Reason != "" {
+	if pl.Reason != "" && pl.RelPath == nil {
 		return apperr.Conflict(pl.Reason, "cannot place the file into a storage")
 	}
 	reason = ""
diff --git a/services/api/internal/uploads/worker.go b/services/api/internal/uploads/worker.go
index b06f93d..e3387a4 100644
--- a/services/api/internal/uploads/worker.go
+++ b/services/api/internal/uploads/worker.go
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ func (s *Service) importFile(ctx context.Context, f File) error {
 		return errors.New("no metadata")
 	}
 	pl := s.plan(ctx, f, *f.Meta, f.TargetSourceID)
-	if pl.Reason != "" {
+	if pl.Reason != "" && pl.RelPath == nil {
 		return errors.New(pl.Reason)
 	}
 	rel := *pl.RelPath