diff --git a/winnow/cli.py b/winnow/cli.py
index ff76e87..8dee5d0 100644
--- a/winnow/cli.py
+++ b/winnow/cli.py
@@ -82,14 +82,17 @@ def _handle_duplicate_people(people: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
     def _smaller_duplicate_ids(groups: dict) -> set[str]:
         """IDs of all but the largest person in each duplicate group."""
         return {
-            p.get("id")
+            pid
             for ps in groups.values()
             for p in sorted(ps, key=lambda x: x.get("assetCount", 0), reverse=True)[1:]
-            if p.get("id") is not None
+            if (pid := p.get("id"))
         }
 
     skip_ids = _smaller_duplicate_ids(duplicates)
 
+    def _excl(lst: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
+        return [p for p in lst if p.get("id") not in skip_ids]
+
     if not Config.MERGE_DUPLICATE_PEOPLE:
         rprint("\n[bold yellow]⚠  Duplicate person names detected in Immich:[/bold yellow]")
         for name, ps in sorted(duplicates.items()):
@@ -111,7 +114,7 @@ def _handle_duplicate_people(people: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
         )
         # Return deduplicated list — keep only the largest per name so that
         # downstream job creation never runs two jobs for the same Frigate folder.
-        return [p for p in people if p.get("id") not in skip_ids]
+        return _excl(people)
 
     # Auto-merge: survivor = largest asset count, rest merge into it inside Immich
     merged_any = False
@@ -144,12 +147,12 @@ def _handle_duplicate_people(people: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
                 " — possible transient error or expired API key;"
                 " proceeding with pre-merge list. Check IMMICH_API_KEY if this recurs."
             )
-            return [p for p in people if p.get("id") not in skip_ids]
+            return _excl(people)
         # Filter out the smaller duplicate from any group whose merge failed — those
         # IDs still exist in Immich and would produce two jobs for the same folder.
         # IDs from groups that merged successfully are already gone from Immich, so
         # this filter is a no-op for them.
-        return [p for p in fresh if p.get("id") not in skip_ids]
+        return _excl(fresh)
 
     # All merges failed — fall back to local deduplication (keep largest per name) so
     # downstream job creation never runs two jobs for the same Frigate folder.
@@ -157,7 +160,7 @@ def _handle_duplicate_people(people: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
         "  [yellow]All merges failed — applying local deduplication"
         " to avoid overwriting output.[/yellow]"
     )
-    return [p for p in people if p.get("id") not in skip_ids]
+    return _excl(people)
 
 
 _UNSUPPORTED_VARS = [
diff --git a/winnow/jobs.py b/winnow/jobs.py
index 7bbef1b..656be22 100644
--- a/winnow/jobs.py
+++ b/winnow/jobs.py
@@ -192,13 +192,20 @@ def _configure_person(person: dict, people: list[dict]) -> dict | None:
     return job
 
 
+def _valid_people(people: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
+    return sorted(
+        [p for p in people if (p.get("name") or "").strip() and p.get("id")],
+        key=lambda x: x["name"],
+    )
+
+
 def interactive_configure(people: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
     """Interactive phase: select person(s), mode, and configure training strategy.
 
     Supports multi-person batch mode — after configuring one person,
     prompts to add another.
     """
-    valid_people = sorted([p for p in people if p.get("name") and p.get("id")], key=lambda x: x["name"])
+    valid_people = _valid_people(people)
 
     if not valid_people:
         rprint("[red]No people found with names in Immich.[/red]")
@@ -209,9 +216,9 @@ def interactive_configure(people: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
     while True:
         # Select person
         console.print("\n[bold cyan]Select Person to Train:[/bold cyan]")
+        queued_ids = {j["person"]["id"] for j in jobs}
         for idx, p in enumerate(valid_people, 1):
-            # Mark already-queued people
-            marker = " [dim](queued)[/dim]" if any(j["person"]["id"] == p.get("id") for j in jobs) else ""
+            marker = " [dim](queued)[/dim]" if p.get("id") in queued_ids else ""
             console.print(f"  [bold]{idx}.[/bold] {p['name']}{marker}")
 
         p_choice = IntPrompt.ask("Enter Number", choices=[str(i) for i in range(1, len(valid_people) + 1)])
@@ -230,7 +237,7 @@ def interactive_configure(people: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
 
 def auto_configure(people: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
     """Non-interactive: configure jobs for all named people automatically."""
-    valid_people = sorted([p for p in people if p.get("name") and p.get("id")], key=lambda x: x["name"])
+    valid_people = _valid_people(people)
 
     if not valid_people:
         rprint("[red]No people found with names in Immich.[/red]")