Stop a backup on a symlink whose target cannot be read (closes #269)

When readlink failed, the scanner logged at debug level and left the
symlink out of the snapshot, and the run reported success even without
--skip-errors. The error now goes through the same handling as any
other entry the walk cannot read: the run aborts, or with --skip-errors
the symlink is skipped with the usual "Failed to access" error line.

A symlink removed between the walk's lstat and the readlink also
aborts the run, as an entry that vanishes during the walk already does.

Model: opus-5-5

README.md

@@ -359,9 +359,7 @@ on the destination in one go, use `vaultik remote nuke --force`.
 * `--local-only`: Skip remote cleanup; only touch the local index
 * `--dry-run`: Show what would be deleted without deleting
 * `--force`: Skip confirmation prompt
-* `--json`: Output result as JSON. Also skips the confirmation prompt, as
-  `--force` does, so `snapshot remove --json <snapshot-id>` removes without
-  asking.
+* `--json`: Output result as JSON
 
 **`snapshot restore`**: Restore files from a backup snapshot.
 * Requires `VAULTIK_AGE_SECRET_KEY` environment variable
@@ -385,8 +383,7 @@ manifests — network cost scales with the number of snapshots. `snapshot
 create --prune` runs the same cleanup automatically; this is the
 manual entry point for the same work.
 * `--force`: Skip confirmation prompt
-* `--json`: Output stats as JSON. Also skips the confirmation prompt, as
-  `--force` does, so `prune --json` deletes unreferenced blobs without asking.
+* `--json`: Output stats as JSON
 
 **`info`**: Display system configuration, storage settings, encryption
 recipients, and local database statistics.

TODO.md

@@ -22,13 +22,12 @@ the tag exists and is exercised; what is left is merging `next` to
 
 # Completed Steps
 
-- 2026-10-07: Documented that `--json` skips the confirmation prompt of
-  `snapshot remove` and `prune`
-  ([issue #268](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/268)). Both
-  commands delete without asking under `--json`, since a prompt on stdout
-  would break the JSON document, but the help and the README described
-  only `--force` as skipping it. The `--json` help of both commands and
-  their README entries now say so.
+- 2026-10-07: Made a symlink whose target cannot be read stop the backup
+  ([issue #269](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/269)). It was
+  left out of the snapshot with only a debug log line, even without
+  `--skip-errors`. It now aborts the run, or with `--skip-errors` is
+  skipped with the `Failed to access` error line that any other entry
+  the scan cannot read gets.
 
 - 2026-10-07: Stopped a killed rclone upload from leaving a truncated
   object under its key

internal/cli/json_help_test.go

@@ -1,24 +0,0 @@
-package cli //nolint:testpackage // exercises the unexported command constructor
-
-import (
-	"testing"
-
-	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
-)
-
-// TestJSONHelpSaysConfirmationPromptIsSkipped checks that the --json help
-// of `snapshot remove` and `prune` says the flag skips the confirmation
-// prompt. Both delete without asking under --json, since a prompt on
-// stdout would break the JSON document.
-func TestJSONHelpSaysConfirmationPromptIsSkipped(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	for _, cmd := range []*cobra.Command{
-		newSnapshotRemoveCommand(),
-		NewPruneCommand(),
-	} {
-		assert.Contains(t, cmd.Flags().Lookup("json").Usage,
-			"skips the confirmation prompt", cmd.Name())
-	}
-}

internal/cli/prune.go

@@ -57,8 +57,7 @@ referenced.`,
 	}
 
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&opts.Force, "force", false, "Skip confirmation prompt")
-	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&opts.JSON, "json", false,
-		"Output pruning stats as JSON; skips the confirmation prompt, as --force does")
+	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&opts.JSON, "json", false, "Output pruning stats as JSON")
 
 	return cmd
 }

internal/cli/snapshot.go

@@ -280,8 +280,7 @@ nuke --force' — it is the single supported entry point for that.`,
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVarP(&opts.Force, "force", "f", false, "Skip confirmation prompt")
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&opts.DryRun, "dry-run", false,
 		"Show what would be removed without removing")
-	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&opts.JSON, "json", false,
-		"Output result as JSON; skips the confirmation prompt, as --force does")
+	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&opts.JSON, "json", false, "Output result as JSON")
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&opts.LocalOnly, "local-only", false,
 		"Skip remote cleanup; only touch the local index")
 

internal/snapshot/scanner.go

@@ -889,9 +889,10 @@ func (s *Scanner) scanPhase(
 		}
 
 		// Handle symlinks and directories
-		if handled := s.recordSpecialEntry(
-			filePath, info, existingFiles, collector, result); handled {
-			return nil
+		handled, err := s.recordSpecialEntry(
+			filePath, info, existingFiles, collector, result)
+		if handled {
+			return err
 		}
 
 		// Skip other non-regular files (devices, sockets, etc.)
@@ -933,22 +934,25 @@ func (s *Scanner) scanPhase(
 }
 
 // recordSpecialEntry records symlinks and directories (which have no
-// data to chunk) and reports whether it handled the entry.
+// data to chunk) and reports whether it handled the entry. For a symlink
+// whose target cannot be read it returns handleWalkError's result.
 func (s *Scanner) recordSpecialEntry(
 	filePath string, info os.FileInfo,
 	existingFiles map[string]struct{},
 	collector *scanCollector, result *ScanResult,
-) bool {
+) (bool, error) {
 	// Handle symlinks
 	if info.Mode()&os.ModeSymlink != 0 {
-		file := s.buildSymlinkEntry(filePath, info)
-		if file != nil {
-			existingFiles[filePath] = struct{}{}
-			collector.addToProcess(filePath, info, file)
-			s.updateScanEntryStats(result, true, info)
+		file, err := s.buildSymlinkEntry(filePath, info)
+		if err != nil {
+			return true, s.handleWalkError(filePath, err)
 		}
 
-		return true
+		existingFiles[filePath] = struct{}{}
+		collector.addToProcess(filePath, info, file)
+		s.updateScanEntryStats(result, true, info)
+
+		return true, nil
 	}
 
 	// Handle directories (record for permission/ownership preservation
@@ -958,10 +962,10 @@ func (s *Scanner) recordSpecialEntry(
 		existingFiles[filePath] = struct{}{}
 		collector.addToProcess(filePath, info, file)
 
-		return true
+		return true, nil
 	}
 
-	return false
+	return false, nil
 }
 
 // handleWalkError deals with a filesystem error surfaced by the walk:
@@ -1111,13 +1115,12 @@ func (s *Scanner) printScanProgressLine(
 }
 
 // buildSymlinkEntry creates a File record for a symlink.
-// Returns nil if the link target cannot be read.
-func (s *Scanner) buildSymlinkEntry(path string, info os.FileInfo) *database.File {
+func (s *Scanner) buildSymlinkEntry(
+	path string, info os.FileInfo,
+) (*database.File, error) {
 	target, err := os.Readlink(path)
 	if err != nil {
-		log.Debug("Cannot read symlink target", "path", path, "error", err)
-
-		return nil
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	var uid, gid uint32
@@ -1136,7 +1139,7 @@ func (s *Scanner) buildSymlinkEntry(path string, info os.FileInfo) *database.Fil
 		UID:        uid,
 		GID:        gid,
 		LinkTarget: types.FilePath(target),
-	}
+	}, nil
 }
 
 // buildDirectoryEntry creates a File record for a directory.

internal/snapshot/skip_errors_test.go

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package snapshot_test
 import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
+	"io"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
@@ -13,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/afero"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/database"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/snapshot"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/ui"
 )
 
 // errSimTempFail is the one-time temp-file creation failure blobTempFailFs
@@ -80,6 +82,30 @@ func (f *readFailFs) Open(name string) (afero.File, error) {
 	return file, nil
 }
 
+// linkRemovedAfterLstatFs is the real filesystem, except that the symlink at
+// target is removed right after the walk lstats it, as happens when a link is
+// deleted during a backup. The scanner's readlink of it then fails.
+type linkRemovedAfterLstatFs struct {
+	afero.OsFs
+
+	t      *testing.T
+	target string
+}
+
+func (f *linkRemovedAfterLstatFs) LstatIfPossible(
+	name string,
+) (os.FileInfo, bool, error) {
+	info, lstatCalled, err := f.OsFs.LstatIfPossible(name)
+	if err == nil && name == f.target {
+		rmErr := os.Remove(name)
+		if rmErr != nil {
+			f.t.Errorf("removing %s: %v", name, rmErr)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return info, lstatCalled, err
+}
+
 // writeSkipErrorTestFile writes one file into fs with a fixed mtime.
 func writeSkipErrorTestFile(t *testing.T, fs afero.Fs, path, content string) {
 	t.Helper()
@@ -102,10 +128,11 @@ func writeSkipErrorTestFile(t *testing.T, fs afero.Fs, path, content string) {
 	}
 }
 
-// runSkipErrorScan scans /source on fs with the given skip-errors setting and
-// returns the repositories (for inspection) and the scan error.
+// runSkipErrorScan scans source on fs with the given skip-errors setting,
+// printing user-facing messages to uiw (nil discards them), and returns the
+// repositories (for inspection) and the scan error.
 func runSkipErrorScan(
-	t *testing.T, fs afero.Fs, skipErrors bool,
+	t *testing.T, fs afero.Fs, source string, skipErrors bool, uiw *ui.Writer,
 ) (*database.Repositories, error) {
 	t.Helper()
 
@@ -130,6 +157,7 @@ func runSkipErrorScan(
 		MaxBlobSize:      int64(1024 * 1024),
 		CompressionLevel: 3,
 		AgeRecipients:    []string{testAgePublicKey},
+		UI:               uiw,
 		SkipErrors:       skipErrors,
 	})
 
@@ -137,7 +165,7 @@ func runSkipErrorScan(
 	snapshotID := "test-snapshot-skip-errors"
 	createTestSnapshotRecord(ctx, t, repos, snapshotID)
 
-	_, err = scanner.Scan(ctx, "/source", snapshotID)
+	_, err = scanner.Scan(ctx, source, snapshotID)
 
 	return repos, err
 }
@@ -157,7 +185,7 @@ func TestScannerPackingFailureAbortsUnderSkipErrors(t *testing.T) {
 	writeSkipErrorTestFile(t, fs, "/source/file1.txt", "first file content")
 	writeSkipErrorTestFile(t, fs, "/source/file2.txt", "second file content")
 
-	repos, err := runSkipErrorScan(t, fs, true)
+	repos, err := runSkipErrorScan(t, fs, "/source", true, nil)
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Fatal("expected scan to abort on the packer error, got nil")
 	}
@@ -184,7 +212,7 @@ func TestScannerReadErrorAbortsWithoutSkipErrors(t *testing.T) {
 	fs := &readFailFs{Fs: afero.NewMemMapFs(), target: target}
 	writeSkipErrorTestFile(t, fs, target, "content that cannot be read")
 
-	_, err := runSkipErrorScan(t, fs, false)
+	_, err := runSkipErrorScan(t, fs, "/source", false, nil)
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Fatal("expected scan to fail on the read error, got nil")
 	}
@@ -200,7 +228,7 @@ func TestScannerReadErrorSkippedWithSkipErrors(t *testing.T) {
 	fs := &readFailFs{Fs: afero.NewMemMapFs(), target: target}
 	writeSkipErrorTestFile(t, fs, target, "content that cannot be read")
 
-	repos, err := runSkipErrorScan(t, fs, true)
+	repos, err := runSkipErrorScan(t, fs, "/source", true, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("expected scan to complete with --skip-errors, got %v", err)
 	}
@@ -214,3 +242,63 @@ func TestScannerReadErrorSkippedWithSkipErrors(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected unreadable file skipped, got %d chunks", len(chunks))
 	}
 }
+
+// writeSymlinkSource creates a source directory on disk holding one symlink
+// and returns the directory and the symlink's path.
+func writeSymlinkSource(t *testing.T) (string, string) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	sourceDir := t.TempDir()
+	linkPath := filepath.Join(sourceDir, "link")
+
+	err := os.Symlink("target.txt", linkPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("creating symlink: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	return sourceDir, linkPath
+}
+
+// TestScannerUnreadableSymlinkAbortsWithoutSkipErrors checks that a symlink
+// whose target cannot be read aborts the run when --skip-errors is not set.
+func TestScannerUnreadableSymlinkAbortsWithoutSkipErrors(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	sourceDir, linkPath := writeSymlinkSource(t)
+	fs := &linkRemovedAfterLstatFs{t: t, target: linkPath}
+
+	_, err := runSkipErrorScan(t, fs, sourceDir, false, nil)
+	if !errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected scan to fail on the removed symlink, got %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestScannerUnreadableSymlinkSkippedWithSkipErrors checks that a symlink
+// whose target cannot be read is skipped with an error line, and the run
+// completes, when --skip-errors is set.
+func TestScannerUnreadableSymlinkSkippedWithSkipErrors(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	sourceDir, linkPath := writeSymlinkSource(t)
+	fs := &linkRemovedAfterLstatFs{t: t, target: linkPath}
+	uiw := ui.NewWithColor(io.Discard, false)
+
+	repos, err := runSkipErrorScan(t, fs, sourceDir, true, uiw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected scan to complete with --skip-errors, got %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if uiw.ErrorCount() != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected one error line for the symlink, got %d",
+			uiw.ErrorCount())
+	}
+
+	file, err := repos.Files.GetByPath(context.Background(), linkPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("getting %s: %v", linkPath, err)
+	}
+
+	if file != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected %s not to be recorded", linkPath)
+	}
+}