diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/store/updates-backend-check.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/store/updates-backend-check.test.ts
index 69484e2dff..a4175c7dd5 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/store/updates-backend-check.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/store/updates-backend-check.test.ts
@@ -47,12 +47,25 @@ describe('mapBackendCheck', () => {
     expect(status.targetSha).toBe('backend:9.9.9')
   })
 
+  it('maps the "behind but uncountable" sentinel to behind: null, not 0', () => {
+    // The producer answers behind: -1 (source_check.UPDATE_AVAILABLE_NO_COUNT)
+    // when the checkout is behind but the count can't be computed (shallow
+    // clone without a merge-base, unusable compare API). DesktopUpdateStatus
+    // types that state as null — "never render it as a literal number" — so
+    // clamping -1 to 0 made it byte-identical to the up-to-date answer while
+    // updateAvailable still pitched the install.
+    const status = mapBackendCheck(response({ behind: -1, update_available: true }))
+
+    expect(status.error).toBeUndefined()
+    expect(status.behind).toBeNull()
+    expect(status.updateAvailable).toBe(true)
+    expect(status.targetSha).toBe('backend:9.9.9')
+  })
+
   it('leaves a backend that cannot self-update to the unsupported branch', () => {
     // pip/nix and managed runtimes also answer `behind: null`, but `can_apply: false` renders
     // the "not available" copy first — those must not be turned into failures.
-    const status = mapBackendCheck(
-      response({ can_apply: false, behind: null, message: 'pip install -U hermes-agent' })
-    )
+    const status = mapBackendCheck(response({ can_apply: false, behind: null, message: 'pip install -U hermes-agent' }))
 
     expect(status.supported).toBe(false)
     expect(status.error).toBeUndefined()
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/store/updates.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/store/updates.test.ts
index 3a53a4c25b..173ff4c36a 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/store/updates.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/store/updates.test.ts
@@ -438,7 +438,9 @@ describe('checkBackendUpdates', () => {
 
     const result = await checkBackendUpdates()
 
-    expect(result?.behind).toBe(0)
+    // behind: -1 is the producer's "update available, count unknown" sentinel;
+    // DesktopUpdateStatus carries it as null, never a literal number.
+    expect(result?.behind).toBeNull()
     expect(result?.updateAvailable).toBe(true)
     expect(result?.targetSha).toBe('backend:0.16.0')
   })
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/store/updates.ts b/apps/desktop/src/store/updates.ts
index c82f9fa700..bdcd35b8cb 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/store/updates.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/store/updates.ts
@@ -489,7 +489,13 @@ function isRemoteMode(): boolean {
 }
 
 export function mapBackendCheck(res: BackendUpdateCheckResponse): DesktopUpdateStatus {
-  const behind = res.behind ?? 0
+  // The producer's contract (web_routers/actions.py): behind is 0 = up to
+  // date, -1 = update available but the count is unknown (shallow clone
+  // without a merge-base, unusable GitHub compare), null = the check could
+  // not run at all. DesktopUpdateStatus types "unknown count" as null —
+  // "never render it as a literal number" — so pass that through instead of
+  // clamping the sentinel to a byte-identical copy of "up to date".
+  const behind = res.behind === undefined ? 0 : res.behind
 
   // `behind: null` from a supported (git) backend is the endpoint's "the check
   // could not run" answer (GitHub unreachable, rate limited, offline) and
@@ -507,7 +513,7 @@ export function mapBackendCheck(res: BackendUpdateCheckResponse): DesktopUpdateS
     error: checkFailed ? 'check-failed' : undefined,
     message: res.message ?? undefined,
     updateAvailable: res.update_available,
-    behind: behind > 0 ? behind : 0,
+    behind: behind === null || behind < 0 ? null : behind,
     currentVersion: res.current_version,
     targetSha: res.update_available ? `backend:${res.current_version}` : undefined,
     commits: res.commits,