diff --git a/packages/db/src/backup-lib.test.ts b/packages/db/src/backup-lib.test.ts
index 5cabb4d0be2..615d2f2b180 100644
--- a/packages/db/src/backup-lib.test.ts
+++ b/packages/db/src/backup-lib.test.ts
@@ -122,6 +122,19 @@ describeEmbeddedPostgres("runDatabaseBackup", () => {
           `;
         }
 
+        const stalePartial = path.join(
+          backupDir,
+          "paperclip-test-20200101-000000.sql.gz.partial",
+        );
+        fs.writeFileSync(stalePartial, "orphaned crashed backup");
+        const staleMtime = new Date(Date.now() - 48 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
+        fs.utimesSync(stalePartial, staleMtime, staleMtime);
+        const freshPartial = path.join(
+          backupDir,
+          "paperclip-test-20990101-000000.sql.gz.partial",
+        );
+        fs.writeFileSync(freshPartial, "concurrent in-progress backup");
+
         const result = await runDatabaseBackup({
           connectionString: sourceConnectionString,
           backupDir,
@@ -133,6 +146,11 @@ describeEmbeddedPostgres("runDatabaseBackup", () => {
         expect(result.backupFile).toMatch(/paperclip-test-.*\.sql\.gz$/);
         expect(result.sizeBytes).toBeGreaterThan(0);
         expect(fs.existsSync(result.backupFile)).toBe(true);
+        // The completed archive is renamed from its .partial staging path,
+        // stale orphaned partials are pruned, recent ones are left alone.
+        expect(fs.existsSync(`${result.backupFile}.partial`)).toBe(false);
+        expect(fs.existsSync(stalePartial)).toBe(false);
+        expect(fs.existsSync(freshPartial)).toBe(true);
 
         await runDatabaseRestore({
           connectionString: restoreConnectionString,
diff --git a/packages/db/src/backup-lib.ts b/packages/db/src/backup-lib.ts
index 02dc168bdb3..90d14400691 100644
--- a/packages/db/src/backup-lib.ts
+++ b/packages/db/src/backup-lib.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { createReadStream, createWriteStream, existsSync, mkdirSync, readdirSync, statSync, unlinkSync } from "node:fs";
+import { createReadStream, createWriteStream, existsSync, mkdirSync, readdirSync, renameSync, statSync, unlinkSync } from "node:fs";
 import { basename, resolve } from "node:path";
 import { createInterface } from "node:readline";
 import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
@@ -125,10 +125,19 @@ function pruneOldBackups(backupDir: string, retention: BackupRetentionPolicy, fi
   type BackupEntry = { name: string; fullPath: string; mtimeMs: number };
   const entries: BackupEntry[] = [];
 
+  const stalePartialCutoff = now - 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
   for (const name of readdirSync(backupDir)) {
     if (!name.startsWith(`${filenamePrefix}-`)) continue;
-    if (!name.endsWith(".sql") && !name.endsWith(".sql.gz")) continue;
     const fullPath = resolve(backupDir, name);
+    if (name.endsWith(".sql.gz.partial")) {
+      // Orphaned in-progress archives from a crashed backup run.
+      const stat = statSync(fullPath);
+      if (stat.mtimeMs < stalePartialCutoff) {
+        try { unlinkSync(fullPath); } catch { /* ignore */ }
+      }
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (!name.endsWith(".sql") && !name.endsWith(".sql.gz")) continue;
     const stat = statSync(fullPath);
     entries.push({ name, fullPath, mtimeMs: stat.mtimeMs });
   }
@@ -536,6 +545,9 @@ export async function runDatabaseBackup(opts: RunDatabaseBackupOptions): Promise
   mkdirSync(opts.backupDir, { recursive: true });
   const sqlFile = resolve(opts.backupDir, `${filenamePrefix}-${timestamp()}.sql`);
   const backupFile = `${sqlFile}.gz`;
+  // Stream to a .partial path and rename on success so a .sql.gz file only
+  // ever exists once the archive is complete (crash/kill leaves .partial).
+  const partialFile = `${backupFile}.partial`;
   const writer = createBufferedTextFileWriter(sqlFile);
 
   try {
@@ -545,9 +557,10 @@ export async function runDatabaseBackup(opts: RunDatabaseBackupOptions): Promise
         await closeSql();
         await runPgDumpBackup({
           connectionString: opts.connectionString,
-          backupFile,
+          backupFile: partialFile,
           connectTimeout,
         });
+        renameSync(partialFile, backupFile);
         await writer.abort();
         const sizeBytes = statSync(backupFile).size;
         const prunedCount = pruneOldBackups(opts.backupDir, retention, filenamePrefix);
@@ -557,8 +570,10 @@ export async function runDatabaseBackup(opts: RunDatabaseBackupOptions): Promise
           prunedCount,
         };
       } catch (error) {
-        if (existsSync(backupFile)) {
-          try { unlinkSync(backupFile); } catch { /* ignore */ }
+        for (const staleFile of [partialFile, backupFile]) {
+          if (existsSync(staleFile)) {
+            try { unlinkSync(staleFile); } catch { /* ignore */ }
+          }
         }
         if (backupEngine === "pg_dump") {
           throw error;
@@ -957,8 +972,9 @@ export async function runDatabaseBackup(opts: RunDatabaseBackupOptions): Promise
 
     // Compress the SQL file with gzip
     const sqlReadStream = createReadStream(sqlFile);
-    const gzWriteStream = createWriteStream(backupFile);
+    const gzWriteStream = createWriteStream(partialFile);
     await pipeline(sqlReadStream, createGzip(), gzWriteStream);
+    renameSync(partialFile, backupFile);
     unlinkSync(sqlFile);
 
     const sizeBytes = statSync(backupFile).size;
@@ -971,11 +987,10 @@ export async function runDatabaseBackup(opts: RunDatabaseBackupOptions): Promise
     };
   } catch (error) {
     await writer.abort();
-    if (existsSync(backupFile)) {
-      try { unlinkSync(backupFile); } catch { /* ignore */ }
-    }
-    if (existsSync(sqlFile)) {
-      try { unlinkSync(sqlFile); } catch { /* ignore */ }
+    for (const staleFile of [partialFile, backupFile, sqlFile]) {
+      if (existsSync(staleFile)) {
+        try { unlinkSync(staleFile); } catch { /* ignore */ }
+      }
     }
     throw error;
   } finally {
diff --git a/server/src/__tests__/health.test.ts b/server/src/__tests__/health.test.ts
index cf1b3f43c07..8fd736fcf1b 100644
--- a/server/src/__tests__/health.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/__tests__/health.test.ts
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ describe("GET /health", () => {
     expect(res.body.warnings).toEqual(res.body.databaseBackup.warnings);
   });
 
-  it("ignores zero-byte backup archives when picking the latest backup", async () => {
+  it("ignores zero-byte and in-progress .partial archives when picking the latest backup", async () => {
     const backupDir = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "paperclip-health-backups-"));
     const goodBackup = path.join(backupDir, "paperclip-20260705-031702.sql.gz");
     fs.writeFileSync(goodBackup, "backup");
@@ -182,6 +182,8 @@ describe("GET /health", () => {
       new Date("2026-07-06T12:00:00.000Z"),
       new Date("2026-07-06T12:00:00.000Z"),
     );
+    const partialBackup = path.join(backupDir, "paperclip-20260706-123000.sql.gz.partial");
+    fs.writeFileSync(partialBackup, "in-progress dump");
     const app = createApp(createHealthyDb(), testServerInfo, {
       enabled: true,
       backupDir,
diff --git a/server/src/services/database-backup-health.ts b/server/src/services/database-backup-health.ts
index bdf6c7ebc3e..7a604343604 100644
--- a/server/src/services/database-backup-health.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/database-backup-health.ts
@@ -93,7 +93,10 @@ async function findLatestBackup(backupDir: string, nowMs: number) {
       if (isMissingFileError(error)) continue;
       throw error;
     }
-    // Zero-byte archives are failed/partial dumps, not restorable backups.
+    // The backup writer streams to `<name>.sql.gz.partial` and renames on
+    // success, so `.sql.gz` files are complete by convention (the extension
+    // filter above excludes in-progress/crashed partials). Zero-byte archives
+    // from older writers are still skipped as failed dumps.
     if (fileStat.size === 0) continue;
     if (!latest || fileStat.mtimeMs > latest.mtimeMs) {
       latest = { fullPath, mtimeMs: fileStat.mtimeMs, size: fileStat.size };