A configured root that already exists as a file or unreadable directory cannot host cwd buckets, but the backend previously mounted and deferred that deterministic configuration error until a later list or write.
Probe the resolved root while the plugin loads, surface every error except ENOENT, and keep an absent root valid for lazy first materialization. Document the timing contract, regenerate the config catalog, and pin the non-directory case at the load boundary.
Tianyi Cui
c9d3d5d557