diff --git a/app/api/admin/daily-puzzles/route.ts b/app/api/admin/daily-puzzles/route.ts
index 3985071..231d40c 100644
--- a/app/api/admin/daily-puzzles/route.ts
+++ b/app/api/admin/daily-puzzles/route.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,20 @@ export async function GET() {
             }
         }));
 
-        return NextResponse.json(formattedPuzzles);
+        // Filter out duplicates (keep only the first one per category)
+        // This matches the behavior of getOrCreateDailyPuzzle which uses findFirst
+        const uniquePuzzles = [];
+        const seenCategories = new Set();
+
+        for (const puzzle of formattedPuzzles) {
+            const key = `${puzzle.categoryType}-${puzzle.genreId || 'null'}-${puzzle.specialId || 'null'}`;
+            if (!seenCategories.has(key)) {
+                seenCategories.add(key);
+                uniquePuzzles.push(puzzle);
+            }
+        }
+
+        return NextResponse.json(uniquePuzzles);
     } catch (error) {
         console.error('Error fetching daily puzzles:', error);
         return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Internal Server Error' }, { status: 500 });