Limit report and trees to given paths (closes #174 )

report and trees take optional PATH operands and use only the records at or below them. Operands are made absolute and cleaned as text, never looked up on the filesystem. With operands, trees reports only directories at or below an operand: a directory above them holds unused files, so its digest neither gets reported nor suppresses its children's group. The summary still counts every record read. Model: opus-5-5
Leave empty files out of report and trees (closes #178 ) (#183 )
2026-11-11 04:01:34 +00:00 · 2026-11-11 03:52:45 +01:00 · 2026-11-10 23:11:52 +01:00 · 2026-11-10 21:15:53 +01:00 · 2026-11-10 05:56:03 +01:00 · 2026-11-10 05:55:56 +01:00
27 changed files with 1177 additions and 352 deletions
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ export CGO_ENABLED = 0

 BINARY := sfdupes
 VERSION := $(shell git describe --tags --always --dirty 2>/dev/null || echo dev)
-LDFLAGS := -X main.Version=$(VERSION)
+LDFLAGS := -X sneak.berlin/go/sfdupes/internal/sfdupes.Version=$(VERSION)

 .PHONY: sfdupes build bootstrap setup test lint fmt fmt-check check docker hooks clean

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ LDFLAGS := -X main.Version=$(VERSION)
 # Default target: build the binary. Phony so go build (which has its
 # own build cache) always decides what to recompile.
 sfdupes:
-	go build -ldflags "$(LDFLAGS)" -o $(BINARY)
+	go build -ldflags "$(LDFLAGS)" -o $(BINARY) ./cmd/sfdupes

 build: sfdupes

@@ -17,12 +17,13 @@ gigabyte. A large file is never read in full. A match between two large files is
 a strong candidate, not proof.

 `sfdupes` is meant for multi-terabyte servers, where reading every byte of every
-file takes too long. It has four subcommands. `scan` walks the filesystem and
+file takes too long. It has five subcommands. `scan` walks the filesystem and
 records the files it finds in an SQLite database. SQLite keeps a whole database
 in one file. The database is kept between runs. A rescan reads only new and
 changed files. That makes `scan` cheap enough to run every day from `cron`, the
 system's job scheduler. `report`, `trees` and `info` read the database alone and
-can run at any time.
+can run at any time. `dwim` scans `/` and then prints the `trees` report, for a
+first look at a new machine with one command.

 ## Getting Started

@@ -42,7 +43,9 @@ as opposed to a directory, a symlink or a device node. A symlink is a file that
 holds the path of another file and stands in for it. A device node is a file
 that stands for a piece of hardware, such as a disk or a terminal. `report`
 prints the file-level duplicates. `trees` prints the duplicate directory trees.
-`info` prints the database's path, size and record count.
+Both cover the whole database, or only the paths given after them, as in
+`sfdupes report /srv/photos`. `info` prints the database's path, size and record
+count.

 The database is `/var/lib/sfdupes/db.sqlite` unless `SFDUPES_DATABASE` names
 another file. The first `scan` creates it.
@@ -56,25 +59,25 @@ shell shows both on the terminal, and `>` redirects stdout alone.
 With Go installed, this builds and installs the newest tagged release:

 ```sh
-go install sneak.berlin/go/sfdupes@latest
+go install sneak.berlin/go/sfdupes/cmd/sfdupes@latest
 ```

 `@main` installs the tip of the `main` branch instead:

 ```sh
-go install sneak.berlin/go/sfdupes@main
+go install sneak.berlin/go/sfdupes/cmd/sfdupes@main
 ```

 The binary goes to `$(go env GOPATH)/bin`, or to `$GOBIN` when that is set.

 `sfdupes --version` prints `sfdupes VERSION` and exits. For a binary from
 `go install`, `VERSION` is the version Go recorded in it. For `@latest` that is
-a release tag such as `v0.0.3`. For `@main` it is the commit's tag when it has
-one. Otherwise it is a pseudo-version, Go's version string for an untagged
-commit. That string ends in the commit's hash. A binary built from a clone
-carries the output of `git describe --tags --always --dirty` in that clone, such
-as `v0.0.3` on a tagged commit. `VERSION` is `dev` when no version is known. To
-see everything Go recorded in an installed binary:
+a release tag. For `@main` it is the commit's tag when it has one. Otherwise it
+is a pseudo-version, Go's version string for an untagged commit. That string
+ends in the commit's hash. A binary built from a clone carries the output of
+`git describe --tags --always --dirty` in that clone, such as `v0.0.3` on a
+tagged commit. `VERSION` is `dev` when no version is known. To see everything Go
+recorded in an installed binary:

 ```sh
 go version -m "$(command -v sfdupes)"
@@ -247,12 +250,15 @@ In order:
 - `report` prints the file-level duplicate report from the database.
 - `trees` prints the duplicate-tree report from the database.
 - `info` prints the database's details.
+- `dwim` scans `/` with the default excludes, then prints the duplicate-tree
+  report.

 ```
 sfdupes scan [--workers N] [-x] [--no-default-excludes] PATH...
-sfdupes report > dupes.tsv
-sfdupes trees > dupetrees.tsv
+sfdupes report [PATH...] > dupes.tsv
+sfdupes trees [PATH...] > dupetrees.tsv
 sfdupes info
+sfdupes dwim
 sfdupes --version
 sfdupes [command] --help
 ```
@@ -348,17 +354,26 @@ default. An operand may be a directory or a regular file.

 - `scan` with no operand is a usage error. The usage text goes to stderr, and
  the exit code is 2.
- An operand that does not exist is a fatal error. `scan` then stops before it
-  walks anything, and exits 1.
- Each operand is made absolute before the walk. A relative operand is joined to
-  the working directory as `pwd` prints it, with its symlinks kept. A `.` or
-  `..` in it is resolved as text, and symlinks are not followed. Each record is
-  stored under that absolute path.
+- An operand that does not exist is a fatal error, and so is a symlink whose
+  target does not exist. `scan` then stops before it walks anything, and exits
+  with code 1.
+- Each operand is resolved to its real path before the walk, as `realpath`
+  prints it. A relative operand is joined to the working directory as `pwd -P`
+  prints it. Every symlink in the path is then followed. A `..` after a symlink
+  counts from the directory the symlink leads to. From then on the operand is
+  that real path. Its files are recorded under it, and warnings name it.
+- An operand that is a symlink is scanned at its target's real path. After a
+  `cd` through a symlink, `scan .` records its files under the real path of the
+  working directory.
 - All operands belong to one scan, and one walk covers them all at once (see
  "Concurrency").
- An operand that repeats another is dropped before the walk.
+- An operand that repeats another is dropped before the walk. Two operands
+  repeat each other when their real paths are the same.
 - An operand under another operand is dropped the same way, unless one of the
-  cases below applies. No path is then walked twice.
+  cases below applies. No path is then walked twice. Whether one operand is
+  under another is judged on their real paths. With `/srv/link` a symlink to a
+  directory outside `/srv`, `scan /srv /srv/link/sub` walks `sub` on its own,
+  because the real path of `sub` is not under `/srv`.
 - An operand under another is kept, and walked on its own, when the inner
  operand or a directory between the two is one of these:
    - a default exclude (see "Rules for the walk");
@@ -369,25 +384,19 @@ default. An operand may be a directory or a regular file.
    memory (see "Rules for the walk"). The outer operand's walk does not enter
    such a directory, so the inner operand is walked on its own.

- No other case keeps an operand under another. An operand reached through a
-  symlinked directory below the outer operand is dropped too. The outer
-  operand's walk does not follow the symlink, so no file under the inner operand
-  is scanned. The records that an earlier scan left under it are deleted. The
-  `-x` case above also covers an operand reached that way.
- An operand that is neither a regular file nor a directory is not scanned.
-  `scan` prints a warning naming the path and what it is. It counts the operand
-  as skipped and drops it. An operand beneath a symlink operand is scanned all
-  the same. The scan keeps the records beneath a dropped operand, unless another
-  operand covers them. After a `cd` through a symlink, `scan .` names the
-  symlink and is skipped as a symlink operand. `scan sub` in that directory
-  records its files under the symlink's path. `report` can then list each as a
-  duplicate of the same file recorded under its real path.
+- No other case keeps an operand under another.
+- An operand that is neither a regular file nor a directory is not scanned. Such
+  an operand is, for example, a symlink to a device node. `scan` prints a
+  warning naming the real path and what it is. It counts the operand as skipped
+  and drops it. The scan keeps the records beneath a dropped operand, unless
+  another operand covers them.
 - An operand at or inside a directory named `.zfs` is never scanned, whether
-  given alone or under another operand. The check looks at the path as given and
-  at the path with its symlinks resolved. `scan` prints a warning naming the
-  path, counts the operand as skipped and drops it. The records beneath it are
-  kept, unless it lies under another operand. Then they are deleted, because
-  that operand's walk never enters `.zfs` (see "Rules for the walk").
+  given alone or under another operand. The check looks at the real path, so a
+  symlink into a `.zfs` directory is not scanned either. `scan` prints a warning
+  naming the real path, counts the operand as skipped and drops it. The records
+  beneath it are kept, unless it lies under another operand. Then they are
+  deleted, because that operand's walk never enters `.zfs` (see "Rules for the
+  walk").
 - An operand on a filesystem that is not persistent is dropped too. `scan`
  prints a line naming it and its filesystem type, and does not count it as
  skipped.
@@ -407,9 +416,9 @@ operands:
  is what makes a daily rescan cheap.
 - When such a file's size on disk differs from its recorded `disk_size`, `scan`
  updates `disk_size` alone. It still does not read the file, and counts it as
-  unchanged. ZFS, for example, counts a new file's blocks only seconds after the
-  write. A block is the unit in which a filesystem allocates disk space. A file
-  scanned within those seconds gets its real `disk_size` at the next scan.
+  unchanged. ZFS, for example, counts a new file's blocks up to seconds after
+  the write. A block is the unit in which a filesystem allocates disk space. A
+  file scanned within those seconds gets its real `disk_size` at the next scan.
 - `scan` hashes a file again when its size differs or its mtime is newer. The
  mtime is compared to the nanosecond, as finely as the filesystem records it. A
  same-size rewrite counts as a change whenever the filesystem gives it a later
@@ -484,12 +493,12 @@ walk practical on large or busy storage pools.
    The walk knows them by device ID and inode number. The device ID is the
    number by which the kernel tells filesystems apart. The inode number tells
    the files of one filesystem apart. So the walk passes over them whatever
-    path leads to them. The walk follows no symlink it finds. It does open each
-    operand at the path given, even when that path runs through a symlinked
-    directory. Such an operand can lead to the database files, and the walk
-    passes over them there as well. The walk prints no line for the database
-    files and does not count them as skipped. A record that an earlier scan left
-    for one of them is deleted.
+    path leads to them. The walk follows no symlink it finds. It opens each
+    operand at its real path, not the path given. An operand given through a
+    symlink can lead to the database files, and the walk passes over them there
+    as well. The walk prints no line for the database files and does not count
+    them as skipped. A record that an earlier scan left for one of them is
+    deleted.

 - By default the walk enters directories on other filesystems than its
  operand's. With `-x`, it never enters a directory on a different filesystem
@@ -646,18 +655,19 @@ and `scan` leaves it ignored.

 ### `report` mode

-`report` reads every record from the database. It takes no positional arguments.
-A positional argument is anything on the command line that is not a flag, such
-as the paths `scan` takes. `report` never touches the scanned filesystem. It
-neither stats nor opens any path in the records. It reads the database and
-writes to stdout and stderr, and nothing else. Its output is the same whether or
-not the scanned filesystem is still mounted.
+`report` reads every record from the database. It takes optional `PATH`
+operands. With none, it uses every record. With one or more, it uses only the
+records at or below them (see "Report paths"). `report` never touches the
+scanned filesystem. It neither stats nor opens any path in the records. It reads
+the database and writes to stdout and stderr, and nothing else. Its output is
+the same whether or not the scanned filesystem is still mounted.

 Processing:

 - Records are grouped by signature, the four values
  `(size, head, tail, content)`.
 - Every group with two or more paths is a duplicate group.
+- Empty files form no group, because removing one frees nothing.
 - Within a group, paths are sorted in byte order. The first is `first`, and
  every other path is a `dupe`.
 - Groups are ordered by size, largest first, then by `first` path. The output is
@@ -673,6 +683,26 @@ with one signature come together, and so do the records of one size. So `report`
 holds only the duplicate groups of the size it is reading. Once it reaches a
 smaller size, it writes them, ordered by `first` path.

+#### Report paths
+
+`report` and `trees` take the same `PATH` operands:
+
+- A record is used when its path is an operand or lies below one. `/srv/photos`
+  covers `/srv/photos/x` but not `/srv/photos2/x`.
+- The records used are grouped, ordered and totalled as they are without
+  operands. A copy outside the operands is not reported. With copies `/a/f`,
+  `/srv/photos/x` and `/srv/photos/y`, `sfdupes report /srv/photos` prints one
+  row, `/srv/photos/x` and `/srv/photos/y`.
+- A relative operand is joined to the working directory as `pwd -P` prints it.
+- Each operand is then cleaned as text, as `realpath -ms` prints it. Its `.`
+  elements and repeated or trailing slashes are dropped. Each `..` drops the
+  element before it.
+- No operand is looked up on the filesystem. A symlink in an operand is not
+  followed, and an operand need not exist. The records hold real paths (see
+  "Operands"), so an operand that passes through a symlink matches no record.
+- An operand that matches no record is not an error. The report then has no
+  rows.
+
 #### Report output format

 The report is TSV (tab-separated values) on stdout. It holds a header line, then
@@ -700,22 +730,24 @@ Grouping and ordering use the stored path. The warnings about skipped paths that

 The summary line on stderr gives:

- the records read;
+- the records read, which are all the records in the database, with or without
+  operands;
 - the duplicate groups;
 - the dupe files, which is the number of rows;
 - the reclaimable bytes, the sum of `size` over all rows.

 ```
-report: 14 records read, 5 duplicate groups, 8 dupe files, 10.0 KiB reclaimable
+report: 14 records read, 4 duplicate groups, 7 dupe files, 10.0 KiB reclaimable
 ```

 ### `trees` mode

-`trees` reads the same database as `report` and takes no positional arguments.
-It reports whole duplicate directory trees. Two directories are duplicate trees
-when they hold the same relative paths, and each path holds a file with the same
-signature in both. Like `report`, it never touches the scanned filesystem. It
-rebuilds the directory tree from the paths in the records, split on `/`.
+`trees` reads the same database as `report` and takes the same `PATH` operands
+(see "Report paths"). It reports whole duplicate directory trees. Two
+directories are duplicate trees when they hold the same relative paths, and each
+path holds a file with the same signature in both. Like `report`, it never
+touches the scanned filesystem. It rebuilds the directory tree from the paths in
+the records, split on `/`.

 Definitions:

@@ -734,11 +766,18 @@ Processing:
 - `trees` builds the directory tree and computes every directory's digest. It
  then groups the directories by digest. Every group with two or more
  directories is a duplicate-tree group.
+- `trees` leaves out a group whose trees hold 0 bytes, because removing one
+  frees nothing. An empty file still counts toward the digest of a tree that
+  holds other files.
 - `trees` leaves out a group that a group of its members' parents already
  implies. A group is left out when its members' parents are distinct
  directories that all have the same digest. The parents' group, or an
  ancestor's, already implies it. A group is always reported when it holds
  sibling directories, or when its members' parents have different digests.
+- With operands, `trees` builds the tree from the records it uses. It reports
+  only directories at or below an operand. A directory above every operand holds
+  files that are not used, so its digest does not describe it. Such a directory
+  is never reported and never implies a group of its children.
 - Within a group, paths are sorted in byte order. The first is `first`, and
  every other path is a `dupe`.
 - Groups are ordered by total tree size, largest first, then by `first` path.
@@ -788,7 +827,8 @@ directory's path is `/`.

 The summary line on stderr gives:

- the records read;
+- the records read, which are all the records in the database, with or without
+  operands;
 - the duplicate-tree groups;
 - the dupe trees, which is the number of rows;
 - the reclaimable bytes, the sum of `size` over all rows.
@@ -797,6 +837,35 @@ The summary line on stderr gives:
 trees: 14 records read, 1 duplicate tree groups, 1 dupe trees, 3.0 KiB reclaimable
 ```

+### `dwim` mode
+
+`dwim`, short for "do what I mean", scans a new machine and reports its
+duplicate trees in one command. It takes no positional arguments and no flags of
+its own. A positional argument is anything on the command line that is not a
+flag, such as the paths `scan` takes. Like `scan`, it should run as root, so
+that it can read every file.
+
+`dwim` runs what `sfdupes scan /` runs with no flags. The walk skips the default
+excludes and crosses into other filesystems. `--workers` keeps its default. The
+database, its creation and the scan lock are those of `scan`. Then `dwim` runs
+what `sfdupes trees` runs. The largest trees come first.
+
+The report goes to stdout, exactly as `trees` prints it. On stderr comes what
+`scan` prints, then what `trees` prints, then one last line:
+
+```
+dwim: run "sfdupes trees" to print this report again
+```
+
+The database keeps the scan, so `sfdupes trees` prints the same report later,
+even after the terminal is gone.
+
+`SIGINT` or `SIGTERM` stops the scan as it stops `scan` (see "Stopping a scan").
+`dwim` then prints no report and exits 1. A fatal scan error also ends it before
+the report, with the same message and exit code as `scan`. Warnings for skipped
+files do not stop it. `dwim` stops catching signals when the scan ends, so a
+signal during the report ends it at once, as it ends `trees`.
+
 ### `info` mode

 `info` takes no positional arguments and prints the database's details on
@@ -837,7 +906,7 @@ scan is writing. `info` writes its lines after the `count` display has ended.

 ### Database

-All four subcommands work on one SQLite database file.
+All five subcommands work on one SQLite database file.

 #### Location

@@ -853,6 +922,8 @@ scan: new database /var/lib/sfdupes/db.sqlite (default)
 trees: database /srv/tmp/sfdupes/db.db (from SFDUPES_DATABASE)
 ```

+`dwim` prints the `scan` line first, and the `trees` line after the scan.
+
 A relative path is printed with the working directory in front of it. The
 working directory is printed as `pwd -P` prints it, with its symlinks resolved.
 The rest of the path is printed as set, so a `..` in it stays. The line names
@@ -1136,9 +1207,9 @@ showing the count it stopped at.
 ### Error handling and exit codes

 - `0`: success, even when files were skipped with warnings.
- `1`: a fatal error, or a `scan` stopped by `SIGINT` or `SIGTERM`. A fatal
-  error is one of these:
-    - an operand that does not exist, or whose details `scan` cannot read;
+- `1`: a fatal error, a `scan` stopped by `SIGINT` or `SIGTERM`, or a `dwim`
+  stopped by either during its scan. A fatal error is one of these:
+    - an operand that does not exist, or whose real path `scan` cannot find;
    - a list of mounted filesystems that `scan` cannot read;
    - another `scan` holding the lock (see "The scan lock");
    - a database, its directory or its lock file that cannot be created or
@@ -1158,7 +1229,7 @@ showing the count it stopped at.
      `--workers abc`;
    - `scan` with no operand;
    - `--workers` below 1;
-    - `report`, `trees` or `info` with a positional argument.
+    - `info` or `dwim` with a positional argument.

 A fatal error is reported on stderr, starting with `sfdupes:`. A failed write to
 stdout, such as a full disk, is reported the same way. Two cases never reach
@@ -1346,7 +1417,7 @@ All of the following, run in this directory, must pass:
    head -c 2000 /dev/urandom > "$d/a/unique.bin"     # same size, different content
    printf 'x' > "$d/tiny1"; printf 'x' > "$d/tiny2"  # 1-byte duplicates
    printf 'y' > "$d/tiny3"                           # 1-byte non-duplicate
-    : > "$d/empty1"; : > "$d/empty2"                  # empty duplicates
+    : > "$d/empty1"; : > "$d/empty2"                  # empty files
    # duplicate trees: t1 and t2 are identical; t3 differs by one filename
    mkdir -p "$d/t1/sub" "$d/t2/sub" "$d/t3/sub"
    head -c 3000 /dev/urandom > "$d/t1/f1"
@@ -1371,8 +1442,8 @@ All of the following, run in this directory, must pass:
      is the path that sorts first.
    - `t1/f1`, `t2/f1` and `t3/f1` form one group.
    - `t1/sub/f2`, `t2/sub/f2` and `t3/sub/f2renamed` form one group.
-    - `tiny1` and `tiny2` form a pair, and so do `empty1` and `empty2`.
-    - `unique.bin` and `tiny3` appear nowhere.
+    - `tiny1` and `tiny2` form a pair.
+    - `unique.bin`, `tiny3`, `empty1` and `empty2` appear nowhere.
    - The groups come in order of size, largest first.

    `trees` prints exactly one row, `$d/t1` as `first` and `$d/t2` as `dupe`.
@@ -1385,8 +1456,9 @@ All of the following, run in this directory, must pass:
    because its content changed. `copy.bin` and `copy2.bin` remain as one pair.
    `unique.bin` is gone from the database.

-    The test suite automates this scenario (see `scan_test.go`). It also checks
-    that `report` and `trees` never touch the scanned filesystem.
+    The test suite automates this scenario (see
+    `internal/sfdupes/scan_test.go`). It also checks that `report` and `trees`
+    never touch the scanned filesystem.

 ## TODO

@@ -29,6 +29,46 @@
 Newest first. An entry ends with its date and its issue or branch, where those
 are known.

+- `report` and `trees` take optional `PATH` operands. With operands, they use
+  only the records at or below them. `trees` then reports only directories at or
+  below an operand. Operands are made absolute and cleaned as text, never looked
+  up on the filesystem (2026-11-11,
+  https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/174)
+- `report` and `trees` leave out empty files. `report` writes no group of size
+  0, and `trees` writes no group whose trees hold 0 bytes. An empty file still
+  counts toward a tree's digest (2026-11-11,
+  https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/178)
+- The Go code moved out of the repository root. `cmd/sfdupes/main.go` is the
+  command, and it calls `Main` in the package `internal/sfdupes`. `main.go`
+  became `internal/sfdupes/cli.go`. Every other file kept its name. The install
+  path is now `sneak.berlin/go/sfdupes/cmd/sfdupes` (2026-11-10,
+  https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/157)
+
+- New subcommand `dwim`. It runs what `sfdupes scan /` runs with no flags, then
+  what `sfdupes trees` runs. Its last line on stderr says that `sfdupes trees`
+  prints the report again (2026-11-06,
+  https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/154)
+
+- `scan` resolves each operand to its real path, symlinks followed, before the
+  walk. A symlink operand is scanned at its target instead of skipped. With
+  `/srv/link` a symlink to a directory outside `/srv`, `scan /srv /srv/link/sub`
+  walks `sub` on its own instead of dropping it and deleting its records
+  (2026-11-06, https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/144)
+
+- `README.md` and a comment in `internal/sfdupes/scan.go` no longer say ZFS
+  counts a new file's blocks only seconds after the write. The count can land in
+  under a second. Both now say up to seconds after the write, as the comment on
+  `diskSizeOf` in `internal/sfdupes/scan_test.go` does (2026-11-03,
+  https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/152)
+
+- The three disk size tests in `internal/sfdupes/scan_test.go` no longer fail at
+  random on ZFS. `unix.Sync` can return before ZFS has counted a file's blocks,
+  and one ZFS commit can take a file through several sizes. The test that needs
+  the size to change waits for it, for at most 30 seconds. Each test reads the
+  size before and after its scan. The rewrite test rescans until the two reads
+  match, then compares exactly. The other two fail only on a `disk_size` outside
+  the two reads (2026-11-02, https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/150)
+
 - `TODO.md` rewritten from scratch by the same rules as `README.md`, sentence by
  sentence. Every completed step is kept, with its date and its issue or branch.
  The policy-compliance checklist of 2026-07-22 is folded into its step
@@ -38,9 +78,13 @@ are known.
  it. It leads with what the program is and how to use it. A reference section
  covers every setting and every subcommand. Development and testing come last.
  Every statement was checked against the code on `next`. Five comments in
-  `main_test.go` cite "Settings", where their rules now live. One comment each
-  in `scan_test.go`, `trees_test.go` and `exclude_test.go` cites what the README
-  now says (2026-11-02, https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/135)
+  `internal/sfdupes/cli_test.go` cite "Settings", where their rules now live.
+  One comment each in these files cites what the README now says:
+    - `internal/sfdupes/scan_test.go`;
+    - `internal/sfdupes/trees_test.go`;
+    - `internal/sfdupes/exclude_test.go`.
+
+    (2026-11-02, https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/135)

 - Each record holds `disk_size`, the bytes the file takes on disk. That is its
  allocated blocks, `st_blocks` × 512, from the `lstat` call the walk already
@@ -113,12 +157,12 @@ are known.
    https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/109)

 - The release rule was set. Until 1.0, each tip of `main` that passes the build
-  gets the next `v0.0.N` tag. `go install sneak.berlin/go/sfdupes@latest` then
-  installs it. `go.mod` retracts `v0.0.1`, the early build without a database.
-  When the linker set no version, `sfdupes --version` prints the version Go
-  recorded in the binary. That is the tag, or the pseudo-version of a
-  `go install` build. It prints `dev` only when neither is known. README
-  "Install" documented:
+  gets the next `v0.0.N` tag.
+  `go install sneak.berlin/go/sfdupes/cmd/sfdupes@latest` then installs it.
+  `go.mod` retracts `v0.0.1`, the early build without a database. When the
+  linker set no version, `sfdupes --version` prints the version Go recorded in
+  the binary. That is the tag, or the pseudo-version of a `go install` build. It
+  prints `dev` only when neither is known. README "Install" documented:
    - the rule;
    - what `@main` and `v0.0.1` give;
    - how to check an installed binary.
@@ -369,8 +413,9 @@ are known.
  `gomodguard_v2`, so lint no longer prints a deprecation warning (2026-10-04,
  https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/26)

- A test fails when either `hashWorker` cancellation check in `scan.go` is
-  removed (2026-10-04, https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/83)
+- A test fails when either `hashWorker` cancellation check in
+  `internal/sfdupes/scan.go` is removed (2026-10-04,
+  https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/83)

 - A database path holding `?`, `#` or `%` opens exactly the file it names
  (2026-10-04, https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/55)
@@ -378,15 +423,15 @@ are known.
 - `scan` rejects `--workers` below 1 as a usage error instead of running
  single-threaded (2026-10-04, https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/10)

- A test fails when either walk cancellation check in `scan.go` is removed
-  (2026-10-04, https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/81)
+- A test fails when either walk cancellation check in `internal/sfdupes/scan.go`
+  is removed (2026-10-04, https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/81)

 - A test checks that `scan` refuses a database with another schema version
  (2026-10-04, https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/64)

- Four inaccurate comments in `cancel_test.go` were corrected, and
-  `walkCancelInFlightDirs` was renamed to `walkCancelInFlightFiles` (2026-10-04,
-  https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/33)
+- Four inaccurate comments in `internal/sfdupes/cancel_test.go` were corrected,
+  and `walkCancelInFlightDirs` was renamed to `walkCancelInFlightFiles`
+  (2026-10-04, https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/33)

 - The `-x` filesystem-boundary rules in `subdirJob` are tested (2026-10-04,
  https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/17)
@@ -593,15 +638,15 @@ are known.
    - `loadRecords`;
    - `resolveRoots`.

-    The single exit point is `run` in `main.go`. It maps a `fatalError`,
-    anything a subcommand returned, to exit 1, and cobra's own argument and flag
-    errors to exit 2. So a runtime failure is never reported as a usage error,
-    nor printed with the usage text. `main_test.go` drives the CLI in-process
-    and asserts the exit codes from README "Error handling" and the
-    stdout/stderr split. It also checks that a fatal error after the database is
-    open leaves no `-wal` or `-shm` file behind, for `scan`, `report` or `trees`
-    (2026-08-09, branch `db-close-on-fatal`,
-    https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/4)
+    The single exit point is `run` in `internal/sfdupes/cli.go`. It maps a
+    `fatalError`, anything a subcommand returned, to exit 1, and cobra's own
+    argument and flag errors to exit 2. So a runtime failure is never reported
+    as a usage error, nor printed with the usage text.
+    `internal/sfdupes/cli_test.go` drives the CLI in-process and asserts the
+    exit codes from README "Error handling" and the stdout/stderr split. It also
+    checks that a fatal error after the database is open leaves no `-wal` or
+    `-shm` file behind, for `scan`, `report` or `trees` (2026-08-09, branch
+    `db-close-on-fatal`, https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/4)

 - `golangci-lint` was updated to v2.12.2 with the canonical config, merged as
  `38a01bd`. The pinned linter in the `Dockerfile` lint stage and
@@ -734,6 +779,4 @@ are known.

 # Accepted Divergences

- Flat single-package layout, with the `.go` files in the repo root. That is
-  fine for a small single-binary tool per the Go styleguide, and the tracker
-  audit agrees.
+None.
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+// Command sfdupes quickly identifies candidate duplicate files across
+// very large filesystems without reading every byte of every file.
+// Files are considered duplicates when their sizes are equal and they
+// agree on three SHA-256 hashes: of the first 64 KiB, of the last 64
+// KiB, and of the content. The content hash covers the whole file under
+// 100 MiB, and 1 MiB at each gigabyte at 100 MiB or more, so a large
+// file is never read in full. scan maintains a persistent SQLite
+// database of file signatures (SFDUPES_DATABASE, default
+// /var/lib/sfdupes/db.sqlite) that the other subcommands read.
+//
+// Usage:
+//
+//	sfdupes scan [--workers N] [-x] [--no-default-excludes] PATH...
+//	sfdupes report > dupes.tsv
+//	sfdupes trees > dupetrees.tsv
+//	sfdupes info
+//	sfdupes dwim
+//	sfdupes --version
+//
+// See README.md for the complete specification.
+package main
+
+import (
+	"os"
+
+	"sneak.berlin/go/sfdupes/internal/sfdupes"
+)
+
+func main() { os.Exit(sfdupes.Main()) }
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes //nolint:testpackage // cancels the unexported runScan and hashWorker

 import (
 	"context"
@@ -1,23 +1,6 @@
-// Command sfdupes quickly identifies candidate duplicate files across
-// very large filesystems without reading every byte of every file.
-// Files are considered duplicates when their sizes are equal and they
-// agree on three SHA-256 hashes: of the first 64 KiB, of the last 64
-// KiB, and of the content. The content hash covers the whole file under
-// 100 MiB, and 1 MiB at each gigabyte at 100 MiB or more, so a large
-// file is never read in full. scan maintains a persistent SQLite
-// database of file signatures (SFDUPES_DATABASE, default
-// /var/lib/sfdupes/db.sqlite) that the other subcommands read.
-//
-// Usage:
-//
-//	sfdupes scan [--workers N] [-x] [--no-default-excludes] PATH...
-//	sfdupes report > dupes.tsv
-//	sfdupes trees > dupetrees.tsv
-//	sfdupes info
-//	sfdupes --version
-//
-// See README.md for the complete specification.
-package main
+// Package sfdupes implements the sfdupes command and the database its
+// subcommands share.
+package sfdupes

 import (
 	"context"
@@ -45,8 +28,16 @@ const (
 	cmdReport = "report"
 	cmdTrees  = "trees"
 	cmdInfo   = "info"
+	cmdDwim   = "dwim"
 )

+// reportPathsHelp explains the PATH operands of report and trees in
+// their help.
+const reportPathsHelp = "With PATH operands, only the records at or " +
+	"below them are used. A relative PATH is joined to the working " +
+	"directory. No PATH is looked up on the filesystem, so a symlink in " +
+	"one is not followed."
+
 // errNoSubcommand is returned by the root command when it is invoked
 // without a subcommand. That is a usage error, and the usage text
 // cobra prints for it is the whole message.
@@ -84,20 +75,22 @@ func buildVersion(linkerVersion string, info *debug.BuildInfo) string {
 	return info.Main.Version
 }

-func main() {
+// Main runs the command line in os.Args and returns the process exit
+// code.
+func Main() int {
 	// Once the reader of a stdout pipe has gone, as in "sfdupes report |
 	// head", the Go runtime ends the process with SIGPIPE on the next
 	// write instead of returning an error (README "Error handling").
 	// Registering for SIGPIPE with os/signal would change that.
-	os.Exit(run(os.Args[1:], os.Stdout, os.Stderr))
+	return run(os.Args[1:], os.Stdout, os.Stderr)
 }

 // run executes args against the command tree and returns the process
 // exit code. It is the program's single exit point: the subcommands
 // return their errors instead of exiting, so every deferred cleanup —
 // above all closing the database, which checkpoints the SQLite WAL —
-// runs before the process ends. The report, trees and info subcommands
-// write their data to stdout.
+// runs before the process ends. The report, trees, info and dwim
+// subcommands write their data to stdout.
 func run(args []string, stdout, stderr io.Writer) int {
 	// A nil slice makes cobra fall back to os.Args, which would let a
 	// test binary's own flags reach the command tree.
@@ -175,20 +168,24 @@ func newRootCommand(stdout, stderr io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 		"print the version to stdout")

 	reportCmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:   cmdReport,
+		Use:   cmdReport + " [PATH...]",
 		Short: "Read the scan database and print the file-level duplicates report",
-		Args:  cobra.NoArgs,
-		RunE: runE(func(ctx context.Context, _ []string) error {
-			return runReport(ctx, stdout)
+		Long: "Read the scan database and print the file-level duplicates " +
+			"report.\n\n" + reportPathsHelp,
+		Args: cobra.ArbitraryArgs,
+		RunE: runE(func(ctx context.Context, args []string) error {
+			return runReport(ctx, args, stdout)
 		}),
 	}

 	treesCmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:   cmdTrees,
+		Use:   cmdTrees + " [PATH...]",
 		Short: "Read the scan database and print the duplicate-tree report",
-		Args:  cobra.NoArgs,
-		RunE: runE(func(ctx context.Context, _ []string) error {
-			return runTrees(ctx, stdout)
+		Long: "Read the scan database and print the duplicate-tree " +
+			"report.\n\n" + reportPathsHelp,
+		Args: cobra.ArbitraryArgs,
+		RunE: runE(func(ctx context.Context, args []string) error {
+			return runTrees(ctx, args, stdout)
 		}),
 	}

@@ -201,7 +198,16 @@ func newRootCommand(stdout, stderr io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 		}),
 	}

-	root.AddCommand(newScanCommand(), reportCmd, treesCmd, infoCmd)
+	dwimCmd := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   cmdDwim,
+		Short: "Scan / with the default excludes, then print the duplicate-tree report",
+		Args:  cobra.NoArgs,
+		RunE: runE(func(ctx context.Context, _ []string) error {
+			return runDwim(ctx, "/", stdout)
+		}),
+	}
+
+	root.AddCommand(newScanCommand(), reportCmd, treesCmd, infoCmd, dwimCmd)

 	return root
 }
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes //nolint:testpackage // drives the unexported run

 import (
 	"bytes"
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
+
+	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 )

 // usageMarker is the first line of cobra's usage text, which a usage
@@ -574,14 +576,14 @@ func TestRunNamesDefaultDatabase(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		cmdReport: {
 			run: func() error {
-				return runReport(cancelledContext(t), io.Discard)
+				return runReport(cancelledContext(t), nil, io.Discard)
 			},
 			want: "report: database " + defaultDatabasePath + " (default)\n" +
 				reportOpenLine + "\n" + reportOpenLine + "\n",
 		},
 		cmdTrees: {
 			run: func() error {
-				return runTrees(cancelledContext(t), io.Discard)
+				return runTrees(cancelledContext(t), nil, io.Discard)
 			},
 			want: "trees: database " + defaultDatabasePath + " (default)\n" +
 				treesOpenLine + "\n" + treesOpenLine + "\n",
@@ -617,9 +619,8 @@ func TestRunUsageErrors(t *testing.T) {
 	}{
 		"no subcommand":      {[]string{}, usageMarker},
 		"scan without paths": {[]string{cmdScan}, usageMarker},
-		"report with args":   {[]string{cmdReport, "x"}, usageMarker},
-		"trees with args":    {[]string{cmdTrees, "x"}, usageMarker},
 		"info with args":     {[]string{cmdInfo, "x"}, usageMarker},
+		"dwim with args":     {[]string{cmdDwim, "x"}, usageMarker},
 		"unknown flag":       {[]string{cmdScan, "--nope", "/"}, usageMarker},
 		"unknown subcommand": {[]string{"nope"}, "unknown command"},
 	}
@@ -797,7 +798,7 @@ func TestRunVersionWriteFailureIsFatal(t *testing.T) {
 func scanFixture(t *testing.T) []string {
 	t.Helper()

-	dir := t.TempDir()
+	dir := realTempDir(t)

 	dupes := []string{
 		writeFile(t, dir, "one/a.bin", pattern(1, 300)),
@@ -867,7 +868,7 @@ func TestRunScanSucceedsDespiteWarnings(t *testing.T) {
 	path := testDBPath(t)
 	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)

-	dir := t.TempDir()
+	dir := realTempDir(t)
 	writeFile(t, dir, "a.bin", pattern(1, 300))

 	// Same size as a.bin, so the scan reads it, and the read fails.
@@ -895,58 +896,278 @@ func TestRunScanSucceedsDespiteWarnings(t *testing.T) {
 	assertNoSidecars(t, path)
 }

-func TestRunScanSkipsSymlinkOperand(t *testing.T) {
-	path := testDBPath(t)
-	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)
+// realTempDir returns a new temporary directory by its real path, so
+// tests hold where the temporary directory is reached through a
+// symlink.
+func realTempDir(t *testing.T) string {
+	t.Helper()

-	dir := t.TempDir()
-	writeFile(t, dir, "target/sub/f", pattern(1, 10))
-
-	link := filepath.Join(dir, "link")
-
-	err := os.Symlink(filepath.Join(dir, "target"), link)
+	dir, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(t.TempDir())
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}

-	// Scanning a directory through the symlink stores a record beneath
-	// the symlink's own path for a file beneath its target.
-	scanOK(t, filepath.Join(link, "sub"))
-
-	assertOperandSkipped(t, path, link, "symlink",
-		filepath.Join(link, "sub", "f"))
+	return dir
 }

+// symlink creates link pointing at target.
+func symlink(t *testing.T, target, link string) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	err := os.Symlink(target, link)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRunScanFollowsSymlinkOperand scans link, a symlink to target.
+// The operand is scanned at its real path, and its file is recorded
+// there.
+func TestRunScanFollowsSymlinkOperand(t *testing.T) {
+	path := testDBPath(t)
+	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)
+
+	dir := realTempDir(t)
+	f := writeFile(t, dir, "target/sub/f", pattern(1, 10))
+
+	link := filepath.Join(dir, "link")
+	symlink(t, filepath.Join(dir, "target"), link)
+
+	stderr := scanOK(t, link)
+
+	summary := "scan: 1 files seen (1 added, 0 updated, 0 removed, " +
+		"0 unchanged), 0 skipped\n"
+	if !strings.Contains(stderr, summary) {
+		t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want %q", stderr, summary)
+	}
+
+	if got := storedPaths(t, path); !slices.Equal(got, []string{f}) {
+		t.Errorf("records = %q, want %q", got, []string{f})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRunScanWalksOperandUnderSymlinkOperand scans link and link/sub,
+// with link a symlink to target. Both resolve under target, so
+// target/sub is walked once, as part of target.
 func TestRunScanWalksOperandUnderSymlinkOperand(t *testing.T) {
 	path := testDBPath(t)
 	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)

-	dir := t.TempDir()
-	writeFile(t, dir, "target/sub/f", pattern(1, 10))
+	dir := realTempDir(t)
+	f := writeFile(t, dir, "target/sub/f", pattern(1, 10))

 	link := filepath.Join(dir, "link")
+	symlink(t, filepath.Join(dir, "target"), link)

-	err := os.Symlink(filepath.Join(dir, "target"), link)
+	stderr := scanOK(t, link, filepath.Join(link, "sub"))
+
+	summary := "scan: 1 files seen (1 added, 0 updated, 0 removed, " +
+		"0 unchanged), 0 skipped\n"
+	if !strings.Contains(stderr, summary) {
+		t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want %q", stderr, summary)
+	}
+
+	if got := storedPaths(t, path); !slices.Equal(got, []string{f}) {
+		t.Errorf("records = %q, want %q", got, []string{f})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRunScanWalksSymlinkedOperandBelowOperand is the case of
+// https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/144: scan dir dir/link/sub,
+// with dir/link a symlink to a directory outside dir. The walk of dir
+// does not follow link, so dir/link/sub is walked on its own at its
+// real path, and the record an earlier scan stored there survives.
+func TestRunScanWalksSymlinkedOperandBelowOperand(t *testing.T) {
+	path := testDBPath(t)
+	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)
+
+	dir := realTempDir(t)
+	a := writeFile(t, dir, "a", pattern(1, 10))
+
+	outside := realTempDir(t)
+	f := writeFile(t, outside, "sub/f", pattern(2, 10))
+
+	symlink(t, outside, filepath.Join(dir, "link"))
+
+	scanOK(t, filepath.Join(outside, "sub"))
+
+	stderr := scanOK(t, dir, filepath.Join(dir, "link", "sub"))
+
+	summary := "scan: 2 files seen (1 added, 0 updated, 0 removed, " +
+		"1 unchanged), 0 skipped\n"
+	if !strings.Contains(stderr, summary) {
+		t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want %q", stderr, summary)
+	}
+
+	want := []string{a, f}
+	slices.Sort(want)
+
+	if got := storedPaths(t, path); !slices.Equal(got, want) {
+		t.Errorf("records = %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRunScanDropsSymlinkOperandInsideOperand scans dir and link, with
+// link, outside dir, a symlink to dir/real. link resolves inside dir,
+// so it is dropped as covered by dir, and its file is recorded once.
+func TestRunScanDropsSymlinkOperandInsideOperand(t *testing.T) {
+	path := testDBPath(t)
+	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)
+
+	dir := realTempDir(t)
+	f := writeFile(t, dir, "real/f", pattern(1, 10))
+
+	link := filepath.Join(realTempDir(t), "link")
+	symlink(t, filepath.Join(dir, "real"), link)
+
+	stderr := scanOK(t, dir, link)
+
+	summary := "scan: 1 files seen (1 added, 0 updated, 0 removed, " +
+		"0 unchanged), 0 skipped\n"
+	if !strings.Contains(stderr, summary) {
+		t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want %q", stderr, summary)
+	}
+
+	if got := storedPaths(t, path); !slices.Equal(got, []string{f}) {
+		t.Errorf("records = %q, want %q", got, []string{f})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRunScanDanglingSymlinkOperandIsFatal scans a valid directory and
+// a symlink whose target does not exist. The scan fails with exit 1 and
+// an error naming the symlink as given, before it walks anything, so no
+// database is created.
+func TestRunScanDanglingSymlinkOperandIsFatal(t *testing.T) {
+	path := testDBPath(t)
+	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)
+
+	dir := realTempDir(t)
+	writeFile(t, dir, "f", pattern(1, 10))
+
+	dangling := filepath.Join(realTempDir(t), "dangling")
+	symlink(t, filepath.Join(dir, "missing"), dangling)
+
+	stdout := captureStdout(t)
+
+	var stderr bytes.Buffer
+
+	code := run([]string{cmdScan, dir, dangling}, os.Stdout, &stderr)
+	if code != exitFatal {
+		t.Errorf("run(scan %s %s) = %d, want %d", dir, dangling, code,
+			exitFatal)
+	}
+
+	assertFatalOutput(t, stderr.String(), stdout())
+
+	want := "sfdupes: resolve " + dangling + ": "
+	if !strings.Contains(stderr.String(), want) {
+		t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want %q", stderr.String(), want)
+	}
+
+	_, err := os.Stat(path)
+	if !errors.Is(err, fs.ErrNotExist) {
+		t.Errorf("database: stat error %v, want it missing", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRunScanFromSymlinkedWorkingDirectoryRecordsRealPath runs scan .
+// after a cd through home/proj, a symlink to data/proj. The file is
+// recorded under data/proj, its real path.
+func TestRunScanFromSymlinkedWorkingDirectoryRecordsRealPath(t *testing.T) {
+	path := testDBPath(t)
+	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)
+
+	dir := realTempDir(t)
+	f := writeFile(t, dir, "data/proj/f", pattern(1, 10))
+
+	err := os.Mkdir(filepath.Join(dir, "home"), 0o750)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}

-	// link is dropped as a symlink, but link/sub must still be scanned,
-	// not dropped as lying under link.
-	scanOK(t, link, filepath.Join(link, "sub"))
+	symlink(t, filepath.Join(dir, "data", "proj"),
+		filepath.Join(dir, "home", "proj"))

-	db, err := openDB(path, reportParams)
+	// t.Chdir also sets PWD to the path through the symlink, as a
+	// shell does after cd.
+	t.Chdir(filepath.Join(dir, "home", "proj"))
+
+	scanOK(t, ".")
+
+	if got := storedPaths(t, path); !slices.Equal(got, []string{f}) {
+		t.Errorf("records = %q, want %q", got, []string{f})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRunScanFollowsSymlinkBeforeDotDot scans a path with a ".." after
+// home/proj, a symlink to data/proj: home/proj/.. from dir, and .. after
+// a cd through home/proj. As with realpath, the ".." counts from
+// data/proj, so data is scanned and home is not.
+func TestRunScanFollowsSymlinkBeforeDotDot(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, tc := range []struct{ wd, operand string }{
+		{"", "home/proj/.."},
+		{"home/proj", ".."},
+	} {
+		t.Run(tc.operand, func(t *testing.T) {
+			path := testDBPath(t)
+			t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)
+
+			dir := realTempDir(t)
+			f := writeFile(t, dir, "data/proj/f", pattern(1, 10))
+			g := writeFile(t, dir, "data/g", pattern(2, 10))
+			writeFile(t, dir, "home/h", pattern(3, 10))
+			symlink(t, filepath.Join(dir, "data", "proj"),
+				filepath.Join(dir, "home", "proj"))
+
+			// t.Chdir also sets PWD to the path given, as a shell does
+			// after cd.
+			t.Chdir(filepath.Join(dir, tc.wd))
+
+			scanOK(t, tc.operand)
+
+			want := []string{f, g}
+			slices.Sort(want)
+
+			if got := storedPaths(t, path); !slices.Equal(got, want) {
+				t.Errorf("records = %q, want %q", got, want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRunScanSkipsSymlinkToFIFOOperand scans link, a symlink to a FIFO.
+// The scan warns about the FIFO by its real path, counts it as skipped,
+// and exits 0.
+func TestRunScanSkipsSymlinkToFIFOOperand(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, testDBPath(t))
+
+	dir := realTempDir(t)
+	fifo := filepath.Join(dir, "fifo")
+
+	err := unix.Mkfifo(fifo, 0o600)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}

-	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = db.Close() })
+	link := filepath.Join(dir, "link")
+	symlink(t, fifo, link)

-	recordByPath(t, dbRecords(t, db), filepath.Join(link, "sub", "f"))
+	stderr := scanOK(t, link)
+
+	warning := "walk " + fifo + ": skipping FIFO operand\n"
+	if !strings.Contains(stderr, warning) {
+		t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want %q", stderr, warning)
+	}
+
+	summary := "scan: 0 files seen (0 added, 0 updated, 0 removed, " +
+		"0 unchanged), 1 skipped\n"
+	if !strings.Contains(stderr, summary) {
+		t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want %q", stderr, summary)
+	}
 }

 func TestRunScanSkipsZFSOperand(t *testing.T) {
-	zfs := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), ".zfs")
+	zfs := filepath.Join(realTempDir(t), ".zfs")
 	f := writeFile(t, zfs, "snapshot/hourly/f", pattern(1, 10))

 	// No scan records a file inside a .zfs directory, so the record
@@ -997,7 +1218,7 @@ func TestRunScanSkipsOperandInsideZFS(t *testing.T) {
 	path := testDBPath(t)
 	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)

-	dir := t.TempDir()
+	dir := realTempDir(t)
 	hourly := filepath.Join(dir, ".zfs", "snapshot", "hourly")
 	writeFile(t, hourly, "f", pattern(1, 10))
 	f := writeFile(t, dir, "f", pattern(2, 10))
@@ -1041,23 +1262,19 @@ func TestRunScanSkipsOperandInsideZFS(t *testing.T) {

 // TestRunScanSkipsOperandThroughSymlinkIntoZFS scans snaps/daily, where
 // snaps is a symlink to pool/.zfs/snapshot. The operand is warned about
-// by the path given, counted as skipped, and not walked.
+// by its real path, counted as skipped, and not walked.
 func TestRunScanSkipsOperandThroughSymlinkIntoZFS(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, testDBPath(t))

-	dir := t.TempDir()
+	dir := realTempDir(t)
 	writeFile(t, dir, "pool/.zfs/snapshot/daily/f", pattern(1, 10))

 	snaps := filepath.Join(dir, "snaps")
+	symlink(t, filepath.Join(dir, "pool", ".zfs", "snapshot"), snaps)

-	err := os.Symlink(filepath.Join(dir, "pool", ".zfs", "snapshot"), snaps)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	daily := filepath.Join(snaps, "daily")
-	stderr := scanOK(t, daily)
+	stderr := scanOK(t, filepath.Join(snaps, "daily"))

+	daily := filepath.Join(dir, "pool", ".zfs", "snapshot", "daily")
 	warning := "walk " + daily + ": skipping operand inside a .zfs directory\n"
 	summary := "scan: 0 files seen (0 added, 0 updated, 0 removed, " +
 		"0 unchanged), 1 skipped\n"
@@ -1069,24 +1286,19 @@ func TestRunScanSkipsOperandThroughSymlinkIntoZFS(t *testing.T) {
 }

 // TestRunScanWalksOperandThroughSymlink scans data/daily, where data is
-// a symlink to a directory outside any .zfs directory. The operand is
-// scanned as usual, and its file is recorded by the path given.
+// a symlink to pool/data. The operand is scanned as usual, and its file
+// is recorded by its real path.
 func TestRunScanWalksOperandThroughSymlink(t *testing.T) {
 	path := testDBPath(t)
 	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)

-	dir := t.TempDir()
-	writeFile(t, dir, "pool/data/daily/f", pattern(1, 10))
+	dir := realTempDir(t)
+	f := writeFile(t, dir, "pool/data/daily/f", pattern(1, 10))

 	data := filepath.Join(dir, "data")
+	symlink(t, filepath.Join(dir, "pool", "data"), data)

-	err := os.Symlink(filepath.Join(dir, "pool", "data"), data)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	daily := filepath.Join(data, "daily")
-	stderr := scanOK(t, daily)
+	stderr := scanOK(t, filepath.Join(data, "daily"))

 	summary := "scan: 1 files seen (1 added, 0 updated, 0 removed, " +
 		"0 unchanged), 0 skipped\n"
@@ -1094,14 +1306,9 @@ func TestRunScanWalksOperandThroughSymlink(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want %q", stderr, summary)
 	}

-	db, err := openDB(path, reportParams)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
+	if got := storedPaths(t, path); !slices.Equal(got, []string{f}) {
+		t.Errorf("records = %q, want %q", got, []string{f})
 	}
-
-	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = db.Close() })
-
-	recordByPath(t, dbRecords(t, db), filepath.Join(daily, "f"))
 }

 func TestRunReportSucceeds(t *testing.T) {
@@ -1517,9 +1724,13 @@ func TestStdoutWriteErrorPropagates(t *testing.T) {
 	scanFixture(t)

 	cases := map[string]func(context.Context, io.Writer) error{
-		cmdReport: runReport,
-		cmdTrees:  runTrees,
-		cmdInfo:   runInfo,
+		cmdReport: func(ctx context.Context, w io.Writer) error {
+			return runReport(ctx, nil, w)
+		},
+		cmdTrees: func(ctx context.Context, w io.Writer) error {
+			return runTrees(ctx, nil, w)
+		},
+		cmdInfo: runInfo,
 	}

 	for name, fn := range cases {
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes

 import (
 	"context"
@@ -146,33 +146,44 @@ var errHashSize = errors.New("hash is not 32 bytes")

 // databasePath resolves the database location: SFDUPES_DATABASE when
 // set and non-empty, the compiled-in default otherwise. It returns the
-// path, with the working directory, its symlinks resolved, put in front
-// of it when it is relative, and where the path came from, "default" or
-// "from SFDUPES_DATABASE", for the line each subcommand prints first on
-// stderr.
+// path, made absolute by absolutePath, and where the path came from,
+// "default" or "from SFDUPES_DATABASE", for the line each subcommand
+// prints first on stderr.
 func databasePath() (string, string, error) {
 	path, source := defaultDatabasePath, "default"
 	if p := os.Getenv(databaseEnv); p != "" {
 		path, source = p, "from "+databaseEnv
 	}

-	if filepath.IsAbs(path) {
-		return path, source, nil
-	}
-
-	// The working directory as the kernel reports it, with no symlink
-	// in it, as README "Database" says. os.Getwd may return PWD
-	// instead, which can name it through a symlink.
-	wd, err := unix.Getwd()
+	abs, err := absolutePath(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", "", fmt.Errorf("resolve database path %s: %w", path, err)
 	}

-	// Not filepath.Abs or filepath.Join: they clean the path, which
-	// drops each ".." together with the directory name before it. When
-	// that directory is a symlink, the cleaned path names another file.
+	return abs, source, nil
+}
+
+// absolutePath returns path unchanged when it is absolute, and
+// otherwise the working directory, a "/" and path. The working
+// directory is the one the kernel reports, with no symlink in it;
+// os.Getwd may return PWD instead, which can name it through a symlink.
+// The result is not cleaned, as filepath.Abs and filepath.Join would
+// clean it. Cleaning drops each ".." together with the directory name
+// before it. When that name is a symlink, the cleaned path names
+// another file than the one the system reaches by following the symlink
+// first.
+func absolutePath(path string) (string, error) {
+	if filepath.IsAbs(path) {
+		return path, nil
+	}
+
+	wd, err := unix.Getwd()
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
 	// The working directory ends in "/" only when it is the root.
-	return strings.TrimSuffix(wd, "/") + "/" + path, source, nil
+	return strings.TrimSuffix(wd, "/") + "/" + path, nil
 }

 // createDatabaseDirectory creates the directory the database at path
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes //nolint:testpackage // calls the unexported database openers

 import (
 	"context"
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package sfdupes
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"runtime"
+)
+
+// runDwim implements the dwim subcommand: it runs what "sfdupes scan
+// root" runs with no flags, then what "sfdupes trees" runs, and ends
+// with a line on stderr saying how to print the report again. The dwim
+// command passes "/" as root. It catches SIGINT and SIGTERM as scan
+// does, but only during the scan. An error from the scan, an interrupt
+// included, ends it before the report. During the report, a signal
+// ends it at once, as it ends trees.
+func runDwim(ctx context.Context, root string, stdout io.Writer) error {
+	scanCtx, stop := interruptContext(ctx)
+	err := runScan(scanCtx, []string{root}, runtime.NumCPU(), false, false)
+
+	stop()
+
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = runTrees(ctx, nil, stdout)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr,
+		`dwim: run "sfdupes trees" to print this report again`)
+
+	return nil
+}
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+package sfdupes //nolint:testpackage // calls the unexported runDwim
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestRunDwimPrintsLargestTreesFirst(t *testing.T) {
+	// dwim scans its root, then prints the trees report, the larger of
+	// two duplicate-tree pairs first, and ends by saying how to print
+	// the report again.
+	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, testDBPath(t))
+
+	root := realTempDir(t)
+
+	small := []string{
+		filepath.Dir(writeFile(t, root, "a1/f.bin", pattern(1, 300))),
+		filepath.Dir(writeFile(t, root, "a2/f.bin", pattern(1, 300))),
+	}
+	large := []string{
+		filepath.Dir(writeFile(t, root, "b1/f.bin", pattern(2, 5000))),
+		filepath.Dir(writeFile(t, root, "b2/f.bin", pattern(2, 5000))),
+	}
+
+	var stdout bytes.Buffer
+
+	stderr := captureStderr(t)
+
+	err := runDwim(t.Context(), root, &stdout)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("runDwim: %v; stderr: %s", err, stderr())
+	}
+
+	lines := strings.Split(strings.TrimSuffix(stdout.String(), "\n"), "\n")
+	if len(lines) != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("stdout = %q, want a header and two groups",
+			stdout.String())
+	}
+
+	wantFirst := large[0] + "\t" + large[1] + "\t1\t5000\t"
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(lines[1], wantFirst) {
+		t.Errorf("first group = %q, want it to start %q", lines[1], wantFirst)
+	}
+
+	wantSecond := small[0] + "\t" + small[1] + "\t1\t300\t"
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(lines[2], wantSecond) {
+		t.Errorf("second group = %q, want it to start %q",
+			lines[2], wantSecond)
+	}
+
+	last := "\ndwim: run \"sfdupes trees\" to print this report again\n"
+	if got := stderr(); !strings.HasSuffix(got, last) {
+		t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want it to end %q", got, last)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRunDwimScanErrorPrintsNoReport(t *testing.T) {
+	// A fatal scan error ends dwim before the report: a root that does
+	// not exist fails the scan as it fails scan itself.
+	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, testDBPath(t))
+
+	missing := filepath.Join(realTempDir(t), "missing")
+
+	var stdout bytes.Buffer
+
+	stderr := captureStderr(t)
+
+	err := runDwim(t.Context(), missing, &stdout)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("runDwim on a missing root: error = nil, want it fatal")
+	}
+
+	if got := stdout.String(); got != "" {
+		t.Errorf("stdout = %q, want no report", got)
+	}
+
+	if got := stderr(); strings.Contains(got, "trees:") ||
+		strings.Contains(got, "dwim:") {
+		t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want nothing from trees or dwim", got)
+	}
+}
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes

 // This file holds two rules for the walk (README "Rules for the walk"):
 // the default excludes, the paths a scan's walk does not enter below an
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 //go:build darwin

-package main
+package sfdupes

 import (
 	"slices"
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 //go:build !darwin

-package main
+package sfdupes

 import (
 	"fmt"
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes //nolint:testpackage // checks the unexported defaultExcludes

 import (
 	"bytes"
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ func TestRunScanTempDirOperand(t *testing.T) {
 	path := testDBPath(t)
 	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)

-	dir := t.TempDir()
+	dir := realTempDir(t)
 	if !underAnyRoot(dir, defaultExcludes(runtime.GOOS)) {
 		t.Skip(dir + " is not inside a default exclude")
 	}
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes

 import (
 	"context"
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes //nolint:testpackage // seeds the database with unexported scanRec

 import (
 	"fmt"
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes

 import (
 	"fmt"
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes //nolint:testpackage // drives the unexported startProgress

 import (
 	"fmt"
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes

 import (
 	"context"
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"slices"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@@ -41,10 +42,11 @@ func reportPhase(name string) string {
 }

 // runReport implements the report subcommand: it prints the file-level
-// duplicates report as TSV on stdout. It never touches the scanned
-// filesystem; its only I/O is the database, stdout, and stderr. It
-// names the database on stderr before it opens it. Any database
-// problem, including a missing database, is fatal.
+// duplicates report as TSV on stdout, from the records at or below the
+// given paths, or from every record when none is given. It never
+// touches the scanned filesystem; its only I/O is the database,
+// stdout, and stderr. It names the database on stderr before it opens
+// it. Any database problem, including a missing database, is fatal.
 //
 // The work runs in two phases, each under a progress display of its
 // own on stderr: open (open the database) and read (read the number of
@@ -52,7 +54,12 @@ func reportPhase(name string) string {
 // order, writing each size's duplicate groups to stdout once that size
 // is read; see readReport). Each display ends before the next phase
 // starts, and before an error is returned to be printed.
-func runReport(ctx context.Context, stdout io.Writer) error {
+func runReport(ctx context.Context, args []string, stdout io.Writer) error {
+	paths, err := reportPaths(args)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	dbPath, source, err := databasePath()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -83,7 +90,7 @@ func runReport(ctx context.Context, stdout io.Writer) error {
 		label: reportPhase("read"), unit: "records", total: -1,
 		waitingFor: countingRecords, stalledOn: "db/out",
 	})
-	report, err := readReport(ctx, db, dbPath, stdout, prog)
+	report, err := readReport(ctx, db, dbPath, paths, stdout, prog)

 	prog.finish()

@@ -104,11 +111,12 @@ func runReport(ctx context.Context, stdout io.Writer) error {
 // dbPath, as its total, then reads every record in signature order,
 // counting each on prog, and writes the report to stdout: the header
 // line, then the rows of each size's duplicate groups once that size is
-// read. stdout may be the terminal prog is drawn on, so the lines go
+// read. Only the records that inReportPaths selects from paths join a
+// group. stdout may be the terminal prog is drawn on, so the lines go
 // through prog's writer. It returns what it wrote, with the totals for
 // the summary line.
 func readReport(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB, dbPath string,
-	stdout io.Writer, prog *progress,
+	paths []string, stdout io.Writer, prog *progress,
 ) (*reportWriter, error) {
 	out := prog.writer(stdout)
 	report := &reportWriter{out: out}
@@ -123,6 +131,12 @@ func readReport(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB, dbPath string,
 	err = loadSignatureRows(ctx, db, prog.setTotal, func(r scanRec) error {
 		prog.increment()

+		report.records++
+
+		if !inReportPaths(r.path, paths) {
+			return nil
+		}
+
 		writeErr = report.add(r)

 		return writeErr
@@ -154,7 +168,7 @@ func readReport(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB, dbPath string,
 // records of one size, so it holds only the duplicate groups of the
 // size being read, and writes them, ordered by first path, once a
 // record of a smaller size comes. It counts what the summary line
-// reports.
+// reports; readReport counts the records read.
 type reportWriter struct {
 	out io.Writer

@@ -170,8 +184,6 @@ type reportWriter struct {
 // its paths; any other ends them, and one of a smaller size first
 // writes the groups of the size before.
 func (w *reportWriter) add(r scanRec) error {
-	w.records++
-
 	if r.size == w.sig.size && r.head == w.sig.head &&
 		r.tail == w.sig.tail && r.content == w.sig.content {
 		w.paths = append(w.paths, r.path)
@@ -195,10 +207,11 @@ func (w *reportWriter) add(r scanRec) error {
 }

 // endGroup ends the paths read with w.sig: two or more are a duplicate
-// group, held with its paths sorted until writeGroups writes it.
+// group, held with its paths sorted until writeGroups writes it. Empty
+// files form no group, since removing one frees nothing.
 func (w *reportWriter) endGroup() {
-	if len(w.paths) < minGroupSize {
-		// A path with no duplicate is dropped, and its slice reused.
+	if len(w.paths) < minGroupSize || w.sig.size == 0 {
+		// The paths are dropped, and their slice reused.
 		w.paths = w.paths[:0]

 		return
@@ -245,6 +258,46 @@ func (w *reportWriter) finish() error {
 	return w.writeGroups()
 }

+// reportPaths returns the paths given to report or trees, each made
+// absolute by absolutePath and then cleaned. The records hold real
+// paths, with no "." or ".." element and no repeated or trailing
+// slash, so a given path is cleaned to match them. No path is looked up
+// on the filesystem.
+func reportPaths(args []string) ([]string, error) {
+	paths := make([]string, 0, len(args))
+
+	for _, a := range args {
+		abs, err := absolutePath(a)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("resolve path %s: %w", escapePath(a), err)
+		}
+
+		paths = append(paths, filepath.Clean(abs))
+	}
+
+	return paths, nil
+}
+
+// inReportPaths reports whether path is one of paths or lies below one
+// of them. Each of paths is clean and absolute, as reportPaths returns
+// it. With no paths, a report covers the whole database, so every path
+// is in it.
+func inReportPaths(path string, paths []string) bool {
+	if len(paths) == 0 {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	for _, p := range paths {
+		// Only the root directory's clean path ends in "/".
+		dir := strings.TrimSuffix(p, "/") + "/"
+		if path == p || strings.HasPrefix(path, dir) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+
+	return false
+}
+
 // escapePath returns a path as it is written in a report column (README
 // "Report output format"): a backslash, tab, newline or carriage return
 // becomes \\, \t, \n or \r, and every other byte is kept as it is.
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes //nolint:testpackage // checks the unexported dupeGroup results

 import (
 	"bytes"
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ func dupeGroups(t *testing.T, db *sql.DB) []dupeGroup {

 	var out bytes.Buffer

-	_, err := readReport(t.Context(), db, "", &out, nil)
+	_, err := readReport(t.Context(), db, "", nil, &out, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -126,6 +126,98 @@ func dupeGroupsOf(t *testing.T, recs []scanRec) []dupeGroup {
 	return dupeGroups(t, db)
 }

+// TestRunReportPaths runs report with paths on three copies of one
+// file, two of them under /srv/photos, and a fourth copy in
+// /srv/photos2. Only the records at or below the given paths form the
+// groups and the totals, however each path is written.
+//
+//nolint:paralleltest // captureStderr replaces the process-wide os.Stderr
+func TestRunReportPaths(t *testing.T) {
+	h := testHash("h")
+	a, x, y, z := "/a/copy", "/srv/photos/x", "/srv/photos/y", "/srv/photos2/z"
+
+	recs := make([]scanRec, 0, 4)
+	for _, p := range []string{a, x, y, z} {
+		recs = append(recs,
+			scanRec{size: 7, head: h, tail: h, content: h, path: p})
+	}
+
+	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, seedDatabase(t, recs))
+
+	header := "first\tdupe\tsize\n"
+	row := func(first, dupe string) string {
+		return first + "\t" + dupe + "\t7\n"
+	}
+	photos := header + row(x, y)
+
+	cases := map[string]struct {
+		paths   []string
+		want    string
+		summary string
+	}{
+		"directory": {[]string{"/srv/photos"}, photos,
+			"1 duplicate groups, 1 dupe files, 7 B reclaimable"},
+		"trailing slash":  {[]string{"/srv/photos/"}, photos, ""},
+		"dot and dot-dot": {[]string{"/srv/./a/../photos"}, photos, ""},
+		"files":           {[]string{a, z}, header + row(a, z), ""},
+		"overlapping": {[]string{"/srv", "/srv/photos"},
+			header + row(x, y) + row(x, z), ""},
+		"root": {[]string{"/"},
+			header + row(a, x) + row(a, y) + row(a, z), ""},
+		"no record": {[]string{"/srv/photo"}, header,
+			"0 duplicate groups, 0 dupe files, 0 B reclaimable"},
+	}
+
+	for name, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			var stdout bytes.Buffer
+
+			stderr := captureStderr(t)
+
+			code := run(append([]string{cmdReport}, tc.paths...),
+				&stdout, os.Stderr)
+			if code != exitOK {
+				t.Fatalf("run(report %q) = %d, want %d; stderr: %s",
+					tc.paths, code, exitOK, stderr())
+			}
+
+			if got := stdout.String(); got != tc.want {
+				t.Errorf("stdout = %q, want %q", got, tc.want)
+			}
+
+			// The records read are all four, whatever the paths.
+			summary := "report: 4 records read, " + tc.summary + "\n"
+			if got := stderr(); tc.summary != "" &&
+				!strings.HasSuffix(got, summary) {
+				t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want it to end %q", got, summary)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+//nolint:paralleltest // t.Chdir changes the process-wide working directory
+func TestReportPathsMakesRelativePathsAbsolute(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	t.Chdir(dir)
+
+	wd, err := absolutePath(".")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	got, err := reportPaths([]string{"photos/", "a/../b", "/c//d"})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	want := []string{
+		filepath.Join(wd, "photos"), filepath.Join(wd, "b"), "/c/d",
+	}
+	if !slices.Equal(got, want) {
+		t.Errorf("reportPaths = %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestRunReportEscapesPaths(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, seedDatabase(t, awkwardPairRecs()))

@@ -172,7 +264,7 @@ func TestReportStdoutFailsWhileReading(t *testing.T) {
 	// Counts the records read, and draws nothing.
 	prog := &progress{now: time.Now}

-	_, err = readReport(t.Context(), db, "", failingWriter{}, prog)
+	_, err = readReport(t.Context(), db, "", nil, failingWriter{}, prog)
 	if !errors.Is(err, errWriteFailed) ||
 		!strings.HasPrefix(err.Error(), "write stdout: ") {
 		t.Errorf("error = %v, want write stdout: %v", err, errWriteFailed)
@@ -266,7 +358,7 @@ func TestReadReportOnTerminal(t *testing.T) {
 		waitingFor: countingRecords,
 	}, terminalWidth, time.Hour, time.Now)

-	_, err = readReport(t.Context(), db, "", os.Stderr, p)
+	_, err = readReport(t.Context(), db, "", nil, os.Stderr, p)

 	p.finish()

@@ -434,6 +526,27 @@ func TestDupeGroups(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }

+// TestDupeGroupsLeavesOutEmptyFiles checks that empty files form no
+// duplicate group, while 1-byte files still do.
+func TestDupeGroupsLeavesOutEmptyFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	e, x := sha256.Sum256(nil), testHash("x")
+	recs := []scanRec{
+		{size: 0, head: e, tail: e, content: e, path: "/a/.gitkeep"},
+		{size: 0, head: e, tail: e, content: e, path: "/b/.gitkeep"},
+		{size: 0, head: e, tail: e, content: e, path: "/c/__init__.py"},
+		{size: 1, head: x, tail: x, content: x, path: "/tiny1"},
+		{size: 1, head: x, tail: x, content: x, path: "/tiny2"},
+	}
+
+	groups := dupeGroupsOf(t, recs)
+	if len(groups) != 1 || groups[0].size != 1 ||
+		!slices.Equal(groups[0].paths, []string{"/tiny1", "/tiny2"}) {
+		t.Fatalf("groups = %+v, want only /tiny1 /tiny2 of size 1", groups)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestDupeGroupsContentSeparates(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes

 import (
 	"cmp"
@@ -209,29 +209,30 @@ func interrupted(walked int) error {
 	return errInterrupted
 }

-// resolveRoots converts each PATH operand to an absolute, lexically
-// cleaned path (symlinks are not resolved) and verifies that it
-// exists. Database records are keyed by absolute path, so scan results
-// must not depend on the working directory.
+// resolveRoots converts each PATH operand to its real path: absolute,
+// with every symlink in it followed. Database records are keyed by
+// that path, so scan results depend neither on the working directory
+// nor on the symlinks an operand was given through. An operand that
+// cannot be resolved, because it or a symlink's target does not exist
+// or cannot be read, is a fatal error before any scanning.
 func resolveRoots(roots []string) ([]string, error) {
-	abs := make([]string, 0, len(roots))
+	resolved := make([]string, 0, len(roots))

 	for _, root := range roots {
-		a, err := filepath.Abs(root)
+		a, err := absolutePath(root)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("resolve %s: %w", root, err)
 		}

-		// A nonexistent operand is a fatal error before any scanning.
-		_, err = os.Lstat(a)
+		r, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(a)
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("resolve %s: %w", root, err)
 		}

-		abs = append(abs, a)
+		resolved = append(resolved, r)
 	}

-	return abs, nil
+	return resolved, nil
 }

 // pruneRoots drops operands already covered by another operand:
@@ -417,14 +418,16 @@ func (s *scanState) runPhases(ctx context.Context, roots []string,

 // walkableRoots returns the operands the walk can start from: regular
 // files, and directories not named .zfs, none of them inside a
-// directory named .zfs. Every other operand is warned about, counted as
-// skipped, and dropped. A dropped operand is no longer a root, so the
-// records stored beneath it are treated as if it had not been given:
-// those under no other root count as outside the roots and are not
-// deleted as unverified. An operand on a filesystem in rules that is not
-// persistent is dropped the same way, with a line saying so that is not
-// a warning, and is not counted as skipped. An operand that fails lstat
-// here is kept, and the walk warns about it unless it no longer exists.
+// directory named .zfs. The operands are real paths from resolveRoots,
+// so these checks apply to what a symlink operand points at. Every
+// other operand is warned about, counted as skipped, and dropped. A
+// dropped operand is no longer a root, so the records stored beneath it
+// are treated as if it had not been given: those under no other root
+// count as outside the roots and are not deleted as unverified. An
+// operand on a filesystem in rules that is not persistent is dropped
+// the same way, with a line saying so that is not a warning, and is not
+// counted as skipped. An operand that fails lstat here is kept, and the
+// walk warns about it unless it no longer exists.
 func (s *scanState) walkableRoots(roots []string, rules walkRules) []string {
 	kept := make([]string, 0, len(roots))

@@ -554,7 +557,7 @@ func (s *scanState) walkPhase(events <-chan walkEvent, roots []string) {

 		// The space a file takes on disk can change while its size and
 		// mtime stay the same. ZFS, for one, counts a new file's blocks
-		// only seconds after the write.
+		// up to seconds after the write.
 		if old.diskSize != ev.rec.diskSize {
 			s.diskSizes = append(s.diskSizes, ev.rec)
 		}
@@ -894,19 +897,13 @@ func sendEvent(ctx context.Context, events chan<- walkEvent,
 // operandWarning returns the one-line warning for an operand the walk
 // does not start from, naming the path and what it is, or "" for one it
 // does: a regular file, or a directory not named .zfs, that is not
-// inside a directory named .zfs, neither as given nor with its symlinks
-// resolved. Symlinks are never followed, including as operands.
+// inside a directory named .zfs. resolveRoots has already followed the
+// operand's symlinks, so a symlink here is an operand replaced by one
+// after it was resolved, and is not followed.
 func operandWarning(root string, fi fs.FileInfo) string {
 	// The walk never enters a .zfs directory, so it starts from nothing
-	// inside one either, not even through a symlink. An operand whose
-	// symlinks cannot be resolved is checked as given.
-	resolved, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(root)
-	if err != nil {
-		resolved = root
-	}
-
-	if slices.Contains(strings.Split(filepath.Dir(root), "/"), ".zfs") ||
-		slices.Contains(strings.Split(filepath.Dir(resolved), "/"), ".zfs") {
+	// inside one either.
+	if slices.Contains(strings.Split(filepath.Dir(root), "/"), ".zfs") {
 		return fmt.Sprintf("walk %s: skipping operand inside a .zfs directory",
 			root)
 	}
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 //go:build darwin

-package main
+package sfdupes

 import "syscall"

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 //go:build !darwin

-package main
+package sfdupes

 import "syscall"

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes //nolint:testpackage // drives the unexported syncTree

 import (
 	"bytes"
@@ -43,10 +43,16 @@ func writeFile(t *testing.T, dir, name string, data []byte) string {
 }

 // diskSizeOf returns the bytes the file at path takes on disk, from its
-// own lstat: st_blocks counts 512-byte units. ZFS counts a new file's
-// blocks only seconds after the write, and fsync does not hasten that.
-// A test therefore calls unix.Sync, which waits for it, before the scan
-// whose disk_size it compares with this.
+// own lstat: st_blocks counts 512-byte units. ZFS counts a write's
+// blocks only when it commits the write, up to seconds later, and one
+// commit can take the file through several growing sizes. So this value
+// can change at any moment. Neither fsync nor unix.Sync hastens that,
+// but a unix.Sync call often takes long enough that the blocks are
+// counted when it returns. A test that needs the value to change waits
+// for the change. A test that compares it with a scan's disk_size reads
+// it before and after the scan. The rewrite test rescans until the two
+// reads match, then compares exactly. The other two tests fail only on
+// a disk_size outside the two reads.
 func diskSizeOf(t *testing.T, path string) int64 {
 	t.Helper()

@@ -1088,7 +1094,7 @@ func TestScanOneFilesystemWalksNestedFileOperand(t *testing.T) {
 func buildSmokeTree(t *testing.T) string {
 	t.Helper()

-	dir := t.TempDir()
+	dir := realTempDir(t)
 	one := pattern(10, 2000)
 	f1 := pattern(30, 3000)
 	f2 := pattern(40, 100)
@@ -1179,11 +1185,12 @@ func assertSmokeDupeGroups(t *testing.T, dir string, db *sql.DB) {
 	t.Helper()

 	groups := dupeGroups(t, db)
-	if len(groups) != 5 {
-		t.Fatalf("len(groups) = %d, want 5", len(groups))
+	if len(groups) != 4 {
+		t.Fatalf("len(groups) = %d, want 4", len(groups))
 	}

-	wantSizes := []int64{3000, 2000, 100, 1, 0}
+	// The empty files empty1 and empty2 form no group.
+	wantSizes := []int64{3000, 2000, 100, 1}
 	for i, g := range groups {
 		if g.size != wantSizes[i] {
 			t.Errorf("groups[%d].size = %d, want %d",
@@ -1448,20 +1455,26 @@ func TestScanStoresDiskSize(t *testing.T) {

 	unix.Sync() // see diskSizeOf

-	want := diskSizeOf(t, p)
-	if want == 0 || want >= length {
+	size := diskSizeOf(t, p)
+	if size == 0 || size >= length {
 		t.Fatalf("the file takes %d bytes on disk, want more than none "+
-			"and fewer than its length %d", want, length)
+			"and fewer than its length %d", size, length)
 	}

 	for _, operand := range []string{filepath.Dir(p), p} {
 		db := openTestDB(t)
+
+		// ZFS may count the blocks during the scan; see diskSizeOf.
+		before := diskSizeOf(t, p)
+
 		syncTree(t, db, operand)

+		after := diskSizeOf(t, p)
+
 		got := recordByPath(t, dbRecords(t, db), p).diskSize
-		if got != want {
-			t.Errorf("scan of %s: disk_size = %d, want %d",
-				operand, got, want)
+		if got < before || got > after {
+			t.Errorf("scan of %s: disk_size = %d, want %d to %d",
+				operand, got, before, after)
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -1479,7 +1492,7 @@ func TestSyncScanRewriteUpdatesDiskSize(t *testing.T) {

 	syncTree(t, db, dir)

-	before := recordByPath(t, dbRecords(t, db), p).diskSize
+	recorded := recordByPath(t, dbRecords(t, db), p).diskSize

 	pokeAt(t, p, 512*1024, pattern(7, 64*1024))

@@ -1492,22 +1505,53 @@ func TestSyncScanRewriteUpdatesDiskSize(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}

-	unix.Sync() // see diskSizeOf
+	// Wait for ZFS to count the write; see diskSizeOf.
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(30 * time.Second)
+	for diskSizeOf(t, p) == recorded {
+		if time.Now().After(deadline) {
+			t.Fatalf("the file still takes %d bytes on disk 30 seconds "+
+				"after the write into its hole", recorded)
+		}

-	want := diskSizeOf(t, p)
-	if want == before {
-		t.Fatalf("the file still takes %d bytes on disk after the write "+
-			"into its hole", want)
+		unix.Sync()
 	}

-	st := syncTree(t, db, dir)
-	if st != (scanStats{walked: 1, updated: 1}) {
-		t.Fatalf("rescan stats = %+v, want 1 updated", st)
-	}
+	// ZFS may still be counting, so the size may change during a rescan.
+	// Only a rescan with the same size on both sides of it can be compared
+	// exactly. A rescan that keeps the old size still fails, because the
+	// wait made before differ from it.
+	for {
+		before := diskSizeOf(t, p)

-	got := recordByPath(t, dbRecords(t, db), p).diskSize
-	if got != want {
-		t.Errorf("disk_size = %d, want %d", got, want)
+		st := syncTree(t, db, dir)
+
+		after := diskSizeOf(t, p)
+
+		if st != (scanStats{walked: 1, updated: 1}) {
+			t.Fatalf("rescan stats = %+v, want 1 updated", st)
+		}
+
+		if before == after {
+			got := recordByPath(t, dbRecords(t, db), p).diskSize
+			if got != after {
+				t.Errorf("disk_size = %d, want %d", got, after)
+			}
+
+			return
+		}
+
+		if time.Now().After(deadline) {
+			t.Fatalf("the size on disk was still changing 30 seconds after "+
+				"the write into its hole: %d, then %d", before, after)
+		}
+
+		// A later mtime makes the next rescan read the file again.
+		later = later.Add(time.Second)
+
+		err = os.Chtimes(p, later, later)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
 	}
 }

@@ -1533,15 +1577,21 @@ func TestSyncScanUnchangedUpdatesDiskSize(t *testing.T) {

 	unix.Sync() // see diskSizeOf

+	// ZFS may count the blocks during the rescan; see diskSizeOf.
+	before := diskSizeOf(t, p)
+
 	// A file read again would count as updated.
 	st := syncTree(t, db, dir)
+
+	after := diskSizeOf(t, p)
+
 	if st != (scanStats{walked: 1, unchanged: 1}) {
 		t.Fatalf("rescan stats = %+v, want 1 unchanged", st)
 	}

 	got := recordByPath(t, dbRecords(t, db), p).diskSize
-	if want := diskSizeOf(t, p); got != want {
-		t.Errorf("disk_size = %d, want %d", got, want)
+	if got < before || got > after {
+		t.Errorf("disk_size = %d, want %d to %d", got, before, after)
 	}
 }

@@ -2261,33 +2311,24 @@ func TestUnderRoot(t *testing.T) {
 }

 // TestRunScanPassesOverDatabase scans a tree that holds the scan's own
-// database, reached directly and through a symlinked directory. The
-// walk passes over the database file, its -wal and -shm files and its
-// .lock file with no line and no count, and the record an earlier scan
-// left for the .lock file is deleted. A rescan of the unchanged tree
-// updates nothing, and report lists none of the database's files.
+// database, and in one case also a hard link to the database file. The
+// walk knows the database's files by device ID and inode number, so it
+// passes over the database file, its -wal and -shm files, its .lock
+// file and the hard link with no line and no count. The record an
+// earlier scan left for the .lock file is deleted. A rescan of the
+// unchanged tree updates nothing, and report lists none of the
+// database's files.
 func TestRunScanPassesOverDatabase(t *testing.T) {
-	for _, viaSymlink := range []bool{false, true} {
-		t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("via symlink %v", viaSymlink), func(t *testing.T) {
-			base := t.TempDir()
-			tree := filepath.Join(base, "real", "tree")
-			operand := tree
+	for _, viaHardLink := range []bool{false, true} {
+		t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("via hard link %v", viaHardLink), func(t *testing.T) {
+			tree := realTempDir(t)
+			hardLink := filepath.Join(tree, "hardlink")

 			writeFile(t, tree, "a", pattern(1, 100))
 			writeFile(t, tree, "b", pattern(1, 100))
 			writeFile(t, tree, "empty1", nil)
 			writeFile(t, tree, "empty2", nil)

-			if viaSymlink {
-				err := os.Symlink(filepath.Join(base, "real"),
-					filepath.Join(base, "link"))
-				if err != nil {
-					t.Fatal(err)
-				}
-
-				operand = filepath.Join(base, "link", "tree")
-			}
-
 			dbPath := filepath.Join(tree, "db.sqlite")
 			t.Setenv(databaseEnv, dbPath)

@@ -2297,7 +2338,7 @@ func TestRunScanPassesOverDatabase(t *testing.T) {
 			}

 			err = applyChanges(t.Context(), db, []scanRec{
-				{path: filepath.Join(operand, "db.sqlite.lock")},
+				{path: filepath.Join(tree, "db.sqlite.lock")},
 			}, nil, nil)
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Fatal(err)
@@ -2305,17 +2346,30 @@ func TestRunScanPassesOverDatabase(t *testing.T) {

 			closeScanDatabase(t.Context(), db, dbPath)

-			assertScanSummary(t,
+			if viaHardLink {
+				err = os.Link(dbPath, hardLink)
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			stderr := assertScanSummary(t,
 				"4 files seen (4 added, 0 updated, 1 removed, 0 unchanged)",
-				operand)
-			assertScanSummary(t,
+				tree)
+			stderr += assertScanSummary(t,
 				"4 files seen (0 added, 0 updated, 0 removed, 4 unchanged)",
-				operand)
+				tree)
+
+			if strings.Contains(stderr, hardLink) {
+				t.Errorf("scan stderr = %q, want no line naming %s",
+					stderr, hardLink)
+			}

 			report := runStdout(t, cmdReport)
 			if strings.Contains(report, "db.sqlite") ||
-				!strings.Contains(report, filepath.Join(operand, "empty2")) {
-				t.Errorf("report = %q, want the empty files and none of "+
+				strings.Contains(report, hardLink) ||
+				!strings.Contains(report, filepath.Join(tree, "b")) {
+				t.Errorf("report = %q, want a and b and none of "+
 					"the database's files", report)
 			}
 		})
@@ -2339,8 +2393,9 @@ func TestRunScanPassesOverDatabaseOperands(t *testing.T) {

 // assertScanSummary scans operands and fails the test unless the
 // summary line gives counts with nothing skipped, and the line naming
-// the database is the only one that names one of its files.
-func assertScanSummary(t *testing.T, counts string, operands ...string) {
+// the database is the only one that names one of its files. It returns
+// everything the scan printed to stderr.
+func assertScanSummary(t *testing.T, counts string, operands ...string) string {
 	t.Helper()

 	stderr := scanOK(t, operands...)
@@ -2354,4 +2409,6 @@ func assertScanSummary(t *testing.T, counts string, operands ...string) {
 		t.Errorf("scan %q: stderr = %q, want only the line naming the "+
 			"database to name one of its files", operands, stderr)
 	}
+
+	return stderr
 }
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes

 import (
 	"context"
@@ -37,8 +37,9 @@ func treesPhase(name string) string {

 // runTrees implements the trees subcommand: it reads every record from
 // the database in path order, reconstructs the directory hierarchy from
-// the record paths, computes a Merkle-style digest per directory, and
-// prints maximal duplicate-tree groups as TSV on stdout. It never
+// the paths of the records at or below the given paths (of every record
+// when none is given), computes a Merkle-style digest per directory,
+// and prints maximal duplicate-tree groups as TSV on stdout. It never
 // touches the scanned filesystem; its only I/O is the database, stdout,
 // and stderr. It names the database on stderr before it opens it. Any
 // database problem, including a missing database, is fatal.
@@ -49,7 +50,12 @@ func treesPhase(name string) string {
 // hierarchy), group (group the directories by digest) and write (write
 // the groups to stdout). Each display ends before the next phase
 // starts, and before an error is returned to be printed.
-func runTrees(ctx context.Context, stdout io.Writer) error {
+func runTrees(ctx context.Context, args []string, stdout io.Writer) error {
+	paths, err := reportPaths(args)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	dbPath, source, err := databasePath()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -78,7 +84,7 @@ func runTrees(ctx context.Context, stdout io.Writer) error {
 		label: treesPhase("read"), unit: "records", total: -1,
 		waitingFor: countingRecords, stalledOn: "db",
 	})
-	records, super, allDirs, err := readTree(ctx, db, prog)
+	records, super, allDirs, err := readTree(ctx, db, paths, prog)

 	prog.finish()

@@ -117,10 +123,17 @@ func runTrees(ctx context.Context, stdout io.Writer) error {
 }

 // readTree gives prog the number of records in db as its total, then
-// reads every record in path order into the directory hierarchy,
-// counting each on prog. It returns the number of records read, the
-// super-root and every directory.
-func readTree(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB,
+// reads every record in path order, counting each on prog. It adds the
+// records that inReportPaths selects from paths to the directory
+// hierarchy. It returns the number of records read, the super-root and
+// every directory at or below one of paths.
+//
+// A directory above every one of paths holds only the selected records
+// under it, so its digest does not describe it. It is left out of the
+// directories returned. A directory whose parent is left out gets the
+// super-root as its parent, so suppressed never judges its group by
+// that parent's digest.
+func readTree(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB, paths []string,
 	prog *progress,
 ) (int, *treeNode, []*treeNode, error) {
 	records := 0
@@ -130,7 +143,10 @@ func readTree(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB,
 		records++

 		prog.increment()
-		tree.add(r)
+
+		if inReportPaths(r.path, paths) {
+			tree.add(r)
+		}
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0, nil, nil, err
@@ -138,7 +154,21 @@ func readTree(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB,

 	super, allDirs := tree.finish()

-	return records, super, allDirs, nil
+	dirs := allDirs[:0]
+
+	for _, d := range allDirs {
+		if !inReportPaths(d.path, paths) {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		if !inReportPaths(d.parent.path, paths) {
+			d.parent = super
+		}
+
+		dirs = append(dirs, d)
+	}
+
+	return records, super, dirs, nil
 }

 // writeTreeGroups writes dupes to stdout as TSV, a header line and then
@@ -301,7 +331,9 @@ func fileEntry(name string, r scanRec) string {
 // collectTreeGroups groups directories by digest, counting each one on
 // prog as it is grouped, and returns every maximal group with two or
 // more members, each group's members sorted by path, groups ordered by
-// tree size descending then by first path ascending.
+// tree size descending then by first path ascending. A group whose
+// trees hold 0 bytes is left out, since removing one frees nothing. The
+// groups it implies hold 0 bytes too, so leaving it out hides nothing.
 func collectTreeGroups(allDirs []*treeNode, super *treeNode,
 	prog *progress,
 ) [][]*treeNode {
@@ -315,7 +347,9 @@ func collectTreeGroups(allDirs []*treeNode, super *treeNode,
 	var dupes [][]*treeNode

 	for _, g := range groups {
-		if len(g) < minGroupSize || suppressed(g, super) {
+		// The members share a digest, so they share a total size.
+		if len(g) < minGroupSize || g[0].totalSize == 0 ||
+			suppressed(g, super) {
 			continue
 		}

@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
-package main
+package sfdupes //nolint:testpackage // checks the unexported treeNode results

 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"crypto/sha256"
 	"database/sql"
 	"os"
 	"slices"
@@ -211,6 +212,55 @@ func TestRunTreesEscapesPaths(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }

+// TestRunTreesPaths runs trees with paths. /x/a and /y/a are copies,
+// and so are /y/a and /srv/b. /x and /y also hold files that differ.
+// Given /x/a and /y/a, trees reads /x and /y as holding one copy each
+// of a, yet neither is reported: only the directories at or below a
+// given path are.
+func TestRunTreesPaths(t *testing.T) {
+	f, g, k := testHash("f"), testHash("g"), testHash("k")
+	recs := []scanRec{
+		{size: 10, head: f, tail: f, content: f, path: "/srv/b/f"},
+		{size: 10, head: f, tail: f, content: f, path: "/x/a/f"},
+		{size: 20, head: g, tail: g, content: g, path: "/x/g"},
+		{size: 10, head: f, tail: f, content: f, path: "/y/a/f"},
+		{size: 30, head: k, tail: k, content: k, path: "/y/k"},
+	}
+
+	header := "first\tdupe\tfiles\tsize\tdisk_size\n"
+
+	cases := map[string]struct {
+		paths []string
+		want  string
+	}{
+		"none": {nil, header + "/srv/b\t/x/a\t1\t10\t0\n" +
+			"/srv/b\t/y/a\t1\t10\t0\n"},
+		"two copies": {[]string{"/x/a", "/y/a"},
+			header + "/x/a\t/y/a\t1\t10\t0\n"},
+		"parents":  {[]string{"/x", "/y"}, header + "/x/a\t/y/a\t1\t10\t0\n"},
+		"one copy": {[]string{"/srv/b"}, header},
+	}
+
+	for name, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Setenv(databaseEnv, seedDatabase(t, recs))
+
+			var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
+
+			code := run(append([]string{cmdTrees}, tc.paths...),
+				&stdout, &stderr)
+			if code != exitOK {
+				t.Fatalf("run(trees %q) = %d, want %d; stderr: %s",
+					tc.paths, code, exitOK, stderr.String())
+			}
+
+			if got := stdout.String(); got != tc.want {
+				t.Errorf("stdout = %q, want %q", got, tc.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 // TestRunTreesDiskSize runs trees on two copies of a tree whose files
 // take different space on disk. The row's disk_size is the sum over the
 // dupe copy's files, those in its subdirectory included.
@@ -435,6 +485,35 @@ func TestCollectTreeGroupsSiblings(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }

+// TestCollectTreeGroupsLeavesOutEmptyTrees checks that directories
+// holding only empty files form no group, and that an empty file still
+// counts toward the digest of a tree that holds other files.
+func TestCollectTreeGroupsLeavesOutEmptyTrees(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	h, tl, c, e := testHash("h"), testHash("t"), testHash("c"),
+		sha256.Sum256(nil)
+	recs := []scanRec{
+		{size: 0, head: e, tail: e, content: e, path: "/e/a/.gitkeep"},
+		{size: 0, head: e, tail: e, content: e, path: "/e/b/.gitkeep"},
+		{size: 10, head: h, tail: tl, content: c, path: "/p/x1/f"},
+		{size: 0, head: e, tail: e, content: e, path: "/p/x1/.gitkeep"},
+		{size: 10, head: h, tail: tl, content: c, path: "/p/x2/f"},
+		{size: 0, head: e, tail: e, content: e, path: "/p/x2/.gitkeep"},
+		// Without the empty file, /p/x3 is no copy of /p/x1.
+		{size: 10, head: h, tail: tl, content: c, path: "/p/x3/f"},
+	}
+
+	super, dirs := treeOf(t, recs)
+
+	got := groupPaths(collectTreeGroups(dirs, super, nil))
+
+	want := [][]string{{"/p/x1", "/p/x2"}}
+	if !slices.EqualFunc(got, want, slices.Equal) {
+		t.Fatalf("groups = %v, want %v", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestCollectTreeGroupsDifferingParents(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
Author	SHA1	Message	Date
sneak	97a02da837	Limit report and trees to given paths (closes #174 ) check / check (push) Canceled after 0s Details report and trees take optional PATH operands and use only the records at or below them. Operands are made absolute and cleaned as text, never looked up on the filesystem. With operands, trees reports only directories at or below an operand: a directory above them holds unused files, so its digest neither gets reported nor suppresses its children's group. The summary still counts every record read. Model: opus-5-5	2026-11-11 04:01:34 +00:00
clawbot	6c529fcc6d	Leave empty files out of report and trees (closes #178 ) (#183 ) check / check (push) Canceled after 0s Details	2026-11-11 03:52:45 +01:00
sneak	202f083cc0	Merge branch 'main' into next check / check (push) Canceled after 0s Details	2026-11-10 23:11:52 +01:00
clawbot	1017332d68	Move the command to cmd/sfdupes and the code to internal/sfdupes (closes #157 ) check / check (push) Canceled after 0s Details `go install sneak.berlin/go/sfdupes/cmd/sfdupes@...` found no package: the command was built from `package main` in the repository root. It now lives in `cmd/sfdupes/main.go`, whose one call is `sfdupes.Main()`, and every other Go file moved with `git mv` to `internal/sfdupes`, as `REPO_POLICIES.md` and the Go style guide require. The `Makefile` builds `./cmd/sfdupes` and sets `Version` by its new import path. README "Install" and `TODO.md` give the new paths; the fleet-written "flat layout" divergence is gone. Rule suppressed: each test file carries `//nolint:testpackage`, since the tests call unexported functions throughout. Model: opus-5-5	2026-11-10 21:15:53 +01:00
sneak	5c7284c351	Merge pull request 'next into main: the trial's fixes, real-path arguments, and sfdupes dwim' (#137 ) from next into main check / check (push) Failing after 17m1s Details Reviewed-on: #137	2026-11-10 05:56:03 +01:00
sneak	7cb10ed303	Merge branch 'main' into next check / check (push) Successful in 13m54s Details	2026-11-10 05:55:56 +01:00
clawbot	da75b713aa	Add sfdupes dwim: scan / then print duplicate trees (closes #154 ) check / check (push) Successful in 1m18s Details sfdupes dwim, as sneak ordered: with no arguments it runs what scan / runs with no flags, default excludes on, then what trees runs, printing the duplicate trees largest first on stdout. Its last line, on stderr, says that sfdupes trees prints the report again. It needs no setup beyond what scan creates. SIGINT or SIGTERM during the scan stops it as it stops scan, exit 1, with no report; during the report a signal ends it at once, as it ends trees. A positional argument is a usage error, exit 2. Model: opus-5-5	2026-11-06 20:27:24 +01:00
clawbot	24b0fc486d	Resolve scan operands to their real paths (closes #144 ) check / check (push) Canceled after 0s Details scan now resolves each operand to its real path, every symlink followed, before the walk, as sneak ruled. Files are recorded and warnings printed under that path. With /srv/link a symlink to a directory outside /srv, scan /srv /srv/link/sub now walks sub on its own and keeps its records, where before it dropped sub and deleted them. A symlink operand is scanned at its target. A dangling symlink is a fatal error, exit 1. A .. after a symlink counts from the symlink's target, as realpath does. The .zfs rule applies to the real path. The walk still follows no symlink it finds. Judgement call: records an earlier scan stored under a path through a symlink are not migrated; there is no installed base. Model: opus-5-5	2026-11-06 19:56:33 +01:00
clawbot	f52bbe5d95	Say ZFS counts a new file's blocks up to seconds after the write (closes #152 ) check / check (push) Canceled after 0s Details `README.md` and a comment in `scan.go` said ZFS counts a new file's blocks only seconds after the write. The count can land in under a second, so both now say up to seconds after the write, as the comment on `diskSizeOf` already does. Model: opus-5-5	2026-11-03 05:00:51 +01:00
clawbot	30dae35c51	Stop the disk size tests failing at random on ZFS (closes #150 ) check / check (push) Canceled after 0s Details The three disk size tests in `scan_test.go` failed at random on ZFS, which failed the build on `next`. ZFS counts a write's blocks up to seconds later, sometimes through several sizes, and `unix.Sync` does not wait for that. The rewrite test now waits for the size to change, then rescans until the size is the same on both sides of a rescan, and compares exactly, all within 30 seconds. The other two tests fail only on a `disk_size` outside the reads around their scan. Limit: those two can pass on a wrong 512 when ZFS has not yet counted the blocks. Model: opus-5-5	2026-11-03 04:29:19 +01:00
sneak	eebf579f11	Merge pull request 'next into main' (#110 ) from next into main check / check (push) Canceled after 0s Details Reviewed-on: #110	2026-10-22 18:44:20 +02:00
sneak	8a4616039b	Merge pull request 'next → main: trial-run fixes (escaping, read-only reports, scan lock, interrupts, streaming, README)' (#69 ) from next into main check / check (push) Canceled after 0s Details Reviewed-on: #69	2026-10-15 09:50:27 +02:00
sneak	c2804d088b	Merge pull request 'next' (#50 ) from next into main check / check (push) Successful in 1m1s Details Reviewed-on: #50	2026-09-26 15:27:29 +02:00