diff --git a/src/libs/collect.c b/src/libs/collect.c
index 4effcf23b906..dd8d278a1e04 100644
--- a/src/libs/collect.c
+++ b/src/libs/collect.c
@@ -2786,18 +2786,187 @@ void gui_reset(dt_lib_module_t *self)
                              DT_COLLECTION_PROP_UNDEF, NULL);
 }
 
+// Returns TRUE if the folder still corresponds to at least one film roll,
+// either directly or as an ancestor of one. This mirrors the folders tree,
+// where a node exists as long as a film roll lives at or below it.
+static gboolean _folder_exists(const char *folder)
+{
+  if(!folder || !*folder) return FALSE;
+
+  gboolean exists = FALSE;
+  sqlite3_stmt *stmt = NULL;
+  gchar *child = g_strconcat(folder, G_DIR_SEPARATOR_S, "%", NULL);
+  DT_DEBUG_SQLITE3_PREPARE_V2
+    (dt_database_get(darktable.db),
+     "SELECT 1 FROM main.film_rolls WHERE folder = ?1 OR folder LIKE ?2 LIMIT 1",
+     -1, &stmt, NULL);
+  DT_DEBUG_SQLITE3_BIND_TEXT(stmt, 1, folder, -1, SQLITE_TRANSIENT);
+  DT_DEBUG_SQLITE3_BIND_TEXT(stmt, 2, child, -1, SQLITE_TRANSIENT);
+  if(sqlite3_step(stmt) == SQLITE_ROW) exists = TRUE;
+  sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
+  g_free(child);
+  return exists;
+}
+
+// Resolve a folder path to the film roll that best corresponds to it, so
+// that switching from the folders to the film roll view keeps the user near
+// where they were instead of forcing them to retraverse the tree.
+// Returns a newly allocated film roll folder path, or NULL if none exists.
+// Preference order: an exact match (1:1), else the closest film roll that
+// contains the folder (nearest ancestor), else the closest film roll
+// contained in the folder (nearest descendant).
+static gchar *_filmroll_for_folder(const char *folder)
+{
+  if(!folder || !*folder) return NULL;
+
+  gchar *result = NULL;
+  sqlite3_stmt *stmt = NULL;
+
+  // 1:1 exact match
+  DT_DEBUG_SQLITE3_PREPARE_V2
+    (dt_database_get(darktable.db),
+     "SELECT folder FROM main.film_rolls WHERE folder = ?1", -1, &stmt, NULL);
+  DT_DEBUG_SQLITE3_BIND_TEXT(stmt, 1, folder, -1, SQLITE_TRANSIENT);
+  if(sqlite3_step(stmt) == SQLITE_ROW)
+    result = g_strdup((const char *)sqlite3_column_text(stmt, 0));
+  sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
+  if(result) return result;
+
+  // closest containing film roll (nearest ancestor)
+  DT_DEBUG_SQLITE3_PREPARE_V2
+    (dt_database_get(darktable.db),
+     "SELECT folder FROM main.film_rolls"
+     " WHERE ?1 LIKE folder || ?2"
+     " ORDER BY LENGTH(folder) DESC LIMIT 1", -1, &stmt, NULL);
+  DT_DEBUG_SQLITE3_BIND_TEXT(stmt, 1, folder, -1, SQLITE_TRANSIENT);
+  DT_DEBUG_SQLITE3_BIND_TEXT(stmt, 2, G_DIR_SEPARATOR_S "%", -1, SQLITE_TRANSIENT);
+  if(sqlite3_step(stmt) == SQLITE_ROW)
+    result = g_strdup((const char *)sqlite3_column_text(stmt, 0));
+  sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
+  if(result) return result;
+
+  // closest contained film roll (nearest descendant)
+  gchar *child_pattern = g_strconcat(folder, G_DIR_SEPARATOR_S, "%", NULL);
+  DT_DEBUG_SQLITE3_PREPARE_V2
+    (dt_database_get(darktable.db),
+     "SELECT folder FROM main.film_rolls"
+     " WHERE folder LIKE ?1"
+     " ORDER BY LENGTH(folder) ASC LIMIT 1", -1, &stmt, NULL);
+  DT_DEBUG_SQLITE3_BIND_TEXT(stmt, 1, child_pattern, -1, SQLITE_TRANSIENT);
+  if(sqlite3_step(stmt) == SQLITE_ROW)
+    result = g_strdup((const char *)sqlite3_column_text(stmt, 0));
+  sqlite3_finalize(stmt);
+  g_free(child_pattern);
+
+  return result;
+}
+
+// Strip the folders-collection suffixes (`*`, `|%`, trailing separator or
+// `%`) from a rule value to recover a plain filesystem path. Returns a
+// newly allocated string.
+static gchar *_folder_plain_path(const char *text)
+{
+  gchar *folder = g_strdup(text ? text : "");
+  size_t len = strlen(folder);
+  if(len && folder[len - 1] == '*') folder[--len] = '\0';
+  if(len >= 2 && g_str_has_suffix(folder, "|%")) { len -= 2; folder[len] = '\0'; }
+  while(len && (folder[len - 1] == G_DIR_SEPARATOR || folder[len - 1] == '%'))
+    folder[--len] = '\0';
+  return folder;
+}
+
+// When a filesystem operation (move/delete/erase) removes the film roll or
+// folder the active rule points at, repoint it at the closest still existing
+// entry instead of letting the collection module collapse back to the tree
+// root. The selection is left untouched while its target still exists.
+// Returns TRUE if the rule's stored value was changed.
+static gboolean _fixup_stale_selection(dt_lib_collect_t *d)
+{
+  const int active = d->active_rule;
+  const int property = _combo_get_active_collection(d->rule[active].combo);
+
+  if(property != DT_COLLECTION_PROP_FILMROLL
+     && property != DT_COLLECTION_PROP_FOLDERS)
+    return FALSE;
+
+  char confname[200] = { 0 };
+  snprintf(confname, sizeof(confname),
+           "plugins/lighttable/collect/string%1d", active);
+  gchar *text = dt_conf_get_string(confname);
+  if(!text || !text[0])
+  {
+    g_free(text);
+    return FALSE;
+  }
+
+  gchar *folder = _folder_plain_path(text);
+  gboolean changed = FALSE;
+
+  // a folder node survives as long as a film roll lives at or under it, so we
+  // only repoint when it has vanished entirely; film rolls are an exact match
+  // and _filmroll_for_folder() returns the path unchanged while it exists.
+  if(property != DT_COLLECTION_PROP_FOLDERS || !_folder_exists(folder))
+  {
+    gchar *closest = _filmroll_for_folder(folder);
+    if(g_strcmp0(closest, folder) != 0)
+    {
+      dt_conf_set_string(confname, closest ? closest : "");
+      changed = TRUE;
+    }
+    g_free(closest);
+  }
+
+  g_free(folder);
+  g_free(text);
+  return changed;
+}
+
 static void combo_changed(GtkWidget *combo,
                           dt_lib_collect_rule_t *d)
 {
   DT_GUARD_GUI_UPDATE();
+  dt_lib_collect_t *c = get_collect(d);
+  c->active_rule = d->num;
+  const int property = _combo_get_active_collection(d->combo);
+
+  // When switching between the film roll and folders views, both store the
+  // full folder path as their value, so we carry the current selection over
+  // instead of forcing the user to retraverse the tree to find where they
+  // were.
+  // - film roll -> folders: keep the path verbatim (same exact-match query,
+  //   the displayed collection is left unchanged and the tree opens there).
+  // - folders -> film roll: resolve the folder to the closest film roll
+  //   (1:1 match, else nearest containing/contained film roll).
+  char confname[200] = { 0 };
+  snprintf(confname, sizeof(confname),
+           "plugins/lighttable/collect/item%1d", d->num);
+  const int prev_property = dt_conf_get_int(confname);
+  const gchar *cur_text = gtk_entry_get_text(GTK_ENTRY(d->text));
+  const gboolean has_text = cur_text && cur_text[0];
+
+  const gboolean keep_path = prev_property == DT_COLLECTION_PROP_FILMROLL
+                             && property == DT_COLLECTION_PROP_FOLDERS
+                             && has_text;
+
+  gchar *resolved_filmroll = NULL;
+  if(prev_property == DT_COLLECTION_PROP_FOLDERS
+     && property == DT_COLLECTION_PROP_FILMROLL
+     && has_text)
+  {
+    gchar *folder = _folder_plain_path(cur_text);
+    resolved_filmroll = _filmroll_for_folder(folder);
+    g_free(folder);
+  }
+
   g_signal_handlers_block_matched(d->text, G_SIGNAL_MATCH_FUNC, 0, 0, NULL,
                                   entry_changed, NULL);
-  gtk_entry_set_text(GTK_ENTRY(d->text), "");
+  if(resolved_filmroll)
+    gtk_entry_set_text(GTK_ENTRY(d->text), resolved_filmroll);
+  else if(!keep_path)
+    gtk_entry_set_text(GTK_ENTRY(d->text), "");
   g_signal_handlers_unblock_matched(d->text, G_SIGNAL_MATCH_FUNC, 0, 0, NULL,
                                     entry_changed, NULL);
-  dt_lib_collect_t *c = get_collect(d);
-  c->active_rule = d->num;
-  const int property = _combo_get_active_collection(d->combo);
+  g_free(resolved_filmroll);
 
   if(property == DT_COLLECTION_PROP_FOLDERS
      || property == DT_COLLECTION_PROP_TAG
@@ -2813,8 +2982,6 @@ static void combo_changed(GtkWidget *combo,
   gchar *order = NULL;
   if(c->active_rule == 0)
   {
-    const int prev_property = dt_conf_get_int("plugins/lighttable/collect/item0");
-
     if(prev_property != DT_COLLECTION_PROP_TAG
        && property == DT_COLLECTION_PROP_TAG)
     {
@@ -3137,9 +3304,14 @@ static void collection_updated(gpointer instance,
   d->view_rule = -1;
   d->rule[d->active_rule].typing = FALSE;
 
+  // if a move/delete/erase removed the selected film roll/folder, repoint the
+  // rule at the closest survivor so we don't collapse back to the tree root
+  const gboolean repointed = _fixup_stale_selection(d);
+
   // determine if we want to refresh the tree or not
   gboolean refresh = TRUE;
-  if(query_change == DT_COLLECTION_CHANGE_RELOAD
+  if(!repointed
+     && query_change == DT_COLLECTION_CHANGE_RELOAD
      && changed_property != DT_COLLECTION_PROP_UNDEF)
   {
     // if we only reload the collection, that means that we don't
@@ -3159,6 +3331,19 @@ static void collection_updated(gpointer instance,
 
   if(refresh)
     _lib_collect_gui_update(self);
+
+  if(repointed)
+  {
+    // the collection was queried from the now-stale rule; re-run it from the
+    // corrected value so the displayed images follow the new selection. Block
+    // ourselves to avoid recursing through this same handler.
+    dt_control_signal_block_by_func(darktable.signals, G_CALLBACK(collection_updated),
+                                    darktable.view_manager->proxy.module_collect.module);
+    dt_collection_update_query(darktable.collection, DT_COLLECTION_CHANGE_NEW_QUERY,
+                               DT_COLLECTION_PROP_UNDEF, NULL);
+    dt_control_signal_unblock_by_func(darktable.signals, G_CALLBACK(collection_updated),
+                                      darktable.view_manager->proxy.module_collect.module);
+  }
 }