diff --git a/src/http_retry.rs b/src/http_retry.rs
--- a/src/http_retry.rs
+++ b/src/http_retry.rs
@@ -20,4 +20,5 @@
         .and_then(|v| v.to_str().ok())
         .and_then(|v| v.parse::<u64>().ok())
         .unwrap_or(5)
+        .min(120)
 }
diff --git a/src/admin/backfill.rs b/src/admin/backfill.rs
--- a/src/admin/backfill.rs
+++ b/src/admin/backfill.rs
@@ -346,6 +346,7 @@
 
     let mut resolved_count = already_resolved;
 
+    let mut attempted = already_resolved;
     for (did,) in &unresolved {
         match profile::resolve_pds_endpoint(&state.http, &state.config.plc_url, did).await {
             Ok(pds) => {
@@ -359,13 +360,14 @@
                     .bind(did)
                     .execute(&state.db)
                     .await;
+                resolved_count += 1;
             }
             Err(e) => {
                 tracing::warn!(did, error = %e, "failed to resolve PDS endpoint, skipping DID");
             }
         }
-        resolved_count += 1;
-        if resolved_count % 100 == 0 {
+        attempted += 1;
+        if attempted % 100 == 0 {
             update_job_counter(state, job_id, "processed_repos", resolved_count).await;
             if is_cancelled(state, job_id).await {
                 return;
diff --git a/packages/docs/content/docs/guides/backfill.md b/packages/docs/content/docs/guides/backfill.md
--- a/packages/docs/content/docs/guides/backfill.md
+++ b/packages/docs/content/docs/guides/backfill.md
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 | `running`    | Job is actively processing                           |
 | `cancelling` | Cancel requested, waiting for the worker to stop     |
 | `cancelled`  | Worker has stopped and cleaned up                    |
-| `completed`  | All repos processed successfully                     |
+| `completed`  | Worker finished processing all resolvable repos      |
 | `failed`     | An error occurred                                    |
 
 The `stage` field tracks which phase the job is in: `pending`, `discovering_repos`, `resolving_pds`, `fetching_records`, `completed`, `failed`, or `cancelled`.
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
 Running jobs can be cancelled via `POST /admin/backfill/{id}/cancel` or the Cancel button in the dashboard. Cancellation is two-phase:
 
 1. The endpoint sets the job status to `cancelling`.
-2. The worker checks for cancellation at natural checkpoints (between relay pages, every 100 DIDs during resolution, every 100 repos during fetching). When it detects the `cancelling` status, it stops work and sets the final status to `cancelled`.
+2. The worker checks for cancellation at natural checkpoints (between relay pages, every 100 DIDs during resolution, every 10 repos during fetching). When it detects the `cancelling` status, it stops work and sets the final status to `cancelled`.
 
 This means there may be a short delay between clicking Cancel and the job fully stopping, depending on what the worker is doing at that moment.