Accept a remote key for restore and verify, and document it (closes #124)

A host restoring after the original is gone has no local index and cannot
know a snapshot's human ID; `snapshot list` shows such snapshots only by
their remote key. Restore and verify now resolve an identifier to that
remote key: a human ID is hashed as before, and a remote key (or an
unambiguous leading part of it, as the table prints) is used directly,
resolved against the store's metadata listing. Deep verify reads the one
snapshot in the exported database rather than filtering by the human ID.

Adds an integration test that backs up with one index and hostname, then
lists, restores, and deep-verifies from the store with a fresh empty
index, a different hostname, and no age_recipients — comparing restored
bytes to the source. The empty index is what makes it fail if restore
ever needed the original one.

Adds a "Restoring on another machine" README section walking the flow end
to end, and drops the now-done roadmap item.

Model: claude-opus-4-8

AGENTS.md

@@ -104,7 +104,12 @@ Version: 2025-06-08
 
 13. Pre-1.0: NEVER write database migrations. There are no live databases
     anywhere — every user's local index can be rebuilt from a fresh full
-    backup. When the schema changes, just change `schema.sql` (and any code
-    that touches the affected tables). The local index is disposable until
-    1.0 ships and is tagged.
+    backup. To change the schema, edit `internal/database/schema/001.sql`
+    (and any code that touches the affected tables) directly; do not add new
+    numbered schema files. Those numbered files and the `schema_migrations`
+    table they populate only bootstrap a fresh database — they are not an
+    upgrade path. The local index is disposable until 1.0 ships and is
+    tagged; once 1.0 is tagged that clause expires and the question of
+    upgrading existing indexes returns. See [`docs/DATAMODEL.md`](docs/DATAMODEL.md)
+    for the full explanation.
 

Dockerfile

@@ -22,8 +22,10 @@ FROM golang:1.26.1-alpine@sha256:2389ebfa5b7f43eeafbd6be0c3700cc46690ef842ad962f
 
 ARG VERSION=dev
 
-# Install build dependencies for CGO (mattn/go-sqlite3) and sqlite3 CLI (tests)
-RUN apk add --no-cache make build-base sqlite
+# Build tooling: make, plus a C toolchain because `go test -race` needs cgo.
+# The sqlite driver is pure Go (modernc.org/sqlite), so no sqlite library or
+# CLI is required.
+RUN apk add --no-cache make build-base
 
 WORKDIR /src
 
@@ -71,7 +73,7 @@ RUN CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -ldflags "-X 'sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/global
 # alpine:3.21, 2026-02-25
 FROM alpine:3.21@sha256:c3f8e73fdb79deaebaa2037150150191b9dcbfba68b4a46d70103204c53f4709
 
-RUN apk add --no-cache ca-certificates sqlite
+RUN apk add --no-cache ca-certificates
 
 # Copy binary from builder
 COPY --from=builder /vaultik /usr/local/bin/vaultik

Dockerfile.lint

@@ -72,11 +72,11 @@ RUN [ -n "$CHECK_EPOCH" ] || exit 1
 # running, and exits 0 reporting `0 issues.` on a tree the real config
 # fails. Demonstrated on this repo at this pin, recorded on
 # https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/pulls/114: with a planted
-# over-length line, `script/lint` exits 1 naming the `lll` finding with
-# `linters:` and exits 0 with `linterz:`. A set-but-ineffective config
-# quietly falling back to defaults is precisely the false-green class
-# this gate exists to eliminate, so it must not sit in the gate's own
-# configuration.
+# over-length line, `script/lint` exits 1 naming the `revive` finding
+# with `linters:` and exits 0 with `linterz:`. A set-but-ineffective
+# config quietly falling back to defaults is precisely the false-green
+# class this gate exists to eliminate, so it must not sit in the gate's
+# own configuration.
 #
 # `config verify` catches it, and it does so OFFLINE at this pinned
 # version -- verified, not assumed. Under `docker run --network none`

README.md

@@ -84,6 +84,57 @@ VAULTIK_AGE_SECRET_KEY='AGE-SECRET-KEY-...' vaultik snapshot restore <snapshot-i
 # 0 3 * * * vaultik snapshot create --cron --prune --keep-newer-than 4w
 ```
 
+## restoring on another machine
+
+Restoring on a host that never ran the backup — a replacement machine
+after the original is gone — is the case vaultik is built for. That host
+needs only three things: the `vaultik` binary, the age **private** key,
+and the storage credentials for the destination. It does **not** need the
+local index, the original config file, or the original hostname.
+
+```sh
+# install
+go install sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/cmd/vaultik@latest
+
+# create a config and point it at the ORIGINAL backup destination
+vaultik config init
+vaultik config set storage_url "s3://bucket/prefix?endpoint=https://s3.example.com"
+vaultik config set s3.access_key_id "..."
+vaultik config set s3.secret_access_key "..."
+
+# see what is on the destination store
+vaultik snapshot list
+```
+
+`snapshot list` reads the destination store without the private key. A
+snapshot that is not in this host's (empty) local index is shown as
+remote-only: its row is identified by `<remote only:...>` rather than by
+a `hostname_name_timestamp` name, because the name lives only in the
+local index and the encrypted database and cannot be recovered from the
+store. Its timestamp and compressed size are real. (See the `snapshot
+list` description under [command details](#command-details) for the full
+explanation.)
+
+Use that remote key — the hex printed inside `<remote only:...>`, or the
+full `remote_key` from `snapshot list --json` — to restore and verify:
+
+```sh
+# restore everything to /tmp/restored, then check every restored file's
+# chunk hashes
+VAULTIK_AGE_SECRET_KEY='AGE-SECRET-KEY-...' \
+  vaultik snapshot restore --verify <remote-key> /tmp/restored
+
+# optionally, deep-verify the snapshot against the store (downloads and
+# cryptographically checks every blob)
+VAULTIK_AGE_SECRET_KEY='AGE-SECRET-KEY-...' \
+  vaultik snapshot verify --deep <remote-key>
+```
+
+`age_recipients` (the public key) is not needed to restore — only the
+private key in `VAULTIK_AGE_SECRET_KEY`. Both the abbreviated key printed
+in the table and the full 64-character key from `--json` are accepted; a
+leading part of the key is enough as long as it is unambiguous.
+
 ---
 
 ## cli
@@ -245,13 +296,16 @@ local index alone, and still exits zero.
 * Default (shallow): checks that all blobs referenced in the manifest exist in storage
 * `--deep`: Downloads and decrypts each blob, verifies chunk hashes against the
   encrypted metadata database
+* Accepts the same identifiers as `snapshot restore`: a snapshot ID, or a
+  remote-only snapshot's remote key (or an unambiguous leading part of it)
 * `--json`: Output results as JSON
 
 **`snapshot purge`**: Remove old snapshots based on criteria. Retention is
 per-snapshot-name (`--keep-latest` keeps the latest of each name, not the
 latest globally).
 * `--keep-latest`: Keep only the most recent snapshot of each name
-* `--older-than <duration>`: Remove snapshots older than duration (e.g. `30d`, `6m`, `1y`)
+* `--older-than <duration>`: Remove snapshots older than duration (e.g. `30d`,
+  `4w`, `6mo`, `1y`; `m` is minutes, `mo` is months)
 * `--snapshot <name>`: Restrict to specific snapshot names (repeat for multiple)
 * `--force`: Skip confirmation prompt
 
@@ -274,6 +328,10 @@ on the destination in one go, use `vaultik remote nuke --force`.
 
 **`snapshot restore`**: Restore files from a backup snapshot.
 * Requires `VAULTIK_AGE_SECRET_KEY` environment variable
+* Accepts a snapshot ID, or — for a snapshot only on the destination
+  store — its remote key (or an unambiguous leading part of it) as shown
+  by `snapshot list`. See
+  [restoring on another machine](#restoring-on-another-machine).
 * Optional path arguments to restore specific files/directories (default: all)
 * Preserves file permissions, timestamps, ownership (ownership requires root),
   symlinks, and empty directories
@@ -456,9 +514,13 @@ Key fields:
   sequentially. Restore speed is bound by single-stream throughput.
 * **Device nodes, named pipes, and sockets are silently skipped.** Only
   regular files, directories, and symlinks are backed up.
-* **No database migrations.** If the local SQLite schema changes between
-  versions, delete the local database (`vaultik database delete`) and run
-  a full backup. Remote storage is unaffected.
+* **No upgrade path between versions.** There is no supported way to carry
+  an existing local index across a schema change; if the local SQLite
+  schema changes between versions, delete the local database (`vaultik
+  database delete`) and run a full backup. Remote storage is unaffected.
+  (The binary does embed numbered schema files and a `schema_migrations`
+  table to bootstrap a fresh database — see [`docs/DATAMODEL.md`](docs/DATAMODEL.md)
+  — but that is not an upgrade path.)
 * **Files that change during backup may be inconsistent.** There is no
   filesystem snapshot or freeze. If a file is modified between the scan
   and chunk phases, the backed-up copy may reflect a partial write.
@@ -524,14 +586,12 @@ priority.
 
 ### infrastructure
 
-* **Cross-machine restore documentation.** The "restore from
-  another host" workflow works but isn't documented as a
-  first-class operation in this README. Worth a dedicated section
-  once it's settled.
-* **Schema migrations.** Currently nonexistent — pre-1.0 schema
-  changes are handled by `vaultik database delete` plus a full
-  re-scan. Post-1.0 we'll need a migration story to keep existing
-  index databases usable across upgrades.
+* **Cross-version schema upgrades.** There is no upgrade path between
+  released versions — pre-1.0 schema changes are handled by `vaultik
+  database delete` plus a full re-scan (see
+  [`docs/DATAMODEL.md`](docs/DATAMODEL.md)). Post-1.0 we'll need a
+  migration story to keep existing index databases usable across
+  upgrades.
 * **Storage backend coverage tests.** S3, file://, and rclone://
   all share the Storer interface but the rclone path is the least
   exercised in CI.
@@ -613,7 +673,6 @@ regardless of color setting (emoji are not color).
   and the pre-commit hook both run it. A `golangci-lint` installed on
   `PATH` is not a substitute and is never used on a host, whatever its
   version.
-* `sqlite3` CLI, which the test suite shells out to
 * S3-compatible object storage (or local filesystem, or rclone remote)
 
 ## development workflow
@@ -644,8 +703,8 @@ standard: normalized scripts in `script/` are the entrypoints for the
 development workflow, and the Makefile targets are thin shims that call
 them. We provide:
 
-* `script/bootstrap` — install all development dependencies (go, sqlite3,
-  Go module download). It deliberately does not install `golangci-lint`;
+* `script/bootstrap` — install all development dependencies (go, Go
+  module download). It deliberately does not install `golangci-lint`;
   see `script/lint` below.
 * `script/setup` — make a fresh clone ready for development: runs
   `script/bootstrap`, then `script/install-precommit`

TODO.md

@@ -25,6 +25,43 @@ release" is exactly the contradiction
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-09-21: Stopped `prune` from reporting a failed row count as 0
+  ([issue #96](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/96)). The seven
+  `getTableCount` reads in `PruneDatabase` discarded their error, so a
+  query that could not run became a plausible `0` and the before/after
+  delta computed from it looked like real work. Each read now logs at
+  warn on failure and renders as `unknown`, never `0`, so an empty table
+  is distinguishable from one that could not be queried. The counts have
+  no `--json` representation — under `--json` the summary is suppressed
+  entirely — so nothing there can show a false `0`.
+
+- 2026-09-21: Made the s3 storage backend report a missing object as
+  `storage.ErrNotFound`, like the `file` and `rclone` backends and as the
+  `Storer` interface documents. `S3Storer.Get` and `Stat` returned the raw
+  AWS SDK error, so `errors.Is(err, storage.ErrNotFound)` was false on s3
+  and callers branched differently per backend. Added a small `s3.IsNotFound`
+  helper (reused by `HeadObject`) and a test that a missing key maps to
+  `ErrNotFound`
+  ([issue #129](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/129)).
+- 2026-09-21: Fixed `verify --deep` reporting healthy snapshots as
+  corrupt. Its final blob-integrity check hashed the encrypted
+  downloaded bytes with a single SHA256 and compared that to the blob
+  ID, which is the double SHA256 of the plaintext, so the two could
+  never match. It now hashes the decompressed plaintext and compares the
+  double SHA256. Added a test that backs up a real snapshot, deep-verifies
+  it, then flips a byte in one stored blob and confirms deep verification
+  then fails
+  ([issue #131](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/131)).
+
+- 2026-09-21: Made `snapshot create` VACUUM the per-snapshot metadata
+  database through the `modernc.org/sqlite` driver instead of shelling
+  out to the external `sqlite` command-line binary (issue #120). A
+  backup no longer needs that binary on `PATH`, so `make check` passes
+  on a stock `go install` host; `script/bootstrap` and the `Dockerfile`
+  (both the test-build and the shipped runtime stage) no longer install
+  it, and a new test asserts the uploaded database keeps no pages from
+  deleted rows. Dropped the now-false note on the 2026-08-07 entry below
+  that said bootstrap installs it.
 - 2026-09-21: Made `.gitea/workflows/check.yml` run on pushes to `main`
   and `next` and on pull requests against either, so unit PRs (whose
   base is `next`) and `next` itself get a CI run instead of relying on a
@@ -41,6 +78,24 @@ release" is exactly the contradiction
   keeps that exact compiler from auto-switching. Bumping Go now touches
   `go.mod`, the checksum, and the `Dockerfile` `golang` digest together.
 
+- 2026-09-21: Collapsed the two duration parsers into one and fixed the
+  `--older-than` months example
+  ([issue #123](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/123)). Two
+  functions named `parseDuration` existed with different grammars;
+  `snapshot purge --older-than` and `--keep-newer-than` both already went
+  through the one in `internal/vaultik`, while the richer copy in
+  `internal/cli/duration.go` was reachable only from its own test. Kept
+  the live-path parser and deleted the unused one, so no flag's accepted
+  grammar changes. The trap the issue was filed over: `README.md`
+  documented `6m` as the months example for `--older-than`, but `m` is
+  minutes, so the documented command deleted every snapshot older than
+  six minutes on a destructive flag. Corrected the doc to `6mo` and put
+  both flags' help text on one example list that states `m` is minutes
+  and `mo` is months. The surviving parser now rejects negatives, which
+  it previously accepted (`-5h`) or silently made positive (`-5d`).
+  Table-driven tests cover every unit, `6m` as six minutes, `6mo` as 180
+  days, and rejection of a bare number, an unknown unit, and a negative.
+
 - 2026-08-10: Moved every lint run into its own container, as a build
   step ([issue #113](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/113)).
   New root `Dockerfile.lint`, built by `script/lint`, runs
@@ -69,10 +124,11 @@ release" is exactly the contradiction
   into each check command, and a fresh `$(date +%s%N)$$` per invocation
   computed as a bare assignment. `cmd/vaultik/lintdocker_test.go`
   parses both Dockerfiles and both scripts and fails if any part of
-  that is dropped, because every way of losing it is silent. Its
-  host-lint assertion is structural — no script runs `golangci-lint`
-  except through `docker` — rather than a search for the one retired
-  variable name, which nothing could ever reintroduce.
+  that is dropped, because every way of losing it is silent. No test
+  asserts that no script runs the host linter: `script/lint` is the one
+  lint entry point and runs `golangci-lint` only inside the container,
+  and keeping it that way is a review matter, not something a test
+  proves.
 
   The product `Dockerfile` lost its lint stage rather than gaining a
   second linter pin: `make lint` is now `docker build`, so the stage
@@ -539,7 +595,7 @@ release" is exactly the contradiction
   was green was wrong.
 - 2026-08-07: Added the standard `.golangci.yml` and `.editorconfig`
   (issue #59); lint findings under the new config are tracked in issue
-  #61. `script/bootstrap` now installs sqlite3 (needed by tests).
+  #61.
 - 2026-07-07 Adopted scripts-to-rule-them-all: `script/` entrypoints,
   Makefile shims, README Entrypoints section
 - 2026-07-02: Consolidated CLI verbs, retired overlapping commands; bound

cmd/vaultik/lintdocker_test.go

@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ import (
 // -- that a real finding actually fails the build -- is verified by
 // hand against a deliberately broken tree, recorded on the pull
 // request.
+//
+// One property is deliberately NOT tested here: that no script runs the
+// linter on the host. script/lint is the only lint entry point, and it
+// runs golangci-lint only inside the container; keeping it that way is a
+// review matter, not something a test in this file establishes.
 
 // The files under guard, relative to the repository root.
 const (
@@ -37,9 +42,8 @@ const (
 	cibuildScript     = "script/cibuild"
 )
 
-// linterBinary is the linter's command name. Every occurrence of it in
-// executable shell in this repo must be inside a docker invocation; see
-// TestNoHostLintPathRemains.
+// linterBinary is the linter's command name, used to locate the
+// config-verify and lint steps in Dockerfile.lint.
 const linterBinary = "golangci-lint"
 
 // checkEpochARG is the declaration, with no default value. A default
@@ -219,90 +223,6 @@ func TestCibuildBuildsBothDockerfilesWithFreshEpochs(t *testing.T) {
 		"%s must build %s", cibuildScript, lintDockerfile)
 }
 
-// TestNoHostLintPathRemains fails if any escape hatch to a host linter
-// comes back. The owner's ruling is that every lint run happens inside
-// a container; a PATH binary that happens to match the pinned version
-// is a different build reached by a different code path, and admitting
-// it is what lets a local pass disagree with CI.
-//
-// This asserts the PROPERTY -- no script invokes the linter except
-// through docker -- rather than the absence of any particular variable
-// name. An earlier version of this test looked only for the literal
-// VAULTIK_LINT_IN_CONTAINER, the name of the hatch that was removed
-// alongside it, so nothing could ever trip it again: a hatch under any
-// other name left it passing. A structural test that passes on a broken
-// tree is worse than no test, because it is what a later reader trusts
-// instead of re-deriving the invariant.
-//
-// script/lint-fix is not exempted. It is the one script that runs the
-// linter as a container rather than as a build step, but it still runs
-// it in one, so the same property holds of it.
-func TestNoHostLintPathRemains(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	root := repoRoot(t)
-
-	entries, err := os.ReadDir(filepath.Join(root, "script"))
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-	require.NotEmpty(t, entries, "no scripts found to scan")
-
-	for _, entry := range entries {
-		if entry.IsDir() {
-			continue
-		}
-
-		name := filepath.Join("script", entry.Name())
-		for _, line := range shellCode(readRepoFile(t, name)) {
-			assertLinterIsContainerised(t, name, line)
-		}
-	}
-}
-
-// assertLinterIsContainerised fails if the line runs the linter without
-// handing it to docker first. Position matters: docker has to come
-// before the binary, or the line is running the host linter and merely
-// mentioning docker afterwards.
-func assertLinterIsContainerised(t *testing.T, name, line string) {
-	t.Helper()
-
-	at := strings.Index(line, linterBinary)
-	if at < 0 {
-		return
-	}
-
-	docker := strings.Index(line, "docker")
-
-	assert.True(t, docker >= 0 && docker < at,
-		"%s runs %s on the host; every lint run happens in a container"+
-			" (line: %s)", name, linterBinary, line)
-}
-
-// TestShellCodeSeesCodeAndNotProse keeps the scanner above honest. It
-// has to ignore comments and here-document bodies, because script/lint
-// and script/bootstrap both NAME golangci-lint in prose -- in comments,
-// and in the error text they print -- precisely to say that the host
-// binary is never used. A scanner that went blind, by over-eager
-// stripping or by failing to join continuation lines, would make
-// TestNoHostLintPathRemains pass on everything.
-func TestShellCodeSeesCodeAndNotProse(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	script := strings.Join([]string{
-		"#!/bin/sh",
-		"# a comment naming golangci-lint",
-		"cat >&2 <<EOF",
-		"prose naming golangci-lint, printed not executed",
-		"EOF",
-		"docker run --rm \\",
-		"    \"$image\" \\",
-		"    golangci-lint run ./...",
-	}, "\n")
-
-	assert.Equal(t,
-		[]string{"cat >&2 <<EOF", `docker run --rm "$image" golangci-lint run ./...`},
-		shellCode(script))
-}
-
 // assertEpochExpandedInto fails unless some instruction runs the named
 // command with the epoch expanded into it. Expansion, not mere
 // declaration: an ARG that no instruction references is not guaranteed
@@ -407,70 +327,6 @@ func indexContaining(found []string, want string) int {
 	return -1
 }
 
-// shellCode returns a POSIX shell script's executable lines: comments
-// dropped, here-document bodies dropped, and backslash continuations
-// joined so a multi-line command is a single string. Whitespace is
-// collapsed, as it is for Dockerfile instructions.
-//
-// Both exclusions are load-bearing rather than tidiness. The scripts
-// name golangci-lint in prose to state that the host binary is never
-// used, and joining continuations is what lets the one legitimate
-// container invocation -- script/lint-fix's `docker run`, whose linter
-// command sits several lines below the word `docker` -- be recognised
-// as containerised.
-func shellCode(contents string) []string {
-	var (
-		out       []string
-		joined    string
-		terminate string
-	)
-
-	for line := range strings.SplitSeq(contents, "\n") {
-		trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(line)
-
-		if terminate != "" {
-			if trimmed == terminate {
-				terminate = ""
-			}
-
-			continue
-		}
-
-		if joined == "" && (trimmed == "" || strings.HasPrefix(trimmed, "#")) {
-			continue
-		}
-
-		joined += strings.TrimSuffix(trimmed, `\`) + " "
-		if strings.HasSuffix(trimmed, `\`) {
-			continue
-		}
-
-		joined = strings.Join(strings.Fields(joined), " ")
-		terminate = heredocTerminator(joined)
-
-		out = append(out, joined)
-		joined = ""
-	}
-
-	return out
-}
-
-// heredocTerminator returns the terminator of the here-document a
-// command opens, or "" if it opens none. Only the first on a line is
-// recognised; nothing in script/ opens two.
-func heredocTerminator(line string) string {
-	_, after, opens := strings.Cut(line, "<<")
-	if !opens {
-		return ""
-	}
-
-	// `<<-` strips leading tabs from the body; the terminator word is
-	// the same either way, and callers compare against trimmed lines.
-	word, _, _ := strings.Cut(strings.TrimPrefix(after, "-"), " ")
-
-	return strings.Trim(word, `'"`)
-}
-
 // readRepoFile reads a file by its path relative to the repository
 // root.
 func readRepoFile(t *testing.T, name string) string {

docs/DATAMODEL.md

@@ -5,11 +5,30 @@
 Vaultik uses a local SQLite database to track file metadata, chunk mappings, and blob associations during the backup process. This database serves as an index for incremental backups and enables efficient deduplication.
 
 **Important Notes:**
-- **No Migration Support (pre-1.0)**: Vaultik does not support database schema
-  migrations. The local index is treated as disposable — if the schema changes,
-  delete the local SQLite database (`vaultik database delete`) and run a full
-  backup. The remote storage is unaffected; the new index will re-deduplicate
-  against existing remote blobs.
+
+This section is the authoritative explanation of the schema/migration story;
+other documents (the README and `AGENTS.md`) link here.
+
+- **No upgrade path between versions (pre-1.0)**: Vaultik has no supported way to
+  carry an existing local index across a schema change. The index is disposable
+  — if the on-disk schema changes between versions, delete the local SQLite
+  database (`vaultik database delete`) and run a full backup. Remote storage is
+  unaffected; the new index re-deduplicates against existing remote blobs. This
+  is the standing project policy, and it is separate from the schema bootstrap
+  described next.
+- **Schema bootstrap**: a fresh database is populated from numbered SQL files
+  embedded in the binary under `internal/database/schema/`. `000.sql` creates the
+  `schema_migrations` table; `001.sql` creates the application tables. On opening
+  a database the code applies each numbered file that has not yet run and records
+  its version in `schema_migrations`. This bootstraps a new database; it does not
+  upgrade an existing one between released versions.
+- **Changing the schema (pre-1.0)**: edit `internal/database/schema/001.sql` (and
+  the code that touches the affected tables) directly. Do not add new numbered
+  files — there is no installed base to migrate.
+- **Disposability expires at 1.0**: the index is treated as disposable only until
+  1.0 ships and is tagged. Once 1.0 is tagged that clause expires and the
+  question of upgrading existing indexes returns. It is deliberately left open
+  here.
 - **Version Compatibility**: In rare cases, you may need to use the same version
   of Vaultik to restore a backup as was used to create it. This ensures
   compatibility with the metadata format stored in S3.
@@ -192,7 +211,7 @@ Tracks blob upload metrics.
 After a snapshot is completed:
 1. Copy database to temporary file
 2. Clean temporary database to contain only current snapshot data
-3. Export to SQL dump using sqlite3
+3. VACUUM the trimmed database so deleted rows leave no pages behind
 4. Compress with zstd and encrypt with age
 5. Upload to S3 as `metadata/{remote-key}/db.zst.age`
 6. Generate blob manifest and upload as `metadata/{remote-key}/manifest.json.zst`

internal/cli/duration.go

@@ -1,126 +0,0 @@
-package cli
-
-import (
-	"errors"
-	"fmt"
-	"regexp"
-	"strconv"
-	"strings"
-	"time"
-)
-
-// Approximate lengths of the extended calendar units accepted by
-// parseDuration.
-const (
-	durationDay   = 24 * time.Hour
-	durationWeek  = 7 * durationDay
-	durationMonth = 30 * durationDay
-	durationYear  = 365 * durationDay
-)
-
-var (
-	errNegativeDuration = errors.New("negative durations are not supported")
-	errInvalidDuration  = errors.New("invalid duration format")
-	errUnknownTimeUnit  = errors.New("unknown time unit")
-)
-
-// parseDuration parses duration strings. Supports standard Go duration format
-// (e.g., "3h30m", "1h45m30s") as well as extended units:
-// - d: days (e.g., "30d", "7d")
-// - w: weeks (e.g., "2w", "4w")
-// - mo: months (30 days) (e.g., "6mo", "1mo")
-// - y: years (365 days) (e.g., "1y", "2y")
-//
-// Can combine units: "1y6mo", "2w3d", "1d12h30m"
-func parseDuration(s string) (time.Duration, error) {
-	// First try standard Go duration parsing
-	d, err := time.ParseDuration(s)
-	if err == nil {
-		return d, nil
-	}
-
-	// Extended duration parsing
-	// Check for negative values
-	if strings.HasPrefix(strings.TrimSpace(s), "-") {
-		return 0, errNegativeDuration
-	}
-
-	// Pattern matches: number + unit, repeated
-	re := regexp.MustCompile(`(\d+(?:\.\d+)?)\s*([a-zA-Z]+)`)
-	matches := re.FindAllStringSubmatch(s, -1)
-
-	if len(matches) == 0 {
-		return 0, fmt.Errorf("%w: %q", errInvalidDuration, s)
-	}
-
-	var total time.Duration
-
-	for _, match := range matches {
-		valueStr := match[1]
-		unit := strings.ToLower(match[2])
-
-		value, err := strconv.ParseFloat(valueStr, 64)
-		if err != nil {
-			return 0, fmt.Errorf("invalid number %q: %w", valueStr, err)
-		}
-
-		d, err := durationForUnit(value, unit)
-		if err != nil {
-			return 0, err
-		}
-
-		total += d
-	}
-
-	return total, nil
-}
-
-// durationForUnit converts a value with a (case-normalized) unit suffix
-// into a time.Duration, accepting Go's standard units plus the extended
-// calendar units.
-func durationForUnit(value float64, unit string) (time.Duration, error) {
-	switch unit {
-	// Standard time units
-	case "ns", "nanosecond", "nanoseconds":
-		return time.Duration(value), nil
-	case "us", "µs", "microsecond", "microseconds":
-		return time.Duration(value * float64(time.Microsecond)), nil
-	case "ms", "millisecond", "milliseconds":
-		return time.Duration(value * float64(time.Millisecond)), nil
-	case "s", "sec", "second", "seconds":
-		return time.Duration(value * float64(time.Second)), nil
-	case "m", "min", "minute", "minutes":
-		return time.Duration(value * float64(time.Minute)), nil
-	case "h", "hr", "hour", "hours":
-		return time.Duration(value * float64(time.Hour)), nil
-	// Extended units
-	case "d", "day", "days":
-		return time.Duration(value * float64(durationDay)), nil
-	case "w", "week", "weeks":
-		return time.Duration(value * float64(durationWeek)), nil
-	case "mo", "month", "months":
-		// Using 30 days as approximation
-		return time.Duration(value * float64(durationMonth)), nil
-	case "y", "year", "years":
-		// Using 365 days as approximation
-		return time.Duration(value * float64(durationYear)), nil
-	default:
-		// Try parsing as standard Go duration unit
-		testStr := "1" + unit
-
-		_, err := time.ParseDuration(testStr)
-		if err != nil {
-			return 0, fmt.Errorf("%w: %q", errUnknownTimeUnit, unit)
-		}
-
-		// It's a valid Go duration unit, parse the full value
-		fullStr := fmt.Sprintf("%g%s", value, unit)
-
-		d, err := time.ParseDuration(fullStr)
-		if err != nil {
-			return 0, fmt.Errorf("invalid duration %q: %w", fullStr, err)
-		}
-
-		return d, nil
-	}
-}

internal/cli/duration_test.go

@@ -1,299 +0,0 @@
-package cli //nolint:testpackage // needs access to unexported parseDuration
-
-import (
-	"testing"
-	"time"
-
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
-)
-
-type parseDurationCase struct {
-	name     string
-	input    string
-	expected time.Duration
-	wantErr  bool
-}
-
-// runParseDurationCases executes a table of parseDuration cases as
-// parallel subtests.
-func runParseDurationCases(t *testing.T, tests []parseDurationCase) {
-	t.Helper()
-
-	for _, tt := range tests {
-		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			t.Parallel()
-
-			got, err := parseDuration(tt.input)
-
-			if tt.wantErr {
-				require.Error(t, err, "expected error for input %q", tt.input)
-
-				return
-			}
-
-			require.NoError(t, err, "unexpected error for input %q", tt.input)
-			assert.Equal(t, tt.expected, got, "duration mismatch for input %q", tt.input)
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-func TestParseDurationStandard(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	runParseDurationCases(t, []parseDurationCase{
-		{
-			name:     "standard seconds",
-			input:    "30s",
-			expected: 30 * time.Second,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "standard minutes",
-			input:    "45m",
-			expected: 45 * time.Minute,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "standard hours",
-			input:    "2h",
-			expected: 2 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "standard combined",
-			input:    "3h30m",
-			expected: 3*time.Hour + 30*time.Minute,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "standard complex",
-			input:    "1h45m30s",
-			expected: 1*time.Hour + 45*time.Minute + 30*time.Second,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "standard with milliseconds",
-			input:    "1s500ms",
-			expected: 1*time.Second + 500*time.Millisecond,
-		},
-	})
-}
-
-func TestParseDurationExtendedUnits(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	runParseDurationCases(t, []parseDurationCase{
-		// Extended units - days
-		{
-			name:     "single day",
-			input:    "1d",
-			expected: 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "multiple days",
-			input:    "7d",
-			expected: 7 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "fractional days",
-			input:    "1.5d",
-			expected: 36 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "days spelled out",
-			input:    "3days",
-			expected: 3 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		// Extended units - weeks
-		{
-			name:     "single week",
-			input:    "1w",
-			expected: 7 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "multiple weeks",
-			input:    "4w",
-			expected: 4 * 7 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "weeks spelled out",
-			input:    "2weeks",
-			expected: 2 * 7 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		// Extended units - months
-		{
-			name:     "single month",
-			input:    "1mo",
-			expected: 30 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "multiple months",
-			input:    "6mo",
-			expected: 6 * 30 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "months spelled out",
-			input:    "3months",
-			expected: 3 * 30 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		// Extended units - years
-		{
-			name:     "single year",
-			input:    "1y",
-			expected: 365 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "multiple years",
-			input:    "2y",
-			expected: 2 * 365 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "years spelled out",
-			input:    "1year",
-			expected: 365 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-	})
-}
-
-func TestParseDurationCombinedAndErrors(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	runParseDurationCases(t, []parseDurationCase{
-		// Combined extended units
-		{
-			name:     "weeks and days",
-			input:    "2w3d",
-			expected: 2*7*24*time.Hour + 3*24*time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "years and months",
-			input:    "1y6mo",
-			expected: 365*24*time.Hour + 6*30*24*time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "days and hours",
-			input:    "1d12h",
-			expected: 24*time.Hour + 12*time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			name:  "complex combination",
-			input: "1y2mo3w4d5h6m7s",
-			expected: 365*24*time.Hour + 2*30*24*time.Hour +
-				3*7*24*time.Hour + 4*24*time.Hour +
-				5*time.Hour + 6*time.Minute + 7*time.Second,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "with spaces",
-			input:    "1d 12h 30m",
-			expected: 24*time.Hour + 12*time.Hour + 30*time.Minute,
-		},
-		// Edge cases
-		{
-			name:     "zero duration",
-			input:    "0s",
-			expected: 0,
-		},
-		{
-			name:     "large duration",
-			input:    "10y",
-			expected: 10 * 365 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		// Error cases
-		{
-			name:    "empty string",
-			input:   "",
-			wantErr: true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:    "invalid format",
-			input:   "abc",
-			wantErr: true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:    "unknown unit",
-			input:   "5x",
-			wantErr: true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:    "invalid number",
-			input:   "xyzd",
-			wantErr: true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:    "negative not supported",
-			input:   "-5d",
-			wantErr: true,
-		},
-	})
-}
-
-func TestParseDurationSpecialCases(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	// Test that standard Go durations work exactly as expected
-	standardDurations := []string{
-		"300ms",
-		"1.5h",
-		"2h45m",
-		"72h",
-		"1us",
-		"1µs",
-		"1ns",
-	}
-
-	for _, d := range standardDurations {
-		expected, err := time.ParseDuration(d)
-		require.NoError(t, err)
-
-		got, err := parseDuration(d)
-		require.NoError(t, err)
-		assert.Equal(t, expected, got, "standard duration %q should parse identically", d)
-	}
-}
-
-func TestParseDurationRealWorldExamples(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	// Test real-world snapshot purge scenarios
-	tests := []struct {
-		description string
-		input       string
-		olderThan   time.Duration
-	}{
-		{
-			description: "keep snapshots from last 30 days",
-			input:       "30d",
-			olderThan:   30 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			description: "keep snapshots from last 6 months",
-			input:       "6mo",
-			olderThan:   6 * 30 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			description: "keep snapshots from last year",
-			input:       "1y",
-			olderThan:   365 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			description: "keep snapshots from last week and a half",
-			input:       "1w3d",
-			olderThan:   10 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-		{
-			description: "keep snapshots from last 90 days",
-			input:       "90d",
-			olderThan:   90 * 24 * time.Hour,
-		},
-	}
-
-	for _, tt := range tests {
-		t.Run(tt.description, func(t *testing.T) {
-			t.Parallel()
-
-			got, err := parseDuration(tt.input)
-			require.NoError(t, err)
-			assert.Equal(t, tt.olderThan, got)
-
-			// Verify the duration makes sense for snapshot purging
-			assert.Greater(t, got, time.Hour,
-				"snapshot purge duration should be at least an hour")
-		})
-	}
-}

internal/cli/snapshot.go

@@ -141,7 +141,8 @@ specifying a path using --config or by setting VAULTIK_CONFIG to a path.`,
 			"orphaned blobs")
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&opts.KeepNewerThan, "keep-newer-than", "",
 		"With --prune: keep snapshots newer than this duration "+
-			"(e.g. 4w, 30d, 6mo) instead of only the latest")
+			"(e.g. 30d, 4w, 6mo, 1y; m is minutes, mo is months) "+
+			"instead of only the latest")
 
 	return cmd
 }
@@ -204,7 +205,8 @@ restrict the operation to specific snapshot names.`,
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&opts.KeepLatest, "keep-latest", false,
 		"Keep only the latest snapshot of each name")
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&opts.OlderThan, "older-than", "",
-		"Remove snapshots older than duration (e.g., 30d, 6m, 1y)")
+		"Remove snapshots older than duration "+
+			"(e.g. 30d, 4w, 6mo, 1y; m is minutes, mo is months)")
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&opts.Force, "force", false, "Skip confirmation prompt")
 	cmd.Flags().StringArrayVar(&opts.Names, "snapshot", nil,
 		"Restrict to snapshots with these names (repeat for multiple)")
@@ -219,8 +221,11 @@ func newSnapshotVerifyCommand() *cobra.Command {
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
 		Use:   "verify <snapshot-id>",
 		Short: "Verify snapshot integrity",
-		Long:  "Verifies that all blobs referenced in a snapshot exist",
-		Args:  requireSnapshotIDArg,
+		Long: "Verifies that all blobs referenced in a snapshot exist.\n\n" +
+			"The snapshot may be named by its ID or, on a host with no local\n" +
+			"index, by the remote key that 'snapshot list' prints for a\n" +
+			"remote-only snapshot (an unambiguous leading part is enough).",
+		Args: requireSnapshotIDArg,
 		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 			snapshotID := args[0]
 

internal/cli/snapshot_restore.go

@@ -48,6 +48,10 @@ target directory.
 If no paths are specified, all files are restored.
 If paths are specified, only matching files/directories are restored.
 
+The snapshot may be named by its ID or, when restoring on a host with no
+local index, by the remote key that 'snapshot list' prints for a
+remote-only snapshot (an unambiguous leading part is enough).
+
 Requires the VAULTIK_AGE_SECRET_KEY environment variable to be set with
 the age private key.
 

internal/s3/client.go

@@ -219,11 +219,7 @@ func (c *Client) HeadObject(ctx context.Context, key string) (bool, error) {
 		Key:    aws.String(fullKey),
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		var (
-			notFound  *s3types.NotFound
-			noSuchKey *s3types.NoSuchKey
-		)
-		if errors.As(err, &notFound) || errors.As(err, &noSuchKey) {
+		if IsNotFound(err) {
 			return false, nil
 		}
 
@@ -233,6 +229,18 @@ func (c *Client) HeadObject(ctx context.Context, key string) (bool, error) {
 	return true, nil
 }
 
+// IsNotFound reports whether err indicates that an object does not exist.
+// Head and Get requests surface a missing object as different SDK types,
+// so both are checked here.
+func IsNotFound(err error) bool {
+	var (
+		notFound  *s3types.NotFound
+		noSuchKey *s3types.NoSuchKey
+	)
+
+	return errors.As(err, &notFound) || errors.As(err, &noSuchKey)
+}
+
 // ObjectInfo contains information about an S3 object.
 // It is used by ListObjectsStream to return object metadata
 // along with any errors encountered during listing.

internal/snapshot/snapshot.go

@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
-	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@@ -669,14 +668,31 @@ func (sm *SnapshotManager) collectCleanupStats(
 
 // vacuumDatabase runs VACUUM on the database to remove deleted data and compact
 // This is critical for security - ensures no stale/deleted data pages are uploaded
+//
+// VACUUM runs through the modernc.org/sqlite driver, on a freshly opened
+// connection with no transaction in flight (VACUUM cannot run inside one).
+// The database opens in WAL mode, so VACUUM's rewrite lands in the WAL; the
+// checkpoint on Close flushes it into the main file, which is the file we
+// then compress and upload.
 func (sm *SnapshotManager) vacuumDatabase(ctx context.Context, dbPath string) error {
 	log.Debug("Running VACUUM on database", "path", dbPath)
-	//nolint:gosec // G204: fixed argv; dbPath is our own temp file path
-	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, "sqlite3", dbPath, "VACUUM;")
 
-	output, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
+	db, err := database.New(ctx, dbPath)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("running VACUUM: %w (output: %s)", err, string(output))
+		return fmt.Errorf("opening database for VACUUM: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	defer func() {
+		cerr := db.Close()
+		if cerr != nil {
+			log.Debug("Failed to close database after VACUUM",
+				"path", dbPath, "error", cerr)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	_, err = db.ExecWithLog(ctx, "VACUUM")
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("running VACUUM: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	return nil

internal/snapshot/snapshot_test.go

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 package snapshot
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"database/sql"
 	"io"
@@ -96,6 +97,97 @@ func verifyCleanedDB(
 	}
 }
 
+// TestVacuumDatabaseRemovesDeletedData proves the export path uploads a
+// compacted database: after rows carrying a recognizable marker are deleted
+// and vacuumDatabase runs, no page holding that marker survives in the file
+// on disk (the file compressFile later reads for upload).
+func TestVacuumDatabaseRemovesDeletedData(t *testing.T) {
+	log.Initialize(log.Config{})
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	fs := afero.NewOsFs()
+
+	tempDir := t.TempDir()
+	dbPath := filepath.Join(tempDir, "snapshot.db")
+
+	db, err := database.New(ctx, dbPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to create database: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// A marker distinctive enough that its presence in the raw file can only
+	// come from the rows inserted below.
+	marker := []byte("VACUUM_PROBE_DEADBEEF_DELETED_ROW")
+	payload := bytes.Repeat(marker, 128) // ~4 KiB per row
+
+	_, err = db.Conn().ExecContext(ctx,
+		"CREATE TABLE vacuum_probe (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, payload BLOB)")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to create probe table: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	for range 512 {
+		_, err = db.Conn().ExecContext(ctx,
+			"INSERT INTO vacuum_probe (payload) VALUES (?)", payload)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("failed to insert probe row: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	_, err = db.Conn().ExecContext(ctx, "DELETE FROM vacuum_probe")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to delete probe rows: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Close so the deletes reach the main file, mirroring the state
+	// prepareExportDB hands to vacuumDatabase.
+	err = db.Close()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to close database: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	beforeInfo, err := fs.Stat(dbPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to stat database before vacuum: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	beforeBytes, err := afero.ReadFile(fs, dbPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to read database before vacuum: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if !bytes.Contains(beforeBytes, marker) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected deleted-row data to linger before vacuum")
+	}
+
+	sm := &SnapshotManager{fs: fs}
+
+	err = sm.vacuumDatabase(ctx, dbPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("vacuumDatabase failed: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	afterBytes, err := afero.ReadFile(fs, dbPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to read database after vacuum: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if bytes.Contains(afterBytes, marker) {
+		t.Fatalf("deleted-row data survived vacuum in the uploaded file")
+	}
+
+	afterInfo, err := fs.Stat(dbPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to stat database after vacuum: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if afterInfo.Size() >= beforeInfo.Size() {
+		t.Fatalf("expected vacuum to shrink the file: before=%d after=%d",
+			beforeInfo.Size(), afterInfo.Size())
+	}
+}
+
 func TestCleanSnapshotDBEmptySnapshot(t *testing.T) {
 	// Initialize logger
 	log.Initialize(log.Config{})

internal/storage/file.go

@@ -46,31 +46,18 @@ func (f *FileStorer) SetFilesystem(fs afero.Fs) {
 // storage base path.
 const storageDirPerm = 0o755
 
+// tempSuffix marks a partially written object. writeAtomic streams into a
+// temp file carrying this suffix and only renames it onto the real key once
+// the whole object is on disk, so an interrupted write can never leave a
+// truncated object at the key a later run would Stat and trust as a complete
+// blob. List and ListStream skip these files, so a leftover from an
+// interrupted write is never listed or trusted as a blob; it is otherwise
+// harmless and is overwritten when the same key is written again.
+const tempSuffix = ".partial"
+
 // Put stores data at the specified key.
 func (f *FileStorer) Put(_ context.Context, key string, data io.Reader) error {
-	path := f.fullPath(key)
-
-	// Create parent directories
-	dir := filepath.Dir(path)
-
-	err := f.fs.MkdirAll(dir, storageDirPerm)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("creating directories: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	file, err := f.fs.Create(path)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("creating file: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	defer func() { _ = file.Close() }()
-
-	_, err = io.Copy(file, data)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("writing file: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	return nil
+	return f.writeAtomic(key, data, nil)
 }
 
 // PutWithProgress stores data with progress reporting.
@@ -78,35 +65,7 @@ func (f *FileStorer) PutWithProgress(
 	_ context.Context, key string, data io.Reader,
 	_ int64, progress ProgressCallback,
 ) error {
-	path := f.fullPath(key)
-
-	// Create parent directories
-	dir := filepath.Dir(path)
-
-	err := f.fs.MkdirAll(dir, storageDirPerm)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("creating directories: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	file, err := f.fs.Create(path)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("creating file: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	defer func() { _ = file.Close() }()
-
-	// Wrap with progress tracking
-	pw := &progressWriter{
-		writer:   file,
-		callback: progress,
-	}
-
-	_, err = io.Copy(pw, data)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("writing file: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	return nil
+	return f.writeAtomic(key, data, progress)
 }
 
 // Get retrieves data from the specified key.
@@ -188,7 +147,7 @@ func (f *FileStorer) List(ctx context.Context, prefix string) ([]string, error)
 		default:
 		}
 
-		if !info.IsDir() {
+		if !info.IsDir() && !strings.HasSuffix(info.Name(), tempSuffix) {
 			// Convert back to key (relative path from basePath)
 			relPath, err := filepath.Rel(f.basePath, path)
 			if err != nil {
@@ -245,7 +204,7 @@ func (f *FileStorer) ListStream(ctx context.Context, prefix string) <-chan Objec
 				return nil //nolint:nilerr // continue walking despite errors
 			}
 
-			if !info.IsDir() {
+			if !info.IsDir() && !strings.HasSuffix(info.Name(), tempSuffix) {
 				relPath, err := filepath.Rel(f.basePath, path)
 				if err != nil {
 					ch <- ObjectInfo{Err: fmt.Errorf("computing relative path: %w", err)}
@@ -275,6 +234,72 @@ func (f *FileStorer) Info() Info {
 	}
 }
 
+// writeAtomic streams data into a temp file in the destination directory,
+// fsyncs it, and renames it onto the final key. The key therefore appears
+// only once the whole object has been durably written; a failure part-way
+// leaves a temp file (removed here on the failing path) rather than a
+// truncated object at the key.
+func (f *FileStorer) writeAtomic(
+	key string, data io.Reader, progress ProgressCallback,
+) error {
+	path := f.fullPath(key)
+	dir := filepath.Dir(path)
+
+	err := f.fs.MkdirAll(dir, storageDirPerm)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("creating directories: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	tmp, err := afero.TempFile(f.fs, dir, filepath.Base(path)+"-*"+tempSuffix)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("creating temp file: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	tmpPath := tmp.Name()
+
+	// Remove the temp file unless the rename below claims it. On the success
+	// path renamed is true, so the deferred Close and Remove are harmless
+	// no-ops on a name that no longer exists.
+	renamed := false
+
+	defer func() {
+		_ = tmp.Close()
+
+		if !renamed {
+			_ = f.fs.Remove(tmpPath)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	var w io.Writer = tmp
+	if progress != nil {
+		w = &progressWriter{writer: tmp, callback: progress}
+	}
+
+	_, err = io.Copy(w, data)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("writing file: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	err = tmp.Sync()
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("syncing temp file: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	err = tmp.Close()
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("closing temp file: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	err = f.fs.Rename(tmpPath, path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("renaming temp file: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	renamed = true
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 // fullPath returns the full filesystem path for a key.
 func (f *FileStorer) fullPath(key string) string {
 	return filepath.Join(f.basePath, key)

internal/storage/file_atomic_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+package storage_test
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/storage"
+)
+
+// errStreamInterrupted stands in for an upload cut off mid-stream.
+var errStreamInterrupted = errors.New("connection reset mid-upload")
+
+// failingReader yields its data once, then fails.
+type failingReader struct {
+	data []byte
+	done bool
+}
+
+func (r *failingReader) Read(p []byte) (int, error) {
+	if r.done {
+		return 0, errStreamInterrupted
+	}
+
+	n := copy(p, r.data)
+	r.done = true
+
+	return n, nil
+}
+
+// TestFileStorer_InterruptedWriteLeavesNoTrustedObject checks that a write
+// cut off mid-stream leaves nothing at the destination key, so a later run
+// cannot Stat a truncated object and trust it as a complete blob.
+func TestFileStorer_InterruptedWriteLeavesNoTrustedObject(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	f, err := storage.NewFileStorer(t.TempDir())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("NewFileStorer: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	key := "blobs/aa/bb/aabbccddeeff"
+
+	err = f.PutWithProgress(ctx, key, &failingReader{data: []byte("partial")}, 4096, nil)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected the interrupted write to fail, got nil")
+	}
+
+	_, err = f.Stat(ctx, key)
+	if !errors.Is(err, storage.ErrNotFound) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected key absent after interrupted write, got Stat err %v", err)
+	}
+
+	keys, err := f.List(ctx, "blobs/")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("List: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if len(keys) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected no keys listed after interrupted write, got %v", keys)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestFileStorer_ListSkipsPartialFiles checks that a leftover temp file (the
+// storage layer names them with a ".partial" suffix) is never surfaced as a
+// key by List or ListStream.
+func TestFileStorer_ListSkipsPartialFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	base := t.TempDir()
+
+	f, err := storage.NewFileStorer(base)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("NewFileStorer: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	realKey := "blobs/aa/bb/aabbccddeeff"
+
+	err = f.Put(ctx, realKey, strings.NewReader("blob-bytes"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Put: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// A stray temp file, as an interrupted write would leave behind.
+	leftover := filepath.Join(base, "blobs/aa/bb/aabbccddeeff-123456.partial")
+
+	err = os.WriteFile(leftover, []byte("half"), 0o600)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("writing leftover temp file: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	keys, err := f.List(ctx, "blobs/")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("List: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if len(keys) != 1 || keys[0] != realKey {
+		t.Fatalf("List should return only the real key, got %v", keys)
+	}
+
+	var streamed []string
+
+	for obj := range f.ListStream(ctx, "blobs/") {
+		if obj.Err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("ListStream: %v", obj.Err)
+		}
+
+		streamed = append(streamed, obj.Key)
+	}
+
+	if len(streamed) != 1 || streamed[0] != realKey {
+		t.Fatalf("ListStream should return only the real key, got %v", streamed)
+	}
+}

internal/storage/s3.go

@@ -38,14 +38,29 @@ func (s *S3Storer) PutWithProgress(
 }
 
 // Get retrieves data from the specified key.
+// Returns ErrNotFound if the object does not exist.
 func (s *S3Storer) Get(ctx context.Context, key string) (io.ReadCloser, error) {
-	return s.client.GetObject(ctx, key)
+	rc, err := s.client.GetObject(ctx, key)
+	if err != nil {
+		if s3.IsNotFound(err) {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("get %q: %w", key, ErrNotFound)
+		}
+
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return rc, nil
 }
 
 // Stat returns metadata about an object without retrieving its contents.
+// Returns ErrNotFound if the object does not exist.
 func (s *S3Storer) Stat(ctx context.Context, key string) (*ObjectInfo, error) {
 	info, err := s.client.StatObject(ctx, key)
 	if err != nil {
+		if s3.IsNotFound(err) {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("stat %q: %w", key, ErrNotFound)
+		}
+
 		return nil, err
 	}
 

internal/storage/s3_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+package storage_test
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/johannesboyne/gofakes3"
+	"github.com/johannesboyne/gofakes3/backend/s3mem"
+
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/s3"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/storage"
+)
+
+// TestS3StorerMissingKeyMapsToErrNotFound verifies that the s3 backend reports
+// a missing object as storage.ErrNotFound, matching the file and rclone
+// backends and the Storer contract. Without the mapping, Get and Stat leak the
+// raw SDK error and errors.Is(err, storage.ErrNotFound) is false.
+//
+//nolint:paralleltest // shares an in-process S3 server via t.Cleanup
+func TestS3StorerMissingKeyMapsToErrNotFound(t *testing.T) {
+	const bucket = "test-bucket"
+
+	backend := s3mem.New()
+
+	err := backend.CreateBucket(bucket)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("create bucket: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(gofakes3.New(backend).Server())
+	t.Cleanup(srv.Close)
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	client, err := s3.NewClient(ctx, s3.Config{
+		Endpoint:        srv.URL,
+		Bucket:          bucket,
+		AccessKeyID:     "test",
+		SecretAccessKey: "test",
+		Region:          "us-east-1",
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("new client: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	storer := storage.NewS3Storer(client)
+
+	_, err = storer.Get(ctx, "does-not-exist")
+	if !errors.Is(err, storage.ErrNotFound) {
+		t.Errorf("Get on missing key: got %v, want ErrNotFound", err)
+	}
+
+	_, err = storer.Stat(ctx, "does-not-exist")
+	if !errors.Is(err, storage.ErrNotFound) {
+		t.Errorf("Stat on missing key: got %v, want ErrNotFound", err)
+	}
+}

internal/vaultik/deep_verify_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+package vaultik_test
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/afero"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/log"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/ui"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/vaultik"
+)
+
+// TestDeepVerifyAcceptsHealthyAndRejectsCorruptBlob backs up a real
+// snapshot with the on-disk storage backend, runs deep verification on
+// it, then flips a byte inside one stored blob and runs deep
+// verification again. A healthy snapshot must pass; a corrupted blob
+// must fail. The healthy case is the regression guard: deep
+// verification used to hash the encrypted blob bytes and compare them
+// to the blob's ID (the double SHA256 of the plaintext), so it reported
+// every healthy blob as corrupt.
+func TestDeepVerifyAcceptsHealthyAndRejectsCorruptBlob(t *testing.T) {
+	log.Initialize(log.Config{})
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	fs := afero.NewOsFs()
+	tempDir := t.TempDir()
+
+	dataDir := filepath.Join(tempDir, "source")
+	storeDir := filepath.Join(tempDir, "remote")
+	dbPath := filepath.Join(tempDir, "index.sqlite")
+
+	chunkSize := int64(64 * 1024)
+	maxBlobSize := int64(512 * 1024)
+
+	// One file large enough to span several chunks within a single blob.
+	require.NoError(t, fs.MkdirAll(dataDir, 0o755))
+	require.NoError(t, afero.WriteFile(fs,
+		filepath.Join(dataDir, "data.bin"),
+		bytesPattern("deep-", int(chunkSize*3)), 0o644))
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	// runFileStorageBackup writes a real snapshot to storeDir and closes
+	// the source index, so verification runs from remote bytes only.
+	cfg, storer, snapshotID := runFileStorageBackup(
+		ctx, t, fs, dataDir, storeDir, dbPath, chunkSize, maxBlobSize)
+
+	newVerifier := func() *vaultik.Vaultik {
+		v := &vaultik.Vaultik{
+			Config:  cfg,
+			Storage: storer,
+			Fs:      fs,
+			Stdout:  io.Discard,
+			Stderr:  io.Discard,
+			UI:      ui.NewWithColor(io.Discard, false),
+		}
+		v.SetContext(ctx)
+
+		return v
+	}
+
+	require.NoError(t,
+		newVerifier().RunDeepVerify(snapshotID, &vaultik.VerifyOptions{Deep: true}),
+		"deep verify should pass on a healthy snapshot")
+
+	// Flip a byte inside one blob without changing its length, so the
+	// blob-existence and size checks still pass and verification reaches
+	// the blob-content stage.
+	corruptOneBlob(t, fs, filepath.Join(storeDir, "blobs"))
+
+	require.Error(t,
+		newVerifier().RunDeepVerify(snapshotID, &vaultik.VerifyOptions{Deep: true}),
+		"deep verify should fail on a corrupted blob")
+}
+
+// corruptOneBlob flips a middle byte of the first blob file found under
+// blobsDir, leaving the file length unchanged.
+func corruptOneBlob(t *testing.T, fs afero.Fs, blobsDir string) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	var blobPath string
+
+	err := afero.Walk(fs, blobsDir,
+		func(path string, info os.FileInfo, err error) error {
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+
+			if blobPath == "" && !info.IsDir() {
+				blobPath = path
+			}
+
+			return nil
+		})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotEmpty(t, blobPath, "expected at least one blob on disk")
+
+	data, err := afero.ReadFile(fs, blobPath)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotEmpty(t, data)
+
+	data[len(data)/2] ^= 0xff
+	require.NoError(t, afero.WriteFile(fs, blobPath, data, 0o644))
+}

internal/vaultik/helpers.go

@@ -33,8 +33,9 @@ func ubytes(n int64) string {
 var (
 	errMalformedSnapshotID = errors.New(
 		"invalid snapshot ID format: expected hostname_snapshotname_timestamp")
-	errInvalidDuration = errors.New("invalid duration")
-	errUnknownTimeUnit = errors.New("unknown time unit")
+	errInvalidDuration  = errors.New("invalid duration")
+	errUnknownTimeUnit  = errors.New("unknown time unit")
+	errNegativeDuration = errors.New("negative durations are not supported")
 )
 
 // Time-unit lengths used by parseDuration.
@@ -138,8 +139,13 @@ func parseSnapshotName(snapshotID string) string {
 
 // parseDuration parses a duration string with support for human-friendly units:
 // d/day/days, w/week/weeks, mo/month/months, y/year/years, plus standard Go
-// duration units (h, m, s).
+// duration units. Following Go, m is minutes and mo is months. A bare number,
+// an unknown unit, and a negative value are all rejected.
 func parseDuration(s string) (time.Duration, error) {
+	if strings.HasPrefix(strings.TrimSpace(s), "-") {
+		return 0, errNegativeDuration
+	}
+
 	d, err := time.ParseDuration(s)
 	if err == nil {
 		return d, nil

internal/vaultik/helpers_test.go

@@ -51,13 +51,32 @@ func TestParseDuration(t *testing.T) {
 		want  time.Duration
 		err   bool
 	}{
-		{"30d", 30 * 24 * time.Hour, false},
-		{"4w", 4 * 7 * 24 * time.Hour, false},
-		{"6mo", 6 * 30 * 24 * time.Hour, false},
-		{"1y", 365 * 24 * time.Hour, false},
-		{"2w3d", 2*7*24*time.Hour + 3*24*time.Hour, false},
-		{"1h", time.Hour, false},
+		// Go units, including the m-is-minutes / mo-is-months distinction
+		// that this parser exists to keep straight.
+		{"10ns", 10 * time.Nanosecond, false},
+		{"10us", 10 * time.Microsecond, false},
+		{"500ms", 500 * time.Millisecond, false},
 		{"30s", 30 * time.Second, false},
+		{"6m", 6 * time.Minute, false},
+		{"1h", time.Hour, false},
+		// Extended calendar units.
+		{"30d", 30 * 24 * time.Hour, false},
+		{"3days", 3 * 24 * time.Hour, false},
+		{"4w", 4 * 7 * 24 * time.Hour, false},
+		{"2weeks", 2 * 7 * 24 * time.Hour, false},
+		{"6mo", 180 * 24 * time.Hour, false},
+		{"1month", 30 * 24 * time.Hour, false},
+		{"1y", 365 * 24 * time.Hour, false},
+		{"2years", 2 * 365 * 24 * time.Hour, false},
+		// Combined units.
+		{"2w3d", 2*7*24*time.Hour + 3*24*time.Hour, false},
+		{"1y6mo", 365*24*time.Hour + 180*24*time.Hour, false},
+		// Rejected inputs.
+		{"6", 0, true},   // bare number, no unit
+		{"5x", 0, true},  // unknown unit
+		{"-5d", 0, true}, // negative, extended unit
+		{"-5h", 0, true}, // negative, Go unit
+		{"", 0, true},    // empty
 		{"garbage", 0, true},
 	}
 

internal/vaultik/prune_count_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+package vaultik //nolint:testpackage // exercises unexported count helpers
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/database"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/log"
+)
+
+// TestTableCountForReportSurfacesReadFailure is the regression guard for
+// the discarded-error bug: getTableCount for a table its query cannot
+// resolve must not silently become 0. A count that could not be read is
+// reported as unknown, which a reader can tell apart from an empty table.
+//
+//nolint:paralleltest // installs the global logger via log.Initialize
+func TestTableCountForReportSurfacesReadFailure(t *testing.T) {
+	log.Initialize(log.Config{})
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	db, err := database.New(ctx, ":memory:")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = db.Close() })
+
+	v := &Vaultik{DB: db}
+	v.SetContext(ctx)
+
+	// A table present in the schema reads as a real count.
+	blobs := v.tableCountForReport("blobs")
+	require.NotNil(t, blobs, "an existing table must read as a real count")
+	assert.Equal(t, int64(0), *blobs)
+
+	// A syntactically valid name the sanitizer accepts but whose table
+	// the query cannot resolve is the exact shape #96 describes: a
+	// would-be loud failure that used to be discarded into a 0.
+	_, err = v.getTableCount("snapshots_missing")
+	require.Error(t, err, "a query against a nonexistent table must fail")
+
+	missing := v.tableCountForReport("snapshots_missing")
+	assert.Nil(t, missing, "a failed read is unknown, not a count")
+
+	// The rendered count for a failed read must say unknown, never 0.
+	assert.Equal(t, countUnknown, countText(missing))
+	assert.NotEqual(t, "0", countText(missing))
+}
+
+// TestCountTextDistinguishesEmptyFromUnknown pins the distinction the
+// output has to preserve: 0 means the table was empty, "unknown" means
+// the count could not be read.
+func TestCountTextDistinguishesEmptyFromUnknown(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	zero := int64(0)
+	seven := int64(7)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "0", countText(&zero))
+	assert.Equal(t, "7", countText(&seven))
+	assert.Equal(t, countUnknown, countText(nil))
+}
+
+// TestCountDiffUnknownWhenEitherSideUnknown checks that a delta computed
+// from an unreadable count is itself unknown rather than a plausible
+// number.
+func TestCountDiffUnknownWhenEitherSideUnknown(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	before := int64(10)
+	after := int64(3)
+
+	require.NotNil(t, countDiff(&before, &after))
+	assert.Equal(t, int64(7), *countDiff(&before, &after))
+
+	assert.Nil(t, countDiff(nil, &after), "unknown before yields unknown delta")
+	assert.Nil(t, countDiff(&before, nil), "unknown after yields unknown delta")
+	assert.Nil(t, countDiff(nil, nil))
+}

internal/vaultik/restore.go

@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import (
 	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/blobgen"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/database"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/log"
-	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/snapshot"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/types"
 )
 
@@ -577,14 +576,20 @@ func (v *Vaultik) handleRestoreVerification(
 }
 
 // downloadSnapshotDB downloads and decrypts the snapshot metadata
-// database. The snapshotID is the human ID; we hash it to the remote
-// key for the storage path.
+// database. The identifier is resolved to the snapshot's remote key: a
+// human ID is hashed, and a remote key (or its abbreviation, as printed
+// for a remote-only snapshot) is used as-is, so a host with no local
+// index can restore the snapshots it can only see on the store.
 func (v *Vaultik) downloadSnapshotDB(
 	snapshotID string, identity age.Identity,
 ) (*database.DB, error) {
+	remoteKey, err := v.resolveSnapshotRemoteKey(snapshotID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
 	// Download encrypted database from storage
-	dbKey := fmt.Sprintf("metadata/%s/db.zst.age",
-		snapshot.RemoteSnapshotKey(snapshotID))
+	dbKey := fmt.Sprintf("metadata/%s/db.zst.age", remoteKey)
 
 	reader, err := v.Storage.Get(v.ctx, dbKey)
 	if err != nil {

internal/vaultik/restore_another_machine_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,167 @@
+package vaultik_test
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"io"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/afero"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/config"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/database"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/log"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/snapshot"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/storage"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/ui"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/vaultik"
+)
+
+// TestRestoreOnAnotherMachine proves the disaster-recovery path: a host
+// that has only the vaultik binary, the age secret key, and the storage
+// credentials — no local index, a different hostname, and no
+// age_recipients configured — can list, restore, and verify a snapshot
+// straight from the destination store.
+//
+// The backup half writes a snapshot with one index and hostname. The
+// restore half throws that index away entirely: a fresh, empty index and
+// a config that shares nothing with the original but the storage location
+// and the secret key. If restore or verify needed the original local
+// index — or the human snapshot ID that only that index holds — this test
+// could not run, because the recovery host can know neither.
+func TestRestoreOnAnotherMachine(t *testing.T) {
+	log.Initialize(log.Config{})
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	fs := afero.NewOsFs()
+	tempDir := t.TempDir()
+
+	dataDir := filepath.Join(tempDir, "source")
+	storeDir := filepath.Join(tempDir, "remote")
+	restoreDir := filepath.Join(tempDir, "restored")
+	dbPath := filepath.Join(tempDir, "index.sqlite")
+
+	chunkSize := int64(64 * 1024)
+	maxBlobSize := int64(512 * 1024)
+
+	sourceFiles := writeRecoverySourceTree(t, fs, dataDir, chunkSize)
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	// Backup host: one index, hostname test-host, age_recipients set.
+	// runFileStorageBackup closes the index before returning, so nothing
+	// below can lean on it.
+	_, storer, originalID := runFileStorageBackup(
+		ctx, t, fs, dataDir, storeDir, dbPath, chunkSize, maxBlobSize)
+
+	// Recovery host: a fresh empty index, a different hostname, and no
+	// age_recipients — only the secret key and the same storage location.
+	recovery, stdout := newRecoveryHost(ctx, t, fs, storer)
+
+	// The recovery index really is empty. This is the assertion that makes
+	// the test a guard against restore quietly depending on the original
+	// index: if it did, an empty index would make restore fail.
+	localSnaps, err := recovery.Repositories.Snapshots.ListRecent(ctx, 100)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Empty(t, localSnaps, "recovery host must start with no local index")
+
+	// List: the snapshot shows up as remote-only, identified by its remote
+	// key, with no recoverable human ID.
+	require.NoError(t, recovery.ListSnapshots(true))
+
+	rows := decodeListJSON(t, stdout.String())
+	require.Len(t, rows, 1)
+
+	remote := rows[0]
+	assert.False(t, remote.LocallyTracked, "snapshot must be remote-only here")
+	assert.Empty(t, remote.ID, "the human ID is unknown to the recovery host")
+	require.Len(t, remote.RemoteKey, 64)
+	assert.Equal(t, snapshot.RemoteSnapshotKey(originalID), remote.RemoteKey,
+		"the listed key is the hashed snapshot ID")
+
+	// Restore driven by the abbreviated identifier the table prints (the
+	// first 12 hex of the remote key), then deep-verify from the store
+	// keyed by the full remote key. Both are what a recovery host can know.
+	require.NoError(t, recovery.Restore(&vaultik.RestoreOptions{
+		SnapshotID: remote.RemoteKey[:12],
+		TargetDir:  restoreDir,
+		Verify:     true,
+	}))
+	require.NoError(t, recovery.RunDeepVerify(
+		remote.RemoteKey, &vaultik.VerifyOptions{Deep: true}))
+
+	assertRestoredTreeMatches(t, fs, restoreDir, sourceFiles)
+}
+
+// writeRecoverySourceTree writes a small source tree spanning several
+// chunks (so restore reassembles real multi-chunk files) and returns the
+// content keyed by absolute path.
+func writeRecoverySourceTree(
+	t *testing.T, fs afero.Fs, dataDir string, chunkSize int64,
+) map[string][]byte {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	sourceFiles := map[string][]byte{
+		filepath.Join(dataDir, "notes.txt"):        []byte("recover me"),
+		filepath.Join(dataDir, "sub", "big.bin"):   bytesPattern("big-", int(chunkSize*3)),
+		filepath.Join(dataDir, "sub", "small.bin"): bytesPattern("small-", 128),
+	}
+
+	for path, content := range sourceFiles {
+		require.NoError(t, fs.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(path), 0o755))
+		require.NoError(t, afero.WriteFile(fs, path, content, 0o644))
+	}
+
+	return sourceFiles
+}
+
+// newRecoveryHost builds the Vaultik a replacement machine would run: an
+// empty in-memory index, a hostname different from the backup host, no
+// age_recipients, and only the secret key plus the shared storer. It
+// returns the instance and the buffer its stdout is wired to.
+func newRecoveryHost(
+	ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, fs afero.Fs, storer storage.Storer,
+) (*vaultik.Vaultik, *bytes.Buffer) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	recoveryDB, err := database.New(ctx, ":memory:")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = recoveryDB.Close() })
+
+	stdout := &bytes.Buffer{}
+
+	recovery := &vaultik.Vaultik{
+		Config: &config.Config{
+			AgeSecretKey: testAgeSecretKey,
+			Hostname:     "recovery-host",
+		},
+		Storage:      storer,
+		Fs:           fs,
+		Repositories: database.NewRepositories(recoveryDB),
+		DB:           recoveryDB,
+		Stdout:       stdout,
+		Stderr:       io.Discard,
+		UI:           ui.NewWithColor(io.Discard, false),
+	}
+	recovery.SetContext(ctx)
+
+	return recovery, stdout
+}
+
+// assertRestoredTreeMatches byte-compares every restored file against its
+// source content.
+func assertRestoredTreeMatches(
+	t *testing.T, fs afero.Fs, restoreDir string, sourceFiles map[string][]byte,
+) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	for origPath, expected := range sourceFiles {
+		restored := filepath.Join(restoreDir, origPath)
+		got, err := afero.ReadFile(fs, restored)
+		require.NoErrorf(t, err, "restored file missing: %s", restored)
+		require.Truef(t, bytes.Equal(got, expected),
+			"byte mismatch for %s", origPath)
+	}
+}

internal/vaultik/snapshot.go

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"regexp"
 	"sort"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
@@ -669,9 +670,11 @@ func (v *Vaultik) VerifySnapshotWithOptions(
 
 	v.printVerifyHeader(snapshotID, opts)
 
-	// Download and parse manifest. The caller supplies a human
-	// snapshot ID; we hash it to address remote storage.
-	manifest, err := v.downloadManifestByKey(snapshot.RemoteSnapshotKey(snapshotID))
+	// Resolve the identifier to the snapshot's remote key and download the
+	// manifest. A human ID is hashed; a remote key (or its abbreviation,
+	// as printed for a remote-only snapshot) is used as-is, so a host with
+	// no local index can verify a snapshot it can only see on the store.
+	manifest, err := v.resolveAndDownloadManifest(snapshotID)
 	if err != nil {
 		if opts.JSON {
 			result.Status = verifyStatusFailed
@@ -1540,12 +1543,17 @@ func (v *Vaultik) outputRemoveJSON(result *RemoveResult) error {
 	return encoder.Encode(result)
 }
 
-// PruneResult contains statistics about the prune operation
+// PruneResult contains statistics about the prune operation.
+// SnapshotsDeleted counts snapshots actually deleted. FilesDeleted,
+// ChunksDeleted, and BlobsDeleted are derived from before/after row
+// counts of the local index; each is nil when a count could not be read,
+// so an unreadable count is reported as unknown rather than silently
+// as 0.
 type PruneResult struct {
 	SnapshotsDeleted int64
-	FilesDeleted     int64
-	ChunksDeleted    int64
-	BlobsDeleted     int64
+	FilesDeleted     *int64
+	ChunksDeleted    *int64
+	BlobsDeleted     *int64
 }
 
 // PruneDatabase removes incomplete snapshots and orphaned files, chunks,
@@ -1560,7 +1568,7 @@ func (v *Vaultik) PruneDatabase() (*PruneResult, error) {
 	result := &PruneResult{}
 
 	// Snapshot counts before deletion of incompletes.
-	snapshotCountBefore, _ := v.getTableCount("snapshots")
+	snapshotCountBefore := v.tableCountForReport("snapshots")
 
 	// First, delete any incomplete snapshots
 	incompleteSnapshots, err := v.Repositories.Snapshots.GetIncompleteSnapshots(v.ctx)
@@ -1575,9 +1583,9 @@ func (v *Vaultik) PruneDatabase() (*PruneResult, error) {
 	}
 
 	// Get counts before cleanup for reporting
-	fileCountBefore, _ := v.getTableCount("files")
-	chunkCountBefore, _ := v.getTableCount("chunks")
-	blobCountBefore, _ := v.getTableCount("blobs")
+	fileCountBefore := v.tableCountForReport("files")
+	chunkCountBefore := v.tableCountForReport("chunks")
+	blobCountBefore := v.tableCountForReport("blobs")
 
 	// Run the cleanup
 	err = v.SnapshotManager.CleanupOrphanedData(v.ctx)
@@ -1586,36 +1594,83 @@ func (v *Vaultik) PruneDatabase() (*PruneResult, error) {
 	}
 
 	// Get counts after cleanup
-	fileCountAfter, _ := v.getTableCount("files")
-	chunkCountAfter, _ := v.getTableCount("chunks")
-	blobCountAfter, _ := v.getTableCount("blobs")
+	fileCountAfter := v.tableCountForReport("files")
+	chunkCountAfter := v.tableCountForReport("chunks")
+	blobCountAfter := v.tableCountForReport("blobs")
 
-	result.FilesDeleted = fileCountBefore - fileCountAfter
-	result.ChunksDeleted = chunkCountBefore - chunkCountAfter
-	result.BlobsDeleted = blobCountBefore - blobCountAfter
+	result.FilesDeleted = countDiff(fileCountBefore, fileCountAfter)
+	result.ChunksDeleted = countDiff(chunkCountBefore, chunkCountAfter)
+	result.BlobsDeleted = countDiff(blobCountBefore, blobCountAfter)
 
 	log.Info("Local database prune complete",
 		"incomplete_snapshots", result.SnapshotsDeleted,
-		"orphaned_files", result.FilesDeleted,
-		"orphaned_chunks", result.ChunksDeleted,
-		"orphaned_blobs", result.BlobsDeleted,
+		"orphaned_files", countText(result.FilesDeleted),
+		"orphaned_chunks", countText(result.ChunksDeleted),
+		"orphaned_blobs", countText(result.BlobsDeleted),
 	)
 
-	snapshotCountAfter := snapshotCountBefore - result.SnapshotsDeleted
+	// Snapshots remaining after removing the incomplete ones; unknown if
+	// the pre-prune snapshot count could not be read.
+	snapshotsRemain := countDiff(snapshotCountBefore, &result.SnapshotsDeleted)
 
 	v.UI.Completef("Pruned local index database.")
-	v.UI.Detailf("Incomplete snapshots: %d removed (%d remain).",
-		result.SnapshotsDeleted, snapshotCountAfter)
-	v.UI.Detailf("Orphaned files: %d removed (%d remain).",
-		result.FilesDeleted, fileCountAfter)
-	v.UI.Detailf("Orphaned chunks: %d removed (%d remain).",
-		result.ChunksDeleted, chunkCountAfter)
-	v.UI.Detailf("Orphaned blobs: %d removed (%d remain).",
-		result.BlobsDeleted, blobCountAfter)
+	v.UI.Detailf("Incomplete snapshots: %s removed (%s remain).",
+		countText(&result.SnapshotsDeleted), countText(snapshotsRemain))
+	v.UI.Detailf("Orphaned files: %s removed (%s remain).",
+		countText(result.FilesDeleted), countText(fileCountAfter))
+	v.UI.Detailf("Orphaned chunks: %s removed (%s remain).",
+		countText(result.ChunksDeleted), countText(chunkCountAfter))
+	v.UI.Detailf("Orphaned blobs: %s removed (%s remain).",
+		countText(result.BlobsDeleted), countText(blobCountAfter))
 
 	return result, nil
 }
 
+// countUnknown is what a count reads as when its query could not be run,
+// distinct from "0", which means the table really was empty.
+const countUnknown = "unknown"
+
+// tableCountForReport returns the row count of a table for the prune
+// summary, or nil if the count could not be read. A read failure is
+// logged at warn — visible even under --json, which routes warnings to
+// stderr — and then rendered as unknown rather than silently becoming 0,
+// so a broken query is a visible failure instead of a plausible wrong
+// number.
+func (v *Vaultik) tableCountForReport(tableName string) *int64 {
+	count, err := v.getTableCount(tableName)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Warn("could not read table row count for prune summary",
+			"table", tableName, "error", err)
+
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	return &count
+}
+
+// countDiff returns before-after, or nil if either count is unknown so
+// that an unreadable count does not collapse into a plausible delta.
+func countDiff(before, after *int64) *int64 {
+	if before == nil || after == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	diff := *before - *after
+
+	return &diff
+}
+
+// countText renders a count that may be unknown: nil (the read failed)
+// becomes "unknown", never "0", so a reader can tell an empty table from
+// one that could not be queried.
+func countText(count *int64) string {
+	if count == nil {
+		return countUnknown
+	}
+
+	return strconv.FormatInt(*count, 10)
+}
+
 // validTableNameRe matches table names containing only lowercase
 // alphanumeric characters and underscores.
 var validTableNameRe = regexp.MustCompile(`^[a-z0-9_]+$`)

internal/vaultik/snapshot_identifier.go

@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+package vaultik
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/snapshot"
+)
+
+// remoteKeyHexLen is the length of a full remote snapshot key: a SHA256
+// digest rendered as lowercase hex.
+const remoteKeyHexLen = 64
+
+// Sentinel errors for resolving a snapshot identifier against the store.
+var (
+	errSnapshotKeyNotFound = errors.New(
+		"no snapshot on the destination store matches this identifier")
+	errSnapshotKeyAmbiguous = errors.New(
+		"identifier matches more than one snapshot on the destination store")
+)
+
+// resolveSnapshotRemoteKey turns a snapshot identifier supplied on the
+// command line into the remote key that names the snapshot's metadata
+// directory on the destination store. Every remote path a restore or
+// verify reads is built from that key.
+//
+// Two forms are accepted, matching the two things a host can know:
+//
+//   - A human snapshot ID (hostname_name_timestamp), which a host holding
+//     the local index has. It is hashed to its remote key; the store is
+//     not consulted.
+//   - A remote key, or the leading part of one, which is all a host with
+//     no local index can know — it is exactly what `snapshot list` prints
+//     for a remote-only snapshot (see formatRemoteOnlyID). It is resolved
+//     against the destination store's metadata listing; an identifier that
+//     matches no snapshot, or more than one, is an error.
+//
+// The two are told apart by shape: a remote key is lowercase hex, and a
+// human snapshot ID never is (it carries a hostname, underscores, and an
+// RFC3339 timestamp).
+func (v *Vaultik) resolveSnapshotRemoteKey(identifier string) (string, error) {
+	if !isRemoteKeyOrPrefix(identifier) {
+		return snapshot.RemoteSnapshotKey(identifier), nil
+	}
+
+	keys, err := v.listAllRemoteSnapshotKeys()
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf(
+			"listing destination store to resolve %q: %w", identifier, err)
+	}
+
+	var matches []string
+
+	for _, key := range keys {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(key, identifier) {
+			matches = append(matches, key)
+		}
+	}
+
+	switch len(matches) {
+	case 1:
+		return matches[0], nil
+	case 0:
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", errSnapshotKeyNotFound, identifier)
+	default:
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("%w: %s (%d matches)",
+			errSnapshotKeyAmbiguous, identifier, len(matches))
+	}
+}
+
+// resolveAndDownloadManifest resolves a snapshot identifier to its remote
+// key (see resolveSnapshotRemoteKey) and downloads that snapshot's
+// manifest.
+func (v *Vaultik) resolveAndDownloadManifest(
+	identifier string,
+) (*snapshot.Manifest, error) {
+	remoteKey, err := v.resolveSnapshotRemoteKey(identifier)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return v.downloadManifestByKey(remoteKey)
+}
+
+// isRemoteKeyOrPrefix reports whether s is a full remote key or the
+// leading part of one: 1 to 64 lowercase hex characters. A human snapshot
+// ID is never all hex, so this shape test is enough to tell the two apart.
+func isRemoteKeyOrPrefix(s string) bool {
+	if s == "" || len(s) > remoteKeyHexLen {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	for _, r := range s {
+		if (r < '0' || r > '9') && (r < 'a' || r > 'f') {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+
+	return true
+}

internal/vaultik/verify.go

@@ -138,8 +138,15 @@ func (v *Vaultik) RunDeepVerify(snapshotID string, opts *VerifyOptions) error {
 func (v *Vaultik) loadVerificationData(
 	snapshotID string, opts *VerifyOptions, result *VerifyResult,
 ) (*snapshot.Manifest, *tempDB, []snapshot.BlobInfo, error) {
-	// All remote paths use the hashed key derived from the human ID.
-	remoteKey := snapshot.RemoteSnapshotKey(snapshotID)
+	// Resolve the identifier to the snapshot's remote key. A human ID is
+	// hashed; a remote key (or its abbreviation, as printed for a
+	// remote-only snapshot) is used as-is, so a host with no local index
+	// can verify a snapshot it can only see on the store.
+	remoteKey, err := v.resolveSnapshotRemoteKey(snapshotID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, nil, v.deepVerifyFailure(result, opts,
+			fmt.Sprintf("resolving snapshot identifier: %v", err), err)
+	}
 
 	// Download manifest. downloadManifestByKey is the single reader for
 	// remote manifests; see its doc comment.
@@ -186,7 +193,7 @@ func (v *Vaultik) loadVerificationData(
 			fmt.Errorf("failed to decrypt database: %w", err))
 	}
 
-	dbBlobs, err := v.getBlobsFromDatabase(snapshotID, tdb.DB)
+	dbBlobs, err := v.getBlobsFromDatabase(tdb.DB)
 	if err != nil {
 		_ = tdb.Close()
 
@@ -344,12 +351,8 @@ func (v *Vaultik) verifyBlob(blobInfo snapshot.BlobInfo, db *sql.DB) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get decryptor: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	// Hash the encrypted blob data as it streams through to decryption
-	blobHasher := sha256.New()
-	teeReader := io.TeeReader(reader, blobHasher)
-
-	// Decrypt blob (reading through teeReader to hash encrypted data)
-	decryptedReader, err := decryptor.DecryptStream(teeReader)
+	// Decrypt blob
+	decryptedReader, err := decryptor.DecryptStream(reader)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to decrypt: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -361,12 +364,19 @@ func (v *Vaultik) verifyBlob(blobInfo snapshot.BlobInfo, db *sql.DB) error {
 	}
 	defer decompressor.Close()
 
-	chunkCount, err := v.verifyBlobChunks(db, blobInfo.Hash, decompressor)
+	// A blob's hash — its remote name — is the double SHA256 of its
+	// decompressed plaintext (see blobgen.Writer.Sum256), not of the
+	// encrypted bytes. Hash the plaintext as chunk verification streams
+	// it, then compare on completion.
+	plaintextHasher := sha256.New()
+	hashedStream := io.TeeReader(decompressor, plaintextHasher)
+
+	chunkCount, err := v.verifyBlobChunks(db, blobInfo.Hash, hashedStream)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	err = v.verifyBlobFinalIntegrity(decompressor, blobHasher, blobInfo.Hash)
+	err = v.verifyBlobFinalIntegrity(hashedStream, plaintextHasher, blobInfo.Hash)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -470,14 +480,13 @@ func (v *Vaultik) verifyBlobChunks(
 }
 
 // verifyBlobFinalIntegrity checks that no trailing data exists in the
-// decompressed stream and that the encrypted blob hash matches the
-// expected value.
+// decompressed stream and that the blob hash matches the expected value.
 func (v *Vaultik) verifyBlobFinalIntegrity(
-	decompressor io.Reader, blobHasher hash.Hash, expectedHash string,
+	plaintext io.Reader, plaintextHasher hash.Hash, expectedHash string,
 ) error {
 	// Verify no remaining data in blob - if the chunk list is accurate,
 	// the blob should be fully consumed.
-	remaining, err := io.Copy(io.Discard, decompressor)
+	remaining, err := io.Copy(io.Discard, plaintext)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to check for remaining blob data: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -486,8 +495,11 @@ func (v *Vaultik) verifyBlobFinalIntegrity(
 		return fmt.Errorf("%w: %d bytes", errTrailingBlobData, remaining)
 	}
 
-	// Verify blob hash matches the encrypted data we downloaded
-	calculatedBlobHash := hex.EncodeToString(blobHasher.Sum(nil))
+	// The blob hash is the double SHA256 of its plaintext content.
+	firstHash := plaintextHasher.Sum(nil)
+	secondHash := sha256.Sum256(firstHash)
+	calculatedBlobHash := hex.EncodeToString(secondHash[:])
+
 	if calculatedBlobHash != expectedHash {
 		return fmt.Errorf("%w: calculated %s, expected %s",
 			errBlobHashMismatch, calculatedBlobHash, expectedHash)
@@ -496,19 +508,21 @@ func (v *Vaultik) verifyBlobFinalIntegrity(
 	return nil
 }
 
-// getBlobsFromDatabase gets all blobs for the snapshot from the database
-func (v *Vaultik) getBlobsFromDatabase(
-	snapshotID string, db *sql.DB,
-) ([]snapshot.BlobInfo, error) {
+// getBlobsFromDatabase gets all blobs for the snapshot from the database.
+//
+// The exported per-snapshot database holds exactly one snapshot's data
+// (see cleanSnapshotDB), so every row in snapshot_blobs belongs to it.
+// We select them directly rather than filtering by the human snapshot ID,
+// which a host restoring from the store alone does not have.
+func (v *Vaultik) getBlobsFromDatabase(db *sql.DB) ([]snapshot.BlobInfo, error) {
 	query := `
 		SELECT b.blob_hash, b.compressed_size
 		FROM snapshot_blobs sb
 		JOIN blobs b ON sb.blob_hash = b.blob_hash
-		WHERE sb.snapshot_id = ?
 		ORDER BY b.blob_hash
 	`
 
-	rows, err := db.QueryContext(v.ctx, query, snapshotID)
+	rows, err := db.QueryContext(v.ctx, query)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to query snapshot blobs: %w", err)
 	}

script/bootstrap

@@ -114,9 +114,6 @@ main() {
     # from CI. Nothing on the host is ever used as a linter, at any
     # version, so installing one here would buy nothing.
 
-    # sqlite3 CLI: the test suite shells out to it (VACUUM).
-    if missing sqlite3; then pkg_install sqlite sqlite3 sqlite sqlite; fi
-
     # goreleaser, at the version pinned by script/install-goreleaser and
     # verified against a hardcoded sha256. Package managers are not used
     # for it: they ship whatever version they happen to carry, and the