diff --git a/clone-backup.sh b/clone-backup.sh
index 34b9f002..8f97fe6a 100755
--- a/clone-backup.sh
+++ b/clone-backup.sh
@@ -543,15 +543,9 @@ main() {
     # Set up cleanup trap
     trap cleanup_all_ports EXIT INT TERM
     
-    # RETH GUARD: reth refuses to start when its static_files directory is a symlink.
-    # Match restore-volumes.sh: skip the whole /slowdisk static-file symlink offload
-    # for reth nodes and extract everything onto the primary disk.
-    if [[ "$1" == *reth* ]]; then
-        echo "WARNING: $1 contains 'reth' — static-file symlink offload disabled (reth broke whole-dir symlinks)"
-        echo "  All volumes will be extracted onto the primary disk (equivalent to --no-slowdisk)"
-        NO_SLOWDISK=true
-    fi
-    
+    # (RETH GUARD removed 2026-07-09: op-reth v2.3.2 verified running + WRITING through a
+    # symlinked static_files dir on rpc-uk-4. Pre-v2 reths that refuse symlinks fail loudly
+    # at start - rerun with --no-slowdisk for those.)
     setup_ssh_multiplex
     
     # Check if backup directory exists
diff --git a/clone-node.sh b/clone-node.sh
index 5d8c3185..32f9281e 100755
--- a/clone-node.sh
+++ b/clone-node.sh
@@ -517,15 +517,9 @@ main() {
     # Set up cleanup trap
     trap cleanup_all_ports EXIT INT TERM
     
-    # RETH GUARD: reth refuses to start when its static_files directory is a symlink.
-    # Match restore-volumes.sh: skip the whole /slowdisk static-file symlink offload
-    # for reth nodes and extract everything onto the primary disk.
-    if [[ "$1" == *reth* ]]; then
-        echo "WARNING: $1 contains 'reth' — static-file symlink offload disabled (reth broke whole-dir symlinks)"
-        echo "  All volumes will be extracted onto the primary disk (equivalent to --no-slowdisk)"
-        NO_SLOWDISK=true
-    fi
-    
+    # (RETH GUARD removed 2026-07-09: op-reth v2.3.2 verified running + WRITING through a
+    # symlinked static_files dir on rpc-uk-4. Pre-v2 reths that refuse symlinks fail loudly
+    # at start - rerun with --no-slowdisk for those.)
     setup_ssh_multiplex
     
     # the following sysctls are critical for high-latency networks
diff --git a/restore-volumes.sh b/restore-volumes.sh
index 15e86540..b04641f3 100755
--- a/restore-volumes.sh
+++ b/restore-volumes.sh
@@ -153,8 +153,10 @@ while IFS= read -r key; do
     [ -d "$data_dir" ] && rm -rf "$data_dir"/*
     mkdir -p "$data_dir"
 
-    # 2) obtain the manifest (fetch the sidecar .txt for remote restores) and, unless this is
-    #    a reth node (reth dropped whole-dir static-file symlinks), pre-create the offload.
+    # 2) obtain the manifest (fetch the sidecar .txt for remote restores) and pre-create the
+    #    offload. (The old reth guard is gone: op-reth v2.3.2 verified running + WRITING through
+    #    a symlinked static_files dir on rpc-uk-4, 2026-07-09. Ancient reths that predate this
+    #    refuse to start - symptom is loud, fix is --no-slowdisk.)
     local_meta="$meta_file"
     if [[ -n "$remote_source" ]]; then
 	local_meta="$backup_dir/$(basename "$meta_file")"
@@ -163,9 +165,7 @@ while IFS= read -r key; do
 	    curl --ipv4 -fsS "${remote_source}${meta_file}" -o "$local_meta" 2>/dev/null || local_meta=""
 	fi
     fi
-    if [[ "$1" == *reth* ]]; then
-	echo "  reth node: static-file symlink offload disabled (reth broke whole-dir symlinks)"
-    elif [ -n "$local_meta" ]; then
+    if [ -n "$local_meta" ]; then
 	prep_static_offload "$key" "$local_meta" "$data_dir" "$newest_file"
     fi