fix: use configured collection in recovery paths

mempalace/cli.py

@@ -663,8 +663,10 @@ def cmd_repair(args):
         check_extraction_safety,
     )
 
+    config = MempalaceConfig()
+    collection_name = config.collection_name
     palace_path = os.path.abspath(
-        os.path.expanduser(args.palace) if args.palace else MempalaceConfig().palace_path
+        os.path.expanduser(args.palace) if args.palace else config.palace_path
     )
 
     if getattr(args, "mode", "legacy") == "max-seq-id":
@@ -749,7 +751,7 @@ def cmd_repair(args):
 
     # Try to read existing drawers
     try:
-        col = backend.get_collection(palace_path, "mempalace_drawers")
+        col = backend.get_collection(palace_path, collection_name)
         total = col.count()
         print(f"  Drawers found: {total}")
     except Exception as e:
@@ -784,6 +786,7 @@ def cmd_repair(args):
             palace_path,
             len(all_ids),
             confirm_truncation_ok=getattr(args, "confirm_truncation_ok", False),
+            collection_name=collection_name,
         )
     except TruncationDetected as e:
         print(e.message)
@@ -810,6 +813,7 @@ def cmd_repair(args):
             all_docs,
             all_metas,
             batch_size,
+            collection_name=collection_name,
             progress=print,
         )
     except RebuildCollectionError as e:

mempalace/config.py

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ Priority: env vars > config file (~/.mempalace/config.json) > defaults
 import json
 import os
 import re
+from functools import lru_cache
 from pathlib import Path
 
 
@@ -127,6 +128,13 @@ def sanitize_content(value: str, max_length: int = 100_000) -> str:
 DEFAULT_PALACE_PATH = os.path.expanduser("~/.mempalace/palace")
 DEFAULT_COLLECTION_NAME = "mempalace_drawers"
 
+
+@lru_cache(maxsize=1)
+def get_configured_collection_name() -> str:
+    """Return the configured drawer collection name without repeated config-file reads."""
+    return MempalaceConfig().collection_name
+
+
 DEFAULT_TOPIC_WINGS = [
     "emotions",
     "consciousness",

mempalace/mcp_server.py

@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ def _refresh_vector_disabled_flag() -> None:
     """
     global _vector_disabled, _vector_disabled_reason, _vector_capacity_status
     try:
-        info = hnsw_capacity_status(_config.palace_path, "mempalace_drawers")
+        info = hnsw_capacity_status(_config.palace_path, _config.collection_name)
     except Exception:
         logger.debug("HNSW capacity probe raised", exc_info=True)
         return
@@ -490,6 +490,7 @@ def _tool_status_via_sqlite() -> dict:
     db_path = os.path.join(_config.palace_path, "chroma.sqlite3")
     if not os.path.isfile(db_path):
         return _no_palace()
+    collection_name = _config.collection_name
 
     wings: dict = {}
     rooms: dict = {}
@@ -503,8 +504,9 @@ def _tool_status_via_sqlite() -> dict:
                 FROM embeddings e
                 JOIN segments s ON e.segment_id = s.id
                 JOIN collections c ON s.collection = c.id
-                WHERE c.name = 'mempalace_drawers'
+                WHERE c.name = ?
-                """
+                """,
+                (collection_name,),
             ).fetchone()
             total = int(row[0]) if row and row[0] is not None else 0
             for key, target in (("wing", wings), ("room", rooms)):
@@ -515,12 +517,12 @@ def _tool_status_via_sqlite() -> dict:
                     JOIN embeddings e ON em.id = e.id
                     JOIN segments s ON e.segment_id = s.id
                     JOIN collections c ON s.collection = c.id
-                    WHERE c.name = 'mempalace_drawers'
+                    WHERE c.name = ?
                       AND em.key = ?
                       AND em.string_value IS NOT NULL
                     GROUP BY em.string_value
                     """,
-                    (key,),
+                    (collection_name, key),
                 ):
                     target[value] = count
         finally:
@@ -720,6 +722,7 @@ def tool_search(
         n_results=limit,
         max_distance=dist,
         vector_disabled=_vector_disabled,
+        collection_name=_config.collection_name,
     )
     if _vector_disabled:
         result["vector_disabled"] = True
@@ -922,8 +925,8 @@ def tool_add_drawer(
 
     # Idempotency: if the deterministic ID already exists, return success as a no-op.
     try:
-        existing = col.get(ids=[drawer_id])
+        existing = col.get(ids=[drawer_id], include=[])
-        if existing and existing["ids"]:
+        if existing.ids:
             return {"success": True, "reason": "already_exists", "drawer_id": drawer_id}
     except Exception:
         logger.debug("Idempotency pre-check failed for %s", drawer_id, exc_info=True)
@@ -943,6 +946,12 @@ def tool_add_drawer(
                 }
             ],
         )
+        inserted = col.get(ids=[drawer_id], include=[])
+        if not inserted.ids:
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                "Drawer write was acknowledged but the new ID is not readable. "
+                "The palace index may be stale; run reconnect or repair."
+            )
         _metadata_cache = None
         logger.info(f"Filed drawer: {drawer_id} → {wing}/{room}")
         return {"success": True, "drawer_id": drawer_id, "wing": wing, "room": room}
@@ -1506,6 +1515,30 @@ def tool_reconnect():
         _palace_db_mtime, \
         _vector_disabled, \
         _vector_disabled_reason
+    from . import palace as palace_module
+
+    close_errors = []
+    try:
+        palace_module._DEFAULT_BACKEND.close_palace(_config.palace_path)
+    except Exception as exc:
+        logger.debug("Failed to close shared palace backend during reconnect", exc_info=True)
+        close_errors.append(f"backend close_palace failed: {exc}")
+    try:
+        from chromadb.api.client import SharedSystemClient
+
+        clear_system_cache = getattr(SharedSystemClient, "clear_system_cache", None)
+        if callable(clear_system_cache):
+            clear_system_cache()
+        else:
+            logger.debug(
+                "SharedSystemClient.clear_system_cache is unavailable; skipping shared Chroma cache clear during reconnect"
+            )
+    except Exception as exc:
+        logger.debug(
+            "Failed to clear Chroma shared system cache during reconnect",
+            exc_info=True,
+        )
+        close_errors.append(f"shared Chroma cache clear failed: {exc}")
     _client_cache = None
     _collection_cache = None
     _palace_db_inode = 0
@@ -1527,12 +1560,24 @@ def tool_reconnect():
     try:
         col = _get_collection()
         if col is None:
-            return {
+            result = {
                 "success": False,
                 "message": "No palace found after reconnect",
                 "drawers": 0,
                 "vector_disabled": _vector_disabled,
             }
+            if close_errors:
+                result["error"] = "; ".join(close_errors)
+            return result
+        if close_errors:
+            return {
+                "success": False,
+                "message": "Reconnect reopened the palace but failed to fully reset cached handles",
+                "drawers": col.count(),
+                "vector_disabled": _vector_disabled,
+                "vector_disabled_reason": _vector_disabled_reason,
+                "error": "; ".join(close_errors),
+            }
         return {
             "success": True,
             "message": "Reconnected to palace",

mempalace/palace.py

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import logging
 import os
 import re
 import threading
+from typing import Optional
 
 from .backends.chroma import ChromaBackend
 
@@ -56,10 +57,14 @@ NORMALIZE_VERSION = 2
 
 def get_collection(
     palace_path: str,
-    collection_name: str = "mempalace_drawers",
+    collection_name: Optional[str] = None,
     create: bool = True,
 ):
     """Get the palace collection through the backend layer."""
+    if collection_name is None:
+        from .config import get_configured_collection_name
+
+        collection_name = get_configured_collection_name()
     return _DEFAULT_BACKEND.get_collection(
         palace_path,
         collection_name=collection_name,

mempalace/repair.py

@@ -181,10 +181,12 @@ def _rebuild_collection_via_temp(
     all_docs,
     all_metas,
     batch_size: int,
+    collection_name: Optional[str] = None,
     progress=print,
 ) -> int:
     expected = len(all_ids)
-    temp_name = REPAIR_TEMP_COLLECTION
+    collection_name = collection_name or _drawers_collection_name()
+    temp_name = f"{collection_name}__repair_tmp"
     live_replaced = False
 
     try:
@@ -203,9 +205,9 @@ def _rebuild_collection_via_temp(
         _verify_collection_count(temp_col, expected, "temporary rebuild")
 
         progress("  Rebuilding live collection...")
-        backend.delete_collection(palace_path, COLLECTION_NAME)
+        backend.delete_collection(palace_path, collection_name)
         live_replaced = True
-        new_col = backend.create_collection(palace_path, COLLECTION_NAME)
+        new_col = backend.create_collection(palace_path, collection_name)
 
         rebuilt = 0
         for i in range(0, expected, batch_size):
@@ -230,7 +232,7 @@ def _rebuild_collection_via_temp(
         raise RebuildCollectionError(str(exc), live_replaced=live_replaced) from exc
 
 
-def scan_palace(palace_path=None, only_wing=None):
+def scan_palace(palace_path=None, only_wing=None, collection_name: Optional[str] = None):
     """Scan the palace for corrupt/unfetchable IDs.
 
     Probes in batches of 100, falls back to per-ID on failure.
@@ -239,14 +241,15 @@ def scan_palace(palace_path=None, only_wing=None):
     Returns (good_set, bad_set).
     """
     palace_path = palace_path or _get_palace_path()
+    collection_name = collection_name or _drawers_collection_name()
     print(f"\n  Palace: {palace_path}")
     print("  Loading...")
 
-    col = ChromaBackend().get_collection(palace_path, COLLECTION_NAME)
+    col = ChromaBackend().get_collection(palace_path, collection_name)
 
     where = {"wing": only_wing} if only_wing else None
     total = col.count()
-    print(f"  Collection: {COLLECTION_NAME}, total: {total:,}")
+    print(f"  Collection: {collection_name}, total: {total:,}")
     if only_wing:
         print(f"  Scanning wing: {only_wing}")
 
@@ -307,9 +310,10 @@ def scan_palace(palace_path=None, only_wing=None):
     return good_set, bad_set
 
 
-def prune_corrupt(palace_path=None, confirm=False):
+def prune_corrupt(palace_path=None, confirm=False, collection_name: Optional[str] = None):
     """Delete corrupt IDs listed in corrupt_ids.txt."""
     palace_path = palace_path or _get_palace_path()
+    collection_name = collection_name or _drawers_collection_name()
     bad_file = os.path.join(palace_path, "corrupt_ids.txt")
 
     if not os.path.exists(bad_file):
@@ -325,7 +329,7 @@ def prune_corrupt(palace_path=None, confirm=False):
         print("  Re-run with --confirm to actually delete.")
         return
 
-    col = ChromaBackend().get_collection(palace_path, COLLECTION_NAME)
+    col = ChromaBackend().get_collection(palace_path, collection_name)
     before = col.count()
     print(f"  Collection size before: {before:,}")
 
@@ -379,7 +383,10 @@ class TruncationDetected(Exception):
 
 
 def check_extraction_safety(
-    palace_path: str, extracted: int, confirm_truncation_ok: bool = False
+    palace_path: str,
+    extracted: int,
+    confirm_truncation_ok: bool = False,
+    collection_name: Optional[str] = None,
 ) -> None:
     """Cross-check that ``extracted`` matches the SQLite ground truth.
 
@@ -401,7 +408,8 @@ def check_extraction_safety(
     if confirm_truncation_ok:
         return
 
-    sqlite_count = sqlite_drawer_count(palace_path)
+    collection_name = collection_name or _drawers_collection_name()
+    sqlite_count = sqlite_drawer_count(palace_path, collection_name)
     cap_signal = extracted == CHROMADB_DEFAULT_GET_LIMIT
 
     if sqlite_count is not None and sqlite_count > extracted:
@@ -437,7 +445,7 @@ def check_extraction_safety(
         raise TruncationDetected(message, sqlite_count, extracted)
 
 
-def sqlite_drawer_count(palace_path: str) -> "int | None":
+def sqlite_drawer_count(palace_path: str, collection_name: Optional[str] = None) -> "int | None":
     """Count rows in ``chroma.sqlite3.embeddings`` for the drawers collection.
 
     Used as an independent ground-truth check against the chromadb
@@ -449,6 +457,7 @@ def sqlite_drawer_count(palace_path: str) -> "int | None":
     drift, missing tables, locked file). Callers treat ``None`` as
     "unknown" and fall back to the cap-detection check.
     """
+    collection_name = collection_name or _drawers_collection_name()
     sqlite_path = os.path.join(palace_path, "chroma.sqlite3")
     if not os.path.exists(sqlite_path):
         return None
@@ -465,7 +474,7 @@ def sqlite_drawer_count(palace_path: str) -> "int | None":
                 JOIN collections c ON s.collection = c.id
                 WHERE c.name = ?
                 """,
-                (COLLECTION_NAME,),
+                (collection_name,),
             ).fetchone()
             return int(row[0]) if row and row[0] is not None else None
         finally:
@@ -477,7 +486,11 @@ def sqlite_drawer_count(palace_path: str) -> "int | None":
         return None
 
 
-def rebuild_index(palace_path=None, confirm_truncation_ok: bool = False):
+def rebuild_index(
+    palace_path=None,
+    confirm_truncation_ok: bool = False,
+    collection_name: Optional[str] = None,
+):
     """Rebuild the HNSW index from scratch.
 
     1. Extract all drawers via ChromaDB get()
@@ -492,6 +505,7 @@ def rebuild_index(palace_path=None, confirm_truncation_ok: bool = False):
     (typically only a concern for palaces sized at exactly 10 000 rows).
     """
     palace_path = palace_path or _get_palace_path()
+    collection_name = collection_name or _drawers_collection_name()
 
     if not os.path.isdir(palace_path):
         print(f"\n  No palace found at {palace_path}")
@@ -504,7 +518,7 @@ def rebuild_index(palace_path=None, confirm_truncation_ok: bool = False):
 
     backend = ChromaBackend()
     try:
-        col = backend.get_collection(palace_path, COLLECTION_NAME)
+        col = backend.get_collection(palace_path, collection_name)
         total = col.count()
     except Exception as e:
         print(f"  Error reading palace: {e}")
@@ -528,7 +542,12 @@ def rebuild_index(palace_path=None, confirm_truncation_ok: bool = False):
     # short of the SQLite ground truth (or when extraction == chromadb
     # default get() cap and the SQLite check couldn't run).
     try:
-        check_extraction_safety(palace_path, len(all_ids), confirm_truncation_ok)
+        check_extraction_safety(
+            palace_path,
+            len(all_ids),
+            confirm_truncation_ok,
+            collection_name=collection_name,
+        )
     except TruncationDetected as e:
         print(e.message)
         return
@@ -551,6 +570,7 @@ def rebuild_index(palace_path=None, confirm_truncation_ok: bool = False):
             all_docs,
             all_metas,
             batch_size,
+            collection_name=collection_name,
             progress=print,
         )
     except RebuildCollectionError as e:
@@ -560,7 +580,7 @@ def rebuild_index(palace_path=None, confirm_truncation_ok: bool = False):
             print(f"  Restoring from backup: {backup_path}")
             try:
                 _close_chroma_handles(palace_path, backend=backend)
-                _delete_collection_if_exists(backend, palace_path, COLLECTION_NAME)
+                _delete_collection_if_exists(backend, palace_path, collection_name)
                 shutil.copy2(backup_path, sqlite_path)
                 print("  Backup restored. Palace is back to pre-repair state.")
             except Exception as restore_error:
@@ -950,7 +970,7 @@ def rebuild_from_sqlite(
         backend.close()
 
 
-def status(palace_path=None) -> dict:
+def status(palace_path=None, collection_name: Optional[str] = None) -> dict:
     """Read-only health check: compare sqlite vs HNSW element counts.
 
     Catches the #1222 failure mode where chromadb's HNSW segment freezes
@@ -968,6 +988,7 @@ def status(palace_path=None) -> dict:
     ``status="unknown"`` when no palace exists at the given path.
     """
     palace_path = palace_path or _get_palace_path()
+    collection_name = collection_name or _drawers_collection_name()
     print(f"\n{'=' * 55}")
     print("  MemPalace Repair — Status")
     print(f"{'=' * 55}\n")
@@ -977,8 +998,8 @@ def status(palace_path=None) -> dict:
         print("  No palace found.\n")
         return {"status": "unknown", "message": "no palace at path"}
 
-    drawers = hnsw_capacity_status(palace_path, "mempalace_drawers")
+    drawers = hnsw_capacity_status(palace_path, collection_name)
-    closets = hnsw_capacity_status(palace_path, "mempalace_closets")
+    closets = hnsw_capacity_status(palace_path, CLOSETS_COLLECTION_NAME)
 
     for label, info in (("drawers", drawers), ("closets", closets)):
         print(f"\n  [{label}]")

mempalace/searcher.py

@@ -382,6 +382,7 @@ def _bm25_only_via_sqlite(
     n_results: int = 5,
     max_candidates: int = 500,
     _include_internal: bool = False,
+    collection_name: str = None,
 ) -> dict:
     """BM25-only search reading drawers directly from chroma.sqlite3.
 
@@ -405,6 +406,10 @@ def _bm25_only_via_sqlite(
             "error": "No palace found",
             "hint": "Run: mempalace init <dir> && mempalace mine <dir>",
         }
+    if collection_name is None:
+        from .config import get_configured_collection_name
+
+        collection_name = get_configured_collection_name()
 
     def _metadata_filter_sql(row_id_expr: str) -> tuple[str, list[str]]:
         clauses = []
@@ -441,35 +446,43 @@ def _bm25_only_via_sqlite(
         # shorter than 3 chars (trigram tokenizer can't match them).
         tokens = [t for t in _tokenize(query) if len(t) >= 3]
         candidate_ids: list[int] = []
+        use_recency_fallback = not tokens
         if tokens:
             fts_query = " OR ".join(tokens)
             filter_sql, filter_params = _metadata_filter_sql("embedding_fulltext_search.rowid")
             try:
                 rows = conn.execute(
                     f"""
-                    SELECT rowid
+                    SELECT embedding_fulltext_search.rowid
                     FROM embedding_fulltext_search
+                    JOIN embeddings e ON e.id = embedding_fulltext_search.rowid
+                    JOIN segments s ON e.segment_id = s.id
+                    JOIN collections c ON s.collection = c.id
                     WHERE embedding_fulltext_search MATCH ?
+                      AND c.name = ?
                     {filter_sql}
                     LIMIT ?
                     """,
-                    (fts_query, *filter_params, max_candidates),
+                    (fts_query, collection_name, *filter_params, max_candidates),
                 ).fetchall()
                 candidate_ids = [r[0] for r in rows]
             except sqlite3.Error:
                 # FTS5 tokenizer mismatch or syntax error — fall through
                 # to the recency-window selector below.
                 logger.debug("FTS5 MATCH failed; using recency fallback", exc_info=True)
+                use_recency_fallback = True
 
-        if not candidate_ids:
+        if not candidate_ids and use_recency_fallback:
-            # No FTS hits (or no usable tokens) — pull the most recent
+            # No usable FTS tokens, or FTS itself failed — pull the most
-            # rows for the drawers segment so we can BM25-rank something
+            # recent rows for the drawers segment so we can BM25-rank
-            # rather than return empty-handed. Wrapped in try/except
+            # something rather than return empty-handed. A clean FTS miss
-            # because the schema may differ on legacy palaces (older
+            # must stay empty, especially after wing/room filtering, because
-            # chromadb without ``created_at``, missing ``segments``
+            # recency fallback would return unrelated scoped drawers.
-            # rows after partial restore, etc.); on schema mismatch we
+            # Wrapped in try/except because the schema may differ on legacy
-            # fall back to ordering by primary-key id and finally to an
+            # palaces (older chromadb without ``created_at``, missing
-            # empty result rather than letting search raise.
+            # ``segments`` rows after partial restore, etc.); on schema
+            # mismatch we fall back to ordering by primary-key id and finally
+            # to an empty result rather than letting search raise.
             try:
                 filter_sql, filter_params = _metadata_filter_sql("e.id")
                 rows = conn.execute(
@@ -478,12 +491,12 @@ def _bm25_only_via_sqlite(
                     FROM embeddings e
                     JOIN segments s ON e.segment_id = s.id
                     JOIN collections c ON s.collection = c.id
-                    WHERE c.name = 'mempalace_drawers'
+                    WHERE c.name = ?
                     {filter_sql}
                     ORDER BY e.created_at DESC
                     LIMIT ?
                     """,
-                    (*filter_params, max_candidates),
+                    (collection_name, *filter_params, max_candidates),
                 ).fetchall()
                 candidate_ids = [r[0] for r in rows]
             except sqlite3.Error:
@@ -499,12 +512,12 @@ def _bm25_only_via_sqlite(
                         FROM embeddings e
                         JOIN segments s ON e.segment_id = s.id
                         JOIN collections c ON s.collection = c.id
-                        WHERE c.name = 'mempalace_drawers'
+                        WHERE c.name = ?
                         {filter_sql}
                         ORDER BY e.id DESC
                         LIMIT ?
                         """,
-                        (*filter_params, max_candidates),
+                        (collection_name, *filter_params, max_candidates),
                     ).fetchall()
                     candidate_ids = [r[0] for r in rows]
                 except sqlite3.Error:
@@ -720,6 +733,7 @@ def search_memories(
     max_distance: float = 0.0,
     vector_disabled: bool = False,
     candidate_strategy: str = "vector",
+    collection_name: str = None,
 ) -> dict:
     """Programmatic search — returns a dict instead of printing.
 
@@ -770,10 +784,11 @@ def search_memories(
             wing=wing,
             room=room,
             n_results=n_results,
+            collection_name=collection_name,
         )
 
     try:
-        drawers_col = get_collection(palace_path, create=False)
+        drawers_col = get_collection(palace_path, collection_name=collection_name, create=False)
     except Exception as e:
         logger.error("No palace found at %s: %s", palace_path, e)
         return {

tests/test_backends.py

@@ -1194,3 +1194,26 @@ def test_chroma_backend_requarantines_after_inode_replacement(tmp_path, monkeypa
         ("invalid", str(palace)),
         ("stale", str(palace)),
     ]
+
+
+def test_palace_get_collection_uses_configured_collection_name(monkeypatch):
+    from mempalace import palace
+
+    captured = {}
+
+    def fake_get_collection(palace_path, collection_name=None, create=False):
+        captured["palace_path"] = palace_path
+        captured["collection_name"] = collection_name
+        captured["create"] = create
+        return object()
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(palace._DEFAULT_BACKEND, "get_collection", fake_get_collection)
+    monkeypatch.setattr("mempalace.config.get_configured_collection_name", lambda: "custom_drawers")
+
+    palace.get_collection("/palace", create=False)
+
+    assert captured == {
+        "palace_path": "/palace",
+        "collection_name": "custom_drawers",
+        "create": False,
+    }

tests/test_cli.py

@@ -776,6 +776,7 @@ def test_cmd_repair_error_reading(mock_config_cls, tmp_path, capsys):
     palace_dir.mkdir()
     (palace_dir / "chroma.sqlite3").write_text("db")
     mock_config_cls.return_value.palace_path = str(palace_dir)
+    mock_config_cls.return_value.collection_name = "mempalace_drawers"
     args = argparse.Namespace(palace=None)
     mock_backend = MagicMock()
     mock_backend.get_collection.side_effect = Exception("corrupt db")
@@ -791,6 +792,7 @@ def test_cmd_repair_zero_drawers(mock_config_cls, tmp_path, capsys):
     palace_dir.mkdir()
     (palace_dir / "chroma.sqlite3").write_text("db")
     mock_config_cls.return_value.palace_path = str(palace_dir)
+    mock_config_cls.return_value.collection_name = "mempalace_drawers"
     args = argparse.Namespace(palace=None)
     mock_col = MagicMock()
     mock_col.count.return_value = 0
@@ -807,6 +809,7 @@ def test_cmd_repair_success(mock_config_cls, tmp_path, capsys):
     palace_dir.mkdir()
     (palace_dir / "chroma.sqlite3").write_text("db")
     mock_config_cls.return_value.palace_path = str(palace_dir)
+    mock_config_cls.return_value.collection_name = "mempalace_drawers"
     args = argparse.Namespace(palace=None, yes=True)
     mock_col = MagicMock()
     mock_col.count.return_value = 2
@@ -836,12 +839,52 @@ def test_cmd_repair_success(mock_config_cls, tmp_path, capsys):
     mock_new_col.add.assert_not_called()
 
 
+@patch("mempalace.cli.MempalaceConfig")
+def test_cmd_repair_uses_configured_collection(mock_config_cls, tmp_path, capsys):
+    palace_dir = tmp_path / "palace"
+    palace_dir.mkdir()
+    (palace_dir / "chroma.sqlite3").write_text("db")
+    mock_config_cls.return_value.palace_path = str(palace_dir)
+    mock_config_cls.return_value.collection_name = "custom_drawers"
+    args = argparse.Namespace(palace=None, yes=True)
+    mock_col = MagicMock()
+    mock_col.count.return_value = 2
+    mock_col.get.return_value = {
+        "ids": ["id1", "id2"],
+        "documents": ["doc1", "doc2"],
+        "metadatas": [{"wing": "a"}, {"wing": "b"}],
+    }
+    mock_temp_col = MagicMock()
+    mock_temp_col.count.return_value = 2
+    mock_new_col = MagicMock()
+    mock_new_col.count.return_value = 2
+    mock_backend = _mock_backend_for(col=mock_col, new_col=mock_new_col)
+    mock_backend.create_collection.side_effect = [mock_temp_col, mock_new_col]
+
+    with patch("mempalace.backends.chroma.ChromaBackend", return_value=mock_backend):
+        cmd_repair(args)
+
+    out = capsys.readouterr().out
+    assert "Repair complete" in out
+    mock_backend.get_collection.assert_called_once_with(str(palace_dir), "custom_drawers")
+    assert mock_backend.create_collection.call_args_list == [
+        call(str(palace_dir), "custom_drawers__repair_tmp"),
+        call(str(palace_dir), "custom_drawers"),
+    ]
+    assert mock_backend.delete_collection.call_args_list == [
+        call(str(palace_dir), "custom_drawers__repair_tmp"),
+        call(str(palace_dir), "custom_drawers"),
+        call(str(palace_dir), "custom_drawers__repair_tmp"),
+    ]
+
+
 @patch("mempalace.cli.MempalaceConfig")
 def test_cmd_repair_restores_backup_on_live_rebuild_failure(mock_config_cls, tmp_path, capsys):
     palace_dir = tmp_path / "palace"
     palace_dir.mkdir()
     (palace_dir / "chroma.sqlite3").write_text("db")
     mock_config_cls.return_value.palace_path = str(palace_dir)
+    mock_config_cls.return_value.collection_name = "mempalace_drawers"
     args = argparse.Namespace(palace=None, yes=True)
     mock_col = MagicMock()
     mock_col.count.return_value = 2
@@ -875,6 +918,7 @@ def test_cmd_repair_aborts_without_confirmation(mock_config_cls, tmp_path, capsy
     palace_dir.mkdir()
     (palace_dir / "chroma.sqlite3").write_text("db")
     mock_config_cls.return_value.palace_path = str(palace_dir)
+    mock_config_cls.return_value.collection_name = "mempalace_drawers"
     args = argparse.Namespace(palace=None)
     mock_col = MagicMock()
     mock_col.count.return_value = 1

tests/test_hnsw_capacity.py

@@ -260,6 +260,7 @@ def test_mcp_probe_does_not_disable_vectors_for_unflushed_metadata(tmp_path, mon
 
     class _Cfg:
         palace_path = str(tmp_path)
+        collection_name = "mempalace_drawers"
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(mcp_server, "_config", _Cfg())
     monkeypatch.setattr(mcp_server, "_vector_disabled", True)
@@ -625,6 +626,7 @@ def test_tool_status_via_sqlite_returns_breakdown(palace_with_drawers, monkeypat
     # MempalaceConfig.
     class _Cfg:
         palace_path = str(palace_with_drawers)
+        collection_name = "mempalace_drawers"
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(mcp_server, "_config", _Cfg())
     monkeypatch.setattr(mcp_server, "_vector_disabled", True)

tests/test_mcp_server.py

@@ -484,6 +484,26 @@ class TestWriteTools:
         assert result2["success"] is True
         assert result2["reason"] == "already_exists"
 
+    def test_add_drawer_fails_when_readback_misses(self, monkeypatch, config, kg):
+        _patch_mcp_server(monkeypatch, config, kg)
+        from mempalace import mcp_server
+
+        class _FakeGetResult:
+            ids = []
+
+        class _FakeCol:
+            def get(self, **kwargs):
+                return _FakeGetResult()
+
+            def upsert(self, **kwargs):
+                return None
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(mcp_server, "_get_collection", lambda create=False: _FakeCol())
+
+        result = mcp_server.tool_add_drawer("w", "r", "content")
+        assert result["success"] is False
+        assert "not readable" in result["error"]
+
     def test_add_drawer_shared_header_no_collision(self, monkeypatch, config, palace_path, kg):
         """Documents sharing a >100-char header must get distinct IDs (full-content hash)."""
         _patch_mcp_server(monkeypatch, config, kg)
@@ -503,9 +523,9 @@ class TestWriteTools:
 
         assert result1["success"] is True
         assert result2["success"] is True
-        assert (
+        assert result1["drawer_id"] != result2["drawer_id"], (
-            result1["drawer_id"] != result2["drawer_id"]
+            "Documents with shared header but different content must have distinct drawer IDs"
-        ), "Documents with shared header but different content must have distinct drawer IDs"
+        )
 
     def test_delete_drawer(self, monkeypatch, config, palace_path, seeded_collection, kg):
         _patch_mcp_server(monkeypatch, config, kg)
@@ -1158,6 +1178,25 @@ class TestCacheInvalidation:
         assert "Reconnected" in result["message"]
         assert isinstance(result["drawers"], int)
 
+    def test_reconnect_closes_shared_backend(self, monkeypatch, config, kg):
+        _patch_mcp_server(monkeypatch, config, kg)
+        from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+
+        from mempalace import mcp_server, palace
+
+        close_palace = MagicMock()
+        monkeypatch.setattr(palace._DEFAULT_BACKEND, "close_palace", close_palace)
+
+        class _FakeCol:
+            def count(self):
+                return 7
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(mcp_server, "_get_collection", lambda create=False: _FakeCol())
+
+        result = mcp_server.tool_reconnect()
+        assert result["success"] is True
+        close_palace.assert_called_once_with(config.palace_path)
+
     def test_get_collection_create_true_avoids_get_or_create_on_reopen(
         self, monkeypatch, config, palace_path, kg
     ):

tests/test_repair.py

@@ -28,6 +28,16 @@ def test_get_palace_path_fallback():
         assert ".mempalace" in result
 
 
+def test_get_collection_name_from_config():
+    from mempalace.config import get_configured_collection_name
+
+    get_configured_collection_name.cache_clear()
+    with patch("mempalace.config.MempalaceConfig") as mock_config_cls:
+        mock_config_cls.return_value.collection_name = "custom_drawers"
+        assert repair._drawers_collection_name() == "custom_drawers"
+    get_configured_collection_name.cache_clear()
+
+
 # ── _paginate_ids ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 
@@ -330,6 +340,21 @@ def test_check_extraction_safety_passes_when_counts_match(tmp_path):
         repair.check_extraction_safety(str(tmp_path), 500)
 
 
+def test_check_extraction_safety_uses_configured_collection(tmp_path):
+    with patch("mempalace.repair.sqlite_drawer_count", return_value=500) as count:
+        repair.check_extraction_safety(str(tmp_path), 500, collection_name="custom_drawers")
+    count.assert_called_once_with(str(tmp_path), "custom_drawers")
+
+
+def test_check_extraction_safety_default_uses_configured_collection(tmp_path):
+    with (
+        patch("mempalace.repair._drawers_collection_name", return_value="custom_drawers"),
+        patch("mempalace.repair.sqlite_drawer_count", return_value=500) as count,
+    ):
+        repair.check_extraction_safety(str(tmp_path), 500)
+    count.assert_called_once_with(str(tmp_path), "custom_drawers")
+
+
 def test_check_extraction_safety_passes_when_sqlite_unreadable_and_under_cap(tmp_path):
     """SQLite check fails (None) but extraction is well under the cap → safe."""
     with patch("mempalace.repair.sqlite_drawer_count", return_value=None):
@@ -384,6 +409,73 @@ def test_sqlite_drawer_count_returns_none_on_unreadable_schema(tmp_path):
     assert repair.sqlite_drawer_count(str(tmp_path)) is None
 
 
+@patch("mempalace.repair.shutil")
+@patch("mempalace.repair.ChromaBackend")
+def test_rebuild_index_default_uses_configured_collection(mock_backend_cls, mock_shutil, tmp_path):
+    sqlite_path = tmp_path / "chroma.sqlite3"
+    sqlite_path.write_text("fake")
+    mock_col = MagicMock()
+    mock_col.count.return_value = 2
+    mock_col.get.return_value = {
+        "ids": ["id1", "id2"],
+        "documents": ["doc1", "doc2"],
+        "metadatas": [{"wing": "a"}, {"wing": "b"}],
+    }
+    mock_temp_col = MagicMock()
+    mock_temp_col.count.return_value = 2
+    mock_new_col = MagicMock()
+    mock_new_col.count.return_value = 2
+    mock_backend = _install_mock_backend(mock_backend_cls, mock_col)
+    mock_backend.create_collection.side_effect = [mock_temp_col, mock_new_col]
+
+    with (
+        patch("mempalace.repair._drawers_collection_name", return_value="custom_drawers"),
+        patch("mempalace.repair.sqlite_drawer_count", return_value=2) as count,
+    ):
+        repair.rebuild_index(palace_path=str(tmp_path))
+
+    mock_backend.get_collection.assert_called_once_with(str(tmp_path), "custom_drawers")
+    count.assert_called_once_with(str(tmp_path), "custom_drawers")
+    assert mock_backend.create_collection.call_args_list == [
+        call(str(tmp_path), "custom_drawers__repair_tmp"),
+        call(str(tmp_path), "custom_drawers"),
+    ]
+    assert mock_backend.delete_collection.call_args_list == [
+        call(str(tmp_path), "custom_drawers__repair_tmp"),
+        call(str(tmp_path), "custom_drawers"),
+        call(str(tmp_path), "custom_drawers__repair_tmp"),
+    ]
+
+
+def test_status_default_uses_configured_drawer_collection(tmp_path):
+    with (
+        patch("mempalace.repair._drawers_collection_name", return_value="custom_drawers"),
+        patch("mempalace.repair.hnsw_capacity_status") as capacity_status,
+    ):
+        capacity_status.side_effect = [
+            {
+                "sqlite_count": 1,
+                "hnsw_count": 1,
+                "divergence": 0,
+                "diverged": False,
+                "status": "ok",
+                "message": "",
+            },
+            {
+                "sqlite_count": 0,
+                "hnsw_count": 0,
+                "divergence": 0,
+                "diverged": False,
+                "status": "ok",
+                "message": "",
+            },
+        ]
+        repair.status(palace_path=str(tmp_path))
+
+    assert capacity_status.call_args_list[0].args == (str(tmp_path), "custom_drawers")
+    assert capacity_status.call_args_list[1].args == (str(tmp_path), "mempalace_closets")
+
+
 @patch("mempalace.repair.shutil")
 @patch("mempalace.repair.ChromaBackend")
 def test_rebuild_index_aborts_on_truncation_signal(mock_backend_cls, mock_shutil, tmp_path):

tests/test_searcher.py

@@ -84,6 +84,24 @@ class TestSearchMemories:
         assert "error" in result
         assert "query failed" in result["error"]
 
+    def test_search_memories_vector_path_uses_explicit_collection_name(self):
+        mock_col = MagicMock()
+        mock_col.query.return_value = {
+            "documents": [[]],
+            "metadatas": [[]],
+            "distances": [[]],
+            "ids": [[]],
+        }
+
+        with patch("mempalace.searcher.get_collection", return_value=mock_col) as get_collection:
+            search_memories("test", "/fake/path", collection_name="custom_drawers")
+
+        get_collection.assert_called_once_with(
+            "/fake/path",
+            collection_name="custom_drawers",
+            create=False,
+        )
+
     def test_search_memories_filters_in_result(self, palace_path, seeded_collection):
         result = search_memories("test", palace_path, wing="project", room="backend")
         assert result["filters"]["wing"] == "project"
@@ -102,7 +120,7 @@ class TestSearchMemories:
             "ids": [["d1", "d2"]],
         }
 
-        def mock_get_collection(path, create=False):
+        def mock_get_collection(path, collection_name=None, create=False):
             # First call: drawers. Second call: closets — raise so hybrid
             # degrades to pure drawer search (the catch block covers it).
             if not hasattr(mock_get_collection, "_called"):
@@ -309,9 +327,9 @@ class TestSearchCLI:
         captured = capsys.readouterr()
         first_block, _, _ = captured.out.partition("[2]")
         # Lexical match must rank first
-        assert (
+        assert "b.md" in first_block, (
-            "b.md" in first_block
+            f"expected lexical match 'b.md' at rank 1, got:\n{captured.out}"
-        ), f"expected lexical match 'b.md' at rank 1, got:\n{captured.out}"
+        )
         # Non-zero bm25 reported
         assert "bm25=" in first_block
         assert "bm25=0.0" not in first_block