diff --git a/src/bank_panel.cpp b/src/bank_panel.cpp
index 2b9e343..cf2fc52 100644
--- a/src/bank_panel.cpp
+++ b/src/bank_panel.cpp
@@ -3199,10 +3199,11 @@ void handleRightClick(int x, int y) {
 // --- Dialog proc + docking ----------------------------------------------------
 
 // Decodes a WM_DROPFILES HDROP into the dropped file paths (absolute, OS-native) and hands
-// them to the S8 ingest path. Multi-file drop: ingestDroppedFiles imports all and assigns
-// the first. Always DragFinish's the HDROP (frees the shell-allocated drop buffer) on every
-// path. DragQueryFile(hDrop, 0xFFFFFFFF, ...) returns the file count; then each path is
-// queried by index. Both Win32 and SWELL expose DragQueryFile/DragFinish with this contract.
+// them to the S8 ingest path. Multi-file drop: ingestDroppedFiles imports all into the active
+// bank (bank-fill only — no assignment to any live instance). Always DragFinish's the HDROP
+// (frees the shell-allocated drop buffer) on every path. DragQueryFile(hDrop, 0xFFFFFFFF, ...)
+// returns the file count; then each path is queried by index. Both Win32 and SWELL expose
+// DragQueryFile/DragFinish with this contract.
 void handleDropFiles(HDROP hDrop) {
     std::vector<std::string> paths;
     const UINT count = DragQueryFile(hDrop, 0xFFFFFFFF, nullptr, 0);
@@ -3224,7 +3225,7 @@ WDL_DLGRET dlgProc(HWND hwnd, UINT msg, WPARAM wParam, LPARAM lParam) {
     switch (msg) {
         case WM_DROPFILES:
             // S8 drop-onto-panel ingest: OS file drop on the docked panel HWND -> import
-            // into the active bank + assign the first. wParam is the HDROP.
+            // into the active bank (bank-fill only). wParam is the HDROP.
             handleDropFiles(reinterpret_cast<HDROP>(wParam));
             return 0;
         case WM_PAINT: {
diff --git a/src/ingest.cpp b/src/ingest.cpp
index 1b00973..cac3177 100644
--- a/src/ingest.cpp
+++ b/src/ingest.cpp
@@ -532,12 +532,11 @@ void ingestAssignActiveInstance(const std::string& bankId, const std::string& sa
 void ingestDroppedFiles(const std::vector<std::string>& absolutePaths) {
     if (!g_session || absolutePaths.empty()) return;
 
-    // Import ALL dropped files; assign the FIRST successfully-imported one (documented
-    // multi-file policy). Batch the persist + undo point: many imports are ONE undo entry.
-    std::string firstAssignId;
-    std::string firstAssignBank;
-    int importedNew = 0;
-    int importedTotal = 0;  // includes dedup collapses that still yielded an id to assign
+    // Import ALL dropped files into the active bank — bank-fill only. No assignment_request
+    // is written on this path; the drop has no effect on what any live instance plays.
+    // Batch the persist + undo point: many imports are ONE undo entry.
+    int importedNew   = 0;
+    int importedTotal = 0;
     std::string lastFailure;
 
     for (const std::string& path : absolutePaths) {
@@ -548,44 +547,31 @@ void ingestDroppedFiles(const std::vector<std::string>& absolutePaths) {
         }
         ++importedTotal;
         if (r.added) ++importedNew;
-        if (firstAssignId.empty()) {
-            firstAssignId   = r.sampleId;
-            firstAssignBank = g_session->book().activeBankId();
-        }
     }
 
     // One undo point for the whole drop, opened only if a NEW index entry was created (a
-    // drop that only re-hit existing content mutated nothing on the index). The assign
-    // request is written INSIDE the same block so Ctrl-Z rolls back both keys together:
-    // undo restores `banks` (removing the new samples) AND clears the `assign_request` that
-    // named one of them, so no stale request survives pointing to a removed sample.
+    // drop that only re-hit existing content mutated nothing on the index).
     // If saveToActiveProject() no-ops (unsaved project), we close with an empty label + zero
     // flag so REAPER discards the undo entry (house pattern from actions.cpp).
-    if (!firstAssignId.empty()) {
-        if (importedNew > 0) {
-            Undo_BeginBlock2(nullptr);
-            // S9: one coalesced bump for the whole drop (>=1 new sample landed) inside the
-            // block so the generation refreshes the assigned instance and undo rolls it back.
-            g_session->bumpBankGeneration();
-            const bool persisted = g_session->saveToActiveProject();
-            // Assign inside the block: undo restores both keys atomically.
-            ingestAssignActiveInstance(firstAssignBank, firstAssignId);
-            if (persisted)
-                Undo_EndBlock2(nullptr, "ReaSampler: import dropped file(s)",
-                               UNDO_STATE_MISCCFG);
-            else
-                Undo_EndBlock2(nullptr, "", 0);
-        } else {
-            // All dropped files deduplicated: index unchanged, no undo point needed. Still
-            // assign so the user sees the sample is already in the bank.
-            ingestAssignActiveInstance(firstAssignBank, firstAssignId);
-        }
+    if (importedNew > 0) {
+        Undo_BeginBlock2(nullptr);
+        // S9: one coalesced generation bump for the whole drop (>=1 new sample landed) so
+        // open VST3 browser instances refresh to show the newly available sounds.
+        g_session->bumpBankGeneration();
+        const bool persisted = g_session->saveToActiveProject();
+        if (persisted)
+            Undo_EndBlock2(nullptr, "ReaSampler: import dropped file(s)", UNDO_STATE_MISCCFG);
+        else
+            Undo_EndBlock2(nullptr, "", 0);
         bankPanelRefresh();
         const std::string msg =
             "ReaSampler ingest: imported " + std::to_string(importedTotal) +
-            (importedTotal == 1 ? " file" : " files") +
-            " and assigned the first to the active instance.\n";
+            (importedTotal == 1 ? " file" : " files") + " into the bank.\n";
         ShowConsoleMsg(msg.c_str());
+    } else if (importedTotal > 0) {
+        // All dropped files were already in the bank (deduplicated); nothing changed.
+        bankPanelRefresh();
+        ShowConsoleMsg("ReaSampler ingest: all dropped files already in the bank.\n");
     } else {
         ShowConsoleMsg(("ReaSampler ingest: nothing imported from the drop -- " +
                         (lastFailure.empty() ? std::string("no usable files") : lastFailure) +