--- a/server/p2p-hub.js
+++ b/server/p2p-hub.js
@@ -118,3 +118,28 @@
   }
   return { ok: true, staleDays, cids: out };
 }
+
+// Flow 8 (plan 018): the source is gone and the server evicted its copy, so
+// ask ONE online holder that shares to upload it through intake
+// ({type:'upload-request', videoId, cid}). At most one request per video per
+// 10 minutes; returns true when a device was asked (or recently was).
+export function createRehydrator({ p2pDb, hub, hasServerCopy, enabled = () => true, now = () => Date.now() }) {
+  const asked = new Map(); // videoId -> ms
+  return async function rehydrate(videoId) {
+    if (!enabled()) return false;
+    if (await hasServerCopy(videoId)) return false;
+    const last = asked.get(videoId);
+    if (last && now() - last < 10 * 60_000) return true;
+    for (const c of await p2pDb.listContentForVideo(videoId)) {
+      for (const h of await p2pDb.listHolders(c.cid, 50)) {
+        if (Number(h.share) !== 1 || !hub.isOnline(h.device_id)) continue;
+        if (hub.send(h.device_id, { type: 'upload-request', videoId, cid: c.cid })) {
+          asked.set(videoId, now());
+          if (asked.size > 5000) asked.delete(asked.keys().next().value);
+          return true;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    return false;
+  };
+}
--- a/server/p2p-hub.test.js
+++ b/server/p2p-hub.test.js
@@ -85,3 +85,21 @@
   ]);
   expect(JSON.stringify(p)).not.toContain('dev_'); // never leak device ids
 });
+
+test('rehydrator asks one online sharing holder, once per 10 min, only when the server has no copy', async () => {
+  const { createRehydrator } = await import('./p2p-hub.js');
+  const sent = [];
+  let t = NOW;
+  let serverHas = false;
+  const hub = { isOnline: (d) => d === 'dev_000000000000000a' || d === 'dev_000000000000000c', send: (d, m) => { sent.push([d, m]); return true; } };
+  const rehydrate = createRehydrator({ p2pDb, hub, hasServerCopy: async () => serverHas, now: () => t });
+  expect(await rehydrate('dQw4w9WgXcQ')).toBe(true);
+  // c is online but has sharing off; a is online and shares.
+  expect(sent).toEqual([['dev_000000000000000a', { type: 'upload-request', videoId: 'dQw4w9WgXcQ', cid: CID }]]);
+  expect(await rehydrate('dQw4w9WgXcQ')).toBe(true);   // recently asked — no second message
+  expect(sent.length).toBe(1);
+  t += 11 * 60_000;
+  serverHas = true;
+  expect(await rehydrate('dQw4w9WgXcQ')).toBe(false);  // server copy is back
+  expect(await rehydrate('unknownVid1')).toBe(false);  // nobody holds it
+});
--- a/server/p2p-intake.js
+++ b/server/p2p-intake.js
@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@
  * (docs/p2p-architecture.md flow 7). The ONLY path by which bytes that did
  * not come from the server's own fetch can become verified content.
  *
- *   POST /api/p2p/intake          (device) { videoId, cid?, size, title?, channel? }
+ *   POST /api/p2p/intake          (device) { videoId, cid?, size, title?, channel?, restore? }
  *        → { ok, known:true }                     cid already verified — nothing to send
+ *                                                  (unless restore:true and the server
+ *                                                  lost its copy — plan 018)
  *        → { ok, ticket, url, expiresAt }         PUT the bytes to url within 30 min
  *   PUT  /api/p2p/intake/:ticket  (device) raw file body
  *        → { ok, cid, adopted }                    admitted (+ adopted into the media cache)
@@ -30,6 +32,7 @@
 export function registerIntakeRoutes(app, deps) {
   const {
     cfg, p2pDb, gate, requireDevice, validateMedia, admitFile, adopt = null,
+    serverHasCid = async () => true, // (cid) → does the server still hold these bytes?
     now = () => Date.now(), log = console,
   } = deps;
   const tickets = new Map(); // ticket -> { deviceId, videoId, cid, size, expiresAt, busy }
@@ -48,7 +51,8 @@
     if (!(size > 0) || size > cfg.intakeMaxBytes) return c.json({ ok: false, error: 'bad size' }, 413);
     if (cid) {
       const known = await p2pDb.getContent(cid);
-      if (known && known.status === 'verified') return c.json({ ok: true, known: true });
+      const restore = body.restore === true && known && known.status === 'verified' && !(await serverHasCid(cid));
+      if (known && known.status === 'verified' && !restore) return c.json({ ok: true, known: true });
       if (known && known.status === 'revoked') return c.json({ ok: false, error: 'revoked' }, 410);
     }
     sweep();
--- a/server/p2p-intake.test.js
+++ b/server/p2p-intake.test.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 // Device → server intake: hash, validate, (scan), admit (plan 016). Needs ffmpeg.
 import { test, expect, beforeAll } from 'bun:test';
-import { mkdtempSync, readFileSync, readdirSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { mkdtempSync, readFileSync, readdirSync, unlinkSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process';
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
@@ -64,6 +64,27 @@
   expect(await (await req('/api/p2p/intake', { method: 'POST', body: { videoId: 'upAAAAAAAA1', cid: goodCid, size: good.length } })).json()).toEqual({ ok: true, known: true });
 });
 
+test('restore: a known cid is uploaded again only when the server lost its copy', async () => {
+  let serverHas = true;
+  const app3 = new Hono();
+  const p2p = registerP2pRoutes(app3, { cfg, p2pDb, fileForCid: async () => null, sha256Range: async () => '', log: quiet });
+  const got = [];
+  registerIntakeRoutes(app3, {
+    cfg, p2pDb, gate: p2p.gate, requireDevice: p2p.requireDevice, validateMedia, admitFile, log: quiet,
+    serverHasCid: async () => serverHas,
+    adopt: async (videoId, path, info) => { got.push(info.sha256); unlinkSync(path); return { adopted: true }; }, // a real adopt moves the file
+  });
+  const h = { 'X-Device': dev.deviceId + '.' + dev.secret, 'Content-Type': 'application/json' };
+  const open = async () => (await app3.request('/api/p2p/intake', { method: 'POST', headers: h, body: JSON.stringify({ videoId: 'upAAAAAAAA1', cid: goodCid, size: good.length, restore: true }) })).json();
+  expect(await open()).toEqual({ ok: true, known: true });   // server still has it
+  serverHas = false;
+  const t = await open();
+  expect(t.ticket).toMatch(/^[0-9a-f]{32}$/);
+  const r = await (await app3.request(t.url, { method: 'PUT', headers: { 'X-Device': h['X-Device'] }, body: good })).json();
+  expect(r).toEqual({ ok: true, cid: goodCid, adopted: true });
+  expect(got).toEqual([goodCid]);
+});
+
 test('claimed cid mismatch, truncated media, and non-media are rejected and deleted', async () => {
   const cases = [
     [{ cid: 'f'.repeat(64), bytes: good }, 400, /hash mismatch/],