diff --git a/scripts/exporter/base_exporter.py b/scripts/exporter/base_exporter.py
index d4189bb8..90381bb9 100644
--- a/scripts/exporter/base_exporter.py
+++ b/scripts/exporter/base_exporter.py
@@ -133,6 +133,19 @@ class BaseExporter(ABC):
         require = require or cls.requires()
         return not require or bool(fe.hash(require))
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def single_value(fe: NativeFile, field_name: str) -> str:
+        """The one hash a single-value field is checked against.
+
+        A platform that leaves the field empty checks the file by existence.
+        Filling it turns that into a content check on one value: right when
+        the truth accepts exactly one image, wrong when the core takes several
+        and the field can hold only the first. Such a fill stays empty.
+        """
+        if field_name in fe.filled and len(set(fe.hashes(field_name))) != 1:
+            return ""
+        return fe.hash(field_name)
+
     def states(self, fe: NativeFile, field_name: str) -> bool:
         """Whether the written file carries this entry's corrected field.
 
diff --git a/scripts/exporter/batocera_exporter.py b/scripts/exporter/batocera_exporter.py
index 21902a3c..871f2d4e 100644
--- a/scripts/exporter/batocera_exporter.py
+++ b/scripts/exporter/batocera_exporter.py
@@ -53,6 +53,11 @@ class Exporter(BaseExporter):
             return False
         return super().writable(fe, require)
 
+    def states(self, fe: NativeFile, field_name: str) -> bool:
+        if field_name == "md5" and "md5" in fe.filled:
+            return bool(self.single_value(fe, "md5"))
+        return super().states(fe, field_name)
+
     @staticmethod
     def native_sources() -> dict[str, str]:
         return {"batocera-systems": SOURCE_URL}
@@ -89,7 +94,7 @@ class Exporter(BaseExporter):
         for fe in files:
             # The platform states an unhashed file as an empty md5 rather
             # than leaving it out, and so do we.
-            item = [f'"md5": "{fe.hash("md5")}"']
+            item = [f'"md5": "{self.single_value(fe, "md5")}"']
             alt = fe.native("alt_md5", "")
             if alt:
                 item.append(f'"altmd5": "{alt}"')
diff --git a/scripts/exporter/retrobat_exporter.py b/scripts/exporter/retrobat_exporter.py
index 1f014a91..c5f89774 100644
--- a/scripts/exporter/retrobat_exporter.py
+++ b/scripts/exporter/retrobat_exporter.py
@@ -41,22 +41,9 @@ class Exporter(BaseExporter):
     def native_sources() -> dict[str, str]:
         return {"batocera-systems.json": SOURCE_URL}
 
-    @staticmethod
-    def _md5(fe: NativeFile) -> str:
-        """The one md5 the entry is checked against, empty for existence.
-
-        RetroBat writes an empty md5 to check a file by existence. Filling it
-        turns that into a content check on a single value: right when the
-        truth accepts exactly one image, wrong when the core takes several
-        and the field can hold only the first.
-        """
-        if "md5" in fe.filled and len(fe.hashes("md5")) != 1:
-            return ""
-        return fe.hash("md5")
-
     def states(self, fe: NativeFile, field_name: str) -> bool:
         if field_name == "md5" and "md5" in fe.filled:
-            return bool(self._md5(fe))
+            return bool(self.single_value(fe, "md5"))
         return super().states(fe, field_name)
 
     def render(
@@ -94,7 +81,7 @@ class Exporter(BaseExporter):
             ours: OrderedDict[str, OrderedDict[str, str]] = OrderedDict()
             for fe in files:
                 entry: OrderedDict[str, str] = OrderedDict()
-                entry["md5"] = self._md5(fe)
+                entry["md5"] = self.single_value(fe, "md5")
                 declared = fe.native("native_path", "")
                 entry["file"] = str(declared) if declared else f"bios/{fe.destination}"
                 ours.setdefault(entry["file"], entry)
diff --git a/tests/test_exporters.py b/tests/test_exporters.py
index f79fa884..daca4e9d 100644
--- a/tests/test_exporters.py
+++ b/tests/test_exporters.py
@@ -663,6 +663,59 @@ class BatoceraExport(unittest.TestCase):
         )
         self.assertIn('"md5": ""', produced["batocera-systems"])
 
+    def test_a_blank_md5_is_not_filled_with_one_of_several_dumps(self):
+        """checkBios compares one md5: the first of two refuses the other.
+
+        The empty field checks by existence, so a user holding the second
+        dump the core accepts would turn from OK to UNTESTED.
+        """
+        first, second = "1" * 32, "2" * 32
+        truth = {
+            "systems": {
+                "nintendo-ds": {
+                    "files": [
+                        {
+                            "name": "firmware.bin",
+                            "path": "firmware.bin",
+                            "md5": [first, second],
+                            "required": True,
+                            "_cores": ["melonds"],
+                        }
+                    ]
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        scraped = {
+            "systems": {
+                "nintendo-ds": {
+                    "native_id": "nds",
+                    "files": [
+                        {
+                            "name": "firmware.bin",
+                            "destination": "firmware.bin",
+                            "native_system": "nds",
+                            "md5": "",
+                        }
+                    ],
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        for platform, filename in (
+            ("batocera", "batocera-systems"),
+            ("rocknix", "rocknix-systems"),
+        ):
+            with self.subTest(platform=platform):
+                systems, report = build_native_model(truth, scraped)
+                (entry,) = systems["nds"].files
+                self.assertIn("md5", entry.filled)
+                exporter = discover_exporters()[platform]()
+                produced = exporter.render(
+                    systems, report, {filename: self.SKELETON}, None
+                )
+                self.assertIn('"md5": ""', produced[filename])
+                self.assertNotIn(first, produced[filename])
+                self.assertFalse(exporter.states(entry, "md5"))
+
     def test_writing_without_the_platform_file_is_refused(self):
         """A systems dict alone is not the script Batocera runs."""
         systems, report = model()