Edgy Edinburgh’s dire Pro12 campaign took another downward lurch as they were swept aside by the streetwise Scarlets.
The 3-0 try count was an accurate reflection on the contest with the capital side seldom looking capable of breaching the solid Welsh defence.
And it was a winning return to Murrayfield for Scotland star John Barclay on his first trip north since switching from Glasgow to Llanelli.
The first quarter was a disjointed and error-strewn affair as the sides sparred with one another.
And it was Edinburgh who drew first blood with a Harry Leonard after the visitors were guilty of failing to release the ball in the wake of a tackle.
Scarlets playmaker Rhys Priestland was off-target with a drop-goal attempt, but was handed an instant penalty chance, which he gratefully accepted.
His strike acted as a confidence boost, with winger Nic Reynolds zooming over six minutes before the break, with Priesland slotting the extras.
But Edinburgh repaired some of the damage in stoppage-time, thanks to the accurate boot of Leonard.
Edinburgh looked more urgent after the restart and they should have scored when Greig Tonks set Jack Cuthbert free.
Barclay illegally halted the surge and ended up in the sin-bin leaving the stage clear for Leonard to complete his penalty treble.
But the home brigade returned to the back-foot five minutes later when Jordan Williams left the markers for dead with a blazing run which earned a remarkable solo touchdown.
Scarlets maintained the momentum, but a combination of poor finishing and frantic defending ruled out further short-term scoring.
But they clicked into top gear in the dying minutes to make sure of success with a try by Jonathan Davies.
Priestland added the extras from a wide angle.
Edinburgh supremo Alan Solomons accused his strugglers of shooting themselves in the foot yet again.
He said: “We committed a huge amount of errors. We also gave away crucial penalties at critical times in the wrong part of the pitch.
“There was improvement in certain aspects, but the guys have to learn that mistakes will get punished.
“This whole set up is still new and it will take time for everyone to become au fait with the systems and strategies.”