diff --git a/spindle/db/quota.go b/spindle/db/quota.go
index 0630375c2..aec7ebcbd 100644
--- a/spindle/db/quota.go
+++ b/spindle/db/quota.go
@@ -841,19 +841,12 @@ func classifyStatus(used, limit int64) string {
 	return "under_limit"
 }
 
+// a publishing reservation is released with the reserved ones. nothing at boot can tell whether
+// its object landed, and counting one that never did is permanent where forgetting one that did is
+// one object's bytes
 func (d *QuotaStore) Recover(ctx context.Context, liveIDs []string) error {
 	return d.withTx(ctx, func(conn *sql.Conn) error {
 		_, err := conn.ExecContext(ctx, `
-			INSERT INTO quota_allocations (repo_did, resource, kind, key, amount)
-			SELECT repo_did, resource, kind, key, amount FROM quota_reservations WHERE phase = 'publishing'
-			ON CONFLICT(repo_did, resource, kind, key)
-			DO UPDATE SET amount = excluded.amount
-		`)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-
-		_, err = conn.ExecContext(ctx, `
 			DELETE FROM quota_reservations WHERE phase IN ('reserved', 'publishing')
 		`)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/spindle/db/quota_test.go b/spindle/db/quota_test.go
index 2edffc1e7..19a29d079 100644
--- a/spindle/db/quota_test.go
+++ b/spindle/db/quota_test.go
@@ -478,7 +478,8 @@ func TestCommitUpdatesChangedAmountForSameKey(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestRecoverUpdatesChangedAmountForPublishingKey(t *testing.T) {
+// the interrupted 80 may never have landed, so recovery keeps the committed 60
+func TestRecoverKeepsTheCommittedAmountOverAnInterruptedRepublish(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	database, err := Make(ctx, filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "spindle.db"))
 	if err != nil {
@@ -523,8 +524,8 @@ func TestRecoverUpdatesChangedAmountForPublishingKey(t *testing.T) {
 	`, identity.RepoDID, quota.ResourceCacheStorageBytes, quota.KindNixCache, "nar/object.nar").Scan(&amount); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if amount != 80 {
-		t.Fatalf("recovered amount = %d, want 80", amount)
+	if amount != 60 {
+		t.Fatalf("recovered amount = %d, want the committed 60", amount)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -608,8 +609,8 @@ func TestRecoveryPhases(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if count != 1 {
-		t.Fatal("expected publishing object to be committed")
+	if count != 0 {
+		t.Fatal("expected the publishing reservation to be released, not counted as an object")
 	}
 
 	err = database.QueryRowContext(ctx, `