diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6aa15d3..e285bf2 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -38,9 +38,11 @@ Extracts and organizes documents from FileCabinet CS (Thomson Reuters) using GUI
 python fccs_scan.py
 ```
 
-Reads the restored FCCS backup directory and writes all drawer IDs (subfolder names) to `drawer_ids.txt`. It also:
+Reads the FCCS data directory (`backup_dir`) and writes all drawer IDs (subfolder names) to `drawer_ids.txt`. It also:
 
-- **Flags prefix clashes** — if one drawer ID is a prefix of another (e.g. `02218` and `02218A`), searching the **base** ID in FCCS pops up a selection box that breaks plain automated navigation. These clashes are reported, and the base (shorter) IDs are auto-seeded into `ignore.txt`. The longer, more-specific IDs (`02218A`) search fine and export normally; the base IDs are handled by the separate clash-export script.
+- **Skips non-drawer entries** — only subdirectories are treated as drawers. When `backup_dir` points at FCCS's live data directory (the Restore directory), that folder also contains system folders whose names start with `$` and miscellaneous loose files; both are ignored.
+- **Normalizes drawer IDs** — FileCabinet CS ignores `.` characters in drawer IDs, so a folder named `A123.TJ` on disk is searched and displayed in the UI as `A123TJ`. The scan strips dots from folder names when writing `drawer_ids.txt` so the ID matches what FCCS expects (searching the dotted form returns no results). This is done at the source because FCCS embeds the same dot-free ID as the prefix of exported filenames, which the reorganize/verify/report tools all key off. If stripping dots collapses two distinct folders onto one ID, the scan logs a **collision warning** rather than silently dropping a drawer.
+- **Flags prefix clashes** — if one drawer ID is a prefix of another (e.g. `02218` and `02218A`), searching the **base** ID in FCCS pops up a selection box that breaks plain automated navigation. These clashes are reported, and the base (shorter) IDs are auto-seeded into `ignore.txt`. The longer, more-specific IDs (`02218A`) search fine and export normally. (Clash detection runs on the dot-normalized IDs, since that's what FCCS actually searches.)
 - **Reports ignored drawers** — any IDs listed in `ignore.txt` that exist in this backup are shown as ones the export will skip.
 
 **Ignoring drawers:** The scan creates `ignore.txt` (at `ignore_file`, default `C:\Migration\ignore.txt`) if it doesn't exist and pre-fills it with the clash base IDs — searching those in FCCS shows a selection box that stalls the plain export, so they're skipped by the main export. Open the file and:
diff --git a/fccs_scan.py b/fccs_scan.py
index d245d38..cf653cb 100644
--- a/fccs_scan.py
+++ b/fccs_scan.py
@@ -86,11 +86,23 @@ def main():
     # (e.g. the Restore directory) there are also system folders that start with
     # "$" and miscellaneous loose files — skip both. The isdir check drops the
     # files; the "$" prefix check drops the system folders.
-    drawer_ids = sorted(
+    raw_dirs = [
         name for name in os.listdir(backup_dir)
         if not name.startswith("$")
         and os.path.isdir(os.path.join(backup_dir, name))
-    )
+    ]
+
+    # FileCabinet CS ignores "." in drawer IDs: a folder named "A123.TJ" on disk
+    # is searched and displayed in the UI as "A123TJ", so searching the dotted
+    # form returns nothing. Everything downstream uses the UI form — export types
+    # the ID into the search box, and FCCS embeds the same dot-free ID as the
+    # prefix of exported filenames (which manifest names and verify/report keys
+    # are matched against) — so normalize by stripping dots here at the source.
+    normalized = {}
+    for name in raw_dirs:
+        did = name.replace(".", "")
+        normalized.setdefault(did, []).append(name)
+    drawer_ids = sorted(normalized)
 
     with open(output_file, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
         for did in drawer_ids:
@@ -98,6 +110,17 @@ def main():
 
     log(f"Found {len(drawer_ids)} drawers, written to {output_file}")
 
+    # Warn if stripping dots collapsed two distinct folders onto one FCCS ID —
+    # that would silently drop a drawer from the inventory otherwise.
+    collisions = {did: names for did, names in normalized.items() if len(names) > 1}
+    if collisions:
+        log("-" * 60)
+        log(f"WARNING: {len(collisions)} drawer ID(s) collide after removing "
+            "'.' — multiple folders map to a single FCCS ID:")
+        for did, names in sorted(collisions.items()):
+            log(f"  {did}  <-  {', '.join(sorted(names))}")
+        log("-" * 60)
+
     # Flag prefix clashes: FCCS search on the shorter ID pops a selection box.
     clashes = check_for_clashes(drawer_ids)
     if clashes: