diff --git a/server/src/nest/trips/trips.mcp.ts b/server/src/nest/trips/trips.mcp.ts
index 2fc22dca5..14255ea9d 100644
--- a/server/src/nest/trips/trips.mcp.ts
+++ b/server/src/nest/trips/trips.mcp.ts
@@ -225,6 +225,7 @@ export class TripsMcp {
       is_archived: z.boolean().optional().describe('Archive (true) or unarchive (false) the trip'),
       cover_image: z
         .string()
+        .max(2048)
         .nullable()
         .optional()
         .describe('Cover image path, e.g. /uploads/covers/abc.jpg; null removes the cover'),
diff --git a/shared/src/storage/storage.schema.spec.ts b/shared/src/storage/storage.schema.spec.ts
index 3bc8cbf64..fd927af0c 100644
--- a/shared/src/storage/storage.schema.spec.ts
+++ b/shared/src/storage/storage.schema.spec.ts
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ describe('the reclaim contract', () => {
     expect(storageReclaimReportSchema.safeParse(old).success).toBe(false);
   });
 
-  it('names every skip reason a pass reports, the brake that used to skip a category gone', () => {
+  it('names every skip reason a pass reports, a running backup included, the old brake gone', () => {
     expect([...STORAGE_RECLAIM_SKIP_REASONS]).toEqual([
       'not_reclaimed',
       'sources_missing',
@@ -234,6 +234,7 @@ describe('the reclaim contract', () => {
       'list_failed',
       'source_failed',
       'delete_failed',
+      'backup_running',
       'interrupted',
     ]);
     for (const skipped of STORAGE_RECLAIM_SKIP_REASONS) {
@@ -264,10 +265,20 @@ describe('the reclaim contract', () => {
   it('the requests are closed objects, and a started check answers started: true', () => {
     expect(storageReclaimSettingsRequestSchema.parse({ deleteEnabled: true })).toEqual({ deleteEnabled: true });
     expect(storageReclaimSettingsRequestSchema.safeParse({ deleteEnabled: true, extra: 1 }).success).toBe(false);
-    expect(storageReclaimConfirmRequestSchema.parse({ category: 'covers' })).toEqual({ category: 'covers' });
-    expect(storageReclaimConfirmRequestSchema.safeParse({ category: 'nowhere' }).success).toBe(false);
+    expect(storageReclaimConfirmRequestSchema.parse({ category: 'covers', unreferenced: 300 })).toEqual({
+      category: 'covers',
+      unreferenced: 300,
+    });
+    expect(storageReclaimConfirmRequestSchema.safeParse({ category: 'nowhere', unreferenced: 3 }).success).toBe(false);
     expect(storageReclaimConfirmRequestSchema.safeParse({ category: 'covers', count: 3 }).success).toBe(false);
     expect(storageReclaimRunStartedSchema.parse({ started: true })).toEqual({ started: true });
     expect(storageReclaimRunStartedSchema.safeParse({ started: false }).success).toBe(false);
   });
+  it('a confirmation names the count the admin was shown, a whole number of objects', () => {
+    expect(storageReclaimConfirmRequestSchema.safeParse({ category: 'covers' }).success).toBe(false);
+    expect(storageReclaimConfirmRequestSchema.safeParse({ category: 'covers', unreferenced: -1 }).success).toBe(false);
+    expect(storageReclaimConfirmRequestSchema.safeParse({ category: 'covers', unreferenced: 1.5 }).success).toBe(false);
+    expect(storageReclaimConfirmRequestSchema.safeParse({ category: 'covers', unreferenced: '3' }).success).toBe(false);
+    expect(storageReclaimConfirmRequestSchema.safeParse({ category: 'covers', unreferenced: 0 }).success).toBe(true);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/shared/src/storage/storage.schema.ts b/shared/src/storage/storage.schema.ts
index d23c99c1d..02a83df3e 100644
--- a/shared/src/storage/storage.schema.ts
+++ b/shared/src/storage/storage.schema.ts
@@ -291,6 +291,8 @@ export const storageReclaimCategorySchema = z.enum(STORAGE_RECLAIM_CATEGORIES);
  * - `owner_unknown`: this installation's owner marker could not be written there, so a shared place cannot be ruled out;
  * - `list_failed` / `source_failed`: the listing or a reference lookup failed, so the pass stopped there;
  * - `delete_failed`: deleting failed on the backend, so the pass stopped deleting in this category;
+ * - `backup_running`: a backup was reading the uploads when this category's objects were due, so the pass
+ *   deleted nothing there (from then on, for the rest of the pass); the next pass tries again;
  * - `interrupted`: the pass stopped (`stopped` says why) before it finished this category; its figures are partial.
  * A skip keeps the marks it found: only a pass that judges the category moves them.
  */
@@ -303,6 +305,7 @@ export const STORAGE_RECLAIM_SKIP_REASONS = [
   'list_failed',
   'source_failed',
   'delete_failed',
+  'backup_running',
   'interrupted',
 ] as const;
 
@@ -317,8 +320,9 @@ export const storageReclaimCategoryReportSchema = z.object({
   eligible: storageObjectCountSchema,
   deleted: storageObjectCountSchema,
   /**
-   * More than a fifth of the category is unreferenced, and more than an admin
-   * last confirmed: deletion waits for a confirmation (POST .../reclaim/confirm).
+   * More than a fifth of the category is unreferenced and no admin confirmation
+   * covers that count: deletion waits for one (POST .../reclaim/confirm). The
+   * admin state reads false once a confirmation covers it, before the next pass.
    */
   confirmationRequired: z.boolean(),
   skipped: z.enum(STORAGE_RECLAIM_SKIP_REASONS).nullable(),
@@ -359,9 +363,16 @@ export const storageReclaimRunStartedSchema = z.object({ started: z.literal(true
 
 /**
  * Lets the pass delete in a category whose unreferenced share is over a
- * fifth, up to the count the last report showed for it.
+ * fifth. `unreferenced` is the count the admin was shown; the server refuses
+ * (409 `reclaim_confirm_stale`) when its last report's count for the category
+ * differs from it by more than a tenth or by more than 50 objects. The
+ * confirmation then covers up to one and a half times that count (at least 100
+ * more) for 14 days, and is used up once the share falls under a fifth again.
  */
-export const storageReclaimConfirmRequestSchema = z.strictObject({ category: storageReclaimCategorySchema });
+export const storageReclaimConfirmRequestSchema = z.strictObject({
+  category: storageReclaimCategorySchema,
+  unreferenced: z.number().int().nonnegative(),
+});
 export type StorageReclaimConfirmRequest = z.infer<typeof storageReclaimConfirmRequestSchema>;
 
 export const storageAdminStateSchema = z.object({
diff --git a/shared/src/trip/trip.schema.spec.ts b/shared/src/trip/trip.schema.spec.ts
index ba84982d3..e95c9187e 100644
--- a/shared/src/trip/trip.schema.spec.ts
+++ b/shared/src/trip/trip.schema.spec.ts
@@ -48,6 +48,13 @@ describe('tripUpdateRequestSchema', () => {
     expect(tripUpdateRequestSchema.safeParse({}).success).toBe(true);
     expect(tripUpdateRequestSchema.safeParse({ is_archived: 1, cover_image: null }).success).toBe(true);
   });
+
+  it('bounds cover_image like a place image url: a replaced cover is queued for release', () => {
+    expect(tripUpdateRequestSchema.safeParse({ cover_image: `/uploads/covers/${'a'.repeat(2000)}` }).success).toBe(
+      true,
+    );
+    expect(tripUpdateRequestSchema.safeParse({ cover_image: 'x'.repeat(2049) }).success).toBe(false);
+  });
 });
 
 describe('tripAddMemberRequestSchema', () => {
diff --git a/shared/src/trip/trip.schema.ts b/shared/src/trip/trip.schema.ts
index 0e9b3c6c9..bf5bc5f22 100644
--- a/shared/src/trip/trip.schema.ts
+++ b/shared/src/trip/trip.schema.ts
@@ -118,7 +118,9 @@ export const tripUpdateRequestSchema = z.object({
   reminder_days: z.number().optional(),
   day_count: z.number().optional(),
   is_archived: z.union([z.boolean(), z.number()]).optional(),
-  cover_image: z.string().nullable().optional(),
+  // Bounded like a place's image url: a replaced cover is queued for release,
+  // and every upload path the old value spells out is one queued object.
+  cover_image: z.string().max(2048).nullable().optional(),
 });
 export type TripUpdateRequest = z.infer<typeof tripUpdateRequestSchema>;