diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/layout/LeftSidebar.svelte b/web/src/lib/components/layout/LeftSidebar.svelte
index 4f55131..d2a60ff 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/components/layout/LeftSidebar.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/layout/LeftSidebar.svelte
@@ -141,17 +141,12 @@
 	const reviewCountQuery = scopedCountQuery('review', 'review:true');
 	const hiddenCountQuery = scopedCountQuery('hidden', 'hidden:true');
 	const archivedCountQuery = scopedCountQuery('archived', 'archived:true');
-	// Labels is special: `configQuery.count.labels` is the number of distinct
-	// label categories (PhotoPrism's roll-up), not the number of photos that
-	// carry a label. The Tags surface wants picture counts everywhere, so we
-	// always run a `countPhotos('label:*')` query regardless of the admin/
-	// BasePath shape and never fall back to the category-count.
-	const labelsCountQuery = createQuery<number>(() => ({
-		queryKey: ['photos', 'scoped-count', 'labels', userBasePath(), isAdminUser],
-		queryFn: () => countPhotos(scoped('label:*')),
-		enabled: isAuthenticated(),
-		staleTime: 60_000
-	}));
+	// Labels: PhotoPrism's q-DSL has no "has any label" predicate
+	// (`label:*` matches every photo, `label:<slug>` only matches the
+	// named label), so the sidebar uses `configQuery.count.labels` — the
+	// precomputed count of distinct label slugs. Same source the
+	// `tagCategoryCount('labels')` sub-row already uses, so the parent
+	// Tags badge sums the same numbers the sub-rows display.
 
 	function bucketCount(
 		key: 'favorites' | 'review' | 'hidden' | 'archived',
@@ -303,7 +298,7 @@
 	const hiddenBadge = $derived(bucketCount('hidden', hiddenCountQuery));
 	const archivedBadge = $derived(bucketCount('archived', archivedCountQuery));
 	const labelsBadge = $derived<number | undefined>(
-		labelsCountQuery.isPending ? undefined : labelsCountQuery.data
+		configQuery.data?.count?.labels
 	);
 
 	const createMut = createMutation(() => ({
@@ -586,13 +581,13 @@
 		// section/route ViewItem shape.
 	];
 
-	// Total badge for the "Tags" header row. Rolls up labels + keywords +
-	// people + ratings + colors. Labels flows through countPhotos (scoped);
-	// keywords/people/ratings/colors are library-wide and only contribute
-	// when we're in admin-without-BasePath mode (their sources don't scope).
+	// Total badge for the "Tags" header row. Sum of the same per-category
+	// counts the sub-rows render (labels/people: distinct slugs/subjects,
+	// keywords: distinct keywords, ratings/colors: photos carrying each
+	// mark). Library-wide numbers — the badge is a quick "how many tags
+	// exist?" rollup, not a per-user-visible count.
 	const tagsTotal = $derived.by<number | undefined>(() => {
 		if (labelsBadge === undefined) return undefined;
-		if (wantScoped) return labelsBadge;
 		const keywords = keywordsQuery.data?.length ?? 0;
 		const people = configQuery.data?.count?.people ?? 0;
 		return labelsBadge + keywords + people + ratingsCount + colorsCount;