[Feature] Option to Disallow Deletion in External Libraries

[wzyboy]

I have searched the existing feature requests, both open and closed, to make sure this is not a duplicate request.

• Yes
• Related closed PR
• Another PR that allows deletion

The feature

From the FAQ:

Does Immich change the file?
No, Immich does not modify the original files. All edited metadata is saved in companion .xmp sidecar files and the database. However, Immich will delete original files that have been trashed when the trash is emptied in the Immich UI.

Request:
Could we introduce a setting or flag for external libraries that prevents deletion of original files?

Use Case:

• I use a dedicated camera to record family videos.
• These files are synced from the SD card to a directory on my PC.
• Immich runs on the same PC and accesses these files via an external library. (I need to keep the original DCIM directory structure for incremental sync)
• This library is assigned to a shared user in Immich, which family members access from their own devices and the HTPC.
• There is a risk that someone may accidentally delete original files from this shared library.

Current Workaround:
I initially mounted the directory in Docker with the ro (read-only) flag to prevent deletions. However, this breaks sidecar generation: when trying to add locations to assets, the web UI shows no error, but the server logs reveal that writing the .xmp file fails due to the read-only filesystem.

Proposed Solution:
By introducing a "disallow deletion" flag for external libraries:

• The directory could be mounted as rw (read-write), enabling .xmp sidecar files to be written as intended.
• At the same time, Immich would block deletion of original media files, protecting them from accidental loss.

This would allow safe collaboration within families or shared environments without compromising metadata functionality or risking deletion of irreplaceable content.

Platform

• Server
• Web
• Mobile

[bo0tzz]

readonly is the recommended way, with the caveats you note. We don't want to have any special cases for external libraries as they caused a bunch of maintainability issues in the past. If you really want a middle way you could look at using an overlayfs or such to still allow xmp writes.