fix: self-healing for stuck placeholder DB records

The previous commit removed the unconditional stale deletion branch,
which also served as a recovery path for active placeholders whose
files were deleted externally. Without it, a missing file + existing
DB record would permanently block re-creation (creation flow skips
items with DB records).

Add a targeted check: for items still in the source list, verify the
placeholder file exists on disk. If missing, remove the DB record so
the next sync recreates the placeholder cleanly. This preserves the
self-healing behaviour without the churn caused by the old stale branch.

Author: bitr8

server/lib/placeholders/services/PlaceholderCleanup.ts

@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ export async function cleanupPlaceholderForRealContent(
 
 /**
  * Handle placeholder operations based on createPlaceholdersForMissing setting
- * - If enabled: runs cleanup (released items, orphaned items)
+ * - If enabled: runs cleanup (released items, orphaned items, stuck records)
  * - If disabled: deletes all placeholder records for the config
  * Files will be cleaned up later by orphaned file cleanup
  */
@@ -701,6 +701,7 @@ async function deletePlexPlaceholderEpisode(
  * Clean up placeholders for a collection:
  * 1. Items with real content detected in Plex (via discovery system)
  * 2. Items no longer in source data (orphaned items)
+ * 3. Active items with missing placeholder files (self-healing — clears DB record for re-creation)
  *
  * Released items are tracked for configured window (placeholderReleasedDays, default: 7 days),
  * then database records are removed and overlay system automatically updates posters.
@@ -768,6 +769,54 @@ export async function cleanupPlaceholdersForConfig(
 
         const isOrphaned = !sourceTmdbIds.has(placeholder.tmdbId);
 
+        // Self-healing: if item is still in source but placeholder file is
+        // missing (external deletion, disk issue), remove the DB record so the
+        // creation flow can recreate it next sync.
+        if (!isOrphaned && placeholder.placeholderPath) {
+          const { getPlaceholderRootFolder } = await import(
+            '@server/lib/placeholders/helpers/placeholderPathHelpers'
+          );
+          const libraryPath = getPlaceholderRootFolder(
+            config.libraryId,
+            placeholder.mediaType
+          );
+
+          if (libraryPath) {
+            const fullPath = path.join(
+              libraryPath,
+              placeholder.placeholderPath
+            );
+            try {
+              await fs.access(fullPath);
+            } catch {
+              // File missing — clear DB record to unblock recreation
+              logger.info(
+                'Placeholder file missing for active item — removing DB record for re-creation',
+                {
+                  label: 'PlaceholderService',
+                  title: placeholder.title,
+                  tmdbId: placeholder.tmdbId,
+                  path: fullPath,
+                }
+              );
+
+              if (
+                placeholder.mediaType === 'tv' &&
+                placeholder.plexRatingKey
+              ) {
+                await deletePlexPlaceholderEpisode(
+                  plexClient,
+                  placeholder.plexRatingKey,
+                  placeholder.title
+                );
+              }
+
+              await repository.remove(placeholder);
+              removedCount++;
+            }
+          }
+        }
+
         // For orphaned items, check if past configured window
         if (isOrphaned) {
           // This handles items that fall off source lists (e.g., Trakt Trending)