Warn about and skip non-regular and .zfs operands, keeping their records (closes #9)

A symlink, socket, FIFO or device-node operand, or a directory operand
named .zfs, was silently ignored yet stayed in the scanned operands, so
the update phase deleted every record stored beneath it. Such an
operand now gets a one-line warning, counts as skipped, and is dropped
before overlapping operands are pruned and the database index is
loaded: another operand beneath it is still scanned, and the records
beneath it count as outside the scanned operands and are not deleted,
unless it lies under another operand. The exit status stays 0. An
operand that turns into one of these after that check is warned about
and skipped by the walk instead. README "scan mode" and "Rules for the
walk" say so.

Model: opus-5-5

README.md

@@ -263,6 +263,18 @@ duplicates another or lies under another is dropped before walking,
 so every file is reached exactly once and produces one database
 record.
 
+An operand that is a symlink (never followed, not even as an operand),
+socket, FIFO, or device node, or a directory named `.zfs`, is not
+scanned. `scan` prints a one-line warning naming the path and what it
+is, counts it as skipped, and drops it from the scanned operands before
+reading the database. Another operand beneath it is still scanned. The
+records stored beneath it are not deleted: they are treated like any
+other record outside the scanned operands, including the content-phase
+exception below. If it lies under another operand, they are under that
+operand instead, and are deleted like any other record there that this
+scan did not verify. This is not an error: a scan whose every operand
+is dropped walks nothing and exits 0.
+
 `scan` synchronizes the database with the filesystem state under the
 scanned operands:
 
@@ -368,9 +380,12 @@ during the hash phase:
 Rules for the walk:
 
 -   Only regular files. Skip directories, symlinks (do not follow,
-    including symlink operands), sockets, FIFOs, and device nodes.
+    including symlink operands), sockets, FIFOs, and device nodes. An
+    operand that is a symlink, socket, FIFO, or device node is dropped
+    as described in "`scan` mode" above.
 -   Never descend into a directory named `.zfs` (ZFS snapshot pseudo-dirs;
-    walking them would list every file once per snapshot).
+    walking them would list every file once per snapshot), not even
+    when it is an operand; such an operand is dropped the same way.
 -   Filesystem boundaries are crossed by default. With `-x`
     (long form `--one-file-system`, following the GNU `du`/`rsync`
     convention), never descend into a directory on a different
@@ -381,9 +396,11 @@ Rules for the walk:
     path, and continue. Per-file errors never abort the run; the final
     summary reports how many were skipped. As specified above, a
     skipped path that has a database record from an earlier scan loses
-    that record, unless it failed only in the content phase; an
-    unreadable directory subtree likewise loses its records (accepted:
-    the database mirrors what the latest scan could actually verify).
+    that record, unless it failed only in the content phase, or is an
+    operand dropped before the database was read that lies under no
+    other operand; an unreadable directory subtree likewise loses its
+    records (accepted: the database mirrors what the latest scan could
+    actually verify).
 
 Concurrency: the walk phase (which also stats files), the hash phase,
 and the content phase each use a worker pool of `--workers` workers
@@ -573,18 +590,6 @@ Additional requirements:
 -   `2`: usage error (including `scan` with no `PATH` operand and
     `report`/`trees` with any positional argument).
 
-A stdout write failure, such as a full disk, is reported in one line on
-stderr and exits 1. Two cases never reach sfdupes as a failed write:
-
--   When the reader of a stdout pipe exits early, as in
-    `sfdupes report | head`, the next write ends sfdupes with `SIGPIPE`,
-    quietly and without a summary, the way `cat` or `sort` end. The
-    shell reports the signal (status 141 in most shells), not exit 1.
--   When stdout is closed outright (`sfdupes report >&-`), the Go
-    runtime opens `/dev/null` in its place before sfdupes starts, so
-    the output is discarded and the run succeeds, as with
-    `> /dev/null`.
-
 ## Entrypoints
 
 This repository adheres to the

TODO.md

@@ -29,9 +29,9 @@
 
 # Completed Steps
 
-- test stdout write failures in `report` and `trees`; README states that
-  `| head` ends sfdupes by `SIGPIPE` and `>&-` writes to `/dev/null`
-  (2026-10-03, https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/30)
+- warn about and skip symlink, socket, FIFO, device and `.zfs`
+  operands, keeping the records beneath them (2026-10-03,
+  https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/sfdupes/issues/9)
 
 - `report` and `trees` open the database read-only, and `scan` leaves it
   out of WAL mode, so reading needs only read access (2026-10-03, closes

main.go

@@ -57,27 +57,22 @@ var errNoSubcommand = errors.New("no subcommand")
 var Version = "dev"
 
 func main() {
-	// 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))
+	os.Exit(run(os.Args[1:], 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 and trees subcommands write
-// their data to stdout.
-func run(args []string, stdout, stderr io.Writer) int {
+// runs before the process ends.
+func run(args []string, 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.
 	if args == nil {
 		args = []string{}
 	}
 
-	root := newRootCommand(stdout, stderr)
+	root := newRootCommand(stderr)
 	root.SetArgs(args)
 
 	err := root.Execute()
@@ -103,7 +98,7 @@ func run(args []string, stdout, stderr io.Writer) int {
 // newRootCommand builds the command tree. Everything on stdout is
 // machine-readable data; all human-facing output (help, usage, errors)
 // goes to stderr.
-func newRootCommand(stdout, stderr io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
+func newRootCommand(stderr io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 	root := &cobra.Command{
 		Use:     "sfdupes",
 		Short:   "Find candidate duplicate files by size and head/tail/content SHA-256",
@@ -145,7 +140,7 @@ func newRootCommand(stdout, stderr io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 		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)
+			return runReport(ctx)
 		}),
 	}
 
@@ -154,7 +149,7 @@ func newRootCommand(stdout, stderr io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 		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)
+			return runTrees(ctx)
 		}),
 	}
 

main_test.go

@@ -82,6 +82,59 @@ func makeReadOnly(t *testing.T, path string) {
 	})
 }
 
+// captureStdout redirects os.Stdout to a file for the rest of the test
+// and returns a function reading back everything written to it. Only
+// machine-readable data belongs on stdout (README design goal 4), so
+// the tests assert on it directly.
+func captureStdout(t *testing.T) func() string {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	return captureStream(t, &os.Stdout)
+}
+
+// captureStream redirects *stream (os.Stdout or os.Stderr) to a file
+// for the rest of the test and returns a function reading back
+// everything written to it.
+func captureStream(t *testing.T, stream **os.File) func() string {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	f, err := os.Create(filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "capture"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	saved := *stream
+	*stream = f
+
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		*stream = saved
+
+		_ = f.Close()
+	})
+
+	return func() string {
+		// Read what has been written without disturbing the write
+		// offset, so the capture can be inspected more than once.
+		size, err := f.Seek(0, io.SeekCurrent)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if size == 0 {
+			return ""
+		}
+
+		b := make([]byte, size)
+
+		_, err = f.ReadAt(b, 0)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		return string(b)
+	}
+}
+
 // brokenDatabase writes a database that opens cleanly and passes the
 // schema-version check but has no files table, so the first query
 // fails with the database already open: a fatal error on a path that
@@ -154,15 +207,17 @@ func TestRunFatalAfterOpenClosesDatabase(t *testing.T) {
 				args = append(args, t.TempDir())
 			}
 
-			var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
+			var stderr bytes.Buffer
 
-			code := run(args, &stdout, &stderr)
+			stdout := captureStdout(t)
+
+			code := run(args, &stderr)
 			if code != exitFatal {
 				t.Errorf("run(%v) = %d, want %d", args, code, exitFatal)
 			}
 
 			assertNoSidecars(t, path)
-			assertFatalOutput(t, stderr.String(), stdout.String())
+			assertFatalOutput(t, stderr.String(), stdout())
 
 			// Proof that the failure happened after the open: only a
 			// query against the opened database can report this.
@@ -180,16 +235,18 @@ func TestRunMissingOperandIsFatalNotUsage(t *testing.T) {
 	// must not dump the usage text.
 	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, testDBPath(t))
 
-	var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
+	var stderr bytes.Buffer
+
+	stdout := captureStdout(t)
 
 	missing := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "nope")
 
-	code := run([]string{cmdScan, missing}, &stdout, &stderr)
+	code := run([]string{cmdScan, missing}, &stderr)
 	if code != exitFatal {
 		t.Errorf("run(scan %s) = %d, want %d", missing, code, exitFatal)
 	}
 
-	assertFatalOutput(t, stderr.String(), stdout.String())
+	assertFatalOutput(t, stderr.String(), stdout())
 }
 
 // assertFatalOutput checks that a fatal error was reported the way
@@ -233,9 +290,11 @@ func TestRunUsageErrors(t *testing.T) {
 			// path that does not exist.
 			t.Setenv(databaseEnv, testDBPath(t))
 
-			var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
+			var stderr bytes.Buffer
 
-			code := run(tc.args, &stdout, &stderr)
+			stdout := captureStdout(t)
+
+			code := run(tc.args, &stderr)
 			if code != exitUsage {
 				t.Errorf("run(%v) = %d, want %d", tc.args, code, exitUsage)
 			}
@@ -244,7 +303,7 @@ func TestRunUsageErrors(t *testing.T) {
 				t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want %q", stderr.String(), tc.want)
 			}
 
-			if got := stdout.String(); got != "" {
+			if got := stdout(); got != "" {
 				t.Errorf("stdout = %q, want nothing (data only)", got)
 			}
 		})
@@ -253,9 +312,9 @@ func TestRunUsageErrors(t *testing.T) {
 
 // TestRunHelpAndVersionSucceed checks that the two informational flags
 // exit 0 and keep their human-facing output on stderr.
+//
+//nolint:paralleltest // captureStdout replaces the process-wide os.Stdout
 func TestRunHelpAndVersionSucceed(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
 	assertHumanOutput(t, "--help")
 	assertHumanOutput(t, "--version")
 }
@@ -266,9 +325,11 @@ func TestRunHelpAndVersionSucceed(t *testing.T) {
 func assertHumanOutput(t *testing.T, arg string) {
 	t.Helper()
 
-	var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
+	var stderr bytes.Buffer
 
-	code := run([]string{arg}, &stdout, &stderr)
+	stdout := captureStdout(t)
+
+	code := run([]string{arg}, &stderr)
 	if code != exitOK {
 		t.Errorf("run(%s) = %d, want %d", arg, code, exitOK)
 	}
@@ -277,7 +338,7 @@ func assertHumanOutput(t *testing.T, arg string) {
 		t.Errorf("run(%s) wrote nothing to stderr", arg)
 	}
 
-	if got := stdout.String(); got != "" {
+	if got := stdout(); got != "" {
 		t.Errorf("stdout = %q, want nothing (data only)", got)
 	}
 }
@@ -306,19 +367,30 @@ func scanFixture(t *testing.T) []string {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
+	scanOK(t, dir)
 
-	code := run([]string{cmdScan, dir}, &stdout, &stderr)
+	return dupes
+}
+
+// scanOK runs scan over operands, fails the test unless it exits 0 with
+// nothing on stdout, and returns everything it printed to stderr.
+func scanOK(t *testing.T, operands ...string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	stdout := captureStdout(t)
+	stderr := captureStream(t, &os.Stderr)
+
+	code := run(append([]string{cmdScan}, operands...), os.Stderr)
 	if code != exitOK {
-		t.Fatalf("run(scan) = %d, want %d; stderr: %s",
-			code, exitOK, stderr.String())
+		t.Fatalf("run(scan %q) = %d, want %d; stderr: %s",
+			operands, code, exitOK, stderr())
 	}
 
-	if got := stdout.String(); got != "" {
+	if got := stdout(); got != "" {
 		t.Errorf("scan stdout = %q, want nothing (data only)", got)
 	}
 
-	return dupes
+	return stderr()
 }
 
 func TestRunScanSucceedsDespiteWarnings(t *testing.T) {
@@ -329,22 +401,121 @@ func TestRunScanSucceedsDespiteWarnings(t *testing.T) {
 	assertNoSidecars(t, path)
 }
 
+func TestRunScanSkipsSymlinkOperand(t *testing.T) {
+	path := testDBPath(t)
+	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)
+
+	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)
+	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"))
+}
+
+func TestRunScanWalksOperandUnderSymlinkOperand(t *testing.T) {
+	path := testDBPath(t)
+	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)
+
+	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)
+	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"))
+
+	db, err := openDB(path, reportParams)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = db.Close() })
+
+	recordByPath(t, dbRecords(t, db), filepath.Join(link, "sub", "f"))
+}
+
+func TestRunScanSkipsZFSOperand(t *testing.T) {
+	path := testDBPath(t)
+	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)
+
+	zfs := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), ".zfs")
+	snapshot := filepath.Join(zfs, "snapshot", "hourly")
+	f := writeFile(t, snapshot, "f", pattern(1, 10))
+
+	// An operand beneath a .zfs directory is walked, because it is not
+	// itself named .zfs.
+	scanOK(t, snapshot)
+
+	assertOperandSkipped(t, path, zfs, ".zfs directory", f)
+}
+
+// assertOperandSkipped scans operand alone and checks that it is skipped
+// as kind: a warning naming it, one skip in the summary, exit 0, and the
+// record for kept, which an earlier scan stored beneath operand, still
+// in the database at dbPath.
+func assertOperandSkipped(t *testing.T, dbPath, operand, kind,
+	kept string,
+) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	stderr := scanOK(t, operand)
+
+	warning := "walk " + operand + ": skipping " + kind + " 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)
+	}
+
+	db, err := openDB(dbPath, reportParams)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = db.Close() })
+
+	recordByPath(t, dbRecords(t, db), kept)
+}
+
 func TestRunReportSucceeds(t *testing.T) {
 	path := testDBPath(t)
 	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)
 
 	dupes := scanFixture(t)
 
-	var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
+	var stderr bytes.Buffer
 
-	code := run([]string{cmdReport}, &stdout, &stderr)
+	stdout := captureStdout(t)
+
+	code := run([]string{cmdReport}, &stderr)
 	if code != exitOK {
 		t.Fatalf("run(report) = %d, want %d; stderr: %s",
 			code, exitOK, stderr.String())
 	}
 
 	want := "first\tdupe\tsize\n" + dupes[0] + "\t" + dupes[1] + "\t300\n"
-	if got := stdout.String(); got != want {
+	if got := stdout(); got != want {
 		t.Errorf("stdout = %q, want %q", got, want)
 	}
 
@@ -357,9 +528,11 @@ func TestRunTreesSucceeds(t *testing.T) {
 
 	dupes := scanFixture(t)
 
-	var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
+	var stderr bytes.Buffer
 
-	code := run([]string{cmdTrees}, &stdout, &stderr)
+	stdout := captureStdout(t)
+
+	code := run([]string{cmdTrees}, &stderr)
 	if code != exitOK {
 		t.Fatalf("run(trees) = %d, want %d; stderr: %s",
 			code, exitOK, stderr.String())
@@ -369,7 +542,7 @@ func TestRunTreesSucceeds(t *testing.T) {
 	// trees of each other.
 	want := "first\tdupe\tfiles\tsize\n" +
 		filepath.Dir(dupes[0]) + "\t" + filepath.Dir(dupes[1]) + "\t1\t300\n"
-	if got := stdout.String(); got != want {
+	if got := stdout(); got != want {
 		t.Errorf("stdout = %q, want %q", got, want)
 	}
 
@@ -396,9 +569,11 @@ func TestRunReportsNeedOnlyReadAccess(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	for name, want := range cases {
-		var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
+		var stderr bytes.Buffer
 
-		code := run([]string{name}, &stdout, &stderr)
+		stdout := captureStdout(t)
+
+		code := run([]string{name}, &stderr)
 		if code != exitOK {
 			t.Errorf("run(%s) = %d, want %d; stderr: %s",
 				name, code, exitOK, stderr.String())
@@ -406,71 +581,8 @@ func TestRunReportsNeedOnlyReadAccess(t *testing.T) {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		if got := stdout.String(); got != want {
+		if got := stdout(); got != want {
 			t.Errorf("%s stdout = %q, want %q", name, got, want)
 		}
 	}
 }
-
-func TestRunStdoutClosedIsFatal(t *testing.T) {
-	// README §Error handling: a stdout write failure exits 1, reported
-	// in one line on stderr.
-	for _, name := range []string{cmdReport, cmdTrees} {
-		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			t.Setenv(databaseEnv, testDBPath(t))
-
-			scanFixture(t)
-
-			stdout, err := os.Create(filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "stdout"))
-			if err != nil {
-				t.Fatal(err)
-			}
-
-			err = stdout.Close()
-			if err != nil {
-				t.Fatal(err)
-			}
-
-			var stderr bytes.Buffer
-
-			code := run([]string{name}, stdout, &stderr)
-			if code != exitFatal {
-				t.Errorf("run(%s) = %d, want %d", name, code, exitFatal)
-			}
-
-			got := stderr.String()
-			if !strings.HasPrefix(got, "sfdupes: write stdout: ") ||
-				!strings.Contains(got, os.ErrClosed.Error()) ||
-				strings.Count(got, "\n") != 1 {
-				t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want one line reporting the "+
-					"failed stdout write", got)
-			}
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-// errWriteFailed is the error failingWriter returns.
-var errWriteFailed = errors.New("write failed")
-
-// failingWriter is a stdout that fails every write.
-type failingWriter struct{}
-
-func (failingWriter) Write([]byte) (int, error) { return 0, errWriteFailed }
-
-func TestStdoutWriteErrorPropagates(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, testDBPath(t))
-
-	scanFixture(t)
-
-	cases := map[string]func(context.Context, io.Writer) error{
-		cmdReport: runReport,
-		cmdTrees:  runTrees,
-	}
-
-	for name, fn := range cases {
-		err := fn(t.Context(), failingWriter{})
-		if !errors.Is(err, errWriteFailed) {
-			t.Errorf("%s: error = %v, want %v", name, err, errWriteFailed)
-		}
-	}
-}

report.go

@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import (
 	"bufio"
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
-	"io"
 	"os"
 	"slices"
 	"strings"
@@ -66,7 +65,7 @@ type dupeGroup struct {
 // from the database and 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.
-func runReport(ctx context.Context, stdout io.Writer) error {
+func runReport(ctx context.Context) error {
 	recs, err := loadRecords(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -74,7 +73,7 @@ func runReport(ctx context.Context, stdout io.Writer) error {
 
 	dupes := collectDupeGroups(recs)
 
-	out := bufio.NewWriterSize(stdout, ioBufSize)
+	out := bufio.NewWriterSize(os.Stdout, ioBufSize)
 
 	_, err = fmt.Fprintln(out, "first\tdupe\tsize")
 	if err != nil {

report_test.go

@@ -50,9 +50,11 @@ func seedDatabase(t *testing.T, recs []scanRec) string {
 func TestRunReportEscapesPaths(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, seedDatabase(t, awkwardPairRecs()))
 
-	var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
+	var stderr bytes.Buffer
 
-	code := run([]string{cmdReport}, &stdout, &stderr)
+	stdout := captureStdout(t)
+
+	code := run([]string{cmdReport}, &stderr)
 	if code != exitOK {
 		t.Fatalf("run(report) = %d, want %d; stderr: %s",
 			code, exitOK, stderr.String())
@@ -60,7 +62,7 @@ func TestRunReportEscapesPaths(t *testing.T) {
 
 	want := "first\tdupe\tsize\n" +
 		`/d/\tone\ntwo\rthree\\four/f` + "\t/d/A/f\t5\n"
-	if got := stdout.String(); got != want {
+	if got := stdout(); got != want {
 		t.Errorf("stdout = %q, want %q", got, want)
 	}
 }

scan.go

@@ -211,14 +211,18 @@ type scanState struct {
 // in the content hash of every record of headTailMin or more whose
 // size, head, and tail match another record's). Records outside the
 // roots are never touched, except that the content phase fills in
-// their content hash.
+// their content hash. Operands the walk cannot start from are dropped
+// first, so the records beneath them count as outside the roots unless
+// they lie under another root.
 func syncScan(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB, roots []string,
 	workers int, oneFS bool,
 ) (scanStats, error) {
-	roots = pruneRoots(roots)
-
 	s := &scanState{db: db}
 
+	// Types are checked before pruning so that an operand under a
+	// dropped one is still scanned, not dropped as lying under it.
+	roots = pruneRoots(s.walkableRoots(roots))
+
 	err := s.loadIndex(ctx, roots)
 	if err != nil {
 		return s.st, err
@@ -254,6 +258,35 @@ func syncScan(ctx context.Context, db *sql.DB, roots []string,
 	return s.st, s.contentPhase(ctx, workers)
 }
 
+// walkableRoots returns the operands the walk can start from: regular
+// files, and directories not 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 count as outside the
+// roots and are not deleted as unverified, unless it lies under another
+// root. An operand that fails lstat here is kept, and the walk warns
+// about it.
+func (s *scanState) walkableRoots(roots []string) []string {
+	kept := make([]string, 0, len(roots))
+
+	for _, root := range roots {
+		fi, err := os.Lstat(root)
+		if err == nil {
+			warn := operandWarning(root, fi)
+			if warn != "" {
+				s.st.skipped++
+
+				fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, escapePath(warn))
+
+				continue
+			}
+		}
+
+		kept = append(kept, root)
+	}
+
+	return kept
+}
+
 // loadIndex indexes the database records under the scan roots for
 // change detection and collects the sizes of every record outside
 // them: out-of-scope records join the size census so a scanned file
@@ -790,11 +823,43 @@ 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. Symlinks are
+// never followed, including as operands.
+func operandWarning(root string, fi fs.FileInfo) string {
+	var kind string
+
+	switch mode := fi.Mode(); {
+	case mode.IsRegular():
+		return ""
+	case mode.IsDir():
+		if filepath.Base(root) != ".zfs" {
+			return ""
+		}
+
+		kind = ".zfs directory"
+	case mode&fs.ModeSymlink != 0:
+		kind = "symlink"
+	case mode&fs.ModeSocket != 0:
+		kind = "socket"
+	case mode&fs.ModeNamedPipe != 0:
+		kind = "FIFO"
+	case mode&fs.ModeDevice != 0:
+		kind = "device node"
+	default:
+		kind = "non-regular file"
+	}
+
+	return fmt.Sprintf("walk %s: skipping %s operand", root, kind)
+}
+
 // seedRoot turns one PATH operand into the walk's starting state: a
-// regular-file operand is statted and emitted directly, a directory
-// operand becomes an initial job, and a symlink or other non-regular
-// operand yields nothing (symlinks are never followed, including as
-// operands).
+// regular-file operand is statted and emitted directly, and a directory
+// operand becomes an initial job. walkableRoots has already dropped
+// every other operand. One that has changed into something else since
+// is warned about and skipped here; it is still a root, so the records
+// stored beneath it are deleted as unverified.
 func seedRoot(ctx context.Context, root string,
 	events chan<- walkEvent,
 ) []dirJob {
@@ -808,30 +873,30 @@ func seedRoot(ctx context.Context, root string,
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	switch {
-	case fi.IsDir():
-		if filepath.Base(root) == ".zfs" {
-			return nil
-		}
+	warn := operandWarning(root, fi)
+	if warn != "" {
+		sendEvent(ctx, events, walkEvent{warn: warn, fail: true})
 
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	if fi.IsDir() {
 		dev, ok := deviceOfInfo(fi)
 
 		return []dirJob{{path: root, rootDev: dev, rootDevOK: ok}}
-	case fi.Mode().IsRegular():
-		dev, ino := inodeOfInfo(fi)
-
-		sendEvent(ctx, events, walkEvent{rec: fileRec{
-			path:  root,
-			size:  fi.Size(),
-			mtime: fi.ModTime().Unix(),
-			dev:   dev,
-			ino:   ino,
-		}})
-
-		return nil
-	default:
-		return nil
 	}
+
+	dev, ino := inodeOfInfo(fi)
+
+	sendEvent(ctx, events, walkEvent{rec: fileRec{
+		path:  root,
+		size:  fi.Size(),
+		mtime: fi.ModTime().Unix(),
+		dev:   dev,
+		ino:   ino,
+	}})
+
+	return nil
 }
 
 // startWalkWorkers starts the walk worker pool. Each worker processes

scan_test.go

@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"database/sql"
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"fmt"
-	"io"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
@@ -857,9 +856,11 @@ func TestWalkFileAndSymlinkOperands(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("file operand: recs = %+v, errs = %d", recs, errs)
 	}
 
-	// A symlink operand is not followed and yields nothing.
+	// A symlink operand that reaches the walk (it became one after
+	// walkableRoots checked it) is not followed: it yields a warning and
+	// no records.
 	recs, errs = collectWalk(t, []string{link}, false, 2)
-	if errs != 0 || len(recs) != 0 {
+	if errs != 1 || len(recs) != 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("symlink operand: recs = %+v, errs = %d", recs, errs)
 	}
 }
@@ -1549,7 +1550,7 @@ func TestScanHashWriteFailureUnwindsPool(t *testing.T) {
 
 	code := run([]string{
 		cmdScan, "--workers", strconv.Itoa(hashLeakWorkers), dir,
-	}, io.Discard, &stderr)
+	}, &stderr)
 	if code != exitFatal {
 		t.Fatalf("run(scan) = %d, want %d; stderr: %s",
 			code, exitFatal, stderr.String())

trees.go

@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"crypto/sha256"
 	"fmt"
-	"io"
 	"os"
 	"slices"
 	"strconv"
@@ -37,7 +36,7 @@ type treeNode struct {
 // maximal duplicate-tree groups as TSV on stdout. It never touches the
 // scanned filesystem; its only I/O is the database, stdout, and
 // stderr.
-func runTrees(ctx context.Context, stdout io.Writer) error {
+func runTrees(ctx context.Context) error {
 	recs, err := loadRecords(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -48,7 +47,7 @@ func runTrees(ctx context.Context, stdout io.Writer) error {
 
 	dupes := collectTreeGroups(allDirs, super)
 
-	out := bufio.NewWriterSize(stdout, ioBufSize)
+	out := bufio.NewWriterSize(os.Stdout, ioBufSize)
 
 	_, err = fmt.Fprintln(out, "first\tdupe\tfiles\tsize")
 	if err != nil {

trees_test.go

@@ -108,9 +108,11 @@ func TestBuildHierarchyRootPath(t *testing.T) {
 func TestRunTreesEscapesPaths(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, seedDatabase(t, awkwardPairRecs()))
 
-	var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer
+	var stderr bytes.Buffer
 
-	code := run([]string{cmdTrees}, &stdout, &stderr)
+	stdout := captureStdout(t)
+
+	code := run([]string{cmdTrees}, &stderr)
 	if code != exitOK {
 		t.Fatalf("run(trees) = %d, want %d; stderr: %s",
 			code, exitOK, stderr.String())
@@ -118,7 +120,7 @@ func TestRunTreesEscapesPaths(t *testing.T) {
 
 	want := "first\tdupe\tfiles\tsize\n" +
 		`/d/\tone\ntwo\rthree\\four` + "\t/d/A\t1\t5\n"
-	if got := stdout.String(); got != want {
+	if got := stdout(); got != want {
 		t.Errorf("stdout = %q, want %q", got, want)
 	}
 }