[Bug]: folders connected via external storage cannot be deleted

⚠️ This issue respects the following points: ⚠️

• This is a bug, not a question or a configuration/webserver/proxy issue.
• This issue is not already reported on Github OR Nextcloud Community Forum (I've searched it).
• Nextcloud Server is up to date. See Maintenance and Release Schedule for supported versions.
• I agree to follow Nextcloud's Code of Conduct.

Bug description

Hello, I have the following problem.

I updated Nextcloud to version 31.0.7 about two weeks ago. Since this update, I can no longer delete folders on my external storage. Regardless of whether the connection is via SMB or SFTP, it doesn't work. Strangely, although I can create and delete files, I can only create folders, not delete them. When I connect to my external storage via FileZilla, I have full access to create, delete, and edit files. So, Nextcloud. I updated to version 31.0.8 today. No improvement.
When I create folders and files in a user's root directory, I also have full access. So, it's not a user problem.
The "Read-only" checkbox is NOT checked for external storage.

Nextcloud's security and setup warnings say: "All checks passed."

The log viewer reports: "No older log entries found."

Thank you for your help.

Steps to reproduce

Expected behavior

Sie sollten in der Lage sein, Ordner auf externen Speichern zu löschen

Nextcloud Server version

31

Operating system

Debian/Ubuntu

PHP engine version

PHP 8.3

Web server

Apache (supported)

Database engine version

MySQL

Is this bug present after an update or on a fresh install?

Updated from a MINOR version (ex. 32.0.1 to 32.0.2)

Are you using the Nextcloud Server Encryption module?

Encryption is Disabled

What user-backends are you using?

• Default user-backend (database)
• LDAP/ Active Directory
• SSO - SAML
• Other

Configuration report

{
    "system": {
        "instanceid": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "passwordsalt": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "secret": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "trusted_domains": [
            "188.245.57.22:8080",
            "cloud.grproduction.de",
            "cloud.stereo-brain.de"
        ],
        "trusted_proxies": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "datadirectory": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "dbtype": "mysql",
        "version": "31.0.8.1",
        "overwrite.cli.url": "https:\/\/cloud.grproduction.de",
        "dbname": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "dbhost": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "dbport": "",
        "dbtableprefix": "oc_",
        "mysql.utf8mb4": true,
        "dbuser": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "dbpassword": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "installed": true,
        "maintenance_window_start": 1,
        "maintenance": false,
        "overwriteprotocol": "https",
        "default_phone_region": "DE",
        "mail_smtpmode": "smtp",
        "mail_sendmailmode": "smtp",
        "mail_from_address": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "mail_domain": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "mail_smtpauth": 1,
        "mail_smtphost": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "mail_smtpport": "587",
        "mail_smtpname": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "mail_smtppassword": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "filelocking.enabled": true,
        "simpleSignUpLink.shown": false,
        "forbidden_filename_basenames": [
            "con",
            "prn",
            "aux",
            "nul",
            "com0",
            "com1",
            "com2",
            "com3",
            "com4",
            "com5",
            "com6",
            "com7",
            "com8",
            "com9",
            "com\u00b9",
            "com\u00b2",
            "com\u00b3",
            "lpt0",
            "lpt1",
            "lpt2",
            "lpt3",
            "lpt4",
            "lpt5",
            "lpt6",
            "lpt7",
            "lpt8",
            "lpt9",
            "lpt\u00b9",
            "lpt\u00b2",
            "lpt\u00b3"
        ],
        "forbidden_filename_characters": [
            "<",
            ">",
            ":",
            "\"",
            "|",
            "?",
            "*",
            "\\",
            "\/"
        ],
        "forbidden_filename_extensions": [
            " ",
            ".",
            ".filepart",
            ".part"
        ],
        "defaultapp": "",
        "app_install_overwrite": {
            "1": "printer"
        },
        "twofactor_enforced": "false",
        "twofactor_enforced_groups": [],
        "twofactor_enforced_excluded_groups": [],
        "memories.db.triggers.fcu": true,
        "memories.exiftool": "\/var\/www\/nextcloud\/apps\/memories\/bin-ext\/exiftool-amd64-glibc",
        "memories.vod.path": "\/var\/www\/nextcloud\/apps\/memories\/bin-ext\/go-vod-amd64",
        "memories.vod.ffmpeg": "\/usr\/bin\/ffmpeg",
        "memories.vod.ffprobe": "\/usr\/bin\/ffprobe",
        "theme": "",
        "updater.release.channel": "stable",
        "enable_previews": true,
        "preview_max_x": 1024,
        "preview_max_y": 768,
        "preview_max_scale_factor": 1,
        "enabledPreviewProviders": [
            "OC\\Preview\\PNG",
            "OC\\Preview\\JPEG",
            "OC\\Preview\\GIF",
            "OC\\Preview\\BMP",
            "OC\\Preview\\XBitmap",
            "OC\\Preview\\Movie",
            "OC\\Preview\\PDF",
            "OC\\Preview\\MP3",
            "OC\\Preview\\TXT",
            "OC\\Preview\\MarkDown"
        ],
        "collabora_wopi_allowlist": [
            "office.grproduction.de"
        ],
        "log_type": "file",
        "logfile": "\/var\/log\/nextcloud.log",
        "logfilemode": 416,
        "loglevel": "2",
        "logdateformat": "Y-m-d H:i:s",
        "memcache.locking": "\\OC\\Memcache\\Redis",
        "memcache.local": "\\OC\\Memcache\\Redis",
        "redis": {
            "host": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
            "port": 6388
        }
    }
}

List of activated Apps

Enabled:
  - activity: 4.0.0
  - app_api: 5.0.2
  - bruteforcesettings: 4.0.0
  - calendar: 5.3.8
  - camerarawpreviews: 0.8.7
  - circles: 31.0.0
  - cloud_federation_api: 1.14.0
  - collectives: 3.1.0
  - comments: 1.21.0
  - contactsinteraction: 1.12.0
  - dashboard: 7.11.0
  - dav: 1.33.0
  - external: 6.0.2
  - federatedfilesharing: 1.21.0
  - federation: 1.21.0
  - files: 2.3.1
  - files_3dmodelviewer: 0.0.15
  - files_downloadactivity: 1.18.1
  - files_downloadlimit: 4.0.0
  - files_external: 1.23.0
  - files_pdfviewer: 4.0.0
  - files_reminders: 1.4.0
  - files_sharing: 1.23.1
  - files_trashbin: 1.21.0
  - files_versions: 1.24.0
  - firstrunwizard: 4.0.0
  - logreader: 4.0.0
  - lookup_server_connector: 1.19.0
  - mail: 5.2.0
  - nextcloud_announcements: 3.0.0
  - notifications: 4.0.0
  - oauth2: 1.19.1
  - password_policy: 3.0.0
  - photos: 4.0.0
  - previewgenerator: 5.9.0
  - privacy: 3.0.0
  - profile: 1.0.0
  - provisioning_api: 1.21.0
  - recommendations: 4.0.0
  - related_resources: 2.0.0
  - richdocuments: 8.7.3
  - serverinfo: 3.0.0
  - settings: 1.14.0
  - sharebymail: 1.21.0
  - sharereview: 1.4.0
  - support: 3.0.0
  - survey_client: 3.0.0
  - systemtags: 1.21.1
  - text: 5.0.0
  - theming: 2.6.1
  - theming_customcss: 1.18.0
  - twofactor_backupcodes: 1.20.0
  - twofactor_totp: 13.0.0-dev.0
  - updatenotification: 1.21.0
  - user_status: 1.11.0
  - viewer: 4.0.0
  - weather_status: 1.11.0
  - webhook_listeners: 1.2.0
  - workflowengine: 2.13.0
Disabled:
  - admin_audit: 1.21.0
  - brewmemo: 0.4.0 (installed 0.4.0)
  - duplicatefinder: 1.7.3 (installed 1.7.3)
  - encryption: 2.19.0
  - htmlviewer: 31.0.0 (installed 31.0.0)
  - integration_notion: 1.2.0 (installed 1.2.0)
  - memories: 7.6.1 (installed 7.6.1)
  - notes: 4.12.2 (installed 4.12.2)
  - passwords: 2025.7.20 (installed 2025.7.20)
  - printer: 0.0.5 (installed 0.0.5)
  - suspicious_login: 9.0.1
  - tables: 0.9.5 (installed 0.9.5)
  - twofactor_nextcloud_notification: 5.0.0
  - user_ldap: 1.22.0

Nextcloud Signing status

No errors have been found.

Nextcloud Logs

No older log entries found

Additional info

No response

Start by reproducing folder deletion through both SMB and SFTP external storage, comparing it with file deletion and checking the available Nextcloud logs. Trace the external-storage deletion path in the server code; done means folders can be deleted through Nextcloud without breaking file operations.