Add per-folder recursive/top-level-only scanning, fix a dangerous empty-folder-list fallback

- Each source folder now has its own recursive flag (checkbox on add,
  toggle badge on its chip). scan_folder/sync_metadata_from_folder both
  honor it, so "top-level only" actually excludes subfolders end-to-end
  instead of just the tagging queue while sync still scanned recursively.
- New /api/set_folder_recursive to flip an existing folder's mode without
  removing/re-adding it.
- SAFETY FIX: found while testing — when the configured folder list is
  empty, the app fell back to the parent directory of wherever server.py
  lives, which for a typical install (PHOTON dropped directly in the
  user's home folder) means defaulting to the entire home directory.
  Caught this before any scan/start actually ran against it. Fixed so an
  explicitly-configured empty list (config file exists, list is empty)
  is respected as "zero folders" instead of silently substituted with a
  guessed default — the guessed default now only applies on a genuinely
  fresh install where no config file exists yet at all.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

index.html

@@ -89,6 +89,14 @@ button:disabled{opacity:.3;cursor:not-allowed}
 .folderChip .rm{cursor:pointer;color:var(--dim);border:1px solid var(--line);border-radius:50%;
   width:16px;height:16px;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;font-size:11px;line-height:1}
 .folderChip .rm:hover{color:var(--red);border-color:var(--red)}
+.folderChip .mode{cursor:pointer;color:var(--dim);border:1px solid var(--line);border-radius:8px;
+  padding:1px 7px;font-size:10px;white-space:nowrap}
+.folderChip .mode:hover{color:var(--cyan);border-color:var(--cyan)}
+.folderChip .mode.rec{color:var(--cyan-dim)}
+
+.chkRecursiveLabel{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:5px;font-family:var(--font-mono);
+  font-size:11px;color:var(--dim);white-space:nowrap;padding:0 4px}
+.chkRecursiveLabel input{accent-color:var(--cyan)}
 
 .grid{display:grid;grid-template-columns:330px 1fr;gap:14px}
 .grid-three{display:grid;grid-template-columns:330px 1fr 320px;gap:14px}
@@ -352,6 +360,9 @@ mark{background:rgba(34,211,238,.28);color:#fff;border-radius:2px;padding:0 1px}
     <div class="controls">
       <div class="folderRow">
         <input id="folder" spellcheck="false" placeholder="/path/to/your/photos — add as many source folders as you like">
+        <label class="chkRecursiveLabel" title="If off, only the exact folder is scanned — no subfolders">
+          <input type="checkbox" id="chkRecursive" checked> include subfolders
+        </label>
         <button id="btnAddFolderTyped" title="Add this typed path as a source folder">＋ Add</button>
         <button id="btnBrowseFolder" title="Open native macOS folder chooser to add a source folder">📁 Browse</button>
         <input type="file" id="fallbackFolderInput" webkitdirectory style="display:none">
@@ -1021,7 +1032,7 @@ async function api(path, body){
 }
 
 /* ---------- multi-folder source list ---------- */
-let currentFolders = [];
+let currentFolders = [];   // [{path, recursive}, ...]
 
 function renderFolderChips(){
   const box = $("folderChips");
@@ -1030,8 +1041,11 @@ function renderFolderChips(){
   currentFolders.forEach(f=>{
     const chip = document.createElement("div");
     chip.className = "folderChip";
-    chip.innerHTML = `<span class="path" title="${escapeHtml(f)}">${escapeHtml(f)}</span><span class="rm" title="Remove this folder">×</span>`;
+    chip.innerHTML = `<span class="path" title="${escapeHtml(f.path)}">${escapeHtml(f.path)}</span>
-    chip.querySelector(".rm").onclick = ()=>removeFolder(f);
+      <span class="mode ${f.recursive?'rec':''}" title="Click to toggle: currently ${f.recursive?'including subfolders':'top-level only'}">${f.recursive?'⊞ subfolders':'▭ top-level only'}</span>
+      <span class="rm" title="Remove this folder">×</span>`;
+    chip.querySelector(".rm").onclick = ()=>removeFolder(f.path);
+    chip.querySelector(".mode").onclick = ()=>toggleFolderRecursive(f);
     box.appendChild(chip);
   });
 }
@@ -1045,8 +1059,13 @@ function applyFolderList(folders){
   }
 }
 
-async function removeFolder(f){
+async function removeFolder(path){
-  const j = await api("/api/remove_folder", {folder: f});
+  const j = await api("/api/remove_folder", {folder: path});
+  if(j.ok) applyFolderList(j.folders);
+}
+
+async function toggleFolderRecursive(f){
+  const j = await api("/api/set_folder_recursive", {folder: f.path, recursive: !f.recursive});
   if(j.ok) applyFolderList(j.folders);
 }
 
@@ -1055,7 +1074,7 @@ if($("btnAddFolderTyped")){
     const val = $("folder").value.trim();
     if(!val) return;
     $("btnAddFolderTyped").disabled = true;
-    const j = await api("/api/add_folder", {folder: val});
+    const j = await api("/api/add_folder", {folder: val, recursive: $("chkRecursive").checked});
     $("btnAddFolderTyped").disabled = false;
     if(j.ok){
       $("folder").value = "";
@@ -1069,7 +1088,7 @@ if($("btnBrowseFolder")){
   $("btnBrowseFolder").onclick = async ()=>{
     $("btnBrowseFolder").disabled = true;
     showToast("Opening folder chooser…", "info");
-    const j = await api("/api/choose_folder", {});
+    const j = await api("/api/choose_folder", {recursive: $("chkRecursive").checked});
     $("btnBrowseFolder").disabled = false;
     if(j.ok && j.folder){
       showToast("Added folder: " + j.folder, "ok");

server.py

@@ -33,8 +33,12 @@ PORT = int(os.environ.get("PHOTON_PORT", 8765))
 FOLDER_CONFIG_FILE = os.path.join(APP_DIR, "photon_folder.json")
 
 def load_saved_folders():
-    """Returns the list of configured source folders, migrating transparently
+    """Returns the explicitly configured folder list (as {"path", "recursive"}
-    from the old single-folder config format if that's all that's on disk."""
+    dicts) if a config file exists — even if that list is empty, because the
+    user deliberately removed every folder and that must be respected, NOT
+    silently overridden by a fallback default. Returns None only when there
+    is no config file at all (a genuinely fresh install), which is the one
+    case the zero-config fallback below is allowed to kick in for."""
     if os.path.exists(FOLDER_CONFIG_FILE):
         try:
             with open(FOLDER_CONFIG_FILE, "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
@@ -42,18 +46,24 @@ def load_saved_folders():
             folders = data.get("folders")
             if folders is None and data.get("folder"):
                 folders = [data["folder"]]
-            if folders:
+            if folders is not None:
-                existing = [f for f in folders if os.path.isdir(f)]
+                out = []
-                if existing:
+                for f in folders:
-                    return existing
+                    if isinstance(f, str):
+                        f = {"path": f, "recursive": True}
+                    if f.get("path") and os.path.isdir(f["path"]):
+                        out.append({"path": f["path"], "recursive": bool(f.get("recursive", True))})
+                return out  # explicit list, possibly empty — respected as-is
         except Exception:
             pass
-    return []
+    return None
 
-def save_folders_config(folders):
+def save_folders_config(folders, recursive_map):
     try:
         with open(FOLDER_CONFIG_FILE, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
-            json.dump({"folders": folders}, f)
+            json.dump({"folders": [
+                {"path": p, "recursive": recursive_map.get(p, True)} for p in folders
+            ]}, f)
     except Exception:
         pass
 
@@ -66,21 +76,23 @@ def resolve_default_folders():
        workflow is dropping the PHOTON folder directly inside a photo
        collection, so its parent IS that collection.
     Always overridable from the Console tab's folder list.
+    Returns a list of {"path", "recursive"} dicts.
     """
     if len(sys.argv) > 1:
         arg = os.path.abspath(sys.argv[1])
         if os.path.isdir(arg):
-            return [arg]
+            return [{"path": arg, "recursive": True}]
     env = os.environ.get("PHOTON_FOLDER")
     if env and os.path.isdir(env):
-        return [os.path.abspath(env)]
+        return [{"path": os.path.abspath(env), "recursive": True}]
     saved = load_saved_folders()
-    if saved:
+    if saved is not None:
-        return saved
+        return saved  # respect an explicit (even empty) prior configuration
-    return [os.path.dirname(APP_DIR)]
+    return [{"path": os.path.dirname(APP_DIR), "recursive": True}]
 
-DEFAULT_FOLDERS = resolve_default_folders()
+DEFAULT_FOLDERS_FULL = resolve_default_folders()
-DEFAULT_FOLDER = DEFAULT_FOLDERS[0]
+DEFAULT_FOLDERS = [f["path"] for f in DEFAULT_FOLDERS_FULL]
+DEFAULT_FOLDER = DEFAULT_FOLDERS[0] if DEFAULT_FOLDERS else None
 JOURNAL = os.path.join(APP_DIR, "photon_journal.jsonl")
 CATEGORIES_FILE = os.path.join(APP_DIR, "photon_categories.json")
 
@@ -175,6 +187,7 @@ class State:
         self.lock = threading.RLock()
         self.status = "idle"          # idle | scanning | running | paused | stopping | done
         self.folders = list(DEFAULT_FOLDERS)   # every configured source folder
+        self.folder_recursive = {f["path"]: f["recursive"] for f in DEFAULT_FOLDERS_FULL}  # path -> include subfolders?
         self.files = []               # pending image paths (after scan)
         self.video_files = []         # video paths found on last scan
         self.total_images = 0
@@ -762,8 +775,9 @@ def ollama_generate(model, prompt, img_b64, opts, keep_alive, think=None, schema
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------- pipeline
 
-def scan_folder(folder):
+def scan_folder(folder, recursive=True):
     images, videos, sidecars = [], [], 0
+    if recursive:
         for root, dirs, files in os.walk(folder):
             dirs[:] = [d for d in dirs if not d.startswith(".") and not d.startswith("_")]
             for name in sorted(files):
@@ -775,18 +789,40 @@ def scan_folder(folder):
                     images.append(os.path.join(root, name))
                 elif ext in VIDEO_EXTS:
                     videos.append(os.path.join(root, name))
+    else:
+        try:
+            names = sorted(os.listdir(folder))
+        except OSError:
+            names = []
+        for name in names:
+            full = os.path.join(folder, name)
+            if not os.path.isfile(full):
+                continue
+            if name.startswith("."):
+                sidecars += 1
+                continue
+            ext = os.path.splitext(name)[1].lower()
+            if ext in IMAGE_EXTS:
+                images.append(full)
+            elif ext in VIDEO_EXTS:
+                videos.append(full)
     return images, videos, sidecars
 
+def folders_payload():
+    with S.lock:
+        return [{"path": f, "recursive": S.folder_recursive.get(f, True)} for f in S.folders]
+
 def rescan_configured_folders():
-    """Scan every folder in S.folders and merge the results into the
+    """Scan every folder in S.folders (honoring each one's recursive flag)
-    pending-work state, deduping any path that shows up under more than
+    and merge the results into the pending-work state, deduping any path
-    one configured folder (e.g. one nested inside another)."""
+    that shows up under more than one configured folder."""
     with S.lock:
         folders = list(S.folders)
+        recursive_map = dict(S.folder_recursive)
     all_images, all_videos, total_sidecars = [], [], 0
     seen = set()
     for folder in folders:
-        images, videos, sidecars = scan_folder(folder)
+        images, videos, sidecars = scan_folder(folder, recursive_map.get(folder, True))
         for p in images:
             if p not in seen:
                 seen.add(p)
@@ -1015,9 +1051,10 @@ def write_metadata(path, desc, category, keep_backup, preserve_date):
     if r.returncode != 0:
         raise RuntimeError(f"exiftool: {r.stderr.decode(errors='replace')[:300]}")
 
-def sync_metadata_from_folder(folder):
+def sync_metadata_from_folder(folder, recursive=True):
-    log("info", f"Syncing journal with folder metadata: {folder} ...")
+    log("info", f"Syncing journal with folder metadata: {folder} "
-    cmd = ["exiftool", "-r", "-json", "-if",
+                f"({'with subfolders' if recursive else 'top-level only'}) ...")
+    cmd = ["exiftool"] + (["-r"] if recursive else []) + ["-json", "-if",
            "$Subject =~ /photon-tagged/ or $Keywords =~ /photon-tagged/",
            "-EXIF:ImageDescription", "-XMP-dc:Description", "-IPTC:Caption-Abstract", "-Description",
            "-XMP-dc:Subject", "-IPTC:Keywords", folder]
@@ -1424,7 +1461,10 @@ class Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
         elif self.path == "/api/state":
             with S.lock:
                 payload = stats_payload()
-                payload.update({"folders": S.folders,
+                payload.update({"folders": [
+                                    {"path": f, "recursive": S.folder_recursive.get(f, True)}
+                                    for f in S.folders
+                                ],
                                 "folder": S.folders[0] if S.folders else "",
                                 "log": S.log_ring[-200:],
                                 "categories": CATEGORIES, "current": S.current,
@@ -1658,8 +1698,9 @@ class Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
             if re_read:
                 with S.lock:
                     folders = list(S.folders)
+                    recursive_map = dict(S.folder_recursive)
                 for folder in folders:
-                    sync_metadata_from_folder(folder)
+                    sync_metadata_from_folder(folder, recursive_map.get(folder, True))
                 push_stats()
 
             filtered = filtered_search_results(q, cat, date_from, date_to, sort, ftype)
@@ -1895,30 +1936,43 @@ class Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
         if self.path == "/api/scan":
             # {"folders": [...]} replaces the whole list; {"folder": "..."}
             # (legacy single-folder form) replaces it with just that one.
+            # Each entry may be a plain path string (recursive=True) or
+            # {"path", "recursive"}.
             requested = body.get("folders")
+            default_recursive = bool(body.get("recursive", True))
             if not requested:
                 single = body.get("folder") or DEFAULT_FOLDER
-                requested = [single]
+                requested = [{"path": single, "recursive": default_recursive}]
-            valid = [os.path.abspath(f) for f in requested if f and os.path.isdir(f)]
+            normalized = []
-            if not valid:
+            for f in requested:
+                if isinstance(f, str):
+                    f = {"path": f, "recursive": default_recursive}
+                if f.get("path") and os.path.isdir(f["path"]):
+                    normalized.append({"path": os.path.abspath(f["path"]),
+                                       "recursive": bool(f.get("recursive", True))})
+            if not normalized:
                 self._json({"error": f"no valid folder in: {requested}"}, 400); return
             with S.lock:
                 if S.status == "running":
                     self._json({"error": "stop the run before rescanning"}, 400); return
-                S.status = "scanning"; S.folders = valid
+                S.status = "scanning"
-            save_folders_config(valid)
+                S.folders = [f["path"] for f in normalized]
+                S.folder_recursive = {f["path"]: f["recursive"] for f in normalized}
+            save_folders_config(S.folders, S.folder_recursive)
             broadcast("state", {"status": "scanning"})
-            log("info", f"scanning {len(valid)} folder(s): {', '.join(valid)} …")
+            log("info", f"scanning {len(normalized)} folder(s): "
+                        f"{', '.join(f['path'] + ('' if f['recursive'] else ' [top-level only]') for f in normalized)} …")
             images, videos, sidecars, done = rescan_configured_folders()
             log("ok", f"scan complete: {len(images)} images | {len(videos)} videos found | "
                       f"{sidecars} hidden/sidecar files ignored | {done} already tagged")
             broadcast("state", {"status": "idle"})
             push_stats()
-            self._json({"folders": valid, "images": len(images), "videos": len(videos),
+            self._json({"folders": folders_payload(), "images": len(images), "videos": len(videos),
                         "sidecars": sidecars, "alreadyDone": done})
 
         elif self.path == "/api/add_folder":
             folder = body.get("folder")
+            recursive = bool(body.get("recursive", True))
             if not folder or not os.path.isdir(folder):
                 self._json({"error": f"not a folder: {folder}"}, 400); return
             with S.lock:
@@ -1929,14 +1983,16 @@ class Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
                 already = any(os.path.abspath(f) == folder for f in S.folders)
                 if not already:
                     S.folders.append(folder)
+                S.folder_recursive[folder] = recursive
                 folders = list(S.folders)
-            save_folders_config(folders)
+            save_folders_config(folders, S.folder_recursive)
-            log("info", f"{'already tracking' if already else 'added'} folder: {folder} — rescanning all …")
+            log("info", f"{'already tracking' if already else 'added'} folder: {folder} "
+                        f"({'with subfolders' if recursive else 'top-level only'}) — rescanning all …")
             images, videos, sidecars, done = rescan_configured_folders()
-            sync_metadata_from_folder(folder)
+            sync_metadata_from_folder(folder, recursive)
             load_journal()
             push_stats()
-            self._json({"ok": True, "folders": folders, "images": len(images),
+            self._json({"ok": True, "folders": folders_payload(), "images": len(images),
                         "videos": len(videos), "sidecars": sidecars, "alreadyDone": done})
 
         elif self.path == "/api/remove_folder":
@@ -1949,15 +2005,43 @@ class Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
             folder = os.path.abspath(folder)
             with S.lock:
                 S.folders = [f for f in S.folders if os.path.abspath(f) != folder]
+                S.folder_recursive.pop(folder, None)
                 folders = list(S.folders)
-            save_folders_config(folders)
+            save_folders_config(folders, S.folder_recursive)
             log("info", f"removed folder: {folder} — rescanning remaining {len(folders)} folder(s) …")
             images, videos, sidecars, done = rescan_configured_folders()
             push_stats()
-            self._json({"ok": True, "folders": folders, "images": len(images),
+            self._json({"ok": True, "folders": folders_payload(), "images": len(images),
+                        "videos": len(videos), "sidecars": sidecars, "alreadyDone": done})
+
+        elif self.path == "/api/set_folder_recursive":
+            folder = body.get("folder")
+            recursive = bool(body.get("recursive", True))
+            if not folder:
+                self._json({"error": "folder is required"}, 400); return
+            with S.lock:
+                if S.status == "running":
+                    self._json({"error": "stop the run before changing a folder's scan mode"}, 400); return
+            folder = os.path.abspath(folder)
+            with S.lock:
+                if not any(os.path.abspath(f) == folder for f in S.folders):
+                    self._json({"error": "that folder isn't configured"}, 400); return
+                S.folder_recursive[folder] = recursive
+                folders = list(S.folders)
+            save_folders_config(folders, S.folder_recursive)
+            log("info", f"{folder} set to {'include subfolders' if recursive else 'top-level only'} — rescanning …")
+            images, videos, sidecars, done = rescan_configured_folders()
+            if recursive:
+                # newly in-scope subfolder files might already carry embedded
+                # PHOTON tags (e.g. from a previous session) — detect them now
+                sync_metadata_from_folder(folder, recursive)
+                load_journal()
+            push_stats()
+            self._json({"ok": True, "folders": folders_payload(), "images": len(images),
                         "videos": len(videos), "sidecars": sidecars, "alreadyDone": done})
 
         elif self.path == "/api/choose_folder":
+            recursive = bool(body.get("recursive", True))
             try:
                 cmd = ["osascript", "-e", 'tell application "System Events" to set frontmost of (first process whose background only is false) to true', "-e", 'POSIX path of (choose folder with prompt "Add a photo folder:")']
                 r = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, timeout=60)
@@ -1969,13 +2053,14 @@ class Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
                             already = any(os.path.abspath(f) == chosen for f in S.folders)
                             if not already:
                                 S.folders.append(chosen)
+                            S.folder_recursive[chosen] = recursive
                             folders = list(S.folders)
-                        save_folders_config(folders)
+                        save_folders_config(folders, S.folder_recursive)
                         images, videos, sidecars, done = rescan_configured_folders()
-                        sync_metadata_from_folder(chosen)
+                        sync_metadata_from_folder(chosen, recursive)
                         load_journal()
                         push_stats()
-                        self._json({"ok": True, "folder": chosen, "folders": folders,
+                        self._json({"ok": True, "folder": chosen, "folders": folders_payload(),
                                     "images": len(images), "videos": len(videos), "alreadyDone": done})
                         return
                 self._json({"error": "No folder selected or dialog cancelled"}, 400)
@@ -2367,8 +2452,8 @@ def main():
     load_failures()
     load_phash_cache()
     print(f"PHOTON console  →  http://localhost:{PORT}")
-    print(f"photo folder(s) →  {', '.join(DEFAULT_FOLDERS)}"
+    print(f"photo folder(s) →  {', '.join(DEFAULT_FOLDERS) if DEFAULT_FOLDERS else '(none configured — add one from the Console tab)'}"
-          + ("  (auto-detected — change it anytime from the Console tab)" if len(sys.argv) <= 1 and not os.environ.get("PHOTON_FOLDER") else ""))
+          + ("  (auto-detected — change it anytime from the Console tab)" if DEFAULT_FOLDERS and len(sys.argv) <= 1 and not os.environ.get("PHOTON_FOLDER") else ""))
     if n:
         print(f"journal loaded: {n} photos already tagged (will be skipped on resume)")
     ThreadingHTTPServer(("127.0.0.1", PORT), Handler).serve_forever()