diff --git a/.cursor/plans/ref_path_and_dedup_integration_81a47dfe.plan.md b/.cursor/plans/ref_path_and_dedup_integration_81a47dfe.plan.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ace63727
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.cursor/plans/ref_path_and_dedup_integration_81a47dfe.plan.md
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+---
+name: Ref path and dedup integration
+overview: "Two deferred items from the ambiguous path handling feature: (1) migrate collect_referents() to build filesystem-name-compatible paths so ref round-trips work for slugified/dedup'd instances, and (2) integrate dedup_suffix.rs cleanup rules into the change_processor deletion handler.\""
+todos:
+  - id: ref-path-tentative-fs
+    content: Create tentative_fs_path() function and replace inst_path() calls in collect_referents/collect_all_paths
+    status: completed
+  - id: dedup-cleanup-change-processor
+    content: Integrate dedup_suffix cleanup rules into change_processor handle_tree_event removal handling
+    status: completed
+isProject: false
+---
+
+# Syncback Ref Path Migration and Dedup Cleanup Integration
+
+## Problem 1: Ref paths break for slugified/dedup'd instance names
+
+### Root cause
+
+`collect_referents()` in [src/syncback/ref_properties.rs](src/syncback/ref_properties.rs) calls `inst_path()` which delegates to the legacy `ref_target_path()`. This produces escaped instance-name paths like `"Workspace/Hey\/Bro"`. But `get_instance_by_path()` in [src/snapshot/tree.rs](src/snapshot/tree.rs) now uses simple `path.split('/')` without escape handling. An instance named `"Hey/Bro"` gets path `"Workspace/Hey\/Bro"`, which splits into `["Workspace", "Hey\\/Bro"]` -- the escaped slash is NOT unescaped, so resolution fails.
+
+The fallback in `get_instance_by_path()` tries case-insensitive instance name matching, but the segment `"Hey\\/Bro"` does not match instance name `"Hey/Bro"`.
+
+### Fix: Build filesystem-compatible paths in collect_referents
+
+Create a `tentative_fs_path()` function that builds paths compatible with the new `get_instance_by_path()`:
+
+- Walk ancestors from target to root (same as `ref_target_path`)
+- For each instance, compute a **tentative filesystem name**: `slugify(name)` + extension based on class/children
+- Join with `/` (no escaping needed since slugified names can't contain `/`)
+
+The extension mapping uses the same class-to-middleware logic as `get_best_middleware()`:
+
+- `Script` -> check RunContext: `.server.luau` / `.client.luau` / `.plugin.luau` / `.legacy.luau` / `.local.luau`; if has children, directory (no ext)
+- `LocalScript` -> `.local.luau` or directory
+- `ModuleScript` -> `.luau` or directory
+- `Folder`, `Configuration`, `Tool`, GUI classes -> directory (no ext)
+- `StringValue` -> `.txt`
+- `LocalizationTable` -> `.csv`
+- Everything else -> `.model.json5` or directory if has children
+
+**Files to change:**
+
+- [src/syncback/ref_properties.rs](src/syncback/ref_properties.rs): Replace `inst_path()` calls with new `tentative_fs_path()`. Update `collect_all_paths()` similarly.
+- [src/syncback/snapshot.rs](src/syncback/snapshot.rs): Update `inst_path()` to use the new path builder (or deprecate it for ref contexts).
+
+### How resolution works after this fix
+
+A ref path like `"Workspace/Hey_Bro.server.luau"`:
+
+1. Primary lookup: `filesystem_name_for()` returns `"Hey_Bro.server.luau"` (from instigating_source) -- **match**
+2. If no instigating_source: fallback matches instance name `"Hey/Bro"` against segment `"Hey_Bro.server.luau"` -- no match, but this is expected for file-backed instances
+
+For directory instances like services: `"Workspace"` matches both filesystem name and instance name -- works as before.
+
+---
+
+## Problem 2: Dedup cleanup not triggered on deletion in change_processor
+
+### Current state
+
+[src/syncback/dedup_suffix.rs](src/syncback/dedup_suffix.rs) provides `compute_cleanup_action()` with gap-tolerant, base-name-promotion, and group-to-1 rules. But `handle_tree_event()` in [src/change_processor.rs](src/change_processor.rs) (line 1043) only logs removals -- it doesn't check if a deletion leaves a dedup group needing suffix cleanup.
+
+### Fix: Add dedup cleanup after removals
+
+In `handle_tree_event()`, after the removal loop (line ~1070), for each removed instance:
+
+1. Find the parent instance (before the removal is applied to the tree)
+2. Enumerate the parent's remaining children (excluding the removed one)
+3. Group remaining children by dedup base name (parse `~N` suffixes from filesystem names via `parse_dedup_suffix()`)
+4. For each dedup group affected by the removal, call `compute_cleanup_action()`
+5. If the action is `RemoveSuffix` or `PromoteLowest`:
+  a. Call `suppress_path()` for both old and new paths
+   b. Rename the file on disk
+   c. Update meta file `name` field if needed
+   d. Update `RefPathIndex` via `update_ref_paths_after_rename()`
+
+**Files to change:**
+
+- [src/change_processor.rs](src/change_processor.rs): Add dedup cleanup logic after the removal loop in `handle_tree_event()`. Import `dedup_suffix::{parse_dedup_suffix, compute_cleanup_action}`.
+
+### Edge cases
+
+- The removed instance's parent must still exist in the tree when we enumerate siblings
+- ProjectNode instances are excluded (already guarded)
+- The cleanup rename must happen BEFORE `apply_patch_set()` removes the instance from the tree (since we need the parent relationship)
+- VFS suppression must cover both the old path (being renamed from) and the new path (being renamed to)
+
diff --git a/src/change_processor.rs b/src/change_processor.rs
index 30b84ea2..24666859 100644
--- a/src/change_processor.rs
+++ b/src/change_processor.rs
@@ -1111,7 +1111,7 @@ impl JobThreadContext {
                     continue;
                 };
                 let mut remaining_stems: Vec<String> = Vec::new();
-                let mut deleted_was_base = parse_dedup_suffix(removed_stem).is_none();
+                let deleted_was_base = parse_dedup_suffix(removed_stem).is_none();
 
                 for &sibling_ref in parent_inst.children() {
                     if sibling_ref == removed_id {
diff --git a/src/web/api.rs b/src/web/api.rs
index c8a6b275..566ff0ed 100644
--- a/src/web/api.rs
+++ b/src/web/api.rs
@@ -2640,7 +2640,7 @@ impl ApiService {
                         remove_attributes.push(attr_name);
                     } else if tree.get_instance(*target_ref).is_some() {
                         // Valid target: compute path and add as Rojo_Ref_* attribute
-                        let path = crate::ref_target_path_from_tree(&tree, *target_ref);
+                        let path = crate::ref_target_path_from_tree(tree, *target_ref);
 
                         // Warn if the path is ambiguous (duplicate-named siblings
                         // at any ancestor level). The ref will still be written,