diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 31e50ee..5572af3 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -82,6 +82,11 @@ zenodo-maint --zenodo-json meta/v9.json \
 zenodo-maint --zenodo-json meta/authors-9.json \
   apply-metadata --creators-only --version-prefix 9. --execute
 
+# fix ONLY the license across every version (e.g. a mis-declared license), leaving
+# each record's curated title/description/creators untouched; already-correct
+# records are skipped (idempotent).
+zenodo-maint --zenodo-json .zenodo.json apply-metadata --license-only --execute
+
 # scaffold the two standard files for a new repo
 zenodo-maint --repo owner/repo bootstrap
 
diff --git a/skill/SKILL.md b/skill/SKILL.md
index 733d92c..ed931e7 100644
--- a/skill/SKILL.md
+++ b/skill/SKILL.md
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ Zenodo calls, mints no concept, and installs no workflows. The rest is manual:
 - Rename a relation on all versions: `zenodo-maint relink --from-relation isNewVersionOf --to-relation continues --execute`
 - Re-apply metadata after editing `.zenodo.json` (e.g. authors): `zenodo-maint apply-metadata --execute`
 - Fix only the author list on existing records, preserving their title/description (e.g. correct authorship without losing per-release notes): `zenodo-maint --zenodo-json authors.json apply-metadata --creators-only [--version-prefix 7.7.] --execute`. Swaps only `creators`; skips records already matching (idempotent); `--version-prefix` scopes to a major's records.
+- Fix only the license across every version (e.g. a mis-declared license), preserving each record's curated title/description/creators: `zenodo-maint --zenodo-json .zenodo.json apply-metadata --license-only --execute`. Swaps only `license` (from the metadata file's `license`); skips records already matching, treating Zenodo's stored `mit-license` as equal to the SPDX `mit` you write in `.zenodo.json` (idempotent). Use for a whole-concept license correction without disturbing curated per-version titles.
 - Curated / relabeled record (label decoupled from the source tag): `zenodo-maint --zenodo-json meta/rec.json archive-release --tag <build> --version <label> --title '<Title>' --date <YYYY-MM-DD> --execute`. Creators/description come from the `--zenodo-json` file; `--version`/`--title` set the displayed label; the tarball + GitHub link still track `--tag`. `backfill` entries may carry the same `version`/`title` overrides per tag. To relabel/re-author a record that already exists: `apply-metadata --record <id> --version <label> --title '<Title>'`. If the curated record reuses a tag that is already archived as a per-release record, add `--dedup-by label` (default `tag` skips on the source tag; `label` dedups on the version label so the reuse is allowed — idempotency is preserved either way since a matching label is always skipped).
 - Preflight before wiring up a repo: `GH_TOKEN=$(gh auth token) zenodo-maint doctor` — flags a native-integration `zenodo.org` webhook (must be disabled), competing/forked concepts, and drift.
 - Audit repo config hygiene (one repo, or many via `--monitored monitored.json`): `GH_TOKEN=$(gh auth token) zenodo-maint audit [--monitored monitored.json]`. Checks the standard files are present, both reusable workflows are pinned at the floating `@vN` (a `@vX.Y.Z`/SHA pin silently freezes a consumer on old code — this is the check that protects the moving-tag strategy), and `.zenodo.json` creators **and title** match the published record (title is what people see on the DOI page, so a mismatch is a hard problem — a curated repo whose record carries a per-version title will flag until its `.zenodo.json` title is reconciled). Tokenless but set `$GH_TOKEN` to beat GitHub's 60-req/hour unauthenticated limit; exits non-zero on problems. Complements `doctor` (webhook/competing-concept/drift). It does NOT diff `.zenodo.json` against `CITATION.cff` — that's `cffconvert`'s job (regenerate and diff by hand).
diff --git a/tests/test_metadata_overrides.py b/tests/test_metadata_overrides.py
index bb59232..3ec907a 100644
--- a/tests/test_metadata_overrides.py
+++ b/tests/test_metadata_overrides.py
@@ -6,7 +6,12 @@
 """
 import unittest
 
-from zenodo_maint.cli import _creators_equal, _effective_version, _skip_reason
+from zenodo_maint.cli import (
+    _creators_equal,
+    _effective_version,
+    _license_equal,
+    _skip_reason,
+)
 
 
 class EffectiveVersion(unittest.TestCase):
@@ -74,5 +79,31 @@ def test_orcid_change_differs(self) -> None:
         self.assertFalse(_creators_equal(self.A, b))
 
 
+class LicenseEqual(unittest.TestCase):
+    """License equality for apply-metadata --license-only idempotency. The deposit
+    API returns a bare string; the records API wraps it as {'id': ...}."""
+
+    def test_string_forms(self) -> None:
+        self.assertTrue(_license_equal("mit", "mit"))
+        self.assertFalse(_license_equal("cc-by-4.0", "mit"))
+
+    def test_case_insensitive(self) -> None:
+        self.assertTrue(_license_equal("MIT", "mit"))
+
+    def test_dict_id_form(self) -> None:
+        self.assertTrue(_license_equal({"id": "mit"}, "mit"))
+        self.assertFalse(_license_equal({"id": "other-open"}, "mit"))
+
+    def test_zenodo_mit_license_suffix(self) -> None:
+        # Zenodo stores MIT as the deposit id "mit-license"; .zenodo.json writes "mit"
+        self.assertTrue(_license_equal({"id": "mit-license"}, "mit"))
+        self.assertTrue(_license_equal("mit-license", "mit"))
+        self.assertFalse(_license_equal("cc-by-4.0", "mit"))
+
+    def test_missing(self) -> None:
+        self.assertFalse(_license_equal(None, "mit"))
+        self.assertTrue(_license_equal(None, ""))
+
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()
diff --git a/zenodo_maint/cli.py b/zenodo_maint/cli.py
index 6d785e9..2ac8c60 100644
--- a/zenodo_maint/cli.py
+++ b/zenodo_maint/cli.py
@@ -89,6 +89,29 @@ def _skip_reason(
     return None
 
 
+def _license_str(lic: Any) -> str:
+    """A license as a comparable string, tolerating the deposit API's bare-string
+    form and the records API's {'id': ...} shape."""
+    if isinstance(lic, dict):
+        return str(lic.get("id", ""))
+    return str(lic or "")
+
+
+def _license_norm(lic: Any) -> str:
+    """Normalized license id for comparison. Lowercases and strips Zenodo's
+    ``-license`` suffix so the deposit id it stores (``mit-license``) matches the
+    SPDX-style id humans write in .zenodo.json (``mit``)."""
+    s = _license_str(lic).lower()
+    return s[:-len("-license")] if s.endswith("-license") else s
+
+
+def _license_equal(a: Any, b: Any) -> bool:
+    """License equality across the string / {'id': ...} forms and Zenodo's
+    ``mit`` vs ``mit-license`` asymmetry. Used to skip records already carrying the
+    target license so --license-only is idempotent."""
+    return _license_norm(a) == _license_norm(b)
+
+
 def _creators_equal(a: list[dict[str, Any]], b: list[dict[str, Any]]) -> bool:
     """Order-sensitive comparison of two creator lists on the fields we set
     (name, affiliation, orcid). Used to skip records already carrying the target
@@ -381,6 +404,44 @@ def cmd_apply_metadata(args: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
                      + ", ".join(v for v, _ in failed))
         return
 
+    # --license-only: swap just the license on each record, preserving everything
+    # else (title/description/creators/version/date/related_identifiers). For fixing
+    # a mis-declared license across a concept without disturbing curated per-version
+    # titles — the license-side sibling of --creators-only.
+    if args.license_only:
+        want = zj.get("license")
+        if not want:
+            sys.exit("--license-only needs a 'license' in the metadata file")
+        print(f"{mode} set license only ({want!r}) on {len(targets)} record(s)")
+        changed = same = 0
+        failed = []
+        for x in targets:
+            ver = x["metadata"].get("version")
+            cur = x["metadata"].get("license")
+            if _license_equal(cur, want):
+                same += 1
+                continue
+            changed += 1
+            if not args.execute:
+                print(f"  {ver}: would set license ({_license_str(cur)} -> {want})")
+                continue
+            try:
+                md = dict(cli.edit(x["id"])["metadata"])  # current metadata; preserve all
+                md["license"] = want
+                cli.set_metadata(x["id"], md)
+                cli.publish(x["id"])
+                print(f"  {ver}: license updated ({_license_str(cur)} -> {want})")
+            except api.ZenodoError as e:
+                changed -= 1
+                failed.append((str(ver), str(e)))
+                print(f"  {ver}: FAILED (id {x['id']}) — {e}")
+        print(f"  ({changed} {'updated' if args.execute else 'to update'}, "
+              f"{same} already correct, {len(failed)} failed)")
+        if failed:
+            sys.exit(f"{len(failed)} record(s) could not be updated: "
+                     + ", ".join(v for v, _ in failed))
+        return
+
     if (args.version or args.title) and not args.record:
         print("  ! --version/--title relabel every targeted record; "
               "pair with --record <id> to relabel just one")
@@ -683,6 +744,9 @@ def build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
     m.add_argument("--creators-only", action="store_true",
                    help="replace only the creators list (keep title/description/"
                         "version/date); skips records whose creators already match")
+    m.add_argument("--license-only", action="store_true",
+                   help="replace only the license (keep title/description/creators/"
+                        "version/date); skips records whose license already matches")
     m.add_argument("--version-prefix",
                    help="limit to records whose version label starts with this prefix")
     m.set_defaults(func=cmd_apply_metadata)