diff --git a/app/Jobs/SyncChannelPostsJob.php b/app/Jobs/SyncChannelPostsJob.php
index edf86824..d598733f 100644
--- a/app/Jobs/SyncChannelPostsJob.php
+++ b/app/Jobs/SyncChannelPostsJob.php
@@ -68,12 +68,7 @@ private function syncLemmyChannelPosts(LogSaver $logSaver): void
             $api = $this->makeApiService($this->channel->platformInstance->url);
             $token = $this->getAuthToken($api, $account);
 
-            // channel_id holds a Lemmy community slug (non-numeric) or a numeric
-            // community id; syncChannelPosts() needs the numeric id. Mirror the
-            // resolution used in LemmyPublisher::createPost().
-            $communityId = is_numeric($this->channel->channel_id)
-                ? (int) $this->channel->channel_id
-                : $api->getCommunityId($this->channel->channel_id, $token);
+            $communityId = $api->resolveCommunityId($this->channel->channel_id, $token);
 
             $api->syncChannelPosts($token, $communityId, $this->channel->name);
 
diff --git a/app/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyApiService.php b/app/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyApiService.php
index 448fa57e..0ab58d21 100644
--- a/app/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyApiService.php
+++ b/app/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyApiService.php
@@ -83,6 +83,21 @@ public function login(string $username, string $password): ?string
         return null;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Resolve a PlatformChannel.channel_id to a numeric Lemmy community id.
+     *
+     * channel_id holds either a community slug (the usual case — CreateChannelAction
+     * copies `name` into it) or an already-numeric community id. Callers that need the
+     * numeric id should use this rather than reimplementing the check, so the two forms
+     * stay handled identically everywhere.
+     */
+    public function resolveCommunityId(string $channelId, string $token): int
+    {
+        return is_numeric($channelId)
+            ? (int) $channelId
+            : $this->getCommunityId($channelId, $token);
+    }
+
     public function getCommunityId(string $communityName, string $token): int
     {
         try {
diff --git a/app/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyPublisher.php b/app/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyPublisher.php
index 3d398eba..be7855a0 100644
--- a/app/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyPublisher.php
+++ b/app/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyPublisher.php
@@ -54,9 +54,7 @@ private function createPost(string $token, array $extractedData, PlatformChannel
     {
         $languageId = $extractedData['language_id'] ?? null;
 
-        $communityId = is_numeric($channel->channel_id)
-            ? (int) $channel->channel_id
-            : $this->api->getCommunityId($channel->channel_id, $token);
+        $communityId = $this->api->resolveCommunityId($channel->channel_id, $token);
 
         return $this->api->createPost(
             $token,
diff --git a/tests/Unit/Jobs/SyncChannelPostsJobTest.php b/tests/Unit/Jobs/SyncChannelPostsJobTest.php
index db31c90a..62fcc10e 100644
--- a/tests/Unit/Jobs/SyncChannelPostsJobTest.php
+++ b/tests/Unit/Jobs/SyncChannelPostsJobTest.php
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ public function test_sync_resolves_non_numeric_channel_id_via_get_community_id()
             ->once()
             ->with($account->username, $account->password)
             ->andReturn('token');
-        $apiMock->shouldReceive('getCommunityId')
+        $apiMock->shouldReceive('resolveCommunityId')
             ->once()
             ->with('tech_news', 'token')
             ->andReturn(42);
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ public function test_sync_resolves_non_numeric_channel_id_via_get_community_id()
         $this->addToAssertionCount(1);
     }
 
-    public function test_sync_uses_numeric_channel_id_directly_without_lookup(): void
+    public function test_sync_passes_resolved_community_id_to_sync_channel_posts(): void
     {
         [$channel, $account] = $this->makeSyncableChannel('42');
 
@@ -170,11 +170,13 @@ public function test_sync_uses_numeric_channel_id_directly_without_lookup(): voi
             ->once()
             ->with($account->username, $account->password)
             ->andReturn('token');
-        // The behaviour that matters here is that no community lookup happens — the
-        // numeric channel_id is used as-is. (The int-ness of the argument is not worth
-        // asserting: syncChannelPosts() declares `int $platformChannelId`, so PHP coerces
-        // '42' at the call boundary whether or not the job casts it first.)
-        $apiMock->shouldNotReceive('getCommunityId');
+        // The slug-vs-numeric branch itself now lives in LemmyApiService::resolveCommunityId
+        // and is covered by LemmyApiServiceTest; here we only assert the job forwards
+        // whatever that resolution returns.
+        $apiMock->shouldReceive('resolveCommunityId')
+            ->once()
+            ->with('42', 'token')
+            ->andReturn(42);
         $apiMock->shouldReceive('syncChannelPosts')
             ->once()
             ->with('token', 42, $channel->name);
@@ -185,7 +187,8 @@ public function test_sync_uses_numeric_channel_id_directly_without_lookup(): voi
 
         $this->makeJobWithApi($channel, $apiMock)->handle($logSaverMock);
 
-        // As above: the shouldNotReceive('getCommunityId') expectation is the assertion.
+        // The mocked call sequence above is the assertion; assert explicitly so PHPUnit
+        // does not flag the test as risky.
         $this->addToAssertionCount(1);
     }
 
diff --git a/tests/Unit/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyApiServiceTest.php b/tests/Unit/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyApiServiceTest.php
index 2d8caf85..9d50ead0 100644
--- a/tests/Unit/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyApiServiceTest.php
+++ b/tests/Unit/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyApiServiceTest.php
@@ -163,6 +163,37 @@ public function test_get_community_id_success(): void
         });
     }
 
+    public function test_resolve_community_id_looks_up_non_numeric_channel_id(): void
+    {
+        Http::fake([
+            '*' => Http::response([
+                'community_view' => [
+                    'community' => ['id' => 123],
+                ],
+            ], 200),
+        ]);
+
+        $service = new LemmyApiService('lemmy.world');
+        $id = $service->resolveCommunityId('test-community', 'token');
+
+        $this->assertSame(123, $id);
+
+        Http::assertSent(fn ($request) => str_contains($request->url(), 'name=test-community'));
+    }
+
+    public function test_resolve_community_id_uses_numeric_channel_id_without_lookup(): void
+    {
+        Http::fake();
+
+        $service = new LemmyApiService('lemmy.world');
+        $id = $service->resolveCommunityId('42', 'token');
+
+        $this->assertSame(42, $id);
+
+        // A numeric channel_id is already the community id — no lookup should happen.
+        Http::assertNothingSent();
+    }
+
     public function test_get_community_id_throws_on_unsuccessful_response(): void
     {
         Http::fake([
diff --git a/tests/Unit/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyPublisherTest.php b/tests/Unit/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyPublisherTest.php
index 6e536767..e8459663 100644
--- a/tests/Unit/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyPublisherTest.php
+++ b/tests/Unit/Modules/Lemmy/Services/LemmyPublisherTest.php
@@ -76,6 +76,10 @@ public function test_publish_to_channel_with_all_data(): void
 
         // Mock LemmyApiService
         $apiMock = Mockery::mock(LemmyApiService::class);
+        $apiMock->shouldReceive('resolveCommunityId')
+            ->once()
+            ->with('42', 'test-token')
+            ->andReturn(42);
         $apiMock->shouldReceive('createPost')
             ->once()
             ->with(
@@ -129,6 +133,10 @@ public function test_publish_to_channel_with_minimal_data(): void
 
         // Mock LemmyApiService
         $apiMock = Mockery::mock(LemmyApiService::class);
+        $apiMock->shouldReceive('resolveCommunityId')
+            ->once()
+            ->with('24', 'minimal-token')
+            ->andReturn(24);
         $apiMock->shouldReceive('createPost')
             ->once()
             ->with(
@@ -185,6 +193,10 @@ public function test_publish_to_channel_without_thumbnail(): void
 
         // Mock LemmyApiService
         $apiMock = Mockery::mock(LemmyApiService::class);
+        $apiMock->shouldReceive('resolveCommunityId')
+            ->once()
+            ->with('33', 'no-thumb-token')
+            ->andReturn(33);
         $apiMock->shouldReceive('createPost')
             ->once()
             ->with(
@@ -266,6 +278,10 @@ public function test_publish_to_channel_throws_api_exception(): void
 
         // Mock LemmyApiService to throw exception
         $apiMock = Mockery::mock(LemmyApiService::class);
+        $apiMock->shouldReceive('resolveCommunityId')
+            ->once()
+            ->with('42', 'test-token')
+            ->andReturn(42);
         $apiMock->shouldReceive('createPost')
             ->once()
             ->andThrow(new Exception('API Error'));
@@ -284,7 +300,7 @@ public function test_publish_to_channel_throws_api_exception(): void
         $publisher->publishToChannel($article, $extractedData, $channel);
     }
 
-    public function test_publish_to_channel_handles_string_channel_id(): void
+    public function test_publish_to_channel_forwards_resolved_community_id_to_create_post(): void
     {
         $account = PlatformAccount::factory()->make([
             'instance_url' => 'https://lemmy.world',
@@ -309,9 +325,9 @@ public function test_publish_to_channel_handles_string_channel_id(): void
             ->once()
             ->andReturn('token');
 
-        // Mock LemmyApiService - should call getCommunityId for non-numeric channel_id
+        // Mock LemmyApiService - should resolve non-numeric channel_id to a community id
         $apiMock = Mockery::mock(LemmyApiService::class);
-        $apiMock->shouldReceive('getCommunityId')
+        $apiMock->shouldReceive('resolveCommunityId')
             ->once()
             ->with('string-42', 'token')
             ->andReturn(42);