diff --git a/server/src/io/watcher/sweep.rs b/server/src/io/watcher/sweep.rs
index 5d5cb165..8555290c 100644
--- a/server/src/io/watcher/sweep.rs
+++ b/server/src/io/watcher/sweep.rs
@@ -82,11 +82,18 @@ pub(crate) fn spawn_done_to_archived_subscriber(done_retention: Duration) {
 /// whose retention has elapsed, even when the `TransitionFired` subscriber
 /// lagged and missed their Done event.  Production reactive archiving uses
 /// [`spawn_done_to_archived_subscriber`] instead.
+///
+/// Logs a summary INFO line on every call: candidates evaluated and items
+/// archived, or "no items past retention" when nothing was swept.
 pub(crate) fn sweep_done_to_archived(done_retention: Duration) {
     use crate::pipeline_state::{PipelineEvent, Stage, apply_transition, read_all_typed};
 
+    let mut candidates: usize = 0;
+    let mut archived: usize = 0;
+
     for item in read_all_typed() {
         if let Stage::Done { merged_at, .. } = &item.stage {
+            candidates += 1;
             let age = chrono::Utc::now()
                 .signed_duration_since(*merged_at)
                 .to_std()
@@ -94,7 +101,10 @@ pub(crate) fn sweep_done_to_archived(done_retention: Duration) {
             if age >= done_retention {
                 let story_id = item.story_id.0.clone();
                 match apply_transition(&story_id, PipelineEvent::Accepted, None) {
-                    Ok(_) => slog!("[watcher] sweep: promoted {story_id} → archived"),
+                    Ok(_) => {
+                        archived += 1;
+                        slog!("[watcher] sweep: promoted {story_id} → archived")
+                    }
                     Err(e) => {
                         slog!("[watcher] sweep: transition error for {story_id}: {e}")
                     }
@@ -102,4 +112,10 @@ pub(crate) fn sweep_done_to_archived(done_retention: Duration) {
             }
         }
     }
+
+    if archived > 0 {
+        slog!("[watcher] sweep: {candidates} candidate(s) evaluated, {archived} archived");
+    } else {
+        slog!("[watcher] sweep: {candidates} candidate(s) evaluated, no items past retention");
+    }
 }
diff --git a/server/src/io/watcher/tests.rs b/server/src/io/watcher/tests.rs
index bbf25035..e1420235 100644
--- a/server/src/io/watcher/tests.rs
+++ b/server/src/io/watcher/tests.rs
@@ -301,6 +301,48 @@ async fn done_to_archived_subscriber_archives_on_transition() {
     );
 }
 
+/// Regression: simulates a server restart occurring between move-to-done and
+/// the configured retention window expiry.
+///
+/// Before the fix the archive-deadline was held only in the reactive
+/// subscriber's volatile sleep task; a restart would lose that task and the
+/// item would never be archived.  The fix is that `sweep_done_to_archived`
+/// reads `merged_at` from the CRDT (durable across restarts) and archives any
+/// item whose age exceeds the retention, so the next periodic reconcile tick
+/// after restart picks it up regardless of whether a sleep task existed.
+#[test]
+fn restart_scenario_sweep_archives_past_retention_after_sweep_tick() {
+    crate::crdt_state::init_for_test();
+    crate::db::ensure_content_store();
+
+    let story_id = "9885_sweep_restart_regression";
+
+    // Simulate: item moved to Done 10 seconds before the restart.
+    // The reactive subscriber would have had a sleep task for the remaining
+    // retention time; that task is now gone (process restarted).
+    let ten_seconds_ago = (chrono::Utc::now() - chrono::Duration::seconds(10)).timestamp() as f64;
+    crate::crdt_state::write_item_str(
+        story_id,
+        "5_done",
+        Some("Restart regression test"),
+        None,
+        None,
+        Some(ten_seconds_ago),
+    );
+
+    // The next periodic reconcile tick after restart calls sweep_done_to_archived
+    // directly.  With 5-second retention and merged_at 10s ago, the item must
+    // be archived even though no reactive subscriber sleep task exists.
+    sweep_done_to_archived(Duration::from_secs(5));
+
+    let items = crate::pipeline_state::read_all_typed();
+    let item = items.iter().find(|i| i.story_id.0 == story_id);
+    assert!(
+        item.is_some_and(|i| matches!(i.stage, crate::pipeline_state::Stage::Archived { .. })),
+        "item past retention must be archived on the next sweep tick after a server restart"
+    );
+}
+
 /// Prove that an item with merged_at NEWER than done_retention is NOT swept.
 #[test]
 fn sweep_keeps_item_newer_than_retention() {