diff --git a/backend/app/auth.py b/backend/app/auth.py
index 1ac8bee..f71b55a 100644
--- a/backend/app/auth.py
+++ b/backend/app/auth.py
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
-import hashlib
 import logging
-import re
 import secrets
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
 
@@ -8,7 +6,7 @@ import httpx
 from authlib.integrations.starlette_client import OAuth, OAuthError
 from fastapi import APIRouter, BackgroundTasks, Depends, HTTPException, Request
 from fastapi.responses import JSONResponse, RedirectResponse
-from sqlalchemy import delete, select
+from sqlalchemy import delete, func, select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app import email as email_mod
@@ -17,7 +15,8 @@ from app.config import settings
 from app.db import get_db
 from app.models import AuthToken, DemoWhitelist, Invite, OAuthToken, User
 from app.ratelimit import RateLimiter
-from app.security import decrypt, encrypt, hash_password, verify_password
+from app.security import decrypt, encrypt, hash_password, hash_token, verify_password
+from app.utils import valid_email
 
 # Email+password auth tuning.
 PASSWORD_MIN_LEN = 10
@@ -43,8 +42,6 @@ def _notify_suspended(background: BackgroundTasks, email: str) -> None:
     if _suspend_email_limiter.allow(email):
         background.add_task(email_mod.send_account_suspended, email, operator_contact())
 
-_EMAIL_RE = re.compile(r"^[^@\s]+@[^@\s]+\.[^@\s]+$")
-
 # The single shared demo account's stable identity. The row is created lazily on first
 # demo login (see get_or_create_demo_user); these are just its sentinel keys.
 DEMO_GOOGLE_SUB = "__demo__"
@@ -184,7 +181,7 @@ def upsert_pending_invite(db: Session, email: str) -> Invite | None:
     """Idempotently record an access request. Returns the Invite if a *new* pending row
     was created (so the caller can notify admins), else None for already-known emails."""
     email = (email or "").lower()
-    if not _EMAIL_RE.match(email):
+    if not valid_email(email):
         return None
     inv = db.execute(select(Invite).where(Invite.email == email)).scalar_one_or_none()
     if inv is not None:
@@ -443,7 +440,7 @@ async def request_access(
     """Public: ask for access. Idempotent — repeat requests for the same email don't
     duplicate or re-spam admins (upsert returns None for an already-pending row)."""
     email = (payload.get("email") or "").strip().lower()
-    if not _EMAIL_RE.match(email):
+    if not valid_email(email):
         raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Enter a valid email address.")
     if is_allowed(db, email):
         return {"status": "approved"}  # already allowed — just sign in
@@ -465,7 +462,7 @@ def demo_login(payload: dict, request: Request, db: Session = Depends(get_db)) -
     if not _demo_limiter.allow(_client_ip(request)):
         return {"authenticated": False}
     email = (payload.get("email") or "").strip().lower()
-    if _EMAIL_RE.match(email) and is_demo_allowed(db, email):
+    if valid_email(email) and is_demo_allowed(db, email):
         demo = get_or_create_demo_user(db)
         request.session["user_id"] = demo.id
         log.info("Demo login (key=%s, demo_id=%s)", email, demo.id)
@@ -487,10 +484,6 @@ def _app_base() -> str:
     return settings.app_base
 
 
-def _hash_token(raw: str) -> str:
-    return hashlib.sha256(raw.encode()).hexdigest()
-
-
 def _issue_token(db: Session, user: User, kind: str, ttl: timedelta) -> str:
     """Create a single-use token of `kind`; only its hash is stored. Returns the raw token
     (goes only into the emailed link)."""
@@ -499,7 +492,7 @@ def _issue_token(db: Session, user: User, kind: str, ttl: timedelta) -> str:
         AuthToken(
             user_id=user.id,
             kind=kind,
-            token_hash=_hash_token(raw),
+            token_hash=hash_token(raw),
             expires_at=datetime.now(timezone.utc) + ttl,
         )
     )
@@ -513,7 +506,7 @@ def _consume_token(db: Session, raw: str | None, kind: str) -> User | None:
         return None
     row = db.execute(
         select(AuthToken).where(
-            AuthToken.token_hash == _hash_token(raw), AuthToken.kind == kind
+            AuthToken.token_hash == hash_token(raw), AuthToken.kind == kind
         )
     ).scalar_one_or_none()
     if row is None or row.used_at is not None or row.expires_at < datetime.now(timezone.utc):
@@ -537,7 +530,7 @@ def register(
     email = (payload.get("email") or "").strip().lower()
     password = payload.get("password") or ""
     # Input validation is safe to reveal (independent of whether the email exists).
-    if not _EMAIL_RE.match(email):
+    if not valid_email(email):
         raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Enter a valid email address.")
     if len(password) < PASSWORD_MIN_LEN:
         raise HTTPException(
@@ -633,7 +626,7 @@ def password_reset_request(
     if not _reset_limiter.allow(_client_ip(request)):
         return {"status": "ok"}
     email = (payload.get("email") or "").strip().lower()
-    if _EMAIL_RE.match(email):
+    if valid_email(email):
         user = db.execute(select(User).where(User.email == email)).scalar_one_or_none()
         if user is not None and user.password_hash and not user.is_demo:
             raw = _issue_token(db, user, "reset", RESET_TTL)
@@ -694,6 +687,23 @@ def require_human(user: User = Depends(current_user)) -> User:
     return user
 
 
+def admin_user(user: User = Depends(current_user)) -> User:
+    """Dependency: require the signed-in user to be an admin. Single source of truth for the
+    admin gate — every admin route/action depends on this rather than re-checking the role."""
+    if user.role != "admin":
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=403, detail="Admin only")
+    return user
+
+
+def count_admins(db: Session, *, active_only: bool = False) -> int:
+    """How many admins exist (optionally only un-suspended ones). Used by the 'can't remove /
+    suspend / delete the last admin' guards so they don't each re-spell the count query."""
+    q = select(func.count()).select_from(User).where(User.role == "admin")
+    if active_only:
+        q = q.where(User.is_suspended.is_(False))
+    return db.scalar(q) or 0
+
+
 @router.get("/link")
 async def link_google(
     request: Request,
diff --git a/backend/app/routes/admin.py b/backend/app/routes/admin.py
index 1f7d3d8..722ac3c 100644
--- a/backend/app/routes/admin.py
+++ b/backend/app/routes/admin.py
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 """Admin-only onboarding: review access requests (Invites), approve/deny, manual add.
 Also the demo-account admin surface: the demo email whitelist + a manual state reset."""
-import re
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
 
 from fastapi import APIRouter, BackgroundTasks, Depends, HTTPException
@@ -8,7 +7,13 @@ from sqlalchemy import delete, func, select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app import email as email_mod
-from app.auth import current_user, get_or_create_demo_user, operator_contact, purge_user
+from app.auth import (
+    admin_user,
+    count_admins,
+    get_or_create_demo_user,
+    operator_contact,
+    purge_user,
+)
 from app.db import get_db
 from app.models import (
     DemoWhitelist,
@@ -20,17 +25,10 @@ from app.models import (
     Video,
     VideoState,
 )
+from app.utils import valid_email
 
 router = APIRouter(prefix="/api/admin", tags=["admin"])
 
-_EMAIL_RE = re.compile(r"^[^@\s]+@[^@\s]+\.[^@\s]+$")
-
-
-def admin_user(user: User = Depends(current_user)) -> User:
-    if user.role != "admin":
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=403, detail="Admin only")
-    return user
-
 
 def _serialize(inv: Invite) -> dict:
     return {
@@ -110,7 +108,7 @@ def add_invite(
 ) -> dict:
     """Manually whitelist an email (approved straight away). Convenience for the admin."""
     email = (payload.get("email") or "").strip().lower()
-    if "@" not in email:
+    if not valid_email(email):
         raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Enter a valid email address.")
     inv = db.execute(select(Invite).where(Invite.email == email)).scalar_one_or_none()
     if inv is None:
@@ -168,10 +166,8 @@ def set_user_role(
         raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="The demo account's role can't be changed.")
     if target.id == admin.id:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="You can't change your own role.")
-    if target.role == "admin" and role == "user":
-        admin_count = db.scalar(select(func.count()).select_from(User).where(User.role == "admin"))
-        if (admin_count or 0) <= 1:
-            raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Can't remove the last admin.")
+    if target.role == "admin" and role == "user" and count_admins(db) <= 1:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Can't remove the last admin.")
     changed = target.role != role
     target.role = role
     db.commit()
@@ -201,14 +197,13 @@ def set_user_suspended(
         raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="The demo account can't be suspended.")
     if target.id == admin.id:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="You can't suspend your own account.")
-    if suspended and target.role == "admin" and not target.is_suspended:
-        active_admins = db.scalar(
-            select(func.count())
-            .select_from(User)
-            .where(User.role == "admin", User.is_suspended.is_(False))
-        )
-        if (active_admins or 0) <= 1:
-            raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Can't suspend the last active admin.")
+    if (
+        suspended
+        and target.role == "admin"
+        and not target.is_suspended
+        and count_admins(db, active_only=True) <= 1
+    ):
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Can't suspend the last active admin.")
     was_suspended = target.is_suspended
     target.is_suspended = suspended
     db.commit()
@@ -238,12 +233,8 @@ def admin_delete_user(
         raise HTTPException(
             status_code=400, detail="Delete your own account from Settings → Account."
         )
-    if target.role == "admin":
-        admin_count = db.scalar(
-            select(func.count()).select_from(User).where(User.role == "admin")
-        )
-        if (admin_count or 0) <= 1:
-            raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Can't delete the last admin.")
+    if target.role == "admin" and count_admins(db) <= 1:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Can't delete the last admin.")
     purge_user(db, target, background)
     return {"deleted": user_id}
 
@@ -281,7 +272,7 @@ def add_demo_whitelist(
     """Add an email that may enter the shared demo account from the login page (no Google
     sign-in). Idempotent — re-adding an existing email just returns it."""
     email = (payload.get("email") or "").strip().lower()
-    if not _EMAIL_RE.match(email):
+    if not valid_email(email):
         raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Enter a valid email address.")
     row = db.execute(
         select(DemoWhitelist).where(DemoWhitelist.email == email)
diff --git a/backend/app/routes/me.py b/backend/app/routes/me.py
index 26498b4..dca46a9 100644
--- a/backend/app/routes/me.py
+++ b/backend/app/routes/me.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ from sqlalchemy import func, select
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app.auth import (
+    count_admins,
     current_user,
     google_enabled,
     has_read_scope,
@@ -111,13 +112,11 @@ def delete_my_account(
     (that would lock everyone out of the admin surfaces)."""
     if user.is_demo:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=403, detail="The shared demo account can't be deleted.")
-    if user.role == "admin":
-        admins = db.scalar(select(func.count()).select_from(User).where(User.role == "admin")) or 0
-        if admins <= 1:
-            raise HTTPException(
-                status_code=400,
-                detail="You're the only admin — promote another admin before deleting your account.",
-            )
+    if user.role == "admin" and count_admins(db) <= 1:
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=400,
+            detail="You're the only admin — promote another admin before deleting your account.",
+        )
     user_id = user.id
     # Full erasure (cascades) + access-request cleanup + Google-grant revocation; shared with the
     # admin delete path. Capture the id first — `user` is detached once purge_user deletes the row.
diff --git a/backend/app/routes/tags.py b/backend/app/routes/tags.py
index 96aac97..1ba7449 100644
--- a/backend/app/routes/tags.py
+++ b/backend/app/routes/tags.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ from sqlalchemy import func, or_, select
 from sqlalchemy.exc import IntegrityError
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
-from app.auth import current_user
+from app.auth import admin_user, current_user
 from app.db import get_db
 from app.models import ChannelTag, Tag, User
 from app.sync.autotag import run_autotag_all
@@ -103,10 +103,8 @@ def delete_tag(
 
 @router.post("/recompute")
 def recompute(
-    user: User = Depends(current_user),
+    _: User = Depends(admin_user),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
     only_missing: bool = False,
 ) -> dict:
-    if user.role != "admin":
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=403, detail="Admin only")
     return run_autotag_all(db, only_missing=only_missing)
diff --git a/backend/app/security.py b/backend/app/security.py
index 4693582..fadbbaf 100644
--- a/backend/app/security.py
+++ b/backend/app/security.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import hashlib
+
 from argon2 import PasswordHasher
 from cryptography.fernet import Fernet
 
@@ -7,6 +9,12 @@ from app.config import settings
 _ph = PasswordHasher()
 
 
+def hash_token(raw: str) -> str:
+    """SHA-256 hex digest for storing single-use tokens (email-link tokens, the setup token)
+    by hash rather than in cleartext. Not a password hash — these are high-entropy randoms."""
+    return hashlib.sha256(raw.encode()).hexdigest()
+
+
 def hash_password(password: str) -> str:
     return _ph.hash(password)
 
diff --git a/backend/app/state.py b/backend/app/state.py
index c82f3dc..5466903 100644
--- a/backend/app/state.py
+++ b/backend/app/state.py
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 """Global admin-controlled app state (e.g. pausing background sync, first-run setup)."""
-import hashlib
 import logging
 import secrets
 
@@ -7,6 +6,7 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from app.config import settings
 from app.models import AppState
+from app.security import hash_token
 
 log = logging.getLogger("siftlode.state")
 
@@ -73,16 +73,12 @@ def mark_configured(db: Session) -> None:
     log.info("Instance marked configured; setup wizard disabled.")
 
 
-def _hash_token(raw: str) -> str:
-    return hashlib.sha256(raw.encode()).hexdigest()
-
-
 def rotate_setup_token(db: Session) -> str:
     """Generate a fresh one-time setup token, persist only its hash, and return the raw token
     (logged at startup so the admin can open the wizard)."""
     raw = secrets.token_urlsafe(24)
     row = _row(db)
-    row.setup_token_hash = _hash_token(raw)
+    row.setup_token_hash = hash_token(raw)
     db.add(row)
     db.commit()
     return raw
@@ -93,7 +89,7 @@ def check_setup_token(db: Session, raw: str | None) -> bool:
     if not raw:
         return False
     stored = _row(db).setup_token_hash
-    return stored is not None and secrets.compare_digest(stored, _hash_token(raw))
+    return stored is not None and secrets.compare_digest(stored, hash_token(raw))
 
 
 def get_maintenance_batch(db: Session) -> int:
diff --git a/backend/app/utils.py b/backend/app/utils.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..70feb39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/utils.py
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+"""Small cross-cutting helpers shared across modules (kept dependency-light on purpose)."""
+import re
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+
+# Single source of truth for "looks like an email" — used by every endpoint that accepts an
+# address (auth register/reset/demo, admin invites + demo whitelist, the setup wizard). Keep
+# the strictness in one place so routes don't drift between this and a looser "@"-in check.
+_EMAIL_RE = re.compile(r"^[^@\s]+@[^@\s]+\.[^@\s]+$")
+
+
+def valid_email(value: str | None) -> bool:
+    return bool(value and _EMAIL_RE.match(value))
+
+
+def now_utc() -> datetime:
+    """Current time as a timezone-aware UTC datetime."""
+    return datetime.now(timezone.utc)