Return an error, not a panic, on a malformed snapshot database (closes #231)

Restore cut chunk hashes from the snapshot database to 16 characters
for its error messages, so a shorter hash panicked. Those messages now
use shortHash. Under --verify, a file_chunks row with no chunks row was
dereferenced, and the chunk size from the database was allocated in
one piece, so a negative or huge size panicked. A missing row is now an
error, a negative size is rejected, and each chunk is hashed by
streaming it from the restored file.

A restored file shorter than its chunks now fails verify as a short
read instead of an unexpected EOF.

Model: opus-5-5

TODO.md

@@ -22,6 +22,15 @@ the tag exists and is exercised; what is left is merging `next` to
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-10-06: Made restore return an error instead of panicking on a
+  malformed snapshot database
+  ([issue #231](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/231)). A chunk
+  hash shorter than 16 characters crashed the error message naming it,
+  and `--verify` dereferenced a missing `chunks` row and allocated
+  whatever chunk size the database gave. Those messages now go through
+  `shortHash`, a missing row is an error, and `--verify` rejects a
+  negative size and hashes each chunk as a stream.
+
 - 2026-10-06: Made `s3://bucket/prefix` and `s3://bucket/prefix/` the same
   destination ([issue #222](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/222)).
   The S3 client put the prefix directly in front of each key, so a prefix

internal/vaultik/restore.go

@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ var (
 	errChunkNotInAnyBlob        = errors.New("chunk not found in any blob")
 	errBlobIDNotInHashIndex     = errors.New("blob id missing from hash index")
 	errShortChunkRead           = errors.New("short read")
+	errChunkRowMissing          = errors.New("chunk has no row in the chunks table")
 	errRestorePathEscapesTarget = errors.New(
 		"refusing to restore path outside the target directory")
 	errTrailingRestoreData = errors.New(
@@ -1267,7 +1268,7 @@ func (s *restoreSession) writeFileChunks(
 		blobChunk, ok := s.chunkToBlobMap[chunkHashStr]
 		if !ok {
 			return bytesWritten, timings, fmt.Errorf(
-				"%w: %s", errChunkNotInAnyBlob, chunkHashStr[:16])
+				"%w: %s", errChunkNotInAnyBlob, shortHash(chunkHashStr))
 		}
 
 		blobHash, ok := s.blobIDToHash[blobChunk.BlobID.String()]
@@ -1284,7 +1285,7 @@ func (s *restoreSession) writeFileChunks(
 		if err != nil {
 			return bytesWritten, timings, fmt.Errorf(
 				"reading chunk %s from cached blob %s: %w",
-				fc.ChunkHash[:16], blobHash[:16], err)
+				shortHash(chunkHashStr), shortHash(blobHash), err)
 		}
 
 		t0 = time.Now()
@@ -1482,33 +1483,44 @@ func (v *Vaultik) verifyFile(
 		chunk, err := repos.Chunks.GetByHash(ctx, fc.ChunkHash.String())
 		if err != nil {
 			return bytesVerified, fmt.Errorf("getting chunk %s: %w",
-				fc.ChunkHash.String()[:16], err)
+				shortHash(fc.ChunkHash.String()), err)
 		}
 
-		// Read chunk data from file
-		chunkData := make([]byte, chunk.Size)
-
-		n, err := io.ReadFull(f, chunkData)
-		if err != nil {
-			return bytesVerified, fmt.Errorf("reading chunk data: %w", err)
+		if chunk == nil {
+			return bytesVerified, fmt.Errorf("%w: %s",
+				errChunkRowMissing, shortHash(fc.ChunkHash.String()))
 		}
 
-		if int64(n) != chunk.Size {
+		// chunk.Size comes from the snapshot database, which is not
+		// trusted: reject a negative size, and hash the chunk by
+		// streaming it rather than allocating that many bytes.
+		if chunk.Size < 0 {
+			return bytesVerified, fmt.Errorf("%w: chunk %d size %d",
+				errNegativeChunkLength, fc.Idx, chunk.Size)
+		}
+
+		hasher := sha256.New()
+
+		n, err := io.CopyN(hasher, f, chunk.Size)
+		if errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
 			return bytesVerified, fmt.Errorf("%w: expected %d bytes, got %d",
 				errShortChunkRead, chunk.Size, n)
 		}
 
-		// Calculate hash and compare
-		hash := sha256.Sum256(chunkData)
-		actualHash := hex.EncodeToString(hash[:])
+		if err != nil {
+			return bytesVerified, fmt.Errorf("reading chunk data: %w", err)
+		}
+
+		actualHash := hex.EncodeToString(hasher.Sum(nil))
 		expectedHash := fc.ChunkHash.String()
 
 		if actualHash != expectedHash {
 			return bytesVerified, fmt.Errorf("%w: chunk %d: expected %s, got %s",
-				errChunkHashMismatch, fc.Idx, expectedHash[:16], actualHash[:16])
+				errChunkHashMismatch, fc.Idx,
+				shortHash(expectedHash), shortHash(actualHash))
 		}
 
-		bytesVerified += int64(n)
+		bytesVerified += n
 	}
 
 	// The stored chunks account for the whole file, so the reader must

internal/vaultik/restore_malformed_db_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,221 @@
+package vaultik //nolint:testpackage // drives unexported restore and verify steps
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"math"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/afero"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/database"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/types"
+)
+
+// These tests feed restore and --verify a snapshot database written by
+// hand, as a damaged or hostile store could serve one. Each malformed row
+// must end in an error, not a panic.
+
+// shortChunkHash is shorter than the hash prefix that error messages print.
+const shortChunkHash = "abc"
+
+// restoredFileContent is the content of the restored file under verify.
+const restoredFileContent = "xyz"
+
+// craftedSnapshotDB opens an empty snapshot database in a temp directory.
+func craftedSnapshotDB(t *testing.T) (*database.DB, *database.Repositories) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	db, err := database.New(context.Background(),
+		filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "snapshot.db"))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = db.Close() })
+
+	return db, database.NewRepositories(db)
+}
+
+// craftedFile adds a regular file whose only chunk has the given hash.
+// Adding the chunks row, if any, is left to the caller.
+func craftedFile(
+	t *testing.T, repos *database.Repositories, chunkHash string,
+) *database.File {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	file := &database.File{
+		Path:  "/src/f",
+		MTime: time.Now().UTC(),
+		Size:  int64(len(restoredFileContent)),
+		Mode:  0o644,
+	}
+	require.NoError(t, repos.Files.Create(ctx, nil, file))
+	require.NoError(t, repos.FileChunks.Create(ctx, nil, &database.FileChunk{
+		FileID:    file.ID,
+		ChunkHash: types.ChunkHash(chunkHash),
+	}))
+
+	return file
+}
+
+// TestRestoreShortChunkHashInNoBlob proves a file whose short chunk hash
+// has no blob_chunks row fails restore planning and the chunk write with
+// an error.
+func TestRestoreShortChunkHashInNoBlob(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	_, repos := craftedSnapshotDB(t)
+	require.NoError(t, repos.Chunks.Create(ctx, nil,
+		&database.Chunk{ChunkHash: shortChunkHash, Size: 3}))
+	file := craftedFile(t, repos, shortChunkHash)
+
+	v := NewForTesting(nil)
+
+	chunkToBlobMap, err := v.buildChunkToBlobMap(ctx, repos)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	_, err = newRestorePlan(ctx, repos, []*database.File{file},
+		chunkToBlobMap, map[string]string{})
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, errPlanChunkMissing)
+
+	fileChunks, err := repos.FileChunks.GetByFileID(ctx, file.ID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	out, err := afero.NewMemMapFs().Create("out")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	session := &restoreSession{
+		v: v.Vaultik, ctx: ctx, chunkToBlobMap: chunkToBlobMap,
+	}
+
+	_, _, err = session.writeFileChunks(out, fileChunks)
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, errChunkNotInAnyBlob)
+}
+
+// TestRestoreShortChunkHashReadPastBlobEnd proves a short chunk hash
+// whose blob_chunks row reads past the end of its blob fails the chunk
+// write with an error.
+func TestRestoreShortChunkHashReadPastBlobEnd(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	_, repos := craftedSnapshotDB(t)
+
+	blobHash := strings.Repeat("b", blobHashHexLen)
+	blob := &database.Blob{
+		ID:        types.NewBlobID(),
+		Hash:      types.BlobHash(blobHash),
+		CreatedTS: time.Now().UTC(),
+	}
+	require.NoError(t, repos.Blobs.Create(ctx, nil, blob))
+	require.NoError(t, repos.Chunks.Create(ctx, nil,
+		&database.Chunk{ChunkHash: shortChunkHash, Size: 3}))
+	require.NoError(t, repos.BlobChunks.Create(ctx, nil, &database.BlobChunk{
+		BlobID:    blob.ID,
+		ChunkHash: shortChunkHash,
+		Length:    100,
+	}))
+	file := craftedFile(t, repos, shortChunkHash)
+
+	cache, err := newBlobDiskCache(1 << 20)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = cache.Close() })
+
+	require.NoError(t, cache.Put(blobHash, []byte("abc")))
+
+	v := NewForTesting(nil)
+
+	chunkToBlobMap, err := v.buildChunkToBlobMap(ctx, repos)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	_, blobIDToHash, err := v.buildBlobIndexes(repos)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	fileChunks, err := repos.FileChunks.GetByFileID(ctx, file.ID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	out, err := afero.NewMemMapFs().Create("out")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	session := &restoreSession{
+		v:              v.Vaultik,
+		ctx:            ctx,
+		chunkToBlobMap: chunkToBlobMap,
+		blobIDToHash:   blobIDToHash,
+		blobCache:      cache,
+	}
+
+	_, _, err = session.writeFileChunks(out, fileChunks)
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, errCacheReadBeyondBlob)
+}
+
+// TestVerifyFileMalformedChunkRow proves --verify returns an error for a
+// chunk with no chunks row, a short chunk hash, and a chunk size from the
+// database that is negative or larger than the restored file.
+func TestVerifyFileMalformedChunkRow(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	fullHash := types.ChunkHash(strings.Repeat("c", blobHashHexLen))
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name  string
+		hash  types.ChunkHash
+		chunk *database.Chunk // nil adds no chunks row
+		want  error
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "missing chunk row",
+			hash: fullHash,
+			want: errChunkRowMissing,
+		},
+		{
+			name:  "short hash",
+			hash:  shortChunkHash,
+			chunk: &database.Chunk{ChunkHash: shortChunkHash, Size: 3},
+			want:  errChunkHashMismatch,
+		},
+		{
+			name:  "size larger than the file",
+			hash:  fullHash,
+			chunk: &database.Chunk{ChunkHash: fullHash, Size: math.MaxInt64},
+			want:  errShortChunkRead,
+		},
+		{
+			name:  "negative size",
+			hash:  fullHash,
+			chunk: &database.Chunk{ChunkHash: fullHash, Size: -1},
+			want:  errNegativeChunkLength,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+
+			ctx := context.Background()
+			db, repos := craftedSnapshotDB(t)
+
+			if tt.chunk == nil {
+				// A crafted database need not satisfy its foreign keys.
+				_, err := db.Conn().ExecContext(ctx, "PRAGMA foreign_keys = OFF")
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+			} else {
+				require.NoError(t, repos.Chunks.Create(ctx, nil, tt.chunk))
+			}
+
+			file := craftedFile(t, repos, tt.hash.String())
+
+			v := NewForTesting(nil)
+			v.Fs = afero.NewMemMapFs()
+			require.NoError(t, afero.WriteFile(v.Fs, "/restore/f",
+				[]byte(restoredFileContent), 0o600))
+
+			_, err := v.verifyFile(ctx, repos, file, "/restore/f")
+			require.ErrorIs(t, err, tt.want)
+		})
+	}
+}

internal/vaultik/restore_plan.go

@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ func newRestorePlan(
 			bc, ok := chunkToBlobMap[fc.ChunkHash.String()]
 			if !ok {
 				return nil, fmt.Errorf("planning %s: %w: %s",
-					f.Path, errPlanChunkMissing, fc.ChunkHash.String()[:16])
+					f.Path, errPlanChunkMissing, shortHash(fc.ChunkHash.String()))
 			}
 
 			hash, ok := blobIDToHash[bc.BlobID.String()]