---
method: POST
path: /api/media-items/:id/merge
auth: jwt+admin
area: media-items
---
<!-- source: internal/handlers/media.go:1674 MediaHandler.MergeArchivedMediaItem -->

# Merge Archived Media Item

**Admin only.** Merges an archived/missing item's reading data (progress,
annotations, highlights, notes, bookmarks, ratings, collections, Kobo
shelves) into an active item with identical content (same SHA-256), then
deletes the archived row. Covers the copy-then-delete-later workflow. Per-user
collisions keep the active copy's data (mirrors hash-conflict resolution).

## Example request

```json example-request
{
  "target_id": "550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000"
}
```

## Example response

```json example-response
{
  "message": "Merged reading progress, annotations, and collections into the active item"
}
```

## Errors

| Status | Body | When |
| ------ | ---- | ---- |
| 400 | `{"error": "source item is not archived or missing"}` / `{"error": "target item is not active"}` / `{"error": "items do not share the same content hash"}` | precondition violations |
| 403 | `{"error": "admin access required"}` | not an admin |
| 404 | `{"error": "archived item not found"}` / `{"error": "target item not found"}` | missing rows |
| 500 | `{"error": "failed to merge reading data: ..."}` | unexpected server error |