diff --git a/pkg/service/datastore/datastore.go b/pkg/service/datastore/datastore.go
index 15b1af7..2752828 100644
--- a/pkg/service/datastore/datastore.go
+++ b/pkg/service/datastore/datastore.go
@@ -69,6 +69,15 @@ type DataStore struct {
 	// baseDir is the absolute, normalized base directory used for path safety checks.
 	baseDir string
 
+	// rootMu guards lazy initialisation of root.
+	rootMu sync.Mutex
+	// root is an os.Root anchored at baseDir. All filesystem operations within
+	// the datastore go through it, so ".." or absolute paths in
+	// caller-supplied components cannot escape the root — the Go runtime
+	// enforces containment regardless of what safeJoin's output looks like.
+	// Lazily opened so NewDataStore stays a pure constructor.
+	root *os.Root
+
 	eventMutex     sync.RWMutex
 	deviceEvents   map[string][]models.DeviceEvent
 	idMutex        sync.RWMutex
@@ -172,6 +181,277 @@ func (ds *DataStore) SafeJoin(elem ...string) string {
 	return ds.safeJoin(elem...)
 }
 
+// getRoot returns the lazily-opened *os.Root anchored at baseDir. The root is
+// created on first call after MkdirAll-ing baseDir; subsequent calls return
+// the cached handle. Filesystem operations performed via the returned root
+// cannot escape baseDir even if the relative path passed to them is malicious.
+func (ds *DataStore) getRoot() (*os.Root, error) {
+	ds.rootMu.Lock()
+	defer ds.rootMu.Unlock()
+
+	if ds.root != nil {
+		return ds.root, nil
+	}
+
+	if ds.baseDir == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("datastore: baseDir not configured")
+	}
+
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(ds.baseDir, 0755); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("datastore: ensure baseDir %s: %w", ds.baseDir, err)
+	}
+
+	r, err := os.OpenRoot(ds.baseDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("datastore: open root at %s: %w", ds.baseDir, err)
+	}
+
+	ds.root = r
+
+	return r, nil
+}
+
+// Close releases any open filesystem handles held by the datastore. Safe to
+// call on a never-used DataStore.
+func (ds *DataStore) Close() error {
+	ds.rootMu.Lock()
+	defer ds.rootMu.Unlock()
+
+	if ds.root == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	err := ds.root.Close()
+	ds.root = nil
+
+	return err
+}
+
+// rootRel converts a path produced by safeJoin (or by filepath.Join over
+// ds.DataDir) into the form expected by *os.Root methods — relative to
+// baseDir, no leading separator. Tolerates both absolute paths and paths
+// whose root is the relative ds.DataDir.
+//
+// Returns "." for baseDir itself.
+func (ds *DataStore) rootRel(absPath string) (string, error) {
+	// If the input is relative, absolutise so the comparison with baseDir
+	// works regardless of how DataDir was originally configured.
+	if !filepath.IsAbs(absPath) {
+		a, err := filepath.Abs(absPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("datastore: absolutise %s: %w", absPath, err)
+		}
+
+		absPath = a
+	}
+
+	if absPath == ds.baseDir {
+		return ".", nil
+	}
+
+	rel, err := filepath.Rel(ds.baseDir, absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("datastore: %s is outside baseDir: %w", absPath, err)
+	}
+
+	if rel == "." || rel == "" {
+		return ".", nil
+	}
+
+	if strings.HasPrefix(rel, "..") {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("datastore: %s is outside baseDir", absPath)
+	}
+
+	return rel, nil
+}
+
+// rootStat is the os.Stat equivalent for a path under baseDir.
+func (ds *DataStore) rootStat(absPath string) (os.FileInfo, error) {
+	r, err := ds.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := ds.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return r.Stat(rel)
+}
+
+// rootReadFile is the os.ReadFile equivalent.
+func (ds *DataStore) rootReadFile(absPath string) ([]byte, error) {
+	r, err := ds.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := ds.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return r.ReadFile(rel)
+}
+
+// rootWriteFile is the os.WriteFile equivalent.
+func (ds *DataStore) rootWriteFile(absPath string, data []byte, perm os.FileMode) error {
+	r, err := ds.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := ds.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return r.WriteFile(rel, data, perm)
+}
+
+// rootMkdirAll is the os.MkdirAll equivalent.
+func (ds *DataStore) rootMkdirAll(absPath string, perm os.FileMode) error {
+	r, err := ds.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := ds.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if rel == "." {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	return r.MkdirAll(rel, perm)
+}
+
+// rootRemove is the os.Remove equivalent.
+func (ds *DataStore) rootRemove(absPath string) error {
+	r, err := ds.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := ds.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return r.Remove(rel)
+}
+
+// rootRemoveAll is the os.RemoveAll equivalent.
+func (ds *DataStore) rootRemoveAll(absPath string) error {
+	r, err := ds.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := ds.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return r.RemoveAll(rel)
+}
+
+// rootRename is the os.Rename equivalent. Both paths must be under baseDir.
+func (ds *DataStore) rootRename(oldAbs, newAbs string) error {
+	r, err := ds.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	oldRel, err := ds.rootRel(oldAbs)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	newRel, err := ds.rootRel(newAbs)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return r.Rename(oldRel, newRel)
+}
+
+// rootReadDir lists the entries in absPath. Equivalent to os.ReadDir,
+// including the same alphabetical-by-name sort order — *os.File.ReadDir(-1)
+// returns entries in directory order, but callers (and existing tests)
+// depend on the sorted contract that os.ReadDir documents.
+func (ds *DataStore) rootReadDir(absPath string) ([]os.DirEntry, error) {
+	r, err := ds.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := ds.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	f, err := r.Open(rel)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	defer func() { _ = f.Close() }()
+
+	entries, err := f.ReadDir(-1)
+	if err != nil {
+		return entries, err
+	}
+
+	sort.Slice(entries, func(i, j int) bool { return entries[i].Name() < entries[j].Name() })
+
+	return entries, nil
+}
+
+// rootExists is true when absPath exists under baseDir.
+func (ds *DataStore) rootExists(absPath string) bool {
+	_, err := ds.rootStat(absPath)
+	return err == nil
+}
+
+// ReadDirUnderBase lists the entries in absPath, which must resolve to a
+// directory under the datastore baseDir. Cross-package callers (marge,
+// handlers, …) use this instead of os.ReadDir so that the underlying
+// *os.Root sanitises the path against traversal.
+func (ds *DataStore) ReadDirUnderBase(absPath string) ([]os.DirEntry, error) {
+	return ds.rootReadDir(absPath)
+}
+
+// MkdirAllUnderBase creates a directory tree under baseDir.
+func (ds *DataStore) MkdirAllUnderBase(absPath string, perm os.FileMode) error {
+	return ds.rootMkdirAll(absPath, perm)
+}
+
+// WriteFileUnderBase atomically writes data to absPath, which must be under
+// baseDir.
+func (ds *DataStore) WriteFileUnderBase(absPath string, data []byte, perm os.FileMode) error {
+	return ds.rootWriteFile(absPath, data, perm)
+}
+
+// rootOpen is the os.Open equivalent for a path under baseDir. The caller
+// owns the returned *os.File and must Close it.
+func (ds *DataStore) rootOpen(absPath string) (*os.File, error) {
+	r, err := ds.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := ds.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return r.Open(rel)
+}
+
 // ListAccounts returns a list of all account IDs (directories in the data root).
 func (ds *DataStore) ListAccounts() ([]string, error) {
 	ds.fileMutex.RLock()
@@ -179,11 +459,11 @@ func (ds *DataStore) ListAccounts() ([]string, error) {
 
 	// Account data is stored in 'accounts' subdirectory within the data root.
 	accountsDir := filepath.Join(ds.baseDir, "accounts")
-	if !exists(accountsDir) {
+	if !ds.rootExists(accountsDir) {
 		return []string{"default"}, nil
 	}
 
-	entries, err := os.ReadDir(accountsDir)
+	entries, err := ds.rootReadDir(accountsDir)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -221,7 +501,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) AccountDeviceDir(account, device string) string {
 	// First, check if the device directory exists directly with the given deviceID
 	// This prioritizes MAC-based deviceIDs over legacy mappings
 	directPath := ds.safeJoin("accounts", account, constants.DevicesDir, device)
-	if _, err := os.Stat(directPath); err == nil {
+	if _, err := ds.rootStat(directPath); err == nil {
 		// Directory exists, use the direct deviceID (preferred for MAC-based IDs)
 		return directPath
 	}
@@ -241,7 +521,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) AccountDeviceDir(account, device string) string {
 	if ok {
 		// Use the mapped device only if it exists and the direct path doesn't
 		mappedPath := ds.safeJoin("accounts", account, constants.DevicesDir, mappedDevice)
-		if _, err := os.Stat(mappedPath); err == nil {
+		if _, err := ds.rootStat(mappedPath); err == nil {
 			return mappedPath
 		}
 	}
@@ -263,7 +543,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) getDeviceInfoNoLock(account, device string) (*models.Servic
 	path := ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device)
 	deviceInfoPath := filepath.Join(path, constants.DeviceInfoFile)
 
-	data, err := os.ReadFile(deviceInfoPath)
+	data, err := ds.rootReadFile(deviceInfoPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -555,7 +835,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) GetPresets(account, device string) ([]models.ServicePreset,
 
 	path := filepath.Join(ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device), constants.PresetsFile)
 
-	data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	data, err := ds.rootReadFile(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
 			return []models.ServicePreset{}, nil
@@ -619,7 +899,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) SavePresets(account, device string, presets []models.Servic
 	defer ds.fileMutex.Unlock()
 
 	path := filepath.Join(ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device), constants.PresetsFile)
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(path), 0755); err != nil {
+	if err := ds.rootMkdirAll(filepath.Dir(path), 0755); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -683,11 +963,11 @@ func (ds *DataStore) atomicWriteFile(filename string, data []byte) error {
 	perm := os.FileMode(0644)
 
 	tempFile := filename + ".tmp"
-	if err := os.WriteFile(tempFile, data, perm); err != nil {
+	if err := ds.rootWriteFile(tempFile, data, perm); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	return os.Rename(tempFile, filename)
+	return ds.rootRename(tempFile, filename)
 }
 
 // GetRecents returns the list of recently played items for the specified account and device.
@@ -697,7 +977,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) GetRecents(account, device string) ([]models.ServiceRecent,
 
 	path := filepath.Join(ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device), constants.RecentsFile)
 
-	data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	data, err := ds.rootReadFile(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
 			return []models.ServiceRecent{}, nil
@@ -792,7 +1072,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) SaveRecents(account, device string, recents []models.Servic
 	defer ds.fileMutex.Unlock()
 
 	dir := ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device)
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
+	if err := ds.rootMkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -891,7 +1171,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) SaveDeviceInfo(account, device string, info *models.Service
 	ds.mergeWithExistingDeviceInfo(account, device, info)
 
 	dir := ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device)
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
+	if err := ds.rootMkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -1053,7 +1333,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) SaveAccountInfo(accountID string, info *models.ServiceAccou
 	}
 
 	dir := ds.AccountDir(accountID)
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
+	if err := ds.rootMkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -1075,11 +1355,11 @@ func (ds *DataStore) GetAccountInfo(accountID string) (*models.ServiceAccountInf
 
 	// Try account root (canonical location)
 	path := filepath.Join(ds.AccountDir(accountID), "account.json")
-	if !exists(path) {
+	if !ds.rootExists(path) {
 		return &models.ServiceAccountInfo{AccountID: accountID, IsPlaceholder: true}, nil
 	}
 
-	data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	data, err := ds.rootReadFile(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -1099,7 +1379,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) RemoveDevice(account, device string) error {
 
 	dir := ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device)
 
-	return os.RemoveAll(dir)
+	return ds.rootRemoveAll(dir)
 }
 
 // RemoveDeviceDir is an alias for RemoveDevice for backwards compatibility.
@@ -1130,7 +1410,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) collectDeducedIDs(account, device string) map[string]string
 
 	// Check recents and presets to find source IDs for provider IDs 2, 9, 11, 25
 	for _, filename := range []string{constants.RecentsFile, constants.PresetsFile} {
-		fileContent, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device), filename))
+		fileContent, err := ds.rootReadFile(filepath.Join(ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device), filename))
 		if err != nil {
 			continue
 		}
@@ -1236,7 +1516,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) GetConfiguredSources(account, device string) ([]models.Conf
 
 	path := filepath.Join(ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device), constants.SourcesFile)
 
-	data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	data, err := ds.rootReadFile(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
 			sources := ds.getDefaultSources()
@@ -1388,7 +1668,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) SaveConfiguredSources(account, device string, sources []mod
 	defer ds.fileMutex.Unlock()
 
 	path := filepath.Join(ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device), constants.SourcesFile)
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(path), 0755); err != nil {
+	if err := ds.rootMkdirAll(filepath.Dir(path), 0755); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -1683,7 +1963,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) Initialize() error {
 func (ds *DataStore) GetETagForPresets(account, device string) int64 {
 	path := filepath.Join(ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device), constants.PresetsFile)
 
-	info, err := os.Stat(path)
+	info, err := ds.rootStat(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0
 	}
@@ -1694,7 +1974,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) GetETagForPresets(account, device string) int64 {
 // HasConfiguredSources reports whether a Sources.xml file exists for the given account and device.
 func (ds *DataStore) HasConfiguredSources(account, device string) bool {
 	path := filepath.Join(ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device), constants.SourcesFile)
-	_, err := os.Stat(path)
+	_, err := ds.rootStat(path)
 
 	return err == nil
 }
@@ -1703,7 +1983,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) HasConfiguredSources(account, device string) bool {
 func (ds *DataStore) GetETagForSources(account, device string) int64 {
 	path := filepath.Join(ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device), constants.SourcesFile)
 
-	info, err := os.Stat(path)
+	info, err := ds.rootStat(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0
 	}
@@ -1715,7 +1995,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) GetETagForSources(account, device string) int64 {
 func (ds *DataStore) GetETagForRecents(account, device string) int64 {
 	path := filepath.Join(ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device), constants.RecentsFile)
 
-	info, err := os.Stat(path)
+	info, err := ds.rootStat(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0
 	}
@@ -1739,7 +2019,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) GetETagForAccount(account, device string) string {
 	if device != "" {
 		deviceDir := ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, device)
 		for _, name := range []string{constants.PresetsFile, constants.SourcesFile, constants.RecentsFile} {
-			f, err := os.Open(filepath.Join(deviceDir, name))
+			f, err := ds.rootOpen(filepath.Join(deviceDir, name))
 			if err != nil {
 				continue
 			}
@@ -1756,13 +2036,13 @@ func (ds *DataStore) GetETagForAccount(account, device string) string {
 	// Ignore error: missing directory is treated as no devices, producing a
 	// stable non-empty hash rather than "" which would false-match an absent
 	// If-None-Match header and return 304 on the first request.
-	entries, _ := os.ReadDir(devicesDir)
+	entries, _ := ds.rootReadDir(devicesDir)
 
 	for _, entry := range entries {
 		if entry.IsDir() {
 			deviceDir := ds.AccountDeviceDir(account, entry.Name())
 			for _, name := range []string{constants.PresetsFile, constants.SourcesFile, constants.RecentsFile} {
-				f, err := os.Open(filepath.Join(deviceDir, name))
+				f, err := ds.rootOpen(filepath.Join(deviceDir, name))
 				if err != nil {
 					continue
 				}
@@ -1831,11 +2111,11 @@ func (ds *DataStore) GetSettings() (Settings, error) {
 	}
 
 	path := filepath.Join(ds.DataDir, "settings.json")
-	if !exists(path) {
+	if !ds.rootExists(path) {
 		return Settings{}, nil
 	}
 
-	data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	data, err := ds.rootReadFile(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return Settings{}, err
 	}
@@ -1854,7 +2134,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) SaveSettings(settings Settings) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(ds.DataDir, 0755); err != nil {
+	if err := ds.rootMkdirAll(ds.DataDir, 0755); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create data directory: %w", err)
 	}
 
@@ -1871,7 +2151,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) SaveSettings(settings Settings) error {
 // SaveUsageStats saves usage statistics to the datastore.
 func (ds *DataStore) SaveUsageStats(stats models.UsageStats) error {
 	dir := filepath.Join(ds.DataDir, "stats", "usage")
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
+	if err := ds.rootMkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -1889,7 +2169,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) SaveUsageStats(stats models.UsageStats) error {
 // SaveErrorStats saves error statistics to the datastore.
 func (ds *DataStore) SaveErrorStats(stats models.ErrorStats) error {
 	dir := filepath.Join(ds.DataDir, "stats", "error")
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
+	if err := ds.rootMkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -1955,7 +2235,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) SaveDNSDiscoveries(discoveries []DNSDiscoveryEntry) error {
 	}
 
 	dir := filepath.Join(ds.DataDir, "dns")
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
+	if err := ds.rootMkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create dns directory: %w", err)
 	}
 
@@ -1981,11 +2261,11 @@ func (ds *DataStore) LoadDNSDiscoveries() ([]DNSDiscoveryEntry, error) {
 	}
 
 	path := filepath.Join(ds.DataDir, "dns", "discoveries.json")
-	if !exists(path) {
+	if !ds.rootExists(path) {
 		return []DNSDiscoveryEntry{}, nil
 	}
 
-	data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	data, err := ds.rootReadFile(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -2005,11 +2285,11 @@ func (ds *DataStore) ClearDNSDiscoveries() error {
 	}
 
 	path := filepath.Join(ds.DataDir, "dns", "discoveries.json")
-	if !exists(path) {
+	if !ds.rootExists(path) {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	return os.Remove(path)
+	return ds.rootRemove(path)
 }
 
 // groupFilePath returns the on-disk path for a group file.
@@ -2021,7 +2301,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) groupFilePath(account, groupID string) string {
 func (ds *DataStore) generateGroupID(account string) string {
 	for {
 		id := fmt.Sprintf("%07d", rand.Int63n(10_000_000)) //nolint:gosec
-		if !exists(ds.groupFilePath(account, id)) {
+		if !ds.rootExists(ds.groupFilePath(account, id)) {
 			return id
 		}
 	}
@@ -2034,7 +2314,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) GetGroupForDevice(account, deviceID string) (*models.Group,
 
 	dir := ds.AccountDevicesDir(account)
 
-	entries, err := os.ReadDir(dir)
+	entries, err := ds.rootReadDir(dir)
 	if err != nil {
 		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
 			return nil, ErrGroupNotFound
@@ -2048,7 +2328,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) GetGroupForDevice(account, deviceID string) (*models.Group,
 			continue
 		}
 
-		data, readErr := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(dir, e.Name()))
+		data, readErr := ds.rootReadFile(filepath.Join(dir, e.Name()))
 		if readErr != nil {
 			continue
 		}
@@ -2074,7 +2354,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) AddGroup(account string, group *models.Group) (string, erro
 	defer ds.fileMutex.Unlock()
 
 	dir := ds.AccountDevicesDir(account)
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
+	if err := ds.rootMkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
 
@@ -2096,7 +2376,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) ModifyGroup(account, groupID, newName string) (*models.Grou
 
 	path := ds.groupFilePath(account, groupID)
 
-	data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	data, err := ds.rootReadFile(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("group %s not found", groupID)
@@ -2129,7 +2409,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) DeleteGroup(account, groupID string) error {
 	ds.fileMutex.Lock()
 	defer ds.fileMutex.Unlock()
 
-	err := os.Remove(ds.groupFilePath(account, groupID))
+	err := ds.rootRemove(ds.groupFilePath(account, groupID))
 	if os.IsNotExist(err) {
 		return fmt.Errorf("group %s not found", groupID)
 	}
@@ -2145,11 +2425,11 @@ func (ds *DataStore) SaveTuneInFavorite(stationID string) error {
 	}
 
 	dir := ds.safeJoin("tunein", "favorites")
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
+	if err := ds.rootMkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	return os.WriteFile(ds.safeJoin("tunein", "favorites", stationID), nil, 0644)
+	return ds.rootWriteFile(ds.safeJoin("tunein", "favorites", stationID), nil, 0644)
 }
 
 // DeleteTuneInFavorite removes a previously saved TuneIn favorite marker file.
@@ -2159,7 +2439,7 @@ func (ds *DataStore) DeleteTuneInFavorite(stationID string) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	err := os.Remove(ds.safeJoin("tunein", "favorites", stationID))
+	err := ds.rootRemove(ds.safeJoin("tunein", "favorites", stationID))
 	if os.IsNotExist(err) {
 		return nil
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/service/handlers/handlers_docs.go b/pkg/service/handlers/handlers_docs.go
index 695ba68..f89c469 100644
--- a/pkg/service/handlers/handlers_docs.go
+++ b/pkg/service/handlers/handlers_docs.go
@@ -5,12 +5,35 @@ import (
 	"html"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
-	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/russross/blackfriday/v2"
 )
 
+var (
+	docsRootOnce sync.Once
+	docsRoot     *os.Root
+)
+
+// docsRootHandle returns a *os.Root anchored at the on-disk "docs" directory.
+// All file reads from HandleDocs go through it so the Go runtime guarantees
+// containment regardless of what HTTP path the caller sends — CodeQL also
+// recognises *os.Root.* as a path-traversal sanitiser.
+func docsRootHandle() *os.Root {
+	docsRootOnce.Do(func() {
+		r, err := os.OpenRoot("docs")
+		if err != nil {
+			// Fall back to nil; HandleDocs degrades to 404 below.
+			return
+		}
+
+		docsRoot = r
+	})
+
+	return docsRoot
+}
+
 // HandleDocs returns a handler for serving documentation files as HTML.
 func (s *Server) HandleDocs(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	path := strings.TrimPrefix(r.URL.Path, "/docs")
@@ -20,25 +43,23 @@ func (s *Server) HandleDocs(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		path = "guides/SURVIVAL-GUIDE.md"
 	}
 
-	// Ensure we only serve files from the docs directory. filepath.IsLocal
-	// rejects absolute paths and ".." segments up-front and is recognised
-	// by CodeQL as a path-traversal sanitiser, so the os.ReadFile below
-	// no longer trips go/path-injection.
-	if !filepath.IsLocal(path) {
-		http.Error(w, "Forbidden", http.StatusForbidden)
+	root := docsRootHandle()
+	if root == nil {
+		http.Error(w, "Documentation not available", http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
 		return
 	}
 
-	filePath := filepath.Join("docs", path)
-
-	content, err := os.ReadFile(filePath)
+	content, err := root.ReadFile(path)
 	if err != nil {
+		// *os.Root.ReadFile rejects absolute paths and ".." segments at the
+		// runtime level, so any failure here is either "not found" or
+		// "traversal attempt blocked" — both 404 from the user's view.
 		http.Error(w, "File not found", http.StatusNotFound)
 		return
 	}
 
 	// Load sidebar (SUMMARY.md)
-	summaryContent, _ := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join("docs", "SUMMARY.md"))
+	summaryContent, _ := root.ReadFile("SUMMARY.md")
 
 	sidebar := ""
 	if len(summaryContent) > 0 {
diff --git a/pkg/service/handlers/mirror_middleware.go b/pkg/service/handlers/mirror_middleware.go
index 1767daa..a317d77 100644
--- a/pkg/service/handlers/mirror_middleware.go
+++ b/pkg/service/handlers/mirror_middleware.go
@@ -456,12 +456,13 @@ func (s *Server) saveParityMismatch(req *http.Request, local, upstream *mirrorRe
 	}
 
 	dir := filepath.Join(s.ds.DataDir, "parity_mismatches")
-	_ = os.MkdirAll(dir, 0755)
+	_ = s.ds.MkdirAllUnderBase(dir, 0755)
 
 	// Build a single filename component from req.URL.Path. After replacing
 	// the obvious separators, gate on filepath.IsLocal so a malicious path
 	// containing ".." or platform-specific separators we missed cannot
-	// escape `dir`. CodeQL recognises IsLocal as a path-traversal sanitiser.
+	// escape `dir`. The write itself goes through DataStore's *os.Root so
+	// the runtime enforces containment regardless of what's in pathSegment.
 	pathSegment := strings.ReplaceAll(req.URL.Path, "/", "_")
 	pathSegment = strings.ReplaceAll(pathSegment, "\\", "_")
 
@@ -470,7 +471,7 @@ func (s *Server) saveParityMismatch(req *http.Request, local, upstream *mirrorRe
 	}
 
 	filename := fmt.Sprintf("%d_%s.json", time.Now().Unix(), pathSegment)
-	_ = os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(dir, filename), data, 0644)
+	_ = s.ds.WriteFileUnderBase(filepath.Join(dir, filename), data, 0644)
 }
 
 type mirrorResponseRecorder struct {
diff --git a/pkg/service/marge/marge.go b/pkg/service/marge/marge.go
index 0271faf..aeb400a 100644
--- a/pkg/service/marge/marge.go
+++ b/pkg/service/marge/marge.go
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ func mapPresetToParityXML(p models.ServicePreset, sources []models.ConfiguredSou
 func AccountPresetsToXML(ds *datastore.DataStore, account string) ([]byte, error) {
 	accountDir := ds.AccountDevicesDir(account)
 
-	entries, err := os.ReadDir(accountDir)
+	entries, err := ds.ReadDirUnderBase(accountDir)
 	if err != nil {
 		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
 			return []byte(constants.XMLHeader + "\n<presets/>"), nil
@@ -1039,7 +1039,7 @@ func mergeDefaultSources(stored, defaults []models.ConfiguredSource) []models.Co
 func AccountSourcesToXML(ds *datastore.DataStore, account string) ([]byte, error) {
 	devicesDir := ds.AccountDevicesDir(account)
 
-	entries, err := os.ReadDir(devicesDir)
+	entries, err := ds.ReadDirUnderBase(devicesDir)
 	if err != nil && !os.IsNotExist(err) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -1065,7 +1065,7 @@ func AccountSourcesToXML(ds *datastore.DataStore, account string) ([]byte, error
 func AccountDevicesToXML(ds *datastore.DataStore, account string) ([]byte, error) {
 	devicesDir := ds.AccountDevicesDir(account)
 
-	entries, err := os.ReadDir(devicesDir)
+	entries, err := ds.ReadDirUnderBase(devicesDir)
 	if err != nil && !os.IsNotExist(err) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -1121,7 +1121,7 @@ func AccountFullToXML(ds *datastore.DataStore, account string) ([]byte, error) {
 	fillDefaultProviderSettings(account, &resp)
 	fillAccountInfo(ds, account, &resp)
 
-	entries, err := os.ReadDir(devicesDir)
+	entries, err := ds.ReadDirUnderBase(devicesDir)
 	if err != nil && !os.IsNotExist(err) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -1867,7 +1867,7 @@ func AddSource(ds *datastore.DataStore, account, username, providerID, secret, s
 
 	// List accounts directly from the account directory to be sure we find them.
 	devicesDir := ds.AccountDevicesDir(account)
-	entries, _ := os.ReadDir(devicesDir)
+	entries, _ := ds.ReadDirUnderBase(devicesDir)
 
 	for _, entry := range entries {
 		if !entry.IsDir() {
diff --git a/pkg/service/proxy/recorder.go b/pkg/service/proxy/recorder.go
index 08decc3..e18f7a0 100644
--- a/pkg/service/proxy/recorder.go
+++ b/pkg/service/proxy/recorder.go
@@ -29,6 +29,13 @@ type Recorder struct {
 	variables  map[string]string
 	mu         sync.Mutex
 	queue      chan recordingTask
+
+	// rootMu guards lazy initialisation of root.
+	rootMu sync.Mutex
+	// root is an os.Root anchored at BaseDir; all filesystem operations
+	// that take a caller-derivable path go through it so the Go runtime
+	// guarantees containment regardless of what the path string contains.
+	root *os.Root
 }
 
 type recordingTask struct {
@@ -90,6 +97,191 @@ func (r *Recorder) Close() {
 		close(r.queue)
 		// We might want to wait here, but for now just closing is a start
 	}
+
+	r.rootMu.Lock()
+	defer r.rootMu.Unlock()
+
+	if r.root != nil {
+		_ = r.root.Close()
+		r.root = nil
+	}
+}
+
+// getRoot lazily opens the *os.Root anchored at r.BaseDir. The directory is
+// MkdirAll-created on first call.
+func (r *Recorder) getRoot() (*os.Root, error) {
+	r.rootMu.Lock()
+	defer r.rootMu.Unlock()
+
+	if r.root != nil {
+		return r.root, nil
+	}
+
+	if r.BaseDir == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("recorder: BaseDir not configured")
+	}
+
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(r.BaseDir, 0755); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("recorder: ensure BaseDir %s: %w", r.BaseDir, err)
+	}
+
+	root, err := os.OpenRoot(r.BaseDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("recorder: open root at %s: %w", r.BaseDir, err)
+	}
+
+	r.root = root
+
+	return root, nil
+}
+
+// rootRel converts an absolute path under r.BaseDir to its root-relative form.
+func (r *Recorder) rootRel(absPath string) (string, error) {
+	if !filepath.IsAbs(absPath) {
+		a, err := filepath.Abs(absPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+
+		absPath = a
+	}
+
+	if absPath == r.BaseDir {
+		return ".", nil
+	}
+
+	rel, err := filepath.Rel(r.BaseDir, absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("recorder: %s outside BaseDir: %w", absPath, err)
+	}
+
+	if rel == "." || rel == "" {
+		return ".", nil
+	}
+
+	if strings.HasPrefix(rel, "..") {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("recorder: %s outside BaseDir", absPath)
+	}
+
+	return rel, nil
+}
+
+func (r *Recorder) rootMkdirAll(absPath string, perm os.FileMode) error {
+	root, err := r.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := r.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if rel == "." {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	return root.MkdirAll(rel, perm)
+}
+
+func (r *Recorder) rootWriteFile(absPath string, data []byte, perm os.FileMode) error {
+	root, err := r.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := r.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return root.WriteFile(rel, data, perm)
+}
+
+func (r *Recorder) rootReadFile(absPath string) ([]byte, error) {
+	root, err := r.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := r.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return root.ReadFile(rel)
+}
+
+func (r *Recorder) rootStat(absPath string) (os.FileInfo, error) {
+	root, err := r.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := r.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return root.Stat(rel)
+}
+
+func (r *Recorder) rootRemoveAll(absPath string) error {
+	root, err := r.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := r.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return root.RemoveAll(rel)
+}
+
+func (r *Recorder) rootReadDir(absPath string) ([]os.DirEntry, error) {
+	root, err := r.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := r.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	d, err := root.Open(rel)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	defer func() { _ = d.Close() }()
+
+	// *os.File.ReadDir(-1) returns directory order; os.ReadDir sorts by
+	// name. Match the sorted contract so callers don't see a surprise.
+	entries, err := d.ReadDir(-1)
+	if err != nil {
+		return entries, err
+	}
+
+	sort.Slice(entries, func(i, j int) bool { return entries[i].Name() < entries[j].Name() })
+
+	return entries, nil
+}
+
+func (r *Recorder) rootOpen(absPath string) (*os.File, error) {
+	root, err := r.getRoot()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	rel, err := r.rootRel(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return root.Open(rel)
 }
 
 // Record logs an interaction to the configured category.
@@ -105,7 +297,7 @@ func (r *Recorder) Record(category string, req *http.Request, res *http.Response
 		return err
 	}
 
-	if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
+	if err := r.rootMkdirAll(dir, 0755); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create directory %s: %w", dir, err)
 	}
 
@@ -207,7 +399,7 @@ func (r *Recorder) save(task recordingTask) {
 		r.writeResponseWithEnrichment(&buf, task.res, enriched)
 	}
 
-	if err := os.WriteFile(task.path, buf.Bytes(), 0644); err != nil {
+	if err := r.rootWriteFile(task.path, buf.Bytes(), 0644); err != nil {
 		log.Printf("failed to write recording to %s: %v", task.path, err)
 	}
 
@@ -426,7 +618,7 @@ func (r *Recorder) updateEnvFile(newVars map[string]string) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	return os.WriteFile(envFile, data, 0644)
+	return r.rootWriteFile(envFile, data, 0644)
 }
 
 // GetInteractionStats returns statistics about recorded interactions.
@@ -437,7 +629,7 @@ func (r *Recorder) GetInteractionStats() (*InteractionStats, error) {
 	}
 
 	interactionsDir := filepath.Join(r.BaseDir, "interactions")
-	if _, err := os.Stat(interactionsDir); os.IsNotExist(err) {
+	if _, err := r.rootStat(interactionsDir); os.IsNotExist(err) {
 		return stats, nil
 	}
 
@@ -476,7 +668,7 @@ func (r *Recorder) ListInteractions(sessionFilter, categoryFilter, sinceFilter s
 	interactions := make([]Interaction, 0)
 	interactionsDir := filepath.Join(r.BaseDir, "interactions")
 
-	if _, err := os.Stat(interactionsDir); os.IsNotExist(err) {
+	if _, err := r.rootStat(interactionsDir); os.IsNotExist(err) {
 		return interactions, nil
 	}
 
@@ -598,7 +790,7 @@ func (r *Recorder) parseInteractionFile(rel, path string, parts []string) (Inter
 
 // extractSCMUDCFromFile parses SCMUDC enrichment data from a .http file
 func (r *Recorder) extractSCMUDCFromFile(path string) *EnrichedSCMUDCEvent {
-	content, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	content, err := r.rootReadFile(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil
 	}
@@ -734,7 +926,7 @@ func (r *Recorder) getFullTimestamp(sessionID, filename string) string {
 }
 
 func (r *Recorder) peekStatus(path string) int {
-	content, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	content, err := r.rootReadFile(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0
 	}
@@ -769,14 +961,14 @@ func (r *Recorder) DeleteSession(sessionID string) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	return os.RemoveAll(sessionDir)
+	return r.rootRemoveAll(sessionDir)
 }
 
 // CleanupSessions deletes all but the most recent keepCount sessions.
 func (r *Recorder) CleanupSessions(keepCount int) error {
 	interactionsDir := filepath.Join(r.BaseDir, "interactions")
 
-	entries, err := os.ReadDir(interactionsDir)
+	entries, err := r.rootReadDir(interactionsDir)
 	if err != nil {
 		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
 			return nil
@@ -805,7 +997,7 @@ func (r *Recorder) CleanupSessions(keepCount int) error {
 
 	for i := keepCount; i < len(sessions); i++ {
 		sessionDir := filepath.Join(interactionsDir, sessions[i].Name())
-		if err := os.RemoveAll(sessionDir); err != nil {
+		if err := r.rootRemoveAll(sessionDir); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to delete session %s: %w", sessions[i].Name(), err)
 		}
 	}
@@ -820,7 +1012,7 @@ func (r *Recorder) GetInteractionContent(relPath string) ([]byte, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	return os.ReadFile(fullPath)
+	return r.rootReadFile(fullPath)
 }
 
 // ArchiveSession creates a .tar.gz archive of the specified session and writes it to w.
@@ -830,7 +1022,7 @@ func (r *Recorder) ArchiveSession(sessionID string, w io.Writer) (err error) {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	info, statErr := os.Stat(sessionDir)
+	info, statErr := r.rootStat(sessionDir)
 	if statErr != nil {
 		return statErr
 	}
@@ -880,11 +1072,12 @@ func (r *Recorder) ArchiveSession(sessionID string, w io.Writer) (err error) {
 			return nil
 		}
 
-		f, oErr := os.Open(path)
+		f, oErr := r.rootOpen(path)
 		if oErr != nil {
 			return oErr
 		}
-		defer f.Close()
+
+		defer func() { _ = f.Close() }()
 
 		_, cErr := io.Copy(tw, f)