diff --git a/backend/server/lib/memfs.js b/backend/server/lib/memfs.js
index a8e6af4..19b8959 100644
--- a/backend/server/lib/memfs.js
+++ b/backend/server/lib/memfs.js
@@ -8,6 +8,12 @@
  * write - both - must be routed through this module for cache
  * coherency.
  * 
+ * Also active caching is on READ only, not WRITES. So writes must
+ * go on to the disk if the file is not cached already as the replay
+ * log can be corrupted otherwise (eg told to create a directory, cached it
+ * as an op, then told to write a file which is not cached, so it will write
+ * to the disk, but the directly op is still pending in the replay log).
+ * 
  * The data to write can be a UTF8 string or a Buffer object 
  * (Buffer preferred).
  * 
@@ -19,7 +25,7 @@ const pathmod = require("path");
 const fspromises = require("fs").promises;
 const conf = require(`${CONSTANTS.CONFDIR}/memfs.json`);
 
-const FSCACHE = {}, PENDING_PROMISES=[]; let memused = 0, flush_resolver, flush_promise;
+const NATIVE_FS = fspromises, FSCACHE = {}, PENDING_PROMISES=[]; let memused = 0, flush_resolver, flush_promise;
 
 exports.readFile = async (path, options) => {
     path = pathmod.resolve(path);
@@ -30,7 +36,8 @@ exports.readFile = async (path, options) => {
     }
 
     LOG.info(`memfs cache miss ${path}`);
-    const data = await fspromises.readFile(path, options), stats = await fspromises.stat(path)
+    const data = await _runNativeFSFunction("readFile", [path, options]), 
+        stats = await _runNativeFSFunction("stat", [path]);
     if ((!options?.memfs_dontcache) && _allocateMemory(stats.size)) { // cache if possible, unless explicitly disabled
         FSCACHE[path] = {data, accesstime: Date.now(), stats};
         LOG.info(`Memfs cached file ${path} using ${data.length} bytes of memory, total cache size is ${memused} bytes.`);
@@ -42,9 +49,9 @@ exports.writeFile = async (path, data, options) => {
     path = pathmod.resolve(path);
     if (FSCACHE[path]) {
         delete FSCACHE[path].deleted;   // file is no longer deleted
-        FSCACHE[path] = {data, accesstime: Date.now(), stats: await fspromises.stat(path)};
-        _addPendingPromises(_=>fspromises.writeFile(path, data, options));  // no need for await as file is cached and read will be via the cache
-    } else await fspromises.writeFile(path, data, options); // we don't cache on writes, unless already cached
+        FSCACHE[path] = {data, accesstime: Date.now(), stats: await _runNativeFSFunction("stat", [path])};
+        _addPendingPromises(_=>_runNativeFSFunction("writeFile", [path, data, options]));  // no need for await as file is cached and read will be via the cache
+    } else await _runNativeFSFunction("writeFile",[path, data, options]); // we don't cache on writes, unless already cached
 }
 
 exports.appendFile = async (path, data, options) => {
@@ -53,47 +60,49 @@ exports.appendFile = async (path, data, options) => {
         delete FSCACHE[path].deleted;   // file is no longer deleted
         FSCACHE[path] = {data: typeof data === "string" ? FSCACHE[path].data + data :
             Buffer.concat([Buffer.from(FSCACHE[path].data), Buffer.from(data)]), accesstime: Date.now(), 
-            stats: await fspromises.stat(path)};
-        _addPendingPromises(_=>fspromises.appendFile(path, data, options));  // no need for await as file is cached and read will be via the cache
-    } else await fspromises.appendFile(path, data, options);    // we don't cache on writes, unless already cached
+            stats: await _runNativeFSFunction("stat",[path])};
+        _addPendingPromises(_=>_runNativeFSFunction("appendFile", [path, data, options]));  // no need for await as file is cached and read will be via the cache
+    } else try{
+        await _runNativeFSFunction("appendFile",[path, data, options]);    // we don't cache on writes, unless already cached
+    } catch (err) {_handleError(err, "appendFile")}
 }
 
-exports.stat = async path => FSCACHE[path]?.stats || await fspromises.stat(path);   // if cached, we have the stats
+exports.stat = async path => FSCACHE[path]?.stats || await _runNativeFSFunction("stat",[path]);   // if cached, we have the stats
 
 exports.unlink = async path => {
     path = pathmod.resolve(path);
     _addPendingPromises(async _ => {
-        await fspromises.unlink(path); if (FSCACHE[path]?.deleted) delete FSCACHE[path];});
+        await _runNativeFSFunction("unlink",[path]); if (FSCACHE[path]?.deleted) delete FSCACHE[path];});
     _setPathDeleted(path);  // will ensure read doesn't read it, even if the disk has this
 }
 
 exports.unlinkIfExists = async path => {
     path = pathmod.resolve(path);
     const safe_unlink = async path => {
-        try{await fspromises.unlink(path); if (FSCACHE[path]?.deleted) delete FSCACHE[path]; } 
+        try{await _runNativeFSFunction("unlink",[path]); if (FSCACHE[path]?.deleted) delete FSCACHE[path]; } 
         catch(err) {if (err.code != "ENOENT") throw err;}
     }
     _addPendingPromises(_=>safe_unlink(path));
     _setPathDeleted(path);  // will ensure read doesn't read it, even if the disk has this
 }
 
-exports.readdir = async (path, options) => (await fspromises.readdir(path, options)).filter(  // filter out deleted files (they may still be on the disk)
+exports.readdir = async (path, options) => (await _runNativeFSFunction("readdir",[path, options])).filter(  // filter out deleted files (they may still be on the disk)
     entry => FSCACHE[pathmod.resolve(path+"/"+(entry.name||entry.toString()))]?.deleted != true);   // entry.name||entry.toString() takes care of string names, dirent object and buffer objects
 
-exports.mkdir = (path, options) => fspromises.mkdir(path, options); // can't cache this easily, anyways it doesn't take long
+exports.mkdir = (path, options) => _runNativeFSFunction("mkdir",[path, options]); // can't cache this easily, anyways it doesn't take long
 
-exports.rmdir = (path, options) => fspromises.rmdir(path, options);  // can't cache this easily, anyways it doesn't take long
+exports.rmdir = (path, options) => _runNativeFSFunction("rmdir",[path, options]);  // can't cache this easily, anyways it doesn't take long
 
 exports.access = async (path, mode) => {
     if (FSCACHE[pathmod.resolve(path)]?.deleted) return false;  // deleted in memory, no need to check the disk
     if (FSCACHE[pathmod.resolve(path)]) return true;   // have it locally and it is not deleted
-    else return await fspromises.access(path, mode);    // go to the disk
+    else return await _runNativeFSFunction("access",[path, mode]);    // go to the disk
 }
 
 exports.rm = async (path, options) => {
     path = pathmod.resolve(path);
     _addPendingPromises(async _ => {
-        await fspromises.rm(path, options); 
+        await _runNativeFSFunction("rm",[path, options]); 
         if (options?.recursive) for (const pathToTest of Object.keys(FSCACHE)) 
             if (pathToTest.startsWith(path)) delete FSCACHE[pathToTest];    // remove nested entries as parent dir went away
         if (FSCACHE[path]?.deleted) delete FSCACHE[path];
@@ -108,6 +117,13 @@ exports.flush = _ => {
     return flush_promise;
 }
 
+async function _runNativeFSFunction(functionName, params) {
+    try {return await NATIVE_FS[functionName](...params)} catch (err) {
+        LOG.error(`memfs ${functionName} error in the native FS: ${err}`);
+        throw err;
+    }
+}
+
 function _addPendingPromises(async_function) {
     const wrapper = async _ => {
         await async_function();