diff --git a/backend/__tests__/integration/backupService.configurableWalker.test.js b/backend/__tests__/integration/backupService.configurableWalker.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..65683046
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/__tests__/integration/backupService.configurableWalker.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,180 @@
+/**
+ * Pins the Stage-B refactor that lifted the file-backup walker's
+ * subdirectory list out of hard-coded JS into the `backup_paths`
+ * table seeded by migration 108.
+ *
+ * Scenarios:
+ *   1. Walker reads canonical seed → all 7 default subdirs walked
+ *   2. include_in_default=false on one row → that subdir is skipped
+ *   3. New row inserted at runtime → walker picks it up without restart
+ *   4. feature_flag gating → row only walked when the named app_settings
+ *      boolean is truthy (mirrors historical `includeArchived` behavior)
+ *   5. Empty table → walker falls back to LEGACY_BACKUP_PATHS (defense
+ *      in depth — never silently scans nothing)
+ *
+ * Why not stub `db('backup_paths')`: the whole point of Stage B is
+ * that the walker is now data-driven, so the test has to actually
+ * mutate the table and observe the walker's output change. Stubs
+ * would re-introduce the hard-coding the refactor is meant to remove.
+ */
+
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
+
+const { bootCrmDb } = require('./helpers/crmDb');
+
+jest.setTimeout(30000);
+
+describe('backupService — configurable walker (backup_paths)', () => {
+  let db;
+  let cleanup;
+  let storagePath;
+  let backupService;
+
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    ({ db, cleanup } = await bootCrmDb());
+    storagePath = process.env.STORAGE_PATH;
+    backupService = require('../../src/services/backupService');
+  }, 120000);
+
+  afterAll(async () => {
+    if (cleanup) await cleanup();
+  });
+
+  function seedFile(relPath, content = 'dummy bytes') {
+    const abs = path.join(storagePath, relPath);
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(abs), { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(abs, content);
+  }
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    // Restore canonical seed before every test. Tests mutate this table
+    // freely; the next test starts from a known state.
+    await db('backup_paths').del();
+    const {
+      DEFAULT_PATHS,
+    } = require('../../migrations/core/108_add_backup_paths');
+    await db('backup_paths').insert(DEFAULT_PATHS.map((row) => ({
+      ...row,
+      created_at: new Date(),
+      updated_at: new Date(),
+    })));
+  });
+
+  it('migration 108 seeds the canonical 7 paths', async () => {
+    const rows = await db('backup_paths').orderBy('display_order', 'asc').select();
+    expect(rows.map((r) => r.path)).toEqual([
+      'events/active',
+      'events/archived',
+      'thumbnails',
+      'previews',
+      'heroes',
+      'uploads',
+      'business-docs',
+    ]);
+    // Only events/archived is gated by a feature flag.
+    expect(rows.filter((r) => r.feature_flag).map((r) => r.path)).toEqual([
+      'events/archived',
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('walks every default subdir when files are present', async () => {
+    seedFile('events/active/E1/a.jpg');
+    seedFile('thumbnails/E1/a.jpg');
+    seedFile('previews/E1/a.jpg');
+    seedFile('heroes/E1/hero.jpg');
+    seedFile('uploads/intake/x.bin');
+    seedFile('business-docs/quote/2026/Q-001.pdf');
+    // events/archived is gated — left out of this test; covered below.
+
+    const files = await backupService.getFilesToBackup({ backup_include_archived: true });
+    const rels = files.map((f) => f.relativePath);
+
+    expect(rels).toEqual(expect.arrayContaining([
+      'events/active/E1/a.jpg',
+      'thumbnails/E1/a.jpg',
+      'previews/E1/a.jpg',
+      'heroes/E1/hero.jpg',
+      'uploads/intake/x.bin',
+      'business-docs/quote/2026/Q-001.pdf',
+    ]));
+  });
+
+  it('skips a path when include_in_default is toggled off', async () => {
+    seedFile('thumbnails/E1/thumb.jpg');
+    seedFile('events/active/E1/photo.jpg');
+
+    await db('backup_paths').where('path', 'thumbnails').update({
+      include_in_default: false,
+    });
+
+    const files = await backupService.getFilesToBackup({ backup_include_archived: true });
+    const rels = files.map((f) => f.relativePath);
+
+    expect(rels).toContain('events/active/E1/photo.jpg');
+    expect(rels).not.toContain('thumbnails/E1/thumb.jpg');
+  });
+
+  it('picks up a new path inserted at runtime — no restart needed', async () => {
+    // Simulates a future feature shipping its own subdirectory and
+    // self-healing a `backup_paths` row at boot.
+    await db('backup_paths').insert({
+      path: 'plugin-store',
+      include_in_default: true,
+      feature_flag: null,
+      display_order: 200,
+      description: 'Hypothetical future feature payload',
+      created_at: new Date(),
+      updated_at: new Date(),
+    });
+    seedFile('plugin-store/cache/payload.bin');
+
+    const files = await backupService.getFilesToBackup({ backup_include_archived: true });
+    const rels = files.map((f) => f.relativePath);
+
+    expect(rels).toContain('plugin-store/cache/payload.bin');
+  });
+
+  it('respects feature_flag gating (events/archived ⇄ backup_include_archived)', async () => {
+    seedFile('events/active/E1/active.jpg');
+    seedFile('events/archived/E2/archived.jpg');
+
+    // backup_include_archived=false → archived/ is skipped.
+    const filesOff = await backupService.getFilesToBackup({ backup_include_archived: false });
+    const relsOff = filesOff.map((f) => f.relativePath);
+    expect(relsOff).toContain('events/active/E1/active.jpg');
+    expect(relsOff).not.toContain('events/archived/E2/archived.jpg');
+
+    // backup_include_archived=true → archived/ is included.
+    const filesOn = await backupService.getFilesToBackup({ backup_include_archived: true });
+    const relsOn = filesOn.map((f) => f.relativePath);
+    expect(relsOn).toContain('events/archived/E2/archived.jpg');
+  });
+
+  it('falls back to LEGACY_BACKUP_PATHS when the table is empty', async () => {
+    // Defense in depth: even if seed-and-self-heal both failed, the
+    // walker must still cover the historical set so "Run Backup Now"
+    // cannot silently degrade to no-op.
+    await db('backup_paths').del();
+    seedFile('events/active/E1/photo.jpg');
+    seedFile('business-docs/quote/2026/Q-002.pdf');
+
+    const files = await backupService.getFilesToBackup({ backup_include_archived: true });
+    const rels = files.map((f) => f.relativePath);
+
+    expect(rels).toContain('events/active/E1/photo.jpg');
+    expect(rels).toContain('business-docs/quote/2026/Q-002.pdf');
+  });
+
+  it('legacy boolean call signature still works (backward compat)', async () => {
+    // Existing call sites (and the businessDocs regression test) pass
+    // a boolean for `includeArchived`. Refactor must not break them.
+    seedFile('events/archived/E3/legacy.jpg');
+
+    const filesOff = await backupService.getFilesToBackup(false);
+    expect(filesOff.map((f) => f.relativePath)).not.toContain('events/archived/E3/legacy.jpg');
+
+    const filesOn = await backupService.getFilesToBackup(true);
+    expect(filesOn.map((f) => f.relativePath)).toContain('events/archived/E3/legacy.jpg');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/backend/migrations/core/108_add_backup_paths.js b/backend/migrations/core/108_add_backup_paths.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5fddccf6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/migrations/core/108_add_backup_paths.js
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+/**
+ * Migration 108 — config-driven backup walker.
+ *
+ * Stage B of the three-stage backup-hardening plan. The file-backup
+ * walker (`getFilesToBackupInternal` in backupService.js) historically
+ * hard-coded its list of subdirectories: events/active, events/archived,
+ * thumbnails, previews, heroes, uploads, business-docs.
+ *
+ * That list is a footgun every time a new feature lands that drops
+ * artefacts under STORAGE_PATH/<something>/ — the maintainer has to
+ * remember to edit the walker, and there's no schema-level record of
+ * what *should* be backed up. The CRM rollout missed `business-docs`
+ * for ~6 months (#XXX) for exactly this reason.
+ *
+ * This migration introduces a `backup_paths` table that the walker
+ * reads at runtime. New features add a row; the walker picks them up
+ * automatically. The `feature_flag` column gates scans behind an
+ * existing app_settings boolean (e.g. `backup_include_archived`),
+ * mirroring how the previous `includeArchived` parameter worked.
+ *
+ * Columns:
+ *   - path                : relative to STORAGE_PATH, unique
+ *   - include_in_default  : on/off without deleting the row (so
+ *                           audit trail of "we used to back this up"
+ *                           is preserved)
+ *   - feature_flag        : nullable; when set, walker checks the
+ *                           same-named app_settings boolean before
+ *                           scanning. Matches the existing pattern
+ *                           used by `backup_include_archived`.
+ *   - display_order       : controls admin-UI listing order
+ *   - description         : human-readable purpose, shown in admin UI
+ *
+ * Defense-in-depth: the walker also keeps a hard-coded LEGACY_DEFAULTS
+ * fallback so that if this table is somehow empty (failed migration on
+ * an existing install, manual truncation), backups still cover the
+ * historical set instead of silently shipping nothing. The boot-time
+ * self-heal in `_backupPathsBoot.js` re-seeds missing default rows on
+ * every startup so newly-added defaults reach already-deployed
+ * installs without a follow-up migration.
+ *
+ * Idempotent: skips the createTable if it already exists, and the
+ * seed uses `onConflict('path').ignore()` so re-runs don't duplicate.
+ */
+
+const DEFAULT_PATHS = [
+  {
+    path: 'events/active',
+    include_in_default: true,
+    feature_flag: null,
+    display_order: 10,
+    description: 'Active gallery photo originals',
+  },
+  {
+    path: 'events/archived',
+    include_in_default: true,
+    feature_flag: 'backup_include_archived',
+    display_order: 20,
+    description: 'Archived gallery photo originals (gated by backup_include_archived)',
+  },
+  {
+    path: 'thumbnails',
+    include_in_default: true,
+    feature_flag: null,
+    display_order: 30,
+    description: 'Generated gallery thumbnails',
+  },
+  {
+    path: 'previews',
+    include_in_default: true,
+    feature_flag: null,
+    display_order: 40,
+    description: 'Lightbox preview tier (#492)',
+  },
+  {
+    path: 'heroes',
+    include_in_default: true,
+    feature_flag: null,
+    display_order: 50,
+    description: 'Gallery hero header images',
+  },
+  {
+    path: 'uploads',
+    include_in_default: true,
+    feature_flag: null,
+    display_order: 60,
+    description: 'Direct uploads root (wet-signature contracts, imported invoices, etc.)',
+  },
+  {
+    path: 'business-docs',
+    include_in_default: true,
+    feature_flag: null,
+    display_order: 70,
+    description: 'CRM PDFs, signature artefacts, admin-imported historical invoices',
+  },
+];
+
+exports.up = async function(knex) {
+  const exists = await knex.schema.hasTable('backup_paths');
+  if (!exists) {
+    await knex.schema.createTable('backup_paths', (t) => {
+      t.increments('id').primary();
+      t.string('path', 256).notNullable().unique();
+      t.boolean('include_in_default').notNullable().defaultTo(true);
+      t.string('feature_flag', 64).nullable();
+      t.integer('display_order').notNullable().defaultTo(100);
+      t.string('description', 256).nullable();
+      t.timestamp('created_at').notNullable().defaultTo(knex.fn.now());
+      t.timestamp('updated_at').notNullable().defaultTo(knex.fn.now());
+    });
+  }
+
+  // Seed defaults — `onConflict('path').ignore()` so already-seeded rows
+  // (manual edits by admins, prior partial runs) survive untouched.
+  await knex('backup_paths')
+    .insert(DEFAULT_PATHS.map((row) => ({
+      ...row,
+      created_at: new Date(),
+      updated_at: new Date(),
+    })))
+    .onConflict('path')
+    .ignore();
+};
+
+exports.down = async function(knex) {
+  await knex.schema.dropTableIfExists('backup_paths');
+};
+
+// Exported so the self-heal boot helper can reuse the same authoritative
+// list without re-declaring it. Tests also import this to assert the
+// walker is reading from this source.
+exports.DEFAULT_PATHS = DEFAULT_PATHS;
diff --git a/backend/server.js b/backend/server.js
index f7c5d7c0..527efc4e 100644
--- a/backend/server.js
+++ b/backend/server.js
@@ -800,6 +800,18 @@ async function startServer() {
     const { startS3AutoImporter } = require('./src/services/s3AutoImporter');
     startS3AutoImporter();
 
+    // Self-heal the `backup_paths` table before the backup service
+    // starts — the file-backup walker reads from it, so missing
+    // canonical rows (a new subdirectory shipped by a future feature)
+    // get re-seeded here on every boot. See _backupPathsBoot.js for
+    // the full rationale; pattern mirrors _emailTemplateBoot.js.
+    try {
+      const { seedBackupPathsAtBoot } = require('./src/services/_backupPathsBoot');
+      await seedBackupPathsAtBoot(db, logger);
+    } catch (err) {
+      logger.warn('backup_paths self-heal failed at boot:', err.message);
+    }
+
     // Start backup service
     await startBackupService();
 
diff --git a/backend/src/services/_backupPathsBoot.js b/backend/src/services/_backupPathsBoot.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d1c8ece1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/services/_backupPathsBoot.js
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+/**
+ * Boot-time self-heal for the `backup_paths` table.
+ *
+ * **Why this exists**
+ *
+ * Knex won't re-run an applied migration, so once migration
+ * 108_add_backup_paths.js has run, any later default we want to add
+ * (a new subdirectory shipped by a future feature) would never reach
+ * already-deployed installs. The historical fix for this kind of
+ * "schema is fine, seed drifted" problem is the boot-time self-heal
+ * pattern documented in [[feedback_self_heal_pattern]] — we just
+ * re-apply the canonical seed on every boot with `onConflict.ignore()`
+ * so admin edits stay intact and new rows trickle in.
+ *
+ * **Authoritative list**
+ *
+ * The list of defaults lives on migration 108 itself
+ * (`DEFAULT_PATHS` export) — one source of truth that both the
+ * migration and this seeder read. Tests assert these two stay in
+ * lockstep.
+ *
+ * **Failure semantics**
+ *
+ * If the table doesn't exist yet (migrations haven't run, fresh
+ * install before migration 108 lands, etc.) we no-op and log. The
+ * walker has a hard-coded `LEGACY_DEFAULTS` fallback for the same
+ * reason — defense in depth so "Run Backup Now" can never silently
+ * ship a files-only manifest because of a seed issue. See
+ * `backupService.js` getFilesToBackupInternal.
+ */
+
+const { DEFAULT_PATHS } = require('../../migrations/core/108_add_backup_paths');
+
+let booted = false;
+
+/**
+ * Idempotently re-seed `backup_paths` with the canonical defaults.
+ *
+ * @param {object} db      knex instance
+ * @param {object} logger  app logger (must expose .info / .warn)
+ * @returns {Promise<{ seeded: string[] }>} paths newly inserted on this boot.
+ */
+async function seedBackupPathsAtBoot(db, logger) {
+  const log = logger || { info: () => {}, warn: () => {} };
+  if (booted) return { seeded: [] };
+
+  if (!(await db.schema.hasTable('backup_paths'))) {
+    log.warn('backup_paths table missing at boot — self-heal skipped (migration 108 may not have run yet)');
+    return { seeded: [] };
+  }
+
+  // Diff: which canonical paths are missing from the table right now?
+  // We can't easily get "what got inserted by onConflict.ignore" out of
+  // knex on both backends, so we just compute the diff ourselves and log
+  // it — admins benefit from seeing exactly what got auto-added when a
+  // new feature ships.
+  const existing = await db('backup_paths').select('path');
+  const existingSet = new Set(existing.map((r) => r.path));
+  const missing = DEFAULT_PATHS.filter((p) => !existingSet.has(p.path));
+
+  if (missing.length === 0) {
+    booted = true;
+    return { seeded: [] };
+  }
+
+  try {
+    await db('backup_paths')
+      .insert(missing.map((row) => ({
+        ...row,
+        created_at: new Date(),
+        updated_at: new Date(),
+      })))
+      .onConflict('path')
+      .ignore();
+    log.info(`backup_paths self-heal added ${missing.length} row(s): ${missing.map((m) => m.path).join(', ')}`);
+  } catch (err) {
+    log.warn(`backup_paths self-heal failed: ${err.message}`);
+  }
+
+  booted = true;
+  return { seeded: missing.map((m) => m.path) };
+}
+
+// Test-only: reset the module-level boot flag so jest can re-exercise
+// the seeder against a fresh test DB inside a single worker.
+function _resetBootForTests() {
+  booted = false;
+}
+
+module.exports = { seedBackupPathsAtBoot, _resetBootForTests };
diff --git a/backend/src/services/backupService.js b/backend/src/services/backupService.js
index 118e636c..eb9f4b71 100644
--- a/backend/src/services/backupService.js
+++ b/backend/src/services/backupService.js
@@ -417,43 +417,111 @@ async function scanDirectory(dirPath, fileList, basePath, excludePatterns = [])
   }
 }
 
-async function getFilesToBackupInternal(includeArchived = true) {
+/**
+ * Hard-coded fallback when `backup_paths` is missing/empty. Mirrors
+ * the canonical seed in migration 108 — kept here as defense in depth
+ * so the walker can never silently degrade to "no directories scanned"
+ * because of a seed problem.
+ *
+ * Order matches the legacy behavior of the inlined sequence this
+ * function used to contain.
+ */
+const LEGACY_BACKUP_PATHS = [
+  { path: 'events/active',    feature_flag: null },
+  { path: 'events/archived',  feature_flag: 'backup_include_archived' },
+  { path: 'thumbnails',       feature_flag: null },
+  { path: 'previews',         feature_flag: null },
+  { path: 'heroes',           feature_flag: null },
+  { path: 'uploads',          feature_flag: null },
+  { path: 'business-docs',    feature_flag: null },
+];
+
+/**
+ * Resolve the walker's target subdirectories from `backup_paths`.
+ *
+ * Layered fallback (defense in depth — no scenario where the walker
+ * silently scans nothing):
+ *   1. Read `backup_paths` rows where include_in_default = true,
+ *      ordered by display_order.
+ *   2. If the table is missing OR returns zero rows, fall back to
+ *      LEGACY_BACKUP_PATHS. Logged loudly so the admin sees it.
+ *
+ * Per-row gating: when `feature_flag` is set, the corresponding
+ * config key in `app_settings` must resolve truthy for that path to
+ * be included. Mirrors the historical `includeArchived` parameter,
+ * but now driven by data instead of a hard-coded boolean.
+ *
+ * @param {object} config  resolved backup config (parseSettingValue'd).
+ *                         Used to evaluate feature_flag gates.
+ * @returns {Promise<Array<{ path: string, feature_flag: string|null }>>}
+ */
+async function resolveBackupPaths(config) {
+  let rows;
+  try {
+    if (!(await db.schema.hasTable('backup_paths'))) {
+      logger.warn('backup_paths table missing — falling back to LEGACY_BACKUP_PATHS');
+      rows = LEGACY_BACKUP_PATHS;
+    } else {
+      rows = await db('backup_paths')
+        .where('include_in_default', formatBoolean(true))
+        .orderBy('display_order', 'asc')
+        .select('path', 'feature_flag');
+      if (!rows.length) {
+        logger.warn('backup_paths has no rows with include_in_default=true — falling back to LEGACY_BACKUP_PATHS');
+        rows = LEGACY_BACKUP_PATHS;
+      }
+    }
+  } catch (err) {
+    logger.warn(`Failed to query backup_paths (${err.message}) — falling back to LEGACY_BACKUP_PATHS`);
+    rows = LEGACY_BACKUP_PATHS;
+  }
+
+  // Apply feature_flag gating. A row with feature_flag='backup_include_archived'
+  // requires config.backup_include_archived to be truthy (same semantics as
+  // the historical `includeArchived` parameter).
+  return rows.filter((row) => {
+    if (!row.feature_flag) return true;
+    const flagValue = config ? config[row.feature_flag] : undefined;
+    return normalizeBoolean(flagValue);
+  });
+}
+
+async function getFilesToBackupInternal(configOrIncludeArchived = true) {
   const files = [];
   const storagePath = getStoragePath();
 
-  await scanDirectory(path.join(storagePath, 'events/active'), files, storagePath);
-
-  if (normalizeBoolean(includeArchived)) {
-    await scanDirectory(path.join(storagePath, 'events/archived'), files, storagePath);
+  // Backward-compatible call signature:
+  //   - Boolean `true|false` → legacy `includeArchived` argument. We
+  //     forge a config-shaped object so the feature-flag gating
+  //     resolves the same way the old code path did.
+  //   - Object             → full resolved backup config (preferred).
+  //   - Anything else      → treated as "include archived" (truthy).
+  let config;
+  if (typeof configOrIncludeArchived === 'object' && configOrIncludeArchived !== null) {
+    config = configOrIncludeArchived;
+  } else {
+    config = { backup_include_archived: normalizeBoolean(configOrIncludeArchived) };
   }
 
-  await scanDirectory(path.join(storagePath, 'thumbnails'), files, storagePath);
-  // Lightbox preview tier (#492). Cheap to back up — typically a few
-  // hundred KB per photo — and saves admins the regenerate cycle on
-  // a restore. Tolerated when missing (admins who never enabled the
-  // feature won't have the folder; scanDirectory short-circuits on
-  // ENOENT cleanly).
-  await scanDirectory(path.join(storagePath, 'previews'), files, storagePath);
-  // Heroes too — same logic; admins who picked a hero photo for the
-  // gallery header had its 1920x1080 file generated and was missed
-  // by the original backup walk before this addition.
-  await scanDirectory(path.join(storagePath, 'heroes'), files, storagePath);
-  await scanDirectory(path.join(storagePath, 'uploads'), files, storagePath);
-  // CRM document estate — every PDF and signature artefact the
-  // service persists for legal-evidence purposes:
-  //   - business-docs/quote/<year>/*.pdf
-  //   - business-docs/contract/<year>/*.pdf  (system-rendered + wet uploads)
-  //   - business-docs/contract/signatures/<contract_id>/*.{png,jpg}
-  //     (drawn signatures, forensic-preserved per Date.now() filename)
-  //   - business-docs/invoice/<year>/*.pdf  (issued invoices + Storno)
-  //   - business-docs/invoice-imports/<year>/*.pdf  (admin-imported
-  //     historical invoices — irrecoverable if not backed up)
-  // Without this scan, the audit trail (signed_pdf_sha256, signed_*
-  // _ip, accepted_at, etc.) survives the restore but the documents
-  // those values refer to do not, leaving every CRM *_path column a
-  // broken FK. scanDirectory short-circuits on ENOENT so installs
-  // that never used CRM features won't error.
-  await scanDirectory(path.join(storagePath, 'business-docs'), files, storagePath);
+  const targets = await resolveBackupPaths(config);
+
+  for (const target of targets) {
+    // CRM document estate is special-cased in the comment block below
+    // because it's the most expensive omission to recover from:
+    //   - business-docs/quote/<year>/*.pdf
+    //   - business-docs/contract/<year>/*.pdf  (system-rendered + wet uploads)
+    //   - business-docs/contract/signatures/<contract_id>/*.{png,jpg}
+    //     (drawn signatures, forensic-preserved per Date.now() filename)
+    //   - business-docs/invoice/<year>/*.pdf  (issued invoices + Storno)
+    //   - business-docs/invoice-imports/<year>/*.pdf  (admin-imported
+    //     historical invoices — irrecoverable if not backed up)
+    // Without this scan, the audit trail (signed_pdf_sha256, signed_*
+    // _ip, accepted_at, etc.) survives the restore but the documents
+    // those values refer to do not, leaving every CRM *_path column a
+    // broken FK. scanDirectory short-circuits on ENOENT so installs
+    // that never used CRM features won't error.
+    await scanDirectory(path.join(storagePath, target.path), files, storagePath);
+  }
 
   return files;
 }
@@ -887,7 +955,11 @@ async function runBackupInternal(isManual = false) {
     // for the full rationale.
     const verifiedDatabaseInfo = await ensureDatabaseDumpForBackup(config);
 
-    const files = await service.getFilesToBackup(config.backup_include_archived);
+    // Pass the full config so the walker can evaluate any feature_flag
+    // gates declared in the backup_paths table (e.g. `events/archived`
+    // gated by `backup_include_archived`). Boolean signature is still
+    // supported for legacy callers and tests — see getFilesToBackupInternal.
+    const files = await service.getFilesToBackup(config);
     logger.info(`Found ${files.length} files to check for backup`);
 
     let result;