diff --git a/apps/api/src/jobs/prefetch-worker.service.ts b/apps/api/src/jobs/prefetch-worker.service.ts
index dbaf17d..d66fa52 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/jobs/prefetch-worker.service.ts
+++ b/apps/api/src/jobs/prefetch-worker.service.ts
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ export class PrefetchWorkerService implements OnModuleInit, OnModuleDestroy {
           await this.queueCategoryJob(child, vehicleId, source, 1);
           queued++;
         }
-      } else if (this.isLeafLinkPath(cat.linkPath, cat.source)) {
+      } else if (this.isLeafLinkPath(cat.linkPath, cat.source, cat.hasSubgroups)) {
         // Leaf — check if parts already fetched
         const [partCheck] = await this.db
           .select({ id: parts.id })
@@ -488,14 +488,20 @@ export class PrefetchWorkerService implements OnModuleInit, OnModuleDestroy {
   // ==================== Helpers ====================
 
   private async queueCategoryJob(
-    cat: { id: string; linkPath: string | null; source: string; unavailable: boolean },
+    cat: {
+      id: string;
+      linkPath: string | null;
+      source: string;
+      unavailable: boolean;
+      hasSubgroups?: boolean | null;
+    },
     vehicleId: string,
     source: string,
     depth: number,
   ): Promise<void> {
     if (cat.unavailable) return;
 
-    if (this.isLeafLinkPath(cat.linkPath, cat.source)) {
+    if (this.isLeafLinkPath(cat.linkPath, cat.source, cat.hasSubgroups)) {
       // Leaf — check if already has parts
       const [partCheck] = await this.db
         .select({ id: parts.id })
@@ -543,12 +549,25 @@ export class PrefetchWorkerService implements OnModuleInit, OnModuleDestroy {
     }
   }
 
-  private isLeafLinkPath(linkPath: string | null, source: string): boolean {
+  private isLeafLinkPath(
+    linkPath: string | null,
+    source: string,
+    hasSubgroups?: boolean | null,
+  ): boolean {
     if (!linkPath) return false;
     // EMEX: Vehicle.aspx group nodes are parents to drill; Unit.aspx (hierarchical
     // tree) and QuickDetails.aspx (legacy flat) leaves carry parts.
     if (source === "emex") return !linkPath.includes("Vehicle.aspx");
-    if (source === "parts-catalogs") return linkPath.startsWith("pcat:"); // pcat: prefix = leaf
+    // parts-catalogs: EVERY node has a pcat: linkPath, so the old "pcat: prefix =
+    // leaf" rule mis-flagged every mid-group folder as a leaf — the worker fetched
+    // its "parts" (a 1-level drill that just revealed sub-groups) and never
+    // recursed, leaving deep pcat trees a single level shallow (no parts → empty
+    // part counts, dead cross-tree search). Use the captured hasSubgroups flag
+    // instead: a node is a parts leaf only when it is NOT a known parent group, so
+    // folders queue a children job and the recursion drills to full depth. Unknown
+    // flag (null, rare pre-migration rows) → treated as leaf, preserving the old
+    // 1-level behaviour for those.
+    if (source === "parts-catalogs") return hasSubgroups !== true;
     // PL24 leaf indicators
     return (
       linkPath.includes("/bom/") ||