diff --git a/crates/kv-sync/src/engine.rs b/crates/kv-sync/src/engine.rs
index d89f7f4..8d4db80 100644
--- a/crates/kv-sync/src/engine.rs
+++ b/crates/kv-sync/src/engine.rs
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ impl SyncContext<'_> {
                     open_record(acct, vault, vk, &local.record)?.ok_or(SyncError::Protocol("empty item".into()))?;
                 let tomb =
                     open_sealed(acct, vault, vk, remote)?.ok_or(SyncError::Protocol("empty tombstone".into()))?;
-                let seq = replay::seq_of(&mine).max(replay::seq_of(&tomb)) + 1;
+                let seq = replay::seq_of(&mine).max(replay::seq_of(&tomb)).saturating_add(1);
                 replay::stamp(&mut mine, seq);
                 let sealed = seal_record(acct, vault, vk, id, &mine, self.device_id)?;
                 self.store.put(vault, &rebased(sealed))?;
@@ -408,7 +408,7 @@ impl SyncContext<'_> {
                 if replay::same_content(&out.merged, &theirs) {
                     self.store.put_remote(vault, remote)?;
                 } else {
-                    let seq = replay::seq_of(&mine).max(replay::seq_of(&theirs)) + 1;
+                    let seq = replay::seq_of(&mine).max(replay::seq_of(&theirs)).saturating_add(1);
                     replay::stamp(&mut out.merged, seq);
                     let sealed = seal_record(acct, vault, vk, id, &out.merged, self.device_id)?;
                     self.store.put(vault, &rebased(sealed))?;
diff --git a/crates/kv-sync/src/replay.rs b/crates/kv-sync/src/replay.rs
index f1a579d..bde4de1 100644
--- a/crates/kv-sync/src/replay.rs
+++ b/crates/kv-sync/src/replay.rs
@@ -113,7 +113,8 @@ pub fn next_version(local: Option<&Value>, base: Base<'_>) -> u64 {
         Base::Sealed(v) => seq_of(v),
         _ => 0,
     };
-    local.map_or(0, seq_of).max(held) + 1
+    // Saturates: `seq` comes from decrypted plaintext, and a version at u64::MAX must not panic or wrap to 0.
+    local.map_or(0, seq_of).max(held).saturating_add(1)
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
@@ -122,6 +123,14 @@ mod tests {
 
     use super::*;
 
+    #[test]
+    fn next_version_saturates_at_u64_max() {
+        // A plaintext carrying seq = u64::MAX used to overflow (panic in debug, wrap to 0 in release).
+        let max = json!({"title": "a", "seq": u64::MAX});
+        assert_eq!(next_version(Some(&max), Base::None), u64::MAX);
+        assert_eq!(next_version(None, Base::Sealed(&max)), u64::MAX);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn stamp_and_same_content() {
         let mut v = json!({"title": "a"});