diff --git a/app/services/disk_space.ts b/app/services/disk_space.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..30a5da6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/services/disk_space.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import { statfs } from 'node:fs/promises'
+import logger from '@adonisjs/core/services/logger'
+
+/** How often free space is measured. */
+const CHECK_MS = 60_000
+/** Resumed only this much above the floor: not paused and resumed at every flush. */
+const MARGIN_GB = 1
+
+/**
+ * Free space on the filesystem holding `path`, against a floor: low below it, again fine MARGIN_GB above it. In a
+ * container `/` is an overlay on the host's Docker root, which on homelab is the NVMe the catalog and the WAL are on.
+ * The prober filled it ~0.8–1.1 GB an hour at ~200 articles/s, and nothing stopped it at the 10 GB floor (LOG.md
+ * 2026-10-18 (77)). Off when the floor is 0.
+ */
+export class DiskSpace {
+  private checkedAt = 0
+  private low = false
+
+  constructor(
+    private what: string,
+    private path: string,
+    private floorGb: number,
+    private free: (path: string) => Promise<number> = async (p) => {
+      const s = await statfs(p)
+      return s.bavail * s.bsize
+    },
+    private checkMs = CHECK_MS
+  ) {}
+
+  async short(): Promise<boolean> {
+    if (!this.floorGb) return false
+    if (Date.now() - this.checkedAt < this.checkMs) return this.low
+    this.checkedAt = Date.now()
+    const gb = (await this.free(this.path)) / 1e9
+    const was = this.low
+    this.low = gb < this.floorGb + (was ? MARGIN_GB : 0)
+    if (this.low !== was) logger.info(`${gb.toFixed(1)} GB free (floor ${this.floorGb} GB): ${this.what} ${this.low ? 'paused' : 'resumed'}.`)
+    return this.low
+  }
+}
diff --git a/app/services/prober.ts b/app/services/prober.ts
index 650c861..e2efaa4 100644
--- a/app/services/prober.ts
+++ b/app/services/prober.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { XoverClient } from '#lib/nntp/index'
 import { YencError } from '#lib/yenc/index'
 import { inspect, innerName, PROBE_VERSION, type Inspection } from '#lib/probe/index'
 import { NntpShare } from '#services/nntp_shares'
+import { DiskSpace } from '#services/disk_space'
 
 interface Candidate {
   id: number
@@ -52,6 +53,8 @@ export class Prober {
   private running = 0
   /** The last lane to look found nothing to claim: the prober wants its minimum only. */
   private dry = false
+  /** What it stores (inspections, par2 file lists, the WAL) fills the NVMe: no claims below PROBE_MIN_FREE_GB. */
+  private space = new DiskSpace('probing', '/', coordinatorConfig.probe.minFreeGb)
   private share = new NntpShare('prober', coordinatorConfig.nntpShares.proberPriority, coordinatorConfig.probe.minConnections, coordinatorConfig.probe.connections)
 
   /** Per minute: what was read, and where the lanes' time went (ms summed over lanes; flushes ms on their own). */
@@ -201,6 +204,8 @@ export class Prober {
   }
 
   private async claimTiers() {
+    // The queue empties, the lanes go dry and the share shrinks to its minimum until there's room again.
+    if (await this.space.short()) return
     for (const { kind, unreadable } of TIERS) {
       const want = this.batch - this.queue.length
       if (want <= 0) return
diff --git a/config/coordinator.ts b/config/coordinator.ts
index 57ca3a8..3b729c8 100644
--- a/config/coordinator.ts
+++ b/config/coordinator.ts
@@ -90,6 +90,8 @@ export default {
     connections: env.get('PROBE_CONNECTIONS', 6),
     /** Of them, always (its share's minimum; nntpShares). */
     minConnections: env.get('PROBE_MIN_CONNECTIONS', 2),
+    /** No claims while the filesystem under `/` (the NVMe, in the container) has less free (app/services/disk_space.ts). 0: off. */
+    minFreeGb: env.get('PROBE_MIN_FREE_GB', 0),
     /** Candidates claimed at a time. */
     batch: 400,
     /** BODY commands in flight per connection (pipelined; XoverClient.bodies). */
diff --git a/deploy/compose.yaml b/deploy/compose.yaml
index 9a5dd3c..e6e5238 100644
--- a/deploy/compose.yaml
+++ b/deploy/compose.yaml
@@ -130,6 +130,9 @@ services:
     environment:
       <<: *app-env
       PROBE_CONNECTIONS: ${PROBE_CONNECTIONS:-8}
+      # No claims under this much free on the NVMe (its overlay root): 2 GB above the 10 GB floor, for what the
+      # tail, the merger and the judge write meanwhile.
+      PROBE_MIN_FREE_GB: ${PROBE_MIN_FREE_GB:-12}
 
   # The par2 merge: releases whose files one par2 set describes (what the prober read) become one. No NNTP.
   merger:
diff --git a/start/env.ts b/start/env.ts
index 75f3579..3c49297 100644
--- a/start/env.ts
+++ b/start/env.ts
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ export default await Env.create(new URL('../', import.meta.url), {
   PREFETCH_PER_RANGE: Env.schema.number.optional(),
   PROBE_CONNECTIONS: Env.schema.number.optional(),
   PROBE_MIN_CONNECTIONS: Env.schema.number.optional(),
+  PROBE_MIN_FREE_GB: Env.schema.number.optional(),
   HTTP_ROUTES: Env.schema.enum.optional(['all', 'node', 'public'] as const),
   PREFETCH_PER_GROUP: Env.schema.number.optional(),
 })
diff --git a/tests/unit/disk_space.spec.ts b/tests/unit/disk_space.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bb8c468
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/disk_space.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+import { test } from '@japa/runner'
+import { DiskSpace } from '#services/disk_space'
+
+test.group('DiskSpace', () => {
+  test('short below the floor, fine again a margin above it; off without a floor', async ({ assert }) => {
+    let gb = 15
+    const space = new DiskSpace('probing', '/', 12, async () => gb * 1e9, 0)
+    assert.isFalse(await space.short())
+    gb = 11.5
+    assert.isTrue(await space.short())
+    // Back over the floor, not yet over the margin: still short.
+    gb = 12.5
+    assert.isTrue(await space.short())
+    gb = 13.1
+    assert.isFalse(await space.short())
+    assert.isFalse(await new DiskSpace('probing', '/', 0, async () => 0, 0).short())
+  })
+
+  test('measures a real filesystem', async ({ assert }) => {
+    assert.isFalse(await new DiskSpace('probing', '/', 0.001).short())
+  })
+})