diff --git a/allstarr/Controllers/AdminController.cs b/allstarr/Controllers/AdminController.cs
index b0ceceb..0e06227 100644
--- a/allstarr/Controllers/AdminController.cs
+++ b/allstarr/Controllers/AdminController.cs
@@ -841,16 +841,24 @@ public class AdminController : ControllerBase
             {
                 _logger.LogInformation("Triggering immediate playlist rebuild for {Playlist} with new manual mapping", decodedName);
                 
-                // Wait for the rebuild to complete before responding to ensure UI gets updated cache
-                try
+                // Run rebuild in background with timeout to avoid blocking the response
+                _ = Task.Run(async () =>
                 {
-                    await _matchingService.TriggerMatchingForPlaylistAsync(decodedName);
-                    _logger.LogInformation("✓ Playlist {Playlist} rebuilt successfully with manual mapping", decodedName);
-                }
-                catch (Exception ex)
-                {
-                    _logger.LogError(ex, "Failed to rebuild playlist {Playlist} after manual mapping", decodedName);
-                }
+                    try
+                    {
+                        using var cts = new CancellationTokenSource(TimeSpan.FromMinutes(2)); // 2 minute timeout
+                        await _matchingService.TriggerMatchingForPlaylistAsync(decodedName);
+                        _logger.LogInformation("✓ Playlist {Playlist} rebuilt successfully with manual mapping", decodedName);
+                    }
+                    catch (OperationCanceledException)
+                    {
+                        _logger.LogWarning("Playlist rebuild for {Playlist} timed out after 2 minutes", decodedName);
+                    }
+                    catch (Exception ex)
+                    {
+                        _logger.LogError(ex, "Failed to rebuild playlist {Playlist} after manual mapping", decodedName);
+                    }
+                });
             }
             else
             {
diff --git a/allstarr/wwwroot/index.html b/allstarr/wwwroot/index.html
index 1e7bdf8..51f9414 100644
--- a/allstarr/wwwroot/index.html
+++ b/allstarr/wwwroot/index.html
@@ -2042,13 +2042,24 @@
                 return;
             }
             
+            // Show loading state
+            const saveBtn = document.getElementById('map-save-btn');
+            const originalText = saveBtn.textContent;
+            saveBtn.textContent = 'Saving...';
+            saveBtn.disabled = true;
+            
             try {
+                const controller = new AbortController();
+                const timeoutId = setTimeout(() => controller.abort(), 30000); // 30 second timeout
+                
                 const res = await fetch('/api/admin/playlists/' + encodeURIComponent(playlistName) + '/map', {
                     method: 'POST',
                     headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
-                    body: JSON.stringify({ spotifyId, jellyfinId })
+                    body: JSON.stringify({ spotifyId, jellyfinId }),
+                    signal: controller.signal
                 });
                 
+                clearTimeout(timeoutId);
                 const data = await res.json();
                 
                 if (res.ok) {
@@ -2093,7 +2104,15 @@
                     showToast(data.error || 'Failed to save mapping', 'error');
                 }
             } catch (error) {
-                showToast('Failed to save mapping', 'error');
+                if (error.name === 'AbortError') {
+                    showToast('Request timed out - mapping may still be processing', 'warning');
+                } else {
+                    showToast('Failed to save mapping', 'error');
+                }
+            } finally {
+                // Reset button state
+                saveBtn.textContent = originalText;
+                saveBtn.disabled = false;
             }
         }