diff --git a/utils/src/format.h b/utils/src/format.h
index ee0e0d69..6dafb382 100644
--- a/utils/src/format.h
+++ b/utils/src/format.h
@@ -374,27 +374,39 @@ struct scoutfs_srch_block {
 #define SCOUTFS_SRCH_COMPACT_ORDER	3
 #define SCOUTFS_SRCH_COMPACT_NR		(1 << SCOUTFS_SRCH_COMPACT_ORDER)
 
-struct scoutfs_srch_compact_input {
+/*
+ * A persistent record of a srch file compaction operation in progress.
+ *
+ * When compacting log files blk and pos aren't used.  When compacting
+ * sorted files blk is the logical block number and pos is the byte
+ * offset of the next entry.  When deleting files pos is the height of
+ * the level that we're deleting, and blk is the logical block offset of
+ * the next parent ref array index to descend through.
+ */
+struct scoutfs_srch_compact {
 	struct scoutfs_alloc_list_head meta_avail;
 	struct scoutfs_alloc_list_head meta_freed;
 	__le64 id;
 	__u8 nr;
 	__u8 flags;
-	struct scoutfs_srch_file sfl[SCOUTFS_SRCH_COMPACT_NR];
+	struct scoutfs_srch_file out;
+	struct scoutfs_srch_compact_input {
+		struct scoutfs_srch_file sfl;
+		__le64 blk;
+		__le64 pos;
+	} in[SCOUTFS_SRCH_COMPACT_NR] __packed;
 } __packed;
 
-struct scoutfs_srch_compact_result {
-	struct scoutfs_alloc_list_head meta_avail;
-	struct scoutfs_alloc_list_head meta_freed;
-	__le64 id;
-	__u8 flags;
-	struct scoutfs_srch_file sfl;
-} __packed;
-
-/* files are insorted logs */
-#define SCOUTFS_SRCH_COMPACT_FLAG_LOG (1 << 0)
-/* compaction failed, release inputs */
-#define SCOUTFS_SRCH_COMPACT_FLAG_ERROR (1 << 1)
+/* server -> client: combine input log file entries into output file */
+#define SCOUTFS_SRCH_COMPACT_FLAG_LOG		(1 << 0)
+/* server -> client: combine input sorted file entries into output file */
+#define SCOUTFS_SRCH_COMPACT_FLAG_SORTED	(1 << 1)
+/* server -> client: delete input files */
+#define SCOUTFS_SRCH_COMPACT_FLAG_DELETE	(1 << 2)
+/* client -> server: compaction phase (LOG,SORTED,DELETE) done */
+#define SCOUTFS_SRCH_COMPACT_FLAG_DONE		(1 << 4)
+/* client -> server: compaction failed */
+#define SCOUTFS_SRCH_COMPACT_FLAG_ERROR		(1 << 5)
 
 /*
  * XXX I imagine we should rename these now that they've evolved to track
@@ -496,7 +508,8 @@ struct scoutfs_bloom_block {
 /* srch zone, only in server btrees */
 #define SCOUTFS_SRCH_LOG_TYPE		1
 #define SCOUTFS_SRCH_BLOCKS_TYPE	2
-#define SCOUTFS_SRCH_BUSY_TYPE		3
+#define SCOUTFS_SRCH_PENDING_TYPE	3
+#define SCOUTFS_SRCH_BUSY_TYPE		4
 
 /* free extents in allocator btrees in client and server, by blkno or len */
 #define SCOUTFS_FREE_EXTENT_BLKNO_TYPE	1
diff --git a/utils/src/print.c b/utils/src/print.c
index cac546dc..92a93049 100644
--- a/utils/src/print.c
+++ b/utils/src/print.c
@@ -322,22 +322,26 @@ static int print_log_trees_item(struct scoutfs_key *key, void *val,
 static int print_srch_root_item(struct scoutfs_key *key, void *val,
 				unsigned val_len, void *arg)
 {
-	struct scoutfs_srch_file *sfl = val;
-	struct scoutfs_srch_compact_input *scin = val;
+	struct scoutfs_srch_compact *sc;
+	struct scoutfs_srch_file *sfl;
 	int i;
 
 	printf("    "SK_FMT"\n", SK_ARG(key));
 
 	/* only items in leaf blocks have values */
 	if (val) {
-		if (key->sk_type == SCOUTFS_SRCH_BUSY_TYPE) {
-			scin = val;
-			printf("      compact: nr_in %u in_flags 0x%x\n",
-				scin->nr, scin->flags);
-			for (i = 0; i < scin->nr; i++) {
-				sfl = &scin->sfl[i];
-				printf("        [%u] "SRF_FMT"\n",
-				       i, SRF_A(sfl));
+		if (key->sk_type == SCOUTFS_SRCH_PENDING_TYPE ||
+		    key->sk_type == SCOUTFS_SRCH_BUSY_TYPE) {
+			sc = val;
+			printf("      compact %s: nr %u flags 0x%x\n",
+			       key->sk_type == SCOUTFS_SRCH_PENDING_TYPE ?
+					"pending" : "busy",
+			       sc->nr, sc->flags);
+			for (i = 0; i < sc->nr; i++) {
+				printf("        [%u] blk %llu pos %llu sfl "SRF_FMT"\n",
+				       i, le64_to_cpu(sc->in[i].blk),
+				       le64_to_cpu(sc->in[i].pos),
+				       SRF_A(&sc->in[i].sfl));
 			}
 		} else {
 			sfl = val;
@@ -716,15 +720,16 @@ static int print_srch_root_files(struct scoutfs_key *key, void *val,
 				 unsigned val_len, void *arg)
 {
 	struct print_recursion_args *pa = arg;
-	struct scoutfs_srch_compact_input *scin;
+	struct scoutfs_srch_compact *sc;
 	struct scoutfs_srch_file *sfl;
 	int ret = 0;
 	int i;
 
-	if (key->sk_type == SCOUTFS_SRCH_BUSY_TYPE) {
-		scin = val;
-		for (i = 0; i < scin->nr; i++) {
-			sfl = &scin->sfl[i];
+	if (key->sk_type == SCOUTFS_SRCH_PENDING_TYPE ||
+	    key->sk_type == SCOUTFS_SRCH_BUSY_TYPE) {
+		sc = val;
+		for (i = 0; i < sc->nr; i++) {
+			sfl = &sc->in[i].sfl;
 			ret = print_srch_block(pa->fd, &sfl->ref,
 					       sfl->height - 1);
 			if (ret < 0)