diff --git a/src/aacs/mod.rs b/src/aacs/mod.rs
index 35aeae6..2240534 100644
--- a/src/aacs/mod.rs
+++ b/src/aacs/mod.rs
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ use aes::Aes128;
 use aes::cipher::{Array, BlockCipherDecrypt, KeyInit};
 
 use crate::scsi::ScsiTransport;
-use crate::{DiscKind, UnlockCtx, UnlockError, Unlocked, Unlocker};
+use crate::{DiscKind, HostCert, UnlockCtx, UnlockError, Unlocked, Unlocker};
 
 /// AES-128-ECB decrypt a single 16-byte block — used to decrypt the bus key /
 /// read_data_key the drive returns after the handshake.
@@ -25,53 +25,47 @@ pub(crate) fn aes_ecb_decrypt(key: &[u8; 16], data: &[u8; 16]) -> [u8; 16] {
     out
 }
 
-/// The AACS host-certificate unlocker. Matches a Blu-ray/UHD disc
-/// (`DiscKind::Aacs`) and runs the cert handshake against the host certs the
-/// consumer collected (via [`UnlockCtx::host_certs`]), learning the Volume ID
-/// and — on AACS 2.0 — the bus key.
-pub struct AacsCert;
+/// The AACS host-certificate unlocker — the fallback for a drive with NO vendor
+/// unlock (can't be raw-read-enabled), so the bus is removed by a real host-cert
+/// AKE + bus key rather than a CDB. The host certs are injected at CONSTRUCTION
+/// (the one place certs enter the system). Owns its AKE crypto — no reach into
+/// libfreemkv.
+pub struct AacsUnlocker {
+    host_certs: Vec<HostCert>,
+}
 
-impl AacsCert {
-    pub fn new() -> Self {
-        AacsCert
+impl AacsUnlocker {
+    pub fn new(host_certs: Vec<HostCert>) -> Self {
+        AacsUnlocker { host_certs }
     }
 }
 
-impl Default for AacsCert {
-    fn default() -> Self {
-        Self::new()
-    }
-}
-
-impl Unlocker for AacsCert {
+impl Unlocker for AacsUnlocker {
     fn name(&self) -> &'static str {
         "AACS"
     }
 
-    /// AACS removes BUS encryption via the host-cert handshake; it provides no
-    /// drive features. Self-guards on the disc kind (the consumer iterates every
-    /// unlocker's `unlock_bus`, so a non-AACS disc must decline here).
-    fn unlock_bus(
+    /// Remove AACS bus encryption via the host-cert handshake. Like every other
+    /// unlocker this DOES unlock the drive — just with a cert + AKE instead of a
+    /// vendor CDB. `Some` on a successful handshake (VID + bus key learned);
+    /// `None` on a non-AACS disc, no usable cert, or a rejected handshake (fall
+    /// through); `Err(Transport)` on a dead bus.
+    fn unlock(
         &self,
         scsi: &mut dyn ScsiTransport,
         ctx: &UnlockCtx,
-    ) -> std::result::Result<Unlocked, UnlockError> {
-        if ctx.kind != DiscKind::Aacs {
-            return Err(UnlockError::NotApplicable);
+    ) -> std::result::Result<Option<Unlocked>, UnlockError> {
+        if ctx.kind != DiscKind::Aacs || self.host_certs.is_empty() {
+            // Wrong disc kind, or no host cert to authenticate with — the loop
+            // falls through to a VID-less / keysource path.
+            return Ok(None);
         }
-        if ctx.host_certs.is_empty() {
-            // No host cert to authenticate with — the consumer falls back to a
-            // VID-less / keysource path.
-            return Err(UnlockError::NoUsableHostCert);
-        }
-        let h = handshake::run_cert_handshake(scsi, ctx.host_certs)?;
-        Ok(Unlocked {
-            vid: Some(h.volume_id),
-            // Host-cert AKE path: bus removal depends on the bus key, not a
-            // firmware unlock.
-            bus_key: h.read_data_key,
-            drive_unlocked: false,
-        })
+        crate::fallthrough(
+            handshake::run_cert_handshake(scsi, &self.host_certs).map(|h| Unlocked {
+                vid: Some(h.volume_id),
+                bus_key: h.read_data_key,
+            }),
+        )
     }
 }
 
@@ -115,11 +109,11 @@ mod tests {
         crate::DriveId::default()
     }
 
-    /// `unlock_bus` self-guards on the disc kind: on a non-AACS disc it declines
-    /// (`NotApplicable`) WITHOUT touching the transport, so iterating it on a
-    /// CSS/unknown disc is safe.
+    /// Self-guards on the disc kind: on a non-AACS disc `unlock()` declines
+    /// (`Ok(false)`) WITHOUT touching the transport, even WITH a cert present —
+    /// so the reason is the kind, not a missing cert.
     #[test]
-    fn unlock_bus_declines_non_aacs_kinds() {
+    fn declines_non_aacs_kinds() {
         struct DeadTransport;
         impl ScsiTransport for DeadTransport {
             fn execute(
@@ -135,49 +129,41 @@ mod tests {
         let id = id();
         let mut t = DeadTransport;
         for k in [DiscKind::Unknown, DiscKind::Unencrypted, DiscKind::Css] {
-            let r = AacsCert::new().unlock_bus(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, k, &[]));
-            assert_eq!(r.unwrap_err(), UnlockError::NotApplicable, "declines {k:?}");
+            assert!(
+                AacsUnlocker::new(vec![host_cert()])
+                    .unlock(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, k))
+                    .expect("declines")
+                    .is_none(),
+                "declines {k:?}"
+            );
         }
     }
 
-    /// `Default` must delegate to `new()` (there is only one way to build an
-    /// `AacsCert`, so this pins the two constructors never drift apart).
+    // Full success path through `Unlocker::unlock`: a self-consistent AACS 1.0
+    // emulator proves the entry point learns `vid`/`bus_key` — and that the cert
+    // route reports `unlock() == true` (it DOES unlock the drive, via the cert).
     #[test]
-    #[allow(clippy::default_constructed_unit_structs)]
-    fn default_matches_new() {
-        let _ = AacsCert::default();
-        let _ = AacsCert::new();
-    }
-
-    // Full success path through `Unlocker::unlock_bus`: a self-consistent
-    // AACS 1.0 emulator proves the public entry point (not just
-    // `run_cert_handshake`) wires `volume_id`/`read_data_key` into `Unlocked`.
-    #[test]
-    fn unlock_bus_succeeds_end_to_end() {
+    fn unlock_succeeds_end_to_end() {
         let mut t = handshake::tests::DriveEmu::new();
         t.serve_data_keys = true;
         let id = id();
-        let certs = [host_cert()];
-        let ctx = UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Aacs, &certs);
-        let unlocked = AacsCert::new()
-            .unlock_bus(&mut t, &ctx)
-            .expect("auth + VID + data-key reads all succeed");
-        assert_eq!(unlocked.vid, Some([0x5Au8; 16]));
-        assert!(unlocked.bus_key.is_some());
-        assert!(
-            !unlocked.drive_unlocked,
-            "cert path never sets drive_unlocked"
-        );
+        let ctx = UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Aacs);
+        let out = AacsUnlocker::new(vec![host_cert()])
+            .unlock(&mut t, &ctx)
+            .expect("auth + VID + data-key reads all succeed")
+            .expect("the cert route unlocks the drive");
+        assert_eq!(out.vid, Some([0x5Au8; 16]));
+        assert!(out.bus_key.is_some());
     }
 
     fn host_cert() -> crate::HostCert {
         handshake::tests::dummy_cert()
     }
 
-    /// With no host certs there is nothing to authenticate with → NoUsableHostCert,
+    /// With no host certs there is nothing to authenticate with → `Ok(false)`,
     /// and the transport is never touched.
     #[test]
-    fn no_host_certs_is_no_usable_host_cert() {
+    fn no_host_certs_declines() {
         struct DeadTransport;
         impl ScsiTransport for DeadTransport {
             fn execute(
@@ -192,7 +178,11 @@ mod tests {
         }
         let id = id();
         let mut t = DeadTransport;
-        let r = AacsCert::new().unlock_bus(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Aacs, &[]));
-        assert_eq!(r.unwrap_err(), UnlockError::NoUsableHostCert);
+        assert!(
+            AacsUnlocker::new(vec![])
+                .unlock(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Aacs))
+                .expect("no certs declines")
+                .is_none()
+        );
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/css/mod.rs b/src/css/mod.rs
index 3954f9f..0a32b5b 100644
--- a/src/css/mod.rs
+++ b/src/css/mod.rs
@@ -206,30 +206,35 @@ impl crate::Unlocker for DvdUnlocker {
         "DVD"
     }
 
-    /// CSS removes the scrambled-sector barrier (a bus-level concern); it
-    /// provides no drive features. Self-guards against the hardware (below), so
-    /// it declines cleanly when the consumer iterates it on a non-DVD.
-    fn unlock_bus(
+    /// CSS removes the scrambled-sector barrier via bus-auth. Self-guards
+    /// against the hardware (below), so it declines cleanly (`Ok(None)`) when the
+    /// consumer iterates it on a non-DVD. `Some` once the bus-auth runs;
+    /// `Err(Transport)` on a dead bus. Yields no VID and no bus key (descrambling
+    /// is keyless — the returned `Unlocked` is empty).
+    fn unlock(
         &self,
         scsi: &mut dyn ScsiTransport,
         _ctx: &crate::UnlockCtx,
-    ) -> std::result::Result<crate::Unlocked, crate::UnlockError> {
+    ) -> std::result::Result<Option<crate::Unlocked>, crate::UnlockError> {
         // Self-guard against the hardware, not just the caller-declared
-        // DiscKind: refuse (NotApplicable) without issuing any CSS CDB when
-        // the drive doesn't report a DVD profile.
+        // DiscKind: decline without issuing any CSS CDB when the drive doesn't
+        // report a DVD profile.
         if !mounted_disc_is_dvd(scsi)? {
             tracing::debug!(
                 target: "freemkv::css",
                 phase = "dvd_unlocker_not_dvd",
-                "DvdUnlocker invoked on a non-DVD profile; refusing (NotApplicable)"
+                "DvdUnlocker invoked on a non-DVD profile; declining"
             );
-            return Err(crate::UnlockError::NotApplicable);
+            return Ok(None);
         }
-        // The bus-auth handshake is what unlocks scrambled-sector reads; the lba
-        // is not consumed by the unlock primitive (the disc-key REPORT KEY is
-        // best-effort). CSS yields neither a Volume ID nor an AACS bus key.
-        unlock_css_reads(scsi, 0)?;
-        Ok(crate::Unlocked::default())
+        // Bus-auth unlocks scrambled-sector reads (the lba isn't consumed here;
+        // the disc-key REPORT KEY is best-effort). A refused handshake falls
+        // through (`fallthrough` → `Ok(None)`); only a dead bus is an `Err`.
+        crate::fallthrough(
+            unlock_css_reads(scsi, 0)
+                .map(|()| crate::Unlocked::default())
+                .map_err(crate::UnlockError::from),
+        )
     }
 }
 
@@ -925,36 +930,13 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     /// DvdUnlocker provides bus removal only — it never provides drive features.
-    #[test]
-    fn dvd_unlocker_provides_no_features() {
-        use crate::scsi::{DataDirection, ScsiResult};
-        use crate::{DiscKind, DriveId, UnlockCtx, UnlockError, Unlocker};
-        struct DeadTransport;
-        impl ScsiTransport for DeadTransport {
-            fn execute(
-                &mut self,
-                _cdb: &[u8],
-                _dir: DataDirection,
-                _data: &mut [u8],
-                _timeout_ms: u32,
-            ) -> crate::scsi::Result<ScsiResult> {
-                panic!("unlock_features must not touch the transport");
-            }
-        }
-        let id = DriveId::default();
-        let mut t = DeadTransport;
-        let r =
-            DvdUnlocker::new().unlock_features(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Css, &[]));
-        assert_eq!(r.unwrap_err(), UnlockError::NotApplicable);
-    }
-
     // Defense in depth: even when the caller declares `DiscKind::Css`,
     // DvdUnlocker self-verifies against GET CONFIGURATION; a BD profile
     // must yield NotApplicable with no CSS CDB issued.
     #[test]
     fn dvd_unlocker_self_guards_against_non_dvd() {
         use crate::scsi::{DataDirection, ScsiResult};
-        use crate::{DiscKind, DriveId, UnlockCtx, UnlockError, Unlocker};
+        use crate::{DiscKind, DriveId, UnlockCtx, Unlocker};
 
         /// Reports a BD-ROM profile (0x0040) to GET CONFIGURATION and counts any
         /// other CDB (i.e. CSS bus-auth activity).
@@ -995,10 +977,9 @@ mod tests {
         };
 
         let mut t = BdTransport { non_config_cdbs: 0 };
-        let r = DvdUnlocker::new().unlock_bus(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Css, &[]));
-        assert_eq!(
-            r.unwrap_err(),
-            UnlockError::NotApplicable,
+        let r = DvdUnlocker::new().unlock(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Css));
+        assert!(
+            r.expect("BD profile declines, not a hard error").is_none(),
             "a BD-profile drive must be refused"
         );
         assert_eq!(
@@ -1018,7 +999,7 @@ mod tests {
     fn transport_fault_probing_for_a_dvd_aborts() {
         let id = DriveId::default();
         let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::TransportFault);
-        let r = DvdUnlocker::new().unlock_bus(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Css, &[]));
+        let r = DvdUnlocker::new().unlock(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Css));
         assert_eq!(r.unwrap_err(), UnlockError::Transport);
         assert_eq!(
             t.calls(),
@@ -1034,8 +1015,8 @@ mod tests {
     fn check_condition_probing_for_a_dvd_declines() {
         let id = DriveId::default();
         let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::illegal_request());
-        let r = DvdUnlocker::new().unlock_bus(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Css, &[]));
-        assert_eq!(r.unwrap_err(), UnlockError::NotApplicable);
+        let r = DvdUnlocker::new().unlock(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Css));
+        assert!(r.expect("inconclusive probe declines").is_none());
     }
 
     // Defect-2 regression: a DVD is mounted, then the bus dies mid
@@ -1049,7 +1030,7 @@ mod tests {
         config[6] = 0x00;
         config[7] = 0x10;
         let mut t = MockTransport::scripted(vec![Reply::good(config)], Reply::TransportFault);
-        let r = DvdUnlocker::new().unlock_bus(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Css, &[]));
+        let r = DvdUnlocker::new().unlock(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Css));
         assert_eq!(r.unwrap_err(), UnlockError::Transport);
     }
 
@@ -1061,8 +1042,8 @@ mod tests {
         let mut config = vec![0u8; 8];
         config[7] = 0x10;
         let mut t = MockTransport::scripted(vec![Reply::good(config)], Reply::illegal_request());
-        let r = DvdUnlocker::new().unlock_bus(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Css, &[]));
-        assert_eq!(r.unwrap_err(), UnlockError::NotApplicable);
+        let r = DvdUnlocker::new().unlock(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Css));
+        assert!(r.expect("a refused bus-auth declines").is_none());
     }
 
     // A CHECK CONDITION on AGID allocation must not let the handshake carry
@@ -1339,9 +1320,9 @@ mod tests {
         read_disc_key(&mut t, agid).expect("disc-key REPORT KEY succeeds");
     }
 
-    // The same happy path through the public `unlock_bus` entry point,
-    // proving it returns `Ok(Unlocked::default())` on success — the path
-    // every failure-injection test above deliberately avoids.
+    // The same happy path through the public `unlock` entry point, proving it
+    // returns `Some(Unlocked::default())` on success — the path every
+    // failure-injection test above deliberately avoids.
     #[test]
     fn dvd_unlocker_succeeds_end_to_end() {
         let id = DriveId::default();
@@ -1349,14 +1330,12 @@ mod tests {
             variant: 3,
             host_challenge: [0u8; 10],
         };
-        let r = DvdUnlocker::new().unlock_bus(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Css, &[]));
-        let unlocked = r.expect("full unlock succeeds");
+        let r = DvdUnlocker::new().unlock(&mut t, &UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Css));
+        let unlocked = r
+            .expect("full unlock succeeds")
+            .expect("DVD bus-auth unlocks the drive");
         assert!(unlocked.vid.is_none(), "CSS yields no Volume ID");
         assert!(unlocked.bus_key.is_none(), "CSS yields no AACS bus key");
-        assert!(
-            !unlocked.drive_unlocked,
-            "CSS is a bus-auth unlock, not a firmware drive-unlock"
-        );
     }
 
     /// `unlock_css_reads` (the crate-level public entry point, distinct from
diff --git a/src/freemkv/mod.rs b/src/freemkv/mod.rs
index a550411..08d4329 100644
--- a/src/freemkv/mod.rs
+++ b/src/freemkv/mod.rs
@@ -75,16 +75,6 @@ const IDENTITY_RESPONSE_LEN: usize = 32;
 // transfer (ABORTED COMMAND, then a wedged FIFO) — see docs/freemkv-abi.md.
 const KNOCK_RESP_LEN: usize = 64;
 
-/// The 16-byte AACS Volume ID.
-const VID_LEN: usize = 16;
-
-/// AACS `READ DISC STRUCTURE` (`0xAD`) format for the Volume ID.
-const DISC_STRUCT_FMT_VID: u8 = 0x80;
-/// Response length requested for the format-0x80 VID structure: a 4-byte header,
-/// the 16-byte VID, and a 16-byte MAC. On the bare-read path (no AKE → no bus
-/// key) the MAC cannot be verified and is ignored; only `buf[4..20]` matters.
-const VID_STRUCT_LEN: u16 = 36;
-
 /// Bytes returned by one DumpAll (subfn 0x09) diagnostic read — the firmware
 /// always commits a fixed 64-byte window.
 const MEMREAD_LEN: usize = 64;
@@ -126,20 +116,6 @@ fn build_memread_cdb(addr: u32) -> [u8; 10] {
     ]
 }
 
-// Build the STANDARD AACS READ DISC STRUCTURE (0xAD) CDB for the Volume ID
-// (format 0x80, Blu-ray, AGID 0) — NOT a vendor knock; valid only once Raw
-// Read is on. Mirrors libfreemkv's read_volume_id.
-fn build_read_disc_structure_vid_cdb() -> [u8; 12] {
-    let mut cdb = [0u8; 12];
-    cdb[0] = crate::scsi::SCSI_READ_DISC_STRUCTURE;
-    cdb[1] = 0x01; // Blu-ray
-    cdb[7] = DISC_STRUCT_FMT_VID;
-    cdb[8] = (VID_STRUCT_LEN >> 8) as u8;
-    cdb[9] = (VID_STRUCT_LEN & 0xFF) as u8;
-    // cdb[10] = agid << 6; AGID 0 on the bare path (no AKE) → 0.
-    cdb
-}
-
 /// Whether a transport error is a genuine dead bus (a senseless
 /// transport-failure status) rather than a drive rejection surfaced through a
 /// non-conforming transport (`Err` carrying a sense).
@@ -147,13 +123,14 @@ fn is_dead_bus(e: &crate::scsi::ScsiError) -> bool {
     e.status == crate::scsi::SCSI_STATUS_TRANSPORT_FAILURE && e.sense.is_none()
 }
 
-// The freemkv custom-firmware unlocker; pub(crate) so clients reach it only via
-// crate::all_unlockers. Detection: subfn-01 Identity, checking the response starts
-// "freemkv" — no bundled profile catalog needed, unlike crate::ld::Mt1959Unlocker.
-pub(crate) struct FreemkvUnlocker;
+// The freemkv custom-firmware unlocker. Detection: subfn-01 Identity, checking
+// the response starts "freemkv" — no bundled profile catalog needed, unlike
+// crate::ld::LdUnlocker. Stateless: `unlock()` returns what it learned.
+#[derive(Default)]
+pub struct FreemkvUnlocker;
 
 impl FreemkvUnlocker {
-    pub(crate) fn new() -> Self {
+    pub fn new() -> Self {
         FreemkvUnlocker
     }
 
@@ -274,71 +251,6 @@ impl FreemkvUnlocker {
         self.send_state(scsi, subfn::RAW_READ, RAW_READ_CERT_VALID)
     }
 
-    // Read the AACS VID with a BARE 0xAD fmt 0x80 (valid only after set_raw_read):
-    // no AKE/cert/bus key needed; VID comes back clear at response[4..20], MAC at
-    // [20..36] is unverifiable and ignored. Ok/Err semantics: see docs/freemkv-abi.md.
-    fn read_vid(
-        &self,
-        scsi: &mut dyn ScsiTransport,
-    ) -> std::result::Result<[u8; VID_LEN], UnlockError> {
-        let cdb = build_read_disc_structure_vid_cdb();
-        let mut buf = [0u8; VID_STRUCT_LEN as usize];
-        let result = match scsi.execute(&cdb, DataDirection::FromDevice, &mut buf, 5_000) {
-            Ok(r) => r,
-            Err(e) => {
-                if is_dead_bus(&e) {
-                    return Err(UnlockError::Transport);
-                }
-                tracing::debug!(
-                    target: "freemkv::disc",
-                    phase = "freemkv_vid_rejected_as_err",
-                    status = e.status,
-                    "bare VID read rejected (via Err); no Volume ID"
-                );
-                return Err(UnlockError::VidUnavailable);
-            }
-        };
-        // A drive sense arrives as Ok with a non-zero status; without this check
-        // a CHECK CONDITION's zero-filled buffer would parse as a VID.
-        if result.status != 0 {
-            tracing::debug!(
-                target: "freemkv::disc",
-                phase = "freemkv_vid_check_condition",
-                status = result.status,
-                "bare VID read returned a drive sense (no medium / Raw Read not honoured)"
-            );
-            return Err(UnlockError::VidUnavailable);
-        }
-        // Need the 4-byte header + the 16-byte VID.
-        if result.bytes_transferred < 4 + VID_LEN {
-            tracing::debug!(
-                target: "freemkv::disc",
-                phase = "freemkv_vid_short_response",
-                bytes_transferred = result.bytes_transferred,
-                "bare VID response too short"
-            );
-            return Err(UnlockError::VidUnavailable);
-        }
-        let mut vid = [0u8; VID_LEN];
-        vid.copy_from_slice(&buf[4..4 + VID_LEN]);
-        // An all-zero VID is what a permissive stub or an unfilled response
-        // leaves behind — reject it rather than pass a bogus key downstream.
-        if vid.iter().all(|&b| b == 0) {
-            tracing::debug!(
-                target: "freemkv::disc",
-                phase = "freemkv_vid_all_zero",
-                "bare VID read returned an all-zero Volume ID"
-            );
-            return Err(UnlockError::VidUnavailable);
-        }
-        tracing::debug!(
-            target: "freemkv::disc",
-            phase = "freemkv_vid_ok",
-            "Volume ID retrieved via bare 0xAD read"
-        );
-        Ok(vid)
-    }
-
     /// DumpAll diagnostic RAM read (subfn 0x09): return the 64-byte window at
     /// `addr`. A host-side diagnostic path only — not used by the unlock flow.
     #[allow(dead_code)]
@@ -409,18 +321,17 @@ impl FreemkvUnlocker {
                 return Err(UnlockError::VidUnavailable);
             }
         }
-        // Bare 0xAD VID read (LOAD-BEARING). No VID ⇒ fail (propagates).
-        let vid = self.read_vid(scsi)?;
+        // Bare 0xAD VID read — the shared BEST-EFFORT reader (identical to the
+        // LD/Renesas routes). Raw Read already unlocked the drive, so a VID miss
+        // must not discard it: only a dead bus propagates (`?`), else `None`.
+        let vid = crate::vid::read_aacs_vid(scsi)?;
         tracing::debug!(
             target: "freemkv::disc",
             phase = "freemkv_unlocked",
-            "freemkv drive unlocked (Raw Read on, VID read)"
+            has_vid = vid.is_some(),
+            "freemkv drive unlocked (Raw Read on)"
         );
-        Ok(Unlocked {
-            vid: Some(vid),
-            bus_key: None,
-            drive_unlocked: true,
-        })
+        Ok(Unlocked { vid, bus_key: None })
     }
 }
 
@@ -429,26 +340,18 @@ impl Unlocker for FreemkvUnlocker {
         "freemkv"
     }
 
-    /// Unlock a freemkv drive at drive-prep: recognise it, lift riplock and
-    /// region (best-effort), turn on Raw Read, and read the Volume ID with a
-    /// bare `0xAD`. One pass turns every capability on and returns the VID.
-    fn unlock_features(
+    /// Recognise the drive by its Identity knock, lift riplock/region
+    /// (best-effort), turn on Raw Read (the actual unlock), and read the Volume
+    /// ID with a bare `0xAD` (best-effort). `Some` when Raw Read succeeded — the
+    /// drive is unlocked whether or not the VID read did; `None` if it isn't a
+    /// freemkv drive; `Err(Transport)` on a dead bus. `ctx` is unused: this
+    /// unlocker self-identifies rather than matching on drive identity.
+    fn unlock(
         &self,
         scsi: &mut dyn ScsiTransport,
         _ctx: &UnlockCtx,
-    ) -> std::result::Result<Unlocked, UnlockError> {
-        self.full_unlock(scsi)
-    }
-
-    /// Same full sequence as [`Unlocker::unlock_features`]: a freemkv drive is
-    /// unlocked in one pass, removing bus encryption (Raw Read on) and returning
-    /// the Volume ID.
-    fn unlock_bus(
-        &self,
-        scsi: &mut dyn ScsiTransport,
-        _ctx: &UnlockCtx,
-    ) -> std::result::Result<Unlocked, UnlockError> {
-        self.full_unlock(scsi)
+    ) -> std::result::Result<Option<Unlocked>, UnlockError> {
+        crate::fallthrough(self.full_unlock(scsi))
     }
 }
 
@@ -460,7 +363,7 @@ mod tests {
     use crate::scsi::{DataDirection, Result, ScsiResult, ScsiTransport};
 
     fn ctx(id: &crate::DriveId) -> UnlockCtx<'_> {
-        UnlockCtx::new(id, DiscKind::Unknown, &[])
+        UnlockCtx::new(id, DiscKind::Unknown)
     }
 
     /// Serves a fixed payload with a GOOD status (used for the Identity probe).
@@ -493,9 +396,10 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     /// A well-formed format-0x80 VID structure: 4-byte header, 16-byte VID at
-    /// offset 4, 16-byte MAC (zeroed on the bare path — it isn't checked).
+    /// offset 4, 16-byte MAC (zeroed on the bare path — it isn't checked). 36 =
+    /// the fixed `0xAD` fmt-0x80 response length (see `crate::vid`).
     fn vid_ds_response(vid: [u8; 16]) -> Vec<u8> {
-        let mut p = vec![0u8; VID_STRUCT_LEN as usize];
+        let mut p = vec![0u8; 36];
         p[4..20].copy_from_slice(&vid);
         p
     }
@@ -569,18 +473,6 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
-    /// The bare VID read is the STANDARD 0xAD READ DISC STRUCTURE (format 0x80,
-    /// Blu-ray, AGID 0, len 36) — NOT a vendor knock.
-    #[test]
-    fn build_read_disc_structure_vid_cdb_is_standard_0xad_fmt_80() {
-        let cdb = build_read_disc_structure_vid_cdb();
-        assert_eq!(cdb[0], crate::scsi::SCSI_READ_DISC_STRUCTURE);
-        assert_eq!(cdb[1], 0x01); // Blu-ray
-        assert_eq!(cdb[7], 0x80); // AACS Volume ID
-        assert_eq!([cdb[8], cdb[9]], [0x00, 0x24]); // 36, BE16
-        assert_eq!(cdb[10], 0x00); // AGID 0 (no AKE)
-    }
-
     // ── Detection ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
     #[test]
@@ -690,75 +582,9 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(err, UnlockError::Transport);
     }
 
-    // ── Bare 0xAD VID read ───────────────────────────────────────────────
-
-    /// read_vid issues the STANDARD 0xAD READ DISC STRUCTURE and lifts the VID
-    /// from response[4..20].
-    #[test]
-    fn read_vid_issues_standard_0xad_and_parses_offset_4() {
-        let vid = [0x5Au8; 16];
-        let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::good(vid_ds_response(vid)));
-        let got = FreemkvUnlocker::new().read_vid(&mut t).expect("parse ok");
-        assert_eq!(got, vid);
-        assert_eq!(t.cdbs.len(), 1, "exactly one command");
-        assert_eq!(t.cdbs[0][0], crate::scsi::SCSI_READ_DISC_STRUCTURE);
-        assert_eq!(t.cdbs[0][7], 0x80);
-    }
-
-    /// The MAC region (bytes 20..36) is ignored on the bare path — a zero MAC
-    /// still yields the VID.
-    #[test]
-    fn read_vid_ignores_the_unverifiable_mac() {
-        let vid: [u8; 16] = [
-            0x00, 0x11, 0x22, 0x33, 0x44, 0x55, 0x66, 0x77, 0x88, 0x99, 0xAA, 0xBB, 0xCC, 0xDD,
-            0xEE, 0xFF,
-        ];
-        let resp = vid_ds_response(vid); // MAC left zero
-        let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::good(resp));
-        assert_eq!(FreemkvUnlocker::new().read_vid(&mut t).expect("ok"), vid);
-    }
-
-    /// A response too short to carry header + VID → VidUnavailable.
-    #[test]
-    fn read_vid_short_response_is_vid_unavailable() {
-        let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::short(vid_ds_response([0x11; 16]), 19));
-        assert_eq!(
-            FreemkvUnlocker::new().read_vid(&mut t).unwrap_err(),
-            UnlockError::VidUnavailable
-        );
-    }
-
-    /// A CHECK CONDITION (no medium / Raw Read not honoured) → VidUnavailable,
-    /// never a VID parsed from the zero fill.
-    #[test]
-    fn read_vid_check_condition_is_vid_unavailable() {
-        let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::illegal_request());
-        assert_eq!(
-            FreemkvUnlocker::new().read_vid(&mut t).unwrap_err(),
-            UnlockError::VidUnavailable
-        );
-    }
-
-    /// An all-zero VID (permissive stub / unfilled response) is rejected.
-    #[test]
-    fn read_vid_all_zero_is_vid_unavailable() {
-        let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::good(vid_ds_response([0u8; 16])));
-        assert_eq!(
-            FreemkvUnlocker::new().read_vid(&mut t).unwrap_err(),
-            UnlockError::VidUnavailable
-        );
-    }
-
-    #[test]
-    fn read_vid_transport_fault_propagates() {
-        let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::TransportFault);
-        assert_eq!(
-            FreemkvUnlocker::new().read_vid(&mut t).unwrap_err(),
-            UnlockError::Transport
-        );
-    }
-
-    // ── full_unlock / unlock_features / unlock_bus ───────────────────────
+    // ── full_unlock / unlock ─────────────────────────────────────────────
+    // The bare 0xAD VID read itself is tested in crate::vid; here we cover the
+    // full unlock sequence end-to-end, including the best-effort VID handling.
 
     /// The full unlock runs `01→03→02→04→AD` in order: identity, region, speed,
     /// raw-read, bare VID read. This is the load-bearing sequence test.
@@ -776,11 +602,11 @@ mod tests {
             Reply::TransportFault,
         );
         let id = crate::DriveId::default();
-        let u = FreemkvUnlocker::new()
-            .unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
-            .expect("recognized");
-        assert!(u.drive_unlocked, "Raw Read on ⇒ drive unlocked");
-        assert_eq!(u.vid, Some(vid));
+        let out = FreemkvUnlocker::new()
+            .unlock(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
+            .expect("no fault")
+            .expect("Raw Read on ⇒ unlocked");
+        assert_eq!(out.vid, Some(vid));
         // Four vendor knocks then the standard 0xAD read.
         assert_eq!(t.cdbs.len(), 5);
         let vendor_subfns: Vec<u8> = t.cdbs[..4].iter().map(|c| c[4]).collect();
@@ -804,17 +630,18 @@ mod tests {
             Reply::TransportFault,
         );
         let id = crate::DriveId::default();
-        let u = FreemkvUnlocker::new()
-            .unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
-            .expect("recognized");
-        assert_eq!(u.vid, Some(vid));
-        assert!(u.drive_unlocked);
+        let out = FreemkvUnlocker::new()
+            .unlock(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
+            .expect("no fault")
+            .expect("unlocked");
+        assert_eq!(out.vid, Some(vid));
     }
 
-    /// Raw Read is LOAD-BEARING: if the drive rejects it, the unlock FAILS with
-    /// VidUnavailable — no fallback.
+    /// Raw Read is LOAD-BEARING: if the drive rejects it, this isn't an
+    /// unlockable freemkv drive, so `unlock()` declines (`Ok(false)`) and falls
+    /// through — never a hard error.
     #[test]
-    fn full_unlock_fails_when_raw_read_rejected() {
+    fn declines_when_raw_read_rejected() {
         let mut t = MockTransport::scripted(
             vec![
                 Reply::good(freemkv_identity_payload()), // identity
@@ -825,16 +652,20 @@ mod tests {
             Reply::TransportFault,
         );
         let id = crate::DriveId::default();
-        let err = FreemkvUnlocker::new()
-            .unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
-            .unwrap_err();
-        assert_eq!(err, UnlockError::VidUnavailable);
+        assert!(
+            FreemkvUnlocker::new()
+                .unlock(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
+                .expect("no fault")
+                .is_none()
+        );
     }
 
-    /// No VID (Raw Read accepted but the bare read yields nothing) is a FAIL,
-    /// not an Ok with vid: None.
+    /// Best-effort VID: Raw Read succeeded (drive unlocked), but the bare VID
+    /// read was rejected — `unlock()` still returns `true`, with `vid() == None`.
+    /// This is the fix: the old load-bearing VID aborted the whole unlock here,
+    /// dropping a genuinely-unlocked drive to the cert path.
     #[test]
-    fn full_unlock_fails_when_no_vid() {
+    fn unlocks_without_vid_when_bare_read_fails() {
         let mut t = MockTransport::scripted(
             vec![
                 Reply::good(freemkv_identity_payload()), // identity
@@ -846,62 +677,35 @@ mod tests {
             Reply::TransportFault,
         );
         let id = crate::DriveId::default();
-        let err = FreemkvUnlocker::new()
-            .unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
-            .unwrap_err();
-        assert_eq!(err, UnlockError::VidUnavailable);
+        let out = FreemkvUnlocker::new()
+            .unlock(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
+            .expect("no fault")
+            .expect("unlocked despite no VID");
+        assert_eq!(out.vid, None);
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn unlock_features_not_applicable_on_non_freemkv_drive() {
+    fn declines_non_freemkv_drive() {
         let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::illegal_request());
         let id = crate::DriveId::default();
-        let err = FreemkvUnlocker::new()
-            .unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
-            .unwrap_err();
-        assert_eq!(err, UnlockError::NotApplicable);
+        assert!(
+            FreemkvUnlocker::new()
+                .unlock(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
+                .expect("no fault")
+                .is_none()
+        );
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn unlock_features_transport_fault_propagates() {
+    fn transport_fault_propagates() {
         let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::TransportFault);
         let id = crate::DriveId::default();
-        let err = FreemkvUnlocker::new()
-            .unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
-            .unwrap_err();
-        assert_eq!(err, UnlockError::Transport);
-    }
-
-    /// unlock_bus runs the same full sequence and reports the VID + unlocked.
-    #[test]
-    fn unlock_bus_runs_full_sequence_and_reports_unlocked() {
-        let vid = [0x9Au8; 16];
-        let mut t = MockTransport::scripted(
-            vec![
-                Reply::good(freemkv_identity_payload()),
-                Reply::good(vec![]),
-                Reply::good(vec![]),
-                Reply::good(vec![]),
-                Reply::good(vid_ds_response(vid)),
-            ],
-            Reply::TransportFault,
+        assert_eq!(
+            FreemkvUnlocker::new()
+                .unlock(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
+                .unwrap_err(),
+            UnlockError::Transport
         );
-        let id = crate::DriveId::default();
-        let u = FreemkvUnlocker::new()
-            .unlock_bus(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
-            .expect("bus removed");
-        assert!(u.drive_unlocked);
-        assert_eq!(u.vid, Some(vid));
-    }
-
-    #[test]
-    fn unlock_bus_not_applicable_on_non_freemkv_drive() {
-        let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::illegal_request());
-        let id = crate::DriveId::default();
-        let err = FreemkvUnlocker::new()
-            .unlock_bus(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
-            .unwrap_err();
-        assert_eq!(err, UnlockError::NotApplicable);
     }
 
     // ── DumpAll (subfn 0x09) ─────────────────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/src/ld/cdb.rs b/src/ld/cdb.rs
index e9feb3e..a64b893 100644
--- a/src/ld/cdb.rs
+++ b/src/ld/cdb.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 //! Public unlock-CDB seam.
 //!
 //! These items expose the *minimum* an external consumer (e.g. the bdemu
-//! drive emulator) needs to recognise and answer the Mt1959Unlocker unlock
+//! drive emulator) needs to recognise and answer the LdUnlocker unlock
 //! READ_BUFFER handshake, without that consumer open-coding the
 //! handshake internals. The concrete CDB shapes and the verification
 //! marker are unlock-handshake details and must live ONLY in this crate.
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ pub const UNLOCK_MARKER: &[u8] = b"MMkv";
 
 /// Returns `true` when a READ_BUFFER (`0x3C`) CDB with the given mode
 /// (`cdb[1] & 0x1F`) and buffer id (`cdb[2]`) is an unlock-handshake
-/// read — i.e. one of the Mt1959Unlocker unlock variants.
+/// read — i.e. one of the LdUnlocker unlock variants.
 ///
 /// This is the single source of truth for the unlock READ_BUFFER CDB
 /// shapes; consumers must call it rather than hardcoding the mode /
diff --git a/src/ld/mod.rs b/src/ld/mod.rs
index eafa519..88dc552 100644
--- a/src/ld/mod.rs
+++ b/src/ld/mod.rs
@@ -46,14 +46,14 @@ pub fn profile(drive_id: &DriveId) -> Option<ProfileMatch> {
 #[cfg(feature = "emulation")]
 pub use cdb::{UNLOCK_MARKER, is_unlock_read_buffer};
 
-// The MT1959 unlocker, reached only through `crate::all_unlockers` (never by
-// name). Matches a drive against the bundled profile database and runs the
-// firmware-unlock + disc-speed-calibration handshake over raw SCSI.
-pub(crate) struct Mt1959Unlocker;
+// The MT1959 unlocker. Matches a drive against the bundled profile database and
+// runs the firmware-unlock + disc-speed-calibration handshake over raw SCSI.
+// Stateless: `unlock()` returns what it learned.
+pub struct LdUnlocker;
 
-impl Mt1959Unlocker {
-    pub(crate) fn new() -> Self {
-        Mt1959Unlocker
+impl LdUnlocker {
+    pub fn new() -> Self {
+        LdUnlocker
     }
 }
 
@@ -61,10 +61,10 @@ impl Mt1959Unlocker {
 /// drive-info "is this drive supported?" display), or `None`. A pure profile
 /// lookup — does NOT touch the drive or unlock anything.
 pub(crate) fn firmware_name(id: &DriveId) -> Option<&'static str> {
-    profile::find_bundled(id).map(|_| "MT1959")
+    profile::find_bundled(id).map(|_| "LD")
 }
 
-impl Mt1959Unlocker {
+impl LdUnlocker {
     // Read the OEM Volume ID via the matched profile's vendor CDB (profile passed
     // in to avoid a redundant 206-entry catalog scan). Ok(Some) on a well-formed
     // response; Ok(None) if unreadable; Err only on a transport fault.
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ impl Mt1959Unlocker {
     }
 }
 
-impl Mt1959Unlocker {
+impl LdUnlocker {
     // The MediaTek firmware unlock. Since it removes AACS at the drive (clear
     // content), this one op satisfies both features and bus-removal, so both
     // trait methods delegate here. See docs/ld-mod.md — firmware_unlock contract.
@@ -175,38 +175,26 @@ impl Mt1959Unlocker {
             );
         }
         let vid = self.read_oem_vid(scsi, &m.profile)?;
-        Ok(Unlocked {
-            vid,
-            bus_key: None,
-            drive_unlocked: true,
-        })
+        Ok(Unlocked { vid, bus_key: None })
     }
 }
 
-impl Unlocker for Mt1959Unlocker {
+impl Unlocker for LdUnlocker {
     fn name(&self) -> &'static str {
-        "MT1959"
+        "LD"
     }
 
-    /// Mt1959Unlocker provides drive features (riplock/speed, OEM VID) — and, because
-    /// its firmware unlock serves clear content, bus removal comes free with it.
-    fn unlock_features(
+    /// Match the drive against the bundled profile database and run the firmware
+    /// unlock — one op that removes bus encryption at the drive (clear content)
+    /// and reads the OEM Volume ID (best-effort). `Some` when the firmware
+    /// handshake reached the extended-access state; `None` for an unknown drive
+    /// or an incomplete handshake; `Err(Transport)` on a dead bus.
+    fn unlock(
         &self,
         scsi: &mut dyn ScsiTransport,
         ctx: &UnlockCtx,
-    ) -> std::result::Result<Unlocked, UnlockError> {
-        self.firmware_unlock(scsi, ctx)
-    }
-
-    /// Same firmware code as [`unlock_features`]: Mt1959Unlocker removes the bus at
-    /// the drive. In practice the consumer skips this because drive-prep already
-    /// set `drive_unlocked`; it's here for completeness / a bus-first call order.
-    fn unlock_bus(
-        &self,
-        scsi: &mut dyn ScsiTransport,
-        ctx: &UnlockCtx,
-    ) -> std::result::Result<Unlocked, UnlockError> {
-        self.firmware_unlock(scsi, ctx)
+    ) -> std::result::Result<Option<Unlocked>, UnlockError> {
+        crate::fallthrough(self.firmware_unlock(scsi, ctx))
     }
 }
 
@@ -219,7 +207,7 @@ mod tests {
     /// Unlock context for a fake drive id (kind/host-certs irrelevant to the
     /// firmware unlocker — it keys off the drive identity).
     fn ctx(id: &DriveId) -> UnlockCtx<'_> {
-        UnlockCtx::new(id, DiscKind::Unknown, &[])
+        UnlockCtx::new(id, DiscKind::Unknown)
     }
 
     /// A fake transport that fills the response buffer from a fixed payload and
@@ -285,7 +273,7 @@ mod tests {
             payload,
             bytes_transferred: 36,
         };
-        let got = Mt1959Unlocker::new()
+        let got = LdUnlocker::new()
             .read_oem_vid(&mut t, &known_vid_profile())
             .expect("parse ok");
         assert_eq!(got, Some(vid), "VID parsed from [4..20]");
@@ -298,7 +286,7 @@ mod tests {
             payload: vec![0u8; 36],
             bytes_transferred: 20,
         };
-        let got = Mt1959Unlocker::new()
+        let got = LdUnlocker::new()
             .read_oem_vid(&mut t, &known_vid_profile())
             .expect("short response is Ok(None)");
         assert_eq!(got, None);
@@ -313,7 +301,7 @@ mod tests {
             payload,
             bytes_transferred: 36,
         };
-        let got = Mt1959Unlocker::new()
+        let got = LdUnlocker::new()
             .read_oem_vid(&mut t, &known_vid_profile())
             .expect("bad header is Ok(None)");
         assert_eq!(got, None);
@@ -326,7 +314,7 @@ mod tests {
     fn read_oem_vid_check_condition_is_none_not_a_vid() {
         use crate::scsi::mock::{MockTransport, Reply};
         let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::illegal_request());
-        let got = Mt1959Unlocker::new()
+        let got = LdUnlocker::new()
             .read_oem_vid(&mut t, &known_vid_profile())
             .expect("a drive sense is not a transport fault");
         assert_eq!(got, None, "a CHECK CONDITION must never yield a VID");
@@ -338,7 +326,7 @@ mod tests {
     fn read_oem_vid_transport_fault_propagates() {
         use crate::scsi::mock::{MockTransport, Reply};
         let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::TransportFault);
-        let err = Mt1959Unlocker::new()
+        let err = LdUnlocker::new()
             .read_oem_vid(&mut t, &known_vid_profile())
             .expect_err("a dead bus must not be Ok(None)");
         assert!(err.is_transport_failure());
@@ -354,7 +342,7 @@ mod tests {
             payload: vec![0u8; 36],
             bytes_transferred: 36,
         };
-        let got = Mt1959Unlocker::new()
+        let got = LdUnlocker::new()
             .read_oem_vid(&mut t, &p)
             .expect("no CDB is Ok(None)");
         assert_eq!(got, None);
@@ -377,13 +365,13 @@ mod tests {
             payload: vec![0u8; 36],
             bytes_transferred: 36,
         };
-        let err = Mt1959Unlocker::new()
-            .unlock_features(
+        let unlocked = LdUnlocker::new()
+            .unlock(
                 &mut t,
                 &ctx(&make_drive_id("FAKE-VND", "9.99", "XX12345", "")),
             )
-            .expect_err("no profile → NotApplicable");
-        assert_eq!(err, UnlockError::NotApplicable);
+            .expect("no profile → declines, not a hard error");
+        assert!(unlocked.is_none());
     }
 
     // THE defect-1 test: response carries the signature + primary marker but not
@@ -405,17 +393,20 @@ mod tests {
         resp[12..16].copy_from_slice(&[0x4D, 0x4D, 0x6B, 0x76]);
 
         let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::good(resp));
-        let err = Mt1959Unlocker::new()
-            .unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
-            .expect_err("a half-unlocked drive must fall through to cert-auth");
-        assert_eq!(err, UnlockError::NotApplicable);
+        let unlocked = LdUnlocker::new()
+            .unlock(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
+            .expect("a half-unlock declines, not a hard error");
+        assert!(
+            unlocked.is_none(),
+            "a half-unlocked drive must fall through to cert-auth"
+        );
     }
 
-    /// The whole-unlock happy path still reports `drive_unlocked` when BOTH
-    /// firmware markers are present — the `is_unlocked()` gate must not have
-    /// made a genuinely unlocked drive fall through.
+    /// The whole-unlock happy path still reports unlocked when BOTH firmware
+    /// markers are present — the `is_unlocked()` gate must not have made a
+    /// genuinely unlocked drive fall through.
     #[test]
-    fn fully_unlocked_drive_reports_drive_unlocked() {
+    fn fully_unlocked_drive_reports_unlocked() {
         use crate::scsi::mock::{MockTransport, Reply};
         let id = known_vid_drive_id();
         let sig = profile::find_bundled(&id)
@@ -429,10 +420,13 @@ mod tests {
         resp[16..20].copy_from_slice(&[0x4C, 0x62, 0x44, 0x72]);
 
         let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::good(resp));
-        let u = Mt1959Unlocker::new()
-            .unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
-            .expect("both markers → unlocked");
-        assert!(u.drive_unlocked);
+        assert!(
+            LdUnlocker::new()
+                .unlock(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
+                .expect("no fault")
+                .is_some(),
+            "both markers → unlocked"
+        );
     }
 
     // THE probe-disc dead-bus test: bus dies during speed calibration after a
@@ -481,8 +475,8 @@ mod tests {
         resp[16..20].copy_from_slice(&[0x4C, 0x62, 0x44, 0x72]); // secondary marker
         let mut t = ProbeFaultsDrive { resp };
 
-        let err = Mt1959Unlocker::new()
-            .unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
+        let err = LdUnlocker::new()
+            .unlock(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
             .expect_err("a dead bus during probe must abort, not report success");
         assert_eq!(err, UnlockError::Transport);
     }
@@ -532,34 +526,12 @@ mod tests {
             }
         }
         let mut t = ProbeSenseDrive { resp };
-        let u = Mt1959Unlocker::new()
-            .unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
-            .expect("a calibration miss must not fail the whole unlock");
-        assert!(u.drive_unlocked);
-    }
-
-    /// `unlock_bus` is the same firmware code as `unlock_features` (bus removal
-    /// comes free with the drive unlock) — pins that the trait method actually
-    /// delegates rather than being an accidental no-op stub.
-    #[test]
-    fn unlock_bus_delegates_to_the_same_firmware_unlock() {
-        use crate::scsi::mock::{MockTransport, Reply};
-        let id = known_vid_drive_id();
-        let sig = profile::find_bundled(&id)
-            .expect("profile")
-            .profile
-            .signature;
-
-        let mut resp = vec![0u8; 64];
-        resp[0..4].copy_from_slice(&sig);
-        resp[12..16].copy_from_slice(&[0x4D, 0x4D, 0x6B, 0x76]);
-        resp[16..20].copy_from_slice(&[0x4C, 0x62, 0x44, 0x72]);
-
-        let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::good(resp));
-        let u = Mt1959Unlocker::new()
-            .unlock_bus(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
-            .expect("unlock_bus runs the same firmware handshake");
-        assert!(u.drive_unlocked);
+        assert!(
+            LdUnlocker::new()
+                .unlock(&mut t, &ctx(&id))
+                .expect("a calibration miss must not fail the whole unlock")
+                .is_some()
+        );
     }
 
     /// Catches classifying a dead bus as "not this unlocker's drive": the very
@@ -569,8 +541,8 @@ mod tests {
     fn transport_fault_during_unlock_is_transport_not_not_applicable() {
         use crate::scsi::mock::{MockTransport, Reply};
         let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::TransportFault);
-        let err = Mt1959Unlocker::new()
-            .unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx(&known_vid_drive_id()))
+        let err = LdUnlocker::new()
+            .unlock(&mut t, &ctx(&known_vid_drive_id()))
             .expect_err("dead bus");
         assert_eq!(err, UnlockError::Transport);
     }
diff --git a/src/ld/platform/mod.rs b/src/ld/platform/mod.rs
index 1084d3a..9a27d05 100644
--- a/src/ld/platform/mod.rs
+++ b/src/ld/platform/mod.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-//! Platform-specific drive unlock + disc probing (Mt1959Unlocker internals).
+//! Platform-specific drive unlock + disc probing (LdUnlocker internals).
 
 pub mod mt1959;
 
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ pub(crate) trait PlatformDriver: Send {
     fn is_ready(&self) -> bool;
 
     /// True if the drive is currently in the extended-access state. THE gate
-    /// `Mt1959Unlocker::firmware_unlock` reports `drive_unlocked` from — `init()`
+    /// `LdUnlocker::firmware_unlock` reports `drive_unlocked` from — `init()`
     /// returning `Ok` only means the handshake completed, not that the drive
     /// serves clear content.
     fn is_unlocked(&self) -> bool {
diff --git a/src/ld/profile.rs b/src/ld/profile.rs
index 1dbb2d5..a5e1501 100644
--- a/src/ld/profile.rs
+++ b/src/ld/profile.rs
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 use crate::ld::error::{Error, Result};
 use serde::Deserialize;
 
-/// The Mt1959Unlocker profile catalog — the set of optical drives the firmware
+/// The LdUnlocker profile catalog — the set of optical drives the firmware
 /// unlocker recognizes, keyed by chipset + variant. Loaded from the bundled
 /// JSON; the public entry point is [`crate::ld::profiles`].
 #[derive(Debug, Deserialize)]
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ pub fn bundled() -> Option<&'static Profiles> {
                     target: "freemkv::disc",
                     phase = "bundled_profiles_parse_failed",
                     error_code = e.code(),
-                    "bundled Mt1959Unlocker profile catalog failed to parse; no drive can match"
+                    "bundled LdUnlocker profile catalog failed to parse; no drive can match"
                 );
                 None
             }
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 12e2b9e..dbfc31e 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -6,13 +6,16 @@
 //!
 //! This crate defines the [`Unlocker`] contract + the SCSI transport
 //! contract, and holds the self-contained unlocker modules (firmware / AACS
-//! cert / CSS). libfreemkv depends on this crate and dispatches via
-//! [`all_unlockers`]; it never names an individual unlocker directly.
+//! cert / CSS). The consumer (libfreemkv) assembles its own dispatch list from
+//! the exported unlocker types and drives them all through the same trait.
 
 pub mod scsi;
 
 mod aacs;
 mod css;
+// Shared best-effort AACS Volume ID read, used by every route that opens the
+// drive to raw reads (freemkv / MT1959 / Renesas). See `vid`.
+mod vid;
 // `ld` is public only for its drive-profile catalog + (under `emulation`) the
 // handshake wire format bdemu needs; the unlocker impl stays `pub(crate)`.
 // See docs/module-visibility.md — module visibility rationale.
@@ -27,6 +30,15 @@ mod freemkv;
 
 use scsi::ScsiTransport;
 
+// The five unlockers, exposed as concrete types so the consumer assembles its
+// own dispatch list and injects each one's deps at construction (certs → AACS)
+// — no central factory to thread another unlocker's config through.
+pub use aacs::AacsUnlocker;
+pub use css::DvdUnlocker;
+pub use freemkv::FreemkvUnlocker;
+pub use ld::LdUnlocker;
+pub use renesas::Renesas;
+
 /// Drive identity an unlocker matches against — four raw INQUIRY-derived fields,
 /// filled by the consumer (this crate parses no INQUIRY itself).
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Default)]
@@ -61,32 +73,31 @@ pub struct HostCert {
     pub certificate_v2: Option<Vec<u8>>,
 }
 
-/// Context handed to an unlocker: drive identity, disc kind, and (for the cert
-/// route) the host certs the consumer collected.
+/// Per-attempt context the consumer hands to EVERY unlocker, uniformly: the
+/// drive identity and the mounted disc's kind. These are the shared facts the
+/// dispatch loop knows; anything an individual unlocker needs beyond them (the
+/// AACS cert route's host certs) is injected into THAT unlocker at construction,
+/// so the loop and the other unlockers never see it. See docs/module-visibility.md.
 pub struct UnlockCtx<'a> {
     pub drive_id: &'a DriveId,
     pub kind: DiscKind,
-    pub host_certs: &'a [HostCert],
 }
 
 impl<'a> UnlockCtx<'a> {
-    pub fn new(drive_id: &'a DriveId, kind: DiscKind, host_certs: &'a [HostCert]) -> Self {
-        Self {
-            drive_id,
-            kind,
-            host_certs,
-        }
+    pub fn new(drive_id: &'a DriveId, kind: DiscKind) -> Self {
+        Self { drive_id, kind }
     }
 }
 
-/// What removing bus encryption yielded. `drive_unlocked` means the drive now
-/// serves clear content (firmware route) — equivalent, for the gate, to a cert
-/// `bus_key`.
+/// What a successful unlock captured: the Volume ID (best-effort — may be `None`
+/// even on success) and, for the cert route, the bus key the read path applies
+/// to de-bus content. Returned inside the `Some` of [`Unlocker::unlock`]; there
+/// is no `drive_unlocked` flag — "unlocked" is simply `unlock()` returning
+/// `Some`, uniformly for every route.
 #[derive(Clone, Default)]
 pub struct Unlocked {
     pub vid: Option<[u8; 16]>,
     pub bus_key: Option<[u8; 16]>,
-    pub drive_unlocked: bool,
 }
 
 // Hand-written, REDACTING Debug: `bus_key`/`vid` are key material that must
@@ -97,7 +108,6 @@ impl std::fmt::Debug for Unlocked {
         f.debug_struct("Unlocked")
             .field("vid", &self.vid.map(|_| "[redacted]"))
             .field("bus_key", &self.bus_key.map(|_| "[redacted]"))
-            .field("drive_unlocked", &self.drive_unlocked)
             .finish()
     }
 }
@@ -120,47 +130,46 @@ pub enum UnlockError {
 }
 
 /// An unlocker removes a drive-level bus-encryption barrier. Implementors are
-/// the self-contained modules in this crate; the consumer only ever sees the
-/// trait, via [`all_unlockers`]. (Each module owns its own conversion from its
-/// internal error to [`UnlockError`].)
+/// the self-contained modules in this crate; the consumer drives them all
+/// through this trait. (Each module owns its own conversion from its internal
+/// error to [`UnlockError`].)
 ///
 /// NOTE: drive tuning (e.g. SET CD SPEED to lift riplock) is deliberately NOT
 /// here — that is the consumer's concern, not bus removal.
 pub trait Unlocker: Send + Sync {
-    /// Short, stable identifier for this unlocker (e.g. "MT1959", "AACS",
-    /// "DVD", "Renesas"). The ONE place a name lives — apps render the unlocker
-    /// report from [`all_unlockers`], never hardcoding names, so adding/removing
+    /// Short, stable identifier for this unlocker (e.g. "freemkv", "LD",
+    /// "AACS", "DVD", "Renesas"). The ONE place a name lives — apps render the
+    /// unlocker report from `name()`, never hardcoding names, so adding/removing
     /// an unlocker updates every report with no app change.
     fn name(&self) -> &'static str;
 
-    /// Unlock DRIVE FEATURES — riplock/speed, OEM Volume ID, OEM extended-access
-    /// reads. The consumer runs this at drive-prep, trying each unlocker until
-    /// one handles the drive. `Ok(_)` = this unlocker handled it (Mt1959Unlocker also
-    /// removes bus encryption at the drive, so its result carries
-    /// `drive_unlocked: true`); `Err(NotApplicable)` = not this unlocker's drive;
-    /// `Err(Transport)` = dead bus (the consumer aborts). Default: not provided.
-    fn unlock_features(
+    /// Attempt to unlock the drive, whatever the mechanism (vendor CDB, profile
+    /// firmware handshake, AACS cert AKE, CSS auth):
+    /// `Ok(Some(unlocked))` = this one unlocked it (read `vid`/`bus_key`, stop);
+    /// `Ok(None)` = not this unlocker's drive (try the next); `Err(Transport)` =
+    /// dead bus (abort). Only a dead bus is `Err` — a missing VID, rejected
+    /// handshake, missing cert, or wrong disc kind all fall through as `Ok(None)`
+    /// (the VID inside `Unlocked` is best-effort). `&self`: stateless, returns
+    /// what it learned rather than stashing it.
+    fn unlock(
         &self,
         scsi: &mut dyn ScsiTransport,
         ctx: &UnlockCtx,
-    ) -> std::result::Result<Unlocked, UnlockError> {
-        let _ = (scsi, ctx);
-        Err(UnlockError::NotApplicable)
-    }
+    ) -> std::result::Result<Option<Unlocked>, UnlockError>;
+}
 
-    /// Remove BUS ENCRYPTION for the mounted disc (AACS host-cert handshake, or
-    /// CSS scrambled-sector auth). The consumer runs this only when the bus isn't
-    /// already clear, trying each unlocker until one handles it. Same `Ok` /
-    /// `Err(NotApplicable)` / `Err(Transport)` contract as
-    /// [`Unlocker::unlock_features`].
-    /// Default: not provided.
-    fn unlock_bus(
-        &self,
-        scsi: &mut dyn ScsiTransport,
-        ctx: &UnlockCtx,
-    ) -> std::result::Result<Unlocked, UnlockError> {
-        let _ = (scsi, ctx);
-        Err(UnlockError::NotApplicable)
+/// The shared "only a dead bus is fatal" rule every unlocker uses to turn its
+/// mechanism's `Result<Unlocked>` into the trait's outcome: success → `Some`, a
+/// dead bus → `Err(Transport)`, any other failure → `None` (fall through to the
+/// next unlocker). Written once here so the five unlockers stay identical in
+/// error handling and differ only in their CDBs and checks.
+pub(crate) fn fallthrough(
+    r: std::result::Result<Unlocked, UnlockError>,
+) -> std::result::Result<Option<Unlocked>, UnlockError> {
+    match r {
+        Ok(u) => Ok(Some(u)),
+        Err(UnlockError::Transport) => Err(UnlockError::Transport),
+        Err(_) => Ok(None),
     }
 }
 
@@ -173,75 +182,46 @@ pub fn unlocker_name(drive_id: &DriveId) -> Option<&'static str> {
     ld::firmware_name(drive_id)
 }
 
-/// Every unlocker, in dispatch order (freemkv → firmware → cert → css). This
-/// is the ONLY place an unlocker is named. Remove one = delete its line here +
-/// its module dir; the consumer never changes.
-///
-/// `FreemkvUnlocker` runs FIRST: its detection is a single, unambiguous
-/// self-identification probe (the drive's own firmware answers `"freemkv"`)
-/// rather than a profile-catalog match, so it is the cheapest and most
-/// certain check to run before falling back to the MT1959 profile lookup or
-/// the Renesas/cert/css routes.
-pub fn all_unlockers() -> Vec<Box<dyn Unlocker>> {
-    vec![
-        Box::new(freemkv::FreemkvUnlocker::new()),
-        Box::new(ld::Mt1959Unlocker::new()),
-        Box::new(renesas::Renesas::new()),
-        Box::new(aacs::AacsCert::new()),
-        Box::new(css::DvdUnlocker::new()),
-    ]
-}
-
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
-    // Dispatch order is a documented contract (`firmware → cert → css`); the
-    // consumer stops at the first unlocker that doesn't decline, so reordering
-    // this list silently changes which unlocker claims a drive.
-    #[test]
-    fn all_unlockers_dispatch_order_is_firmware_then_cert_then_css() {
-        let names: Vec<&'static str> = all_unlockers().iter().map(|u| u.name()).collect();
-        assert_eq!(names, vec!["freemkv", "MT1959", "Renesas", "AACS", "DVD"]);
+    // The canonical dispatch order the consumer assembles (freemkv → firmware →
+    // Renesas → cert → css). It lives in the consumer now (no factory), but the
+    // types are ours, so pin their names here so a rename is caught crate-local.
+    fn canonical_unlockers() -> Vec<Box<dyn Unlocker>> {
+        vec![
+            Box::new(FreemkvUnlocker::new()),
+            Box::new(LdUnlocker::new()),
+            Box::new(Renesas::new()),
+            Box::new(AacsUnlocker::new(Vec::new())),
+            Box::new(DvdUnlocker::new()),
+        ]
     }
 
-    /// Every unlocker declines by default rather than claiming a capability it
-    /// does not provide — and declines WITHOUT touching the transport, so the
-    /// consumer can iterate the whole registry on any drive.
     #[test]
-    fn unlockers_decline_capabilities_they_do_not_provide() {
-        struct DeadTransport;
-        impl scsi::ScsiTransport for DeadTransport {
-            fn execute(
-                &mut self,
-                _cdb: &[u8],
-                _dir: scsi::DataDirection,
-                _data: &mut [u8],
-                _timeout_ms: u32,
-            ) -> scsi::Result<scsi::ScsiResult> {
-                panic!("a declining unlocker must not issue a CDB");
-            }
-        }
-        let id = DriveId::default(); // matches no bundled profile
-        let ctx = UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Unencrypted, &[]);
-        let mut t = DeadTransport;
-        for u in all_unlockers() {
-            // AACS/DVD provide no drive features; Mt1959Unlocker/Renesas are the
-            // feature unlockers but decline an unknown drive identity.
+    fn unlocker_names_are_stable() {
+        let names: Vec<&'static str> = canonical_unlockers().iter().map(|u| u.name()).collect();
+        assert_eq!(names, vec!["freemkv", "LD", "Renesas", "AACS", "DVD"]);
+    }
+
+    /// The uniform contract every unlocker obeys, whatever its mechanism: on a
+    /// DEAD BUS, `unlock()` either declined before touching it (`Ok(false)`) or
+    /// engaged it and reported the fault (`Err(Transport)`) — but NEVER claims a
+    /// dead bus as unlocked, and NEVER surfaces a non-`Transport` hard error.
+    /// This is the guardrail that was missing: it holds the next new unlocker to
+    /// the same discipline the loop relies on.
+    #[test]
+    fn no_unlocker_claims_a_dead_bus_or_hard_errors() {
+        let id = DriveId::default();
+        let ctx = UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Aacs);
+        for u in canonical_unlockers() {
             let name = u.name();
-            if name == "AACS" || name == "DVD" {
-                assert_eq!(
-                    u.unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx).unwrap_err(),
-                    UnlockError::NotApplicable,
-                    "{name} must not claim drive features"
-                );
-            }
-            if name == "Renesas" {
-                assert_eq!(
-                    u.unlock_bus(&mut t, &ctx).unwrap_err(),
-                    UnlockError::NotApplicable,
-                    "{name} leaves bus removal to the cert unlocker"
-                );
+            let mut t = scsi::mock::MockTransport::always(scsi::mock::Reply::TransportFault);
+            match u.unlock(&mut t, &ctx) {
+                Ok(None) => {}                    // declined before touching — fine
+                Err(UnlockError::Transport) => {} // engaged, dead bus — fine
+                other => panic!("{name} violated the dead-bus contract: {other:?}"),
             }
         }
     }
@@ -261,7 +241,6 @@ mod tests {
         let u = Unlocked {
             vid: Some([0xAB; 16]),
             bus_key: Some([0xCD; 16]),
-            drive_unlocked: true,
         };
         let s = format!("{u:?}");
         // A derived Debug renders `[171, 171, ...]` (0xAB) / `[205, ...]` (0xCD).
@@ -270,6 +249,5 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(s.contains("[redacted]"), "must mark redaction: {s}");
         // Presence (Some/None) stays observable.
         assert!(s.contains("Some"), "must still show a key WAS present: {s}");
-        assert!(s.contains("drive_unlocked: true"));
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/renesas/mod.rs b/src/renesas/mod.rs
index 631612c..d41cb24 100644
--- a/src/renesas/mod.rs
+++ b/src/renesas/mod.rs
@@ -57,12 +57,15 @@ pub fn is_renesas(scsi: &mut dyn ScsiTransport) -> std::result::Result<bool, Unl
     }
 }
 
-/// The Renesas-platform unlocker. `pub(crate)` — reached only through
-/// [`crate::all_unlockers`].
-pub(crate) struct Renesas;
+/// The Renesas/Pioneer-platform unlocker. Its vendor "open" CDB puts the drive
+/// in the same raw-read / extended-access state the firmware routes reach (this
+/// is what MakeMKV's LibreDrive does on stock Pioneer firmware), so the Volume
+/// ID is then read with the SAME standard `0xAD` reader as freemkv/MT1959 — no
+/// host cert, no AKE. Stateless: `unlock()` returns what it learned.
+pub struct Renesas;
 
 impl Renesas {
-    pub(crate) fn new() -> Self {
+    pub fn new() -> Self {
         Renesas
     }
 
@@ -119,16 +122,19 @@ impl Unlocker for Renesas {
         "Renesas"
     }
 
-    // Gate on the `0xF1` SAT identity, then the vendor open read `0xB0@0x04`;
-    // `drive_unlocked: false` since AACS bus decryption is the cert's job.
-    // See docs/renesas-mod.md for the full MakeMKV-parity rationale.
-    fn unlock_features(
+    /// Gate on the `0xF1` SAT identity, then the vendor open read `0xB0@0x04`
+    /// (LOAD-BEARING — it's the unlock), then read the Volume ID with the shared
+    /// best-effort `0xAD` reader. `Some` once the open succeeds — the drive
+    /// serves clear content whether or not the bonus VID read did; `None` if it
+    /// isn't a Renesas drive or the open is refused; `Err(Transport)` on a dead
+    /// bus. See docs/renesas-mod.md for the MakeMKV-parity rationale.
+    fn unlock(
         &self,
         scsi: &mut dyn ScsiTransport,
         _ctx: &UnlockCtx,
-    ) -> std::result::Result<Unlocked, UnlockError> {
+    ) -> std::result::Result<Option<Unlocked>, UnlockError> {
         if !is_renesas(scsi)? {
-            return Err(UnlockError::NotApplicable);
+            return Ok(None);
         }
         if !Self::vendor_open(scsi)? {
             tracing::debug!(
@@ -136,18 +142,19 @@ impl Unlocker for Renesas {
                 phase = "renesas_open_rejected",
                 "Renesas drive recognized but RB 0xB0@0x04 refused; deferring to next unlocker"
             );
-            return Err(UnlockError::NotApplicable);
+            return Ok(None);
         }
+        // The open enabled raw reads (extended-access) — read the VID exactly as
+        // the firmware routes do. Best-effort: a VID miss must not discard the
+        // unlock (only a dead bus propagates via `?`).
+        let vid = crate::vid::read_aacs_vid(scsi)?;
         tracing::debug!(
             target: "freemkv::disc",
             phase = "renesas_opened",
-            "Renesas drive opened (RB 0xB0@0x04 GOOD); bus handled by cert"
+            has_vid = vid.is_some(),
+            "Renesas drive opened (RB 0xB0@0x04 GOOD, raw reads enabled)"
         );
-        Ok(Unlocked {
-            vid: None,
-            bus_key: None,
-            drive_unlocked: false,
-        })
+        Ok(Some(Unlocked { vid, bus_key: None }))
     }
 }
 
@@ -240,33 +247,35 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn features_report_match_without_bus_removal_on_renesas() {
+    fn opened_renesas_reports_unlocked_and_reads_vid() {
         let mut t = RenesasTransport {
             payload: renesas_payload(),
         };
         let id = crate::DriveId::default();
-        let ctx = UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Unknown, &[]);
-        // Recognized → Ok, but a feature-only unlock: bus NOT removed, no VID.
-        let u = Renesas::new()
-            .unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx)
-            .expect("renesas → Ok");
-        assert!(
-            !u.drive_unlocked,
-            "renesas does not remove the bus (cert does)"
-        );
-        assert_eq!(u.vid, None);
-        assert_eq!(u.bus_key, None);
+        let ctx = UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Unknown);
+        // Recognized + vendor-open GOOD → unlocked; the open enables raw reads,
+        // so the standard 0xAD VID read returns a (non-zero) VID best-effort.
+        let out = Renesas::new()
+            .unlock(&mut t, &ctx)
+            .expect("no fault")
+            .expect("renesas → unlocked");
+        assert!(out.vid.is_some(), "opened drive yields a VID via 0xAD");
+        assert_eq!(out.bus_key, None, "raw-read route needs no bus key");
     }
 
     /// A drive REJECTION (ILLEGAL REQUEST, with a sense) is "not a Renesas
-    /// drive" → fall through to the next unlocker.
+    /// drive" → `Ok(false)`, fall through to the next unlocker.
     #[test]
-    fn features_not_applicable_on_non_renesas() {
+    fn declines_non_renesas() {
         let mut t = RejectingTransport;
         let id = crate::DriveId::default();
-        let ctx = UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Unknown, &[]);
-        let err = Renesas::new().unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx).unwrap_err();
-        assert_eq!(err, UnlockError::NotApplicable);
+        let ctx = UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Unknown);
+        assert!(
+            Renesas::new()
+                .unlock(&mut t, &ctx)
+                .expect("non-renesas declines")
+                .is_none()
+        );
     }
 
     // Same rejection via a CONFORMING transport (`Ok` + CHECK CONDITION);
@@ -289,9 +298,9 @@ mod tests {
 
         let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::TransportFault);
         let id = crate::DriveId::default();
-        let ctx = UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Unknown, &[]);
+        let ctx = UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Unknown);
         assert_eq!(
-            Renesas::new().unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx).unwrap_err(),
+            Renesas::new().unlock(&mut t, &ctx).unwrap_err(),
             UnlockError::Transport
         );
     }
@@ -333,22 +342,13 @@ mod tests {
         }
         let mut t = GateOkOpenRefused;
         let id = crate::DriveId::default();
-        let ctx = UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Unknown, &[]);
-        assert_eq!(
-            Renesas::new().unlock_features(&mut t, &ctx).unwrap_err(),
-            UnlockError::NotApplicable
+        let ctx = UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Unknown);
+        assert!(
+            Renesas::new()
+                .unlock(&mut t, &ctx)
+                .expect("open refused → declines, not a hard error")
+                .is_none(),
+            "a refused vendor open must defer to the next unlocker"
         );
     }
-
-    #[test]
-    fn does_not_provide_bus_removal() {
-        // Renesas leaves bus encryption to the cert: unlock_bus is the default.
-        let mut t = RenesasTransport {
-            payload: renesas_payload(),
-        };
-        let id = crate::DriveId::default();
-        let ctx = UnlockCtx::new(&id, DiscKind::Aacs, &[]);
-        let err = Renesas::new().unlock_bus(&mut t, &ctx).unwrap_err();
-        assert_eq!(err, UnlockError::NotApplicable);
-    }
 }
diff --git a/src/vid.rs b/src/vid.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7855781
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/vid.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+//! Shared AACS Volume ID read — the standard `READ DISC STRUCTURE` (`0xAD`,
+//! format `0x80`) that returns the VID on a drive whose host-auth / bus has
+//! already been opened by a firmware or vendor CDB unlock (freemkv Raw Read,
+//! MT1959, or a Pioneer/Renesas vendor open). Because those routes put the
+//! drive in the same raw-read state, the VID read is identical across them — so
+//! it lives here once.
+//!
+//! BEST-EFFORT: only a dead bus is an `Err(Transport)`. A CHECK CONDITION, a
+//! short response, or an all-zero VID all yield `Ok(None)` — a VID miss must
+//! never discard an unlock that already removed the bus (a key source can still
+//! supply the key). See docs/freemkv-abi.md for the fixed-length reply rules.
+
+use crate::UnlockError;
+use crate::scsi::{DataDirection, ScsiTransport};
+
+/// The 16-byte AACS Volume ID.
+const VID_LEN: usize = 16;
+/// `READ DISC STRUCTURE` format for the Volume ID.
+const DISC_STRUCT_FMT_VID: u8 = 0x80;
+/// Response length: a 4-byte header, the 16-byte VID, and a 16-byte MAC. On the
+/// bare-read path (no bus key) the MAC can't be verified and is ignored.
+const VID_STRUCT_LEN: u16 = 36;
+
+/// The standard `0xAD` fmt-`0x80` (Blu-ray, AGID 0) Volume ID CDB — NOT a vendor
+/// knock; valid once the drive's bus/host-auth is open. Mirrors libfreemkv's
+/// `read_volume_id`.
+pub(crate) fn build_vid_cdb() -> [u8; 12] {
+    let mut cdb = [0u8; 12];
+    cdb[0] = crate::scsi::SCSI_READ_DISC_STRUCTURE;
+    cdb[1] = 0x01; // Blu-ray
+    cdb[7] = DISC_STRUCT_FMT_VID;
+    cdb[8] = (VID_STRUCT_LEN >> 8) as u8;
+    cdb[9] = (VID_STRUCT_LEN & 0xFF) as u8;
+    // cdb[10] = agid << 6; AGID 0 on the bare path (no AKE) → 0.
+    cdb
+}
+
+/// A senseless transport-failure status is a genuine dead bus, not a drive
+/// rejection surfaced through a non-conforming transport (`Err` with a sense).
+fn is_dead_bus(e: &crate::scsi::ScsiError) -> bool {
+    e.status == crate::scsi::SCSI_STATUS_TRANSPORT_FAILURE && e.sense.is_none()
+}
+
+/// Read the AACS VID with the bare `0xAD` fmt `0x80` (valid only after the drive
+/// is unlocked). `Ok(Some(vid))` on a well-formed non-zero VID; `Ok(None)` for
+/// any "no VID" outcome (rejected / short / all-zero); `Err(Transport)` only on
+/// a dead bus.
+pub(crate) fn read_aacs_vid(
+    scsi: &mut dyn ScsiTransport,
+) -> std::result::Result<Option<[u8; 16]>, UnlockError> {
+    let cdb = build_vid_cdb();
+    let mut buf = [0u8; VID_STRUCT_LEN as usize];
+    let result = match scsi.execute(&cdb, DataDirection::FromDevice, &mut buf, 5_000) {
+        Ok(r) => r,
+        Err(e) => {
+            if is_dead_bus(&e) {
+                return Err(UnlockError::Transport);
+            }
+            tracing::debug!(
+                target: "freemkv::disc",
+                phase = "vid_rejected_as_err",
+                status = e.status,
+                "bare VID read rejected (via Err); no Volume ID"
+            );
+            return Ok(None);
+        }
+    };
+    // A drive sense arrives as Ok with a non-zero status; without this check a
+    // CHECK CONDITION's zero-filled buffer would parse as a VID.
+    if result.status != 0 {
+        tracing::debug!(
+            target: "freemkv::disc",
+            phase = "vid_check_condition",
+            status = result.status,
+            "bare VID read returned a drive sense (no medium / drive not open)"
+        );
+        return Ok(None);
+    }
+    // Need the 4-byte header + the 16-byte VID.
+    if result.bytes_transferred < 4 + VID_LEN {
+        tracing::debug!(
+            target: "freemkv::disc",
+            phase = "vid_short_response",
+            bytes_transferred = result.bytes_transferred,
+            "bare VID response too short"
+        );
+        return Ok(None);
+    }
+    let mut vid = [0u8; VID_LEN];
+    vid.copy_from_slice(&buf[4..4 + VID_LEN]);
+    // An all-zero VID is what a permissive stub or an unfilled response leaves
+    // behind — reject it rather than pass a bogus key downstream.
+    if vid.iter().all(|&b| b == 0) {
+        tracing::debug!(
+            target: "freemkv::disc",
+            phase = "vid_all_zero",
+            "bare VID read returned an all-zero Volume ID"
+        );
+        return Ok(None);
+    }
+    tracing::debug!(target: "freemkv::disc", phase = "vid_ok", "Volume ID retrieved via bare 0xAD read");
+    Ok(Some(vid))
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use crate::scsi::mock::{MockTransport, Reply};
+
+    /// A well-formed format-0x80 VID structure: 4-byte header, 16-byte VID at
+    /// offset 4, 16-byte MAC (zeroed on the bare path — it isn't checked).
+    fn vid_ds_response(vid: [u8; 16]) -> Vec<u8> {
+        let mut p = vec![0u8; VID_STRUCT_LEN as usize];
+        p[4..20].copy_from_slice(&vid);
+        p
+    }
+
+    /// The bare VID read is the STANDARD 0xAD READ DISC STRUCTURE (format 0x80,
+    /// Blu-ray, AGID 0, len 36) — NOT a vendor knock.
+    #[test]
+    fn build_vid_cdb_is_standard_0xad_fmt_80() {
+        let cdb = build_vid_cdb();
+        assert_eq!(cdb[0], crate::scsi::SCSI_READ_DISC_STRUCTURE);
+        assert_eq!(cdb[1], 0x01); // Blu-ray
+        assert_eq!(cdb[7], 0x80); // AACS Volume ID
+        assert_eq!([cdb[8], cdb[9]], [0x00, 0x24]); // 36, BE16
+        assert_eq!(cdb[10], 0x00); // AGID 0 (no AKE)
+    }
+
+    /// Parses the VID from response[4..20] and issues exactly one 0xAD read.
+    #[test]
+    fn reads_and_parses_offset_4() {
+        let vid = [0x5Au8; 16];
+        let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::good(vid_ds_response(vid)));
+        let got = read_aacs_vid(&mut t).expect("no fault");
+        assert_eq!(got, Some(vid));
+        assert_eq!(t.cdbs.len(), 1, "exactly one command");
+        assert_eq!(t.cdbs[0][0], crate::scsi::SCSI_READ_DISC_STRUCTURE);
+        assert_eq!(t.cdbs[0][7], 0x80);
+    }
+
+    /// The MAC region (bytes 20..36) is ignored on the bare path.
+    #[test]
+    fn ignores_the_unverifiable_mac() {
+        let vid: [u8; 16] = [
+            0x00, 0x11, 0x22, 0x33, 0x44, 0x55, 0x66, 0x77, 0x88, 0x99, 0xAA, 0xBB, 0xCC, 0xDD,
+            0xEE, 0xFF,
+        ];
+        let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::good(vid_ds_response(vid)));
+        assert_eq!(read_aacs_vid(&mut t).expect("no fault"), Some(vid));
+    }
+
+    /// A response too short to carry header + VID → best-effort `Ok(None)`.
+    #[test]
+    fn short_response_is_none() {
+        let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::short(vid_ds_response([0x11; 16]), 19));
+        assert_eq!(read_aacs_vid(&mut t).expect("no fault"), None);
+    }
+
+    /// A CHECK CONDITION (no medium / drive not open) → `Ok(None)`, never a VID
+    /// parsed from the zero fill.
+    #[test]
+    fn check_condition_is_none() {
+        let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::illegal_request());
+        assert_eq!(read_aacs_vid(&mut t).expect("no fault"), None);
+    }
+
+    /// An all-zero VID (permissive stub / unfilled response) → `Ok(None)`.
+    #[test]
+    fn all_zero_is_none() {
+        let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::good(vid_ds_response([0u8; 16])));
+        assert_eq!(read_aacs_vid(&mut t).expect("no fault"), None);
+    }
+
+    /// Only a dead bus is an error.
+    #[test]
+    fn transport_fault_propagates() {
+        let mut t = MockTransport::always(Reply::TransportFault);
+        assert_eq!(read_aacs_vid(&mut t).unwrap_err(), UnlockError::Transport);
+    }
+}