src/backup.ts

@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ import {
     savePath,
     storedAtSavePath,
 } from "./library/content.js";
+import { representative } from "./library/records.js";
 import type { Collection, EnteFile } from "./model/types.js";
 
 export type ProgressCallback = (message: string) => void;
@@ -384,20 +385,34 @@ export const runBackup = async (
     const now = Date.now();
 
     // Collections in scope, and the distinct files across them (a file shared
-    // by two albums is one original).
+    // by two albums is one original). Each file is the membership
+    // `representative` picks from all of its albums, in scope or not, so it is
+    // saved at the path `photo.savePath` names.
     const allCollections = lib.listCollections();
     const collections = allCollections.filter((c) =>
         only ? only.has(c.name) : true,
     );
     const collectionName = new Map<number, string>();
-    for (const c of collections) collectionName.set(c.id, c.name);
+    for (const c of allCollections) collectionName.set(c.id, c.name);
 
-    const distinct = new Map<number, EnteFile>();
+    const memberships = new Map<number, EnteFile[]>();
     const filesByCollection = new Map<number, EnteFile[]>();
-    for (const c of collections) {
+    for (const c of allCollections) {
         const files = lib.listFiles(c.id);
         filesByCollection.set(c.id, files);
-        for (const f of files) if (!distinct.has(f.id)) distinct.set(f.id, f);
+        for (const f of files) {
+            const arr = memberships.get(f.id);
+            if (arr) arr.push(f);
+            else memberships.set(f.id, [f]);
+        }
+    }
+    const distinct = new Map<number, EnteFile>();
+    for (const c of collections) {
+        for (const f of filesByCollection.get(c.id)!) {
+            if (!distinct.has(f.id)) {
+                distinct.set(f.id, representative(memberships.get(f.id)!));
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     const errors: BackupError[] = [];
@@ -523,9 +538,14 @@ export const runBackup = async (
         const colDir = join(collectionsDir, colDirName);
         mkdirSync(colDir, { recursive: true });
 
+        // Every album links the one original, saved from the file's entry in
+        // `distinct`.
         const files = filesByCollection.get(c.id) ?? [];
         const links = files.flatMap((f) =>
-            linksFor(f, storedAtSavePath(downloadDirectory, f)),
+            linksFor(
+                f,
+                storedAtSavePath(downloadDirectory, distinct.get(f.id)!),
+            ),
         );
         const linkNames = uniqueNames(links, true);
         try {

src/library/index.ts

@@ -489,9 +489,10 @@ export class Library {
         return this.store.getFile(collectionID, fileID);
     }
 
-    // Any membership of a file, addressed by file id alone. A file's own
-    // metadata (title, creationTime) is identical across the collections it
-    // belongs to, so this serves the point commands that hold only a fileID.
+    // The membership of a file its record is read from, addressed by file id
+    // alone. A file's own metadata (title, creationTime) is identical across
+    // the collections it belongs to, so this serves the point commands that
+    // hold only a fileID.
     getFileByID(fileID: number): EnteFile | undefined {
         return this.store.getFileByID(fileID);
     }

src/library/records.ts

@@ -114,8 +114,9 @@ export const takenAtOf = (file: EnteFile): number =>
     );
 
 // The membership a file's record is read from: the most recently synced, lowest
-// collection id to break ties.
-const representative = (memberships: EnteFile[]): EnteFile =>
+// collection id to break ties. Whatever dates a file's save path takes this
+// membership too, so the path always carries the record's `takenAt`.
+export const representative = (memberships: EnteFile[]): EnteFile =>
     memberships.reduce((best, m) =>
         m.updationTime > best.updationTime ||
         (m.updationTime === best.updationTime &&

src/library/store.ts

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import { dirname } from "node:path";
 
 import { writeAtomic } from "../download/index.js";
 import type { Collection, EnteFile, Microseconds } from "../model/types.js";
+import { representative } from "./records.js";
 
 // Bumped only when the on-disk shape changes incompatibly. A file written
 // under a different version is discarded on load (see `load`): re-fetching
@@ -179,14 +180,16 @@ export class MetadataStore {
         return this.files.get(fileKey(collectionID, fileID));
     }
 
-    // Any membership of a file, or undefined. Every membership re-wraps the
-    // same underlying content key, so any one is enough to fetch the bytes;
-    // the content cache resolves a fileID to a file this way.
+    // The membership of a file its record is read from (`representative`), or
+    // undefined. Any membership could fetch the bytes, but the content cache
+    // resolves a fileID to a file this way so that it dates the save path
+    // from the same membership as `photo.savePath`.
     getFileByID(fileID: number): EnteFile | undefined {
+        const memberships: EnteFile[] = [];
         for (const file of this.files.values()) {
-            if (file.id === fileID) return file;
+            if (file.id === fileID) memberships.push(file);
         }
-        return undefined;
+        return memberships.length > 0 ? representative(memberships) : undefined;
     }
 
     listFiles(collectionID: number): EnteFile[] {

test/cli/backup.test.ts

@@ -608,6 +608,57 @@ describe("lib.backup", () => {
         await lib.close();
     });
 
+    it("saves a file in two albums at its photo's save path and links it from both", async () => {
+        // The date edited in Ente has reached Work's copy, synced later, but
+        // Vacation's copy still has an earlier edit.
+        const older = file(100, 1, "beach.jpg");
+        older.pubMagicMetadata = {
+            editedTime: new Date(2026, 1, 1, 12).getTime() * 1000,
+        };
+        const newer = file(100, 2, "beach.jpg");
+        newer.updationTime = 2;
+        newer.pubMagicMetadata = {
+            editedTime: new Date(2026, 3, 15, 12).getTime() * 1000,
+        };
+        class SharedFileClient extends MockClient {
+            override async filesSince(args: {
+                collectionID: number;
+            }): Promise<FilesPage> {
+                const files = [args.collectionID === 1 ? older : newer];
+                return { files, deleted: [], cursor: 1 };
+            }
+        }
+        const outDir = join(root, "backup");
+        const lib = await Library.open({
+            client: new SharedFileClient(),
+            cacheDirectory: join(root, "cache"),
+            downloadDirectory: outDir,
+            contentSource: stubSource(),
+            refreshIntervalSeconds: 3600,
+            precacheThumbnails: false,
+            precacheOriginals: false,
+        });
+        const photo = lib.photos.byID({ fileID: 100 })!;
+
+        const result = await lib.backup();
+
+        expect(result.totalFiles).toBe(1);
+        expect(result.downloaded).toBe(1);
+        expect(result.failed).toBe(0);
+        expect(photo.savePath).toBe(
+            join(outDir, "2026", "2026-04", "2026-04-15", "2026-04-15.100.jpg"),
+        );
+        expect(photo.isLocal).toBe(true);
+        expect(existsSync(join(outDir, "2026", "2026-02"))).toBe(false);
+        const target = "../../2026/2026-04/2026-04-15/2026-04-15.100.jpg";
+        for (const album of ["Vacation", "Work"]) {
+            expect(
+                readlinkSync(join(outDir, "collections", album, "beach.jpg")),
+            ).toBe(target);
+        }
+        await lib.close();
+    });
+
     it("fsyncs an original copied from the cache before the rename and its directory after", async () => {
         const lib = await openLibrary(stubSource());
         const outDir = join(root, "backup");

test/library/content-library.test.ts

@@ -416,7 +416,7 @@ describe("Photo save path, local copy, content and EXIF", () => {
         await lib.close();
     });
 
-    it("dates the save path by the membership its takenAt comes from", async () => {
+    it("dates the save path and download() by the membership its takenAt comes from", async () => {
         // One file in two albums. The date edited in Ente has reached album 2's
         // copy, synced later, but album 1 still has an earlier edit.
         const older = file(1, 1);
@@ -457,6 +457,12 @@ describe("Photo save path, local copy, content and EXIF", () => {
                 "2026-04-15.1.jpg",
             ),
         );
+
+        // download() writes to that same path, so the photo is then local.
+        const saved = await photo.download();
+        expect(saved.path).toBe(photo.savePath);
+        expect(photo.isLocal).toBe(true);
+        expect(existsSync(join(root, "backup", "2026", "2026-02"))).toBe(false);
         await lib.close();
     });