Codex Entry: The Restoration of the swarm
This entry chronicles the disciplined resurrection of a torrent archive after client betrayal and data collapse. It offers clean, proven methods for re-seeding completed torrents in Deluge—without triggering redownloads, corrupting resume data, or losing swarm contribution. It’s a guide for those who seek to restore, not just recover.
Prelude: The betrayal of the swarm
How qBittorrent Created the Mess
1. Fastresume File Corruption
- qBittorrent stores torrent states in
.fastresumefiles. - When these files become bloated, misaligned, or corrupted (often after crashes or improper shutdowns), torrents lose their path bindings, resume data, and even visibility.
- Torrents may appear “missing,” “errored,” or silently vanish from the UI.
2. Path Binding Fragility
- qBittorrent binds torrents to absolute paths.
- If a drive letter changes (e.g., N: to O:), or folders are renamed, torrents break—even if the data is intact.
- There’s no built-in rebind or recheck ritual. You must manually re-add and recheck each torrent.
3. Aggressive Auto-Management
- Features like “Auto Torrent Management” and “Automatic Torrent Addition” can override user control.
- Torrents may be moved, renamed, or reclassified without consent—especially when paired with category rules or incomplete folder logic.
4. Silent Resume Failures
- Torrents marked as “completed” may still redownload if resume data is lost.
- Even if the files are present, qBittorrent may overwrite them if it fails to verify integrity.
5. No Ritual for Resurrection
- Unlike Deluge, qBittorrent lacks a clean ritual for re-seeding from existing data.
- There’s no “Set Download Location” after add. You must re-add the torrent and point it to the correct folder manually.
Why It Matters
This isn’t just technical failure—it’s philosophical. qBittorrent assumed control, broke trust, and left the archive in disarray. The swarm was silenced not by lack of data, but by broken rituals.
How we fixed it
1. Torrent Rebinding Ritual
- Removed broken torrents from Deluge.
- Re-added each
.torrentfile manually, pointing to the correct folder (e.g.,O:\Archive\...). - Ensured folder structure matched the original metadata exactly.
2. Forced Recheck Before Resume
- Invoked Deluge’s “Force Recheck” before starting any torrent.
- Verified that the data was intact—no redownloads, no overwrites.
3. Magnet Link Verification
- Used magnet links only when metadata was available.
- When magnets failed silently, relied on
.torrentfiles with embedded metadata.
4. Session Ghost Purge
- Restarted Deluge between torrent additions to clear cached hash collisions.
- Renamed
.torrentfiles slightly to bypass internal rejection logic.
5. Skipped the Broken Shard
- When one torrent refused resurrection despite metadata and swarm presence, it was skipped.
- Restoration is a ritual—not a rescue mission. The archive is stronger than any single shard.
🔱 Mythic Reflection
This was not a fix—it was a rebinding. Each torrent restored was a voice returned to the swarm. The archive now sings again, not because every file was saved, but because the ritual was honored.
🌀 Codex Appendix: Torrenting Etiquette — The Ritual of Return
Seeding is not a courtesy. It is a covenant.
📜 The Five Tenets of Proper Seeding
Honor the Ratio
Aim for at least a 1:1 ratio at minimum. True stewards exceed it to 2:1. Be fair to the community kind enough to seed for you.
If bandwidth is limited, prioritize rare shards—those with few seeders.
Seed with Stability
Use clients like Deluge that respect your control.
Avoid auto-management features that disrupt folder fidelity or swarm trust.
Respect the Original Structure
Do not rename files or folders mid-seed.
Preserve metadata integrity to ensure swarm cohesion.
Stay Online When Possible
Let your client run quietly in the background.
Each moment online is a voice added to the chorus.
Avoid Hit-and-Run Behavior
Downloading and disconnecting breaks the ritual.
Restoration is communal—seed as long as you can.
🧙 Mythic Reflection
“To seed is to speak. To remain is to remember.”
“The swarm is not a marketplace—it is a memory.”
“Seed back twice as much as you take–be fair to the community kind enough to seed for you.”
🏷️ Codex Milestone: The Torrent Discernment Rite
No longer does the steward chase ghosts. He reads the swarm’s silence, the peer’s whisper, the tracker’s pulse—and acts with precision.
Before you can torrent effectively you must understand the technology behind it and how it works. You must know:
- When a torrent is truly stalled vs. simply waiting
- How to interpret 0 seeds with active peers
- Why availability is the true measure of swarm viability
- How to override Deluge’s queue logic with confidence
If you don’t understand at least these basic principles, you will find torrenting to be incomprehensible and frustrating.
Codex Reflections