diff --git a/booth/items.py b/booth/items.py
index 5ad0a38..fbe973e 100644
--- a/booth/items.py
+++ b/booth/items.py
@@ -283,7 +283,17 @@ def booth_items(booth: Path) -> list[Item]:
     """
     by_rel: dict[str, Path] = {}
     for p in booth.rglob("*"):
-        if not p.is_file() or p.name.startswith("."):
+        try:
+            # `is_file` swallows a missing entry but PROPAGATES EACCES: a
+            # directory that lists but cannot be searched made every stat under
+            # it raise out of here, and `list_booths` calls this for every
+            # booth — one such folder took down the index for all of them.
+            # An entry nobody can stat is not a renderable file.
+            if not p.is_file():
+                continue
+        except OSError:
+            continue
+        if p.name.startswith("."):
             continue
         if is_ask_file(p.name) or is_answer_file(p.name):
             continue
diff --git a/tests/test_items.py b/tests/test_items.py
index af26cb9..d25a586 100644
--- a/tests/test_items.py
+++ b/tests/test_items.py
@@ -341,6 +341,31 @@ def test_one_unrepresentable_filename_costs_its_own_tile_not_the_booth(tmp_path)
     assert [it.rel for it in got] == ["ok.png"]
 
 
+
+def test_a_folder_that_lists_but_cannot_be_searched_costs_its_files_not_the_index(tmp_path):
+    """Found folding R2's bug-hunt: `Path.is_file()` swallows a missing entry
+    but PROPAGATES EACCES. A directory with read and no execute permission
+    lists its names, and every stat under it raises — so one such folder in
+    one booth took out the index for every booth, the same blast radius as the
+    unrepresentable filename above. Its files are not items.
+
+    Defeating change: calling `is_file()` outside the OSError guard."""
+    b = tmp_path / "b"
+    b.mkdir()
+    (b / "ok.png").write_bytes(b"\x89PNG")
+    sub = b / "d"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    (sub / "x.png").write_bytes(b"\x89PNG")
+    sub.chmod(0o644)                    # r--: listable, nothing inside stat-able
+    try:
+        with pytest.raises(PermissionError):
+            (sub / "x.png").stat()      # the fixture is live, not assumed
+        assert [it.rel for it in booth_items(b)] == ["ok.png"]
+        [row] = list_booths(tmp_path, ttl_seconds=86400)
+        assert row["name"] == "b" and row["count"] == 1
+    finally:
+        sub.chmod(0o755)
+
 def test_a_huge_caption_sidecar_is_not_read_whole(tmp_path):
     """HULDA: `read_text()` pulled the entire sidecar into memory before
     `[:CAPTION_MAX]` trimmed it, and the handler catches only OSError — so a