diff --git a/hermes_cli/backup.py b/hermes_cli/backup.py
index 20ddb3c87d..dce199a5ab 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/backup.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/backup.py
@@ -793,9 +793,17 @@ def _prune_pre_update_backups(backup_dir: Path, keep: int) -> int:
     Returns the number of files deleted.  Only touches files matching
     ``pre-update-*.zip`` so hand-made zips dropped in the same directory
     are never touched.
+
+    ``keep`` is floored to 1 because this helper is only called immediately
+    after a fresh backup is written: deleting that backup right after the
+    user paid the disk/CPU cost to create it would leave them worse off
+    than no backup at all (and the wrapper in ``main.py`` would still print
+    a misleading ``Saved: <path>`` line for a file that no longer exists).
+    Operators who genuinely don't want a backup should set
+    ``updates.pre_update_backup: false`` in config — that gates creation.
     """
-    if keep < 0:
-        keep = 0
+    if keep < 1:
+        keep = 1
     if not backup_dir.exists():
         return 0
 
diff --git a/hermes_cli/config.py b/hermes_cli/config.py
index 98317a9043..0f34d98528 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/config.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/config.py
@@ -1286,7 +1286,10 @@ DEFAULT_CONFIG = {
         # for a single update run.
         "pre_update_backup": False,
         # How many pre-update backup zips to retain.  Older ones are pruned
-        # automatically after each successful backup.
+        # automatically after each successful backup.  Values below 1 are
+        # floored to 1 — the backup just created is always preserved.  To
+        # disable backups entirely, set ``pre_update_backup: false`` above
+        # rather than ``backup_keep: 0``.
         "backup_keep": 5,
     },
 
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_backup.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_backup.py
index 9a99a035fa..ab7ba21370 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_backup.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_backup.py
@@ -1374,6 +1374,53 @@ class TestPreUpdateBackup:
         from hermes_cli.backup import create_pre_update_backup
         assert create_pre_update_backup(hermes_home=tmp_path / "does-not-exist") is None
 
+    def test_keep_zero_does_not_delete_freshly_created_backup(self, hermes_home):
+        """Regression: ``backup_keep: 0`` previously triggered ``backups[0:]``
+        in the pruner — wiping the just-created zip and leaving the user
+        with no recovery point.  The floor (keep>=1) preserves the new file
+        regardless of misconfiguration; users who don't want backups should
+        set ``pre_update_backup: false`` instead.
+        """
+        from hermes_cli.backup import create_pre_update_backup
+        out = create_pre_update_backup(hermes_home=hermes_home, keep=0)
+        assert out is not None
+        assert out.exists(), (
+            "keep=0 silently deleted the freshly-created backup; floor "
+            "should preserve the just-written file."
+        )
+
+    def test_keep_negative_does_not_delete_freshly_created_backup(self, hermes_home):
+        """Mirror coverage: any value <1 should be floored, not literally
+        applied as a slice index."""
+        from hermes_cli.backup import create_pre_update_backup
+        out = create_pre_update_backup(hermes_home=hermes_home, keep=-3)
+        assert out is not None
+        assert out.exists()
+
+    def test_keep_zero_still_prunes_older_backups(self, hermes_home):
+        """The floor preserves the new backup but should NOT regress the
+        rotation behaviour for older zips: a third call with keep=0 must
+        still remove pre-existing backups beyond the (floored) limit of 1.
+        """
+        import time as _t
+        from hermes_cli.backup import create_pre_update_backup
+
+        first = create_pre_update_backup(hermes_home=hermes_home, keep=5)
+        _t.sleep(1.05)
+        second = create_pre_update_backup(hermes_home=hermes_home, keep=5)
+        _t.sleep(1.05)
+        third = create_pre_update_backup(hermes_home=hermes_home, keep=0)
+
+        remaining = {
+            p.name for p in (hermes_home / "backups").iterdir()
+            if p.name.startswith("pre-update-")
+        }
+        assert third.name in remaining, "Floor must preserve the new backup"
+        assert first.name not in remaining and second.name not in remaining, (
+            f"keep=0 floor of 1 should still prune older backups; "
+            f"remaining={remaining}"
+        )
+
 
 class TestRunPreUpdateBackup:
     """Tests for the ``_run_pre_update_backup`` wrapper in main.py —