diff --git a/src/AquaSynth.Core/CultCachePatchDocument.cs b/src/AquaSynth.Core/CultCachePatchDocument.cs
index 6f910f7..9e73596 100644
--- a/src/AquaSynth.Core/CultCachePatchDocument.cs
+++ b/src/AquaSynth.Core/CultCachePatchDocument.cs
@@ -87,10 +87,13 @@ public static class CultCachePatchDocumentStore
 {
     public static async Task WriteDefaultAsync(string filePath)
     {
-        using var cache = CultCacheMessagePack.Create(filePath, new CultCacheOpenOptions
+        // Opening hydrates; this file holds exactly the default document, so everything else goes before the write.
+        using var cache = CultCacheMessagePack.Create(filePath);
+        foreach (var stale in cache.AllStoredDocuments.Where(stored => stored.Key.Value != CultCachePatchDocumentCatalog.Key).ToArray())
         {
-            PullOnOpen = false
-        });
+            cache.Remove(stale.Key);
+        }
+
         await cache.UpsertAsync(
             CultCachePatchDocumentCatalog.CreateDefault(),
             new CultRecordHandle<CultCachePatchDocument>(new CultRecordKey(CultCachePatchDocumentCatalog.Key)))
diff --git a/src/AquaSynth.Core/IpaTrialResults.cs b/src/AquaSynth.Core/IpaTrialResults.cs
index ae427fa..7957cc9 100644
--- a/src/AquaSynth.Core/IpaTrialResults.cs
+++ b/src/AquaSynth.Core/IpaTrialResults.cs
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ public static class IpaTrialResultCultCacheStore
             return [];
         }
 
-        using var cache = await OpenTrialStoreAsync(filePath, pullOnOpen: true).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        using var cache = await OpenTrialStoreAsync(filePath).ConfigureAwait(false);
         return cache.GetAll<IpaTrialResult>()
             .OrderBy(result => result.TrialId, StringComparer.Ordinal)
             .ToArray();
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ public static class IpaTrialResultCultCacheStore
             return [];
         }
 
-        using var cache = await OpenTrialStoreAsync(filePath, pullOnOpen: true).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        using var cache = await OpenTrialStoreAsync(filePath).ConfigureAwait(false);
         return cache.GetAll<SongChallengeEvidenceDocument>()
             .OrderBy(document => document.EvidenceId, StringComparer.Ordinal)
             .ToArray();
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ public static class IpaTrialResultCultCacheStore
             return [];
         }
 
-        using var cache = await OpenTrialStoreAsync(filePath, pullOnOpen: true).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        using var cache = await OpenTrialStoreAsync(filePath).ConfigureAwait(false);
         return cache.GetAll<SongTrialDistillationDocument>()
             .OrderBy(document => document.DistillationId, StringComparer.Ordinal)
             .ToArray();
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ public static class IpaTrialResultCultCacheStore
             return [];
         }
 
-        using var cache = await OpenTrialStoreAsync(filePath, pullOnOpen: true).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        using var cache = await OpenTrialStoreAsync(filePath).ConfigureAwait(false);
         return cache.GetAll<MusicProductionKnowledgeDocument>()
             .OrderBy(document => document.KnowledgeId, StringComparer.Ordinal)
             .ToArray();
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ public static class IpaTrialResultCultCacheStore
             Directory.CreateDirectory(directory);
         }
 
-        using var cache = await OpenTrialStoreAsync(filePath, pullOnOpen: StoreExists(filePath)).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        using var cache = await OpenTrialStoreAsync(filePath).ConfigureAwait(false);
         foreach (var document in documents)
         {
             await cache.UpsertAsync(document, new CultRecordHandle<T>(new CultRecordKey(key(document)))).ConfigureAwait(false);
@@ -181,12 +181,11 @@ public static class IpaTrialResultCultCacheStore
         await cache.FlushAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
     }
 
-    private static Task<CultCache> OpenTrialStoreAsync(string filePath, bool pullOnOpen) =>
+    private static Task<CultCache> OpenTrialStoreAsync(string filePath) =>
         CultCacheMessagePack.OpenAsync(
             filePath,
             new CultCacheOpenOptions
             {
-                PullOnOpen = pullOnOpen,
                 UseDirectoryStore = true
             });
 
diff --git a/src/AquaSynth.Core/SpeechDistributedTraining.cs b/src/AquaSynth.Core/SpeechDistributedTraining.cs
index 0b47776..ec994aa 100644
--- a/src/AquaSynth.Core/SpeechDistributedTraining.cs
+++ b/src/AquaSynth.Core/SpeechDistributedTraining.cs
@@ -257,11 +257,8 @@ public static class SpeechDistributedTrainingCultCacheStore
         return cache.GetAll<T>().OrderBy(orderKey, StringComparer.Ordinal).ToArray();
     }
 
-    private static async Task<CultCache> OpenForMutationAsync(string filePath)
-    {
-        var options = new CultCacheOpenOptions { PullOnOpen = File.Exists(filePath) };
-        return await CultCacheMessagePack.OpenAsync(filePath, options).ConfigureAwait(false);
-    }
+    private static Task<CultCache> OpenForMutationAsync(string filePath) =>
+        CultCacheMessagePack.OpenAsync(filePath);
 }
 
 public static class SpeechDistributedTrainingCoordinator
diff --git a/src/AquaSynth.Faust/AquaSynthDaemonService.cs b/src/AquaSynth.Faust/AquaSynthDaemonService.cs
index 6cda512..28ae62d 100644
--- a/src/AquaSynth.Faust/AquaSynthDaemonService.cs
+++ b/src/AquaSynth.Faust/AquaSynthDaemonService.cs
@@ -920,8 +920,14 @@ public sealed class AquaSynthDaemonService : IDisposable
     {
         var filePath = Path.Combine(options.StoreRoot, family, $"{SafeFileName(id)}.cc");
         Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.GetDirectoryName(filePath)!);
-        using var cache = CultCacheMessagePack.Create(filePath, new CultCacheOpenOptions { PullOnOpen = false });
+        // Opening hydrates; a receipt file holds exactly one document, so everything else goes before the write.
+        using var cache = CultCacheMessagePack.Create(filePath);
         var key = global ? new CultRecordKey("global") : new CultRecordKey(id);
+        foreach (var stale in cache.AllStoredDocuments.Where(stored => !stored.Key.Equals(key)).ToArray())
+        {
+            cache.Remove(stale.Key);
+        }
+
         await cache.UpsertAsync(document, new CultRecordHandle<T>(key)).ConfigureAwait(false);
         await cache.FlushAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
     }
diff --git a/tests/AquaSynth.Dsl.Tests/AquaSynthDaemonServiceTests.cs b/tests/AquaSynth.Dsl.Tests/AquaSynthDaemonServiceTests.cs
index 7ccb69e..129491f 100644
--- a/tests/AquaSynth.Dsl.Tests/AquaSynthDaemonServiceTests.cs
+++ b/tests/AquaSynth.Dsl.Tests/AquaSynthDaemonServiceTests.cs
@@ -210,8 +210,7 @@ public sealed class AquaSynthDaemonServiceTests
     private static async Task<AquaSynthLiveInstrumentSessionState> ReadLiveSessionStateAsync(string storeRoot, string sessionId)
     {
         using var cache = await CultCacheMessagePack.OpenAsync(
-            Path.Combine(storeRoot, "live-sessions", $"{sessionId}.cc"),
-            new CultCacheOpenOptions { PullOnOpen = true }).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            Path.Combine(storeRoot, "live-sessions", $"{sessionId}.cc")).ConfigureAwait(false);
         return Assert.Single(cache.GetAll<AquaSynthLiveInstrumentSessionState>());
     }
 }