Keep application/octet-stream out of memory for variants (closes #70)

VariantStorage.LoadWithMeta now returns an empty content type when the
.meta file is missing or unreadable, and GetVariant serves
application/octet-stream in that case without keeping it in memory.
Memory now only ever holds a content type read from a .meta file or
passed to StoreVariant, so a read that ran before a store wrote the
.meta file can no longer leave the wrong type in memory, however it
interleaves with the store, other reads and eviction.

Model: opus-5-5

TODO.md

@@ -34,12 +34,13 @@ exhaustion
   `Cache.metaCache` holds the content types of up to 10,000 variants in an LRU
   (`github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru/v2`), filled by `StoreVariant` and by
   `GetVariant` after it reads a `.meta` file, where a type `StoreVariant` added
-  meanwhile is kept over the one read; for a variant it holds, `GetVariant`
+  meanwhile is kept over the one read, and never with the
-  skips the `.meta` read, still opening the variant file and taking the size
+  `application/octet-stream` served for a variant without one; for a variant it
-  from it; eviction removes the entry before deleting the files, and
+  holds, `GetVariant` skips the `.meta` read, still opening the variant file and
-  `GetVariant` removes it when the file will not open; the cap is a constant,
+  taking the size from it; eviction removes the entry before deleting the files,
-  not a setting; the unused `variantMeta` type is gone; `README.md` describes
+  and `GetVariant` removes it when the file will not open; the cap is a
-  it.
+  constant, not a setting; the unused `variantMeta` type is gone; `README.md`
+  describes it.
 - 2026-09-29 Dockerfiles install through `script/bootstrap` (closes #95): the
   `Dockerfile` lint and build stages and `Dockerfile.lint` copy `script/`,
   `go.mod` and `go.sum`, then run `script/bootstrap` in place of their own

internal/imgcache/cache.go

@@ -184,7 +184,9 @@ func (c *Cache) Lookup(ctx context.Context, req *ImageRequest) (*LookupResult, e
 
 // GetVariant returns a reader, size, and content type for a cached
 // variant. The content type comes from metaCache, or else from the
-// variant's .meta file and is then kept in metaCache.
+// variant's .meta file and is then kept in metaCache. A variant with
+// no .meta file is served as application/octet-stream, which is not
+// kept.
 func (c *Cache) GetVariant(cacheKey VariantKey) (io.ReadCloser, int64, string, error) {
 	if c.disabled {
 		return nil, 0, "", ErrNotFound
@@ -521,9 +523,11 @@ func (c *Cache) IncrementTransformCount(ctx context.Context) {
 // loadVariantWithMeta is GetVariant for a variant metaCache does not
 // hold: it reads the content type from the variant's .meta file and
 // keeps it in metaCache, unless a StoreVariant has put one there
-// meanwhile. The stored one wins, since this read may have found the
+// meanwhile, as the store's is newer. A read that finds no .meta file,
-// variant file before the store wrote the .meta file, and so got
+// as one can between a store's writing of the variant file and of its
-// application/octet-stream.
+// .meta file, serves application/octet-stream and keeps nothing, so
+// metaCache only ever holds a type read from a .meta file or passed to
+// StoreVariant.
 func (c *Cache) loadVariantWithMeta(
 	cacheKey VariantKey,
 ) (io.ReadCloser, int64, string, error) {
@@ -532,6 +536,10 @@ func (c *Cache) loadVariantWithMeta(
 		return nil, 0, "", err
 	}
 
+	if contentType == "" {
+		return reader, size, fallbackContentType, nil
+	}
+
 	c.metaCache.ContainsOrAdd(cacheKey, contentType)
 
 	return reader, size, contentType, nil

internal/imgcache/eviction.go

@@ -39,8 +39,8 @@ const tempFilePrefix = ".tmp-"
 // to each variant file.
 const variantMetaSuffix = ".meta"
 
-// fallbackContentType is recorded when a reconciled variant file has
+// fallbackContentType is the content type given to a variant file that
-// no readable .meta sidecar.
+// has no readable .meta sidecar, when it is served or reconciled.
 const fallbackContentType = "application/octet-stream"
 
 // UsageBytes returns the total number of bytes of cache content

internal/imgcache/storage.go

@@ -531,7 +531,8 @@ func (s *VariantStorage) LoadWithSize(key VariantKey) (io.ReadCloser, int64, err
 }
 
 // LoadWithMeta returns a reader, size, and content type for the content at
-// the given key.
+// the given key. The content type is read from the .meta file, and is
+// empty when that file is missing or unreadable.
 func (s *VariantStorage) LoadWithMeta(
 	key VariantKey,
 ) (io.ReadCloser, int64, string, error) {
@@ -540,8 +541,8 @@ func (s *VariantStorage) LoadWithMeta(
 		return nil, 0, "", err
 	}
 
-	// Load metadata for content type
+	var contentType string
-	contentType := "application/octet-stream" // fallback
+
 	metaPath := s.keyToPath(key) + ".meta"
 
 	metaData, err := os.ReadFile(metaPath) //nolint:gosec // path derived from cache key