diff --git a/crates/mind-body/src/control.rs b/crates/mind-body/src/control.rs
index db3ad98..bf751e2 100644
--- a/crates/mind-body/src/control.rs
+++ b/crates/mind-body/src/control.rs
@@ -1,13 +1,4 @@
-        // Every directory this write creates is 0755, ancestors included: a
-        // restrictive process umask would otherwise leave /etc/gamecult/minds
-        // untraversable by the units that only read.
-        let missing: Vec<&Path> = directory.ancestors().take_while(|ancestor| !ancestor.exists()).collect();
-        if !missing.is_empty() {
-            std::fs::create_dir_all(directory).with_context(|| format!("failed to create {}", directory.display()))?;
-            for created in missing {
-                set_mode(created, DIR_MODE)?;
-            }
-        }//! The operator's brake and burn-rate dial, and the one reader of them.
+//! The operator's brake and burn-rate dial, and the one reader of them.
 //!
 //! State is a CultCache single-file store at
 //! `/etc/gamecult/minds/<instance>/control.cc`, root-owned and world-readable.
@@ -295,9 +286,15 @@ impl ControlWriter {
                 require_root_only_writable(existing)?;
             }
         }
-        if !directory.exists() {
+        // Every directory this write creates is 0755, ancestors included: a
+        // restrictive process umask would otherwise leave /etc/gamecult/minds
+        // untraversable by the units that only read.
+        let missing: Vec<&Path> = directory.ancestors().take_while(|ancestor| !ancestor.exists()).collect();
+        if !missing.is_empty() {
             std::fs::create_dir_all(directory).with_context(|| format!("failed to create {}", directory.display()))?;
-            set_mode(directory, DIR_MODE)?;
+            for created in missing {
+                set_mode(created, DIR_MODE)?;
+            }
         }
         if !lock.exists() {
             std::fs::OpenOptions::new()