diff --git a/ansible/files/pgbackrest_config/pgbackrest.conf b/ansible/files/pgbackrest_config/pgbackrest.conf
index f54336c4e8..279ca2fd82 100644
--- a/ansible/files/pgbackrest_config/pgbackrest.conf
+++ b/ansible/files/pgbackrest_config/pgbackrest.conf
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ log-level-console = info
 log-level-file = detail
 log-subprocess = y
 resume = n
+# spool-path shares a filesystem with pg_wal so archive-get can hand off WAL segments via rename instead of copy; only reachable once archive-async is enabled. The matching AppArmor grants live in ansible/files/postgresql_config/sbpostgres_apparmor and the audit exclusion in nix/packages/supascan/internal/config/defaults.go -- keep this path in sync across those, plus the directory-creation loop entry in ansible/tasks/setup-pgbackrest.yml (bake-time only; see INDATA-1153 for why that alone doesn't create this directory on any live instance's real /data).
+spool-path = /data/pgbackrest_spool
 start-fast = y
 # Note: the [supabase] stanza (pg1-path, pg1-socket-path, pg1-user) has been
 # removed from this file. supabase-admin-agent owns that stanza and writes it
diff --git a/ansible/files/postgresql_config/sbpostgres_apparmor b/ansible/files/postgresql_config/sbpostgres_apparmor
index ea59999849..651ccbe8b2 100644
--- a/ansible/files/postgresql_config/sbpostgres_apparmor
+++ b/ansible/files/postgresql_config/sbpostgres_apparmor
@@ -127,7 +127,9 @@ profile sbpostgres flags=(attach_disconnected) {
         /var/lib/postgresql/data/standby.signal rw,
         /var/lib/pgbackrest rw,
         /etc/pgbackrest/conf.d/** rw,
-        /var/spool/pgbackrest/** rw,
+        # bare-dir grant needed alongside ** (same as /data/pgdata/pg_wal/) since ** doesn't cover the directory inode itself; path must match spool-path in ansible/files/pgbackrest_config/pgbackrest.conf, which has the full cross-file sync note
+        /data/pgbackrest_spool/ rw,
+        /data/pgbackrest_spool/** rw,
         /var/log/pgbackrest/** rw,
         /etc/** r,
         /usr/local/** r,
@@ -190,7 +192,9 @@ profile sbpostgres flags=(attach_disconnected) {
         /var/lib/postgresql/data/standby.signal rw,
         /var/lib/pgbackrest rw,
         /etc/pgbackrest/conf.d/** rw,
-        /var/spool/pgbackrest/** rw,
+        # bare-dir grant needed alongside ** (same as /data/pgdata/pg_wal/) since ** doesn't cover the directory inode itself; path must match spool-path in ansible/files/pgbackrest_config/pgbackrest.conf, which has the full cross-file sync note
+        /data/pgbackrest_spool/ rw,
+        /data/pgbackrest_spool/** rw,
         /var/log/pgbackrest/** rw,
         /etc/** r,
         /usr/local/** r,
diff --git a/ansible/tasks/setup-pgbackrest.yml b/ansible/tasks/setup-pgbackrest.yml
index 6d4eebcdb1..2c427d402c 100644
--- a/ansible/tasks/setup-pgbackrest.yml
+++ b/ansible/tasks/setup-pgbackrest.yml
@@ -47,7 +47,8 @@
     # (running as the pgbackrest user) cannot read conf files created by adminapi.
     - {dir: /etc/pgbackrest/conf.d, mode: '02770'}
     - {dir: /var/lib/pgbackrest}
-    - {dir: /var/spool/pgbackrest}
+    # setgid (02770), same reason as conf.d above (postgres_shell and pgbackrest_shell both write here per sbpostgres_apparmor); must match spool-path in pgbackrest.conf; bake-time only, see INDATA-1153 for why that alone doesn't create this on any live instance's real /data
+    - {dir: /data/pgbackrest_spool, mode: '02770'}
     - {dir: /var/log/pgbackrest}
   loop_control:
     loop_var: backrest_dir
diff --git a/nix/packages/supascan/internal/config/defaults.go b/nix/packages/supascan/internal/config/defaults.go
index f65a8f19f4..efe23fb1a7 100644
--- a/nix/packages/supascan/internal/config/defaults.go
+++ b/nix/packages/supascan/internal/config/defaults.go
@@ -63,6 +63,9 @@ var DefaultExclusions = Config{
 		// PostgreSQL data directory - contents are dynamic database state
 		"/data/pgdata",
 
+		// pgBackRest spool - transient WAL archive-get/archive-push queue, not durable state
+		"/data/pgbackrest_spool",
+
 		// Deployment/provisioning tools - internal implementation details
 		"/opt/saltstack",