Quiet only the stdout UI under --json, not the log level (closes #112)

--json was folded into Quiet, which pinned the stderr log level to WARN.
So `prune --json` gave a machine consumer no record of the local index
rows it deleted, even under --verbose: the audit records were gated off
stdout and pinned below the level on stderr.

--json now quiets only the stdout UI, keeping the JSON document clean
(issue #108); the stderr log level follows --verbose/--debug again, since
diagnostics have gone to stderr since #82. The same coupling is removed
for `snapshot verify`, `snapshot remove`, and `remote info`, which
carried it for the same outdated reason.

A test asserts `--verbose prune --json` emits the cleanup record on
stderr while stdout stays exactly one document, and that --json alone
keeps it below the level.

model: claude-opus-4-8

README.md

@@ -84,57 +84,6 @@ 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
@@ -296,8 +245,6 @@ 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
@@ -328,10 +275,6 @@ 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
@@ -582,6 +525,10 @@ 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

TODO.md

@@ -35,6 +35,17 @@ release" is exactly the contradiction
   no `--json` representation — under `--json` the summary is suppressed
   entirely — so nothing there can show a false `0`.
 
+- 2026-09-21: Stopped `--json` from silencing stderr diagnostics
+  ([issue #112](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/112)). `--json`
+  used to be folded into `Quiet`, which pinned the log level to `WARN`,
+  so `prune --json` gave a machine consumer no record of the local index
+  rows it deleted even under `--verbose`. `--json` now quiets only the
+  stdout UI (the JSON document must stay clean, per
+  [issue #108](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/108)); the stderr
+  log level follows `--verbose`/`--debug` again. The coupling was
+  removed the same way for `snapshot verify`, `snapshot remove`, and
+  `remote info`, which carried it for the same outdated reason.
+
 - 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

internal/cli/app.go

@@ -48,6 +48,11 @@ type AppOptions struct {
 // silenced — per the documented convention that --quiet suppresses
 // non-error output only. The startup banner is printed by Entry
 // before cobra parses arguments, gated by the same arg-level check.
+//
+// --json quiets the UI here too, because stdout then carries a JSON
+// document and human narration would corrupt it. Unlike Quiet it does
+// not lower the stderr log level (issue #112), so --verbose/--debug
+// still surface diagnostics alongside the document.
 func setupGlobals(
 	lc fx.Lifecycle, g *globals.Globals, v *vaultik.Vaultik, opts log.Options,
 ) {
@@ -55,7 +60,7 @@ func setupGlobals(
 		OnStart: func(_ context.Context) error {
 			g.StartTime = time.Now().UTC()
 
-			if opts.Cron || opts.Quiet {
+			if opts.Cron || opts.Quiet || opts.JSON {
 				v.UI.SetQuiet(true)
 			}
 
@@ -202,9 +207,10 @@ func RunApp(ctx context.Context, app *fx.App) error {
 // instance in a goroutine, report a failure prefixed with failMsg
 // (suppressed while suppressErrors is true, e.g. under --json), then
 // trigger shutdown. The operation is cancelled when the app stops.
-// extraQuiet is OR-ed into LogOptions.Quiet (e.g. --json output modes).
+// jsonOutput marks a command whose stdout is a JSON document: it quiets
+// the UI but, unlike Quiet, leaves the stderr log level alone.
 func runVaultikApp(
-	cmd *cobra.Command, extraQuiet, suppressErrors bool,
+	cmd *cobra.Command, jsonOutput, suppressErrors bool,
 	failMsg string, op func(v *vaultik.Vaultik) error,
 ) error {
 	configPath, err := ResolveConfigPath()
@@ -219,7 +225,8 @@ func runVaultikApp(
 		LogOptions: log.Options{
 			Verbose: rootFlags.Verbose,
 			Debug:   rootFlags.Debug,
-			Quiet:   rootFlags.Quiet || extraQuiet,
+			Quiet:   rootFlags.Quiet,
+			JSON:    jsonOutput,
 		},
 		Modules: []fx.Option{},
 		Invokes: []fx.Option{

internal/cli/entry_prune_json_stderr_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+package cli //nolint:testpackage // shares the prune fixtures and capture helpers
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// staleRecordLogMessage is the local-cleanup audit line CleanupLocalSnapshots
+// logs for each stale record. It is exactly the signal issue #112 says a
+// machine consumer lost under --json: gated off stdout, and pinned below
+// the log level on stderr because --json used to force Quiet.
+const staleRecordLogMessage = "Removing stale local snapshot record"
+
+// TestEntryPruneJSONStderrHonoursVerbosity is the end-to-end regression
+// guard for issue #112. Under --json the log level must still follow
+// --verbose/--debug rather than being pinned to WARN, so the
+// local-cleanup records reach stderr under --verbose while stdout stays
+// exactly one JSON document; without --verbose they stay below the
+// level, as they do without --json.
+//
+// Both halves are asserted together on the same run, because the fix has
+// to keep the document clean (issue #108) while freeing stderr.
+//
+// Not parallel: it replaces os.Args, os.Stdout, os.Stderr and the xdg
+// globals.
+//
+//nolint:paralleltest // replaces os.Args, os.Stdout, os.Stderr and the xdg globals
+func TestEntryPruneJSONStderrHonoursVerbosity(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, testCase := range []struct {
+		name         string
+		verbose      bool
+		wantOnStderr bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:         "verbose json surfaces the cleanup record on stderr",
+			verbose:      true,
+			wantOnStderr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "json alone keeps the cleanup record below the level",
+			verbose:      false,
+			wantOnStderr: false,
+		},
+	} {
+		t.Run(testCase.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			configPath := writeHermeticPruneConfig(t, true)
+
+			previousArgs := os.Args
+
+			t.Cleanup(func() {
+				os.Args = previousArgs
+				rootFlags = RootFlags{}
+			})
+
+			args := []string{
+				programName, flagConfig, configPath, cmdPrune, flagJSON,
+			}
+			if testCase.verbose {
+				args = append(args, "--verbose")
+			}
+
+			os.Args = args
+
+			stdout, stderr := captureProcessStdoutAndStderr(t, Entry)
+
+			// The document stays clean in both cases: freeing stderr must
+			// not regress issue #108.
+			requireExactlyOneJSONDocument(t, stdout)
+
+			if testCase.wantOnStderr {
+				assert.Contains(t, stderr, staleRecordLogMessage,
+					"--verbose --json must emit the cleanup record on stderr")
+				assert.Contains(t, stderr, stalePruneSnapshotID,
+					"the record must name the snapshot it removed")
+			} else {
+				assert.NotContains(t, stderr, staleRecordLogMessage,
+					"without --verbose the record stays below the log level")
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// captureProcessStdoutAndStderr redirects both of the process's own
+// standard streams to pipes for the duration of fn and returns what was
+// written to each. The redirection is at the file-descriptor level
+// because the logger binds os.Stderr when it initializes inside fn, and
+// the JSON document reaches os.Stdout independently; the point is to see
+// where each actually lands.
+//
+// Not parallel-safe: os.Stdout and os.Stderr are process-global.
+func captureProcessStdoutAndStderr(t *testing.T, fn func()) (string, string) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	outReader, outWriter, err := os.Pipe()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	errReader, errWriter, err := os.Pipe()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	previousOut, previousErr := os.Stdout, os.Stderr
+	os.Stdout, os.Stderr = outWriter, errWriter
+
+	capturedOut := drain(outReader)
+	capturedErr := drain(errReader)
+
+	fn()
+
+	os.Stdout, os.Stderr = previousOut, previousErr
+
+	require.NoError(t, outWriter.Close())
+	require.NoError(t, errWriter.Close())
+
+	out, errOut := <-capturedOut, <-capturedErr
+
+	require.NoError(t, outReader.Close())
+	require.NoError(t, errReader.Close())
+
+	return out, errOut
+}
+
+// drain copies a reader to a string on a goroutine and delivers the
+// result once the writer end is closed.
+func drain(reader io.Reader) <-chan string {
+	captured := make(chan string, 1)
+
+	go func() {
+		var buf bytes.Buffer
+
+		_, _ = io.Copy(&buf, reader)
+		captured <- buf.String()
+	}()
+
+	return captured
+}

internal/cli/prune.go

@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@ work (e.g. after a crashed backup or to reclaim storage).`,
 				LogOptions: log.Options{
 					Verbose: rootFlags.Verbose,
 					Debug:   rootFlags.Debug,
-					Quiet:   rootFlags.Quiet || opts.JSON,
+					Quiet:   rootFlags.Quiet,
+					JSON:    opts.JSON,
 				},
 				Modules: []fx.Option{},
 				Invokes: []fx.Option{

internal/cli/remote.go

@@ -88,7 +88,8 @@ func newRemoteInfoCommand() *cobra.Command {
 				LogOptions: log.Options{
 					Verbose: rootFlags.Verbose,
 					Debug:   rootFlags.Debug,
-					Quiet:   rootFlags.Quiet || jsonOutput,
+					Quiet:   rootFlags.Quiet,
+					JSON:    jsonOutput,
 				},
 				Modules: []fx.Option{},
 				Invokes: []fx.Option{

internal/cli/snapshot.go

@@ -221,11 +221,8 @@ 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.\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,
+		Long:  "Verifies that all blobs referenced in a snapshot exist",
+		Args:  requireSnapshotIDArg,
 		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 			snapshotID := args[0]
 
@@ -242,7 +239,8 @@ func newSnapshotVerifyCommand() *cobra.Command {
 				LogOptions: log.Options{
 					Verbose: rootFlags.Verbose,
 					Debug:   rootFlags.Debug,
-					Quiet:   rootFlags.Quiet || opts.JSON,
+					Quiet:   rootFlags.Quiet,
+					JSON:    opts.JSON,
 				},
 				Modules: []fx.Option{},
 				Invokes: []fx.Option{

internal/cli/snapshot_restore.go

@@ -48,10 +48,6 @@ 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/log/module.go

@@ -14,8 +14,18 @@ var Module = fx.Module("log",
 )
 
 // New creates a new logger configuration from provided options.
+//
+// JSON is intentionally not carried into Config: a command emitting a
+// JSON document on stdout must keep its stderr log level under
+// --verbose/--debug, so --json must not lower it (issue #112). JSON
+// silences the stdout UI in setupGlobals instead.
 func New(opts Options) Config {
-	return Config(opts)
+	return Config{
+		Verbose: opts.Verbose,
+		Debug:   opts.Debug,
+		Cron:    opts.Cron,
+		Quiet:   opts.Quiet,
+	}
 }
 
 // Options are provided by the CLI.
@@ -24,4 +34,8 @@ type Options struct {
 	Debug   bool
 	Cron    bool
 	Quiet   bool
+	// JSON marks a command whose stdout carries a machine-readable
+	// document. It silences the human UI on stdout (see setupGlobals),
+	// but unlike Quiet it leaves the stderr log level alone.
+	JSON bool
 }

internal/vaultik/restore.go

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ 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"
 )
 
@@ -576,20 +577,14 @@ func (v *Vaultik) handleRestoreVerification(
 }
 
 // downloadSnapshotDB downloads and decrypts the snapshot metadata
-// 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.
+// database. The snapshotID is the human ID; we hash it to the remote
+// key for the storage path.
 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", remoteKey)
+	dbKey := fmt.Sprintf("metadata/%s/db.zst.age",
+		snapshot.RemoteSnapshotKey(snapshotID))
 
 	reader, err := v.Storage.Get(v.ctx, dbKey)
 	if err != nil {

internal/vaultik/restore_another_machine_test.go

@@ -1,167 +0,0 @@
-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

@@ -670,11 +670,9 @@ func (v *Vaultik) VerifySnapshotWithOptions(
 
 	v.printVerifyHeader(snapshotID, opts)
 
-	// 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)
+	// 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))
 	if err != nil {
 		if opts.JSON {
 			result.Status = verifyStatusFailed

internal/vaultik/snapshot_identifier.go

@@ -1,101 +0,0 @@
-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

@@ -138,15 +138,8 @@ 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) {
-	// 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)
-	}
+	// All remote paths use the hashed key derived from the human ID.
+	remoteKey := snapshot.RemoteSnapshotKey(snapshotID)
 
 	// Download manifest. downloadManifestByKey is the single reader for
 	// remote manifests; see its doc comment.
@@ -193,7 +186,7 @@ func (v *Vaultik) loadVerificationData(
 			fmt.Errorf("failed to decrypt database: %w", err))
 	}
 
-	dbBlobs, err := v.getBlobsFromDatabase(tdb.DB)
+	dbBlobs, err := v.getBlobsFromDatabase(snapshotID, tdb.DB)
 	if err != nil {
 		_ = tdb.Close()
 
@@ -508,21 +501,19 @@ func (v *Vaultik) verifyBlobFinalIntegrity(
 	return nil
 }
 
-// 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) {
+// getBlobsFromDatabase gets all blobs for the snapshot from the database
+func (v *Vaultik) getBlobsFromDatabase(
+	snapshotID string, 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)
+	rows, err := db.QueryContext(v.ctx, query, snapshotID)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to query snapshot blobs: %w", err)
 	}