test: cover absent-parent no-op and --dirs scanner skip

Unit: manifest_delete_missing_args treats a deeper missing entry whose
destination parent directory does not exist as a no-op (run continues, nothing
created). Integration (TestMissingArgs): a deeper missing entry with an absent
parent -R bare and full-mirror layouts, single-threaded and -m, no longer
aborts --delete (the extras walk still removes an unrelated extra); --dirs +
--files-from with --ignore-missing-args skips a listed-but-missing entry and
transfers the rest.

src/client/client_send.c

@@ -262,12 +262,26 @@ static bool files_from_list_check(const Config* config, ArrayList* missing_dest,
     free(full);
   }
   if (*skipped_out > 0) {
-    if (config->delete_missing_args)
+    if (config->delete_missing_args) {
-      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING,
+      /* --list-only never deletes and a --dry-run only shows intent, so the
-                  "--delete-missing-args: %d missing --files-from entr%s will be deleted from the "
+         summary must not claim a real deletion happened in those modes. */
-                  "destination",
+      if (config->list_only)
-                  *skipped_out, *skipped_out == 1 ? "y" : "ies");
+        log_message(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING,
-    else if (config->ignore_missing_args)
+                    "--delete-missing-args: %d missing --files-from entr%s skipped (--list-only "
+                    "never deletes)",
+                    *skipped_out, *skipped_out == 1 ? "y" : "ies");
+      else if (config->dry_run)
+        log_message(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING,
+                    "--delete-missing-args: %d missing --files-from entr%s would be deleted from "
+                    "the destination (dry run)",
+                    *skipped_out, *skipped_out == 1 ? "y" : "ies");
+      else
+        log_message(
+            LOG_LEVEL_WARNING,
+            "--delete-missing-args: %d missing --files-from entr%s will be deleted from the "
+            "destination",
+            *skipped_out, *skipped_out == 1 ? "y" : "ies");
+    } else if (config->ignore_missing_args)
       log_message(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING,
                   "--ignore-missing-args: ignored %d missing --files-from entr%s", *skipped_out,
                   *skipped_out == 1 ? "y" : "ies");

src/shared/file_receive.c

@@ -1590,13 +1590,21 @@ bool manifest_delete_missing_args(const Config* config, DeleteManifest* manifest
     char* leaf = NULL;
     int parent_fd = file_open_secure_parent(full, &leaf, false);
     if (parent_fd < 0) {
+      /* The mirror's parent directory may itself not exist on the destination
+         (a deeper missing entry whose leading directories were never created).
+         That is a no-op -- there is nothing to delete -- matching
+         file_remove_tree_secure's absent-path handling; only a genuine I/O
+         error (EACCES, a symlink loop, ...) fails the run. */
+      bool absent = errno == ENOENT || errno == ENOTDIR;
       free(full);
       free(leaf);
-      ok = false;
+      if (!absent)
+        ok = false;
       continue;
     }
     struct stat st;
     if (fstatat(parent_fd, leaf, &st, AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW) != 0) {
+      /* Already absent: nothing to delete (a no-op, not a deletion). */
       if (errno != ENOENT)
         ok = false;
       close(parent_fd);
@@ -1604,24 +1612,20 @@ bool manifest_delete_missing_args(const Config* config, DeleteManifest* manifest
       free(full);
       continue;
     }
+    bool removed = false;
     if (S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)) {
-      if (unlinkat(parent_fd, leaf, AT_REMOVEDIR) == 0 || errno == ENOENT) {
+      if (unlinkat(parent_fd, leaf, AT_REMOVEDIR) == 0) {
-        char* escaped = output_escape(rel, log_get_8_bit_output());
+        removed = true;
-        fprintf(stderr, "  Deleted: %s\n", escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
-        free(escaped);
       } else if (errno == ENOTEMPTY || errno == EEXIST) {
         close(parent_fd);
         parent_fd = -1;
         free(leaf);
         leaf = NULL;
         if (config->use_delete || config->force_delete) {
-          if (file_remove_tree_secure(full)) {
+          if (!file_remove_tree_secure(full))
-            char* escaped = output_escape(rel, log_get_8_bit_output());
-            fprintf(stderr, "  Deleted: %s\n", escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
-            free(escaped);
-          } else {
             ok = false;
-          }
+          else
+            removed = true;
         } else {
           char* escaped = output_escape(rel, log_get_8_bit_output());
           log_message(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING,
@@ -1630,18 +1634,21 @@ bool manifest_delete_missing_args(const Config* config, DeleteManifest* manifest
                       escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
           free(escaped);
         }
-      } else {
+      } else if (errno != ENOENT) {
         ok = false;
       }
     } else {
-      if (unlinkat(parent_fd, leaf, 0) == 0 || errno == ENOENT) {
+      if (unlinkat(parent_fd, leaf, 0) == 0) {
-        char* escaped = output_escape(rel, log_get_8_bit_output());
+        removed = true;
-        fprintf(stderr, "  Deleted: %s\n", escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
+      } else if (errno != ENOENT) {
-        free(escaped);
-      } else {
         ok = false;
       }
     }
+    if (removed) {
+      char* escaped = output_escape(rel, log_get_8_bit_output());
+      fprintf(stderr, "  Deleted: %s\n", escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
+      free(escaped);
+    }
     if (parent_fd >= 0)
       close(parent_fd);
     free(leaf);

tests/integration/test_features.py

@@ -1955,6 +1955,64 @@ class TestMissingArgs:
             assert not os.path.exists(os.path.join(dest, "extra.txt")), \
                 "--delete-before implies --delete: unrelated extras must go"
 
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("mt", [False, True])
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("relative", [False, True])
+    def test_delete_missing_deep_entry_with_absent_parent(self, mt, relative):
+        """A missing entry whose destination mirror's parent directory does not
+        exist is a no-op (nothing to delete), never a run failure: the
+        exact-path deletions must not abort the --delete extras walk.  Covers
+        the -R bare-relative layout and the full source-mirror layout."""
+        source = self._make_source("mg_deep_src")
+        dest = os.path.join(TEST_DATA_DIR, "mg_deep_dst")
+        clean_dir(dest)
+        rel_flags = ["-R"] if relative else []
+        with ServerManager() as server:
+            server.start(extra_args=["--allow-delete"])
+            if relative:
+                target_root = dest
+            else:
+                # Non-relative layout: seed a.txt so the receive-root mirror
+                # tree exists (its sub/ sibling deliberately does not).
+                seed = _write_rel_list(b"a.txt\n")
+                result, _ = run_client(source, dest,
+                                       flags=["--files-from", seed] + rel_flags,
+                                       port=server.port)
+                assert result.returncode == 0, f"seed sync failed: {result.stderr[:200]}"
+                target_root = get_dest_received_dir(dest, source)
+                assert os.path.isfile(os.path.join(target_root, "a.txt"))
+            with open(os.path.join(target_root, "extra.txt"), "w") as fh:
+                fh.write("extra")
+
+            lst = _write_rel_list(b"a.txt\nsub/gone.txt\n")
+            flags = ["--files-from", lst, "--delete-missing-args", "--delete"] + rel_flags + \
+                    (["-m"] if mt else [])
+            result, _ = run_client(source, dest, flags=flags, port=server.port)
+            assert result.returncode == 0, \
+                f"deep missing-entry sync failed: {result.stderr[:300]}"
+            assert _read_file(os.path.join(target_root, "a.txt")) == b"a\n"
+            assert not os.path.exists(os.path.join(target_root, "extra.txt")), \
+                "--delete extras walk was aborted by the absent-parent missing entry"
+            assert not os.path.exists(os.path.join(target_root, "sub")), \
+                "the absent parent directory of the missing entry was created"
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("mt", [False, True])
+    def test_dirs_missing_entry_skipped_in_scanner(self, shared_server, mt):
+        """--dirs + --files-from: a listed-but-missing entry is skipped in the
+        --dirs generator (which would otherwise hard-fail), transferring the
+        rest of the list."""
+        source = self._make_source("mg_dirs_src")
+        dest = os.path.join(TEST_DATA_DIR, "mg_dirs_dst")
+        clean_dir(dest)
+        lst = _write_rel_list(b"a.txt\ngone.txt\n")
+        flags = ["--files-from", lst, "--dirs", "-R", "--ignore-missing-args"] + \
+                (["-m"] if mt else [])
+        result, _ = run_client(source, dest, flags=flags, port=shared_server.port)
+        assert result.returncode == 0, f"--dirs ignore-missing sync failed: {result.stderr[:300]}"
+        assert _read_file(os.path.join(dest, "a.txt")) == b"a\n", \
+            "the listed present file was not transferred"
+        assert not os.path.exists(os.path.join(dest, "gone.txt")), \
+            "a directory/file was created for the missing --dirs entry"
+
 
 class TestNoImpliedDirs:
     """--no-implied-dirs (only meaningful with -R + --files-from) refuses to

tests/test_server.c

@@ -638,6 +638,9 @@ static void test_manifest_delete_missing_args() {
   EXPECT_TRUE(array_list_add(manifest->missing, str_dup("empty_dir")));
   EXPECT_TRUE(array_list_add(manifest->missing, str_dup("full_dir")));
   EXPECT_TRUE(array_list_add(manifest->missing, str_dup("never_here.txt")));
+  /* A deeper entry whose destination parent directory does not exist is a
+     no-op (nothing to delete), never a failure. */
+  EXPECT_TRUE(array_list_add(manifest->missing, str_dup("no_parent_here/gone.txt")));
 
   /* Without --delete/--force the non-empty directory survives (rsync parity). */
   EXPECT_TRUE(manifest_delete_missing_args(cfg, manifest));
@@ -655,6 +658,8 @@ static void test_manifest_delete_missing_args() {
   EXPECT_TRUE(array_list_add(manifest->missing, str_dup("full_dir")));
   EXPECT_TRUE(manifest_delete_missing_args(cfg, manifest));
   EXPECT_EQ_INT(access(full_dir, F_OK), -1);
+  snprintf(path, sizeof(path), "%s/no_parent_here", root);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(access(path, F_OK), -1);
 
   delete_manifest_free(manifest);
   config_delete(cfg);