README.md

@@ -352,8 +352,9 @@ may hold snapshots this host doesn't know about), which is what
 prune` invocation to run as a follow-up. Local row cleanup (files,
 chunks, blobs the snapshot was the last referrer for) runs
 automatically. If the destination store is unreachable, the local-DB
-removal still completes and a warning is emitted; rerun `vaultik prune`
-once the store is reachable to finish remote cleanup. To wipe everything
+removal still completes and a warning is emitted; run `vaultik snapshot
+remove <snapshot-id>` again once the store is reachable to remove the
+snapshot's metadata from it (`vaultik prune` does not). To wipe everything
 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

TODO.md

@@ -22,6 +22,17 @@ the tag exists and is exercised; what is left is merging `next` to
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-10-06: Made `snapshot remove --json` write only its document to
+  stdout when the destination store cannot be reached
+  ([issue #251](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/251)). Its
+  warning that the snapshot's metadata was left on the destination store
+  went to stdout ahead of the document, breaking `| jq` on a command that
+  exited 0. Under `--json` the warning now reaches stderr only, through
+  the logger. The warning, the README and the command's help said
+  `vaultik prune` would finish the cleanup, but `prune` never removes
+  snapshot metadata; they now say to run `vaultik snapshot remove` for the
+  snapshot again once the destination store is reachable.
+
 - 2026-10-06: Made the backup summary and the `snapshots` row count each
   file, byte and upload once
   ([issue #225](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/225)). The

internal/cli/entry_stdout_stderr_test.go

@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@ package cli //nolint:testpackage // shares hermeticConfig and the capture helper
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
+	"log/slog"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
@@ -87,12 +89,45 @@ func TestEntryJSONFailureIsReportedOnStderr(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// writeUnusableDestinationConfig builds a config whose destination
-// directory does not exist, which fails `remote info`, and whose local
-// index is bound to another destination, which fails `prune` and
-// `snapshot remove` (a missing destination alone only makes `snapshot
-// remove` warn). Returns the config path.
-func writeUnusableDestinationConfig(t *testing.T) string {
+// TestEntrySnapshotRemoveJSONWarningIsOnStderr runs `snapshot remove
+// --json` on a snapshot in the local index, against a destination
+// directory that does not exist. The command removes the snapshot from
+// the local index and still exits 0. Its stdout must hold the document
+// alone, with the warning about the destination store on stderr: the
+// command to run again once it is reachable, and the snapshot's ID in
+// the record's snapshot_id field.
+//
+//nolint:paralleltest // replaces os.Args, os.Stdout, os.Stderr and the xdg globals
+func TestEntrySnapshotRemoveJSONWarningIsOnStderr(t *testing.T) {
+	configPath, indexPath := writeMissingDestinationConfig(t)
+	seedStaleSnapshotRecord(t, indexPath)
+
+	code, stdout, stderr := runEntry(t, flagConfig, configPath,
+		cmdSnapshot, cmdRemove, stalePruneSnapshotID, flagJSON)
+
+	require.Equal(t, 0, code)
+	requireExactlyOneJSONDocument(t, stdout)
+
+	// stderr is a pipe here, so the logger writes one JSON record a line.
+	var warning map[string]any
+
+	for line := range strings.Lines(stderr) {
+		if strings.Contains(line,
+			"Could not remove snapshot metadata from remote storage") {
+			require.NoError(t, json.Unmarshal([]byte(line), &warning))
+		}
+	}
+
+	require.NotNil(t, warning, "the warning must reach stderr")
+	assert.Contains(t, warning[slog.MessageKey],
+		"run 'vaultik snapshot remove' with the snapshot's ID again")
+	assert.Equal(t, stalePruneSnapshotID, warning["snapshot_id"])
+}
+
+// writeMissingDestinationConfig builds a config whose destination
+// directory does not exist. Returns the config path and the path of
+// its local index, which is not created here.
+func writeMissingDestinationConfig(t *testing.T) (string, string) {
 	t.Helper()
 
 	dir := t.TempDir()
@@ -114,6 +149,19 @@ func writeUnusableDestinationConfig(t *testing.T) string {
 	xdg.Reload()
 	t.Cleanup(xdg.Reload)
 
+	return configPath, indexPath
+}
+
+// writeUnusableDestinationConfig builds a config whose destination
+// directory does not exist, which fails `remote info`, and whose local
+// index is bound to another destination, which fails `prune` and
+// `snapshot remove` (a missing destination alone only makes `snapshot
+// remove` warn). Returns the config path.
+func writeUnusableDestinationConfig(t *testing.T) string {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	configPath, indexPath := writeMissingDestinationConfig(t)
+
 	ctx := context.Background()
 
 	db, err := database.New(ctx, indexPath)
@@ -122,7 +170,7 @@ func writeUnusableDestinationConfig(t *testing.T) string {
 	defer func() { require.NoError(t, db.Close()) }()
 
 	require.NoError(t, database.NewRepositories(db).LocalMeta.Set(ctx,
-		database.LocalMetaKeyStorageURL, "file://"+filepath.Join(dir, "other")))
+		database.LocalMetaKeyStorageURL, "file://"+t.TempDir()))
 
 	return configPath
 }

internal/cli/snapshot.go

@@ -258,8 +258,9 @@ Use --local-only to skip the remote half (e.g. when you want to forget a
 snapshot locally without touching the destination store).
 
 If the remote is unreachable, the local-database removal still completes
-and a warning is emitted; rerun 'vaultik prune' once the destination store
-is reachable to finish remote cleanup.
+and a warning is emitted; run 'vaultik snapshot remove <snapshot-id>' again
+once the destination store is reachable to remove the snapshot's metadata
+from it ('vaultik prune' does not).
 
 To wipe the entire destination store and start over, use 'vaultik remote
 nuke --force' — it is the single supported entry point for that.`,

internal/vaultik/snapshot.go

@@ -1110,6 +1110,12 @@ type RemoveResult struct {
 // just-removed snapshot left behind on the destination store.
 const pruneCommandHint = "vaultik prune"
 
+// snapshotRemoveCommandHint is the command suggested, with the
+// snapshot's ID, when a remove could not reach the destination store:
+// running it again removes the snapshot's metadata there, which
+// `vaultik prune` never does.
+const snapshotRemoveCommandHint = "vaultik snapshot remove"
+
 // RemoveSnapshot removes a snapshot from the local index database and,
 // unless LocalOnly is set, also strips the snapshot's metadata from the
 // destination store. Blobs are NOT touched: removing a snapshot's
@@ -1146,7 +1152,7 @@ func (v *Vaultik) RemoveSnapshot(
 	}
 
 	if !opts.LocalOnly {
-		result.RemoteRemoved = v.removeSnapshotRemote(snapshotID)
+		result.RemoteRemoved = v.removeSnapshotRemote(snapshotID, opts)
 	}
 
 	if v.SnapshotManager != nil {
@@ -1229,9 +1235,11 @@ func (v *Vaultik) confirmRemoveSnapshot(snapshotID string, opts *RemoveOptions)
 // removeSnapshotRemote strips the snapshot's metadata from the
 // destination store, warning and proceeding on failure: the local-DB
 // removal has already happened, so the user is told the remote half
-// didn't finish and can retry with `vaultik prune` once the destination
-// store is reachable. Returns true when the remote removal succeeded.
-func (v *Vaultik) removeSnapshotRemote(snapshotID string) bool {
+// didn't finish and to run `vaultik snapshot remove` for the snapshot
+// again once the destination store is reachable (`vaultik prune` never
+// removes snapshot metadata). Returns true when the remote removal
+// succeeded.
+func (v *Vaultik) removeSnapshotRemote(snapshotID string, opts *RemoveOptions) bool {
 	log.Info("Removing snapshot metadata from remote storage",
 		"snapshot_id", snapshotID)
 
@@ -1239,13 +1247,17 @@ func (v *Vaultik) removeSnapshotRemote(snapshotID string) bool {
 
 	err := v.deleteRemoteSnapshotByKey(remoteKey)
 	if err != nil {
-		log.Warn("Could not remove snapshot metadata from remote storage",
-			"error", err)
+		log.Warn("Could not remove snapshot metadata from remote storage; "+
+			"run '"+snapshotRemoveCommandHint+"' with the snapshot's ID "+
+			"again once the remote is reachable",
+			"snapshot_id", snapshotID, "error", err)
 
-		if v.UI != nil {
+		// The UI writes to stdout, which under --json holds only the
+		// document; the log record above is the warning on stderr.
+		if v.UI != nil && !opts.JSON {
 			v.UI.Warningf("Could not remove snapshot metadata from remote: "+
-				"%v. Run '%s' once the remote is reachable to finish cleanup.",
-				err, pruneCommandHint)
+				"%v. Run '%s %s' again once the remote is reachable.",
+				err, snapshotRemoveCommandHint, snapshotID)
 		}
 
 		return false