diff --git a/deploy/cup26.compose.yml b/deploy/cup26.compose.yml
index 98e0b9f..9cf1581 100644
--- a/deploy/cup26.compose.yml
+++ b/deploy/cup26.compose.yml
@@ -20,12 +20,14 @@ services:
       # opt-in unofficial sources (usually blocked from a datacenter IP; ESPN is primary)
       - ENABLE_SOFASCORE=${ENABLE_SOFASCORE:-false}
       - ENABLE_FOTMOB=${ENABLE_FOTMOB:-false}
+      - ARCHIVE_DIR=/data/archive
     volumes:
-      # HOST_DATA_DIR (in .env) may point at a host path — e.g. the external
-      # 1TB drive — so the growing SQLite DB stays off the small root disk.
-      # An absolute path = bind mount; unset = the original named volume.
-      # The container runs as node (uid 1000): chown 1000:1000 the host dir.
+      # The LIVE SQLite must stay on a real local filesystem (WAL + locking do
+      # not survive network mounts). HOST_DATA_DIR can override if ever needed.
       - ${HOST_DATA_DIR:-cup26-data}:/data
+      # Nightly VACUUM INTO snapshots land here — point HOST_ARCHIVE_DIR at the
+      # 1TB storage box (CIFS is fine for sequential snapshot files).
+      - ${HOST_ARCHIVE_DIR:-cup26-archive}:/data/archive
     security_opt:
       - no-new-privileges:true
     mem_limit: 384m
@@ -43,6 +45,7 @@ services:
 
 volumes:
   cup26-data:
+  cup26-archive:
 
 networks:
   proxy:
diff --git a/server/src/db/db.ts b/server/src/db/db.ts
index e915133..8bb40b8 100644
--- a/server/src/db/db.ts
+++ b/server/src/db/db.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { DatabaseSync } from 'node:sqlite';
-import { mkdirSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { mkdirSync, readdirSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
 import path from 'node:path';
 
 // Persistence via Node's built-in SQLite (no native deps). One file on a Docker
@@ -135,6 +135,29 @@ export function cacheSet(key: string, value: string, ttl: number): void {
     .run(key, value, Date.now(), ttl);
 }
 
+/** Nightly consistent snapshot via VACUUM INTO (transaction-safe, works on any
+ *  filesystem — the archive dir may be a CIFS-mounted storage box, where the
+ *  LIVE database could never run). Keeps the newest `keep` dated copies. */
+export function backupDb(keep = 14): string | null {
+  const dir = process.env.ARCHIVE_DIR ?? path.join(DATA_DIR, 'archive');
+  try {
+    mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true });
+    const stamp = new Date().toISOString().slice(0, 10);
+    const dest = path.join(dir, `cup26-${stamp}.db`);
+    rmSync(dest, { force: true }); // VACUUM INTO refuses to overwrite
+    db().exec(`VACUUM INTO '${dest.replaceAll("'", "''")}'`);
+    const files = readdirSync(dir).filter((f) => /^cup26-\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}\.db$/.test(f)).sort();
+    for (const f of files.slice(0, Math.max(0, files.length - keep))) {
+      rmSync(path.join(dir, f), { force: true });
+    }
+    console.log(`[db] snapshot → ${dest}`);
+    return dest;
+  } catch (e) {
+    console.error('[db] backup failed:', e instanceof Error ? e.message : e);
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
 /** Bound DB growth: drop cache entries stale for >7 days (the breaker only ever
  *  serves recent staleness) and ingest-log rows older than 14 days. Returns the
  *  number of rows removed. Runs daily from the scheduler. */
diff --git a/server/src/ingest/scheduler.ts b/server/src/ingest/scheduler.ts
index cc6b8a9..4363647 100644
--- a/server/src/ingest/scheduler.ts
+++ b/server/src/ingest/scheduler.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { fetchEspnScoreboard, fetchEspnSummary } from './espn';
 import { fetchEspnOdds } from './espnOdds';
 import { fetchFootballData } from '../footballData';
 import { fetchSofascore } from '../sofascore';
-import { setSourceMap, getSourceMap, setMatchExt, recordOdds, logIngest, prune } from '../db/db';
+import { setSourceMap, getSourceMap, setMatchExt, recordOdds, logIngest, prune, backupDb } from '../db/db';
 import type { Fixture } from '../../../src/lib/types';
 
 // The ingestion orchestrator. Replaces the old live loop: ESPN is the primary
@@ -161,13 +161,17 @@ export function startScheduler(
     oddsTimer = setTimeout(async () => { await oddsTick().catch(() => {}); scheduleOdds(); }, ODDS_MS);
   };
 
-  // Daily prune keeps the faster polling from growing kv_cache/ingest_log forever.
-  const pruneTimer = setInterval(() => {
+  // Daily housekeeping: prune keeps the faster polling from growing
+  // kv_cache/ingest_log forever; backupDb snapshots to the archive dir
+  // (the storage box in prod) so history survives anything.
+  const housekeeping = (): void => {
     try {
       const n = prune();
       if (n) console.log(`[db] pruned ${n} stale cache/log rows`);
     } catch { /* non-fatal */ }
-  }, 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
+    backupDb();
+  };
+  const pruneTimer = setInterval(housekeeping, 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
 
   const scheduleLive = (): void => {
     if (stopped) return;
@@ -189,6 +193,7 @@ export function startScheduler(
     scheduleLive();
     scheduleEnrich();
     scheduleOdds();
+    backupDb(); // boot snapshot — the daily timer covers the rest
   })();
 
   return () => {