diff --git a/deploy/production/README.md b/deploy/production/README.md
index e981ed0..1c4cb19 100644
--- a/deploy/production/README.md
+++ b/deploy/production/README.md
@@ -13,10 +13,35 @@ initial x1/x2/lithium topology.
   `archive_control_token`, `qb_password`, and `syncthing_api_key`, each a
   regular non-empty file with mode `0600`.
 
-The Syncthing mounts intentionally reproduce each instance's `/var/syncthing`
-layout, including nested data binds. This lets route discovery and route
-provisioning use one safe API-to-local path mapping without altering an
-existing Syncthing configuration.
+## Hardlink-safe bind-mount topology
+
+For an archive source, the qB content path and every Syncthing route used for
+staging must resolve through the **same container mount**. Matching host
+filesystem device IDs alone is insufficient: two separate Docker bind mounts
+have different mount IDs and `link(2)` may return `EXDEV` across them. The
+client deliberately treats that case as copy-only and performs a full payload
+free-space check.
+
+When a Syncthing route is physically nested below the qB root, mount the qB
+root once and map the exact Syncthing API folder through it:
+
+```yaml
+volumes:
+  - /srv/downloads:/data/qb
+  - /srv/syncthing-config:/data/sync
+```
+
+```toml
+[syncthing]
+api_root = "/var/syncthing"
+local_root = "/data/sync"
+local_path_overrides = { "/var/syncthing/DownloadsSync-X2" = "/data/qb/Sync" }
+```
+
+Do **not** additionally mount `/srv/downloads/Sync` at a path beneath
+`/data/sync`. The override is the authoritative mapping for that folder and
+keeps qB source files and staging destinations in one mount namespace. Use
+the folder ID returned by Syncthing's configuration as the override key.
 
 Before starting a stack, validate it with:
 
diff --git a/deploy/production/x2/client.toml b/deploy/production/x2/client.toml
index 0de0369..00f5e9e 100644
--- a/deploy/production/x2/client.toml
+++ b/deploy/production/x2/client.toml
@@ -39,4 +39,8 @@ endpoint = "http://127.0.0.1:8384"
 api_key_file = "/run/secrets/syncthing_api_key"
 api_root = "/var/syncthing"
 local_root = "/data/sync"
+# `DownloadsSync-X2` is ~/Downloads/Sync on the host, nested below the qB
+# root. Resolve it through /data/qb rather than a second nested bind mount so
+# source staging can hardlink it.
+local_path_overrides = { "/var/syncthing/DownloadsSync-X2" = "/data/qb/Sync" }
 advertised_addresses = ["dynamic"]
diff --git a/deploy/production/x2/compose.yaml b/deploy/production/x2/compose.yaml
index fe05173..c0458ac 100644
--- a/deploy/production/x2/compose.yaml
+++ b/deploy/production/x2/compose.yaml
@@ -16,4 +16,3 @@ services:
       - ./backups:/var/backups/archive-control
       - /home/ubuntu/Downloads:/data/qb
       - /home/ubuntu/compose/syncthing/st_home:/data/sync
-      - /home/ubuntu/Downloads/Sync:/data/sync/Downloads/Sync
diff --git a/docs/deployment-and-usage.md b/docs/deployment-and-usage.md
index 5abc136..24e2608 100644
--- a/docs/deployment-and-usage.md
+++ b/docs/deployment-and-usage.md
@@ -128,7 +128,11 @@ advertised_addresses = ["dynamic"]
 When an existing Syncthing folder is physically nested in the qB data root,
 use a `local_path_overrides` entry to map that exact Syncthing API path through
 the same client bind mount. This enables hardlinks without creating two Docker
-mount boundaries for the same host files.
+mount boundaries for the same host files. Do not add a second bind mount for
+the nested folder: Linux treats it as a distinct mount even when it has the
+same `st_dev`, and the client correctly falls back to copy-only capacity
+accounting. See the production deployment README for the required compose and
+override pattern.
 
 The remaining node examples omit optional `[connection]`, `[jobs]`, and
 `[backup]` tables and therefore use these same defaults; deployments may
diff --git a/docs/service-apis.md b/docs/service-apis.md
index c488305..44469d7 100644
--- a/docs/service-apis.md
+++ b/docs/service-apis.md
@@ -89,9 +89,11 @@ left unchanged.
 
 Syncthing may serialize a folder path relative to its home as `~/...`. The
 client normalizes that notation beneath the configured API-visible sync root
-before applying the API-to-local root mapping. Deployments must mirror
-Syncthing's nested bind mounts into the client so the normalized API path and
-the client filesystem path refer to the same bytes.
+before applying the API-to-local root mapping. When that folder is nested
+below qB's content root, an exact `local_path_overrides` entry must map it
+through the qB bind mount. Do not mirror it as a second nested client bind
+mount: it denotes the same host bytes but a distinct mount namespace boundary,
+which prevents hardlink staging.
 
 Provisioning uses idempotent device and folder configuration updates. Each
 client receives its peer device ID and optional advertised addresses