diff --git a/restic-backup.sh b/restic-backup.sh
index 68f6985..9743e24 100644
--- a/restic-backup.sh
+++ b/restic-backup.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 
 # =================================================================
-#           Restic Backup Script v0.42 - 2025.12.17
+#           Restic Backup Script v0.43 - 2026.02.02
 # =================================================================
 
 export PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:$PATH
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ set -euo pipefail
 umask 077
 
 # --- Script Constants ---
-SCRIPT_VERSION="0.42"
+SCRIPT_VERSION="0.43"
 SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" &>/dev/null && pwd)
 PROG_NAME=$(basename "$0"); readonly PROG_NAME
 CONFIG_FILE="${SCRIPT_DIR}/restic-backup.conf"
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ display_help() {
     printf "  ${C_GREEN}%-20s${C_RESET} %s\n" "--unlock" "Remove stale repository locks."
     printf "  ${C_GREEN}%-20s${C_RESET} %s\n" "--dump <id> <path>" "Dump a single file from a snapshot to stdout."
     printf "  ${C_GREEN}%-20s${C_RESET} %s\n" "--restore" "Interactive restore wizard."
+    printf "  ${C_GREEN}%-20s${C_RESET} %s\n" "--exact-ownership" "Perserve raw ownership, to use with restore flags."
     printf "  ${C_GREEN}%-20s${C_RESET} %s\n" "--ls <snapshot_id>" "List files and directories inside a specific snapshot."
     printf "  ${C_GREEN}%-20s${C_RESET} %s\n" "--find <pattern...>" "Search for files/dirs across all snapshots (e.g., --find \"*.log\" -l)."
     printf "  ${C_GREEN}%-20s${C_RESET} %s\n" "--background-restore" "Run a non-interactive restore in the background."
@@ -1473,6 +1474,18 @@ run_restore() {
         fi
         log_message "WARNING: User confirmed dangerous restore to: $restore_dest"
     fi
+
+    echo -e "\n${C_YELLOW}Ownership Handling:${C_RESET}"
+    echo "  n) Auto-fix ownership (Best for standard user files in /home)"
+    echo "  y) Preserve exact backup UIDs/GIDs (Required for Docker/Databases)"
+    read -rp "Preserve exact raw ownership? (y/n) [n]: " preserve_confirm
+    if [[ "${preserve_confirm,,}" == "y" || "${preserve_confirm,,}" == "yes" ]]; then
+        SKIP_OWNERSHIP_FIX=true
+        echo -e "${C_CYAN}ℹ️  Exact ownership will be preserved (no auto-fix).${C_RESET}"
+    else
+        SKIP_OWNERSHIP_FIX=false
+    fi
+
     local include_paths=()
     read -rp "Optional: Enter specific file(s) to restore, separated by spaces (leave blank for full restore): " -a include_paths
     local restic_cmd=(restic restore "$snapshot_id" --target "$restore_dest" --verbose)
@@ -1534,18 +1547,23 @@ run_restore() {
 
 _handle_restore_ownership() {
     local restore_dest="$1"
-
+    local dest_user=""
     if [[ "$restore_dest" == /home/* ]]; then
-        local dest_user
         dest_user=$(stat -c %U "$(dirname "$restore_dest")" 2>/dev/null || echo "${restore_dest#/home/}" | cut -d/ -f1)
-
-        if [[ -n "$dest_user" ]] && id -u "$dest_user" &>/dev/null; then
-            log_message "Home directory detected. Setting ownership of restored files to '$dest_user'."
-            if chown -R "${dest_user}:${dest_user}" "$restore_dest"; then
-                log_message "Successfully changed ownership of $restore_dest to $dest_user"
-            else
-                log_message "WARNING: Failed to change ownership of $restore_dest to $dest_user. Please check permissions manually."
-            fi
+    fi
+    if [[ -n "$dest_user" ]] && id -u "$dest_user" &>/dev/null; then
+        if [ -d "$restore_dest" ]; then
+            chown "$dest_user:$dest_user" "$restore_dest"
+        fi
+        if [[ "${SKIP_OWNERSHIP_FIX:-false}" == "true" ]]; then
+            log_message "Exact ownership requested: Fixed access to $restore_dest, but preserved raw IDs inside."
+            return 0
+        fi
+        log_message "Home directory detected. Recursively setting ownership to '$dest_user'."
+        if chown -R "${dest_user}:${dest_user}" "$restore_dest"; then
+            log_message "Successfully changed ownership of $restore_dest to $dest_user"
+        else
+            log_message "WARNING: Failed to change ownership of $restore_dest. Check permissions."
         fi
     fi
 }
@@ -1754,6 +1772,7 @@ EOF
 
 # 1. Parse flags.
 VERBOSE_MODE=false
+SKIP_OWNERSHIP_FIX=false
 AUTO_FIX_PERMS=${AUTO_FIX_PERMS:-false}
 while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
   case "$1" in
@@ -1761,6 +1780,10 @@ while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
       VERBOSE_MODE=true
       shift
       ;;
+    --exact-ownership)
+      SKIP_OWNERSHIP_FIX=true
+      shift
+      ;;
     --fix-permissions)
       if ! [ -t 0 ]; then
         echo -e "${C_RED}ERROR: The --fix-permissions flag can only be used in an interactive session.${C_RESET}" >&2
diff --git a/restic-backup.sh.sha256 b/restic-backup.sh.sha256
index f7f9d4f..2e53876 100644
--- a/restic-backup.sh.sha256
+++ b/restic-backup.sh.sha256
@@ -1 +1 @@
-a7206371dd37d9803bd1df98083332c55f570da8bc6be3ac8a7e7538356d6430  restic-backup.sh
+260732b0a22a5ed4bde396e09bf803481c72202d9600bf0609e5d6a362951c67  restic-backup.sh