Follow an image move until the old path is zero and the new path is one
Moving an image into a tidier folder is only half of the job. The manuscript reference must move with it. In the recorded test, one reference existed before the move, the old path was reduced to zero afterward, the new path appeared once, and two images reached the EPUB package. However, the reference-update planning step reported zero targets, so the overall status remains partial.
A general path-safe workflow records the reference count before a move, relocates the file, updates the manuscript, searches for the old path, and only then exports the EPUB. Package inspection is a final, separate check. Keeping the file move, source rewrite, and export distinct makes the return point obvious when a count does not match.
Fix the sample at three chapters, two images, and no cover
The sample has three chapters, two inline images, and no cover. The planning specification names the images map.png and chart.png. In the dedicated Stage 4 copy, the corresponding test assets were recorded as figure01.png and figure02.png. The names should not be conflated; the stable starting values are 3 chapters, 2 inline images, and 0 cover images.
There are three layers to protect. The first is the physical file under images or assets. The second is the Markdown reference inside a chapter. The third is the resource packaged in the EPUB. Moving only the first layer breaks the second. Fixing the second without inspecting the third may leave you looking at an outdated export.
Measure the reference, move the file, rewrite explicitly, and export again
Before the move, the search for the figure01 reference reported fileCount 1 and occurrenceCount 1. The reference-update plan was then requested, but it reported fileCount 0 and occurrenceCount 0. That result is a stopping signal: the run did not prove that the planner had identified the reference to update.
The file was moved from images/figure01.png to assets/figure01.png, after which the reference was explicitly rewritten. The rewrite reported rewrittenFiles 1 and occurrenceCount 1. A reverse search found zero occurrences of ../images/figure01.png and one occurrence of ../assets/figure01.png. The new reference was present on line 8 of chapters/01.md.
The manuscript was then planned as fileCount 3, chapterCount 3, and valid true before export and inspection. If the physical file is absent, return to the destination folder. If the old reference remains, return to the manuscript. If the package lacks the image despite a correct source reference, return to export and package inspection.
The EPUB output passed, but the whole workflow is still partial
The generated studio-387-260831.120000.epub was 6,213 bytes, and its recorded SHA-256 begins with 761d. Inspection reported entryCount 13, spineItemCount 6, imageCount 2, zero missing resources, nav.xhtml, NCX, three items in each navigation representation, valid true, and no issues. The source contained one new-path reference and no old-path reference, and both images were packaged.
Those measurements support a narrow conclusion: after an explicit move and explicit source rewrite, the dedicated three-chapter sample exported without a structural missing-resource error. They do not prove that the reference-update planner detected the move. Because that plan returned zero targets, the workflow cannot be described as fully passed or automatically path-safe. Its status remains partial.
A separate common baseline exported five chapters and one image in horizontal layout with version 1.7. It reported nine spine items, zero missing resources, nav.xhtml, NCX, and valid true. That result supports the ordinary export route, but it cannot turn the zero-target title-specific plan into a success.
Preserve the partial stopping point and the external limits
On a repeat run, stop when the reference-update plan returns zero despite a known reference. Check the path supplied to the operation and the conditions used to identify the source before moving anything else. Returning to the recorded pre-move state is safer than assuming that a zero-target plan means no work is needed.
The run used explicit CLI operations on a dedicated copy. It did not prove automatic tracking of moves made in Finder or cloud storage. It did not assess image appearance, KDP acceptance, hardware readers, or every reading app. The package roles discussed here follow the EPUB 3.3 specification, but structural conformance and external rendering remain separate questions.
Separate Rune Studio’s public feature from this run
Rune Studio publicly supports path updates for relative image and link references in txt, text, md, and markdown files. Relative paths containing ../ are in scope, while external URLs and page anchors are excluded. The documented feature also covers eligible open and closed files and the cover path.
This article’s evidence is narrower: an explicit file move, an explicit rewrite, searches for old and new paths, and an EPUB export on a dedicated copy. It does not upgrade the zero-target planning result into a pass. The public feature boundary and the observed result from this particular run must remain separate.
Conclusion: the move was traced, but automatic planning was not proved
A safe image-organization workflow starts with the one known reference and finishes only after the old path is zero, the new path is one, both expected images are packaged, and the missing list is empty. The dedicated copy reached those measurements through an explicit rewrite.
The reference-update plan still returned zero targets. The correct conclusion is therefore partial. On the next run, establish why the plan does not enumerate the known reference before proceeding; if it still returns zero, stop and return to the pre-move state.
