diff --git a/api/tests/test_invariants.py b/api/tests/test_invariants.py
index a1436a0..87a865b 100644
--- a/api/tests/test_invariants.py
+++ b/api/tests/test_invariants.py
@@ -734,3 +734,21 @@ def test_g23_brand_css_filename_is_versioned():
     assert m, "brand CSS must carry a version in its FILENAME"
     assert (ROOT / "deploy" / "branding" / "public" / "assets" / "css"
             / f"theme-windy.v{m.group(1)}.css").exists()
+
+
+def test_backup_never_bundles_credential_repos_to_r2():
+    """kit-army-config (the lockbox) and the *-soul / anima repos carry
+    credentials; the R2 bundles are plaintext. Behavioural: run the script's
+    own exclusion function against the names."""
+    import subprocess
+
+    script = (ROOT / "scripts" / "backup.sh").read_text()
+    fn = script[script.index('EXCLUDE="'):script.index("cleanup()")]
+    # A file named like a pattern in cwd must not break the match (glob expansion).
+    probe = "cd \"$(mktemp -d)\" && touch x-soul && " + fn + (
+        'for n in kit-army-config anima windy-0-soul kit-0c5-soul herm-0-soul '
+        'soulsafe windy-chat eternitas; do excluded "$n" && echo "X $n" || echo "- $n"; done'
+    )
+    out = subprocess.run(["bash", "-c", probe], capture_output=True, text=True, check=True).stdout
+    skipped = {ln[2:] for ln in out.splitlines() if ln.startswith("X ")}
+    assert skipped == {"kit-army-config", "anima", "windy-0-soul", "kit-0c5-soul", "herm-0-soul"}
diff --git a/scripts/backup.sh b/scripts/backup.sh
index 4dafedb..193aee8 100755
--- a/scripts/backup.sh
+++ b/scripts/backup.sh
@@ -23,6 +23,23 @@ BUCKET="${R2_BUCKET_BACKUPS:-windy-git-backups}"
 KEEP_DAYS="${BACKUP_KEEP_DAYS:-30}"
 FAILED=0
 
+# NEVER bundle these to R2 (orchestrator decision 2026-09-23). They carry
+# credentials in plaintext — kit-army-config IS the lockbox, and the soul repos
+# hold agent memory with keys in it — and these bundles are unencrypted, so
+# anyone holding the R2 key could read every secret in the fleet. They are
+# backed up ENCRYPTED elsewhere (Windy Drops lane, restic, restore-tested) and
+# stay mirrored on Veron's own disk in Gitea. Extended globs, matched on name.
+EXCLUDE="${BACKUP_EXCLUDE:-kit-army-config anima *-soul}"
+excluded() {
+  local n=$1 pat pats
+  read -ra pats <<< "$EXCLUDE"   # read never glob-expands; `for p in $EXCLUDE` would
+  for pat in "${pats[@]}"; do
+    # shellcheck disable=SC2053  # unquoted RHS: glob match is the point
+    [[ "$n" == $pat ]] && return 0
+  done
+  return 1
+}
+
 cleanup() { rm -rf "$WORK"; }
 trap cleanup EXIT
 
@@ -44,6 +61,10 @@ count=0
 for repo in "$GIT_ROOT"/*/*.git; do
   owner="$(basename "$(dirname "$repo")")"
   name="$(basename "$repo" .git)"
+  if excluded "$name"; then
+    log "skip ${owner}/${name} (credential-bearing: never bundled to R2 in plaintext)"
+    continue
+  fi
   out="$WORK/${owner}__${name}.bundle"
 
   # --all captures every ref, not just the default branch. A bundle of one