README.md

@@ -879,10 +879,7 @@ current account's records name.
 
 A live photo's original is cached as at its save path: its image and its video,
 each `originals/<fileID>.<ext>` with its own extension, and
-`originals/<fileID>.livephoto.json` naming them; the two are evicted together. A
-live photo that an earlier version cached as its ZIP is not served: the library
-removes the ZIP when it opens the cache, and fetches the two files when the
-photo is next read or precached.
+`originals/<fileID>.livephoto.json` naming them; the two are evicted together.
 
 A stored file appears only via an atomic temp-then-rename, so its presence means
 it is complete. Every downloaded original (by `quak get`, the cache, or

TODO.md

@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@ declares one.
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-10-01: The content cache no longer looks for a live photo that an earlier
+  version cached as one ZIP (issue 151). When the cache opens, a live photo's
+  file that no JSON file names is now always left alone.
+
 - 2026-10-01: `examples/download-albums.ts` logs in, opens the library, and for
   every album downloads each photo to its save path, writes the photo's record
   and EXIF fields to a JSON file beside it, and writes the album's photos to

src/download/index.ts

@@ -361,8 +361,8 @@ const openPart = async (
 // written unpacked: each part is named `destination` with the extension
 // replaced by its own entry's, and the two must differ ignoring case. When the
 // file records a hash, `<imageHash>:<videoHash>` must match it, each over that
-// part's own bytes. Only then is whatever was at `destination` removed and the
-// image, then the video, renamed into place; on any failure neither is stored.
+// part's own bytes. Only then are the image, then the video, renamed into
+// place; on any failure neither is stored.
 //
 // The ZIP is chosen by its uploader and may expand enormously, so each part is
 // written as it decompresses and never held, and the ZIP is refused once the
@@ -486,7 +486,6 @@ const decryptLivePhoto = async (
             await part.handle.sync();
             await part.handle.close();
         }
-        await rm(destination, { force: true });
         await rename(image.tmpPath, path);
         try {
             await rename(video.tmpPath, videoPath);
@@ -570,8 +569,7 @@ const fetchAndDecrypt = async (
     }, api.getRetryOptions());
 
 // Write `file`'s original to `outPath`. A live photo is written as its image
-// and its video beside `outPath` instead, and whatever was at `outPath` is
-// removed (see `decryptLivePhoto`).
+// and its video beside `outPath` instead (see `decryptLivePhoto`).
 export const downloadFile = async (
     api: ApiClient,
     file: EnteFile,

src/library/content.ts

@@ -29,14 +29,7 @@
 // the cache does not count as saved there, but is copied there rather than
 // fetched again.
 
-import {
-    closeSync,
-    existsSync,
-    openSync,
-    readFileSync,
-    readSync,
-    statSync,
-} from "node:fs";
+import { existsSync, readFileSync, statSync } from "node:fs";
 import {
     chmod,
     copyFile,
@@ -281,25 +274,6 @@ const fileSize = (path: string): number | undefined => {
 const hasContent = (path: string | undefined): boolean =>
     path !== undefined && (fileSize(path) ?? 0) > 0;
 
-// Whether the file at `path` begins as a ZIP does, with `PK\x03\x04`. False
-// when it cannot be read.
-const isZip = (path: string): boolean => {
-    try {
-        const fd = openSync(path, "r");
-        try {
-            const head = Buffer.alloc(4);
-            return (
-                readSync(fd, head, 0, 4, 0) === 4 &&
-                head.toString("latin1") === "PK\x03\x04"
-            );
-        } finally {
-            closeSync(fd);
-        }
-    } catch {
-        return false;
-    }
-};
-
 // A live photo's image and video are named with the extensions from inside its
 // ZIP, so their names alone do not say which is which. Wherever the cache or a
 // save path stores one, a JSON file of this name beside them names both.
@@ -713,8 +687,10 @@ export class ContentCache implements PhotoContent, ThumbnailsAPI {
                     await this.touch(cached.path);
                 return { ...cached, bytes: size, cached: true };
             }
-            // A recorded file that has since gone, or a live photo an earlier
-            // version stored as one ZIP, re-fetches below.
+            // A recorded file that has since gone re-fetches below. So does a
+            // live photo recorded with no video: the cache opened before the
+            // library's records said it is a live photo, while its image and
+            // video had no JSON file beside them yet.
             known.delete(fileID);
         }
 
@@ -983,20 +959,14 @@ export class ContentCache implements PhotoContent, ThumbnailsAPI {
             if (id === undefined || !existsSync(path)) continue;
             // A live photo's image and video are one entry, as the JSON file
             // beside them names them. A live photo's file with no such JSON
-            // file is not its original. If it is a ZIP, it is the one an
-            // earlier version stored under the image's name, and is removed.
-            // Any other is left alone: another process may have just stored
-            // it and not yet written the JSON file.
+            // file is not its original and is left alone: another process may
+            // have just stored it and not yet written the JSON file.
             const livePhoto = names.has(livePhotoJSONName(String(id)))
                 ? readLivePhotoJSON(dir, String(id))
                 : undefined;
             if (livePhoto !== undefined) {
                 into.set(id, livePhoto);
-            } else if (isLivePhoto(id)) {
-                if (isZip(path)) {
-                    await rm(path, { force: true }).catch(() => undefined);
-                }
-            } else {
+            } else if (!isLivePhoto(id)) {
                 into.set(id, { path });
             }
         }

test/download/download.test.ts

@@ -1883,15 +1883,6 @@ describe("downloadFile live photos", () => {
         expect(readdirSync(t.dir).sort()).toEqual(["f.JPG", "f.bin"]);
     });
 
-    it("replaces what was at the destination, such as an earlier ZIP of the two", async () => {
-        const t = setup(livePhotoZip(), livePhoto);
-        writeFileSync(t.outPath, livePhotoZip());
-
-        await t.run();
-
-        expect(readdirSync(t.dir).sort()).toEqual(["f.heic", "f.mov"]);
-    });
-
     it("renames the image and then the video into place, each from its own temp file", async () => {
         const t = setup(livePhotoZip(), livePhoto);
 

test/library/content-library.test.ts

@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ describe("Library content wiring", () => {
         await lib.close();
     });
 
-    it("removes a live photo's ZIP an earlier version cached when it opens, and precaches its image and video", async () => {
+    it("does not take a live photo's image or video with no JSON file as its original when it opens, and precaches both", async () => {
         const { file: live, body } = await asLivePhoto(file(1, 1));
         class LiveClient extends MockClient {
             override async filesSince(): Promise<FilesPage> {
@@ -197,7 +197,8 @@ describe("Library content wiring", () => {
         // A first run records the library, so the next one knows that file 1
         // is a live photo when it opens the cache.
         await (await open({})).close();
-        writeFileSync(join(originals, "1.jpg"), livePhotoZip());
+        writeFileSync(join(originals, "1.heic"), "an image");
+        writeFileSync(join(originals, "1.mov"), "a video");
 
         let precached!: () => void;
         const done = new Promise<void>((r) => (precached = r));
@@ -208,7 +209,9 @@ describe("Library content wiring", () => {
                     precached();
             },
         });
-        expect(existsSync(join(originals, "1.jpg"))).toBe(false);
+        expect(
+            lib.photos.byID({ fileID: 1 })!.record().originalPath,
+        ).toBeUndefined();
         await done;
 
         expect(readdirSync(originals).sort()).toEqual([
@@ -216,6 +219,17 @@ describe("Library content wiring", () => {
             "1.livephoto.json",
             "1.mov",
         ]);
+        expect(readFileSync(join(originals, "1.heic"))).toEqual(
+            Buffer.from(IMAGE),
+        );
+        expect(readFileSync(join(originals, "1.mov"))).toEqual(
+            Buffer.from(VIDEO),
+        );
+        expect(
+            JSON.parse(
+                readFileSync(join(originals, "1.livephoto.json"), "utf-8"),
+            ),
+        ).toEqual({ image: "1.heic", video: "1.mov" });
         expect(lib.photos.byID({ fileID: 1 })!.record().originalPath).toBe(
             join(originals, "1.heic"),
         );

test/library/content.test.ts

@@ -566,43 +566,6 @@ describe("ContentCache live photos", () => {
         expect(events).toEqual(["skipped"]);
     });
 
-    it("replaces a live photo an earlier version stored as a ZIP under the image's name", async () => {
-        const { file: live, body } = await asLivePhoto(file(5, "IMG_5.HEIC"));
-        mkdirSync(originals(), { recursive: true });
-        writeFileSync(join(originals(), "5.HEIC"), livePhotoZip());
-        const cache = cacheOf([live], new Map([[5, body]]));
-        // Opened without being told that file 5 is a live photo, the cache
-        // records the ZIP, and does not serve it.
-        await cache.open();
-
-        const result = await cache.original(5);
-
-        expect(result.videoPath).toBe(join(originals(), "5.mov"));
-        expect(readdirSync(originals()).sort()).toEqual([
-            "5.heic",
-            "5.livephoto.json",
-            "5.mov",
-        ]);
-    });
-
-    it("removes a live photo's ZIP an earlier version stored when it opens, so the precache fetches the image and video", async () => {
-        const { file: live, body } = await asLivePhoto(file(5, "IMG_5.HEIC"));
-        mkdirSync(originals(), { recursive: true });
-        writeFileSync(join(originals(), "5.HEIC"), livePhotoZip());
-        const cache = cacheOf([live], new Map([[5, body]]));
-
-        await cache.open((fileID) => fileID === 5);
-
-        expect(readdirSync(originals())).toEqual([]);
-        expect(cache.pathsFor(5)).toEqual({});
-        const [fetched] = await cache.ensureOriginals({ fileIDs: [5] });
-        expect(fetched).toEqual({
-            fileID: 5,
-            path: join(originals(), "5.heic"),
-        });
-        expect(cache.pathsFor(5)).toEqual({ originalPath: fetched!.path });
-    });
-
     it("leaves the image and video another process has just stored when it opens before their JSON file is written", async () => {
         const { file: live, body } = await asLivePhoto(file(5, "IMG_5.HEIC"));
         const server = cdnSource(new Map([[5, body]]));
@@ -633,6 +596,36 @@ describe("ContentCache live photos", () => {
         expect(second!.pathsFor(5)).toEqual({});
     });
 
+    it("fetches a live photo's image and video again when the cache opened before knowing it is a live photo and no JSON file names them", async () => {
+        const { file: live, body } = await asLivePhoto(file(5, "IMG_5.HEIC"));
+        mkdirSync(originals(), { recursive: true });
+        writeFileSync(join(originals(), "5.heic"), "an image");
+        writeFileSync(join(originals(), "5.mov"), "a video");
+        const cache = cacheOf([live], new Map([[5, body]]));
+        // Opened without being told that file 5 is a live photo, the cache
+        // records one of the two files as its original, with no video.
+        await cache.open();
+
+        const events: string[] = [];
+        const result = await cache.original(5, {
+            onProgress: (e) => events.push(e.status),
+        });
+
+        expect(events.at(-1)).toBe("done");
+        expect(result).toEqual({
+            path: join(originals(), "5.heic"),
+            videoPath: join(originals(), "5.mov"),
+            bytes: IMAGE.length,
+        });
+        expect(readFileSync(result.path)).toEqual(Buffer.from(IMAGE));
+        expect(readFileSync(result.videoPath!)).toEqual(Buffer.from(VIDEO));
+        expect(
+            JSON.parse(
+                readFileSync(join(originals(), "5.livephoto.json"), "utf-8"),
+            ),
+        ).toEqual({ image: "5.heic", video: "5.mov" });
+    });
+
     it.each(["missing", "empty"])(
         "fetches a live photo again when the video its JSON file names is %s",
         async (state) => {