diff --git a/server/scripts/eslint-baseline.json b/server/scripts/eslint-baseline.json
index f357ce8a8..bf60443dd 100644
--- a/server/scripts/eslint-baseline.json
+++ b/server/scripts/eslint-baseline.json
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
     "no-misleading-character-class": 1
   },
   "tests": {
-    "@typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any": 1569,
+    "@typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any": 1567,
     "@typescript-eslint/no-non-null-assertion": 1757,
     "@typescript-eslint/no-require-imports": 25,
     "@typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-function-type": 7,
diff --git a/server/scripts/service-http-baseline.json b/server/scripts/service-http-baseline.json
index f122288a3..741483c4e 100644
--- a/server/scripts/service-http-baseline.json
+++ b/server/scripts/service-http-baseline.json
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
     "src/nest/auth/auth.service.ts": 5,
     "src/nest/auth/passkey.controller.ts": 1,
     "src/nest/auth/passkey.service.ts": 2,
-    "src/nest/auth/registration-invites.service.ts": 1,
     "src/nest/backup/backup-archive.ts": 8,
     "src/nest/backup/backup.impl.ts": 1,
     "src/nest/collab/collab.controller.ts": 7,
diff --git a/server/src/nest/auth/registration-invites.service.ts b/server/src/nest/auth/registration-invites.service.ts
index b4dc5f597..32cd03d54 100644
--- a/server/src/nest/auth/registration-invites.service.ts
+++ b/server/src/nest/auth/registration-invites.service.ts
@@ -70,8 +70,9 @@ export class RegistrationInvitesService {
       const parsed = Number.parseInt(String(data.trip_id));
       if (!Number.isInteger(parsed) || !(await this.trips.existsById(parsed))) {
         // Used to bind null silently, handing back a plain registration invite
-        // the admin never asked for.
-        return { error: 'Trip not found', status: 404 };
+        // the admin never asked for. Thrown, so the controller writes neither
+        // the invite nor its audit row and the admin sees the 404.
+        throw new DomainError(404, 'Trip not found');
       }
       tripId = parsed;
     }
diff --git a/server/tests/integration/admin.test.ts b/server/tests/integration/admin.test.ts
index 5dde1b122..80c7bf76d 100644
--- a/server/tests/integration/admin.test.ts
+++ b/server/tests/integration/admin.test.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import { resetTestDb, resetRateLimits } from '../helpers/test-db';
 import type { FactoryOrm } from '../helpers/factories/context';
 import { createUser, createAdmin, createInviteToken, createTrip, createBudgetItem, createJourney, createJourneyEntry, addJourneyContributor, addTripPhoto, createCategory, createTag, createTodoItem, createMcpToken, createBucketListItem, createVisitedCountry, createCollabNote, addTripMember } from '../helpers/factories';
 import { authCookie } from '../helpers/auth';
-import { findRow, insertRow, insertRowIgnoringConflict, updateRows } from '../helpers/factories/rows';
+import { countRows, findRow, insertRow, insertRowIgnoringConflict, updateRows } from '../helpers/factories/rows';
 import { makeShareToken } from '../helpers/factories/trips';
 import { makeVacayPlan } from '../helpers/factories/vacay';
 import { readUser } from '../helpers/factories/users';
@@ -548,6 +548,19 @@ describe('Invite token management', () => {
     expect(res.body.invite.token).toBeDefined();
   });
 
+  it('ADMIN-013b — POST /admin/invites with a trip that does not exist answers 404 and writes nothing', async () => {
+    const { user: admin } = createAdmin(testDb);
+
+    const res = await request(app)
+      .post('/api/admin/invites')
+      .set('Cookie', authCookie(admin.id))
+      .send({ max_uses: 1, trip_id: 99999 });
+    expect(res.status).toBe(404);
+    expect(res.body).toEqual({ error: 'Trip not found' });
+    expect(await countRows(orm, InviteTokens, {})).toBe(0);
+    expect(await countRows(orm, AuditLog, { action: 'admin.invite_create' })).toBe(0);
+  });
+
   it('ADMIN-014 — DELETE /admin/invites/:id removes invite', async () => {
     const { user: admin } = createAdmin(testDb);
     const invite = createInviteToken(testDb, { created_by: admin.id });
diff --git a/server/tests/unit/nest/registration-invites.service.test.ts b/server/tests/unit/nest/registration-invites.service.test.ts
index 3af28c3c7..cac28e32c 100644
--- a/server/tests/unit/nest/registration-invites.service.test.ts
+++ b/server/tests/unit/nest/registration-invites.service.test.ts
@@ -84,8 +84,8 @@ describe('Invites', () => {
 describe('Invites — trip binding', () => {
   it('ADMIN-SVC-073 — createInvite 404s on a trip_id that does not resolve', async () => {
     const { user: admin } = createAdmin(testDb);
-    expect(await svc.createInvite(admin.id, { trip_id: 99999 }) as any).toMatchObject({ status: 404, error: 'Trip not found' });
-    expect(await svc.createInvite(admin.id, { trip_id: 'not-a-number' }) as any).toMatchObject({ status: 404 });
+    await expect(svc.createInvite(admin.id, { trip_id: 99999 })).rejects.toMatchObject({ status: 404, publicMessage: 'Trip not found' });
+    await expect(svc.createInvite(admin.id, { trip_id: 'not-a-number' })).rejects.toMatchObject({ status: 404 });
     expect(await countRows(await sharedTestOrm(testDb), InviteTokens)).toBe(0);
     // An absent/blank binding is still a plain registration invite.
     expect((await svc.createInvite(admin.id, {}) as any).tripId).toBeNull();