diff --git a/src/app/(default-locale)/(app)/profile/layout.tsx b/src/app/(default-locale)/(app)/profile/layout.tsx
index cdff2994..c71c58a0 100644
--- a/src/app/(default-locale)/(app)/profile/layout.tsx
+++ b/src/app/(default-locale)/(app)/profile/layout.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
-/** Profile route — Apollo client is created in profile page with server prefetch. */
+import type { ReactNode } from "react";
+
+import { AppChromeLayoutClient } from "#/features/appChrome/ui/AppChromeLayoutClient";
+
+/** Persistent chrome for profile — Apollo prefetch stays in {@link ProfilePage}. */
 export default function DefaultLocaleProfileLayout({
   children,
 }: {
-  children: React.ReactNode;
+  children: ReactNode;
 }) {
-  return children;
+  return <AppChromeLayoutClient>{children}</AppChromeLayoutClient>;
 }
diff --git a/src/app/[lang]/(app)/profile/layout.tsx b/src/app/[lang]/(app)/profile/layout.tsx
index 6d0e3938..e7967971 100644
--- a/src/app/[lang]/(app)/profile/layout.tsx
+++ b/src/app/[lang]/(app)/profile/layout.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
-/** Profile route — Apollo client is created in profile page with server prefetch. */
+import type { ReactNode } from "react";
+
+import { AppChromeLayoutClient } from "#/features/appChrome/ui/AppChromeLayoutClient";
+
+/** Persistent chrome for profile — Apollo prefetch stays in {@link ProfilePage}. */
 export default function LangProfileLayout({
   children,
 }: {
-  children: React.ReactNode;
+  children: ReactNode;
 }) {
-  return children;
+  return <AppChromeLayoutClient>{children}</AppChromeLayoutClient>;
 }
diff --git a/src/app/locale-app/ApolloHydrationProvider.tsx b/src/app/locale-app/ApolloHydrationProvider.tsx
index 1c78141e..e7863030 100644
--- a/src/app/locale-app/ApolloHydrationProvider.tsx
+++ b/src/app/locale-app/ApolloHydrationProvider.tsx
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ type ApolloHydrationProviderProps = {
 
 /**
  * Route-scoped Apollo client with optional server-extracted cache (daily, profile).
- * Playground mounts with `initialCache={null}` for {@link ProjectModal} LeetCode import only.
  */
 export const ApolloHydrationProvider: React.FC<
   ApolloHydrationProviderProps
diff --git a/src/features/playground/ui/PlaygroundLayoutClient.tsx b/src/features/playground/ui/PlaygroundLayoutClient.tsx
index 6b1307a8..d9a4bf5e 100644
--- a/src/features/playground/ui/PlaygroundLayoutClient.tsx
+++ b/src/features/playground/ui/PlaygroundLayoutClient.tsx
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import { PlaygroundPageShell } from "#/features/playground/ui/PlaygroundPageShel
 import { ProjectBrowserProvider } from "#/features/project/ui/ProjectBrowser/ProjectBrowserContext";
 import { prefetchSplitPanelsLayout } from "#/shared/ui/templates/SplitPanelsLayout/prefetchSplitPanelsLayout";
 
-import { ApolloHydrationProvider } from "#/app/locale-app/ApolloHydrationProvider";
 import { ProjectBrowserOverlay } from "#/app/locale-app/ProjectBrowserOverlay";
 
 type PlaygroundLayoutClientProps = {
@@ -40,12 +39,10 @@ export const PlaygroundLayoutClient: React.FC<PlaygroundLayoutClientProps> = ({
   children,
 }) => {
   return (
-    <ApolloHydrationProvider initialCache={null}>
-      <ProjectBrowserProvider>
-        <PlaygroundRouteEffects />
-        <PlaygroundPageShell>{children}</PlaygroundPageShell>
-        <ProjectBrowserOverlay />
-      </ProjectBrowserProvider>
-    </ApolloHydrationProvider>
+    <ProjectBrowserProvider>
+      <PlaygroundRouteEffects />
+      <PlaygroundPageShell>{children}</PlaygroundPageShell>
+      <ProjectBrowserOverlay />
+    </ProjectBrowserProvider>
   );
 };
diff --git a/src/features/profile/ui/ProfilePageView.tsx b/src/features/profile/ui/ProfilePageView.tsx
index 7cb9ff6b..1d3d5320 100644
--- a/src/features/profile/ui/ProfilePageView.tsx
+++ b/src/features/profile/ui/ProfilePageView.tsx
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import { UserSettings } from "#/features/profile/ui/UserSettings";
 import { useGetUserProfileQuery } from "#/graphql/generated";
 import { useI18nContext } from "#/shared/hooks";
 import { useProfileUserId } from "#/shared/hooks/useProfileUserId";
-import { MainLayout } from "#/shared/ui/templates/MainLayout";
 
 /** Profile dashboard content. Shared by Pages `/profile/[userId]` and App pilot. */
 export const ProfilePageView: React.FC = () => {
@@ -123,32 +122,30 @@ export const ProfilePageView: React.FC = () => {
   };
 
   return (
-    <MainLayout>
-      <Container>
-        {renderAuthStatusSection()}
-        {session.status !== "loading" ? (
-          <>
-            <Typography
-              variant="h5"
-              sx={{
-                my: 3,
-              }}
-            >
-              {LL.USER_DASHBOARD({
-                name: leetCodeUsername || username || "User",
-              })}
-            </Typography>
-            <Grid container spacing={2}>
-              <Grid size={{ xs: 12, md: 6 }}>
-                <UserSettings />
-              </Grid>
-              <Grid size={{ xs: 12, md: 6 }}>
-                <LeetCodeStats userProfile={userProfileQueryResult} />
-              </Grid>
+    <Container>
+      {renderAuthStatusSection()}
+      {session.status !== "loading" ? (
+        <>
+          <Typography
+            variant="h5"
+            sx={{
+              my: 3,
+            }}
+          >
+            {LL.USER_DASHBOARD({
+              name: leetCodeUsername || username || "User",
+            })}
+          </Typography>
+          <Grid container spacing={2}>
+            <Grid size={{ xs: 12, md: 6 }}>
+              <UserSettings />
+            </Grid>
+            <Grid size={{ xs: 12, md: 6 }}>
+              <LeetCodeStats userProfile={userProfileQueryResult} />
             </Grid>
-          </>
-        ) : null}
-      </Container>
-    </MainLayout>
+          </Grid>
+        </>
+      ) : null}
+    </Container>
   );
 };
diff --git a/src/features/project/ui/ProjectModal.tsx b/src/features/project/ui/ProjectModal.tsx
index 98ee80e5..322f73c5 100644
--- a/src/features/project/ui/ProjectModal.tsx
+++ b/src/features/project/ui/ProjectModal.tsx
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ import { categoryLabels } from "#/entities/category/model/categoryLabels";
 import { getDifficultyValue } from "#/entities/difficulty/lib/getDifficultyValue";
 import { difficultyLabels } from "#/entities/difficulty/model/difficultyLabels";
 import { projectSlice } from "#/features/project/model/projectSlice";
-import { useQuestionTitleLazyQuery } from "#/graphql/generated";
 import {
   ProjectCategory,
   ProjectDifficulty,
@@ -88,10 +87,6 @@ export const ProjectModal: React.FC<ProjectModalProps> = ({
   const [problemFetchStatus, setProblemFetchStatus] = useState(
     ProblemFetchStatus.IDLE,
   );
-  const [getQuestionTitle, { loading: isQuestionLoading }] =
-    useQuestionTitleLazyQuery({
-      returnPartialData: true,
-    });
 
   const prevEditMode = usePrevious(isEditMode);
 
@@ -106,6 +101,7 @@ export const ProjectModal: React.FC<ProjectModalProps> = ({
   const createProject = api.project.create.useMutation();
   const editProject = api.project.update.useMutation();
   const deleteProject = api.project.delete.useMutation();
+  const fetchLeetCodeQuestion = api.leetcode.getQuestionMetadata.useMutation();
   const trpcUtils = api.useUtils();
 
   const { setProject, clearSlugs } = usePlaygroundSlugs();
@@ -250,18 +246,22 @@ export const ProjectModal: React.FC<ProjectModalProps> = ({
         return;
       }
 
-      const { data } = await getQuestionTitle({
-        variables: {
-          titleSlug,
-        },
+      const question = await fetchLeetCodeQuestion.mutateAsync({
+        titleSlug,
       });
-      if (!data) return;
+      if (!question) {
+        setProblemFetchStatus(ProblemFetchStatus.ERROR);
+        enqueueSnackbar("Failed to fetch problem data!", {
+          variant: "error",
+        });
+        return;
+      }
 
       void formik.setValues({
         ...formik.values,
-        projectName: data.question.title,
-        projectSlug: data.question.titleSlug,
-        projectDifficulty: getDifficultyValue(data.question.difficulty),
+        projectName: question.title,
+        projectSlug: question.titleSlug,
+        projectDifficulty: getDifficultyValue(question.difficulty),
       });
       setProblemFetchStatus(ProblemFetchStatus.SUCCESS);
       enqueueSnackbar("Problem data was successfully fetched 🎉", {
@@ -440,7 +440,7 @@ export const ProjectModal: React.FC<ProjectModalProps> = ({
                 >
                   <span>
                     <Button
-                      loading={isQuestionLoading}
+                      loading={fetchLeetCodeQuestion.isPending}
                       disabled={Boolean(
                         !formik.values.projectLcLink ||
                         formik.errors.projectLcLink,
diff --git a/src/server/api/routers/__tests__/leetcode.getQuestionMetadata.test.ts b/src/server/api/routers/__tests__/leetcode.getQuestionMetadata.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a42f5272
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/server/api/routers/__tests__/leetcode.getQuestionMetadata.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+const mockFetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata = vi.fn();
+
+vi.mock("#/server/leetcode/fetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata", () => ({
+  fetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata: (titleSlug: string) =>
+    mockFetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata(titleSlug),
+}));
+
+describe("leetcode.getQuestionMetadata", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it("returns question metadata from LeetCode", async () => {
+    mockFetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata.mockResolvedValue({
+      title: "Two Sum",
+      titleSlug: "two-sum",
+      difficulty: "Easy",
+    });
+
+    const { leetcodeRouter } = await import("#/server/api/routers/leetcode");
+    const caller = leetcodeRouter.createCaller({
+      session: null,
+      db: {} as never,
+    });
+
+    const result = await caller.getQuestionMetadata({ titleSlug: "two-sum" });
+
+    expect(mockFetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata).toHaveBeenCalledWith("two-sum");
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      title: "Two Sum",
+      titleSlug: "two-sum",
+      difficulty: "Easy",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("returns null when upstream fetch fails", async () => {
+    mockFetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata.mockResolvedValue(null);
+
+    const { leetcodeRouter } = await import("#/server/api/routers/leetcode");
+    const caller = leetcodeRouter.createCaller({
+      session: null,
+      db: {} as never,
+    });
+
+    const result = await caller.getQuestionMetadata({
+      titleSlug: "missing-problem",
+    });
+
+    expect(result).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/server/api/routers/leetcode.ts b/src/server/api/routers/leetcode.ts
index bf2c3185..59c9f9ce 100644
--- a/src/server/api/routers/leetcode.ts
+++ b/src/server/api/routers/leetcode.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,27 @@
 import { z } from "zod";
 
-import { createTRPCRouter, protectedProcedure } from "#/server/api/trpc";
+import {
+  createTRPCRouter,
+  protectedProcedure,
+  publicProcedure,
+} from "#/server/api/trpc";
+import { fetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata } from "#/server/leetcode/fetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata";
 
 export const leetcodeRouter = createTRPCRouter({
+  getQuestionMetadata: publicProcedure
+    .input(
+      z.object({
+        titleSlug: z.string().min(1),
+      }),
+    )
+    .mutation(async ({ input }) => {
+      const metadata = await fetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata(input.titleSlug);
+      if (!metadata) {
+        return null;
+      }
+      return metadata;
+    }),
+
   linkUser: protectedProcedure
     .input(
       z.object({
diff --git a/src/server/leetcode/fetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata.ts b/src/server/leetcode/fetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a86c002a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/server/leetcode/fetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import { createApolloClient } from "#/graphql/createApolloClient";
+import { QuestionTitleDocument } from "#/graphql/generated";
+import type { Difficulty } from "#/graphql/generated";
+
+export type LeetCodeQuestionMetadata = {
+  title: string;
+  titleSlug: string;
+  difficulty: Difficulty;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Fetch public LeetCode question metadata for project import (server-side).
+ */
+export async function fetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata(
+  titleSlug: string,
+): Promise<LeetCodeQuestionMetadata | null> {
+  const client = createApolloClient({ ssr: true });
+
+  try {
+    const result = await client.query({
+      query: QuestionTitleDocument,
+      variables: { titleSlug },
+      fetchPolicy: "no-cache",
+    });
+
+    const question = result.data.question;
+    if (!question?.title || !question.titleSlug || !question.difficulty) {
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    return {
+      title: question.title,
+      titleSlug: question.titleSlug,
+      difficulty: question.difficulty,
+    };
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.warn(
+      "fetchLeetCodeQuestionMetadata: LeetCode GraphQL request failed",
+      error,
+    );
+    return null;
+  }
+}