After Effects with DB Desktop Sync - New, worse problem.

Device
(Mac Studio Ultra M2)
Operating System/Browser (if using the web)
(Sequoia 15.6.1)
Dropbox App Version/Browser Version
(232.4.5926

Question or Issue

My team is dead in the water on this, would appreciate a prompt reply.

There are many threads about opening a local-synced After Effects (AE) project, footage that is  not synced (avail offline) will show as missing. (Unlike QT etc.) even though AE calls for the file, it doesn't automatically initiate a sync. I have always had this problem, and its awful, but My new problem in the last week is far worse:

In the past I would open my AE, hunt down ALL the missing footage sync it, but DONT relink it, THEN re-open the AE file. Huge pain. But it worked.

Now footage that was missing, but that I then synced, and re-opened is not being recognized 'file damaged or corrupt'. Even importing that clip to a new project. The ONLY ways to import is to rename it, or copy to a local drive. Then it imports fine.
(except I have hundreds of footage files in different locations)

I have not updated my AE, so I suspect it is a change with Dropbox.

IMPORTANT: The problem seems to only be with footage that AE attempted to link to - but found it wasn't synced. I do not have this problem with a new clip, that was never in the project.