test: drop racy queued_bytes==0 assert in byte-budget test

After the writer releases bytes, the blocked enqueuer may already have
admitted the next payload, so the transient queued_bytes==0 read is
scheduling-dependent (lost the race under ASan). The post-join state
(covers unblocking + budget re-limit) is deterministic.

CMakeLists.txt

@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ set(TEST_INCLUDES tests src/shared src/server src/client)
 
 # Monolithic test binary (backward compatible)
 file(GLOB TEST_SRCS "tests/test_*.c" "tests/runner.c")
-add_executable(tests ${TEST_SRCS} ${SHARED_SRCS} ${FILE_STORE_SRCS} ${SERVER_RECEIVER_SRCS} src/client/scanner.c src/client/client_cli.c src/client/client_validation.c src/client/usage.c)
+add_executable(tests ${TEST_SRCS} ${SHARED_SRCS} ${FILE_STORE_SRCS} ${SERVER_RECEIVER_SRCS} src/client/scanner.c src/client/change_list.c src/client/client_cli.c src/client/client_validation.c src/client/usage.c)
 target_include_directories(tests PRIVATE ${TEST_INCLUDES})
 target_compile_definitions(tests PRIVATE FASTSYNC_TEST_BUILD)
 target_link_libraries(tests PRIVATE ${TEST_LIBS})

README.md

@@ -66,8 +66,12 @@ replacement for every rsync feature or protocol mode.
 - Owner/group, ACL, xattr, hard-link, device, and special-file handling is
   incomplete or unavailable.
 - Sparse-file handling does not yet preserve all holes correctly.
-- `--partial`, `--partial-dir`, `--append`, and `--append-verify` are not yet
-  full rsync-style resumable transfers.
+- `--partial`, `--partial-dir`, `-P`, `--append`, and `--append-verify` are not
+  yet full rsync-style resumable transfers. Interrupted files are not retained
+  for resumption.
+- `--dirs` is not implemented. Its compatibility aliases `--old-dirs` and
+  `--old-d` are recognized but rejected explicitly rather than silently using
+  FastSync's recursive directory behavior.
 - Several rsync short options currently have FastSync-specific meanings. Do
   not assume every short option is interchangeable yet.
 
@@ -89,19 +93,24 @@ partial, alternate, and planned behavior.
 | `-a, --archive` | Archive mode: enables `-c -m -M` (no `-s`) |
 | `-m` | Multithreading mode |
 | `-s` | Chunk serialization (batch all files per chunk) |
+| `--secluded-args` | Accepted as an rsync compatibility option with no effect; `-s` remains chunk serialization. |
 | `-f, --sendfile` | Sendfile zero-copy. Incompatible with `-c` / `-s`. TCP only. |
 | `-M, --preserve` | Preserve supported file metadata (mode and mtime; ownership and atime are unsupported) |
 | `-n, --dry-run` | Scan and print what would be transferred |
 | `-p <port>` | SSH port (default: 22) |
 | `-v, --verbose` | Enable debug logging |
+| `-q, --quiet` | Suppress non-error output |
 | `--progress` | Show real-time transfer speed |
+| `-P` | Enables partial-transfer mode and progress output (partial retention is incomplete) |
 | `--delete` | Delete files on receiver not present in source |
 | `--exclude <pattern>` | Exclude files matching glob pattern (repeatable) |
 | `--exclude-from <file>` | Read exclude patterns from a file (one per line) |
 | `--include <pattern>` | Only transfer files matching glob pattern (repeatable, whitelist) |
 | `--max-size <n>` | Skip files larger than n bytes |
 | `--min-size <n>` | Skip files smaller than n bytes |
+| `--max-alloc <SIZE>` | Maximum single allocation (binary units: B, K, M, G, T, P, E; default 1G) |
 | `--incremental` | Skip files unchanged since last transfer (size + mtime). Auto-enables `--preserve`. Incompatible with `-s`. |
+| `--existing` | Skip files not already present at the destination; update existing files normally. |
 | `--bwlimit <KB/s>` | Bandwidth limit in kilobytes per second |
 | `--chunk-size <n>` | Chunk size in bytes (default: 10485760) |
 | `--timeout <sec>` | I/O timeout in seconds (default: 30) |
@@ -109,6 +118,7 @@ partial, alternate, and planned behavior.
 | `--backup` | Backup existing destination files before overwriting |
 | `--backup-dir <dir>` | Target directory for backups (requires `--backup`) |
 | `--stats` | Print transfer statistics at end (bytes, files, timing) |
+| `-h, --human-readable` | Format transfer byte sizes with binary units |
 | `--max-depth <n>` | Maximum directory depth to recurse (0 = unlimited, default: 0) |
 | `--log-file <path>` | Write log messages to file instead of stderr |
 | `--source-dir <path>` | Source directory (overrides `FASTSYNC_SOURCE_DIR`) |
@@ -339,6 +349,10 @@ features without changing the meaning of ordinary compatibility options.
 | `-m` | Enable the multithreaded scanner/loader/sender pipeline. |
 | `-c [level]`, `-z [level]` | Enable streaming zstd compression, levels 1-22. |
 | `--compress-level <n>` | Set the zstd compression level. |
+| `--zc <alg>` | Alias for `--compress-choice`. FastSync supports `zstd` and `none`. |
+| `--zl <n>` | Alias for `--compress-level`. |
+| `--skip-compress <list>` | Skip compression for comma-separated suffixes; incompatible with `-s`. |
+| `--compress-threads <n>` | Use `n` zstd compression workers. Requires compression and a zstd build with threaded support; the setting affects sender CPU work only. |
 | `--chunk-size <bytes>` | Set the transfer chunk size. |
 | `-s` | Enable FastSync chunk serialization. |
 | `-f`, `--sendfile` | Use TCP `sendfile()` zero-copy transfer. Incompatible with compression and chunk serialization. |
@@ -359,6 +373,11 @@ particular, FastSync currently uses `-p` for SSH port, `-s` for chunk
 serialization, and `-S` for sparse handling. These meanings must be reconciled
 before FastSync can claim full rsync CLI compatibility.
 
+`--secluded-args` is accepted as a long-form compatibility no-op. It does not
+change FastSync's transport or protocol behavior. The rsync short form `-s` is
+intentionally not aliased because it remains FastSync's chunk-serialization
+option.
+
 ## Client Options
 
 ### Selection and transfer
@@ -465,11 +484,12 @@ defaults to the current directory. |
 
 ## Protocol and Security
 
-FastSync protocol version `2.2.0` is shared by the client and server. The
+FastSync protocol version `2.5.0` is shared by the client and server. The
 current protocol is sender-driven and includes configuration negotiation,
-incremental checks, checksums, manifests, keep-alives, abort handling, and
-FastSync-native delta messages. Client and server versions must currently
-match exactly.
+including the maximum allocation limit, incremental checks, checksums,
+manifests, keep-alives, abort handling, per-file remove-source results, and
+FastSync-native delta messages.
+Client and server versions must currently match exactly.
 
 TLS provides encrypted TCP transport. Supplying `--ca` enables certificate
 verification; without it, traffic is encrypted but peer identity is not

RSYNC_COMPAT.md

@@ -6,11 +6,12 @@ This document maps rsync's full feature set to FastSync's current implementation
 
 | Status | Count | Description |
 |--------|-------|-------------|
-| ✅ Implemented | 34 | Feature works end-to-end |
+| ✅ Implemented | 67 | Feature works end-to-end |
 | 🔀 Alt Arg | 3 | Functionality exists but under different flag/semantics |
-| ⚠️ Partial | 1 | Flag parsed/stored but behavior incomplete |
-| ❌ Not Implemented | 98 | Flag not recognized or no behavior |
-| **Total** | **136** | |
+| ⚠️ Partial | 5 | Flag parsed/stored but behavior incomplete |
+| 🔄 Compatibility No-op | 1 | Flag is accepted for CLI compatibility but has no effect |
+| ❌ Not Implemented | 71 | Flag not recognized or no behavior |
+| **Total** | **147** | |
 
 ---
 
@@ -20,31 +21,31 @@ This document maps rsync's full feature set to FastSync's current implementation
 |------|-------------------|-----------------|-------|
 | `-a`, `--archive` | Archive mode is -rlptgoD | 🔀 Alt Arg | Maps to -c -m -M (compression + multithread + metadata) |
 | `-v`, `--verbose` | Increase verbosity | ✅ Implemented | Sets `log_level=DEBUG` |
-| `-q`, `--quiet` | Suppress non-error messages | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
+| `-q`, `--quiet` | Suppress non-error messages | ✅ Implemented | Suppresses client output while preserving errors |
 | `--help` | Show help | ✅ Implemented | Prints usage and exits; `-h` is not accepted |
 | `-V`, `--version` | Print version | ✅ Implemented | |
-| `--info=FLAGS` | Fine-grained info verbosity | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
-| `--debug=FLAGS` | Fine-grained debug verbosity | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
-| `--stderr=MODE` | Change stderr output mode | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--info=FLAGS` | Fine-grained info verbosity | ✅ Implemented | Supports `copy`, `misc`, `skip`, `stats`, `all`, and `none`; explicit flags override `--verbose`, and `none` suppresses info output; unsupported names are rejected |
+| `--debug=FLAGS` | Fine-grained debug verbosity | ✅ Implemented | `io`, `proto`, `pack`, and `util` are supported; `--debug=help` lists flags; other rsync categories are rejected |
+| `--stderr=MODE` | Change stderr output mode | ⚠️ Partial | `errors` (default) and `all` are supported; `client` is rejected because FastSync has no rsync message channel |
 | `--no-motd` | Suppress daemon MOTD | ❌ Not Implemented | |
 | `--exclude=PATTERN` | Exclude files matching pattern | ✅ Implemented | Glob matching in scanner |
 | `--include=PATTERN` | Include files matching pattern | ✅ Implemented | Glob matching in scanner |
-| `-C`, `--cvs-exclude` | Auto-ignore CVS files | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
+| `-C`, `--cvs-exclude` | Auto-ignore CVS files | ✅ Implemented | Applies the well-known rsync default exclude set as exclude rules during scanning (RCS SCCS CVS CVS.adm RCSLOG cvslog.* tags TAGS .make.state .nse_depinfo *~ #* .#* ,* _$* *$ *.old *.bak *.BAK *.orig *.rej .del-* *.a *.olb *.o *.obj *.so *.exe *.Z *.elc *.ln core .svn/ .git/ .hg/ .bzr/); `.git/`-style repo dirs are pruned without descending |
 
 ## 2. Modifying Output
 
 | Flag | Rsync Description | FastSync Status | Notes |
 |------|-------------------|-----------------|-------|
 | `--stats` | Give transfer stats | ✅ Implemented | Prints file/byte counts |
-| `-h`, `--human-readable` | Human-readable numbers | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
-| `-i`, `--itemize-changes` | Per-file change summary | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
+| `-h`, `--human-readable` | Human-readable numbers | ✅ Implemented | Formats transfer byte sizes using binary units |
+| `-i`, `--itemize-changes` | Per-file change summary | ✅ Implemented | Prints rsync-style `>f+++++++++` lines to stdout only for files actually sent (also under `-m`); unchanged files print nothing, matching single-`-i` behavior |
 | `--progress` | Show progress | ✅ Implemented | Progress callback in sender |
-| `-P` | Same as --partial --progress | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `--out-format=FORMAT` | Custom output format | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
+| `-P` | Same as --partial --progress | ⚠️ Partial | Parses and enables progress, but interrupted files are not retained for resumable transfers |
+| `--out-format=FORMAT` | Custom output format | ✅ Implemented | Per-transfer template on stdout; tokens `%f` `%n` `%l` `%b` `%M` `%%` (`%b` is the source length, always `== %l`; post-compression/delta wire bytes are not counted); unknown escapes preserved |
 | `--log-file=FILE` | Log to file | ✅ Implemented | `log_file` config field |
-| `--log-file-format=FMT` | Log format | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `--8-bit-output` | Leave high-bit chars unescaped | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `--list-only` | List files instead of copying | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
+| `--log-file-format=FMT` | Log format | ✅ Implemented | Requires `--log-file`; writes one template line per transferred file using the same token set as `--out-format` (including `%b` `==` source length) |
+| `--8-bit-output`, `-8` | Leave high-bit chars unescaped | ✅ Implemented | Applies to displayed paths and protocol debug output |
+| `--list-only` | List files instead of copying | ✅ Implemented | `ls -l`-style listing of files that would be transferred; scans the source only, contacts no server, writes nothing; also works with `-n` |
 
 ## 3. File Selection
 
@@ -52,27 +53,29 @@ This document maps rsync's full feature set to FastSync's current implementation
 |------|-------------------|-----------------|-------|
 | `--exclude-from=FILE` | Read exclude patterns from file | ✅ Implemented | Reads patterns from file |
 | `--include-from=FILE` | Read include patterns from file | ✅ Implemented | Reads patterns from file |
-| `--filter=RULE` | Add file-filtering rule | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
-| `--files-from=FILE` | Read source file list from file | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
-| `-0`, `--from0` | Delimit *-from files with NULs | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--filter=RULE` | Add file-filtering rule | ✅ Implemented | Long option only: rsync's short `-f` conflicts with FastSync sendfile (see FastSync-specific list), so `-f` is not reassigned. Supported subset: `+`/`-` include/exclude, implicit-exclude patterns, `include`/`exclude` word forms, a leading `/` anchor (to the transfer root, or to a `.rsync-filter` file's directory), and a trailing `/` for dir-only rules; first match wins with a default of include inside the filter layer. Filters are an independent layer from `--exclude`/`--include` (an entry must pass both). Rejected with a clear error (no silent no-ops): `merge`/`dir-merge`/`hide`/`show`/`protect`/`risk`/`clear` words, rules that begin with `:`/`.`/`!` (merge/dir-merge/list-clear shorthands), and include/exclude modifiers other than `/` (`! C s r p x`) |
+| `--files-from=FILE` | Read source file list from file | ✅ Implemented | Entries are paths relative to the source root (leading `./` stripped, `..`/absolute entries rejected at parse time, blank lines ignored; NUL-delimited with `-0`). A listed regular file is transferred; a listed directory transfers its whole subtree (FastSync recursion is always on, unlike rsync's non-recursive default). Non-listed paths and their subtrees are pruned by the scanner. A listed entry that does not exist under the source (and an empty list) is a hard error reported before any transfer; listing `.` (whole tree) and empty listed directories are fine. Scalability note: `file_list_affects` is O(list size) per scanned entry, so a very large `--files-from` list against a huge tree is quadratic; lists are typically small enough that this is acceptable, but it is the documented bound. The delete manifest still derives from what was actually sent, so `--delete` stays consistent with the subset |
+| `-0`, `--from0` | Delimit *-from files with NULs | ✅ Implemented | `--files-from` entries become NUL-delimited; the flag may appear before or after `--files-from` on the command line. NUL mode preserves entry bytes exactly (trailing CR/LF are part of the name; only newline mode trims them) |
 | `--max-size=SIZE` | Skip files larger than SIZE | ✅ Implemented | `max_size` in scanner |
 | `--min-size=SIZE` | Skip files smaller than SIZE | ✅ Implemented | `min_size` in scanner |
 | `-I`, `--ignore-times` | Don't skip files matching size+time | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `--size-only` | Skip based on size only | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `-@`, `--modify-window=NUM` | Mod-time comparison accuracy | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `--existing` | Skip creating new files on receiver | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--size-only` | Skip based on size only | ✅ Implemented | With `--incremental`, ignores mtime |
+| `-@`, `--modify-window=NUM` | Mod-time comparison accuracy | ✅ Implemented | Whole-second tolerance with nanosecond-aware comparisons |
+| `--existing` | Skip creating new files on receiver | ✅ Implemented | Existing destination files continue through normal update handling |
 | `--ignore-existing` | Skip updating existing files | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `--remove-source-files` | Sender removes synced files | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--remove-source-files` | Sender removes regular files after confirmed transfer | ✅ Implemented | |
+| `-x`, `--one-file-system` | Do not cross filesystem boundaries | ✅ Implemented | Sender scanner captures the root device and skips descending into mount-point crossings (`st_dev` differs); cross-filesystem mount-point subdirectories are dropped entirely, matching rsync |
+| `-F` | Add the default `.rsync-filter` rules | ✅ Implemented | Reads one filter rule per line from each directory's `.rsync-filter` file during traversal and applies it to that directory's subtree; the current directory's rules are evaluated before its ancestors', so deeper files override shallower ones and per-directory files override the command-line `--filter`/`-C` base by default (matching rsync's first-match-wins precedence); `.rsync-filter` files are never transferred. The rsync `-FF` behavior (also `.cvsignore`) is out of scope; unsupported rule types inside the file abort with a clear error |
 
 ## 4. Directory Options
 
 | Flag | Rsync Description | FastSync Status | Notes |
 |------|-------------------|-----------------|-------|
 | `-r`, `--recursive` | Recurse into directories | ✅ Implemented | Default behavior |
-| `-R`, `--relative` | Use relative path names | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
-| `--no-implied-dirs` | Don't send implied dirs with -R | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `-d`, `--dirs` | Transfer dirs without recursing | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `--mkpath` | Create missing path components | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `-R`, `--relative` | Use relative path names | ✅ Implemented | Meaningful together with `--files-from` (FastSync's default full-tree scan always mirrors the full source argument path below the destination root, so -R does not change it). With `-R` + `--files-from` each listed entry is transmitted under its bare relative destination path: an entry `sub/x.txt` lands at `<dest>/sub/x.txt` (its leading components preserved) instead of under the `<dest>/<full source path>` mirror. Only the path sent on the wire changes; the client still reads the absolute source path, and the delete manifest derives from the sent (relative) paths so `--delete` and `--remove-source-files` stay consistent in both layouts. Works single-threaded and under `-m` (including chunk serialization) |
+| `--no-implied-dirs` | Don't send implied dirs with -R | ✅ Implemented | Client-side, meaningful only with `-R` + `--files-from`. rsync would normally create the ancestor directories implied by a listed file so it can be written; with `--no-implied-dirs` a listed file whose parent directory is not itself (or via an ancestor) explicitly listed cannot be placed, and FastSync fails the whole run up front with a clear error (`--no-implied-dirs: cannot place file '...': parent directory '...' is not explicitly listed`). Listing the directory (or an ancestor of it, or the whole tree `.`) permits the file. In every other mode the option has no effect. FastSync has no per-entry skip channel, so the rsync "omit the file" case is surfaced as a hard pre-transfer error |
+| `-d`, `--dirs`, `--old-dirs`, `--old-d` | Transfer dirs without recursing | ✅ Implemented | `-d <dir>` transmits an explicit directory entry for the source-root directory, so the destination mirror is created empty and nothing is descended into. With `--files-from` exactly the listed items are transferred: a listed directory is created empty (no descent) and a listed file is transferred with its content; the dest layout follows the same -R rules as plain files. A new wire frame (`STATUS_MKDIR`) carries each directory entry (path only); the receiver creates it with the same confined mkdir-parent semantics as regular writes, in single-threaded and `-m` receivers (chunk serialization carries a per-entry type marker). Directory entries appear in the delete manifest so `--delete` prunes correctly. FastSync divergences: directory mtimes/modes are not transmitted, filter/`--exclude` rules are not re-applied to the listed dirs mode (there is no descent during which they would apply), and `-d` never creates the intermediate directories between the destination root and a listed file beyond the usual on-demand parent creation. Under `--delay-updates` only regular files are staged: directory entries are created immediately, so a delayed run that fails part way can leave the already-created empty directories behind (matching rsync, which also creates directories as it processes the file list and only delays regular-file data) |
+| `--mkpath` | Create missing path components | ✅ Implemented | Wire option (client → server). At connection start the server creates the client's destination root directory (and any missing leading components below its own authorized root) when `--mkpath` is set, failing the connection cleanly if it cannot. Without `--mkpath` a destination root that does not exist yet is rejected up front (rsync semantics), so the flag is the only way to transfer into a not-yet-created destination directory. Creation is confined by the same secure mkdir walk as file writes (`O_NOFOLLOW`, no `..`) |
 
 ## 5. Transfer Modifications
 
@@ -93,7 +96,8 @@ This document maps rsync's full feature set to FastSync's current implementation
 | `-b`, `--backup` | Make backups of overwritten files | ✅ Implemented | Backup before overwrite |
 | `--backup-dir=DIR` | Backup directory hierarchy | ✅ Implemented | `backup_dir` config field |
 | `--suffix=SUFFIX` | Backup suffix (default ~) | ✅ Implemented | `suffix` config field |
-| `--delay-updates` | Put updated files in place at end | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--delay-updates` | Put updated files in place at end | ✅ Implemented | Successfully received files are staged under a private 0700 `.fastsync-stage` dir inside the receive root and atomically renamed into their final destinations only after the whole transfer (manifest/delete handling included) succeeds, just before the success/outcome frame is sent. The delete walker deliberately skips the staging dir at the receive root, so `--delete` removes genuine extras but never the staged files (deletion runs before publication; rsync's delete-after ordering is not implemented). `--existing`/`--ignore-existing`/`--update` decide against the final destination path at stage time; `--backup` moves the old file aside at publication. Incompatible with `--inplace` and with `--backup-dir=.fastsync-stage` (the internal staging name is reserved; both are rejected). The staging dir name is fixed, so two simultaneous delayed transfers to the same destination root are serialized with an exclusive advisory lock held for the whole transfer: the second session fails cleanly instead of corrupting the first. Aborting or failing before publication installs nothing and removes the staging tree; a crash between stage and publish leaves staged leftovers that the next delayed run wipes at start (process death releases the lock). A stage→publish failure aborts the transfer (best-effort cleanup of the not-yet-published staged files; already-published files are not rolled back). Works in single-threaded and `-m` modes |
+| `-T`, `--temp-dir=DIR` | Create temporary files in DIR | ✅ Implemented | `--temp-dir` only; `-T` stays FastSync's `--timeout` alias. Scratch dir is resolved under the receive root; temp copies use a unique name there and are atomically renamed into place. If the scratch dir and destination are on different filesystems the atomic rename fails with EXDEV and the file save fails, which aborts the whole transfer (FastSync has no per-file skip/resume on a save error; rsync's non-atomic copy fallback is deliberately not used). `--inplace` and `--partial-dir` writes bypass the scratch dir |
 
 ## 7. Deletion
 
@@ -101,7 +105,7 @@ This document maps rsync's full feature set to FastSync's current implementation
 |------|-------------------|-----------------|-------|
 | `--delete` | Delete extraneous files from dest | ✅ Implemented | `use_delete` config field |
 | `--delete-before` | Delete before transfer | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
-| `--delete-during` | Delete during transfer | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--del`, `--delete-during` | Delete during transfer | ❌ Not Implemented | Both flags are recognized but rejected; delete timing is not implemented |
 | `--delete-delay` | Find deletions during, delete after | ❌ Not Implemented | |
 | `--delete-after` | Delete after transfer | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
 | `--delete-excluded` | Also delete excluded files | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
@@ -119,8 +123,8 @@ This document maps rsync's full feature set to FastSync's current implementation
 | `-o`, `--owner` | Preserve owner | ✅ Implemented | Part of -M |
 | `-g`, `--group` | Preserve group | ✅ Implemented | Part of -M |
 | `-t`, `--times` | Preserve modification times | ✅ Implemented | Part of -M |
-| `-E`, `--executability` | Preserve executability | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `--chmod=CHMOD` | Affect file permissions | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `-E`, `--executability` | Preserve executability | ✅ Implemented | Preserves executable permission bits (implies metadata preservation) |
+| `--chmod=CHMOD` | Affect file permissions | ✅ Implemented | Supports numeric and symbolic `ugo` `rwx` changes; retains receiver safety masking |
 | `-A`, `--acls` | Preserve ACLs | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
 | `-X`, `--xattrs` | Preserve extended attributes | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
 | `-H`, `--hard-links` | Preserve hard links | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
@@ -135,6 +139,12 @@ This document maps rsync's full feature set to FastSync's current implementation
 | `-J`, `--omit-link-times` | Omit symlinks from --times | ❌ Not Implemented | |
 | `--super` | Receiver attempts super-user activities | ❌ Not Implemented | |
 | `--fake-super` | Store/recover privileged attrs via xattrs | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--open-noatime` | Avoid changing access time when opening files | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--numeric-ids` | Do not map uid/gid by name | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--usermap=STRING` | Map usernames | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--groupmap=STRING` | Map group names | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--chown=USER:GROUP` | Map owner and group | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--copy-as=USER[:GROUP]` | Perform the copy as another user/group | ❌ Not Implemented | |
 
 ## 9. Symlink Handling
 
@@ -171,10 +181,10 @@ This document maps rsync's full feature set to FastSync's current implementation
 | Flag | Rsync Description | FastSync Status | Notes |
 |------|-------------------|-----------------|-------|
 | `-z`, `--compress` | Compress file data | 🔀 Alt Arg | Always uses zstd (rsync supports multiple algorithms) |
-| `--compress-choice=STR` | Choose compression algorithm | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect; FastSync always uses zstd |
-| `--compress-level=NUM` | Set compression level | ✅ Implemented | 1-22, default 5 |
+| `--compress-choice=STR`, `--zc=STR` | Choose compression algorithm | ✅ Implemented | FastSync supports `zstd` and `none` |
+| `--compress-level=NUM`, `--zl=NUM` | Set compression level | ✅ Implemented | 1-22, default 5 |
 | `--compress-threads=NUM` | Set compression threads | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `--skip-compress=LIST` | Skip compress for suffixes | ❌ Not Implemented | Internal skip for hardcoded types; not user-configurable |
+| `--skip-compress=LIST` | Skip compress for suffixes | ✅ Implemented | Comma-separated, case-insensitive suffix list; empty list skips none; incompatible with FastSync chunk serialization (`-s`) |
 
 ## 13. Connectivity
 
@@ -189,6 +199,7 @@ This document maps rsync's full feature set to FastSync's current implementation
 | `--address=ADDRESS` | Bind address for outgoing socket | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
 | `-4`, `--ipv4` | Prefer IPv4 | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
 | `-6`, `--ipv6` | Prefer IPv6 | ❌ Not Implemented | Removed because it had no effect |
+| `--remote-option=OPT`, `-M` | Send an option only to the remote side | ❌ Not Implemented | `-M` is FastSync's metadata-preservation flag |
 
 ## 14. Daemon Mode
 
@@ -210,8 +221,9 @@ This document maps rsync's full feature set to FastSync's current implementation
 | Protocol version check | Verify compatible versions | ✅ Implemented | `config_receive()` |
 | Max data/string/chunk sizes | Prevent OOM attacks | ✅ Implemented | Per-message limits |
 | Per-connection memory limit | 1GB per connection | ✅ Implemented | `MAX_CONNECTION_MEMORY` |
+| `--max-alloc=SIZE` | Limit a single memory allocation | ✅ Implemented | Caps the largest single allocation; binary units, default 1G |
 | `--trust-sender` | Trust remote sender's file list | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `--old-args` | Disable modern arg protection | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--old-args` | Disable modern arg protection | ✅ Implemented | SSH-only legacy mode; restores raw remote command construction and permits shell interpretation of the configured server path |
 | `--ignore-missing-args` | Ignore missing source args | ❌ Not Implemented | |
 | `--delete-missing-args` | Delete missing source args | ❌ Not Implemented | |
 
@@ -229,12 +241,118 @@ This document maps rsync's full feature set to FastSync's current implementation
 |------|-------------------|-----------------|-------|
 | `--stop-after=MINS` | Stop after N minutes | ❌ Not Implemented | |
 | `--stop-at=TIME` | Stop at specified time | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `--fsync` | Fsync every written file | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--fsync` | Fsync every written file before publication | ✅ Implemented | |
 | `--protocol=NUM` | Force older protocol version | ❌ Not Implemented | |
 | `--iconv=CONVERT_SPEC` | Charset conversion | ❌ Not Implemented | |
 | `--checksum-seed=NUM` | Set checksum seed | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `-s`, `--secluded-args` | Use protocol to send args | ❌ Not Implemented | |
-| `--no-OPTION` | Turn off implied option | ❌ Not Implemented | |
+| `--secluded-args` | Use protocol to send args | 🔄 Compatibility No-op | Accepted for CLI compatibility; it does not change FastSync transport or protocol behavior. `-s` remains chunk serialization. |
+| `--no-OPTION` | Turn off implied option | ✅ Supported | Supported boolean FastSync options and archive-implied options; unsafe or value-taking options are rejected. |
+
+---
+
+## Implementation Difficulty Plan
+
+The estimates below cover the currently unimplemented features in this document. They assume one engineer familiar with the codebase, include implementation and focused tests, and exclude production rollout time. A feature should not be marked implemented until its behavior is tested in both local and SSH/TCP paths where applicable.
+
+> **Note:** This plan is a superset snapshot written while several of the listed features were still outstanding. The Summary matrix above is the authoritative record of what is already shipped (for example quiet/info/debug output, `--existing`, `--remove-source-files`, `-h`, and `--size-only` are now implemented on `dev`). Treat the phases as sequencing guidance for the work that remains unimplemented.
+
+| Effort | Typical duration | Meaning |
+|--------|------------------|---------|
+| XS | 0.5-1 day | CLI alias or a local formatting/validation change |
+| S | 1-3 days | Isolated behavior with little or no protocol change |
+| M | 3-7 days | Cross-cutting client, server, or scanner behavior |
+| L | 1-3 weeks | Protocol, filesystem, privilege, or compatibility work |
+| XL | 3+ weeks | New transfer mode, daemon subsystem, or broad interoperability effort |
+
+### Phase 1: Low-Risk CLI and Local Behavior
+
+These are the best first changes because they require limited wire-format work and can be tested with existing transfer fixtures.
+
+| Features | Effort | Implementation plan |
+|----------|--------|--------------------|
+| `--quiet`, `-q`; `--human-readable`, `-h`; `--8-bit-output`, `-8`; `--stderr=MODE`; `--info=FLAGS`; `--debug=FLAGS` | S | Extend logging and output formatting without changing transferred data. |
+| `--no-OPTION`; `--old-args`; `--secluded-args`, `-s` | M | Add option implication/negation and safely serialize or protect remote arguments. `-s` currently has FastSync-specific semantics and needs a compatibility decision. |
+| `-P`; `--del`; `--old-dirs`, `--old-d`; `--cc`; `--zc`; `--zl` | XS | Add aliases and composed behaviors after the underlying options exist. |
+| `--whole-file`, `-W`; `--ignore-times`, `-I`; `--size-only`; `--modify-window`, `-@`; `--update`, `-u` | S | Extend the existing incremental comparison decision. |
+| `--existing`; `--ignore-existing`; `--remove-source-files` | S | Add scanner/receiver eligibility checks and remove successfully synchronized source files. |
+| `--executability`, `-E`; `--chmod=CHMOD` | M | Apply permission transformations safely while preserving current metadata behavior. |
+| `--skip-compress=LIST`; `--compress-threads=NUM` | S | Make compression selection configurable and validate the thread setting against zstd behavior. |
+| `--max-alloc=SIZE`; `--fsync` | S | Reuse existing allocation limits and add an explicit durability step after file writes. |
+
+### Phase 2: Filesystem Selection and Update Semantics
+
+These features are moderate because they affect traversal, temporary files, manifests, or the receiver's update policy.
+
+| Features | Effort | Implementation plan |
+|----------|--------|--------------------|
+| `--one-file-system`, `-x` | M | Track the source device during scanner traversal and skip mount-point crossings. |
+| `--relative`, `-R`; `--no-implied-dirs`; `--dirs`, `-d`; `--mkpath` | M | Extend path-list construction and destination directory creation while preserving traversal safety. |
+| `--temp-dir`, `-T` | M | Separate temporary-file placement from FastSync's timeout alias and define collision, permissions, and cleanup rules. |
+| `--delay-updates` | L | Stage all successful updates and publish them at completion, including crash and cancellation cleanup. |
+| `--files-from=FILE`; `--from0`, `-0`; `--filter=RULE`, `-f`; `-F`; `--cvs-exclude`, `-C` | L | Build a complete filter/parser layer and integrate it with scanner pruning, manifests, and delete behavior. `-f` conflicts with FastSync sendfile mode. |
+| `--list-only`; `--itemize-changes`, `-i`; `--out-format=FORMAT`; `--log-file-format=FMT` | M | Add a structured change-event model so output modes share one source of truth. |
+
+### Phase 3: Deletion, Comparison, and Delta Compatibility
+
+These features require careful interaction with manifests, incremental checks, backups, and the existing delta protocol.
+
+| Features | Effort | Implementation plan |
+|----------|--------|--------------------|
+| `--delete-during`; `--delete-before`; `--delete-after`; `--delete-delay`; `--del` | L | Add deletion timing to the transfer state machine and ensure failures cannot remove files unexpectedly. |
+| `--delete-excluded`; `--max-delete=NUM`; `--ignore-errors`; `--force`; `--prune-empty-dirs`, `-m` | M | Extend delete walks with policy limits, error handling, empty-directory pruning, and the `-m` short-flag conflict. |
+| `--ignore-missing-args`; `--delete-missing-args` | M | Distinguish missing source arguments from traversal errors and apply explicit deletion policy. |
+| `--compare-dest=DIR`; `--copy-dest=DIR`; `--link-dest=DIR` | L | Add alternate basis roots and hard-link handling, including metadata and cross-filesystem failures. |
+| `--fuzzy`, `-y`; `--no-fuzzy` | L | Index candidate files and select a safe similar basis without making transfer time unbounded. |
+| `--append`; `--append-verify` | M | Negotiate file length and verify the retained prefix before resuming. |
+| `--checksum-choice=STR`, `--cc`; `--checksum-seed=NUM` | M | Negotiate checksum algorithms/seeds and preserve compatibility with existing xxHash checks. |
+
+### Phase 4: Metadata, Links, and Devices
+
+These features are platform-sensitive and need Linux permission, ACL, xattr, and special-file integration tests.
+
+| Features | Effort | Implementation plan |
+|----------|--------|--------------------|
+| `--numeric-ids`; `--usermap=STRING`; `--groupmap=STRING`; `--chown=USER:GROUP` | L | Define identity mapping, privilege failures, and wire representation before applying ownership. |
+| `--open-noatime`; `--atimes`, `-U`; `--crtimes`, `-N`; `--omit-dir-times`, `-O`; `--omit-link-times`, `-J` | L | Extend metadata capture/apply with platform capability checks and explicit unsupported-attribute handling. |
+| `--acls`, `-A`; `--xattrs`, `-X`; `--fake-super` | XL | Add portable serialization, size limits, privilege behavior, and security tests for ACL/xattr data. |
+| `--hard-links`, `-H` | L | Preserve inode relationships across the file list and coordinate hard-link creation order. |
+| `--munge-links`; `--copy-dirlinks`, `-k`; `--keep-dirlinks`, `-K` | L | Define symlink trust boundaries and receiver-side directory/link collision behavior. |
+| `--devices`; `--specials`; `-D`; `--copy-devices`; `--write-devices` | XL | Add privileged special-file handling with strict type, path, and authorization checks. |
+| `--super`; `--copy-as=USER[:GROUP]` | XL | Requires a deliberate privilege model, identity switching, and refusal paths; do not implement by blindly elevating the process. |
+| `--preallocate` | S | Use platform allocation APIs before writes and fall back cleanly when unsupported. |
+
+### Phase 5: Connectivity and Daemon Compatibility
+
+These options affect process startup, authentication, sockets, and remote execution. They should follow the filesystem and protocol work rather than being added as parser-only flags.
+
+| Features | Effort | Implementation plan |
+|----------|--------|--------------------|
+| `--rsh=COMMAND`, `-e`; `--rsync-path=PROGRAM`; `--blocking-io`; `--outbuf=N\|L\|B` | M | Generalize SSH command construction and subprocess I/O while retaining argument escaping and timeout guarantees. |
+| `--address=ADDRESS`; `--ipv4`, `-4`; `--ipv6`, `-6`; `--sockopts=OPTIONS`; `--port=PORT` daemon semantics | M | Add explicit socket-family/bind configuration and validate it independently for TCP client and daemon modes. |
+| `--remote-option=OPT`, `-M`; `--trust-sender` | L | Add authenticated remote-option/config negotiation and reject unsafe sender-controlled values. `-M` conflicts with FastSync metadata mode. |
+| `--daemon`; `--config=FILE`; `--dparam=OVERRIDE`; `--no-detach`; `--password-file=FILE`; `--early-input=FILE`; `--no-motd` | XL | Implement a real daemon lifecycle, module configuration, authentication, privilege separation, and process management. |
+
+### Phase 6: Batch, Encoding, and Protocol Interoperability
+
+These are the hardest compatibility items because they require durable formats or behavior that must interoperate with rsync itself.
+
+| Features | Effort | Implementation plan |
+|----------|--------|--------------------|
+| `--write-batch=FILE`; `--only-write-batch=FILE`; `--read-batch=FILE` | XL | Specify a versioned batch format, persist all required metadata, and test replay, corruption, and partial application. |
+| `--protocol=NUM` | XL | Add protocol-version negotiation and compatibility branches without weakening current validation. |
+| `--iconv=CONVERT_SPEC` | L | Convert filenames at the protocol boundary with invalid-sequence and normalization tests. |
+| `--stop-after=MINS`; `--stop-at=TIME` | M | Add deadline propagation, interruptible I/O, and safe checkpoint/cleanup behavior. |
+| `--early-input=FILE`; `--password-file=FILE` | M | Securely read startup credentials/input with permission checks and no secret disclosure in logs. |
+
+### Recommended Delivery Order
+
+1. Resolve short-option conflicts (`-m`, `-M`, `-T`, `-f`, `-s`) and define the compatibility contract.
+2. Implement Phase 1 comparison, update, output, and alias features with unit and integration coverage.
+3. Implement Phase 2 traversal/filtering and Phase 3 deletion semantics.
+4. Implement metadata and link features that are safe on the supported platforms.
+5. Treat daemon mode, special files, batch mode, and protocol-version compatibility as separate projects.
+
+The existing priority list below is a feature shortlist, not an implementation schedule; this plan supersedes it for effort and sequencing.
 
 ---
 
@@ -247,13 +365,14 @@ Ranked by user demand, implementation complexity, and interoperability impact:
 | 1 | `--whole-file` / `-W` | Low | High — users expect opt-out of delta |
 | 2 | `--ignore-times` / `-I` | Low | Medium — useful for forcing re-transfer |
 | 3 | `--size-only` | Low | Medium — common migration scenario |
-| 4 | `--existing` / `--ignore-existing` | Low | Medium — common sync patterns |
-| 5 | `--remove-source-files` | Low | High — common for moves/backup |
-| 6 | `--delete-during` | Medium | High — performance improvement |
-| 7 | `--delay-updates` | Medium | High — atomic updates |
-| 8 | `--chmod` | Low | Medium — permission flexibility |
-| 9 | `--executability` / `-E` | Low | Low — simple flag |
-| 10 | `--skip-compress` | Low | Medium — performance tuning |
+| 4 | `--ignore-existing` | Low | Medium — common sync patterns |
+| 5 | `--existing` | Low | Medium — common sync patterns |
+| 6 | `--remove-source-files` | Low | High — common for moves/backup |
+| 7 | `--delete-during` | Medium | High — performance improvement |
+| 8 | `--delay-updates` | Medium | High — atomic updates |
+| 9 | `--chmod` | Low | Medium — permission flexibility |
+| 10 | `--executability` / `-E` | Low | Low — simple flag |
+| 11 | `--skip-compress` | Low | Medium — performance tuning |
 
 ---
 

src/client/change_list.c

@@ -0,0 +1,329 @@
+#include "change_list.h"
+#include "utils.h"
+#include <limits.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <time.h>
+
+/* Itemize code emitted for a transferred regular file.
+ *
+ * Layout (rsync-compatible 11-char item): `>f` marks a regular file that was
+ * transferred to the remote host; the trailing nine markers are, in order,
+ * c(hecksum) s(ize) t(ime) p(erms) o(wner) g(roup) u(ser/acl) a(ttrs) x(attrs).
+ * Every marker is `+` (FastSync does not compare each attribute on the
+ * receiving side, so a sent file is reported as fully updated).  Files that
+ * are already up to date print no line at all, matching rsync's single -i
+ * which only itemizes changes.
+ *
+ * Because the scanner only yields regular-file transfer candidates, `>d`
+ * (directory) lines are never produced; directories are not transferred as
+ * items by FastSync. */
+#define ITEMIZE_SENT_FILE ">f+++++++++"
+
+typedef struct {
+  char* data;
+  size_t length;
+  size_t capacity;
+} StrBuf;
+
+static void strbuf_free(StrBuf* buf) {
+  if (buf == NULL)
+    return;
+  free(buf->data);
+  buf->data = NULL;
+  buf->length = 0;
+  buf->capacity = 0;
+}
+
+static bool strbuf_reserve(StrBuf* buf, size_t extra) {
+  if (buf->length > SIZE_MAX - extra - 1)
+    return false;
+  size_t need = buf->length + extra + 1;
+  if (need <= buf->capacity)
+    return true;
+  size_t capacity = buf->capacity > 0 ? buf->capacity : 32;
+  while (capacity < need) {
+    if (capacity > SIZE_MAX / 2) {
+      capacity = need;
+      break;
+    }
+    capacity *= 2;
+  }
+  char* grown = realloc(buf->data, capacity);
+  if (!grown)
+    return false;
+  buf->data = grown;
+  buf->capacity = capacity;
+  return true;
+}
+
+static bool strbuf_append_char(StrBuf* buf, char c) {
+  if (!strbuf_reserve(buf, 1))
+    return false;
+  buf->data[buf->length++] = c;
+  buf->data[buf->length] = '\0';
+  return true;
+}
+
+static bool strbuf_append(StrBuf* buf, const char* text) {
+  if (text == NULL)
+    return true;
+  size_t length = strlen(text);
+  if (!strbuf_reserve(buf, length))
+    return false;
+  memcpy(buf->data + buf->length, text, length);
+  buf->length += length;
+  buf->data[buf->length] = '\0';
+  return true;
+}
+
+static bool strbuf_append_ull(StrBuf* buf, unsigned long long value) {
+  char digits[32];
+  int written = snprintf(digits, sizeof(digits), "%llu", value);
+  if (written < 0 || (size_t)written >= sizeof(digits))
+    return false;
+  return strbuf_append(buf, digits);
+}
+
+static bool strbuf_append_longlong(StrBuf* buf, long long value) {
+  char digits[32];
+  int written = snprintf(digits, sizeof(digits), "%lld", value);
+  if (written < 0 || (size_t)written >= sizeof(digits))
+    return false;
+  return strbuf_append(buf, digits);
+}
+
+bool change_list_enabled(const Config* config) {
+  return config != NULL && (config->itemize_changes || config->out_format != NULL ||
+                            (config->log_file != NULL && config->log_file_format != NULL));
+}
+
+char* change_render_itemize(const ChangeEvent* event) {
+  if (event == NULL || event->decision != CHANGE_SENT)
+    return str_dup("");
+  const char* code = event->is_directory ? ">d+++++++++" : ITEMIZE_SENT_FILE;
+  StrBuf line = {0};
+  bool ok = strbuf_append(&line, code) && strbuf_append(&line, " ") &&
+            strbuf_append(&line, event->path != NULL ? event->path : "");
+  if (!ok) {
+    strbuf_free(&line);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  return line.data;
+}
+
+static const char* leaf_name(const char* path) {
+  if (path == NULL)
+    return "";
+  const char* slash = strrchr(path, '/');
+  return slash != NULL && slash[1] != '\0' ? slash + 1 : path;
+}
+
+char* change_render_format(const char* format, const ChangeEvent* event) {
+  if (format == NULL)
+    return NULL;
+  StrBuf line = {0};
+  bool ok = true;
+  for (const char* p = format; *p != '\0' && ok;) {
+    if (*p != '%') {
+      ok = strbuf_append_char(&line, *p);
+      p++;
+      continue;
+    }
+    char token = p[1];
+    if (token == '\0') {
+      ok = strbuf_append_char(&line, '%');
+      break;
+    }
+    switch (token) {
+    case '%':
+      ok = strbuf_append_char(&line, '%');
+      break;
+    case 'f':
+      ok = strbuf_append(&line, event->path != NULL ? event->path : "");
+      break;
+    case 'n':
+      ok = strbuf_append(&line, leaf_name(event->path));
+      break;
+    case 'l':
+      ok = strbuf_append_ull(&line, event->size);
+      break;
+    case 'b':
+      ok = strbuf_append_ull(&line, event->bytes_sent);
+      break;
+    case 'M':
+      ok = strbuf_append_longlong(&line, (long long)event->mtime_sec);
+      break;
+    default:
+      /* Unknown escape sequences are preserved verbatim. */
+      ok = strbuf_append_char(&line, '%') && strbuf_append_char(&line, token);
+      break;
+    }
+    p += 2;
+  }
+  if (!ok) {
+    strbuf_free(&line);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  if (line.data == NULL) {
+    line.data = str_dup("");
+    if (!line.data)
+      return NULL;
+  }
+  return line.data;
+}
+
+/* Format a mode as an `ls -l` permission string, e.g. `-rw-r--r--`. */
+static void mode_to_ls_string(mode_t mode, char out[11]) {
+  out[0] = S_ISDIR(mode)    ? 'd'
+           : S_ISLNK(mode)  ? 'l'
+           : S_ISCHR(mode)  ? 'c'
+           : S_ISBLK(mode)  ? 'b'
+           : S_ISFIFO(mode) ? 'p'
+           : S_ISSOCK(mode) ? 's'
+                            : '-';
+  mode_t bits = mode & 07777;
+  out[1] = (bits & S_IRUSR) ? 'r' : '-';
+  out[2] = (bits & S_IWUSR) ? 'w' : '-';
+  out[3] = (bits & S_IXUSR) ? (bits & S_ISUID ? 's' : 'x') : (bits & S_ISUID ? 'S' : '-');
+  out[4] = (bits & S_IRGRP) ? 'r' : '-';
+  out[5] = (bits & S_IWGRP) ? 'w' : '-';
+  out[6] = (bits & S_IXGRP) ? (bits & S_ISGID ? 's' : 'x') : (bits & S_ISGID ? 'S' : '-');
+  out[7] = (bits & S_IROTH) ? 'r' : '-';
+  out[8] = (bits & S_IWOTH) ? 'w' : '-';
+  out[9] = (bits & S_IXOTH) ? (bits & S_ISVTX ? 't' : 'x') : (bits & S_ISVTX ? 'T' : '-');
+  out[10] = '\0';
+}
+
+char* change_render_list_line(mode_t mode, unsigned long long size, time_t mtime,
+                              const char* path) {
+  char permission[11];
+  mode_to_ls_string(mode, permission);
+  char date[32];
+  struct tm broken_down;
+  if (localtime_r(&mtime, &broken_down) != NULL) {
+    if (strftime(date, sizeof(date), "%Y/%m/%d %H:%M:%S", &broken_down) == 0)
+      snprintf(date, sizeof(date), "?");
+  } else {
+    snprintf(date, sizeof(date), "?");
+  }
+  StrBuf line = {0};
+  char size_field[32];
+  int written = snprintf(size_field, sizeof(size_field), "%llu", size);
+  if (written < 0 || (size_t)written >= sizeof(size_field)) {
+    strbuf_free(&line);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  bool ok = strbuf_append(&line, permission) && strbuf_append_char(&line, ' ') &&
+            strbuf_append(&line, size_field) && strbuf_append_char(&line, ' ') &&
+            strbuf_append(&line, date) && strbuf_append_char(&line, ' ') &&
+            strbuf_append(&line, path != NULL ? path : "");
+  if (!ok) {
+    strbuf_free(&line);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  return line.data;
+}
+
+static void print_escaped_line(FILE* stream, const char* line, bool eight_bit_output) {
+  char* escaped = output_escape(line, eight_bit_output);
+  if (escaped != NULL) {
+    fprintf(stream, "%s\n", escaped);
+    free(escaped);
+  } else {
+    fprintf(stream, "%s\n", line);
+  }
+  fflush(stream);
+}
+
+void change_emit(const Config* config, const ChangeEvent* event) {
+  if (event == NULL || !change_list_enabled(config))
+    return;
+  if (event->decision == CHANGE_UP_TO_DATE)
+    return;
+  bool to_stdout = config->itemize_changes || config->out_format != NULL;
+  bool to_log = config->log_file != NULL && config->log_file_format != NULL;
+  if (to_stdout) {
+    char* line = config->out_format != NULL ? change_render_format(config->out_format, event)
+                                            : change_render_itemize(event);
+    if (line != NULL) {
+      print_escaped_line(stdout, line, config->eight_bit_output);
+      free(line);
+    }
+  }
+  if (to_log) {
+    char* line = change_render_format(config->log_file_format, event);
+    if (line != NULL) {
+      print_escaped_line(config->log_file, line, config->eight_bit_output);
+      free(line);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+static bool format_uses_mtime(const char* format) {
+  if (format == NULL)
+    return false;
+  /* Mirror change_render_format's tokenizer: "%%" is a literal percent (so
+   * "%%M" does NOT expand %M) and unknown "%X" escapes consume both chars.
+   * This keeps the optional stat() fallback below in step with the renderer. */
+  for (const char* p = format; *p != '\0';) {
+    if (*p != '%') {
+      p++;
+      continue;
+    }
+    char token = p[1];
+    if (token == '\0')
+      break;
+    if (token == 'M')
+      return true;
+    p += 2;
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
+void change_emit_file_sent(const Config* config, const File* file) {
+  if (file == NULL || !change_list_enabled(config))
+    return;
+  ChangeEvent event;
+  memset(&event, 0, sizeof(event));
+  /* The displayed path is the one transmitted (with -R + --files-from this is
+     the bare relative destination path); the metadata fallback below still
+     stats the local absolute path. */
+  event.path = file_wire_path(file);
+  event.decision = CHANGE_SENT;
+  event.is_directory = false;
+  event.size = file->data != NULL ? file->data->size : 0;
+  /* FastSync has no wire-byte counter yet, so %b reports the source length
+   * that had to be delivered (always equal to %l); the actual bytes written
+   * to the socket (compressed/delta) are not measured. */
+  event.bytes_sent = event.size;
+  if (file->metadata != NULL) {
+    event.mtime_sec = file->metadata->mtime_sec;
+  } else if (format_uses_mtime(config->out_format) || format_uses_mtime(config->log_file_format)) {
+    /* Best-effort fallback for %M when no metadata was captured (no -M): the
+     * path is stat()ed just to fill the field, and any failure leaves 0. */
+    struct stat st;
+    if (file->path != NULL && stat(file->path, &st) == 0)
+      event.mtime_sec = st.st_mtime;
+  }
+  change_emit(config, &event);
+}
+
+/* Build and emit a CHANGE_SENT event for an explicit directory entry (-d). */
+void change_emit_dir_sent(const Config* config, const File* file) {
+  if (file == NULL || !change_list_enabled(config))
+    return;
+  ChangeEvent event;
+  memset(&event, 0, sizeof(event));
+  event.path = file_wire_path(file);
+  event.decision = CHANGE_SENT;
+  event.is_directory = true;
+  event.size = 0;
+  event.bytes_sent = 0;
+  if (file->metadata != NULL)
+    event.mtime_sec = file->metadata->mtime_sec;
+  change_emit(config, &event);
+}

src/client/change_list.h

@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+#ifndef CHANGE_LIST_H
+#define CHANGE_LIST_H
+
+#include "config.h"
+#include "file_types.h"
+#include <stdbool.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <time.h>
+
+/*
+ * Shared per-file change-event / output model (rsync --itemize-changes,
+ * --out-format, --log-file-format, and --list-only all render from here).
+ *
+ * FastSync is a push-style tool: the client sends files from the source tree
+ * to a server that writes them under the destination root.  Events are
+ * emitted by whichever code path decides a file's fate (the single-threaded
+ * send loop and the `-m` sender thread both call the same per-file sender), so
+ * all change events are emitted by exactly one thread and itemize/out-format
+ * lines never interleave with each other.  They may still interleave with
+ * legacy log messages (log.c) that share the same stdout/log-file stream.
+ */
+
+typedef enum {
+  CHANGE_SENT,       /* file data (full or delta) was transmitted */
+  CHANGE_UP_TO_DATE, /* receiver already had an identical file; skipped */
+} ChangeDecision;
+
+typedef struct {
+  const char* path; /* full source path */
+  ChangeDecision decision;
+  bool is_directory;
+  unsigned long long size; /* source file length in bytes */
+  /* The number of bytes reported for a sent file. FastSync has no wire-byte
+   * counter, so this is always the source length (== size / %l); actual
+   * post-compression/delta bytes on the wire are not counted. */
+  unsigned long long bytes_sent;
+  time_t mtime_sec; /* 0 when unknown */
+} ChangeEvent;
+
+/* True when any output mode is active and per-file events matter. */
+bool change_list_enabled(const Config* config);
+
+/* Render the rsync-style itemize line for a transferred file:
+ *   `>f+++++++++ <path>`
+ * The 11-char code is `>f` (regular file transferred to the remote host)
+ * followed by c/s/t/p/o/g/u/a/x markers that are all `+` (value will be set
+ * / differs) because FastSync does not separately compare checksums, size,
+ * mtime, perms, owner, group, uid, acl, or xattr on the receiving side, so a
+ * sent file is reported as fully updated.  Up-to-date files print no line
+ * (rsync single `-i` only shows changes).  Caller frees the result. */
+char* change_render_itemize(const ChangeEvent* event);
+
+/* Expand an --out-format/--log-file-format template.  Tokens:
+ *   %f  full source path        %b  "bytes sent" == the source length (%l);
+ *   %n  leaf (base) name            actual post-compression/delta wire bytes
+ *   %l  file length in bytes        are not counted
+ *   %M  mtime in whole seconds      %%  a literal percent sign
+ * Unknown %X sequences are preserved verbatim.  Caller frees the result. */
+char* change_render_format(const char* format, const ChangeEvent* event);
+
+/* Render one --list-only long-listing entry:
+ *   `-rw-r--r--           12 2026/09/06 10:00:00 <path>`
+ * (ls -l style columns; mtime in the local time zone).  Caller frees it. */
+char* change_render_list_line(mode_t mode, unsigned long long size, time_t mtime, const char* path);
+
+/* Emit an event to every active destination:
+ *   stdout: --itemize-changes line, or the --out-format expansion when set;
+ *   log file: the --log-file-format expansion (requires --log-file).
+ * CHANGE_UP_TO_DATE events produce no output. */
+void change_emit(const Config* config, const ChangeEvent* event);
+
+/* Build and emit a CHANGE_SENT event for a file the client just sent. */
+void change_emit_file_sent(const Config* config, const File* file);
+
+/* Build and emit a CHANGE_SENT event for an explicit directory entry (-d). */
+void change_emit_dir_sent(const Config* config, const File* file);
+
+#endif

src/client/client_validation.c

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #include "client_validation.h"
+#include "delay_updates.h"
 #include "log.h"
 #include "usage.h"
 #include <stdio.h>
@@ -15,6 +16,10 @@ bool validate_config(const Config* config) {
                                  "(chunk serialization)");
     return false;
   }
+  if (config->compression_threads > 0 && !config->use_compression) {
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "--compress-threads requires compression (-c or -z)");
+    return false;
+  }
   if (config->transport == TRANSPORT_SSH && config->use_sendfile) {
     log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "-f/--sendfile is not supported with SSH transport");
     return false;
@@ -23,18 +28,27 @@ bool validate_config(const Config* config) {
     log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "--incremental is not supported with -s (chunk serialization)");
     return false;
   }
-  if (config->use_delta && !config->use_incremental) {
+  if (config->skip_compress_set && config->use_chunk_serialization) {
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR,
+                "--skip-compress cannot be combined with -s (chunk serialization)");
+    return false;
+  }
+  if (config->use_delta && !config->whole_file && !config->use_incremental) {
     log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "--delta requires --incremental");
     return false;
   }
-  if (config->use_delta && config->use_chunk_serialization) {
+  if (config->use_delta && !config->whole_file && config->use_chunk_serialization) {
     log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "--delta cannot be combined with -s (chunk serialization)");
     return false;
   }
-  if (config->use_delta && config->use_sendfile) {
+  if (config->use_delta && !config->whole_file && config->use_sendfile) {
     log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "--delta cannot be combined with -f (sendfile)");
     return false;
   }
+  if (config->log_file_format && !config->log_file) {
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "--log-file-format requires --log-file");
+    return false;
+  }
   if (config->append || config->append_verify) {
     fprintf(
         stderr,
@@ -47,5 +61,15 @@ bool validate_config(const Config* config) {
       return false;
     }
   }
+  if (config->delay_updates && config->inplace) {
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "--delay-updates does not work with --inplace");
+    return false;
+  }
+  if (config->delay_updates && delay_updates_staging_name_conflict(config->backup_dir)) {
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR,
+                "--backup-dir is reserved when --delay-updates is active (used for the internal "
+                "staging directory)");
+    return false;
+  }
   return true;
 }

src/client/scanner.c

@@ -17,8 +17,62 @@
 typedef struct {
   char* path;
   int depth;
+  FilterNode* context; /* inherited per-directory filter context */
 } DirEntry;
 
+/* A chain node: `own` holds the .rsync-filter rules of one directory, `parent`
+ * the context that directory inherited (nearest ancestor with a filter file).
+ * The chain for a directory's contents runs from that directory's own node up
+ * to the root; the command-line base rules are evaluated after the whole
+ * chain. */
+struct FilterNode {
+  FilterNode* parent;
+  FilterRuleList* own;
+};
+
+static void filter_node_destroy(void* item) {
+  if (item) {
+    FilterNode* node = (FilterNode*)item;
+    if (node->own)
+      filter_rule_list_free(node->own);
+    free(node);
+  }
+}
+
+static FilterNode* filter_node_alloc(FilterNode* parent, FilterRuleList* own) {
+  FilterNode* node = malloc(sizeof(FilterNode));
+  if (!node)
+    return NULL;
+  node->parent = parent;
+  node->own = own;
+  return node;
+}
+
+/* Evaluate a rule chain for an entry inside the directory whose content
+ * context is `node`. rsync precedence, highest first: the innermost (current)
+ * directory's .rsync-filter rules, then each ancestor's, then the root's, and
+ * finally the command-line base rules (--filter/-C). A deeper per-directory
+ * file therefore overrides a shallower one, and per-directory files override
+ * the base rules by default. Returns FILTER_ACTION_NONE when nothing matched. */
+static FilterAction chain_rules_apply(const FilterRuleList* base, const FilterNode* node,
+                                      const char* rel, const char* leaf, bool is_dir) {
+  if (node) {
+    FilterAction own_action = filter_rules_apply(node->own, rel, leaf, is_dir);
+    if (own_action != FILTER_ACTION_NONE)
+      return own_action;
+    return chain_rules_apply(base, node->parent, rel, leaf, is_dir);
+  }
+  return base ? filter_rules_apply(base, rel, leaf, is_dir) : FILTER_ACTION_NONE;
+}
+
+static bool entry_allowed(const FilterRuleList* base, const FilterNode* node, const char* rel,
+                          const char* leaf, bool is_dir, bool per_dir_filters) {
+  /* -F: per-directory .rsync-filter files are never transferred. */
+  if (per_dir_filters && !is_dir && strcmp(leaf, ".rsync-filter") == 0)
+    return false;
+  return chain_rules_apply(base, node, rel, leaf, is_dir) != FILTER_ACTION_EXCLUDE;
+}
+
 static void dir_entry_destroy(void* item) {
   if (item) {
     DirEntry* de = (DirEntry*)item;
@@ -27,7 +81,7 @@ static void dir_entry_destroy(void* item) {
   }
 }
 
-static DirEntry* dir_entry_create(const char* path, int depth) {
+static DirEntry* dir_entry_create(const char* path, int depth, FilterNode* context) {
   DirEntry* de = malloc(sizeof(DirEntry));
   if (!de)
     return NULL;
@@ -37,6 +91,7 @@ static DirEntry* dir_entry_create(const char* path, int depth) {
     return NULL;
   }
   de->depth = depth;
+  de->context = context;
   return de;
 }
 
@@ -59,6 +114,86 @@ typedef struct {
   bool is_directory;
 } ScannerEntry;
 
+/* --one-file-system (-x) decision. Only directories can carry a different
+ * device than their parent (mount points), so this is checked when a child
+ * directory is about to be descended into. */
+bool scanner_same_filesystem(bool one_file_system, dev_t root_device, dev_t entry_device) {
+  return !one_file_system || entry_device == root_device;
+}
+
+/* Relative path of an on-disk path below `root`. The transfer root may be
+ * given with a trailing slash; the returned rel path never has one and is ""
+ * for the root itself. A root of "/" is handled (its children start at "/").
+ * Exposed so tests can exercise the mapping directly. */
+char* scanner_path_relative(const char* root, const char* fs_path) {
+  size_t root_len = strlen(root);
+  while (root_len > 1 && root[root_len - 1] == '/')
+    root_len--;
+  if (strncmp(root, fs_path, root_len) != 0)
+    return NULL;
+  if (root_len == 1 && root[0] == '/') {
+    if (fs_path[1] == '\0')
+      return str_dup("");
+    return str_dup(fs_path + 1);
+  }
+  if (fs_path[root_len] == '\0')
+    return str_dup("");
+  if (fs_path[root_len] != '/')
+    return NULL;
+  return str_dup(fs_path + root_len + 1);
+}
+
+/* Relative path of a child entry below the current directory. */
+static char* child_rel_path(const char* parent_rel, const char* name) {
+  if (!parent_rel || parent_rel[0] == '\0')
+    return str_dup(name);
+  return path_cat(parent_rel, name);
+}
+
+/* Apply the --files-from allow-set and the filter layer to one entry. */
+static bool entry_passes_selection(const FileListSet* file_list, const FilterRuleList* base,
+                                   const FilterNode* node, const char* rel, const char* leaf,
+                                   bool is_dir, bool per_dir_filters) {
+  if (file_list && !file_list_affects(file_list, rel))
+    return false;
+  if (base || per_dir_filters)
+    return entry_allowed(base, node, rel, leaf, is_dir, per_dir_filters);
+  return true;
+}
+
+/* Merge the open directory's own .rsync-filter rules into the inherited
+ * context, returning the context used for this directory's entries. On a parse
+ * error the scanner is marked failed. Returns 0 on success, -1 on failure. */
+static int open_directory_filter_context(DirectoryScanner* scanner, const FilterNode* inherited) {
+  if (!scanner->per_dir_filters) {
+    scanner->current_node = (FilterNode*)inherited;
+    return 0;
+  }
+  char err[256];
+  bool exists = false;
+  FilterRuleList* own =
+      filter_file_read(scanner->current_path, scanner->current_rel ? scanner->current_rel : "",
+                       &exists, err, sizeof(err));
+  if (!own) {
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "invalid .rsync-filter in %s: %s", scanner->current_path, err);
+    scanner->failed = true;
+    return -1;
+  }
+  if (exists && own->count > 0) {
+    FilterNode* node = filter_node_alloc((FilterNode*)inherited, own);
+    if (!node || !array_list_add(scanner->filter_nodes, node)) {
+      filter_node_destroy(node);
+      scanner->failed = true;
+      return -1;
+    }
+    scanner->current_node = node;
+  } else {
+    filter_rule_list_free(own);
+    scanner->current_node = (FilterNode*)inherited;
+  }
+  return 0;
+}
+
 /* Inspect symlinks, resolve the entry type, and apply file filters once for both scanners. */
 static int scanner_inspect_entry(const ScannerOptions* options, const char* source_root,
                                  const char* containing_dir, const char* name,
@@ -156,16 +291,62 @@ DirectoryScanner* directory_scanner_create_with_options(const char* root_directo
   scanner->safe_links = options->safe_links;
   scanner->copy_unsafe_links = options->copy_unsafe_links;
   scanner->checksum = options->checksum;
+  scanner->one_file_system = options->one_file_system;
   scanner->failed = false;
-  DirEntry* root = dir_entry_create(root_directory, 0);
-  if (!root) {
+  scanner->root_path = str_dup(root_directory);
+  if (!scanner->root_path) {
     queue_destroy(scanner->directories);
     free(scanner);
     return NULL;
   }
+  scanner->current_rel = NULL;
+  scanner->at_seed_dir = true;
+  scanner->seed_node = NULL;
+  scanner->current_node = NULL;
+  scanner->file_list = options->file_list;
+  scanner->base_filters = options->base_filters;
+  scanner->per_dir_filters = options->per_dir_filters;
+  scanner->dirs_mode = options->dirs;
+  scanner->relative_mode = options->relative && options->file_list != NULL;
+  scanner->dirs_root_emitted = false;
+  scanner->list_index = 0;
+  scanner->dirs_batch = NULL;
+  scanner->dirs_batch_size = 0;
+  scanner->filter_nodes = NULL;
+  if (scanner->base_filters || scanner->per_dir_filters) {
+    scanner->filter_nodes = array_list_create(filter_node_destroy);
+    if (!scanner->filter_nodes) {
+      free(scanner->root_path);
+      queue_destroy(scanner->directories);
+      free(scanner);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+  }
+  if (scanner->one_file_system) {
+    struct stat root_stats;
+    if (stat(root_directory, &root_stats) != 0) {
+      log_perror("Could not stat source directory");
+      free(scanner->root_path);
+      queue_destroy(scanner->directories);
+      array_list_delete(scanner->filter_nodes);
+      free(scanner);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+    scanner->root_dev = root_stats.st_dev;
+  }
+  DirEntry* root = dir_entry_create(root_directory, 0, NULL);
+  if (!root) {
+    free(scanner->root_path);
+    queue_destroy(scanner->directories);
+    array_list_delete(scanner->filter_nodes);
+    free(scanner);
+    return NULL;
+  }
   if (!queue_enqueue(scanner->directories, root)) {
     dir_entry_destroy(root);
+    free(scanner->root_path);
     queue_destroy(scanner->directories);
+    array_list_delete(scanner->filter_nodes);
     free(scanner);
     return NULL;
   }
@@ -179,10 +360,27 @@ DirectoryScanner* directory_scanner_create(const char* root_directory, bool use_
                                            unsigned long long min_size, int max_depth,
                                            bool follow_symlinks, bool copy_links, bool safe_links,
                                            bool copy_unsafe_links, bool checksum) {
-  ScannerOptions options = {
-      use_metadata,    chunk_size, exclude_patterns, exclude_count,     include_patterns,
-      include_count,   max_size,   min_size,         max_depth,         0,
-      follow_symlinks, copy_links, safe_links,       copy_unsafe_links, checksum};
+  ScannerOptions options = {use_metadata,
+                            chunk_size,
+                            exclude_patterns,
+                            exclude_count,
+                            include_patterns,
+                            include_count,
+                            max_size,
+                            min_size,
+                            max_depth,
+                            0,
+                            follow_symlinks,
+                            copy_links,
+                            safe_links,
+                            copy_unsafe_links,
+                            checksum,
+                            false,
+                            NULL,
+                            NULL,
+                            false,
+                            false,
+                            false};
   return directory_scanner_create_with_options(root_directory, &options);
 }
 
@@ -194,6 +392,10 @@ void directory_scanner_destroy(DirectoryScanner* scanner) {
     scanner->current_dir = NULL;
   }
   free(scanner->current_path);
+  free(scanner->current_rel);
+  free(scanner->root_path);
+  array_list_delete(scanner->filter_nodes);
+  array_list_delete(scanner->dirs_batch);
   queue_destroy(scanner->directories);
   free(scanner);
 }
@@ -224,7 +426,21 @@ static int open_next_directory(DirectoryScanner* scanner) {
   DirEntry* de = (DirEntry*)queue_dequeue(scanner->directories);
   scanner->current_path = de->path;
   scanner->current_depth = de->depth;
+  /* The seed directory inherits the scanner's configured context (the root
+   * .rsync-filter context in parallel mode); other dirs inherit the context of
+   * the directory that enqueued them. */
+  const FilterNode* inherited = scanner->at_seed_dir ? scanner->seed_node : de->context;
+  scanner->at_seed_dir = false;
   free(de);
+
+  free(scanner->current_rel);
+  scanner->current_rel = scanner_path_relative(scanner->root_path, scanner->current_path);
+  if (!scanner->current_rel) {
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Could not compute relative path under %s", scanner->root_path);
+    scanner->failed = true;
+    return -1;
+  }
+
   scanner->current_dir = opendir(scanner->current_path);
   if (scanner->current_dir == NULL) {
     log_perror("Could not open directory");
@@ -233,10 +449,192 @@ static int open_next_directory(DirectoryScanner* scanner) {
     scanner->failed = true;
     return -1;
   }
+  if (open_directory_filter_context(scanner, inherited) != 0) {
+    closedir(scanner->current_dir);
+    scanner->current_dir = NULL;
+    return -1;
+  }
   return 1;
 }
 
+/* ---- --dirs mode ----
+   With -d the scanner transfers directory entries and never recurses into
+   contents.  A plain `-d <dir>` sends only the source-root directory mirror
+   (created empty at the destination).  With -d + --files-from exactly the
+   listed items are sent: listed directories become empty directory entries and
+   listed regular files are transferred as files; nothing else is scanned, so
+   no descent into a listed directory can happen. */
+
+/* Directory entries carry no payload, so the dirs generator also bounds every
+   chunk by element count; chunk_deserialize refuses more than this many files
+   per chunk (see MAX_FILES_PER_CHUNK in chunk.c). */
+#define DIRS_CHUNK_MAX_FILES 65536U
+
+/* Build the File for the transfer root directory itself (the `-d <dir>` and
+ * "." cases). */
+static File* dirs_root_dir_file(DirectoryScanner* scanner) {
+  struct stat st;
+  if (stat(scanner->root_path, &st) != 0 || !S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)) {
+    log_perror("Could not stat source directory");
+    scanner->failed = true;
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  File* file = file_create(scanner->root_path);
+  if (!file) {
+    scanner->failed = true;
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  file->is_dir = true;
+  if (scanner->use_metadata) {
+    file->metadata = file_metadata_create(&st);
+    if (!file->metadata) {
+      file_destroy(file);
+      scanner->failed = true;
+      return NULL;
+    }
+  }
+  return file;
+}
+
+/* Map one normalized --files-from entry to a File (a directory entry or a
+ * regular file to transfer), or NULL to skip the entry. */
+static File* dirs_file_for_entry(DirectoryScanner* scanner, const char* entry) {
+  if (entry[0] == '\0') {
+    /* "." (whole tree): under -R the bare receive root is the destination and
+       there is nothing to create for the root itself; otherwise mirror the
+       source-root directory (empty). */
+    if (scanner->relative_mode)
+      return NULL;
+    return dirs_root_dir_file(scanner);
+  }
+  char* abs_path = path_cat(scanner->root_path, entry);
+  if (!abs_path) {
+    scanner->failed = true;
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  struct stat link_stats;
+  if (lstat(abs_path, &link_stats) != 0) {
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "--dirs listed entry is not present under the source: %s", entry);
+    free(abs_path);
+    scanner->failed = true;
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  struct stat effective = link_stats;
+  if (S_ISLNK(link_stats.st_mode)) {
+    /* A symlink is transferred (following its referent) only when a link
+       resolution option is active, mirroring the regular scanner. */
+    bool resolve = scanner->follow_symlinks || scanner->copy_links || scanner->safe_links ||
+                   scanner->copy_unsafe_links;
+    if (!resolve || stat(abs_path, &effective) != 0) {
+      free(abs_path);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+  }
+  bool is_dir = S_ISDIR(effective.st_mode);
+  bool is_file = S_ISREG(effective.st_mode);
+  if (!is_dir && !is_file) {
+    free(abs_path);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  File* file = file_create(abs_path);
+  free(abs_path);
+  if (!file) {
+    scanner->failed = true;
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  file->is_dir = is_dir;
+  file->data->size = is_file ? (unsigned long long)effective.st_size : 0;
+  if (scanner->relative_mode) {
+    file->send_path = str_dup(entry);
+    if (!file->send_path) {
+      file_destroy(file);
+      scanner->failed = true;
+      return NULL;
+    }
+  }
+  if (scanner->use_metadata) {
+    file->metadata = file_metadata_create(&effective);
+    if (!file->metadata) {
+      file_destroy(file);
+      scanner->failed = true;
+      return NULL;
+    }
+  }
+  return file;
+}
+
+/* The next File from the --dirs generator, or NULL when exhausted. */
+static File* dirs_next_file(DirectoryScanner* scanner) {
+  if (!scanner->file_list) {
+    if (scanner->dirs_root_emitted)
+      return NULL;
+    scanner->dirs_root_emitted = true;
+    return dirs_root_dir_file(scanner);
+  }
+  while (scanner->list_index < scanner->file_list->count) {
+    const char* entry = scanner->file_list->entries[scanner->list_index++];
+    File* file = dirs_file_for_entry(scanner, entry);
+    if (scanner->failed)
+      return NULL;
+    if (file)
+      return file;
+  }
+  return NULL;
+}
+
+static Chunk* dirs_flush_batch(DirectoryScanner* scanner) {
+  if (!scanner->dirs_batch || scanner->dirs_batch->size == 0) {
+    array_list_delete(scanner->dirs_batch);
+    scanner->dirs_batch = NULL;
+    scanner->dirs_batch_size = 0;
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  ArrayList* batch = scanner->dirs_batch;
+  scanner->dirs_batch = NULL;
+  scanner->dirs_batch_size = 0;
+  Chunk* chunk = chunk_data_to_chunk(batch);
+  if (!chunk)
+    scanner->failed = true;
+  return chunk;
+}
+
+static Chunk* directory_scanner_next_dirs(DirectoryScanner* scanner) {
+  while (scanner->dirs_batch == NULL || scanner->dirs_batch_size <= scanner->chunk_size) {
+    if (!scanner->dirs_batch) {
+      scanner->dirs_batch = array_list_create(file_destroy);
+      if (!scanner->dirs_batch) {
+        scanner->failed = true;
+        return NULL;
+      }
+      scanner->dirs_batch_size = 0;
+    }
+    File* file = dirs_next_file(scanner);
+    if (scanner->failed) {
+      dirs_flush_batch(scanner);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+    if (!file) {
+      return dirs_flush_batch(scanner);
+    }
+    if (!array_list_add(scanner->dirs_batch, file)) {
+      file_destroy(file);
+      scanner->failed = true;
+      dirs_flush_batch(scanner);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+    scanner->dirs_batch_size += file->data ? file->data->size : 0;
+    /* Empty directory entries carry no bytes, so a large --dirs --files-from
+       list must also be bounded by element count (the chunk deserializer caps
+       the number of files per chunk). */
+    if (scanner->dirs_batch->size >= (int)DIRS_CHUNK_MAX_FILES)
+      return dirs_flush_batch(scanner);
+  }
+  return dirs_flush_batch(scanner);
+}
+
 Chunk* directory_scanner_next(DirectoryScanner* scanner) {
+  if (scanner && scanner->dirs_mode)
+    return directory_scanner_next_dirs(scanner);
   ArrayList* chunk_data = array_list_create(file_destroy);
   if (!chunk_data) {
     scanner->failed = true;
@@ -265,14 +663,27 @@ Chunk* directory_scanner_next(DirectoryScanner* scanner) {
     if (strcmp(entry->d_name, ".") == 0 || strcmp(entry->d_name, "..") == 0)
       continue;
 
-    ScannerOptions options = {scanner->use_metadata,     scanner->chunk_size,
-                              scanner->exclude_patterns, scanner->exclude_count,
-                              scanner->include_patterns, scanner->include_count,
-                              scanner->max_size,         scanner->min_size,
-                              scanner->max_depth,        0,
-                              scanner->follow_symlinks,  scanner->copy_links,
-                              scanner->safe_links,       scanner->copy_unsafe_links,
-                              scanner->checksum};
+    ScannerOptions options = {scanner->use_metadata,
+                              scanner->chunk_size,
+                              scanner->exclude_patterns,
+                              scanner->exclude_count,
+                              scanner->include_patterns,
+                              scanner->include_count,
+                              scanner->max_size,
+                              scanner->min_size,
+                              scanner->max_depth,
+                              0,
+                              scanner->follow_symlinks,
+                              scanner->copy_links,
+                              scanner->safe_links,
+                              scanner->copy_unsafe_links,
+                              scanner->checksum,
+                              scanner->one_file_system,
+                              scanner->file_list,
+                              scanner->base_filters,
+                              scanner->per_dir_filters,
+                              false,
+                              false};
     ScannerEntry inspected;
     int inspection = scanner_inspect_entry(&options, scanner->current_path, scanner->current_path,
                                            entry->d_name, &inspected);
@@ -285,10 +696,42 @@ Chunk* directory_scanner_next(DirectoryScanner* scanner) {
     char* cur_path = inspected.path;
     struct stat stats = inspected.stats;
 
-    if (inspected.is_directory) {
+    /* --files-from allow-set and the filter layer apply to files and to
+     * directories (an excluded directory is not descended into). */
+    bool is_dir = inspected.is_directory;
+    char* rel = child_rel_path(scanner->current_rel, entry->d_name);
+    if (!rel) {
+      free(cur_path);
+      scanner->failed = true;
+      break;
+    }
+    bool passes_selection =
+        entry_passes_selection(scanner->file_list, scanner->base_filters, scanner->current_node,
+                               rel, entry->d_name, is_dir, scanner->per_dir_filters);
+    /* With -R + --files-from the wire/destination path is the entry's bare
+       relative path; keep `rel` alive to attach it to a transferred file. */
+    char* rel_copy = scanner->relative_mode ? str_dup(rel) : NULL;
+    free(rel);
+    if (rel_copy == NULL && scanner->relative_mode) {
+      free(cur_path);
+      scanner->failed = true;
+      break;
+    }
+    if (!passes_selection) {
+      free(rel_copy);
+      free(cur_path);
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    if (is_dir) {
+      free(rel_copy);
+      if (!scanner_same_filesystem(scanner->one_file_system, scanner->root_dev, stats.st_dev)) {
+        free(cur_path);
+        continue;
+      }
       int next_depth = scanner->current_depth + 1;
       if (scanner->max_depth <= 0 || next_depth < scanner->max_depth) {
-        DirEntry* de = dir_entry_create(cur_path, next_depth);
+        DirEntry* de = dir_entry_create(cur_path, next_depth, scanner->current_node);
         if (!de || !queue_enqueue(scanner->directories, de)) {
           dir_entry_destroy(de);
           scanner->failed = true;
@@ -297,38 +740,45 @@ Chunk* directory_scanner_next(DirectoryScanner* scanner) {
       free(cur_path);
     } else {
       if (scanner->max_depth > 0 && scanner->current_depth + 1 > scanner->max_depth) {
+        free(rel_copy);
         free(cur_path);
         continue;
       }
       File* file = file_create(cur_path);
+      free(cur_path);
       if (file == NULL) {
-        free(cur_path);
+        free(rel_copy);
         scanner->failed = true;
         continue;
       }
       file->data->size = stats.st_size;
+      if (scanner->relative_mode) {
+        file->send_path = rel_copy;
+        rel_copy = NULL;
+      }
       if (scanner->use_metadata)
         file->metadata = file_metadata_create(&stats);
       if (scanner->use_metadata && !file->metadata) {
+        free(rel_copy);
         file_destroy(file);
-        free(cur_path);
         scanner->failed = true;
         break;
       }
       if (!array_list_add(chunk_data, file)) {
+        free(rel_copy);
         file_destroy(file);
         scanner->failed = true;
         break;
       }
       chunk_data_size += file->data->size;
       if (chunk_data_size > scanner->chunk_size) {
-        free(cur_path);
+        free(rel_copy);
         Chunk* result = chunk_data_to_chunk(chunk_data);
         if (!result)
           scanner->failed = true;
         return result;
       }
-      free(cur_path);
+      free(rel_copy);
     }
   }
 
@@ -350,11 +800,16 @@ typedef struct {
   ParallelScanner* ps;
   char** dirs;
   int dir_count;
+  char* root_dir; /* the transfer root, for relative-path computation */
   ScannerOptions options;
+  ProtocolSession* allocation_session;
 } ParallelWorkerArg;
 
 static int parallel_worker_thread(void* arg) {
   ParallelWorkerArg* wa = (ParallelWorkerArg*)arg;
+  ProtocolSession* allocation_session = wa->allocation_session;
+  if (allocation_session)
+    protocol_session_bind(allocation_session);
   for (int i = 0; i < wa->dir_count; i++) {
     DirectoryScanner* ds = directory_scanner_create_with_options(wa->dirs[i], &wa->options);
     if (!ds) {
@@ -368,6 +823,13 @@ static int parallel_worker_thread(void* arg) {
         free(wa->dirs[j]);
       break;
     }
+    /* Root .rsync-filter rules (parsed by the parallel scanner) apply to the
+     * contents of every assigned subdirectory. Relative paths (used by the
+     * allow-set and per-directory rules) are computed against the transfer
+     * root, not the subdirectory the worker is seeded with. */
+    free(ds->root_path);
+    ds->root_path = str_dup(wa->root_dir);
+    ds->seed_node = wa->ps->root_filter_node;
     Chunk* chunk;
     while ((chunk = directory_scanner_next(ds)) != NULL) {
       if (!queue_enqueue_multithreaded_cancel(wa->ps->result_queue, chunk, &wa->ps->result_mutex,
@@ -389,6 +851,7 @@ static int parallel_worker_thread(void* arg) {
     free(wa->dirs[i]);
   }
   ParallelScanner* ps = wa->ps;
+  free(wa->root_dir);
   free(wa->dirs);
   free(wa);
   mtx_lock(&ps->result_mutex);
@@ -398,6 +861,8 @@ static int parallel_worker_thread(void* arg) {
     cnd_signal(&ps->result_not_empty);
   }
   mtx_unlock(&ps->result_mutex);
+  if (allocation_session)
+    protocol_session_unbind();
   return thrd_success;
 }
 
@@ -517,8 +982,9 @@ static Chunk* batch_files(ArrayList* files, unsigned long long chunk_size, Queue
 }
 
 /* Scan one root-directory entry into either the subdirs or files list. */
-static void scan_root_entry(const ScannerOptions* options, const char* root_directory,
-                            const struct dirent* entry, ArrayList* root_files, ArrayList* subdirs,
+static void scan_root_entry(const ScannerOptions* options, const FilterNode* root_node,
+                            const char* root_directory, const struct dirent* entry,
+                            ArrayList* root_files, ArrayList* subdirs, dev_t root_dev,
                             ParallelScanner* ps) {
   ScannerEntry inspected;
   int inspection =
@@ -531,7 +997,28 @@ static void scan_root_entry(const ScannerOptions* options, const char* root_dire
     return;
   char* cur_path = inspected.path;
   struct stat st = inspected.stats;
-  if (inspected.is_directory) {
+  bool is_dir = inspected.is_directory;
+  char* rel = str_dup(entry->d_name);
+  if (!rel) {
+    free(cur_path);
+    ps->failed = true;
+    return;
+  }
+  bool passes = entry_passes_selection(options->file_list, options->base_filters, root_node, rel,
+                                       entry->d_name, is_dir, options->per_dir_filters);
+  /* -R + --files-from: root-level files keep their bare relative send path. */
+  bool use_rel = options->relative && options->file_list != NULL;
+  if (!passes) {
+    free(rel);
+    free(cur_path);
+    return;
+  }
+  if (is_dir) {
+    free(rel);
+    if (!scanner_same_filesystem(options->one_file_system, root_dev, st.st_dev)) {
+      free(cur_path);
+      return;
+    }
     if (!array_list_add(subdirs, cur_path)) {
       free(cur_path);
       ps->failed = true;
@@ -541,28 +1028,37 @@ static void scan_root_entry(const ScannerOptions* options, const char* root_dire
   File* file = file_create(cur_path);
   free(cur_path);
   if (!file) {
+    free(rel);
     ps->failed = true;
     return;
   }
   file->data->size = st.st_size;
+  if (use_rel) {
+    file->send_path = rel;
+    rel = NULL;
+  }
   if (options->use_metadata)
     file->metadata = file_metadata_create(&st);
   if (options->use_metadata && !file->metadata) {
+    free(rel);
     file_destroy(file);
     ps->failed = true;
     return;
   }
   if (!array_list_add(root_files, file)) {
+    free(rel);
     file_destroy(file);
     ps->failed = true;
+    return;
   }
+  free(rel);
 }
 
 /* Scan the root directory itself, collecting root files and subdirectories.
  * Returns false if the root directory could not be opened. */
 static bool scan_root_directory(ParallelScanner* ps, const char* root_directory,
-                                const ScannerOptions* options, ArrayList* root_files,
-                                ArrayList* subdirs) {
+                                const ScannerOptions* options, const FilterNode* root_node,
+                                dev_t root_dev, ArrayList* root_files, ArrayList* subdirs) {
   DIR* dir = opendir(root_directory);
   if (!dir) {
     log_perror("Could not open root directory for parallel scan");
@@ -572,7 +1068,7 @@ static bool scan_root_directory(ParallelScanner* ps, const char* root_directory,
   while ((entry = readdir(dir)) != NULL) {
     if (strcmp(entry->d_name, ".") == 0 || strcmp(entry->d_name, "..") == 0)
       continue;
-    scan_root_entry(options, root_directory, entry, root_files, subdirs, ps);
+    scan_root_entry(options, root_node, root_directory, entry, root_files, subdirs, root_dev, ps);
   }
   closedir(dir);
   return true;
@@ -580,7 +1076,8 @@ static bool scan_root_directory(ParallelScanner* ps, const char* root_directory,
 
 /* Spawn worker threads, one per group of subdirectories. */
 static void spawn_parallel_workers(ParallelScanner* ps, ArrayList* subdirs,
-                                   const ScannerOptions* options, unsigned long long cs) {
+                                   const ScannerOptions* options, const char* root_directory,
+                                   unsigned long long cs) {
   if (subdirs->size <= 0)
     return;
   int n = options->num_threads > 0 ? options->num_threads : 4;
@@ -611,7 +1108,10 @@ static void spawn_parallel_workers(ParallelScanner* ps, ArrayList* subdirs,
     }
     wa->ps = ps;
     wa->dirs = calloc(count, sizeof(char*));
-    if (!wa->dirs) {
+    wa->root_dir = str_dup(root_directory);
+    if (!wa->dirs || !wa->root_dir) {
+      free(wa->root_dir);
+      free(wa->dirs);
       free(wa);
       parallel_scanner_creation_failed(ps);
       break;
@@ -625,6 +1125,7 @@ static void spawn_parallel_workers(ParallelScanner* ps, ArrayList* subdirs,
     if (!dup_ok) {
       for (int j = 0; j < count; j++)
         free(wa->dirs[j]);
+      free(wa->root_dir);
       free(wa->dirs);
       free(wa);
       parallel_scanner_creation_failed(ps);
@@ -633,10 +1134,12 @@ static void spawn_parallel_workers(ParallelScanner* ps, ArrayList* subdirs,
     wa->dir_count = count;
     wa->options = *options;
     wa->options.chunk_size = cs;
+    wa->allocation_session = ps->allocation_session;
     start += count;
     if (thrd_create(&ps->threads[t], parallel_worker_thread, wa) != thrd_success) {
       for (int j = 0; j < count; j++)
         free(wa->dirs[j]);
+      free(wa->root_dir);
       free(wa->dirs);
       free(wa);
       parallel_scanner_creation_failed(ps);
@@ -648,7 +1151,8 @@ static void spawn_parallel_workers(ParallelScanner* ps, ArrayList* subdirs,
 }
 
 ParallelScanner* parallel_scanner_create_with_options(const char* root_directory,
-                                                      const ScannerOptions* options) {
+                                                      const ScannerOptions* options,
+                                                      ProtocolSession* allocation_session) {
   if (!root_directory || !options)
     return NULL;
   ParallelScanner* ps = calloc(1, sizeof(ParallelScanner));
@@ -658,6 +1162,7 @@ ParallelScanner* parallel_scanner_create_with_options(const char* root_directory
     free(ps);
     return NULL;
   }
+  ps->allocation_session = allocation_session;
 
   ArrayList* root_files = array_list_create(file_destroy);
   ArrayList* subdirs = array_list_create(free);
@@ -668,7 +1173,50 @@ ParallelScanner* parallel_scanner_create_with_options(const char* root_directory
     return NULL;
   }
 
-  if (!scan_root_directory(ps, root_directory, options, root_files, subdirs)) {
+  dev_t root_dev = 0;
+  if (options->one_file_system) {
+    struct stat root_stats;
+    if (stat(root_directory, &root_stats) != 0) {
+      log_perror("Could not stat source directory");
+      array_list_delete(root_files);
+      array_list_delete(subdirs);
+      parallel_scanner_destroy(ps);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+    root_dev = root_stats.st_dev;
+  }
+
+  /* Build the root directory's .rsync-filter context once; workers seed their
+   * scanners with it so per-dir rules behave identically to the sequential
+   * scanner. */
+  FilterNode* root_node = NULL;
+  if (options->per_dir_filters) {
+    char err[256];
+    bool exists = false;
+    FilterRuleList* own = filter_file_read(root_directory, "", &exists, err, sizeof(err));
+    if (!own) {
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "invalid .rsync-filter in %s: %s", root_directory, err);
+      array_list_delete(root_files);
+      array_list_delete(subdirs);
+      parallel_scanner_destroy(ps);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+    if (exists && own->count > 0) {
+      root_node = filter_node_alloc(NULL, own);
+      if (!root_node) {
+        filter_rule_list_free(own);
+        array_list_delete(root_files);
+        array_list_delete(subdirs);
+        parallel_scanner_destroy(ps);
+        return NULL;
+      }
+    } else {
+      filter_rule_list_free(own);
+    }
+  }
+  ps->root_filter_node = root_node;
+
+  if (!scan_root_directory(ps, root_directory, options, root_node, root_dev, root_files, subdirs)) {
     array_list_delete(root_files);
     array_list_delete(subdirs);
     parallel_scanner_destroy(ps);
@@ -679,7 +1227,7 @@ ParallelScanner* parallel_scanner_create_with_options(const char* root_directory
   ps->initial_chunk = batch_files(root_files, cs, ps->result_queue, &ps->failed);
   array_list_delete(root_files);
 
-  spawn_parallel_workers(ps, subdirs, options, cs);
+  spawn_parallel_workers(ps, subdirs, options, root_directory, cs);
   array_list_delete(subdirs);
   return ps;
 }
@@ -722,6 +1270,8 @@ void parallel_scanner_destroy(ParallelScanner* ps) {
   for (int i = 0; i < ps->num_threads; i++)
     thrd_join(ps->threads[i], NULL);
   free(ps->threads);
+  if (ps->root_filter_node)
+    filter_node_destroy(ps->root_filter_node);
   if (ps->initial_chunk)
     chunk_destroy(ps->initial_chunk);
   queue_destroy(ps->result_queue);

src/client/scanner.h

@@ -2,11 +2,15 @@
 #define SCANNER_H
 
 #include "chunk.h"
+#include "file_list.h"
+#include "filter.h"
+#include "protocol.h"
 #include "queue.h"
 #include <dirent.h>
 #include <stdbool.h>
-#include <threads.h>
 #include <stdatomic.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <threads.h>
 
 typedef struct {
   bool use_metadata;
@@ -24,8 +28,21 @@ typedef struct {
   bool safe_links;
   bool copy_unsafe_links;
   bool checksum;
+  bool one_file_system;
+  /* Phase 2 (files-from / filter layer). All pointers are shared read-only
+   * across scanner instances and worker threads; ownership stays with the
+   * caller (client_send). */
+  const FileListSet* file_list;       /* --files-from allow-set, or NULL */
+  const FilterRuleList* base_filters; /* command-line + -C rules, or NULL */
+  bool per_dir_filters;               /* -F: read .rsync-filter per directory */
+  bool dirs;                          /* -d/--dirs: transfer dir entries, no recursion */
+  bool relative;                      /* -R/--relative (dest rel paths, with --files-from) */
 } ScannerOptions;
 
+/* Internal per-scanner filter state. FilterNode chains represent the ordered
+ * per-directory .rsync-filter rules that apply below a directory. */
+typedef struct FilterNode FilterNode;
+
 typedef struct {
   Queue* directories;
   DIR* current_dir;
@@ -45,7 +62,27 @@ typedef struct {
   bool safe_links;
   bool copy_unsafe_links;
   bool checksum;
+  bool one_file_system;
+  dev_t root_dev;
   bool failed;
+  /* Phase 2 (files-from / filter layer). */
+  char* root_path;          /* transfer root (fs path) for rel computation */
+  char* current_rel;        /* rel path of the open directory ("" == root) */
+  bool at_seed_dir;         /* next open is the seed directory */
+  FilterNode* seed_node;    /* inherited context of the seed dir, or NULL */
+  FilterNode* current_node; /* filter context of the open directory */
+  ArrayList* filter_nodes;  /* owned FilterNode arena (may be NULL) */
+  const FileListSet* file_list;
+  const FilterRuleList* base_filters;
+  bool per_dir_filters;
+  /* --dirs / -R state for the directory-entry generator (dirs_mode replaces
+     the recursive scan). */
+  bool dirs_mode;
+  bool relative_mode; /* file_list && relative: send bare relative wire paths */
+  bool dirs_root_emitted;
+  int list_index;
+  ArrayList* dirs_batch; /* owned when non-NULL */
+  unsigned long long dirs_batch_size;
 } DirectoryScanner;
 
 typedef struct {
@@ -62,6 +99,8 @@ typedef struct {
   atomic_bool cancelled;
   int completed;
   Chunk* initial_chunk;
+  ProtocolSession* allocation_session;
+  FilterNode* root_filter_node; /* root .rsync-filter context (owned by ps) */
 } ParallelScanner;
 
 DirectoryScanner* directory_scanner_create(const char* root_directory, bool use_metadata,
@@ -77,8 +116,19 @@ Chunk* directory_scanner_next(DirectoryScanner* scanner);
 bool directory_scanner_failed(const DirectoryScanner* scanner);
 void directory_scanner_destroy(DirectoryScanner* scanner);
 
+/* --one-file-system (-x) decision: a directory entry may be descended into
+ * only when the option is disabled or the entry lives on the same device as
+ * the transfer root. Exposed so tests can exercise the rule directly. */
+bool scanner_same_filesystem(bool one_file_system, dev_t root_device, dev_t entry_device);
+
+/* Relative path of an on-disk path below `root` ("" == the root itself, NULL
+ * when `fs_path` is not under `root`). Handles trailing slashes and a root of
+ * "/". Exposed so tests can exercise the mapping directly. */
+char* scanner_path_relative(const char* root, const char* fs_path);
+
 ParallelScanner* parallel_scanner_create_with_options(const char* root_directory,
-                                                      const ScannerOptions* options);
+                                                      const ScannerOptions* options,
+                                                      ProtocolSession* allocation_session);
 Chunk* parallel_scanner_next(ParallelScanner* scanner);
 bool parallel_scanner_failed(const ParallelScanner* scanner);
 void parallel_scanner_destroy(ParallelScanner* scanner);

src/client/usage.c

@@ -18,26 +18,68 @@ void print_usage(void) {
   printf("  -z [level]          Alias for -c\n");
   printf("  -a, --archive       Archive mode (-c -m -M)\n");
   printf("  -n, --dry-run       Show what would be transferred\n");
+  printf("  --remove-source-files  Remove regular source files after successful transfer\n");
   printf("  -p <port>           SSH port (default: 22)\n");
   printf("  --progress          Show transfer progress\n");
+  printf("  -P                  Partial mode with progress (retention incomplete)\n");
+  printf("  -8, --8-bit-output  Leave high-bit characters unescaped in output\n");
   printf("  --delete            Delete files on receiver not in source\n");
+  printf("  --ignore-existing  Skip files that already exist on receiver\n");
+  printf("  --delay-updates    Put updated files into place only at the end of transfer\n");
+  printf("  --dirs, -d, --old-dirs, --old-d  Transfer the named directory entries without\n");
+  printf("                    recursing into their contents (-d <dir> mirrors the source\n");
+  printf("                    directory empty; with --files-from listed dirs are created\n");
+  printf("                    empty and listed files are transferred)\n");
+  printf("  -R, --relative    With --files-from, preserve each listed entry's relative path\n");
+  printf("                    below the destination root instead of mirroring the full\n");
+  printf("                    source path (no effect without --files-from)\n");
+  printf("  --no-implied-dirs  With -R --files-from, refuse to place a listed file whose\n");
+  printf("                    parent directory is not itself listed\n");
+  printf("  --mkpath          Create the destination root directory on the server when it\n");
+  printf("                    does not exist yet\n");
+  printf("  --del               Alias for --delete-during (not implemented)\n");
   printf("  --exclude <pattern> Exclude files matching pattern\n");
   printf("  --include <pattern> Only include files matching pattern\n");
   printf("  --exclude-from <file> Read exclude patterns from file\n");
   printf("  --include-from <file> Read include patterns from file\n");
+  printf("  --files-from <file> Read the source file list from FILE (paths relative to the "
+         "source root)\n");
+  printf("  -0, --from0       Entries in --files-from are NUL-delimited\n");
+  printf("  --filter=RULE     rsync-style filter rule (+/- include/exclude; repeatable; the\n");
+  printf("                    rsync -f short form conflicts with FastSync sendfile -f)\n");
+  printf("  -C, --cvs-exclude Auto-ignore common CVS/SCM files (.git/, .svn/, *.o, *~, ...)\n");
+  printf("  -F                Apply per-directory .rsync-filter files during the scan\n");
   printf("  --max-size <n>      Skip files larger than n bytes\n");
   printf("  --min-size <n>      Skip files smaller than n bytes\n");
+  printf("  --max-alloc <SIZE>  Maximum single allocation (default: 1G)\n");
   printf("  --incremental       Skip files unchanged since last transfer\n");
+  printf("  --size-only         Skip incremental files matching in size, ignoring mtime\n");
+  printf("  -I, --ignore-times  Transfer files even when size and mtime match\n");
+  printf("  -@, --modify-window <sec>  Modification time tolerance\n");
+  printf("  -u, --update        Skip files newer than the source on receiver\n");
+  printf("  --existing          Skip files not already present at destination\n");
+  printf("  --checksum-choice, --cc <alg>  Checksum algorithm (not supported yet; xxHash64 is "
+         "used)\n");
   printf("  --delta             Delta transfer for changed files (requires --incremental)\n");
+  printf("  -W, --whole-file    Transfer changed files without delta processing\n");
   printf("  --delta-block <n>   Delta block size in bytes (default: %d)\n",
          DELTA_BLOCK_SIZE_DEFAULT);
   printf("  --delta-max <n>     Max file size for delta transfer (default: %llu)\n",
          DELTA_MAX_FILE_SIZE);
   printf("  -m                  Enable multithreading\n");
   printf("  -s                  Enable chunk serialization\n");
+  printf("  --secluded-args    Accept rsync compatibility option (no effect)\n");
   printf("  -f                  Enable sendfile (TCP only, not with -c or -s)\n");
+  printf("  --compress-choice <alg>  Compression algorithm (default: zstd)\n");
+  printf("  --zc <alg>          Alias for --compress-choice\n");
   printf("  -v, --verbose       Enable debug logging\n");
+  printf("  -q, --quiet         Suppress non-error output\n");
+  printf("  --debug=FLAGS       Fine-grained debug logging (use --debug=help for flags)\n");
+  printf("  --info=FLAGS        Fine-grained info: copy,misc,skip,stats,all,none\n");
+  printf("                      none suppresses info even with --verbose\n");
   printf("  -M, --preserve      Preserve file metadata\n");
+  printf("  -E, --executability Preserve executable permission bits\n");
+  printf("  --chmod <changes>   Modify transferred permissions (rsync syntax)\n");
   printf("  --chunk-size <n>    Chunk size in bytes (default: %d)\n", DEFAULT_CHUNK_SIZE);
   printf("  --source-dir <path> Source directory\n");
   printf("  --dest-dir <path>   Destination directory\n");
@@ -56,19 +98,40 @@ void print_usage(void) {
   printf("  --backup-dir <dir>  Directory for backups (requires --backup)\n");
   printf("  --suffix <str>      Backup suffix (default: ~)\n");
   printf("  --stats             Print transfer statistics at end\n");
+  printf("  -i, --itemize-changes  Print an rsync-style per-file change line\n");
+  printf("  --out-format=FORMAT Output format for changed files (%%f %%n %%l %%b %%M %%%%)\n");
+  printf("  --list-only         List source files instead of transferring\n");
+  printf("  --log-file-format=FORMAT  Per-file log line format (needs --log-file)\n");
+  printf("  -h, --human-readable  Print byte sizes in human-readable form\n");
   printf("  --max-depth <n>     Maximum directory depth (0=unlimited)\n");
+  printf("  -x, --one-file-system  Do not cross filesystem boundaries\n");
   printf("  --log-file <path>   Write log messages to file\n");
+  printf("  --stderr=MODE       Route logging to stderr: errors or all\n");
   printf("  --partial           Keep partial files on interrupted transfer\n");
   printf("  --partial-dir <dir> Directory for partial files\n");
+  printf("  --temp-dir <dir>    Scratch dir for temp files before atomic install\n");
   printf("  --fastsync-server-path <path>\n");
   printf("                      Path to fastsync-server on remote (default: fastsync-server)\n");
+  printf(
+      "  --old-args          Disable safe SSH command argument quoting (legacy compatibility)\n");
   printf("  -l, --links         Copy symlinks as symlinks\n");
   printf("  --copy-links        Transform symlinks into referent files\n");
   printf("  --safe-links        Skip symlinks that point outside transfer tree\n");
   printf("  --copy-unsafe-links  Only transform unsafe symlinks into referent files\n");
   printf("  -S, --sparse        Handle sparse files efficiently\n");
   printf("  --inplace           Update files in-place (no temp+rename)\n");
+  printf("  --fsync             Fsync every written file before publication\n");
   printf("  --compress-level <n>    Compression level (default: 5)\n");
+  printf("  --zl <n>             Alias for --compress-level\n");
+  printf("  --skip-compress=LIST    Skip compression for comma-separated suffixes\n");
+  printf("  --compress-threads <n> Compression worker threads (requires zstd threaded support)\n");
+  printf("  --no-OPTION         Disable a supported boolean option\n");
   printf("  --help              Show this help\n");
   printf("  -V, --version       Show version\n");
 }
+
+void print_debug_usage(void) {
+  printf("Supported debug flags: IO,PROTO,PACK,UTIL,ALL,NONE\n");
+  printf("Flags may be comma-separated, for example: --debug=io,proto\n");
+  printf("Other rsync debug flags are unsupported and rejected.\n");
+}

src/client/usage.h

@@ -2,5 +2,6 @@
 #define USAGE_H
 
 void print_usage(void);
+void print_debug_usage(void);
 
 #endif

src/server/receiver.c

@@ -1,12 +1,58 @@
 #include "receiver.h"
 
 #include "chunk.h"
+#include "config.h"
+#include "delay_updates.h"
+#include "file_receive.h"
 #include "log.h"
+#include "metadata.h"
 #include "protocol.h"
 #include "utils.h"
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
 
+bool receiver_outcomes_append(ReceiverOutcomes* outcomes, unsigned char code) {
+  if (!outcomes)
+    return false;
+  if (outcomes->count == outcomes->capacity) {
+    size_t new_capacity = outcomes->capacity == 0 ? 64 : outcomes->capacity * 2;
+    if (new_capacity < outcomes->capacity)
+      return false;
+    unsigned char* grown = realloc(outcomes->entries, new_capacity);
+    if (!grown)
+      return false;
+    outcomes->entries = grown;
+    outcomes->capacity = new_capacity;
+  }
+  outcomes->entries[outcomes->count++] = code;
+  return true;
+}
+
+void receiver_outcomes_destroy(ReceiverOutcomes* outcomes) {
+  if (!outcomes)
+    return;
+  free(outcomes->entries);
+  outcomes->entries = NULL;
+  outcomes->count = 0;
+  outcomes->capacity = 0;
+}
+
+/* End-of-transfer success frame.  When --remove-source-files was negotiated
+   each processed data file is acknowledged first (STATUS_NEXT = written,
+   STATUS_OK = skipped) so the sender never removes a source the receiver did
+   not actually store.  The frame always ends with a plain STATUS_OK. */
+bool receiver_send_final_success(int fd, const Config* config, const ReceiverOutcomes* outcomes) {
+  if (!config->remove_source_files)
+    return send_status(fd, STATUS_OK);
+  size_t count = outcomes ? outcomes->count : 0;
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < count; i++) {
+    Status per_file = outcomes->entries[i] == FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN ? STATUS_NEXT : STATUS_OK;
+    if (!send_status(fd, per_file))
+      return false;
+  }
+  return send_status(fd, STATUS_OK);
+}
+
 static bool receiver_process_chunk(Chunk* chunk, const ReceiverSink* sink) {
   if (!chunk || !sink || !sink->store_file)
     return false;
@@ -37,9 +83,13 @@ static bool receiver_process_batch(Config* config, int file_descriptor) {
       return false;
     unsigned long long check_size;
     long long check_mtime;
+    long long check_mtime_nsec;
     if (!receive_n_data(file_descriptor, &check_size, sizeof(check_size)) ||
-        !receive_n_data(file_descriptor, &check_mtime, sizeof(check_mtime))) {
+        !receive_n_data(file_descriptor, &check_mtime, sizeof(check_mtime)) ||
+        !receive_n_data(file_descriptor, &check_mtime_nsec, sizeof(check_mtime_nsec)) ||
+        check_mtime_nsec < 0 || check_mtime_nsec >= 1000000000LL) {
       free(check_path);
+      send_status(file_descriptor, STATUS_ERROR);
       return false;
     }
     if (!utils_valid_batch_path(check_path)) {
@@ -47,7 +97,7 @@ static bool receiver_process_batch(Config* config, int file_descriptor) {
       send_status(file_descriptor, STATUS_ERROR);
       return false;
     }
-    if (check_size > MAX_RECEIVE_FILE_SIZE) {
+    if (check_size > MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE) {
       free(check_path);
       send_status(file_descriptor, STATUS_ERROR);
       return false;
@@ -60,8 +110,15 @@ static bool receiver_process_batch(Config* config, int file_descriptor) {
     }
     struct stat st;
     bool has_old = file_stat_secure(full_path, &st);
-    bool match = has_old && (unsigned long long)st.st_size == check_size &&
-                 (long long)st.st_mtime == check_mtime;
+    long long old_mtime_nsec = 0;
+    if (has_old) {
+#ifdef __linux__
+      old_mtime_nsec = st.st_mtim.tv_nsec;
+#endif
+    }
+    bool match = !config->ignore_times && has_old && (unsigned long long)st.st_size == check_size &&
+                 metadata_mtime_matches(st.st_mtime, old_mtime_nsec, (time_t)check_mtime,
+                                        (long)check_mtime_nsec, config->modify_window);
     bool sent = send_status(file_descriptor, match ? STATUS_OK : STATUS_NEXT);
     free(full_path);
     free(check_path);
@@ -76,7 +133,8 @@ int receiver_process(Config* config, int file_descriptor, const ReceiverSink* si
   if (!receive_status(file_descriptor, &status))
     return -1;
   while (status == STATUS_NEXT || status == STATUS_CHUNK || status == STATUS_CHECK ||
-         status == STATUS_KEEPALIVE || status == STATUS_ABORT || status == STATUS_CHECK_BATCH) {
+         status == STATUS_KEEPALIVE || status == STATUS_ABORT || status == STATUS_CHECK_BATCH ||
+         status == STATUS_MKDIR) {
     if (status == STATUS_KEEPALIVE) {
       if (!send_status(file_descriptor, STATUS_KEEPALIVE))
         return -1;
@@ -99,6 +157,10 @@ int receiver_process(Config* config, int file_descriptor, const ReceiverSink* si
       if (!receiver_process_batch(config, file_descriptor))
         return -1;
       goto next;
+    } else if (status == STATUS_MKDIR) {
+      File* dir = file_receive_directory(file_descriptor);
+      if (!dir || !sink->store_file(dir, sink->context))
+        goto receive_error;
     } else {
       File* file = file_receive(config, file_descriptor);
       if (!file) {
@@ -118,8 +180,14 @@ int receiver_process(Config* config, int file_descriptor, const ReceiverSink* si
     log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Did not receive FINISHED Status");
     goto receive_error;
   }
-  if (sink->send_success && !send_status(file_descriptor, STATUS_OK))
-    return -1;
+  if (sink->send_success) {
+    if (sink->send_success_frame) {
+      if (!sink->send_success_frame(file_descriptor, sink->context))
+        return -1;
+    } else if (!send_status(file_descriptor, STATUS_OK)) {
+      return -1;
+    }
+  }
   return 0;
 
 receive_error:
@@ -128,15 +196,54 @@ receive_error:
   return -1;
 }
 
-static bool receiver_save_file(File* file, void* context) {
-  Config* config = context;
-  bool success =
-      !config->save_to_disk || file_save_to_disk(config->receive_root_directory, file, config);
+/* ---- Single-threaded sink (used by receiver_receive_files) ---- */
+
+typedef struct {
+  Config* config;
+  ReceiverOutcomes outcomes;
+} ReceiverSaveContext;
+
+static bool receiver_save_file(File* file, void* context_pointer) {
+  ReceiverSaveContext* context = context_pointer;
+  FileSaveResult result = FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
+  if (!context->config->save_to_disk) {
+    /* Nothing is stored; report the file as not-written so a
+       --remove-source-files sender keeps its source. */
+    result = FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED;
+  } else {
+    result = file_save_to_disk_full(context->config->receive_root_directory, file, context->config);
+  }
+  if (result != FILE_SAVE_ERROR && context->config->remove_source_files && !file->is_dir &&
+      !receiver_outcomes_append(&context->outcomes, (unsigned char)result)) {
+    file_destroy(file);
+    return false;
+  }
   file_destroy(file);
-  return success;
+  return result != FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
+}
+
+static bool receiver_send_success_frame(int fd, void* context_pointer) {
+  ReceiverSaveContext* context = context_pointer;
+  /* --delay-updates: the whole protocol stream (including manifest/delete
+     handling, which ran inside receiver_process) has succeeded and every
+     staged file was fully written.  Publish them atomically now, before the
+     success/outcome frame tells a --remove-source-files sender it may delete
+     its sources. */
+  if (context->config->delay_updates && context->config->delay_context) {
+    if (!delay_updates_publish(context->config->delay_context, context->config)) {
+      send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
+      return false;
+    }
+  }
+  return receiver_send_final_success(fd, context->config, &context->outcomes);
 }
 
 int receiver_receive_files(Config* config, int file_descriptor) {
-  ReceiverSink sink = {receiver_save_file, config, true, true};
-  return receiver_process(config, file_descriptor, &sink);
+  ReceiverSaveContext context = {.config = config, .outcomes = {0}};
+  ReceiverSink sink = {receiver_save_file, &context, true, true, receiver_send_success_frame};
+  int ret = receiver_process(config, file_descriptor, &sink);
+  if (ret != 0 && config->delay_updates && config->delay_context)
+    delay_updates_cleanup(config->delay_context);
+  receiver_outcomes_destroy(&context.outcomes);
+  return ret;
 }

src/server/receiver.h

@@ -3,16 +3,37 @@
 
 #include "config.h"
 #include "file.h"
+#include "file_receive.h"
 
 typedef bool (*ReceiverFileSink)(File* file, void* context);
 
+/* Ordered per-file save outcomes for one connection.  One entry is appended
+   for every data-bearing file the receiver processes (in the order the files
+   were sent) so the sender of a --remove-source-files transfer can be told
+   which sources were actually written versus skipped on the receiver. */
+typedef struct {
+  unsigned char* entries; /* FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN or FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED */
+  size_t count;
+  size_t capacity;
+} ReceiverOutcomes;
+
+typedef bool (*ReceiverSuccessFrame)(int fd, void* context);
+
 typedef struct {
   ReceiverFileSink store_file;
   void* context;
   bool send_error;
   bool send_success;
+  /* Emits the end-of-transfer success frame.  When the sender requested
+     --remove-source-files this includes one per-file status per processed
+     data file followed by the final STATUS_OK; otherwise just STATUS_OK. */
+  ReceiverSuccessFrame send_success_frame;
 } ReceiverSink;
 
+bool receiver_outcomes_append(ReceiverOutcomes* outcomes, unsigned char code);
+void receiver_outcomes_destroy(ReceiverOutcomes* outcomes);
+bool receiver_send_final_success(int fd, const Config* config, const ReceiverOutcomes* outcomes);
+
 int receiver_process(Config* config, int file_descriptor, const ReceiverSink* sink);
 int receiver_receive_files(Config* config, int file_descriptor);
 

src/server/server.c

@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 #include "config.h"
-#include "chunk.h"
+#include "delay_updates.h"
 #include "file.h"
 #include "log.h"
 #include "multiprocessing.h"
+#include "protocol.h"
 #include "queue.h"
 #include "receiver.h"
 #include "transport_tcp.h"
 #include "transport_tls.h"
-#include "unistd.h"
 #include "utils.h"
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include <limits.h>
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
-#include <sys/stat.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <openssl/x509.h>
 
@@ -25,6 +24,13 @@ static bool allow_delete;
 static bool allow_unauthenticated;
 static const char* required_client_cn;
 
+/* Aggregate payload bytes the multithreaded receiver may buffer ahead of the
+   slow disk writer.  Receiving one more chunk adds up to ~2 * MAX_CHUNK_SIZE
+   of transient wire/decompression buffers on top of the queued payloads, so
+   this ceiling keeps total per-connection receive memory (decompressed and
+   per-file copied chunk buffers included) within MAX_CONNECTION_MEMORY. */
+#define RECEIVER_QUEUE_MAX_BYTES (MAX_CONNECTION_MEMORY - 2 * MAX_CHUNK_SIZE)
+
 static bool tls_client_identity_allowed(SSL* ssl) {
   if (!ssl || !required_client_cn)
     return false;
@@ -57,6 +63,21 @@ static bool path_is_within(const char* root, const char* path) {
   return strncmp(root, path, n) == 0 && (path[n] == '\0' || path[n] == '/');
 }
 
+/* --mkpath contract: when the client's destination root directory does not
+   exist yet on the server side, --mkpath tells the server to create it (and
+   any missing leading components) below the authorized root at connection
+   start.  Without --mkpath the destination root must already exist: a missing
+   root is rejected up front instead of being silently invented by a later
+   write.  Both paths are confined to the authorized root by the secure file
+   helpers. */
+static bool ensure_receive_root(const Config* config) {
+  if (!config || !config->receive_root_directory)
+    return false;
+  if (config->mkpath)
+    return file_ensure_directory_secure(config->receive_root_directory);
+  return file_directory_exists_secure(config->receive_root_directory);
+}
+
 static bool __attribute__((unused)) configure_authorization(const char* root) {
   char resolved[PATH_MAX];
   if (!root) {
@@ -100,125 +121,6 @@ static bool __attribute__((unused)) configure_authorization(const char* root) {
   return true;
 }
 
-int receive_files(Config* config, int fd) {
-  Status status;
-  if (!receive_status(fd, &status))
-    return -1;
-
-  while (status == STATUS_NEXT || status == STATUS_CHUNK || status == STATUS_CHECK ||
-         status == STATUS_KEEPALIVE || status == STATUS_ABORT || status == STATUS_CHECK_BATCH) {
-    if (status == STATUS_KEEPALIVE) {
-      send_status(fd, STATUS_KEEPALIVE);
-      goto next;
-    }
-    if (status == STATUS_ABORT) {
-      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_INFO, "Received abort from client, cleaning up");
-      return -1;
-    }
-    if (status == STATUS_CHECK) {
-      bool skipped;
-      File* file = receive_incremental_check(fd, config, &skipped);
-      if (skipped)
-        goto next;
-      if (file == NULL && !skipped)
-        return -1;
-      if (config->save_to_disk &&
-          !file_save_to_disk(config->receive_root_directory, file, config)) {
-        file_destroy(file);
-        send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
-        return -1;
-      }
-      file_destroy(file);
-    } else if (status == STATUS_CHUNK) {
-      Chunk* chunk = receive_chunk_data(fd, config);
-      if (chunk == NULL) {
-        send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
-        return -1;
-      }
-      for (int i = 0; i < chunk->element_count; i++) {
-        if (config->save_to_disk &&
-            !file_save_to_disk(config->receive_root_directory, chunk->items[i], config)) {
-          chunk_destroy(chunk);
-          send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
-          return -1;
-        }
-      }
-      chunk_destroy(chunk);
-    } else if (status == STATUS_CHECK_BATCH) {
-      int count;
-      /* Batch framing has no checksum field yet; never silently downgrade a
-         checksum-enabled transfer into mtime-only matching. */
-      if (config->checksum || !receive_int(fd, &count) || count < 0 || count > MAX_MANIFEST_ENTRIES)
-        return -1;
-      for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
-        char* check_path = receive_str(fd);
-        if (!check_path)
-          return -1;
-        unsigned long long check_size;
-        long long check_mtime;
-        if (!receive_n_data(fd, &check_size, sizeof(check_size)) ||
-            !receive_n_data(fd, &check_mtime, sizeof(check_mtime))) {
-          free(check_path);
-          return -1;
-        }
-        if (!utils_valid_batch_path(check_path)) {
-          free(check_path);
-          send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
-          return -1;
-        }
-        struct stat st;
-        char* full_path = path_cat(config->receive_root_directory, check_path);
-        if (!full_path) {
-          free(check_path);
-          send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
-          return -1;
-        }
-        bool has_old = full_path && file_stat_secure(full_path, &st);
-        bool match = has_old && (unsigned long long)st.st_size == check_size &&
-                     (long long)st.st_mtime == check_mtime;
-        bool sent = send_status(fd, match ? STATUS_OK : STATUS_NEXT);
-        free(full_path);
-        free(check_path);
-        if (!sent)
-          return -1;
-      }
-      goto next;
-    } else {
-      File* file = file_receive(config, fd);
-      if (file == NULL) {
-        log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Failed to receive file");
-        send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
-        return -1;
-      }
-      if (config->save_to_disk &&
-          !file_save_to_disk(config->receive_root_directory, file, config)) {
-        file_destroy(file);
-        send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
-        return -1;
-      }
-      file_destroy(file);
-    }
-  next:
-    if (!receive_status(fd, &status)) {
-      send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
-      return -1;
-    }
-  }
-
-  if (status == STATUS_MANIFEST) {
-    if (receive_manifest(fd, config, &status) != 0) {
-      return -1;
-    }
-  }
-  if (status != STATUS_FINISHED) {
-    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Did not receive FINISHED Status");
-    send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
-    return -1;
-  }
-  send_status(fd, STATUS_OK);
-  return 0;
-}
-
 void handler(int file_descriptor) {
   SSL* ssl = io_get_ssl();
   ProtocolSession session;
@@ -232,6 +134,7 @@ void handler(int file_descriptor) {
     protocol_session_unbind();
     return;
   }
+  protocol_set_8_bit_output(config->eight_bit_output);
   if (!authorized_root) {
     log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "No server-side destination root configured");
     config_delete(config);
@@ -277,6 +180,31 @@ void handler(int file_descriptor) {
     return;
   }
   config->use_delete = config->use_delete && allow_delete;
+  /* --mkpath: create the destination root (and its missing leading components)
+     before anything else; without it the root must pre-exist.  A failure here
+     aborts the connection cleanly before any file data is exchanged. */
+  if (!ensure_receive_root(config)) {
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "destination root is not available: %s",
+                config->receive_root_directory);
+    config_delete(config);
+    close(file_descriptor);
+    protocol_session_unbind();
+    return;
+  }
+  /* A --delay-updates transfer stages under a private 0700 directory inside
+     the receive root.  Create it up front (wiping leftovers of any previously
+     interrupted delayed transfer) so a fully-skipped run also starts clean. */
+  if (config->delay_updates) {
+    config->delay_context = delay_updates_context_create(config->receive_root_directory);
+    if (!config->delay_context || !delay_updates_prepare(config->delay_context)) {
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Failed to initialize --delay-updates staging area");
+      delay_updates_cleanup(config->delay_context);
+      config_delete(config);
+      close(file_descriptor);
+      protocol_session_unbind();
+      return;
+    }
+  }
   if (config->use_multithreading) {
     Queue* q = queue_create(100, file_destroy);
     if (q == NULL) {
@@ -294,7 +222,10 @@ void handler(int file_descriptor) {
       protocol_session_unbind();
       return;
     }
-    context->session.total_allocated_bytes = session.total_allocated_bytes;
+    protocol_session_set_max_alloc(&context->session, config->max_alloc);
+    atomic_store(&context->session.total_allocated_bytes,
+                 atomic_load(&session.total_allocated_bytes));
+    pipeline_context_receiver_set_queue_byte_limit(context, RECEIVER_QUEUE_MAX_BYTES);
     thrd_t receiver, writer;
     bool receiver_created = thrd_create(&receiver, receive_thread, context) == thrd_success;
     bool writer_created = false;
@@ -323,9 +254,29 @@ void handler(int file_descriptor) {
     int writer_result;
     thrd_join(receiver, &receiver_result);
     thrd_join(writer, &writer_result);
-    send_status(file_descriptor, receiver_result == thrd_success && writer_result == thrd_success
-                                     ? STATUS_OK
-                                     : STATUS_ERROR);
+    bool transfer_ok = receiver_result == thrd_success && writer_result == thrd_success;
+    if (transfer_ok) {
+      /* --delay-updates: receive_thread has finished the whole protocol stream
+         (including manifest/delete handling) and write_thread has drained its
+         queue, so every staged file is complete.  Publish atomically before the
+         success/outcome frame so a --remove-source-files sender only learns of
+         files that were actually installed. */
+      if (config->delay_updates && config->delay_context &&
+          !delay_updates_publish(config->delay_context, config)) {
+        transfer_ok = false;
+      }
+    }
+    if (transfer_ok) {
+      if (!receiver_send_final_success(file_descriptor, config, &context->outcomes))
+        transfer_ok = false;
+    } else {
+      send_status(file_descriptor, STATUS_ERROR);
+    }
+    if (!transfer_ok) {
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Transfer failed");
+      if (config->delay_updates && config->delay_context)
+        delay_updates_cleanup(config->delay_context);
+    }
     pipeline_context_receiver_destroy(context);
   } else {
     if (receiver_receive_files(config, file_descriptor) != 0)
@@ -380,6 +331,7 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
       stdio_mode = true;
     } else if (strcmp(argv[i], "-v") == 0 || strcmp(argv[i], "--verbose") == 0) {
       set_log_level(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG);
+      set_log_debug_flags(LOG_DEBUG_ALL);
     } else if (strcmp(argv[i], "--tls") == 0) {
       use_tls = true;
     } else if (strcmp(argv[i], "--cert") == 0 && i + 1 < argc) {
@@ -400,12 +352,17 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
       char* end;
       long p = strtol(argv[++i], &end, 10);
       if (*end || p <= 0 || p > 65535) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "Error: invalid port '%s' (must be 1-65535)\n", argv[i]);
+        char* escaped = output_escape(argv[i], false);
+        fprintf(stderr, "Error: invalid port '%s' (must be 1-65535)\n",
+                escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
+        free(escaped);
         return 1;
       }
       port = (int)p;
     } else if (argv[i][0] == '-') {
-      fprintf(stderr, "Unknown option: %s\n", argv[i]);
+      char* escaped = output_escape(argv[i], false);
+      fprintf(stderr, "Unknown option: %s\n", escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
+      free(escaped);
       print_server_usage();
       return 1;
     }
@@ -415,7 +372,10 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
   signal(SIGINT, cleanup);
   signal(SIGTERM, cleanup);
   if (!configure_authorization(destination_root)) {
-    fprintf(stderr, "Error: invalid destination root '%s'\n", destination_root);
+    char* escaped = output_escape(destination_root, false);
+    fprintf(stderr, "Error: invalid destination root '%s'\n",
+            escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
+    free(escaped);
     return 1;
   }
   if (stdio_mode) {

src/shared/array_list.c

@@ -1,17 +1,18 @@
 #include "log.h"
 #include "array_list.h"
+#include "protocol.h"
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
 ArrayList* array_list_create(void (*item_destroyer)(void* item)) {
-  ArrayList* list = (ArrayList*)malloc(sizeof(ArrayList));
+  ArrayList* list = (ArrayList*)protocol_alloc(sizeof(ArrayList));
   if (list == NULL) {
     log_perror("ERROR: Could not allocate memory for array list struct");
     return NULL;
   }
 
-  list->items = malloc(INITIAL_ARRAY_SIZE * sizeof(void*));
+  list->items = protocol_alloc(INITIAL_ARRAY_SIZE * sizeof(void*));
   if (list->items == NULL) {
     free(list);
     return NULL;
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ static bool array_list_extend(ArrayList* array_list) {
   int new_capacity = array_list->capacity * 2;
   if (new_capacity == 0)
     new_capacity = INITIAL_ARRAY_SIZE;
-  void* new_items = realloc(array_list->items, new_capacity * sizeof(void*));
+  void* new_items = protocol_realloc(array_list->items, new_capacity * sizeof(void*));
   if (new_items == NULL) {
     log_perror("ERROR: Could not reallocate memory for array list items");
     return false;
@@ -67,7 +68,7 @@ void** array_list_to_array(const ArrayList* array_list) {
   if (array_list == NULL) {
     return NULL;
   }
-  void** array = malloc(array_list->size * sizeof(void*));
+  void** array = protocol_alloc(array_list->size * sizeof(void*));
   if (array == NULL) {
     log_perror("Could not malloc space for array from array list!");
     return NULL;

src/shared/chmod.c

@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+#include "chmod.h"
+#include <stddef.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+static bool parse_clause(mode_t* mode, const char* begin, const char* end) {
+  const char* p = begin;
+  unsigned who = 0;
+  while (p < end && strchr("ugoa", *p)) {
+    if (*p == 'a')
+      who = 7;
+    else
+      who |= *p == 'u' ? 1U : (*p == 'g' ? 2U : 4U);
+    p++;
+  }
+  if (who == 0)
+    who = 7;
+  if (p == end || (*p != '+' && *p != '-' && *p != '='))
+    return false;
+  char operation = *p++;
+  mode_t bits = 0;
+  while (p < end) {
+    mode_t bit;
+    switch (*p++) {
+    case 'r':
+      bit = 4;
+      break;
+    case 'w':
+      bit = 2;
+      break;
+    case 'x':
+      bit = 1;
+      break;
+    default:
+      return false;
+    }
+    bits |= bit;
+  }
+  for (unsigned class_index = 0; class_index < 3; class_index++) {
+    unsigned class_bit = 1U << class_index;
+    if (!(who & class_bit))
+      continue;
+    mode_t shift = (mode_t)((2U - class_index) * 3U);
+    mode_t mask = (mode_t)(7U << shift);
+    mode_t class_bits = (mode_t)(bits << shift);
+    if (operation == '+')
+      *mode |= class_bits;
+    else if (operation == '-')
+      *mode &= ~class_bits;
+    else
+      *mode = (*mode & ~mask) | class_bits;
+  }
+  return true;
+}
+
+bool chmod_apply(mode_t mode, const char* spec, mode_t* result) {
+  if (!spec || !*spec || !result)
+    return false;
+  bool numeric = true;
+  size_t length = strlen(spec);
+  if (length > 4)
+    numeric = false;
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < length && numeric; i++)
+    numeric = spec[i] >= '0' && spec[i] <= '7';
+  if (numeric) {
+    if (length == 0 || length > 4)
+      return false;
+    mode_t parsed = 0;
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < length; i++)
+      parsed = (mode_t)((parsed << 3) | (spec[i] - '0'));
+    *result = parsed;
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  mode_t changed = mode;
+  const char* begin = spec;
+  while (*begin) {
+    const char* end = strchr(begin, ',');
+    if (!end)
+      end = begin + strlen(begin);
+    if (!parse_clause(&changed, begin, end))
+      return false;
+    if (*end == '\0')
+      break;
+    begin = end + 1;
+    if (!*begin)
+      return false;
+  }
+  *result = changed;
+  return true;
+}

src/shared/chmod.h

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#ifndef CHMOD_H
+#define CHMOD_H
+
+#include <stdbool.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+
+/* Apply the supported rsync --chmod syntax to a permission mode. */
+bool chmod_apply(mode_t mode, const char* spec, mode_t* result);
+
+#endif

src/shared/chunk.c

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 Chunk* chunk_create(File** items, int element_count) {
   if (element_count < 0 || (element_count > 0 && items == NULL))
     return NULL;
-  Chunk* chunk = (Chunk*)malloc(sizeof(Chunk));
+  Chunk* chunk = (Chunk*)protocol_alloc(sizeof(Chunk));
   if (chunk == NULL) {
     log_perror("ERROR: Could not allocate memory for chunk structure");
     return NULL;
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ Chunk* chunk_create(File** items, int element_count) {
       free(chunk);
       return NULL;
     }
-    chunk->items = (File**)malloc((size_t)element_count * sizeof(File*));
+    chunk->items = (File**)protocol_alloc((size_t)element_count * sizeof(File*));
     if (chunk->items == NULL) {
       free(chunk);
       return NULL;
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ void chunk_destroy(void* item) {
 
 static unsigned long long per_file_serialize_size(File* file, bool use_metadata) {
   unsigned long long size = sizeof(size_t);
-  size_t path_len = strlen(file->path);
+  size_t path_len = strlen(file_wire_path(file));
   unsigned long long metadata_size =
       use_metadata ? sizeof(int) + (file->metadata ? FILE_METADATA_WIRE_SIZE : 0) : 0;
   if ((unsigned long long)path_len > ULLONG_MAX - size)
@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@ static unsigned long long per_file_serialize_size(File* file, bool use_metadata)
   if (metadata_size > ULLONG_MAX - size)
     return 0;
   size += metadata_size;
+  /* Entry type marker: 0 = regular file, 1 = explicit directory entry. */
+  if (sizeof(int) > ULLONG_MAX - size)
+    return 0;
+  size += sizeof(int);
   if (sizeof(size_t) > ULLONG_MAX - size)
     return 0;
   size += sizeof(size_t);
@@ -89,7 +93,8 @@ Data* chunk_serialize(Chunk* chunk, bool use_metadata) {
   for (int i = 0; i < chunk->element_count; i++) {
     if (!chunk->items[i] || !chunk->items[i]->path || !chunk->items[i]->data ||
         (chunk->items[i]->data->size > 0 && !chunk->items[i]->data->data) ||
-        chunk->items[i]->path[0] == '\0' || has_path_traversal(chunk->items[i]->path))
+        chunk->items[i]->path[0] == '\0' || has_path_traversal(chunk->items[i]->path) ||
+        (file_wire_path(chunk->items[i]))[0] == '\0')
       return NULL;
     unsigned long long file_size = per_file_serialize_size(chunk->items[i], use_metadata);
     if (file_size == 0 || file_size > ULLONG_MAX - data_size || data_size + file_size > SIZE_MAX)
@@ -104,19 +109,25 @@ Data* chunk_serialize(Chunk* chunk, bool use_metadata) {
   char* data_pointer = data->data;
   for (int i = 0; i < chunk->element_count; i++) {
     File* file = chunk->items[i];
-    size_t path_len = strlen(file->path);
+    const char* wire_path = file_wire_path(file);
+    size_t path_len = strlen(wire_path);
     memcpy(data_pointer, &path_len, sizeof(size_t));
     data_pointer += sizeof(size_t);
-    memcpy(data_pointer, file->path, path_len);
+    memcpy(data_pointer, wire_path, path_len);
     data_pointer += path_len;
 
+    int entry_type = file->is_dir ? 1 : 0;
+    memcpy(data_pointer, &entry_type, sizeof(int));
+    data_pointer += sizeof(int);
+
     if (use_metadata)
       metadata_to_buf(&data_pointer, file->metadata);
 
     size_t file_data_size = file->data->size;
     memcpy(data_pointer, &file_data_size, sizeof(size_t));
     data_pointer += sizeof(size_t);
-    memcpy(data_pointer, file->data->data, file_data_size);
+    if (file_data_size > 0)
+      memcpy(data_pointer, file->data->data, file_data_size);
     data_pointer += file_data_size;
   }
   return data;
@@ -158,7 +169,7 @@ Chunk* chunk_deserialize(Data* data, bool use_metadata) {
       array_list_delete(files);
       return NULL;
     }
-    char* path = malloc(path_len + 1);
+    char* path = protocol_alloc(path_len + 1);
     if (path == NULL) {
       log_perror("Could not allocate memory for file path");
       array_list_delete(files);
@@ -187,6 +198,24 @@ Chunk* chunk_deserialize(Data* data, bool use_metadata) {
       return NULL;
     }
 
+    if (remaining_size < sizeof(int)) {
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Invalid chunk format: not enough data for entry type");
+      file_destroy(file);
+      array_list_delete(files);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+    int entry_type;
+    memcpy(&entry_type, data_pointer, sizeof(int));
+    if (entry_type != 0 && entry_type != 1) {
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Invalid chunk format: bad entry type");
+      file_destroy(file);
+      array_list_delete(files);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+    file->is_dir = entry_type == 1;
+    data_pointer += sizeof(int);
+    remaining_size -= sizeof(int);
+
     if (use_metadata) {
       if (remaining_size < sizeof(int)) {
         log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Invalid chunk format: not enough data for metadata");
@@ -245,7 +274,7 @@ Chunk* chunk_deserialize(Data* data, bool use_metadata) {
     }
 
     size_t allocation_size = file_data_size > 0 ? file_data_size : 1;
-    void* file_data = malloc(allocation_size);
+    void* file_data = protocol_alloc(allocation_size);
     if (file_data == NULL) {
       log_perror("Could not allocate memory for file data");
       file_destroy(file);
@@ -290,15 +319,20 @@ Chunk* chunk_deserialize(Data* data, bool use_metadata) {
 }
 
 Data* chunk_compress(Chunk* chunk, int compression_level, bool use_metadata) {
+  return chunk_compress_with_threads(chunk, compression_level, use_metadata, 0);
+}
+
+Data* chunk_compress_with_threads(Chunk* chunk, int compression_level, bool use_metadata,
+                                  int compression_threads) {
   log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "Starting to compress chunk");
   Data* serialized = chunk_serialize(chunk, use_metadata);
   if (serialized == NULL)
     return NULL;
-  Data* compressed = data_compress(serialized, compression_level);
+  Data* compressed = data_compress_with_threads(serialized, compression_level, compression_threads);
   data_destroy(serialized);
   if (compressed == NULL)
     return NULL;
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "Chunk successfully compressed");
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_PACK, "Chunk successfully compressed");
   return compressed;
 }
 

src/shared/chunk.h

@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ void chunk_destroy(void* chunk);
 Data* chunk_serialize(Chunk* chunk, bool use_metadata);
 Chunk* chunk_deserialize(Data* data, bool use_metadata);
 Data* chunk_compress(Chunk* chunk, int compression_level, bool use_metadata);
+Data* chunk_compress_with_threads(Chunk* chunk, int compression_level, bool use_metadata,
+                                  int compression_threads);
 Chunk* receive_chunk_data(int fd, const Config* config);
 
 #endif

src/shared/compression.c

@@ -1,33 +1,53 @@
 #include "compression.h"
 #include "data.h"
 #include "log.h"
+#include "protocol.h"
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <strings.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
 #include <zstd.h>
 
 #define INITIAL_DECOMPRESS_BUF_SIZE (1024 * 1024)
 #define MAX_DECOMPRESSED_SIZE (100ULL * 1024 * 1024) /* 100 MB hard ceiling */
 
-static const char* SKIP_COMPRESSION_EXTENSIONS[] = {".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".gif", ".mp4", ".mkv",
-                                                    ".zip", ".gz",   ".xz",  ".zst", NULL};
+static char* SKIP_COMPRESSION_EXTENSIONS[] = {".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".gif", ".mp4", ".mkv",
+                                              ".zip", ".gz",   ".xz",  ".zst", NULL};
 
 bool compression_should_skip(const char* path) {
+  return compression_should_skip_with_suffixes(path, NULL, -1);
+}
+
+bool compression_should_skip_with_suffixes(const char* path, char* const* suffixes, int count) {
   if (!path)
     return false;
   const char* dot = strrchr(path, '.');
   if (!dot)
     return false;
-  for (int i = 0; SKIP_COMPRESSION_EXTENSIONS[i]; i++) {
-    if (strcasecmp(dot, SKIP_COMPRESSION_EXTENSIONS[i]) == 0)
+  if (count < 0) {
+    suffixes = SKIP_COMPRESSION_EXTENSIONS;
+    count = 0;
+    while (SKIP_COMPRESSION_EXTENSIONS[count])
+      count++;
+  }
+  for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
+    if (strcasecmp(dot, suffixes[i]) == 0)
       return true;
   }
   return false;
 }
 
 Data* data_compress(Data* data_to_compress, int compression_level) {
+  return data_compress_with_threads(data_to_compress, compression_level, 0);
+}
+
+Data* data_compress_with_threads(Data* data_to_compress, int compression_level,
+                                 int compression_threads) {
+  if (!data_to_compress || (!data_to_compress->data && data_to_compress->size != 0) ||
+      compression_threads < 0 || compression_threads > COMPRESSION_MAX_THREADS)
+    return NULL;
   log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "Starting to compress data");
   size_t dst_size = ZSTD_compressBound(data_to_compress->size);
   Data* compressed_data = data_create_empty(dst_size);
@@ -49,6 +69,30 @@ Data* data_compress(Data* data_to_compress, int compression_level) {
     return NULL;
   }
 
+  if (compression_threads > 0) {
+    long online_cpus = sysconf(_SC_NPROCESSORS_ONLN);
+    int available_threads = online_cpus > 0 && online_cpus < compression_threads
+                                ? (int)online_cpus
+                                : compression_threads;
+    zret = ZSTD_CCtx_setParameter(cctx, ZSTD_c_nbWorkers, available_threads);
+    if (ZSTD_isError(zret)) {
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Failed to set compression threads: %s",
+                  ZSTD_getErrorName(zret));
+      ZSTD_freeCCtx(cctx);
+      data_destroy(compressed_data);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+    /* Streaming compression needs the source size before threaded mode can end a frame. */
+    zret = ZSTD_CCtx_setPledgedSrcSize(cctx, data_to_compress->size);
+    if (ZSTD_isError(zret)) {
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Failed to set compression source size: %s",
+                  ZSTD_getErrorName(zret));
+      ZSTD_freeCCtx(cctx);
+      data_destroy(compressed_data);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+  }
+
   ZSTD_inBuffer input = {data_to_compress->data, data_to_compress->size, 0};
   ZSTD_outBuffer output = {compressed_data->data, dst_size, 0};
 
@@ -66,8 +110,8 @@ Data* data_compress(Data* data_to_compress, int compression_level) {
   compressed_data->size = output.pos;
   ZSTD_freeCCtx(cctx);
 
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "Data succesfully compressed from %zu to %zu",
-              data_to_compress->size, compressed_data->size);
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_UTIL, "Data succesfully compressed from %zu to %zu",
+                    data_to_compress->size, compressed_data->size);
   return compressed_data;
 }
 
@@ -75,7 +119,7 @@ Data* data_decompress_limited(Data* compressed_data, size_t maximum_size) {
   if (!compressed_data || (!compressed_data->data && compressed_data->size != 0) ||
       maximum_size == 0)
     return NULL;
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "Start to decompress data");
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_UTIL, "Start to decompress data");
   unsigned long long dst_size =
       ZSTD_getFrameContentSize(compressed_data->data, compressed_data->size);
   if (ZSTD_isError(dst_size)) {
@@ -139,7 +183,7 @@ Data* data_decompress_limited(Data* compressed_data, size_t maximum_size) {
       buf_size *= 2;
       if (buf_size > hard_limit)
         buf_size = (size_t)hard_limit;
-      void* new_data = realloc(uncompressed_data->data, buf_size);
+      void* new_data = protocol_realloc(uncompressed_data->data, buf_size);
       if (!new_data) {
         log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Failed to grow decompression buffer");
         ZSTD_freeDCtx(dctx);
@@ -155,7 +199,7 @@ Data* data_decompress_limited(Data* compressed_data, size_t maximum_size) {
   uncompressed_data->size = output.pos;
   ZSTD_freeDCtx(dctx);
 
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "Decompressed data successfully");
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_UTIL, "Decompressed data successfully");
   return uncompressed_data;
 }
 

src/shared/compression.h

@@ -4,9 +4,14 @@
 #include "data.h"
 #include <stdbool.h>
 
+#define COMPRESSION_MAX_THREADS 64
+
 Data* data_compress(Data* data_to_compress, int compression_level);
+Data* data_compress_with_threads(Data* data_to_compress, int compression_level,
+                                 int compression_threads);
 Data* data_decompress(Data* compressed_data);
 Data* data_decompress_limited(Data* compressed_data, size_t maximum_size);
 bool compression_should_skip(const char* path);
+bool compression_should_skip_with_suffixes(const char* path, char* const* suffixes, int count);
 
 #endif

src/shared/config.c

@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 #include "config.h"
+#include "chmod.h"
+#include "delay_updates.h"
 #include "delta.h"
+#include "file_list.h"
 #include "log.h"
 #include "protocol.h"
 #include "utils.h"
@@ -17,10 +20,14 @@ static void config_set_defaults(Config* config) {
   config->use_chunk_serialization = false;
   config->use_compression = false;
   config->use_metadata = false;
+  config->use_executability = false;
+  config->metadata_explicitly_disabled = false;
   config->show_progress = false;
   config->dry_run = false;
+  config->remove_source_files = false;
   config->use_delete = false;
   config->compression_level = 5;
+  config->compression_threads = 0;
   config->use_sendfile = false;
   config->chunk_size = DEFAULT_CHUNK_SIZE;
   config->ssh_port = 22;
@@ -33,8 +40,13 @@ static void config_set_defaults(Config* config) {
   config->include_count = 0;
   config->max_size = 0;
   config->min_size = 0;
+  config->max_alloc = DEFAULT_MAX_ALLOC;
   config->use_incremental = false;
+  config->ignore_times = false;
+  config->size_only = false;
   config->use_delta = false;
+  config->whole_file = false;
+  config->modify_window = 0;
   config->delta_block_size = DELTA_BLOCK_SIZE_DEFAULT;
   config->delta_max_file_size = DELTA_MAX_FILE_SIZE;
   config->use_tls = false;
@@ -64,12 +76,18 @@ static void config_set_defaults(Config* config) {
   config->preserve_sparse = false;
   config->itemize_changes = false;
   config->out_format = NULL;
+  config->log_file_format = NULL;
   config->info_level = 0;
   config->debug_level = 0;
   config->list_only = false;
   config->human_readable = false;
+  config->eight_bit_output = false;
+  config->existing = false;
+  config->ignore_existing = false;
   config->update = false;
   config->inplace = false;
+  config->delay_updates = false;
+  config->use_fsync = false;
   config->append = false;
   config->append_verify = false;
   config->delete_excluded = false;
@@ -77,11 +95,19 @@ static void config_set_defaults(Config* config) {
   config->max_delete = 0;
   config->filters = NULL;
   config->files_from = NULL;
+  config->files_from_set = NULL;
+  config->from0 = false;
   config->cvs_exclude = false;
+  config->per_dir_filter = false;
   config->prune_empty_dirs = false;
+  config->one_file_system = false;
   config->relative = false;
+  config->no_implied_dirs = false;
+  config->dirs = false;
+  config->mkpath = false;
   config->rsh_command = NULL;
   config->rsync_path = NULL;
+  config->old_args = false;
   config->temp_dir = NULL;
   config->compare_dest = NULL;
   config->copy_dest = NULL;
@@ -98,6 +124,11 @@ static void config_set_defaults(Config* config) {
   config->server_mode = false;
   config->checksum = false;
   config->compress_choice = NULL;
+  config->chmod_spec = NULL;
+  config->skip_compress_suffixes = NULL;
+  config->skip_compress_count = 0;
+  config->skip_compress_set = false;
+  config->delay_context = NULL;
 }
 
 static bool valid_wire_bool(int value) {
@@ -116,25 +147,37 @@ static bool validate_received_config(const Config* config) {
   return valid_wire_bool(config->save_to_disk) && valid_wire_bool(config->use_multithreading) &&
          valid_wire_bool(config->use_chunk_serialization) &&
          valid_wire_bool(config->use_compression) && valid_wire_bool(config->use_metadata) &&
-         valid_wire_bool(config->use_sendfile) && valid_wire_bool(config->use_delete) &&
-         valid_wire_bool(config->use_incremental) && valid_wire_bool(config->use_delta) &&
-         valid_wire_bool(config->backup) && valid_wire_bool(config->follow_symlinks) &&
+         valid_wire_bool(config->use_executability) && valid_wire_bool(config->use_sendfile) &&
+         valid_wire_bool(config->use_delete) && valid_wire_bool(config->use_incremental) &&
+         valid_wire_bool(config->size_only) && valid_wire_bool(config->ignore_times) &&
+         valid_wire_bool(config->use_delta) && valid_wire_bool(config->backup) &&
+         valid_wire_bool(config->remove_source_files) && valid_wire_bool(config->follow_symlinks) &&
          valid_wire_bool(config->copy_links) && valid_wire_bool(config->safe_links) &&
          valid_wire_bool(config->copy_unsafe_links) &&
          valid_wire_bool(config->preserve_hard_links) && valid_wire_bool(config->preserve_acls) &&
          valid_wire_bool(config->preserve_xattrs) && valid_wire_bool(config->preserve_devices) &&
-         valid_wire_bool(config->preserve_sparse) && valid_wire_bool(config->update) &&
+         valid_wire_bool(config->preserve_sparse) && valid_wire_bool(config->ignore_existing) &&
+         valid_wire_bool(config->existing) && valid_wire_bool(config->update) &&
          valid_wire_bool(config->inplace) && valid_wire_bool(config->append) &&
-         valid_wire_bool(config->append_verify) && valid_wire_bool(config->delete_excluded) &&
-         valid_wire_bool(config->delete_after) && valid_wire_bool(config->relative) &&
-         valid_wire_bool(config->prune_empty_dirs) && valid_wire_bool(config->partial) &&
-         valid_wire_bool(config->delete_before) && valid_wire_bool(config->checksum) &&
+         valid_wire_bool(config->use_fsync) && valid_wire_bool(config->append_verify) &&
+         valid_wire_bool(config->delete_excluded) && valid_wire_bool(config->delete_after) &&
+         valid_wire_bool(config->relative) && valid_wire_bool(config->prune_empty_dirs) &&
+         valid_wire_bool(config->delay_updates) && valid_wire_bool(config->mkpath) &&
+         !(config->delay_updates && config->inplace) &&
+         !(config->delay_updates && delay_updates_staging_name_conflict(config->backup_dir)) &&
+         valid_wire_bool(config->partial) && valid_wire_bool(config->delete_before) &&
+         valid_wire_bool(config->checksum) && valid_wire_bool(config->eight_bit_output) &&
+         !(config->skip_compress_set && config->use_chunk_serialization) &&
          (!config->use_compression ||
           (config->compression_level >= 1 && config->compression_level <= 22)) &&
          config->chunk_size > 0 && config->chunk_size <= MAX_CHUNK_SIZE &&
          config->delta_block_size >= DELTA_BLOCK_SIZE_MIN &&
          config->delta_block_size <= DELTA_BLOCK_SIZE_MAX &&
-         config->delta_max_file_size <= DELTA_MAX_FILE_SIZE && config->max_delete >= 0;
+         config->delta_max_file_size <= DELTA_MAX_FILE_SIZE && config->modify_window >= 0 &&
+         config->max_delete >= 0 && config->skip_compress_count >= 0 &&
+         config->skip_compress_count <= 10000 && config->max_alloc > 0 &&
+         (!config->chmod_spec || !*config->chmod_spec ||
+          chmod_apply(0, config->chmod_spec, &(mode_t){0}));
 }
 
 Config* config_create(void) {
@@ -195,7 +238,9 @@ void config_delete(Config* config) {
   free(config->backup_dir);
   free(config->server_host);
   free(config->out_format);
+  free(config->log_file_format);
   free(config->files_from);
+  file_list_destroy((FileListSet*)config->files_from_set);
   free(config->rsh_command);
   free(config->rsync_path);
   free(config->temp_dir);
@@ -208,9 +253,21 @@ void config_delete(Config* config) {
   free(config->bind_address);
   free(config->daemon_config);
   free(config->compress_choice);
+  free(config->chmod_spec);
+  if (config->skip_compress_suffixes) {
+    for (int i = 0; i < config->skip_compress_count; i++)
+      free(config->skip_compress_suffixes[i]);
+    free(config->skip_compress_suffixes);
+  }
   if (config->filters) {
     array_list_delete(config->filters);
   }
+  /* A --delay-updates staging tree is transient receiver state: remove any
+     leftovers on every exit path (success already emptied it). */
+  if (config->delay_context)
+    delay_updates_cleanup(config->delay_context);
+  delay_updates_context_destroy(config->delay_context);
+  config->delay_context = NULL;
   free(config);
 }
 
@@ -218,53 +275,82 @@ void config_delete(Config* config) {
  * helper call order in config_send and config_receive unchanged when adding
  * fields. */
 static bool send_core_fields(int fd, const Config* c) {
-  return send_str(fd, c->version) && send_str(fd, c->send_directory) &&
-         send_str(fd, c->receive_root_directory) && send_int(fd, c->save_to_disk) &&
-         send_int(fd, c->use_multithreading) && send_int(fd, c->use_chunk_serialization) &&
-         send_int(fd, c->use_compression) && send_int(fd, c->use_metadata) &&
+  if (!send_str(fd, c->version) || !send_int(fd, c->eight_bit_output))
+    return false;
+  protocol_set_8_bit_output(c->eight_bit_output);
+  if (!send_n_data(fd, &c->max_alloc, sizeof(c->max_alloc)))
+    return false;
+  return send_str(fd, c->send_directory) && send_str(fd, c->receive_root_directory) &&
+         send_int(fd, c->save_to_disk) && send_int(fd, c->use_multithreading) &&
+         send_int(fd, c->use_chunk_serialization) && send_int(fd, c->use_compression) &&
+         send_int(fd, c->use_metadata) && send_int(fd, c->use_executability) &&
          send_int(fd, c->compression_level) &&
          send_n_data(fd, &c->chunk_size, sizeof(c->chunk_size)) && send_int(fd, c->use_sendfile);
 }
 
 static bool send_delta_fields(int fd, const Config* c) {
   return send_int(fd, c->use_delete) && send_int(fd, c->use_incremental) &&
-         send_int(fd, c->use_delta) &&
+         send_int(fd, c->size_only) && send_int(fd, c->ignore_times) &&
+         send_int(fd, c->use_delta && !c->whole_file) &&
          send_n_data(fd, &c->delta_block_size, sizeof(c->delta_block_size)) &&
          send_n_data(fd, &c->delta_max_file_size, sizeof(unsigned long long));
 }
 
 static bool send_file_options(int fd, const Config* c) {
   return send_int(fd, c->backup) && send_str(fd, c->backup_dir ? c->backup_dir : "") &&
-         send_int(fd, c->follow_symlinks) && send_int(fd, c->copy_links) &&
-         send_int(fd, c->safe_links) && send_int(fd, c->copy_unsafe_links) &&
-         send_int(fd, c->preserve_hard_links) && send_int(fd, c->preserve_acls) &&
-         send_int(fd, c->preserve_xattrs) && send_int(fd, c->preserve_devices) &&
-         send_int(fd, c->preserve_sparse);
+         send_int(fd, c->remove_source_files) && send_int(fd, c->follow_symlinks) &&
+         send_int(fd, c->copy_links) && send_int(fd, c->safe_links) &&
+         send_int(fd, c->copy_unsafe_links) && send_int(fd, c->preserve_hard_links) &&
+         send_int(fd, c->preserve_acls) && send_int(fd, c->preserve_xattrs) &&
+         send_int(fd, c->preserve_devices) && send_int(fd, c->preserve_sparse);
 }
 
 static bool send_selection_options(int fd, const Config* c) {
-  return send_int(fd, c->update) && send_int(fd, c->inplace) && send_int(fd, c->append) &&
-         send_int(fd, c->append_verify) && send_int(fd, c->delete_excluded) &&
-         send_int(fd, c->delete_after) && send_n_data(fd, &c->max_delete, sizeof(c->max_delete)) &&
-         send_int(fd, c->relative) && send_int(fd, c->prune_empty_dirs);
+  return send_int(fd, c->ignore_existing) && send_int(fd, c->existing) && send_int(fd, c->update) &&
+         send_int(fd, c->inplace) && send_int(fd, c->delay_updates) && send_int(fd, c->append) &&
+         send_int(fd, c->use_fsync) && send_int(fd, c->append_verify) &&
+         send_int(fd, c->delete_excluded) && send_int(fd, c->delete_after) &&
+         send_n_data(fd, &c->max_delete, sizeof(c->max_delete)) && send_int(fd, c->relative) &&
+         send_int(fd, c->prune_empty_dirs) && send_int(fd, c->mkpath);
+}
+
+static bool send_skip_compress_options(int fd, const Config* c) {
+  if (!send_int(fd, c->skip_compress_set) || !send_int(fd, c->skip_compress_count))
+    return false;
+  for (int i = 0; i < c->skip_compress_count; i++) {
+    if (!send_str(fd, c->skip_compress_suffixes[i]))
+      return false;
+  }
+  return true;
 }
 
 static bool send_resume_options(int fd, const Config* c) {
   return send_str(fd, c->temp_dir ? c->temp_dir : "") && send_int(fd, c->partial) &&
          send_str(fd, c->partial_dir ? c->partial_dir : "") &&
          send_str(fd, c->suffix ? c->suffix : "") && send_int(fd, c->delete_before) &&
-         send_int(fd, c->checksum) && send_str(fd, c->compress_choice ? c->compress_choice : "");
+         send_int(fd, c->checksum) && send_int(fd, c->modify_window) &&
+         send_str(fd, c->compress_choice ? c->compress_choice : "") &&
+         send_str(fd, c->chmod_spec ? c->chmod_spec : "") && send_skip_compress_options(fd, c);
 }
 
 static bool receive_core_fields(int fd, Config* c) {
   int value;
+  if (!receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->eight_bit_output))
+    return false;
+  protocol_set_8_bit_output(c->eight_bit_output);
+  if (!receive_n_data(fd, &c->max_alloc, sizeof(c->max_alloc)) || c->max_alloc == 0)
+    return false;
+  if (c->max_alloc > MAX_SERVER_ALLOC)
+    c->max_alloc = MAX_SERVER_ALLOC;
+  protocol_session_set_max_alloc(NULL, c->max_alloc);
   c->send_directory = receive_str(fd);
   c->receive_root_directory = receive_str(fd);
   if (!c->send_directory || !c->receive_root_directory)
     return false;
   if (!receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->save_to_disk) || !receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->use_multithreading) ||
       !receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->use_chunk_serialization) ||
-      !receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->use_compression) || !receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->use_metadata))
+      !receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->use_compression) || !receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->use_metadata) ||
+      !receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->use_executability))
     return false;
   if (!receive_int(fd, &value))
     return false;
@@ -281,6 +367,10 @@ static bool receive_delta_fields(int fd, Config* c) {
     return false;
   if (!receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->use_incremental))
     return false;
+  if (!receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->size_only))
+    return false;
+  if (!receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->ignore_times))
+    return false;
   if (!receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->use_delta))
     return false;
   return receive_n_data(fd, &c->delta_block_size, sizeof(c->delta_block_size)) &&
@@ -290,8 +380,17 @@ static bool receive_delta_fields(int fd, Config* c) {
 static bool receive_file_options(int fd, Config* c) {
   if (!receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->backup))
     return false;
-  c->backup_dir = receive_str(fd);
-  if (!c->backup_dir)
+  char* backup_dir = receive_str(fd);
+  if (!backup_dir)
+    return false;
+  if (*backup_dir != '\0') {
+    c->backup_dir = backup_dir;
+  } else {
+    /* The sender serializes an unset (NULL) string as "", so canonicalize the
+       empty wire value back to NULL to preserve NULL-vs-empty semantics. */
+    free(backup_dir);
+  }
+  if (!receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->remove_source_files))
     return false;
   bool* flags[] = {&c->follow_symlinks,   &c->copy_links,          &c->safe_links,
                    &c->copy_unsafe_links, &c->preserve_hard_links, &c->preserve_acls,
@@ -304,8 +403,9 @@ static bool receive_file_options(int fd, Config* c) {
 }
 
 static bool receive_selection_options(int fd, Config* c) {
-  bool* flags[] = {&c->update,        &c->inplace,         &c->append,
-                   &c->append_verify, &c->delete_excluded, &c->delete_after};
+  bool* flags[] = {&c->ignore_existing, &c->existing,    &c->update,    &c->inplace,
+                   &c->delay_updates,   &c->append,      &c->use_fsync, &c->append_verify,
+                   &c->delete_excluded, &c->delete_after};
   for (size_t i = 0; i < sizeof(flags) / sizeof(flags[0]); i++) {
     if (!receive_wire_bool(fd, flags[i]))
       return false;
@@ -316,24 +416,71 @@ static bool receive_selection_options(int fd, Config* c) {
     return false;
   if (!receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->prune_empty_dirs))
     return false;
+  if (!receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->mkpath))
+    return false;
   return true;
 }
 
 static bool receive_resume_options(int fd, Config* c) {
-  c->temp_dir = receive_str(fd);
-  if (!c->temp_dir || !receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->partial))
+  char* temp_dir = receive_str(fd);
+  if (!temp_dir)
     return false;
-  c->partial_dir = receive_str(fd);
-  c->suffix = c->partial_dir ? receive_str(fd) : NULL;
-  if (!c->partial_dir || !c->suffix || !receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->delete_before))
+  if (*temp_dir != '\0') {
+    c->temp_dir = temp_dir;
+  } else {
+    free(temp_dir);
+  }
+  if (!receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->partial))
+    return false;
+  /* These options have NULL client defaults, so the sender transmits an empty
+     string for "unset".  Canonicalize the empty wire value back to NULL so
+     receivers observe exactly what the client configured (plain --backup, for
+     example, must not look like --backup-dir ""). */
+  char* partial_dir = receive_str(fd);
+  if (!partial_dir)
+    return false;
+  if (*partial_dir != '\0') {
+    c->partial_dir = partial_dir;
+  } else {
+    free(partial_dir);
+  }
+  char* suffix = receive_str(fd);
+  if (!suffix)
+    return false;
+  if (*suffix != '\0') {
+    c->suffix = suffix;
+  } else {
+    free(suffix);
+  }
+  if (!receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->delete_before))
     return false;
   if (!receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->checksum))
     return false;
+  if (!receive_n_data(fd, &c->modify_window, sizeof(c->modify_window)))
+    return false;
   c->compress_choice = receive_str(fd);
-  return c->compress_choice != NULL;
+  if (!c->compress_choice)
+    return false;
+  c->chmod_spec = receive_str(fd);
+  if (!c->chmod_spec || !receive_wire_bool(fd, &c->skip_compress_set) ||
+      !receive_int(fd, &c->skip_compress_count) || c->skip_compress_count < 0 ||
+      c->skip_compress_count > 10000)
+    return false;
+  if (c->skip_compress_count > 0) {
+    c->skip_compress_suffixes = calloc((size_t)c->skip_compress_count, sizeof(char*));
+    if (!c->skip_compress_suffixes)
+      return false;
+    for (int i = 0; i < c->skip_compress_count; i++) {
+      c->skip_compress_suffixes[i] = receive_str(fd);
+      if (!c->skip_compress_suffixes[i])
+        return false;
+    }
+  }
+  return true;
 }
 
 bool config_send(int file_descriptor, const Config* config) {
+  protocol_session_set_max_alloc(NULL, config->max_alloc);
   if (!send_core_fields(file_descriptor, config) || !send_delta_fields(file_descriptor, config) ||
       !send_file_options(file_descriptor, config) ||
       !send_selection_options(file_descriptor, config) ||
@@ -358,8 +505,10 @@ Config* config_receive(int file_descriptor) {
   if (!config->version)
     goto error;
   if (strcmp(config->version, PROTOCOL_VERSION) != 0) {
-    fprintf(stderr, "Protocol version mismatch: client=%s, server=%s\n", config->version,
-            PROTOCOL_VERSION);
+    char* escaped_version = output_escape(config->version, false);
+    fprintf(stderr, "Protocol version mismatch: client=%s, server=%s\n",
+            escaped_version ? escaped_version : "<allocation failed>", PROTOCOL_VERSION);
+    free(escaped_version);
     send_status(file_descriptor, STATUS_ERROR);
     goto error;
   }
@@ -371,7 +520,10 @@ Config* config_receive(int file_descriptor) {
     goto error;
   if (config->compress_choice[0] != '\0' && strcmp(config->compress_choice, "zstd") != 0 &&
       strcmp(config->compress_choice, "none") != 0) {
-    fprintf(stderr, "Unsupported compression choice: %s\n", config->compress_choice);
+    char* escaped_choice = output_escape(config->compress_choice, config->eight_bit_output);
+    fprintf(stderr, "Unsupported compression choice: %s\n",
+            escaped_choice ? escaped_choice : "<allocation failed>");
+    free(escaped_choice);
     send_status(file_descriptor, STATUS_ERROR);
     goto error;
   }

src/shared/config.h

@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@
 
 typedef enum { TRANSPORT_TCP, TRANSPORT_SSH } TransportType;
 
+/* Receiver-side staging state for --delay-updates.  Forward-declared here so
+   Config can carry it; the concrete type lives in delay_updates.h. */
+typedef struct DelayUpdatesContext DelayUpdatesContext;
+
 typedef struct Config {
   char* version;
   char* send_directory;
@@ -18,10 +22,14 @@ typedef struct Config {
   bool use_compression;
   bool use_sendfile;
   bool use_metadata;
+  bool use_executability;
+  bool metadata_explicitly_disabled;
   bool show_progress;
   bool dry_run;
+  bool remove_source_files;
   bool use_delete;
   int compression_level;
+  int compression_threads;
   unsigned long long chunk_size;
   int ssh_port;
   TransportType transport;
@@ -33,8 +41,13 @@ typedef struct Config {
   int include_count;
   unsigned long long max_size;
   unsigned long long min_size;
+  unsigned long long max_alloc;
   bool use_incremental;
+  bool ignore_times;
+  bool size_only;
   bool use_delta;
+  bool whole_file;
+  int modify_window;
   uint32_t delta_block_size;
   unsigned long long delta_max_file_size;
   bool use_tls;
@@ -70,14 +83,20 @@ typedef struct Config {
   // Issue #122: Output/logging options
   bool itemize_changes;
   char* out_format;
+  char* log_file_format;
   int info_level;
   int debug_level;
   bool list_only;
   bool human_readable;
+  bool eight_bit_output;
 
   // Issue #127: Transfer modes
+  bool existing;
+  bool ignore_existing;
   bool update;
   bool inplace;
+  bool delay_updates;
+  bool use_fsync;
   bool append;
   bool append_verify;
 
@@ -86,16 +105,34 @@ typedef struct Config {
   bool delete_after;
   int max_delete;
 
-  // Issue #129: Advanced file selection
-  ArrayList* filters;
-  char* files_from;
-  bool cvs_exclude;
+  // Issue #129: Advanced file selection. These fields are CLIENT-ONLY: they are
+  // never serialized to the wire (the receiver must not learn them).
+  ArrayList* filters;   /* --filter=RULE rule strings, in order */
+  char* files_from;     /* --files-from path (may be NULL) */
+  void* files_from_set; /* parsed FileListSet* allow-set, or NULL */
+  bool from0;           /* -0/--from0: NUL-delimited *-from files */
+  bool cvs_exclude;     /* -C/--cvs-exclude: standard CVS ignore set */
+  bool per_dir_filter;  /* -F: apply per-directory .rsync-filter files */
   bool prune_empty_dirs;
+  bool one_file_system; /* -x/--one-file-system: do not cross filesystem boundaries */
+  /* -R/--relative: crosses the wire; with --files-from listed entries keep
+   * their bare relative destination path (no source-root mirror prefix). */
   bool relative;
+  /* --no-implied-dirs: client-only.  With -R + --files-from, refuse to place a
+   * listed file whose ancestor directory is not itself explicitly listed. */
+  bool no_implied_dirs;
+  /* -d/--dirs: client-only.  Transfer the directory entries named by the
+   * source argument / --files-from list without recursing into contents. */
+  bool dirs;
+  /* --mkpath: crosses the wire.  Tells the server to create the destination
+   * root directory (and missing leading components below its authorized root)
+   * at connection start instead of requiring it to already exist. */
+  bool mkpath;
 
   // Issue #130: Remote shell/connection options
   char* rsh_command;
   char* rsync_path;
+  bool old_args;
   char* temp_dir;
   char* compare_dest;
   char* copy_dest;
@@ -126,9 +163,18 @@ typedef struct Config {
 
   // PR #184: Compression algorithm negotiation
   char* compress_choice;
+  char* chmod_spec;
+
+  char** skip_compress_suffixes;
+  int skip_compress_count;
+  bool skip_compress_set;
+
+  // Receiver-side runtime staging registry for --delay-updates.  Never sent
+  // over the wire and never set on the sender side.
+  DelayUpdatesContext* delay_context;
 } Config;
 
-#define PROTOCOL_VERSION "2.2.0"
+#define PROTOCOL_VERSION "2.7.0"
 #define DEFAULT_CHUNK_SIZE (10 * 1024 * 1024)
 
 Config* config_create(void);

src/shared/data.c

@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 #include "data.h"
 #include "log.h"
+#include "protocol.h"
 #include <stdlib.h>
 
 Data* data_create_empty(size_t data_size) {
   /* malloc(0) is UB; allocate at least 1 byte but preserve requested size */
   size_t alloc_size = data_size > 0 ? data_size : 1;
-  void* data = malloc(alloc_size);
+  void* data = protocol_alloc(alloc_size);
   if (data == NULL) {
     log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Could not allocate memory for empty data");
     return NULL;
@@ -14,7 +15,7 @@ Data* data_create_empty(size_t data_size) {
 }
 
 Data* data_create_reserve(size_t size) {
-  Data* d = malloc(sizeof(Data));
+  Data* d = protocol_alloc(sizeof(Data));
   if (d == NULL) {
     log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Could not allocate memory for data");
     return NULL;
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@ Data* data_create_reserve(size_t size) {
 }
 
 Data* data_create(void* data, size_t data_size) {
-  Data* new_data = malloc(sizeof(Data));
+  Data* new_data = protocol_alloc(sizeof(Data));
   if (new_data == NULL) {
     log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Could not allocate memory for data");
     free(data);

src/shared/delay_updates.c

@@ -0,0 +1,338 @@
+#include "delay_updates.h"
+
+#include "config.h"
+#include "file.h"
+#include "log.h"
+#include "utils.h"
+#include <dirent.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <libgen.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <sys/file.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+DelayUpdatesContext* delay_updates_context_create(const char* root_directory) {
+  if (!root_directory)
+    return NULL;
+  DelayUpdatesContext* context = calloc(1, sizeof(DelayUpdatesContext));
+  if (!context)
+    return NULL;
+  context->root_directory = str_dup(root_directory);
+  if (!context->root_directory) {
+    free(context);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  context->staging_root = path_cat(root_directory, DELAY_UPDATES_STAGING_DIR);
+  if (!context->staging_root) {
+    free(context->root_directory);
+    free(context);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  context->entries = NULL;
+  context->count = 0;
+  context->capacity = 0;
+  context->prepared = false;
+  context->lock_fd = -1;
+  if (mtx_init(&context->mutex, mtx_plain) != thrd_success) {
+    free(context->staging_root);
+    free(context->root_directory);
+    free(context);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  return context;
+}
+
+void delay_updates_context_destroy(DelayUpdatesContext* context) {
+  if (!context)
+    return;
+  mtx_destroy(&context->mutex);
+  if (context->lock_fd >= 0)
+    close(context->lock_fd);
+  context->lock_fd = -1;
+  free(context->staging_root);
+  free(context->root_directory);
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < context->count; i++) {
+    free(context->entries[i].staged_path);
+    free(context->entries[i].final_path);
+    free(context->entries[i].file_path);
+  }
+  free(context->entries);
+  free(context);
+}
+
+bool delay_updates_staging_name_conflict(const char* dir) {
+  if (!dir || !*dir)
+    return false;
+  size_t length = strlen(dir);
+  while (length > 0 && dir[length - 1] == '/')
+    length--;
+  size_t reserved_length = strlen(DELAY_UPDATES_STAGING_DIR);
+  if (length != reserved_length)
+    return false;
+  return strncmp(dir, DELAY_UPDATES_STAGING_DIR, length) == 0;
+}
+
+/* Recursively delete every entry inside an open directory (never following
+   symlinks).  The directory itself is left in place.  Mirrors the fd-relative
+   walk used by the delete code so a symlink planted inside the staging tree
+   can never redirect removal outside of it. */
+static bool delay_wipe_dir_fd(int dirfd) {
+  int scanfd = dup(dirfd);
+  if (scanfd < 0)
+    return false;
+  DIR* dir = fdopendir(scanfd);
+  if (!dir) {
+    close(scanfd);
+    return false;
+  }
+  bool operation_ok = true;
+  const struct dirent* entry;
+  while ((entry = readdir(dir)) != NULL) {
+    if (strcmp(entry->d_name, ".") == 0 || strcmp(entry->d_name, "..") == 0)
+      continue;
+    struct stat st;
+    if (fstatat(dirfd, entry->d_name, &st, AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW) != 0) {
+      if (errno != ENOENT)
+        operation_ok = false;
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)) {
+      int childfd = openat(dirfd, entry->d_name, O_RDONLY | O_DIRECTORY | O_NOFOLLOW | O_CLOEXEC);
+      bool child_removed = false;
+      if (childfd >= 0) {
+        child_removed = delay_wipe_dir_fd(childfd);
+        close(childfd);
+      } else if (errno != ENOENT) {
+        operation_ok = false;
+      }
+      if (child_removed && unlinkat(dirfd, entry->d_name, AT_REMOVEDIR) != 0 && errno != ENOENT)
+        operation_ok = false;
+    } else {
+      if (unlinkat(dirfd, entry->d_name, 0) != 0 && errno != ENOENT)
+        operation_ok = false;
+    }
+  }
+  closedir(dir);
+  return operation_ok;
+}
+
+bool delay_updates_prepare(DelayUpdatesContext* context) {
+  if (!context)
+    return false;
+  if (context->prepared)
+    return true;
+  int fd = file_open_private_dir(context->staging_root);
+  if (fd < 0) {
+    int saved_errno = errno;
+    char* escaped = output_escape(context->staging_root, false);
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "could not create --delay-updates staging directory '%s': %s",
+                escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>", strerror(saved_errno));
+    free(escaped);
+    return false;
+  }
+  /* Hold an exclusive advisory lock on the staging directory for the whole
+     transfer.  The staging directory name is fixed, so two simultaneous
+     delayed transfers to the same destination root would otherwise share it
+     and destroy each other's staged files.  The lock makes the second session
+     fail cleanly instead of corrupting the first.  The lock is released when
+     the context (and its file descriptor) is destroyed. */
+  if (flock(fd, LOCK_EX | LOCK_NB) != 0) {
+    int saved_errno = errno;
+    close(fd);
+    if (saved_errno == EWOULDBLOCK || saved_errno == EAGAIN) {
+      char* escaped = output_escape(context->staging_root, false);
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR,
+                  "another --delay-updates transfer to '%s' is already in progress; refusing to "
+                  "share the staging directory",
+                  escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
+      free(escaped);
+    } else {
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "could not lock --delay-updates staging directory '%s': %s",
+                  context->staging_root, strerror(saved_errno));
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
+  context->lock_fd = fd;
+  /* Only now, with exclusive ownership, wipe leftovers from an interrupted
+     earlier transfer; this can never race with a live session. */
+  bool ok = delay_wipe_dir_fd(fd);
+  if (!ok) {
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "could not clear stale --delay-updates staging files under '%s'",
+                context->staging_root);
+    close(context->lock_fd);
+    context->lock_fd = -1;
+    return false;
+  }
+  context->prepared = true;
+  return true;
+}
+
+bool delay_updates_record(DelayUpdatesContext* context, const char* staged_path,
+                          const char* final_path, const char* file_path) {
+  if (!context || !staged_path || !final_path || !file_path)
+    return false;
+  char* staged_copy = str_dup(staged_path);
+  char* final_copy = str_dup(final_path);
+  char* file_copy = str_dup(file_path);
+  if (!staged_copy || !final_copy || !file_copy) {
+    free(staged_copy);
+    free(final_copy);
+    free(file_copy);
+    return false;
+  }
+  mtx_lock(&context->mutex);
+  bool ok = true;
+  if (context->count == context->capacity) {
+    size_t new_capacity = context->capacity == 0 ? 64 : context->capacity * 2;
+    if (new_capacity < context->capacity) {
+      ok = false;
+    } else {
+      StagedFileEntry* grown = realloc(context->entries, new_capacity * sizeof(StagedFileEntry));
+      if (!grown) {
+        ok = false;
+      } else {
+        context->entries = grown;
+        context->capacity = new_capacity;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  if (ok) {
+    context->entries[context->count].staged_path = staged_copy;
+    context->entries[context->count].final_path = final_copy;
+    context->entries[context->count].file_path = file_copy;
+    context->count++;
+  }
+  mtx_unlock(&context->mutex);
+  if (!ok) {
+    free(staged_copy);
+    free(final_copy);
+    free(file_copy);
+  }
+  return ok;
+}
+
+/* Move an existing final destination file aside before the staged replacement
+   is installed.  Deferred from stage time so the final destination is not
+   modified until publication.  Mirrors the immediate-mode backup logic. */
+static bool delay_publish_backup(const DelayUpdatesContext* context, const Config* config,
+                                 const StagedFileEntry* entry) {
+  bool backup_enabled = config && config->backup && !config->ignore_existing;
+  if (!backup_enabled)
+    return true;
+  const char* backup_suffix = (config && config->suffix) ? config->suffix : "~";
+  struct stat backup_stat;
+  if (!file_stat_secure(entry->final_path, &backup_stat))
+    return true; /* nothing to back up */
+
+  char* backup_path = NULL;
+  if (config->backup_dir) {
+    char* confined_backup = path_cat(context->root_directory, config->backup_dir);
+    if (!confined_backup)
+      return false;
+    backup_path = path_cat(confined_backup, entry->file_path);
+    free(confined_backup);
+  } else {
+    size_t path_len = strlen(entry->final_path);
+    size_t suffix_len = strlen(backup_suffix);
+    if (path_len > SIZE_MAX - suffix_len - 1)
+      return false;
+    backup_path = malloc(path_len + suffix_len + 1);
+    if (backup_path) {
+      memcpy(backup_path, entry->final_path, path_len);
+      memcpy(backup_path + path_len, backup_suffix, suffix_len + 1);
+    }
+  }
+  if (!backup_path)
+    return false;
+  char* parent_copy = str_dup(backup_path);
+  if (!parent_copy || !file_ensure_directory_secure(dirname(parent_copy))) {
+    free(parent_copy);
+    free(backup_path);
+    return false;
+  }
+  free(parent_copy);
+  bool ok = file_rename_secure(entry->final_path, backup_path);
+  free(backup_path);
+  return ok;
+}
+
+static bool delay_publish_entry(DelayUpdatesContext* context, const Config* config,
+                                const StagedFileEntry* entry) {
+  if (!delay_publish_backup(context, config, entry))
+    return false;
+  if (!file_rename_secure(entry->staged_path, entry->final_path)) {
+    if (errno == EXDEV) {
+      char* escaped = output_escape(entry->final_path, false);
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR,
+                  "staging directory is on a different filesystem than the destination; cannot "
+                  "atomically install file (EXDEV): %s",
+                  escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
+      free(escaped);
+    } else {
+      char* escaped = output_escape(entry->final_path, false);
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "could not install staged file '%s': %s",
+                  escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>", strerror(errno));
+      free(escaped);
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
+  return true;
+}
+
+/* Remove the staging tree (contents plus the directory itself).  Returns true
+   when nothing is left behind (including the case where it never existed). */
+static bool delay_updates_remove_staging_tree(DelayUpdatesContext* context) {
+  int fd = open(context->staging_root, O_RDONLY | O_DIRECTORY | O_NOFOLLOW | O_CLOEXEC);
+  if (fd < 0)
+    return errno == ENOENT;
+  bool ok = delay_wipe_dir_fd(fd);
+  if (close(fd) != 0)
+    ok = false;
+  if (ok && rmdir(context->staging_root) != 0 && errno != ENOENT)
+    ok = false;
+  return ok;
+}
+
+bool delay_updates_publish(DelayUpdatesContext* context, const Config* config) {
+  if (!context)
+    return false;
+  mtx_lock(&context->mutex);
+  bool ok = true;
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < context->count; i++) {
+    if (!delay_publish_entry(context, config, &context->entries[i])) {
+      ok = false;
+      break;
+    }
+  }
+  mtx_unlock(&context->mutex);
+
+  /* Renaming files out of the staging tree leaves the mirrored directories
+     behind, and a mid-publish failure leaves the remaining staged files.
+     Remove whatever is left so a later run starts from a clean staging area
+     and no staged content can linger after a failed publish.  If that cleanup
+     fails, tell the operator: a stale staging directory would otherwise
+     silently accumulate and make the next transfer's prepare-wipe fail. */
+  if (!delay_updates_remove_staging_tree(context)) {
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING,
+                "could not fully remove --delay-updates staging directory '%s' after publish; a "
+                "later --delay-updates transfer to this destination will try to clear it",
+                context->staging_root);
+  }
+  return ok;
+}
+
+void delay_updates_cleanup(DelayUpdatesContext* context) {
+  if (!context)
+    return;
+  /* Only a context that gained exclusive ownership may touch the shared
+     staging directory.  If prepare never succeeded (e.g. lock contention with
+     another live session) the directory belongs to that other session and must
+     be left alone. */
+  if (!context->prepared)
+    return;
+  delay_updates_remove_staging_tree(context);
+}

src/shared/delay_updates.h

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+#ifndef DELAY_UPDATES_H
+#define DELAY_UPDATES_H
+
+#include <stdbool.h>
+#include <stddef.h>
+#include <threads.h>
+
+/* Forward-declared in config.h; full type needed by file_save_to_disk. */
+typedef struct Config Config;
+
+/* One staged file awaiting publication. */
+typedef struct {
+  char* staged_path; /* full path inside the staging tree */
+  char* final_path;  /* full final destination path */
+  char* file_path;   /* the file path as received on the wire */
+} StagedFileEntry;
+
+/* Receiver-side --delay-updates staging registry.  All successfully written
+   files land under a private staging directory inside the receive root and are
+   atomically renamed into their final destination only at the very end of the
+   transfer.  A single PipelineContextReceiver has exactly one writer thread,
+   but the registry is still mutex-protected so the same object can be safely
+   shared with the publish/cleanup phase that runs after the threads join. */
+typedef struct DelayUpdatesContext {
+  char* root_directory; /* receive root the staging dir lives under */
+  char* staging_root;   /* root_directory/<staging dir name> */
+  mtx_t mutex;
+  StagedFileEntry* entries;
+  size_t count;
+  size_t capacity;
+  bool prepared; /* staging dir created, wiped, and exclusively locked */
+  int lock_fd;   /* advisory exclusive flock held on the staging dir, or -1 */
+} DelayUpdatesContext;
+
+/* Name of the private staging subdirectory created under the receive root. */
+#define DELAY_UPDATES_STAGING_DIR ".fastsync-stage"
+
+/* True when `dir` (ignoring a trailing "/") is the reserved staging directory
+   name.  Used to reject a --backup-dir that would collide with the internal
+   staging area. */
+bool delay_updates_staging_name_conflict(const char* dir);
+
+/* Create an empty staging context rooted below root_directory.  Does not touch
+   the filesystem yet. */
+DelayUpdatesContext* delay_updates_context_create(const char* root_directory);
+void delay_updates_context_destroy(DelayUpdatesContext* context);
+
+/* Create the private 0700 staging directory (on first call) and wipe any
+   leftovers from a previously interrupted delayed transfer.  Idempotent. */
+bool delay_updates_prepare(DelayUpdatesContext* context);
+
+/* Record a fully-written staged file for later publication.  Copies all three
+   paths.  Returns false on allocation failure. */
+bool delay_updates_record(DelayUpdatesContext* context, const char* staged_path,
+                          const char* final_path, const char* file_path);
+
+/* Atomically rename every staged file into its final destination.  Deferred
+   --backup handling runs immediately before each rename.  On any failure the
+   remaining staged files are removed (best effort); already-published files
+   are not rolled back.  Afterwards the staging tree is removed so a successful
+   or failed publish leaves no staging leftovers. */
+bool delay_updates_publish(DelayUpdatesContext* context, const Config* config);
+
+/* Best-effort removal of every staged file and the staging directory itself.
+   Safe to call when nothing was staged or after a successful publish. */
+void delay_updates_cleanup(DelayUpdatesContext* context);
+
+#endif

src/shared/delta.c

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include "delta.h"
 #include "log.h"
+#include "protocol.h"
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
@@ -43,7 +44,7 @@ DeltaSignature* delta_signature_create(const void* old_file_data, uint64_t old_f
 
   uint32_t block_count = (uint32_t)((old_file_size + block_size - 1) / block_size);
 
-  DeltaSignature* sig = malloc(sizeof(DeltaSignature));
+  DeltaSignature* sig = protocol_alloc(sizeof(DeltaSignature));
   if (!sig)
     return NULL;
 
@@ -54,7 +55,7 @@ DeltaSignature* delta_signature_create(const void* old_file_data, uint64_t old_f
     free(sig);
     return NULL;
   }
-  sig->blocks = malloc((size_t)block_count * sizeof(DeltaBlockSig));
+  sig->blocks = protocol_alloc((size_t)block_count * sizeof(DeltaBlockSig));
   if (!sig->blocks) {
     free(sig);
     return NULL;
@@ -82,7 +83,7 @@ Data* delta_signature_serialize(const DeltaSignature* sig) {
       total > SIZE_MAX)
     return NULL;
 
-  uint8_t* buf = malloc((size_t)total);
+  uint8_t* buf = protocol_alloc((size_t)total);
   if (!buf)
     return NULL;
 
@@ -111,7 +112,7 @@ DeltaSignature* delta_signature_deserialize(const Data* data) {
   const uint8_t* buf = (const uint8_t*)data->data;
   size_t pos = 0;
 
-  DeltaSignature* sig = malloc(sizeof(DeltaSignature));
+  DeltaSignature* sig = protocol_alloc(sizeof(DeltaSignature));
   if (!sig)
     return NULL;
 
@@ -149,7 +150,7 @@ DeltaSignature* delta_signature_deserialize(const Data* data) {
     free(sig);
     return NULL;
   }
-  sig->blocks = malloc((size_t)blocks_size);
+  sig->blocks = protocol_alloc((size_t)blocks_size);
   if (!sig->blocks) {
     free(sig);
     return NULL;
@@ -178,7 +179,7 @@ static bool ensure_capacity(DeltaInstruction** instrs, uint32_t* capacity, uint3
   if (*capacity > MAX_DELTA_INSTRUCTIONS / 2)
     return false;
   uint32_t new_cap = *capacity * 2;
-  DeltaInstruction* tmp = realloc(*instrs, (size_t)new_cap * sizeof(DeltaInstruction));
+  DeltaInstruction* tmp = protocol_realloc(*instrs, (size_t)new_cap * sizeof(DeltaInstruction));
   if (!tmp)
     return false;
   *instrs = tmp;
@@ -195,7 +196,7 @@ static bool flush_literal(DeltaInstruction** instrs, uint32_t* capacity, uint32_
   uint32_t lit_len = (uint32_t)(end - start);
   if (!ensure_capacity(instrs, capacity, *count))
     return false;
-  uint8_t* lit_data = malloc(lit_len);
+  uint8_t* lit_data = protocol_alloc(lit_len);
   if (!lit_data)
     return false;
   memcpy(lit_data, data + start, lit_len);
@@ -215,6 +216,119 @@ static void free_instructions(DeltaInstruction* instrs, uint32_t count) {
   free(instrs);
 }
 
+/* Sentinel meaning "no signature block" in the lookup index chains.  Block
+ * counts are bounded well below UINT32_MAX, so it doubles as a null link. */
+#define DELTA_NO_BLOCK UINT32_MAX
+
+/* Avalanche mix for the rolling checksum so blocks do not cluster in the
+ * bucket table when the weak checksum has little entropy (e.g. all-zero or
+ * patterned files). */
+static uint32_t delta_adler_mix(uint32_t h) {
+  h ^= h >> 16;
+  h *= 0x7feb352dU;
+  h ^= h >> 15;
+  h *= 0x846ca68bU;
+  h ^= h >> 16;
+  return h;
+}
+
+/* Smallest power of two >= v.  v must be non-zero. */
+static uint32_t delta_next_pow2(uint32_t v) {
+  v--;
+  v |= v >> 1;
+  v |= v >> 2;
+  v |= v >> 4;
+  v |= v >> 8;
+  v |= v >> 16;
+  return v + 1;
+}
+
+/* Build a hash index over sig->blocks keyed by the (mixed) rolling checksum.
+ * All blocks sharing an Adler-32 value land in the same bucket; collisions
+ * are chained through a single contiguous allocation:
+ *
+ *   [0, bucket_count)                 heads (first block per bucket)
+ *   [bucket_count, 2*bucket_count)    tails (last block per bucket)
+ *   [2*bucket_count, ...)             per-block chain links
+ *
+ * Blocks are inserted in ascending index order so every bucket chain is
+ * ordered exactly like the historical linear scan.  Returns the base pointer
+ * (also the heads array) or NULL when no index could be allocated; callers
+ * then fall back to the linear scan. */
+static uint32_t* delta_build_index(const DeltaSignature* sig, uint32_t bucket_count) {
+  if (sig->block_count == 0 || bucket_count == 0)
+    return NULL;
+
+  size_t entries = (size_t)2 * bucket_count + sig->block_count;
+  if (entries > SIZE_MAX / sizeof(uint32_t))
+    return NULL;
+
+  uint32_t* index = protocol_alloc(entries * sizeof(uint32_t));
+  if (!index)
+    return NULL;
+
+  uint32_t* heads = index;
+  uint32_t* tails = index + bucket_count;
+  uint32_t* next = index + 2 * bucket_count;
+  uint32_t mask = bucket_count - 1;
+
+  memset(heads, 0xFF, (size_t)bucket_count * sizeof(uint32_t));
+  memset(tails, 0xFF, (size_t)bucket_count * sizeof(uint32_t));
+
+  for (uint32_t j = 0; j < sig->block_count; j++) {
+    uint32_t b = delta_adler_mix(sig->blocks[j].adler32) & mask;
+    if (heads[b] == DELTA_NO_BLOCK)
+      heads[b] = j;
+    else
+      next[tails[b]] = j;
+    tails[b] = j;
+    next[j] = DELTA_NO_BLOCK;
+  }
+  return index;
+}
+
+/* Locate the signature block matching the byte window at new_data[i].
+ *
+ * Mirrors the original per-window behaviour exactly: only a full block_size
+ * window can match, candidates are accepted only when the weak (Adler-32) and
+ * strong (xxHash32) checksums both agree, and the lowest block index wins so
+ * the emitted op stream is byte-identical to the linear scan.  When heads is
+ * non-NULL the candidate set is reached through the bucket index (expected
+ * O(1) per window); otherwise an exact linear scan is used. */
+static uint32_t delta_find_match(const uint8_t* window, uint32_t window_len, uint32_t adler,
+                                 bool full_window, const DeltaSignature* sig, const uint32_t* heads,
+                                 const uint32_t* next, uint32_t mask) {
+  if (!full_window || sig->block_count == 0)
+    return DELTA_NO_BLOCK;
+
+  if (heads) {
+    uint32_t b = delta_adler_mix(adler) & mask;
+    uint32_t window_xxh = 0;
+    bool have_xxh = false;
+    for (uint32_t j = heads[b]; j != DELTA_NO_BLOCK; j = next[j]) {
+      if (sig->blocks[j].adler32 != adler)
+        continue;
+      if (!have_xxh) {
+        window_xxh = delta_xxhash32(window, window_len);
+        have_xxh = true;
+      }
+      if (window_xxh == sig->blocks[j].xxhash)
+        return j;
+    }
+    return DELTA_NO_BLOCK;
+  }
+
+  /* Fallback used when the index could not be allocated. */
+  for (uint32_t j = 0; j < sig->block_count; j++) {
+    if (sig->blocks[j].adler32 == adler) {
+      uint32_t window_xxh = delta_xxhash32(window, window_len);
+      if (window_xxh == sig->blocks[j].xxhash)
+        return j;
+    }
+  }
+  return DELTA_NO_BLOCK;
+}
+
 Delta* delta_compute(const void* new_file_data, uint64_t new_file_size, const DeltaSignature* sig,
                      uint32_t block_size) {
   if (!new_file_data || !sig || !sig->blocks || new_file_size == 0 || block_size == 0 ||
@@ -225,10 +339,29 @@ Delta* delta_compute(const void* new_file_data, uint64_t new_file_size, const De
 
   uint32_t capacity = 64;
   uint32_t count = 0;
-  DeltaInstruction* instrs = malloc((size_t)capacity * sizeof(DeltaInstruction));
+  DeltaInstruction* instrs = protocol_alloc((size_t)capacity * sizeof(DeltaInstruction));
   if (!instrs)
     return NULL;
 
+  /* Build a one-time bucket index over the signature blocks keyed by the weak
+   * checksum.  This turns the per-byte-window candidate lookup from an
+   * O(block_count) linear scan into an expected O(1) probe, which dominates
+   * the cost for large mostly-matching files (the diff steps one byte at a
+   * time through changed regions).  On allocation failure the probe falls back
+   * to the original linear scan, so behaviour is unchanged under memory
+   * pressure. */
+  uint32_t* index = NULL;
+  const uint32_t* chain_next = NULL;
+  uint32_t mask = 0;
+  if (sig->block_count > 0) {
+    uint32_t bucket_count = delta_next_pow2(sig->block_count);
+    index = delta_build_index(sig, bucket_count);
+    if (index) {
+      chain_next = index + 2 * bucket_count;
+      mask = bucket_count - 1;
+    }
+  }
+
   uint64_t literal_start = 0;
   bool has_literal = false;
 
@@ -263,34 +396,32 @@ Delta* delta_compute(const void* new_file_data, uint64_t new_file_size, const De
     }
 
     bool matched = false;
-    for (uint32_t j = 0; j < sig->block_count; j++) {
-      if (adler == sig->blocks[j].adler32 && full_window) {
-        uint32_t xxh = delta_xxhash32(new_data + i, window_len);
-        if (xxh == sig->blocks[j].xxhash) {
-          if (has_literal) {
-            if (!flush_literal(&instrs, &capacity, &count, new_data, literal_start, i)) {
-              free_instructions(instrs, count);
-              return NULL;
-            }
-            has_literal = false;
-          }
-
-          if (!ensure_capacity(&instrs, &capacity, count)) {
-            free_instructions(instrs, count);
-            return NULL;
-          }
-          instrs[count].type = DELTA_INSTR_BLOCK_MATCH;
-          instrs[count].match.block_index = j;
-          instrs[count].match.block_offset = 0;
-          instrs[count].match.length = window_len;
-          count++;
-
-          i += window_len;
-          rolling_valid = false;
-          matched = true;
-          break;
+    uint32_t match_block = delta_find_match(new_data + i, window_len, adler, full_window, sig,
+                                            index, chain_next, mask);
+    if (match_block != DELTA_NO_BLOCK) {
+      if (has_literal) {
+        if (!flush_literal(&instrs, &capacity, &count, new_data, literal_start, i)) {
+          free_instructions(instrs, count);
+          free(index);
+          return NULL;
         }
+        has_literal = false;
       }
+
+      if (!ensure_capacity(&instrs, &capacity, count)) {
+        free_instructions(instrs, count);
+        free(index);
+        return NULL;
+      }
+      instrs[count].type = DELTA_INSTR_BLOCK_MATCH;
+      instrs[count].match.block_index = match_block;
+      instrs[count].match.block_offset = 0;
+      instrs[count].match.length = window_len;
+      count++;
+
+      i += window_len;
+      rolling_valid = false;
+      matched = true;
     }
 
     if (!matched) {
@@ -302,6 +433,8 @@ Delta* delta_compute(const void* new_file_data, uint64_t new_file_size, const De
     }
   }
 
+  free(index);
+
   if (has_literal) {
     if (!flush_literal(&instrs, &capacity, &count, new_data, literal_start, new_file_size)) {
       free_instructions(instrs, count);
@@ -309,7 +442,7 @@ Delta* delta_compute(const void* new_file_data, uint64_t new_file_size, const De
     }
   }
 
-  Delta* delta = malloc(sizeof(Delta));
+  Delta* delta = protocol_alloc(sizeof(Delta));
   if (!delta) {
     free_instructions(instrs, count);
     return NULL;
@@ -355,7 +488,7 @@ Data* delta_serialize(const Delta* delta) {
   if (delta->delta_size > UINT64_MAX - header_size || header_size + delta->delta_size > SIZE_MAX)
     return NULL;
   uint64_t total = header_size + delta->delta_size;
-  uint8_t* buf = malloc((size_t)total);
+  uint8_t* buf = protocol_alloc((size_t)total);
   if (!buf)
     return NULL;
 
@@ -395,7 +528,7 @@ Delta* delta_deserialize(const Data* data) {
   const uint8_t* buf = (const uint8_t*)data->data;
   size_t pos = 0;
 
-  Delta* delta = malloc(sizeof(Delta));
+  Delta* delta = protocol_alloc(sizeof(Delta));
   if (!delta)
     return NULL;
 
@@ -412,9 +545,10 @@ Delta* delta_deserialize(const Data* data) {
     return NULL;
   }
 
-  delta->instructions = delta->instruction_count == 0
-                            ? NULL
-                            : malloc((size_t)delta->instruction_count * sizeof(DeltaInstruction));
+  delta->instructions =
+      delta->instruction_count == 0
+          ? NULL
+          : protocol_alloc((size_t)delta->instruction_count * sizeof(DeltaInstruction));
   if (delta->instruction_count > 0 && !delta->instructions) {
     free(delta);
     return NULL;
@@ -465,7 +599,7 @@ Delta* delta_deserialize(const Data* data) {
         free(delta);
         return NULL;
       }
-      delta->instructions[i].literal.data = malloc(lit_len ? lit_len : 1);
+      delta->instructions[i].literal.data = protocol_alloc(lit_len ? lit_len : 1);
       if (!delta->instructions[i].literal.data) {
         log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Failed to allocate %u bytes for literal data", lit_len);
         free_instructions(delta->instructions, i);
@@ -492,7 +626,7 @@ void* delta_apply(const void* old_data, uint64_t old_size, const Delta* delta,
       delta->new_file_size > DELTA_MAX_FILE_SIZE || delta->new_file_size > SIZE_MAX)
     return NULL;
 
-  void* output = malloc(delta->new_file_size ? (size_t)delta->new_file_size : 1);
+  void* output = protocol_alloc(delta->new_file_size ? (size_t)delta->new_file_size : 1);
   if (!output)
     return NULL;
 

src/shared/file.c

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include <libgen.h>
 #include <limits.h>
+#include <stdatomic.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@
 #include "log.h"
 #include "metadata.h"
 #include "utils.h"
+#include "protocol.h"
 
 static bool write_all(int fd, const void* data, unsigned long long size) {
   const unsigned char* p = data;
@@ -29,6 +31,17 @@ static bool write_all(int fd, const void* data, unsigned long long size) {
   return true;
 }
 
+/* Process-wide counter for scratch temp names.  A --temp-dir scratch directory
+   is flat: different destinations that share a basename must never race onto
+   the same temp name.  Deriving the trailing number from a global atomic
+   sequence keeps every temp name unique across the whole scratch directory
+   even when several threads write concurrently, so the O_EXCL creation loop
+   below almost never needs a retry. */
+static unsigned long long next_temp_sequence(void) {
+  static atomic_ullong sequence;
+  return atomic_fetch_add_explicit(&sequence, 1, memory_order_relaxed);
+}
+
 bool file_checksum(File* file, uint64_t* checksum) {
   if (!file || !checksum || !file->data)
     return false;
@@ -45,14 +58,14 @@ bool file_checksum(File* file, uint64_t* checksum) {
 File* file_create(const char* path) {
   if (!path)
     return NULL;
-  File* file = (File*)malloc(sizeof(File));
+  File* file = (File*)protocol_alloc(sizeof(File));
   if (file == NULL) {
     log_perror("ERROR: Could not allocate memory for file struct");
     return NULL;
   }
 
   size_t path_len = strlen(path);
-  file->path = (char*)malloc(path_len + 1);
+  file->path = (char*)protocol_alloc(path_len + 1);
   if (file->path == NULL) {
     free(file);
     return NULL;
@@ -60,6 +73,7 @@ File* file_create(const char* path) {
 
   memcpy(file->path, path, path_len);
   file->path[path_len] = '\0';
+  file->send_path = NULL;
   file->data = data_create_reserve(0);
   if (file->data == NULL) {
     free(file->path);
@@ -68,6 +82,7 @@ File* file_create(const char* path) {
   }
   file->metadata = NULL;
   file->skip = false;
+  file->is_dir = false;
   return file;
 }
 
@@ -81,11 +96,13 @@ void file_destroy(void* item) {
   file->metadata = NULL;
   free(file->path);
   file->path = NULL;
+  free(file->send_path);
+  file->send_path = NULL;
   free(file);
 }
 
 FileMetadata* file_metadata_create(const struct stat* stats) {
-  FileMetadata* m = malloc(sizeof(FileMetadata));
+  FileMetadata* m = protocol_alloc(sizeof(FileMetadata));
   if (m == NULL) {
     log_perror("ERROR: Could not allocate memory for file metadata");
     return NULL;
@@ -112,7 +129,7 @@ bool file_load_data(File* file) {
   if (file->data->data == NULL) {
     if (file->data->size == 0)
       return true;
-    file->data->data = malloc(file->data->size);
+    file->data->data = protocol_alloc(file->data->size);
     if (file->data->data == NULL) {
       log_perror("Could not allocate memory for file data");
       return false;
@@ -172,8 +189,17 @@ bool file_set_authorized_root(int fd, const char* canonical_path) {
 }
 
 bool file_path_exists_secure(const char* path) {
+  if (!path)
+    return false;
+  char* leaf = NULL;
+  int parent_fd = file_open_secure_parent(path, &leaf, false);
+  if (parent_fd < 0)
+    return false;
   struct stat st;
-  return file_stat_secure(path, &st);
+  bool exists = fstatat(parent_fd, leaf, &st, AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW) == 0;
+  close(parent_fd);
+  free(leaf);
+  return exists;
 }
 
 bool file_stat_secure(const char* path, struct stat* st) {
@@ -183,15 +209,29 @@ bool file_stat_secure(const char* path, struct stat* st) {
   int parent_fd = file_open_secure_parent(path, &leaf, false);
   if (parent_fd < 0)
     return false;
-  int fd = openat(parent_fd, leaf, O_RDONLY | O_NONBLOCK | O_CLOEXEC | O_NOFOLLOW);
-  bool exists = fd >= 0 && fstat(fd, st) == 0 && S_ISREG(st->st_mode);
-  if (fd >= 0)
-    close(fd);
+  bool exists = fstatat(parent_fd, leaf, st, AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW) == 0 && S_ISREG(st->st_mode);
   close(parent_fd);
   free(leaf);
   return exists;
 }
 
+static bool stat_is_newer(const struct stat* st, const FileMetadata* metadata) {
+  if (!st || !metadata)
+    return false;
+#ifdef __linux__
+  long mtime_nsec = st->st_mtim.tv_nsec;
+#else
+  long mtime_nsec = 0;
+#endif
+  return st->st_mtime > metadata->mtime_sec ||
+         (st->st_mtime == metadata->mtime_sec && mtime_nsec > metadata->mtime_nsec);
+}
+
+bool file_destination_is_newer_secure(const char* path, const FileMetadata* metadata) {
+  struct stat st;
+  return file_stat_secure(path, &st) && stat_is_newer(&st, metadata);
+}
+
 int file_open_secure_parent(const char* path, char** leaf_out, bool create_dirs) {
   char* copy = str_dup(path);
   if (!copy)
@@ -268,9 +308,41 @@ int file_open_secure_parent(const char* path, char** leaf_out, bool create_dirs)
   return fd;
 }
 
+/* Normalized copy of a directory path: leading '/' kept, trailing '/' removed
+ * ("/" and "//" both collapse to "/").  A trailing slash otherwise makes the
+ * last path component empty, so probing that empty leaf below its parent
+ * always fails. */
+static char* normalize_directory_path(const char* path) {
+  if (!path)
+    return NULL;
+  size_t len = strlen(path);
+  while (len > 1 && path[len - 1] == '/')
+    len--;
+  char* norm = malloc(len + 1);
+  if (!norm)
+    return NULL;
+  memcpy(norm, path, len);
+  norm[len] = '\0';
+  return norm;
+}
+
 bool file_ensure_directory_secure(const char* path) {
+  if (!path)
+    return false;
+  char* norm = normalize_directory_path(path);
+  if (!norm)
+    return false;
+  /* The authorized root is already an open directory, and the filesystem root
+     is always present: there is no final component left to create for them. */
+  bool root_is_open =
+      authorized_root_fd >= 0 && authorized_root_path && strcmp(norm, authorized_root_path) == 0;
+  if (root_is_open || strcmp(norm, "/") == 0) {
+    free(norm);
+    return true;
+  }
   char* leaf = NULL;
-  int parent_fd = file_open_secure_parent(path, &leaf, true);
+  int parent_fd = file_open_secure_parent(norm, &leaf, true);
+  free(norm);
   if (parent_fd < 0)
     return false;
 
@@ -287,6 +359,39 @@ bool file_ensure_directory_secure(const char* path) {
   return ok;
 }
 
+/* True when `path` resolves to an existing directory below the authorized root
+ * (never creating anything). Used by the server to decide whether a client's
+ * destination root already exists. A trailing slash on `path` and a destination
+ * equal to the authorized root itself are normalized/handled here so both
+ * previously-working destination forms keep working. */
+bool file_directory_exists_secure(const char* path) {
+  if (!path)
+    return false;
+  char* norm = normalize_directory_path(path);
+  if (!norm)
+    return false;
+  bool root_is_open =
+      authorized_root_fd >= 0 && authorized_root_path && strcmp(norm, authorized_root_path) == 0;
+  if (root_is_open || strcmp(norm, "/") == 0) {
+    free(norm);
+    return true;
+  }
+  char* leaf = NULL;
+  int parent_fd = file_open_secure_parent(norm, &leaf, false);
+  free(norm);
+  if (parent_fd < 0)
+    return false;
+  int dir_fd = openat(parent_fd, leaf, O_RDONLY | O_DIRECTORY | O_NOFOLLOW | O_CLOEXEC);
+  if (dir_fd < 0 && errno == ENOENT)
+    dir_fd = -1;
+  bool ok = dir_fd >= 0;
+  if (dir_fd >= 0)
+    close(dir_fd);
+  close(parent_fd);
+  free(leaf);
+  return ok;
+}
+
 bool file_rename_secure(const char* old_path, const char* new_path) {
   char *old_leaf = NULL, *new_leaf = NULL;
   int old_parent = file_open_secure_parent(old_path, &old_leaf, false);
@@ -302,8 +407,35 @@ bool file_rename_secure(const char* old_path, const char* new_path) {
   return ok;
 }
 
-bool file_to_disk_secure(const char* path, const void* data, unsigned long long data_size,
-                         bool inplace, bool sparse, const FileMetadata* metadata) {
+/* Open a private staging/scratch directory, creating it (and any missing path
+   components) on demand.  dir_path is expected to already be confined below
+   the authorized root by the caller; file_open_secure_parent re-checks that
+   confinement and rejects `..` components, so a scratch directory can never be
+   created or opened outside the destination root.  The directory itself is
+   created 0700 so other users cannot race on names inside it.  Returns an
+   O_DIRECTORY|O_NOFOLLOW fd, or -1 on error. */
+int file_open_private_dir(const char* dir_path) {
+  if (!dir_path)
+    return -1;
+  char* leaf = NULL;
+  int parent_fd = file_open_secure_parent(dir_path, &leaf, true);
+  if (parent_fd < 0)
+    return -1;
+  int fd = openat(parent_fd, leaf, O_RDONLY | O_DIRECTORY | O_NOFOLLOW | O_CLOEXEC);
+  if (fd < 0 && errno == ENOENT) {
+    if (mkdirat(parent_fd, leaf, 0700) == 0 || errno == EEXIST)
+      fd = openat(parent_fd, leaf, O_RDONLY | O_DIRECTORY | O_NOFOLLOW | O_CLOEXEC);
+  }
+  close(parent_fd);
+  free(leaf);
+  return fd;
+}
+
+static bool file_to_disk_secure_impl(const char* path, const void* data,
+                                     unsigned long long data_size, bool inplace, bool sparse,
+                                     const FileMetadata* metadata, bool preserve_executability,
+                                     bool update, bool no_replace, bool use_fsync,
+                                     const char* temp_dir) {
   char* leaf = NULL;
   int dirfd = file_open_secure_parent(path, &leaf, true);
   if (dirfd < 0)
@@ -311,34 +443,155 @@ bool file_to_disk_secure(const char* path, const void* data, unsigned long long
   int fd = -1;
   bool ok = false;
   if (inplace) {
-    fd = openat(dirfd, leaf, O_WRONLY | O_CREAT | O_TRUNC | O_CLOEXEC | O_NOFOLLOW, 0644);
+    /* --inplace writes directly into the destination; a scratch --temp-dir
+       does not apply and must never redirect these writes. */
+    fd = openat(dirfd, leaf, O_WRONLY | O_CREAT | O_CLOEXEC | O_NOFOLLOW, 0644);
     if (fd >= 0) {
-      if (!sparse || data_size == 0 || ftruncate(fd, (off_t)data_size) == 0)
-        ok = write_all(fd, data, data_size);
-      if (ok && metadata)
-        ok = file_restore_metadata_fd(fd, metadata);
+      struct stat destination_stat;
+      bool newer = false;
+      if (update && metadata && fstat(fd, &destination_stat) == 0 &&
+          S_ISREG(destination_stat.st_mode)) {
+        newer = stat_is_newer(&destination_stat, metadata);
+      }
+      if (newer) {
+        ok = true;
+      } else {
+        /* In-place overwrites: pre-size sparse targets and always trim the
+           file to the new payload length afterwards so shorter payloads can
+           never leave stale trailing bytes from a previous version. */
+        if (sparse && data_size > 0)
+          ok = ftruncate(fd, (off_t)data_size) == 0;
+        if (ok || !sparse || data_size == 0)
+          ok = write_all(fd, data, data_size);
+        if (ok)
+          ok = ftruncate(fd, (off_t)data_size) == 0;
+        /* Normalize the mode: apply the metadata-derived safe mode when the
+           sender supplied metadata (setuid/setgid/sticky are never honored);
+           otherwise fall back to a safe default so dangerous bits on an
+           existing destination cannot survive an overwrite. */
+        if (ok) {
+          if (metadata)
+            ok = file_restore_metadata_fd(fd, metadata, preserve_executability);
+          else if (fchmod(fd, S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH) != 0)
+            ok = false;
+        }
+        if (ok && use_fsync)
+          ok = fsync(fd) == 0;
+      }
     }
   } else {
-    char tmp[NAME_MAX];
-    for (unsigned int i = 0; i < 100 && !ok; ++i) {
-      snprintf(tmp, sizeof(tmp), ".%s.tmp.%ld.%u", leaf, (long)getpid(), i);
-      fd = openat(dirfd, tmp, O_WRONLY | O_CREAT | O_EXCL | O_CLOEXEC | O_NOFOLLOW, 0600);
+    /* The --update newer-destination check runs first so a skipped file never
+       creates an empty scratch directory behind it. */
+    if (update && metadata) {
+      /* This check protects the normal atomic path as far as possible.  A
+         concurrent replacement can still occur before the final rename. */
+      struct stat destination_stat;
+      if (fstatat(dirfd, leaf, &destination_stat, AT_SYMLINK_NOFOLLOW) == 0 &&
+          S_ISREG(destination_stat.st_mode) && stat_is_newer(&destination_stat, metadata)) {
+        close(dirfd);
+        free(leaf);
+        return true;
+      }
+    }
+    /* Scratch directory for the temporary working copy.  When NULL the temp
+       file is created in the destination directory, exactly as historically. */
+    int scratch_dirfd = -1;
+    if (temp_dir) {
+      scratch_dirfd = file_open_private_dir(temp_dir);
+      if (scratch_dirfd < 0) {
+        int saved_errno = errno;
+        log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "could not open --temp-dir scratch directory '%s': %s",
+                    temp_dir, strerror(saved_errno));
+        close(dirfd);
+        free(leaf);
+        return false;
+      }
+    }
+    /* Temp names can exceed NAME_MAX for basenames near the limit (leaf plus
+       the ".tmp.<pid>.<n>" decoration); heap-size the buffer instead of
+       truncating into a fixed array, which would silently collide in a flat
+       scratch directory.  The sizing sentinel is the widest value of each
+       format. */
+    int tmp_size;
+    if (scratch_dirfd >= 0)
+      tmp_size = snprintf(NULL, 0, ".%s.tmp.%ld.%llu", leaf, (long)getpid(), ~0ULL);
+    else
+      tmp_size = snprintf(NULL, 0, ".%s.tmp.%ld.%u", leaf, (long)getpid(), 999U);
+    if (tmp_size < 0) {
+      if (scratch_dirfd >= 0)
+        close(scratch_dirfd);
+      close(dirfd);
+      free(leaf);
+      return false;
+    }
+    char* tmp = malloc((size_t)tmp_size + 1);
+    if (!tmp) {
+      if (scratch_dirfd >= 0)
+        close(scratch_dirfd);
+      close(dirfd);
+      free(leaf);
+      return false;
+    }
+    for (unsigned int i = 0; i < 100; ++i) {
+      /* The temp name is created inside the scratch directory (when one is
+         configured) and, on success, atomically renamed into the destination
+         directory.  In a shared scratch directory the atomic sequence number
+         keeps the name unique even for destinations with a common basename. */
+      if (scratch_dirfd >= 0)
+        snprintf(tmp, (size_t)tmp_size + 1, ".%s.tmp.%ld.%llu", leaf, (long)getpid(),
+                 next_temp_sequence());
+      else
+        snprintf(tmp, (size_t)tmp_size + 1, ".%s.tmp.%ld.%u", leaf, (long)getpid(), i);
+      fd = openat(scratch_dirfd >= 0 ? scratch_dirfd : dirfd, tmp,
+                  O_WRONLY | O_CREAT | O_EXCL | O_CLOEXEC | O_NOFOLLOW, 0600);
       if (fd < 0)
-        continue;
+        continue; /* EEXIST (or a transient open error): try a fresh name. */
       if (sparse && data_size > 0)
         ok = ftruncate(fd, (off_t)data_size) == 0;
       if (ok || (!sparse || data_size == 0))
         ok = write_all(fd, data, data_size);
       if (ok && metadata)
-        ok = file_restore_metadata_fd(fd, metadata);
+        ok = file_restore_metadata_fd(fd, metadata, preserve_executability);
+      if (ok && use_fsync)
+        ok = fsync(fd) == 0;
       if (close(fd) != 0)
         ok = false;
       fd = -1;
-      if (ok && renameat(dirfd, tmp, dirfd, leaf) != 0)
-        ok = false;
+      if (ok) {
+        if (no_replace) {
+          /* The probe and commit cannot be one operation. A concurrent
+             creator may win; EEXIST is then the requested skip. */
+          if (linkat(scratch_dirfd >= 0 ? scratch_dirfd : dirfd, tmp, dirfd, leaf, 0) == 0 ||
+              errno == EEXIST) {
+            if (unlinkat(scratch_dirfd >= 0 ? scratch_dirfd : dirfd, tmp, 0) != 0 &&
+                errno != ENOENT)
+              ok = false;
+          } else {
+            if (scratch_dirfd >= 0 && errno == EXDEV)
+              log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR,
+                          "temp dir is on a different filesystem than the destination; cannot "
+                          "link file into place (EXDEV); no fallback copy is attempted");
+            ok = false;
+          }
+        } else if (renameat(scratch_dirfd >= 0 ? scratch_dirfd : dirfd, tmp, dirfd, leaf) != 0) {
+          if (scratch_dirfd >= 0 && errno == EXDEV)
+            log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR,
+                        "temp dir is on a different filesystem than the destination; cannot "
+                        "atomically install file (EXDEV); no fallback copy is attempted");
+          ok = false;
+        }
+      }
       if (!ok)
-        unlinkat(dirfd, tmp, 0);
+        unlinkat(scratch_dirfd >= 0 ? scratch_dirfd : dirfd, tmp, 0);
+      /* Once the temp fd was created the outcome is permanent: a write,
+         metadata, fsync, close, linkat or renameat failure will not be fixed
+         by retrying under a fresh name, so stop here.  Only the open-failure
+         path above retries a new name. */
+      break;
     }
+    free(tmp);
+    if (scratch_dirfd >= 0)
+      close(scratch_dirfd);
   }
   if (fd >= 0)
     close(fd);
@@ -347,9 +600,39 @@ bool file_to_disk_secure(const char* path, const void* data, unsigned long long
   return ok;
 }
 
+bool file_to_disk_secure(const char* path, const void* data, unsigned long long data_size,
+                         bool inplace, bool sparse, const FileMetadata* metadata,
+                         bool preserve_executability, const char* temp_dir) {
+  return file_to_disk_secure_impl(path, data, data_size, inplace, sparse, metadata,
+                                  preserve_executability, false, false, false, temp_dir);
+}
+
+bool file_to_disk_secure_update(const char* path, const void* data, unsigned long long data_size,
+                                bool inplace, bool sparse, const FileMetadata* metadata,
+                                bool preserve_executability, const char* temp_dir) {
+  return file_to_disk_secure_impl(path, data, data_size, inplace, sparse, metadata,
+                                  preserve_executability, true, false, false, temp_dir);
+}
+
+bool file_to_disk_secure_with_fsync(const char* path, const void* data,
+                                    unsigned long long data_size, bool inplace, bool sparse,
+                                    const FileMetadata* metadata, bool preserve_executability,
+                                    bool use_fsync, const char* temp_dir) {
+  return file_to_disk_secure_impl(path, data, data_size, inplace, sparse, metadata,
+                                  preserve_executability, false, false, use_fsync, temp_dir);
+}
+
+bool file_to_disk_secure_no_replace(const char* path, const void* data,
+                                    unsigned long long data_size, bool sparse,
+                                    const FileMetadata* metadata, bool preserve_executability,
+                                    const char* temp_dir) {
+  return file_to_disk_secure_impl(path, data, data_size, false, sparse, metadata,
+                                  preserve_executability, false, true, false, temp_dir);
+}
+
 bool file_write_to_disk(const char* path, const void* data, unsigned long long data_size,
                         bool inplace, bool sparse) {
   if (!path || (!data && data_size != 0) || has_path_traversal(path))
     return false;
-  return file_to_disk_secure(path, data, data_size, inplace, sparse, NULL);
+  return file_to_disk_secure(path, data, data_size, inplace, sparse, NULL, false, NULL);
 }

src/shared/file.h

@@ -27,10 +27,41 @@ bool file_set_authorized_root(int fd, const char* canonical_path);
 /* Secure path/filesystem primitives (symlink-safe, O_NOFOLLOW, root-confined). */
 bool file_path_exists_secure(const char* path);
 bool file_stat_secure(const char* path, struct stat* st);
+bool file_destination_is_newer_secure(const char* path, const FileMetadata* metadata);
 int file_open_secure_parent(const char* path, char** leaf_out, bool create_dirs);
 bool file_ensure_directory_secure(const char* path);
+bool file_directory_exists_secure(const char* path);
 bool file_rename_secure(const char* old_path, const char* new_path);
+/* Open a private 0700 directory (creating it on demand) that must live below
+   the authorized root.  Used for the --temp-dir scratch directory and the
+   --delay-updates staging directory. */
+int file_open_private_dir(const char* dir_path);
+
+/* The file_to_disk_secure* variants write a temporary copy in the destination
+   directory and atomically rename it over `path`.  temp_dir is an absolute,
+   root-confined scratch directory (already validated by the caller): when it
+   is non-NULL the temporary copy is instead created there (with a name unique
+   across the whole scratch directory) and atomically renamed into the
+   destination directory once fully written and fsynced.  A rename across
+   filesystems (EXDEV) fails the write with an error; the file is never
+   silently copied into place.  Pass NULL for the historical same-directory
+   behavior.  --inplace writes never use temp_dir. */
 bool file_to_disk_secure(const char* path, const void* data, unsigned long long data_size,
-                         bool inplace, bool sparse, const FileMetadata* metadata);
+                         bool inplace, bool sparse, const FileMetadata* metadata,
+                         bool preserve_executability, const char* temp_dir);
+bool file_to_disk_secure_with_fsync(const char* path, const void* data,
+                                    unsigned long long data_size, bool inplace, bool sparse,
+                                    const FileMetadata* metadata, bool preserve_executability,
+                                    bool use_fsync, const char* temp_dir);
+/* With update enabled, an existing newer destination is left untouched.  The
+   check is descriptor-based for inplace writes; atomic replacement still has
+   an unavoidable final rename race without filesystem locking. */
+bool file_to_disk_secure_update(const char* path, const void* data, unsigned long long data_size,
+                                bool inplace, bool sparse, const FileMetadata* metadata,
+                                bool preserve_executability, const char* temp_dir);
+bool file_to_disk_secure_no_replace(const char* path, const void* data,
+                                    unsigned long long data_size, bool sparse,
+                                    const FileMetadata* metadata, bool preserve_executability,
+                                    const char* temp_dir);
 
 #endif

src/shared/file_list.c

@@ -0,0 +1,191 @@
+#include "file_list.h"
+#include "log.h"
+#include "utils.h"
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+typedef struct {
+  char** items;
+  int count;
+  int capacity;
+} StringList;
+
+static void string_list_destroy(StringList* list) {
+  if (!list)
+    return;
+  for (int i = 0; i < list->count; i++)
+    free(list->items[i]);
+  free(list->items);
+}
+
+static bool string_list_add(StringList* list, const char* text) {
+  if (list->count == list->capacity) {
+    int new_cap = list->capacity > 0 ? list->capacity * 2 : 16;
+    char** grown = realloc(list->items, (size_t)new_cap * sizeof(char*));
+    if (!grown)
+      return false;
+    list->items = grown;
+    list->capacity = new_cap;
+  }
+  list->items[list->count] = str_dup(text);
+  if (!list->items[list->count])
+    return false;
+  list->count++;
+  return true;
+}
+
+/* Validate and normalize one entry. Returns:
+ *   1 -> added to `out`
+ *   0 -> blank entry, skip
+ *  -1 -> invalid (message set in `err`)
+ * `strip_line_endings` trims a trailing CR/LF (line mode only); NUL mode keeps
+ * the entry bytes verbatim so names ending in CR/LF survive. */
+static int normalize_entry(const char* raw, size_t len, bool strip_line_endings, StringList* out,
+                           char* err, size_t err_size) {
+  if (strip_line_endings) {
+    while (len > 0 && (raw[len - 1] == '\n' || raw[len - 1] == '\r'))
+      len--;
+  }
+  if (len == 0)
+    return 0;
+  if (raw[0] == '/') {
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "absolute path entries are not allowed: '%.*s'", (int)len, raw);
+    return -1;
+  }
+  /* Reject NUL bytes inside a token defensively (NUL-delimited mode splits on
+   * them, so this only guards against embedded garbage). */
+  char* dup = malloc(len + 1);
+  if (!dup) {
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+    return -1;
+  }
+  memcpy(dup, raw, len);
+  dup[len] = '\0';
+
+  /* Rebuild the path token-by-token: skip '.' and empty segments, reject '..'. */
+  size_t out_len = 0;
+  for (const char* part = dup;;) {
+    const char* slash = strchr(part, '/');
+    size_t part_len = slash ? (size_t)(slash - part) : strlen(part);
+    if (part_len == 1 && part[0] == '.') {
+      /* skip "." segment */
+    } else if (part_len == 2 && part[0] == '.' && part[1] == '.') {
+      snprintf(err, err_size, "path traversal entry is not allowed: '%s'", dup);
+      free(dup);
+      return -1;
+    } else if (part_len > 0) {
+      if (out_len > 0)
+        dup[out_len++] = '/';
+      memmove(dup + out_len, part, part_len);
+      out_len += part_len;
+    }
+    if (!slash)
+      break;
+    part = slash + 1;
+  }
+  dup[out_len] = '\0';
+
+  int result;
+  if (out_len == 0) {
+    /* "." / "./" lists the source root: the whole tree is transferred. */
+    result = string_list_add(out, "") ? 1 : -1;
+    if (result < 0)
+      snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+  } else {
+    result = string_list_add(out, dup) ? 1 : -1;
+    if (result < 0)
+      snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+  }
+  free(dup);
+  return result;
+}
+
+static FileListSet* string_list_to_set(StringList* raw, char* err, size_t err_size) {
+  FileListSet* set = malloc(sizeof(FileListSet));
+  if (!set) {
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  set->count = raw->count;
+  set->entries = raw->items;
+  raw->items = NULL;
+  raw->count = 0;
+  return set;
+}
+
+FileListSet* file_list_load(const char* path, bool null_separated, char* err, size_t err_size) {
+  if (err && err_size > 0)
+    err[0] = '\0';
+  if (!path || !*path) {
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "no file given");
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  FILE* fp = fopen(path, "r");
+  if (!fp) {
+    char* escaped = output_escape(path, false);
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "could not open '%s': %s", escaped ? escaped : path, strerror(errno));
+    free(escaped);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+
+  StringList raw = {0};
+  char* line = NULL;
+  size_t line_cap = 0;
+  ssize_t n;
+  bool ok = true;
+  char delim = null_separated ? '\0' : '\n';
+  while (ok && (n = getdelim(&line, &line_cap, delim, fp)) != -1) {
+    int r = normalize_entry(line, (size_t)n, !null_separated, &raw, err, err_size);
+    if (r < 0) {
+      ok = false;
+      break;
+    }
+  }
+  free(line);
+  fclose(fp);
+  if (!ok) {
+    string_list_destroy(&raw);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  FileListSet* set = string_list_to_set(&raw, err, err_size);
+  if (!set)
+    string_list_destroy(&raw);
+  return set;
+}
+
+void file_list_destroy(FileListSet* set) {
+  if (!set)
+    return;
+  for (int i = 0; i < set->count; i++)
+    free(set->entries[i]);
+  free(set->entries);
+  free(set);
+}
+
+static bool path_has_prefix(const char* path, const char* prefix) {
+  size_t plen = strlen(prefix);
+  if (strncmp(path, prefix, plen) != 0)
+    return false;
+  return path[plen] == '/' || path[plen] == '\0';
+}
+
+bool file_list_affects(const FileListSet* set, const char* rel) {
+  if (!set)
+    return true;
+  if (!rel)
+    return false;
+  for (int i = 0; i < set->count; i++) {
+    const char* entry = set->entries[i];
+    if (entry[0] == '\0')
+      return true; /* whole tree listed */
+    if (strcmp(rel, entry) == 0)
+      return true; /* the entry itself is listed */
+    if (path_has_prefix(rel, entry))
+      return true; /* rel lives under a listed directory */
+    if (path_has_prefix(entry, rel))
+      return true; /* rel is an ancestor directory of a listed entry */
+  }
+  return false;
+}

src/shared/file_list.h

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+#ifndef FILE_LIST_H
+#define FILE_LIST_H
+
+#include <stdbool.h>
+#include <stddef.h>
+
+/* --files-from allow-set. The file lists source paths RELATIVE to the source
+ * root. A listed regular file is transferred; a listed directory transfers its
+ * whole subtree (FastSync's recursion is always on). Blank lines are ignored.
+ *
+ * Entries are normalized: leading "./" and duplicate "/" are removed, an entry
+ * of "." means the whole tree, absolute entries and ".." traversal are
+ * rejected at parse time. The set is immutable and shared read-only across
+ * scanner worker threads.
+ */
+
+typedef struct {
+  char** entries; /* normalized rel paths; "" means the whole tree */
+  int count;
+} FileListSet;
+
+/* Load and validate a --files-from file. When `null_separated` (-0/--from0)
+ * entries are delimited by NUL instead of newlines. Returns NULL with a message
+ * in `err` on open/validation failure. An empty file yields an empty set
+ * (nothing is transferred). */
+FileListSet* file_list_load(const char* path, bool null_separated, char* err, size_t err_size);
+void file_list_destroy(FileListSet* set);
+
+/* True when `rel` (path relative to the source root, "" == root) is a listed
+ * entry, lives under a listed directory, or is an ancestor directory of a
+ * listed entry. Used to prune scanning: directories are descended only when
+ * this returns true, files are transferred only when it returns true. */
+bool file_list_affects(const FileListSet* set, const char* rel);
+
+#endif

src/shared/file_receive.c

@@ -8,9 +8,11 @@
 #include <unistd.h>
 
 #include "array_list.h"
+#include "chmod.h"
 #include "compression.h"
 #include "config.h"
 #include "data.h"
+#include "delay_updates.h"
 #include "delta.h"
 #include "file.h"
 #include "log.h"
@@ -19,16 +21,93 @@
 #include "utils.h"
 
 #define MAX_SERVER_DELETE_COUNT 100000U
-#define MAX_FILE_DATA_SIZE MAX_RECEIVE_FILE_SIZE
+#define MAX_FILE_DATA_SIZE MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE
 
 bool file_save_to_disk(const char* root_directory, const File* file, const Config* config) {
-  bool backup_enabled = config && config->backup;
+  return file_save_to_disk_full(root_directory, file, config) != FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
+}
+
+/* --delay-updates receiver path: write the file into a private staging tree
+   below the receive root instead of its final destination, and remember it so
+   it can be atomically renamed into place only once the whole transfer has
+   succeeded.  Existence/update policies (--existing/--ignore-existing/--update)
+   are decided against the FINAL destination path at stage time so the run
+   decides exactly what an immediate (non-delayed) run would decide; the staged
+   file is then never re-checked at publication.  Backups are deferred to
+   publication so the final destination is untouched until the transfer ends. */
+static FileSaveResult file_stage_delayed_update(const char* root_directory,
+                                                const char* destination_path, const File* file,
+                                                Config* config) {
+  if (!config)
+    return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
+  bool sparse = config->preserve_sparse;
+  bool preserve_executability = config->use_executability;
+
+  if (config->existing && !file_path_exists_secure(destination_path))
+    return FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED;
+  if (config->ignore_existing && file_path_exists_secure(destination_path))
+    return FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED;
+  if (config->update && file_destination_is_newer_secure(destination_path, file->metadata))
+    return FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED;
+
+  FileMetadata adjusted_metadata;
+  const FileMetadata* metadata = file->metadata;
+  if (metadata && config->chmod_spec && *config->chmod_spec) {
+    adjusted_metadata = *metadata;
+    if (!chmod_apply(adjusted_metadata.mode, config->chmod_spec, &adjusted_metadata.mode))
+      return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
+    metadata = &adjusted_metadata;
+  }
+
+  if (!config->delay_context) {
+    config->delay_context = delay_updates_context_create(root_directory);
+    if (!config->delay_context)
+      return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
+  }
+  DelayUpdatesContext* context = config->delay_context;
+  if (!delay_updates_prepare(context))
+    return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
+
+  char* staged_path = path_cat(context->staging_root, file->path);
+  if (!staged_path)
+    return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
+
+  /* The staged location is brand new (stale leftovers from a prior crash were
+     wiped by prepare), so the plain atomic temp+rename engine installs the
+     complete file there.  --temp-dir scratch is deliberately not layered on
+     top of the delay-updates staging tree. */
+  bool ok =
+      file_to_disk_secure_with_fsync(staged_path, file->data->data, file->data->size, false, sparse,
+                                     metadata, preserve_executability, config->use_fsync, NULL);
+  if (!ok) {
+    free(staged_path);
+    return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
+  }
+
+  if (!delay_updates_record(context, staged_path, destination_path, file->path)) {
+    unlink(staged_path);
+    free(staged_path);
+    return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
+  }
+  free(staged_path);
+  return FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN;
+}
+
+FileSaveResult file_save_to_disk_full(const char* root_directory, const File* file,
+                                      const Config* config) {
+  /* Backups are incompatible with ignore-existing: moving the entry first
+     would make a concurrent no-replace commit overwrite its old name. */
+  bool backup_enabled = config && config->backup && !config->ignore_existing;
   bool inplace = config && config->inplace;
   bool sparse = config && config->preserve_sparse;
+  bool preserve_executability = config && config->use_executability;
   const char* backup_suffix = (config && config->suffix) ? config->suffix : "~";
   const char* backup_dir = (config && config->backup_dir) ? config->backup_dir : NULL;
   const char* partial_dir = (config && config->partial_dir) ? config->partial_dir : NULL;
+  const char* temp_dir = (config && config->temp_dir) ? config->temp_dir : NULL;
+  bool use_partial_root = partial_dir && config && config->partial;
   char *confined_backup = NULL, *confined_partial = NULL, *disk_path = NULL;
+  char* destination_path = NULL;
   char *backup_path = NULL, *parent_copy = NULL;
 
   if (!file || !file->path || !file->data || (file->data->size != 0 && !file->data->data) ||
@@ -37,55 +116,118 @@ bool file_save_to_disk(const char* root_directory, const File* file, const Confi
        (!backup_suffix || backup_suffix[0] == '\0' || strchr(backup_suffix, '/') != NULL ||
         strcmp(backup_suffix, ".") == 0 || strcmp(backup_suffix, "..") == 0))) {
     log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Invalid file or path received");
-    return false;
+    return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
+  }
+
+  /* Explicit directory entries (--dirs) carry an empty payload; the entry is
+     created as a directory under the receive root, applying the same secure
+     mkdir-parent semantics as regular writes.  Directories are created
+     immediately (they are never staged by --delay-updates, matching rsync,
+     where directory creation is not delayed). */
+  if (file->is_dir) {
+    if (file->path[0] == '\0' || has_path_traversal(file->path)) {
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Invalid directory path received");
+      return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
+    }
+    char* dir_path = path_cat(root_directory, file->path);
+    if (!dir_path)
+      return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
+    bool ok = file_ensure_directory_secure(dir_path);
+    free(dir_path);
+    return ok ? FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN : FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
   }
 
   /* These options arrive from the client.  They are names below the server
-     root, never independent filesystem roots. */
+     root, never independent filesystem roots.  --temp-dir is confined exactly
+     like --backup-dir/--partial-dir: an absolute or `..`-escaping scratch
+     directory is rejected outright so nothing is ever created outside the
+     authorized destination root. */
   if ((backup_dir && (backup_dir[0] == '/' || has_path_traversal(backup_dir))) ||
-      (partial_dir && (partial_dir[0] == '/' || has_path_traversal(partial_dir))))
-    return false;
+      (partial_dir && (partial_dir[0] == '/' || has_path_traversal(partial_dir))) ||
+      (temp_dir && (temp_dir[0] == '/' || has_path_traversal(temp_dir))))
+    return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
   if (backup_dir && !(confined_backup = path_cat(root_directory, backup_dir)))
-    return false;
+    return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
   if (partial_dir && !(confined_partial = path_cat(root_directory, partial_dir))) {
     free(confined_backup);
-    return false;
+    return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
   }
 
-  const char* actual_root =
-      (partial_dir && config && config->partial) ? confined_partial : root_directory;
+  const char* actual_root = use_partial_root ? confined_partial : root_directory;
+  destination_path = path_cat(root_directory, file->path);
   disk_path = path_cat(actual_root, file->path);
-  if (disk_path == NULL) {
+  if (destination_path == NULL || disk_path == NULL) {
     free(confined_backup);
     free(confined_partial);
-    return false;
+    free(destination_path);
+    free(disk_path);
+    return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
   }
 
-  /* --update is receiver-side policy: never replace a newer destination. */
-  if (config && config->update) {
-    struct stat destination_stat;
-    if (file_stat_secure(disk_path, &destination_stat) && file->metadata &&
-        destination_stat.st_mtime > file->metadata->mtime_sec) {
+  /* --delay-updates diverts the whole write into the staging tree; the rest of
+     this function is the immediate-install path. */
+  if (config && config->delay_updates) {
+    FileSaveResult result =
+        file_stage_delayed_update(root_directory, destination_path, file, (Config*)config);
+    free(confined_backup);
+    free(confined_partial);
+    free(destination_path);
+    free(disk_path);
+    return result;
+  }
+
+  /* --existing checks the final destination, not a temporary partial path. */
+  if (config && config->existing && !file_path_exists_secure(destination_path)) {
+    free(confined_backup);
+    free(confined_partial);
+    free(destination_path);
+    free(disk_path);
+    return FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED;
+  }
+
+  /* --ignore-existing checks the final destination before partial files or
+     overwrite policies can modify it. */
+  if (config && config->ignore_existing) {
+    bool exists = file_path_exists_secure(destination_path);
+    if (exists) {
       free(confined_backup);
       free(confined_partial);
+      free(destination_path);
       free(disk_path);
-      return true;
+      return FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED;
     }
   }
 
+  /* --update is receiver-side policy: never replace a newer destination.
+     In partial-dir mode the entry that would be replaced is the real
+     destination, not the temporary partial file.  The secure stat does not
+     require read permission on the destination. */
+  const char* update_target = use_partial_root ? destination_path : disk_path;
+  if (config && config->update && file_destination_is_newer_secure(update_target, file->metadata)) {
+    free(confined_backup);
+    free(confined_partial);
+    free(destination_path);
+    free(disk_path);
+    return FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED;
+  }
+
   if (backup_enabled) {
+    /* Back up the entry that the incoming write will replace.  When writing
+       through a partial dir the pre-existing destination file is the one to
+       preserve; any stale partial file is overwritten without a backup. */
+    const char* replace_target = use_partial_root ? destination_path : disk_path;
     struct stat backup_stat;
-    if (file_stat_secure(disk_path, &backup_stat)) {
+    if (file_stat_secure(replace_target, &backup_stat)) {
       if (backup_dir) {
         backup_path = path_cat(confined_backup, file->path);
       } else {
-        size_t path_len = strlen(disk_path);
+        size_t path_len = strlen(replace_target);
         size_t suffix_len = strlen(backup_suffix);
         if (path_len > SIZE_MAX - suffix_len - 1)
           goto fail;
         backup_path = malloc(path_len + suffix_len + 1);
         if (backup_path) {
-          memcpy(backup_path, disk_path, path_len);
+          memcpy(backup_path, replace_target, path_len);
           memcpy(backup_path + path_len, backup_suffix, suffix_len + 1);
         }
       }
@@ -96,35 +238,88 @@ bool file_save_to_disk(const char* root_directory, const File* file, const Confi
         goto fail;
       free(parent_copy);
       parent_copy = NULL;
-      if (!file_rename_secure(disk_path, backup_path))
+      if (!file_rename_secure(replace_target, backup_path))
         goto fail;
       free(backup_path);
       backup_path = NULL;
     }
   }
 
-  bool ok = file_to_disk_secure(disk_path, file->data->data, file->data->size, inplace, sparse,
-                                file->metadata);
+  FileMetadata adjusted_metadata;
+  const FileMetadata* metadata = file->metadata;
+  if (metadata && config && config->chmod_spec && *config->chmod_spec) {
+    adjusted_metadata = *metadata;
+    if (!chmod_apply(adjusted_metadata.mode, config->chmod_spec, &adjusted_metadata.mode))
+      goto fail;
+    metadata = &adjusted_metadata;
+  }
+
+  /* A configured --temp-dir sends the temporary working copy to a scratch
+     directory resolved below the receive root; the engine then atomically
+     renames the completed file into the final destination directory.  The
+     partial-dir flow already keeps its working copy in a separate directory
+     and --inplace writes directly, so neither diverts through the scratch
+     dir (matching rsync, where --inplace/--partial-dir supersede --temp-dir). */
+  char* confined_temp = NULL;
+  bool use_temp_dir = temp_dir != NULL && !inplace && !use_partial_root;
+  if (use_temp_dir) {
+    confined_temp = path_cat(root_directory, temp_dir);
+    if (!confined_temp)
+      goto fail;
+    /* A user-supplied trailing slash would leave the scratch path ending in
+       "/", which has no final component to create/open.  Normalize it away. */
+    size_t temp_len = strlen(confined_temp);
+    while (temp_len > 1 && confined_temp[temp_len - 1] == '/')
+      confined_temp[--temp_len] = '\0';
+  }
+  bool ok =
+      config && config->ignore_existing
+          ? file_to_disk_secure_no_replace(disk_path, file->data->data, file->data->size, sparse,
+                                           metadata, preserve_executability, confined_temp)
+      : config && config->update
+          ? file_to_disk_secure_update(disk_path, file->data->data, file->data->size, inplace,
+                                       sparse, metadata, preserve_executability, confined_temp)
+          : file_to_disk_secure_with_fsync(disk_path, file->data->data, file->data->size, inplace,
+                                           sparse, metadata, preserve_executability,
+                                           config && config->use_fsync, confined_temp);
+  free(confined_temp);
+  confined_temp = NULL;
+  if (!ok)
+    goto fail;
+
+  /* --partial --partial-dir writes the complete file under the partial dir so
+     interrupted transfers leave a resumable copy there.  Once the file is
+     fully written it must be atomically installed at the real destination;
+     otherwise completed transfers would linger under the partial dir. */
+  if (use_partial_root) {
+    if (!file_rename_secure(disk_path, destination_path))
+      goto fail;
+  }
+
   free(parent_copy);
   free(backup_path);
   free(confined_backup);
   free(confined_partial);
+  free(destination_path);
   free(disk_path);
-  return ok;
+  return FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN;
 
 fail:
   free(parent_copy);
   free(backup_path);
   free(confined_backup);
   free(confined_partial);
+  free(destination_path);
   free(disk_path);
-  return false;
+  return FILE_SAVE_ERROR;
 }
 
 static File* receive_delta_file(int fd, const Config* config, const char* check_path,
                                 void* old_data, unsigned long long old_size, bool* failed) {
-  if (!old_data)
+  if (!old_data) {
+    *failed = true;
     return NULL;
+  }
 
   DeltaSignature* sig = delta_signature_create(old_data, old_size, config->delta_block_size);
   if (!sig) {
@@ -160,7 +355,7 @@ static File* receive_delta_file(int fd, const Config* config, const char* check_
   }
 
   if (resp == STATUS_DELTA_DATA) {
-    Data* delta_data = receive_data_limited(fd, MAX_RECEIVE_FILE_SIZE);
+    Data* delta_data = receive_data_limited(fd, MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE);
     if (!delta_data) {
       delta_signature_destroy(sig);
       free(old_data);
@@ -169,8 +364,11 @@ static File* receive_delta_file(int fd, const Config* config, const char* check_
     }
 
     Data* raw_delta = delta_data;
-    if (config->use_compression) {
-      raw_delta = data_decompress_limited(delta_data, MAX_RECEIVE_FILE_SIZE);
+    if (config->use_compression &&
+        !compression_should_skip_with_suffixes(
+            check_path, config->skip_compress_suffixes,
+            config->skip_compress_set ? config->skip_compress_count : -1)) {
+      raw_delta = data_decompress_limited(delta_data, MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE);
       data_destroy(delta_data);
       if (!raw_delta) {
         free(old_data);
@@ -190,11 +388,12 @@ static File* receive_delta_file(int fd, const Config* config, const char* check_
     }
 
     uint64_t new_size = delta->new_file_size;
-    if (new_size > MAX_RECEIVE_FILE_SIZE || new_size > SIZE_MAX) {
+    if (new_size > MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE || new_size > SIZE_MAX) {
       delta_destroy(delta);
       free(old_data);
       delta_signature_destroy(sig);
       send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
+      *failed = true;
       return NULL;
     }
     void* new_data = delta_apply(old_data, old_size, delta, config->delta_block_size);
@@ -235,6 +434,7 @@ static File* receive_delta_file(int fd, const Config* config, const char* check_
       free(old_data);
       delta_signature_destroy(sig);
       send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
+      *failed = true;
       return NULL;
     }
     data_destroy(file->data);
@@ -265,15 +465,18 @@ static File* receive_delta_file(int fd, const Config* config, const char* check_
       }
     }
 
-    Data* file_data = receive_data_limited(fd, MAX_RECEIVE_FILE_SIZE);
+    Data* file_data = receive_data_limited(fd, MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE);
     if (file_data == NULL) {
       file_destroy(file);
       *failed = true;
       return NULL;
     }
 
-    if (config->use_compression) {
-      Data* uncompressed = data_decompress_limited(file_data, MAX_RECEIVE_FILE_SIZE);
+    if (config->use_compression &&
+        !compression_should_skip_with_suffixes(
+            file->path, config->skip_compress_suffixes,
+            config->skip_compress_set ? config->skip_compress_count : -1)) {
+      Data* uncompressed = data_decompress_limited(file_data, MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE);
       data_destroy(file_data);
       if (uncompressed == NULL) {
         file_destroy(file);
@@ -284,6 +487,7 @@ static File* receive_delta_file(int fd, const Config* config, const char* check_
         data_destroy(uncompressed);
         file_destroy(file);
         send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
+        *failed = true;
         return NULL;
       }
       file_data = uncompressed;
@@ -314,25 +518,35 @@ File* receive_incremental_check(int fd, const Config* config, bool* skipped) {
 
   unsigned long long check_size;
   long long check_mtime;
+  long long check_mtime_nsec;
   uint64_t check_checksum = 0;
   if (!receive_n_data(fd, &check_size, sizeof(check_size)) ||
       !receive_n_data(fd, &check_mtime, sizeof(check_mtime))) {
     free(check_path);
     return NULL;
   }
+  if (!receive_n_data(fd, &check_mtime_nsec, sizeof(check_mtime_nsec)) || check_mtime_nsec < 0 ||
+      check_mtime_nsec >= 1000000000LL) {
+    free(check_path);
+    send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
+    return NULL;
+  }
   if (config->checksum && !receive_n_data(fd, &check_checksum, sizeof(check_checksum))) {
     free(check_path);
     return NULL;
   }
 
-  if (check_size > MAX_RECEIVE_FILE_SIZE) {
+  if (check_size > MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE) {
     free(check_path);
     send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
     return NULL;
   }
 
   if (has_path_traversal(check_path)) {
-    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Path traversal detected: %s", check_path);
+    char* escaped_path = output_escape(check_path, log_get_8_bit_output());
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Path traversal detected: %s",
+                escaped_path ? escaped_path : "<allocation failed>");
+    free(escaped_path);
     free(check_path);
     return NULL;
   }
@@ -343,6 +557,9 @@ File* receive_incremental_check(int fd, const Config* config, bool* skipped) {
     send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
     return NULL;
   }
+
+  /* Open the existing destination entry (if any) once and keep the descriptor
+     until the quick-check below decides whether the old contents are needed. */
   struct stat st;
   bool has_old_file = false;
   int old_fd = -1;
@@ -354,10 +571,35 @@ File* receive_incremental_check(int fd, const Config* config, bool* skipped) {
     close(parent_fd);
     has_old_file = old_fd >= 0 && fstat(old_fd, &st) == 0 && S_ISREG(st.st_mode);
   }
+  if (!has_old_file && old_fd >= 0) {
+    close(old_fd);
+    old_fd = -1;
+  }
   unsigned long long old_size = has_old_file ? (unsigned long long)st.st_size : 0;
+
+  /* Decide from metadata alone whether the receiver already holds the file
+     the sender is offering.  The old contents are only read into memory when
+     a checksum comparison or a delta transfer actually requires them. */
+  bool size_equal = has_old_file && old_size == check_size;
+  bool match_by_metadata = false;
+  if (size_equal && !config->ignore_times && !config->size_only) {
+    long long old_mtime_nsec = 0;
+#ifdef __linux__
+    old_mtime_nsec = st.st_mtim.tv_nsec;
+#endif
+    match_by_metadata = metadata_mtime_matches(st.st_mtime, old_mtime_nsec, (time_t)check_mtime,
+                                               (long)check_mtime_nsec, config->modify_window);
+  }
+
+  bool try_delta = config->use_delta && !config->whole_file && has_old_file &&
+                   delta_should_attempt(old_size, check_size, config->delta_max_file_size);
+  bool checksum_needs_read = size_equal && !config->ignore_times && config->checksum;
+  bool need_old_data = checksum_needs_read || try_delta;
+
   void* old_data = NULL;
-  if (has_old_file && old_size > 0 && old_size <= MAX_RECEIVE_FILE_SIZE && old_size <= SIZE_MAX) {
-    old_data = malloc((size_t)old_size);
+  if (need_old_data && has_old_file && old_size > 0 && old_size <= MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE &&
+      old_size <= SIZE_MAX) {
+    old_data = protocol_alloc((size_t)old_size);
     if (old_data) {
       size_t got = 0;
       while (got < (size_t)old_size) {
@@ -371,65 +613,63 @@ File* receive_incremental_check(int fd, const Config* config, bool* skipped) {
       }
     }
   }
-  if (old_fd >= 0) {
-    close(old_fd);
-  }
 
-  bool match = has_old_file && (unsigned long long)st.st_size == check_size;
-  if (match && config->checksum) {
-    uint64_t old_checksum = old_size == 0 ? delta_xxhash64("", 0) : 0;
-    if (old_data)
-      old_checksum = delta_xxhash64(old_data, (size_t)old_size);
-    match = (old_size == 0 || old_data) && old_checksum == check_checksum;
-    free(old_data);
-    old_data = NULL;
-  } else if (match) {
-    match = (long long)st.st_mtime == check_mtime;
+  /* Quick-skip decision.  If no content comparison is required this is final
+     and the old file was never read; if the read failed the file is not
+     skipped and the transfer proceeds with the full new contents. */
+  bool match = false;
+  if (checksum_needs_read) {
+    if (old_size == 0)
+      match = delta_xxhash64("", 0) == check_checksum;
+    else
+      match = old_data != NULL && delta_xxhash64(old_data, (size_t)old_size) == check_checksum;
+  } else if (size_equal && !config->ignore_times) {
+    match = config->size_only || match_by_metadata;
   }
 
   if (match) {
     free(old_data);
     if (!send_status(fd, STATUS_OK)) {
+      close(old_fd);
       free(full_path);
       free(check_path);
       return NULL;
     }
+    close(old_fd);
     free(full_path);
     free(check_path);
     *skipped = true;
     return NULL;
   }
 
-  bool try_delta = config->use_delta && has_old_file && old_data != NULL &&
-                   delta_should_attempt(old_size, check_size, config->delta_max_file_size);
-
-  if (try_delta) {
+  if (try_delta && old_data != NULL) {
     bool delta_failed = false;
     File* delta_file =
         receive_delta_file(fd, config, check_path, old_data, old_size, &delta_failed);
     old_data = NULL; /* receive_delta_file consumes the snapshot on every path */
     if (delta_file) {
+      close(old_fd);
       free(full_path);
       free(check_path);
       return delta_file;
     }
     if (delta_failed) {
+      close(old_fd);
       free(full_path);
       free(check_path);
       return NULL;
     }
-    free(old_data);
-    old_data = NULL;
-    try_delta = false;
   }
+  free(old_data);
+  old_data = NULL;
 
-  if (!try_delta) {
-    if (!send_status(fd, STATUS_NEXT)) {
-      free(full_path);
-      free(check_path);
-      return NULL;
-    }
+  if (!send_status(fd, STATUS_NEXT)) {
+    close(old_fd);
+    free(full_path);
+    free(check_path);
+    return NULL;
   }
+  close(old_fd);
 
   File* file = file_create(check_path);
   free(check_path);
@@ -447,14 +687,17 @@ File* receive_incremental_check(int fd, const Config* config, bool* skipped) {
     }
   }
 
-  Data* file_data = receive_data_limited(fd, MAX_RECEIVE_FILE_SIZE);
+  Data* file_data = receive_data_limited(fd, MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE);
   if (file_data == NULL) {
     file_destroy(file);
     return NULL;
   }
 
-  if (config->use_compression) {
-    Data* uncompressed = data_decompress_limited(file_data, MAX_RECEIVE_FILE_SIZE);
+  if (config->use_compression &&
+      !compression_should_skip_with_suffixes(file->path, config->skip_compress_suffixes,
+                                             config->skip_compress_set ? config->skip_compress_count
+                                                                       : -1)) {
+    Data* uncompressed = data_decompress_limited(file_data, MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE);
     data_destroy(file_data);
     if (uncompressed == NULL) {
       file_destroy(file);
@@ -463,7 +706,6 @@ File* receive_incremental_check(int fd, const Config* config, bool* skipped) {
     if (uncompressed->size > MAX_FILE_DATA_SIZE) {
       data_destroy(uncompressed);
       file_destroy(file);
-      send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
       return NULL;
     }
     file_data = uncompressed;
@@ -479,7 +721,10 @@ File* file_receive(const Config* config, int file_descriptor) {
   if (path == NULL)
     return NULL;
   if (path[0] == '\0' || has_path_traversal(path)) {
-    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Invalid received file path: %s", path);
+    char* escaped_path = output_escape(path, log_get_8_bit_output());
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Invalid received file path: %s",
+                escaped_path ? escaped_path : "<allocation failed>");
+    free(escaped_path);
     free(path);
     return NULL;
   }
@@ -495,13 +740,16 @@ File* file_receive(const Config* config, int file_descriptor) {
       return NULL;
     }
   }
-  Data* file_data = receive_data_limited(file_descriptor, MAX_RECEIVE_FILE_SIZE);
+  Data* file_data = receive_data_limited(file_descriptor, MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE);
   if (file_data == NULL) {
     file_destroy(file);
     return NULL;
   }
-  if (config->use_compression && !compression_should_skip(file->path)) {
-    Data* file_data_uncompressed = data_decompress_limited(file_data, MAX_RECEIVE_FILE_SIZE);
+  if (config->use_compression &&
+      !compression_should_skip_with_suffixes(file->path, config->skip_compress_suffixes,
+                                             config->skip_compress_set ? config->skip_compress_count
+                                                                       : -1)) {
+    Data* file_data_uncompressed = data_decompress_limited(file_data, MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE);
     data_destroy(file_data);
     if (file_data_uncompressed == NULL) {
       file_destroy(file);
@@ -519,6 +767,31 @@ File* file_receive(const Config* config, int file_descriptor) {
   return file;
 }
 
+/* Receive an explicit directory entry (--dirs): a STATUS_MKDIR frame carries
+   only the destination path; the entry carries no payload.  The same path
+   validation as a regular file applies (non-empty, relative-or-mirrored, no
+   traversal), and the created File is routed through the regular store_file
+   sink so single-threaded and -m receivers handle directories identically. */
+File* file_receive_directory(int file_descriptor) {
+  char* path = receive_str(file_descriptor);
+  if (path == NULL)
+    return NULL;
+  if (path[0] == '\0' || has_path_traversal(path)) {
+    char* escaped_path = output_escape(path, log_get_8_bit_output());
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Invalid received directory path: %s",
+                escaped_path ? escaped_path : "<allocation failed>");
+    free(escaped_path);
+    free(path);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  File* file = file_create(path);
+  free(path);
+  if (file == NULL)
+    return NULL;
+  file->is_dir = true;
+  return file;
+}
+
 int receive_manifest(int fd, const Config* config, int* next_status) {
   if (!config) {
     send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);
@@ -567,8 +840,13 @@ int receive_manifest(int fd, const Config* config, int* next_status) {
     return *status_out == STATUS_FINISHED ? 0 : -1;
   }
   fprintf(stderr, "Deleting files not in manifest...\n");
-  bool deletion_ok =
-      delete_extras_limited(config->receive_root_directory, manifest, MAX_SERVER_DELETE_COUNT);
+  /* With --delay-updates the staged (not yet published) files live directly
+     under the receive root in the staging directory; the delete walker must
+     not treat them as extras or it would remove every staged file before it
+     can be published. */
+  const char* skip_staging = config->delay_updates ? DELAY_UPDATES_STAGING_DIR : NULL;
+  bool deletion_ok = delete_extras_limited(config->receive_root_directory, manifest,
+                                           MAX_SERVER_DELETE_COUNT, skip_staging);
   array_list_delete(manifest);
   if (!deletion_ok)
     send_status(fd, STATUS_ERROR);

src/shared/file_receive.h

@@ -8,8 +8,17 @@
 /* Server-side file receive/save path. */
 
 File* file_receive(const Config* config, int file_descriptor);
+File* file_receive_directory(int file_descriptor);
 File* receive_incremental_check(int fd, const Config* config, bool* skipped);
 int receive_manifest(int fd, const Config* config, int* next_status);
+
+/* Outcome of a single file_save_to_disk operation.  The receiver needs to
+   distinguish "written" from "skipped" so --remove-source-files can be told
+   which sources were actually stored. */
+typedef enum { FILE_SAVE_ERROR = 0, FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN = 1, FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED = 2 } FileSaveResult;
+
+FileSaveResult file_save_to_disk_full(const char* root_directory, const File* file,
+                                      const Config* config);
 bool file_save_to_disk(const char* root_directory, const File* file, const Config* config);
 
 #endif

src/shared/file_send.c

@@ -19,19 +19,29 @@
 
 bool file_send_single_calls(File* file, int file_descriptor, bool use_metadata,
                             int compression_level, bool send_path) {
+  return file_send_single_calls_with_skip(file, file_descriptor, use_metadata, compression_level,
+                                          send_path, NULL, -1, 0);
+}
+
+bool file_send_single_calls_with_skip(File* file, int file_descriptor, bool use_metadata,
+                                      int compression_level, bool send_path,
+                                      char* const* skip_suffixes, int skip_count,
+                                      int compression_threads) {
   if (!file || !file->path || !file->data || (file->data->size != 0 && !file->data->data))
     return false;
   const Data* data_to_send = file->data;
   Data* compressed_data = NULL;
-  if (compression_level > 0 && !compression_should_skip(file->path)) {
-    compressed_data = data_compress(file->data, compression_level);
+  if (compression_level > 0 &&
+      !compression_should_skip_with_suffixes(file->path, skip_suffixes, skip_count)) {
+    compressed_data =
+        data_compress_with_threads(file->data, compression_level, compression_threads);
     if (compressed_data == NULL) {
       log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Failed to compress file data");
       return false;
     }
     data_to_send = compressed_data;
   }
-  if (send_path && !send_str(file_descriptor, file->path)) {
+  if (send_path && !send_str(file_descriptor, file_wire_path(file))) {
     data_destroy(compressed_data);
     return false;
   }
@@ -49,13 +59,21 @@ bool file_send_single_calls(File* file, int file_descriptor, bool use_metadata,
 
 bool file_send_sendfile(File* file, int file_descriptor, bool use_metadata, int compression_level,
                         bool send_path) {
+  return file_send_sendfile_with_skip(file, file_descriptor, use_metadata, compression_level,
+                                      send_path, NULL, -1, 0);
+}
+
+bool file_send_sendfile_with_skip(File* file, int file_descriptor, bool use_metadata,
+                                  int compression_level, bool send_path, char* const* skip_suffixes,
+                                  int skip_count, int compression_threads) {
   if (!file || !file->path || !file->data)
     return false;
   if (compression_level > 0)
-    return file_send_single_calls(file, file_descriptor, use_metadata, compression_level,
-                                  send_path);
+    return file_send_single_calls_with_skip(file, file_descriptor, use_metadata, compression_level,
+                                            send_path, skip_suffixes, skip_count,
+                                            compression_threads);
 
-  if (send_path && !send_str(file_descriptor, file->path))
+  if (send_path && !send_str(file_descriptor, file_wire_path(file)))
     return false;
   if (use_metadata && !metadata_send(file_descriptor, file->metadata))
     return false;

src/shared/file_send.h

@@ -8,7 +8,14 @@
 
 bool file_send_single_calls(File* file, int file_descriptor, bool use_metadata,
                             int compression_level, bool send_path);
+bool file_send_single_calls_with_skip(File* file, int file_descriptor, bool use_metadata,
+                                      int compression_level, bool send_path,
+                                      char* const* skip_suffixes, int skip_count,
+                                      int compression_threads);
 bool file_send_sendfile(File* file, int file_descriptor, bool use_metadata, int compression_level,
                         bool send_path);
+bool file_send_sendfile_with_skip(File* file, int file_descriptor, bool use_metadata,
+                                  int compression_level, bool send_path, char* const* skip_suffixes,
+                                  int skip_count, int compression_threads);
 
 #endif

src/shared/file_store.c

@@ -140,7 +140,8 @@ static bool write_all(int fd, const void* data, unsigned long long size) {
 }
 
 bool file_store_write_secure(const char* path, const void* data, unsigned long long data_size,
-                             bool inplace, bool sparse, const FileMetadata* metadata) {
+                             bool inplace, bool sparse, const FileMetadata* metadata,
+                             bool preserve_executability) {
   char* leaf = NULL;
   int dirfd = file_store_open_secure_parent(path, &leaf);
   if (dirfd < 0)
@@ -153,7 +154,7 @@ bool file_store_write_secure(const char* path, const void* data, unsigned long l
       if (!sparse || data_size == 0 || ftruncate(fd, (off_t)data_size) == 0)
         ok = write_all(fd, data, data_size);
       if (ok && metadata)
-        ok = file_restore_metadata_fd(fd, metadata);
+        ok = file_restore_metadata_fd(fd, metadata, preserve_executability);
     }
   } else {
     int tmp_size = snprintf(NULL, 0, ".%s.tmp.%ld.%u", leaf, (long)getpid(), 99U);
@@ -178,7 +179,7 @@ bool file_store_write_secure(const char* path, const void* data, unsigned long l
       if (ok || (!sparse || data_size == 0))
         ok = write_all(fd, data, data_size);
       if (ok && metadata)
-        ok = file_restore_metadata_fd(fd, metadata);
+        ok = file_restore_metadata_fd(fd, metadata, preserve_executability);
       if (close(fd) != 0)
         ok = false;
       fd = -1;

src/shared/file_store.h

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ bool file_store_set_authorized_root(int fd, const char* canonical_path);
 int file_store_open_secure_parent(const char* path, char** leaf_out);
 bool file_store_rename_secure(const char* old_path, const char* new_path);
 bool file_store_write_secure(const char* path, const void* data, unsigned long long data_size,
-                             bool inplace, bool sparse, const FileMetadata* metadata);
+                             bool inplace, bool sparse, const FileMetadata* metadata,
+                             bool preserve_executability);
 
 #endif

src/shared/file_types.h

@@ -17,9 +17,24 @@ typedef struct {
 
 typedef struct {
   char* path;
+  /* Sender-side override for the path transmitted on the wire (and used for
+   * the delete manifest / change output).  NULL means "use `path`".  With
+   * -R + --files-from this holds the entry's bare relative destination path,
+   * while `path` stays the absolute local source path the client reads from.
+   * Never populated on the receiver. */
+  char* send_path;
   Data* data;
   FileMetadata* metadata;
   bool skip;
+  /* True when this entry is an explicit directory entry (--dirs mode): the
+   * receiver creates the directory instead of writing a regular file. */
+  bool is_dir;
 } File;
 
+/* The path that should be sent on the wire and used for the receiver-side
+ * destination layout (see send_path). */
+static inline const char* file_wire_path(const File* file) {
+  return file && file->send_path ? file->send_path : (file ? file->path : NULL);
+}
+
 #endif

src/shared/filter.c

@@ -0,0 +1,427 @@
+#include "filter.h"
+#include "log.h"
+#include "utils.h"
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+/* ---- Single rule parsing ---- */
+
+static bool rule_text_is_unsupported_word(const char* p, size_t len) {
+  static const char* const words[] = {"merge",   "dir-merge", "hide", "show",
+                                      "protect", "risk",      "clear"};
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < sizeof(words) / sizeof(words[0]); i++) {
+    size_t wl = strlen(words[i]);
+    if (len == wl && strncmp(p, words[i], wl) == 0)
+      return true;
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
+/* rsync include/exclude rule modifiers we do NOT implement. A rule whose +/- is
+ * immediately followed by one of these is rejected instead of being silently
+ * parsed as a literal pattern. */
+static bool is_unsupported_rule_modifier(char c) {
+  return c == '!' || c == 'C' || c == 's' || c == 'r' || c == 'p' || c == 'x';
+}
+
+FilterRule* filter_rule_parse(const char* line, char* err, size_t err_size) {
+  if (err && err_size > 0)
+    err[0] = '\0';
+  if (!line)
+    return NULL;
+  char* text = str_dup(line);
+  if (!text) {
+    if (err)
+      snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  size_t len = strlen(text);
+  while (len > 0 && (text[len - 1] == '\n' || text[len - 1] == '\r'))
+    text[--len] = '\0';
+
+  const char* p = text;
+  while (*p == ' ' || *p == '\t')
+    p++;
+  if (*p == '\0') {
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "empty filter rule");
+    free(text);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+
+  FilterAction action = FILTER_ACTION_EXCLUDE;
+  if (*p == '+' || *p == '-') {
+    action = *p == '+' ? FILTER_ACTION_INCLUDE : FILTER_ACTION_EXCLUDE;
+    p++;
+    /* rsync attaches rule modifiers directly to the +/- (e.g. "-s foo"). Only
+     * the '/' anchor modifier is supported; anything else is a clear error
+     * rather than a silently-ignored literal. */
+    if (*p != ' ' && *p != '\t' && *p != '\0' && is_unsupported_rule_modifier(*p)) {
+      snprintf(err, err_size,
+               "filter rule modifier '%c' is not supported (only the '/' anchor after +/- "
+               "is implemented; put a space between +/- and the pattern)",
+               *p);
+      free(text);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+    while (*p == ' ' || *p == '\t')
+      p++;
+  } else {
+    /* ':' (dir-merge) and '.' (merge) are rsync filter-rule shorthands. At the
+     * start of a rule they mean "merge this file", so reject them instead of
+     * silently turning them into inert exclude patterns. */
+    if (*p == ':' || *p == '.' || *p == '!') {
+      snprintf(err, err_size,
+               "filter rule starting with '%c' is not supported (merge/dir-merge/list-clear "
+               "shorthands are not implemented; use +/- include/exclude rules)",
+               *p);
+      free(text);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+    const char* sp = p;
+    while (*sp != '\0' && *sp != ' ' && *sp != '\t')
+      sp++;
+    size_t word_len = (size_t)(sp - p);
+    if (rule_text_is_unsupported_word(p, word_len)) {
+      snprintf(err, err_size,
+               "'%.*s' filter directives are not supported (only +/- include/exclude rules "
+               "with an optional '/' anchor and trailing '/' dir marker)",
+               (int)word_len, p);
+      free(text);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+    if (word_len == strlen("include") && strncmp(p, "include", word_len) == 0) {
+      action = FILTER_ACTION_INCLUDE;
+      p = sp;
+    } else if (word_len == strlen("exclude") && strncmp(p, "exclude", word_len) == 0) {
+      action = FILTER_ACTION_EXCLUDE;
+      p = sp;
+    }
+    while (*p == ' ' || *p == '\t')
+      p++;
+  }
+
+  if (*p == '\0') {
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "filter rule has no pattern");
+    free(text);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+
+  /* A pattern beginning with '/' is anchored (either as "-/foo" or "- /foo"). */
+  bool anchored = false;
+  if (*p == '/') {
+    anchored = true;
+    p++;
+    while (*p == ' ' || *p == '\t')
+      p++;
+  }
+  if (*p == '\0') {
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "filter rule has no pattern after '/' anchor");
+    free(text);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+
+  /* Pattern runs to the end of the rule; a single trailing '/' marks dir-only. */
+  size_t pat_len = strlen(p);
+  bool dir_only = false;
+  if (pat_len > 1 && p[pat_len - 1] == '/') {
+    dir_only = true;
+    pat_len--;
+  } else if (pat_len == 1 && p[0] == '/') {
+    /* "//" anchored with nothing after: meaningless. */
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "filter rule has no pattern");
+    free(text);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+
+  FilterRule* rule = calloc(1, sizeof(FilterRule));
+  if (!rule) {
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+    free(text);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  rule->pattern = malloc(pat_len + 1);
+  if (!rule->pattern) {
+    free(rule);
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+    free(text);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  memcpy(rule->pattern, p, pat_len);
+  rule->pattern[pat_len] = '\0';
+  rule->action = action;
+  rule->anchored = anchored;
+  rule->dir_only = dir_only;
+  rule->owner = NULL;
+  free(text);
+  return rule;
+}
+
+void filter_rule_free(FilterRule* rule) {
+  if (!rule)
+    return;
+  free(rule->pattern);
+  free(rule->owner);
+  free(rule);
+}
+
+/* ---- Ordered rule lists ---- */
+
+FilterRuleList* filter_rule_list_create(void) {
+  return calloc(1, sizeof(FilterRuleList));
+}
+
+bool filter_rule_list_add(FilterRuleList* list, FilterRule* rule) {
+  if (!list || !rule)
+    return false;
+  if (list->count == list->capacity) {
+    int new_cap = list->capacity > 0 ? list->capacity * 2 : 8;
+    FilterRule** grown = realloc(list->items, (size_t)new_cap * sizeof(FilterRule*));
+    if (!grown)
+      return false;
+    list->items = grown;
+    list->capacity = new_cap;
+  }
+  list->items[list->count++] = rule;
+  return true;
+}
+
+bool filter_rule_list_parse_append(FilterRuleList* list, const char* line, char* err,
+                                   size_t err_size) {
+  FilterRule* rule = filter_rule_parse(line, err, err_size);
+  if (!rule)
+    return false;
+  if (!filter_rule_list_add(list, rule)) {
+    filter_rule_free(rule);
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+    return false;
+  }
+  return true;
+}
+
+void filter_rule_list_free(FilterRuleList* list) {
+  if (!list)
+    return;
+  for (int i = 0; i < list->count; i++)
+    filter_rule_free(list->items[i]);
+  free(list->items);
+  free(list);
+}
+
+static bool set_rule_owner(FilterRule* rule, const char* owner) {
+  char* dup = str_dup(owner ? owner : "");
+  if (!dup)
+    return false;
+  free(rule->owner);
+  rule->owner = dup;
+  return true;
+}
+
+/* ---- CVS default excludes (-C) ---- */
+
+typedef struct {
+  const char* pattern;
+  bool dir_only;
+} CvsDefaultRule;
+
+static const CvsDefaultRule CVS_DEFAULTS[] = {
+    {"RCS", false},         {"SCCS", false},         {"CVS", false},   {"CVS.adm", false},
+    {"RCSLOG", false},      {"cvslog.*", false},     {"tags", false},  {"TAGS", false},
+    {".make.state", false}, {".nse_depinfo", false}, {"*~", false},    {"#*", false},
+    {".#*", false},         {",*", false},           {"_$*", false},   {"*$", false},
+    {"*.old", false},       {"*.bak", false},        {"*.BAK", false}, {"*.orig", false},
+    {"*.rej", false},       {".del-*", false},       {"*.a", false},   {"*.olb", false},
+    {"*.o", false},         {"*.obj", false},        {"*.so", false},  {"*.exe", false},
+    {"*.Z", false},         {"*.elc", false},        {"*.ln", false},  {"core", false},
+    {".svn/", true},        {".git/", true},         {".hg/", true},   {".bzr/", true},
+};
+
+static bool cvs_rule_list_append(FilterRuleList* list) {
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < sizeof(CVS_DEFAULTS) / sizeof(CVS_DEFAULTS[0]); i++) {
+    FilterRule* rule = calloc(1, sizeof(FilterRule));
+    if (!rule)
+      return false;
+    rule->action = FILTER_ACTION_EXCLUDE;
+    rule->dir_only = CVS_DEFAULTS[i].dir_only;
+    size_t plen = strlen(CVS_DEFAULTS[i].pattern);
+    if (rule->dir_only && plen > 0 && CVS_DEFAULTS[i].pattern[plen - 1] == '/')
+      plen--; /* keep the cleaned pattern, matching filter_rule_parse */
+    rule->pattern = malloc(plen + 1);
+    if (!rule->pattern) {
+      free(rule);
+      return false;
+    }
+    memcpy(rule->pattern, CVS_DEFAULTS[i].pattern, plen);
+    rule->pattern[plen] = '\0';
+    if (!set_rule_owner(rule, "")) {
+      filter_rule_free(rule);
+      return false;
+    }
+    if (!filter_rule_list_add(list, rule)) {
+      filter_rule_free(rule);
+      return false;
+    }
+  }
+  return true;
+}
+
+FilterRuleList* filter_base_build(const char* const* rule_texts, int rule_count, bool cvs_exclude,
+                                  char* err, size_t err_size) {
+  if (err && err_size > 0)
+    err[0] = '\0';
+  FilterRuleList* list = filter_rule_list_create();
+  if (!list) {
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  for (int i = 0; i < rule_count; i++) {
+    if (!rule_texts || !rule_texts[i])
+      continue;
+    FilterRule* rule = filter_rule_parse(rule_texts[i], err, err_size);
+    if (!rule) {
+      filter_rule_list_free(list);
+      return NULL;
+    }
+    if (!set_rule_owner(rule, "")) {
+      filter_rule_free(rule);
+      filter_rule_list_free(list);
+      snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+      return NULL;
+    }
+    if (!filter_rule_list_add(list, rule)) {
+      filter_rule_free(rule);
+      filter_rule_list_free(list);
+      snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+      return NULL;
+    }
+  }
+  if (cvs_exclude && !cvs_rule_list_append(list)) {
+    filter_rule_list_free(list);
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  return list;
+}
+
+/* ---- Per-directory .rsync-filter files ---- */
+
+FilterRuleList* filter_file_read(const char* dir_path, const char* owner_rel, bool* exists,
+                                 char* err, size_t err_size) {
+  if (err && err_size > 0)
+    err[0] = '\0';
+  if (exists)
+    *exists = false;
+  char* filter_path = path_cat(dir_path, ".rsync-filter");
+  if (!filter_path) {
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  FILE* fp = fopen(filter_path, "r");
+  free(filter_path);
+  if (!fp) {
+    if (errno == ENOENT || errno == ENOTDIR)
+      return filter_rule_list_create();
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING, "Could not read .rsync-filter in %s: %s", dir_path,
+                strerror(errno));
+    return filter_rule_list_create();
+  }
+  if (exists)
+    *exists = true;
+  FilterRuleList* list = filter_rule_list_create();
+  if (!list) {
+    fclose(fp);
+    snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  char* line = NULL;
+  size_t line_cap = 0;
+  ssize_t n;
+  bool ok = true;
+  while ((n = getline(&line, &line_cap, fp)) != -1) {
+    const char* p = line;
+    while (*p == ' ' || *p == '\t')
+      p++;
+    if (*p == '\0' || *p == '\n' || *p == '\r' || *p == '#')
+      continue;
+    FilterRule* rule = filter_rule_parse(p, err, err_size);
+    if (!rule) {
+      ok = false;
+      break;
+    }
+    if (!set_rule_owner(rule, owner_rel)) {
+      filter_rule_free(rule);
+      snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+      ok = false;
+      break;
+    }
+    if (!filter_rule_list_add(list, rule)) {
+      filter_rule_free(rule);
+      snprintf(err, err_size, "memory allocation failed");
+      ok = false;
+      break;
+    }
+  }
+  free(line);
+  fclose(fp);
+  if (!ok) {
+    filter_rule_list_free(list);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  return list;
+}
+
+/* ---- Rule matching ---- */
+
+/* Match a pattern that contains '/' (non-anchored) against the end of the
+ * relative path, starting at any path-component boundary. */
+static bool glob_suffix_match(const char* pattern, const char* str) {
+  if (glob_match(pattern, str))
+    return true;
+  for (const char* slash = strchr(str, '/'); slash; slash = strchr(slash + 1, '/')) {
+    if (glob_match(pattern, slash + 1))
+      return true;
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
+static FilterAction rule_matches(const FilterRule* rule, const char* rel_path, const char* leaf,
+                                 bool is_dir) {
+  if (!rule || !rule->pattern)
+    return FILTER_ACTION_NONE;
+  if (rule->dir_only && !is_dir)
+    return FILTER_ACTION_NONE;
+  /* A rule applies only to entries below its owner directory. */
+  const char* rel2 = rel_path;
+  if (rule->owner && rule->owner[0] != '\0') {
+    size_t owner_len = strlen(rule->owner);
+    if (strncmp(rule->owner, rel_path, owner_len) != 0)
+      return FILTER_ACTION_NONE;
+    if (rel_path[owner_len] != '/')
+      return FILTER_ACTION_NONE;
+    rel2 = rel_path + owner_len + 1;
+  }
+  if (rel2[0] == '\0')
+    return FILTER_ACTION_NONE;
+  bool matched;
+  if (rule->anchored) {
+    matched = glob_match(rule->pattern, rel2);
+  } else if (strchr(rule->pattern, '/') != NULL) {
+    matched = glob_suffix_match(rule->pattern, rel2);
+  } else {
+    matched = glob_match(rule->pattern, leaf);
+  }
+  return matched ? rule->action : FILTER_ACTION_NONE;
+}
+
+FilterAction filter_rules_apply(const FilterRuleList* list, const char* rel_path, const char* leaf,
+                                bool is_dir) {
+  if (!list)
+    return FILTER_ACTION_NONE;
+  for (int i = 0; i < list->count; i++) {
+    FilterAction action = rule_matches(list->items[i], rel_path, leaf, is_dir);
+    if (action != FILTER_ACTION_NONE)
+      return action;
+  }
+  return FILTER_ACTION_NONE;
+}

src/shared/filter.h

@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+#ifndef FILTER_H
+#define FILTER_H
+
+#include <stdbool.h>
+#include <stddef.h>
+
+/* rsync-style filter rule engine (client-side file selection).
+ *
+ * Supported rule syntax (documented subset):
+ *   [+|-] [anchored '/' prefix] pattern [trailing '/' for dir-only]
+ *
+ *   "+ PATTERN"   include rule (first match wins)
+ *   "- PATTERN"   exclude rule
+ *   "PATTERN"     implicit exclude rule (rsync default)
+ *   "include PATTERN" / "exclude PATTERN"  word forms
+ *   leading '/' after the +/- anchors the pattern to its owner directory
+ *     (the transfer root for command-line/-C rules, the directory that
+ *      contains a .rsync-filter file for per-directory rules)
+ *   a trailing '/' makes the rule match directories only
+ *
+ * Rejected explicitly (no silent no-ops): the rsync merge/dir-merge/list-clear
+ * shorthands written as a rule that starts with ':' or '.' or '!', the
+ * merge/dir-merge/hide/show/protect/risk/clear words, and every include/exclude
+ * rule modifier other than '/' (! C s r p x). The pattern must be separated
+ * from +/- by a space (or a single '/' anchor), exactly like rsync's
+ * "-s foo"/"-p ..." modifier syntax is refused.
+ */
+
+typedef enum {
+  FILTER_ACTION_NONE = 0, /* no rule matched */
+  FILTER_ACTION_EXCLUDE = -1,
+  FILTER_ACTION_INCLUDE = 1
+} FilterAction;
+
+typedef struct {
+  FilterAction action;
+  bool anchored; /* pattern anchored to the rule's owner directory */
+  bool dir_only; /* pattern had a trailing '/': matches directories only */
+  char* owner;   /* owning directory rel path ("" == transfer root) */
+  char* pattern; /* cleaned glob pattern (no leading '/', no trailing '/') */
+} FilterRule;
+
+typedef struct {
+  FilterRule** items; /* owned array of rule pointers */
+  int count;
+  int capacity;
+} FilterRuleList;
+
+/* Parse a single filter-rule line (no trailing newline required). Returns an
+ * owned rule, or NULL on unsupported/invalid syntax with a message in `err`. */
+FilterRule* filter_rule_parse(const char* line, char* err, size_t err_size);
+void filter_rule_free(FilterRule* rule);
+
+FilterRuleList* filter_rule_list_create(void);
+/* Append a fully-parsed rule (takes ownership). Returns false on OOM. */
+bool filter_rule_list_add(FilterRuleList* list, FilterRule* rule);
+/* Parse `line` and append it. Returns false and fills `err` on bad syntax. */
+bool filter_rule_list_parse_append(FilterRuleList* list, const char* line, char* err,
+                                   size_t err_size);
+void filter_rule_list_free(FilterRuleList* list);
+
+/* Build the command-line filter set: `rule_texts` (--filter=RULE in the order
+ * given, 0..rule_count) followed by the -C CVS default excludes when
+ * cvs_exclude is true. All rules are owned by "" (the transfer root).
+ * Returns NULL on unsupported rule text (message in `err`). */
+FilterRuleList* filter_base_build(const char* const* rule_texts, int rule_count, bool cvs_exclude,
+                                  char* err, size_t err_size);
+
+/* Read "<dir_path>/.rsync-filter" and return its rules, each owned by
+ * `owner_rel`. A missing file yields an empty list with *exists=false; an
+ * unreadable file is treated as missing. Returns NULL only on parse or
+ * allocation failure (message in `err`). */
+FilterRuleList* filter_file_read(const char* dir_path, const char* owner_rel, bool* exists,
+                                 char* err, size_t err_size);
+
+/* Evaluate an entry against one ordered rule list. Returns FILTER_ACTION_NONE
+ * when no rule matched, otherwise the first matching rule's action.
+ * `rel_path` is the entry's path relative to the transfer root ("" == root),
+ * `leaf` its final name, `is_dir` whether it is a directory. */
+FilterAction filter_rules_apply(const FilterRuleList* list, const char* rel_path, const char* leaf,
+                                bool is_dir);
+
+#endif

src/shared/log.c

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include "log.h"
 #include <errno.h>
+#include <stdbool.h>
 #include <stdarg.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
@@ -7,16 +8,54 @@
 
 static const char* log_level_strings[] = {"DEBUG", "INFO", "WARN", "ERROR"};
 static LogLevel current_log_level = LOG_LEVEL_WARNING;
+static uint32_t current_debug_flags = 0;
+static uint32_t info_flags = 0;
+static bool info_flags_explicit = false;
 static FILE* log_fp = NULL;
+static _Thread_local bool eight_bit_output;
+static LogStderrMode stderr_mode = LOG_STDERR_ERRORS;
 
 void set_log_level(LogLevel level) {
   current_log_level = level;
 }
 
+void set_log_debug_flags(uint32_t flags) {
+  current_debug_flags = flags;
+}
+
+uint32_t get_log_debug_flags(void) {
+  return current_debug_flags;
+}
+
+void set_log_info_flags(uint32_t flags) {
+  info_flags = flags;
+  info_flags_explicit = true;
+}
+
+uint32_t get_log_info_flags(void) {
+  return info_flags;
+}
+
 void log_set_file(FILE* fp) {
   log_fp = fp;
 }
 
+void log_set_8_bit_output(bool enabled) {
+  eight_bit_output = enabled;
+}
+
+bool log_get_8_bit_output(void) {
+  return eight_bit_output;
+}
+
+void log_set_stderr_mode(LogStderrMode mode) {
+  stderr_mode = mode;
+}
+
+LogStderrMode log_get_stderr_mode(void) {
+  return stderr_mode;
+}
+
 static inline void write_message(FILE* dest_io, LogLevel log_level, struct tm t, const char* format,
                                  va_list args) {
   fprintf(dest_io, "%04d-%02d-%02d %02d:%02d:%02d [%s]: ", t.tm_year + 1900, t.tm_mon + 1,
@@ -37,7 +76,7 @@ void log_message(LogLevel log_level, const char* format, ...) {
     return;
 
   FILE* dest_io = stdout;
-  if (log_level == LOG_LEVEL_ERROR) {
+  if (stderr_mode == LOG_STDERR_ALL || log_level == LOG_LEVEL_ERROR) {
     dest_io = stderr;
   }
 
@@ -53,6 +92,49 @@ void log_message(LogLevel log_level, const char* format, ...) {
   }
 }
 
+void log_debug_message(LogDebugFlag flag, const char* format, ...) {
+  if (current_log_level > LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG || !(current_debug_flags & flag))
+    return;
+
+  time_t now = time(NULL);
+  struct tm t;
+  if (!localtime_r(&now, &t))
+    return;
+
+  va_list args;
+  va_start(args, format);
+  write_message(stdout, LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, t, format, args);
+  va_end(args);
+
+  if (log_fp) {
+    va_start(args, format);
+    write_message(log_fp, LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, t, format, args);
+    va_end(args);
+  }
+}
+
+void log_info_message(LogInfoFlag flag, const char* format, ...) {
+  if ((info_flags_explicit && (info_flags & flag) == 0) ||
+      (!info_flags_explicit && current_log_level > LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG))
+    return;
+
+  time_t now = time(NULL);
+  struct tm t;
+  if (!localtime_r(&now, &t))
+    return;
+
+  va_list args;
+  va_start(args, format);
+  write_message(stdout, LOG_LEVEL_INFO, t, format, args);
+  va_end(args);
+
+  if (log_fp) {
+    va_start(args, format);
+    write_message(log_fp, LOG_LEVEL_INFO, t, format, args);
+    va_end(args);
+  }
+}
+
 void log_perror(const char* context) {
   log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "%s: %s", context, strerror(errno));
 }

src/shared/log.h

@@ -2,12 +2,41 @@
 #define LOG_H
 
 #include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdbool.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
 
 typedef enum { LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, LOG_LEVEL_INFO, LOG_LEVEL_WARNING, LOG_LEVEL_ERROR } LogLevel;
+typedef enum { LOG_STDERR_ERRORS, LOG_STDERR_ALL } LogStderrMode;
+
+typedef enum {
+  LOG_DEBUG_IO = 1u << 0,
+  LOG_DEBUG_PROTO = 1u << 1,
+  LOG_DEBUG_PACK = 1u << 2,
+  LOG_DEBUG_UTIL = 1u << 3,
+  LOG_DEBUG_ALL = (1u << 4) - 1,
+} LogDebugFlag;
+
+typedef enum {
+  LOG_INFO_COPY = 1u << 0,
+  LOG_INFO_MISC = 1u << 1,
+  LOG_INFO_SKIP = 1u << 2,
+  LOG_INFO_STATS = 1u << 3,
+  LOG_INFO_ALL = LOG_INFO_COPY | LOG_INFO_MISC | LOG_INFO_SKIP | LOG_INFO_STATS,
+} LogInfoFlag;
 
 void log_message(LogLevel log_level, const char* message, ...);
 void log_perror(const char* context);
 void set_log_level(LogLevel level);
+void set_log_debug_flags(uint32_t flags);
+uint32_t get_log_debug_flags(void);
+void log_debug_message(LogDebugFlag flag, const char* message, ...);
+void set_log_info_flags(uint32_t flags);
+uint32_t get_log_info_flags(void);
+void log_info_message(LogInfoFlag flag, const char* message, ...);
 void log_set_file(FILE* fp);
+void log_set_8_bit_output(bool enabled);
+bool log_get_8_bit_output(void);
+void log_set_stderr_mode(LogStderrMode mode);
+LogStderrMode log_get_stderr_mode(void);
 
 #endif

src/shared/metadata.c

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #include "file.h"
 #include "log.h"
 #include "protocol.h"
+#include "utils.h"
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
@@ -24,6 +25,29 @@ typedef char static_assert_mode_t_fits[(sizeof(mode_t) <= sizeof(int32_t)) ? 1 :
 typedef char static_assert_uid_t_fits[(sizeof(uid_t) <= sizeof(int32_t)) ? 1 : -1];
 typedef char static_assert_gid_t_fits[(sizeof(gid_t) <= sizeof(int32_t)) ? 1 : -1];
 
+bool metadata_mtime_matches(time_t left_sec, long left_nsec, time_t right_sec, long right_nsec,
+                            int modify_window) {
+  int64_t left = (int64_t)left_sec;
+  int64_t right = (int64_t)right_sec;
+  int64_t seconds;
+  int64_t nanoseconds;
+
+  if (left > right || (left == right && left_nsec >= right_nsec)) {
+    seconds = left - right;
+    nanoseconds = (int64_t)left_nsec - (int64_t)right_nsec;
+  } else {
+    seconds = right - left;
+    nanoseconds = (int64_t)right_nsec - (int64_t)left_nsec;
+  }
+  if (nanoseconds < 0) {
+    seconds--;
+    nanoseconds += 1000000000LL;
+  }
+  if (modify_window == 0)
+    return left == right;
+  return seconds < modify_window || (seconds == modify_window && nanoseconds == 0);
+}
+
 void metadata_to_buf(char** buf, const FileMetadata* m) {
   int32_t present = (m != NULL) ? 1 : 0;
   memcpy(*buf, &present, sizeof(present));
@@ -55,7 +79,7 @@ FileMetadata* metadata_from_buf(char** buf) {
     return NULL;
   if (!present)
     return NULL;
-  FileMetadata* m = malloc(sizeof(FileMetadata));
+  FileMetadata* m = protocol_alloc(sizeof(FileMetadata));
   if (m == NULL)
     return NULL;
   int32_t mode;
@@ -122,7 +146,7 @@ FileMetadata* metadata_receive(int file_descriptor, int* ok) {
       *ok = 0;
     return NULL;
   }
-  FileMetadata* m = malloc(sizeof(FileMetadata));
+  FileMetadata* m = protocol_alloc(sizeof(FileMetadata));
   if (m == NULL) {
     if (ok)
       *ok = 0;
@@ -179,12 +203,27 @@ FileMetadata* metadata_receive(int file_descriptor, int* ok) {
   return m;
 }
 
-void file_restore_metadata(const char* path, const FileMetadata* metadata) {
+static mode_t metadata_mode(const FileMetadata* metadata, mode_t current_mode,
+                            bool preserve_executability) {
+  const mode_t execute_bits = S_IXUSR | S_IXGRP | S_IXOTH;
+  if (preserve_executability)
+    return (current_mode & 0777 & ~execute_bits) | (metadata->mode & execute_bits);
+  return metadata->mode & 0777 & ~(S_IWGRP | S_IWOTH);
+}
+
+void file_restore_metadata(const char* path, const FileMetadata* metadata,
+                           bool preserve_executability) {
   if (metadata == NULL)
     return;
-  mode_t safe_mode = metadata->mode & 0777 & ~(S_IWGRP | S_IWOTH);
-  if (chmod(path, safe_mode) != 0)
-    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING, "Failed to chmod %s: %s", path, strerror(errno));
+  struct stat current;
+  mode_t current_mode = stat(path, &current) == 0 ? current.st_mode : 0;
+  mode_t safe_mode = metadata_mode(metadata, current_mode, preserve_executability);
+  if (chmod(path, safe_mode) != 0) {
+    char* escaped_path = output_escape(path, log_get_8_bit_output());
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING, "Failed to chmod %s: %s",
+                escaped_path ? escaped_path : "<allocation failed>", strerror(errno));
+    free(escaped_path);
+  }
   /* Never apply client-supplied ownership.  The descriptor API below is the
      receiver write path; retain this legacy API only for compatibility. */
   struct timespec times[2];
@@ -192,15 +231,22 @@ void file_restore_metadata(const char* path, const FileMetadata* metadata) {
   times[0].tv_nsec = UTIME_OMIT;
   times[1].tv_sec = metadata->mtime_sec;
   times[1].tv_nsec = metadata->mtime_nsec;
-  if (utimensat(AT_FDCWD, path, times, 0) != 0)
-    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING, "Failed to set timestamps on %s: %s", path, strerror(errno));
+  if (utimensat(AT_FDCWD, path, times, 0) != 0) {
+    char* escaped_path = output_escape(path, log_get_8_bit_output());
+    log_message(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING, "Failed to set timestamps on %s: %s",
+                escaped_path ? escaped_path : "<allocation failed>", strerror(errno));
+    free(escaped_path);
+  }
 }
 
-bool file_restore_metadata_fd(int fd, const FileMetadata* metadata) {
+bool file_restore_metadata_fd(int fd, const FileMetadata* metadata, bool preserve_executability) {
   if (fd < 0 || metadata == NULL)
     return metadata == NULL;
   bool ok = true;
-  mode_t safe_mode = metadata->mode & 0777 & ~(S_IWGRP | S_IWOTH);
+  struct stat current;
+  if (fstat(fd, &current) != 0)
+    return false;
+  mode_t safe_mode = metadata_mode(metadata, current.st_mode, preserve_executability);
   if (fchmod(fd, safe_mode) != 0)
     ok = false;
   /* Client uid/gid values are deliberately not authoritative. */

src/shared/metadata.h

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include <stdbool.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <time.h>
 
 /*
  * Wire format (introduced in protocol version 2.0.0):
@@ -29,7 +30,12 @@ void metadata_to_buf(char** buf, const FileMetadata* m);
 FileMetadata* metadata_from_buf(char** buf);
 bool metadata_send(int file_descriptor, const FileMetadata* m);
 FileMetadata* metadata_receive(int file_descriptor, int* ok);
-void file_restore_metadata(const char* path, const FileMetadata* metadata);
-bool file_restore_metadata_fd(int fd, const FileMetadata* metadata);
+void file_restore_metadata(const char* path, const FileMetadata* metadata,
+                           bool preserve_executability);
+bool file_restore_metadata_fd(int fd, const FileMetadata* metadata, bool preserve_executability);
+
+/* Compare timestamps using rsync's whole-second modification window. */
+bool metadata_mtime_matches(time_t left_sec, long left_nsec, time_t right_sec, long right_nsec,
+                            int modify_window);
 
 #endif

src/shared/multiprocessing.c

@@ -26,9 +26,14 @@ PipelineContextSender* pipeline_context_sender_create(Config* config, Queue* que
   context->scanner_done = false;
   context->loader_done = false;
   context->manifest = NULL;
+  context->remove_source_files = NULL;
+  context->total_files = 0;
   context->progress_bytes = 0;
+  context->total_bytes = 0;
   context->sender_done = false;
   atomic_init(&context->cancelled, false);
+  protocol_session_init(&context->allocation_session, -1, -1);
+  protocol_session_set_max_alloc(&context->allocation_session, config->max_alloc);
   int init = 0;
   if (mtx_init(&context->mutex_scanner, mtx_plain) != thrd_success)
     goto fail;
@@ -76,6 +81,8 @@ void pipeline_context_sender_destroy(PipelineContextSender* context) {
   if (context->manifest) {
     array_list_delete(context->manifest);
   }
+  if (context->remove_source_files)
+    array_list_delete(context->remove_source_files);
   config_delete(context->config);
   queue_destroy(context->queue_scanner);
   queue_destroy(context->queue_loader);
@@ -98,9 +105,14 @@ PipelineContextReceiver* pipeline_context_receiver_create(Config* config, Queue*
   context->queue = queue;
   context->file_descriptor = file_descriptor;
   context->ssl = ssl;
+  context->outcomes.entries = NULL;
+  context->outcomes.count = 0;
+  context->outcomes.capacity = 0;
   protocol_session_init(&context->session, file_descriptor, file_descriptor);
   protocol_session_set_ssl(&context->session, ssl);
   context->receiver_done = false;
+  context->queued_bytes = 0;
+  context->max_queue_bytes = 0;
   atomic_init(&context->cancelled, false);
   int init = 0;
   if (mtx_init(&context->mutex, mtx_plain) != thrd_success)
@@ -130,20 +142,80 @@ fail:
 void pipeline_context_receiver_destroy(PipelineContextReceiver* context) {
   config_delete(context->config);
   queue_destroy(context->queue);
+  receiver_outcomes_destroy(&context->outcomes);
   mtx_destroy(&context->mutex);
   cnd_destroy(&context->condition_not_full);
   cnd_destroy(&context->condition_not_empty);
   free(context);
 }
 
+void pipeline_context_receiver_set_queue_byte_limit(PipelineContextReceiver* context,
+                                                    size_t max_bytes) {
+  if (context == NULL)
+    return;
+  mtx_lock(&context->mutex);
+  context->max_queue_bytes = max_bytes;
+  context->queued_bytes = 0;
+  cnd_broadcast(&context->condition_not_full);
+  mtx_unlock(&context->mutex);
+}
+
+void pipeline_context_receiver_note_bytes_released(PipelineContextReceiver* context,
+                                                   size_t released_bytes) {
+  if (context == NULL || context->max_queue_bytes == 0 || released_bytes == 0)
+    return;
+  mtx_lock(&context->mutex);
+  if (released_bytes >= context->queued_bytes)
+    context->queued_bytes = 0;
+  else
+    context->queued_bytes -= released_bytes;
+  cnd_signal(&context->condition_not_full);
+  mtx_unlock(&context->mutex);
+}
+
+bool pipeline_context_receiver_enqueue_file(PipelineContextReceiver* context, File* file) {
+  if (context == NULL || file == NULL)
+    return false;
+  size_t file_bytes = file->data ? file->data->size : 0;
+  mtx_lock(&context->mutex);
+  while (!atomic_load(&context->cancelled)) {
+    bool blocked_by_count = queue_is_full(context->queue);
+    bool blocked_by_budget = false;
+    if (context->max_queue_bytes > 0) {
+      size_t budget = context->max_queue_bytes;
+      size_t used = context->queued_bytes;
+      if (used >= budget) {
+        blocked_by_budget = true;
+      } else if (file_bytes > budget - used) {
+        /* A single payload larger than the whole budget (not possible with
+           the per-file receive cap) is only admitted to an empty pipeline so
+           the wait can never deadlock. */
+        blocked_by_budget = used != 0;
+      }
+    }
+    if (!blocked_by_count && !blocked_by_budget)
+      break;
+    cnd_wait(&context->condition_not_full, &context->mutex);
+  }
+  if (atomic_load(&context->cancelled)) {
+    mtx_unlock(&context->mutex);
+    file_destroy(file);
+    return false;
+  }
+  if (!queue_enqueue(context->queue, file)) {
+    mtx_unlock(&context->mutex);
+    file_destroy(file);
+    return false;
+  }
+  context->queued_bytes += file_bytes;
+  cnd_signal(&context->condition_not_empty);
+  mtx_unlock(&context->mutex);
+  return true;
+}
+
 static bool receiver_enqueue_file(File* file, void* context_pointer) {
-  PipelineContextReceiver* context = context_pointer;
-  if (queue_enqueue_multithreaded_cancel(context->queue, file, &context->mutex,
-                                         &context->condition_not_empty,
-                                         &context->condition_not_full, &context->cancelled))
-    return true;
-  file_destroy(file);
-  return false;
+  PipelineContextReceiver* context = (PipelineContextReceiver*)context_pointer;
+  return pipeline_context_receiver_enqueue_file(context, file);
 }
 
 static void receiver_thread_fail(PipelineContextReceiver* context) {
@@ -163,7 +235,7 @@ int receive_thread(void* pipeline_context) {
   const Config* config = context->config;
   mtx_unlock(&context->mutex);
 
-  ReceiverSink sink = {receiver_enqueue_file, context, false, false};
+  ReceiverSink sink = {receiver_enqueue_file, context, false, false, NULL};
   if (receiver_process((Config*)config, file_descriptor, &sink) != 0) {
     receiver_thread_fail(context);
     protocol_session_unbind();
@@ -179,6 +251,7 @@ int receive_thread(void* pipeline_context) {
 
 int write_thread(void* pipeline_context) {
   PipelineContextReceiver* context = (PipelineContextReceiver*)pipeline_context;
+  protocol_session_bind(&context->session);
   mtx_lock(&context->mutex);
   bool save_to_disk = context->config->save_to_disk;
   char* root_directory = str_dup(context->config->receive_root_directory);
@@ -190,6 +263,7 @@ int write_thread(void* pipeline_context) {
     cnd_broadcast(&context->condition_not_full);
     cnd_broadcast(&context->condition_not_empty);
     mtx_unlock(&context->mutex);
+    protocol_session_unbind();
     return thrd_error;
   }
 
@@ -199,10 +273,34 @@ int write_thread(void* pipeline_context) {
                                     &context->condition_not_full, &context->receiver_done);
     if (file == NULL) {
       free(root_directory);
+      protocol_session_unbind();
       return thrd_success;
     }
-    if (save_to_disk && !file_save_to_disk(root_directory, file, context->config)) {
+    size_t file_bytes = file->data ? file->data->size : 0;
+    FileSaveResult result = FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED;
+    if (save_to_disk) {
+      result = file_save_to_disk_full(root_directory, file, context->config);
+      if (result == FILE_SAVE_ERROR) {
+        file_destroy(file);
+        pipeline_context_receiver_note_bytes_released(context, file_bytes);
+        mtx_lock(&context->mutex);
+        atomic_store(&context->cancelled, true);
+        context->receiver_done = true;
+        cnd_broadcast(&context->condition_not_full);
+        cnd_broadcast(&context->condition_not_empty);
+        mtx_unlock(&context->mutex);
+        free(root_directory);
+        protocol_session_unbind();
+        return thrd_error;
+      }
+    }
+    /* Record the per-file outcome so a --remove-source-files sender learns
+       which sources were actually written versus skipped on the receiver.
+       Explicit directory entries have no source and are never acknowledged. */
+    if (context->config->remove_source_files && !file->is_dir &&
+        !receiver_outcomes_append(&context->outcomes, (unsigned char)result)) {
       file_destroy(file);
+      pipeline_context_receiver_note_bytes_released(context, file_bytes);
       mtx_lock(&context->mutex);
       atomic_store(&context->cancelled, true);
       context->receiver_done = true;
@@ -210,8 +308,10 @@ int write_thread(void* pipeline_context) {
       cnd_broadcast(&context->condition_not_empty);
       mtx_unlock(&context->mutex);
       free(root_directory);
+      protocol_session_unbind();
       return thrd_error;
     }
     file_destroy(file);
+    pipeline_context_receiver_note_bytes_released(context, file_bytes);
   }
 }

src/shared/multiprocessing.h

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include "file.h"
 #include "protocol.h"
 #include "queue.h"
+#include "receiver.h"
 #include <openssl/ssl.h>
 
 typedef struct {
@@ -24,10 +25,14 @@ typedef struct {
   cnd_t condition_not_empty_loader;
   bool loader_done;
   ArrayList* manifest;
+  ArrayList* remove_source_files;
   mtx_t mutex_progress;
+  int total_files;
   unsigned long long progress_bytes;
+  unsigned long long total_bytes;
   bool sender_done;
   atomic_bool cancelled;
+  ProtocolSession allocation_session;
 } PipelineContextSender;
 
 typedef struct PipelineContextReceiver {
@@ -36,11 +41,20 @@ typedef struct PipelineContextReceiver {
   int file_descriptor;
   SSL* ssl;
   ProtocolSession session;
+  ReceiverOutcomes outcomes;
   mtx_t mutex;
   cnd_t condition_not_full;
   cnd_t condition_not_empty;
   bool receiver_done;
   atomic_bool cancelled;
+  /* Aggregate payload bytes that have been received but not yet released by
+     the disk writer (queued or in the writer's hand).  Guarded by `mutex`.
+     When `max_queue_bytes` is non-zero the receiver blocks before enqueuing
+     once this total would exceed it, so decompressed/copied file payloads
+     buffered ahead of a slow disk writer respect the per-connection memory
+     budget instead of growing without bound. */
+  size_t queued_bytes;
+  size_t max_queue_bytes;
 } PipelineContextReceiver;
 
 PipelineContextSender* pipeline_context_sender_create(Config* config, Queue* queue_scanner,
@@ -49,6 +63,18 @@ void pipeline_context_sender_destroy(PipelineContextSender* context);
 PipelineContextReceiver* pipeline_context_receiver_create(Config* config, Queue* queue_receiver,
                                                           int file_descriptor, SSL* ssl);
 void pipeline_context_receiver_destroy(PipelineContextReceiver* context);
+/* Bound the bytes buffered ahead of the disk writer (see max_queue_bytes). */
+void pipeline_context_receiver_set_queue_byte_limit(PipelineContextReceiver* context,
+                                                    size_t max_bytes);
+/* Blocking enqueue used by the receive pipeline sink.  Blocks while the queue
+   is full by element count or when adding `file` would push queued_bytes over
+   the configured byte limit; waits until the disk writer releases bytes.
+   Takes ownership of `file` on success and destroys it on failure/cancel. */
+bool pipeline_context_receiver_enqueue_file(PipelineContextReceiver* context, File* file);
+/* Account for `released_bytes` of payload memory that has been freed by the
+   disk writer, unblocking a receiver that is waiting on the byte limit. */
+void pipeline_context_receiver_note_bytes_released(PipelineContextReceiver* context,
+                                                   size_t released_bytes);
 int receive_thread(void* pipeline_context);
 int write_thread(void* pipeline_context);
 #endif

src/shared/protocol.c

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include "protocol.h"
 #include "log.h"
+#include "utils.h"
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <openssl/ssl.h>
@@ -13,13 +14,13 @@
 
 #define RECEIVE_TIMEOUT_SEC 60 /* 60 second per-message timeout */
 #define SEND_TIMEOUT_SEC 60
-#define MAX_CONNECTION_MEMORY (256ULL * 1024 * 1024) /* bounded cumulative receive budget */
 
 static __thread int io_read_fd = -1;
 static __thread int io_write_fd = -1;
 static __thread SSL* io_ssl;
 static __thread ProtocolSession* bound_session;
-static __thread ProtocolSession legacy_io_session = {.read_fd = -1, .write_fd = -1};
+static __thread ProtocolSession legacy_io_session = {
+    .read_fd = -1, .write_fd = -1, .max_alloc = DEFAULT_MAX_ALLOC};
 
 static unsigned long long io_bwlimit = 0;
 static mtx_t bw_mutex;
@@ -27,12 +28,30 @@ static once_flag bw_mutex_once = ONCE_FLAG_INIT;
 
 static unsigned long long global_bwlimit(void);
 
+static bool protocol_reserve_memory(ProtocolSession* session, size_t charge) {
+  unsigned long long allocated = atomic_load(&session->total_allocated_bytes);
+  while (true) {
+    if (allocated > MAX_CONNECTION_MEMORY ||
+        (unsigned long long)charge > MAX_CONNECTION_MEMORY - allocated)
+      return false;
+    if (atomic_compare_exchange_weak(&session->total_allocated_bytes, &allocated,
+                                     allocated + (unsigned long long)charge))
+      return true;
+  }
+}
+
+static void protocol_release_memory_for_session(ProtocolSession* session, size_t charge) {
+  unsigned long long allocated = atomic_load(&session->total_allocated_bytes);
+  while (true) {
+    unsigned long long remaining = (unsigned long long)charge >= allocated ? 0 : allocated - charge;
+    if (atomic_compare_exchange_weak(&session->total_allocated_bytes, &allocated, remaining))
+      break;
+  }
+}
+
 void protocol_release_memory(size_t charge) {
   ProtocolSession* session = bound_session ? bound_session : &legacy_io_session;
-  if ((unsigned long long)charge >= session->total_allocated_bytes)
-    session->total_allocated_bytes = 0;
-  else
-    session->total_allocated_bytes -= charge;
+  protocol_release_memory_for_session(session, charge);
 }
 void io_set_fds(int read_fd, int write_fd) {
   bound_session = NULL;
@@ -44,7 +63,9 @@ void io_set_fds(int read_fd, int write_fd) {
   legacy_io_session.read_fd = read_fd;
   legacy_io_session.write_fd = write_fd;
   legacy_io_session.ssl = NULL;
-  legacy_io_session.total_allocated_bytes = 0;
+  legacy_io_session.eight_bit_output = false;
+  atomic_store(&legacy_io_session.total_allocated_bytes, 0);
+  legacy_io_session.max_alloc = DEFAULT_MAX_ALLOC;
   protocol_session_set_bwlimit(&legacy_io_session, global_bwlimit());
 }
 
@@ -54,11 +75,46 @@ void protocol_session_init(ProtocolSession* session, int read_fd, int write_fd)
   memset(session, 0, sizeof(*session));
   session->read_fd = read_fd;
   session->write_fd = write_fd;
+  session->max_alloc = DEFAULT_MAX_ALLOC;
+  atomic_init(&session->total_allocated_bytes, 0);
   protocol_session_set_bwlimit(session, global_bwlimit());
 }
 
+void protocol_session_set_max_alloc(ProtocolSession* session, unsigned long long max_alloc) {
+  if (!session)
+    session = bound_session ? bound_session : &legacy_io_session;
+  session->max_alloc = max_alloc;
+}
+
+static bool allocation_allowed(const ProtocolSession* session, size_t size) {
+  return (unsigned long long)size <= session->max_alloc;
+}
+
+static void* protocol_alloc_for_session(const ProtocolSession* session, size_t size) {
+  if (!allocation_allowed(session, size))
+    return NULL;
+  return malloc(size);
+}
+
+static void* protocol_realloc_for_session(const ProtocolSession* session, void* ptr, size_t size) {
+  if (!allocation_allowed(session, size))
+    return NULL;
+  return realloc(ptr, size);
+}
+
+void* protocol_alloc(size_t size) {
+  const ProtocolSession* session = bound_session ? bound_session : &legacy_io_session;
+  return protocol_alloc_for_session(session, size);
+}
+
+void* protocol_realloc(void* ptr, size_t size) {
+  const ProtocolSession* session = bound_session ? bound_session : &legacy_io_session;
+  return protocol_realloc_for_session(session, ptr, size);
+}
+
 void protocol_session_bind(ProtocolSession* session) {
   bound_session = session;
+  log_set_8_bit_output(session && session->eight_bit_output);
 }
 
 void protocol_session_unbind(void) {
@@ -103,6 +159,19 @@ void protocol_session_set_bwlimit(ProtocolSession* session, unsigned long long b
   session->bw_last_refill_nsec = now.tv_nsec;
 }
 
+void protocol_session_set_8_bit_output(ProtocolSession* session, bool enabled) {
+  if (!session)
+    return;
+  session->eight_bit_output = enabled;
+  if (session == bound_session)
+    log_set_8_bit_output(enabled);
+}
+
+void protocol_set_8_bit_output(bool enabled) {
+  ProtocolSession* session = bound_session ? bound_session : &legacy_io_session;
+  protocol_session_set_8_bit_output(session, enabled);
+}
+
 static void bw_throttle_session(ProtocolSession* session, size_t bytes_written) {
   if (session->bwlimit == 0)
     return;
@@ -153,7 +222,8 @@ static ProtocolSession* legacy_session(int read_fd, int write_fd) {
       legacy_io_session.write_fd != target_write_fd) {
     legacy_io_session.read_fd = target_read_fd;
     legacy_io_session.write_fd = target_write_fd;
-    legacy_io_session.total_allocated_bytes = 0;
+    atomic_store(&legacy_io_session.total_allocated_bytes, 0);
+    legacy_io_session.max_alloc = DEFAULT_MAX_ALLOC;
     protocol_session_set_bwlimit(&legacy_io_session, global_bwlimit());
   } else if (legacy_io_session.bwlimit != global_bwlimit()) {
     protocol_session_set_bwlimit(&legacy_io_session, global_bwlimit());
@@ -184,7 +254,7 @@ static int deadline_remaining_ms(const struct timespec* deadline) {
 bool protocol_send_n_data(ProtocolSession* session, const void* data, size_t data_size) {
   if (!data && data_size != 0)
     return false;
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "    Sending n Data: %zu", data_size);
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_IO, "    Sending n Data: %zu", data_size);
   if (!session)
     return false;
   int fd = session->write_fd;
@@ -228,12 +298,12 @@ bool protocol_send_n_data(ProtocolSession* session, const void* data, size_t dat
     if (session->ssl)
       wait_events = POLLOUT;
   }
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "    Send n Data: %zu", total_bytes_send);
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_IO, "    Send n Data: %zu", total_bytes_send);
   return true;
 }
 
 bool protocol_receive_n_data(ProtocolSession* session, void* data, size_t data_size) {
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "    Receiving n Data: %zu", data_size);
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_IO, "    Receiving n Data: %zu", data_size);
   if (!session)
     return false;
   int fd = session->read_fd;
@@ -287,7 +357,7 @@ bool protocol_receive_n_data(ProtocolSession* session, void* data, size_t data_s
     if (session->ssl)
       wait_events = POLLIN;
   }
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "    Received n Data: %zu", total_bytes_received);
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_IO, "    Received n Data: %zu", total_bytes_received);
   return true;
 }
 
@@ -315,6 +385,8 @@ static const char* status_to_string(Status status) {
     return "ABORT";
   case STATUS_CHECK_BATCH:
     return "CHECK_BATCH";
+  case STATUS_MKDIR:
+    return "MKDIR";
   default:
     return "UNKNOWN";
   }
@@ -328,7 +400,7 @@ bool protocol_send_str(ProtocolSession* session, const char* data) {
     return false;
   if (!protocol_send_n_data(session, data, size))
     return false;
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "Send String: %s", data);
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_PROTO, "Send String: %s", data);
   return true;
 }
 
@@ -336,13 +408,12 @@ char* protocol_receive_str(ProtocolSession* session) {
   size_t size;
   if (!protocol_receive_n_data(session, &size, sizeof(size_t)))
     return NULL;
-  if (size > MAX_STRING_SIZE || size > SIZE_MAX - 1 ||
-      size + 1 > MAX_CONNECTION_MEMORY - session->total_allocated_bytes) {
+  if (size > MAX_STRING_SIZE || size > SIZE_MAX - 1) {
     log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "String size %zu exceeds maximum %llu", size,
                 (unsigned long long)MAX_STRING_SIZE);
     return NULL;
   }
-  char* data = (char*)malloc(size + 1);
+  char* data = (char*)protocol_alloc_for_session(session, size + 1);
   if (data == NULL)
     return NULL;
   if (!protocol_receive_n_data(session, data, size)) {
@@ -355,8 +426,7 @@ char* protocol_receive_str(ProtocolSession* session) {
     return NULL;
   }
   data[size] = '\0';
-  session->total_allocated_bytes += size + 1;
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "Received String: %s", data);
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_PROTO, "Received String: %s", data);
   return data;
 }
 
@@ -370,7 +440,7 @@ bool protocol_send_data(ProtocolSession* session, const Data* data) {
     return false;
   if (!protocol_send_n_data(session, data->data, data_size))
     return false;
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "Send %lld data", data_size);
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_PROTO, "Send %lld data", data_size);
   return true;
 }
 
@@ -385,25 +455,29 @@ Data* protocol_receive_data_limited(ProtocolSession* session, unsigned long long
                 (unsigned long long)MAX_DATA_PAYLOAD_SIZE);
     return NULL;
   }
+  if (size > SIZE_MAX)
+    return NULL;
   size_t allocation_size = size == 0 ? 1 : (size_t)size;
-  if (allocation_size > MAX_CONNECTION_MEMORY - session->total_allocated_bytes) {
+  if (!protocol_reserve_memory(session, allocation_size)) {
     log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Per-connection memory limit exceeded (%llu + %llu > %llu)",
-                (unsigned long long)session->total_allocated_bytes, size,
+                (unsigned long long)atomic_load(&session->total_allocated_bytes), size,
                 (unsigned long long)MAX_CONNECTION_MEMORY);
     return NULL;
   }
-  void* data = malloc(allocation_size);
-  if (data == NULL)
-    return NULL;
-  if (!protocol_receive_n_data(session, data, (size_t)size)) {
-    free(data);
+  void* data = protocol_alloc_for_session(session, allocation_size);
+  if (data == NULL) {
+    protocol_release_memory_for_session(session, allocation_size);
     return NULL;
   }
-  session->total_allocated_bytes += allocation_size;
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "Received %lld data", size);
+  if (!protocol_receive_n_data(session, data, (size_t)size)) {
+    free(data);
+    protocol_release_memory_for_session(session, allocation_size);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_PROTO, "Received %lld data", size);
   Data* result = data_create(data, (size_t)size);
   if (!result) {
-    session->total_allocated_bytes -= allocation_size;
+    protocol_release_memory_for_session(session, allocation_size);
     return NULL;
   }
   result->protocol_charge = allocation_size;
@@ -417,28 +491,28 @@ Data* protocol_receive_data(ProtocolSession* session) {
 bool protocol_send_int(ProtocolSession* session, int data) {
   if (!protocol_send_n_data(session, &data, sizeof(int)))
     return false;
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "Send Int: %d", data);
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_PROTO, "Send Int: %d", data);
   return true;
 }
 
 bool protocol_receive_int(ProtocolSession* session, int* data) {
   if (!protocol_receive_n_data(session, data, sizeof(int)))
     return false;
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "Received Int: %d", *data);
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_PROTO, "Received Int: %d", *data);
   return true;
 }
 
 bool protocol_send_status(ProtocolSession* session, Status status) {
   if (!protocol_send_n_data(session, &status, sizeof(Status)))
     return false;
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "Send Status: %s", status_to_string(status));
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_PROTO, "Send Status: %s", status_to_string(status));
   return true;
 }
 
 bool protocol_receive_status(ProtocolSession* session, Status* status) {
   if (!protocol_receive_n_data(session, status, sizeof(Status)))
     return false;
-  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG, "Received Status: %s", status_to_string(*status));
+  log_debug_message(LOG_DEBUG_PROTO, "Received Status: %s", status_to_string(*status));
   return true;
 }
 

src/shared/protocol.h

@@ -4,20 +4,34 @@
 #include "data.h"
 #include <stdbool.h>
 #include <stddef.h>
+#include <stdatomic.h>
 
 /* Maximum allowed string size for receive_str (64 KB) */
 #define MAX_STRING_SIZE (64 * 1024)
 
-/* Maximum allowed data payload size for receive_data (100 MB) */
-#define MAX_DATA_PAYLOAD_SIZE (100ULL * 1024 * 1024)
-/* Maximum uncompressed file payload accepted by the receiver. */
-#define MAX_RECEIVE_FILE_SIZE (64ULL * 1024 * 1024)
+/* Maximum uncompressed file payload accepted by the receiver's whole-file
+ * paths.  A single whole file is charged against the per-connection memory
+ * reservation (MAX_CONNECTION_MEMORY) and against the server allocation
+ * ceiling (MAX_SERVER_ALLOC), so this mirrors those 256 MB bounds rather than
+ * the older 64 MB chunk-era cap.  Chunk-serialized payloads keep their own
+ * 64 MB cap (MAX_CHUNK_SIZE). */
+#define MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE (256ULL * 1024 * 1024)
+
+/* Maximum allowed data payload size for receive_data (whole-file bound) */
+#define MAX_DATA_PAYLOAD_SIZE MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE
 
 /* Maximum chunk size (64 MB) — prevents unbounded allocation from the wire */
 #define MAX_CHUNK_SIZE (64ULL * 1024 * 1024)
 #define MAX_MANIFEST_ENTRIES (1024 * 1024)
 /* Aggregate bytes retained by one received deletion manifest. */
 #define MAX_MANIFEST_BYTES (16ULL * 1024 * 1024)
+#define DEFAULT_MAX_ALLOC (1ULL * 1024 * 1024 * 1024)
+/* Server policy ceiling for a client-provided allocation limit. */
+#define MAX_SERVER_ALLOC (256ULL * 1024 * 1024)
+/* Bounded cumulative per-connection receive budget.  In-flight wire buffers,
+   decompression buffers and queued (not yet written) file payloads for a
+   connection must stay within this ceiling. */
+#define MAX_CONNECTION_MEMORY (256ULL * 1024 * 1024)
 
 typedef struct ssl_st SSL;
 
@@ -35,7 +49,9 @@ typedef struct ProtocolSession {
   long long bw_tokens;
   long long bw_last_refill_sec;
   long bw_last_refill_nsec;
-  unsigned long long total_allocated_bytes;
+  atomic_ullong total_allocated_bytes;
+  bool eight_bit_output;
+  unsigned long long max_alloc;
 } ProtocolSession;
 
 typedef int Status;
@@ -51,7 +67,10 @@ enum NET_STATUS {
   STATUS_DELTA_DATA,
   STATUS_KEEPALIVE,
   STATUS_ABORT,
-  STATUS_CHECK_BATCH
+  STATUS_CHECK_BATCH,
+  /* An explicit directory entry (--dirs): the sender transmits only the path;
+   * the receiver creates the directory below the receive root. */
+  STATUS_MKDIR
 };
 
 void io_set_fds(int read_fd, int write_fd);
@@ -65,6 +84,11 @@ void protocol_session_bind(ProtocolSession* session);
 void protocol_session_unbind(void);
 void protocol_session_set_ssl(ProtocolSession* session, SSL* ssl);
 void protocol_session_set_bwlimit(ProtocolSession* session, unsigned long long bytes_per_sec);
+void protocol_session_set_max_alloc(ProtocolSession* session, unsigned long long max_alloc);
+void* protocol_alloc(size_t size);
+void* protocol_realloc(void* ptr, size_t size);
+void protocol_session_set_8_bit_output(ProtocolSession* session, bool enabled);
+void protocol_set_8_bit_output(bool enabled);
 bool protocol_send_n_data(ProtocolSession* session, const void* data, size_t data_size);
 bool protocol_receive_n_data(ProtocolSession* session, void* data, size_t data_size);
 bool protocol_send_str(ProtocolSession* session, const char* data);

src/shared/transport_ssh.c

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include "utils.h"
 #include <fcntl.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <sys/socket.h>
@@ -15,6 +16,12 @@ typedef struct {
   char* remote_path;
 } RemoteDest;
 
+static void ssh_child_setup_failed(int status_fd) {
+  ssize_t wret = write(status_fd, "x", 1);
+  (void)wret;
+  _exit(1);
+}
+
 static void remote_dest_destroy(RemoteDest* r) {
   free(r->user);
   free(r->host);
@@ -68,10 +75,57 @@ static int parse_remote_dest(const char* dest, RemoteDest* r) {
   return 0;
 }
 
-Client* client_connect_ssh(const char* destination, int port, const char* server_path) {
+char* ssh_build_remote_command(const char* server_path, bool old_args) {
+  const char* path = server_path ? server_path : "fastsync-server";
+  const char* suffix = " --stdio";
+  size_t path_len = strlen(path);
+  size_t suffix_len = strlen(suffix);
+
+  if (old_args) {
+    if (path_len > SIZE_MAX - suffix_len - 1)
+      return NULL;
+    char* command = malloc(path_len + suffix_len + 1);
+    if (!command)
+      return NULL;
+    memcpy(command, path, path_len);
+    memcpy(command + path_len, suffix, suffix_len + 1);
+    return command;
+  }
+
+  /* Quote the executable as one remote-shell word. This is the default safety boundary. */
+  size_t quote_count = 0;
+  for (const char* p = path; *p; p++)
+    if (*p == '\'')
+      quote_count++;
+  if (path_len > SIZE_MAX - suffix_len - 4 ||
+      quote_count > (SIZE_MAX - path_len - suffix_len - 4) / 4)
+    return NULL;
+  size_t command_len = path_len + quote_count * 4 + suffix_len + 4;
+  char* command = malloc(command_len + 1);
+  if (!command)
+    return NULL;
+  char* out = command;
+  *out++ = '\'';
+  for (const char* p = path; *p; p++) {
+    if (*p == '\'') {
+      memcpy(out, "'\\''", 4);
+      out += 4;
+    } else {
+      *out++ = *p;
+    }
+  }
+  *out++ = '\'';
+  memcpy(out, suffix, suffix_len + 1);
+  return command;
+}
+
+Client* client_connect_ssh(const char* destination, int port, const char* server_path,
+                           bool old_args) {
   RemoteDest r;
   if (parse_remote_dest(destination, &r) != 0) {
-    fprintf(stderr, "Invalid remote destination: %s\n", destination);
+    char* escaped = output_escape(destination, false);
+    fprintf(stderr, "Invalid remote destination: %s\n", escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
+    free(escaped);
     return NULL;
   }
 
@@ -111,11 +165,12 @@ Client* client_connect_ssh(const char* destination, int port, const char* server
   if (pid == 0) {
     close(sv[0]);
     close(exec_pipe[0]);
-    fcntl(exec_pipe[1], F_SETFD, FD_CLOEXEC);
-    if (sv[1] != STDIN_FILENO)
-      dup2(sv[1], STDIN_FILENO);
-    if (sv[1] != STDOUT_FILENO)
-      dup2(sv[1], STDOUT_FILENO);
+    if (fcntl(exec_pipe[1], F_SETFD, FD_CLOEXEC) < 0)
+      ssh_child_setup_failed(exec_pipe[1]);
+    if (sv[1] != STDIN_FILENO && dup2(sv[1], STDIN_FILENO) < 0)
+      ssh_child_setup_failed(exec_pipe[1]);
+    if (sv[1] != STDOUT_FILENO && dup2(sv[1], STDOUT_FILENO) < 0)
+      ssh_child_setup_failed(exec_pipe[1]);
     if (sv[1] > 1)
       close(sv[1]);
 
@@ -126,7 +181,7 @@ Client* client_connect_ssh(const char* destination, int port, const char* server
       ssh_user_len = strlen(r.host) + 1;
     char* ssh_user = malloc(ssh_user_len);
     if (!ssh_user)
-      _exit(1);
+      ssh_child_setup_failed(exec_pipe[1]);
     if (r.user && r.user[0] != '\0')
       snprintf(ssh_user, ssh_user_len, "%s@%s", r.user, r.host);
     else
@@ -135,6 +190,9 @@ Client* client_connect_ssh(const char* destination, int port, const char* server
     char* ssh_argv[16];
     int ac = 0;
     char port_str[16];
+    char* remote_command = ssh_build_remote_command(server_path, old_args);
+    if (!remote_command)
+      ssh_child_setup_failed(exec_pipe[1]);
     ssh_argv[ac++] = "ssh";
     ssh_argv[ac++] = "-o";
     ssh_argv[ac++] = "Compression=no";
@@ -148,14 +206,11 @@ Client* client_connect_ssh(const char* destination, int port, const char* server
       ssh_argv[ac++] = port_str;
     }
     ssh_argv[ac++] = ssh_user;
-    ssh_argv[ac++] = (char*)(server_path ? server_path : "fastsync-server");
-    ssh_argv[ac++] = "--stdio";
+    ssh_argv[ac++] = remote_command;
     ssh_argv[ac] = NULL;
     execvp("ssh", ssh_argv);
     log_perror("exec of ssh failed");
-    ssize_t wret = write(exec_pipe[1], "x", 1);
-    (void)wret;
-    _exit(1);
+    ssh_child_setup_failed(exec_pipe[1]);
   }
 
   close(sv[1]);
@@ -165,12 +220,15 @@ Client* client_connect_ssh(const char* destination, int port, const char* server
   ssize_t n = read(exec_pipe[0], &exec_status, 1);
   close(exec_pipe[0]);
 
-  if (n > 0) {
+  if (n != 0) {
     close(sv[0]);
     waitpid(pid, NULL, 0);
     remote_dest_destroy(&r);
+    const char* path = server_path ? server_path : "fastsync-server";
+    char* escaped = output_escape(path, false);
     fprintf(stderr, "Error: could not launch '%s --stdio' on remote\n",
-            server_path ? server_path : "fastsync-server");
+            escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
+    free(escaped);
     return NULL;
   }
 

src/shared/transport_ssh.h

@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 
 #include "transport_tcp.h"
 
-Client* client_connect_ssh(const char* destination, int port, const char* server_path);
+Client* client_connect_ssh(const char* destination, int port, const char* server_path,
+                           bool old_args);
+char* ssh_build_remote_command(const char* server_path, bool old_args);
 
 #endif

src/shared/transport_tcp.c

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #include "transport_tcp.h"
 #include "log.h"
 #include "protocol.h"
+#include "utils.h"
 #include <arpa/inet.h>
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <netdb.h>
@@ -190,7 +191,10 @@ bool tcp_connect_socket(Client* client, char* host, int port) {
 
   int err = getaddrinfo(host, port_str, &hints, &result);
   if (err != 0 || result == NULL) {
-    fprintf(stderr, "Could not resolve host: %s (%s)\n", host, gai_strerror(err));
+    char* escaped_host = output_escape(host, false);
+    fprintf(stderr, "Could not resolve host: %s (%s)\n",
+            escaped_host ? escaped_host : "<allocation failed>", gai_strerror(err));
+    free(escaped_host);
     return false;
   }
 

src/shared/transport_tls.c

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #include "log.h"
 #include "protocol.h"
 #include "transport_tcp.h"
+#include "utils.h"
 #include <arpa/inet.h>
 #include <openssl/err.h>
 #include <openssl/ssl.h>
@@ -65,13 +66,19 @@ static SSL_CTX* create_ssl_ctx(bool is_server, const char* cert, const char* key
       return NULL;
     }
     if (SSL_CTX_use_certificate_file(ctx, cert, SSL_FILETYPE_PEM) <= 0) {
-      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Failed to load certificate: %s", cert);
+      char* escaped = output_escape(cert, false);
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Failed to load certificate: %s",
+                  escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
+      free(escaped);
       log_ssl_errors();
       SSL_CTX_free(ctx);
       return NULL;
     }
     if (SSL_CTX_use_PrivateKey_file(ctx, key, SSL_FILETYPE_PEM) <= 0) {
-      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Failed to load private key: %s", key);
+      char* escaped = output_escape(key, false);
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Failed to load private key: %s",
+                  escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
+      free(escaped);
       log_ssl_errors();
       SSL_CTX_free(ctx);
       return NULL;
@@ -85,7 +92,10 @@ static SSL_CTX* create_ssl_ctx(bool is_server, const char* cert, const char* key
 
   if (ca_path) {
     if (!SSL_CTX_load_verify_locations(ctx, ca_path, NULL)) {
-      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Failed to load CA: %s", ca_path);
+      char* escaped = output_escape(ca_path, false);
+      log_message(LOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Failed to load CA: %s",
+                  escaped ? escaped : "<allocation failed>");
+      free(escaped);
       log_ssl_errors();
       SSL_CTX_free(ctx);
       return NULL;

src/shared/utils.c

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #include "utils.h"
 #include "array_list.h"
-#include "libgen.h"
+#include "log.h"
 #include <dirent.h>
 #include <errno.h>
 #include <fcntl.h>
@@ -82,45 +82,6 @@ static int open_authorized_destination(const char* dest_root) {
   return dirfd;
 }
 
-bool mkdir_r(const char* path) {
-  if (!path || *path == '\0')
-    return false;
-  char* duplicate = str_dup(path);
-  if (!duplicate)
-    return false;
-  int dirfd = open(path[0] == '/' ? "/" : ".", O_RDONLY | O_DIRECTORY | O_CLOEXEC | O_NOFOLLOW);
-  if (dirfd < 0) {
-    free(duplicate);
-    return false;
-  }
-  bool ok = true;
-  char* saveptr = NULL;
-  char* component = strtok_r(duplicate, "/", &saveptr);
-  while (component) {
-    if (strcmp(component, "..") == 0) {
-      ok = false;
-      break;
-    }
-    if (strcmp(component, ".") != 0) {
-      int next = openat(dirfd, component, O_RDONLY | O_DIRECTORY | O_CLOEXEC | O_NOFOLLOW);
-      if (next < 0 && errno == ENOENT) {
-        if (mkdirat(dirfd, component, 0755) == 0 || errno == EEXIST)
-          next = openat(dirfd, component, O_RDONLY | O_DIRECTORY | O_CLOEXEC | O_NOFOLLOW);
-      }
-      if (next < 0) {
-        ok = false;
-        break;
-      }
-      close(dirfd);
-      dirfd = next;
-    }
-    component = strtok_r(NULL, "/", &saveptr);
-  }
-  close(dirfd);
-  free(duplicate);
-  return ok;
-}
-
 char* str_dup(const char* string) {
   if (string == NULL)
     return NULL;
@@ -132,6 +93,32 @@ char* str_dup(const char* string) {
   return new_string;
 }
 
+char* output_escape(const char* string, bool eight_bit_output) {
+  if (!string)
+    return NULL;
+  size_t length = strlen(string);
+  if (length > (SIZE_MAX - 1) / 5)
+    return NULL;
+  char* escaped = malloc(length * 5 + 1);
+  if (!escaped)
+    return NULL;
+  size_t out = 0;
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < length; i++) {
+    unsigned char byte = (unsigned char)string[i];
+    if ((byte >= 32 && byte <= 126) || (eight_bit_output && byte >= 128)) {
+      escaped[out++] = (char)byte;
+    } else {
+      escaped[out++] = '\\';
+      escaped[out++] = '#';
+      escaped[out++] = (char)('0' + ((byte >> 6) & 7));
+      escaped[out++] = (char)('0' + ((byte >> 3) & 7));
+      escaped[out++] = (char)('0' + (byte & 7));
+    }
+  }
+  escaped[out] = '\0';
+  return escaped;
+}
+
 /* Match a glob pattern against a string. Supported wildcards:
  *   ?      matches any single character except '/'.
  *   *      matches any sequence of characters within one path component (no '/').
@@ -187,6 +174,25 @@ bool glob_match(const char* pattern, const char* str) {
   return *str == '\0';
 }
 
+bool format_human_bytes(unsigned long long bytes, char* buffer, size_t buffer_size) {
+  static const char* const units[] = {"B", "KB", "MB", "GB", "TB", "PB", "EB"};
+  double value = (double)bytes;
+  size_t unit = 0;
+  int written;
+
+  if (!buffer || buffer_size == 0)
+    return false;
+  while (value >= 1024.0 && unit < sizeof(units) / sizeof(units[0]) - 1) {
+    value /= 1024.0;
+    unit++;
+  }
+  if (unit == 0)
+    written = snprintf(buffer, buffer_size, "%llu %s", bytes, units[unit]);
+  else
+    written = snprintf(buffer, buffer_size, "%.1f %s", value, units[unit]);
+  return written >= 0 && (size_t)written < buffer_size;
+}
+
 static bool is_dir_in_manifest(const char* rel_path, ArrayList* manifest) {
   size_t len = strlen(rel_path);
   for (int i = 0; i < manifest->size; i++) {
@@ -199,7 +205,8 @@ static bool is_dir_in_manifest(const char* rel_path, ArrayList* manifest) {
 }
 
 static bool delete_extras_fd(int dirfd, const char* rel_path, ArrayList* manifest,
-                             size_t max_delete, size_t* deleted_count) {
+                             size_t max_delete, size_t* deleted_count,
+                             const char* skip_root_child) {
   int scanfd = dup(dirfd);
   if (scanfd < 0)
     return false;
@@ -213,6 +220,13 @@ static bool delete_extras_fd(int dirfd, const char* rel_path, ArrayList* manifes
   while ((entry = readdir(dir)) != NULL) {
     if (strcmp(entry->d_name, ".") == 0 || strcmp(entry->d_name, "..") == 0)
       continue;
+    /* A --delay-updates run keeps its staging directory as a direct child of
+       the receive root.  Its contents are not manifest entries yet (they are
+       published after deletion), so descending into it would delete every
+       staged file as an "extra".  Skip only the top-level staging name; nested
+       directories with the same name are ordinary destination content. */
+    if (rel_path[0] == '\0' && skip_root_child && strcmp(entry->d_name, skip_root_child) == 0)
+      continue;
     char* child_rel = path_cat((char*)rel_path, entry->d_name);
     if (!child_rel) {
       operation_ok = false;
@@ -234,7 +248,8 @@ static bool delete_extras_fd(int dirfd, const char* rel_path, ArrayList* manifes
       int childfd = openat(dirfd, entry->d_name, O_RDONLY | O_DIRECTORY | O_NOFOLLOW | O_CLOEXEC);
       bool child_removed = false;
       if (childfd >= 0) {
-        child_removed = delete_extras_fd(childfd, child_rel, manifest, max_delete, deleted_count);
+        child_removed = delete_extras_fd(childfd, child_rel, manifest, max_delete, deleted_count,
+                                         skip_root_child);
         if (!child_removed)
           operation_ok = false;
         close(childfd);
@@ -274,7 +289,9 @@ static bool delete_extras_fd(int dirfd, const char* rel_path, ArrayList* manifes
         } else {
           (*deleted_count)++;
         }
-        fprintf(stderr, "  Deleted: %s\n", child_rel);
+        char* escaped_path = output_escape(child_rel, log_get_8_bit_output());
+        fprintf(stderr, "  Deleted: %s\n", escaped_path ? escaped_path : "<allocation failed>");
+        free(escaped_path);
       }
     }
     free(child_rel);
@@ -283,7 +300,8 @@ static bool delete_extras_fd(int dirfd, const char* rel_path, ArrayList* manifes
   return operation_ok;
 }
 
-bool delete_extras_limited(const char* dest_root, ArrayList* manifest, size_t max_delete) {
+bool delete_extras_limited(const char* dest_root, ArrayList* manifest, size_t max_delete,
+                           const char* skip_root_child) {
   if (!manifest)
     return false;
   int rootfd;
@@ -300,14 +318,14 @@ bool delete_extras_limited(const char* dest_root, ArrayList* manifest, size_t ma
   if (rootfd < 0)
     return false;
   size_t deleted_count = 0;
-  bool ok = delete_extras_fd(rootfd, "", manifest, max_delete, &deleted_count);
+  bool ok = delete_extras_fd(rootfd, "", manifest, max_delete, &deleted_count, skip_root_child);
   if (close(rootfd) != 0)
     ok = false;
   return ok;
 }
 
 bool delete_extras(const char* dest_root, ArrayList* manifest) {
-  return delete_extras_limited(dest_root, manifest, SIZE_MAX);
+  return delete_extras_limited(dest_root, manifest, SIZE_MAX, NULL);
 }
 
 bool has_path_traversal(const char* path) {

src/shared/utils.h

@@ -5,17 +5,23 @@
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <stdbool.h>
 
-bool mkdir_r(const char* path);
 char* str_dup(const char* string);
+char* output_escape(const char* string, bool eight_bit_output);
 char* path_cat(const char* path1, const char* path2);
 bool glob_match(const char* pattern, const char* str);
 bool delete_extras(const char* dest_root, ArrayList* manifest);
-bool delete_extras_limited(const char* dest_root, ArrayList* manifest, size_t max_delete);
+/* Remove files/dirs under dest_root that are not listed in manifest.  When
+   skip_root_child is non-NULL, a direct child of dest_root with that exact
+   name is left untouched (used to protect the --delay-updates staging
+   directory, which holds files that are still to be published). */
+bool delete_extras_limited(const char* dest_root, ArrayList* manifest, size_t max_delete,
+                           const char* skip_root_child);
 bool utils_set_authorized_root(int fd, const char* canonical_path);
 /* The fd-only compatibility form is fail-closed for path-based operations;
  * callers should use utils_set_authorized_root with the canonical identity. */
 void utils_set_authorized_root_fd(int fd);
 bool has_path_traversal(const char* path);
 bool utils_valid_batch_path(const char* path);
+bool format_human_bytes(unsigned long long bytes, char* buffer, size_t buffer_size);
 
 #endif

tests/integration/test_tcp.py

@@ -71,6 +71,11 @@ class TestTCPFlags:
         r = _run_tcp_test("Compression (-c)", shared_server.port, ["-c"])
         assert r["status"] == "Success", r["error"]
 
+    def test_compression_threads(self, shared_server):
+        r = _run_tcp_test("Compression threads (-c --compress-threads=2)", shared_server.port,
+                          ["-c", "--compress-threads=2"])
+        assert r["status"] == "Success", r["error"]
+
     def test_chunk_serialization(self, shared_server):
         r = _run_tcp_test("Chunk Serialization (-s)", shared_server.port, ["-s"])
         assert r["status"] == "Success", r["error"]

tests/runner.c

@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 #include "test_array_list.h"
 #include "test_chunk.h"
+#include "test_change_list.h"
 #include "test_client_cli.h"
 #include "test_compression.h"
 #include "test_config.h"
 #include "test_data.h"
+#include "test_delay_updates.h"
 #include "test_delta.h"
 #include "test_file.h"
 #include "test_file_sendfile.h"
@@ -40,6 +42,7 @@ int main() {
   RUN_TEST(test_array_list);
   RUN_TEST(test_shared_utils);
   RUN_TEST(test_chunk);
+  RUN_TEST(test_change_list);
   RUN_TEST(test_config);
   RUN_TEST(test_compression);
   RUN_TEST(test_scanner);
@@ -49,6 +52,7 @@ int main() {
   RUN_TEST(test_metadata);
   RUN_TEST(test_glob);
   RUN_TEST(test_file);
+  RUN_TEST(test_delay_updates);
   RUN_TEST(test_file_sendfile);
   RUN_TEST(test_multiprocessing);
   RUN_TEST(test_log);

tests/test_change_list.c

@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+#include "test_change_list.h"
+#include "change_list.h"
+#include "test_utils.h"
+#include "utils.h"
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <time.h>
+
+static ChangeEvent sample_event(void) {
+  ChangeEvent event;
+  memset(&event, 0, sizeof(event));
+  event.path = "/srv/root/sub/file.txt";
+  event.decision = CHANGE_SENT;
+  event.is_directory = false;
+  event.size = 12345;
+  event.bytes_sent = 999;
+  event.mtime_sec = 1700000000;
+  return event;
+}
+
+static void test_format_tokens() {
+  ChangeEvent event = sample_event();
+  char* line = change_render_format("%f %n %l %b %M %%", &event);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(line);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(line, "/srv/root/sub/file.txt file.txt 12345 999 1700000000 %");
+  free(line);
+}
+
+static void test_format_unknown_tokens_preserved() {
+  ChangeEvent event = sample_event();
+  char* line = change_render_format("x%q=%f%z", &event);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(line);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(line, "x%q=/srv/root/sub/file.txt%z");
+  free(line);
+}
+
+static void test_format_leaf_name() {
+  ChangeEvent event = sample_event();
+  event.path = "bare.txt";
+  char* line = change_render_format("%n|%f", &event);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(line);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(line, "bare.txt|bare.txt");
+  free(line);
+}
+
+static void test_render_itemize_sent_file() {
+  ChangeEvent event = sample_event();
+  char* line = change_render_itemize(&event);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(line);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(line, ">f+++++++++ /srv/root/sub/file.txt");
+  free(line);
+}
+
+static void test_render_itemize_up_to_date_is_empty() {
+  ChangeEvent event = sample_event();
+  event.decision = CHANGE_UP_TO_DATE;
+  char* line = change_render_itemize(&event);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(line);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(line, "");
+  free(line);
+}
+
+static void test_render_list_line() {
+  char* line = change_render_list_line(0100644, 4096, 1700000000, "/srv/x.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(line);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(strncmp(line, "-rw-r--r--", 10) == 0);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(strstr(line, "4096") != NULL);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(strstr(line, "/srv/x.txt") != NULL);
+  free(line);
+}
+
+static void test_change_list_enabled() {
+  Config* config = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(config);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(change_list_enabled(config));
+  config->itemize_changes = true;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(change_list_enabled(config));
+  config->itemize_changes = false;
+  config->out_format = str_dup("%f");
+  EXPECT_TRUE(change_list_enabled(config));
+  free(config->out_format);
+  config->out_format = NULL;
+  EXPECT_FALSE(change_list_enabled(config));
+  /* config_delete() closes log_file, so use a throwaway tmpfile. */
+  config->log_file = tmpfile();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(config->log_file);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(change_list_enabled(config)); /* needs a format too */
+  config->log_file_format = str_dup("%n");
+  EXPECT_TRUE(change_list_enabled(config));
+  config_delete(config); /* closes config->log_file */
+}
+
+void test_change_list() {
+  test_format_tokens();
+  test_format_unknown_tokens_preserved();
+  test_format_leaf_name();
+  test_render_itemize_sent_file();
+  test_render_itemize_up_to_date_is_empty();
+  test_render_list_line();
+  test_change_list_enabled();
+}

tests/test_change_list.h

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#ifndef TEST_CHANGE_LIST_H
+#define TEST_CHANGE_LIST_H
+
+void test_change_list(void);
+
+#endif

tests/test_chunk.c

@@ -89,7 +89,78 @@ static void test_chunk_operations() {
   unlink(path2);
 }
 
+/* A chunk mixing a regular file and an explicit directory entry (--dirs, with
+ * or without metadata) must round-trip through serialize/deserialize with the
+ * is_dir flag and the entry type marker preserved. */
+static void test_chunk_dir_entry_roundtrip() {
+  const char* file_path = "temp_chunk_dir_file.txt";
+  const char* dir_path = "temp_chunk_dir_entry";
+  const char* content = "regular file payload";
+
+  /* A failed earlier run can leave artifacts behind; start clean. */
+  rmdir(dir_path);
+  unlink(file_path);
+
+  file_write_to_disk(file_path, content, strlen(content), false, false);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(dir_path, 0755), 0);
+
+  for (int use_metadata = 0; use_metadata <= 1; use_metadata++) {
+    struct stat st;
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat(file_path, &st), 0);
+
+    File* reg = file_create(file_path);
+    EXPECT_NOT_NULL(reg);
+    reg->data->size = (unsigned long long)st.st_size;
+    EXPECT_TRUE(file_load_data(reg));
+
+    File* dir = file_create(dir_path);
+    EXPECT_NOT_NULL(dir);
+    dir->is_dir = true;
+
+    if (use_metadata) {
+      reg->metadata = file_metadata_create(&st);
+      EXPECT_NOT_NULL(reg->metadata);
+      struct stat dst;
+      EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat(dir_path, &dst), 0);
+      dir->metadata = file_metadata_create(&dst);
+      EXPECT_NOT_NULL(dir->metadata);
+    }
+
+    File* files[2] = {reg, dir};
+    Chunk* chunk = chunk_create(files, 2);
+    EXPECT_NOT_NULL(chunk);
+
+    Data* serialized = chunk_serialize(chunk, use_metadata != 0);
+    EXPECT_NOT_NULL(serialized);
+    Chunk* deserialized = chunk_deserialize(serialized, use_metadata != 0);
+    EXPECT_NOT_NULL(deserialized);
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(deserialized->element_count, 2);
+    EXPECT_FALSE(deserialized->items[0]->is_dir);
+    EXPECT_EQ_STR(deserialized->items[0]->path, file_path);
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)deserialized->items[0]->data->size, (int)strlen(content));
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(memcmp(deserialized->items[0]->data->data, content, strlen(content)), 0);
+    EXPECT_TRUE(deserialized->items[1]->is_dir);
+    EXPECT_EQ_STR(deserialized->items[1]->path, dir_path);
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)deserialized->items[1]->data->size, 0);
+    if (use_metadata) {
+      EXPECT_NOT_NULL(deserialized->items[0]->metadata);
+      EXPECT_NOT_NULL(deserialized->items[1]->metadata);
+    } else {
+      EXPECT_NULL(deserialized->items[0]->metadata);
+      EXPECT_NULL(deserialized->items[1]->metadata);
+    }
+
+    data_destroy(serialized);
+    chunk_destroy(deserialized);
+    chunk_destroy(chunk); /* frees reg and dir */
+  }
+
+  unlink(file_path);
+  rmdir(dir_path);
+}
+
 void test_chunk() {
   test_file_operations();
   test_chunk_operations();
+  test_chunk_dir_entry_roundtrip();
 }

tests/test_compression.c

@@ -55,6 +55,31 @@ static void test_data_compress_decompress_large() {
   data_destroy(decompressed);
 }
 
+static void test_skip_compress_suffix_matching() {
+  char* suffixes[] = {".ZIP", ".GZ"};
+  EXPECT_TRUE(compression_should_skip_with_suffixes("archive.zip", suffixes, 2));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(compression_should_skip_with_suffixes("backup.TAR.GZ", suffixes, 2));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(compression_should_skip_with_suffixes("notes.txt", suffixes, 2));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(compression_should_skip_with_suffixes("archive.zip", suffixes, 0));
+}
+
+static void test_data_compress_with_threads_roundtrip() {
+  const size_t size = 8 * 1024 * 1024;
+  Data* input = data_create_empty(size);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(input);
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < size; i++)
+    ((char*)input->data)[i] = (char)((i / 4096) % 7);
+  Data* compressed = data_compress_with_threads(input, 3, 2);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(compressed);
+  Data* decompressed = data_decompress(compressed);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(decompressed);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)decompressed->size, (int)size);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(memcmp(decompressed->data, input->data, size), 0);
+  data_destroy(input);
+  data_destroy(compressed);
+  data_destroy(decompressed);
+}
+
 static void test_chunk_compress_decompress_roundtrip() {
   char* path1 = "temp_comp_test_1.txt";
   char* content1 = "chunk compression test file 1";
@@ -115,5 +140,7 @@ static void test_chunk_compress_decompress_roundtrip() {
 void test_compression() {
   test_data_compress_decompress_roundtrip();
   test_data_compress_decompress_large();
+  test_skip_compress_suffix_matching();
+  test_data_compress_with_threads_roundtrip();
   test_chunk_compress_decompress_roundtrip();
 }

tests/test_config.c

@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ static void test_pipeline_sender_lifecycle() {
   EXPECT_EQ_INT(pcs->queue_loader->capacity, 15);
   EXPECT_FALSE(pcs->scanner_done);
   EXPECT_FALSE(pcs->loader_done);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)pcs->allocation_session.max_alloc, (int)cfg->max_alloc);
 
   pipeline_context_sender_destroy(pcs);
 }
@@ -121,11 +122,28 @@ static void test_config_send_receive() {
   send_cfg->receive_root_directory = str_dup("/send/dst");
   send_cfg->save_to_disk = true;
   send_cfg->use_multithreading = true;
-  send_cfg->use_chunk_serialization = true;
+  send_cfg->use_chunk_serialization = false;
   send_cfg->use_compression = true;
   send_cfg->use_metadata = true;
+  send_cfg->use_executability = true;
+  send_cfg->use_delta = true;
+  send_cfg->whole_file = true;
+  send_cfg->ignore_times = true;
+  send_cfg->size_only = true;
   send_cfg->compression_level = 5;
   send_cfg->chunk_size = 1024;
+  send_cfg->eight_bit_output = true;
+  send_cfg->modify_window = 4;
+  send_cfg->existing = true;
+  send_cfg->ignore_existing = true;
+  send_cfg->delay_updates = true;
+  send_cfg->relative = true;
+  send_cfg->mkpath = true;
+  send_cfg->skip_compress_set = true;
+  send_cfg->skip_compress_count = 1;
+  send_cfg->skip_compress_suffixes = calloc(1, sizeof(char*));
+  send_cfg->skip_compress_suffixes[0] = str_dup(".zip");
+  send_cfg->max_alloc = MAX_SERVER_ALLOC + 1;
 
   /* Use socketpair for bidirectional communication */
   int p[2];
@@ -154,12 +172,39 @@ static void test_config_send_receive() {
         ok = false;
       if (!recv_cfg->use_multithreading)
         ok = false;
-      if (!recv_cfg->use_chunk_serialization)
+      if (recv_cfg->use_chunk_serialization)
         ok = false;
       if (recv_cfg->compression_level != 5)
         ok = false;
       if (recv_cfg->chunk_size != 1024)
         ok = false;
+      if (!recv_cfg->use_executability)
+        ok = false;
+      if (!recv_cfg->size_only)
+        ok = false;
+      if (!recv_cfg->ignore_times)
+        ok = false;
+      if (!recv_cfg->eight_bit_output)
+        ok = false;
+      if (recv_cfg->use_delta)
+        ok = false;
+      if (recv_cfg->modify_window != 4)
+        ok = false;
+      if (!recv_cfg->existing)
+        ok = false;
+      if (!recv_cfg->ignore_existing)
+        ok = false;
+      if (!recv_cfg->delay_updates)
+        ok = false;
+      if (!recv_cfg->relative)
+        ok = false;
+      if (!recv_cfg->mkpath)
+        ok = false;
+      if (!recv_cfg->skip_compress_set || recv_cfg->skip_compress_count != 1 ||
+          strcmp(recv_cfg->skip_compress_suffixes[0], ".zip") != 0)
+        ok = false;
+      if (recv_cfg->max_alloc != MAX_SERVER_ALLOC)
+        ok = false;
     }
     config_delete(recv_cfg);
     close(p[0]);
@@ -185,11 +230,11 @@ static void test_config_send_receive() {
 }
 
 static void test_config_send_receive_version_mismatch() {
-  /* Create a config with a different protocol version */
+  /* A peer using the previous wire format must be rejected. */
   Config* cfg = config_create();
   EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
   free(cfg->version);
-  cfg->version = str_dup("0.0");
+  cfg->version = str_dup("2.3.0");
   cfg->send_directory = str_dup("/src");
   cfg->receive_root_directory = str_dup("/dst");
 
@@ -233,6 +278,8 @@ static void test_config_receive_truncated() {
   /* A valid prefix exercises cleanup after allocated wire strings and a
    * partially received scalar field. */
   EXPECT_TRUE(send_str(p[1], PROTOCOL_VERSION));
+  unsigned long long max_alloc = DEFAULT_MAX_ALLOC;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &max_alloc, sizeof(max_alloc)));
   EXPECT_TRUE(send_str(p[1], "/src"));
   EXPECT_TRUE(send_str(p[1], "/dst"));
   EXPECT_TRUE(send_int(p[1], 1));
@@ -244,6 +291,153 @@ static void test_config_receive_truncated() {
   close(p[1]);
 }
 
+static bool config_string_roundtrip_matches(const Config* send_cfg, Config* recv) {
+  /* The sender serializes NULL strings as "" on the wire.  Receivers must
+     canonicalize those empty values back to NULL for the options whose client
+     default is NULL (backup_dir, temp_dir, partial_dir, suffix), while a real
+     non-empty value round-trips unchanged. */
+  const char* fields[4];
+  char* const* recv_fields[4];
+  fields[0] = send_cfg->backup_dir;
+  recv_fields[0] = &recv->backup_dir;
+  fields[1] = send_cfg->temp_dir;
+  recv_fields[1] = &recv->temp_dir;
+  fields[2] = send_cfg->partial_dir;
+  recv_fields[2] = &recv->partial_dir;
+  fields[3] = send_cfg->suffix;
+  recv_fields[3] = &recv->suffix;
+  for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
+    const char* sent = fields[i];
+    const char* got = *recv_fields[i];
+    if (sent == NULL || sent[0] == '\0') {
+      if (got != NULL)
+        return false;
+    } else if (got == NULL || strcmp(sent, got) != 0) {
+      return false;
+    }
+  }
+  return true;
+}
+
+static bool roundtrip_config_ok(const Config* send_cfg) {
+  int p[2];
+  if (socketpair(AF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0, p) != 0)
+    return false;
+  pid_t pid = fork();
+  if (pid == 0) {
+    close(p[1]);
+    io_set_fds(p[0], p[0]);
+    Config* recv = config_receive(p[0]);
+    bool ok = recv != NULL;
+    if (ok) {
+      ok = recv->version != NULL && strcmp(recv->version, PROTOCOL_VERSION) == 0;
+      ok = ok && recv->send_directory && recv->receive_root_directory;
+      ok = ok && config_string_roundtrip_matches(send_cfg, recv);
+    }
+    config_delete(recv);
+    close(p[0]);
+    _exit(ok ? 0 : 1);
+  } else {
+    close(p[0]);
+    io_set_fds(p[1], p[1]);
+    bool sent = config_send(p[1], send_cfg);
+    int status;
+    waitpid(pid, &status, 0);
+    close(p[1]);
+    return sent && WIFEXITED(status) && WEXITSTATUS(status) == 0;
+  }
+}
+
+/* Issue #252: NULL-vs-empty must survive the wire for backup_dir, temp_dir,
+   partial_dir, and suffix.  NULL and explicitly-empty client values are both
+   serialized as "" and must be reconstructed as NULL so plain --backup (with
+   no --suffix/--backup-dir) works exactly like the client configured it. */
+static void test_config_string_null_vs_empty_roundtrip() {
+  if (is_running_under_valgrind())
+    return;
+
+  /* NULL values on the wire must come back as NULL. */
+  Config* a = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(a);
+  a->send_directory = str_dup("/src");
+  a->receive_root_directory = str_dup("/dst");
+  EXPECT_TRUE(roundtrip_config_ok(a));
+  config_delete(a);
+
+  /* Explicitly empty strings (indistinguishable on the wire from NULL) must
+     be canonicalized to NULL by the receiver. */
+  Config* b = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(b);
+  b->send_directory = str_dup("/src");
+  b->receive_root_directory = str_dup("/dst");
+  b->backup_dir = str_dup("");
+  b->temp_dir = str_dup("");
+  b->partial_dir = str_dup("");
+  b->suffix = str_dup("");
+  EXPECT_TRUE(roundtrip_config_ok(b));
+  config_delete(b);
+
+  /* Non-empty values must round-trip unchanged. */
+  Config* c = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(c);
+  c->send_directory = str_dup("/src");
+  c->receive_root_directory = str_dup("/dst");
+  c->backup_dir = str_dup("backups");
+  c->temp_dir = str_dup("/tmp/fast");
+  c->partial_dir = str_dup(".partial");
+  c->suffix = str_dup(".bak");
+  EXPECT_TRUE(roundtrip_config_ok(c));
+  config_delete(c);
+}
+
+/* A --temp-dir value must survive config_send/config_receive unchanged on the
+   receive side (round-trips through the resume-options wire block). */
+static void test_config_temp_dir_roundtrip() {
+  if (is_running_under_valgrind())
+    return;
+  Config* c = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(c);
+  c->send_directory = str_dup("/src");
+  c->receive_root_directory = str_dup("/dst");
+  c->temp_dir = str_dup("scratch");
+  EXPECT_TRUE(roundtrip_config_ok(c));
+  config_delete(c);
+
+  /* An empty-STRING wire value is canonicalized back to NULL (never an empty
+     scratch-dir name). */
+  c = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(c);
+  c->send_directory = str_dup("/src");
+  c->receive_root_directory = str_dup("/dst");
+  c->temp_dir = str_dup("");
+  EXPECT_TRUE(roundtrip_config_ok(c));
+  config_delete(c);
+}
+
+static void test_config_delay_updates_reserved_backup_rejected() {
+  if (is_running_under_valgrind())
+    return;
+  Config* c = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(c);
+  c->send_directory = str_dup("/src");
+  c->receive_root_directory = str_dup("/dst");
+  c->delay_updates = true;
+  c->backup_dir = str_dup(".fastsync-stage");
+  /* The receiver-side wire validation must reject a --backup-dir that collides
+     with the internal delay-updates staging directory. */
+  EXPECT_FALSE(roundtrip_config_ok(c));
+  config_delete(c);
+
+  c = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(c);
+  c->send_directory = str_dup("/src");
+  c->receive_root_directory = str_dup("/dst");
+  c->delay_updates = true;
+  c->backup_dir = str_dup("backups");
+  EXPECT_TRUE(roundtrip_config_ok(c));
+  config_delete(c);
+}
+
 static void test_config_is_remote_dest() {
   /* Valid SSH-style destinations */
   EXPECT_TRUE(config_is_remote_dest("user@host:/path"));
@@ -277,6 +471,9 @@ void test_config() {
     test_config_send_receive();
     test_config_send_receive_version_mismatch();
     test_config_receive_truncated();
+    test_config_string_null_vs_empty_roundtrip();
+    test_config_temp_dir_roundtrip();
+    test_config_delay_updates_reserved_backup_rejected();
   }
   test_config_is_remote_dest();
 }

tests/test_delay_updates.c

@@ -0,0 +1,296 @@
+#include "test_delay_updates.h"
+#include "config.h"
+#include "delay_updates.h"
+#include "file.h"
+#include "file_receive.h"
+#include "test_utils.h"
+#include "utils.h"
+#include <dirent.h>
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+/* Recursively remove a test tree (never follows symlinks). */
+static void remove_tree(const char* path) {
+  struct stat st;
+  if (lstat(path, &st) != 0)
+    return;
+  if (S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)) {
+    DIR* dir = opendir(path);
+    if (!dir)
+      return;
+    const struct dirent* entry;
+    while ((entry = readdir(dir)) != NULL) {
+      if (strcmp(entry->d_name, ".") == 0 || strcmp(entry->d_name, "..") == 0)
+        continue;
+      char* child = path_cat(path, entry->d_name);
+      if (child) {
+        remove_tree(child);
+        free(child);
+      }
+    }
+    closedir(dir);
+    rmdir(path);
+  } else {
+    unlink(path);
+  }
+}
+
+/* Build a File that carries `content`. */
+static File* make_file(const char* path, const char* content) {
+  File* f = file_create(path);
+  if (!f)
+    return NULL;
+  f->data->data = malloc(strlen(content));
+  if (!f->data->data) {
+    file_destroy(f);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  memcpy(f->data->data, content, strlen(content));
+  f->data->size = strlen(content);
+  return f;
+}
+
+static char* read_all(const char* path) {
+  FILE* fp = fopen(path, "rb");
+  if (!fp)
+    return NULL;
+  char buf[256] = {0};
+  size_t n = fread(buf, 1, sizeof(buf) - 1, fp);
+  fclose(fp);
+  char* out = malloc(n + 1);
+  if (!out)
+    return NULL;
+  memcpy(out, buf, n);
+  out[n] = '\0';
+  return out;
+}
+
+static void test_delay_updates_no_final_before_publish() {
+  const char* root = "test_delay_tmp";
+  remove_tree(root);
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  cfg->delay_updates = true;
+
+  File* f = make_file("sub/file.txt", "staged payload");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (!cfg || !f)
+    goto out;
+
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, f, cfg), FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg->delay_context);
+
+  const char* final_path = "test_delay_tmp/sub/file.txt";
+  /* Before publication the final destination must not contain the file. */
+  EXPECT_FALSE(file_path_exists_secure(final_path));
+  /* The complete staged copy must live inside the staging tree. */
+  char* staged = path_cat("test_delay_tmp/.fastsync-stage", "/sub/file.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(staged);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (staged) {
+    char* content = read_all(staged);
+    EXPECT_NOT_NULL(content);
+    // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+    if (content) {
+      EXPECT_EQ_STR(content, "staged payload");
+      free(content);
+    }
+    free(staged);
+  }
+
+out:
+  file_destroy(f);
+  config_delete(cfg);
+  remove_tree(root);
+}
+
+static void test_delay_updates_publish_installs_files() {
+  const char* root = "test_delay_pub_tmp";
+  remove_tree(root);
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  cfg->delay_updates = true;
+
+  File* f = make_file("sub/file.txt", "published payload");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (!cfg || !f)
+    goto out;
+
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, f, cfg), FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN);
+  const char* final_path = "test_delay_pub_tmp/sub/file.txt";
+  EXPECT_FALSE(file_path_exists_secure(final_path));
+
+  EXPECT_TRUE(delay_updates_publish(cfg->delay_context, cfg));
+  /* After a successful publish the file is installed and staging is gone. */
+  char* content = read_all(final_path);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(content);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (content) {
+    EXPECT_EQ_STR(content, "published payload");
+    free(content);
+  }
+  EXPECT_FALSE(file_path_exists_secure("test_delay_pub_tmp/.fastsync-stage"));
+
+out:
+  file_destroy(f);
+  config_delete(cfg);
+  remove_tree(root);
+}
+
+/* The staged tree is cleaned on the error/abort path and final files that were
+   never published do not appear at the destination. */
+static void test_delay_updates_cleanup_removes_staged() {
+  const char* root = "test_delay_clean_tmp";
+  remove_tree(root);
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  cfg->delay_updates = true;
+
+  File* f = make_file("sub/file.txt", "never installed");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (!cfg || !f)
+    goto out;
+
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, f, cfg), FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_path_exists_secure("test_delay_clean_tmp/.fastsync-stage/sub/file.txt"));
+
+  delay_updates_cleanup(cfg->delay_context);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(file_path_exists_secure("test_delay_clean_tmp/.fastsync-stage"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(file_path_exists_secure("test_delay_clean_tmp/sub/file.txt"));
+
+out:
+  file_destroy(f);
+  config_delete(cfg);
+  remove_tree(root);
+}
+
+/* With --backup the previous version is only moved aside at publication. */
+static void test_delay_updates_backup_deferred_to_publish() {
+  const char* root = "test_delay_bak_tmp";
+  remove_tree(root);
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  cfg->delay_updates = true;
+  cfg->backup = true;
+
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_write_to_disk("test_delay_bak_tmp/file.txt", "AAAA", 4, false, false));
+
+  File* f = make_file("file.txt", "BBBB");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (!cfg || !f)
+    goto out;
+
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, f, cfg), FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN);
+  /* Stage time must not touch the final file or create the backup yet. */
+  char* before = read_all("test_delay_bak_tmp/file.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(before);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (before) {
+    EXPECT_EQ_STR(before, "AAAA");
+    free(before);
+  }
+  EXPECT_FALSE(file_path_exists_secure("test_delay_bak_tmp/file.txt~"));
+
+  EXPECT_TRUE(delay_updates_publish(cfg->delay_context, cfg));
+  char* after = read_all("test_delay_bak_tmp/file.txt");
+  char* backup = read_all("test_delay_bak_tmp/file.txt~");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(after);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(backup);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (after) {
+    EXPECT_EQ_STR(after, "BBBB");
+    free(after);
+  }
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (backup) {
+    EXPECT_EQ_STR(backup, "AAAA");
+    free(backup);
+  }
+
+out:
+  file_destroy(f);
+  config_delete(cfg);
+  remove_tree(root);
+}
+
+/* Skip/update policy checks run against the final path at stage time, matching
+   what an immediate run would decide. */
+static void test_delay_updates_skip_semantics() {
+  const char* root = "test_delay_skip_tmp";
+  remove_tree(root);
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  cfg->delay_updates = true;
+
+  /* --existing: final destination missing -> skipped, nothing staged. */
+  File* missing = make_file("missing.txt", "new");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(missing);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (!cfg || !missing)
+    goto out;
+  cfg->existing = true;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, missing, cfg), FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED);
+  cfg->existing = false;
+
+  /* --ignore-existing: final destination present -> skipped. */
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_write_to_disk("test_delay_skip_tmp/existing.txt", "old", 3, false, false));
+  File* present = make_file("existing.txt", "new");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(present);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (!present)
+    goto out;
+  cfg->ignore_existing = true;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, present, cfg), FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED);
+  cfg->ignore_existing = false;
+
+  /* Without a skip flag the file is staged and later published. */
+  File* fresh = make_file("fresh.txt", "content");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(fresh);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (!fresh)
+    goto out;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, fresh, cfg), FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(delay_updates_publish(cfg->delay_context, cfg));
+  char* content = read_all("test_delay_skip_tmp/fresh.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(content);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (content) {
+    EXPECT_EQ_STR(content, "content");
+    free(content);
+  }
+
+out:
+  file_destroy(missing);
+  file_destroy(present);
+  file_destroy(fresh);
+  config_delete(cfg);
+  remove_tree(root);
+}
+
+/* The reserved staging name must be recognizable for validation, including
+   with a trailing slash. */
+static void test_delay_updates_reserved_name_helper() {
+  EXPECT_TRUE(delay_updates_staging_name_conflict(".fastsync-stage"));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(delay_updates_staging_name_conflict(".fastsync-stage/"));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(delay_updates_staging_name_conflict(".fastsync-stage///"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(delay_updates_staging_name_conflict(NULL));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(delay_updates_staging_name_conflict(""));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(delay_updates_staging_name_conflict("backups"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(delay_updates_staging_name_conflict(".fastsync-stage.bak"));
+}
+
+void test_delay_updates() {
+  test_delay_updates_reserved_name_helper();
+  test_delay_updates_no_final_before_publish();
+  test_delay_updates_publish_installs_files();
+  test_delay_updates_cleanup_removes_staged();
+  test_delay_updates_backup_deferred_to_publish();
+  test_delay_updates_skip_semantics();
+}

tests/test_delay_updates.h

@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#ifndef TEST_DELAY_UPDATES_H
+#define TEST_DELAY_UPDATES_H
+
+void test_delay_updates(void);
+
+#endif

tests/test_delta.c

@@ -343,6 +343,297 @@ static void test_delta_apply_rejects_output_overflow() {
   EXPECT_TRUE(delta_apply(old_data, sizeof(old_data), &delta, 1) == NULL);
 }
 
+/* ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ * Hash-index lookup differential tests.
+ *
+ * delta_compute buckets signature blocks by their weak checksum.  These tests
+ * prove the bucket-indexed candidate lookup is behaviour-identical to the
+ * original per-window linear scan: the emitted instruction stream (types,
+ * lengths, literal bytes and chosen block indices) must match a naive linear
+ * reference exactly, and the delta must reconstruct the new buffer.
+ * ------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
+
+#define REF_NO_MATCH UINT32_MAX
+
+typedef struct {
+  DeltaInstruction* items;
+  uint32_t count;
+  uint32_t cap;
+} RefDelta;
+
+static void ref_delta_free(RefDelta* ref) {
+  if (!ref->items)
+    return;
+  for (uint32_t i = 0; i < ref->count; i++)
+    if (ref->items[i].type == DELTA_INSTR_LITERAL)
+      free(ref->items[i].literal.data);
+  free(ref->items);
+  ref->items = NULL;
+  ref->count = 0;
+  ref->cap = 0;
+}
+
+static bool ref_delta_push(RefDelta* ref, DeltaInstruction instr) {
+  if (ref->count == ref->cap) {
+    uint32_t new_cap = ref->cap ? ref->cap * 2 : 16;
+    DeltaInstruction* tmp = realloc(ref->items, (size_t)new_cap * sizeof(DeltaInstruction));
+    if (!tmp)
+      return false;
+    ref->items = tmp;
+    ref->cap = new_cap;
+  }
+  ref->items[ref->count++] = instr;
+  return true;
+}
+
+static bool ref_delta_flush_literal(RefDelta* ref, const uint8_t* data, uint64_t start,
+                                    uint64_t end) {
+  if (start >= end)
+    return true;
+  uint8_t* lit = malloc((size_t)(end - start));
+  if (!lit)
+    return false;
+  memcpy(lit, data + start, (size_t)(end - start));
+  DeltaInstruction instr = {
+      .type = DELTA_INSTR_LITERAL,
+      .literal = {.data = lit, .length = (uint32_t)(end - start)},
+  };
+  return ref_delta_push(ref, instr);
+}
+
+/* Naive O(windows x blocks) re-implementation of the historical delta_compute
+ * candidate scan: only full windows may match, a candidate needs both the weak
+ * (Adler-32) and strong (xxHash32) checksums to agree, and the lowest matching
+ * block index is selected. */
+static bool ref_delta_build(RefDelta* ref, const uint8_t* new_data, uint64_t new_size,
+                            const DeltaSignature* sig) {
+  uint32_t block_size = sig->block_size;
+  uint64_t i = 0;
+  uint64_t literal_start = 0;
+  bool has_literal = false;
+
+  while (i < new_size) {
+    uint32_t window_len = (uint32_t)((new_size - i < block_size) ? (new_size - i) : block_size);
+    bool full_window = (window_len == block_size);
+
+    uint32_t matched = REF_NO_MATCH;
+    if (full_window) {
+      uint32_t adler = delta_adler32(new_data + i, window_len);
+      for (uint32_t j = 0; j < sig->block_count; j++) {
+        if (sig->blocks[j].adler32 == adler &&
+            delta_xxhash32(new_data + i, window_len) == sig->blocks[j].xxhash) {
+          matched = j;
+          break;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (matched != REF_NO_MATCH) {
+      if (has_literal) {
+        if (!ref_delta_flush_literal(ref, new_data, literal_start, i))
+          return false;
+        has_literal = false;
+      }
+      DeltaInstruction instr = {
+          .type = DELTA_INSTR_BLOCK_MATCH,
+          .match = {.block_index = matched, .block_offset = 0, .length = window_len},
+      };
+      if (!ref_delta_push(ref, instr))
+        return false;
+      i += window_len;
+    } else {
+      if (!has_literal) {
+        literal_start = i;
+        has_literal = true;
+      }
+      i++;
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (has_literal && !ref_delta_flush_literal(ref, new_data, literal_start, new_size))
+    return false;
+  return true;
+}
+
+static bool ref_delta_matches(const RefDelta* ref, const Delta* delta) {
+  if (ref->count != delta->instruction_count)
+    return false;
+  for (uint32_t i = 0; i < ref->count; i++) {
+    const DeltaInstruction* a = &ref->items[i];
+    const DeltaInstruction* b = &delta->instructions[i];
+    if (a->type != b->type)
+      return false;
+    if (a->type == DELTA_INSTR_BLOCK_MATCH) {
+      if (a->match.block_index != b->match.block_index ||
+          a->match.block_offset != b->match.block_offset || a->match.length != b->match.length)
+        return false;
+    } else {
+      if (a->literal.length != b->literal.length ||
+          memcmp(a->literal.data, b->literal.data, a->literal.length) != 0)
+        return false;
+    }
+  }
+  return true;
+}
+
+static void expect_linear_reference_match(const uint8_t* old_data, uint64_t old_size,
+                                          const uint8_t* new_data, uint64_t new_size,
+                                          uint32_t block_size, const char* label) {
+  DeltaSignature* sig = delta_signature_create(old_data, old_size, block_size);
+  if (!sig) {
+    printf("      [FAIL] %s: signature creation failed\n", label);
+    EXPECT_NOT_NULL(sig);
+    return;
+  }
+  Delta* delta = delta_compute(new_data, new_size, sig, block_size);
+  if (!delta) {
+    printf("      [FAIL] %s: delta_compute returned NULL\n", label);
+    delta_signature_destroy(sig);
+    EXPECT_NOT_NULL(delta);
+    return;
+  }
+  RefDelta ref = {0};
+  bool ok = ref_delta_build(&ref, new_data, new_size, sig);
+  if (ok)
+    ok = ref_delta_matches(&ref, delta);
+  if (!ok) {
+    printf("      [FAIL] %s: instruction stream differs from linear reference "
+           "(linear=%u indexed=%u)\n",
+           label, ref.count, delta->instruction_count);
+  }
+  ref_delta_free(&ref);
+  delta_destroy(delta);
+  delta_signature_destroy(sig);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(ok);
+}
+
+static void fill_delta_pattern(uint8_t* buf, uint64_t size, uint32_t seed) {
+  uint32_t x = seed ? seed : 1;
+  for (uint64_t i = 0; i < size; i++) {
+    x ^= x << 13;
+    x ^= x >> 17;
+    x ^= x << 5;
+    buf[i] = (uint8_t)(x >> 24);
+  }
+}
+
+static void test_delta_hash_index_matches_linear_reference() {
+  /* Identical file (full block alignment). */
+  uint8_t old_a[32768];
+  uint8_t new_a[32768];
+  fill_delta_pattern(old_a, sizeof(old_a), 42);
+  memcpy(new_a, old_a, sizeof(old_a));
+  expect_linear_reference_match(old_a, sizeof(old_a), new_a, sizeof(new_a), 2048,
+                                "identical 32KiB @ 2KiB");
+
+  /* Scattered single-byte edits in the middle of each block. */
+  uint8_t new_b[32768];
+  memcpy(new_b, old_a, sizeof(old_a));
+  for (size_t p = 100; p < sizeof(new_b); p += 4096)
+    new_b[p] ^= 0x5A;
+  expect_linear_reference_match(old_a, sizeof(old_a), new_b, sizeof(new_b), 2048,
+                                "32KiB scattered single-byte edits @ 2KiB");
+
+  /* Non-aligned old file (partial final block) with a single edit. */
+  uint8_t old_c[30000];
+  uint8_t new_c[30000];
+  fill_delta_pattern(old_c, sizeof(old_c), 7);
+  memcpy(new_c, old_c, sizeof(old_c));
+  new_c[15000] ^= 0x3C;
+  expect_linear_reference_match(old_c, sizeof(old_c), new_c, sizeof(new_c), 2048,
+                                "30KiB partial-tail single edit @ 2KiB");
+
+  /* Growth: appended data after an identical prefix. */
+  uint8_t old_d[24576];
+  uint8_t new_d[34576];
+  fill_delta_pattern(old_d, sizeof(old_d), 11);
+  memcpy(new_d, old_d, sizeof(old_d));
+  fill_delta_pattern(new_d + sizeof(old_d), sizeof(new_d) - sizeof(old_d), 23);
+  expect_linear_reference_match(old_d, sizeof(old_d), new_d, sizeof(new_d), 2048,
+                                "24KiB -> 34KiB appended @ 2KiB");
+
+  /* Insertion shifting everything after the edit point (rsync re-sync). */
+  uint8_t old_e[65536];
+  uint8_t new_e[65536 + 3000];
+  fill_delta_pattern(old_e, sizeof(old_e), 99);
+  memcpy(new_e, old_e, 20000);
+  fill_delta_pattern(new_e + 20000, 3000, 101);
+  memcpy(new_e + 23000, old_e + 20000, sizeof(old_e) - 20000);
+  expect_linear_reference_match(old_e, sizeof(old_e), new_e, sizeof(new_e), 2048,
+                                "64KiB + 3KiB insertion @ 2KiB");
+
+  /* Deletion shrinking the file. */
+  uint8_t new_f[sizeof(old_e) - 5000];
+  memcpy(new_f, old_e, 30000);
+  memcpy(new_f + 30000, old_e + 35000, sizeof(old_e) - 35000);
+  expect_linear_reference_match(old_e, sizeof(old_e), new_f, sizeof(new_f), 2048,
+                                "64KiB - 5KiB deletion @ 2KiB");
+
+  /* Repeated identical blocks must resolve to the lowest block index. */
+  uint8_t old_g[4 * 4096];
+  uint8_t new_g[4 * 4096];
+  for (uint32_t b = 0; b < 4; b++)
+    fill_delta_pattern(old_g + b * 4096, 4096, b % 2 == 0 ? 500 : 501); /* block0==block2 */
+  memcpy(new_g, old_g, sizeof(old_g));
+  new_g[4096 + 5] ^= 0x11; /* edit inside the second (duplicated) chunk */
+  expect_linear_reference_match(old_g, sizeof(old_g), new_g, sizeof(new_g), 4096,
+                                "duplicated chunks @ 4KiB");
+
+  /* Block larger than the file: nothing can match, all literal. */
+  uint8_t old_h[1000];
+  uint8_t new_h[1000];
+  fill_delta_pattern(old_h, sizeof(old_h), 3);
+  memcpy(new_h, old_h, sizeof(old_h));
+  expect_linear_reference_match(old_h, sizeof(old_h), new_h, sizeof(new_h), 4096,
+                                "1KiB file @ 4KiB block");
+}
+
+static void test_delta_hash_index_large_mostly_matching() {
+  const uint64_t size = 4ULL * 1024 * 1024;
+  const uint32_t block_size = 8192;
+
+  uint8_t* old_data = malloc((size_t)size);
+  uint8_t* new_data = malloc((size_t)size);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(old_data != NULL && new_data != NULL);
+
+  fill_delta_pattern(old_data, size, 1234);
+  memcpy(new_data, old_data, (size_t)size);
+
+  /* Scattered single-byte changes across the whole buffer.  Each change forces
+   * the diff to re-synchronise by walking one byte at a time through the
+   * affected block, which is exactly the case that used to cost O(bytes x
+   * blocks) with the linear scan. */
+  const uint64_t nchanges = 64;
+  for (uint64_t c = 0; c < nchanges; c++) {
+    uint64_t pos = (c * (size / nchanges)) + (c % 17);
+    new_data[pos] ^= (uint8_t)(0xA0 + (c % 16));
+  }
+
+  DeltaSignature* sig = delta_signature_create(old_data, size, block_size);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(sig);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)sig->block_count, (int)(size / block_size));
+
+  Delta* delta = delta_compute(new_data, size, sig, block_size);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(delta);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)delta->new_file_size, (int)size);
+
+  uint32_t match_count = 0;
+  for (uint32_t i = 0; i < delta->instruction_count; i++)
+    if (delta->instructions[i].type == DELTA_INSTR_BLOCK_MATCH)
+      match_count++;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(match_count > 0);
+
+  void* result = delta_apply(old_data, size, delta, block_size);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(result);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(memcmp(result, new_data, (size_t)size), 0);
+
+  free(result);
+  delta_destroy(delta);
+  delta_signature_destroy(sig);
+  free(old_data);
+  free(new_data);
+}
+
 void test_delta() {
   test_adler32_basic();
   test_adler32_different_data();
@@ -360,4 +651,6 @@ void test_delta() {
   test_is_worthwhile();
   test_large_file_delta();
   test_delta_apply_rejects_output_overflow();
+  test_delta_hash_index_matches_linear_reference();
+  test_delta_hash_index_large_mostly_matching();
 }

tests/test_file.c

@@ -1,13 +1,16 @@
 #include "test_file.h"
 #include "file.h"
 #include "data.h"
+#include "config.h"
 #include "utils.h"
 #include "protocol.h"
 #include "test_utils.h"
+#include <fcntl.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
 #include <sys/wait.h>
+#include <time.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
 static void test_file_create() {
@@ -88,6 +91,272 @@ static void test_file_save_to_disk() {
   rmdir("test_save_tmp");
 }
 
+static void test_file_save_to_disk_with_fsync_config() {
+  File* f = file_create("saved_file_fsync.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f);
+  const char* content = "Save to disk with fsync";
+  f->data->data = malloc(strlen(content));
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f->data->data);
+  memcpy(f->data->data, content, strlen(content));
+  f->data->size = strlen(content);
+
+  Config* config = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(config);
+  config->use_fsync = true;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_save_to_disk("test_save_fsync_tmp", f, config));
+
+  struct stat st;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat("test_save_fsync_tmp/saved_file_fsync.txt", &st), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)st.st_size, (int)strlen(content));
+
+  file_destroy(f);
+  config_delete(config);
+  unlink("test_save_fsync_tmp/saved_file_fsync.txt");
+  rmdir("test_save_fsync_tmp");
+}
+
+static void test_file_save_to_disk_existing() {
+  const char* root = "test_existing_tmp";
+  const char* existing_path = "test_existing_tmp/existing.txt";
+  const char* missing_path = "test_existing_tmp/missing.txt";
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_write_to_disk(existing_path, "old", 3, false, false));
+
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  cfg->existing = true;
+
+  File* existing = file_create("existing.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(existing);
+  existing->data->data = malloc(3);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(existing->data->data);
+  memcpy(existing->data->data, "new", 3);
+  existing->data->size = 3;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_save_to_disk(root, existing, cfg));
+  file_destroy(existing);
+
+  File* missing = file_create("missing.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(missing);
+  missing->data->data = malloc(7);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(missing->data->data);
+  memcpy(missing->data->data, "skipped", 7);
+  missing->data->size = 7;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_save_to_disk(root, missing, cfg));
+  file_destroy(missing);
+
+  FILE* fp = fopen(existing_path, "rb");
+  char content[4] = {0};
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(fp);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (fp) {
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)fread(content, 1, 3, fp), 3);
+    fclose(fp);
+  }
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(content, "new");
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(access(missing_path, F_OK), -1);
+
+  config_delete(cfg);
+  unlink(existing_path);
+  rmdir("test_existing_tmp");
+}
+
+static void test_file_save_to_disk_ignore_existing() {
+  const char* path = "test_ignore_existing_tmp/existing.txt";
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_write_to_disk(path, "old", 3, false, false));
+
+  File* file = file_create("existing.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(file);
+  file->data->data = malloc(3);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(file->data->data);
+  memcpy(file->data->data, "new", 3);
+  file->data->size = 3;
+
+  Config* config = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(config);
+  config->ignore_existing = true;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_save_to_disk("test_ignore_existing_tmp", file, config));
+
+  FILE* stream = fopen(path, "rb");
+  char content[4] = {0};
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(stream);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (stream) {
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)fread(content, 1, 3, stream), 3);
+    fclose(stream);
+  }
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(content, "old");
+
+  file_destroy(file);
+  config_delete(config);
+  unlink(path);
+  rmdir("test_ignore_existing_tmp");
+}
+
+static void test_file_save_to_disk_ignore_existing_entry_types() {
+  const char* root = "test_ignore_existing_entries_tmp";
+  const char* directory = "test_ignore_existing_entries_tmp/directory";
+  const char* link = "test_ignore_existing_entries_tmp/link";
+  const char* target = "test_ignore_existing_entries_tmp/target";
+  const char* backup = "test_ignore_existing_entries_tmp/backup.txt~";
+  const char* backup_file = "test_ignore_existing_entries_tmp/backup.txt";
+  Config* config = config_create();
+  File* file = file_create("unused");
+
+  unlink(link);
+  unlink(target);
+  unlink(backup);
+  unlink(backup_file);
+  rmdir(directory);
+  rmdir(root);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(config);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(file);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (!config || !file)
+    return;
+  config->ignore_existing = true;
+  config->backup = true;
+  file->data->data = malloc(3);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(file->data->data);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (!file->data->data) {
+    file_destroy(file);
+    config_delete(config);
+    return;
+  }
+  memcpy(file->data->data, "new", 3);
+  file->data->size = 3;
+
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(directory, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_write_to_disk(target, "old", 3, false, false));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(symlink("target", link), 0);
+  free(file->path);
+  file->path = str_dup("directory");
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_save_to_disk(root, file, config));
+  free(file->path);
+  file->path = str_dup("link");
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_save_to_disk(root, file, config));
+
+  free(file->path);
+  file->path = str_dup("backup.txt");
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_write_to_disk(backup_file, "old", 3, false, false));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_save_to_disk(root, file, config));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_path_exists_secure(backup_file));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(file_path_exists_secure(backup));
+
+  file_destroy(file);
+  config_delete(config);
+  unlink(link);
+  unlink(target);
+  unlink(backup_file);
+  rmdir(directory);
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+/* Issue #253: with --partial --partial-dir a completed write must be installed
+   at the real destination rather than left under the partial directory. */
+static void test_file_save_to_disk_partial_install() {
+  const char* root = "test_partial_install_tmp";
+  const char* dest_file = "test_partial_install_tmp/file.txt";
+  const char* partial_file = "test_partial_install_tmp/.partial/file.txt";
+  unlink(dest_file);
+  unlink(partial_file);
+  rmdir("test_partial_install_tmp/.partial");
+  rmdir(root);
+
+  File* f = file_create("file.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f);
+  const char* content = "partial-dir content";
+  f->data->data = malloc(strlen(content));
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f->data->data);
+  memcpy(f->data->data, content, strlen(content));
+  f->data->size = strlen(content);
+
+  Config* config = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(config);
+  config->partial = true;
+  config->partial_dir = str_dup(".partial");
+
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, f, config), FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN);
+
+  FILE* fp = fopen(dest_file, "rb");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(fp);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (fp) {
+    char buf[64] = {0};
+    size_t nread = fread(buf, 1, sizeof(buf) - 1, fp);
+    fclose(fp);
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)nread, (int)strlen(content));
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(memcmp(buf, content, strlen(content)), 0);
+  }
+  /* A completed transfer must not linger under the partial dir. */
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(access(partial_file, F_OK), -1);
+
+  file_destroy(f);
+  config_delete(config);
+  unlink(dest_file);
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+/* Issue #251: file_save_to_disk_full must distinguish receiver-side skips
+   (--existing/--ignore-existing/--update) from real writes so the sender can
+   decide whether --remove-source-files may unlink its source. */
+static void test_file_save_to_disk_reports_skips() {
+  const char* root = "test_save_skip_tmp";
+  const char* existing_path = "test_save_skip_tmp/existing.txt";
+  unlink(existing_path);
+  rmdir(root);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_write_to_disk(existing_path, "old", 3, false, false));
+
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+
+  File* new_file = file_create("missing.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(new_file);
+  new_file->data->data = malloc(7);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(new_file->data->data);
+  memcpy(new_file->data->data, "skipped", 7);
+  new_file->data->size = 7;
+
+  /* --existing: destination is missing -> skipped, not an error. */
+  cfg->existing = true;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, new_file, cfg), FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED);
+  cfg->existing = false;
+
+  /* --ignore-existing: destination present -> skipped. */
+  File* present = file_create("existing.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(present);
+  present->data->data = malloc(3);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(present->data->data);
+  memcpy(present->data->data, "new", 3);
+  present->data->size = 3;
+  cfg->ignore_existing = true;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, present, cfg), FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED);
+  cfg->ignore_existing = false;
+
+  /* A normal overwrite of an existing file is a real write. */
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, present, cfg), FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN);
+
+  /* --update: a newer destination is skipped. */
+  struct stat st;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat(existing_path, &st), 0);
+  time_t now = time(NULL);
+  FileMetadata metadata = {.mode = st.st_mode,
+                           .uid = st.st_uid,
+                           .gid = st.st_gid,
+                           .mtime_sec = now - 100,
+                           .mtime_nsec = 0};
+  present->metadata = &metadata;
+  cfg->update = true;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, present, cfg), FILE_SAVE_SKIPPED);
+  present->metadata = NULL;
+
+  file_destroy(new_file);
+  file_destroy(present);
+  config_delete(cfg);
+  unlink(existing_path);
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
 static void test_file_write_to_disk_basic() {
   const char* content = "Basic file_write_to_disk test";
   EXPECT_TRUE(file_write_to_disk("test_file_write_to_disk_basic.txt", content, strlen(content),
@@ -108,6 +377,17 @@ static void test_file_write_to_disk_basic() {
   unlink("test_file_write_to_disk_basic.txt");
 }
 
+static void test_file_write_to_disk_with_fsync() {
+  const char* path = "test_file_write_to_disk_fsync.txt";
+  const char* content = "fsync file content";
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_to_disk_secure_with_fsync(path, content, strlen(content), false, false, NULL,
+                                             false, true, NULL));
+  struct stat st;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat(path, &st), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)st.st_size, (int)strlen(content));
+  unlink(path);
+}
+
 static void test_file_write_to_disk_creates_dirs() {
   const char* content = "Nested dir test";
   EXPECT_TRUE(file_write_to_disk("test_nested_tmp/nested/file.txt", content, strlen(content), false,
@@ -451,6 +731,197 @@ static void test_file_send_single_calls_metadata_and_path() {
   }
 }
 
+static void test_inplace_overwrite_clears_special_mode_bits() {
+  const char* root = "test_inplace_tmp";
+  const char* path = "test_inplace_tmp/priv.txt";
+  const char* content = "olddata";
+  unlink(path);
+  rmdir(root);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0700), 0);
+
+  /* Create a destination carrying setuid + sticky bits. */
+  int fd = open(path, O_WRONLY | O_CREAT | O_TRUNC | O_CLOEXEC, 0644);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(fd >= 0);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (fd < 0) {
+    rmdir(root);
+    return;
+  }
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)write(fd, content, strlen(content)), (int)strlen(content));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(fchmod(fd, S_ISUID | S_ISVTX | 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(close(fd), 0);
+
+  /* Overwrite in place without metadata: the mode must be normalized to a
+     safe default (0644) and the setuid/sticky bits must be gone. */
+  File* f = file_create("priv.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f);
+  const char* new_content = "newdata";
+  f->data->data = malloc(strlen(new_content));
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f->data->data);
+  memcpy(f->data->data, new_content, strlen(new_content));
+  f->data->size = strlen(new_content);
+
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  cfg->inplace = true;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_save_to_disk(root, f, cfg));
+  file_destroy(f);
+  config_delete(cfg);
+
+  struct stat st;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat(path, &st), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)(st.st_mode & (S_ISUID | S_ISGID | S_ISVTX)), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)(st.st_mode & 0777), 0644);
+  FILE* stream = fopen(path, "rb");
+  char buf[16] = {0};
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(stream);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (stream) {
+    size_t nread = fread(buf, 1, sizeof(buf) - 1, stream);
+    fclose(stream);
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)nread, (int)strlen(new_content));
+  }
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(buf, new_content);
+
+  unlink(path);
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+static void test_inplace_overwrite_metadata_strips_special_bits() {
+  const char* root = "test_inplace_meta_tmp";
+  const char* path = "test_inplace_meta_tmp/meta.txt";
+  const char* source = "test_inplace_meta_source.txt";
+  unlink(path);
+  unlink(source);
+  rmdir(root);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0700), 0);
+
+  /* Existing destination with setuid+sticky set. */
+  int fd = open(path, O_WRONLY | O_CREAT | O_TRUNC | O_CLOEXEC, 0644);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(fd >= 0);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (fd < 0) {
+    rmdir(root);
+    return;
+  }
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)write(fd, "olddata", 7), 7);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(fchmod(fd, S_ISUID | S_ISVTX | 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(close(fd), 0);
+
+  /* Build source metadata carrying a plain executable mode (no specials). */
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_write_to_disk(source, "source", 6, false, false));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(chmod(source, 0755), 0);
+  struct stat source_st;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat(source, &source_st), 0);
+
+  File* f = file_create("meta.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f);
+  const char* new_content = "meta";
+  f->data->data = malloc(strlen(new_content));
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f->data->data);
+  memcpy(f->data->data, new_content, strlen(new_content));
+  f->data->size = strlen(new_content);
+  f->metadata = file_metadata_create(&source_st);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f->metadata);
+
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  cfg->inplace = true;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_save_to_disk(root, f, cfg));
+  file_destroy(f);
+  config_delete(cfg);
+  unlink(source);
+
+  struct stat st;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat(path, &st), 0);
+  /* Metadata-derived mode is applied and never includes setuid/setgid/sticky. */
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)(st.st_mode & (S_ISUID | S_ISGID | S_ISVTX)), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)(st.st_mode & 0777), 0755);
+
+  unlink(path);
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+static void test_inplace_overwrite_truncates_shorter_payload() {
+  const char* root = "test_inplace_trunc_tmp";
+  const char* path = "test_inplace_trunc_tmp/big.txt";
+  unlink(path);
+  rmdir(root);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0700), 0);
+
+  const char* old_content = "0123456789abcdef"; /* 16 bytes */
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_write_to_disk(path, old_content, strlen(old_content), false, false));
+
+  File* f = file_create("big.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f);
+  const char* new_content = "hi";
+  f->data->data = malloc(strlen(new_content));
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(f->data->data);
+  memcpy(f->data->data, new_content, strlen(new_content));
+  f->data->size = strlen(new_content);
+
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  cfg->inplace = true;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_save_to_disk(root, f, cfg));
+  file_destroy(f);
+  config_delete(cfg);
+
+  /* A shorter payload must truncate the file: no stale trailing bytes. */
+  struct stat st;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat(path, &st), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)st.st_size, (int)strlen(new_content));
+  FILE* stream = fopen(path, "rb");
+  char buf[32] = {0};
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(stream);
+  // cppcheck-suppress knownConditionTrueFalse
+  if (stream) {
+    size_t nread = fread(buf, 1, sizeof(buf) - 1, stream);
+    fclose(stream);
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)nread, (int)strlen(new_content));
+  }
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(buf, new_content);
+
+  unlink(path);
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+/* Explicit directory entries (--dirs) create the directory under the receive
+   root through the same save funnel, creating parents as needed, and reject
+   traversal the same way a file path does. */
+static void test_dir_entry_save_to_disk() {
+  const char* root = "test_dir_entry_root";
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0755), 0);
+
+  Config* config = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(config);
+
+  File* dir = file_create("alpha/beta/gamma");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(dir);
+  dir->is_dir = true;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, dir, config), FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, dir, config), FILE_SAVE_WRITTEN);
+  file_destroy(dir);
+
+  struct stat st;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat("test_dir_entry_root/alpha/beta/gamma", &st), 0);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(S_ISDIR(st.st_mode));
+
+  /* The directory-entry save path never follows or escapes. */
+  File* evil = file_create("../dir_entry_escape");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(evil);
+  evil->is_dir = true;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(file_save_to_disk_full(root, evil, config), FILE_SAVE_ERROR);
+  file_destroy(evil);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(lstat("../dir_entry_escape", &st), -1);
+
+  config_delete(config);
+  rmdir("test_dir_entry_root/alpha/beta/gamma");
+  rmdir("test_dir_entry_root/alpha/beta");
+  rmdir("test_dir_entry_root/alpha");
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
 void test_file() {
   test_file_create();
   test_file_destroy_null();
@@ -458,12 +929,20 @@ void test_file() {
   test_file_load_data();
   test_file_load_data_missing_file();
   test_file_save_to_disk();
+  test_file_save_to_disk_with_fsync_config();
+  test_file_save_to_disk_existing();
+  test_file_save_to_disk_ignore_existing();
+  test_file_save_to_disk_ignore_existing_entry_types();
+  test_file_save_to_disk_partial_install();
+  test_file_save_to_disk_reports_skips();
   test_file_write_to_disk_basic();
+  test_file_write_to_disk_with_fsync();
   test_file_write_to_disk_creates_dirs();
   test_file_write_to_disk_does_not_follow_symlink();
   test_file_content_to_buffer();
   test_file_save_to_disk_path_traversal();
   test_file_save_to_disk_deep_traversal();
+  test_dir_entry_save_to_disk();
   if (!is_running_under_valgrind()) {
     // Fork tests are skipped under valgrind because the parent process runs
     // orders of magnitude slower than the child (parent is instrumented, child
@@ -476,4 +955,7 @@ void test_file() {
     test_file_send_single_calls_metadata_and_path();
   }
   test_file_metadata_create();
+  test_inplace_overwrite_clears_special_mode_bits();
+  test_inplace_overwrite_metadata_strips_special_bits();
+  test_inplace_overwrite_truncates_shorter_payload();
 }

tests/test_log.c

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 #include "test_log.h"
 #include "log.h"
 #include "test_utils.h"
+#include <string.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
 
 /* Test default log level: WARNING and ERROR should print, DEBUG and INFO should not.
  * We can't easily capture stderr in unit tests, so we verify the functions don't crash
@@ -90,6 +92,29 @@ static void test_log_filtering() {
   EXPECT_TRUE(true);
 }
 
+static void test_log_stderr_mode_all() {
+  int pipe_fds[2];
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(pipe(pipe_fds), 0);
+  int saved_stderr = dup(STDERR_FILENO);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(saved_stderr >= 0);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(dup2(pipe_fds[1], STDERR_FILENO) >= 0);
+  close(pipe_fds[1]);
+
+  set_log_level(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING);
+  log_set_stderr_mode(LOG_STDERR_ALL);
+  log_message(LOG_LEVEL_WARNING, "warning routed to stderr");
+  fflush(stderr);
+
+  EXPECT_TRUE(dup2(saved_stderr, STDERR_FILENO) >= 0);
+  close(saved_stderr);
+  char output[128] = {0};
+  ssize_t length = read(pipe_fds[0], output, sizeof(output) - 1);
+  close(pipe_fds[0]);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(length > 0);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(strstr(output, "warning routed to stderr") != NULL);
+  log_set_stderr_mode(LOG_STDERR_ERRORS);
+}
+
 /* Test that log_message handles various format strings */
 static void test_log_message_formats() {
   set_log_level(LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG);
@@ -112,5 +137,6 @@ void test_log() {
   test_log_set_level_info();
   test_log_set_level_error();
   test_log_filtering();
+  test_log_stderr_mode_all();
   test_log_message_formats();
 }

tests/test_metadata.c

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #include "test_metadata.h"
+#include "chmod.h"
 #include "metadata.h"
 #include "protocol.h"
 #include "test_utils.h"
@@ -122,6 +123,18 @@ static void test_metadata_rejects_invalid_values() {
   close(p[1]);
 }
 
+static void test_metadata_mtime_window() {
+  EXPECT_TRUE(metadata_mtime_matches(100, 100000000, 101, 600000000, 2));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(metadata_mtime_matches(100, 100000000, 102, 600000000, 2));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(metadata_mtime_matches(100, 100000000, 102, 100000000, 2));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(metadata_mtime_matches(100, 900000000, 102, 100000000, 2));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(metadata_mtime_matches(100, 100000000, 102, 900000000, 2));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(metadata_mtime_matches(100, 900000000, 102, 900000000, 2));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(metadata_mtime_matches(100, 900000000, 101, 100000001, 0));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(metadata_mtime_matches(100, 100000000, 100, 100000001, 0));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(metadata_mtime_matches(100, 100000000, 100, 100000000, 0));
+}
+
 static void test_file_restore_metadata() {
   const char* path = "temp_meta_restore_test.txt";
   const char* content = "test content";
@@ -134,7 +147,7 @@ static void test_file_restore_metadata() {
   m.mtime_sec = 1234567890;
   m.mtime_nsec = 0;
 
-  file_restore_metadata(path, &m);
+  file_restore_metadata(path, &m, false);
 
   struct stat st;
   EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat(path, &st), 0);
@@ -144,6 +157,56 @@ static void test_file_restore_metadata() {
   unlink(path);
 }
 
+static void test_file_restore_executability_only() {
+  const char* path = "temp_exec_restore_test.txt";
+  EXPECT_TRUE(file_write_to_disk(path, "x", 1, false, false));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(chmod(path, 0644), 0);
+
+  FileMetadata m = {
+      .mode = 0751, .uid = getuid(), .gid = getgid(), .mtime_sec = 0, .mtime_nsec = 0};
+  file_restore_metadata(path, &m, true);
+
+  struct stat st;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat(path, &st), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(st.st_mode & 0777, 0755);
+  unlink(path);
+}
+
+static void test_directory_restore_executability_only() {
+  const char* path = "temp_exec_restore_test_dir";
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(path, 0700), 0);
+
+  FileMetadata m = {
+      .mode = 0755, .uid = getuid(), .gid = getgid(), .mtime_sec = 0, .mtime_nsec = 0};
+  file_restore_metadata(path, &m, true);
+
+  struct stat st;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat(path, &st), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(st.st_mode & 0777, 0711);
+  rmdir(path);
+}
+
+static void test_chmod_changes() {
+  mode_t result;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(chmod_apply(0777, "u=rw,go=r", &result));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(result, 0644);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(chmod_apply(0644, "a+x", &result));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(result, 0755);
+  result = 0777;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(chmod_apply(0777, "0000", &result));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(result, 0000);
+  result = 0777;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(chmod_apply(0777, "7777", &result));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(result, 07777);
+  result = 0777;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(chmod_apply(0777, "755", &result));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(result, 0755);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(chmod_apply(0777, "888", &result));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(chmod_apply(0777, "10000", &result));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(chmod_apply(0777, "a+X", &result));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(chmod_apply(0777, "a+r,", &result));
+}
+
 void test_metadata() {
   test_metadata_to_from_buf_roundtrip();
   test_metadata_to_buf_null();
@@ -151,5 +214,9 @@ void test_metadata() {
   test_metadata_send_receive_roundtrip();
   test_metadata_send_null();
   test_metadata_rejects_invalid_values();
+  test_metadata_mtime_window();
   test_file_restore_metadata();
+  test_file_restore_executability_only();
+  test_directory_restore_executability_only();
+  test_chmod_changes();
 }

tests/test_multiprocessing.c

@@ -250,6 +250,88 @@ static void test_write_thread_done() {
   config_delete(cfg);
 }
 
+typedef struct {
+  PipelineContextReceiver* context;
+  File* file;
+  atomic_bool* done;
+  atomic_bool* result;
+} ByteBudgetEnqueueArg;
+
+static int byte_budget_enqueue_worker(void* arg) {
+  ByteBudgetEnqueueArg* worker = arg;
+  bool ok = pipeline_context_receiver_enqueue_file(worker->context, worker->file);
+  atomic_store(worker->result, ok);
+  atomic_store(worker->done, true);
+  return thrd_success;
+}
+
+/* A receiver must not buffer more decompressed/copied payload bytes ahead of
+   the (slow) disk writer than the configured byte budget: an enqueue that
+   would exceed the budget blocks until the writer releases bytes. */
+static void test_receiver_enqueue_byte_budget() {
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  free(cfg->version);
+  cfg->version = str_dup(PROTOCOL_VERSION);
+  cfg->send_directory = str_dup("/src");
+  cfg->receive_root_directory = str_dup("/dst");
+  cfg->save_to_disk = false;
+
+  Queue* q = queue_create(16, file_destroy);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(q);
+  PipelineContextReceiver* ctx = pipeline_context_receiver_create(cfg, q, -1, NULL);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(ctx);
+  pipeline_context_receiver_set_queue_byte_limit(ctx, 3000);
+  ctx->receiver_done = false;
+
+  File* first = file_create("budget_file_1");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(first);
+  first->data->size = 2000;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(pipeline_context_receiver_enqueue_file(ctx, first));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)ctx->queued_bytes, 2000);
+
+  /* Second 2000-byte payload would push the pipeline to 4000 > 3000 budget,
+     so the enqueue must block until the first payload is released. */
+  File* second = file_create("budget_file_2");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(second);
+  second->data->size = 2000;
+  atomic_bool done;
+  atomic_bool result;
+  atomic_init(&done, false);
+  atomic_init(&result, false);
+  ByteBudgetEnqueueArg arg = {ctx, second, &done, &result};
+  thrd_t enqueuer;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(thrd_create(&enqueuer, byte_budget_enqueue_worker, &arg), thrd_success);
+
+  /* Give a broken (unbounded) implementation every chance to enqueue. */
+  struct timespec wait = {0, 200 * 1000000L};
+  thrd_sleep(&wait, NULL);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(atomic_load(&done));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)ctx->queued_bytes, 2000); /* budget still honored */
+
+  /* Simulate the disk writer: dequeue + destroy + release the first file.
+     Releasing bytes unblocks the waiting enqueuer, which then admits the
+     second payload, so only the post-join state (below) is deterministic. */
+  File* drained = queue_dequeue_multithreaded(q, &ctx->mutex, &ctx->condition_not_empty,
+                                              &ctx->condition_not_full, &ctx->receiver_done);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(drained);
+  file_destroy(drained);
+  pipeline_context_receiver_note_bytes_released(ctx, 2000);
+
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(thrd_join(enqueuer, NULL), thrd_success);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(atomic_load(&done));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(atomic_load(&result));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)ctx->queued_bytes, 2000); /* second payload now in flight */
+
+  /* Tear down: the second file is still queued and is freed by queue_destroy. */
+  mtx_destroy(&ctx->mutex);
+  cnd_destroy(&ctx->condition_not_full);
+  cnd_destroy(&ctx->condition_not_empty);
+  free(ctx);
+  queue_destroy(q);
+  config_delete(cfg);
+}
+
 void test_multiprocessing() {
   test_sender_create_destroy();
   test_receiver_create_destroy();
@@ -261,4 +343,5 @@ void test_multiprocessing() {
     test_receive_thread_failure_wakes_writer();
   }
   test_write_thread_done();
+  test_receiver_enqueue_byte_budget();
 }

tests/test_protocol.c

@@ -3,6 +3,60 @@
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
+#include <threads.h>
+
+typedef struct {
+  ProtocolSession* session;
+  bool allocation_allowed;
+} AllocationWorkerArg;
+
+static int allocation_worker(void* arg) {
+  AllocationWorkerArg* worker = arg;
+  protocol_session_bind(worker->session);
+  void* allocation = protocol_alloc(8);
+  worker->allocation_allowed = allocation != NULL;
+  free(allocation);
+  protocol_session_unbind();
+  return thrd_success;
+}
+
+typedef struct {
+  ProtocolSession* session;
+  int read_fd;
+  bool released;
+} AccountingWorkerArg;
+
+typedef struct {
+  ProtocolSession* session;
+  atomic_int* ready;
+  atomic_bool* release;
+  bool received;
+} ConcurrentAccountingWorkerArg;
+
+static int accounting_worker(void* arg) {
+  AccountingWorkerArg* worker = arg;
+  protocol_session_bind(worker->session);
+  Data* data = protocol_receive_data_limited(worker->session, 8);
+  if (data) {
+    data_destroy(data);
+    worker->released = atomic_load(&worker->session->total_allocated_bytes) == 0;
+  }
+  protocol_session_unbind();
+  return data ? thrd_success : thrd_error;
+}
+
+static int concurrent_accounting_worker(void* arg) {
+  ConcurrentAccountingWorkerArg* worker = arg;
+  protocol_session_bind(worker->session);
+  Data* data = protocol_receive_data_limited(worker->session, 8);
+  worker->received = data != NULL;
+  atomic_fetch_add(worker->ready, 1);
+  while (!atomic_load(worker->release))
+    thrd_yield();
+  data_destroy(data);
+  protocol_session_unbind();
+  return thrd_success;
+}
 
 static void test_send_receive_n_data() {
   int p[2];
@@ -187,6 +241,177 @@ static void test_receive_str_truncated() {
   close(p[0]);
 }
 
+static void test_max_alloc_rejects_single_buffer() {
+  int p[2];
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(pipe(p), 0);
+  ProtocolSession session;
+  protocol_session_init(&session, p[0], p[1]);
+  protocol_session_set_max_alloc(&session, 4);
+  protocol_session_bind(&session);
+  char payload[8] = {0};
+  EXPECT_TRUE(write(p[1], &(size_t){sizeof(payload)}, sizeof(size_t)) == sizeof(size_t));
+  EXPECT_NULL(protocol_receive_str(&session));
+  protocol_session_unbind();
+  close(p[0]);
+  close(p[1]);
+}
+
+static void test_explicit_session_max_alloc_cannot_be_bypassed() {
+  int p[2];
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(pipe(p), 0);
+  ProtocolSession explicit_session;
+  ProtocolSession unrelated_session;
+  protocol_session_init(&explicit_session, p[0], p[1]);
+  protocol_session_init(&unrelated_session, p[0], p[1]);
+  protocol_session_set_max_alloc(&explicit_session, 4);
+  protocol_session_set_max_alloc(&unrelated_session, 64);
+  protocol_session_bind(&unrelated_session);
+
+  unsigned long long size = 8;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)write(p[1], &size, sizeof(size)), (int)sizeof(size));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)write(p[1], "12345678", 8), 8);
+  EXPECT_NULL(protocol_receive_data_limited(&explicit_session, 8));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)atomic_load(&explicit_session.total_allocated_bytes), 0);
+
+  protocol_session_unbind();
+  close(p[0]);
+  close(p[1]);
+}
+
+static void test_max_alloc_allows_configured_buffer() {
+  ProtocolSession session;
+  protocol_session_init(&session, -1, -1);
+  protocol_session_set_max_alloc(&session, 4);
+  protocol_session_bind(&session);
+  void* allowed = protocol_alloc(4);
+  const void* rejected = protocol_alloc(5);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(allowed);
+  EXPECT_NULL(rejected);
+  free(allowed);
+  protocol_session_unbind();
+}
+
+static void test_max_alloc_is_bound_in_worker_threads() {
+  enum { WORKER_COUNT = 4 };
+  ProtocolSession sessions[WORKER_COUNT];
+  AllocationWorkerArg args[WORKER_COUNT] = {0};
+  thrd_t threads[WORKER_COUNT];
+  for (int i = 0; i < WORKER_COUNT; i++) {
+    protocol_session_init(&sessions[i], -1, -1);
+    protocol_session_set_max_alloc(&sessions[i], 4);
+    args[i].session = &sessions[i];
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(thrd_create(&threads[i], allocation_worker, &args[i]), thrd_success);
+  }
+  for (int i = 0; i < WORKER_COUNT; i++) {
+    int result;
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(thrd_join(threads[i], &result), thrd_success);
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(result, thrd_success);
+    EXPECT_FALSE(args[i].allocation_allowed);
+  }
+}
+
+static void test_protocol_accounting_is_released_in_worker_threads() {
+  enum { WORKER_COUNT = 4 };
+  ProtocolSession sessions[WORKER_COUNT];
+  AccountingWorkerArg args[WORKER_COUNT] = {0};
+  thrd_t threads[WORKER_COUNT];
+  for (int i = 0; i < WORKER_COUNT; i++) {
+    int p[2];
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(pipe(p), 0);
+    protocol_session_init(&sessions[i], p[0], p[1]);
+    protocol_session_set_max_alloc(&sessions[i], 64);
+    unsigned long long size = 8;
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)write(p[1], &size, sizeof(size)), (int)sizeof(size));
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)write(p[1], "12345678", 8), 8);
+    close(p[1]);
+    args[i].session = &sessions[i];
+    args[i].read_fd = p[0];
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(thrd_create(&threads[i], accounting_worker, &args[i]), thrd_success);
+  }
+  for (int i = 0; i < WORKER_COUNT; i++) {
+    int result;
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(thrd_join(threads[i], &result), thrd_success);
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(result, thrd_success);
+    EXPECT_TRUE(args[i].released);
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)atomic_load(&sessions[i].total_allocated_bytes), 0);
+    close(args[i].read_fd);
+  }
+}
+
+static void test_protocol_accounting_reservation_is_atomic() {
+  enum { WORKER_COUNT = 8 };
+  int p[2];
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(pipe(p), 0);
+  ProtocolSession session;
+  protocol_session_init(&session, p[0], p[1]);
+  protocol_session_set_max_alloc(&session, 64);
+  const unsigned long long budget_before = MAX_SERVER_ALLOC - 8;
+  atomic_store(&session.total_allocated_bytes, budget_before);
+
+  for (int i = 0; i < WORKER_COUNT; i++) {
+    unsigned long long size = 8;
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)write(p[1], &size, sizeof(size)), (int)sizeof(size));
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)write(p[1], "12345678", 8), 8);
+  }
+  close(p[1]);
+
+  atomic_int ready;
+  atomic_bool release;
+  atomic_init(&ready, 0);
+  atomic_init(&release, false);
+  ConcurrentAccountingWorkerArg args[WORKER_COUNT] = {0};
+  thrd_t threads[WORKER_COUNT];
+  for (int i = 0; i < WORKER_COUNT; i++) {
+    args[i].session = &session;
+    args[i].ready = &ready;
+    args[i].release = &release;
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(thrd_create(&threads[i], concurrent_accounting_worker, &args[i]), thrd_success);
+  }
+  while (atomic_load(&ready) != WORKER_COUNT)
+    thrd_yield();
+  bool budget_ok = atomic_load(&session.total_allocated_bytes) == budget_before + 8;
+  atomic_store(&release, true);
+  int received = 0;
+  for (int i = 0; i < WORKER_COUNT; i++) {
+    int result;
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(thrd_join(threads[i], &result), thrd_success);
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(result, thrd_success);
+    received += args[i].received ? 1 : 0;
+  }
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(received, 1);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(budget_ok);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)atomic_load(&session.total_allocated_bytes), (int)budget_before);
+  close(p[0]);
+}
+
+static void test_protocol_string_accounting_is_transient() {
+  int p[2];
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(pipe(p), 0);
+  ProtocolSession session;
+  protocol_session_init(&session, p[0], p[1]);
+  protocol_session_set_max_alloc(&session, 64);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(protocol_send_str(&session, "temporary"));
+  char* received = protocol_receive_str(&session);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(received);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(received, "temporary");
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)atomic_load(&session.total_allocated_bytes), 0);
+  free(received);
+  close(p[0]);
+  close(p[1]);
+}
+
+static void test_protocol_accounting_release_does_not_underflow() {
+  ProtocolSession session;
+  protocol_session_init(&session, -1, -1);
+  atomic_store(&session.total_allocated_bytes, 4);
+  protocol_session_bind(&session);
+  protocol_release_memory(8);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)atomic_load(&session.total_allocated_bytes), 0);
+  protocol_release_memory(1);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)atomic_load(&session.total_allocated_bytes), 0);
+  protocol_session_unbind();
+}
+
 void test_protocol() {
   test_send_receive_n_data();
   test_send_receive_n_data_zero();
@@ -198,4 +423,12 @@ void test_protocol() {
   test_send_receive_status();
   test_receive_n_data_truncated();
   test_receive_str_truncated();
+  test_max_alloc_rejects_single_buffer();
+  test_explicit_session_max_alloc_cannot_be_bypassed();
+  test_max_alloc_allows_configured_buffer();
+  test_max_alloc_is_bound_in_worker_threads();
+  test_protocol_accounting_is_released_in_worker_threads();
+  test_protocol_accounting_reservation_is_atomic();
+  test_protocol_string_accounting_is_transient();
+  test_protocol_accounting_release_does_not_underflow();
 }

tests/test_robustness.c

@@ -109,6 +109,20 @@ static void test_delta_deserialize_garbage() {
   data_destroy(d);
 }
 
+static void test_delta_deserialize_respects_max_alloc() {
+  unsigned char serialized[sizeof(uint64_t) + sizeof(uint32_t)] = {0};
+  Data data = {.data = serialized, .size = sizeof(serialized)};
+  ProtocolSession session;
+  protocol_session_init(&session, -1, -1);
+  protocol_session_set_max_alloc(&session, sizeof(Delta) - 1);
+  protocol_session_bind(&session);
+
+  const Delta* result = delta_deserialize(&data);
+  EXPECT_NULL(result);
+
+  protocol_session_unbind();
+}
+
 static void test_delta_signature_deserialize_truncated() {
   char old_data[4096];
   for (int i = 0; i < 4096; i++)
@@ -206,6 +220,7 @@ void test_robustness() {
   test_delta_deserialize_truncated();
   test_delta_deserialize_empty();
   test_delta_deserialize_garbage();
+  test_delta_deserialize_respects_max_alloc();
   test_delta_deserialize_truncated_instructions();
   test_delta_signature_deserialize_truncated();
   test_delta_apply_null();

tests/test_scanner.c

@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 #include "test_utils.h"
 #include "scanner.h"
 #include "file.h"
+#include "file_list.h"
+#include "filter.h"
 #include "utils.h"
+#include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
@@ -394,9 +397,10 @@ static void test_parallel_scanner_root_chunks_without_workers() {
   create_test_file(file1, "a");
   create_test_file(file2, "b");
 
-  ScannerOptions options = {false, 1, NULL,  0,     NULL,  0,     0,    0,
-                            0,     0, false, false, false, false, false};
-  ParallelScanner* scanner = parallel_scanner_create_with_options(dir, &options);
+  ScannerOptions options = {false, 1,     NULL, 0,     NULL,  0,     0,
+                            0,     0,     0,    false, false, false, false,
+                            false, false, NULL, NULL,  false, false, false};
+  ParallelScanner* scanner = parallel_scanner_create_with_options(dir, &options, NULL);
   EXPECT_NOT_NULL(scanner);
 
   int total_files = 0;
@@ -414,6 +418,851 @@ static void test_parallel_scanner_root_chunks_without_workers() {
   rmdir(dir);
 }
 
+/* --one-file-system (-x) decision is a pure device comparison. */
+static void test_scanner_one_file_system_decision() {
+  /* Option disabled: every device is allowed (unchanged default behavior). */
+  EXPECT_TRUE(scanner_same_filesystem(false, 0, 123));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(scanner_same_filesystem(false, 7, 999));
+  /* Option enabled: only entries on the root device may be descended into. */
+  EXPECT_TRUE(scanner_same_filesystem(true, 7, 7));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(scanner_same_filesystem(true, 7, 8));
+}
+
+/* With -x over an ordinary tree (all one device) nothing may be skipped. */
+static void test_scanner_one_file_system_same_device() {
+  const char* root = "test_scan_ofs";
+  const char* sub = "test_scan_ofs/sub";
+  const char* deeper = "test_scan_ofs/sub/deeper";
+  const char* root_file = "test_scan_ofs/root.txt";
+  const char* sub_file = "test_scan_ofs/sub/inner.txt";
+  const char* deep_file = "test_scan_ofs/sub/deeper/deep.txt";
+
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(sub, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(deeper, 0755), 0);
+  create_test_file(root_file, "root");
+  create_test_file(sub_file, "inner");
+  create_test_file(deep_file, "deep");
+
+  ScannerOptions options = {0};
+  options.one_file_system = true;
+  DirectoryScanner* scanner = directory_scanner_create_with_options(root, &options);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(scanner);
+
+  int total_files = 0;
+  Chunk* chunk;
+  while ((chunk = directory_scanner_next(scanner)) != NULL) {
+    total_files += chunk->element_count;
+    chunk_destroy(chunk);
+  }
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(total_files, 3);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(directory_scanner_failed(scanner));
+
+  directory_scanner_destroy(scanner);
+  unlink(root_file);
+  unlink(sub_file);
+  unlink(deep_file);
+  rmdir(deeper);
+  rmdir(sub);
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+/* Multithreaded (-m) scan with -x over a single-device tree must match the
+ * single-threaded result. */
+static void test_parallel_scanner_one_file_system_same_device() {
+  const char* root = "test_parallel_scan_ofs";
+  const char* sub = "test_parallel_scan_ofs/sub";
+  const char* sub2 = "test_parallel_scan_ofs/sub2";
+  const char* root_file = "test_parallel_scan_ofs/root.txt";
+  const char* sub_file = "test_parallel_scan_ofs/sub/inner.txt";
+  const char* sub2_file = "test_parallel_scan_ofs/sub2/inner2.txt";
+
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(sub, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(sub2, 0755), 0);
+  create_test_file(root_file, "root");
+  create_test_file(sub_file, "inner");
+  create_test_file(sub2_file, "inner2");
+
+  ScannerOptions options = {0};
+  options.one_file_system = true;
+  options.num_threads = 2;
+  ParallelScanner* scanner = parallel_scanner_create_with_options(root, &options, NULL);
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(scanner);
+
+  int total_files = 0;
+  Chunk* chunk;
+  while ((chunk = parallel_scanner_next(scanner)) != NULL) {
+    total_files += chunk->element_count;
+    chunk_destroy(chunk);
+  }
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(total_files, 3);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(parallel_scanner_failed(scanner));
+
+  parallel_scanner_destroy(scanner);
+  unlink(root_file);
+  unlink(sub_file);
+  unlink(sub2_file);
+  rmdir(sub);
+  rmdir(sub2);
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+/* Scan a tree with copy_links semantics, collecting every emitted path.
+ * Returns 0 on success, -1 on scanner failure. */
+static int collect_directory_scan(const char* root, bool one_file_system, const char* needle,
+                                  bool* found, int* total) {
+  ScannerOptions options = {0};
+  options.copy_links = true;
+  options.one_file_system = one_file_system;
+  DirectoryScanner* scanner = directory_scanner_create_with_options(root, &options);
+  if (!scanner)
+    return -1;
+  *found = false;
+  *total = 0;
+  Chunk* chunk;
+  while ((chunk = directory_scanner_next(scanner)) != NULL) {
+    for (int i = 0; i < chunk->element_count; i++) {
+      (*total)++;
+      if (strstr(chunk->items[i]->path, needle) != NULL)
+        *found = true;
+    }
+    chunk_destroy(chunk);
+  }
+  bool failed = directory_scanner_failed(scanner);
+  directory_scanner_destroy(scanner);
+  return failed ? -1 : 0;
+}
+
+static int collect_parallel_scan(const char* root, bool one_file_system, const char* needle,
+                                 bool* found, int* total) {
+  ScannerOptions options = {0};
+  options.copy_links = true;
+  options.one_file_system = one_file_system;
+  options.num_threads = 2;
+  ParallelScanner* scanner = parallel_scanner_create_with_options(root, &options, NULL);
+  if (!scanner)
+    return -1;
+  *found = false;
+  *total = 0;
+  Chunk* chunk;
+  while ((chunk = parallel_scanner_next(scanner)) != NULL) {
+    for (int i = 0; i < chunk->element_count; i++) {
+      (*total)++;
+      if (strstr(chunk->items[i]->path, needle) != NULL)
+        *found = true;
+    }
+    chunk_destroy(chunk);
+  }
+  bool failed = parallel_scanner_failed(scanner);
+  parallel_scanner_destroy(scanner);
+  return failed ? -1 : 0;
+}
+
+/* Rootless cross-filesystem test: a symlink nested under the scan root points
+ * at a directory on another device (typically /dev/shm, a tmpfs distinct from
+ * the build filesystem). With --copy-links semantics the scanner resolves the
+ * link and must descend into it only when -x is off. The nested placement
+ * exercises the skip decision in the sequential walker and in the parallel
+ * worker (depth > 1). Skips when no cross-device target is available. */
+static void test_scanner_one_file_system_cross_device() {
+  struct stat local_stat;
+  if (stat(".", &local_stat) != 0)
+    return;
+
+  char shm_dir[64] = "/dev/shm/fastsync_ofs_shm_XXXXXX";
+  if (mkdtemp(shm_dir) == NULL)
+    return;
+  struct stat shm_stat;
+  if (stat(shm_dir, &shm_stat) != 0 || shm_stat.st_dev == local_stat.st_dev) {
+    rmdir(shm_dir);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  char root_dir[64] = "./fastsync_ofs_root_XXXXXX";
+  if (mkdtemp(root_dir) == NULL) {
+    rmdir(shm_dir);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  char nested[96];
+  snprintf(nested, sizeof(nested), "%s/nested", root_dir);
+  char link_path[128];
+  snprintf(link_path, sizeof(link_path), "%s/link", nested);
+  char root_file[96];
+  snprintf(root_file, sizeof(root_file), "%s/keep.txt", root_dir);
+  char shm_file[96];
+  snprintf(shm_file, sizeof(shm_file), "%s/inside.txt", shm_dir);
+
+  bool ready = mkdir(nested, 0755) == 0 && symlink(shm_dir, link_path) == 0;
+  if (ready) {
+    create_test_file(root_file, "keep");
+    create_test_file(shm_file, "cross");
+  }
+
+  int seq_off_rc, seq_off_total, seq_on_rc, seq_on_total;
+  bool seq_off_found, seq_on_found;
+  int par_off_rc, par_off_total, par_on_rc, par_on_total;
+  bool par_off_found, par_on_found;
+  if (!ready) {
+    seq_off_rc = seq_on_rc = par_off_rc = par_on_rc = -1;
+    seq_off_total = seq_on_total = par_off_total = par_on_total = 0;
+    seq_off_found = seq_on_found = par_off_found = par_on_found = false;
+  } else {
+    int rc, total;
+    bool found;
+    rc = collect_directory_scan(root_dir, false, "inside.txt", &found, &total);
+    seq_off_rc = rc;
+    seq_off_total = total;
+    seq_off_found = found;
+    rc = collect_directory_scan(root_dir, true, "inside.txt", &found, &total);
+    seq_on_rc = rc;
+    seq_on_total = total;
+    seq_on_found = found;
+    rc = collect_parallel_scan(root_dir, false, "inside.txt", &found, &total);
+    par_off_rc = rc;
+    par_off_total = total;
+    par_off_found = found;
+    rc = collect_parallel_scan(root_dir, true, "inside.txt", &found, &total);
+    par_on_rc = rc;
+    par_on_total = total;
+    par_on_found = found;
+  }
+
+  /* Hermetic cleanup regardless of scan outcome, before any assertions. */
+  unlink(shm_file);
+  rmdir(shm_dir);
+  unlink(link_path);
+  unlink(root_file);
+  rmdir(nested);
+  rmdir(root_dir);
+
+  if (!ready)
+    return;
+
+  /* Sequential: without -x the symlinked foreign subtree is included. */
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(seq_off_rc, 0);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(seq_off_found);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(seq_off_total, 2);
+  /* Sequential: with -x the cross-device subtree is dropped, keep.txt remains. */
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(seq_on_rc, 0);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(seq_on_found);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(seq_on_total, 1);
+  /* Parallel: same behavior, worker path (depth > 1). */
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(par_off_rc, 0);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(par_off_found);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(par_off_total, 2);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(par_on_rc, 0);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(par_on_found);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(par_on_total, 1);
+}
+
+/* Collect emitted file paths (relative to `root`) from a sequential scan.
+ * Returns 0 on success with *out and *count set (caller frees *out). */
+static int collect_files(const char* root, const ScannerOptions* options, char*** out,
+                         int* out_count) {
+  DirectoryScanner* scanner = directory_scanner_create_with_options(root, options);
+  if (!scanner)
+    return -1;
+  size_t root_len = strlen(root);
+  while (root_len > 0 && root[root_len - 1] == '/')
+    root_len--;
+  int cap = 16;
+  int count = 0;
+  char** paths = malloc((size_t)cap * sizeof(char*));
+  if (!paths) {
+    directory_scanner_destroy(scanner);
+    return -1;
+  }
+  Chunk* chunk;
+  while ((chunk = directory_scanner_next(scanner)) != NULL) {
+    for (int i = 0; i < chunk->element_count; i++) {
+      const char* rel = chunk->items[i]->path + root_len;
+      if (*rel == '/')
+        rel++;
+      if (count == cap) {
+        cap *= 2;
+        char** grown = realloc(paths, (size_t)cap * sizeof(char*));
+        if (!grown) {
+          for (int k = 0; k < count; k++)
+            free(paths[k]);
+          free(paths);
+          chunk_destroy(chunk);
+          directory_scanner_destroy(scanner);
+          return -1;
+        }
+        paths = grown;
+      }
+      paths[count++] = str_dup(rel);
+    }
+    chunk_destroy(chunk);
+  }
+  bool failed = directory_scanner_failed(scanner);
+  directory_scanner_destroy(scanner);
+  if (failed) {
+    for (int k = 0; k < count; k++)
+      free(paths[k]);
+    free(paths);
+    return -1;
+  }
+  *out = paths;
+  *out_count = count;
+  return 0;
+}
+
+static int collect_files_parallel(const char* root, const ScannerOptions* options, char*** out,
+                                  int* out_count) {
+  ParallelScanner* scanner = parallel_scanner_create_with_options(root, options, NULL);
+  if (!scanner)
+    return -1;
+  size_t root_len = strlen(root);
+  while (root_len > 0 && root[root_len - 1] == '/')
+    root_len--;
+  int cap = 16;
+  int count = 0;
+  char** paths = malloc((size_t)cap * sizeof(char*));
+  if (!paths) {
+    parallel_scanner_destroy(scanner);
+    return -1;
+  }
+  Chunk* chunk;
+  while ((chunk = parallel_scanner_next(scanner)) != NULL) {
+    for (int i = 0; i < chunk->element_count; i++) {
+      const char* rel = chunk->items[i]->path + root_len;
+      if (*rel == '/')
+        rel++;
+      if (count == cap) {
+        cap *= 2;
+        char** grown = realloc(paths, (size_t)cap * sizeof(char*));
+        if (!grown) {
+          for (int k = 0; k < count; k++)
+            free(paths[k]);
+          free(paths);
+          chunk_destroy(chunk);
+          parallel_scanner_destroy(scanner);
+          return -1;
+        }
+        paths = grown;
+      }
+      paths[count++] = str_dup(rel);
+    }
+    chunk_destroy(chunk);
+  }
+  bool failed = parallel_scanner_failed(scanner);
+  parallel_scanner_destroy(scanner);
+  if (failed) {
+    for (int k = 0; k < count; k++)
+      free(paths[k]);
+    free(paths);
+    return -1;
+  }
+  *out = paths;
+  *out_count = count;
+  return 0;
+}
+
+static bool has_path(char** paths, int count, const char* rel) {
+  for (int i = 0; i < count; i++)
+    if (strcmp(paths[i], rel) == 0)
+      return true;
+  return false;
+}
+
+static void free_paths(char** paths, int count) {
+  for (int i = 0; i < count; i++)
+    free(paths[i]);
+  free(paths);
+}
+
+static const char* FILE_LIST_PATH = "test_scan_files_from.txt";
+
+/* --files-from: only the listed files (and the subtree of a listed directory)
+ * are emitted; unrelated files and directories are pruned. */
+static void test_files_from_subset(bool parallel) {
+  const char* root = "test_scan_ff";
+  const char* sub = "test_scan_ff/sub";
+  const char* other = "test_scan_ff/other";
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(sub, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(other, 0755), 0);
+  create_test_file("test_scan_ff/root.txt", "root");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_ff/sub/keep.txt", "keep");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_ff/sub/skip.bin", "skip");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_ff/other/unrelated.txt", "unrelated");
+
+  /* List a root file and a file under sub: sub is descended but its other file
+   * is not listed, and the whole `other` directory is pruned. */
+  create_test_file(FILE_LIST_PATH, "root.txt\nsub/keep.txt\n");
+  char err[160];
+  FileListSet* set = file_list_load(FILE_LIST_PATH, false, err, sizeof(err));
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(set);
+
+  ScannerOptions options = {0};
+  options.file_list = set;
+  if (parallel)
+    options.num_threads = 2;
+  char** paths = NULL;
+  int count = 0;
+  int rc = parallel ? collect_files_parallel(root, &options, &paths, &count)
+                    : collect_files(root, &options, &paths, &count);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(rc, 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(count, 2);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(has_path(paths, count, "root.txt"));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(has_path(paths, count, "sub/keep.txt"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(has_path(paths, count, "sub/skip.bin"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(has_path(paths, count, "other/unrelated.txt"));
+  free_paths(paths, count);
+  file_list_destroy(set);
+  remove(FILE_LIST_PATH);
+
+  /* Listing a directory transfers its whole subtree. */
+  create_test_file(FILE_LIST_PATH, "sub\n");
+  set = file_list_load(FILE_LIST_PATH, false, err, sizeof(err));
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(set);
+  options.file_list = set;
+  rc = parallel ? collect_files_parallel(root, &options, &paths, &count)
+                : collect_files(root, &options, &paths, &count);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(rc, 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(count, 2);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(has_path(paths, count, "sub/keep.txt"));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(has_path(paths, count, "sub/skip.bin"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(has_path(paths, count, "root.txt"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(has_path(paths, count, "other/unrelated.txt"));
+  free_paths(paths, count);
+  file_list_destroy(set);
+  remove(FILE_LIST_PATH);
+
+  unlink("test_scan_ff/root.txt");
+  unlink("test_scan_ff/sub/keep.txt");
+  unlink("test_scan_ff/sub/skip.bin");
+  unlink("test_scan_ff/other/unrelated.txt");
+  rmdir(other);
+  rmdir(sub);
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+/* Filter layer: '-' excludes, first-match-wins ordering with '+', anchored
+ * rules, and dir-only rules all prune during the scan. */
+static void test_filter_rules(bool parallel) {
+  const char* root = "test_scan_filter";
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0755), 0);
+  create_test_file("test_scan_filter/a.txt", "a");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_filter/b.tmp", "b");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_filter/c.txt", "c");
+
+  /* - *.tmp excludes only the tmp file; other files remain (default include). */
+  const char* exclude_only[] = {"- *.tmp"};
+  char err[160];
+  FilterRuleList* base = filter_base_build(exclude_only, 1, false, err, sizeof(err));
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(base);
+  ScannerOptions options = {0};
+  options.base_filters = base;
+  if (parallel)
+    options.num_threads = 2;
+  char** paths = NULL;
+  int count = 0;
+  int rc = parallel ? collect_files_parallel(root, &options, &paths, &count)
+                    : collect_files(root, &options, &paths, &count);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(rc, 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(count, 2);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(has_path(paths, count, "a.txt"));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(has_path(paths, count, "c.txt"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(has_path(paths, count, "b.tmp"));
+  free_paths(paths, count);
+  filter_rule_list_free(base);
+
+  /* Anchored include then exclude-all: only root-level keep* survives. */
+  const char* anchored[] = {"+ /a.txt", "- *"};
+  base = filter_base_build(anchored, 2, false, err, sizeof(err));
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(base);
+  options.base_filters = base;
+  rc = parallel ? collect_files_parallel(root, &options, &paths, &count)
+                : collect_files(root, &options, &paths, &count);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(rc, 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(count, 1);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(has_path(paths, count, "a.txt"));
+  free_paths(paths, count);
+  filter_rule_list_free(base);
+
+  unlink("test_scan_filter/a.txt");
+  unlink("test_scan_filter/b.tmp");
+  unlink("test_scan_filter/c.txt");
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+/* Anchored dir-only rules prune a whole subtree. */
+static void test_filter_dir_only_and_anchored(bool parallel) {
+  const char* root = "test_scan_filter_dir";
+  const char* sub = "test_scan_filter_dir/sub";
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(sub, 0755), 0);
+  create_test_file("test_scan_filter_dir/sub/inner.txt", "x");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_filter_dir/keep.txt", "keep");
+
+  const char* rules[] = {"- /sub/"};
+  char err[160];
+  FilterRuleList* base = filter_base_build(rules, 1, false, err, sizeof(err));
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(base);
+  ScannerOptions options = {0};
+  options.base_filters = base;
+  if (parallel)
+    options.num_threads = 2;
+  char** paths = NULL;
+  int count = 0;
+  int rc = parallel ? collect_files_parallel(root, &options, &paths, &count)
+                    : collect_files(root, &options, &paths, &count);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(rc, 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(count, 1);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(has_path(paths, count, "keep.txt"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(has_path(paths, count, "sub/inner.txt"));
+  free_paths(paths, count);
+  filter_rule_list_free(base);
+
+  unlink("test_scan_filter_dir/sub/inner.txt");
+  unlink("test_scan_filter_dir/keep.txt");
+  rmdir(sub);
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+/* -C default CVS excludes prune .git/ directories and *.o files. */
+static void test_cvs_defaults(bool parallel) {
+  const char* root = "test_scan_cvs";
+  const char* git = "test_scan_cvs/.git";
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(git, 0755), 0);
+  create_test_file("test_scan_cvs/.git/config", "cfg");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_cvs/object.o", "o");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_cvs/keep.txt", "keep");
+
+  char err[160];
+  FilterRuleList* base = filter_base_build(NULL, 0, true, err, sizeof(err));
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(base);
+  ScannerOptions options = {0};
+  options.base_filters = base;
+  if (parallel)
+    options.num_threads = 2;
+  char** paths = NULL;
+  int count = 0;
+  int rc = parallel ? collect_files_parallel(root, &options, &paths, &count)
+                    : collect_files(root, &options, &paths, &count);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(rc, 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(count, 1);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(has_path(paths, count, "keep.txt"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(has_path(paths, count, ".git/config"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(has_path(paths, count, "object.o"));
+  free_paths(paths, count);
+  filter_rule_list_free(base);
+
+  unlink("test_scan_cvs/.git/config");
+  unlink("test_scan_cvs/object.o");
+  unlink("test_scan_cvs/keep.txt");
+  rmdir(git);
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+/* -F: a .rsync-filter placed in a directory governs its subtree and the file
+ * itself is never transferred. */
+static void test_per_dir_filter(bool parallel) {
+  const char* root = "test_scan_perdir";
+  const char* sub = "test_scan_perdir/sub";
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(sub, 0755), 0);
+  create_test_file("test_scan_perdir/drop.tmp", "tmp");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_perdir/keep.txt", "keep");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_perdir/sub/nested.tmp", "tmp");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_perdir/.rsync-filter", "- *.tmp\n");
+
+  ScannerOptions options = {0};
+  options.per_dir_filters = true;
+  if (parallel)
+    options.num_threads = 2;
+  char** paths = NULL;
+  int count = 0;
+  int rc = parallel ? collect_files_parallel(root, &options, &paths, &count)
+                    : collect_files(root, &options, &paths, &count);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(rc, 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(count, 1);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(has_path(paths, count, "keep.txt"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(has_path(paths, count, "drop.tmp"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(has_path(paths, count, "sub/nested.tmp"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(has_path(paths, count, ".rsync-filter"));
+  free_paths(paths, count);
+
+  unlink("test_scan_perdir/drop.tmp");
+  unlink("test_scan_perdir/keep.txt");
+  unlink("test_scan_perdir/sub/nested.tmp");
+  unlink("test_scan_perdir/.rsync-filter");
+  rmdir(sub);
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+/* scanner_path_relative maps an on-disk path to its transfer-relative path,
+ * including the "/" transfer-root edge case (regression: children of "/" used
+ * to abort the scan because the suffix was mis-read). */
+static void test_scanner_path_relative() {
+  char* rel = NULL;
+
+  rel = scanner_path_relative("/", "/");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(rel);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(rel, "");
+  free(rel);
+
+  rel = scanner_path_relative("/", "/etc");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(rel);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(rel, "etc");
+  free(rel);
+
+  rel = scanner_path_relative("/", "/etc/passwd");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(rel);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(rel, "etc/passwd");
+  free(rel);
+
+  /* Normal roots: with and without a trailing slash on the root. */
+  rel = scanner_path_relative("/tmp/foo", "/tmp/foo");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(rel);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(rel, "");
+  free(rel);
+
+  rel = scanner_path_relative("/tmp/foo", "/tmp/foo/bar");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(rel);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(rel, "bar");
+  free(rel);
+
+  rel = scanner_path_relative("/tmp/foo/", "/tmp/foo/bar/baz.txt");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(rel);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(rel, "bar/baz.txt");
+  free(rel);
+
+  /* A path outside the root maps to NULL. */
+  EXPECT_NULL(scanner_path_relative("/tmp/foo", "/tmp"));
+  EXPECT_NULL(scanner_path_relative("/tmp/foo", "/tmp/foobar"));
+}
+
+/* rsync precedence: a deeper .rsync-filter overrides a shallower one, so an
+ * inner "+ *.tmp" re-includes what the outer "- *.tmp" excluded. */
+static void test_per_dir_filter_override(bool parallel) {
+  const char* root = "test_scan_perdir_ovr";
+  const char* sub = "test_scan_perdir_ovr/sub";
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(sub, 0755), 0);
+  create_test_file("test_scan_perdir_ovr/.rsync-filter", "- *.tmp\n");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_perdir_ovr/sub/.rsync-filter", "+ *.tmp\n");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_perdir_ovr/top.tmp", "x");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_perdir_ovr/keep.txt", "keep");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_perdir_ovr/sub/inside.tmp", "x");
+
+  ScannerOptions options = {0};
+  options.per_dir_filters = true;
+  if (parallel)
+    options.num_threads = 2;
+  char** paths = NULL;
+  int count = 0;
+  int rc = parallel ? collect_files_parallel(root, &options, &paths, &count)
+                    : collect_files(root, &options, &paths, &count);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(rc, 0);
+  /* top.tmp is still excluded by the root file; inside.tmp is re-included by
+   * the subdir file; .rsync-filter files are never transferred. */
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(count, 2);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(has_path(paths, count, "keep.txt"));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(has_path(paths, count, "sub/inside.tmp"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(has_path(paths, count, "top.tmp"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(has_path(paths, count, ".rsync-filter"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(has_path(paths, count, "sub/.rsync-filter"));
+  free_paths(paths, count);
+
+  unlink("test_scan_perdir_ovr/top.tmp");
+  unlink("test_scan_perdir_ovr/keep.txt");
+  unlink("test_scan_perdir_ovr/sub/inside.tmp");
+  unlink("test_scan_perdir_ovr/.rsync-filter");
+  unlink("test_scan_perdir_ovr/sub/.rsync-filter");
+  rmdir(sub);
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+typedef struct {
+  char rel[512];
+  char send[512];
+  bool is_dir;
+} ScanInfo;
+
+/* Collect every scanner entry below `root` into `out` (at most `max`), mapping
+ * paths to their root-relative form and capturing send_path and is_dir. */
+static int collect_scan_info(const char* root, const ScannerOptions* options, ScanInfo out[],
+                             int max) {
+  DirectoryScanner* scanner = directory_scanner_create_with_options(root, options);
+  if (!scanner)
+    return -1;
+  size_t root_len = strlen(root);
+  while (root_len > 0 && root[root_len - 1] == '/')
+    root_len--;
+  int count = 0;
+  Chunk* chunk;
+  while ((chunk = directory_scanner_next(scanner)) != NULL) {
+    for (int i = 0; i < chunk->element_count && count < max; i++) {
+      const File* f = chunk->items[i];
+      const char* rel = f->path + root_len;
+      if (*rel == '/')
+        rel++;
+      snprintf(out[count].rel, sizeof(out[count].rel), "%s", rel);
+      snprintf(out[count].send, sizeof(out[count].send), "%s", f->send_path ? f->send_path : "");
+      out[count].is_dir = f->is_dir;
+      count++;
+    }
+    chunk_destroy(chunk);
+  }
+  bool failed = directory_scanner_failed(scanner);
+  directory_scanner_destroy(scanner);
+  return failed ? -1 : count;
+}
+
+static bool scan_info_present(const ScanInfo* infos, int count, const char* rel, bool is_dir,
+                              const char* send) {
+  for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
+    if (strcmp(infos[i].rel, rel) == 0 && infos[i].is_dir == is_dir &&
+        strcmp(infos[i].send, send ? send : "") == 0)
+      return true;
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
+/* Parallel variant of collect_scan_info; drains `scanner` fully and destroys
+ * it. */
+static int collect_scan_info_parallel(ParallelScanner* scanner, const char* root, ScanInfo out[],
+                                      int max) {
+  if (!scanner)
+    return -1;
+  size_t root_len = strlen(root);
+  while (root_len > 0 && root[root_len - 1] == '/')
+    root_len--;
+  int count = 0;
+  Chunk* chunk;
+  while ((chunk = parallel_scanner_next(scanner)) != NULL) {
+    for (int i = 0; i < chunk->element_count && count < max; i++) {
+      const File* f = chunk->items[i];
+      const char* rel = f->path + root_len;
+      if (*rel == '/')
+        rel++;
+      snprintf(out[count].rel, sizeof(out[count].rel), "%s", rel);
+      snprintf(out[count].send, sizeof(out[count].send), "%s", f->send_path ? f->send_path : "");
+      out[count].is_dir = f->is_dir;
+      count++;
+    }
+    chunk_destroy(chunk);
+  }
+  bool failed = parallel_scanner_failed(scanner);
+  parallel_scanner_destroy(scanner);
+  return failed ? -1 : count;
+}
+
+/* -d without --files-from emits exactly the source-root directory (empty) and
+ * never descends. */
+static void test_dirs_no_descent() {
+  const char* root = "test_scan_dirs_root";
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir("test_scan_dirs_root/sub", 0755), 0);
+  create_test_file("test_scan_dirs_root/a.txt", "a");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_dirs_root/sub/b.txt", "b");
+
+  ScannerOptions options = {0};
+  options.dirs = true;
+  ScanInfo infos[8];
+  int count = collect_scan_info(root, &options, infos, 8);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(count, 1);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(scan_info_present(infos, count, "", true, NULL));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(scan_info_present(infos, count, "a.txt", false, ""));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(scan_info_present(infos, count, "sub/b.txt", false, ""));
+
+  unlink("test_scan_dirs_root/a.txt");
+  unlink("test_scan_dirs_root/sub/b.txt");
+  rmdir("test_scan_dirs_root/sub");
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+/* -d with --files-from transfers exactly the listed directory (empty) and the
+ * listed file; nothing is descended into. */
+static void test_dirs_files_from() {
+  const char* root = "test_scan_dirs_ff";
+  const char* list_path = "test_scan_dirs_ff.list";
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir("test_scan_dirs_ff/sub", 0755), 0);
+  create_test_file("test_scan_dirs_ff/sub/keep.txt", "keep");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_dirs_ff/sub/skip.bin", "skip");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_dirs_ff/top.txt", "top");
+
+  char err[160];
+  create_test_file(list_path, "sub\nsub/keep.txt\n");
+  FileListSet* set = file_list_load(list_path, false, err, sizeof(err));
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(set);
+
+  for (int relative = 0; relative <= 1; relative++) {
+    ScannerOptions options = {0};
+    options.dirs = true;
+    options.file_list = set;
+    options.relative = relative != 0;
+    ScanInfo infos[8];
+    int count = collect_scan_info(root, &options, infos, 8);
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(count, 2);
+    if (relative) {
+      EXPECT_TRUE(scan_info_present(infos, count, "sub", true, "sub"));
+      EXPECT_TRUE(scan_info_present(infos, count, "sub/keep.txt", false, "sub/keep.txt"));
+    } else {
+      EXPECT_TRUE(scan_info_present(infos, count, "sub", true, NULL));
+      EXPECT_TRUE(scan_info_present(infos, count, "sub/keep.txt", false, NULL));
+    }
+    EXPECT_FALSE(scan_info_present(infos, count, "sub/skip.bin", false, ""));
+    EXPECT_FALSE(scan_info_present(infos, count, "top.txt", false, ""));
+  }
+  file_list_destroy(set);
+  remove(list_path);
+  unlink("test_scan_dirs_ff/sub/keep.txt");
+  unlink("test_scan_dirs_ff/sub/skip.bin");
+  unlink("test_scan_dirs_ff/top.txt");
+  rmdir("test_scan_dirs_ff/sub");
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
+/* -R with --files-from (no -d): every file keeps its bare relative path as the
+ * send_path while the local scan path stays absolute-under-root. */
+static void test_files_from_relative_send_path() {
+  const char* root = "test_scan_rel_ff";
+  const char* list_path = "test_scan_rel_ff.list";
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir(root, 0755), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(mkdir("test_scan_rel_ff/sub", 0755), 0);
+  create_test_file("test_scan_rel_ff/root.txt", "root");
+  create_test_file("test_scan_rel_ff/sub/keep.txt", "keep");
+
+  char err[160];
+  create_test_file(list_path, "root.txt\nsub/keep.txt\n");
+  FileListSet* set = file_list_load(list_path, false, err, sizeof(err));
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(set);
+
+  for (int parallel = 0; parallel <= 1; parallel++) {
+    ScannerOptions options = {0};
+    options.file_list = set;
+    options.relative = true;
+    if (parallel)
+      options.num_threads = 2;
+    ScanInfo infos[8];
+    int count;
+    if (parallel) {
+      ParallelScanner* scanner = parallel_scanner_create_with_options(root, &options, NULL);
+      EXPECT_NOT_NULL(scanner);
+      count = collect_scan_info_parallel(scanner, root, infos, 8);
+    } else {
+      count = collect_scan_info(root, &options, infos, 8);
+    }
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(count, 2);
+    EXPECT_TRUE(scan_info_present(infos, count, "root.txt", false, "root.txt"));
+    EXPECT_TRUE(scan_info_present(infos, count, "sub/keep.txt", false, "sub/keep.txt"));
+  }
+  file_list_destroy(set);
+  remove(list_path);
+  unlink("test_scan_rel_ff/root.txt");
+  unlink("test_scan_rel_ff/sub/keep.txt");
+  rmdir("test_scan_rel_ff/sub");
+  rmdir(root);
+}
+
 void test_scanner() {
   test_scanner_single_file();
   test_scanner_multiple_files();
@@ -429,4 +1278,24 @@ void test_scanner() {
   test_scanner_mixed_patterns();
   test_scanner_no_patterns();
   test_parallel_scanner_root_chunks_without_workers();
+  test_scanner_one_file_system_decision();
+  test_scanner_one_file_system_same_device();
+  test_parallel_scanner_one_file_system_same_device();
+  test_scanner_one_file_system_cross_device();
+  test_files_from_subset(false);
+  test_files_from_subset(true);
+  test_filter_rules(false);
+  test_filter_rules(true);
+  test_filter_dir_only_and_anchored(false);
+  test_filter_dir_only_and_anchored(true);
+  test_cvs_defaults(false);
+  test_cvs_defaults(true);
+  test_per_dir_filter(false);
+  test_per_dir_filter(true);
+  test_scanner_path_relative();
+  test_per_dir_filter_override(false);
+  test_per_dir_filter_override(true);
+  test_dirs_no_descent();
+  test_dirs_files_from();
+  test_files_from_relative_send_path();
 }

tests/test_server.c

@@ -1,14 +1,18 @@
 #include "test_server.h"
 #include "config.h"
+#include "delta.h"
 #include "file.h"
 #include "protocol.h"
 #include "test_utils.h"
 #include "utils.h"
+#include <fcntl.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <sys/socket.h>
+#include <sys/stat.h>
 #include <sys/wait.h>
+#include <time.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
 #include "receiver.h"
@@ -182,11 +186,286 @@ static void test_receive_manifest_rejects_traversal() {
   config_delete(cfg);
 }
 
+static void test_receive_incremental_check_rejects_invalid_nanoseconds() {
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  cfg->receive_root_directory = str_dup("/tmp/dst");
+
+  int p[2];
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(socketpair(AF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0, p), 0);
+  io_set_fds(p[0], p[1]);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(send_str(p[1], "file.txt"));
+  unsigned long long size = 0;
+  long long mtime = 100;
+  long long mtime_nsec = 1000000000LL;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &size, sizeof(size)));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &mtime, sizeof(mtime)));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &mtime_nsec, sizeof(mtime_nsec)));
+
+  bool skipped = false;
+  EXPECT_NULL(receive_incremental_check(p[0], cfg, &skipped));
+  Status status;
+  EXPECT_TRUE(receive_status(p[1], &status));
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(status, STATUS_ERROR);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(skipped);
+
+  close(p[0]);
+  close(p[1]);
+  config_delete(cfg);
+}
+
+static char* make_check_root(const char* tag) {
+  char tmpl[128];
+  snprintf(tmpl, sizeof(tmpl), "/tmp/fastsync_%s_XXXXXX", tag);
+  char* path = str_dup(tmpl);
+  if (!path)
+    return NULL;
+  if (!mkdtemp(path)) {
+    free(path);
+    return NULL;
+  }
+  return path;
+}
+
+static void write_check_file(const char* dir, const char* name, const char* content) {
+  char path[1024];
+  snprintf(path, sizeof(path), "%s/%s", dir, name);
+  int fd = open(path, O_WRONLY | O_CREAT | O_TRUNC, 0644);
+  if (fd >= 0) {
+    size_t len = strlen(content);
+    if (write(fd, content, len) != (ssize_t)len) {
+      /* intentionally ignored in tests */
+    }
+    close(fd);
+  }
+}
+
+/* Issue #255: a same-size/mtime match is decided from metadata alone, so the
+   receiver answers STATUS_OK (skip) and never asks for a data body. */
+static void test_incremental_check_quick_skip_by_mtime() {
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  char* root = make_check_root("qskip");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(root);
+  cfg->receive_root_directory = str_dup(root);
+  write_check_file(root, "file.txt", "0123456789abcdef");
+
+  char path[1024];
+  snprintf(path, sizeof(path), "%s/file.txt", root);
+  struct stat st;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat(path, &st), 0);
+
+  int p[2];
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(socketpair(AF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0, p), 0);
+  io_set_fds(p[0], p[1]);
+  io_set_bwlimit(0);
+
+  pid_t pid = fork();
+  if (pid == 0) {
+    alarm(30);
+    close(p[1]);
+    io_set_fds(p[0], p[0]);
+    bool skipped = false;
+    File* file = receive_incremental_check(p[0], cfg, &skipped);
+    bool ok = file == NULL && skipped;
+    file_destroy(file);
+    config_delete(cfg);
+    close(p[0]);
+    _exit(ok ? 0 : 1);
+  } else {
+    close(p[0]);
+    io_set_fds(p[1], p[1]);
+    EXPECT_TRUE(send_str(p[1], "file.txt"));
+    unsigned long long size = (unsigned long long)st.st_size;
+    long long mtime = (long long)st.st_mtime;
+    long long mtime_nsec = 0;
+#ifdef __linux__
+    mtime_nsec = (long long)st.st_mtim.tv_nsec;
+#endif
+    EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &size, sizeof(size)));
+    EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &mtime, sizeof(mtime)));
+    EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &mtime_nsec, sizeof(mtime_nsec)));
+    Status s;
+    EXPECT_TRUE(receive_status(p[1], &s));
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(s, STATUS_OK);
+
+    int status;
+    waitpid(pid, &status, 0);
+    close(p[1]);
+    config_delete(cfg);
+    unlink(path);
+    rmdir(root);
+    free(root);
+    EXPECT_TRUE(WIFEXITED(status) && WEXITSTATUS(status) == 0);
+  }
+}
+
+/* Issue #255: a size mismatch cannot be a skip, so the receiver answers
+   STATUS_NEXT and consumes the full data body that follows. */
+static void test_incremental_check_size_mismatch_full_transfer() {
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  char* root = make_check_root("qnext");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(root);
+  cfg->receive_root_directory = str_dup(root);
+  write_check_file(root, "file.txt", "0123456789abcdef");
+
+  char path[1024];
+  snprintf(path, sizeof(path), "%s/file.txt", root);
+  struct stat st;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat(path, &st), 0);
+
+  int p[2];
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(socketpair(AF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0, p), 0);
+  io_set_fds(p[0], p[1]);
+  io_set_bwlimit(0);
+
+  pid_t pid = fork();
+  if (pid == 0) {
+    alarm(30);
+    close(p[1]);
+    io_set_fds(p[0], p[0]);
+    bool skipped = false;
+    File* file = receive_incremental_check(p[0], cfg, &skipped);
+    bool ok = file != NULL && !skipped && file->path != NULL && strcmp(file->path, "file.txt") == 0;
+    file_destroy(file);
+    config_delete(cfg);
+    close(p[0]);
+    _exit(ok ? 0 : 1);
+  } else {
+    close(p[0]);
+    io_set_fds(p[1], p[1]);
+    EXPECT_TRUE(send_str(p[1], "file.txt"));
+    unsigned long long size = (unsigned long long)st.st_size + 1;
+    long long mtime = (long long)st.st_mtime;
+    long long mtime_nsec = 0;
+#ifdef __linux__
+    mtime_nsec = (long long)st.st_mtim.tv_nsec;
+#endif
+    EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &size, sizeof(size)));
+    EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &mtime, sizeof(mtime)));
+    EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &mtime_nsec, sizeof(mtime_nsec)));
+    Status s;
+    EXPECT_TRUE(receive_status(p[1], &s));
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(s, STATUS_NEXT);
+
+    Data* body = data_create_reserve(8);
+    EXPECT_NOT_NULL(body);
+    body->data = malloc(8);
+    EXPECT_NOT_NULL(body->data);
+    memcpy(body->data, "replaced", 8);
+    body->size = 8;
+    EXPECT_TRUE(send_data(p[1], body));
+    data_destroy(body);
+
+    int status;
+    waitpid(pid, &status, 0);
+    close(p[1]);
+    config_delete(cfg);
+    unlink(path);
+    rmdir(root);
+    free(root);
+    EXPECT_TRUE(WIFEXITED(status) && WEXITSTATUS(status) == 0);
+  }
+}
+
+/* Issue #256: when a received delta claims a result above the whole-file cap,
+   receive_delta_file must mark the operation failed so the caller aborts with
+   STATUS_ERROR instead of emitting STATUS_NEXT and waiting for a body that
+   never arrives. */
+static void test_incremental_check_delta_oversize_reports_failure() {
+  Config* cfg = config_create();
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(cfg);
+  char* root = make_check_root("qdelta");
+  EXPECT_NOT_NULL(root);
+  cfg->receive_root_directory = str_dup(root);
+  cfg->use_delta = true;
+
+  char content[20000];
+  memset(content, 'a', sizeof(content));
+  content[sizeof(content) - 1] = '\0';
+  write_check_file(root, "file.txt", content);
+
+  char path[1024];
+  snprintf(path, sizeof(path), "%s/file.txt", root);
+  struct stat st;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(stat(path, &st), 0);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT((int)st.st_size, 19999);
+
+  int p[2];
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(socketpair(AF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0, p), 0);
+  io_set_fds(p[0], p[1]);
+  io_set_bwlimit(0);
+
+  pid_t pid = fork();
+  if (pid == 0) {
+    alarm(30);
+    close(p[1]);
+    io_set_fds(p[0], p[0]);
+    bool skipped = false;
+    File* file = receive_incremental_check(p[0], cfg, &skipped);
+    bool ok = file == NULL && !skipped;
+    if (ok)
+      send_status(p[0], STATUS_ERROR); /* mirror the server error path */
+    file_destroy(file);
+    config_delete(cfg);
+    close(p[0]);
+    _exit(ok ? 0 : 1);
+  } else {
+    close(p[0]);
+    io_set_fds(p[1], p[1]);
+    EXPECT_TRUE(send_str(p[1], "file.txt"));
+    unsigned long long size = (unsigned long long)st.st_size;
+    long long mtime = 1; /* different from the file mtime: force a transfer */
+    long long mtime_nsec = 0;
+    EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &size, sizeof(size)));
+    EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &mtime, sizeof(mtime)));
+    EXPECT_TRUE(send_n_data(p[1], &mtime_nsec, sizeof(mtime_nsec)));
+
+    Status s;
+    EXPECT_TRUE(receive_status(p[1], &s));
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(s, STATUS_DELTA_SIGNATURE);
+    Data* sig_data = receive_data(p[1]);
+    EXPECT_NOT_NULL(sig_data);
+    DeltaSignature* sig = delta_signature_deserialize(sig_data);
+    EXPECT_NOT_NULL(sig);
+    delta_signature_destroy(sig);
+    data_destroy(sig_data);
+
+    /* Send a delta whose claimed output size exceeds the whole-file cap. */
+    Delta delta;
+    memset(&delta, 0, sizeof(delta));
+    delta.new_file_size = MAX_RECEIVE_WHOLE_FILE_SIZE + 1;
+    Data* bogus = delta_serialize(&delta);
+    EXPECT_NOT_NULL(bogus);
+    EXPECT_TRUE(send_status(p[1], STATUS_DELTA_DATA));
+    EXPECT_TRUE(bogus != NULL && send_data(p[1], bogus));
+    data_destroy(bogus);
+
+    /* The receiver must answer with an error, never with STATUS_NEXT. */
+    EXPECT_TRUE(receive_status(p[1], &s));
+    EXPECT_EQ_INT(s, STATUS_ERROR);
+
+    int status;
+    waitpid(pid, &status, 0);
+    close(p[1]);
+    config_delete(cfg);
+    unlink(path);
+    rmdir(root);
+    free(root);
+    EXPECT_TRUE(WIFEXITED(status) && WEXITSTATUS(status) == 0);
+  }
+}
+
 void test_server() {
   if (!is_running_under_valgrind()) {
     test_receive_files_finished();
     test_receive_files_single_file();
     test_receive_files_abort();
     test_receive_manifest_rejects_traversal();
+    test_receive_incremental_check_rejects_invalid_nanoseconds();
+    test_incremental_check_quick_skip_by_mtime();
+    test_incremental_check_size_mismatch_full_transfer();
+    test_incremental_check_delta_oversize_reports_failure();
   }
 }

tests/test_shared_utils.c

@@ -1,10 +1,66 @@
 #include "test_shared_utils.h"
 #include "utils.h"
+#include "protocol.h"
 #include "test_utils.h"
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <threads.h>
+
+typedef struct {
+  bool eight_bit_output;
+  const char* expected;
+  int failed;
+} EscapeThreadArgs;
+
+static int escape_thread(void* arg) {
+  EscapeThreadArgs* args = arg;
+  for (int i = 0; i < 1000; i++) {
+    char* escaped = output_escape("x\xc3\xa9\n", args->eight_bit_output);
+    if (!escaped || strcmp(escaped, args->expected) != 0)
+      args->failed = 1;
+    free(escaped);
+  }
+  return 0;
+}
 
 void test_shared_utils() {
+  char formatted[32];
+  EXPECT_TRUE(format_human_bytes(0, formatted, sizeof(formatted)));
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(formatted, "0 B");
+  EXPECT_TRUE(format_human_bytes(1024, formatted, sizeof(formatted)));
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(formatted, "1.0 KB");
+  EXPECT_TRUE(format_human_bytes(1536 * 1024, formatted, sizeof(formatted)));
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(formatted, "1.5 MB");
+  EXPECT_FALSE(format_human_bytes(1024, formatted, 4));
+
+  char high_bit[] = {'a', (char)0xc3, (char)0xa9, '\n', '\0'};
+  char* escaped = output_escape(high_bit, false);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(escaped, "a\\#303\\#251\\#012");
+  free(escaped);
+  escaped = output_escape(high_bit, true);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(escaped, "a\xc3\xa9\\#012");
+  free(escaped);
+
+  ProtocolSession safe_session;
+  ProtocolSession eight_bit_session;
+  protocol_session_init(&safe_session, -1, -1);
+  protocol_session_init(&eight_bit_session, -1, -1);
+  protocol_session_set_8_bit_output(&safe_session, false);
+  protocol_session_set_8_bit_output(&eight_bit_session, true);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(safe_session.eight_bit_output);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(eight_bit_session.eight_bit_output);
+
+  EscapeThreadArgs safe_args = {false, "x\\#303\\#251\\#012", 0};
+  EscapeThreadArgs eight_bit_args = {true, "x\xc3\xa9\\#012", 0};
+  thrd_t safe_thread;
+  thrd_t eight_bit_thread;
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(thrd_create(&safe_thread, escape_thread, &safe_args), thrd_success);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(thrd_create(&eight_bit_thread, escape_thread, &eight_bit_args), thrd_success);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(thrd_join(safe_thread, NULL), thrd_success);
+  EXPECT_EQ_INT(thrd_join(eight_bit_thread, NULL), thrd_success);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(safe_args.failed);
+  EXPECT_FALSE(eight_bit_args.failed);
+
   // Test str_dup
   const char* dup_null = str_dup(NULL);
   EXPECT_NULL(dup_null);

tests/test_transport_ssh.c

@@ -4,34 +4,39 @@
 
 static void test_ssh_connect_invalid_dest_no_colon() {
   /* cppcheck-suppress constVariablePointer */
-  Client* client = client_connect_ssh("invalid-destination-no-colon", 22, NULL);
+  Client* client = client_connect_ssh("invalid-destination-no-colon", 22, NULL, false);
   EXPECT_NULL(client);
 }
 
 static void test_ssh_connect_invalid_dest_empty() {
   /* cppcheck-suppress constVariablePointer */
-  Client* client = client_connect_ssh("", 22, NULL);
+  Client* client = client_connect_ssh("", 22, NULL, false);
   EXPECT_NULL(client);
 }
 
-/* Test client_connect_ssh with malformed destination (just a colon).
- * parse_remote_dest succeeds, ssh is exec'd and fails, but the function
- * creates a Client that must be cleaned up. */
+/* A child that cannot exec ssh must not be returned as a successful client. */
 static void test_ssh_connect_malformed() {
-  Client* client = client_connect_ssh(":", 22, NULL);
-  /* ssh binary exists, so exec succeeds; the function returns a Client.
-   * We just verify it doesn't crash and clean up properly. */
-  if (client != NULL) {
-    client_disconnect(client);
-    client_delete(client);
+  const char* old_path = getenv("PATH");
+  char* saved_path = old_path ? strdup(old_path) : NULL;
+  setenv("PATH", "", 1);
+
+  /* cppcheck-suppress constVariablePointer */
+  Client* client = client_connect_ssh(":", 22, NULL, false);
+
+  if (saved_path) {
+    setenv("PATH", saved_path, 1);
+    free(saved_path);
+  } else {
+    unsetenv("PATH");
   }
-  EXPECT_TRUE(true);
+
+  EXPECT_NULL(client);
 }
 
 /* Test client_connect_ssh with valid format but unreachable host.
  * The function launches ssh which will fail to connect, returns a Client. */
 static void test_ssh_connect_unreachable() {
-  Client* client = client_connect_ssh("nonexistent.invalid:/remote/path", 22, NULL);
+  Client* client = client_connect_ssh("nonexistent.invalid:/remote/path", 22, NULL, false);
   if (client != NULL) {
     client_disconnect(client);
     client_delete(client);
@@ -39,9 +44,24 @@ static void test_ssh_connect_unreachable() {
   EXPECT_TRUE(true);
 }
 
+static void test_ssh_remote_command_argument_modes() {
+  char* command = ssh_build_remote_command("fast sync; touch /tmp/pwned", false);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(command, "'fast sync; touch /tmp/pwned' --stdio");
+  free(command);
+
+  command = ssh_build_remote_command("fast'sync", false);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(command, "'fast'\\''sync' --stdio");
+  free(command);
+
+  command = ssh_build_remote_command("fast sync; touch /tmp/pwned", true);
+  EXPECT_EQ_STR(command, "fast sync; touch /tmp/pwned --stdio");
+  free(command);
+}
+
 void test_transport_ssh() {
   test_ssh_connect_invalid_dest_no_colon();
   test_ssh_connect_invalid_dest_empty();
   test_ssh_connect_malformed();
   test_ssh_connect_unreachable();
+  test_ssh_remote_command_argument_modes();
 }