diff --git a/src/lib/database-backup/__tests__/dump-core.test.ts b/src/lib/database-backup/__tests__/dump-core.test.ts
index b819434a4..34ee6baa7 100644
--- a/src/lib/database-backup/__tests__/dump-core.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/database-backup/__tests__/dump-core.test.ts
@@ -10,9 +10,14 @@
  * tests that keep its plain-JS reading of both from drifting.
  */
 import {
-  mkdtempSync,
+  chmodSync,
   createReadStream,
+  fstatSync,
+  mkdirSync,
+  mkdtempSync,
+  readdirSync,
   rmSync,
+  statSync,
   utimesSync,
   writeFileSync,
 } from "node:fs";
@@ -46,6 +51,7 @@ import {
   resolveBackupSchedule,
   resolveDailyKeep,
   selectForDeletion,
+  verifyArchive,
   type DirectoryProbe,
   type DumpSet,
   type Env,
@@ -126,6 +132,44 @@ describe("dump names", () => {
   });
 });
 
+/** How many of this process's descriptors are open on `path`'s file. */
+function openHandlesOn(path: string): number {
+  const { dev, ino } = statSync(path);
+  return readdirSync("/dev/fd").filter((fd) => {
+    try {
+      const s = fstatSync(Number(fd));
+      return s.dev === dev && s.ino === ino;
+    } catch {
+      return false;
+    }
+  }).length;
+}
+
+describe("reading an archive back", () => {
+  // The worker lives for weeks and checks a dump every night. A handle it
+  // keeps on a checked dump keeps that dump's blocks allocated after
+  // retention deletes it, so the volume fills with "deleted" dumps.
+  it("leaves no handle open on the dump once the listing is read", async () => {
+    const dir = tempDir();
+    const bin = join(dir, "bin");
+    mkdirSync(bin);
+    // A pg_restore that does what the real one does with a custom-format
+    // archive: read the table of contents and exit without reading the rest.
+    writeFileSync(
+      join(bin, "pg_restore"),
+      `#!/bin/sh\nprintf '; header\\n1; 2615 2200 TABLE public a\\n2; 2615 2201 TABLE public b\\n'\n`,
+    );
+    chmodSync(join(bin, "pg_restore"), 0o755);
+    vi.stubEnv("PATH", `${bin}:${process.env.PATH ?? ""}`);
+    const dump = join(dir, "big.dump");
+    writeFileSync(dump, Buffer.alloc(16 * 1024 * 1024, 7));
+
+    expect(await verifyArchive(dump)).toBe(2);
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 200));
+    expect(openHandlesOn(dump)).toBe(0);
+  });
+});
+
 describe("configuration", () => {
   it("keeps at least one daily dump and ignores what is not a number", () => {
     expect(resolveDailyKeep({})).toBe(7);
diff --git a/src/lib/database-backup/dump-core.mjs b/src/lib/database-backup/dump-core.mjs
index dd8618aea..227e707c4 100644
--- a/src/lib/database-backup/dump-core.mjs
+++ b/src/lib/database-backup/dump-core.mjs
@@ -739,16 +739,19 @@ export async function serverVersion(client) {
 
 /**
  * Run one Postgres client tool. Standard output goes to `stdout` when given
- * (a file stream) and is collected otherwise; standard input comes from
- * `stdin` when given. Rejects with the tool's own last lines on a non-zero
- * exit, and kills it at `deadline` (epoch ms).
+ * (a file stream) and is collected otherwise. Rejects with the tool's own
+ * last lines on a non-zero exit, and kills it at `deadline` (epoch ms).
+ *
+ * A file the tool reads is named in `args`, never streamed to its standard
+ * input: `pg_restore --list` reads an archive's table of contents and exits,
+ * and a stream piped into it would stay open on the file. In the long-lived
+ * worker that kept every checked dump allocated after retention deleted it.
  *
  * @param {string} tool
  * @param {string[]} args
  * @param {{
  *   env?: Record<string, string>;
  *   stdout?: NodeJS.WritableStream;
- *   stdin?: NodeJS.ReadableStream;
  *   deadline?: number;
  * }} [options]
  * @returns {Promise<string>}
@@ -757,7 +760,7 @@ export function runTool(tool, args, options = {}) {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     const child = spawn(tool, args, {
       env: { ...process.env, ...(options.env ?? {}) },
-      stdio: [options.stdin ? "pipe" : "ignore", "pipe", "pipe"],
+      stdio: ["ignore", "pipe", "pipe"],
     });
     /** @type {Buffer[]} */
     const out = [];
@@ -787,16 +790,6 @@ export function runTool(tool, args, options = {}) {
     child.stderr.on("data", (c) => {
       err = (err + c.toString("utf8")).slice(-4000);
     });
-    if (options.stdin && child.stdin) {
-      options.stdin.on("error", (e) => {
-        child.kill("SIGTERM");
-        reject(e);
-      });
-      child.stdin.on("error", () => {
-        // The tool closed its input early; its exit code says why.
-      });
-      options.stdin.pipe(child.stdin);
-    }
     child.on("error", (e) => {
       if (timer) clearTimeout(timer);
       reject(
@@ -841,9 +834,7 @@ export async function pgDumpVersion() {
  * @param {string} path
  */
 export async function verifyArchive(path) {
-  const listing = await runTool("pg_restore", ["--list"], {
-    stdin: createReadStream(path),
-  });
+  const listing = await runTool("pg_restore", ["--list", path]);
   const entries = listing
     .split("\n")
     .filter((line) => line.trim() && !line.startsWith(";")).length;