diff --git a/Sources/ShotdeckCore/Support/AppSupportPaths.swift b/Sources/ShotdeckCore/Support/AppSupportPaths.swift
index 7f1dccf..8e584b4 100644
--- a/Sources/ShotdeckCore/Support/AppSupportPaths.swift
+++ b/Sources/ShotdeckCore/Support/AppSupportPaths.swift
@@ -11,12 +11,6 @@ public struct AppSupportPaths: Sendable {
     /// Production paths.
     public static func standard() throws -> AppSupportPaths {
         let fileManager = FileManager.default
-        let appSupportParent = try fileManager.url(
-            for: .applicationSupportDirectory,
-            in: .userDomainMask,
-            appropriateFor: nil,
-            create: true
-        )
         let desktop = try fileManager.url(
             for: .desktopDirectory,
             in: .userDomainMask,
@@ -29,10 +23,25 @@ public struct AppSupportPaths: Sendable {
             appropriateFor: nil,
             create: true
         )
-        let root = appSupportParent.appendingPathComponent("Shotdeck", isDirectory: true)
+        let root = try standardRoot(fileManager: fileManager)
         return try AppSupportPaths(root: root, outbox: desktop, watchFolder: downloads)
     }
 
+    /// The standard `~/Library/Application Support/Shotdeck` root. Shared by
+    /// `standard()`, `FolderSettings.resolvedAppSupportPaths()`, and
+    /// `TransportSettings.resolvedAppSupportPaths()` so all three agree on where the
+    /// root lives — the folder-resolution logic (AirDrop-only vs transport-aware)
+    /// differs between those, the root computation never should.
+    public static func standardRoot(fileManager: FileManager = .default) throws -> URL {
+        let appSupportParent = try fileManager.url(
+            for: .applicationSupportDirectory,
+            in: .userDomainMask,
+            appropriateFor: nil,
+            create: true
+        )
+        return appSupportParent.appendingPathComponent("Shotdeck", isDirectory: true)
+    }
+
     /// Test paths rooted anywhere. Every directory is created if missing.
     public init(root: URL, outbox: URL, watchFolder: URL) throws {
         self.root = root
diff --git a/Sources/ShotdeckCore/Support/FolderSettings.swift b/Sources/ShotdeckCore/Support/FolderSettings.swift
index 618b1ae..136bd8e 100644
--- a/Sources/ShotdeckCore/Support/FolderSettings.swift
+++ b/Sources/ShotdeckCore/Support/FolderSettings.swift
@@ -70,15 +70,7 @@ public enum FolderSettings {
         defaults: UserDefaults = .standard,
         fileManager: FileManager = .default
     ) throws -> AppSupportPaths {
-        let resolvedRoot: URL
-        if let root {
-            resolvedRoot = root
-        } else {
-            let appSupportParent = try fileManager.url(
-                for: .applicationSupportDirectory, in: .userDomainMask,
-                appropriateFor: nil, create: true)
-            resolvedRoot = appSupportParent.appendingPathComponent("Shotdeck", isDirectory: true)
-        }
+        let resolvedRoot = try root ?? AppSupportPaths.standardRoot(fileManager: fileManager)
         let folders = resolve(defaults: defaults, fileManager: fileManager)
         return try AppSupportPaths(root: resolvedRoot, outbox: folders.outbox, watchFolder: folders.watch)
     }
diff --git a/Sources/ShotdeckCore/Support/TransportSettings.swift b/Sources/ShotdeckCore/Support/TransportSettings.swift
index aca2648..9ced9dd 100644
--- a/Sources/ShotdeckCore/Support/TransportSettings.swift
+++ b/Sources/ShotdeckCore/Support/TransportSettings.swift
@@ -75,6 +75,25 @@ public enum TransportSettings {
             return (folders.outbox, folders.watch, transport)
         }
     }
+
+    /// Builds an `AppSupportPaths` using `root` (defaults to the standard
+    /// `~/Library/Application Support/Shotdeck` when nil) plus whatever
+    /// `effectiveFolders()` returns for outbox/watch. Unlike
+    /// `FolderSettings.resolvedAppSupportPaths()` (AirDrop-only), this is
+    /// transport-aware — it is the ONLY function launch code should use to build its
+    /// paths, so the watcher it feeds is never seeded with a stale AirDrop folder while
+    /// OneDrive is the persisted transport. `root` is exposed purely so tests (and the
+    /// ONEDRIVE-SELFTEST relaunch simulation) can point it at a temporary directory
+    /// instead of the user's real Application Support folder.
+    public static func resolvedAppSupportPaths(
+        root: URL? = nil,
+        defaults: UserDefaults = .standard,
+        fileManager: FileManager = .default
+    ) throws -> AppSupportPaths {
+        let resolvedRoot = try root ?? AppSupportPaths.standardRoot(fileManager: fileManager)
+        let folders = effectiveFolders(defaults: defaults, fileManager: fileManager)
+        return try AppSupportPaths(root: resolvedRoot, outbox: folders.outbox, watchFolder: folders.watch)
+    }
 }
 
 /// Pure path logic for locating a OneDrive sync root under
@@ -142,4 +161,19 @@ public enum OneDriveLocator {
         }
         return defaultRedlineFolder(home: home, fileManager: fileManager)
     }
+
+    /// True when `url` exists as a directory AND is writable by the current process.
+    /// The live check `send(anchor:)` performs before ever composing into a OneDrive
+    /// destination — a directory that exists but has had its permissions revoked (e.g.
+    /// `chmod 500`) must be treated as unavailable, not silently attempted and
+    /// surfaced as a generic PDF-composition failure.
+    public static func isWritableDirectory(
+        at url: URL,
+        fileManager: FileManager = .default
+    ) -> Bool {
+        var isDirectory: ObjCBool = false
+        let exists = fileManager.fileExists(atPath: url.path, isDirectory: &isDirectory)
+        guard exists, isDirectory.boolValue else { return false }
+        return fileManager.isWritableFile(atPath: url.path)
+    }
 }