diff --git a/clusters/base/apps/nfs-photo/helmrelease.yaml b/clusters/base/apps/nfs-photo/helmrelease.yaml
index 828a8c3..3d7025e 100644
--- a/clusters/base/apps/nfs-photo/helmrelease.yaml
+++ b/clusters/base/apps/nfs-photo/helmrelease.yaml
@@ -44,7 +44,17 @@ spec:
               tag: release-v2.42.0
             args:
               - "-o"
-              - "allow_other,use_ino,func.create=ff,category.action=all,category.create=ff,category.search=ff"
+              # category.search=newest (not ff): getattr on the merged root
+              # dir has to report one branch's attrs, and with ff that's
+              # always the first branch (base) regardless of which branch
+              # actually changed. NFS-Ganesha's directory cache relies on
+              # that mtime to know when to re-fetch a stale readdir listing
+              # - with ff, writes to any branch but the first never bump the
+              # merged root's reported mtime, so Ganesha keeps serving a
+              # stale listing to NFS clients (confirmed: mergerfs's own
+              # readdir is always a correct live union - this is purely a
+              # getattr/mtime-propagation issue up through the NFS cache).
+              - "allow_other,use_ino,func.create=ff,category.action=all,category.create=ff,category.search=newest"
               - "/disks/base:/disks/sub1"
               - "/disks/merged"
             securityContext: