diff --git a/weed/command/scaffold/filer.toml b/weed/command/scaffold/filer.toml
index be7aa0764..52df80744 100644
--- a/weed/command/scaffold/filer.toml
+++ b/weed/command/scaffold/filer.toml
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ ca_cert_path = ""
 client_cert_path = ""
 client_key_path = ""
 # allows reads from slave servers or the master, but all writes still go to the master
-readOnly = false
+useReadOnly = false
 # automatically use the closest Redis server for reads
 routeByLatency = false
 # This changes the data layout. Only add new directories. Removing/Updating will cause data loss.
diff --git a/weed/filer/redis2/universal_redis_store.go b/weed/filer/redis2/universal_redis_store.go
index 0cdd92c16..e74d5fc4c 100644
--- a/weed/filer/redis2/universal_redis_store.go
+++ b/weed/filer/redis2/universal_redis_store.go
@@ -250,11 +250,11 @@ func (store *UniversalRedis2Store) removeOrphanedDirectoryListMember(ctx context
 	// InsertEntry writes the value before adding the member, so a value present
 	// again here may belong to an insert that found the member still in place
 	// and whose ZAddNX was therefore a no-op.
-	exists, err := store.Client.Exists(ctx, store.getKey(string(path))).Result()
+	exists, err := store.existsOnMaster(ctx, store.getKey(string(path)))
 	if err == nil && exists == 0 {
 		// an evicted directory may still have a live child index; empty zsets self-delete,
 		// so a present index holds children a recursive delete still needs to reach
-		children, childrenErr := store.Client.Exists(ctx, store.getKey(genDirectoryListKey(string(path)))).Result()
+		children, childrenErr := store.existsOnMaster(ctx, store.getKey(genDirectoryListKey(string(path))))
 		if childrenErr == nil && children == 0 {
 			return
 		}
@@ -265,6 +265,15 @@ func (store *UniversalRedis2Store) removeOrphanedDirectoryListMember(ctx context
 	}
 }
 
+var existsScript = redis.NewScript(`return redis.call('EXISTS', KEYS[1])`)
+
+// replica-routed clients (useReadOnly, routeByLatency) would run a plain EXISTS on a lagging
+// replica and misread a live value as absent, turning the repair destructive; a script always
+// runs on the key's master
+func (store *UniversalRedis2Store) existsOnMaster(ctx context.Context, key string) (int64, error) {
+	return existsScript.Run(ctx, store.Client, []string{key}).Int64()
+}
+
 func isLogicallyExpired(entry *filer.Entry) bool {
 	return entry.TtlSec > 0 && entry.Attr.Crtime.Add(time.Duration(entry.TtlSec)*time.Second).Before(time.Now())
 }