dankserver/host/systemd/mnt-media.mount

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+# /etc/systemd/system/mnt-media.mount
+#
+# Installed by `scripts/media-view.sh install` — the repo copy is the source of
+# truth (fleet law: never edit host state by hand).
+#
+# An OverlayFS merge that shows the media library as one tree while splitting
+# where its bytes live: lowerdir is the RAID6 array (the source of truth, never
+# written), upperdir is a directory on the NVMe that receives every write. The
+# two media servers bind the result at /mnt/media, so Jellyfin's Kodi-format
+# sidecars and artwork are SSD bytes — which is what makes them fast to browse
+# and what keeps Plex's NFO agent off the spinners — while the media itself stays
+# on the array untouched.
+#
+# RequiresMountsFor is load-bearing: without the array mounted, lowerdir is an
+# empty directory and the view would present an empty library as truth.
+
+[Unit]
+Description=SSD-backed overlay view of the media library (array + NVMe metadata layer)
+RequiresMountsFor=/mnt/entropy
+
+[Mount]
+What=overlay
+Where=/mnt/media
+Type=overlay
+Options=lowerdir=/mnt/entropy,upperdir=/var/lib/media-meta/upper,workdir=/var/lib/media-meta/work
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=local-fs.target

dankserver/jellyfin/quadlet/jellyfin.container

@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@
 # Unit name: jellyfin.service (podman 5.x drops the container- prefix)
 #
 # Data roots migrated from /opt/jellyfin to /home/dank/Containers/jellyfin at
-# cutover. All of /mnt/entropy is mounted read-only at /data: nothing automated
+# cutover. The library is seen through /mnt/media, the SSD-backed overlay view
-# anywhere writes to the entropy volume. Every
+# (scripts/media-view.sh): the array stays read-only and untouched, while the
+# sidecars this server writes land on the NVMe. Every
 # creation-time environment variable of the compose-era container is kept as
 # an Environment= line (zero drift); none of them are secrets, so this unit
 # needs no EnvironmentFile.
@@ -41,7 +42,12 @@ PublishPort=7359:7359/udp
 PublishPort=1900:1900/udp
 Volume=/home/dank/Containers/jellyfin/config:/config
 Volume=/home/dank/Containers/jellyfin/cache:/cache
-Volume=/mnt/entropy:/data:ro
+# The view, writable: Jellyfin is the metadata writer (movie.nfo / tvshow.nfo /
+# episode.nfo + artwork) and those bytes belong on the SSD. The condition is the
+# fail-closed guard — starting against a plain /mnt/media directory would let a
+# scan conclude the library is empty.
+Volume=/mnt/media:/data
+UnitConfigItem=ConditionPathIsMountPoint=/mnt/media
 AddDevice=/dev/dri
 GroupAdd=keep-groups
 HealthCmd=curl -f http://localhost:8096/health

dankserver/plex/quadlet/plex.container

@@ -11,7 +11,12 @@ Environment=PUID=0
 Environment=PGID=0
 Environment=TZ=America/Los_Angeles
 Volume=/var/lib/plexmediaserver:/config
-Volume=/mnt/entropy:/mnt/entropy:ro
+# The container path stays /mnt/entropy on purpose: every path Plex recorded in
+# its own database is written against it, so swapping the HOST source of this bind
+# to the overlay view re-points Plex at the sidecars without touching its DB.
+# Read-only: Plex consumes the NFO files Jellyfin writes and writes no metadata.
+Volume=/mnt/media:/mnt/entropy:ro
+UnitConfigItem=ConditionPathIsMountPoint=/mnt/media
 PublishPort=32400:32400
 
 [Service]

scripts/deploy-plan.py

@@ -421,6 +421,11 @@ def services_for_path(path: str, target: str) -> set[str]:
                 "tautulli": {"tautulli"},
             }
             _add(services, *quadlet_services.get(parts[1], set()))
+        if len(parts) >= 2 and parts[1] == "host":
+            # dankserver/host/systemd/mnt-media.mount is the overlay view the two
+            # media servers bind (scripts/media-view.sh installs it on the host),
+            # so editing it restarts jellyfin and plex and nothing else.
+            _add(services, "jellyfin", "plex")
         if len(parts) >= 2 and parts[1] == "observability":
             # Dankserver's node-exporter became a Quadlet unit on 2026-09-16
             # (serverAppConfigs-docs/Infrastructure/Observability.md): its
@@ -466,6 +471,10 @@ def services_for_path(path: str, target: str) -> set[str]:
             # that service (target_services then keeps it only on the host being
             # planned). Editing the collector restarts the running exporter.
             _add(services, "gpu-exporter")
+        if name == "media-view.sh":
+            # The installer is what creates, mounts and reaps the view both media
+            # servers read, so a change to it is a restart of that pair.
+            _add(services, "jellyfin", "plex")
         if name in {"frank-zealot.env", "frank-zealot.service", "serve-frank-zealot.sh"}:
             # llama.cpp frank-zealot (2026-09-16) keeps its unit, env and serve
             # files here; each one selects frank-zealot only. The ik_llama.cpp

scripts/deploy-remote.sh

@@ -1202,7 +1202,21 @@ deploy_romm_stack() {
     systemctl --user restart "$service.service"
 }
 
+ensure_media_view() {
+    # Both media servers read their library through the SSD-backed overlay view
+    # (scripts/media-view.sh, dankserver/host/systemd/mnt-media.mount): the array
+    # below stays read-only and every sidecar Jellyfin writes lands on the NVMe.
+    # Raise it BEFORE either container starts — a start against a bare /mnt/media
+    # directory would let a scan clear the library database. The units also carry
+    # ConditionPathIsMountPoint, so a missing view skips the start rather than
+    # damaging anything. A relayout must be followed by `media-view.sh reap`
+    # (see the Media Relayout page), which this is not.
+    run_privileged bash scripts/media-view.sh install
+    bash scripts/media-view.sh verify
+}
+
 deploy_jellyfin() {
+    ensure_media_view
     cp "dankserver/jellyfin/quadlet/jellyfin.container" "$quadlet_unit_dir/"
     systemctl --user daemon-reload
     if ! systemctl --user is-active -q jellyfin.service; then
@@ -1290,6 +1304,7 @@ deploy_copyparty() {
 }
 
 deploy_plex() {
+    ensure_media_view
     cp "dankserver/plex/quadlet/plex.container" "$quadlet_unit_dir/"
     systemctl --user daemon-reload
     if ! systemctl --user is-active -q plex.service; then

scripts/media-view.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,234 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# The SSD-backed metadata view that lets Jellyfin and Plex share one metadata set.
+#
+# Both servers read a Kodi-format sidecar (movie.nfo / tvshow.nfo / episode.nfo)
+# ONLY when it sits next to the media file. The media lives on the RAID6 array at
+# /mnt/entropy — five spinning disks, deliberately mounted read-only for every
+# container, and slow to seek for a thousand tiny XML reads. So neither media
+# server binds the array any more: they bind an OverlayFS merge of it with a
+# writable layer on the NVMe.
+#
+#   lowerdir  /mnt/entropy                RAID6 (ROTA=1) — source of truth, never written
+#   upperdir  /var/lib/media-meta/upper   NVMe — every sidecar and image byte
+#   workdir   /var/lib/media-meta/work    NVMe — kernel bookkeeping
+#   Where     /mnt/media                  what jellyfin and plex bind
+#
+# Consequences worth knowing:
+#   * A sidecar write is a few KB onto the SSD; the media bytes never move and the
+#     array is still never written by anything automated.
+#   * Deleting through the view writes a whiteout into the upper layer instead of
+#     deleting from the array. Nothing should delete through the view: deletions
+#     go to .AGENTTRASH on the RAW path, and `reap` clears the resulting ghosts.
+#   * inotify events on the lower layer do not cross the merge, so a file that
+#     arrives on the raw array is invisible to a file-system watcher in the view:
+#     trigger a library refresh (see the Media Relayout page).
+#
+# Subcommands
+#   plan   [--upper-base D] [--lower D]  print the resolved shape, touch nothing
+#   verify                               prove the live mount IS that shape
+#   install [--upper-base D]             create the layers, install+enable+start the unit
+#   reap   [--apply] [--upper-base D] [--lower D]
+#                                       list upper-layer entries whose media is gone
+#   status                               one line per fact a human wants
+#
+# install must run as root (it writes /etc/systemd/system and mounts); the others
+# are read-only and safe unprivileged.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+LOWER=/mnt/entropy
+UPPER_BASE=/var/lib/media-meta
+VIEW=/mnt/media
+UNIT=mnt-media.mount
+UNIT_DIR=/etc/systemd/system
+# The rootless containers write as this host uid (the deploy user). The upper
+# layer has to accept those writes, so it is owned by them.
+MEDIA_UID="${MEDIA_VIEW_UID:-1000}"
+MEDIA_GID="${MEDIA_VIEW_GID:-1000}"
+
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)"
+UNIT_SRC="$REPO_ROOT/dankserver/host/systemd/$UNIT"
+
+die() {
+    printf 'media-view: %s\n' "$*" >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+usage() {
+    printf 'usage: %s plan|verify|install|reap|status [options]\n' "$0" >&2
+    exit 2
+}
+
+cmd="${1:-}"
+[ -n "$cmd" ] || usage
+shift || true
+
+upper_base="$UPPER_BASE"
+lower="$LOWER"
+apply=0
+while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
+    case "$1" in
+        --upper-base) [ $# -ge 2 ] || usage; upper_base="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+        --lower)      [ $# -ge 2 ] || usage; lower="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+        --apply)      apply=1; shift ;;
+        *) usage ;;
+    esac
+done
+
+upper="$upper_base/upper"
+work="$upper_base/work"
+
+# The device backing a path, and whether the kernel calls it rotational.
+rotational_of() {
+    local src rota
+    src="$(findmnt -no SOURCE --target "$1" 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    [ -n "$src" ] || die "cannot find a block device behind $1"
+    rota="$(lsblk -no ROTA "$src" 2>/dev/null | head -1 || true)"
+    [ -n "$rota" ] || die "cannot read the rotational flag of $src"
+    printf '%s %s\n' "$src" "$rota"
+}
+
+require_upper_base() {
+    [ -d "$upper_base" ] \
+        || die "refused: upper base $upper_base does not exist (put it on the SSD first)"
+}
+
+do_plan() {
+    printf 'lowerdir=%s\nupperdir=%s\nworkdir=%s\nmountpoint=%s\nunit=%s/%s\n' \
+        "$lower" "$upper" "$work" "$VIEW" "$UNIT_DIR" "$UNIT"
+}
+
+do_verify() {
+    local fail=0 fst opts src rota
+    if ! mountpoint -q "$VIEW"; then
+        printf 'refused: %s is not a mountpoint — a plain directory here is a\n' "$VIEW" >&2
+        printf '  library that scans itself empty, not a metadata view.\n' >&2
+        return 1
+    fi
+    fst="$(findmnt -no FSTYPE --mountpoint "$VIEW" 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    if [ "$fst" != overlay ]; then
+        printf 'refused: %s is mounted %s, not overlay\n' "$VIEW" "${fst:-nothing}" >&2
+        fail=1
+    fi
+    opts="$(findmnt -no OPTIONS --mountpoint "$VIEW" 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    local want
+    for want in "lowerdir=$LOWER" "upperdir=$UPPER_BASE/upper" "workdir=$UPPER_BASE/work"; do
+        case ",$opts," in
+            *",${want},"*) ;;
+            *) printf 'refused: %s options lack %s (got: %s)\n' "$VIEW" "$want" "$opts" >&2
+               fail=1 ;;
+        esac
+    done
+    read -r src rota <<<"$(rotational_of "$UPPER_BASE")"
+    if [ "$rota" != 0 ]; then
+        printf 'refused: the upper layer sits on %s which is rotational — metadata\n' "$src" >&2
+        printf '  belongs on the SSD, not on the array.\n' >&2
+        fail=1
+    fi
+    if [ ! -w "$UPPER_BASE/upper" ]; then
+        printf 'refused: %s is not writable\n' "$upper" >&2
+        fail=1
+    fi
+    [ "$fail" -eq 0 ] || return 1
+    printf 'view ok: %s <- overlay(%s,%s)\n' "$VIEW" "$LOWER" "$UPPER_BASE/upper"
+}
+
+do_install() {
+    [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ] || die "install must run as root (writes $UNIT_DIR and mounts)"
+    require_upper_base
+    mountpoint -q "$LOWER" \
+        || die "refused: $LOWER is not mounted; overlaying an empty directory would present an empty library"
+    local src rota
+    read -r src rota <<<"$(rotational_of "$upper_base")"
+    [ "$rota" = 0 ] || die "refused: $upper_base is on $src, a rotational device — the metadata layer must be on the SSD"
+    [ -f "$UNIT_SRC" ] || die "refused: $UNIT_SRC is missing from $REPO_ROOT"
+    install -d -m 0755 -o "$MEDIA_UID" -g "$MEDIA_GID" "$upper" "$work"
+    install -d -m 0700 "$upper_base/.AGENTTRASH"
+    install -m 0644 "$UNIT_SRC" "$UNIT_DIR/$UNIT"
+    systemctl daemon-reload
+    systemctl enable "$UNIT" >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+    systemctl start "$UNIT"
+    do_verify
+}
+
+# An upper-layer DIRECTORY with no counterpart below is metadata for a media
+# folder that has been moved or renamed on the RAW path — a ghost the media
+# servers would still browse. Files are never candidates on their own: a sidecar
+# (movie.nfo, an .srt) exists ONLY above, by design, and is exactly what the view
+# is for. A copy-up whose lower file was deleted by hand is the one case this
+# leaves in place; the raw path is where deletions belong, so it stays visible.
+do_reap() {
+    [ -d "$upper" ] || die "refused: $upper does not exist (no upper layer at $upper_base)"
+    stamp="$upper_base/.AGENTTRASH/$(date -u +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"
+    count=0
+    ghosts=0
+    reap_walk ""
+    if [ "$count" -eq 0 ] && [ "$ghosts" -eq 0 ]; then
+        printf 'reap: no ghosts under %s\n' "$upper"
+        return 0
+    fi
+    if [ "$ghosts" -gt 0 ]; then
+        printf 'reap: %d whiteout%s above — someone deleted THROUGH the view.\n' \
+            "$ghosts" "$([ "$ghosts" -eq 1 ] || printf s)" >&2
+        printf '  Leaving them: removing a whiteout un-hides the file it hides.\n' >&2
+        printf '  Deletions belong in .AGENTTRASH on the raw path.\n' >&2
+    fi
+    if [ "$count" -eq 0 ]; then return 0; fi
+    if [ "$apply" -eq 1 ]; then
+        printf 'reap: moved %d entr%s to %s\n' "$count" \
+            "$([ "$count" -eq 1 ] && printf y || printf ies)" "$stamp"
+    else
+        printf 'reap: %d ghost entr%s above; re-run with --apply to move them to %s\n' \
+            "$count" "$([ "$count" -eq 1 ] && printf y || printf ies)" "$stamp"
+    fi
+}
+
+# Descend only where the lower layer still has the directory: a directory that is
+# missing below is itself the ghost, and its whole subtree goes with it.
+reap_walk() {
+    local rel="$1" entries abs r name
+    entries="$(find "$upper${rel:+/$rel}" -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -print 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    [ -n "$entries" ] || return 0
+    while IFS= read -r abs; do
+        r="${abs#"$upper"/}"
+        name="${abs##*/}"
+        if [ -c "$abs" ] || printf '%s' "$name" | grep -q '^\.wh\.'; then
+            ghosts=$((ghosts + 1))
+            continue
+        fi
+        if [ -e "$lower/$r" ]; then
+            [ -d "$abs" ] && reap_walk "$r"
+            continue
+        fi
+        [ -d "$abs" ] || continue
+        count=$((count + 1))
+        printf '%s\n' "$r"
+        if [ "$apply" -eq 1 ]; then
+            mkdir -p "$stamp/$(dirname "$r")"
+            mv "$abs" "$stamp/$r"
+        fi
+    done <<<"$entries"
+}
+
+do_status() {
+    if mountpoint -q "$VIEW"; then
+        printf 'view: %s (%s)\n' "$VIEW" "$(findmnt -no OPTIONS --mountpoint "$VIEW")"
+    else
+        printf 'view: %s NOT MOUNTED\n' "$VIEW"
+    fi
+    if [ -d "$upper" ]; then
+        printf 'upper: %s %s files %s\n' "$upper" \
+            "$(find "$upper" -type f 2>/dev/null | wc -l)" "$(du -sh "$upper" 2>/dev/null | cut -f1)"
+    else
+        printf 'upper: %s missing\n' "$upper"
+    fi
+    systemctl is-active "$UNIT" 2>/dev/null | sed 's/^/unit: /' || printf 'unit: %s unknown\n' "$UNIT"
+}
+
+case "$cmd" in
+    plan)    do_plan ;;
+    verify)  do_verify ;;
+    install) do_install ;;
+    reap)    do_reap ;;
+    status)  do_status ;;
+    *)       usage ;;
+esac

scripts/test-changed.sh

@@ -94,6 +94,16 @@ for path in "${CHANGED[@]}"; do
         dankserver/.env.example|dankclaw/.env.example)
             add_test tests/env_consistency.bats
             ;;
+        # The SSD-backed metadata view: the installer, the host mount unit, and the
+        # two media units that bind the view rather than the raw array.
+        scripts/media-view.sh|dankserver/host/*)
+            add_test tests/media_overlay.bats
+            add_test tests/dankserver_quadlet.bats
+            add_test tests/deployment_scoping.bats
+            ;;
+        dankserver/jellyfin/quadlet/*|dankserver/plex/quadlet/*)
+            add_test tests/media_overlay.bats
+            ;;
         shared/homepage/*)
             add_test tests/homepage_caddy.bats
             add_test tests/homepage_config.bats

tests/media_overlay.bats

@@ -0,0 +1,154 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bats
+# Seam: the SSD-backed metadata view (OverlayFS) that lets Jellyfin write
+# Kodi-format sidecars for Plex to read, without ever writing to the spindle
+# array and without letting either media server start against a missing view.
+#
+# The contracts, in the order the seam tests them:
+#   1. the plan puts the writable layer on the SSD and the media layer below it;
+#   2. bad input is refused by name instead of mounting something surprising;
+#   3. verify refuses a view that is not mounted (so nothing trusts a directory);
+#   4. both media units bind the VIEW and refuse to start without it;
+#   5. only those two units touch the view — the LLM and library tenants keep the
+#      raw volume, so the blast radius is two containers;
+#   6. the deployer brings the view up BEFORE it restarts either server;
+#   7. the planner routes a change to these files to both media services.
+
+load helpers
+
+VIEW="$REPO_ROOT/scripts/media-view.sh"
+JELLY="$REPO_ROOT/dankserver/jellyfin/quadlet/jellyfin.container"
+PLEX="$REPO_ROOT/dankserver/plex/quadlet/plex.container"
+UNIT="$REPO_ROOT/dankserver/host/systemd/mnt-media.mount"
+
+@test "the plan names an overlay with the spindle below and the SSD above" {
+    run bash "$VIEW" plan
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+    # Lower = the array; upper/work = the NVMe. A user asked for metadata to be
+    # SSD-resident, so a spindle upper layer would defeat the whole mechanism.
+    [ "${lines[0]}" = "lowerdir=/mnt/entropy" ]
+    printf '%s\n' "${lines[@]}" | grep -qx 'upperdir=/var/lib/media-meta/upper'
+    printf '%s\n' "${lines[@]}" | grep -qx 'workdir=/var/lib/media-meta/work'
+    printf '%s\n' "${lines[@]}" | grep -qx 'mountpoint=/mnt/media'
+    printf '%s\n' "${lines[@]}" | grep -qx 'unit=/etc/systemd/system/mnt-media.mount'
+}
+
+@test "install refuses a caller who cannot write the unit directory or mount" {
+    # Half an install is worse than none: the unit would exist without the
+    # directories behind it. Refuse by name before anything is created.
+    if [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ]; then
+        skip "this seam is running as root"
+    fi
+    run bash "$VIEW" install
+    [ "$status" -ne 0 ]
+    [[ "$output" == *"root"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "verify refuses a view that is not mounted" {
+    # Every consumer trusts /mnt/media to BE the library. On a host where it is a
+    # plain empty directory, verify must fail loudly: that is the difference
+    # between a scan that finds nothing and a scan that empties a library DB.
+    if mountpoint -q /mnt/media; then
+        skip "/mnt/media is a real mountpoint on this host"
+    fi
+    run bash "$VIEW" verify
+    [ "$status" -ne 0 ]
+    [[ "$output" == *"/mnt/media"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "both media servers bind the view and refuse to start without it" {
+    for unit in "$JELLY" "$PLEX"; do
+        grep -q '^Volume=/mnt/media:' "$unit" || return 1
+        grep -q '^UnitConfigItem=ConditionPathIsMountPoint=/mnt/media$' "$unit" || return 1
+        # The raw array must no longer be a container source: that bind is what
+        # made sidecar sharing impossible (read-only) and metadata slow (seeks).
+        ! grep -q '^Volume=/mnt/entropy' "$unit"
+    done
+    # Jellyfin is the writer, so it needs the view writable; Plex only reads the
+    # sidecars, and keeping its bind read-only costs nothing.
+    grep -q '^Volume=/mnt/media:/data$' "$JELLY"
+    grep -q '^Volume=/mnt/media:/mnt/entropy:ro$' "$PLEX"
+}
+
+@test "only the two media units reference the view" {
+    run grep -rl --include='*.container' '/mnt/media' "$REPO_ROOT"/dankserver \
+        "$REPO_ROOT"/dankclaw "$REPO_ROOT"/frankbook-pro 2>/dev/null
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+    [ "$(printf '%s\n' "$output" | wc -l)" -eq 2 ]
+    printf '%s\n' "$output" | grep -q 'jellyfin/quadlet/jellyfin.container'
+    printf '%s\n' "$output" | grep -q 'plex/quadlet/plex.container'
+}
+
+@test "the mount unit is an overlay whose upper layer lives on the SSD" {
+    [ -f "$UNIT" ]
+    run grep -E '^Options=lowerdir=/mnt/entropy,upperdir=/var/lib/media-meta/upper,workdir=/var/lib/media-meta/work' "$UNIT"
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+    # It must wait for the array to be unlocked: mounting an overlay whose lower
+    # dir is an empty /mnt/entropy would present an empty library, not an error.
+    run grep -E '^RequiresMountsFor=/mnt/entropy$' "$UNIT"
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+}
+
+@test "the deployer raises the view before it restarts either media server" {
+    for svc in jellyfin plex; do
+        body="$(sed -n "/^deploy_${svc}()/,/^\}/p" "$REPO_ROOT/scripts/deploy-remote.sh")"
+        [ -n "$body" ]
+        up="$(printf '%s\n' "$body" | grep -n 'ensure_media_view' | head -1 | cut -d: -f1)"
+        up_line="${up:-999}"
+        restart="$(printf '%s\n' "$body" | grep -n "systemctl --user restart $svc.service" | head -1 | cut -d: -f1)"
+        restart_line="${restart:-0}"
+        [ "$up_line" -lt "$restart_line" ]
+    done
+}
+
+@test "the planner routes the view files to both media services" {
+    run python3 "$REPO_ROOT/scripts/deploy-plan.py" --target dankserver --paths \
+        scripts/media-view.sh dankserver/host/systemd/mnt-media.mount
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+    [ "$output" = "jellyfin
+plex" ]
+}
+
+@test "a docs-only change still plans nothing for the view" {
+    run python3 "$REPO_ROOT/scripts/deploy-plan.py" --target dankserver --paths \
+        "serverAppConfigs-docs/Dankserver/Media Metadata View.md"
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+    [ -z "$output" ]
+}
+
+@test "reap names the metadata whose media has moved and touches nothing" {
+    # A relayout moves media on the RAW path; the sidecars the view already wrote
+    # stay behind at the old coordinates. Left alone they become folders a media
+    # server browses and finds nothing in.
+    tmp="$(mktemp -d)"
+    mkdir -p "$tmp/meta/upper/Movies/Ghost (2020)" "$tmp/meta/upper/Movies/Keeper (2020)" \
+        "$tmp/meta/upper/TVShows/Big Little Lies/Season 01" "$tmp/meta/work" \
+        "$tmp/array/Movies/Keeper (2020)" "$tmp/array/TVShows"
+    : > "$tmp/meta/upper/Movies/Ghost (2020)/movie.nfo"
+    : > "$tmp/meta/upper/Movies/Keeper (2020)/movie.nfo"
+    : > "$tmp/meta/upper/TVShows/Big Little Lies/Season 01/show.nfo"
+    : > "$tmp/array/Movies/Keeper (2020)/Keeper (2020).mkv"
+
+    run bash "$VIEW" reap --upper-base "$tmp/meta" --lower "$tmp/array"
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+    printf '%s\n' "$output" | grep -qxF 'Movies/Ghost (2020)'
+    # The series folder is still below, so the ghost is the season inside it — and
+    # it is reported at the level that is actually missing, not deeper.
+    printf '%s\n' "$output" | grep -qxF 'TVShows/Big Little Lies'
+    ! printf '%s\n' "$output" | grep -q 'Keeper'
+    [ -f "$tmp/meta/upper/Movies/Ghost (2020)/movie.nfo" ]
+}
+
+@test "reap --apply moves ghosts to the SSD trash and keeps live metadata" {
+    tmp="$(mktemp -d)"
+    mkdir -p "$tmp/meta/upper/Movies/Ghost (2020)" "$tmp/meta/upper/Movies/Keeper (2020)" \
+        "$tmp/array/Movies/Keeper (2020)"
+    : > "$tmp/meta/upper/Movies/Ghost (2020)/movie.nfo"
+    : > "$tmp/meta/upper/Movies/Keeper (2020)/movie.nfo"
+
+    run bash "$VIEW" reap --apply --upper-base "$tmp/meta" --lower "$tmp/array"
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+    [ ! -e "$tmp/meta/upper/Movies/Ghost (2020)" ]
+    [ -f "$tmp/meta/upper/Movies/Keeper (2020)/movie.nfo" ]
+    # Recoverable, not deleted: the item lands in a dated trash under the SSD base.
+    [ "$(find "$tmp/meta/.AGENTTRASH" -name movie.nfo | wc -l)" -eq 1 ]
+}