diff --git a/app/Models/User.php b/app/Models/User.php
index bfc64461b..bb6db4489 100644
--- a/app/Models/User.php
+++ b/app/Models/User.php
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ class User extends Authenticatable implements OAuthenticatable
             'email_verified_at' => 'datetime',
             '2fa_setup_at' => 'datetime',
             'last_active_at' => 'datetime',
+            'storage_used_updated_at' => 'datetime',
         ];
     }
 
diff --git a/app/Services/UserStorageService.php b/app/Services/UserStorageService.php
index 5d6db398f..9c29b3963 100644
--- a/app/Services/UserStorageService.php
+++ b/app/Services/UserStorageService.php
@@ -4,11 +4,42 @@ namespace App\Services;
 
 use App\Models\Media;
 use App\Models\User;
+use Carbon\Carbon;
 
 class UserStorageService
 {
     const CACHE_KEY = 'pf:services:user-storage:byId:';
 
+    /**
+     * How long (in hours) a cached storage_used value is trusted for
+     * incremental add/subtract before the hot path recalculates it from source.
+     *
+     * Mirrors the scheduled `user:storage:recalculate --stale=168` reconciler:
+     * an active user who uploads or deletes will self-heal a stale counter
+     * without waiting for the nightly job.
+     */
+    const STALE_AFTER_HOURS = 168;
+
+    /**
+     * Whether a user's cached storage_used is too old (or missing) to be
+     * trusted for an incremental delta and should be recalculated from source.
+     */
+    protected static function isStale(User $user): bool
+    {
+        $updatedAt = $user->storage_used_updated_at;
+        if (! $updatedAt) {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        // Be defensive: the value is normally cast to Carbon on the User model,
+        // but tolerate a raw string if a model is hydrated without casts.
+        if (! $updatedAt instanceof Carbon) {
+            $updatedAt = Carbon::parse($updatedAt);
+        }
+
+        return $updatedAt->lt(now()->subHours(self::STALE_AFTER_HOURS));
+    }
+
     public static function get($id)
     {
         $user = User::find($id);
@@ -51,10 +82,13 @@ class UserStorageService
      * stored media, without re-summing the whole media table.
      *
      * This is the counterpart to decrementStorageUsed and is used on the upload
-     * path. If storage_used has never been calculated (storage_used_updated_at
-     * is null) it seeds the counter from source first so the increment is added
-     * to an accurate base rather than zero. Any drift is corrected by the
-     * periodic recalculateUpdateStorageUsed reconciler.
+     * path, AFTER the new media row has been saved.
+     *
+     * Self-healing: if the cached counter is missing or stale (see
+     * STALE_AFTER_HOURS) it recalculates from source instead of trusting the
+     * incremental value. Because callers save the media row before calling
+     * this, a from-source recalc already accounts for the new media, so the
+     * delta is NOT re-applied on the recalc path (that would double count).
      *
      * @param  int  $id  User id
      * @param  int  $sizeInBytes  Size of the added media in bytes
@@ -67,13 +101,14 @@ class UserStorageService
             return null;
         }
 
-        // Seed from source if never calculated, so we add to an accurate base.
-        $base = $user->storage_used_updated_at
-            ? (int) $user->storage_used
-            : self::calculateStorageUsed($id);
+        // Stale or uncalculated: recompute from source. The just-saved media is
+        // already included, so return the source value without adding the delta.
+        if (self::isStale($user)) {
+            return self::recalculateUpdateStorageUsed($id);
+        }
 
         $sizeInKbs = (int) floor(((int) $sizeInBytes) / 1000);
-        $updatedVal = max(0, $base + $sizeInKbs);
+        $updatedVal = max(0, (int) $user->storage_used + $sizeInKbs);
 
         $user->storage_used = $updatedVal;
         $user->storage_used_updated_at = now();
@@ -86,14 +121,14 @@ class UserStorageService
      * Decrement a user's cached storage_used by the size (in bytes) of removed
      * media, without re-summing the whole media table.
      *
-     * This is the fast path used when media is deleted. Any drift it introduces
-     * (e.g. double-processed jobs, deletions that bypass this path) is corrected
-     * by the periodic recalculateUpdateStorageUsed reconciler. The value is
-     * clamped at zero so it can never go negative.
+     * This is the fast path used when media is deleted, AFTER the media row has
+     * been removed. The value is clamped at zero so it can never go negative.
      *
-     * Note: only acts on an already-populated counter. If storage_used has
-     * never been calculated (storage_used_updated_at is null), it leaves the
-     * value untouched so the next get()/recalculate computes it from source.
+     * Self-healing: if the cached counter is missing or stale (see
+     * STALE_AFTER_HOURS) it recalculates from source instead of trusting the
+     * incremental value. Because callers delete the media row before calling
+     * this, a from-source recalc already excludes the removed media, so the
+     * delta is NOT re-applied on the recalc path (that would over-subtract).
      *
      * @param  int  $id  User id
      * @param  int  $sizeInBytes  Size of the removed media in bytes
@@ -106,9 +141,10 @@ class UserStorageService
             return null;
         }
 
-        // Nothing cached yet: let the next full calculation establish the value.
-        if (! $user->storage_used_updated_at) {
-            return null;
+        // Stale or uncalculated: recompute from source. The removed media is
+        // already excluded, so return the source value without subtracting.
+        if (self::isStale($user)) {
+            return self::recalculateUpdateStorageUsed($id);
         }
 
         $sizeInKbs = (int) floor(((int) $sizeInBytes) / 1000);
diff --git a/tests/Feature/Services/UserStorageServiceTest.php b/tests/Feature/Services/UserStorageServiceTest.php
index 0957c94ea..8dff2607e 100644
--- a/tests/Feature/Services/UserStorageServiceTest.php
+++ b/tests/Feature/Services/UserStorageServiceTest.php
@@ -131,23 +131,66 @@ it('increases storage_used by the added media size in KB', function () {
     expect((int) $user->storage_used)->toBe(800);
 });
 
-it('seeds from actual media when increasing an uncalculated counter', function () {
+it('recalculates from source instead of adding when the counter was never calculated', function () {
     $user = User::factory()->create();
     $user->refresh();
 
-    // Fresh user with pre-existing media but no cached counter yet.
+    // Fresh user with pre-existing media but no cached counter yet. Callers
+    // save the media row before calling increaseStorageUsed, so an
+    // uncalculated (stale) counter recomputes from source rather than adding.
     expect($user->storage_used_updated_at)->toBeNull();
-    makeMedia($user, 200000, 1); // 200 KB already on disk
+    makeMedia($user, 200000, 1); // 200 KB already on disk (the "just-saved" media)
 
-    // Add another 500 KB; base should be seeded from the 200 KB of media.
-    $result = UserStorageService::increaseStorageUsed($user->id, 500000);
+    $result = UserStorageService::increaseStorageUsed($user->id, 200000);
 
-    expect($result)->toBe(700);
+    // Source already includes the 200 KB row; delta is NOT re-added.
+    expect($result)->toBe(200);
     $user->refresh();
-    expect((int) $user->storage_used)->toBe(700);
+    expect((int) $user->storage_used)->toBe(200);
     expect($user->storage_used_updated_at)->not->toBeNull();
 });
 
+/*
+| Self-healing: when the cached counter is older than STALE_AFTER_HOURS, the
+| upload path recalculates from source (which already includes the just-saved
+| media) instead of trusting a possibly-drifted incremental value (#7169).
+*/
+it('recalculates from source on increase when the counter is stale', function () {
+    $user = User::factory()->create();
+    $user->refresh();
+
+    // Wildly inflated counter, last touched well beyond the stale window.
+    $user->storage_used = 999999;
+    $user->storage_used_updated_at = now()->subHours(UserStorageService::STALE_AFTER_HOURS + 1);
+    $user->save();
+
+    // Actual media on disk (the just-saved upload) is 300 KB.
+    makeMedia($user, 300000, 1);
+
+    $result = UserStorageService::increaseStorageUsed($user->id, 300000);
+
+    expect($result)->toBe(300);
+    $user->refresh();
+    expect((int) $user->storage_used)->toBe(300);
+});
+
+it('trusts the incremental value on increase when the counter is fresh', function () {
+    $user = User::factory()->create();
+    $user->refresh();
+
+    // Fresh counter that intentionally disagrees with actual media; the fast
+    // path must trust it and only add the delta, not recompute.
+    $user->storage_used = 300;
+    $user->storage_used_updated_at = now();
+    $user->save();
+    makeMedia($user, 999000, 1); // disagrees with the cached 300
+
+    $result = UserStorageService::increaseStorageUsed($user->id, 500000);
+
+    // 300 + 500 = 800 (incremental), NOT recalculated from the 999 KB media.
+    expect($result)->toBe(800);
+});
+
 it('returns null when increasing a missing user', function () {
     expect(UserStorageService::increaseStorageUsed(999999, 500000))->toBeNull();
 });
@@ -202,19 +245,61 @@ it('clamps decrement at zero and never goes negative', function () {
     expect((int) $user->storage_used)->toBe(0);
 });
 
-it('skips decrement when the counter was never calculated', function () {
+it('recalculates from source on decrement when the counter was never calculated', function () {
     $user = User::factory()->create();
     $user->refresh();
 
-    // Fresh user: storage_used_updated_at is null.
+    // Fresh user: storage_used_updated_at is null (treated as stale). Callers
+    // delete the media row before calling decrementStorageUsed, so the remaining
+    // media is the source of truth.
     expect($user->storage_used_updated_at)->toBeNull();
+    makeMedia($user, 150000, 1); // 150 KB of remaining media
 
     $result = UserStorageService::decrementStorageUsed($user->id, 500000);
 
-    // Skipped so a later get()/recalculate establishes the true value.
-    expect($result)->toBeNull();
+    // Recomputed from remaining media; delta is NOT subtracted on top.
+    expect($result)->toBe(150);
     $user->refresh();
-    expect($user->storage_used_updated_at)->toBeNull();
+    expect((int) $user->storage_used)->toBe(150);
+    expect($user->storage_used_updated_at)->not->toBeNull();
+});
+
+/*
+| Self-healing: when the cached counter is older than STALE_AFTER_HOURS, the
+| delete path recalculates from source (which already excludes the removed
+| media) instead of trusting a possibly-drifted incremental value (#7169).
+*/
+it('recalculates from source on decrement when the counter is stale', function () {
+    $user = User::factory()->create();
+    $user->refresh();
+
+    $user->storage_used = 999999;
+    $user->storage_used_updated_at = now()->subHours(UserStorageService::STALE_AFTER_HOURS + 1);
+    $user->save();
+
+    makeMedia($user, 250000, 1); // 250 KB remaining after the delete
+
+    $result = UserStorageService::decrementStorageUsed($user->id, 500000);
+
+    expect($result)->toBe(250);
+    $user->refresh();
+    expect((int) $user->storage_used)->toBe(250);
+});
+
+it('trusts the incremental value on decrement when the counter is fresh', function () {
+    $user = User::factory()->create();
+    $user->refresh();
+
+    // Fresh counter that disagrees with actual media; fast path must trust it.
+    $user->storage_used = 800;
+    $user->storage_used_updated_at = now();
+    $user->save();
+    makeMedia($user, 999000, 1); // disagrees with the cached 800
+
+    $result = UserStorageService::decrementStorageUsed($user->id, 500000);
+
+    // 800 - 500 = 300 (incremental), NOT recalculated from the 999 KB media.
+    expect($result)->toBe(300);
 });
 
 it('returns null when decrementing a missing user', function () {