diff --git a/scripts/ingest.ps1 b/scripts/ingest.ps1
index b4ef2f796..3f85bca3b 100644
--- a/scripts/ingest.ps1
+++ b/scripts/ingest.ps1
@@ -19,17 +19,23 @@ $ProgressPreference = 'SilentlyContinue'
 $COLLECTOR_VERSION = "0.157.0"
 $INSTALL_DIR = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\parseable-otelcol"
 $COLLECTOR_EXE = "$INSTALL_DIR\otelcol.exe"
-$CONFIG_FILE = "$PSScriptRoot\otelcol.yaml"
-$PID_FILE = "$PSScriptRoot\otelcol.pid"
-$LOG_FILE = "$PSScriptRoot\otelcol.log"
-$ERROR_LOG_FILE = "$PSScriptRoot\otelcol.err.log"
+$SCRIPT_DIR = if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($PSScriptRoot)) {
+    (Get-Location).Path
+}
+else {
+    $PSScriptRoot
+}
+$CONFIG_FILE = Join-Path $SCRIPT_DIR "otelcol.yaml"
+$PID_FILE = Join-Path $SCRIPT_DIR "otelcol.pid"
+$LOG_FILE = Join-Path $SCRIPT_DIR "otelcol.log"
+$ERROR_LOG_FILE = Join-Path $SCRIPT_DIR "otelcol.err.log"
 
 $SCRIPT_PATH = $PSCommandPath
 if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($SCRIPT_PATH)) {
     $SCRIPT_PATH = $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
 }
 if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($SCRIPT_PATH)) {
-    $SCRIPT_PATH = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "ingest.ps1"
+    $SCRIPT_PATH = Join-Path $SCRIPT_DIR "ingest.ps1"
 }
 $SCRIPT_CMD = "powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File '$SCRIPT_PATH'"
 
@@ -48,6 +54,11 @@ function Write-ErrorMsg {
     Write-Host "[ERROR] $Message" -ForegroundColor Red
 }
 
+function ConvertTo-PowerShellSingleQuoted {
+    param([string]$Value)
+    return "'" + $Value.Replace("'", "''") + "'"
+}
+
 function Write-ParseableBanner {
     $accent = "$([char]27)[38;2;158;158;240m"
     $reset = "$([char]27)[0m"
@@ -135,9 +146,19 @@ function Stop-Collector {
 
         try {
             Stop-Process -Id $processId -Force -ErrorAction Stop
-            Start-Sleep -Seconds 2
+            for ($attempt = 0; $attempt -lt 10; $attempt++) {
+                if ($null -eq (Get-Process -Id $processId -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+                    break
+                }
+                Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
+            }
+
+            if ($null -ne (Get-Process -Id $processId -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+                throw "Process $processId did not stop within 10 seconds; PID file was preserved."
+            }
+
+            Remove-Item $PID_FILE -Force -ErrorAction Stop
             Write-Info "OpenTelemetry Collector stopped successfully"
-            Remove-Item $PID_FILE -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
         }
         catch {
             Write-ErrorMsg "Failed to stop OpenTelemetry Collector: $_"
@@ -158,8 +179,10 @@ function Show-Status {
         Write-Info "Config file: $CONFIG_FILE"
         Write-Info "Log file: $LOG_FILE"
         Write-Info "Error log file: $ERROR_LOG_FILE"
-        Write-Info "To see logs: $SCRIPT_CMD logs"
-        Write-Info "To stop: $SCRIPT_CMD stop"
+        $pidFileCommand = ConvertTo-PowerShellSingleQuoted $PID_FILE
+        $errorLogFileCommand = ConvertTo-PowerShellSingleQuoted $ERROR_LOG_FILE
+        Write-Info "To see logs: Get-Content $errorLogFileCommand -Tail 80 -Wait"
+        Write-Info "To stop: Stop-Process -Id (Get-Content $pidFileCommand); Remove-Item $pidFileCommand"
     }
     else {
         Write-Warning "OpenTelemetry Collector is not running"
@@ -292,15 +315,18 @@ function Start-Collector {
     $stillRunning = Get-Process -Id $process.Id -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
     if (-not $stillRunning) {
         Write-ErrorMsg "OpenTelemetry Collector exited immediately"
-        Write-ErrorMsg "Run '$SCRIPT_CMD logs' to see error details"
+        $errorLogFileCommand = ConvertTo-PowerShellSingleQuoted $ERROR_LOG_FILE
+        Write-ErrorMsg "Check logs: Get-Content $errorLogFileCommand -Tail 80"
         Remove-Item $PID_FILE -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
         exit 1
     }
 
+    $pidFileCommand = ConvertTo-PowerShellSingleQuoted $PID_FILE
+    $errorLogFileCommand = ConvertTo-PowerShellSingleQuoted $ERROR_LOG_FILE
     Write-Info "OpenTelemetry Collector started successfully (PID: $($process.Id))"
-    Write-Info "To check status: $SCRIPT_CMD status"
-    Write-Info "To see logs: $SCRIPT_CMD logs"
-    Write-Info "To stop: $SCRIPT_CMD stop"
+    Write-Info "To check status: Get-Process -Id (Get-Content $pidFileCommand)"
+    Write-Info "To see logs: Get-Content $errorLogFileCommand -Tail 80 -Wait"
+    Write-Info "To stop: Stop-Process -Id (Get-Content $pidFileCommand); Remove-Item $pidFileCommand"
     return $true
 }
 
@@ -432,7 +458,9 @@ function Setup-Collector {
 
     $configContent = ($configLines -join [Environment]::NewLine) + [Environment]::NewLine
     $utf8NoBom = New-Object System.Text.UTF8Encoding $false
-    $tempConfigFile = "$CONFIG_FILE.$([guid]::NewGuid().ToString('N')).tmp"
+    $configUpdateId = [guid]::NewGuid().ToString('N')
+    $tempConfigFile = "$CONFIG_FILE.$configUpdateId.tmp"
+    $backupConfigFile = "$CONFIG_FILE.$configUpdateId.bak"
 
     try {
         $tempConfigStream = [System.IO.File]::Create($tempConfigFile)
@@ -462,15 +490,20 @@ function Setup-Collector {
 
         if (Test-Path $CONFIG_FILE) {
             Set-Acl -Path $CONFIG_FILE -AclObject $acl -ErrorAction Stop
-            [System.IO.File]::Replace($tempConfigFile, $CONFIG_FILE, $null)
+            [System.IO.File]::Replace($tempConfigFile, $CONFIG_FILE, $backupConfigFile)
         }
         else {
             [System.IO.File]::Move($tempConfigFile, $CONFIG_FILE)
         }
         Set-Acl -Path $CONFIG_FILE -AclObject $acl -ErrorAction Stop
     }
+    catch {
+        Write-ErrorMsg "Failed to update OpenTelemetry Collector configuration: $_"
+        exit 1
+    }
     finally {
         Remove-Item $tempConfigFile -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        Remove-Item $backupConfigFile -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
     }
 
     if (Test-CollectorRunning) {
diff --git a/scripts/ingest.sh b/scripts/ingest.sh
index 6ba35dc58..862500118 100755
--- a/scripts/ingest.sh
+++ b/scripts/ingest.sh
@@ -82,7 +82,10 @@ stop_collector() {
     if is_running; then
         PID=$(cat "$PID_FILE")
         print_info "Stopping OpenTelemetry Collector (PID: $PID)..."
-        kill "$PID"
+        if ! kill "$PID"; then
+            print_error "Failed to stop OpenTelemetry Collector; PID file was preserved"
+            return 1
+        fi
 
         for _ in {1..10}; do
             if ! ps -p "$PID" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
@@ -93,11 +96,28 @@ stop_collector() {
             sleep 1
         done
 
-        if ps -p "$PID" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        if is_running; then
             print_warning "Force killing OpenTelemetry Collector..."
-            kill -9 "$PID"
-            rm -f "$PID_FILE"
+            if ! kill -9 "$PID"; then
+                print_error "Failed to force stop OpenTelemetry Collector; PID file was preserved"
+                return 1
+            fi
+
+            for _ in {1..5}; do
+                if ! ps -p "$PID" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+                    rm -f "$PID_FILE"
+                    print_info "✓ OpenTelemetry Collector stopped successfully"
+                    return 0
+                fi
+                sleep 1
+            done
+
+            print_error "OpenTelemetry Collector did not stop; PID file was preserved"
+            return 1
         fi
+
+        rm -f "$PID_FILE"
+        print_info "✓ OpenTelemetry Collector stopped successfully"
     else
         print_warning "OpenTelemetry Collector is not running"
         if [ -f "$PID_FILE" ]; then
@@ -256,8 +276,8 @@ start_collector() {
     if ps -p "$PID" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
         print_info "✓ OpenTelemetry Collector started successfully (PID: $PID)"
         print_info "View logs:     tail -f $LOG_FILE"
-        print_info "Check status:  $0 status"
-        print_info "Stop:          $0 stop"
+        print_info "Check status:  ps -p \$(cat $PID_FILE) -o pid,ppid,user,%cpu,%mem,etime,command"
+        print_info "Stop:          kill \$(cat $PID_FILE) && rm -f $PID_FILE"
     else
         print_error "✗ OpenTelemetry Collector failed to start. Check logs: cat $LOG_FILE"
         rm -f "$PID_FILE"
diff --git a/src/alerts/mod.rs b/src/alerts/mod.rs
index b1c4db85a..b8e1a8921 100644
--- a/src/alerts/mod.rs
+++ b/src/alerts/mod.rs
@@ -169,6 +169,10 @@ pub fn create_default_alerts_manager() -> Alerts {
     alerts
 }
 
+fn alert_tenant_from_storage_key(tenant: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    (!tenant.is_empty() && tenant != DEFAULT_TENANT).then(|| tenant.to_owned())
+}
+
 pub async fn user_auth_for_alert_config(
     session: &SessionKey,
     alert: &AlertConfig,
@@ -1174,18 +1178,14 @@ impl AlertManagerTrait for Alerts {
         let mut map = self.alerts.write().await;
 
         for (tenant_id, raw_bytes) in raw_objects {
-            let tenant = if tenant_id.is_empty() {
-                &None
-            } else {
-                &Some(tenant_id.clone())
-            };
+            let tenant = alert_tenant_from_storage_key(&tenant_id);
             for alert_bytes in raw_bytes {
-                let Some(mut alert) = parse_alert_config(&alert_bytes, tenant).await else {
+                let Some(mut alert) = parse_alert_config(&alert_bytes, &tenant).await else {
                     continue;
                 };
 
                 // ensure that alert config's tenant is correctly set
-                alert.tenant_id.clone_from(tenant);
+                alert.tenant_id.clone_from(&tenant);
 
                 let alert = match alert_from_config_oss(alert) {
                     Ok(alert) => alert,
@@ -1673,3 +1673,19 @@ fn get_severity_priority(severity: &Severity) -> u8 {
         Severity::Low => 3,
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::alert_tenant_from_storage_key;
+    use crate::parseable::DEFAULT_TENANT;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn default_storage_tenant_is_not_an_explicit_tenant() {
+        assert_eq!(alert_tenant_from_storage_key(""), None);
+        assert_eq!(alert_tenant_from_storage_key(DEFAULT_TENANT), None);
+        assert_eq!(
+            alert_tenant_from_storage_key("tenant-a"),
+            Some("tenant-a".to_owned())
+        );
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/metastore/metastores/object_store_metastore.rs b/src/metastore/metastores/object_store_metastore.rs
index 9b8481747..d966ac388 100644
--- a/src/metastore/metastores/object_store_metastore.rs
+++ b/src/metastore/metastores/object_store_metastore.rs
@@ -325,11 +325,17 @@ impl Metastore for ObjectStoreMetastore {
         obj: &dyn MetastoreObject,
         tenant_id: &Option<String>,
     ) -> Result<(), MetastoreError> {
-        let path = obj.get_object_path();
-        Ok(self
-            .storage
-            .delete_object(&RelativePathBuf::from(path), tenant_id)
-            .await?)
+        let id = Ulid::from_string(&obj.get_object_id()).map_err(|e| MetastoreError::Error {
+            status_code: StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST,
+            message: e.to_string(),
+            flow: "delete_alert".into(),
+        })?;
+        let path = alert_json_path(id, tenant_id);
+        match self.storage.delete_object(&path, tenant_id).await {
+            Ok(()) => Ok(()),
+            Err(err) if is_missing_optional_dir(&err) => Ok(()),
+            Err(err) => Err(MetastoreError::ObjectStorageError(err)),
+        }
     }
 
     /// alerts state
@@ -439,11 +445,17 @@ impl Metastore for ObjectStoreMetastore {
         obj: &dyn MetastoreObject,
         tenant_id: &Option<String>,
     ) -> Result<(), MetastoreError> {
-        let path = obj.get_object_path();
-        Ok(self
-            .storage
-            .delete_object(&RelativePathBuf::from(path), tenant_id)
-            .await?)
+        let id = Ulid::from_string(&obj.get_object_id()).map_err(|e| MetastoreError::Error {
+            status_code: StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST,
+            message: e.to_string(),
+            flow: "delete_alert_state".into(),
+        })?;
+        let path = alert_state_json_path(id, tenant_id);
+        match self.storage.delete_object(&path, tenant_id).await {
+            Ok(()) => Ok(()),
+            Err(err) if is_missing_optional_dir(&err) => Ok(()),
+            Err(err) => Err(MetastoreError::ObjectStorageError(err)),
+        }
     }
 
     /// Get MTTR history from storage
@@ -1506,3 +1518,87 @@ impl Metastore for ObjectStoreMetastore {
         }
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use crate::storage::LocalFS;
+
+    #[derive(serde::Serialize)]
+    struct TestMetastoreObject {
+        id: Ulid,
+        path: String,
+    }
+
+    impl MetastoreObject for TestMetastoreObject {
+        fn get_object_path(&self) -> String {
+            self.path.clone()
+        }
+
+        fn get_object_id(&self) -> String {
+            self.id.to_string()
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn delete_alert_uses_request_tenant_path_and_is_idempotent() {
+        let temp_dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let storage = Arc::new(LocalFS::new(temp_dir.path().to_path_buf()));
+        let metastore = ObjectStoreMetastore {
+            storage: storage.clone(),
+        };
+        let id = Ulid::new();
+        let tenant_id = None;
+        let path = alert_json_path(id, &tenant_id);
+        storage
+            .put_object(&path, Bytes::from_static(b"{}"), &tenant_id)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        let object = TestMetastoreObject {
+            id,
+            path: format!("{DEFAULT_TENANT}/{ALERTS_ROOT_DIRECTORY}/{id}.json"),
+        };
+
+        metastore.delete_alert(&object, &tenant_id).await.unwrap();
+        metastore.delete_alert(&object, &tenant_id).await.unwrap();
+
+        assert!(matches!(
+            storage.get_object(&path, &tenant_id).await,
+            Err(ObjectStorageError::NoSuchKey(_))
+        ));
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn delete_alert_state_uses_request_tenant_path_and_is_idempotent() {
+        let temp_dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let storage = Arc::new(LocalFS::new(temp_dir.path().to_path_buf()));
+        let metastore = ObjectStoreMetastore {
+            storage: storage.clone(),
+        };
+        let id = Ulid::new();
+        let tenant_id = None;
+        let path = alert_state_json_path(id, &tenant_id);
+        storage
+            .put_object(&path, Bytes::from_static(b"{}"), &tenant_id)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        let object = TestMetastoreObject {
+            id,
+            path: format!("{DEFAULT_TENANT}/{ALERTS_ROOT_DIRECTORY}/alert_state_{id}.json"),
+        };
+
+        metastore
+            .delete_alert_state(&object, &tenant_id)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        metastore
+            .delete_alert_state(&object, &tenant_id)
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        assert!(matches!(
+            storage.get_object(&path, &tenant_id).await,
+            Err(ObjectStorageError::NoSuchKey(_))
+        ));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/storage/mod.rs b/src/storage/mod.rs
index cdfb605c4..5c6a2e36c 100644
--- a/src/storage/mod.rs
+++ b/src/storage/mod.rs
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ mod azure_blob;
 pub mod field_stats;
 mod gcs;
 mod localfs;
+#[cfg(test)]
+pub(crate) use localfs::LocalFS;
 mod metrics_layer;
 pub mod object_storage;
 pub mod retention;