diff --git a/internal/topdata/autogen.go b/internal/topdata/autogen.go
index fd4494d..32d93bb 100644
--- a/internal/topdata/autogen.go
+++ b/internal/topdata/autogen.go
@@ -182,17 +182,18 @@ func preserveAutogenConsumerLockEntries(collected []nativeCollectedDataset, cons
 func autogenConsumerManagedLockKeyMatcher(consumer project.AutogenConsumerConfig) func(string) bool {
 	switch consumer.Mode {
 	case "accessory_visualeffects":
-		policy := resolveAccessoryVisualeffectsPolicy(consumer, nil)
-		delimiter := policy.Delimiter
-		if delimiter == "" {
-			delimiter = "/"
+		dataset := strings.TrimSpace(consumer.Dataset)
+		if dataset == "" {
+			dataset = "visualeffects"
 		}
-		prefix := "visualeffects:"
+		prefix := dataset + ":"
+		// Build the group set from the resolved policy so consumers that omit
+		// AccessoryVisualeffects.Groups still match the four default group names.
+		policy := resolveAccessoryVisualeffectsPolicy(consumer, nil)
 		groups := make(map[string]struct{}, len(policy.Groups))
-		for group, groupPolicy := range policy.Groups {
-			token := applyAccessoryVisualeffectCase(accessoryVisualeffectGroupToken(group, groupPolicy, policy), policy)
-			if strings.TrimSpace(token) != "" {
-				groups[token] = struct{}{}
+		for group := range policy.Groups {
+			if group = strings.TrimSpace(group); group != "" {
+				groups[group] = struct{}{}
 			}
 		}
 		if len(groups) == 0 {
@@ -203,7 +204,7 @@ func autogenConsumerManagedLockKeyMatcher(consumer project.AutogenConsumerConfig
 				return false
 			}
 			rest := key[len(prefix):]
-			idx := strings.Index(rest, delimiter)
+			idx := strings.Index(rest, "/")
 			if idx <= 0 {
 				return false
 			}
@@ -1054,30 +1055,61 @@ func augmentWithAutogeneratedAccessoryVisualeffects(collected []nativeCollectedD
 			return rowID
 		}
 
+		liveLockKeys := make(map[string]struct{}, len(entries))
 		for _, entry := range entries {
 			key, label, modelStem, groupPolicy, ok := accessoryVisualeffectIdentity(dataset.Dataset.Name, entry, policy)
 			if !ok {
 				continue
 			}
+			lockKey := accessoryVisualeffectLockKey(dataset.Dataset.Name, entry)
+			liveLockKeys[lockKey] = struct{}{}
+
 			if existing, exists := rowByKey[key]; exists {
 				applyDiscoveredAccessoryVisualeffectDefaults(existing, dataset.Columns, modelStem, label, policy, groupPolicy)
+				if _, pinned := lockData[lockKey]; !pinned {
+					if rowID, ok := existing["id"].(int); ok {
+						lockData[lockKey] = rowID
+					}
+				}
 				continue
 			}
 
-			rowID, ok := lockData[key]
+			rowID, ok := lockData[lockKey]
 			if !ok {
-				if preservedRowID, preserved := historicalLockData[key]; preserved {
-					rowID = preservedRowID
-				} else {
+				switch {
+				case hasKey(historicalLockData, lockKey):
+					rowID = historicalLockData[lockKey]
+				case hasKey(historicalLockData, key):
+					// One-time cutover: adopt the ID from the old config-derived key
+					// so IDs carry over with zero shift on the key-scheme switch. The
+					// stale old key is pruned below.
+					rowID = historicalLockData[key]
+				default:
 					rowID = allocateNextID()
 				}
-				lockData[key] = rowID
+				lockData[lockKey] = rowID
 			}
 			newRow := createDefaultAccessoryVisualeffectRow(dataset.Columns, rowID, key, label, modelStem, policy, groupPolicy)
 			rows = append(rows, newRow)
 			rowByKey[key] = newRow
 		}
 
+		// Stale pruning: drop managed lock keys (this consumer's accessory keys,
+		// incl. now-superseded old config-scheme keys) that no live entry resolves
+		// to, freeing their IDs for first-free reuse. Safe here because the
+		// augmentor only runs on a successful, non-empty resolution; the fail-open
+		// paths skip it entirely and never reach this code.
+		if managed := autogenConsumerManagedLockKeyMatcher(consumer); managed != nil {
+			for lk := range lockData {
+				if _, live := liveLockKeys[lk]; live {
+					continue
+				}
+				if managed(lk) {
+					delete(lockData, lk)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
 		slices.SortFunc(rows, func(a, b map[string]any) int {
 			return a["id"].(int) - b["id"].(int)
 		})
@@ -1096,6 +1128,20 @@ func nextAvailableAutogenID(used map[int]struct{}) int {
 	}
 }
 
+// accessoryVisualeffectLockKey is the model-anchored autogen lock identity:
+// the dataset namespace prefix plus the model source path from vfxs.yml (leading
+// vfxs/ already stripped on entry.Source). Config-derived presentation parts
+// (group token, category, delimiter, case, prefix-stripping) are deliberately
+// excluded so a config-only edit never reshuffles row IDs.
+func accessoryVisualeffectLockKey(dataset string, entry autogenManifestEntry) string {
+	return dataset + ":" + strings.TrimPrefix(filepath.ToSlash(strings.TrimSpace(entry.Source)), "vfxs/")
+}
+
+func hasKey(m map[string]int, key string) bool {
+	_, ok := m[key]
+	return ok
+}
+
 type accessoryVisualeffectsPolicy struct {
 	Groups             map[string]accessoryVisualeffectsGroupPolicy
 	GroupTokenSource   string
diff --git a/internal/topdata/autogen_lock_identity_test.go b/internal/topdata/autogen_lock_identity_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3feb059
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/topdata/autogen_lock_identity_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+package topdata
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"git.westgate.pw/ShadowsOverWestgate/sow-tools/internal/project"
+)
+
+func accConsumer() project.AutogenConsumerConfig {
+	return project.AutogenConsumerConfig{
+		ID: "accessory_visualeffects", Producer: "accessory_visualeffects",
+		Dataset: "visualeffects", Mode: "accessory_visualeffects", Optional: true,
+		AccessoryVisualeffects: project.AccessoryVisualeffectsConfig{
+			Groups: map[string]project.AccessoryVisualeffectGroupConfig{
+				"head_accessories": {ModelColumns: []string{"Imp_HeadCon_Node"}},
+			},
+			GroupTokenSource: "folder_name", CategoryFrom: "immediate_parent",
+			Delimiter: "/", Case: "preserve",
+			StripModelPrefixes: []string{"hfx_"},
+			KeyFormat:          "{dataset}:{group}{delimiter}{category_segment}{stem}",
+			LabelFormat:        "{group}{delimiter}{category_segment}{stem}",
+			ModelColumn:        "Imp_HeadCon_Node",
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+func vfxEntry() autogenManifestEntry {
+	return autogenManifestEntry{
+		Source: "head_accessories/hat/hfx_bandana.mdl", Group: "head_accessories",
+		Subgroup: "hat", ModelStem: "hfx_bandana",
+	}
+}
+
+func vfxDataset(lock map[string]int) nativeCollectedDataset {
+	return nativeCollectedDataset{
+		Dataset:  nativeDataset{Name: "visualeffects", Kind: nativeDatasetBase},
+		Columns:  []string{"Label", "Imp_HeadCon_Node"},
+		Rows:     nil,
+		LockData: lock,
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAccessoryLockKeyIsModelAnchored(t *testing.T) {
+	got := accessoryVisualeffectLockKey("visualeffects", vfxEntry())
+	want := "visualeffects:head_accessories/hat/hfx_bandana.mdl"
+	if got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("lock key = %q, want %q", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+// A config-only change (here: a different key_format) must NOT move the ID,
+// because identity is the model path, not the presentation key.
+func TestConfigOnlyChangeKeepsLockID(t *testing.T) {
+	lockKey := "visualeffects:head_accessories/hat/hfx_bandana.mdl"
+	collected := []nativeCollectedDataset{vfxDataset(map[string]int{lockKey: 555})}
+
+	c := accConsumer()
+	c.AccessoryVisualeffects.KeyFormat = "{dataset}:{stem}" // config-only change
+	got, err := augmentWithAutogeneratedAccessoryVisualeffects(collected, []autogenManifestEntry{vfxEntry()}, c, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("augment failed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got[0].LockData[lockKey] != 555 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected ID preserved at 555, got %#v", got[0].LockData)
+	}
+}
+
+// A model re-export (same path) keeps its ID — content change != identity change.
+func TestModelReExportKeepsLockID(t *testing.T) {
+	lockKey := "visualeffects:head_accessories/hat/hfx_bandana.mdl"
+	collected := []nativeCollectedDataset{vfxDataset(map[string]int{lockKey: 777})}
+	got, err := augmentWithAutogeneratedAccessoryVisualeffects(collected, []autogenManifestEntry{vfxEntry()}, accConsumer(), nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("augment failed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got[0].LockData[lockKey] != 777 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected ID 777 preserved, got %#v", got[0].LockData)
+	}
+}
+
+// A removed model frees its old ID; the surviving model keeps its lock entry.
+func TestModelRemovalPrunesStaleLockKey(t *testing.T) {
+	keep := "visualeffects:head_accessories/hat/hfx_bandana.mdl"
+	gone := "visualeffects:head_accessories/hat/hfx_removed.mdl"
+	collected := []nativeCollectedDataset{vfxDataset(map[string]int{keep: 1, gone: 2})}
+	got, err := augmentWithAutogeneratedAccessoryVisualeffects(collected, []autogenManifestEntry{vfxEntry()}, accConsumer(), nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("augment failed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, present := got[0].LockData[gone]; present {
+		t.Fatalf("expected removed model's lock key pruned, got %#v", got[0].LockData)
+	}
+	if got[0].LockData[keep] != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected surviving model ID 1 kept, got %#v", got[0].LockData)
+	}
+}
+
+// Cutover: a lock that only has the OLD config-derived key adopts that ID under
+// the new model-path key, with zero shift, and prunes the old key.
+func TestCutoverRemapPreservesID(t *testing.T) {
+	oldKey := "visualeffects:head_accessories/hat/bandana" // {dataset}:{group}/{category}/{stem-without-hfx_}
+	newKey := "visualeffects:head_accessories/hat/hfx_bandana.mdl"
+	collected := []nativeCollectedDataset{vfxDataset(map[string]int{oldKey: 4242})}
+	got, err := augmentWithAutogeneratedAccessoryVisualeffects(collected, []autogenManifestEntry{vfxEntry()}, accConsumer(), nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("augment failed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got[0].LockData[newKey] != 4242 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected cutover to carry ID 4242 to new key, got %#v", got[0].LockData)
+	}
+	if _, present := got[0].LockData[oldKey]; present {
+		t.Fatalf("expected old config key pruned after cutover, got %#v", got[0].LockData)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/topdata/autogen_manifest_file_test.go b/internal/topdata/autogen_manifest_file_test.go
index b581ec3..c99db46 100644
--- a/internal/topdata/autogen_manifest_file_test.go
+++ b/internal/topdata/autogen_manifest_file_test.go
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ func TestApplyAutogenConsumersReadsManifestFile(t *testing.T) {
 	if row["key"] != "visualeffects:head_accessories/hat/bandana" || row["Imp_HeadCon_Node"] != "hfx_bandana" {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected generated row: %#v", row)
 	}
-	if _, ok := got[0].LockData["visualeffects:head_accessories/hat/bandana"]; !ok {
+	if _, ok := got[0].LockData["visualeffects:head_accessories/hat/hfx_bandana.mdl"]; !ok {
 		t.Fatalf("expected lock id for generated accessory, got %#v", got[0].LockData)
 	}
 	// Authored key untouched.
diff --git a/internal/topdata/topdata_test.go b/internal/topdata/topdata_test.go
index 4529cde..76fc42c 100644
--- a/internal/topdata/topdata_test.go
+++ b/internal/topdata/topdata_test.go
@@ -7706,13 +7706,13 @@ func TestApplyAutogenConsumersAugmentsAccessoryVisualeffectsFromLocalOverride(t
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected head feature defaults: %#v", hair)
 	}
 
-	if _, ok := got[0].LockData["visualeffects:head_accessories/hat/bandana"]; !ok {
+	if _, ok := got[0].LockData["visualeffects:head_accessories/hat/hfx_bandana.mdl"]; !ok {
 		t.Fatalf("expected head accessory lock id, got %#v", got[0].LockData)
 	}
-	if _, ok := got[0].LockData["visualeffects:head_decorations/laurel/laurel"]; !ok {
+	if _, ok := got[0].LockData["visualeffects:head_decorations/laurel/hfx_laurel.mdl"]; !ok {
 		t.Fatalf("expected head decoration lock id, got %#v", got[0].LockData)
 	}
-	if _, ok := got[0].LockData["visualeffects:head_features/hair/hair_bangs"]; !ok {
+	if _, ok := got[0].LockData["visualeffects:head_features/hair/hfx_hair_bangs.mdl"]; !ok {
 		t.Fatalf("expected head feature lock id, got %#v", got[0].LockData)
 	}
 }