diff --git a/config/quality/file-size-baseline.json b/config/quality/file-size-baseline.json
index e5ac089c0e..57e30418c8 100644
--- a/config/quality/file-size-baseline.json
+++ b/config/quality/file-size-baseline.json
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 {
+  "_rebaseline_2026_09_14_13404_healthcheck_backup_prune": "PR #13404 own growth: src/lib/db/core.ts 1745->1767 (+22). createManagedDbBackup (the health-check-repair snapshot path) never ran retention, so every restart of a healthy DB added a full-size copy to db_backups/; it now prunes with the same env-driven limits as backup.ts, importing backupRetention directly to avoid the backup.ts cycle. Covered by tests/unit/db-backup-healthcheck-prune-13308.test.ts.",
   "_rebaseline_2026_09_14_13349_virtualfactory_custom_models_guard": "PR #13349 own growth: open-sse/services/autoCombo/virtualFactory.ts 1219->1230 (+11). The customModels key_value blob is operator-writable raw JSON, so a null or non-object row null-derefed every read and no auto/* pool could materialize; the builder now filters rows the same way catalog.ts already does. Irreducible at the read site. Covered by tests/unit/combo-auto-pool-visible-only.test.ts.",
   "_rebaseline_2026_09_11_12732_catalog_timeout_pin": "+1 in tests/unit/models-catalog-route.test.ts (1652->1653) for a single line: process.env.CATALOG_BUILD_TIMEOUT_MS. #12627 bounds a cold catalog build at 8s; beforeEach resets the catalog cache so every case in this file pays a cold build, and a tsx runner needs 10-13s under load — the file returned catalog_build_timeout instead of rows and oscillated between 1 and 10 failures per run, reddening the whole PR queue (base-red #12732). The bound itself stays covered by tests/unit/12627-catalog-inflight-timeout.test.ts. The file is already at its frozen ceiling, so the pin cannot be absorbed; structural shrink tracked in #3501.",
   "_rebaseline_2026_09_11_12945_image_only_model_guard": "PR #12945 own growth: open-sse/handlers/imageGeneration.ts 3259->3293 (+35/-1). The image-only-model guard the PR adds to clear its base-red: the handler now recognises a model that only serves image generation and answers before the chat path can mis-route it. Irreducible at this call site; the predicate itself lives outside the file. Landed as its own PR rather than on #12945 because that branch has a live worktree in another session and pushing to it would pull the branch out from under whoever is working it. Covered by the batch run: 203/208 with the 5 remaining failures reproducing on the pure tip.",
@@ -468,7 +469,7 @@
     "src/app/api/v1/models/catalog.ts": 2075,
     "src/app/docs/lib/openapi.generated.ts": 1347,
     "src/lib/db/apiKeys.ts": 1625,
-    "src/lib/db/core.ts": 1745,
+    "src/lib/db/core.ts": 1767,
     "src/lib/db/migrationRunner.ts": 1206,
     "src/lib/tailscaleTunnel.ts": 1208,
     "src/lib/tokenHealthCheck.ts": 1218,
diff --git a/src/lib/db/core.ts b/src/lib/db/core.ts
index 9d1a93a502..7ccacdffbe 100644
--- a/src/lib/db/core.ts
+++ b/src/lib/db/core.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,13 @@ import path from "path";
 import { retryProbeIfTransient } from "./probeUtils";
 import fs from "fs";
 import { resolveWritableDataDir, getLegacyDotDataDir } from "../dataPaths";
+import {
+  MAX_DB_BACKUPS,
+  DEFAULT_DB_BACKUP_RETENTION_DAYS,
+  parsePositiveInt,
+  parseNonNegativeInt,
+  pruneBackupDirectory,
+} from "./backupRetention";
 import { isNextBuildPhase } from "../buildPhase";
 import { runMigrations } from "./migrationRunner";
 import { runDbHealthCheck } from "./healthCheck";
@@ -888,6 +895,22 @@ function createManagedDbBackup(db: SqliteDatabase, reason: string): boolean {
 
     db.exec(`VACUUM INTO '${escapedBackupPath}'`);
     console.log(`[DB] Backup created (${reason}): ${backupPath}`);
+
+    // Prune old backups to prevent the directory from growing without bound.
+    // This mirrors the post-backup pruning in backup.ts but avoids a circular
+    // dependency by importing directly from backupRetention.ts.
+    try {
+      const maxFiles = process.env.DB_BACKUP_MAX_FILES
+        ? parsePositiveInt(process.env.DB_BACKUP_MAX_FILES, MAX_DB_BACKUPS)
+        : MAX_DB_BACKUPS;
+      const retentionDays = process.env.DB_BACKUP_RETENTION_DAYS
+        ? parseNonNegativeInt(process.env.DB_BACKUP_RETENTION_DAYS, DEFAULT_DB_BACKUP_RETENTION_DAYS)
+        : DEFAULT_DB_BACKUP_RETENTION_DAYS;
+      pruneBackupDirectory({ backupDir, maxFiles, retentionDays });
+    } catch {
+      // Retention is best-effort; never let a pruning failure obscure the backup result.
+    }
+
     return true;
   } catch (error: unknown) {
     const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
diff --git a/tests/unit/db-backup-healthcheck-prune-13308.test.ts b/tests/unit/db-backup-healthcheck-prune-13308.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..74889c2dd8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/db-backup-healthcheck-prune-13308.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+// #13308 — health-check-repair backups were never pruned because the retention
+// call was missing from the VACUUM INTO path in core.ts.  This test seeds a
+// backup directory with more families than MAX_DB_BACKUPS, then runs the same
+// pruneBackupDirectory call that createManagedDbBackup now executes after each
+// health-check snapshot, and asserts that overflow families are deleted.
+
+import test from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import os from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+
+import {
+  pruneBackupDirectory,
+  MAX_DB_BACKUPS,
+} from "../../src/lib/db/backupRetention.ts";
+
+const serial = { concurrency: false };
+
+function makeBackupDir() {
+  return fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "omniroute-backup-prune-"));
+}
+
+function seedFamilies(dir: string, count: number) {
+  for (let i = 0; i < count; i++) {
+    const ts = new Date(Date.now() - i * 1000).toISOString().replace(/[:.]/g, "-");
+    const name = `db_${ts}_health-check-repair.sqlite`;
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(dir, name), Buffer.from(`fake-snapshot-${i}`));
+  }
+}
+
+test("#13308 — pruneBackupDirectory removes overflow from health-check-repair path", serial, () => {
+  const dir = makeBackupDir();
+  try {
+    const extra = 5;
+    seedFamilies(dir, MAX_DB_BACKUPS + extra);
+
+    const before = fs.readdirSync(dir).filter((f) => f.endsWith(".sqlite")).length;
+    assert.ok(before >= MAX_DB_BACKUPS + extra, `seeded ${before} families`);
+
+    const result = pruneBackupDirectory({
+      backupDir: dir,
+      maxFiles: MAX_DB_BACKUPS,
+      retentionDays: 0,
+    });
+
+    const after = fs.readdirSync(dir).filter((f) => f.endsWith(".sqlite")).length;
+    assert.equal(after, MAX_DB_BACKUPS, `pruned to MAX_DB_BACKUPS (${MAX_DB_BACKUPS}), got ${after}`);
+    assert.equal(result.deletedBackupFamilies, extra, `deleted ${extra} overflow families`);
+    assert.equal(result.keptBackupFamilies, MAX_DB_BACKUPS);
+  } finally {
+    fs.rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+});
+
+test("#13308 — pruneBackupDirectory is a no-op when under limit", serial, () => {
+  const dir = makeBackupDir();
+  try {
+    seedFamilies(dir, 3);
+
+    const result = pruneBackupDirectory({
+      backupDir: dir,
+      maxFiles: MAX_DB_BACKUPS,
+      retentionDays: 0,
+    });
+
+    const after = fs.readdirSync(dir).filter((f) => f.endsWith(".sqlite")).length;
+    assert.equal(after, 3, "no files removed when under limit");
+    assert.equal(result.deletedBackupFamilies, 0);
+  } finally {
+    fs.rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+});