auto-tag: Apollo tag client + probe binary

Adds ai::tag_client mirroring face_client for Apollo's RAM++ endpoint
(APOLLO_TAG_API_BASE_URL falling back to APOLLO_API_BASE_URL), and a
throwaway probe_auto_tags binary that walks image_exif and prints tags
without writing the DB. Lets us eyeball RAM++ output quality + threshold
before committing to a schema and per-tick drain.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

CLAUDE.md

@@ -76,7 +76,10 @@ cargo run --bin cleanup_files -- --base-path /path/to/media --database-url ./dat
 ### Core Components
 
 **Layered Architecture:**
-- **HTTP Layer** (`main.rs`): Route handlers for images, videos, metadata, tags, favorites, memories
+- **Startup wiring** (`main.rs`): only ~350 lines — env load, migrations, AppState, route registration, server bind. Background jobs are kicked off here but defined elsewhere.
+- **HTTP Layer** (`handlers/{image,video,favorites}.rs`, `files.rs`, `tags.rs`, `faces.rs`, `memories.rs`, `ai/handlers.rs`): the route handlers, grouped by domain.
+- **Background loops** (`watcher.rs`): the file-watcher tick (`watch_files`, `process_new_files`) and the orphaned-playlist cleanup (`cleanup_orphaned_playlists`). Per-tick drains are factored into `backfill.rs` (`backfill_unhashed_backlog`, `backfill_missing_date_taken`, `backfill_missing_content_hashes`, `process_face_backlog`, `build_face_candidates`).
+- **Thumbnails** (`thumbnails.rs`): generation pipeline + the `IMAGE_GAUGE` / `VIDEO_GAUGE` Prometheus metrics.
 - **Auth Layer** (`auth.rs`): JWT token validation, Claims extraction via FromRequest trait
 - **Service Layer** (`files.rs`, `exif.rs`, `memories.rs`): Business logic for file operations and EXIF extraction
 - **DAO Layer** (`database/mod.rs`): Trait-based data access (ExifDao, UserDao, FavoriteDao, TagDao)
@@ -392,17 +395,24 @@ under 2021, not 2014 — on the theory that EXIF is more reliable than
 import-named filenames. The reverse case (no EXIF, filename has a
 date) is unchanged.
 
-The `backfill_missing_date_taken` drain (`src/main.rs`) runs every
-watcher tick alongside `backfill_unhashed_backlog`. It loads up to
+The `backfill_missing_date_taken` drain (`src/backfill.rs`) runs every
+watcher tick alongside `backfill_unhashed_backlog` (also `src/backfill.rs`). It loads up to
 `DATE_BACKFILL_MAX_PER_TICK` rows (default 500) where
-`date_taken IS NULL OR date_taken_source = 'fs_time'` (backed by the
-`idx_image_exif_date_backfill` partial index), runs the waterfall
-batch via `resolve_dates_batch`, and writes results via the
-`backfill_date_taken` DAO method (touches only `date_taken` +
-`date_taken_source` so EXIF / hash / perceptual columns are
-preserved). `filename`-sourced rows are intentionally not re-resolved
-— the regex is authoritative when it matches, and re-running exiftool
-won't change the answer.
+`date_taken IS NULL` (backed by the `idx_image_exif_date_backfill`
+partial index), runs the waterfall batch via `resolve_dates_batch`,
+and writes results via the `backfill_date_taken` DAO method (touches
+only `date_taken` + `date_taken_source` so EXIF / hash / perceptual
+columns are preserved). Resolved rows — including the ones the
+waterfall could only resolve via `fs_time` — are not re-eligible:
+the resolver is deterministic on file bytes + filename + fs metadata,
+so re-running on the same inputs lands on the same source every time.
+An earlier version included `date_taken_source = 'fs_time'` in the
+eligibility predicate, but with `ORDER BY id ASC LIMIT 500` it spun on
+the same lowest-id rows in perpetuity and held the SQLite write lock
+long enough to starve face-PATCH writers (5s busy_timeout → 500). If
+a stronger tool comes online (exiftool install, new filename regex),
+re-resolve out-of-band rather than re-introducing the steady-state
+eligibility.
 
 `/memories` is a single SQL query against this column
 (`get_memories_in_window` in `src/database/mod.rs`), using
@@ -504,9 +514,9 @@ ImageApi owns the face data; Apollo (sibling repo) hosts the insightface inferen
 
 **Why content_hash and not (library_id, rel_path):** ties face data to the bytes, not the path. A backup mount that copies files from the primary library naturally inherits the existing detections without re-running inference. This is the reference implementation of the multi-library data model — see "Multi-library data model" above.
 
-**File-watch hook** (`src/main.rs::process_new_files`): for each photo with a populated `content_hash`, check `FaceDao::already_scanned(hash)`; if not, send bytes (or embedded JPEG preview for RAW via `exif::extract_embedded_jpeg_preview`) to Apollo's `/api/internal/faces/detect`. K=`FACE_DETECT_CONCURRENCY` (default 8) parallel calls per scan tick; Apollo serializes them via its single-worker GPU pool. `face_watch.rs` is the Tokio orchestration layer.
+**File-watch hook** (`src/watcher.rs::process_new_files`): for each photo with a populated `content_hash`, check `FaceDao::already_scanned(hash)`; if not, send bytes (or embedded JPEG preview for RAW via `exif::extract_embedded_jpeg_preview`) to Apollo's `/api/internal/faces/detect`. K=`FACE_DETECT_CONCURRENCY` (default 8) parallel calls per scan tick; Apollo serializes them via its single-worker GPU pool. `face_watch.rs` is the Tokio orchestration layer.
 
-**Per-tick backlog drain** (also `src/main.rs`): two passes that run on every watcher tick regardless of quick-vs-full scan:
+**Per-tick backlog drain** (`src/backfill.rs`): two passes that run on every watcher tick regardless of quick-vs-full scan:
 - `backfill_unhashed_backlog` — populates `image_exif.content_hash` for photos that arrived before the hash field was retroactive. Capped by `FACE_HASH_BACKFILL_MAX_PER_TICK` (default 2000); errors don't burn the cap.
 - `process_face_backlog` — runs detection on photos that have a hash but no `face_detections` row. Capped by `FACE_BACKLOG_MAX_PER_TICK` (default 64). Selected via a SQL anti-join (`FaceDao::list_unscanned_candidates`); videos and EXCLUDED_DIRS paths filtered out client-side via `face_watch::filter_excluded` so they never reach Apollo.
 
@@ -521,6 +531,8 @@ ImageApi owns the face data; Apollo (sibling repo) hosts the insightface inferen
 Module map:
 - `src/faces.rs` — `FaceDao` trait + `SqliteFaceDao` impl, route handlers for `/faces/*`, `/image/faces/*`, `/persons/*`. Mirror of `tags.rs` layout.
 - `src/face_watch.rs` — Tokio orchestration for the file-watch detect pass; `filter_excluded` (PathExcluder + image-extension filter), `read_image_bytes_for_detect` (RAW preview fallback).
+- `src/backfill.rs` — per-tick drains (unhashed-hash, date_taken, face-backlog, etc.) called from `watcher::watch_files` and `watcher::process_new_files`.
+- `src/watcher.rs` — the watcher loop itself and `process_new_files` (file walk → EXIF write → face-candidate build).
 - `src/ai/face_client.rs` — HTTP client for Apollo's inference. Configured by `APOLLO_FACE_API_BASE_URL`, falls back to `APOLLO_API_BASE_URL`. Both unset → feature disabled, file-watch hook is a no-op.
 - `migrations/2026-04-29-000000_add_faces/` — schema.
 
@@ -658,7 +670,12 @@ clients whether chat is available for a given insight.
 
 - `POST /insights/chat` runs one turn of the agentic loop against the replayed
   history. Body: `{ file_path, library?, user_message, model?, backend?, num_ctx?,
-  temperature?, top_p?, top_k?, min_p?, max_iterations?, amend? }`.
+  temperature?, top_p?, top_k?, min_p?, max_iterations?, system_prompt?, amend? }`.
+  `system_prompt` is a per-turn override: in append mode (default) it's applied
+  ephemerally — the original system message is restored before persistence so
+  the stored transcript keeps its baked persona. In amend mode the override
+  stays in place and becomes the new insight row's system message. Mirrors the
+  internal `annotate_system_with_budget` swap-and-restore pattern.
 - `POST /insights/chat/stream` is the SSE variant — same request body, response
   is `text/event-stream` with events: `iteration_start`, `text` (delta), `tool_call`,
   `tool_result`, `truncated`, `done`, plus a server-emitted `error_message` on

migrations/2026-05-09-000000_personas_and_persona_scoped_facts/down.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+-- Drop the persona-scoping column on entity_facts via the table-rebuild
+-- dance for SQLite-version portability (matches the pattern in
+-- 2026-04-20-000000_add_backend_to_insights/down.sql).
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_persona;
+
+CREATE TABLE entity_facts_backup AS
+    SELECT id, subject_entity_id, predicate, object_entity_id, object_value,
+           source_photo, source_insight_id, confidence, status, created_at
+    FROM entity_facts;
+
+DROP TABLE entity_facts;
+
+CREATE TABLE entity_facts (
+    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL,
+    subject_entity_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
+    predicate TEXT NOT NULL,
+    object_entity_id INTEGER,
+    object_value TEXT,
+    source_photo TEXT,
+    source_insight_id INTEGER,
+    confidence REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 0.6,
+    status TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'active',
+    created_at BIGINT NOT NULL,
+    CONSTRAINT fk_ef_subject FOREIGN KEY (subject_entity_id) REFERENCES entities(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+    CONSTRAINT fk_ef_object  FOREIGN KEY (object_entity_id)  REFERENCES entities(id) ON DELETE SET NULL,
+    CONSTRAINT fk_ef_insight FOREIGN KEY (source_insight_id) REFERENCES photo_insights(id) ON DELETE SET NULL,
+    CHECK (object_entity_id IS NOT NULL OR object_value IS NOT NULL)
+);
+
+INSERT INTO entity_facts
+    SELECT id, subject_entity_id, predicate, object_entity_id, object_value,
+           source_photo, source_insight_id, confidence, status, created_at
+    FROM entity_facts_backup;
+
+DROP TABLE entity_facts_backup;
+
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_subject ON entity_facts(subject_entity_id);
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_predicate ON entity_facts(predicate);
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_status ON entity_facts(status);
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_source_photo ON entity_facts(source_photo);
+
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_personas_user;
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS personas;

migrations/2026-05-09-000000_personas_and_persona_scoped_facts/up.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+-- Personas live server-side now (mobile previously stored them in
+-- AsyncStorage only). Each user gets the three built-ins seeded; custom
+-- personas land here too via POST /personas or POST /personas/migrate.
+--
+-- `entity_facts` gains a persona_id so each persona accumulates its own
+-- voice over a shared entity graph (entities themselves stay unscoped).
+-- Existing rows backfill to 'default' via the column DEFAULT — that
+-- becomes the historical baseline. The `include_all_memories` flag on
+-- personas lets any persona opt back into reading the full pool.
+
+CREATE TABLE personas (
+    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL,
+    user_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
+    persona_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+    name TEXT NOT NULL,
+    system_prompt TEXT NOT NULL,
+    is_built_in BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT FALSE,
+    include_all_memories BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT FALSE,
+    created_at BIGINT NOT NULL,
+    updated_at BIGINT NOT NULL,
+    UNIQUE(user_id, persona_id),
+    CONSTRAINT fk_personas_user FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
+);
+
+CREATE INDEX idx_personas_user ON personas(user_id);
+
+-- Seed built-ins for every existing user. System prompts copied verbatim
+-- from FileViewer-React/hooks/usePersonas.tsx so server and client agree
+-- on the canonical voice for each built-in.
+INSERT INTO personas (user_id, persona_id, name, system_prompt, is_built_in, created_at, updated_at)
+SELECT
+    u.id,
+    'default',
+    'Default Assistant',
+    'You are my long-term memory assistant. Use only the information provided. Do not invent details. Respond in 3–6 sentences in third person, leading with the most concrete moment from the photo and the surrounding context. Plain prose, no headings.',
+    TRUE,
+    strftime('%s', 'now') * 1000,
+    strftime('%s', 'now') * 1000
+FROM users u
+UNION ALL
+SELECT
+    u.id,
+    'journal',
+    'Personal Journal',
+    'You are a personal journal writer. Write in first person, present tense, with warmth and reflection — focusing on emotions and meaningful moments. Use only the information provided; do not invent details. Aim for 4–8 sentences in a single flowing paragraph, no headings.',
+    TRUE,
+    strftime('%s', 'now') * 1000,
+    strftime('%s', 'now') * 1000
+FROM users u
+UNION ALL
+SELECT
+    u.id,
+    'factual',
+    'Factual Reporter',
+    'You are a factual memory recorder. Be precise, objective, and concise. Lead with the date and place, then list what / when / who in 2–4 short sentences. Use only the information provided; if a detail is unknown, say so rather than guessing.',
+    TRUE,
+    strftime('%s', 'now') * 1000,
+    strftime('%s', 'now') * 1000
+FROM users u;
+
+-- Persona scoping on facts only. Entities and entity_photo_links stay
+-- shared (real-world referents and shared photo ↔ entity associations).
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts ADD COLUMN persona_id TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'default';
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_persona ON entity_facts(persona_id);

migrations/2026-05-10-000000_entity_facts_persona_fk/down.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+-- Reverse 2026-05-10-000000_entity_facts_persona_fk: drop the
+-- composite FK and the user_id column via the same rebuild pattern.
+
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_user_persona;
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_persona;
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_source_photo;
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_status;
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_predicate;
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_subject;
+
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts RENAME TO entity_facts_old;
+
+CREATE TABLE entity_facts (
+    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL,
+    subject_entity_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
+    predicate TEXT NOT NULL,
+    object_entity_id INTEGER,
+    object_value TEXT,
+    source_photo TEXT,
+    source_insight_id INTEGER,
+    confidence REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 0.6,
+    status TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'active',
+    created_at BIGINT NOT NULL,
+    persona_id TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'default',
+    CONSTRAINT fk_ef_subject FOREIGN KEY (subject_entity_id) REFERENCES entities(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+    CONSTRAINT fk_ef_object  FOREIGN KEY (object_entity_id)  REFERENCES entities(id) ON DELETE SET NULL,
+    CONSTRAINT fk_ef_insight FOREIGN KEY (source_insight_id) REFERENCES photo_insights(id) ON DELETE SET NULL,
+    CHECK (object_entity_id IS NOT NULL OR object_value IS NOT NULL)
+);
+
+INSERT INTO entity_facts
+    (id, subject_entity_id, predicate, object_entity_id, object_value,
+     source_photo, source_insight_id, confidence, status, created_at,
+     persona_id)
+SELECT
+    id, subject_entity_id, predicate, object_entity_id, object_value,
+    source_photo, source_insight_id, confidence, status, created_at,
+    persona_id
+FROM entity_facts_old;
+
+DROP TABLE entity_facts_old;
+
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_subject ON entity_facts(subject_entity_id);
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_predicate ON entity_facts(predicate);
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_status ON entity_facts(status);
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_source_photo ON entity_facts(source_photo);
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_persona ON entity_facts(persona_id);

migrations/2026-05-10-000000_entity_facts_persona_fk/up.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+-- Add a real foreign key from entity_facts to personas. Until now,
+-- entity_facts.persona_id was a free-form string with no integrity
+-- guarantee — deleting a persona orphaned its facts, which then sat
+-- forever in the readable-only-via-PersonaFilter::All hive-mind view.
+--
+-- personas is keyed (user_id, persona_id) so the FK has to be
+-- composite. That requires entity_facts to carry user_id too, which
+-- has the side benefit of fixing multi-user fact leakage on the read
+-- path (without it, two users with the same 'default' persona would
+-- see each other's default-scoped facts).
+--
+-- SQLite can't ALTER TABLE to add an FK; the table-rebuild dance is
+-- the only way. Pattern matches 2026-05-09's down.sql and the older
+-- 2026-04-20-000000 migration.
+
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_subject;
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_predicate;
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_status;
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_source_photo;
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_persona;
+
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts RENAME TO entity_facts_old;
+
+CREATE TABLE entity_facts (
+    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT NOT NULL,
+    subject_entity_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
+    predicate TEXT NOT NULL,
+    object_entity_id INTEGER,
+    object_value TEXT,
+    source_photo TEXT,
+    source_insight_id INTEGER,
+    confidence REAL NOT NULL DEFAULT 0.6,
+    status TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'active',
+    created_at BIGINT NOT NULL,
+    persona_id TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'default',
+    user_id INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 1,
+    CONSTRAINT fk_ef_subject FOREIGN KEY (subject_entity_id) REFERENCES entities(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+    CONSTRAINT fk_ef_object  FOREIGN KEY (object_entity_id)  REFERENCES entities(id) ON DELETE SET NULL,
+    CONSTRAINT fk_ef_insight FOREIGN KEY (source_insight_id) REFERENCES photo_insights(id) ON DELETE SET NULL,
+    CONSTRAINT fk_ef_persona FOREIGN KEY (user_id, persona_id) REFERENCES personas(user_id, persona_id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+    CHECK (object_entity_id IS NOT NULL OR object_value IS NOT NULL)
+);
+
+-- Backfill: assign each legacy fact to the user that owns the matching
+-- persona. Built-ins are seeded per-user with the same persona_id
+-- string for everyone, so MIN(user_id) deterministically picks the
+-- earliest registered user (typically user 1, the operator). Custom
+-- persona_ids exist for at most one user, so MIN is also unique.
+-- Falls back to user_id=1 when no matching persona row exists; in that
+-- case the FK below would still fail, but legacy rows shouldn't be in
+-- that state because 2026-05-09 ADD COLUMN defaulted persona_id to
+-- 'default', which is seeded for every user.
+INSERT INTO entity_facts
+    (id, subject_entity_id, predicate, object_entity_id, object_value,
+     source_photo, source_insight_id, confidence, status, created_at,
+     persona_id, user_id)
+SELECT
+    old.id,
+    old.subject_entity_id,
+    old.predicate,
+    old.object_entity_id,
+    old.object_value,
+    old.source_photo,
+    old.source_insight_id,
+    old.confidence,
+    old.status,
+    old.created_at,
+    old.persona_id,
+    COALESCE(
+        (SELECT MIN(p.user_id) FROM personas p WHERE p.persona_id = old.persona_id),
+        1
+    )
+FROM entity_facts_old old;
+
+DROP TABLE entity_facts_old;
+
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_subject ON entity_facts(subject_entity_id);
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_predicate ON entity_facts(predicate);
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_status ON entity_facts(status);
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_source_photo ON entity_facts(source_photo);
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_persona ON entity_facts(persona_id);
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_user_persona ON entity_facts(user_id, persona_id);

migrations/2026-05-10-000100_entity_facts_valid_time/down.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+-- SQLite can drop columns since 3.35 (March 2021); embedded
+-- libsqlite3-sys is well past that. Drop in reverse insert order so
+-- a partial down still leaves the schema valid.
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts DROP COLUMN valid_until;
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts DROP COLUMN valid_from;

migrations/2026-05-10-000100_entity_facts_valid_time/up.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+-- Add valid-time columns to entity_facts.
+--
+-- entity_facts already has created_at — *transaction time*, the
+-- moment WE recorded the fact. That's not the same as the real-world
+-- period the fact was true. "Cameron is_in_relationship_with X" was
+-- only true during a window; recording it in 2026 doesn't make it
+-- true today. Without the distinction, every former relationship,
+-- former job, former address reads as currently-true.
+--
+-- Adding two BIGINT NULL columns: valid_from / valid_until (unix
+-- seconds). NULL means "unbounded on that side" — `valid_from IS
+-- NULL` reads as "always-true-back-to-the-beginning",
+-- `valid_until IS NULL` as "still-true-now-or-unknown". Both NULL =
+-- temporal validity unknown (current state of all legacy rows).
+--
+-- Conflict detection refines accordingly: same-predicate facts with
+-- different objects stop flagging when their intervals are disjoint
+-- ("lives_in NYC 2018-2020" and "lives_in SF 2020-present" are both
+-- valid, just at different times).
+
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts ADD COLUMN valid_from BIGINT;
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts ADD COLUMN valid_until BIGINT;
+
+-- Optional partial index for time-bounded scans. Skipped for now —
+-- conflict detection runs per-entity (small N) and doesn't need it.

migrations/2026-05-10-000200_entity_facts_superseded_by/down.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_superseded_by;
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts DROP COLUMN superseded_by;

migrations/2026-05-10-000200_entity_facts_superseded_by/up.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+-- Add a supersession pointer to entity_facts.
+--
+-- Status alone is a one-way trapdoor: 'rejected' loses the link
+-- between the rejected fact and the one that replaced it. For
+-- evolving facts (Cameron's relationship, employer, address) the
+-- curator wants to *replace* a stale fact with a new one and keep
+-- the history readable: "from 2018 until 2022 this was true, then
+-- it became this other thing".
+--
+-- A nullable INTEGER column pointing at another entity_facts.id —
+-- no FK constraint because SQLite can't ALTER ADD COLUMN with REFs;
+-- the DAO's delete_fact clears dangling pointers in the same
+-- transaction as the parent delete to keep the column honest.
+--
+-- A status of 'superseded' on the old fact (alongside the existing
+-- active / reviewed / rejected) signals "replaced by a newer
+-- claim". Read paths already filter 'rejected' out of the active
+-- view; the curation UI will treat 'superseded' the same way for
+-- conflict detection so they don't keep flagging.
+--
+-- Pairs with the valid-time columns from 2026-05-10-000100: the
+-- supersede action auto-stamps the old fact's `valid_until` from
+-- the new fact's `valid_from`, closing the interval cleanly.
+
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts ADD COLUMN superseded_by INTEGER;
+
+-- Helpful index for "show me what superseded this fact" walks
+-- (rare today; cheap to add now while the table is small).
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_superseded_by
+    ON entity_facts(superseded_by)
+    WHERE superseded_by IS NOT NULL;

migrations/2026-05-10-000300_entity_facts_provenance/down.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_created_by_backend;
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_created_by_model;
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts DROP COLUMN created_by_backend;
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts DROP COLUMN created_by_model;

migrations/2026-05-10-000300_entity_facts_provenance/up.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+-- Track which model + backend generated each fact so the curator
+-- can audit which configurations produce trustworthy knowledge.
+--
+-- photo_insights already carries `model_version` + `backend`, and
+-- entity_facts.source_insight_id links to it — but:
+--   1. source_insight_id is only set after an insight is stored
+--      (post-loop), so chat-continuation facts and facts whose insight
+--      was regenerated lose the link.
+--   2. JOINing for every read is more friction than just embedding the
+--      provenance on the fact row itself.
+--   3. Manual facts (POST /knowledge/facts) have no insight at all and
+--      need to record "manual" as their provenance.
+--
+-- Two nullable TEXT columns are enough for the audit use case: model
+-- (e.g. "qwen2.5:7b", "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4") and backend
+-- ("local", "hybrid", "manual"). Pre-existing rows leave both NULL —
+-- legacy facts predate this tracking and can't be back-filled
+-- reliably from training_messages without burning compute.
+
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts ADD COLUMN created_by_model TEXT;
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts ADD COLUMN created_by_backend TEXT;
+
+-- Indexes are cheap and useful for "show me all facts from model X"
+-- audit queries — partial so the legacy NULL rows don't bloat them.
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_created_by_model
+    ON entity_facts(created_by_model)
+    WHERE created_by_model IS NOT NULL;
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_created_by_backend
+    ON entity_facts(created_by_backend)
+    WHERE created_by_backend IS NOT NULL;

migrations/2026-05-10-000400_personas_reviewed_only/down.sql

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+ALTER TABLE personas DROP COLUMN reviewed_only_facts;

migrations/2026-05-10-000400_personas_reviewed_only/up.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+-- Per-persona toggle: when true, agent reads only see facts whose
+-- status is exactly 'reviewed' (human-verified). When false (the
+-- default), agent reads see 'active' OR 'reviewed' — everything not
+-- rejected or superseded.
+--
+-- The mobile app surfaces this as "Strict mode" on the persona
+-- editor: useful when you want a persona's chat to be grounded
+-- exclusively on the curated subset, e.g. for tasks where
+-- hallucinated agent claims are particularly costly.
+--
+-- Note: this is separate from `include_all_memories` (which unions
+-- across personas for hive-mind reads). Reviewed-only operates on
+-- the status axis; include_all_memories operates on the persona-
+-- scope axis. They compose freely.
+
+ALTER TABLE personas ADD COLUMN reviewed_only_facts BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;

migrations/2026-05-10-000500_entity_facts_audit_and_agent_gate/down.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+ALTER TABLE personas DROP COLUMN allow_agent_corrections;
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_entity_facts_last_modified_at;
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts DROP COLUMN last_modified_at;
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts DROP COLUMN last_modified_by_backend;
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts DROP COLUMN last_modified_by_model;

migrations/2026-05-10-000500_entity_facts_audit_and_agent_gate/up.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+-- Three coupled changes for agent self-correction safety:
+--
+-- 1. `entity_facts.last_modified_by_*` + `last_modified_at` track who
+--    most recently mutated each fact. `created_by_*` from migration
+--    2026-05-10-000300 records who first wrote the row; this records
+--    who last *changed* it. Separate columns so the create vs update
+--    audit is independently grep-able ("show me every fact gpt-5
+--    altered last week" stays a single index scan).
+--
+-- 2. `personas.allow_agent_corrections` is the gate for the new
+--    agent-side `update_fact` / `supersede_fact` tools. Default OFF —
+--    a fresh persona's agent can create but can't alter or replace.
+--    Operator opts in per-persona after the model has earned trust,
+--    typically via the strict-mode flow (curate, then ratchet up
+--    agent autonomy as confidence rises). Parallel in shape to
+--    `reviewed_only_facts` from 2026-05-10-000400; they compose.
+--
+-- 3. Index on `last_modified_at` (partial, NOT NULL) for the
+--    audit-feed reads in the curation UI ("show recent agent edits
+--    sorted newest first").
+
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts ADD COLUMN last_modified_by_model TEXT;
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts ADD COLUMN last_modified_by_backend TEXT;
+ALTER TABLE entity_facts ADD COLUMN last_modified_at BIGINT;
+
+CREATE INDEX idx_entity_facts_last_modified_at
+    ON entity_facts(last_modified_at)
+    WHERE last_modified_at IS NOT NULL;
+
+ALTER TABLE personas ADD COLUMN allow_agent_corrections BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;

migrations/2026-05-11-000000_normalize_entity_types/down.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+-- Irreversible: we collapsed multiple raw entity_type strings to
+-- canonical forms and don't have a per-row record of the original.
+-- The down migration is intentionally a no-op (the rewritten values
+-- are still semantically correct), and the up migration is safe to
+-- re-run because every UPDATE is conditional on `!= canonical`.
+SELECT 1;

migrations/2026-05-11-000000_normalize_entity_types/up.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+-- Canonicalize `entities.entity_type` so legacy rows from before
+-- `normalize_entity_type` landed in upsert_entity stop polluting
+-- client-side filters. Mirrors the synonym map in
+-- `src/database/knowledge_dao.rs::normalize_entity_type`:
+--   person  ← person | people | human | individual | contact
+--   place   ← place  | location | venue | site | area | landmark
+--   event   ← event  | occasion | activity | celebration
+--   thing   ← thing  | object | item | product
+-- Types outside the synonym set (e.g. "friend", "family") are not
+-- recognized as canonical and get a lowercase+trim pass instead, so
+-- at minimum case variants collapse.
+--
+-- `UPDATE OR IGNORE` skips rows that would violate UNIQUE(name,
+-- entity_type) after the rewrite. Two rows like ("Sarah", "person")
+-- + ("Sarah", "Person") would otherwise collide — the duplicate
+-- survives unchanged so the curator can merge it via the curation
+-- UI rather than have the migration silently delete data.
+
+UPDATE OR IGNORE entities
+SET entity_type = 'person'
+WHERE LOWER(TRIM(entity_type)) IN ('person', 'people', 'human', 'individual', 'contact')
+  AND entity_type != 'person';
+
+UPDATE OR IGNORE entities
+SET entity_type = 'place'
+WHERE LOWER(TRIM(entity_type)) IN ('place', 'location', 'venue', 'site', 'area', 'landmark')
+  AND entity_type != 'place';
+
+UPDATE OR IGNORE entities
+SET entity_type = 'event'
+WHERE LOWER(TRIM(entity_type)) IN ('event', 'occasion', 'activity', 'celebration')
+  AND entity_type != 'event';
+
+UPDATE OR IGNORE entities
+SET entity_type = 'thing'
+WHERE LOWER(TRIM(entity_type)) IN ('thing', 'object', 'item', 'product')
+  AND entity_type != 'thing';
+
+-- Anything left ("Friend" vs "friend") gets a lowercase+trim sweep
+-- so at least case variants of the same custom type collapse.
+UPDATE OR IGNORE entities
+SET entity_type = LOWER(TRIM(entity_type))
+WHERE entity_type != LOWER(TRIM(entity_type));

migrations/2026-05-12-000000_date_backfill_null_only/down.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_image_exif_date_backfill;
+
+CREATE INDEX idx_image_exif_date_backfill
+    ON image_exif (library_id, id)
+    WHERE date_taken IS NULL OR date_taken_source = 'fs_time';

migrations/2026-05-12-000000_date_backfill_null_only/up.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+-- Narrow the date-backfill partial index to NULL-only rows.
+--
+-- The original index (2026-05-06-000000_add_date_taken_source) also matched
+-- `date_taken_source = 'fs_time'` so the drain could "re-resolve weak
+-- entries when better tools become available." In practice the resolver
+-- is deterministic on file bytes + filename + fs metadata: a row that
+-- landed on fs_time once will land on fs_time again on every subsequent
+-- tick. With `ORDER BY id ASC LIMIT 500`, the drain spun on the same
+-- lowest-id fs_time rows in perpetuity, never advancing, while hammering
+-- the SQLite write lock once per row and starving other writers (face
+-- PATCHes were hitting busy_timeout and returning 500). Drop fs_time
+-- from the eligibility set; if exiftool / a new filename pattern ever
+-- comes online, a one-shot operator command can re-resolve.
+DROP INDEX IF EXISTS idx_image_exif_date_backfill;
+
+CREATE INDEX idx_image_exif_date_backfill
+    ON image_exif (library_id, id)
+    WHERE date_taken IS NULL;

specs/002-insight-chat-improvements.md

@@ -0,0 +1,392 @@
+# Insight Chat improvements — design
+
+**Date:** 2026-05-07
+**Branch:** `feature/insight-chat-improvements` (in both `ImageApi/` and `FileViewer-React/`)
+**Scope:** ImageApi photo-anchored insight + chat surface, plus the
+FileViewer-React client. Apollo's free/visit chat is **not** in this cycle.
+
+## Problem
+
+Three concrete gaps in today's insight + chat surface:
+
+1. **Tool drift.** ImageApi exposes 13 tools to the LLM. Some are gated on
+   `apollo_enabled` / `has_vision`, but several optional ones
+   (`search_rag`, `get_calendar_events`, `get_location_history`) are
+   registered unconditionally even when their backing tables are empty.
+   Descriptions vary in quality and a couple have outright bugs.
+2. **Inconsistent / incomplete tool descriptions.** Tools like
+   `search_messages` describe their selection rules but omit useful
+   examples; `store_fact` doesn't show the `object_entity_id` vs
+   `object_value` choice; `get_sms_messages` accepts a `days_radius`
+   parameter that the backing client silently ignores. The LLM is being
+   instructed against a slightly wrong reality.
+3. **System prompt fights the persona.** Today's generation prompt
+   prepends the user's `custom_system_prompt` and then immediately asserts
+   `"You are a personal photo memory assistant..."`. The user message
+   demands `"a detailed insight with a title and summary"`. Both
+   contradict whatever voice / shape / POV the persona just established.
+   On chat continuation the persona is baked into the stored transcript at
+   generation time and can't be changed without regenerating.
+
+## Goals
+
+- Tool catalog is **representative** — every tool registered for a turn is
+  backed by data the user actually has.
+- Tool descriptions are **concise but complete**, with examples for any
+  tool whose param choice has multiple modes or non-obvious interactions.
+- Persona / system prompt is **authoritative** for voice, length, and
+  shape — both at generation and during chat continuation.
+- Per-turn system prompt overrides on chat work without surprising
+  side-effects on the stored transcript outside `amend` mode.
+
+## Non-goals
+
+- Apollo backend / frontend changes. Separate cycle.
+- Refactoring the `generate_photo_title` post-hoc title flow. Already
+  takes `custom_system_prompt`.
+- Tool consolidation (e.g. merging `search_messages` + `get_sms_messages`).
+  Considered and deferred — keeps blast radius small.
+- Removing knowledge-memory tools (`recall_*` / `store_*`). Audit
+  confirmed they have a live read path via `knowledge.rs` HTTP routes.
+- Persisting persona changes to the stored transcript outside `amend`
+  mode. Deliberate — re-opens use the persona currently active in the
+  client, not a sticky historical setting.
+
+---
+
+## Design
+
+### A. System prompt — generation
+
+Today (`insight_generator.rs:3305–3326`):
+
+```
+[custom_system_prompt if any] +
+"You are a personal photo memory assistant helping to reconstruct..." +
+{owner_id_note} +
+{fewshot_block} +
+"IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:
+1. You MUST call multiple tools...
+2. When calling get_sms_messages and search_rag...
+3. Use recall_facts_for_photo...
+...
+8. You have a hard budget of {max_iterations} iterations..."
+```
+
+The first concatenation is the bug: `custom` claims one identity, the
+next line asserts another.
+
+**New structure** — two named blocks, in order:
+
+```
+[Identity / voice / format block]    ← persona-controlled (or neutral default)
+[Procedural block]                   ← always identity-free
+```
+
+**Identity block:**
+- When `custom_system_prompt` is supplied: use that string verbatim, no
+  pre/append.
+- When not: a neutral default that doesn't fight a future persona.
+  Working text: `"You are reconstructing a memory from a photo. Use the
+  gathered context to write a thoughtful summary; you decide voice,
+  length, and shape."`
+
+**Procedural block** — identity-free, always emitted:
+
+```
+Tool-use guidance:
+- You have a budget of {max_iterations} tool-calling iterations.
+- Call tools to gather context BEFORE writing your final answer; don't
+  answer after one or two calls.
+- When calling get_sms_messages or search_rag, make at least one call
+  WITHOUT a contact filter — surrounding events matter even when a
+  contact is known.
+- Use recall_facts_for_photo + recall_entities to load any prior
+  knowledge about subjects in the photo.
+- When you identify people / places / events / things, use store_entity
+  + store_fact to grow the persistent memory.
+- A tool returning no results is informative; continue with the others.
+
+{owner_id_note if applicable}
+{fewshot_block if applicable}
+```
+
+Differences from today's "IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS" block: removed the
+"you are a personal photo memory assistant" framing and the explicit
+"at least 5 tool calls" floor (replaced with the softer "don't answer
+after one or two"). Few-shot stays — it's pattern-of-tool-use, not
+identity.
+
+### B. User message — generation
+
+Today (line 3357):
+
+```
+{visual_block}Please analyze this photo and gather any relevant context
+from the surrounding weeks.
+
+Photo file path: {file_path}
+Date taken: {date}
+{contact_info}
+{gps_info}
+{tags_info}
+
+Use the available tools to gather more context about this moment
+(messages, calendar events, location history, etc.), then write a
+detailed insight with a title and summary.
+```
+
+Problems: the trailing line bakes in output shape ("title and
+summary"), and the title from the resulting response is **discarded
+anyway** — `generate_photo_title` (line 3494) regenerates the title
+post-hoc from the summary. So the prompt is constraining voice for no
+data-model benefit.
+
+**New payload** — context-only, no output prescription:
+
+```
+{visual_block}Photo file path: {file_path}
+Date taken: {date}
+{contact_info}
+{gps_info}
+{tags_info}
+
+Gather context with the available tools, then respond.
+```
+
+The persona owns shape. If a user wants "title-then-paragraph" output,
+their persona prompt says so.
+
+### C. System prompt — chat continuation
+
+Add `system_prompt: Option<String>` to `ChatTurnRequest` (and to its
+HTTP wrapper `ChatTurnHttpRequest`). It carries through both the
+non-streaming `chat_turn` and the streaming `chat_turn_stream`.
+
+**Append mode (default, `amend=false`)** — ephemeral
+swap-and-restore, mirroring the existing `annotate_system_with_budget`
+pattern:
+
+1. Load stored transcript.
+2. If `system_prompt` is `Some(s)`:
+   - If first message is a `system` role: stash original content,
+     replace with `s`.
+   - Else: prepend a synthetic ephemeral system message with `s` (note
+     it's synthetic so the restore step pops it rather than rewriting).
+3. Run `annotate_system_with_budget` on top (existing per-turn budget
+   note appends to whatever's there now).
+4. Run the agentic loop.
+5. **Before persistence**, restore the original system content (or pop
+   the synthetic one). Run `restore_system_content` for the budget
+   annotation as today.
+6. Save.
+
+Result: the model sees the override; the stored transcript is
+unchanged outside the model's actual reply.
+
+**Amend mode (`amend=true`)**:
+
+- If `system_prompt` is supplied: the override stays in place during
+  the serialization for the new insight row. The new row's
+  `training_messages` system message is the override. `is_current=false`
+  flips on prior rows as today.
+- If not supplied: behaves as today (stored transcript's system message
+  carries forward unchanged).
+
+### D. FileViewer-React — client wiring
+
+`hooks/useInsightChat.tsx`:
+- `SendTurnOptions` gains `systemPromptOverride?: string | null`.
+- Inside `sendTurn`, before issuing the streaming POST:
+  1. Read the active persona's `systemPrompt` from AsyncStorage
+     (already loaded for generation flows — reuse the same accessor).
+  2. If a one-shot `systemPromptOverride` is set, append as a suffix
+     (`${persona}\n\n${override}`) so persona voice survives + override
+     tweaks the turn.
+  3. Include the resulting string as `system_prompt` on the request body.
+- No history-load change. The history endpoint still returns the stored
+  transcript.
+
+`components/InsightChatModal.tsx`:
+- Add a small "Style note" composer affordance — a one-shot text input
+  that, when filled, becomes the `systemPromptOverride` for the next
+  send. Cleared after send.
+- The existing persona chip continues to open `PersonaManagerModal`.
+
+`hooks/usePersonas.tsx` and the bundled defaults:
+- Built-in `assistant` and `journal` prompts get audited and rewritten
+  to **explicitly state voice / shape / length** — since the framework
+  no longer guarantees a default shape, the persona must.
+
+### E. Tool catalog — gating
+
+Widen `build_tool_definitions` from `(has_vision: bool, apollo_enabled:
+bool)` to a single `ToolGateOpts` struct:
+
+```rust
+pub struct ToolGateOpts {
+    pub has_vision: bool,
+    pub apollo_enabled: bool,
+    pub daily_summaries_present: bool,
+    pub calendar_present: bool,
+    pub location_history_present: bool,
+}
+```
+
+The chat / generation services compute the three new fields lazily per
+turn via `SELECT 1 FROM <table> LIMIT 1` (cheap; cached for the turn's
+duration). Lazy because operators import data after launch and we don't
+want to require a restart for the LLM to discover its new capabilities.
+
+Per-tool gating:
+
+| Tool | Existing gate | New gate |
+|---|---|---|
+| `describe_photo` | `has_vision` | unchanged |
+| `get_personal_place_at` | `apollo_enabled` | unchanged |
+| `get_calendar_events` | none | `calendar_present` |
+| `get_location_history` | none | `location_history_present` |
+| `search_rag` | none | `daily_summaries_present` |
+
+All other tools always-on. (`get_sms_messages` and `search_messages`
+fail informatively if SMS-API is unreachable; not worth a startup probe
+since intermittent failures are the same shape.)
+
+### F. Tool descriptions — convention
+
+Every description follows:
+
+1. One sentence: **what** + **when to call**.
+2. Param semantics worth knowing (units, ranges, mode behavior,
+   precedence).
+3. **Example invocation** for tools with multiple modes, optional bands,
+   or non-obvious parameter interactions.
+4. Cross-references when relevant: `prefer X when both apply`.
+
+Banned: all-caps section headers inside descriptions
+(`"CONTENT search"`, `"TIME-BASED fetch"`); persona-prescriptive language
+(`"you are a..."`); behavioral references to other tools by description
+rather than name.
+
+Tools getting examples: `search_messages`, `search_rag`, `store_fact`,
+`get_sms_messages`. Trivial tools (`get_current_datetime`,
+`reverse_geocode`, `get_file_tags`) skip the example.
+
+Sample (`search_messages`):
+
+> Search SMS/MMS message bodies. Modes: `fts5` (keyword + phrase + prefix
+> + AND/OR/NOT + NEAR proximity), `semantic` (embedding similarity,
+> requires generated embeddings), `hybrid` (RRF merge, recommended;
+> degrades to `fts5` when embeddings absent). Optional `start_ts` /
+> `end_ts` (real-UTC unix seconds) and `contact_id` filters. For pure
+> date / contact browsing without keywords, prefer `get_sms_messages`.
+>
+> Examples:
+> - `{query: "trader joe's"}` — phrase across all time.
+> - `{query: "dinner", contact_id: 42, start_ts: 1700000000, end_ts: 1700604800}`
+>   — keyword within a contact and a week.
+> - `{query: "NEAR(meeting work, 5)"}` — proximity search.
+
+### G. SMS tool fixes
+
+#### `get_sms_messages` — honor `days_radius`
+
+Today: `sms_client::fetch_messages_for_contact(contact, center_ts)`
+hardcodes `Duration::days(4)` (lines 31–37). The tool accepts
+`days_radius` and silently ignores it.
+
+**Fix:** widen the signature to
+`fetch_messages_for_contact(contact, center_ts, days_radius)`. Tool
+plumbs through. Default 4 retained for back-compat.
+
+#### `search_messages` — add date and contact_id filters
+
+Today: ImageApi's `search_messages` only forwards `query`, `mode`,
+`limit` to SMS-API.
+
+**Fix:** add `start_ts`, `end_ts`, `contact_id` parameters.
+- `contact_id` forwards directly to SMS-API
+  (`/api/messages/search/?contact_id=`).
+- `start_ts` / `end_ts` are not natively accepted by SMS-API's search
+  endpoint. Apply client-side post-filter on the response (Apollo's
+  pattern: `chat_tools.py:670–680`). Bump the SMS-API `limit` to a
+  larger fetch pool when a date filter is supplied so in-window matches
+  aren't lost to out-of-window FTS rank.
+
+---
+
+## Implementation sequencing
+
+Each step is independently mergeable.
+
+### ImageApi PRs
+
+1. **Split system-prompt assembly + neutralize user message.** Two
+   named blocks; user message context-only. Default identity string
+   added. Tests: golden snapshots of the resulting `system_content`
+   with and without `custom_system_prompt`.
+2. **`system_prompt` field on chat request + swap/restore + amend
+   persistence.** Mirrors `annotate_system_with_budget` pattern. Tests:
+   round-trip system content unchanged in append mode; persisted in
+   amend mode.
+3. **`fetch_messages_for_contact` honors `days_radius`.** Tool wires
+   the param through. Tests: window math at the client level.
+4. **`ToolGateOpts` + per-tool description rewrites.** Description
+   text changes are the bulk of the diff but no behavior change beyond
+   gating.
+
+### FileViewer-React PR
+
+5. **Chat hook sends `system_prompt`; modal gets style-note input;
+   built-in personas updated to specify shape.** The
+   `useInsightChat.sendTurn` call site picks up the persona and
+   includes it on every chat turn body. Style-note input is a one-shot
+   suffix.
+
+## Testing & verification
+
+**Automated:**
+- Unit (Rust): swap-and-restore round-trip preserves stored transcript.
+- Unit (Rust): amend mode persists override into new insight row.
+- Unit (Rust): `fetch_messages_for_contact(days_radius=N)` produces a
+  window of `2N` days centered on `center_ts`.
+- Unit (Rust): `build_tool_definitions(opts)` excludes gated tools when
+  the corresponding flag is false.
+
+**Manual:**
+- Run a chat turn against an existing insight without `system_prompt` →
+  output unchanged from baseline.
+- Same insight, with override → output reflects new voice.
+- Re-open chat → original baked persona still authoritative (override
+  was ephemeral).
+- Regenerate an insight with the journal persona → model's voice
+  matches journal style; no "memory assistant" framing leaks through.
+- Toggle data presence (delete a row from `calendar_events`) → tool
+  drops from the catalog on the next turn.
+
+## Risks
+
+- **Default identity wording matters.** A too-neutral default ("Use the
+  gathered context to write a summary") might produce flatter output
+  than today's "personal photo memory assistant" framing for users
+  who never set a persona. Mitigation: tune the default with a small
+  set of test photos before merging.
+- **Persona-suffix style notes can contradict persona voice.** A user
+  who picks `journal` (first person, warm) and adds the style note
+  "respond in bullet points" will get a tonal collision. Acceptable —
+  the user expressed a per-turn intent and we honor it. Document the
+  composition rule in the persona-manager UI.
+- **Lazy data-presence probes add a per-turn `SELECT 1`.** Negligible
+  on SQLite (sub-millisecond) but adds up across many turns. Cache the
+  result for the turn's duration; don't re-probe per-tool.
+
+## Open questions
+
+None blocking. Items deferred to a possible follow-up cycle:
+
+- Apollo parity for the same per-turn override pattern (already
+  present; just needs RN client wiring on the photo path which is
+  already proxy).
+- Tool consolidation (`search_messages` + `get_sms_messages` →
+  single `search_messages` with optional date filter, Apollo-style).
+  Considered and deferred — separate spec.

src/ai/handlers.rs

@@ -48,11 +48,11 @@ pub struct GeneratePhotoInsightRequest {
     /// falls back to `DEFAULT_FEWSHOT_INSIGHT_IDS`.
     #[serde(default)]
     pub fewshot_insight_ids: Option<Vec<i32>>,
-    /// When true, drop `store_entity` / `store_fact` from the tool palette
-    /// for this run. Use for one-off explorations (caption-style prompts,
-    /// experimentation) that shouldn't pollute the persistent knowledge KB.
+    /// Active persona id for this generation. New facts are tagged with
+    /// it (`entity_facts.persona_id`); recall during the agentic loop is
+    /// scoped to it. Defaults to `"default"` when absent.
     #[serde(default)]
-    pub disable_writes: bool,
+    pub persona_id: Option<String>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
@@ -305,11 +305,14 @@ pub async fn get_all_insights_handler(
 #[post("/insights/generate/agentic")]
 pub async fn generate_agentic_insight_handler(
     http_request: HttpRequest,
-    _claims: Claims,
+    claims: Claims,
     request: web::Json<GeneratePhotoInsightRequest>,
     insight_generator: web::Data<InsightGenerator>,
     insight_dao: web::Data<std::sync::Mutex<Box<dyn InsightDao>>>,
 ) -> impl Responder {
+    // Service tokens (sub: "service:apollo") fall through to user_id=1
+    // — the operator convention. Mobile/web clients have a numeric sub.
+    let user_id = claims.sub.parse::<i32>().unwrap_or(1);
     let parent_context = extract_context_from_request(&http_request);
     let tracer = global_tracer();
     let mut span = tracer.start_with_context("http.insights.generate_agentic", &parent_context);
@@ -381,6 +384,13 @@ pub async fn generate_agentic_insight_handler(
             .collect()
     };
 
+    let persona_id = request
+        .persona_id
+        .clone()
+        .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty())
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| "default".to_string());
+    span.set_attribute(KeyValue::new("persona_id", persona_id.clone()));
+
     let result = insight_generator
         .generate_agentic_insight_for_photo(
             &normalized_path,
@@ -395,7 +405,8 @@ pub async fn generate_agentic_insight_handler(
             request.backend.clone(),
             fewshot_examples,
             fewshot_ids,
-            request.disable_writes,
+            user_id,
+            persona_id,
         )
         .await;
 
@@ -646,12 +657,23 @@ pub struct ChatTurnHttpRequest {
     pub min_p: Option<f32>,
     #[serde(default)]
     pub max_iterations: Option<usize>,
+    /// Per-turn system-prompt override. Ephemeral in append mode,
+    /// persisted in amend / regenerate mode. See ChatTurnRequest for
+    /// semantics. Also seeds the bootstrap path when no insight exists.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub system_prompt: Option<String>,
+    /// Active persona id for this turn. New facts/recalls scope to it.
+    /// Defaults to `"default"` when missing.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub persona_id: Option<String>,
     #[serde(default)]
     pub amend: bool,
-    /// Drop store_entity / store_fact from the tool palette for this turn —
-    /// useful for hypothetical/exploration chats that shouldn't pollute the KB.
+    /// When true, force the bootstrap path even if an insight already
+    /// exists: flip the existing row(s) to `is_current=false` and create
+    /// a new insight row from this turn. Takes precedence over `amend`.
+    /// Collapses to a normal bootstrap when no insight exists.
     #[serde(default)]
-    pub disable_writes: bool,
+    pub regenerate: bool,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Serialize)]
@@ -674,7 +696,7 @@ pub struct ChatTurnHttpResponse {
 #[post("/insights/chat")]
 pub async fn chat_turn_handler(
     http_request: HttpRequest,
-    _claims: Claims,
+    claims: Claims,
     request: web::Json<ChatTurnHttpRequest>,
     app_state: web::Data<AppState>,
 ) -> impl Responder {
@@ -693,8 +715,14 @@ pub async fn chat_turn_handler(
         }
     };
 
+    // Service-token claims (sub: "service:apollo") fall through to
+    // user_id=1 — the operator convention. Mobile/web clients have a
+    // numeric sub. Required for the entity_facts composite FK.
+    let user_id = claims.sub.parse::<i32>().unwrap_or(1);
+
     let chat_req = ChatTurnRequest {
         library_id: library.id,
+        user_id,
         file_path: request.file_path.clone(),
         user_message: request.user_message.clone(),
         model: request.model.clone(),
@@ -705,8 +733,10 @@ pub async fn chat_turn_handler(
         top_k: request.top_k,
         min_p: request.min_p,
         max_iterations: request.max_iterations,
+        system_prompt: request.system_prompt.clone(),
+        persona_id: request.persona_id.clone(),
         amend: request.amend,
-        disable_writes: request.disable_writes,
+        regenerate: request.regenerate,
     };
 
     match app_state.insight_chat.chat_turn(chat_req).await {
@@ -844,15 +874,18 @@ pub async fn chat_history_handler(
     query: web::Query<ChatHistoryQuery>,
     app_state: web::Data<AppState>,
 ) -> impl Responder {
-    // library param parsed for parity with other insight endpoints, even
-    // though load_history currently keys on file_path alone (matches the
-    // existing get_insight DAO contract).
-    let _library = libraries::resolve_library_param(&app_state, query.library.as_deref())
+    // library_id scopes the lookup so a regenerate on this library
+    // isn't shadowed by an untouched is_current=true row in another
+    // library for the same rel_path. load_history falls back to the
+    // cross-library lookup when the scoped one misses, so a photo
+    // with no insight in this library but one in another still
+    // surfaces (the "show this photo's primary insight" merge case).
+    let library = libraries::resolve_library_param(&app_state, query.library.as_deref())
         .ok()
         .flatten()
         .unwrap_or_else(|| app_state.primary_library());
 
-    match app_state.insight_chat.load_history(&query.path) {
+    match app_state.insight_chat.load_history(library.id, &query.path) {
         Ok(view) => HttpResponse::Ok().json(ChatHistoryHttpResponse {
             messages: view
                 .messages
@@ -894,7 +927,7 @@ pub async fn chat_history_handler(
 /// Returns `text/event-stream` with one event per chat stream event.
 #[post("/insights/chat/stream")]
 pub async fn chat_stream_handler(
-    _claims: Claims,
+    claims: Claims,
     request: web::Json<ChatTurnHttpRequest>,
     app_state: web::Data<AppState>,
 ) -> HttpResponse {
@@ -908,8 +941,12 @@ pub async fn chat_stream_handler(
         }
     };
 
+    // Service-token sub falls through to user_id=1 (see chat_turn_handler).
+    let user_id = claims.sub.parse::<i32>().unwrap_or(1);
+
     let chat_req = ChatTurnRequest {
         library_id: library.id,
+        user_id,
         file_path: request.file_path.clone(),
         user_message: request.user_message.clone(),
         model: request.model.clone(),
@@ -920,8 +957,10 @@ pub async fn chat_stream_handler(
         top_k: request.top_k,
         min_p: request.min_p,
         max_iterations: request.max_iterations,
+        system_prompt: request.system_prompt.clone(),
+        persona_id: request.persona_id.clone(),
         amend: request.amend,
-        disable_writes: request.disable_writes,
+        regenerate: request.regenerate,
     };
 
     let service = app_state.insight_chat.clone();
@@ -973,8 +1012,9 @@ fn render_sse_frame(ev: &ChatStreamEvent) -> String {
             tool_calls_made,
             iterations_used,
             truncated,
-            prompt_eval_count,
-            eval_count,
+            prompt_tokens,
+            eval_tokens,
+            num_ctx,
             amended_insight_id,
             backend_used,
             model_used,
@@ -984,14 +1024,20 @@ fn render_sse_frame(ev: &ChatStreamEvent) -> String {
                 "tool_calls_made": tool_calls_made,
                 "iterations_used": iterations_used,
                 "truncated": truncated,
-                "prompt_eval_count": prompt_eval_count,
-                "eval_count": eval_count,
+                "prompt_tokens": prompt_tokens,
+                "eval_tokens": eval_tokens,
+                "num_ctx": num_ctx,
                 "amended_insight_id": amended_insight_id,
                 "backend": backend_used,
                 "model": model_used,
             }),
         ),
-        ChatStreamEvent::Error(msg) => ("error", serde_json::json!({ "message": msg })),
+        // Apollo's frontend SSE consumer (and its free-chat backend, which
+        // is the de-facto convention) listens for `error_message`. Emitting
+        // `error` here meant any failure on the photo-chat path (e.g.
+        // "no insight found for path") was silently dropped, leaving an
+        // empty assistant bubble with no clue why the turn died.
+        ChatStreamEvent::Error(msg) => ("error_message", serde_json::json!({ "message": msg })),
     };
     let data = serde_json::to_string(&payload).unwrap_or_else(|_| "{}".to_string());
     format!("event: {}\ndata: {}\n\n", event_name, data)

src/ai/mod.rs

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ pub mod llm_client;
 pub mod ollama;
 pub mod openrouter;
 pub mod sms_client;
+pub mod tag_client;
 
 // strip_summary_boilerplate is used by binaries (test_daily_summary), not the library
 #[allow(unused_imports)]

src/ai/sms_client.rs

@@ -20,34 +20,36 @@ impl SmsApiClient {
         }
     }
 
-    /// Fetch messages for a specific contact within ±`days_radius` days of
-    /// the given timestamp (defaults to ±4 days when `None`). Falls back to
-    /// all contacts if no messages are found for the specified contact.
-    /// Messages are sorted by proximity to the center timestamp.
+    /// Compute a `[start, end]` unix-second window of `2 * radius_days`
+    /// centered on `center_ts`. `radius_days < 1` is clamped to 1 to avoid
+    /// degenerate zero-width windows.
+    pub(crate) fn window_for_radius(center_ts: i64, radius_days: i64) -> (i64, i64) {
+        let r = radius_days.max(1);
+        let span = r * 86400;
+        (center_ts - span, center_ts + span)
+    }
+
+    /// Fetch messages for a specific contact within ±`radius_days` of the
+    /// given timestamp. Falls back to all contacts when no messages found
+    /// for the named contact. Sorted by proximity to the center timestamp.
     pub async fn fetch_messages_for_contact(
         &self,
         contact: Option<&str>,
         center_timestamp: i64,
-        days_radius: Option<i64>,
+        radius_days: i64,
     ) -> Result<Vec<SmsMessage>> {
-        use chrono::Duration;
+        let effective_radius = radius_days.max(1);
+        let (start_ts, end_ts) = Self::window_for_radius(center_timestamp, radius_days);
 
-        let radius = days_radius.unwrap_or(4).clamp(1, 30);
         let center_dt = chrono::DateTime::from_timestamp(center_timestamp, 0)
             .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("Invalid timestamp"))?;
 
-        let start_dt = center_dt - Duration::days(radius);
-        let end_dt = center_dt + Duration::days(radius);
-
-        let start_ts = start_dt.timestamp();
-        let end_ts = end_dt.timestamp();
-
         // If contact specified, try fetching for that contact first
         if let Some(contact_name) = contact {
             log::info!(
                 "Fetching SMS for contact: {} (±{} days from {})",
                 contact_name,
-                radius,
+                effective_radius,
                 center_dt.format("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
             );
             let messages = self
@@ -72,7 +74,7 @@ impl SmsApiClient {
         // Fallback to all contacts
         log::info!(
             "Fetching all SMS messages (±{} days from {})",
-            radius,
+            effective_radius,
             center_dt.format("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
         );
         self.fetch_messages(start_ts, end_ts, None, Some(center_timestamp))
@@ -255,23 +257,45 @@ impl SmsApiClient {
     }
 
     /// Search message bodies via the Django side's FTS5 / semantic / hybrid
-    /// endpoint. `mode` selects the ranking strategy:
+    /// endpoint. `params.mode` selects the ranking strategy:
     ///   - "fts5"     keyword-only, supports phrase / prefix / boolean / NEAR
     ///   - "semantic" embedding similarity
     ///   - "hybrid"   both merged via reciprocal rank fusion (recommended)
+    ///
+    /// All of `contact_id`, `date_from` / `date_to` (unix seconds), `is_mms`,
+    /// `has_media`, and `offset` are pushed to SMS-API server-side so the
+    /// filtered+paginated result set is exact rather than a client-side
+    /// over-fetch.
     pub async fn search_messages(
         &self,
         query: &str,
-        mode: &str,
-        limit: usize,
+        params: &SmsSearchParams<'_>,
     ) -> Result<Vec<SmsSearchHit>> {
-        let url = format!(
+        let mut url = format!(
             "{}/api/messages/search/?q={}&mode={}&limit={}",
             self.base_url,
             urlencoding::encode(query),
-            urlencoding::encode(mode),
-            limit
+            urlencoding::encode(params.mode),
+            params.limit,
         );
+        if let Some(cid) = params.contact_id {
+            url.push_str(&format!("&contact_id={}", cid));
+        }
+        if let Some(off) = params.offset {
+            url.push_str(&format!("&offset={}", off));
+        }
+        if let Some(from) = params.date_from {
+            url.push_str(&format!("&date_from={}", from));
+        }
+        if let Some(to) = params.date_to {
+            url.push_str(&format!("&date_to={}", to));
+        }
+        if let Some(is_mms) = params.is_mms {
+            url.push_str(&format!("&is_mms={}", is_mms));
+        }
+        if let Some(has_media) = params.has_media {
+            url.push_str(&format!("&has_media={}", has_media));
+        }
 
         let mut request = self.client.get(&url);
         if let Some(token) = &self.token {
@@ -374,6 +398,30 @@ pub struct SmsSearchHit {
     /// Present for semantic / hybrid modes; absent for fts5.
     #[serde(default)]
     pub similarity_score: Option<f32>,
+    /// SMS-API-generated excerpt around the match, wrapped in `<mark>` tags.
+    /// For MMS messages that only matched via attachment text / filename
+    /// (empty `body`), the snippet is the only meaningful preview.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub snippet: Option<String>,
+}
+
+/// Optional filter / paging knobs for [`SmsApiClient::search_messages`].
+/// All fields except `mode` and `limit` map 1:1 to the same-named SMS-API
+/// query params (added in the 2026-05 search-enhancements release).
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct SmsSearchParams<'a> {
+    pub mode: &'a str,
+    pub limit: usize,
+    pub contact_id: Option<i64>,
+    /// Unix-seconds inclusive lower bound on `date`.
+    pub date_from: Option<i64>,
+    /// Unix-seconds inclusive upper bound on `date`.
+    pub date_to: Option<i64>,
+    /// `Some(true)` = MMS only, `Some(false)` = SMS only, `None` = both.
+    pub is_mms: Option<bool>,
+    /// `Some(true)` = only messages with image/video/audio attachments.
+    pub has_media: Option<bool>,
+    pub offset: Option<usize>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Deserialize)]
@@ -383,3 +431,29 @@ struct SmsSearchResponse {
     #[serde(default)]
     search_method: String,
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn window_for_radius_produces_2n_day_span() {
+        let center: i64 = 1_700_000_000;
+        let (start, end) = SmsApiClient::window_for_radius(center, 7);
+        assert_eq!(end - start, 14 * 86400);
+        assert_eq!(start + 7 * 86400, center);
+        assert_eq!(end - 7 * 86400, center);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn window_for_radius_clamps_zero_to_one() {
+        let (start, end) = SmsApiClient::window_for_radius(100_000, 0);
+        assert_eq!(end - start, 2 * 86400);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn window_for_radius_clamps_negative_to_one() {
+        let (start, end) = SmsApiClient::window_for_radius(100_000, -7);
+        assert_eq!(end - start, 2 * 86400);
+    }
+}

src/ai/tag_client.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,319 @@
+//! Thin async HTTP client for Apollo's `/api/internal/tags/*` endpoints.
+//!
+//! Apollo hosts the RAM++ auto-tag inference service alongside insightface.
+//! This client is the ImageApi side — shove image bytes through `/auto` and
+//! get back a list of `(name, confidence)` predictions over RAM++'s
+//! ~4585-tag vocabulary.
+//!
+//! Mirrors `face_client.rs` shape: optional base URL (None = disabled), one
+//! reqwest client with a generous timeout because GPU inference under a
+//! backlog can queue server-side (Apollo's threadpool is bounded to 1
+//! worker on CUDA).
+//!
+//! Configured via `APOLLO_TAG_API_BASE_URL`, falling back to
+//! `APOLLO_API_BASE_URL` when the dedicated var is unset (single-Apollo
+//! deploys are the common case). Both unset → `is_enabled()` returns false
+//! and the probe binary / future backlog drain no-op.
+//!
+//! Wire format: multipart/form-data with `file=<bytes>` and `meta=<json>`.
+//! `meta` carries `{content_hash, library_id, rel_path, threshold?}` —
+//! Apollo logs the path/lib for traceability and reads `threshold` to
+//! override the engine default for that call (the probe binary uses this
+//! to sweep without restarting Apollo).
+//!
+//! Error mapping (reflected in [`TagDetectError`]):
+//! - 422 `decode_failed` → permanent: ImageApi marks `status='failed'` and
+//!   doesn't retry until a manual rerun.
+//! - 200 with `tags:[]` → `status='no_tags'` marker (success-with-zero).
+//! - 503 `cuda_oom` / `engine_unavailable` → defer-and-retry: no marker
+//!   written.
+//! - Any other 5xx / network error → defer.
+
+use anyhow::{Context, Result};
+use reqwest::Client;
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize)]
+pub struct TagMeta {
+    pub content_hash: String,
+    pub library_id: i32,
+    pub rel_path: String,
+    /// Per-call threshold override. Apollo's engine default (0.68 for
+    /// ram_plus_swin_large_14m) is used when unset. The probe binary
+    /// uses this to sweep without restarting Apollo.
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub threshold: Option<f32>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Deserialize)]
+pub struct TagPrediction {
+    pub name: String,
+    pub confidence: f32,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Deserialize)]
+pub struct TagResponse {
+    pub model_version: String,
+    pub duration_ms: i64,
+    pub threshold: f32,
+    pub tags: Vec<TagPrediction>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Deserialize)]
+#[allow(dead_code)] // Reported by Apollo; load_error consumed by future health probe
+pub struct TagHealth {
+    pub loaded: bool,
+    pub device: String,
+    pub model_version: String,
+    pub image_size: i32,
+    pub threshold: f32,
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub load_error: Option<String>,
+}
+
+/// Distinguishes permanent failures (don't retry) from transient ones
+/// (defer and retry on next scan tick). Mirrors `FaceDetectError` so the
+/// future backlog drain can use the same marker-row decision tree.
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub enum TagDetectError {
+    /// Apollo refused the bytes for a reason that won't change on retry
+    /// (decode failure, zero-dim image). Mark `status='failed'`.
+    Permanent(anyhow::Error),
+    /// Apollo couldn't process this turn but might next time (CUDA OOM,
+    /// engine not loaded yet, network hiccup). Don't mark anything.
+    Transient(anyhow::Error),
+    /// Feature is disabled (no APOLLO_TAG_API_BASE_URL / APOLLO_API_BASE_URL).
+    /// Caller should silently no-op.
+    Disabled,
+}
+
+impl std::fmt::Display for TagDetectError {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
+        match self {
+            TagDetectError::Permanent(e) => write!(f, "permanent: {e}"),
+            TagDetectError::Transient(e) => write!(f, "transient: {e}"),
+            TagDetectError::Disabled => write!(f, "tag client disabled"),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl std::error::Error for TagDetectError {}
+
+#[derive(Clone)]
+pub struct TagClient {
+    client: Client,
+    /// `None` → disabled. Trailing slash trimmed at construction so url
+    /// building doesn't double up.
+    base_url: Option<String>,
+}
+
+impl TagClient {
+    pub fn new(base_url: Option<String>) -> Self {
+        // 60 s timeout: GPU inference is fast (~50–150 ms on RTX-class
+        // hardware) but Apollo's 1-worker threadpool means a backlog drain
+        // queues server-side. 60 s is enough headroom for a small queue
+        // depth without surfacing a false transient.
+        let timeout_secs = std::env::var("TAG_DETECT_TIMEOUT_SEC")
+            .ok()
+            .and_then(|s| s.parse::<u64>().ok())
+            .unwrap_or(60);
+        let client = Client::builder()
+            .timeout(Duration::from_secs(timeout_secs))
+            .build()
+            .expect("reqwest client build");
+        Self {
+            client,
+            base_url: base_url.map(|u| u.trim_end_matches('/').to_string()),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Construct a client from the standard env vars. APOLLO_TAG_API_BASE_URL
+    /// wins; falls back to APOLLO_API_BASE_URL. Both unset → disabled.
+    pub fn from_env() -> Self {
+        let base = std::env::var("APOLLO_TAG_API_BASE_URL")
+            .ok()
+            .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty())
+            .or_else(|| {
+                std::env::var("APOLLO_API_BASE_URL")
+                    .ok()
+                    .filter(|s| !s.trim().is_empty())
+            });
+        Self::new(base)
+    }
+
+    pub fn is_enabled(&self) -> bool {
+        self.base_url.is_some()
+    }
+
+    /// Run RAM++ auto-tagging over `bytes`. Empty `tags[]` is the no-tags
+    /// signal — caller writes a marker row in the persistence phase.
+    pub async fn auto_tag(
+        &self,
+        bytes: Vec<u8>,
+        meta: TagMeta,
+    ) -> std::result::Result<TagResponse, TagDetectError> {
+        let Some(base) = self.base_url.as_deref() else {
+            return Err(TagDetectError::Disabled);
+        };
+        let url = format!("{}/api/internal/tags/auto", base);
+        self.post_multipart(&url, bytes, &meta).await
+    }
+
+    /// Engine reachability + device/model report.
+    #[allow(dead_code)] // consumed by future startup probe
+    pub async fn health(&self) -> Result<TagHealth> {
+        let base = self.base_url.as_deref().context("tag client disabled")?;
+        let url = format!("{}/api/internal/tags/health", base);
+        let resp = self.client.get(&url).send().await?.error_for_status()?;
+        let body: TagHealth = resp.json().await?;
+        Ok(body)
+    }
+
+    async fn post_multipart(
+        &self,
+        url: &str,
+        bytes: Vec<u8>,
+        meta: &TagMeta,
+    ) -> std::result::Result<TagResponse, TagDetectError> {
+        let meta_json = serde_json::to_string(meta)
+            .map_err(|e| TagDetectError::Permanent(anyhow::anyhow!("meta serialize: {e}")))?;
+        let form = reqwest::multipart::Form::new()
+            .text("meta", meta_json)
+            .part(
+                "file",
+                reqwest::multipart::Part::bytes(bytes)
+                    .file_name(meta.rel_path.clone())
+                    .mime_str("application/octet-stream")
+                    .unwrap_or_else(|_| reqwest::multipart::Part::bytes(Vec::new())),
+            );
+
+        let resp = match self.client.post(url).multipart(form).send().await {
+            Ok(r) => r,
+            Err(e) if e.is_timeout() || e.is_connect() => {
+                return Err(TagDetectError::Transient(anyhow::anyhow!(
+                    "tag client network: {e}"
+                )));
+            }
+            Err(e) => {
+                return Err(TagDetectError::Transient(anyhow::anyhow!(
+                    "tag client request: {e}"
+                )));
+            }
+        };
+
+        let status = resp.status();
+        if status.is_success() {
+            let body: TagResponse = resp.json().await.map_err(|e| {
+                TagDetectError::Transient(anyhow::anyhow!("tag response decode: {e}"))
+            })?;
+            return Ok(body);
+        }
+
+        let body_text = resp.text().await.unwrap_or_default();
+        Err(classify_error_response(status.as_u16(), &body_text))
+    }
+}
+
+/// Pulled out as a pure function so the marker-row contract is unit-testable
+/// without spinning up an HTTP server. Behavior matches face_client::classify
+/// so the future backlog drain can share the same retry policy.
+fn classify_error_response(status: u16, body_text: &str) -> TagDetectError {
+    let detail_code = serde_json::from_str::<serde_json::Value>(body_text)
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|v| {
+            v.get("detail")
+                .and_then(|d| d.as_str().map(str::to_string))
+                .or_else(|| {
+                    v.get("detail")
+                        .and_then(|d| d.get("code"))
+                        .and_then(|c| c.as_str())
+                        .map(str::to_string)
+                })
+        })
+        .unwrap_or_default();
+
+    if status == 422 {
+        return TagDetectError::Permanent(anyhow::anyhow!(
+            "tag detect 422 {}: {}",
+            detail_code,
+            body_text
+        ));
+    }
+    if status == 503 {
+        return TagDetectError::Transient(anyhow::anyhow!(
+            "tag detect 503 {}: {}",
+            detail_code,
+            body_text
+        ));
+    }
+    // 408 / 413 / 429 are operator-fixable infra issues — defer so the
+    // next pass retries naturally once the proxy is fixed (see
+    // face_client::classify_error_response for the cautionary tale).
+    if matches!(status, 408 | 413 | 429) {
+        return TagDetectError::Transient(anyhow::anyhow!(
+            "tag detect {} {}: {}",
+            status,
+            detail_code,
+            body_text
+        ));
+    }
+    if (400..500).contains(&status) {
+        TagDetectError::Permanent(anyhow::anyhow!(
+            "tag detect {} {}: {}",
+            status,
+            detail_code,
+            body_text
+        ))
+    } else {
+        TagDetectError::Transient(anyhow::anyhow!(
+            "tag detect {} {}: {}",
+            status,
+            detail_code,
+            body_text
+        ))
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    fn is_permanent(e: &TagDetectError) -> bool {
+        matches!(e, TagDetectError::Permanent(_))
+    }
+    fn is_transient(e: &TagDetectError) -> bool {
+        matches!(e, TagDetectError::Transient(_))
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn classify_422_decode_failed_is_permanent() {
+        let e = classify_error_response(422, r#"{"detail":"decode_failed: bad bytes"}"#);
+        assert!(is_permanent(&e));
+        assert!(format!("{e}").contains("decode_failed"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn classify_503_cuda_oom_is_transient() {
+        let e = classify_error_response(
+            503,
+            r#"{"detail":{"code":"cuda_oom","error":"out of memory"}}"#,
+        );
+        assert!(is_transient(&e));
+        assert!(format!("{e}").contains("cuda_oom"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn classify_5xx_is_transient_other_4xx_is_permanent() {
+        assert!(is_transient(&classify_error_response(500, "")));
+        assert!(is_permanent(&classify_error_response(400, "{}")));
+        assert!(is_permanent(&classify_error_response(404, "{}")));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn classify_infra_4xx_is_transient() {
+        assert!(is_transient(&classify_error_response(408, "")));
+        assert!(is_transient(&classify_error_response(413, "<html>")));
+        assert!(is_transient(&classify_error_response(429, "{}")));
+    }
+}

src/backfill.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,721 @@
+//! Per-tick drains the watcher runs alongside ingest.
+//!
+//! These passes were previously inlined in `main.rs`; they exist because
+//! a quick scan only walks recently-modified files, so any backlog of
+//! rows missing a `content_hash` / `date_taken` / face detection
+//! wouldn't otherwise drain except during the once-an-hour full scan.
+//! Each function is bounded per call by a `*_PER_TICK` env-var cap.
+
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
+
+use log::{debug, info, warn};
+
+use crate::content_hash;
+use crate::database::ExifDao;
+use crate::date_resolver;
+use crate::face_watch;
+use crate::faces;
+use crate::file_types;
+use crate::libraries;
+use crate::tags;
+
+/// Compute and persist content_hash for image_exif rows where it's NULL.
+///
+/// Bounded per call by `FACE_HASH_BACKFILL_MAX_PER_TICK` (default 2000)
+/// so a watcher tick on a large legacy library doesn't block for hours
+/// blake3-ing every photo at once. Subsequent scans pick up the rest.
+/// For 50k+ libraries the dedicated `cargo run --bin backfill_hashes`
+/// is still faster (it doesn't fight a watcher loop for the DAO mutex).
+///
+/// Drains unhashed image_exif rows by querying them directly, independent
+/// of the filesystem walk. Quick scans only walk recently-modified files,
+/// so a backlog of pre-existing unhashed rows never enters
+/// `process_new_files`'s candidate set — left alone, it would only drain
+/// on full scans (default once an hour). Calling this every tick keeps
+/// the face-detection backlog moving regardless.
+///
+/// Returns the number of rows successfully backfilled this pass.
+pub fn backfill_unhashed_backlog(
+    context: &opentelemetry::Context,
+    library: &libraries::Library,
+    exif_dao: &Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>>,
+) -> usize {
+    let cap: i64 = dotenv::var("FACE_HASH_BACKFILL_MAX_PER_TICK")
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|s| s.parse().ok())
+        .filter(|n: &i64| *n > 0)
+        .unwrap_or(2000);
+
+    // Fetch up to cap+1 rows so we can tell "more remain" without a
+    // separate count query. Across libraries — there's no per-library
+    // filter on get_rows_missing_hash today — but we only ever update
+    // rows whose library_id matches the caller's library, so other
+    // libraries' rows just get skipped here and picked up on the next
+    // library's tick. Negligible cost given the cap.
+    let rows: Vec<(i32, String)> = {
+        let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+        dao.get_rows_missing_hash(context, cap + 1)
+            .unwrap_or_default()
+    };
+    if rows.is_empty() {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    let more_than_cap = rows.len() as i64 > cap;
+    let base_path = std::path::Path::new(&library.root_path);
+
+    let mut backfilled = 0usize;
+    let mut errors = 0usize;
+    let mut skipped_other_lib = 0usize;
+    for (lib_id, rel_path) in rows.iter().take(cap as usize) {
+        if *lib_id != library.id {
+            skipped_other_lib += 1;
+            continue;
+        }
+        let abs = base_path.join(rel_path);
+        if !abs.exists() {
+            // File walked away — the watcher's reconciliation pass will
+            // remove the orphan exif row eventually.
+            continue;
+        }
+        match content_hash::compute(&abs) {
+            Ok(id) => {
+                let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+                if let Err(e) = dao.backfill_content_hash(
+                    context,
+                    library.id,
+                    rel_path,
+                    &id.content_hash,
+                    id.size_bytes,
+                ) {
+                    warn!(
+                        "face_watch: backfill_content_hash failed for {}: {:?}",
+                        rel_path, e
+                    );
+                    errors += 1;
+                } else {
+                    backfilled += 1;
+                }
+            }
+            Err(e) => {
+                debug!(
+                    "face_watch: hash compute failed for {} ({:?})",
+                    abs.display(),
+                    e
+                );
+                errors += 1;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    if backfilled > 0 || errors > 0 || more_than_cap {
+        info!(
+            "face_watch: backfill pass for library '{}': hashed {} ({} error(s), {} skipped to other libraries; {} cap, more_remain={})",
+            library.name, backfilled, errors, skipped_other_lib, cap, more_than_cap
+        );
+    }
+    backfilled
+}
+
+/// Drain image_exif rows whose `date_taken` was never resolved or was
+/// resolved by the weakest fallback (`fs_time`). Runs the canonical-date
+/// waterfall — exiftool batch (one subprocess for the whole tick's
+/// rows) → filename regex → earliest_fs_time — and persists each
+/// resolution with its source tag. Capped per tick by
+/// `DATE_BACKFILL_MAX_PER_TICK` (default 500) so a 14k-row library
+/// drains over a few quick-scan ticks without blocking the watcher.
+///
+/// kamadak-exif is intentionally skipped here: the row already has a
+/// NULL date_taken because the ingest path's kamadak-exif call returned
+/// nothing, and re-running it would just produce the same answer.
+/// exiftool is the meaningful new attempt — it handles videos and
+/// MakerNote-hosted dates kamadak can't reach.
+pub fn backfill_missing_date_taken(
+    context: &opentelemetry::Context,
+    library: &libraries::Library,
+    exif_dao: &Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>>,
+) -> usize {
+    let cap: i64 = dotenv::var("DATE_BACKFILL_MAX_PER_TICK")
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|s| s.parse().ok())
+        .filter(|n: &i64| *n > 0)
+        .unwrap_or(500);
+
+    let rows: Vec<(i32, String)> = {
+        let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+        dao.get_rows_needing_date_backfill(context, library.id, cap + 1)
+            .unwrap_or_default()
+    };
+    if rows.is_empty() {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    let more_than_cap = rows.len() as i64 > cap;
+    let base_path = std::path::Path::new(&library.root_path);
+
+    // Build absolute paths and drop rows whose files no longer exist —
+    // the missing-file scan in library_maintenance retires deleted rows
+    // separately. Without this filter, NULL-date rows for missing files
+    // would loop through the drain forever (no source can resolve them).
+    let mut existing: Vec<(String, PathBuf)> = Vec::with_capacity(rows.len());
+    for (_, rel_path) in rows.iter().take(cap as usize) {
+        let abs = base_path.join(rel_path);
+        if abs.exists() {
+            existing.push((rel_path.clone(), abs));
+        }
+    }
+    if existing.is_empty() {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    // One exiftool subprocess for the whole batch; the resolver falls
+    // through to filename / fs_time per file when exiftool can't supply
+    // a date (or isn't installed at all).
+    let paths: Vec<PathBuf> = existing.iter().map(|(_, p)| p.clone()).collect();
+    let resolved = date_resolver::resolve_dates_batch(&paths, &HashMap::new());
+
+    let mut backfilled = 0usize;
+    let mut unresolved = 0usize;
+    let mut by_source: HashMap<&'static str, usize> = HashMap::new();
+    {
+        let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+        for (rel_path, abs) in &existing {
+            let Some(rd) = resolved.get(abs).copied() else {
+                unresolved += 1;
+                continue;
+            };
+            match dao.backfill_date_taken(
+                context,
+                library.id,
+                rel_path,
+                rd.timestamp,
+                rd.source.as_str(),
+            ) {
+                Ok(()) => {
+                    backfilled += 1;
+                    *by_source.entry(rd.source.as_str()).or_insert(0) += 1;
+                }
+                Err(e) => {
+                    warn!(
+                        "date_backfill: update failed for lib {} {}: {:?}",
+                        library.id, rel_path, e
+                    );
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    if backfilled > 0 || unresolved > 0 || more_than_cap {
+        info!(
+            "date_backfill: library '{}': resolved {} ({:?}), {} unresolved, cap={}, more_remain={}",
+            library.name, backfilled, by_source, unresolved, cap, more_than_cap
+        );
+    }
+    backfilled
+}
+
+/// Per-tick face-detection drain. Pulls a capped batch of hashed-but-
+/// unscanned image_exif rows directly via the FaceDao anti-join and
+/// hands them to the existing detection pass. Runs on every tick (not
+/// just full scans) so the backlog moves at quick-scan cadence.
+pub fn process_face_backlog(
+    context: &opentelemetry::Context,
+    library: &libraries::Library,
+    face_client: &crate::ai::face_client::FaceClient,
+    face_dao: &Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn faces::FaceDao>>>,
+    tag_dao: &Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn tags::TagDao>>>,
+    excluded_dirs: &[String],
+) {
+    let cap: i64 = dotenv::var("FACE_BACKLOG_MAX_PER_TICK")
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|s| s.parse().ok())
+        .filter(|n: &i64| *n > 0)
+        .unwrap_or(64);
+
+    let rows: Vec<(String, String)> = {
+        let mut dao = face_dao.lock().expect("face dao");
+        match dao.list_unscanned_candidates(context, library.id, cap) {
+            Ok(r) => r,
+            Err(e) => {
+                warn!(
+                    "face_watch: list_unscanned_candidates failed for library '{}': {:?}",
+                    library.name, e
+                );
+                return;
+            }
+        }
+    };
+    if rows.is_empty() {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    info!(
+        "face_watch: backlog drain — running detection on {} candidate(s) for library '{}' (cap={})",
+        rows.len(),
+        library.name,
+        cap
+    );
+
+    let candidates: Vec<face_watch::FaceCandidate> = rows
+        .into_iter()
+        .map(|(rel_path, content_hash)| face_watch::FaceCandidate {
+            rel_path,
+            content_hash,
+        })
+        .collect();
+
+    face_watch::run_face_detection_pass(
+        library,
+        excluded_dirs,
+        face_client,
+        Arc::clone(face_dao),
+        Arc::clone(tag_dao),
+        candidates,
+    );
+}
+
+/// Compute content_hash for any image rows the walker just touched
+/// whose stored EXIF row is still hash-less. Called from
+/// `process_new_files` so freshly-ingested files don't have to wait for
+/// the next standalone `backfill_unhashed_backlog` tick before face
+/// detection can key on their bytes.
+///
+/// Cap is on **successes only**. An earlier version counted errors too,
+/// so a pocket of chronically-unhashable files at the front of the
+/// table (vanished mid-scan, permission denied, etc.) burned the budget
+/// every tick and the rest of the backlog never advanced.
+pub fn backfill_missing_content_hashes(
+    context: &opentelemetry::Context,
+    files: &[(PathBuf, String)],
+    library: &libraries::Library,
+    exif_dao: &Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>>,
+) {
+    let image_paths: Vec<String> = files
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|(p, _)| !file_types::is_video_file(p))
+        .map(|(_, rel)| rel.clone())
+        .collect();
+    if image_paths.is_empty() {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    let exif_records = {
+        let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+        dao.get_exif_batch(context, Some(library.id), &image_paths)
+            .unwrap_or_default()
+    };
+    // Cheap lookup back from rel_path → absolute file_path so
+    // content_hash::compute can read the bytes.
+    let path_by_rel: HashMap<String, &PathBuf> =
+        files.iter().map(|(p, rel)| (rel.clone(), p)).collect();
+
+    let cap: usize = dotenv::var("FACE_HASH_BACKFILL_MAX_PER_TICK")
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|s| s.parse().ok())
+        .filter(|n: &usize| *n > 0)
+        .unwrap_or(2000);
+
+    // Count the unhashed backlog up front so we can surface "still needs
+    // backfill: N" in the log — without it, a face-scan that's stuck at
+    // 44% looks stalled when really it's chipping through hashes.
+    let unhashed_total = exif_records
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|r| r.content_hash.is_none())
+        .count();
+
+    let mut backfilled = 0usize;
+    let mut errors = 0usize;
+    for record in &exif_records {
+        if backfilled >= cap {
+            break;
+        }
+        if record.content_hash.is_some() {
+            continue;
+        }
+        let Some(file_path) = path_by_rel.get(&record.file_path) else {
+            // Walked file went missing between the directory scan and now;
+            // next tick will retry naturally.
+            continue;
+        };
+        match content_hash::compute(file_path) {
+            Ok(id) => {
+                let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+                if let Err(e) = dao.backfill_content_hash(
+                    context,
+                    library.id,
+                    &record.file_path,
+                    &id.content_hash,
+                    id.size_bytes,
+                ) {
+                    warn!(
+                        "face_watch: backfill_content_hash failed for {}: {:?}",
+                        record.file_path, e
+                    );
+                    errors += 1;
+                } else {
+                    backfilled += 1;
+                }
+            }
+            Err(e) => {
+                debug!(
+                    "face_watch: hash compute failed for {} ({:?})",
+                    file_path.display(),
+                    e
+                );
+                errors += 1;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    // Always log when there's an unhashed backlog so an operator
+    // looking at "scan stuck at 44%" can see backfill is running and
+    // how much remains. Quiet only when there's nothing to do.
+    if unhashed_total > 0 || backfilled > 0 || errors > 0 {
+        let remaining = unhashed_total.saturating_sub(backfilled);
+        info!(
+            "face_watch: backfilled {}/{} content_hash for library '{}' ({} error(s); {} still need backfill; cap={})",
+            backfilled, unhashed_total, library.name, errors, remaining, cap
+        );
+    }
+}
+
+/// Build the face-detection candidate list for a scan tick.
+///
+/// Returns `(rel_path, content_hash)` for every image file that has a
+/// content_hash recorded in image_exif but no row in face_detections
+/// yet. Re-querying image_exif here picks up rows the EXIF write loop
+/// just inserted alongside any pre-existing rows the watcher walked
+/// over — covers both new uploads and the initial backlog scan.
+pub fn build_face_candidates(
+    context: &opentelemetry::Context,
+    library: &libraries::Library,
+    files: &[(PathBuf, String)],
+    exif_dao: &Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>>,
+    face_dao: &Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn faces::FaceDao>>>,
+) -> Vec<face_watch::FaceCandidate> {
+    // Restrict to image files; videos aren't face-scanned in v1 (kamadak
+    // doesn't even register them in image_exif).
+    let image_paths: Vec<String> = files
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|(p, _)| !file_types::is_video_file(p))
+        .map(|(_, rel)| rel.clone())
+        .collect();
+    if image_paths.is_empty() {
+        return Vec::new();
+    }
+
+    let exif_records = {
+        let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+        dao.get_exif_batch(context, Some(library.id), &image_paths)
+            .unwrap_or_default()
+    };
+    // rel_path → content_hash (only rows with a hash; without one we have
+    // nothing to key face data against).
+    let mut hash_by_path: HashMap<String, String> = HashMap::with_capacity(exif_records.len());
+    for record in exif_records {
+        if let Some(h) = record.content_hash {
+            hash_by_path.insert(record.file_path, h);
+        }
+    }
+
+    let mut candidates = Vec::new();
+    let mut dao = face_dao.lock().expect("face dao");
+    for rel_path in image_paths {
+        let Some(hash) = hash_by_path.get(&rel_path) else {
+            continue;
+        };
+        match dao.already_scanned(context, hash) {
+            Ok(true) => continue,
+            Ok(false) => candidates.push(face_watch::FaceCandidate {
+                rel_path,
+                content_hash: hash.clone(),
+            }),
+            Err(e) => {
+                warn!("face_watch: already_scanned errored for {}: {:?}", hash, e);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    candidates
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    use std::fs;
+    use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
+
+    use diesel::prelude::*;
+    use tempfile::TempDir;
+
+    use crate::database::models::{InsertImageExif, InsertLibrary};
+    use crate::database::test::in_memory_db_connection;
+    use crate::database::{ExifDao, SqliteExifDao, schema};
+    use crate::faces::{FaceDao, SqliteFaceDao};
+    use crate::libraries::Library;
+
+    fn ctx() -> opentelemetry::Context {
+        opentelemetry::Context::new()
+    }
+
+    /// Build a tempdir-backed library + DAOs sharing a single in-memory
+    /// SQLite connection (so cross-table joins like
+    /// `list_unscanned_candidates` see consistent state).
+    fn setup() -> (
+        TempDir,
+        Library,
+        Arc<Mutex<diesel::SqliteConnection>>,
+        Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>>,
+        Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn FaceDao>>>,
+    ) {
+        let tmp = TempDir::new().expect("tempdir");
+        let mut conn = in_memory_db_connection();
+        // Migration seeds library id=1 with a placeholder root; rewrite it
+        // to point at the tempdir so `<root>/<rel_path>` resolves to real
+        // files this test creates.
+        diesel::update(schema::libraries::table.filter(schema::libraries::id.eq(1)))
+            .set(schema::libraries::root_path.eq(tmp.path().to_string_lossy().to_string()))
+            .execute(&mut conn)
+            .expect("rewrite library 1 root");
+        // Add a second library so cross-library skip cases have somewhere
+        // to put their rows.
+        diesel::insert_into(schema::libraries::table)
+            .values(InsertLibrary {
+                name: "other",
+                root_path: "/tmp/other-test-lib",
+                created_at: 0,
+                enabled: true,
+                excluded_dirs: None,
+            })
+            .execute(&mut conn)
+            .expect("seed second library");
+
+        let library = Library {
+            id: 1,
+            name: "main".to_string(),
+            root_path: tmp.path().to_string_lossy().to_string(),
+            enabled: true,
+            excluded_dirs: Vec::new(),
+        };
+        let shared = Arc::new(Mutex::new(conn));
+        let exif_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>> = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Box::new(
+            SqliteExifDao::from_shared(Arc::clone(&shared)),
+        )));
+        let face_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn FaceDao>>> = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Box::new(
+            SqliteFaceDao::from_connection(Arc::clone(&shared)),
+        )));
+        (tmp, library, shared, exif_dao, face_dao)
+    }
+
+    fn insert_exif(
+        exif_dao: &Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>>,
+        lib_id: i32,
+        rel: &str,
+        content_hash: Option<&str>,
+    ) {
+        let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().unwrap();
+        dao.store_exif(
+            &ctx(),
+            InsertImageExif {
+                library_id: lib_id,
+                file_path: rel.to_string(),
+                camera_make: None,
+                camera_model: None,
+                lens_model: None,
+                width: None,
+                height: None,
+                orientation: None,
+                gps_latitude: None,
+                gps_longitude: None,
+                gps_altitude: None,
+                focal_length: None,
+                aperture: None,
+                shutter_speed: None,
+                iso: None,
+                date_taken: None,
+                created_time: 0,
+                last_modified: 0,
+                content_hash: content_hash.map(|s| s.to_string()),
+                size_bytes: None,
+                phash_64: None,
+                dhash_64: None,
+                date_taken_source: None,
+            },
+        )
+        .expect("insert");
+    }
+
+    fn write_image(root: &std::path::Path, rel: &str, bytes: &[u8]) {
+        let abs = root.join(rel);
+        if let Some(parent) = abs.parent() {
+            fs::create_dir_all(parent).expect("mkdir");
+        }
+        fs::write(abs, bytes).expect("write file");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn backfill_unhashed_backlog_hashes_missing_rows_in_this_library() {
+        let (tmp, library, _conn, exif_dao, _face_dao) = setup();
+        write_image(tmp.path(), "a.jpg", b"alpha-bytes");
+        write_image(tmp.path(), "b.jpg", b"bravo-bytes");
+        insert_exif(&exif_dao, 1, "a.jpg", None);
+        insert_exif(&exif_dao, 1, "b.jpg", None);
+
+        let backfilled = backfill_unhashed_backlog(&ctx(), &library, &exif_dao);
+        assert_eq!(backfilled, 2);
+
+        let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().unwrap();
+        let rows = dao
+            .get_exif_batch(&ctx(), Some(1), &["a.jpg".to_string(), "b.jpg".to_string()])
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(rows.len(), 2);
+        for r in rows {
+            assert!(
+                r.content_hash.is_some(),
+                "row {} should have a hash",
+                r.file_path
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn backfill_unhashed_backlog_skips_other_libraries_and_missing_files() {
+        let (tmp, library, _conn, exif_dao, _face_dao) = setup();
+        write_image(tmp.path(), "exists.jpg", b"hello");
+        // Row for this library whose file is missing on disk:
+        insert_exif(&exif_dao, 1, "ghost.jpg", None);
+        insert_exif(&exif_dao, 1, "exists.jpg", None);
+        // Row in the other library — must be skipped (different lib_id).
+        insert_exif(&exif_dao, 2, "other.jpg", None);
+
+        let backfilled = backfill_unhashed_backlog(&ctx(), &library, &exif_dao);
+        assert_eq!(backfilled, 1, "only the existing in-library file hashes");
+
+        let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().unwrap();
+        let other = dao
+            .get_exif_batch(&ctx(), Some(2), &["other.jpg".to_string()])
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(other.len(), 1);
+        assert!(
+            other[0].content_hash.is_none(),
+            "other-library row must remain unhashed"
+        );
+        let ghost = dao
+            .get_exif_batch(&ctx(), Some(1), &["ghost.jpg".to_string()])
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(ghost.len(), 1);
+        assert!(
+            ghost[0].content_hash.is_none(),
+            "missing-on-disk row stays unhashed (reconciliation removes it later)"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn backfill_unhashed_backlog_respects_per_tick_cap() {
+        // Env-var-driven cap; the function reads it on every call, so we
+        // can set it just for this test and unset before returning.
+        // Serial guard: tests in the same binary may share env, but each
+        // backfill call re-reads — and we only care that the cap shape
+        // (success count <= cap, more_remain logged) holds.
+        unsafe {
+            std::env::set_var("FACE_HASH_BACKFILL_MAX_PER_TICK", "2");
+        }
+        let (tmp, library, _conn, exif_dao, _face_dao) = setup();
+        for i in 0..5 {
+            let rel = format!("img_{}.jpg", i);
+            write_image(tmp.path(), &rel, format!("bytes-{}", i).as_bytes());
+            insert_exif(&exif_dao, 1, &rel, None);
+        }
+
+        let backfilled = backfill_unhashed_backlog(&ctx(), &library, &exif_dao);
+        assert_eq!(backfilled, 2, "cap=2 must bound the per-tick successes");
+        unsafe {
+            std::env::remove_var("FACE_HASH_BACKFILL_MAX_PER_TICK");
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn backfill_missing_content_hashes_skips_videos_and_hashed_rows() {
+        let (tmp, library, _conn, exif_dao, _face_dao) = setup();
+        // Two image rows (one already hashed, one not), one video.
+        write_image(tmp.path(), "fresh.jpg", b"fresh-pixels");
+        write_image(tmp.path(), "already.jpg", b"already-pixels");
+        write_image(tmp.path(), "clip.mp4", b"video-bytes");
+        insert_exif(&exif_dao, 1, "fresh.jpg", None);
+        insert_exif(&exif_dao, 1, "already.jpg", Some("pre-existing-hash"));
+        insert_exif(&exif_dao, 1, "clip.mp4", None);
+
+        let files: Vec<(PathBuf, String)> = vec![
+            (tmp.path().join("fresh.jpg"), "fresh.jpg".to_string()),
+            (tmp.path().join("already.jpg"), "already.jpg".to_string()),
+            (tmp.path().join("clip.mp4"), "clip.mp4".to_string()),
+        ];
+        backfill_missing_content_hashes(&ctx(), &files, &library, &exif_dao);
+
+        let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().unwrap();
+        let rows = dao
+            .get_exif_batch(
+                &ctx(),
+                Some(1),
+                &[
+                    "fresh.jpg".to_string(),
+                    "already.jpg".to_string(),
+                    "clip.mp4".to_string(),
+                ],
+            )
+            .unwrap();
+        let by_path: HashMap<String, Option<String>> = rows
+            .into_iter()
+            .map(|r| (r.file_path, r.content_hash))
+            .collect();
+        assert!(
+            by_path["fresh.jpg"].is_some(),
+            "fresh image must get a hash"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            by_path["already.jpg"].as_deref(),
+            Some("pre-existing-hash"),
+            "already-hashed image left untouched"
+        );
+        assert!(
+            by_path["clip.mp4"].is_none(),
+            "video skipped (not face-scanned, no hash needed via this path)"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn build_face_candidates_filters_videos_unhashed_and_already_scanned() {
+        let (tmp, library, _conn, exif_dao, face_dao) = setup();
+
+        // Seed image_exif with: hashed unscanned, hashed scanned, unhashed,
+        // and a video. Files don't need to exist on disk — the function
+        // doesn't read them, only the DB rows.
+        insert_exif(&exif_dao, 1, "fresh.jpg", Some("hash-fresh"));
+        insert_exif(&exif_dao, 1, "scanned.jpg", Some("hash-scanned"));
+        insert_exif(&exif_dao, 1, "unhashed.jpg", None);
+        insert_exif(&exif_dao, 1, "clip.mp4", Some("hash-video"));
+        // Mark `scanned.jpg`'s hash as already detected.
+        {
+            let mut dao = face_dao.lock().unwrap();
+            dao.mark_status(&ctx(), 1, "hash-scanned", "scanned.jpg", "no_faces", "test")
+                .expect("mark scanned");
+        }
+
+        let files: Vec<(PathBuf, String)> = vec![
+            (tmp.path().join("fresh.jpg"), "fresh.jpg".to_string()),
+            (tmp.path().join("scanned.jpg"), "scanned.jpg".to_string()),
+            (tmp.path().join("unhashed.jpg"), "unhashed.jpg".to_string()),
+            (tmp.path().join("clip.mp4"), "clip.mp4".to_string()),
+        ];
+        let candidates = build_face_candidates(&ctx(), &library, &files, &exif_dao, &face_dao);
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            candidates.len(),
+            1,
+            "exactly fresh.jpg should be a candidate"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(candidates[0].rel_path, "fresh.jpg");
+        assert_eq!(candidates[0].content_hash, "hash-fresh");
+    }
+}

src/bin/populate_knowledge.rs

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ use image_api::database::{
     SqliteInsightDao, SqliteKnowledgeDao, SqliteLocationHistoryDao, SqliteSearchHistoryDao,
     connect,
 };
+use image_api::faces::{FaceDao, SqliteFaceDao};
 use image_api::file_types::{IMAGE_EXTENSIONS, VIDEO_EXTENSIONS};
 use image_api::libraries::{self, Library};
 use image_api::tags::{SqliteTagDao, TagDao};
@@ -182,6 +183,11 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         Arc::new(Mutex::new(Box::new(SqliteTagDao::default())));
     let knowledge_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn KnowledgeDao>>> =
         Arc::new(Mutex::new(Box::new(SqliteKnowledgeDao::new())));
+    let face_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn FaceDao>>> =
+        Arc::new(Mutex::new(Box::new(SqliteFaceDao::new())));
+    let persona_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn image_api::database::PersonaDao>>> = Arc::new(Mutex::new(
+        Box::new(image_api::database::SqlitePersonaDao::new()),
+    ));
 
     // Pass the full library set so `resolve_full_path` probes every root,
     // even when --library restricts the walk. A rel_path shared across
@@ -198,7 +204,9 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         location_dao,
         search_dao,
         tag_dao,
+        face_dao,
         knowledge_dao,
+        persona_dao,
         all_libs.clone(),
     );
 
@@ -331,7 +339,8 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
                 None,
                 Vec::new(),
                 Vec::new(),
-                false, // disable_writes — keep KB writes on for the population job
+                1, // operator user_id — populate_knowledge is single-user offline tool
+                "default".to_string(),
             )
             .await
         {

src/bin/probe_auto_tags.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,250 @@
+//! Probe binary for RAM++ auto-tagging.
+//!
+//! No DB writes. Walks a library's `image_exif` rows, sends a sample
+//! through Apollo's `/api/internal/tags/auto`, and prints `(path, tags)`
+//! to stdout so the operator can eyeball whether the model's vocabulary
+//! and threshold defaults are appropriate for this library before
+//! committing to the persistence phase (new table, per-tick drain, UI).
+//!
+//! Usage:
+//!     cargo run --release --bin probe_auto_tags -- \
+//!         --library 1 --limit 50 --threshold 0.7
+//!
+//! Env: standard ImageApi `.env`. Requires either
+//! `APOLLO_TAG_API_BASE_URL` or `APOLLO_API_BASE_URL` to be set
+//! (otherwise the client is disabled and the probe bails).
+
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
+use std::time::Instant;
+
+use clap::Parser;
+use log::{info, warn};
+
+use image_api::ai::tag_client::{TagClient, TagDetectError, TagMeta};
+use image_api::database::{ExifDao, SqliteExifDao, connect};
+use image_api::exif;
+use image_api::file_types;
+use image_api::libraries::{self, Library};
+
+#[derive(Parser, Debug)]
+#[command(name = "probe_auto_tags")]
+#[command(about = "Print RAM++ auto-tags for a sample of image_exif rows")]
+struct Args {
+    /// Library id to sample from.
+    #[arg(long)]
+    library: i32,
+
+    /// Max files to probe. The binary scans more rows internally because
+    /// non-image rows (videos, junk) are skipped client-side.
+    #[arg(long, default_value_t = 25)]
+    limit: usize,
+
+    /// Per-call threshold sent to Apollo. Overrides the engine default.
+    /// Lower = more tags per photo, more noise. 0.5–0.75 is the useful
+    /// sweep range for ram_plus_swin_large_14m.
+    #[arg(long, default_value_t = 0.65)]
+    threshold: f32,
+
+    /// Offset into the library's rel_path listing (sorted by id ASC).
+    /// Bump on re-runs to sample a different slice.
+    #[arg(long, default_value_t = 0)]
+    offset: i64,
+
+    /// How many DB rows to scan before giving up on hitting the limit.
+    /// Useful when a library is mostly videos.
+    #[arg(long, default_value_t = 2000)]
+    max_scan: i64,
+}
+
+/// Mirror of `face_watch::read_image_bytes_for_detect` — it's pub(crate)
+/// so we can't import it across the bin boundary. The probe is throwaway
+/// scope; inlining is cleaner than changing the visibility.
+fn read_image_bytes(path: &Path) -> std::io::Result<Vec<u8>> {
+    if file_types::needs_ffmpeg_thumbnail(path)
+        && let Some(preview) = exif::extract_embedded_jpeg_preview(path)
+    {
+        return Ok(preview);
+    }
+    std::fs::read(path)
+}
+
+#[tokio::main]
+async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    env_logger::init();
+    dotenv::dotenv().ok();
+
+    let args = Args::parse();
+
+    let client = TagClient::from_env();
+    if !client.is_enabled() {
+        anyhow::bail!(
+            "TagClient disabled: set APOLLO_TAG_API_BASE_URL or APOLLO_API_BASE_URL in .env"
+        );
+    }
+
+    // Quick health probe so we fail fast on a misconfig before grinding
+    // through a thousand rows.
+    match client.health().await {
+        Ok(h) => info!(
+            "tag engine: loaded={} device={} model={} threshold_default={}",
+            h.loaded, h.device, h.model_version, h.threshold
+        ),
+        Err(e) => warn!("health probe failed (continuing): {e}"),
+    }
+
+    let mut seed_conn = connect();
+    if let Some(base) = dotenv::var("BASE_PATH").ok().as_deref() {
+        libraries::seed_or_patch_from_env(&mut seed_conn, base);
+    }
+    let libs = libraries::load_all(&mut seed_conn);
+    drop(seed_conn);
+    let lib: Library = libs
+        .into_iter()
+        .find(|l| l.id == args.library)
+        .ok_or_else(|| anyhow::anyhow!("library id {} not found", args.library))?;
+    info!("probing library #{} ({}) at {}", lib.id, lib.name, lib.root_path);
+
+    let dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>> = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Box::new(SqliteExifDao::new())));
+    let ctx = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+
+    // Paginate through (id, rel_path) for this library, filter to images
+    // on disk, take `limit`. Page size is tuned so we don't slam the DB
+    // when a library is video-heavy.
+    const PAGE: i64 = 500;
+    let mut offset = args.offset;
+    let mut scanned: i64 = 0;
+    let mut probed = 0usize;
+    let mut ok_count = 0usize;
+    let mut empty_count = 0usize;
+    let mut perm_fail = 0usize;
+    let mut transient_fail = 0usize;
+    let started = Instant::now();
+    let root = PathBuf::from(&lib.root_path);
+
+    'outer: loop {
+        if scanned >= args.max_scan {
+            warn!(
+                "scan cap ({}) reached before hitting limit ({}); bump --max-scan to scan deeper",
+                args.max_scan, args.limit
+            );
+            break;
+        }
+        let rows = {
+            let mut guard = dao.lock().expect("dao lock");
+            guard
+                .list_rel_paths_for_library_page(&ctx, lib.id, PAGE, offset)
+                .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("list rel_paths: {:?}", e))?
+        };
+        if rows.is_empty() {
+            info!("no more rows after offset {}", offset);
+            break;
+        }
+        offset += rows.len() as i64;
+        scanned += rows.len() as i64;
+
+        for (_id, rel_path) in rows {
+            if probed >= args.limit {
+                break 'outer;
+            }
+            let abs = root.join(&rel_path);
+            // Skip non-images and videos at the path level — same logic
+            // the face backlog drain uses, just inlined.
+            if !file_types::is_image_file(&abs) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            if !abs.exists() {
+                continue;
+            }
+            let bytes = match read_image_bytes(&abs) {
+                Ok(b) => b,
+                Err(e) => {
+                    warn!("read {rel_path}: {e}");
+                    continue;
+                }
+            };
+            // The probe doesn't need a real content_hash — Apollo only
+            // logs it. Pass an empty marker so we don't trip on no-hash
+            // image_exif rows.
+            let meta = TagMeta {
+                content_hash: String::new(),
+                library_id: lib.id,
+                rel_path: rel_path.clone(),
+                threshold: Some(args.threshold),
+            };
+
+            let call_start = Instant::now();
+            match client.auto_tag(bytes, meta).await {
+                Ok(resp) => {
+                    probed += 1;
+                    if resp.tags.is_empty() {
+                        empty_count += 1;
+                        println!(
+                            "[{:>3}] (no tags) {}ms  {}",
+                            probed, resp.duration_ms, rel_path
+                        );
+                    } else {
+                        ok_count += 1;
+                        let preview = resp
+                            .tags
+                            .iter()
+                            .map(|t| format!("{}({:.2})", t.name, t.confidence))
+                            .collect::<Vec<_>>()
+                            .join(", ");
+                        println!(
+                            "[{:>3}] {} tags {}ms  {}\n      {}",
+                            probed,
+                            resp.tags.len(),
+                            resp.duration_ms,
+                            rel_path,
+                            preview
+                        );
+                    }
+                }
+                Err(TagDetectError::Permanent(e)) => {
+                    probed += 1;
+                    perm_fail += 1;
+                    println!(
+                        "[{:>3}] PERMANENT FAIL ({:>4}ms) {}\n      {}",
+                        probed,
+                        call_start.elapsed().as_millis(),
+                        rel_path,
+                        e
+                    );
+                }
+                Err(TagDetectError::Transient(e)) => {
+                    probed += 1;
+                    transient_fail += 1;
+                    println!(
+                        "[{:>3}] TRANSIENT FAIL ({:>4}ms) {}\n      {}",
+                        probed,
+                        call_start.elapsed().as_millis(),
+                        rel_path,
+                        e
+                    );
+                }
+                Err(TagDetectError::Disabled) => {
+                    anyhow::bail!("tag client became disabled mid-run; impossible");
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    let elapsed = started.elapsed();
+    println!();
+    println!("── summary ───────────────────────────────────────");
+    println!("scanned rows         : {scanned}");
+    println!("probed files         : {probed}");
+    println!("  with tags          : {ok_count}");
+    println!("  empty (no tags)    : {empty_count}");
+    println!("  permanent failures : {perm_fail}");
+    println!("  transient failures : {transient_fail}");
+    println!("elapsed              : {:.1}s", elapsed.as_secs_f32());
+    if probed > 0 {
+        println!(
+            "throughput           : {:.2} photos/s",
+            probed as f32 / elapsed.as_secs_f32().max(0.001)
+        );
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}

src/database/daily_summary_dao.rs

@@ -75,6 +75,11 @@ pub trait DailySummaryDao: Sync + Send {
         context: &opentelemetry::Context,
         contact: &str,
     ) -> Result<i64, DbError>;
+
+    /// Cheap presence check — returns true iff at least one daily summary row
+    /// exists. Used by gating logic that only needs "is the table empty?",
+    /// avoiding a `COUNT(*)` full scan on large corpora.
+    fn has_any_summaries(&mut self, context: &opentelemetry::Context) -> Result<bool, DbError>;
 }
 
 pub struct SqliteDailySummaryDao {
@@ -454,6 +459,30 @@ impl DailySummaryDao for SqliteDailySummaryDao {
         })
         .map_err(|_| DbError::new(DbErrorKind::QueryError))
     }
+
+    fn has_any_summaries(&mut self, context: &opentelemetry::Context) -> Result<bool, DbError> {
+        trace_db_call(context, "query", "has_any_summaries", |_span| {
+            let mut conn = self
+                .connection
+                .lock()
+                .expect("Unable to get DailySummaryDao");
+
+            #[derive(QueryableByName)]
+            struct ProbeResult {
+                #[diesel(sql_type = diesel::sql_types::Integer)]
+                #[allow(dead_code)]
+                one: i32,
+            }
+
+            let rows: Vec<ProbeResult> =
+                diesel::sql_query("SELECT 1 as one FROM daily_conversation_summaries LIMIT 1")
+                    .load(conn.deref_mut())
+                    .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Failed to probe daily summaries: {}", e))?;
+
+            Ok(!rows.is_empty())
+        })
+        .map_err(|_| DbError::new(DbErrorKind::QueryError))
+    }
 }
 
 // Helper structs for raw SQL queries

src/database/insights_dao.rs

@@ -21,6 +21,22 @@ pub trait InsightDao: Sync + Send {
         file_path: &str,
     ) -> Result<Option<PhotoInsight>, DbError>;
 
+    /// Library-scoped variant of `get_insight`. The default `get_insight`
+    /// finds any `is_current=true` row matching `file_path` across
+    /// libraries — fine for the photo-grid metadata fetch (cross-library
+    /// merge), wrong for the chat path: a regenerate on lib1 flips lib1's
+    /// row to `is_current=false` and inserts a new lib1 row, but
+    /// lib2's untouched `is_current=true` row for the same rel_path
+    /// would still satisfy the path-only query and shadow the regen on
+    /// the next history fetch. Always pass a library_id when you have
+    /// one (chat / insight write paths always do).
+    fn get_current_insight_for_library(
+        &mut self,
+        context: &opentelemetry::Context,
+        library_id: i32,
+        file_path: &str,
+    ) -> Result<Option<PhotoInsight>, DbError>;
+
     /// Return the most recent current insight whose rel_path is one of
     /// `paths`. Used for content-hash sharing: the caller expands a
     /// single file into all rel_paths with the same content_hash, then
@@ -182,6 +198,33 @@ impl InsightDao for SqliteInsightDao {
         .map_err(|_| DbError::new(DbErrorKind::QueryError))
     }
 
+    fn get_current_insight_for_library(
+        &mut self,
+        context: &opentelemetry::Context,
+        lib_id: i32,
+        path: &str,
+    ) -> Result<Option<PhotoInsight>, DbError> {
+        trace_db_call(
+            context,
+            "query",
+            "get_current_insight_for_library",
+            |_span| {
+                use schema::photo_insights::dsl::*;
+
+                let mut connection = self.connection.lock().expect("Unable to get InsightDao");
+
+                photo_insights
+                    .filter(library_id.eq(lib_id))
+                    .filter(rel_path.eq(path))
+                    .filter(is_current.eq(true))
+                    .first::<PhotoInsight>(connection.deref_mut())
+                    .optional()
+                    .map_err(|_| anyhow::anyhow!("Query error"))
+            },
+        )
+        .map_err(|_| DbError::new(DbErrorKind::QueryError))
+    }
+
     fn get_insight_for_paths(
         &mut self,
         context: &opentelemetry::Context,

src/database/mod.rs

@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ pub mod insights_dao;
 pub mod knowledge_dao;
 pub mod location_dao;
 pub mod models;
+pub mod persona_dao;
 pub mod preview_dao;
 pub mod reconcile;
 pub mod schema;
@@ -58,10 +59,11 @@ pub use calendar_dao::{CalendarEventDao, SqliteCalendarEventDao};
 pub use daily_summary_dao::{DailySummaryDao, InsertDailySummary, SqliteDailySummaryDao};
 pub use insights_dao::{InsightDao, SqliteInsightDao};
 pub use knowledge_dao::{
-    EntityFilter, EntityPatch, FactFilter, FactPatch, KnowledgeDao, RecentActivity,
-    SqliteKnowledgeDao,
+    ConsolidationGroup, EntityFilter, EntityGraph, EntityPatch, EntitySort, FactFilter, FactPatch,
+    KnowledgeDao, PersonaFilter, RecentActivity, SqliteKnowledgeDao,
 };
 pub use location_dao::{LocationHistoryDao, SqliteLocationHistoryDao};
+pub use persona_dao::{ImportPersona, PersonaDao, PersonaPatch, SqlitePersonaDao};
 pub use preview_dao::{PreviewDao, SqlitePreviewDao};
 pub use search_dao::{SearchHistoryDao, SqliteSearchHistoryDao};
 
@@ -210,6 +212,7 @@ pub enum DbErrorKind {
     InsertError,
     QueryError,
     UpdateError,
+    NotFound,
 }
 
 pub trait FavoriteDao: Sync + Send {
@@ -411,14 +414,21 @@ pub trait ExifDao: Sync + Send {
         size_bytes: i64,
     ) -> Result<(), DbError>;
 
-    /// Return image_exif rows that need their `date_taken` re-resolved by
-    /// the canonical-date waterfall (see `crate::date_resolver`):
-    /// either no source ever ran (`date_taken IS NULL`), or only the
-    /// weakest fallback resolved it (`date_taken_source = 'fs_time'`).
-    /// Returns `(library_id, rel_path)`. The caller filters to its own
-    /// library on the way through; rows from other libraries fall to the
-    /// next library's tick. Backed by the partial index
+    /// Return image_exif rows that need their `date_taken` resolved by the
+    /// canonical-date waterfall (see `crate::date_resolver`): `date_taken
+    /// IS NULL`. Returns `(library_id, rel_path)`. The caller filters to
+    /// its own library on the way through; rows from other libraries fall
+    /// to the next library's tick. Backed by the partial index
     /// `idx_image_exif_date_backfill`.
+    ///
+    /// `fs_time`-sourced rows are intentionally excluded even though they
+    /// represent the weakest resolution: the resolver is deterministic on
+    /// file bytes + filename + fs metadata, so a row that landed on
+    /// fs_time once will land there again on every retry. Including them
+    /// in the drain caused it to spin on the same lowest-id rows forever
+    /// and starve other SQLite writers (face PATCHes hitting busy_timeout).
+    /// If a stronger tool comes online (exiftool install, new filename
+    /// regex), an operator can issue a one-shot re-resolve out-of-band.
     fn get_rows_needing_date_backfill(
         &mut self,
         context: &opentelemetry::Context,
@@ -713,6 +723,64 @@ pub trait ExifDao: Sync + Send {
     ) -> Result<Vec<(i32, String)>, DbError>;
 }
 
+/// Locate an `image_exif` row for a `(library_id, rel_path)` mutation,
+/// mirroring `get_exif`'s union semantics so the write side is no
+/// stricter than the read side. Tries the requested library first
+/// (forward-slash and Windows backslash forms), then falls back to any
+/// library with a matching `rel_path`. The latter handles two cases
+/// `/image/metadata` already absorbs but the date-override path used to
+/// 404 on:
+///   1. The metadata endpoint resolves `library_id` from the filesystem
+///      (where the file currently lives), but the only `image_exif` row
+///      sits under a different library_id (older mount, multi-library
+///      duplicate). The mutation by `(library_id, rel_path)` would miss.
+///   2. A row imported from Windows still has backslash separators.
+fn locate_image_exif_row(
+    connection: &mut SqliteConnection,
+    library_id_val: i32,
+    rel_path_val: &str,
+) -> anyhow::Result<ImageExif> {
+    use schema::image_exif::dsl::*;
+
+    let normalized = rel_path_val.replace('\\', "/");
+    let windows_form = rel_path_val.replace('/', "\\");
+
+    let scoped = image_exif
+        .filter(library_id.eq(library_id_val))
+        .filter(rel_path.eq(&normalized).or(rel_path.eq(&windows_form)))
+        .first::<ImageExif>(connection);
+
+    match scoped {
+        Ok(row) => Ok(row),
+        Err(diesel::result::Error::NotFound) => {
+            // Fall back to any library with this rel_path. `image_exif`
+            // can carry the same path under multiple library_ids; the
+            // metadata endpoint already resolves loosely (see `get_exif`),
+            // and the date-override write must agree.
+            image_exif
+                .filter(rel_path.eq(&normalized).or(rel_path.eq(&windows_form)))
+                .first::<ImageExif>(connection)
+                .map_err(|e| match e {
+                    diesel::result::Error::NotFound => anyhow::Error::msg("row_not_found"),
+                    other => anyhow::Error::from(other).context("lookup_failed"),
+                })
+        }
+        Err(other) => Err(anyhow::Error::from(other).context("lookup_failed")),
+    }
+}
+
+/// Map a `locate_image_exif_row` / mutation closure error onto the
+/// appropriate `DbErrorKind`. The `row_not_found` sentinel from
+/// `locate_image_exif_row` becomes `NotFound` so the handler can return
+/// 404; everything else is a real DB failure (`UpdateError` → 500).
+fn classify_image_exif_error(e: &anyhow::Error) -> DbErrorKind {
+    if e.chain().any(|c| c.to_string() == "row_not_found") {
+        DbErrorKind::NotFound
+    } else {
+        DbErrorKind::UpdateError
+    }
+}
+
 pub struct SqliteExifDao {
     connection: Arc<Mutex<SqliteConnection>>,
 }
@@ -736,6 +804,15 @@ impl SqliteExifDao {
             connection: Arc::new(Mutex::new(conn)),
         }
     }
+
+    /// Test-only constructor that shares an already-wrapped connection.
+    /// Required when another DAO (e.g. `SqliteFaceDao`) needs to read
+    /// rows this DAO writes, so cross-table joins resolve against the
+    /// same in-memory SQLite instance.
+    #[cfg(test)]
+    pub fn from_shared(connection: Arc<Mutex<SqliteConnection>>) -> Self {
+        SqliteExifDao { connection }
+    }
 }
 
 impl ExifDao for SqliteExifDao {
@@ -1170,11 +1247,10 @@ impl ExifDao for SqliteExifDao {
                 let mut connection = self.connection.lock().expect("Unable to get ExifDao");
 
                 // The partial index is on `(library_id, id) WHERE date_taken
-                // IS NULL OR date_taken_source = 'fs_time'`, so the planner
-                // hits it directly when both predicates are present.
+                // IS NULL`, so the planner hits it directly.
                 image_exif
                     .filter(library_id.eq(library_id_val))
-                    .filter(date_taken.is_null().or(date_taken_source.eq("fs_time")))
+                    .filter(date_taken.is_null())
                     .select((library_id, rel_path))
                     .order(id.asc())
                     .limit(limit)
@@ -1261,11 +1337,8 @@ impl ExifDao for SqliteExifDao {
             // Read-modify-write under the dao mutex so the snapshot is
             // consistent with the value being overwritten. The mutex holds
             // for the duration of this closure — no other writer can race.
-            let current: ImageExif = image_exif
-                .filter(library_id.eq(library_id_val))
-                .filter(rel_path.eq(rel_path_val))
-                .first(connection.deref_mut())
-                .map_err(|_| anyhow::anyhow!("row not found"))?;
+            let current =
+                locate_image_exif_row(connection.deref_mut(), library_id_val, rel_path_val)?;
 
             // Snapshot only on first override. Subsequent overrides keep
             // the original snapshot intact so a single revert restores
@@ -1279,27 +1352,33 @@ impl ExifDao for SqliteExifDao {
                 )
             };
 
-            diesel::update(
-                image_exif
-                    .filter(library_id.eq(library_id_val))
-                    .filter(rel_path.eq(rel_path_val)),
-            )
-            .set((
-                date_taken.eq(Some(date_taken_val)),
-                date_taken_source.eq(Some("manual".to_string())),
-                original_date_taken.eq(orig_dt),
-                original_date_taken_source.eq(orig_src),
-            ))
-            .execute(connection.deref_mut())
-            .map_err(|_| anyhow::anyhow!("Update error"))?;
+            // Update by primary key so we hit the exact row we read,
+            // even when the lookup fell back across libraries / slash forms.
+            let row_id = current.id;
+            diesel::update(image_exif.find(row_id))
+                .set((
+                    date_taken.eq(Some(date_taken_val)),
+                    date_taken_source.eq(Some("manual".to_string())),
+                    original_date_taken.eq(orig_dt),
+                    original_date_taken_source.eq(orig_src),
+                ))
+                .execute(connection.deref_mut())
+                .map_err(|e| anyhow::Error::from(e).context("update_failed"))?;
 
             image_exif
-                .filter(library_id.eq(library_id_val))
-                .filter(rel_path.eq(rel_path_val))
+                .find(row_id)
                 .first::<ImageExif>(connection.deref_mut())
-                .map_err(|_| anyhow::anyhow!("Re-read error"))
+                .map_err(|e| anyhow::Error::from(e).context("reread_failed"))
+        })
+        .map_err(|e| {
+            log::warn!(
+                "set_manual_date_taken(library_id={}, rel_path={:?}): {:#}",
+                library_id_val,
+                rel_path_val,
+                e,
+            );
+            DbError::new(classify_image_exif_error(&e))
         })
-        .map_err(|_| DbError::new(DbErrorKind::UpdateError))
     }
 
     fn clear_manual_date_taken(
@@ -1313,11 +1392,8 @@ impl ExifDao for SqliteExifDao {
 
             let mut connection = self.connection.lock().expect("Unable to get ExifDao");
 
-            let current: ImageExif = image_exif
-                .filter(library_id.eq(library_id_val))
-                .filter(rel_path.eq(rel_path_val))
-                .first(connection.deref_mut())
-                .map_err(|_| anyhow::anyhow!("row not found"))?;
+            let current =
+                locate_image_exif_row(connection.deref_mut(), library_id_val, rel_path_val)?;
 
             // No override active — nothing to revert. Return the current
             // row unchanged so the endpoint is idempotent.
@@ -1325,27 +1401,31 @@ impl ExifDao for SqliteExifDao {
                 return Ok(current);
             }
 
-            diesel::update(
-                image_exif
-                    .filter(library_id.eq(library_id_val))
-                    .filter(rel_path.eq(rel_path_val)),
-            )
-            .set((
-                date_taken.eq(current.original_date_taken),
-                date_taken_source.eq(current.original_date_taken_source.clone()),
-                original_date_taken.eq::<Option<i64>>(None),
-                original_date_taken_source.eq::<Option<String>>(None),
-            ))
-            .execute(connection.deref_mut())
-            .map_err(|_| anyhow::anyhow!("Update error"))?;
+            let row_id = current.id;
+            diesel::update(image_exif.find(row_id))
+                .set((
+                    date_taken.eq(current.original_date_taken),
+                    date_taken_source.eq(current.original_date_taken_source.clone()),
+                    original_date_taken.eq::<Option<i64>>(None),
+                    original_date_taken_source.eq::<Option<String>>(None),
+                ))
+                .execute(connection.deref_mut())
+                .map_err(|e| anyhow::Error::from(e).context("update_failed"))?;
 
             image_exif
-                .filter(library_id.eq(library_id_val))
-                .filter(rel_path.eq(rel_path_val))
+                .find(row_id)
                 .first::<ImageExif>(connection.deref_mut())
-                .map_err(|_| anyhow::anyhow!("Re-read error"))
+                .map_err(|e| anyhow::Error::from(e).context("reread_failed"))
+        })
+        .map_err(|e| {
+            log::warn!(
+                "clear_manual_date_taken(library_id={}, rel_path={:?}): {:#}",
+                library_id_val,
+                rel_path_val,
+                e,
+            );
+            DbError::new(classify_image_exif_error(&e))
         })
-        .map_err(|_| DbError::new(DbErrorKind::UpdateError))
     }
 
     fn get_memories_in_window(
@@ -2321,10 +2401,11 @@ mod exif_dao_tests {
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn get_rows_needing_date_backfill_returns_null_and_fs_time() {
+    fn get_rows_needing_date_backfill_returns_null_only() {
         let mut dao = setup_two_libraries();
-        // Each row exercises a different source: null, fs_time (eligible),
-        // filename and exif (skipped).
+        // Each row exercises a different source. Only NULL is eligible —
+        // fs_time was removed from the drain because re-resolving it is
+        // deterministic-no-op work that starves other writers.
         insert_row_with_source(&mut dao, 1, "main/null.jpg", None, None);
         insert_row_with_source(&mut dao, 1, "main/fs.jpg", Some(123), Some("fs_time"));
         insert_row_with_source(&mut dao, 1, "main/name.jpg", Some(456), Some("filename"));
@@ -2334,9 +2415,8 @@ mod exif_dao_tests {
 
         let rows = dao.get_rows_needing_date_backfill(&ctx(), 1, 100).unwrap();
         let paths: Vec<String> = rows.into_iter().map(|(_, p)| p).collect();
-        assert_eq!(paths.len(), 2, "expected null + fs_time eligible only");
+        assert_eq!(paths.len(), 1, "expected only NULL-date rows");
         assert!(paths.contains(&"main/null.jpg".to_string()));
-        assert!(paths.contains(&"main/fs.jpg".to_string()));
     }
 
     #[test]

src/database/models.rs

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 use crate::database::schema::{
-    entities, entity_facts, entity_photo_links, favorites, image_exif, libraries, photo_insights,
-    users, video_preview_clips,
+    entities, entity_facts, entity_photo_links, favorites, image_exif, libraries, personas,
+    photo_insights, users, video_preview_clips,
 };
 use serde::Serialize;
 
@@ -238,6 +238,44 @@ pub struct InsertEntityFact {
     pub confidence: f32,
     pub status: String,
     pub created_at: i64,
+    /// Which persona authored this fact. Shared entities, persona-tagged
+    /// facts: each persona accumulates its own voice over the same
+    /// real-world referents. Defaults to `'default'` for legacy rows
+    /// (see migration 2026-05-09-000000).
+    pub persona_id: String,
+    /// Author's user_id. Required for the composite FK to
+    /// `personas(user_id, persona_id)` (migration 2026-05-10-000000) and
+    /// for cross-user fact isolation: two users with the same 'default'
+    /// persona must not see each other's facts. Always paired with
+    /// `persona_id` — they're a unit.
+    pub user_id: i32,
+    /// Real-world period the fact is/was true (unix seconds). NULL on
+    /// either side = unbounded — `valid_from IS NULL` reads as
+    /// "always-true-back-to-the-beginning", `valid_until IS NULL` as
+    /// "still-true-now-or-unknown". Distinguishes valid time from
+    /// transaction time (`created_at` is when we recorded the fact,
+    /// not when it was true in the world). See migration
+    /// 2026-05-10-000100.
+    pub valid_from: Option<i64>,
+    pub valid_until: Option<i64>,
+    /// Points at the entity_facts.id that replaced this one. Set by
+    /// the supersede endpoint; status flips to 'superseded' in the
+    /// same transaction. See migration 2026-05-10-000200.
+    pub superseded_by: Option<i32>,
+    /// Provenance for model audit — see migration 2026-05-10-000300.
+    /// `created_by_model` is the LLM identifier (e.g. "qwen2.5:7b",
+    /// "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4") or NULL for legacy / manual rows.
+    /// `created_by_backend` is "local" / "hybrid" / "manual" / NULL.
+    pub created_by_model: Option<String>,
+    pub created_by_backend: Option<String>,
+    /// Audit trail for mutations after creation — see migration
+    /// 2026-05-10-000500. `last_modified_*` stamp on any update
+    /// (status flip, valid-time edit, supersede, manual PATCH);
+    /// `last_modified_at` is unix seconds. NULL on rows that have
+    /// never been touched since creation.
+    pub last_modified_by_model: Option<String>,
+    pub last_modified_by_backend: Option<String>,
+    pub last_modified_at: Option<i64>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Serialize, Queryable, Clone, Debug)]
@@ -252,6 +290,16 @@ pub struct EntityFact {
     pub confidence: f32,
     pub status: String,
     pub created_at: i64,
+    pub persona_id: String,
+    pub user_id: i32,
+    pub valid_from: Option<i64>,
+    pub valid_until: Option<i64>,
+    pub superseded_by: Option<i32>,
+    pub created_by_model: Option<String>,
+    pub created_by_backend: Option<String>,
+    pub last_modified_by_model: Option<String>,
+    pub last_modified_by_backend: Option<String>,
+    pub last_modified_at: Option<i64>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Insertable)]
@@ -274,6 +322,45 @@ pub struct EntityPhotoLink {
     pub role: String,
 }
 
+// --- Personas ---
+
+#[derive(Insertable)]
+#[diesel(table_name = personas)]
+pub struct InsertPersona<'a> {
+    pub user_id: i32,
+    pub persona_id: &'a str,
+    pub name: &'a str,
+    pub system_prompt: &'a str,
+    pub is_built_in: bool,
+    pub include_all_memories: bool,
+    pub created_at: i64,
+    pub updated_at: i64,
+    /// "Strict mode" — agent reads only see facts with status =
+    /// 'reviewed' (human-verified). Default false. See migration
+    /// 2026-05-10-000400.
+    pub reviewed_only_facts: bool,
+    /// Gate for the agent's update_fact / supersede_fact tools.
+    /// Default false — fresh personas let the agent create but not
+    /// alter or replace. Operator opts in once a model has earned
+    /// trust. See migration 2026-05-10-000500.
+    pub allow_agent_corrections: bool,
+}
+
+#[derive(Serialize, Queryable, Clone, Debug)]
+pub struct Persona {
+    pub id: i32,
+    pub user_id: i32,
+    pub persona_id: String,
+    pub name: String,
+    pub system_prompt: String,
+    pub is_built_in: bool,
+    pub include_all_memories: bool,
+    pub created_at: i64,
+    pub updated_at: i64,
+    pub reviewed_only_facts: bool,
+    pub allow_agent_corrections: bool,
+}
+
 #[derive(Insertable)]
 #[diesel(table_name = video_preview_clips)]
 pub struct InsertVideoPreviewClip {

src/database/persona_dao.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,447 @@
+#![allow(dead_code)]
+
+use diesel::prelude::*;
+use diesel::sqlite::SqliteConnection;
+use std::ops::DerefMut;
+use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
+
+use crate::database::models::{InsertPersona, Persona};
+use crate::database::schema;
+use crate::database::{DbError, DbErrorKind, connect};
+use crate::otel::trace_db_call;
+
+/// Patch shape for update_persona. None = leave field alone. Built-ins are
+/// allowed to flip `include_all_memories` but should reject name/prompt
+/// edits at the handler layer (built-in copy lives in the migration).
+pub struct PersonaPatch {
+    pub name: Option<String>,
+    pub system_prompt: Option<String>,
+    pub include_all_memories: Option<bool>,
+    pub reviewed_only_facts: Option<bool>,
+    pub allow_agent_corrections: Option<bool>,
+}
+
+/// One row of a bulk migration upload. Fields named to match the JSON
+/// shape the mobile client uploads (`POST /personas/migrate`).
+pub struct ImportPersona {
+    pub persona_id: String,
+    pub name: String,
+    pub system_prompt: String,
+    pub is_built_in: bool,
+    pub created_at: i64,
+}
+
+pub trait PersonaDao: Sync + Send {
+    fn list_personas(
+        &mut self,
+        cx: &opentelemetry::Context,
+        user_id: i32,
+    ) -> Result<Vec<Persona>, DbError>;
+
+    fn get_persona(
+        &mut self,
+        cx: &opentelemetry::Context,
+        user_id: i32,
+        persona_id: &str,
+    ) -> Result<Option<Persona>, DbError>;
+
+    fn create_persona(
+        &mut self,
+        cx: &opentelemetry::Context,
+        user_id: i32,
+        persona_id: &str,
+        name: &str,
+        system_prompt: &str,
+        is_built_in: bool,
+        include_all_memories: bool,
+    ) -> Result<Persona, DbError>;
+
+    fn update_persona(
+        &mut self,
+        cx: &opentelemetry::Context,
+        user_id: i32,
+        persona_id: &str,
+        patch: PersonaPatch,
+    ) -> Result<Option<Persona>, DbError>;
+
+    fn delete_persona(
+        &mut self,
+        cx: &opentelemetry::Context,
+        user_id: i32,
+        persona_id: &str,
+    ) -> Result<bool, DbError>;
+
+    /// Idempotent bulk import. INSERT OR IGNORE on (user_id, persona_id)
+    /// — re-uploading the same set is a no-op. Returns the number of rows
+    /// actually inserted (skipped duplicates don't count).
+    fn bulk_import(
+        &mut self,
+        cx: &opentelemetry::Context,
+        user_id: i32,
+        personas: &[ImportPersona],
+    ) -> Result<usize, DbError>;
+}
+
+pub struct SqlitePersonaDao {
+    connection: Arc<Mutex<SqliteConnection>>,
+}
+
+impl Default for SqlitePersonaDao {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self::new()
+    }
+}
+
+impl SqlitePersonaDao {
+    pub fn new() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            connection: Arc::new(Mutex::new(connect())),
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn from_connection(conn: Arc<Mutex<SqliteConnection>>) -> Self {
+        Self { connection: conn }
+    }
+}
+
+impl PersonaDao for SqlitePersonaDao {
+    fn list_personas(
+        &mut self,
+        cx: &opentelemetry::Context,
+        uid: i32,
+    ) -> Result<Vec<Persona>, DbError> {
+        trace_db_call(cx, "query", "list_personas", |_span| {
+            use schema::personas::dsl::*;
+            let mut conn = self.connection.lock().expect("PersonaDao lock");
+            personas
+                .filter(user_id.eq(uid))
+                .order(created_at.asc())
+                .load::<Persona>(conn.deref_mut())
+                .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Query error: {}", e))
+        })
+        .map_err(|_| DbError::new(DbErrorKind::QueryError))
+    }
+
+    fn get_persona(
+        &mut self,
+        cx: &opentelemetry::Context,
+        uid: i32,
+        pid: &str,
+    ) -> Result<Option<Persona>, DbError> {
+        trace_db_call(cx, "query", "get_persona", |_span| {
+            use schema::personas::dsl::*;
+            let mut conn = self.connection.lock().expect("PersonaDao lock");
+            personas
+                .filter(user_id.eq(uid))
+                .filter(persona_id.eq(pid))
+                .first::<Persona>(conn.deref_mut())
+                .optional()
+                .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Query error: {}", e))
+        })
+        .map_err(|_| DbError::new(DbErrorKind::QueryError))
+    }
+
+    fn create_persona(
+        &mut self,
+        cx: &opentelemetry::Context,
+        uid: i32,
+        pid: &str,
+        nm: &str,
+        prompt: &str,
+        builtin: bool,
+        include_all: bool,
+    ) -> Result<Persona, DbError> {
+        trace_db_call(cx, "insert", "create_persona", |_span| {
+            use schema::personas::dsl::*;
+            let mut conn = self.connection.lock().expect("PersonaDao lock");
+            let now = chrono::Utc::now().timestamp_millis();
+
+            diesel::insert_into(personas)
+                .values(InsertPersona {
+                    user_id: uid,
+                    persona_id: pid,
+                    name: nm,
+                    system_prompt: prompt,
+                    is_built_in: builtin,
+                    include_all_memories: include_all,
+                    created_at: now,
+                    updated_at: now,
+                    reviewed_only_facts: false,
+                    allow_agent_corrections: false,
+                })
+                .execute(conn.deref_mut())
+                .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Insert error: {}", e))?;
+
+            personas
+                .filter(user_id.eq(uid))
+                .filter(persona_id.eq(pid))
+                .first::<Persona>(conn.deref_mut())
+                .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Query error: {}", e))
+        })
+        .map_err(|_| DbError::new(DbErrorKind::InsertError))
+    }
+
+    fn update_persona(
+        &mut self,
+        cx: &opentelemetry::Context,
+        uid: i32,
+        pid: &str,
+        patch: PersonaPatch,
+    ) -> Result<Option<Persona>, DbError> {
+        trace_db_call(cx, "update", "update_persona", |_span| {
+            use schema::personas::dsl::*;
+            let mut conn = self.connection.lock().expect("PersonaDao lock");
+            let now = chrono::Utc::now().timestamp_millis();
+
+            // Apply each field as its own UPDATE — keeps types simple
+            // (Diesel's tuple updates don't compose cleanly across optional
+            // columns) and matches the pattern already in use for entities
+            // (knowledge_dao.rs::update_entity).
+            if let Some(ref new_name) = patch.name {
+                diesel::update(personas.filter(user_id.eq(uid)).filter(persona_id.eq(pid)))
+                    .set((name.eq(new_name), updated_at.eq(now)))
+                    .execute(conn.deref_mut())
+                    .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Update name error: {}", e))?;
+            }
+            if let Some(ref new_prompt) = patch.system_prompt {
+                diesel::update(personas.filter(user_id.eq(uid)).filter(persona_id.eq(pid)))
+                    .set((system_prompt.eq(new_prompt), updated_at.eq(now)))
+                    .execute(conn.deref_mut())
+                    .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Update prompt error: {}", e))?;
+            }
+            if let Some(new_include_all) = patch.include_all_memories {
+                diesel::update(personas.filter(user_id.eq(uid)).filter(persona_id.eq(pid)))
+                    .set((include_all_memories.eq(new_include_all), updated_at.eq(now)))
+                    .execute(conn.deref_mut())
+                    .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Update include_all error: {}", e))?;
+            }
+            if let Some(new_reviewed_only) = patch.reviewed_only_facts {
+                diesel::update(personas.filter(user_id.eq(uid)).filter(persona_id.eq(pid)))
+                    .set((
+                        reviewed_only_facts.eq(new_reviewed_only),
+                        updated_at.eq(now),
+                    ))
+                    .execute(conn.deref_mut())
+                    .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Update reviewed_only_facts error: {}", e))?;
+            }
+            if let Some(new_allow_corrections) = patch.allow_agent_corrections {
+                diesel::update(personas.filter(user_id.eq(uid)).filter(persona_id.eq(pid)))
+                    .set((
+                        allow_agent_corrections.eq(new_allow_corrections),
+                        updated_at.eq(now),
+                    ))
+                    .execute(conn.deref_mut())
+                    .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Update allow_agent_corrections error: {}", e))?;
+            }
+
+            personas
+                .filter(user_id.eq(uid))
+                .filter(persona_id.eq(pid))
+                .first::<Persona>(conn.deref_mut())
+                .optional()
+                .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Query error: {}", e))
+        })
+        .map_err(|_| DbError::new(DbErrorKind::UpdateError))
+    }
+
+    fn delete_persona(
+        &mut self,
+        cx: &opentelemetry::Context,
+        uid: i32,
+        pid: &str,
+    ) -> Result<bool, DbError> {
+        trace_db_call(cx, "delete", "delete_persona", |_span| {
+            use schema::personas::dsl::*;
+            let mut conn = self.connection.lock().expect("PersonaDao lock");
+            let n = diesel::delete(personas.filter(user_id.eq(uid)).filter(persona_id.eq(pid)))
+                .execute(conn.deref_mut())
+                .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Delete error: {}", e))?;
+            Ok(n > 0)
+        })
+        .map_err(|_| DbError::new(DbErrorKind::QueryError))
+    }
+
+    fn bulk_import(
+        &mut self,
+        cx: &opentelemetry::Context,
+        uid: i32,
+        rows: &[ImportPersona],
+    ) -> Result<usize, DbError> {
+        trace_db_call(cx, "insert", "bulk_import_personas", |_span| {
+            let mut conn = self.connection.lock().expect("PersonaDao lock");
+            let now = chrono::Utc::now().timestamp_millis();
+            let mut inserted = 0usize;
+
+            // INSERT OR IGNORE on the (user_id, persona_id) UNIQUE so
+            // re-running migrate is a no-op for personas already on the
+            // server.
+            for p in rows {
+                let n = diesel::sql_query(
+                    "INSERT OR IGNORE INTO personas (user_id, persona_id, name, system_prompt, \
+                     is_built_in, include_all_memories, created_at, updated_at) \
+                     VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, 0, ?, ?)",
+                )
+                .bind::<diesel::sql_types::Integer, _>(uid)
+                .bind::<diesel::sql_types::Text, _>(&p.persona_id)
+                .bind::<diesel::sql_types::Text, _>(&p.name)
+                .bind::<diesel::sql_types::Text, _>(&p.system_prompt)
+                .bind::<diesel::sql_types::Bool, _>(p.is_built_in)
+                .bind::<diesel::sql_types::BigInt, _>(p.created_at)
+                .bind::<diesel::sql_types::BigInt, _>(now)
+                .execute(conn.deref_mut())
+                .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Insert error: {}", e))?;
+                inserted += n;
+            }
+            Ok(inserted)
+        })
+        .map_err(|_| DbError::new(DbErrorKind::InsertError))
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use crate::database::test::in_memory_db_connection;
+
+    fn dao_with_user(username: &str) -> (SqlitePersonaDao, i32) {
+        use crate::database::schema::users::dsl as u;
+        let conn = Arc::new(Mutex::new(in_memory_db_connection()));
+        diesel::insert_into(u::users)
+            .values((u::username.eq(username), u::password.eq("x")))
+            .execute(conn.lock().unwrap().deref_mut())
+            .unwrap();
+        let user_id: i32 = u::users
+            .filter(u::username.eq(username))
+            .select(u::id)
+            .first(conn.lock().unwrap().deref_mut())
+            .unwrap();
+        (SqlitePersonaDao::from_connection(conn), user_id)
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn create_and_list_round_trip() {
+        let cx = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+        let (mut dao, uid) = dao_with_user("alice");
+
+        // The migration seeds 3 built-ins for any existing user; alice
+        // was created post-migration so she starts empty.
+        let p = dao
+            .create_persona(&cx, uid, "custom-1", "Custom A", "prompt A", false, false)
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(p.persona_id, "custom-1");
+        assert_eq!(p.user_id, uid);
+        assert!(!p.is_built_in);
+
+        let list = dao.list_personas(&cx, uid).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(list.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(list[0].persona_id, "custom-1");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn unique_constraint_blocks_duplicate_persona_id() {
+        let cx = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+        let (mut dao, uid) = dao_with_user("bob");
+
+        dao.create_persona(&cx, uid, "x", "X", "p", false, false)
+            .unwrap();
+        let err = dao.create_persona(&cx, uid, "x", "X2", "p2", false, false);
+        assert!(
+            err.is_err(),
+            "second insert with same persona_id should fail"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn bulk_import_is_idempotent() {
+        let cx = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+        let (mut dao, uid) = dao_with_user("carol");
+
+        let rows = vec![
+            ImportPersona {
+                persona_id: "custom-a".into(),
+                name: "A".into(),
+                system_prompt: "p1".into(),
+                is_built_in: false,
+                created_at: 1,
+            },
+            ImportPersona {
+                persona_id: "custom-b".into(),
+                name: "B".into(),
+                system_prompt: "p2".into(),
+                is_built_in: false,
+                created_at: 2,
+            },
+        ];
+
+        let first = dao.bulk_import(&cx, uid, &rows).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(first, 2);
+        let second = dao.bulk_import(&cx, uid, &rows).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(second, 0, "re-import should insert nothing");
+
+        assert_eq!(dao.list_personas(&cx, uid).unwrap().len(), 2);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn dao_update_does_not_block_built_ins() {
+        // Documenting contract: the DAO is intentionally permissive —
+        // `update_persona` will apply name/system_prompt edits to ANY
+        // row, including built-ins. The guard against editing built-in
+        // identity (name + systemPrompt) lives in the HTTP handler
+        // (src/personas.rs::update_persona). If you find yourself
+        // wanting to add the guard here too, prefer that — defence in
+        // depth — but keep this test passing so anyone who removes
+        // the handler guard gets a failing call site, not silent data
+        // corruption.
+        let cx = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+        let (mut dao, uid) = dao_with_user("eve");
+
+        dao.create_persona(&cx, uid, "default", "Default", "old", true, false)
+            .unwrap();
+        let updated = dao
+            .update_persona(
+                &cx,
+                uid,
+                "default",
+                PersonaPatch {
+                    name: Some("Renamed".into()),
+                    system_prompt: Some("new prompt".into()),
+                    include_all_memories: None,
+                    reviewed_only_facts: None,
+                    allow_agent_corrections: None,
+                },
+            )
+            .unwrap()
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(updated.name, "Renamed");
+        assert_eq!(updated.system_prompt, "new prompt");
+        assert!(
+            updated.is_built_in,
+            "is_built_in flag should be unchanged by patch"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn update_toggles_include_all_memories() {
+        let cx = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+        let (mut dao, uid) = dao_with_user("dan");
+
+        dao.create_persona(&cx, uid, "j", "Journal", "p", true, false)
+            .unwrap();
+        let updated = dao
+            .update_persona(
+                &cx,
+                uid,
+                "j",
+                PersonaPatch {
+                    name: None,
+                    system_prompt: None,
+                    include_all_memories: Some(true),
+                    reviewed_only_facts: None,
+                    allow_agent_corrections: None,
+                },
+            )
+            .unwrap()
+            .unwrap();
+        assert!(updated.include_all_memories);
+    }
+}

src/database/schema.rs

@@ -57,6 +57,16 @@ diesel::table! {
         confidence -> Float,
         status -> Text,
         created_at -> BigInt,
+        persona_id -> Text,
+        user_id -> Integer,
+        valid_from -> Nullable<BigInt>,
+        valid_until -> Nullable<BigInt>,
+        superseded_by -> Nullable<Integer>,
+        created_by_model -> Nullable<Text>,
+        created_by_backend -> Nullable<Text>,
+        last_modified_by_model -> Nullable<Text>,
+        last_modified_by_backend -> Nullable<Text>,
+        last_modified_at -> Nullable<BigInt>,
     }
 }
 
@@ -159,6 +169,22 @@ diesel::table! {
     }
 }
 
+diesel::table! {
+    personas (id) {
+        id -> Integer,
+        user_id -> Integer,
+        persona_id -> Text,
+        name -> Text,
+        system_prompt -> Text,
+        is_built_in -> Bool,
+        include_all_memories -> Bool,
+        created_at -> BigInt,
+        updated_at -> BigInt,
+        reviewed_only_facts -> Bool,
+        allow_agent_corrections -> Bool,
+    }
+}
+
 diesel::table! {
     persons (id) {
         id -> Integer,
@@ -249,6 +275,7 @@ diesel::joinable!(entity_photo_links -> libraries (library_id));
 diesel::joinable!(face_detections -> libraries (library_id));
 diesel::joinable!(face_detections -> persons (person_id));
 diesel::joinable!(image_exif -> libraries (library_id));
+diesel::joinable!(personas -> users (user_id));
 diesel::joinable!(persons -> entities (entity_id));
 diesel::joinable!(photo_insights -> libraries (library_id));
 diesel::joinable!(tagged_photo -> tags (tag_id));
@@ -265,6 +292,7 @@ diesel::allow_tables_to_appear_in_same_query!(
     image_exif,
     libraries,
     location_history,
+    personas,
     persons,
     photo_insights,
     search_history,

src/date_resolver.rs

@@ -230,12 +230,21 @@ fn exiftool_available() -> bool {
 /// One-file exiftool invocation. Used by the upload + GPS-write paths,
 /// which deal with one file at a time. The batch path uses
 /// `exiftool_dates_batch` so we don't pay subprocess startup per row.
+///
+/// Notably absent: `-fast` / `-fast2`. For QuickTime/MP4 files whose
+/// `moov` atom sits at the end (non-faststart, common for Snapchat
+/// exports and any MP4 muxed without `-movflags +faststart`), `-fast2`
+/// causes exiftool to skip the trailer and return no `CreateDate` /
+/// `MediaCreateDate`, dropping us to the `fs_time` fallback for files
+/// that actually have a real capture date. We pre-filter to files that
+/// kamadak-exif couldn't read, so the JPEG fast-path is already covered
+/// — paying full-scan cost on the residual is the right trade.
 fn exiftool_date_single(path: &Path) -> Option<i64> {
     if !exiftool_available() {
         return None;
     }
     let mut cmd = Command::new("exiftool");
-    cmd.arg("-j").arg("-q").arg("-d").arg("%s").arg("-fast2");
+    cmd.arg("-j").arg("-q").arg("-d").arg("%s");
     for tag in EXIFTOOL_DATE_TAGS {
         cmd.arg(format!("-{}", tag));
     }
@@ -261,7 +270,10 @@ fn exiftool_dates_batch(paths: &[&Path]) -> HashMap<PathBuf, i64> {
     }
 
     let mut cmd = Command::new("exiftool");
-    cmd.arg("-j").arg("-q").arg("-d").arg("%s").arg("-fast2");
+    // No `-fast2` — see exiftool_date_single for the rationale (QuickTime
+    // moov-at-end files miss CreateDate / MediaCreateDate when the trailer
+    // is skipped).
+    cmd.arg("-j").arg("-q").arg("-d").arg("%s");
     for tag in EXIFTOOL_DATE_TAGS {
         cmd.arg(format!("-{}", tag));
     }

src/faces.rs

@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
 /// Visual identity. The optional `entity_id` bridges this person to an
 /// LLM-extracted knowledge-graph entity (textual side). Persons are NOT
 /// auto-bridged at creation — only when the user explicitly links them in
-/// the management UI, or when bootstrap finds an exact-name match.
+/// the management UI.
 #[derive(Serialize, Queryable, Clone, Debug)]
 pub struct Person {
     pub id: i32,
@@ -366,6 +366,10 @@ pub struct EmbeddingsQuery {
     pub limit: i64,
     #[serde(default)]
     pub offset: i64,
+    /// Restrict to one person's faces. Used by the similar-unassigned
+    /// suggester to fetch a centroid pool. When set, takes precedence
+    /// over `unassigned` (the more specific filter wins).
+    pub person_id: Option<i32>,
 }
 
 fn default_unassigned() -> bool {
@@ -429,6 +433,7 @@ pub trait FaceDao: Send + Sync {
         ctx: &opentelemetry::Context,
         library_id: Option<i32>,
         unassigned: bool,
+        person_id: Option<i32>,
         limit: i64,
         offset: i64,
     ) -> anyhow::Result<Vec<(FaceDetectionRow, String)>>;
@@ -503,6 +508,10 @@ pub trait FaceDao: Send + Sync {
         into: i32,
     ) -> anyhow::Result<Person>;
 
+    /// Cheap presence probe — returns true iff at least one face has been
+    /// detected (excluding marker rows). Used by chat-tool gating.
+    fn has_any_faces(&mut self, ctx: &opentelemetry::Context) -> anyhow::Result<bool>;
+
     /// Resolve `(library_id, rel_path)` → `content_hash` via image_exif.
     /// Returns None when the photo hasn't been EXIF-indexed yet (no row
     /// in image_exif) or when the row exists but content_hash is NULL.
@@ -859,6 +868,7 @@ impl FaceDao for SqliteFaceDao {
         ctx: &opentelemetry::Context,
         library_id: Option<i32>,
         unassigned: bool,
+        person_id: Option<i32>,
         limit: i64,
         offset: i64,
     ) -> anyhow::Result<Vec<(FaceDetectionRow, String)>> {
@@ -872,7 +882,13 @@ impl FaceDao for SqliteFaceDao {
             if let Some(lib) = library_id {
                 query = query.filter(face_detections::library_id.eq(lib));
             }
-            if unassigned {
+            // person_id is the more specific filter — when both it and
+            // `unassigned` are supplied, prefer the explicit person id and
+            // ignore the IS NULL constraint (which would always return
+            // empty for an assigned person).
+            if let Some(pid) = person_id {
+                query = query.filter(face_detections::person_id.eq(pid));
+            } else if unassigned {
                 query = query.filter(face_detections::person_id.is_null());
             }
             let rows = query
@@ -1432,6 +1448,19 @@ impl FaceDao for SqliteFaceDao {
         })
     }
 
+    fn has_any_faces(&mut self, ctx: &opentelemetry::Context) -> anyhow::Result<bool> {
+        let mut conn = self.connection.lock().expect("face dao lock");
+        trace_db_call(ctx, "query", "has_any_faces", |_span| {
+            face_detections::table
+                .filter(face_detections::status.eq("detected"))
+                .select(face_detections::id)
+                .first::<i32>(conn.deref_mut())
+                .optional()
+                .map(|x| x.is_some())
+                .with_context(|| "has_any_faces query")
+        })
+    }
+
     fn resolve_content_hash(
         &mut self,
         ctx: &opentelemetry::Context,
@@ -1659,18 +1688,10 @@ where
                 .route(web::get().to(list_persons_handler::<D>))
                 .route(web::post().to(create_person_handler::<D>)),
         )
-        .service(
-            web::resource("/persons/bootstrap")
-                .route(web::post().to(bootstrap_persons_handler::<D>)),
-        )
         .service(
             web::resource("/persons/ignore-bucket")
                 .route(web::post().to(ignore_bucket_handler::<D>)),
         )
-        .service(
-            web::resource("/tags/people-bootstrap-candidates")
-                .route(web::get().to(bootstrap_candidates_handler::<D>)),
-        )
         .service(
             web::resource("/persons/{id}")
                 .route(web::get().to(get_person_handler::<D>))
@@ -1685,340 +1706,6 @@ where
         )
 }
 
-// ── Bootstrap (Phase 4) ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-
-#[derive(Serialize, Debug, Clone)]
-pub struct BootstrapCandidate {
-    /// Display name — most-frequent capitalization across the case-insensitive
-    /// group, or simply the first one seen if it's a tie.
-    pub name: String,
-    /// Lowercased name; the stable key for grouping and the auto-bind path.
-    pub normalized_name: String,
-    /// Sum of `tagged_photo` counts across all capitalizations of this name.
-    pub usage_count: i64,
-    /// Heuristic suggestion; the UI defaults this to checked but the user
-    /// confirms before [`bootstrap_persons_handler`] actually creates rows.
-    pub looks_like_person: bool,
-    /// True when a `persons` row already exists for this name (any case).
-    /// The UI hides these — re-running bootstrap is idempotent so it's fine
-    /// either way, but the noise isn't worth showing.
-    pub already_exists: bool,
-}
-
-#[derive(Serialize, Debug)]
-pub struct BootstrapCandidatesResponse {
-    pub candidates: Vec<BootstrapCandidate>,
-}
-
-#[derive(Deserialize, Debug)]
-pub struct BootstrapPersonsReq {
-    pub names: Vec<String>,
-}
-
-#[derive(Serialize, Debug)]
-pub struct BootstrapPersonsResponse {
-    pub created: Vec<Person>,
-    pub skipped: Vec<BootstrapSkipped>,
-}
-
-#[derive(Serialize, Debug)]
-pub struct BootstrapSkipped {
-    pub name: String,
-    pub reason: String,
-}
-
-/// Hard filter for the bootstrap candidate list. Returns true if the tag
-/// could plausibly be a person name; returns false to drop it from the
-/// candidates entirely (not just leave looks_like_person=false).
-///
-/// Rules — all required:
-/// - At least 3 characters after trimming. Two-letter tags ("AB", "OK")
-///   are almost always abbreviations or markers, not names.
-/// - No emoji or symbol-class characters. SQL-side string sort already
-///   surfaces those at the top of the tag list; filtering them keeps
-///   the candidate UI focused on names rather than chart-junk.
-/// - No control characters or null bytes.
-pub(crate) fn is_plausible_name_token(raw: &str) -> bool {
-    let trimmed = raw.trim();
-    if trimmed.chars().count() < 3 {
-        return false;
-    }
-    for c in trimmed.chars() {
-        // Letter / mark / decimal-digit / connector-punctuation /
-        // dash / apostrophe / period / whitespace are all plausible in a
-        // name. Anything else (emoji, symbols, math operators, arrows,
-        // box drawing, control codes) disqualifies the whole tag.
-        if c.is_alphabetic()
-            || c.is_whitespace()
-            || matches!(c, '\'' | '-' | '.' | '_' | '\u{2019}')
-        {
-            continue;
-        }
-        if c.is_ascii_digit() {
-            // Digits don't disqualify here — `looks_like_person` rejects
-            // them later, but `is_plausible_name_token` is just about
-            // "could this be in the candidate list at all?". A tag like
-            // "Sarah2" stays as a candidate (display-flagged not-a-person
-            // by looks_like_person) so the operator can still spot and
-            // confirm it manually if it's an alias.
-            continue;
-        }
-        return false;
-    }
-    true
-}
-
-/// Conservative "this tag *might* be a person name" heuristic. False
-/// negatives are fine — the operator confirms in the UI before any row
-/// is created. False positives are also fine for the same reason; the
-/// goal is just to default sensible candidates to checked.
-///
-/// Rules:
-/// - 1–2 whitespace-separated words
-/// - Each word starts with an uppercase character
-/// - No digits anywhere (rejects "Trip 2018", "2024", etc.)
-/// - Single-word names not on a small denylist of common non-person
-///   tags (cat, christmas, beach, ...). Two-word names skip the
-///   denylist because a real two-word person name is the dominant
-///   case ("Sarah Smith") and false-blocking it is worse than false-
-///   accepting "Sunset Walk".
-pub(crate) fn looks_like_person(raw: &str) -> bool {
-    let trimmed = raw.trim();
-    if trimmed.is_empty() {
-        return false;
-    }
-    let words: Vec<&str> = trimmed.split_whitespace().collect();
-    if !(1..=2).contains(&words.len()) {
-        return false;
-    }
-    for w in &words {
-        let Some(first) = w.chars().next() else {
-            return false;
-        };
-        if !first.is_uppercase() {
-            return false;
-        }
-        if w.chars().any(|c| c.is_ascii_digit()) {
-            return false;
-        }
-    }
-    if words.len() == 1 {
-        const DENY: &[&str] = &[
-            // Pets / animals
-            "cat",
-            "dog",
-            "kitten",
-            "puppy",
-            "bird",
-            "fish",
-            "pet",
-            "pets",
-            // Events / occasions
-            "birthday",
-            "christmas",
-            "halloween",
-            "easter",
-            "thanksgiving",
-            "wedding",
-            "anniversary",
-            "vacation",
-            "holiday",
-            "party",
-            "trip",
-            "graduation",
-            "concert",
-            // Places (generic)
-            "home",
-            "work",
-            "beach",
-            "park",
-            "hotel",
-            "restaurant",
-            "office",
-            "house",
-            "garden",
-            // Subjects / styles
-            "food",
-            "sunset",
-            "sunrise",
-            "landscape",
-            "portrait",
-            "selfie",
-            "nature",
-            "flowers",
-            "flower",
-            "snow",
-            "rain",
-            "sky",
-            // Buckets
-            "untagged",
-            "favorites",
-            "favourites",
-            "misc",
-            "other",
-            "random",
-        ];
-        let lower = trimmed.to_lowercase();
-        if DENY.iter().any(|w| *w == lower) {
-            return false;
-        }
-    }
-    true
-}
-
-async fn bootstrap_candidates_handler<D: FaceDao>(
-    _: Claims,
-    request: HttpRequest,
-    face_dao: web::Data<Mutex<D>>,
-    tag_dao: web::Data<Mutex<crate::tags::SqliteTagDao>>,
-) -> impl Responder {
-    use std::collections::HashMap;
-    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
-    let span = global_tracer().start_with_context("faces.bootstrap_candidates", &context);
-    let span_context = opentelemetry::Context::current_with_span(span);
-
-    // All tags + their counts. Path filter unused — bootstrap is library-wide.
-    let tags_with_counts = {
-        let mut td = tag_dao.lock().expect("tag dao lock");
-        match crate::tags::TagDao::get_all_tags(&mut *td, &span_context, None) {
-            Ok(t) => t,
-            Err(e) => return HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(format!("{:#}", e)),
-        }
-    };
-
-    // Group by lowercase name. Pick the most-frequent capitalization
-    // for the display name (ties broken by first-seen). Filter out
-    // short tags and tags carrying non-name characters (emojis, symbols)
-    // before grouping — they're noise no operator would tick, so showing
-    // them just makes the candidate list harder to scan.
-    struct Group {
-        display: String,
-        display_freq: i64,
-        total_count: i64,
-    }
-    let mut groups: HashMap<String, Group> = HashMap::new();
-    for (count, tag) in tags_with_counts {
-        if !is_plausible_name_token(&tag.name) {
-            continue;
-        }
-        let lower = tag.name.to_lowercase();
-        let g = groups.entry(lower).or_insert_with(|| Group {
-            display: tag.name.clone(),
-            display_freq: 0,
-            total_count: 0,
-        });
-        g.total_count += count;
-        if count > g.display_freq {
-            g.display = tag.name.clone();
-            g.display_freq = count;
-        }
-    }
-
-    // Cross-reference against existing persons (bulk one-query lookup).
-    let lower_names: Vec<String> = groups.keys().cloned().collect();
-    let existing = {
-        let mut fd = face_dao.lock().expect("face dao lock");
-        match fd.find_persons_by_names_ci(&span_context, &lower_names) {
-            Ok(m) => m,
-            Err(e) => return HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(format!("{:#}", e)),
-        }
-    };
-
-    let mut candidates: Vec<BootstrapCandidate> = groups
-        .into_iter()
-        .map(|(lower, g)| BootstrapCandidate {
-            looks_like_person: looks_like_person(&g.display),
-            already_exists: existing.contains_key(&lower),
-            name: g.display,
-            normalized_name: lower,
-            usage_count: g.total_count,
-        })
-        .collect();
-    // Sort: persons-first heuristic by descending count, then alphabetical.
-    // Persons-likely candidates surface near the top so the user doesn't
-    // scroll past dozens of "vacation"-style tags to find them.
-    candidates.sort_by(|a, b| {
-        b.looks_like_person
-            .cmp(&a.looks_like_person)
-            .then(b.usage_count.cmp(&a.usage_count))
-            .then(a.normalized_name.cmp(&b.normalized_name))
-    });
-
-    HttpResponse::Ok().json(BootstrapCandidatesResponse { candidates })
-}
-
-async fn bootstrap_persons_handler<D: FaceDao>(
-    _: Claims,
-    request: HttpRequest,
-    body: web::Json<BootstrapPersonsReq>,
-    face_dao: web::Data<Mutex<D>>,
-) -> impl Responder {
-    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
-    let span = global_tracer().start_with_context("faces.bootstrap_persons", &context);
-    let span_context = opentelemetry::Context::current_with_span(span);
-
-    let mut created: Vec<Person> = Vec::new();
-    let mut skipped: Vec<BootstrapSkipped> = Vec::new();
-
-    let mut dao = face_dao.lock().expect("face dao lock");
-
-    // Pre-fetch the existing-name set so a duplicate request reports
-    // "already exists" (skipped) rather than firing N inserts that all
-    // 409 against the UNIQUE COLLATE NOCASE constraint.
-    let lower_names: Vec<String> = body.names.iter().map(|n| n.to_lowercase()).collect();
-    let existing = match dao.find_persons_by_names_ci(&span_context, &lower_names) {
-        Ok(m) => m,
-        Err(e) => return HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(format!("{:#}", e)),
-    };
-
-    for name in &body.names {
-        let trimmed = name.trim();
-        if trimmed.is_empty() {
-            skipped.push(BootstrapSkipped {
-                name: name.clone(),
-                reason: "empty name".into(),
-            });
-            continue;
-        }
-        let lower = trimmed.to_lowercase();
-        if existing.contains_key(&lower) {
-            skipped.push(BootstrapSkipped {
-                name: trimmed.to_string(),
-                reason: "person already exists".into(),
-            });
-            continue;
-        }
-        match dao.create_person(
-            &span_context,
-            &CreatePersonReq {
-                name: trimmed.to_string(),
-                notes: None,
-                entity_id: None,
-                is_ignored: false,
-            },
-            /*from_tag*/ true,
-        ) {
-            Ok(p) => created.push(p),
-            Err(e) => {
-                if is_unique_violation(&e) {
-                    // Race with a concurrent create; treat as skipped.
-                    skipped.push(BootstrapSkipped {
-                        name: trimmed.to_string(),
-                        reason: "person already exists".into(),
-                    });
-                } else {
-                    skipped.push(BootstrapSkipped {
-                        name: trimmed.to_string(),
-                        reason: format!("{:#}", e),
-                    });
-                }
-            }
-        }
-    }
-
-    HttpResponse::Ok().json(BootstrapPersonsResponse { created, skipped })
-}
-
 // ── Stats / list ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 #[derive(Deserialize)]
@@ -2115,6 +1802,7 @@ async fn embeddings_handler<D: FaceDao>(
         &span_context,
         query.library,
         query.unassigned,
+        query.person_id,
         limit,
         offset,
     )
@@ -2330,12 +2018,19 @@ async fn update_face_handler<D: FaceDao>(
             match dao.get_face(&span_context, id) {
                 Ok(Some(r)) => r,
                 Ok(None) => return HttpResponse::NotFound().finish(),
-                Err(e) => return HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(e.to_string()),
+                Err(e) => {
+                    warn!("PATCH /image/faces/{}: 500 — get_face failed: {:#}", id, e);
+                    return HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(e.to_string());
+                }
             }
         };
         let library = match app_state.library_by_id(current.library_id) {
             Some(l) => l.clone(),
             None => {
+                warn!(
+                    "PATCH /image/faces/{}: 500 — face row references unknown library_id {}",
+                    id, current.library_id
+                );
                 return HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(format!(
                     "face row references unknown library_id {}",
                     current.library_id
@@ -2418,7 +2113,14 @@ async fn update_face_handler<D: FaceDao>(
     let mut dao = face_dao.lock().expect("face dao lock");
     let row = match dao.update_face(&span_context, id, person_patch, bbox_patch, new_embedding) {
         Ok(r) => r,
-        Err(e) => return HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(e.to_string()),
+        Err(e) => {
+            // The full anyhow chain (`{:#}`) shows the diesel cause behind
+            // the short context string we surface in the response body —
+            // SQLITE_BUSY here usually means another DAO's writer held the
+            // lock past `busy_timeout` (5s), which is invisible in `{}`.
+            warn!("PATCH /image/faces/{}: 500 — update_face failed: {:#}", id, e);
+            return HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(e.to_string());
+        }
     };
     // Hydrate person_name so the response shape matches GET /image/faces
     // — the carousel overlay does an optimistic replace on this row, and
@@ -2426,7 +2128,13 @@ async fn update_face_handler<D: FaceDao>(
     // VFD label off the bbox even though the assignment didn't change.
     match hydrate_face_with_person(&mut *dao, &span_context, row) {
         Ok(joined) => HttpResponse::Ok().json(joined),
-        Err(e) => HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(e.to_string()),
+        Err(e) => {
+            warn!(
+                "PATCH /image/faces/{}: 500 — hydrate_face_with_person failed: {:#}",
+                id, e
+            );
+            HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(e.to_string())
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -2779,77 +2487,7 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
-    // ── Phase 4: bootstrap heuristic + cosine + DAO support ─────────────
-
-    #[test]
-    fn is_plausible_name_token_filters_short_and_emoji() {
-        // Hard filter applied before grouping — emojis and tags shorter
-        // than 3 chars never make it into the candidate list, regardless
-        // of looks_like_person's later assessment.
-        assert!(is_plausible_name_token("Cameron"));
-        assert!(is_plausible_name_token("Sarah Smith"));
-        assert!(is_plausible_name_token("O'Brien"));
-        assert!(is_plausible_name_token("Jean-Luc"));
-        assert!(is_plausible_name_token("St. James"));
-        assert!(is_plausible_name_token("Renée"));
-        assert!(is_plausible_name_token("José"));
-        // Asian script names — the alphabetic/letter check covers any
-        // script, not just Latin.
-        assert!(is_plausible_name_token("田中太郎"));
-
-        // Below the 3-character floor.
-        assert!(!is_plausible_name_token(""));
-        assert!(!is_plausible_name_token(" "));
-        assert!(!is_plausible_name_token("Bo"));
-        assert!(!is_plausible_name_token("AB"));
-        // Trim before counting — surrounding whitespace doesn't count.
-        assert!(!is_plausible_name_token("  AB  "));
-
-        // Emoji / symbol classes get the whole tag dropped.
-        assert!(!is_plausible_name_token("🐱cat"));
-        assert!(!is_plausible_name_token("Heart ❤"));
-        assert!(!is_plausible_name_token("📸Photo"));
-        assert!(!is_plausible_name_token("→ Trip"));
-        assert!(!is_plausible_name_token("★Vacation"));
-
-        // Digits are kept (handled by looks_like_person, not here).
-        assert!(is_plausible_name_token("Trip 2018"));
-        assert!(is_plausible_name_token("2024"));
-    }
-
-    #[test]
-    fn looks_like_person_accepts_typical_names() {
-        assert!(looks_like_person("Cameron"));
-        assert!(looks_like_person("Sarah Smith"));
-        assert!(looks_like_person("Mary Jane"));
-        // Non-ASCII title-cased single word still counts.
-        assert!(looks_like_person("Renée"));
-    }
-
-    #[test]
-    fn looks_like_person_rejects_obvious_non_people() {
-        // Digits, lowercase, three-or-more words, denylist hits.
-        assert!(!looks_like_person("2018"));
-        assert!(!looks_like_person("Trip 2018"));
-        assert!(!looks_like_person("trip"));
-        assert!(!looks_like_person("Birthday Party Cake"));
-        assert!(!looks_like_person("cat"));
-        assert!(!looks_like_person("Cat")); // denied even when title-cased
-        assert!(!looks_like_person("Christmas"));
-        assert!(!looks_like_person("home"));
-        assert!(!looks_like_person(""));
-        assert!(!looks_like_person("   "));
-    }
-
-    #[test]
-    fn looks_like_person_two_words_skips_denylist() {
-        // Two-word names get a pass on the single-word denylist —
-        // "Sunset Walk" is much more likely a real album than a person,
-        // but false-accepting is fine because the operator confirms.
-        // What matters is we don't false-reject "Sarah Smith".
-        assert!(looks_like_person("Sunset Walk"));
-        assert!(looks_like_person("Sarah Smith"));
-    }
+    // ── Phase 4: cosine + DAO support ───────────────────────────────────
 
     #[test]
     fn cosine_similarity_known_vectors() {
@@ -3322,6 +2960,87 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(faces[0].person_id, Some(alice.id));
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn list_embeddings_filters_by_person_id() {
+        // Apollo's similar-unassigned suggester relies on this filter to
+        // pull a single person's embeddings without paging the whole
+        // detected set client-side. When person_id is set it must win
+        // over `unassigned=true` (otherwise the IS NULL constraint would
+        // always return an empty set for an assigned person).
+        let mut dao = fresh_dao();
+        diesel::sql_query(
+            "INSERT OR IGNORE INTO libraries (id, name, root_path, created_at) \
+             VALUES (1, 'main', '/tmp', 0)",
+        )
+        .execute(dao.connection.lock().unwrap().deref_mut())
+        .expect("seed libraries");
+
+        let alice = dao
+            .create_person(
+                &ctx(),
+                &CreatePersonReq {
+                    name: "Alice".into(),
+                    notes: None,
+                    entity_id: None,
+                    is_ignored: false,
+                },
+                false,
+            )
+            .unwrap();
+        let bob = dao
+            .create_person(
+                &ctx(),
+                &CreatePersonReq {
+                    name: "Bob".into(),
+                    notes: None,
+                    entity_id: None,
+                    is_ignored: false,
+                },
+                false,
+            )
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let mk_row = |hash: &str, person: Option<i32>| InsertFaceDetectionInput {
+            library_id: 1,
+            content_hash: hash.into(),
+            rel_path: format!("{hash}.jpg"),
+            bbox: Some((0.1, 0.1, 0.2, 0.2)),
+            embedding: Some(vec![0u8; 2048]),
+            confidence: Some(0.9),
+            source: "auto".into(),
+            person_id: person,
+            status: "detected".into(),
+            model_version: "buffalo_l".into(),
+        };
+        dao.store_detection(&ctx(), mk_row("a1", Some(alice.id)))
+            .unwrap();
+        dao.store_detection(&ctx(), mk_row("a2", Some(alice.id)))
+            .unwrap();
+        dao.store_detection(&ctx(), mk_row("b1", Some(bob.id)))
+            .unwrap();
+        dao.store_detection(&ctx(), mk_row("u1", None)).unwrap();
+
+        // person_id=alice returns only alice's two faces — ignoring the
+        // (default-true) `unassigned` filter, which would have selected
+        // u1 only.
+        let alice_rows = dao
+            .list_embeddings(&ctx(), None, true, Some(alice.id), 100, 0)
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(alice_rows.len(), 2);
+        assert!(
+            alice_rows
+                .iter()
+                .all(|(r, _)| r.person_id == Some(alice.id))
+        );
+
+        // unassigned=true with no person_id behaves as before.
+        let unassigned_rows = dao
+            .list_embeddings(&ctx(), None, true, None, 100, 0)
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(unassigned_rows.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(unassigned_rows[0].0.content_hash, "u1");
+    }
+
     // ── crop_image_to_bbox ──────────────────────────────────────────────
     // Pure helper used by the manual face-create handler. Generate a tiny
     // image in memory, write it to a temp file, then exercise the bbox

src/files.rs

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::sync::Mutex;
 use std::time::SystemTime;
 
+use crate::AppState;
 use crate::data::{
     Claims, ExifBatchRequest, ExifBatchResponse, ExifSummary, FilesRequest, FilterMode, MediaType,
     PhotosResponse, SortType,
@@ -18,8 +19,8 @@ use crate::database::ExifDao;
 use crate::file_types;
 use crate::geo::{gps_bounding_box, haversine_distance};
 use crate::memories::extract_date_from_filename;
+use crate::thumbnails::create_thumbnails;
 use crate::utils::earliest_fs_time;
-use crate::{AppState, create_thumbnails};
 use actix_web::web::Data;
 use actix_web::{
     HttpRequest, HttpResponse,

src/handlers/favorites.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+//! User-favorites endpoints. Favorites are keyed on `(user_id, rel_path)`
+//! and shared across libraries — a favorite created in lib1 is visible
+//! under lib2 if the same rel_path resolves there too.
+
+use std::sync::Mutex;
+
+use actix_web::{
+    HttpRequest, HttpResponse, Responder, delete, get, put,
+    web::{self, Data},
+};
+use log::{error, info, warn};
+use opentelemetry::trace::{Span, Status, Tracer};
+
+use crate::data::{AddFavoriteRequest, Claims, PhotosResponse};
+use crate::database::{DbError, DbErrorKind, FavoriteDao};
+use crate::otel::{extract_context_from_request, global_tracer};
+
+#[get("image/favorites")]
+pub async fn favorites(
+    claims: Claims,
+    request: HttpRequest,
+    favorites_dao: Data<Mutex<Box<dyn FavoriteDao>>>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let tracer = global_tracer();
+    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
+    let mut span = tracer.start_with_context("get favorites", &context);
+
+    match web::block(move || {
+        favorites_dao
+            .lock()
+            .expect("Unable to get FavoritesDao")
+            .get_favorites(claims.sub.parse::<i32>().unwrap())
+    })
+    .await
+    {
+        Ok(Ok(favorites)) => {
+            let favorites = favorites
+                .into_iter()
+                .map(|favorite| favorite.path)
+                .collect::<Vec<String>>();
+
+            span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+            // Favorites are library-agnostic (shared by rel_path), so we
+            // intentionally leave photo_libraries empty to signal "no badge".
+            HttpResponse::Ok().json(PhotosResponse {
+                photos: favorites,
+                dirs: Vec::new(),
+                photo_libraries: Vec::new(),
+                total_count: None,
+                has_more: None,
+                next_offset: None,
+            })
+        }
+        Ok(Err(e)) => {
+            span.set_status(Status::error(format!("Error getting favorites: {:?}", e)));
+            error!("Error getting favorites: {:?}", e);
+            HttpResponse::InternalServerError().finish()
+        }
+        Err(_) => HttpResponse::InternalServerError().finish(),
+    }
+}
+
+#[put("image/favorites")]
+pub async fn put_add_favorite(
+    claims: Claims,
+    body: web::Json<AddFavoriteRequest>,
+    favorites_dao: Data<Mutex<Box<dyn FavoriteDao>>>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    if let Ok(user_id) = claims.sub.parse::<i32>() {
+        let path = body.path.clone();
+        match web::block::<_, Result<usize, DbError>>(move || {
+            favorites_dao
+                .lock()
+                .expect("Unable to get FavoritesDao")
+                .add_favorite(user_id, &path)
+        })
+        .await
+        {
+            Ok(Err(e)) if e.kind == DbErrorKind::AlreadyExists => {
+                warn!("Favorite: {} exists for user: {}", &body.path, user_id);
+                HttpResponse::Ok()
+            }
+            Ok(Err(e)) => {
+                error!("{:?} {}. for user: {}", e, body.path, user_id);
+                HttpResponse::BadRequest()
+            }
+            Ok(Ok(_)) => {
+                info!("Adding favorite \"{}\" for userid: {}", body.path, user_id);
+                HttpResponse::Created()
+            }
+            Err(e) => {
+                error!("Blocking error while inserting favorite: {:?}", e);
+                HttpResponse::InternalServerError()
+            }
+        }
+    } else {
+        error!("Unable to parse sub as i32: {}", claims.sub);
+        HttpResponse::BadRequest()
+    }
+}
+
+#[delete("image/favorites")]
+pub async fn delete_favorite(
+    claims: Claims,
+    body: web::Query<AddFavoriteRequest>,
+    favorites_dao: Data<Mutex<Box<dyn FavoriteDao>>>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    if let Ok(user_id) = claims.sub.parse::<i32>() {
+        let path = body.path.clone();
+        web::block(move || {
+            favorites_dao
+                .lock()
+                .expect("Unable to get favorites dao")
+                .remove_favorite(user_id, path);
+        })
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+        info!(
+            "Removing favorite \"{}\" for userid: {}",
+            body.path, user_id
+        );
+        HttpResponse::Ok()
+    } else {
+        error!("Unable to parse sub as i32: {}", claims.sub);
+        HttpResponse::BadRequest()
+    }
+}

src/handlers/image.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,999 @@
+//! `/image*` endpoints: image serving (with hash/library-scoped/bare
+//! legacy thumbnail lookup), upload, EXIF metadata read + GPS / date
+//! mutation, and the full exiftool dump used by Apollo's details modal.
+
+use std::error::Error;
+use std::fs::File;
+use std::io::ErrorKind;
+use std::io::prelude::*;
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use std::sync::Mutex;
+
+use actix_files::NamedFile;
+use actix_multipart as mp;
+use actix_web::{
+    HttpRequest, HttpResponse, Responder, get, post,
+    web::{self, BufMut, BytesMut, Data},
+};
+use chrono::Utc;
+use futures::stream::StreamExt;
+use log::{debug, error, info, trace, warn};
+use opentelemetry::KeyValue;
+use opentelemetry::trace::{Span, Status, TraceContextExt, Tracer};
+use urlencoding::decode;
+
+use crate::content_hash;
+use crate::data::{
+    Claims, MetadataResponse, PhotoSize, ThumbnailFormat, ThumbnailRequest, ThumbnailShape,
+};
+use crate::database::models::{ImageExif, InsertImageExif};
+use crate::database::{DbErrorKind, ExifDao};
+use crate::date_resolver;
+use crate::exif;
+use crate::file_types;
+use crate::files::{RefreshThumbnailsMessage, is_image_or_video, is_valid_full_path};
+use crate::libraries;
+use crate::memories;
+use crate::otel::{extract_context_from_request, global_tracer};
+use crate::perceptual_hash;
+use crate::state::AppState;
+
+#[get("/image")]
+pub async fn get_image(
+    _claims: Claims,
+    request: HttpRequest,
+    req: web::Query<ThumbnailRequest>,
+    app_state: Data<AppState>,
+    exif_dao: Data<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let tracer = global_tracer();
+    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
+
+    let mut span = tracer.start_with_context("get_image", &context);
+
+    // Resolve library from query param; default to primary so clients that
+    // don't yet send `library=` continue to work.
+    let library = match libraries::resolve_library_param(&app_state, req.library.as_deref()) {
+        Ok(Some(lib)) => lib,
+        Ok(None) => app_state.primary_library(),
+        Err(msg) => {
+            span.set_status(Status::error(msg.clone()));
+            return HttpResponse::BadRequest().body(msg);
+        }
+    };
+
+    // Union-mode search returns flat rel_paths with no library attribution,
+    // so clients may request a file under the wrong library. Try the
+    // resolved library first; if the file isn't there, fall back to any
+    // other library holding that rel_path on disk.
+    let resolved = is_valid_full_path(&library.root_path, &req.path, false)
+        .filter(|p| p.exists())
+        .map(|p| (library, p))
+        .or_else(|| {
+            app_state.libraries.iter().find_map(|lib| {
+                if lib.id == library.id {
+                    return None;
+                }
+                is_valid_full_path(&lib.root_path, &req.path, false)
+                    .filter(|p| p.exists())
+                    .map(|p| (lib, p))
+            })
+        });
+
+    if let Some((library, path)) = resolved {
+        let image_size = req.size.unwrap_or(PhotoSize::Full);
+        if image_size == PhotoSize::Thumb {
+            let relative_path = path
+                .strip_prefix(&library.root_path)
+                .expect("Error stripping library root prefix from thumbnail");
+            let relative_path_str = relative_path.to_string_lossy().replace('\\', "/");
+
+            let thumbs = &app_state.thumbnail_path;
+            let bare_legacy_thumb_path = Path::new(&thumbs).join(relative_path);
+            let scoped_legacy_thumb_path = content_hash::library_scoped_legacy_path(
+                Path::new(&thumbs),
+                library.id,
+                relative_path,
+            );
+
+            // Gif thumbnails are a separate lookup (video GIF previews).
+            // Dual-lookup for gif is out of scope; preserve existing flow.
+            if req.format == Some(ThumbnailFormat::Gif) && file_types::is_video_file(&path) {
+                let mut gif_path = Path::new(&app_state.gif_path).join(relative_path);
+                gif_path.set_extension("gif");
+                trace!("Gif thumbnail path: {:?}", gif_path);
+                if let Ok(file) = NamedFile::open(&gif_path) {
+                    span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+                    return file
+                        .use_etag(true)
+                        .use_last_modified(true)
+                        .prefer_utf8(true)
+                        .into_response(&request);
+                }
+            }
+
+            // Lookup chain (most-specific first, falling back as we miss):
+            //   1. hash-keyed (`<thumbs>/<hash[..2]>/<hash>.jpg`) — content
+            //      identity, shared across libraries;
+            //   2. library-scoped legacy (`<thumbs>/<lib_id>/<rel_path>`) —
+            //      written by current generation when hash isn't known;
+            //   3. bare legacy (`<thumbs>/<rel_path>`) — pre-multi-library
+            //      thumbs from the days before library prefixing existed.
+            // Stage (3) goes away once a one-time migration lifts every
+            // bare-legacy file under a library prefix; until then it
+            // prevents needless 404s for already-warmed deployments.
+            let hash_thumb_path: Option<PathBuf> = {
+                let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+                match dao.get_exif(&context, &relative_path_str) {
+                    Ok(Some(row)) => row
+                        .content_hash
+                        .as_deref()
+                        .map(|h| content_hash::thumbnail_path(Path::new(thumbs), h)),
+                    _ => None,
+                }
+            };
+            let thumb_path = hash_thumb_path
+                .as_ref()
+                .filter(|p| p.exists())
+                .cloned()
+                .or_else(|| {
+                    if scoped_legacy_thumb_path.exists() {
+                        Some(scoped_legacy_thumb_path.clone())
+                    } else {
+                        None
+                    }
+                })
+                .unwrap_or_else(|| bare_legacy_thumb_path.clone());
+
+            // Handle circular thumbnail request
+            if req.shape == Some(ThumbnailShape::Circle) {
+                match create_circular_thumbnail(&thumb_path, thumbs).await {
+                    Ok(circular_path) => {
+                        if let Ok(file) = NamedFile::open(&circular_path) {
+                            span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+                            return file
+                                .use_etag(true)
+                                .use_last_modified(true)
+                                .prefer_utf8(true)
+                                .into_response(&request);
+                        }
+                    }
+                    Err(e) => {
+                        warn!("Failed to create circular thumbnail: {:?}", e);
+                        // Fall through to serve square thumbnail
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            trace!("Thumbnail path: {:?}", thumb_path);
+            if let Ok(file) = NamedFile::open(&thumb_path) {
+                span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+                return file
+                    .use_etag(true)
+                    .use_last_modified(true)
+                    .prefer_utf8(true)
+                    .into_response(&request);
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Full-size requests for RAW formats (NEF/CR2/ARW/etc.) can't just
+        // NamedFile-stream the original bytes — browsers won't decode the
+        // RAW container, so a `<img src=...>` lands as a broken image. Serve
+        // the embedded JPEG preview instead (typically the camera's in-body
+        // review JPEG, ~1–2 MP). Falls through to NamedFile if no preview is
+        // available, which preserves the historical behavior for callers
+        // that genuinely want the original bytes.
+        if image_size == PhotoSize::Full && exif::is_tiff_raw(&path) {
+            if let Some(preview) = exif::extract_embedded_jpeg_preview(&path) {
+                span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+                return HttpResponse::Ok()
+                    .content_type("image/jpeg")
+                    .insert_header(("Cache-Control", "public, max-age=3600"))
+                    .body(preview);
+            }
+        }
+
+        if let Ok(file) = NamedFile::open(&path) {
+            span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+            // Enable ETag and set cache headers for full images (1 hour cache)
+            return file
+                .use_etag(true)
+                .use_last_modified(true)
+                .prefer_utf8(true)
+                .into_response(&request);
+        }
+
+        span.set_status(Status::error("Not found"));
+        HttpResponse::NotFound().finish()
+    } else {
+        span.set_status(Status::error("Not found"));
+        error!("Path does not exist in any library: {}", req.path);
+        HttpResponse::NotFound().finish()
+    }
+}
+
+async fn create_circular_thumbnail(
+    thumb_path: &Path,
+    thumbs_dir: &str,
+) -> Result<PathBuf, Box<dyn Error>> {
+    use image::{GenericImageView, ImageBuffer, Rgba};
+
+    // Create circular thumbnails directory
+    let circular_dir = Path::new(thumbs_dir).join("_circular");
+
+    // Get relative path from thumbs_dir to create same structure
+    let relative_to_thumbs = thumb_path.strip_prefix(thumbs_dir)?;
+    let circular_path = circular_dir.join(relative_to_thumbs).with_extension("png");
+
+    // Check if circular thumbnail already exists
+    if circular_path.exists() {
+        return Ok(circular_path);
+    }
+
+    // Create parent directory if needed
+    if let Some(parent) = circular_path.parent() {
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(parent)?;
+    }
+
+    // Load the square thumbnail
+    let img = image::open(thumb_path)?;
+    let (width, height) = img.dimensions();
+
+    // Fixed output size for consistency
+    let output_size = 80u32;
+    let radius = output_size as f32 / 2.0;
+
+    // Calculate crop area to get square center of original image
+    let crop_size = width.min(height);
+    let crop_x = (width - crop_size) / 2;
+    let crop_y = (height - crop_size) / 2;
+
+    // Create a new RGBA image with transparency
+    let output = ImageBuffer::from_fn(output_size, output_size, |x, y| {
+        let dx = x as f32 - radius;
+        let dy = y as f32 - radius;
+        let distance = (dx * dx + dy * dy).sqrt();
+
+        if distance <= radius {
+            // Inside circle - map to cropped source area
+            // Scale from output coordinates to crop coordinates
+            let scale = crop_size as f32 / output_size as f32;
+            let src_x = crop_x + (x as f32 * scale) as u32;
+            let src_y = crop_y + (y as f32 * scale) as u32;
+            let pixel = img.get_pixel(src_x, src_y);
+            Rgba([pixel[0], pixel[1], pixel[2], 255])
+        } else {
+            // Outside circle - transparent
+            Rgba([0, 0, 0, 0])
+        }
+    });
+
+    // Save as PNG (supports transparency)
+    output.save(&circular_path)?;
+
+    Ok(circular_path)
+}
+
+#[get("/image/metadata")]
+pub async fn get_file_metadata(
+    _: Claims,
+    request: HttpRequest,
+    path: web::Query<ThumbnailRequest>,
+    app_state: Data<AppState>,
+    exif_dao: Data<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let tracer = global_tracer();
+    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
+    let mut span = tracer.start_with_context("get_file_metadata", &context);
+    let span_context =
+        opentelemetry::Context::new().with_remote_span_context(span.span_context().clone());
+
+    let library = libraries::resolve_library_param(&app_state, path.library.as_deref())
+        .ok()
+        .flatten()
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| app_state.primary_library());
+
+    // Fall back to other libraries if the file isn't under the resolved one,
+    // matching the `/image` handler so union-mode search results resolve.
+    let resolved = is_valid_full_path(&library.root_path, &path.path, false)
+        .filter(|p| p.exists())
+        .map(|p| (library, p))
+        .or_else(|| {
+            app_state.libraries.iter().find_map(|lib| {
+                if lib.id == library.id {
+                    return None;
+                }
+                is_valid_full_path(&lib.root_path, &path.path, false)
+                    .filter(|p| p.exists())
+                    .map(|p| (lib, p))
+            })
+        });
+
+    match resolved
+        .ok_or_else(|| ErrorKind::InvalidData.into())
+        .and_then(|(lib, full_path)| {
+            File::open(&full_path)
+                .and_then(|file| file.metadata())
+                .map(|metadata| (lib, metadata))
+        }) {
+        Ok((resolved_library, metadata)) => {
+            let mut response: MetadataResponse = metadata.into();
+            response.library_id = Some(resolved_library.id);
+            response.library_name = Some(resolved_library.name.clone());
+
+            // Extract date from filename if possible
+            response.filename_date =
+                memories::extract_date_from_filename(&path.path).map(|dt| dt.timestamp());
+
+            // Query EXIF data if available
+            if let Ok(mut dao) = exif_dao.lock()
+                && let Ok(Some(exif)) = dao.get_exif(&span_context, &path.path)
+            {
+                response.exif = Some(exif.into());
+            }
+
+            span.add_event(
+                "Metadata fetched",
+                vec![KeyValue::new("file", path.path.clone())],
+            );
+            span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+
+            HttpResponse::Ok().json(response)
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            let message = format!("Error getting metadata for file '{}': {:?}", path.path, e);
+            error!("{}", message);
+            span.set_status(Status::error(message));
+
+            HttpResponse::InternalServerError().finish()
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Body for `POST /image/exif/gps` — write GPS coordinates into a file's
+/// EXIF in place. Only `path` + `latitude` + `longitude` are required.
+/// `library` is optional (falls back to the primary library) and matches
+/// the convention of the other path-keyed routes.
+#[derive(serde::Deserialize)]
+struct SetGpsRequest {
+    path: String,
+    library: Option<String>,
+    latitude: f64,
+    longitude: f64,
+}
+
+#[post("/image/exif/gps")]
+pub async fn set_image_gps(
+    _: Claims,
+    request: HttpRequest,
+    body: web::Json<SetGpsRequest>,
+    app_state: Data<AppState>,
+    exif_dao: Data<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let tracer = global_tracer();
+    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
+    let mut span = tracer.start_with_context("set_image_gps", &context);
+    let span_context =
+        opentelemetry::Context::new().with_remote_span_context(span.span_context().clone());
+
+    let library = libraries::resolve_library_param(&app_state, body.library.as_deref())
+        .ok()
+        .flatten()
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| app_state.primary_library());
+
+    // Same fallback as get_file_metadata: union-mode means a file may
+    // resolve under a sibling library.
+    let resolved = is_valid_full_path(&library.root_path, &body.path, false)
+        .filter(|p| p.exists())
+        .map(|p| (library, p))
+        .or_else(|| {
+            app_state.libraries.iter().find_map(|lib| {
+                if lib.id == library.id {
+                    return None;
+                }
+                is_valid_full_path(&lib.root_path, &body.path, false)
+                    .filter(|p| p.exists())
+                    .map(|p| (lib, p))
+            })
+        });
+
+    let (resolved_library, full_path) = match resolved {
+        Some(v) => v,
+        None => {
+            span.set_status(Status::error("file not found"));
+            return HttpResponse::NotFound().body("File not found");
+        }
+    };
+
+    if !exif::supports_exif(&full_path) {
+        return HttpResponse::BadRequest().body("File format does not support EXIF GPS write");
+    }
+
+    if let Err(e) = exif::write_gps(&full_path, body.latitude, body.longitude) {
+        let msg = format!("exiftool write failed: {}", e);
+        error!("{}", msg);
+        span.set_status(Status::error(msg.clone()));
+        return HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(msg);
+    }
+
+    // Re-read EXIF from disk (the write path doesn't tell us the rest of
+    // the parsed fields back, and we want the DB row to match what
+    // extract_exif_from_path would now produce). Update the existing row
+    // rather than insert — this endpoint is invoked on already-indexed
+    // files only.
+    let extracted = match exif::extract_exif_from_path(&full_path) {
+        Ok(d) => d,
+        Err(e) => {
+            // GPS was written successfully but re-extraction failed; surface
+            // a 500 because the DB will now disagree with disk until the
+            // next file scan rewrites it.
+            let msg = format!("EXIF re-read failed after write: {}", e);
+            error!("{}", msg);
+            return HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(msg);
+        }
+    };
+    let now = Utc::now().timestamp();
+    let normalized_path = body.path.replace('\\', "/");
+    // Re-run the canonical-date waterfall on every GPS write — exiftool
+    // writing GPS doesn't change the capture date, but if the row was
+    // previously sourced from `fs_time` the re-read may have given us a
+    // real EXIF date this time, and we want to upgrade the source.
+    let resolved_date = date_resolver::resolve_date_taken(&full_path, extracted.date_taken);
+    let insert_exif = InsertImageExif {
+        library_id: resolved_library.id,
+        file_path: normalized_path.clone(),
+        camera_make: extracted.camera_make,
+        camera_model: extracted.camera_model,
+        lens_model: extracted.lens_model,
+        width: extracted.width,
+        height: extracted.height,
+        orientation: extracted.orientation,
+        gps_latitude: extracted.gps_latitude.map(|v| v as f32),
+        gps_longitude: extracted.gps_longitude.map(|v| v as f32),
+        gps_altitude: extracted.gps_altitude.map(|v| v as f32),
+        focal_length: extracted.focal_length.map(|v| v as f32),
+        aperture: extracted.aperture.map(|v| v as f32),
+        shutter_speed: extracted.shutter_speed,
+        iso: extracted.iso,
+        date_taken: resolved_date.map(|r| r.timestamp),
+        // Created_time is preserved by update_exif (it doesn't touch the
+        // column); pass any int — it's ignored in the UPDATE statement.
+        created_time: now,
+        last_modified: now,
+        // Hash + size aren't touched in update_exif either, but the file
+        // bytes did change — best-effort recompute so the new hash lands
+        // on the next call to get_exif. Failure here just leaves the old
+        // values in place.
+        content_hash: content_hash::compute(&full_path)
+            .ok()
+            .map(|c| c.content_hash),
+        size_bytes: content_hash::compute(&full_path).ok().map(|c| c.size_bytes),
+        // GPS-update path doesn't touch perceptual hashes either; columns
+        // ignored by update_exif. Compute best-effort so a new file lands
+        // with a usable signal; failure just leaves prior values in place.
+        phash_64: perceptual_hash::compute(&full_path).map(|h| h.phash_64),
+        dhash_64: perceptual_hash::compute(&full_path).map(|h| h.dhash_64),
+        date_taken_source: resolved_date.map(|r| r.source.as_str().to_string()),
+    };
+
+    let updated = {
+        let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+        // If the row doesn't exist yet (file isn't indexed for some reason),
+        // insert instead so the GPS write is at least visible the moment
+        // the watcher catches up.
+        match dao.get_exif(&span_context, &normalized_path) {
+            Ok(Some(_)) => dao.update_exif(&span_context, insert_exif),
+            Ok(None) => dao.store_exif(&span_context, insert_exif),
+            Err(_) => dao.update_exif(&span_context, insert_exif),
+        }
+    };
+
+    match updated {
+        Ok(row) => {
+            // Mirror the file metadata so the client gets the new size /
+            // mtime in the same response and can refresh its cached
+            // metadata block in one round-trip.
+            let fs_meta = std::fs::metadata(&full_path).ok();
+            let mut response: MetadataResponse = match fs_meta {
+                Some(m) => m.into(),
+                None => MetadataResponse {
+                    created: None,
+                    modified: None,
+                    size: 0,
+                    exif: None,
+                    filename_date: None,
+                    library_id: None,
+                    library_name: None,
+                },
+            };
+            response.exif = Some(row.into());
+            response.library_id = Some(resolved_library.id);
+            response.library_name = Some(resolved_library.name.clone());
+            response.filename_date =
+                memories::extract_date_from_filename(&body.path).map(|dt| dt.timestamp());
+            span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+            HttpResponse::Ok().json(response)
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            let msg = format!("EXIF DB update failed: {:?}", e);
+            error!("{}", msg);
+            span.set_status(Status::error(msg.clone()));
+            HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(msg)
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// `GET /image/exif/full?path=&library=` — full per-file EXIF dump via
+/// exiftool, for the DETAILS modal's "FULL EXIF" pane. Strictly richer
+/// than `/image/metadata`'s curated subset (every group exiftool can
+/// see: EXIF, File, MakerNotes, Composite, ICC_Profile, IPTC, …).
+///
+/// On-demand only — the watcher / indexer never calls this. Falls back
+/// to 503 when exiftool isn't installed (deployer guidance is the same
+/// as for the RAW preview pipeline: install exiftool for full coverage).
+#[get("/image/exif/full")]
+pub async fn get_full_exif(
+    _: Claims,
+    request: HttpRequest,
+    path: web::Query<ThumbnailRequest>,
+    app_state: Data<AppState>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let tracer = global_tracer();
+    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
+    let mut span = tracer.start_with_context("get_full_exif", &context);
+
+    let library = libraries::resolve_library_param(&app_state, path.library.as_deref())
+        .ok()
+        .flatten()
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| app_state.primary_library());
+
+    // Same union-mode fallback as get_file_metadata — the file may live
+    // under a sibling library when the requested one's path resolves but
+    // doesn't actually contain the bytes.
+    let resolved = is_valid_full_path(&library.root_path, &path.path, false)
+        .filter(|p| p.exists())
+        .map(|p| (library, p))
+        .or_else(|| {
+            app_state.libraries.iter().find_map(|lib| {
+                if lib.id == library.id {
+                    return None;
+                }
+                is_valid_full_path(&lib.root_path, &path.path, false)
+                    .filter(|p| p.exists())
+                    .map(|p| (lib, p))
+            })
+        });
+
+    let (resolved_library, full_path) = match resolved {
+        Some(v) => v,
+        None => {
+            span.set_status(Status::error("file not found"));
+            return HttpResponse::NotFound().body("File not found");
+        }
+    };
+
+    // exiftool spawn is blocking — keep it off the actix worker by
+    // running on the blocking pool. ~50–200 ms typical for a JPEG;
+    // longer for RAW with rich MakerNotes.
+    let exif_result =
+        web::block(move || crate::exif::read_full_exif_via_exiftool(&full_path)).await;
+
+    match exif_result {
+        Ok(Ok(Some(tags))) => {
+            span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+            HttpResponse::Ok().json(serde_json::json!({
+                "library_id": resolved_library.id,
+                "library_name": resolved_library.name,
+                "tags": tags,
+            }))
+        }
+        Ok(Ok(None)) => {
+            // exiftool ran but produced no output for this file — treat as
+            // empty rather than an error so the modal renders "no tags"
+            // gracefully.
+            HttpResponse::Ok().json(serde_json::json!({
+                "library_id": resolved_library.id,
+                "library_name": resolved_library.name,
+                "tags": serde_json::Value::Object(Default::default()),
+            }))
+        }
+        Ok(Err(e)) => {
+            let msg = format!("exiftool failed: {}", e);
+            error!("{}", msg);
+            span.set_status(Status::error(msg.clone()));
+            // 503 — typically "exiftool isn't on PATH" or a transient spawn
+            // failure. Apollo surfaces a hint in the modal.
+            HttpResponse::ServiceUnavailable().body(msg)
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            let msg = format!("blocking-pool error: {}", e);
+            error!("{}", msg);
+            span.set_status(Status::error(msg.clone()));
+            HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(msg)
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Body for `POST /image/exif/date` — operator-driven date_taken override.
+/// `date_taken` is unix seconds (matches `image_exif.date_taken`'s convention
+/// — naive local reinterpreted as UTC, not real UTC; the Apollo client passes
+/// through the same value the photo carousel rendered before edit).
+#[derive(serde::Deserialize)]
+struct SetDateRequest {
+    path: String,
+    library: Option<String>,
+    date_taken: i64,
+}
+
+/// Body for `POST /image/exif/date/clear` — revert a manual override and
+/// restore the resolver-derived `(date_taken, date_taken_source)` pair from
+/// the snapshot.
+#[derive(serde::Deserialize)]
+struct ClearDateRequest {
+    path: String,
+    library: Option<String>,
+}
+
+/// Build a `MetadataResponse` for the date endpoints. Mirrors
+/// `get_file_metadata`'s shape so the client gets a single source of truth
+/// after every mutation. Filesystem metadata is best-effort: if the file is
+/// on a stale mount or moved, the DB-side override still succeeds and the
+/// response carries `created=None, modified=None, size=0`. The DB row's
+/// updated EXIF is what matters here.
+fn build_metadata_response_for_date_mutation(
+    library: &libraries::Library,
+    rel_path: &str,
+    exif: ImageExif,
+) -> MetadataResponse {
+    let full_path = is_valid_full_path(&library.root_path, &rel_path.to_string(), false);
+    let fs_meta = full_path
+        .as_ref()
+        .filter(|p| p.exists())
+        .and_then(|p| std::fs::metadata(p).ok());
+    let mut response: MetadataResponse = match fs_meta {
+        Some(m) => m.into(),
+        None => MetadataResponse {
+            created: None,
+            modified: None,
+            size: 0,
+            exif: None,
+            filename_date: None,
+            library_id: None,
+            library_name: None,
+        },
+    };
+    response.exif = Some(exif.into());
+    response.library_id = Some(library.id);
+    response.library_name = Some(library.name.clone());
+    response.filename_date =
+        memories::extract_date_from_filename(rel_path).map(|dt| dt.timestamp());
+    response
+}
+
+#[post("/image/exif/date")]
+pub async fn set_image_date(
+    _: Claims,
+    request: HttpRequest,
+    body: web::Json<SetDateRequest>,
+    app_state: Data<AppState>,
+    exif_dao: Data<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let tracer = global_tracer();
+    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
+    let mut span = tracer.start_with_context("set_image_date", &context);
+    let span_context =
+        opentelemetry::Context::new().with_remote_span_context(span.span_context().clone());
+
+    let library = match libraries::resolve_library_param(&app_state, body.library.as_deref()) {
+        Ok(Some(lib)) => lib,
+        Ok(None) => app_state.primary_library(),
+        Err(msg) => {
+            span.set_status(Status::error(msg.clone()));
+            return HttpResponse::BadRequest().body(msg);
+        }
+    };
+
+    // Path normalization matches set_image_gps so a Windows-import client
+    // doesn't end up with a backslash variant that misses the row.
+    let normalized_path = body.path.replace('\\', "/");
+
+    let updated = {
+        let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+        dao.set_manual_date_taken(&span_context, library.id, &normalized_path, body.date_taken)
+    };
+
+    match updated {
+        Ok(row) => {
+            span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+            HttpResponse::Ok().json(build_metadata_response_for_date_mutation(
+                &library,
+                &normalized_path,
+                row,
+            ))
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            let msg = format!("set_manual_date_taken failed: {:?}", e);
+            error!("{}", msg);
+            span.set_status(Status::error(msg.clone()));
+            match e.kind {
+                DbErrorKind::NotFound => HttpResponse::NotFound().body(msg),
+                _ => HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(msg),
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[post("/image/exif/date/clear")]
+pub async fn clear_image_date(
+    _: Claims,
+    request: HttpRequest,
+    body: web::Json<ClearDateRequest>,
+    app_state: Data<AppState>,
+    exif_dao: Data<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let tracer = global_tracer();
+    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
+    let mut span = tracer.start_with_context("clear_image_date", &context);
+    let span_context =
+        opentelemetry::Context::new().with_remote_span_context(span.span_context().clone());
+
+    let library = match libraries::resolve_library_param(&app_state, body.library.as_deref()) {
+        Ok(Some(lib)) => lib,
+        Ok(None) => app_state.primary_library(),
+        Err(msg) => {
+            span.set_status(Status::error(msg.clone()));
+            return HttpResponse::BadRequest().body(msg);
+        }
+    };
+
+    let normalized_path = body.path.replace('\\', "/");
+
+    let updated = {
+        let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+        dao.clear_manual_date_taken(&span_context, library.id, &normalized_path)
+    };
+
+    match updated {
+        Ok(row) => {
+            span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+            HttpResponse::Ok().json(build_metadata_response_for_date_mutation(
+                &library,
+                &normalized_path,
+                row,
+            ))
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            let msg = format!("clear_manual_date_taken failed: {:?}", e);
+            error!("{}", msg);
+            span.set_status(Status::error(msg.clone()));
+            match e.kind {
+                DbErrorKind::NotFound => HttpResponse::NotFound().body(msg),
+                _ => HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(msg),
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(serde::Deserialize)]
+struct UploadQuery {
+    library: Option<String>,
+}
+
+#[post("/image")]
+pub async fn upload_image(
+    _: Claims,
+    request: HttpRequest,
+    query: web::Query<UploadQuery>,
+    mut payload: mp::Multipart,
+    app_state: Data<AppState>,
+    exif_dao: Data<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let tracer = global_tracer();
+    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
+    let mut span = tracer.start_with_context("upload_image", &context);
+    let span_context =
+        opentelemetry::Context::new().with_remote_span_context(span.span_context().clone());
+
+    // Resolve the optional library selector. Absent → primary library
+    // (backwards-compatible with clients that don't yet send `library=`).
+    let target_library =
+        match libraries::resolve_library_param(&app_state, query.library.as_deref()) {
+            Ok(Some(lib)) => lib,
+            Ok(None) => app_state.primary_library(),
+            Err(msg) => {
+                span.set_status(Status::error(msg.clone()));
+                return HttpResponse::BadRequest().body(msg);
+            }
+        };
+
+    let mut file_content: BytesMut = BytesMut::new();
+    let mut file_name: Option<String> = None;
+    let mut file_path: Option<String> = None;
+
+    while let Some(Ok(mut part)) = payload.next().await {
+        if let Some(content_type) = part.content_disposition() {
+            debug!("{:?}", content_type);
+            if let Some(filename) = content_type.get_filename() {
+                debug!("Name (raw): {:?}", filename);
+                // Decode URL-encoded filename (e.g., "file%20name.jpg" -> "file name.jpg")
+                let decoded_filename = decode(filename)
+                    .map(|s| s.to_string())
+                    .unwrap_or_else(|_| filename.to_string());
+                debug!("Name (decoded): {:?}", decoded_filename);
+                file_name = Some(decoded_filename);
+
+                while let Some(Ok(data)) = part.next().await {
+                    file_content.put(data);
+                }
+            } else if content_type.get_name() == Some("path") {
+                while let Some(Ok(data)) = part.next().await {
+                    if let Ok(path) = std::str::from_utf8(&data) {
+                        file_path = Some(path.to_string())
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    let path = file_path.unwrap_or_else(|| target_library.root_path.clone());
+    if !file_content.is_empty() {
+        if file_name.is_none() {
+            span.set_status(Status::error("No filename provided"));
+            return HttpResponse::BadRequest().body("No filename provided");
+        }
+        let full_path = PathBuf::from(&path).join(file_name.unwrap());
+        if let Some(full_path) = is_valid_full_path(
+            &target_library.root_path,
+            &full_path.to_str().unwrap().to_string(),
+            true,
+        ) {
+            // Pre-write content-hash check: if these exact bytes already
+            // exist anywhere in any library (and aren't themselves
+            // soft-marked as duplicates), don't write the file. Return
+            // 409 with the canonical sibling so the mobile app can show
+            // a friendly "already in your library" toast.
+            let upload_hash = blake3::Hasher::new()
+                .update(&file_content)
+                .finalize()
+                .to_hex()
+                .to_string();
+            {
+                let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+                if let Ok(Some(existing)) = dao.find_by_content_hash(&span_context, &upload_hash)
+                    && existing.duplicate_of_hash.is_none()
+                {
+                    let library_name = libraries::load_all(&mut crate::database::connect())
+                        .into_iter()
+                        .find(|l| l.id == existing.library_id)
+                        .map(|l| l.name);
+                    span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+                    return HttpResponse::Conflict().json(serde_json::json!({
+                        "duplicate_of": {
+                            "library_id": existing.library_id,
+                            "rel_path": existing.file_path,
+                        },
+                        "content_hash": upload_hash,
+                        "library_name": library_name,
+                    }));
+                }
+            }
+
+            let context =
+                opentelemetry::Context::new().with_remote_span_context(span.span_context().clone());
+            tracer
+                .span_builder("file write")
+                .start_with_context(&tracer, &context);
+
+            let uploaded_path = if !full_path.is_file() && is_image_or_video(&full_path) {
+                let mut file = File::create(&full_path).unwrap();
+                file.write_all(&file_content).unwrap();
+
+                info!("Uploaded: {:?}", full_path);
+                full_path
+            } else {
+                warn!("File already exists: {:?}", full_path);
+
+                let new_path = format!(
+                    "{}/{}_{}.{}",
+                    full_path.parent().unwrap().to_str().unwrap(),
+                    full_path.file_stem().unwrap().to_str().unwrap(),
+                    Utc::now().timestamp(),
+                    full_path
+                        .extension()
+                        .expect("Uploaded file should have an extension")
+                        .to_str()
+                        .unwrap()
+                );
+                info!("Uploaded: {}", new_path);
+
+                let new_path_buf = PathBuf::from(&new_path);
+                let mut file = File::create(&new_path_buf).unwrap();
+                file.write_all(&file_content).unwrap();
+                new_path_buf
+            };
+
+            // Extract and store EXIF data if file supports it
+            if exif::supports_exif(&uploaded_path) {
+                let relative_path = uploaded_path
+                    .strip_prefix(&target_library.root_path)
+                    .expect("Error stripping library root prefix")
+                    .to_str()
+                    .unwrap()
+                    .replace('\\', "/");
+
+                match exif::extract_exif_from_path(&uploaded_path) {
+                    Ok(exif_data) => {
+                        let timestamp = Utc::now().timestamp();
+                        let (content_hash, size_bytes) = match content_hash::compute(&uploaded_path)
+                        {
+                            Ok(id) => (Some(id.content_hash), Some(id.size_bytes)),
+                            Err(e) => {
+                                warn!(
+                                    "Failed to hash uploaded {}: {:?}",
+                                    uploaded_path.display(),
+                                    e
+                                );
+                                (None, None)
+                            }
+                        };
+                        let perceptual = perceptual_hash::compute(&uploaded_path);
+                        let resolved_date =
+                            date_resolver::resolve_date_taken(&uploaded_path, exif_data.date_taken);
+                        let insert_exif = InsertImageExif {
+                            library_id: target_library.id,
+                            file_path: relative_path.clone(),
+                            camera_make: exif_data.camera_make,
+                            camera_model: exif_data.camera_model,
+                            lens_model: exif_data.lens_model,
+                            width: exif_data.width,
+                            height: exif_data.height,
+                            orientation: exif_data.orientation,
+                            gps_latitude: exif_data.gps_latitude.map(|v| v as f32),
+                            gps_longitude: exif_data.gps_longitude.map(|v| v as f32),
+                            gps_altitude: exif_data.gps_altitude.map(|v| v as f32),
+                            focal_length: exif_data.focal_length.map(|v| v as f32),
+                            aperture: exif_data.aperture.map(|v| v as f32),
+                            shutter_speed: exif_data.shutter_speed,
+                            iso: exif_data.iso,
+                            date_taken: resolved_date.map(|r| r.timestamp),
+                            created_time: timestamp,
+                            last_modified: timestamp,
+                            content_hash,
+                            size_bytes,
+                            phash_64: perceptual.map(|h| h.phash_64),
+                            dhash_64: perceptual.map(|h| h.dhash_64),
+                            date_taken_source: resolved_date.map(|r| r.source.as_str().to_string()),
+                        };
+
+                        if let Ok(mut dao) = exif_dao.lock() {
+                            if let Err(e) = dao.store_exif(&span_context, insert_exif) {
+                                error!("Failed to store EXIF data for {}: {:?}", relative_path, e);
+                            } else {
+                                debug!("EXIF data stored for {}", relative_path);
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                    Err(e) => {
+                        debug!(
+                            "No EXIF data or error extracting from {}: {:?}",
+                            uploaded_path.display(),
+                            e
+                        );
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        } else {
+            error!("Invalid path for upload: {:?}", full_path);
+            span.set_status(Status::error("Invalid path for upload"));
+            return HttpResponse::BadRequest().body("Path was not valid");
+        }
+    } else {
+        span.set_status(Status::error("No file body read"));
+        return HttpResponse::BadRequest().body("No file body read");
+    }
+
+    app_state.stream_manager.do_send(RefreshThumbnailsMessage);
+    span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+
+    HttpResponse::Ok().finish()
+}

src/handlers/mod.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+//! HTTP route handlers, grouped by domain.
+//!
+//! These were previously inlined in `main.rs`; moving them out keeps
+//! `main()` focused on startup wiring and makes each domain
+//! independently testable with `actix_web::test::init_service`.
+
+pub mod favorites;
+pub mod image;
+pub mod video;

src/handlers/video.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,665 @@
+//! Video-related endpoints: HLS playlist generation, segment streaming,
+//! and the short-clip preview pipeline.
+
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+use std::path::PathBuf;
+use std::sync::Mutex;
+
+use actix_files::NamedFile;
+use actix_web::{
+    HttpRequest, HttpResponse, Responder, get, post,
+    web::{self, Data},
+};
+use log::{debug, error, info, warn};
+use opentelemetry::trace::{Span, Status, Tracer};
+use opentelemetry::{KeyValue, global};
+
+use crate::data::{
+    Claims, PreviewClipRequest, PreviewStatusItem, PreviewStatusRequest, PreviewStatusResponse,
+    ThumbnailRequest,
+};
+use crate::database::PreviewDao;
+use crate::files::is_valid_full_path;
+use crate::libraries;
+use crate::otel::{extract_context_from_request, global_tracer};
+use crate::state::AppState;
+use crate::video::actors::{GeneratePreviewClipMessage, ProcessMessage, create_playlist};
+
+#[post("/video/generate")]
+pub async fn generate_video(
+    _claims: Claims,
+    request: HttpRequest,
+    app_state: Data<AppState>,
+    body: web::Json<ThumbnailRequest>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let tracer = global_tracer();
+
+    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
+    let mut span = tracer.start_with_context("generate_video", &context);
+
+    let filename = PathBuf::from(&body.path);
+
+    if let Some(name) = filename.file_name() {
+        let filename = name.to_str().expect("Filename should convert to string");
+        // KNOWN ISSUE (multi-library): playlist filename is the basename
+        // alone, so two source files with the same basename — whether in
+        // different libraries or different subdirs of one library —
+        // overwrite each other's playlists while ffmpeg runs. The
+        // hash-keyed `content_hash::hls_dir` is the long-term answer
+        // (see CLAUDE.md "Multi-library data model"); rewiring the
+        // actor pipeline to use it is out of scope for this branch.
+        // The orphan-cleanup job above already walks every library so
+        // it doesn't false-delete archive playlists.
+        let playlist = format!("{}/{}.m3u8", app_state.video_path, filename);
+
+        let library = libraries::resolve_library_param(&app_state, body.library.as_deref())
+            .ok()
+            .flatten()
+            .unwrap_or_else(|| app_state.primary_library());
+
+        // Try the resolved library first, then fall back to any other library
+        // that actually contains the file — handles union-mode requests where
+        // the mobile client passes no library but the file lives in a
+        // non-primary library.
+        let resolved = is_valid_full_path(&library.root_path, &body.path, false)
+            .filter(|p| p.exists())
+            .or_else(|| {
+                app_state.libraries.iter().find_map(|lib| {
+                    if lib.id == library.id {
+                        return None;
+                    }
+                    is_valid_full_path(&lib.root_path, &body.path, false).filter(|p| p.exists())
+                })
+            });
+
+        if let Some(path) = resolved {
+            if let Ok(child) = create_playlist(path.to_str().unwrap(), &playlist).await {
+                span.add_event(
+                    "playlist_created".to_string(),
+                    vec![KeyValue::new("playlist-name", filename.to_string())],
+                );
+
+                span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+                app_state.stream_manager.do_send(ProcessMessage(
+                    playlist.clone(),
+                    child,
+                    // opentelemetry::Context::new().with_span(span),
+                ));
+            }
+        } else {
+            span.set_status(Status::error(format!("invalid path {:?}", &body.path)));
+            return HttpResponse::BadRequest().finish();
+        }
+
+        HttpResponse::Ok().json(playlist)
+    } else {
+        let message = format!("Unable to get file name: {:?}", filename);
+        error!("{}", message);
+        span.set_status(Status::error(message));
+
+        HttpResponse::BadRequest().finish()
+    }
+}
+
+#[get("/video/stream")]
+pub async fn stream_video(
+    request: HttpRequest,
+    _: Claims,
+    path: web::Query<ThumbnailRequest>,
+    app_state: Data<AppState>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let tracer = global::tracer("image-server");
+    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
+    let mut span = tracer.start_with_context("stream_video", &context);
+
+    let playlist = &path.path;
+    debug!("Playlist: {}", playlist);
+
+    // Only serve files under video_path (HLS playlists) or base_path (source videos)
+    if playlist.starts_with(&app_state.video_path)
+        || is_valid_full_path(&app_state.base_path, playlist, false).is_some()
+    {
+        match NamedFile::open(playlist) {
+            Ok(file) => {
+                span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+                file.into_response(&request)
+            }
+            _ => {
+                span.set_status(Status::error(format!("playlist not found {}", playlist)));
+                HttpResponse::NotFound().finish()
+            }
+        }
+    } else {
+        span.set_status(Status::error(format!("playlist not valid {}", playlist)));
+        HttpResponse::BadRequest().finish()
+    }
+}
+
+#[get("/video/{path}")]
+pub async fn get_video_part(
+    request: HttpRequest,
+    _: Claims,
+    path: web::Path<ThumbnailRequest>,
+    app_state: Data<AppState>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let tracer = global_tracer();
+    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
+    let mut span = tracer.start_with_context("get_video_part", &context);
+
+    let part = &path.path;
+    debug!("Video part: {}", part);
+
+    let mut file_part = PathBuf::new();
+    file_part.push(app_state.video_path.clone());
+    file_part.push(part);
+
+    // Guard against directory traversal attacks
+    let canonical_base = match std::fs::canonicalize(&app_state.video_path) {
+        Ok(path) => path,
+        Err(e) => {
+            error!("Failed to canonicalize video path: {:?}", e);
+            span.set_status(Status::error("Invalid video path configuration"));
+            return HttpResponse::InternalServerError().finish();
+        }
+    };
+
+    let canonical_file = match std::fs::canonicalize(&file_part) {
+        Ok(path) => path,
+        Err(_) => {
+            warn!("Video part not found or invalid: {:?}", file_part);
+            span.set_status(Status::error(format!("Video part not found '{}'", part)));
+            return HttpResponse::NotFound().finish();
+        }
+    };
+
+    // Ensure the resolved path is still within the video directory
+    if !canonical_file.starts_with(&canonical_base) {
+        warn!("Directory traversal attempt detected: {:?}", part);
+        span.set_status(Status::error("Invalid video path"));
+        return HttpResponse::Forbidden().finish();
+    }
+
+    match NamedFile::open(&canonical_file) {
+        Ok(file) => {
+            span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+            file.into_response(&request)
+        }
+        _ => {
+            error!("Video part not found: {:?}", file_part);
+            span.set_status(Status::error(format!(
+                "Video part not found '{}'",
+                file_part.to_str().unwrap()
+            )));
+            HttpResponse::NotFound().finish()
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[get("/video/preview")]
+pub async fn get_video_preview(
+    _claims: Claims,
+    request: HttpRequest,
+    req: web::Query<PreviewClipRequest>,
+    app_state: Data<AppState>,
+    preview_dao: Data<Mutex<Box<dyn PreviewDao>>>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let tracer = global_tracer();
+    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
+    let mut span = tracer.start_with_context("get_video_preview", &context);
+
+    // Validate path
+    let full_path = match is_valid_full_path(&app_state.base_path, &req.path, true) {
+        Some(path) => path,
+        None => {
+            span.set_status(Status::error("Invalid path"));
+            return HttpResponse::BadRequest().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Invalid path"}));
+        }
+    };
+
+    let full_path_str = full_path.to_string_lossy().to_string();
+
+    // Use relative path (from BASE_PATH) for DB storage, consistent with EXIF convention
+    let relative_path = full_path_str
+        .strip_prefix(&app_state.base_path)
+        .unwrap_or(&full_path_str)
+        .trim_start_matches(['/', '\\'])
+        .to_string();
+
+    // Check preview status in DB
+    let preview = {
+        let mut dao = preview_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock PreviewDao");
+        dao.get_preview(&context, &relative_path)
+    };
+
+    match preview {
+        Ok(Some(clip)) => match clip.status.as_str() {
+            "complete" => {
+                let preview_path = PathBuf::from(&app_state.preview_clips_path)
+                    .join(&relative_path)
+                    .with_extension("mp4");
+
+                match NamedFile::open(&preview_path) {
+                    Ok(file) => {
+                        span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+                        file.into_response(&request)
+                    }
+                    Err(_) => {
+                        // File missing on disk but DB says complete - reset and regenerate
+                        let mut dao = preview_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock PreviewDao");
+                        let _ = dao.update_status(
+                            &context,
+                            &relative_path,
+                            "pending",
+                            None,
+                            None,
+                            None,
+                        );
+                        app_state
+                            .preview_clip_generator
+                            .do_send(GeneratePreviewClipMessage {
+                                video_path: full_path_str,
+                            });
+                        span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+                        HttpResponse::Accepted().json(serde_json::json!({
+                            "status": "processing",
+                            "path": req.path
+                        }))
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            "processing" => {
+                span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+                HttpResponse::Accepted().json(serde_json::json!({
+                    "status": "processing",
+                    "path": req.path
+                }))
+            }
+            "failed" => {
+                let error_msg = clip
+                    .error_message
+                    .unwrap_or_else(|| "Unknown error".to_string());
+                span.set_status(Status::error(format!("Generation failed: {}", error_msg)));
+                HttpResponse::InternalServerError().json(serde_json::json!({
+                    "error": format!("Generation failed: {}", error_msg)
+                }))
+            }
+            _ => {
+                // pending or unknown status - trigger generation
+                app_state
+                    .preview_clip_generator
+                    .do_send(GeneratePreviewClipMessage {
+                        video_path: full_path_str,
+                    });
+                span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+                HttpResponse::Accepted().json(serde_json::json!({
+                    "status": "processing",
+                    "path": req.path
+                }))
+            }
+        },
+        Ok(None) => {
+            // No record exists - insert as pending and trigger generation
+            {
+                let mut dao = preview_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock PreviewDao");
+                let _ = dao.insert_preview(&context, &relative_path, "pending");
+            }
+            app_state
+                .preview_clip_generator
+                .do_send(GeneratePreviewClipMessage {
+                    video_path: full_path_str,
+                });
+            span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+            HttpResponse::Accepted().json(serde_json::json!({
+                "status": "processing",
+                "path": req.path
+            }))
+        }
+        Err(_) => {
+            span.set_status(Status::error("Database error"));
+            HttpResponse::InternalServerError().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Database error"}))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[post("/video/preview/status")]
+pub async fn get_preview_status(
+    _claims: Claims,
+    request: HttpRequest,
+    body: web::Json<PreviewStatusRequest>,
+    app_state: Data<AppState>,
+    preview_dao: Data<Mutex<Box<dyn PreviewDao>>>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let tracer = global_tracer();
+    let context = extract_context_from_request(&request);
+    let mut span = tracer.start_with_context("get_preview_status", &context);
+
+    // Limit to 200 paths per request
+    if body.paths.len() > 200 {
+        span.set_status(Status::error("Too many paths"));
+        return HttpResponse::BadRequest()
+            .json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Maximum 200 paths per request"}));
+    }
+
+    let previews = {
+        let mut dao = preview_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock PreviewDao");
+        dao.get_previews_batch(&context, &body.paths)
+    };
+
+    match previews {
+        Ok(clips) => {
+            // Build a map of file_path -> VideoPreviewClip for quick lookup
+            let clip_map: HashMap<String, _> = clips
+                .into_iter()
+                .map(|clip| (clip.file_path.clone(), clip))
+                .collect();
+
+            let mut items: Vec<PreviewStatusItem> = Vec::with_capacity(body.paths.len());
+
+            for path in &body.paths {
+                if let Some(clip) = clip_map.get(path) {
+                    // Re-queue generation for stale pending/failed records
+                    if clip.status == "pending" || clip.status == "failed" {
+                        let full_path = format!(
+                            "{}/{}",
+                            app_state.base_path.trim_end_matches(['/', '\\']),
+                            path.trim_start_matches(['/', '\\'])
+                        );
+                        app_state
+                            .preview_clip_generator
+                            .do_send(GeneratePreviewClipMessage {
+                                video_path: full_path,
+                            });
+                    }
+
+                    items.push(PreviewStatusItem {
+                        path: path.clone(),
+                        status: clip.status.clone(),
+                        preview_url: if clip.status == "complete" {
+                            Some(format!("/video/preview?path={}", urlencoding::encode(path)))
+                        } else {
+                            None
+                        },
+                    });
+                } else {
+                    // No record exists — insert as pending and trigger generation
+                    {
+                        let mut dao = preview_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock PreviewDao");
+                        let _ = dao.insert_preview(&context, path, "pending");
+                    }
+
+                    // Build full path for ffmpeg (actor needs the absolute path for input)
+                    let full_path = format!(
+                        "{}/{}",
+                        app_state.base_path.trim_end_matches(['/', '\\']),
+                        path.trim_start_matches(['/', '\\'])
+                    );
+
+                    info!("Triggering preview generation for '{}'", path);
+                    app_state
+                        .preview_clip_generator
+                        .do_send(GeneratePreviewClipMessage {
+                            video_path: full_path,
+                        });
+
+                    items.push(PreviewStatusItem {
+                        path: path.clone(),
+                        status: "pending".to_string(),
+                        preview_url: None,
+                    });
+                }
+            }
+
+            span.set_status(Status::Ok);
+            HttpResponse::Ok().json(PreviewStatusResponse { previews: items })
+        }
+        Err(_) => {
+            span.set_status(Status::error("Database error"));
+            HttpResponse::InternalServerError().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Database error"}))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use crate::data::Claims;
+    use crate::database::PreviewDao;
+    use crate::testhelpers::TestPreviewDao;
+    use actix_web::App;
+
+    fn make_token() -> String {
+        let claims = Claims::valid_user("1".to_string());
+        jsonwebtoken::encode(
+            &jsonwebtoken::Header::default(),
+            &claims,
+            &jsonwebtoken::EncodingKey::from_secret(b"test_key"),
+        )
+        .unwrap()
+    }
+
+    fn make_preview_dao(dao: TestPreviewDao) -> Data<Mutex<Box<dyn PreviewDao>>> {
+        Data::new(Mutex::new(Box::new(dao) as Box<dyn PreviewDao>))
+    }
+
+    #[actix_rt::test]
+    async fn test_get_preview_status_returns_pending_for_unknown() {
+        let dao = TestPreviewDao::new();
+        let preview_dao = make_preview_dao(dao);
+        let app_state = Data::new(AppState::test_state());
+        let token = make_token();
+
+        let app = actix_web::test::init_service(
+            App::new()
+                .service(get_preview_status)
+                .app_data(app_state)
+                .app_data(preview_dao.clone()),
+        )
+        .await;
+
+        let req = actix_web::test::TestRequest::post()
+            .uri("/video/preview/status")
+            .insert_header(("Authorization", format!("Bearer {}", token)))
+            .set_json(serde_json::json!({"paths": ["photos/new_video.mp4"]}))
+            .to_request();
+
+        let resp = actix_web::test::call_service(&app, req).await;
+        assert_eq!(resp.status(), 200);
+
+        let body: serde_json::Value = actix_web::test::read_body_json(resp).await;
+        let previews = body["previews"].as_array().unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(previews.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(previews[0]["status"], "pending");
+
+        // Verify the DAO now has a pending record
+        let mut dao_lock = preview_dao.lock().unwrap();
+        let ctx = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+        let clip = dao_lock.get_preview(&ctx, "photos/new_video.mp4").unwrap();
+        assert!(clip.is_some());
+        assert_eq!(clip.unwrap().status, "pending");
+    }
+
+    #[actix_rt::test]
+    async fn test_get_preview_status_returns_complete_with_url() {
+        let mut dao = TestPreviewDao::new();
+        let ctx = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+        dao.insert_preview(&ctx, "photos/done.mp4", "pending")
+            .unwrap();
+        dao.update_status(
+            &ctx,
+            "photos/done.mp4",
+            "complete",
+            Some(9.5),
+            Some(500000),
+            None,
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+
+        let preview_dao = make_preview_dao(dao);
+        let app_state = Data::new(AppState::test_state());
+        let token = make_token();
+
+        let app = actix_web::test::init_service(
+            App::new()
+                .service(get_preview_status)
+                .app_data(app_state)
+                .app_data(preview_dao),
+        )
+        .await;
+
+        let req = actix_web::test::TestRequest::post()
+            .uri("/video/preview/status")
+            .insert_header(("Authorization", format!("Bearer {}", token)))
+            .set_json(serde_json::json!({"paths": ["photos/done.mp4"]}))
+            .to_request();
+
+        let resp = actix_web::test::call_service(&app, req).await;
+        assert_eq!(resp.status(), 200);
+
+        let body: serde_json::Value = actix_web::test::read_body_json(resp).await;
+        let previews = body["previews"].as_array().unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(previews.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(previews[0]["status"], "complete");
+        assert!(
+            previews[0]["preview_url"]
+                .as_str()
+                .unwrap()
+                .contains("photos%2Fdone.mp4")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[actix_rt::test]
+    async fn test_get_preview_status_rejects_over_200_paths() {
+        let dao = TestPreviewDao::new();
+        let preview_dao = make_preview_dao(dao);
+        let app_state = Data::new(AppState::test_state());
+        let token = make_token();
+
+        let app = actix_web::test::init_service(
+            App::new()
+                .service(get_preview_status)
+                .app_data(app_state)
+                .app_data(preview_dao),
+        )
+        .await;
+
+        let paths: Vec<String> = (0..201).map(|i| format!("video_{}.mp4", i)).collect();
+        let req = actix_web::test::TestRequest::post()
+            .uri("/video/preview/status")
+            .insert_header(("Authorization", format!("Bearer {}", token)))
+            .set_json(serde_json::json!({"paths": paths}))
+            .to_request();
+
+        let resp = actix_web::test::call_service(&app, req).await;
+        assert_eq!(resp.status(), 400);
+    }
+
+    #[actix_rt::test]
+    async fn test_get_preview_status_mixed_statuses() {
+        let mut dao = TestPreviewDao::new();
+        let ctx = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+        dao.insert_preview(&ctx, "a.mp4", "pending").unwrap();
+        dao.insert_preview(&ctx, "b.mp4", "pending").unwrap();
+        dao.update_status(&ctx, "b.mp4", "complete", Some(10.0), Some(100000), None)
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let preview_dao = make_preview_dao(dao);
+        let app_state = Data::new(AppState::test_state());
+        let token = make_token();
+
+        let app = actix_web::test::init_service(
+            App::new()
+                .service(get_preview_status)
+                .app_data(app_state)
+                .app_data(preview_dao),
+        )
+        .await;
+
+        let req = actix_web::test::TestRequest::post()
+            .uri("/video/preview/status")
+            .insert_header(("Authorization", format!("Bearer {}", token)))
+            .set_json(serde_json::json!({"paths": ["a.mp4", "b.mp4", "c.mp4"]}))
+            .to_request();
+
+        let resp = actix_web::test::call_service(&app, req).await;
+        assert_eq!(resp.status(), 200);
+
+        let body: serde_json::Value = actix_web::test::read_body_json(resp).await;
+        let previews = body["previews"].as_array().unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(previews.len(), 3);
+
+        // a.mp4 is pending
+        assert_eq!(previews[0]["path"], "a.mp4");
+        assert_eq!(previews[0]["status"], "pending");
+
+        // b.mp4 is complete with URL
+        assert_eq!(previews[1]["path"], "b.mp4");
+        assert_eq!(previews[1]["status"], "complete");
+        assert!(previews[1]["preview_url"].is_string());
+
+        // c.mp4 was not found — handler inserts pending
+        assert_eq!(previews[2]["path"], "c.mp4");
+        assert_eq!(previews[2]["status"], "pending");
+    }
+
+    /// Verifies that the status endpoint re-queues generation for stale
+    /// "pending" and "failed" records (e.g., after a server restart or
+    /// when clip files were deleted). The do_send to the actor exercises
+    /// the re-queue code path; the actor runs against temp dirs so it
+    /// won't panic.
+    #[actix_rt::test]
+    async fn test_get_preview_status_requeues_pending_and_failed() {
+        let mut dao = TestPreviewDao::new();
+        let ctx = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+
+        // Simulate stale records left from a previous server run
+        dao.insert_preview(&ctx, "stale/pending.mp4", "pending")
+            .unwrap();
+        dao.insert_preview(&ctx, "stale/failed.mp4", "pending")
+            .unwrap();
+        dao.update_status(
+            &ctx,
+            "stale/failed.mp4",
+            "failed",
+            None,
+            None,
+            Some("ffmpeg error"),
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+
+        let preview_dao = make_preview_dao(dao);
+        let app_state = Data::new(AppState::test_state());
+        let token = make_token();
+
+        let app = actix_web::test::init_service(
+            App::new()
+                .service(get_preview_status)
+                .app_data(app_state)
+                .app_data(preview_dao),
+        )
+        .await;
+
+        let req = actix_web::test::TestRequest::post()
+            .uri("/video/preview/status")
+            .insert_header(("Authorization", format!("Bearer {}", token)))
+            .set_json(serde_json::json!({
+                "paths": ["stale/pending.mp4", "stale/failed.mp4"]
+            }))
+            .to_request();
+
+        let resp = actix_web::test::call_service(&app, req).await;
+        assert_eq!(resp.status(), 200);
+
+        let body: serde_json::Value = actix_web::test::read_body_json(resp).await;
+        let previews = body["previews"].as_array().unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(previews.len(), 2);
+
+        // Both records are returned with their current status
+        assert_eq!(previews[0]["path"], "stale/pending.mp4");
+        assert_eq!(previews[0]["status"], "pending");
+        assert!(previews[0].get("preview_url").is_none());
+
+        assert_eq!(previews[1]["path"], "stale/failed.mp4");
+        assert_eq!(previews[1]["status"], "failed");
+        assert!(previews[1].get("preview_url").is_none());
+    }
+}

src/lib.rs

@@ -26,11 +26,13 @@ pub mod memories;
 pub mod otel;
 pub mod parsers;
 pub mod perceptual_hash;
+pub mod personas;
 pub mod service;
 pub mod state;
 pub mod tags;
 #[cfg(test)]
 pub mod testhelpers;
+pub mod thumbnails;
 pub mod utils;
 pub mod video;
 
@@ -38,20 +40,3 @@ pub mod video;
 pub use data::{Claims, ThumbnailRequest};
 pub use database::{connect, schema};
 pub use state::AppState;
-
-// Stub functions for modules that reference main.rs
-// These are not used by cleanup_files binary
-use std::path::Path;
-use walkdir::DirEntry;
-
-pub fn create_thumbnails(_libs: &[libraries::Library], _excluded_dirs: &[String]) {
-    // Stub - implemented in main.rs
-}
-
-pub fn update_media_counts(_media_dir: &Path, _excluded_dirs: &[String]) {
-    // Stub - implemented in main.rs
-}
-
-pub fn is_video(entry: &DirEntry) -> bool {
-    file_types::direntry_is_video(entry)
-}

src/libraries.rs

@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
-use actix_web::{HttpResponse, Responder, get, web::Data};
+use actix_web::{HttpResponse, Responder, get, patch, web, web::Data};
 use chrono::Utc;
 use diesel::prelude::*;
 use diesel::sqlite::SqliteConnection;
 use log::{info, warn};
+use serde::Deserialize;
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::sync::{Arc, RwLock};
@@ -79,14 +80,21 @@ impl Library {
     }
 }
 
-/// Parse a comma-separated excluded_dirs column into a Vec, dropping
-/// empty entries (mirrors `AppState::parse_excluded_dirs` for the env
-/// var). NULL → empty Vec.
+/// Parse an excluded_dirs string into a Vec, dropping empty entries.
+/// NULL → empty Vec. Duplicates are preserved — `PathExcluder` accepts
+/// repeats, and the storage-side normaliser is where dedup happens.
+///
+/// Accepts both `,` and newline (`\n` / `\r\n`) as separators so the
+/// UI's textarea can submit one-entry-per-line input without forcing
+/// the operator to remember commas. The DB stores the canonical
+/// comma-joined form (see `normalize_excluded_dirs_input`); the
+/// newline path matters mostly for the frontend submit, but mirroring
+/// it here keeps the parse direction round-trip safe.
 pub fn parse_excluded_dirs_column(raw: Option<&str>) -> Vec<String> {
     match raw {
         None => Vec::new(),
         Some(s) => s
-            .split(',')
+            .split(|c: char| matches!(c, ',' | '\n' | '\r'))
             .map(str::trim)
             .filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
             .map(String::from)
@@ -94,6 +102,121 @@ pub fn parse_excluded_dirs_column(raw: Option<&str>) -> Vec<String> {
     }
 }
 
+/// Validate a single excluded_dirs entry, normalising trivial cosmetic
+/// differences and rejecting forms that `PathExcluder` would silently
+/// drop. Returns the entry to store, or an error message describing
+/// what's wrong with it.
+///
+/// Rules:
+/// - Backslashes are rejected — PathExcluder strips only a leading `/`;
+///   a Windows-typed `\photos` or `photos\2024` lands in the
+///   component-pattern bucket and never matches anything. Suggest the
+///   forward-slash form.
+/// - A Windows drive letter prefix (`Z:` etc.) is rejected — excluded
+///   entries are *relative to the library root*, not absolute system
+///   paths.
+/// - A no-leading-slash entry containing `/` is rejected — the
+///   component-pattern path matches a single segment only; the user
+///   almost certainly meant the leading-slash form.
+/// - A `..` segment in a path entry is rejected — `base.join("../x")`
+///   doesn't canonicalise, so the resulting prefix never matches and
+///   the exclude silently fails.
+/// - Trailing slashes on path entries are stripped silently
+///   (`/photos/` → `/photos`) — purely cosmetic.
+pub fn validate_excluded_dirs_entry(entry: &str) -> Result<String, String> {
+    let trimmed = entry.trim();
+    if trimmed.is_empty() {
+        return Err("empty entry".to_string());
+    }
+    if trimmed.contains('\\') {
+        return Err(format!(
+            "'{}': use forward slashes — backslash paths never match on the watcher's component-by-component compare",
+            trimmed
+        ));
+    }
+    // Windows drive letter prefix like `Z:` or `Z:/something`. A
+    // length-2 ASCII-alpha + colon is the canonical form; we don't
+    // bother with longer multi-letter Windows drive-equivalents
+    // (`\\?\Volume{…}`) since the backslash check already catches them.
+    let bytes = trimmed.as_bytes();
+    if bytes.len() >= 2 && bytes[0].is_ascii_alphabetic() && bytes[1] == b':' {
+        return Err(format!(
+            "'{}': excluded entries are relative to the library root, not absolute system paths — drop the drive letter",
+            trimmed
+        ));
+    }
+    if let Some(rel) = trimmed.strip_prefix('/') {
+        // Path form. Reject `..` traversal — `base.join(\"../x\")` doesn't
+        // canonicalise, so `path.starts_with(...)` never matches.
+        if rel
+            .split('/')
+            .any(|seg| seg == "..")
+        {
+            return Err(format!(
+                "'{}': '..' segments don't normalise — the prefix-match never fires",
+                trimmed
+            ));
+        }
+        // Strip a trailing slash if any (`/photos/` → `/photos`). Purely
+        // cosmetic; PathBuf::starts_with treats both forms identically.
+        let stripped = if rel.ends_with('/') {
+            format!("/{}", rel.trim_end_matches('/'))
+        } else {
+            trimmed.to_string()
+        };
+        // After stripping, an empty rel ("/" alone) excludes the root —
+        // certainly a typo.
+        if stripped == "/" {
+            return Err("'/': excluding the library root is almost certainly a typo".to_string());
+        }
+        Ok(stripped)
+    } else {
+        // Component-pattern form: must be a single segment. A `/`
+        // anywhere here is the common "I forgot the leading slash" typo
+        // — reject so the user fixes it instead of staring at an
+        // exclude that does nothing.
+        if trimmed.contains('/') {
+            return Err(format!(
+                "'{}': multi-segment names only match with a leading slash — try '/{}'",
+                trimmed, trimmed
+            ));
+        }
+        Ok(trimmed.to_string())
+    }
+}
+
+/// Canonicalise an excluded_dirs string for storage: validate each
+/// entry, then parse → trim → dedupe (preserving insertion order) →
+/// comma-join with no inner whitespace. Empty / whitespace-only input
+/// → `Ok(None)` (writes NULL). Any entry that fails validation aborts
+/// the whole patch with a descriptive error so the operator can fix
+/// the typo before retrying.
+///
+/// Used by `PATCH /libraries/{id}` so two users typing the same entries
+/// in different orders / casings / whitespace land on the same stored
+/// form, and a typo'd duplicate (`@eaDir, @eaDir`) collapses on save.
+/// Round-trip stable: writing the output back through this function
+/// yields the same string.
+pub fn normalize_excluded_dirs_input(raw: &str) -> Result<Option<String>, String> {
+    let parsed = parse_excluded_dirs_column(Some(raw));
+    if parsed.is_empty() {
+        return Ok(None);
+    }
+    let mut seen = std::collections::HashSet::new();
+    let mut deduped: Vec<String> = Vec::with_capacity(parsed.len());
+    for entry in parsed {
+        let validated = validate_excluded_dirs_entry(&entry)?;
+        if seen.insert(validated.clone()) {
+            deduped.push(validated);
+        }
+    }
+    if deduped.is_empty() {
+        Ok(None)
+    } else {
+        Ok(Some(deduped.join(",")))
+    }
+}
+
 impl From<LibraryRow> for Library {
     fn from(row: LibraryRow) -> Self {
         Library {
@@ -334,16 +457,30 @@ pub struct LibraryStatus {
 #[derive(serde::Serialize)]
 pub struct LibrariesResponse {
     pub libraries: Vec<LibraryStatus>,
+    /// Globally-excluded paths/patterns from the `EXCLUDED_DIRS` env var.
+    /// Applied **in union** with each library's own `excluded_dirs`. Surfaced
+    /// here so an admin UI can show the operator "you already skip these
+    /// everywhere" before they add per-library entries that would duplicate
+    /// the global list. Read-only — globals live in `.env` and aren't
+    /// mutable via the API today.
+    pub global_excluded_dirs: Vec<String>,
 }
 
 #[get("/libraries")]
 pub async fn list_libraries(_claims: Claims, app_state: Data<AppState>) -> impl Responder {
+    // Read from the live view so a recent PATCH /libraries/{id} that
+    // flipped `enabled` or rewrote `excluded_dirs` surfaces immediately
+    // — the immutable `app_state.libraries` snapshot is stale once the
+    // first mutation lands.
+    let live_guard = app_state
+        .live_libraries
+        .read()
+        .unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner());
     let health_guard = app_state
         .library_health
         .read()
         .unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner());
-    let libraries = app_state
-        .libraries
+    let libraries = live_guard
         .iter()
         .map(|lib| LibraryStatus {
             library: lib.clone(),
@@ -353,7 +490,118 @@ pub async fn list_libraries(_claims: Claims, app_state: Data<AppState>) -> impl
                 .unwrap_or(LibraryHealth::Online),
         })
         .collect();
-    HttpResponse::Ok().json(LibrariesResponse { libraries })
+    HttpResponse::Ok().json(LibrariesResponse {
+        libraries,
+        global_excluded_dirs: app_state.excluded_dirs.clone(),
+    })
+}
+
+/// Body for PATCH /libraries/{id}. Both fields are optional — omitting
+/// one leaves it untouched. `excluded_dirs` is the same comma-separated
+/// shape as the DB column; an empty string clears (writes NULL).
+#[derive(Deserialize, Debug)]
+pub struct PatchLibraryBody {
+    pub enabled: Option<bool>,
+    pub excluded_dirs: Option<String>,
+}
+
+/// Mutate one library row. The watcher reads `app_state.live_libraries`
+/// at the top of each tick, so a successful PATCH is picked up within
+/// one WATCH_QUICK_INTERVAL_SECONDS without restart — no separate
+/// `apply_now` signal. Returns the updated `Library` so the caller can
+/// render the new state without a follow-up GET.
+///
+/// Despite CLAUDE.md noting "Toggle via SQL; there is intentionally no
+/// HTTP endpoint for library mutation", we now expose this for Apollo's
+/// Settings panel. The single-user trust model hasn't changed; the
+/// endpoint just removes the SSH-and-sqlite3 step.
+#[patch("/libraries/{id}")]
+pub async fn patch_library(
+    _claims: Claims,
+    path: web::Path<i32>,
+    body: web::Json<PatchLibraryBody>,
+    app_state: Data<AppState>,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let lib_id = path.into_inner();
+    let body = body.into_inner();
+
+    if body.enabled.is_none() && body.excluded_dirs.is_none() {
+        return HttpResponse::UnprocessableEntity().body("empty patch body");
+    }
+
+    let mut conn = crate::database::connect();
+
+    // Build the SET clause. Diesel's set() takes a tuple of assignments;
+    // we apply each field independently so an absent field doesn't get
+    // forced to NULL / its default.
+    let mut affected = 0usize;
+    if let Some(enabled) = body.enabled {
+        match diesel::update(libraries::table.filter(libraries::id.eq(lib_id)))
+            .set(libraries::enabled.eq(enabled))
+            .execute(&mut conn)
+        {
+            Ok(n) => affected = affected.max(n),
+            Err(e) => {
+                warn!("PATCH /libraries/{}: enabled update failed: {:?}", lib_id, e);
+                return HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(format!("{}", e));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    if let Some(raw) = body.excluded_dirs.as_deref() {
+        // Canonicalise on write — trim, dedupe, validate, drop empties —
+        // so the DB stores a round-trip-stable form regardless of how
+        // messy the user typed it. Empty / whitespace-only → NULL
+        // (matches a never-set library). Validation failures (Windows
+        // backslash paths, drive letters, `..` traversal, etc.) bounce
+        // back as 422 so the operator can fix the typo.
+        let normalised = match normalize_excluded_dirs_input(raw) {
+            Ok(v) => v,
+            Err(msg) => return HttpResponse::UnprocessableEntity().body(msg),
+        };
+        let stored: Option<&str> = normalised.as_deref();
+        match diesel::update(libraries::table.filter(libraries::id.eq(lib_id)))
+            .set(libraries::excluded_dirs.eq(stored))
+            .execute(&mut conn)
+        {
+            Ok(n) => affected = affected.max(n),
+            Err(e) => {
+                warn!(
+                    "PATCH /libraries/{}: excluded_dirs update failed: {:?}",
+                    lib_id, e
+                );
+                return HttpResponse::InternalServerError().body(format!("{}", e));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    if affected == 0 {
+        return HttpResponse::NotFound().body(format!("library id {} not found", lib_id));
+    }
+
+    // Refresh the live view from the canonical DB state. Reloading the
+    // whole table (rather than mutating one entry in place) is cheap
+    // (handful of rows) and keeps the in-memory and DB views trivially
+    // consistent.
+    let fresh = load_all(&mut conn);
+    let updated = fresh.iter().find(|l| l.id == lib_id).cloned();
+    {
+        let mut live = app_state
+            .live_libraries
+            .write()
+            .unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner());
+        *live = fresh;
+    }
+
+    match updated {
+        Some(lib) => {
+            info!(
+                "PATCH /libraries/{}: enabled={:?} excluded_dirs={:?} → applied",
+                lib_id, body.enabled, body.excluded_dirs
+            );
+            HttpResponse::Ok().json(lib)
+        }
+        None => HttpResponse::NotFound().body(format!("library id {} not found after update", lib_id)),
+    }
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
@@ -496,6 +744,40 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_excluded_dirs_column_splits_on_newlines_too() {
+        // Newline-separated input from a textarea submit. One-per-line
+        // is the recommended UX because "I forgot the comma" was a
+        // recurring footgun (.thumbnails .thumbnails2 silently
+        // becomes a single never-matching pattern).
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_excluded_dirs_column(Some("@eaDir\n.thumbnails\n/private")),
+            vec![
+                "@eaDir".to_string(),
+                ".thumbnails".to_string(),
+                "/private".to_string()
+            ]
+        );
+        // Windows line endings (CRLF) — the carriage return is its own
+        // separator so the trailing empty token between \r and \n gets
+        // trimmed + dropped.
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_excluded_dirs_column(Some("a\r\nb\r\nc")),
+            vec!["a".to_string(), "b".to_string(), "c".to_string()]
+        );
+        // Mixed comma + newline — the user pastes from one source,
+        // adds a few entries inline. Both work, in any combination.
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_excluded_dirs_column(Some("a, b\nc,d")),
+            vec![
+                "a".to_string(),
+                "b".to_string(),
+                "c".to_string(),
+                "d".to_string()
+            ]
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn effective_excluded_dirs_unions_global_and_per_library() {
         let lib_no_extras = Library {
@@ -523,6 +805,178 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(combined.len(), 3);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn effective_excluded_dirs_keeps_overlap_between_global_and_per_library() {
+        // Two sources both excluding `@eaDir` is legal — `PathExcluder`
+        // accepts repeats, and there's no behavioral reason to dedupe
+        // here. Documents the design choice so a future refactor that
+        // tightens this is forced to update both code and tests.
+        let globals = vec!["@eaDir".to_string()];
+        let lib = Library {
+            id: 1,
+            name: "main".into(),
+            root_path: "/x".into(),
+            enabled: true,
+            excluded_dirs: vec!["@eaDir".to_string(), "/private".to_string()],
+        };
+        let combined = lib.effective_excluded_dirs(&globals);
+        // 2 occurrences of @eaDir + /private = 3 entries total.
+        assert_eq!(combined, vec!["@eaDir", "@eaDir", "/private"]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn normalize_excluded_dirs_input_handles_empty_and_whitespace() {
+        assert_eq!(normalize_excluded_dirs_input(""), Ok(None));
+        assert_eq!(normalize_excluded_dirs_input("   "), Ok(None));
+        assert_eq!(normalize_excluded_dirs_input(",,,"), Ok(None));
+        assert_eq!(normalize_excluded_dirs_input(" , , "), Ok(None));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn normalize_excluded_dirs_input_trims_per_entry() {
+        // Inner whitespace stripped on each item, comma-joined without
+        // spaces. Mirrors how parse_excluded_dirs_column reads it back.
+        assert_eq!(
+            normalize_excluded_dirs_input(" @eaDir , /private , .thumbnails "),
+            Ok(Some("@eaDir,/private,.thumbnails".to_string()))
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn normalize_excluded_dirs_input_dedupes_preserving_first_occurrence() {
+        // Exact-string duplicates collapse; the first occurrence wins
+        // (preserves the operator's typed order so they recognise their
+        // intent on round-trip).
+        assert_eq!(
+            normalize_excluded_dirs_input("@eaDir, /private, @eaDir, /private"),
+            Ok(Some("@eaDir,/private".to_string()))
+        );
+        // Whitespace-distinct entries collapse to the same canonical
+        // form. Case is preserved — `Foo` and `foo` are different keys
+        // (filesystem case-sensitivity is platform-dependent; we don't
+        // make that call here).
+        assert_eq!(
+            normalize_excluded_dirs_input(" Foo,foo, Foo "),
+            Ok(Some("Foo,foo".to_string()))
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn normalize_excluded_dirs_input_is_round_trip_stable() {
+        // Writing the normaliser's output back through it yields the
+        // same string. PATCH-clearing edits round-trip cleanly through
+        // parse_excluded_dirs_column too.
+        let raw = " /a/b ,, /a/b , c ";
+        let once = normalize_excluded_dirs_input(raw)
+            .expect("validation passes")
+            .expect("not empty");
+        let twice = normalize_excluded_dirs_input(&once)
+            .expect("validation passes")
+            .expect("not empty");
+        assert_eq!(once, twice);
+        // Parsing the stored form back gives the deduped Vec.
+        assert_eq!(
+            parse_excluded_dirs_column(Some(&once)),
+            vec!["/a/b".to_string(), "c".to_string()]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn validate_rejects_backslash_paths() {
+        // Windows-typed entries land in the component-pattern bucket
+        // and never match — reject so the user gets feedback instead
+        // of a silent no-op.
+        assert!(validate_excluded_dirs_entry(r"\photos").is_err());
+        assert!(validate_excluded_dirs_entry(r"photos\2024").is_err());
+        assert!(validate_excluded_dirs_entry(r"\\server\share").is_err());
+        // The error message names the entry and points at the fix.
+        let err = validate_excluded_dirs_entry(r"\photos").unwrap_err();
+        assert!(err.contains("forward slashes"), "{}", err);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn validate_rejects_windows_drive_letters() {
+        assert!(validate_excluded_dirs_entry("Z:/photos").is_err());
+        assert!(validate_excluded_dirs_entry("z:photos").is_err());
+        // Single-letter alpha + colon is the canonical drive prefix;
+        // the message should steer toward the relative form.
+        let err = validate_excluded_dirs_entry("Z:/foo").unwrap_err();
+        assert!(err.contains("relative to the library root"), "{}", err);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn validate_rejects_multi_segment_name_without_leading_slash() {
+        // The common "I forgot the slash" typo. Today this would store
+        // a never-matching component pattern; we catch it.
+        let err = validate_excluded_dirs_entry("photos/2024").unwrap_err();
+        assert!(err.contains("multi-segment"), "{}", err);
+        // And the suggestion shows the corrected form.
+        assert!(err.contains("/photos/2024"), "{}", err);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn validate_rejects_parent_dir_traversal_in_path_entries() {
+        // base.join("../sensitive") doesn't canonicalise, so the
+        // resulting prefix never starts_with anything the walker sees.
+        assert!(validate_excluded_dirs_entry("/../secret").is_err());
+        assert!(validate_excluded_dirs_entry("/photos/../keys").is_err());
+        // Same string as a non-leading-slash component is fine — it
+        // just never matches (you'd literally need a directory named
+        // `..` which is impossible on every filesystem we care about),
+        // but the validator accepts it because the failure mode isn't
+        // a silent footgun in that direction.
+        assert!(validate_excluded_dirs_entry("..").is_ok());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn validate_strips_trailing_slash_on_path_entries() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            validate_excluded_dirs_entry("/photos/").unwrap(),
+            "/photos"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            validate_excluded_dirs_entry("/photos//").unwrap(),
+            "/photos"
+        );
+        // Bare "/" is rejected — almost certainly a typo for the
+        // library root.
+        assert!(validate_excluded_dirs_entry("/").is_err());
+        assert!(validate_excluded_dirs_entry("///").is_err());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn validate_passes_valid_entries() {
+        for entry in &[
+            "/photos",
+            "/photos/2024",
+            "/media/raw/private",
+            "@eaDir",
+            ".thumbnails",
+            ".DS_Store",
+            "node_modules",
+        ] {
+            assert!(
+                validate_excluded_dirs_entry(entry).is_ok(),
+                "expected {} to pass",
+                entry
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn normalize_aborts_on_invalid_entry() {
+        // One bad entry kills the whole patch — better to surface the
+        // problem than to silently apply N-1 of N changes.
+        let err = normalize_excluded_dirs_input("/photos, photos/2024").unwrap_err();
+        assert!(err.contains("photos/2024"), "{}", err);
+        // A valid mix succeeds — the bad-entry test isn't accidentally
+        // matching the good prefix.
+        assert_eq!(
+            normalize_excluded_dirs_input("/photos, @eaDir, /private/"),
+            Ok(Some("/photos,@eaDir,/private".to_string()))
+        );
+    }
+
     fn probe_lib(id: i32, root: String) -> Library {
         Library {
             id,

src/memories.rs

@@ -206,12 +206,37 @@ pub fn extract_date_from_filename(filename: &str) -> Option<DateTime<FixedOffset
         let timestamp_str = captures.get(1)?.as_str();
         let len = timestamp_str.len();
 
+        // Snapchat used real unix-second filenames in its early era
+        // (e.g. `Snapchat-1383929602.jpg` = 2013-11-08), then switched to
+        // monotonic sequential IDs whose digits overlap plausible epoch
+        // ranges (`Snapchat-1021849065.mp4` truncates to 2002, actually
+        // saved 2021; `Snapchat-1751031586660373917.jpg` is 19 digits,
+        // truncates to 2002, actually 2016). Discriminate by:
+        //   - exactly 10 captured digits AND post-2011-09-23 (launch) → real epoch
+        //   - anything else under this prefix → sequential ID, fall through
+        // The Snapchat-launch floor catches the 10-digit-2002 case; the
+        // length=10 gate catches the multi-digit sequential IDs (which
+        // get truncated to 16 by the regex above).
+        let lower = filename.to_ascii_lowercase();
+        let is_snapchat = lower.starts_with("snapchat-");
+        if is_snapchat && len != 10 {
+            return None;
+        }
+
         // Skip autogenerated filenames that start with "10000" (e.g., 1000004178.jpg)
         // These are not timestamps but auto-generated file IDs
         if timestamp_str.starts_with("10000") {
             return None;
         }
 
+        // A leading zero rules out a real unix timestamp at any sane
+        // resolution (seconds since 2001-09-09, ms since 1970-01-01 are
+        // both 10+ digits with no leading zero). Filenames like
+        // `000227580005.jpg` are sequential scan IDs, not timestamps.
+        if timestamp_str.starts_with('0') {
+            return None;
+        }
+
         // Try milliseconds first (13 digits exactly)
         if len == 13
             && let Some(date_time) = timestamp_str
@@ -219,6 +244,7 @@ pub fn extract_date_from_filename(filename: &str) -> Option<DateTime<FixedOffset
                 .ok()
                 .and_then(DateTime::from_timestamp_millis)
                 .map(|naive_dt| naive_dt.fixed_offset())
+                .and_then(plausible_filename_date)
         {
             return Some(date_time);
         }
@@ -231,6 +257,7 @@ pub fn extract_date_from_filename(filename: &str) -> Option<DateTime<FixedOffset
                 .ok()
                 .and_then(|timestamp_secs| DateTime::from_timestamp(timestamp_secs, 0))
                 .map(|naive_dt| naive_dt.fixed_offset())
+                .and_then(plausible_filename_date)
         {
             return Some(date_time);
         }
@@ -242,7 +269,15 @@ pub fn extract_date_from_filename(filename: &str) -> Option<DateTime<FixedOffset
                 .ok()
                 .and_then(|timestamp_secs| DateTime::from_timestamp(timestamp_secs, 0))
                 .map(|naive_dt| naive_dt.fixed_offset())
+                .and_then(plausible_filename_date)
         {
+            // Snapchat launched 2011-09-23. A 10-digit Snapchat filename
+            // dated before that is a sequential ID (e.g.
+            // `Snapchat-1021849065.mp4` parses to 2002), not a real epoch.
+            const SNAPCHAT_LAUNCH_TS: i64 = 1_316_736_000;
+            if is_snapchat && date_time.timestamp() < SNAPCHAT_LAUNCH_TS {
+                return None;
+            }
             return Some(date_time);
         }
 
@@ -253,6 +288,7 @@ pub fn extract_date_from_filename(filename: &str) -> Option<DateTime<FixedOffset
                 .ok()
                 .and_then(DateTime::from_timestamp_millis)
                 .map(|naive_dt| naive_dt.fixed_offset())
+                .and_then(plausible_filename_date)
         {
             return Some(date_time);
         }
@@ -261,6 +297,27 @@ pub fn extract_date_from_filename(filename: &str) -> Option<DateTime<FixedOffset
     None
 }
 
+/// Sanity gate for filename-derived timestamps. Real photo capture dates
+/// live in a narrow window; values outside it are almost always sequential
+/// scan IDs (`000227580005.jpg` → 1970) or arbitrary numeric suffixes
+/// (`IMG_21323906751390.jpeg` → 2037) that the regex caught by accident.
+/// Rejecting them lets the date_resolver waterfall fall through to
+/// `fs_time`, which is a much better proxy for content age than a fake
+/// epoch date.
+fn plausible_filename_date(dt: DateTime<FixedOffset>) -> Option<DateTime<FixedOffset>> {
+    use chrono::Datelike;
+    let year = dt.year();
+    // 1995 predates digital photography for most users; allowing one year
+    // past `now` covers clock-skew on freshly-taken shots without letting
+    // 2037 timestamps through.
+    let max_year = Utc::now().year() + 1;
+    if (1995..=max_year).contains(&year) {
+        Some(dt)
+    } else {
+        None
+    }
+}
+
 /// Convert a `date_taken` Unix-seconds value to a `NaiveDate` in the
 /// client's local time. Falls back to server-local when the client didn't
 /// send a tz hint.
@@ -590,6 +647,49 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn test_extract_date_from_filename_leading_zero_scan_id_should_not_match() {
+        // Sequential film-scan IDs like 000227580005.jpg parsed as a 12-digit
+        // ms timestamp resolve to 1970-01-03; the leading zero rules out a
+        // real epoch value at any sane resolution. Resolver should fall
+        // through to fs_time instead of pinning the photo to 1970.
+        assert!(extract_date_from_filename("000227580005.jpg").is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_extract_date_from_filename_far_future_should_not_match() {
+        // IMG_21323906751390.jpeg → first 10 digits = 2132390675 → 2037.
+        // Plausibility gate rejects it so the resolver falls through to
+        // fs_time (which carries the real ingest date).
+        assert!(extract_date_from_filename("IMG_21323906751390.jpeg").is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_extract_date_from_filename_snapchat_sequential_ids_rejected() {
+        // Modern Snapchat-prefixed filenames carry sequential app-assigned
+        // IDs whose digits happen to fall inside plausible epoch ranges
+        // when truncated. Reported cases (real save dates per FileModifyDate):
+        //   Snapchat-1021849065.mp4         → 10 digits → 2002-05-19  (saved 2021)
+        //   Snapchat-1751031586660373917.jpg → 19 digits → 2002-09-09  (saved 2016)
+        // We discriminate by length + Snapchat-launch floor: only exactly
+        // 10 digits AND post-2011-09-23 (Snapchat launch) is treated as
+        // a real unix epoch. Anything else falls through to fs_time.
+        assert!(extract_date_from_filename("Snapchat-1021849065.mp4").is_none());
+        assert!(extract_date_from_filename("Snapchat-1751031586660373917.jpg").is_none());
+        // Case-insensitive match — lowercase variant should also reject.
+        assert!(extract_date_from_filename("snapchat-1021849065.mp4").is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_extract_date_from_filename_snapchat_early_era_unix_epoch() {
+        // Early Snapchat (2013-2014ish) wrote real unix-second filenames.
+        // Snapchat-1383929602.jpg → 1383929602 = 2013-11-08 16:53:22 UTC.
+        // The blanket-prefix denial introduced for sequential IDs broke
+        // these — restore via a length=10 + post-launch sanity gate.
+        let date_time = extract_date_from_filename("Snapchat-1383929602.jpg").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(date_time.timestamp(), 1383929602);
+    }
+
     // The obsolete `test_memory_date_priority_*` tests covered the old
     // request-time waterfall in `get_memory_date_with_priority`. Their
     // replacement lives in `crate::date_resolver::tests` (resolver

src/personas.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,355 @@
+//! HTTP handlers for the server-side persona store.
+//!
+//! Personas previously lived only in mobile AsyncStorage; this module
+//! elevates them so they can sync across devices and so the
+//! `entity_facts.persona_id` column has something to reference.
+//!
+//! Built-in personas (default / journal / factual) are seeded by the
+//! migration. Customs are created here and may be migrated up from a
+//! device's local store via `POST /personas/migrate`.
+
+use actix_web::dev::{ServiceFactory, ServiceRequest};
+use actix_web::{App, HttpResponse, Responder, web};
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use std::sync::Mutex;
+
+use crate::data::Claims;
+use crate::database::models::Persona;
+use crate::database::{ImportPersona, PersonaDao, PersonaPatch};
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Wire shapes — camelCase out the door, snake_case from the DB.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+#[derive(Serialize)]
+pub struct PersonaView {
+    pub id: String,
+    pub name: String,
+    #[serde(rename = "systemPrompt")]
+    pub system_prompt: String,
+    #[serde(rename = "isBuiltIn")]
+    pub is_built_in: bool,
+    #[serde(rename = "includeAllMemories")]
+    pub include_all_memories: bool,
+    #[serde(rename = "createdAt")]
+    pub created_at: i64,
+    #[serde(rename = "updatedAt")]
+    pub updated_at: i64,
+    /// "Strict mode" — when true, the agent's recall_* tools return
+    /// only facts whose status is 'reviewed'. See migration
+    /// 2026-05-10-000400.
+    #[serde(rename = "reviewedOnlyFacts")]
+    pub reviewed_only_facts: bool,
+    /// Gate for the agent's update_fact / supersede_fact tools.
+    /// Default false — fresh personas let the agent create but not
+    /// alter. See migration 2026-05-10-000500.
+    #[serde(rename = "allowAgentCorrections")]
+    pub allow_agent_corrections: bool,
+}
+
+impl From<Persona> for PersonaView {
+    fn from(p: Persona) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            id: p.persona_id,
+            name: p.name,
+            system_prompt: p.system_prompt,
+            is_built_in: p.is_built_in,
+            include_all_memories: p.include_all_memories,
+            created_at: p.created_at,
+            updated_at: p.updated_at,
+            reviewed_only_facts: p.reviewed_only_facts,
+            allow_agent_corrections: p.allow_agent_corrections,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Deserialize)]
+pub struct CreatePersonaRequest {
+    pub name: String,
+    #[serde(rename = "systemPrompt")]
+    pub system_prompt: String,
+    /// Optional caller-provided id. When present (e.g. a client that
+    /// already minted `"custom-1735124234"` locally and is upgrading from
+    /// the AsyncStorage-only era), the server uses it; collisions return
+    /// 409. When absent the server mints `"custom-<ms>"`.
+    #[serde(default, rename = "personaId")]
+    pub persona_id: Option<String>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Deserialize)]
+pub struct UpdatePersonaRequest {
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub name: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(default, rename = "systemPrompt")]
+    pub system_prompt: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(default, rename = "includeAllMemories")]
+    pub include_all_memories: Option<bool>,
+    #[serde(default, rename = "reviewedOnlyFacts")]
+    pub reviewed_only_facts: Option<bool>,
+    #[serde(default, rename = "allowAgentCorrections")]
+    pub allow_agent_corrections: Option<bool>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Deserialize)]
+pub struct MigrateRequest {
+    pub personas: Vec<MigratePersona>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Deserialize)]
+pub struct MigratePersona {
+    pub id: String,
+    pub name: String,
+    #[serde(rename = "systemPrompt")]
+    pub system_prompt: String,
+    #[serde(default, rename = "isBuiltIn")]
+    pub is_built_in: bool,
+    #[serde(default, rename = "createdAt")]
+    pub created_at: Option<i64>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Serialize)]
+pub struct MigrateResponse {
+    pub inserted: usize,
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Service registration
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+pub type PersonaDaoData = web::Data<Mutex<Box<dyn PersonaDao>>>;
+
+pub fn add_persona_services<T>(app: App<T>) -> App<T>
+where
+    T: ServiceFactory<ServiceRequest, Config = (), Error = actix_web::Error, InitError = ()>,
+{
+    app.service(
+        web::scope("/personas")
+            .service(web::resource("/migrate").route(web::post().to(migrate_personas)))
+            .service(
+                web::resource("")
+                    .route(web::get().to(list_personas))
+                    .route(web::post().to(create_persona)),
+            )
+            .service(
+                web::resource("/{persona_id}")
+                    .route(web::put().to(update_persona))
+                    .route(web::delete().to(delete_persona)),
+            ),
+    )
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Handlers
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+fn user_id_from_claims(claims: &Claims) -> Option<i32> {
+    claims.sub.parse::<i32>().ok()
+}
+
+async fn list_personas(claims: Claims, dao: PersonaDaoData) -> impl Responder {
+    let Some(uid) = user_id_from_claims(&claims) else {
+        return HttpResponse::Unauthorized().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Invalid claims"}));
+    };
+    let cx = opentelemetry::Context::current();
+    let mut dao = dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock PersonaDao");
+    match dao.list_personas(&cx, uid) {
+        Ok(rows) => {
+            let views: Vec<PersonaView> = rows.into_iter().map(PersonaView::from).collect();
+            HttpResponse::Ok().json(views)
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            log::error!("list_personas error: {:?}", e);
+            HttpResponse::InternalServerError().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Database error"}))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+async fn create_persona(
+    claims: Claims,
+    body: web::Json<CreatePersonaRequest>,
+    dao: PersonaDaoData,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let Some(uid) = user_id_from_claims(&claims) else {
+        return HttpResponse::Unauthorized().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Invalid claims"}));
+    };
+
+    if body.name.trim().is_empty() {
+        return HttpResponse::BadRequest().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "name is required"}));
+    }
+    if body.system_prompt.trim().is_empty() {
+        return HttpResponse::BadRequest()
+            .json(serde_json::json!({"error": "systemPrompt is required"}));
+    }
+
+    let cx = opentelemetry::Context::current();
+    let mut dao = dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock PersonaDao");
+
+    let pid = match body.persona_id.as_deref() {
+        Some(s) if !s.trim().is_empty() => s.to_string(),
+        _ => format!("custom-{}", chrono::Utc::now().timestamp_millis()),
+    };
+
+    if matches!(pid.as_str(), "default" | "journal" | "factual") {
+        return HttpResponse::Conflict()
+            .json(serde_json::json!({"error": "persona id collides with a built-in"}));
+    }
+
+    // Pre-check existence so we can return 409 cleanly. The DB UNIQUE
+    // would also catch it, but parsing Diesel's "constraint violation"
+    // out of a generic DbError is uglier than a quick lookup.
+    if let Ok(Some(_)) = dao.get_persona(&cx, uid, &pid) {
+        return HttpResponse::Conflict()
+            .json(serde_json::json!({"error": "persona already exists"}));
+    }
+
+    match dao.create_persona(
+        &cx,
+        uid,
+        &pid,
+        &body.name,
+        &body.system_prompt,
+        false,
+        false,
+    ) {
+        Ok(p) => HttpResponse::Created().json(PersonaView::from(p)),
+        Err(e) => {
+            log::error!("create_persona error: {:?}", e);
+            HttpResponse::InternalServerError().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Database error"}))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+async fn update_persona(
+    claims: Claims,
+    path: web::Path<String>,
+    body: web::Json<UpdatePersonaRequest>,
+    dao: PersonaDaoData,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let Some(uid) = user_id_from_claims(&claims) else {
+        return HttpResponse::Unauthorized().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Invalid claims"}));
+    };
+    let pid = path.into_inner();
+    let cx = opentelemetry::Context::current();
+    let mut dao = dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock PersonaDao");
+
+    // Built-in personas are owned by the migration; the canonical voice
+    // text lives in source. A client renaming or rewriting the prompt
+    // here would diverge from what new users get seeded with and hide
+    // the operator's actual customization (their own custom persona)
+    // from the picker. `include_all_memories` stays editable on
+    // built-ins — that's a per-user preference, not the persona's
+    // identity. Mirrors the same guard delete_persona enforces below.
+    match dao.get_persona(&cx, uid, &pid) {
+        Ok(Some(p)) if p.is_built_in => {
+            let editing_identity = body.name.is_some() || body.system_prompt.is_some();
+            if editing_identity {
+                return HttpResponse::Conflict().json(serde_json::json!({
+                    "error": "Cannot edit name or systemPrompt of a built-in persona"
+                }));
+            }
+        }
+        Ok(None) => {
+            return HttpResponse::NotFound()
+                .json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Persona not found"}));
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            log::error!("update_persona lookup error: {:?}", e);
+            return HttpResponse::InternalServerError()
+                .json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Database error"}));
+        }
+        Ok(Some(_)) => {}
+    }
+
+    let patch = PersonaPatch {
+        name: body.name.clone(),
+        system_prompt: body.system_prompt.clone(),
+        include_all_memories: body.include_all_memories,
+        reviewed_only_facts: body.reviewed_only_facts,
+        allow_agent_corrections: body.allow_agent_corrections,
+    };
+    match dao.update_persona(&cx, uid, &pid, patch) {
+        Ok(Some(p)) => HttpResponse::Ok().json(PersonaView::from(p)),
+        Ok(None) => {
+            HttpResponse::NotFound().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Persona not found"}))
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            log::error!("update_persona error: {:?}", e);
+            HttpResponse::InternalServerError().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Database error"}))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+async fn delete_persona(
+    claims: Claims,
+    path: web::Path<String>,
+    dao: PersonaDaoData,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let Some(uid) = user_id_from_claims(&claims) else {
+        return HttpResponse::Unauthorized().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Invalid claims"}));
+    };
+    let pid = path.into_inner();
+    let cx = opentelemetry::Context::current();
+    let mut dao = dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock PersonaDao");
+
+    match dao.get_persona(&cx, uid, &pid) {
+        Ok(Some(p)) if p.is_built_in => {
+            return HttpResponse::Conflict()
+                .json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Cannot delete built-in persona"}));
+        }
+        Ok(None) => {
+            return HttpResponse::NotFound()
+                .json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Persona not found"}));
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            log::error!("delete_persona lookup error: {:?}", e);
+            return HttpResponse::InternalServerError()
+                .json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Database error"}));
+        }
+        Ok(Some(_)) => {}
+    }
+
+    match dao.delete_persona(&cx, uid, &pid) {
+        Ok(_) => HttpResponse::NoContent().finish(),
+        Err(e) => {
+            log::error!("delete_persona error: {:?}", e);
+            HttpResponse::InternalServerError().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Database error"}))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+async fn migrate_personas(
+    claims: Claims,
+    body: web::Json<MigrateRequest>,
+    dao: PersonaDaoData,
+) -> impl Responder {
+    let Some(uid) = user_id_from_claims(&claims) else {
+        return HttpResponse::Unauthorized().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Invalid claims"}));
+    };
+    let cx = opentelemetry::Context::current();
+    let mut dao = dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock PersonaDao");
+
+    // Filter out built-in ids — those are already seeded by the
+    // migration and re-importing them would be a no-op anyway thanks to
+    // INSERT OR IGNORE, but skipping early avoids the UNIQUE round-trip.
+    let now = chrono::Utc::now().timestamp_millis();
+    let rows: Vec<ImportPersona> = body
+        .personas
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|p| !matches!(p.id.as_str(), "default" | "journal" | "factual"))
+        .map(|p| ImportPersona {
+            persona_id: p.id.clone(),
+            name: p.name.clone(),
+            system_prompt: p.system_prompt.clone(),
+            is_built_in: p.is_built_in,
+            created_at: p.created_at.unwrap_or(now),
+        })
+        .collect();
+
+    match dao.bulk_import(&cx, uid, &rows) {
+        Ok(inserted) => HttpResponse::Ok().json(MigrateResponse { inserted }),
+        Err(e) => {
+            log::error!("migrate_personas error: {:?}", e);
+            HttpResponse::InternalServerError().json(serde_json::json!({"error": "Database error"}))
+        }
+    }
+}

src/state.rs

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ use crate::database::{
     connect,
 };
 use crate::database::{PreviewDao, SqlitePreviewDao};
+use crate::faces;
 use crate::libraries::{self, Library, LibraryHealthMap};
 use crate::tags::{SqliteTagDao, TagDao};
 use crate::video::actors::{
@@ -17,15 +18,25 @@ use crate::video::actors::{
 };
 use actix::{Actor, Addr};
 use std::env;
-use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
+use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex, RwLock};
 
 pub struct AppState {
     pub stream_manager: Arc<Addr<StreamActor>>,
     pub playlist_manager: Arc<Addr<VideoPlaylistManager>>,
     pub preview_clip_generator: Arc<Addr<PreviewClipGenerator>>,
     /// All configured media libraries. Ordered by `id` ascending; the first
-    /// entry is the primary library.
+    /// entry is the primary library. Frozen at startup — handlers that
+    /// only need stable lookup (id → name / root_path) read this. Mutable
+    /// flags (`enabled`, `excluded_dirs`) reflect their startup values;
+    /// for live state see [`AppState::live_libraries`].
     pub libraries: Vec<Library>,
+    /// Live view of the libraries table, shared mutably between the
+    /// watcher (which reads it at the top of each tick to honour the
+    /// latest `enabled` / `excluded_dirs`) and the PATCH /libraries/{id}
+    /// handler (which writes it on a successful mutation). The split
+    /// from [`AppState::libraries`] is deliberate: handlers that only
+    /// look up by id don't need to take a lock per request.
+    pub live_libraries: Arc<RwLock<Vec<Library>>>,
     /// Per-library availability snapshot. Updated by the file watcher at
     /// the top of each tick via `libraries::refresh_health`. HTTP handlers
     /// read it (e.g. `/libraries` surfacing). See "Library availability
@@ -111,11 +122,13 @@ impl AppState {
         );
 
         let library_health = libraries::new_health_map(&libraries_vec);
+        let live_libraries = Arc::new(RwLock::new(libraries_vec.clone()));
         Self {
             stream_manager,
             playlist_manager: Arc::new(video_playlist_manager.start()),
             preview_clip_generator: Arc::new(preview_clip_generator.start()),
             libraries: libraries_vec,
+            live_libraries,
             library_health,
             base_path,
             thumbnail_path,
@@ -206,6 +219,11 @@ impl Default for AppState {
             Arc::new(Mutex::new(Box::new(SqliteTagDao::default())));
         let knowledge_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn KnowledgeDao>>> =
             Arc::new(Mutex::new(Box::new(SqliteKnowledgeDao::new())));
+        let persona_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn crate::database::PersonaDao>>> = Arc::new(Mutex::new(
+            Box::new(crate::database::SqlitePersonaDao::new()),
+        ));
+        let face_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn faces::FaceDao>>> =
+            Arc::new(Mutex::new(Box::new(faces::SqliteFaceDao::new())));
 
         // Load base path and ensure the primary library row reflects it.
         let base_path = env::var("BASE_PATH").expect("BASE_PATH was not set in the env");
@@ -231,7 +249,9 @@ impl Default for AppState {
             location_dao.clone(),
             search_dao.clone(),
             tag_dao.clone(),
+            face_dao.clone(),
             knowledge_dao,
+            persona_dao,
             libraries_vec.clone(),
         );
 
@@ -348,6 +368,11 @@ impl AppState {
             Arc::new(Mutex::new(Box::new(SqliteTagDao::default())));
         let knowledge_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn KnowledgeDao>>> =
             Arc::new(Mutex::new(Box::new(SqliteKnowledgeDao::new())));
+        let persona_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn crate::database::PersonaDao>>> = Arc::new(Mutex::new(
+            Box::new(crate::database::SqlitePersonaDao::new()),
+        ));
+        let face_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn faces::FaceDao>>> =
+            Arc::new(Mutex::new(Box::new(faces::SqliteFaceDao::new())));
 
         // Initialize test InsightGenerator with all data sources
         let base_path_str = base_path.to_string_lossy().to_string();
@@ -370,7 +395,9 @@ impl AppState {
             location_dao.clone(),
             search_dao.clone(),
             tag_dao.clone(),
+            face_dao.clone(),
             knowledge_dao,
+            persona_dao,
             vec![test_lib],
         );
 

src/thumbnails.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,275 @@
+//! Thumbnail generation + the media-count Prometheus gauges.
+//!
+//! Startup and per-tick scans walk each library and produce a 200×200
+//! thumbnail under `THUMBNAILS/<library_id>/<rel_path>`, falling through
+//! a fast path (`image` crate), a RAW-preview path (`exif::extract_embedded_jpeg_preview`),
+//! and ffmpeg for video / HEIF / NEF / ARW. Files that fail every
+//! decoder get a sibling `.unsupported` sentinel so subsequent scans
+//! skip them silently.
+
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+
+use lazy_static::lazy_static;
+use log::{debug, error, info, warn};
+use opentelemetry::{
+    KeyValue,
+    trace::{Span, TraceContextExt, Tracer},
+};
+use prometheus::IntGauge;
+use rayon::prelude::*;
+use walkdir::DirEntry;
+
+use crate::content_hash;
+use crate::exif;
+use crate::file_types;
+use crate::libraries;
+use crate::otel::global_tracer;
+use crate::video::actors::{generate_image_thumbnail_ffmpeg, generate_video_thumbnail};
+
+lazy_static! {
+    pub static ref IMAGE_GAUGE: IntGauge = IntGauge::new(
+        "imageserver_image_total",
+        "Count of the images on the server"
+    )
+    .unwrap();
+    pub static ref VIDEO_GAUGE: IntGauge = IntGauge::new(
+        "imageserver_video_total",
+        "Count of the videos on the server"
+    )
+    .unwrap();
+}
+
+/// Sentinel path written next to a would-be thumbnail when a file cannot be
+/// decoded by either the `image` crate or ffmpeg. Its presence causes future
+/// scans to skip the file instead of re-logging the failure.
+pub fn unsupported_thumbnail_sentinel(thumb_path: &Path) -> PathBuf {
+    let mut s = thumb_path.as_os_str().to_owned();
+    s.push(".unsupported");
+    PathBuf::from(s)
+}
+
+pub fn generate_image_thumbnail(src: &Path, thumb_path: &Path) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+    // The `image` crate doesn't auto-apply EXIF Orientation on load, and
+    // saving back out as JPEG drops EXIF entirely — so without baking the
+    // rotation into the pixels here, browsers see the raw landscape buffer
+    // of a portrait phone shot and render it sideways. Read once up front
+    // and apply to whichever decode branch we end up taking.
+    let orientation = exif::read_orientation(src).unwrap_or(1);
+
+    // RAW formats (ARW/NEF/CR2/etc): try the file's embedded JPEG preview
+    // first. Avoids ffmpeg choking on proprietary RAW compression (Sony ARW
+    // in particular), and is faster than decoding RAW pixels anyway.
+    if let Some(preview) = exif::extract_embedded_jpeg_preview(src) {
+        let img = image::load_from_memory(&preview).map_err(|e| {
+            std::io::Error::new(
+                std::io::ErrorKind::InvalidData,
+                format!("decode embedded preview {:?}: {}", src, e),
+            )
+        })?;
+        let img = exif::apply_orientation(img, orientation);
+        let scaled = img.thumbnail(200, u32::MAX);
+        scaled
+            .save_with_format(thumb_path, image::ImageFormat::Jpeg)
+            .map_err(|e| std::io::Error::other(format!("save {:?}: {}", thumb_path, e)))?;
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+
+    if file_types::needs_ffmpeg_thumbnail(src) {
+        return generate_image_thumbnail_ffmpeg(src, thumb_path);
+    }
+
+    let img = image::open(src).map_err(|e| {
+        std::io::Error::new(std::io::ErrorKind::InvalidData, format!("{:?}: {}", src, e))
+    })?;
+    let img = exif::apply_orientation(img, orientation);
+    let scaled = img.thumbnail(200, u32::MAX);
+    scaled
+        .save(thumb_path)
+        .map_err(|e| std::io::Error::other(format!("save {:?}: {}", thumb_path, e)))?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+pub fn create_thumbnails(libs: &[libraries::Library], excluded_dirs: &[String]) {
+    let tracer = global_tracer();
+    let span = tracer.start("creating thumbnails");
+
+    let thumbs = &dotenv::var("THUMBNAILS").expect("THUMBNAILS not defined");
+    let thumbnail_directory: &Path = Path::new(thumbs);
+
+    for lib in libs {
+        info!(
+            "Scanning thumbnails for library '{}' at {}",
+            lib.name, lib.root_path
+        );
+        let images = PathBuf::from(&lib.root_path);
+        // Effective excludes = global env-var excludes ∪ library row's
+        // excluded_dirs. Lets a parent-library mount skip the subtree
+        // already covered by a child library.
+        let effective_excludes = lib.effective_excluded_dirs(excluded_dirs);
+
+        // Prune EXCLUDED_DIRS so we don't generate thumbnails-of-thumbnails
+        // for Synology @eaDir trees. file_scan handles filter_entry pruning.
+        crate::file_scan::walk_library_files(&images, &effective_excludes)
+            .into_par_iter()
+            .for_each(|entry| {
+                let src = entry.path();
+                let Ok(relative_path) = src.strip_prefix(&images) else {
+                    return;
+                };
+                // Library-scoped legacy path: prevents two libraries with
+                // the same rel_path from clobbering each other's thumbs.
+                // Hash-keyed promotion happens lazily on first hash-aware
+                // request — keeping this loop ExifDao-free preserves the
+                // current "cargo build && go" startup story.
+                let thumb_path = content_hash::library_scoped_legacy_path(
+                    thumbnail_directory,
+                    lib.id,
+                    relative_path,
+                );
+                let bare_legacy = thumbnail_directory.join(relative_path);
+
+                // Backwards-compat check: if a single-library install has a
+                // bare-legacy thumb here already, accept it as present.
+                // Same for the sentinel. Means we don't redo work after
+                // upgrade and we don't leave stale duplicates around.
+                if thumb_path.exists()
+                    || bare_legacy.exists()
+                    || unsupported_thumbnail_sentinel(&thumb_path).exists()
+                    || unsupported_thumbnail_sentinel(&bare_legacy).exists()
+                {
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                let Some(parent) = thumb_path.parent() else {
+                    return;
+                };
+                if let Err(e) = std::fs::create_dir_all(parent) {
+                    error!("Failed to create thumbnail dir {:?}: {}", parent, e);
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                if is_video(&entry) {
+                    let mut video_span = tracer.start_with_context(
+                        "generate_video_thumbnail",
+                        &opentelemetry::Context::new()
+                            .with_remote_span_context(span.span_context().clone()),
+                    );
+                    video_span.set_attributes(vec![
+                        KeyValue::new("type", "video"),
+                        KeyValue::new("file-name", thumb_path.display().to_string()),
+                        KeyValue::new("library", lib.name.clone()),
+                    ]);
+
+                    debug!("Generating video thumbnail: {:?}", thumb_path);
+                    if let Err(e) = generate_video_thumbnail(src, &thumb_path) {
+                        let sentinel = unsupported_thumbnail_sentinel(&thumb_path);
+                        error!(
+                            "Unable to thumbnail video {:?}: {}. Writing sentinel {:?}",
+                            src, e, sentinel
+                        );
+                        if let Err(se) = std::fs::write(&sentinel, b"") {
+                            warn!("Failed to write sentinel {:?}: {}", sentinel, se);
+                        }
+                    }
+                    video_span.end();
+                } else if is_image(&entry) {
+                    match generate_image_thumbnail(src, &thumb_path) {
+                        Ok(_) => info!("Saved thumbnail: {:?}", thumb_path),
+                        Err(e) => {
+                            let sentinel = unsupported_thumbnail_sentinel(&thumb_path);
+                            error!(
+                                "Unable to thumbnail {:?}: {}. Writing sentinel {:?}",
+                                src, e, sentinel
+                            );
+                            if let Err(se) = std::fs::write(&sentinel, b"") {
+                                warn!("Failed to write sentinel {:?}: {}", sentinel, se);
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            });
+    }
+
+    debug!("Finished making thumbnails");
+
+    for lib in libs {
+        let effective_excludes = lib.effective_excluded_dirs(excluded_dirs);
+        update_media_counts(Path::new(&lib.root_path), &effective_excludes);
+    }
+}
+
+pub fn update_media_counts(media_dir: &Path, excluded_dirs: &[String]) {
+    let mut image_count = 0;
+    let mut video_count = 0;
+    for entry in crate::file_scan::walk_library_files(media_dir, excluded_dirs) {
+        if is_image(&entry) {
+            image_count += 1;
+        } else if is_video(&entry) {
+            video_count += 1;
+        }
+    }
+
+    IMAGE_GAUGE.set(image_count);
+    VIDEO_GAUGE.set(video_count);
+}
+
+pub fn is_image(entry: &DirEntry) -> bool {
+    file_types::direntry_is_image(entry)
+}
+
+pub fn is_video(entry: &DirEntry) -> bool {
+    file_types::direntry_is_video(entry)
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use std::fs;
+    use tempfile::TempDir;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn unsupported_thumbnail_sentinel_appends_suffix() {
+        let p = Path::new("/thumbs/lib1/photo.jpg");
+        let s = unsupported_thumbnail_sentinel(p);
+        assert_eq!(s, PathBuf::from("/thumbs/lib1/photo.jpg.unsupported"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn unsupported_thumbnail_sentinel_preserves_extension_so_existing_thumb_is_distinct() {
+        // A future scan checks both `thumb.exists()` and
+        // `sentinel.exists()` — they must be distinct paths.
+        let p = Path::new("foo.jpeg");
+        let s = unsupported_thumbnail_sentinel(p);
+        assert_ne!(s, PathBuf::from("foo.jpeg"));
+        assert!(s.to_string_lossy().ends_with(".unsupported"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn unsupported_thumbnail_sentinel_handles_paths_without_extension() {
+        let p = Path::new("/thumbs/notes");
+        let s = unsupported_thumbnail_sentinel(p);
+        assert_eq!(s, PathBuf::from("/thumbs/notes.unsupported"));
+    }
+
+    /// Smoke-test update_media_counts: build a tempdir with two images
+    /// and one video, run the walker, and assert the gauges line up.
+    /// Exercises the is_image / is_video classifier on real DirEntry
+    /// values without needing a Prometheus registry.
+    #[test]
+    fn update_media_counts_counts_images_and_videos_in_tempdir() {
+        let tmp = TempDir::new().expect("tempdir");
+        fs::write(tmp.path().join("a.jpg"), b"").unwrap();
+        fs::write(tmp.path().join("b.png"), b"").unwrap();
+        fs::write(tmp.path().join("c.mp4"), b"").unwrap();
+        fs::write(tmp.path().join("notes.txt"), b"").unwrap();
+        // Reset gauges first in case another test mutated them — the
+        // gauges are process-global statics.
+        IMAGE_GAUGE.set(0);
+        VIDEO_GAUGE.set(0);
+
+        update_media_counts(tmp.path(), &[]);
+
+        assert_eq!(IMAGE_GAUGE.get(), 2, "jpg + png");
+        assert_eq!(VIDEO_GAUGE.get(), 1, "mp4");
+    }
+}

src/video/actors.rs

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 use crate::database::PreviewDao;
-use crate::is_video;
 use crate::libraries::Library;
 use crate::otel::global_tracer;
-use crate::video::ffmpeg::generate_preview_clip;
+use crate::thumbnails::is_video;
+use crate::video::ffmpeg::{generate_preview_clip, get_duration_seconds_blocking};
 use actix::prelude::*;
 use log::{debug, error, info, trace, warn};
 use opentelemetry::KeyValue;
@@ -107,19 +107,62 @@ pub async fn create_playlist(video_path: &str, playlist_file: &str) -> Result<Ch
     result
 }
 
-pub fn generate_video_thumbnail(path: &Path, destination: &Path) {
-    Command::new("ffmpeg")
-        .arg("-ss")
-        .arg("3")
+pub fn generate_video_thumbnail(path: &Path, destination: &Path) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+    // Probe duration up front and seek to ~50% — gives a more
+    // representative frame than a fixed offset (skipping title cards on
+    // long videos, landing inside the clip on 1–2s Snapchat MP4s) and
+    // sidesteps the seek-past-EOF class of bug entirely. When duration
+    // probing fails (LRV files, fragmented MP4s, ffprobe missing) fall
+    // back to the first frame: ugly but reliable.
+    //
+    // -vf scale + -c:v mjpeg mirrors `generate_image_thumbnail_ffmpeg`. The
+    // filter chain matters as much as the scale does: without it, ffmpeg
+    // hands the decoded frame straight to the mjpeg encoder, which rejects
+    // any non-yuvj420p source ("Non full-range YUV is non-standard"). The
+    // filter chain lets ffmpeg auto-insert the pix_fmt converter the
+    // encoder needs, which is how the image-thumbnail path already handles
+    // the same class of source.
+    let seek = get_duration_seconds_blocking(path).map(|d| format!("{:.3}", d / 2.0));
+
+    let mut cmd = Command::new("ffmpeg");
+    cmd.arg("-y");
+    if let Some(s) = &seek {
+        cmd.arg("-ss").arg(s);
+    }
+    let output = cmd
         .arg("-i")
-        .arg(path.to_str().unwrap())
+        .arg(path)
         .arg("-vframes")
         .arg("1")
+        .arg("-vf")
+        .arg("scale=200:-1")
         .arg("-f")
         .arg("image2")
+        .arg("-c:v")
+        .arg("mjpeg")
         .arg(destination)
-        .output()
-        .expect("Failure to create video frame");
+        .output()?;
+
+    if !output.status.success() {
+        return Err(std::io::Error::other(format!(
+            "ffmpeg failed ({}): {}",
+            output.status,
+            String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr).trim()
+        )));
+    }
+    // ffmpeg can exit 0 without writing a frame for malformed files where
+    // the probe duration lies. Confirm a non-empty file actually landed —
+    // returning Err makes the caller write the `.unsupported` sentinel so
+    // we stop re-detecting on every scan.
+    let wrote = std::fs::metadata(destination)
+        .map(|m| m.len() > 0)
+        .unwrap_or(false);
+    if !wrote {
+        return Err(std::io::Error::other(
+            "ffmpeg exited successfully but produced no thumbnail output",
+        ));
+    }
+    Ok(())
 }
 
 /// Use ffmpeg to extract a 200px-wide thumbnail from formats the `image` crate

src/video/ffmpeg.rs

@@ -223,20 +223,83 @@ impl Ffmpeg {
 }
 
 /// Get video duration in seconds as f64 for precise interval calculation.
-async fn get_duration_seconds(input_file: &str) -> Result<f64> {
-    Command::new("ffprobe")
-        .args(["-i", input_file])
-        .args(["-show_entries", "format=duration"])
+///
+/// Returns `Ok(None)` when ffprobe runs successfully but the container has no
+/// readable duration (notably GoPro `LRV` low-res preview files, some
+/// fragmented MP4s, and short Snapchat clips with stripped headers). Callers
+/// can fall back to a duration-agnostic encode rather than treating this as
+/// a hard failure — previously the `parse::<f64>` on empty stdout produced
+/// "cannot parse float from empty string" and poisoned the preview-clip row
+/// with status=failed, which the watcher would re-queue every full scan.
+async fn get_duration_seconds(input_file: &str) -> Result<Option<f64>> {
+    if let Some(d) = probe_duration(input_file, "format=duration").await? {
+        return Ok(Some(d));
+    }
+    // Fall back to the per-stream duration — populated for some MP4s where
+    // the format-level duration tag is missing.
+    probe_duration(input_file, "stream=duration").await
+}
+
+/// Synchronous cousin of `get_duration_seconds`, for callers running on
+/// blocking thread pools (Rayon). Same fallback strategy: tries
+/// `format=duration`, then `stream=duration`. Returns `None` for any
+/// failure — ffprobe missing, container without a duration tag, parse
+/// error — so callers can pick a duration-agnostic default.
+pub fn get_duration_seconds_blocking(input_file: &std::path::Path) -> Option<f64> {
+    if let Some(d) = probe_duration_blocking(input_file, "format=duration") {
+        return Some(d);
+    }
+    probe_duration_blocking(input_file, "stream=duration")
+}
+
+fn probe_duration_blocking(input_file: &std::path::Path, show_entries: &str) -> Option<f64> {
+    let out = std::process::Command::new("ffprobe")
         .args(["-v", "quiet"])
+        .args(["-show_entries", show_entries])
         .args(["-of", "csv=p=0"])
+        .arg("-i")
+        .arg(input_file)
         .output()
-        .await
-        .map(|out| String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout).trim().to_string())
-        .and_then(|duration_str| {
-            duration_str
-                .parse::<f64>()
-                .map_err(|e| std::io::Error::other(e.to_string()))
-        })
+        .ok()?;
+    let raw = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout);
+    parse_ffprobe_duration(&raw)
+}
+
+async fn probe_duration(input_file: &str, show_entries: &str) -> Result<Option<f64>> {
+    let out = Command::new("ffprobe")
+        .args(["-v", "quiet"])
+        .args(["-show_entries", show_entries])
+        .args(["-of", "csv=p=0"])
+        .args(["-i", input_file])
+        .output()
+        .await?;
+    let raw = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout);
+    Ok(parse_ffprobe_duration(&raw))
+}
+
+/// Parse ffprobe's `csv=p=0` duration output. Returns the first valid
+/// positive finite duration, or `None` when there isn't one.
+///
+/// Stream-level queries (`-show_entries stream=duration`) emit one value per
+/// stream, one per line; format-level queries emit a single line. The shape
+/// also varies — `N/A` for streams without a known duration, empty string
+/// for containers without the tag at all, and (rarely) `0`/`-1` for
+/// fragmented MP4s. All of those have to map to `None` so the caller can
+/// fall back to a duration-agnostic encode.
+fn parse_ffprobe_duration(stdout: &str) -> Option<f64> {
+    for line in stdout.lines() {
+        let trimmed = line.trim();
+        if trimmed.is_empty() || trimmed == "N/A" {
+            continue;
+        }
+        if let Ok(d) = trimmed.parse::<f64>()
+            && d.is_finite()
+            && d > 0.0
+        {
+            return Some(d);
+        }
+    }
+    None
 }
 
 /// Generate a preview clip from a video file.
@@ -268,28 +331,39 @@ pub async fn generate_preview_clip(input_file: &str, output_file: &str) -> Resul
 
     cmd.arg("-i").arg(input_file);
 
-    if duration < 1.0 {
-        // Very short video (<1s): transcode the whole thing to 480p MP4
-        // format=yuv420p ensures 10-bit sources are converted to 8-bit for h264_nvenc
-        cmd.args(["-vf", "scale=-2:480,format=yuv420p"]);
-    } else {
-        let segment_count = if duration < 10.0 {
-            duration.floor() as u32
-        } else {
-            10
-        };
-        let interval = duration / segment_count as f64;
-
-        // format=yuv420p ensures 10-bit sources are converted to 8-bit for h264_nvenc
-        let vf = format!(
-            "select='lt(mod(t,{:.4}),1)',setpts=N/FRAME_RATE/TB,fps=30,scale=-2:480,format=yuv420p",
-            interval
-        );
-        let af = format!("aselect='lt(mod(t,{:.4}),1)',asetpts=N/SR/TB", interval);
-
-        cmd.args(["-vf", &vf]);
-        cmd.args(["-af", &af]);
-    }
+    // Branch on duration. `None` means ffprobe couldn't tell us — we treat
+    // it like the <1s case and just transcode the whole file. The selected
+    // clip-duration we report back is computed alongside, so callers don't
+    // need to re-probe.
+    let clip_duration = match duration {
+        None => {
+            warn!(
+                "Unknown duration for '{}', transcoding whole file as preview",
+                input_file
+            );
+            cmd.args(["-vf", "scale=-2:480,format=yuv420p"]);
+            // Cap the encode at 10s so a long video with stripped duration
+            // metadata doesn't spend forever generating a "preview".
+            cmd.args(["-t", "10"]);
+            10.0
+        }
+        Some(d) if d < 1.0 => {
+            cmd.args(["-vf", "scale=-2:480,format=yuv420p"]);
+            d
+        }
+        Some(d) => {
+            let segment_count = if d < 10.0 { d.floor() as u32 } else { 10 };
+            let interval = d / segment_count as f64;
+            let vf = format!(
+                "select='lt(mod(t,{:.4}),1)',setpts=N/FRAME_RATE/TB,fps=30,scale=-2:480,format=yuv420p",
+                interval
+            );
+            let af = format!("aselect='lt(mod(t,{:.4}),1)',asetpts=N/SR/TB", interval);
+            cmd.args(["-vf", &vf]);
+            cmd.args(["-af", &af]);
+            if d < 10.0 { d.floor() } else { 10.0 }
+        }
+    };
 
     // Force 30fps output so high-framerate sources (60fps) don't play back
     // at double speed due to select/setpts timestamp mismatches.
@@ -320,14 +394,6 @@ pub async fn generate_preview_clip(input_file: &str, output_file: &str) -> Resul
     let metadata = std::fs::metadata(output_file)?;
     let file_size = metadata.len();
 
-    let clip_duration = if duration < 1.0 {
-        duration
-    } else if duration < 10.0 {
-        duration.floor()
-    } else {
-        10.0
-    };
-
     info!(
         "Generated preview clip '{}' ({:.1}s, {} bytes) in {:?}",
         output_file,
@@ -338,3 +404,69 @@ pub async fn generate_preview_clip(input_file: &str, output_file: &str) -> Resul
 
     Ok((clip_duration, file_size))
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::parse_ffprobe_duration;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn empty_output_returns_none() {
+        // The original bug: ffprobe -show_entries format=duration returned
+        // "" for some GoPro LRV files, and `parse::<f64>` panicked with
+        // "cannot parse float from empty string".
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration(""), None);
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("\n"), None);
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("   \n  \n"), None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn na_returns_none() {
+        // ffprobe emits "N/A" for streams without a known duration.
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("N/A"), None);
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("N/A\nN/A\n"), None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parses_simple_duration() {
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("12.345"), Some(12.345));
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("12.345\n"), Some(12.345));
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("0.5"), Some(0.5));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_non_positive_durations() {
+        // Fragmented MP4s and broken containers occasionally report 0 or a
+        // negative duration. Treat as "unknown" so the caller falls back to
+        // whole-file transcoding rather than dividing by zero downstream.
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("0"), None);
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("0.0"), None);
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("-1.5"), None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_non_finite_durations() {
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("inf"), None);
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("nan"), None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn first_valid_line_wins_for_stream_query() {
+        // `-show_entries stream=duration` emits one value per stream. For a
+        // video file the video stream is first; we accept it and ignore
+        // any audio-stream values that follow.
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("12.5\n8.3\n"), Some(12.5));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn skips_leading_na_and_blank_lines() {
+        // Stream queries can put N/A first (e.g. data stream before the
+        // video stream); the parser should keep scanning.
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("N/A\n\n7.25\n"), Some(7.25));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_garbage() {
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("not a number"), None);
+        assert_eq!(parse_ffprobe_duration("12.5abc"), None);
+    }
+}

src/video/mod.rs

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 use crate::otel::global_tracer;
+use crate::thumbnails::{is_video, update_media_counts};
 use crate::video::ffmpeg::{Ffmpeg, GifType};
-use crate::{is_video, update_media_counts};
 use log::info;
 use opentelemetry::trace::Tracer;
 use std::fs;

src/watcher.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,975 @@
+//! Background file-watcher loop + the orphaned-playlist cleanup job.
+//!
+//! `watch_files` spins a thread that, on every tick (default 60 s
+//! quick-scan / 3600 s full-scan), probes each library's availability,
+//! drains the unhashed / date / face-detection backlogs via
+//! [`crate::backfill`], walks newly-modified files through
+//! [`process_new_files`], updates the media-count gauges, and runs the
+//! three-stage maintenance pipeline (missing-file scan → back-ref
+//! refresh → orphan GC).
+//!
+//! `cleanup_orphaned_playlists` runs on a slower interval (default 24
+//! hours) and reaps HLS playlists whose source videos no longer exist
+//! in any library. Both jobs respect [`crate::libraries::LibraryHealthMap`]
+//! — a stale library skips destructive paths so transient unmounts
+//! don't trigger data loss.
+
+use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex, RwLock};
+use std::time::{Duration, SystemTime};
+
+use actix::Addr;
+use chrono::Utc;
+use log::{debug, error, info, warn};
+use walkdir::WalkDir;
+
+use crate::backfill;
+use crate::content_hash;
+use crate::database::models::InsertImageExif;
+use crate::database::{ExifDao, PreviewDao, SqliteExifDao, SqlitePreviewDao};
+use crate::date_resolver;
+use crate::exif;
+use crate::face_watch;
+use crate::faces;
+use crate::file_types;
+use crate::libraries;
+use crate::library_maintenance;
+use crate::perceptual_hash;
+use crate::tags;
+use crate::tags::SqliteTagDao;
+use crate::thumbnails;
+use crate::video;
+use crate::video::actors::{GeneratePreviewClipMessage, QueueVideosMessage, VideoPlaylistManager};
+
+/// Clean up orphaned HLS playlists and segments whose source videos no longer exist.
+///
+/// `libs_lock` is the shared live view of the libraries table — read at the
+/// top of each cleanup pass so a PATCH /libraries/{id} that disables or
+/// re-mounts a library is picked up without a restart.
+pub fn cleanup_orphaned_playlists(
+    libs_lock: Arc<RwLock<Vec<libraries::Library>>>,
+    excluded_dirs: Vec<String>,
+    library_health: libraries::LibraryHealthMap,
+) {
+    std::thread::spawn(move || {
+        let video_path = dotenv::var("VIDEO_PATH").expect("VIDEO_PATH must be set");
+
+        // Get cleanup interval from environment (default: 24 hours)
+        let cleanup_interval_secs = dotenv::var("PLAYLIST_CLEANUP_INTERVAL_SECONDS")
+            .ok()
+            .and_then(|s| s.parse::<u64>().ok())
+            .unwrap_or(86400); // 24 hours
+
+        info!("Starting orphaned playlist cleanup job");
+        info!("  Cleanup interval: {} seconds", cleanup_interval_secs);
+        info!("  Playlist directory: {}", video_path);
+        {
+            let libs = libs_lock.read().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner());
+            for lib in libs.iter() {
+                info!(
+                    "  Checking sources under '{}' at {}",
+                    lib.name, lib.root_path
+                );
+            }
+        }
+
+        loop {
+            std::thread::sleep(Duration::from_secs(cleanup_interval_secs));
+
+            // Fresh snapshot per tick so a PATCH /libraries/{id} that
+            // disabled a library (or rewrote its excluded_dirs) is
+            // honoured immediately.
+            let libs: Vec<libraries::Library> =
+                libs_lock.read().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner()).clone();
+
+            // Safety gate: skip the cleanup cycle if any library is
+            // stale. A missing source video on a stale library is
+            // indistinguishable from a transient unmount, and the
+            // cleanup is destructive — we'd rather leak a few playlist
+            // files for a tick than delete one whose source is briefly
+            // unreachable. The cycle re-runs on the next interval.
+            {
+                let guard = library_health.read().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner());
+                let stale: Vec<String> = libs
+                    .iter()
+                    .filter(|lib| guard.get(&lib.id).map(|h| !h.is_online()).unwrap_or(false))
+                    .map(|lib| lib.name.clone())
+                    .collect();
+                if !stale.is_empty() {
+                    warn!(
+                        "Skipping orphaned-playlist cleanup: {} library(ies) stale: [{}]",
+                        stale.len(),
+                        stale.join(", ")
+                    );
+                    continue;
+                }
+            }
+
+            info!("Running orphaned playlist cleanup");
+            let start = std::time::Instant::now();
+            let mut deleted_count = 0;
+            let mut error_count = 0;
+
+            // Find all .m3u8 files in VIDEO_PATH
+            let playlists: Vec<PathBuf> = WalkDir::new(&video_path)
+                .into_iter()
+                .filter_map(|e| e.ok())
+                .filter(|e| e.file_type().is_file())
+                .filter(|e| {
+                    e.path()
+                        .extension()
+                        .and_then(|s| s.to_str())
+                        .map(|ext| ext.eq_ignore_ascii_case("m3u8"))
+                        .unwrap_or(false)
+                })
+                .map(|e| e.path().to_path_buf())
+                .collect();
+
+            info!("Found {} playlist files to check", playlists.len());
+
+            for playlist_path in playlists {
+                // Extract the original video filename from playlist name
+                // Playlist format: {VIDEO_PATH}/{original_filename}.m3u8
+                if let Some(filename) = playlist_path.file_stem() {
+                    let video_filename = filename.to_string_lossy();
+
+                    // Search for this video file across every configured
+                    // library, respecting EXCLUDED_DIRS so we don't
+                    // false-resurrect playlists for videos that only
+                    // exist inside an excluded subtree. As soon as one
+                    // library has a matching source, we're done — the
+                    // playlist isn't orphaned.
+                    let mut video_exists = false;
+                    'libs: for lib in &libs {
+                        let effective = lib.effective_excluded_dirs(&excluded_dirs);
+                        for entry in image_api::file_scan::walk_library_files(
+                            Path::new(&lib.root_path),
+                            &effective,
+                        ) {
+                            if let Some(entry_stem) = entry.path().file_stem()
+                                && entry_stem == filename
+                                && file_types::is_video_file(entry.path())
+                            {
+                                video_exists = true;
+                                break 'libs;
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    if !video_exists {
+                        debug!(
+                            "Source video for playlist {} no longer exists, deleting",
+                            playlist_path.display()
+                        );
+
+                        // Delete the playlist file
+                        if let Err(e) = std::fs::remove_file(&playlist_path) {
+                            warn!(
+                                "Failed to delete playlist {}: {}",
+                                playlist_path.display(),
+                                e
+                            );
+                            error_count += 1;
+                        } else {
+                            deleted_count += 1;
+
+                            // Also try to delete associated .ts segment files
+                            // They are typically named {filename}N.ts in the same directory
+                            if let Some(parent_dir) = playlist_path.parent() {
+                                for entry in WalkDir::new(parent_dir)
+                                    .max_depth(1)
+                                    .into_iter()
+                                    .filter_map(|e| e.ok())
+                                    .filter(|e| e.file_type().is_file())
+                                {
+                                    let entry_path = entry.path();
+                                    if let Some(ext) = entry_path.extension()
+                                        && ext.eq_ignore_ascii_case("ts")
+                                    {
+                                        // Check if this .ts file belongs to our playlist
+                                        if let Some(ts_stem) = entry_path.file_stem() {
+                                            let ts_name = ts_stem.to_string_lossy();
+                                            if ts_name.starts_with(&*video_filename) {
+                                                if let Err(e) = std::fs::remove_file(entry_path) {
+                                                    debug!(
+                                                        "Failed to delete segment {}: {}",
+                                                        entry_path.display(),
+                                                        e
+                                                    );
+                                                } else {
+                                                    debug!(
+                                                        "Deleted segment: {}",
+                                                        entry_path.display()
+                                                    );
+                                                }
+                                            }
+                                        }
+                                    }
+                                }
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            info!(
+                "Orphaned playlist cleanup completed in {:?}: deleted {} playlists, {} errors",
+                start.elapsed(),
+                deleted_count,
+                error_count
+            );
+        }
+    });
+}
+
+pub fn watch_files(
+    libs_lock: Arc<RwLock<Vec<libraries::Library>>>,
+    playlist_manager: Addr<VideoPlaylistManager>,
+    preview_generator: Addr<video::actors::PreviewClipGenerator>,
+    face_client: crate::ai::face_client::FaceClient,
+    excluded_dirs: Vec<String>,
+    library_health: libraries::LibraryHealthMap,
+) {
+    std::thread::spawn(move || {
+        // Get polling intervals from environment variables
+        // Quick scan: Check recently modified files (default: 60 seconds)
+        let quick_interval_secs = dotenv::var("WATCH_QUICK_INTERVAL_SECONDS")
+            .ok()
+            .and_then(|s| s.parse::<u64>().ok())
+            .unwrap_or(60);
+
+        // Full scan: Check all files regardless of modification time (default: 3600 seconds = 1 hour)
+        let full_interval_secs = dotenv::var("WATCH_FULL_INTERVAL_SECONDS")
+            .ok()
+            .and_then(|s| s.parse::<u64>().ok())
+            .unwrap_or(3600);
+
+        info!("Starting optimized file watcher");
+        info!("  Quick scan interval: {} seconds", quick_interval_secs);
+        info!("  Full scan interval: {} seconds", full_interval_secs);
+        // Surface face-detection state at boot so it's obvious whether
+        // the watcher will hit Apollo. The branch silently no-ops when
+        // disabled (intentional for legacy deploys), which makes "why
+        // aren't faces being detected?" hard to diagnose otherwise.
+        if face_client.is_enabled() {
+            info!("  Face detection: ENABLED");
+        } else {
+            info!(
+                "  Face detection: DISABLED (set APOLLO_FACE_API_BASE_URL \
+                 or APOLLO_API_BASE_URL to enable)"
+            );
+        }
+        {
+            let libs = libs_lock.read().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner());
+            for lib in libs.iter() {
+                info!(
+                    "  Watching library '{}' (id={}) at {}",
+                    lib.name, lib.id, lib.root_path
+                );
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Create DAOs for tracking processed files
+        let exif_dao = Arc::new(Mutex::new(
+            Box::new(SqliteExifDao::new()) as Box<dyn ExifDao>
+        ));
+        let preview_dao = Arc::new(Mutex::new(
+            Box::new(SqlitePreviewDao::new()) as Box<dyn PreviewDao>
+        ));
+        let face_dao = Arc::new(Mutex::new(
+            Box::new(faces::SqliteFaceDao::new()) as Box<dyn faces::FaceDao>
+        ));
+        // tag_dao for the watcher's auto-bind path. Independent of the
+        // request-handler tag_dao instance — both end up pointing at the
+        // same SQLite file via SqliteTagDao::default().
+        let watcher_tag_dao = Arc::new(Mutex::new(
+            Box::new(SqliteTagDao::default()) as Box<dyn tags::TagDao>
+        ));
+
+        let mut last_quick_scan = SystemTime::now();
+        let mut last_full_scan = SystemTime::now();
+        let mut scan_count = 0u64;
+
+        // Per-library cursor for the missing-file scan. Each tick reads
+        // a page from `offset`, stat()s the rows, deletes confirmed-
+        // missing ones, and advances or wraps the cursor. State held
+        // in-memory so a watcher restart resumes from 0 — fine, the
+        // sweep is idempotent.
+        let mut missing_file_offsets: HashMap<i32, i64> = HashMap::new();
+
+        let missing_scan_page_size: i64 = dotenv::var("IMAGE_EXIF_MISSING_SCAN_PAGE_SIZE")
+            .ok()
+            .and_then(|s| s.parse().ok())
+            .filter(|n: &i64| *n > 0)
+            .unwrap_or(library_maintenance::DEFAULT_SCAN_PAGE_SIZE);
+        let missing_delete_cap: usize = dotenv::var("IMAGE_EXIF_MISSING_DELETE_CAP_PER_TICK")
+            .ok()
+            .and_then(|s| s.parse().ok())
+            .filter(|n: &usize| *n > 0)
+            .unwrap_or(library_maintenance::DEFAULT_MISSING_DELETE_CAP);
+
+        // Two-tick orphan-GC consensus state. Carried across ticks via
+        // `OrphanGcState`; see library_maintenance::run_orphan_gc.
+        let mut orphan_gc_state = library_maintenance::OrphanGcState::default();
+
+        // Initial availability sweep before the loop's first sleep so
+        // /libraries reports the truth from the very first request,
+        // rather than the optimistic Online default that
+        // new_health_map seeds. Without this, an unmounted share would
+        // appear online for up to WATCH_QUICK_INTERVAL_SECONDS (default
+        // 60s) after boot. Same probe logic as the per-tick gate
+        // below; no ingest runs here, just the health update + log.
+        // Disabled libraries skip the probe entirely — they should
+        // never enter the health map (treated as out-of-scope).
+        {
+            let libs = libs_lock.read().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner());
+            for lib in libs.iter() {
+                if !lib.enabled {
+                    continue;
+                }
+                let context = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+                let had_data = exif_dao
+                    .lock()
+                    .expect("exif_dao poisoned")
+                    .count_for_library(&context, lib.id)
+                    .map(|n| n > 0)
+                    .unwrap_or(false);
+                libraries::refresh_health(&library_health, lib, had_data);
+            }
+        }
+
+        loop {
+            std::thread::sleep(Duration::from_secs(quick_interval_secs));
+
+            let now = SystemTime::now();
+            let since_last_full = now
+                .duration_since(last_full_scan)
+                .unwrap_or(Duration::from_secs(0));
+
+            let is_full_scan = since_last_full.as_secs() >= full_interval_secs;
+
+            // Fresh snapshot per tick — picks up PATCH /libraries/{id}
+            // mutations to `enabled` / `excluded_dirs` without restart.
+            let libs: Vec<libraries::Library> =
+                libs_lock.read().unwrap_or_else(|e| e.into_inner()).clone();
+
+            for lib in &libs {
+                // Operator kill switch: a disabled library is invisible
+                // to the watcher entirely. No probe, no ingest, no
+                // maintenance, no health entry. Distinct from Stale —
+                // Stale is "we wanted to but couldn't"; Disabled is
+                // "we don't want to". Toggle via SQL.
+                if !lib.enabled {
+                    debug!(
+                        "watcher: skipping library '{}' (id={}) — enabled=false",
+                        lib.name, lib.id
+                    );
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                // Availability probe: every tick checks that the
+                // library's mount is reachable, is a directory, is
+                // readable, and (if image_exif has rows for it) is
+                // non-empty. A Stale library skips ingest, backlog
+                // drains, and metric refresh — reads/serving in HTTP
+                // handlers continue to work. Branches B/C extend the
+                // probe gate to cover handoff and orphan GC. See
+                // CLAUDE.md "Library availability and safety".
+                let had_data = {
+                    let context = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+                    let mut guard = exif_dao.lock().expect("exif_dao poisoned");
+                    guard
+                        .count_for_library(&context, lib.id)
+                        .map(|n| n > 0)
+                        .unwrap_or(false)
+                };
+                let health = libraries::refresh_health(&library_health, lib, had_data);
+                if !health.is_online() {
+                    // Skip every write path for this library this tick.
+                    // Don't refresh the media-count gauge either — a
+                    // probe-failed library would otherwise flap to 0
+                    // image / 0 video and pollute Prometheus.
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                // Drain the unhashed-hash backlog AND the face-detection
+                // backlog every tick, regardless of quick/full. Quick
+                // scans only walk recently-modified files, so the
+                // pre-Phase-3 backlog never enters their candidate set
+                // — without these standalone passes, backfill +
+                // detection only progressed during full scans
+                // (default once an hour).
+                // Effective excludes for this library: global env-var
+                // ∪ row's excluded_dirs. Compute once per tick — used
+                // by every walker below for this library.
+                let effective_excludes = lib.effective_excluded_dirs(&excluded_dirs);
+
+                if face_client.is_enabled() {
+                    let context = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+                    backfill::backfill_unhashed_backlog(&context, lib, &exif_dao);
+                    backfill::process_face_backlog(
+                        &context,
+                        lib,
+                        &face_client,
+                        &face_dao,
+                        &watcher_tag_dao,
+                        &effective_excludes,
+                    );
+                }
+
+                // Date-taken backfill: drain rows whose canonical date is
+                // either unresolved or only fs_time-sourced. Independent
+                // of face detection — runs even on deploys that don't
+                // configure Apollo, since `/memories` depends on it.
+                {
+                    let context = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+                    backfill::backfill_missing_date_taken(&context, lib, &exif_dao);
+                }
+
+                if is_full_scan {
+                    info!(
+                        "Running full scan for library '{}' (scan #{})",
+                        lib.name, scan_count
+                    );
+                    process_new_files(
+                        lib,
+                        Arc::clone(&exif_dao),
+                        Arc::clone(&preview_dao),
+                        Arc::clone(&face_dao),
+                        Arc::clone(&watcher_tag_dao),
+                        face_client.clone(),
+                        &effective_excludes,
+                        None,
+                        playlist_manager.clone(),
+                        preview_generator.clone(),
+                    );
+                } else {
+                    debug!(
+                        "Running quick scan for library '{}' (checking files modified in last {} seconds)",
+                        lib.name,
+                        quick_interval_secs + 10
+                    );
+                    let check_since = last_quick_scan
+                        .checked_sub(Duration::from_secs(10))
+                        .unwrap_or(last_quick_scan);
+                    process_new_files(
+                        lib,
+                        Arc::clone(&exif_dao),
+                        Arc::clone(&preview_dao),
+                        Arc::clone(&face_dao),
+                        Arc::clone(&watcher_tag_dao),
+                        face_client.clone(),
+                        &effective_excludes,
+                        Some(check_since),
+                        playlist_manager.clone(),
+                        preview_generator.clone(),
+                    );
+                }
+
+                // Update media counts per library (metric aggregates across all)
+                thumbnails::update_media_counts(Path::new(&lib.root_path), &effective_excludes);
+
+                // Missing-file detection: prune image_exif rows whose
+                // source file is no longer on disk. Per-library, so we
+                // pass library-online-this-tick implicitly (we only
+                // reach here if the probe gate at the top of the
+                // iteration passed). Capped + paginated so a huge
+                // library doesn't stall the watcher; rows we don't
+                // visit this tick get visited next tick. See
+                // library_maintenance::detect_missing_files_for_library.
+                {
+                    let context = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+                    let offset = missing_file_offsets.get(&lib.id).copied().unwrap_or(0);
+                    let (deleted, next_offset) =
+                        library_maintenance::detect_missing_files_for_library(
+                            &context,
+                            lib,
+                            &exif_dao,
+                            offset,
+                            missing_scan_page_size,
+                            missing_delete_cap,
+                        );
+                    missing_file_offsets.insert(lib.id, next_offset);
+                    if deleted > 0 {
+                        debug!(
+                            "missing-file scan: library '{}' next_offset={}",
+                            lib.name, next_offset
+                        );
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            // Reconciliation: cross-library, so it runs once per tick
+            // outside the per-library loop. Idempotent — fast no-op when
+            // there's nothing to do. Operates on the database alone, no
+            // filesystem dependency, so it doesn't need a health gate.
+            // See database::reconcile and CLAUDE.md "Multi-library data
+            // model" for the rules.
+            {
+                let mut conn = image_api::database::connect();
+                let _ = image_api::database::reconcile::run(&mut conn);
+
+                // Back-ref refresh: hash-keyed rows whose
+                // (library_id, rel_path) tuple no longer matches any
+                // image_exif row but whose hash still does. After a
+                // recent→archive move, the missing-file scan removes
+                // the old image_exif row; this pass repoints face /
+                // tag / insight back-refs at the surviving location.
+                // DB-only, no health gate needed — uses what's in
+                // image_exif as truth.
+                let _ = library_maintenance::refresh_back_refs(&mut conn);
+
+                // Orphan GC: the destructive end of the maintenance
+                // pipeline. Two-tick consensus + every-library-online
+                // requirement is enforced inside run_orphan_gc; we
+                // pass the current all-online flag and the function
+                // tracks the previous tick's flag in OrphanGcState.
+                let all_online = library_maintenance::all_libraries_online(&libs, &library_health);
+                let _ =
+                    library_maintenance::run_orphan_gc(&mut conn, &mut orphan_gc_state, all_online);
+            }
+
+            if is_full_scan {
+                last_full_scan = now;
+            }
+            last_quick_scan = now;
+            scan_count += 1;
+        }
+    });
+}
+
+/// Check if a playlist needs to be (re)generated.
+///
+/// Returns true if:
+/// - Playlist doesn't exist, OR
+/// - Source video is newer than the playlist
+///
+/// When metadata for either path is unreadable, returns true so the
+/// caller errs on the side of regeneration (a redundant transcode
+/// beats a stale playlist).
+pub fn playlist_needs_generation(video_path: &Path, playlist_path: &Path) -> bool {
+    if !playlist_path.exists() {
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    // Check if source video is newer than playlist
+    if let (Ok(video_meta), Ok(playlist_meta)) = (
+        std::fs::metadata(video_path),
+        std::fs::metadata(playlist_path),
+    ) && let (Ok(video_modified), Ok(playlist_modified)) =
+        (video_meta.modified(), playlist_meta.modified())
+    {
+        return video_modified > playlist_modified;
+    }
+
+    // If we can't determine, assume it needs generation
+    true
+}
+
+pub fn process_new_files(
+    library: &libraries::Library,
+    exif_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn ExifDao>>>,
+    preview_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn PreviewDao>>>,
+    face_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn faces::FaceDao>>>,
+    tag_dao: Arc<Mutex<Box<dyn tags::TagDao>>>,
+    face_client: crate::ai::face_client::FaceClient,
+    excluded_dirs: &[String],
+    modified_since: Option<SystemTime>,
+    playlist_manager: Addr<VideoPlaylistManager>,
+    preview_generator: Addr<video::actors::PreviewClipGenerator>,
+) {
+    let context = opentelemetry::Context::new();
+    let thumbs = dotenv::var("THUMBNAILS").expect("THUMBNAILS not defined");
+    let thumbnail_directory = Path::new(&thumbs);
+    let base_path = Path::new(&library.root_path);
+
+    // Walk, prune EXCLUDED_DIRS subtrees, and apply image/video + modified_since
+    // filters. See `file_scan` for why exclusion has to happen at WalkDir
+    // time (filter_entry) rather than at face-detect time.
+    let files: Vec<(PathBuf, String)> =
+        image_api::file_scan::enumerate_indexable_files(base_path, excluded_dirs, modified_since);
+
+    if files.is_empty() {
+        debug!("No files to process");
+        return;
+    }
+
+    debug!("Found {} files to check", files.len());
+
+    // Batch query: Get all EXIF data for these files in one query
+    let file_paths: Vec<String> = files.iter().map(|(_, rel_path)| rel_path.clone()).collect();
+
+    let existing_exif_paths: HashMap<String, bool> = {
+        let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+        // Walk is per-library, so scope the lookup so a same-named file
+        // in another library doesn't make this one look already-indexed.
+        match dao.get_exif_batch(&context, Some(library.id), &file_paths) {
+            Ok(exif_records) => exif_records
+                .into_iter()
+                .map(|record| (record.file_path, true))
+                .collect(),
+            Err(e) => {
+                error!("Error batch querying EXIF data: {:?}", e);
+                HashMap::new()
+            }
+        }
+    };
+
+    let mut new_files_found = false;
+    let mut files_needing_row = Vec::new();
+
+    // Register every image/video file in image_exif. Rows without EXIF
+    // still carry library_id, rel_path, content_hash, and size_bytes so
+    // derivative dedup and DB-indexed sort/filter work for every file,
+    // not just photos with parseable EXIF.
+    for (file_path, relative_path) in &files {
+        // Check both the library-scoped legacy path (current shape) and
+        // the bare-legacy path (pre-multi-library shape). Either one
+        // existing means a thumbnail is already on disk for this file.
+        let scoped_thumb_path = content_hash::library_scoped_legacy_path(
+            thumbnail_directory,
+            library.id,
+            relative_path,
+        );
+        let bare_legacy_thumb_path = thumbnail_directory.join(relative_path);
+        let needs_thumbnail = !scoped_thumb_path.exists()
+            && !bare_legacy_thumb_path.exists()
+            && !thumbnails::unsupported_thumbnail_sentinel(&scoped_thumb_path).exists()
+            && !thumbnails::unsupported_thumbnail_sentinel(&bare_legacy_thumb_path).exists();
+        let needs_row = !existing_exif_paths.contains_key(relative_path);
+
+        if needs_thumbnail || needs_row {
+            new_files_found = true;
+
+            if needs_thumbnail {
+                info!("New file detected (missing thumbnail): {}", relative_path);
+            }
+
+            if needs_row {
+                files_needing_row.push((file_path.clone(), relative_path.clone()));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    if !files_needing_row.is_empty() {
+        info!(
+            "Registering {} new files in image_exif",
+            files_needing_row.len()
+        );
+
+        for (file_path, relative_path) in files_needing_row {
+            let timestamp = Utc::now().timestamp();
+
+            // Hash + size from filesystem metadata — always attempted so
+            // every file gets a content_hash, even when EXIF is absent.
+            let (content_hash, size_bytes) = match content_hash::compute(&file_path) {
+                Ok(id) => (Some(id.content_hash), Some(id.size_bytes)),
+                Err(e) => {
+                    warn!("Failed to hash {}: {:?}", file_path.display(), e);
+                    (None, None)
+                }
+            };
+
+            // Perceptual hashes (pHash + dHash). Best-effort — None for
+            // videos and decode failures. Drives near-duplicate detection
+            // in the Apollo duplicates surface; failure here is non-fatal
+            // and never blocks indexing.
+            let perceptual = perceptual_hash::compute(&file_path);
+
+            // EXIF is best-effort enrichment. When extraction fails (or the
+            // file type doesn't support EXIF) we still store a row with all
+            // EXIF fields NULL; the file remains visible to sort-by-date
+            // and tag queries via its rel_path and filesystem timestamps.
+            let exif_fields = if exif::supports_exif(&file_path) {
+                match exif::extract_exif_from_path(&file_path) {
+                    Ok(data) => Some(data),
+                    Err(e) => {
+                        debug!(
+                            "No EXIF or parse error for {}: {:?}",
+                            file_path.display(),
+                            e
+                        );
+                        None
+                    }
+                }
+            } else {
+                None
+            };
+
+            // Canonical date_taken via the waterfall — kamadak-exif (already
+            // computed above) → exiftool fallback for videos / MakerNote /
+            // QuickTime → filename regex → earliest_fs_time. Source is
+            // recorded so the per-tick backfill drain can re-run weak
+            // resolutions later.
+            let resolved_date = date_resolver::resolve_date_taken(
+                &file_path,
+                exif_fields.as_ref().and_then(|e| e.date_taken),
+            );
+
+            let insert_exif = InsertImageExif {
+                library_id: library.id,
+                file_path: relative_path.clone(),
+                camera_make: exif_fields.as_ref().and_then(|e| e.camera_make.clone()),
+                camera_model: exif_fields.as_ref().and_then(|e| e.camera_model.clone()),
+                lens_model: exif_fields.as_ref().and_then(|e| e.lens_model.clone()),
+                width: exif_fields.as_ref().and_then(|e| e.width),
+                height: exif_fields.as_ref().and_then(|e| e.height),
+                orientation: exif_fields.as_ref().and_then(|e| e.orientation),
+                gps_latitude: exif_fields
+                    .as_ref()
+                    .and_then(|e| e.gps_latitude.map(|v| v as f32)),
+                gps_longitude: exif_fields
+                    .as_ref()
+                    .and_then(|e| e.gps_longitude.map(|v| v as f32)),
+                gps_altitude: exif_fields
+                    .as_ref()
+                    .and_then(|e| e.gps_altitude.map(|v| v as f32)),
+                focal_length: exif_fields
+                    .as_ref()
+                    .and_then(|e| e.focal_length.map(|v| v as f32)),
+                aperture: exif_fields
+                    .as_ref()
+                    .and_then(|e| e.aperture.map(|v| v as f32)),
+                shutter_speed: exif_fields.as_ref().and_then(|e| e.shutter_speed.clone()),
+                iso: exif_fields.as_ref().and_then(|e| e.iso),
+                date_taken: resolved_date.map(|r| r.timestamp),
+                created_time: timestamp,
+                last_modified: timestamp,
+                content_hash,
+                size_bytes,
+                phash_64: perceptual.map(|h| h.phash_64),
+                dhash_64: perceptual.map(|h| h.dhash_64),
+                date_taken_source: resolved_date.map(|r| r.source.as_str().to_string()),
+            };
+
+            let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+            if let Err(e) = dao.store_exif(&context, insert_exif) {
+                error!(
+                    "Failed to register {} in image_exif: {:?}",
+                    relative_path, e
+                );
+            } else {
+                debug!("Registered {} in image_exif", relative_path);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // ── Face detection pass ────────────────────────────────────────────
+    // Run after EXIF writes so newly-registered files have their
+    // content_hash populated. Skipped wholesale when face_client is
+    // disabled (no Apollo integration configured) — Phase 3 wires this
+    // up; the watcher remains usable on legacy deploys.
+    if face_client.is_enabled() {
+        // Opportunistic content_hash backfill: photos indexed before
+        // content-hashing landed (or where the hash compute failed
+        // silently on insert) end up in image_exif with NULL
+        // content_hash. build_face_candidates keys on content_hash, so
+        // those files would never become candidates without backfill.
+        // Idempotent — subsequent scans see the populated hashes and
+        // no-op. The dedicated `backfill_hashes` binary is still the
+        // right tool for very large legacy libraries; this branch
+        // ensures small/medium deploys self-heal without operator
+        // action.
+        backfill::backfill_missing_content_hashes(&context, &files, library, &exif_dao);
+        let candidates =
+            backfill::build_face_candidates(&context, library, &files, &exif_dao, &face_dao);
+        debug!(
+            "face_watch: scan tick — {} image file(s) walked, {} candidate(s) (library '{}', modified_since={})",
+            files
+                .iter()
+                .filter(|(p, _)| !file_types::is_video_file(p))
+                .count(),
+            candidates.len(),
+            library.name,
+            modified_since.is_some(),
+        );
+        if !candidates.is_empty() {
+            face_watch::run_face_detection_pass(
+                library,
+                excluded_dirs,
+                &face_client,
+                Arc::clone(&face_dao),
+                Arc::clone(&tag_dao),
+                candidates,
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Check for videos that need HLS playlists
+    let video_path_base = dotenv::var("VIDEO_PATH").expect("VIDEO_PATH must be set");
+    let mut videos_needing_playlists = Vec::new();
+
+    for (file_path, _relative_path) in &files {
+        if file_types::is_video_file(file_path) {
+            // Construct expected playlist path
+            let playlist_filename =
+                format!("{}.m3u8", file_path.file_name().unwrap().to_string_lossy());
+            let playlist_path = Path::new(&video_path_base).join(&playlist_filename);
+
+            // Check if playlist needs (re)generation
+            if playlist_needs_generation(file_path, &playlist_path) {
+                videos_needing_playlists.push(file_path.clone());
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Send queue request to playlist manager
+    if !videos_needing_playlists.is_empty() {
+        playlist_manager.do_send(QueueVideosMessage {
+            video_paths: videos_needing_playlists,
+        });
+    }
+
+    // Check for videos that need preview clips
+    // Collect (full_path, relative_path) for video files
+    let video_files: Vec<(String, String)> = files
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|(file_path, _)| file_types::is_video_file(file_path))
+        .map(|(file_path, rel_path)| (file_path.to_string_lossy().to_string(), rel_path.clone()))
+        .collect();
+
+    if !video_files.is_empty() {
+        // Query DB using relative paths (consistent with how GET/POST handlers store them)
+        let video_rel_paths: Vec<String> = video_files.iter().map(|(_, rel)| rel.clone()).collect();
+
+        let existing_previews: HashMap<String, String> = {
+            let mut dao = preview_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock PreviewDao");
+            match dao.get_previews_batch(&context, &video_rel_paths) {
+                Ok(clips) => clips
+                    .into_iter()
+                    .map(|clip| (clip.file_path, clip.status))
+                    .collect(),
+                Err(e) => {
+                    error!("Error batch querying preview clips: {:?}", e);
+                    HashMap::new()
+                }
+            }
+        };
+
+        for (full_path, relative_path) in &video_files {
+            let status = existing_previews.get(relative_path).map(|s| s.as_str());
+            let needs_preview = match status {
+                None => true,            // No record at all
+                Some("failed") => true,  // Retry failed
+                Some("pending") => true, // Stale pending from previous run
+                _ => false,              // processing or complete
+            };
+
+            if needs_preview {
+                // Insert pending record using relative path
+                if status.is_none() {
+                    let mut dao = preview_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock PreviewDao");
+                    let _ = dao.insert_preview(&context, relative_path, "pending");
+                }
+
+                // Send full path in the message — the actor will derive relative path from it
+                preview_generator.do_send(GeneratePreviewClipMessage {
+                    video_path: full_path.clone(),
+                });
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Generate thumbnails for all files that need them
+    if new_files_found {
+        info!("Processing thumbnails for new files...");
+        thumbnails::create_thumbnails(std::slice::from_ref(library), excluded_dirs);
+    }
+
+    // Reconciliation: on a full scan, prune image_exif rows whose rel_path no
+    // longer exists on disk for this library. Keeps the DB in parity so
+    // downstream DB-backed listings (e.g. recursive /photos) don't return
+    // phantom files. Skipped on quick scans — those only look at recently
+    // modified files and can't distinguish "missing" from "unchanged".
+    if modified_since.is_none() {
+        let disk_paths: HashSet<String> = files.iter().map(|(_, rel)| rel.clone()).collect();
+        let db_paths: Vec<String> = {
+            let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+            dao.get_rel_paths_for_library(&context, library.id)
+                .unwrap_or_else(|e| {
+                    error!(
+                        "Reconciliation: failed to load image_exif rel_paths for lib {}: {:?}",
+                        library.id, e
+                    );
+                    Vec::new()
+                })
+        };
+
+        let stale: Vec<String> = db_paths
+            .into_iter()
+            .filter(|p| !disk_paths.contains(p))
+            .collect();
+
+        if !stale.is_empty() {
+            info!(
+                "Reconciliation: pruning {} stale image_exif rows for library '{}'",
+                stale.len(),
+                library.name
+            );
+            let mut dao = exif_dao.lock().expect("Unable to lock ExifDao");
+            for rel in &stale {
+                if let Err(e) = dao.delete_exif_by_library(&context, library.id, rel) {
+                    warn!(
+                        "Reconciliation: failed to delete {} (lib {}): {:?}",
+                        rel, library.id, e
+                    );
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use std::fs;
+    use std::thread::sleep;
+    use std::time::Duration as StdDuration;
+    use tempfile::TempDir;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn playlist_needs_generation_true_when_playlist_missing() {
+        let tmp = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        let video = tmp.path().join("clip.mp4");
+        fs::write(&video, b"v").unwrap();
+        let playlist = tmp.path().join("clip.mp4.m3u8");
+        // playlist does not exist
+        assert!(playlist_needs_generation(&video, &playlist));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn playlist_needs_generation_false_when_playlist_is_newer() {
+        let tmp = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        let video = tmp.path().join("clip.mp4");
+        fs::write(&video, b"v").unwrap();
+        // Sleep to guarantee a distinct mtime for the playlist created next.
+        // Many filesystems have ~10 ms mtime resolution; 50 ms is plenty.
+        sleep(StdDuration::from_millis(50));
+        let playlist = tmp.path().join("clip.mp4.m3u8");
+        fs::write(&playlist, b"#EXTM3U").unwrap();
+        assert!(!playlist_needs_generation(&video, &playlist));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn playlist_needs_generation_true_when_video_is_newer() {
+        let tmp = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        let playlist = tmp.path().join("clip.mp4.m3u8");
+        fs::write(&playlist, b"#EXTM3U").unwrap();
+        sleep(StdDuration::from_millis(50));
+        let video = tmp.path().join("clip.mp4");
+        fs::write(&video, b"v").unwrap();
+        assert!(playlist_needs_generation(&video, &playlist));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn playlist_needs_generation_true_when_video_missing_metadata() {
+        // Video doesn't exist; metadata fails for it. Falls through to the
+        // "assume needs regeneration" branch.
+        let tmp = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        let video = tmp.path().join("missing.mp4");
+        let playlist = tmp.path().join("missing.mp4.m3u8");
+        fs::write(&playlist, b"#EXTM3U").unwrap();
+        assert!(playlist_needs_generation(&video, &playlist));
+    }
+}