diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 14ede09..ad57822 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -200,9 +200,9 @@ re-runs are cheap and offline-friendly; set `ETL_FORCE_REFRESH=1` to bypass the
 
 | Script | Source | Output |
 | --- | --- | --- |
-| `fetchStars.ts` | HYG database, plus any other positional catalogue wired in (see below) | `stars.bin`, `stars-meta.bin`, `stars-index.json` |
+| `fetchStars.ts` | HYG database, plus any other positional catalogue wired in (see below) | the catalogue stars, handed to `fetchExoplanets.ts` |
 | `fetchSolarSystem.ts` | JPL Horizons / SSD | `bodies.json` |
-| `fetchExoplanets.ts` | NASA Exoplanet Archive (TAP) | `exoplanets.json` |
+| `fetchExoplanets.ts` | NASA Exoplanet Archive (TAP), and the stars above with the hosts it adds | `exoplanets.json`, `stars.bin`, `stars-meta.bin`, `stars-index.json` |
 | `fetchDeepSky.ts` | OpenNGC | `deepsky.json` |
 
 The star catalogue ships as two binary column stores plus a small JSON file, not as an array of
diff --git a/tools/etl/fetchStars.ts b/tools/etl/fetchStars.ts
index b886ac3..c30a2e5 100644
--- a/tools/etl/fetchStars.ts
+++ b/tools/etl/fetchStars.ts
@@ -71,8 +71,11 @@ function spectralTypeOf(row: Record<string, string>): string {
 /**
  * Downloads the HYG (Hipparcos/Yale/Gliese) stellar database, places each star along its
  * equatorial direction (epoch J2000.0) at whichever of its Hipparcos and Gaia distances has the
- * smaller error, keeps the ones either survey puts within range, unions the other positional
- * sources, and writes `stars.bin` (packed positions) + `stars-index.json` (everything else).
+ * smaller error, keeps the ones either survey puts within range, and unions the other positional
+ * sources. Writes nothing: fetchExoplanets adds the hosts the catalogue lacks and renames the
+ * ones known only by a designation, then writes the star assets once. Written here as well, they
+ * stood on disk without those 3 277 stars whenever a run stopped between the two — and that
+ * catalogue left 4 237 planets pointing at stars it did not have.
  */
 export async function fetchStars(): Promise<StarRecord[]> {
   console.log(`Fetching HYG star catalog (distance cutoff: ${DISTANCE_CUTOFF_PC} pc)...`);
@@ -162,7 +165,6 @@ export async function fetchStars(): Promise<StarRecord[]> {
 
   const merged = await mergeWithOtherSources(stars);
   merged.sort((a, b) => a.id - b.id);
-  writeStarAssets(merged);
   return merged;
 }
 
@@ -224,8 +226,9 @@ export function writeStarAssets(stars: StarRecord[]): void {
   writeFileSync(dataPath('stars-index.json'), JSON.stringify(index));
 }
 
+// On its own it writes what the ETL would, hosts included; imported late, since fetchExoplanets imports this module.
 if (require.main === module) {
-  fetchStars().catch((error) => {
+  import('./fetchExoplanets').then(({ fetchExoplanets }) => fetchExoplanets()).catch((error) => {
     console.error(error);
     process.exitCode = 1;
   });