# "Re-seed from an old batch"

## Symptom

You have content uploaded a while back. The original postage batch
is approaching expiration — once it expires, storer nodes will start
to garbage-collect the chunks. You want to extend the content's
life with a fresh batch.

## Diagnose

First, confirm the content is still retrievable *now* — re-seeding
requires the source chunks to be fetchable:

```bash
bee-check <ref> --bee https://my-bee.example --per-chunk
```

If `status` is `retrievable` (or `partial` with most chunks found),
proceed. If everything is missing, re-seeding won't help — you'd be
re-uploading nothing.

Then buy a fresh batch (out of scope for `bee-check`):

```bash
# example via swarm-cli; adjust to your setup
swarm-cli stamp buy --depth 22 --amount 10000000 --label "renewal"
```

Note the new batch ID.

## Fix

```bash
bee-check <ref> --reseed --stamp <new-batch-id> --bee https://my-bee.example
```

`bee-check` will:

1. Re-probe the reference (so you have a before-snapshot of which
   chunks needed fetching).
2. Pre-flight the new batch — refuses to proceed if it isn't usable
   or has too little TTL.
3. Fire `PUT /stewardship/{ref}` — Bee re-fetches each chunk
   (locally or from the network), stamps it with the new batch, and
   pushes the freshly-stamped chunk back into the network.

Re-run `bee-check` after a few minutes to verify the content is
retrievable on the new stamp. The old batch can now expire safely.

> **Cost note.** Re-seeding consumes batch capacity. Make sure the
> new batch has enough depth/amount to cover the content. Bee will
> error mid-upload if the batch fills up.
