diff --git a/docs/configuration.md b/docs/configuration.md
index 1b4354c4..d31f40f8 100644
--- a/docs/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/configuration.md
@@ -513,9 +513,11 @@ aware of:
   (fail open) so a flaky link does not silently shrink result pages; only
   *definitive* 404 / 403 drops them.
 
-If verification ever needs to be disabled (debugging, benchmarking), the
-`evict_on_missing=False` flag on `verify_search_results()` skips eviction
-without changing what is returned to the caller.
+If eviction ever needs to be disabled (debugging, benchmarking), the
+`evict_on_missing=False` keyword argument on `verify_search_results()` skips
+the Qdrant deletes without changing what is returned to the caller. **This
+is a developer/test flag, not an operator knob — it has no env-var
+equivalent.** Operators who need a runtime toggle should open an issue.
 
 ### Environment Variables Reference
 
diff --git a/nextcloud_mcp_server/client/webdav.py b/nextcloud_mcp_server/client/webdav.py
index 0b314cb5..585cbc71 100644
--- a/nextcloud_mcp_server/client/webdav.py
+++ b/nextcloud_mcp_server/client/webdav.py
@@ -1301,6 +1301,15 @@ class WebDAVClient(BaseNextcloudClient):
     async def get_file_info(self, path: str) -> dict[str, Any] | None:
         """Get file info including file ID via WebDAV PROPFIND.
 
+        .. note::
+            **Behavior change (ADR-019):** previously this method returned
+            ``None`` for HTTP 404. It now raises ``HTTPStatusError`` for any
+            non-2xx status, including 404. ``None`` is reserved for the
+            ambiguous *malformed PROPFIND* case (server returned 2xx with a
+            response body missing required XML elements). External callers
+            updating from the old contract must catch ``HTTPStatusError``
+            and inspect ``e.response.status_code`` to handle 404 explicitly.
+
         Args:
             path: Path to the file (relative to user's files directory)
 
diff --git a/nextcloud_mcp_server/models/semantic.py b/nextcloud_mcp_server/models/semantic.py
index b583b098..a2c713b7 100644
--- a/nextcloud_mcp_server/models/semantic.py
+++ b/nextcloud_mcp_server/models/semantic.py
@@ -80,16 +80,14 @@ class SemanticSearchResponse(BaseResponse):
     search_method: str = Field(
         default="semantic", description="Search method used (semantic or hybrid)"
     )
-    verified_count: int = Field(
+    verified_chunk_count: int = Field(
         default=0,
         description=(
             "Number of search result chunks that passed verify-on-read "
             "access checks (ADR-019). Equals len(verified_results) before "
-            "trimming to limit. Note: multiple chunks of the same document "
-            "are counted separately here, whereas dropped_count counts "
-            "unique (doc_id, doc_type) pairs — the asymmetry is intentional "
-            "(verified_count is sized in result rows, dropped_count is "
-            "sized in unique ghost documents)."
+            "trimming to limit. Sized in chunks (result rows), NOT in "
+            "unique documents — pair with dropped_count carefully: "
+            "dropped_count is sized in unique (doc_id, doc_type) pairs."
         ),
     )
     dropped_count: int = Field(
diff --git a/nextcloud_mcp_server/search/verification.py b/nextcloud_mcp_server/search/verification.py
index ced45d43..86456174 100644
--- a/nextcloud_mcp_server/search/verification.py
+++ b/nextcloud_mcp_server/search/verification.py
@@ -323,28 +323,34 @@ async def _verify_news_items(
             )
             return set(doc_ids)
 
-    # Cast safely: a non-numeric id from the API or in our doc_ids would
-    # otherwise raise ValueError after the semaphore block exits and surface
-    # as a verifier crash. Treat as transient (fail open) instead.
+    # Build present_ids from the API response. If the API itself returns
+    # malformed (non-numeric) ids, the whole batch becomes unverifiable —
+    # fail open for every requested doc_id (transient).
     try:
         present_ids = {
             int(item.get("id")) for item in items if item.get("id") is not None
         }
-        # Map back to the original doc_id types (caller may pass ints or strs).
-        accessible: set[int | str] = set()
-        for d in doc_ids:
-            if int(d) in present_ids:
-                accessible.add(d)
-        return accessible
     except (TypeError, ValueError) as e:
         logger.warning(
-            "Non-numeric id while verifying news items (sample=%r, doc_ids=%r): %s; keeping all results",
+            "Non-numeric id in news API response (sample=%r): %s; keeping all results",
             items[:3] if items else items,
-            doc_ids,
             e,
         )
         return set(doc_ids)
 
+    # Per-item check: a single non-numeric *stored* doc_id is fail-open
+    # for THAT item only — not the whole batch. Mirrors the per-item
+    # shape of the notes/files/deck verifiers.
+    accessible: set[int | str] = set()
+    for d in doc_ids:
+        try:
+            if int(d) in present_ids:
+                accessible.add(d)
+        except (TypeError, ValueError):
+            logger.debug("Non-numeric news doc_id %r; keeping (cannot verify)", d)
+            accessible.add(d)
+    return accessible
+
 
 _VERIFIERS: dict[str, BatchVerifier] = {
     "note": _verify_notes,
diff --git a/nextcloud_mcp_server/server/semantic.py b/nextcloud_mcp_server/server/semantic.py
index 5ab53042..977851cc 100644
--- a/nextcloud_mcp_server/server/semantic.py
+++ b/nextcloud_mcp_server/server/semantic.py
@@ -94,8 +94,13 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
         username = client.username
 
         logger.info(
-            f"BM25 hybrid search: query='{query}', user={username}, "
-            f"limit={limit}, score_threshold={score_threshold}, fusion={fusion}"
+            "BM25 hybrid search: query=%r, user=%s, "
+            "limit=%d, score_threshold=%s, fusion=%s",
+            query,
+            username,
+            limit,
+            score_threshold,
+            fusion,
         )
 
         # Check that vector sync is enabled
@@ -130,6 +135,9 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
                 # The 2× factor is a deliberate v1 trade-off — raising it
                 # costs Nextcloud round-trips on every search. Trim to
                 # ``limit`` happens AFTER verification.
+                # TODO(ADR-019): expose VERIFICATION_OVERFETCH so operators
+                # with persistent high ghost density can tune this without a
+                # code change.
                 unverified_results = await search_algo.search(
                     query=query,
                     user_id=username,
@@ -177,7 +185,7 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
                 all_results,
                 eviction_task_group=eviction_task_group,
             )
-            verified_count = len(verified_results)
+            verified_chunk_count = len(verified_results)
             search_results = verified_results[:limit]
 
             # Convert SearchResult objects to SemanticSearchResult for response.
@@ -227,8 +235,9 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
             # Expand results with surrounding context if requested
             if include_context and results:
                 logger.info(
-                    f"Expanding {len(results)} results with context "
-                    f"(context_chars={context_chars})"
+                    "Expanding %d results with context (context_chars=%d)",
+                    len(results),
+                    context_chars,
                 )
 
                 # Fetch context for all results in parallel
@@ -286,20 +295,27 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
                                     has_after_truncation=chunk_context.has_after_truncation,
                                 )
                                 logger.debug(
-                                    f"Expanded context for {result.doc_type} {result.id}"
+                                    "Expanded context for %s %s",
+                                    result.doc_type,
+                                    result.id,
                                 )
                             else:
                                 # Context expansion failed, keep original result
                                 expanded_results[index] = result
                                 logger.debug(
-                                    f"Failed to expand context for {result.doc_type} {result.id}, "
-                                    "keeping original result"
+                                    "Failed to expand context for %s %s, "
+                                    "keeping original result",
+                                    result.doc_type,
+                                    result.id,
                                 )
                         except Exception as e:
                             # Context expansion failed, keep original result
                             expanded_results[index] = result
                             logger.warning(
-                                f"Error expanding context for {result.doc_type} {result.id}: {e}"
+                                "Error expanding context for %s %s: %s",
+                                result.doc_type,
+                                result.id,
+                                e,
                             )
 
                 # Run all context fetches in parallel using anyio task group
@@ -310,17 +326,18 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
                 # Replace results with expanded versions
                 results = [r for r in expanded_results if r is not None]
                 logger.info(
-                    f"Context expansion completed: {len(results)} results with context"
+                    "Context expansion completed: %d results with context",
+                    len(results),
                 )
 
-            logger.info(f"Returning {len(results)} results from BM25 hybrid search")
+            logger.info("Returning %d results from BM25 hybrid search", len(results))
 
             return SemanticSearchResponse(
                 results=results,
                 query=query,
                 total_found=len(results),
                 search_method=f"bm25_hybrid_{fusion}",
-                verified_count=verified_count,
+                verified_chunk_count=verified_chunk_count,
                 dropped_count=dropped_count,
             )
 
@@ -341,7 +358,7 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
                 ErrorData(code=-1, message=f"Network error during search: {str(e)}")
             )
         except Exception as e:
-            logger.error(f"Search error: {e}", exc_info=True)
+            logger.error("Search error: %s", e, exc_info=True)
             raise McpError(ErrorData(code=-1, message=f"Search failed: {str(e)}"))
 
     @mcp.tool(
@@ -422,7 +439,7 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
 
         # 2. Handle no results case - don't waste a sampling call
         if not search_response.results:
-            logger.debug(f"No documents found for query: {query}")
+            logger.debug("No documents found for query: %r", query)
             return SamplingSearchResponse(
                 query=query,
                 generated_answer="No relevant documents found in your Nextcloud content for this query.",
@@ -439,22 +456,25 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
 
         # Log capability check result for debugging
         logger.info(
-            f"Sampling capability check: client_has_sampling={client_has_sampling}, "
-            f"query='{query}'"
+            "Sampling capability check: client_has_sampling=%s, query=%r",
+            client_has_sampling,
+            query,
         )
         if hasattr(ctx.session, "_client_params") and ctx.session._client_params:
             client_caps = ctx.session._client_params.capabilities
             logger.debug(
-                f"Client advertised capabilities: "
-                f"roots={client_caps.roots is not None}, "
-                f"sampling={client_caps.sampling is not None}, "
-                f"experimental={client_caps.experimental is not None}"
+                "Client advertised capabilities: "
+                "roots=%s, sampling=%s, experimental=%s",
+                client_caps.roots is not None,
+                client_caps.sampling is not None,
+                client_caps.experimental is not None,
             )
 
         if not client_has_sampling:
             logger.info(
-                f"Client does not support sampling (query: '{query}'), "
-                f"returning {len(search_response.results)} documents"
+                "Client does not support sampling (query: %r), returning %d documents",
+                query,
+                len(search_response.results),
             )
             return SamplingSearchResponse(
                 query=query,
@@ -493,8 +513,9 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
                         accessible_results[index] = result
                         full_contents[index] = content
                         logger.debug(
-                            f"Fetched full content for note {result.id} "
-                            f"(length: {len(content)} chars)"
+                            "Fetched full content for note %s (length: %d chars)",
+                            result.id,
+                            len(content),
                         )
                     except Exception as e:
                         # Race window after verify_search_results — drop result.
@@ -524,7 +545,9 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
 
         # Check if we filtered out all results
         if not accessible_results:
-            logger.warning(f"All search results became inaccessible for query: {query}")
+            logger.warning(
+                "All search results became inaccessible for query: %r", query
+            )
             return SamplingSearchResponse(
                 query=query,
                 generated_answer="All matching documents are no longer accessible.",
@@ -566,9 +589,12 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
         )
 
         logger.info(
-            f"Initiating sampling request: query_length={len(query)}, "
-            f"documents={len(search_response.results)}, "
-            f"prompt_length={len(prompt)}, max_tokens={max_answer_tokens}"
+            "Initiating sampling request: query_length=%d, documents=%d, "
+            "prompt_length=%d, max_tokens=%d",
+            len(query),
+            len(search_response.results),
+            len(prompt),
+            max_answer_tokens,
         )
 
         # 6. Request LLM completion via MCP sampling with timeout
@@ -601,13 +627,15 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
                 # Handle non-text responses (shouldn't happen for text prompts)
                 generated_answer = f"Received non-text response of type: {sampling_result.content.type}"
                 logger.warning(
-                    f"Unexpected content type from sampling: {sampling_result.content.type}"
+                    "Unexpected content type from sampling: %s",
+                    sampling_result.content.type,
                 )
 
             logger.info(
-                f"Sampling successful: model={sampling_result.model}, "
-                f"stop_reason={sampling_result.stopReason}, "
-                f"answer_length={len(generated_answer)}"
+                "Sampling successful: model=%s, stop_reason=%s, answer_length=%d",
+                sampling_result.model,
+                sampling_result.stopReason,
+                len(generated_answer),
             )
 
             return SamplingSearchResponse(
@@ -623,8 +651,10 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
 
         except TimeoutError:
             logger.warning(
-                f"Sampling request timed out after {sampling_timeout_seconds} seconds for query: '{query}', "
-                f"returning search results only"
+                "Sampling request timed out after %d seconds for query: %r, "
+                "returning search results only",
+                sampling_timeout_seconds,
+                query,
             )
             return SamplingSearchResponse(
                 query=query,
@@ -646,18 +676,20 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
 
             if "rejected" in error_msg.lower() or "denied" in error_msg.lower():
                 # User explicitly declined - this is normal, not an error
-                logger.info(f"User declined sampling request for query: '{query}'")
+                logger.info("User declined sampling request for query: %r", query)
                 search_method = "semantic_sampling_user_declined"
                 user_message = "User declined to generate an answer"
             elif "not supported" in error_msg.lower():
                 # Client doesn't support sampling - also normal
-                logger.info(f"Sampling not supported by client for query: '{query}'")
+                logger.info("Sampling not supported by client for query: %r", query)
                 search_method = "semantic_sampling_unsupported"
                 user_message = "Sampling not supported by this client"
             else:
                 # Other MCP protocol errors
                 logger.warning(
-                    f"MCP error during sampling for query '{query}': {error_msg}"
+                    "MCP error during sampling for query %r: %s",
+                    query,
+                    error_msg,
                 )
                 search_method = "semantic_sampling_mcp_error"
                 user_message = f"Sampling unavailable: {error_msg}"
@@ -678,8 +710,10 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
         except Exception as e:
             # Truly unexpected errors - these SHOULD have tracebacks
             logger.error(
-                f"Unexpected error during sampling for query '{query}': "
-                f"{type(e).__name__}: {e}",
+                "Unexpected error during sampling for query %r: %s: %s",
+                query,
+                type(e).__name__,
+                e,
                 exc_info=True,
             )
 
@@ -763,7 +797,7 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
                 indexed_count = count_result.count
 
             except Exception as e:
-                logger.warning(f"Failed to query Qdrant for indexed count: {e}")
+                logger.warning("Failed to query Qdrant for indexed count: %s", e)
                 # Continue with indexed_count = 0
 
             # Determine status
@@ -777,7 +811,7 @@ def configure_semantic_tools(mcp: FastMCP):
             )
 
         except Exception as e:
-            logger.error(f"Error getting vector sync status: {e}")
+            logger.error("Error getting vector sync status: %s", e)
             raise McpError(
                 ErrorData(
                     code=-1,
diff --git a/tests/unit/search/test_verification.py b/tests/unit/search/test_verification.py
index 46d40ce3..94612eca 100644
--- a/tests/unit/search/test_verification.py
+++ b/tests/unit/search/test_verification.py
@@ -178,6 +178,29 @@ async def test_verify_notes_mixed_outcomes(mocker):
     assert result == {1, 3}
 
 
+@pytest.mark.unit
+async def test_verify_notes_string_doc_id_matches_production(mocker):
+    """Notes are stored with string doc_ids in production (scanner.py:241).
+
+    The verifier must parse the string to int for the API call but
+    preserve the original string in the accessible set so eviction
+    receives the same type that was indexed in Qdrant. Without this
+    contract, a `MatchValue(value=42)` eviction filter would not match
+    a payload stored as `"42"`.
+    """
+    notes_client = SimpleNamespace(
+        get_note=mocker.AsyncMock(return_value={"id": 42, "content": "x"})
+    )
+    client = SimpleNamespace(notes=notes_client, username="alice")
+
+    result = await _verify_notes(client, [_make_result("42", doc_type="note")], _sem())
+
+    # Original string id is preserved (not coerced to int 42).
+    assert result == {"42"}
+    # The API call still uses the int form internally.
+    notes_client.get_note.assert_awaited_once_with(42)
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # News batch verifier
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -267,15 +290,15 @@ async def test_verify_news_items_transient_keeps_all(mocker):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.unit
-async def test_verify_news_items_non_numeric_id_keeps_all(mocker):
-    """One non-numeric doc_id triggers fail-open for the WHOLE result set.
+async def test_verify_news_items_non_numeric_id_keeps_only_bad_item(mocker):
+    """A non-numeric doc_id is fail-open per item, not per batch.
 
     The intersection logic in `_verify_news_items` tries `int(d)` for each
-    incoming doc_id; a single non-numeric value (e.g. ``"abc"``) raises
-    ValueError inside the intersection loop. The except block must catch it
-    and return the full input set (fail open) rather than dropping anything.
-    This is intentional v1 behaviour — surfacing one bad id should not
-    drop legitimate adjacent results.
+    incoming doc_id; a single non-numeric value (e.g. ``"abc"``) is now
+    caught per-item — only that one id is preserved unverified, while
+    valid numeric ids are still checked against the API response. Mirrors
+    the per-item shape of the notes/files/deck verifiers (one bad id does
+    not poison adjacent verifications).
     """
     news_client = SimpleNamespace(
         get_items=mocker.AsyncMock(return_value=[{"id": 10}, {"id": 20}])
@@ -289,10 +312,59 @@ async def test_verify_news_items_non_numeric_id_keeps_all(mocker):
         _sem(),
     )
 
-    # Fail-open: every requested id is preserved, INCLUDING the bad one.
+    # 10 and 20 are verified present; "abc" is unverifiable so kept fail-open.
     assert result == {10, 20, "abc"}
 
 
+@pytest.mark.unit
+async def test_verify_news_items_drops_missing_when_other_id_is_non_numeric(
+    mocker,
+):
+    """A non-numeric doc_id no longer rescues a definitively-missing id.
+
+    Regression for the per-item fail-open: previously a single non-numeric
+    doc_id triggered batch-wide fail-open, so a definitively-missing id
+    (20 below) escaped eviction. With per-item handling, only "abc" is
+    kept; 20 is correctly dropped.
+    """
+    news_client = SimpleNamespace(get_items=mocker.AsyncMock(return_value=[{"id": 10}]))
+    client = SimpleNamespace(news=news_client, username="alice")
+
+    doc_ids: list[int | str] = [10, 20, "abc"]
+    result = await _verify_news_items(
+        client,
+        [_make_result(d, doc_type="news_item") for d in doc_ids],
+        _sem(),
+    )
+
+    # 10 verified present, 20 verified missing (dropped), "abc" unverifiable.
+    assert result == {10, "abc"}
+
+
+@pytest.mark.unit
+async def test_verify_news_items_malformed_api_response_keeps_all(mocker):
+    """A malformed API response (non-numeric server id) fails open per batch.
+
+    Distinct from a non-numeric *stored* doc_id: when the News API itself
+    returns garbage, we cannot build present_ids at all, so every requested
+    doc_id is preserved (transient — eviction will retry on next query).
+    """
+    news_client = SimpleNamespace(
+        get_items=mocker.AsyncMock(return_value=[{"id": "not-an-int"}, {"id": 20}])
+    )
+    client = SimpleNamespace(news=news_client, username="alice")
+
+    doc_ids: list[int | str] = [10, 20]
+    result = await _verify_news_items(
+        client,
+        [_make_result(d, doc_type="news_item") for d in doc_ids],
+        _sem(),
+    )
+
+    # Batch fail-open: API broken, every requested id preserved.
+    assert result == {10, 20}
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # File verifier
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -531,25 +603,32 @@ async def test_verify_search_results_dedupes_chunks_per_document(mocker):
 
 @pytest.mark.unit
 async def test_verify_search_results_drops_inaccessible_and_evicts(mocker):
-    """Inline-fallback path (no eviction_task_group): evict completes before return."""
+    """Inline-fallback path (no eviction_task_group): evict completes before return.
+
+    Notes are stored with string doc_ids in production (scanner.py:241
+    ``doc_id = str(note["id"])``), so this test uses string ids end-to-end
+    to exercise the actual production type — ``SearchResult.id``,
+    ``_VERIFIERS["note"]`` return-set members, and
+    ``delete_document_points`` arguments all stay as ``str``.
+    """
     spy_evict = mocker.AsyncMock()
     mocker.patch.object(verification, "delete_document_points", spy_evict)
 
-    # Verifier reports note 1 accessible, note 99 not
-    note_verifier = mocker.AsyncMock(return_value={1})
+    # Verifier reports note "1" accessible, note "99" not
+    note_verifier = mocker.AsyncMock(return_value={"1"})
     mocker.patch.dict(verification._VERIFIERS, {"note": note_verifier}, clear=False)
 
     results = [
-        _make_result(1, doc_type="note"),
-        _make_result(99, doc_type="note"),
+        _make_result("1", doc_type="note"),
+        _make_result("99", doc_type="note"),
     ]
     client = SimpleNamespace(username="alice")
 
     kept, dropped_count = await verify_search_results(client, results)
 
-    assert [r.id for r in kept] == [1]
+    assert [r.id for r in kept] == ["1"]
     assert dropped_count == 1
-    spy_evict.assert_awaited_once_with(99, "note", "alice")
+    spy_evict.assert_awaited_once_with("99", "note", "alice")
 
 
 @pytest.mark.unit
@@ -598,6 +677,54 @@ async def test_verify_search_results_fire_and_forget_eviction(mocker):
     assert eviction_completed.is_set()
 
 
+@pytest.mark.unit
+async def test_verify_search_results_eviction_task_group_closed_is_ignored(
+    mocker,
+):
+    """A closed eviction task group must not surface as a search error.
+
+    Guards the race documented in `verification.py`: the lifespan task
+    group can exit between the ``getattr()`` capture in
+    ``server/semantic.py`` and the ``start_soon`` call here. Calling
+    ``start_soon`` on a closed group raises ``RuntimeError``; the
+    verifier must catch and log it (eviction is best-effort, the next
+    query re-verifies). Without this guard the search response would
+    fail.
+    """
+    spy_evict = mocker.AsyncMock()
+    mocker.patch.object(verification, "delete_document_points", spy_evict)
+
+    note_verifier = mocker.AsyncMock(return_value=set())  # 99 inaccessible
+    mocker.patch.dict(verification._VERIFIERS, {"note": note_verifier}, clear=False)
+
+    class ClosedTaskGroup:
+        """Stand-in for an exited anyio.TaskGroup."""
+
+        def __init__(self):
+            self.start_soon_calls = 0
+
+        def start_soon(self, *_args, **_kwargs):
+            self.start_soon_calls += 1
+            raise RuntimeError("This task group is not active")
+
+    closed_tg = ClosedTaskGroup()
+
+    results = [_make_result(99, doc_type="note")]
+    client = SimpleNamespace(username="alice")
+
+    # Must NOT raise even though start_soon raises RuntimeError.
+    kept, dropped_count = await verify_search_results(
+        client, results, eviction_task_group=closed_tg
+    )
+
+    assert kept == []
+    assert dropped_count == 1
+    assert closed_tg.start_soon_calls == 1
+    # Inline fallback must NOT run when a (closed) task group was provided —
+    # the guard is fire-and-forget, eviction is dropped on the floor.
+    spy_evict.assert_not_awaited()
+
+
 @pytest.mark.unit
 async def test_verify_search_results_no_eviction_when_disabled(mocker):
     spy_evict = mocker.AsyncMock()