diff --git a/changelog.d/maintenance/10351-pre-write-backup-throttle.md b/changelog.d/maintenance/10351-pre-write-backup-throttle.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f6141d30eaf9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/maintenance/10351-pre-write-backup-throttle.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- **docs(backend):** document that pre-write SQLite backups (including models.dev pricing) are throttled to once per 60 minutes and can be disabled with `DISABLE_SQLITE_AUTO_BACKUP` ([#10351](https://github.com/diegosouzapw/OmniRoute/issues/10351))
diff --git a/docs/reference/ENVIRONMENT.md b/docs/reference/ENVIRONMENT.md
index 44af6e49b4ca..add63d54da97 100644
--- a/docs/reference/ENVIRONMENT.md
+++ b/docs/reference/ENVIRONMENT.md
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ OmniRoute uses **SQLite** (via `better-sqlite3`) for all persistence. These vari
 | `OMNIROUTE_DATA_DIR`                   | _(unset)_            | `open-sse/executors/promptql/threadSticky.ts`         | **Fallback alias** for `DATA_DIR`, checked only when `DATA_DIR` is unset. Used to locate the PromptQL executor's on-disk thread-sticky session cache (`<dir>/promptql-thread-sessions.json`); if neither var is set, the cache stays in-memory only (not persisted across restarts).                                                                                                                                             |
 | `STORAGE_ENCRYPTION_KEY`               | _(empty = disabled)_ | `src/lib/db/encryption.ts`                            | AES key for full SQLite database encryption at rest. Generate with `openssl rand -hex 32`.                                                                                                                                                      |
 | `STORAGE_ENCRYPTION_KEY_VERSION`       | `v1`                 | `scripts/build/bootstrap-env.mjs`, `electron/main.js` | Version label for the encryption key. Increment when performing key rotation to support decryption of old backups.                                                                                                                              |
-| `DISABLE_SQLITE_AUTO_BACKUP`           | `false`              | `src/lib/db/backup.ts`                                | When `true`, skips the automatic database backup that runs before migrations on every startup.                                                                                                                                                  |
+| `DISABLE_SQLITE_AUTO_BACKUP`           | `false`              | `src/lib/db/backup.ts`                                | When `true`, skips automatic + pre-write SQLite file backups (startup, models.dev pricing save/clear, settings writes). Manual and pre-restore backups still run. Non-manual backups are also **throttled to at most once per 60 minutes** so hourly models.dev sync does not copy the whole DB on every pricing write. Dashboard **Settings → Storage** can disable auto-backup independently. |
 | `OMNIROUTE_CRYPT_KEY`                  | _(unset)_            | `src/lib/db/encryption.ts`                            | **Legacy alias** for `STORAGE_ENCRYPTION_KEY`. Accepted as a fallback when the primary variable is absent.                                                                                                                                      |
 | `OMNIROUTE_API_KEY_BASE64`             | _(unset)_            | `src/lib/db/encryption.ts`                            | **Legacy alias** (Base64-encoded form) accepted as a fallback. Decoded automatically before use.                                                                                                                                                |
 | `OMNIROUTE_DB_HEALTHCHECK_INTERVAL_MS` | _(unset)_            | `src/lib/db/core.ts`                                  | Override the periodic SQLite healthcheck interval (ms). When unset, defaults are derived from `NODE_ENV`.                                                                                                                                       |
@@ -970,7 +970,7 @@ desktop install.
 
 | Variable                            | Default       | Source File                        | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
 | ----------------------------------- | ------------- | ---------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
-| `MODELS_DEV_SYNC_ENABLED`           | _(unset)_     | `src/lib/modelsDevSync.ts`         | Hard override for models.dev pricing sync. Unset = honor Settings > AI (`modelsDevSyncEnabled`). `0`/`false`/`off`/`no` **wins over the DB** and skips both periodic sync and `getModelsDevPricing()` SQL/JSON scans (recovery when the dashboard is wedged on the same event loop). `1`/`true`/`on`/`yes` forces sync on.           |
+| `MODELS_DEV_SYNC_ENABLED`           | _(unset)_     | `src/lib/modelsDevSync.ts`         | Hard override for models.dev pricing sync. Unset = honor Settings > AI (`modelsDevSyncEnabled`). `0`/`false`/`off`/`no` **wins over the DB** and skips both periodic sync and `getModelsDevPricing()` SQL/JSON scans (recovery when the dashboard is wedged on the same event loop). `1`/`true`/`on`/`yes` forces sync on. Pricing save/clear still call `backupDbFile("pre-write")`, which is no-op under the 60-minute throttle or `DISABLE_SQLITE_AUTO_BACKUP`.           |
 | `MODELS_DEV_SYNC_INTERVAL`          | `86400` (24h) | `src/lib/modelsDevSync.ts`         | Development-time model catalog sync interval in seconds.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
 | `CONTEXT_WINDOW_RECONCILE_INTERVAL` | `86400` (24h) | `src/lib/contextWindowResolver.ts` | Interval (seconds) for the self-correcting context-window reconciler (5004): pins provider-declared windows from `/models` discovery as `auto:discovery` overrides when they diverge from the catalog. Set to `0` to disable. Reuses already-synced data (no new fetch); never overwrites `manual` overrides. |
 
diff --git a/src/lib/db/backup.ts b/src/lib/db/backup.ts
index 3317ddb9fedd..effbaf09c02e 100644
--- a/src/lib/db/backup.ts
+++ b/src/lib/db/backup.ts
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ type CountRow = { cnt?: number };
 // ──────────────── Backup Config ────────────────
 
 let _lastBackupAt = 0;
-const BACKUP_THROTTLE_MS = 60 * 60 * 1000; // 60 minutes
+const BACKUP_THROTTLE_MS = 60 * 60 * 1000; // 60 minutes — high-churn pre-write (models.dev pricing) must not copy the whole SQLite file every call (#10351)
 const TRUE_ENV_VALUES = new Set(["1", "true", "yes", "on"]);
 
 // #3834: the "Keep latest backups" UI value is persisted here so it survives a page