diff --git a/backend/src/cyclone/scheduler.py b/backend/src/cyclone/scheduler.py
index 2734f0f..3aac5cc 100644
--- a/backend/src/cyclone/scheduler.py
+++ b/backend/src/cyclone/scheduler.py
@@ -650,20 +650,21 @@ class Scheduler:
     def _download_and_parse(
         self, f: InboundFile, file_type: str,
     ) -> tuple[Path, str, int]:
-        """Download from MFT, run the right handler. Returns (path, parser, count).
+        """Run the right handler on one inbound file. Returns (path, parser, count).
 
-        Stub mode: ``f.local_path`` already points at the staged file
-        (set by ``SftpClient._list_inbound_stub``). Real mode: the
-        remote name is ``f.name`` and we round-trip through paramiko.
+        Both stub and real modes read from ``f.local_path`` — the
+        inbound file is already on disk:
+          * Stub mode: ``_list_inbound_stub`` points ``local_path`` at
+            the operator-dropped staging file.
+          * Real mode: ``_list_inbound_paramiko`` downloads each
+            ``listdir_attr`` entry into the local cache as part of the
+            listing pass. Re-reading from the MFT would require
+            ``SftpClient.read_file`` with a full remote path, which the
+            scheduler was passing just ``f.name`` for (i.e. a bare
+            filename at the SFTP root, not the inbound dir). Use the
+            cached bytes instead.
         """
-        if self._sftp_block.stub:
-            # In stub mode the InboundFile already has a local_path;
-            # reading the staged bytes directly avoids the stub's
-            # remote-path semantics (which expect a full inbound path).
-            content = f.local_path.read_bytes()
-        else:
-            client = self._sftp_client_factory(self._sftp_block)
-            content = client.read_file(f.name)
+        content = f.local_path.read_bytes()
         text = content.decode("utf-8")
         handler = HANDLERS[file_type]
         parser_used, claim_count = handler(text, f.name)