diff --git a/src/put/mod.rs b/src/put/mod.rs
index 8accffa..773de7a 100644
--- a/src/put/mod.rs
+++ b/src/put/mod.rs
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ fn discover_changes(cwd: &Path) -> Result<PathBuf, Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
 /// upload date. Matching on the digest makes `--force` the only way to
 /// re-upload an identical file, while a rebuilt file (new digest) never
 /// trips the guard.
-#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 struct UploadRecord {
     target: String,
     file: String,
@@ -461,12 +461,52 @@ fn upload_log_path() -> Result<PathBuf, Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
     Ok(path)
 }
 
-/// Load the upload log, empty when the file does not exist yet
+/// Load the upload log, empty when the file does not exist yet.
+///
+/// The log only backs the advisory duplicate-upload guard (Launchpad
+/// re-verifies every upload), so a corrupt log must not abort the upload:
+/// like the context configuration in [`crate::context::manager`], the corrupt
+/// file is first backed up to `<path>.bak` (best effort) so a later
+/// [`record_upload`] cannot destroy it, then an empty log is used.
 fn load_upload_log(path: &Path) -> Vec<UploadRecord> {
-    std::fs::read_to_string(path)
-        .ok()
-        .and_then(|content| serde_json::from_str(&content).ok())
-        .unwrap_or_default()
+    let content = match std::fs::read_to_string(path) {
+        Ok(content) => content,
+        Err(e) => {
+            if e.kind() != std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound {
+                log::error!(
+                    "Cannot read upload log {}: {e}; continuing as if nothing had been uploaded",
+                    path.display()
+                );
+            }
+            return Vec::new();
+        }
+    };
+    match serde_json::from_str(&content) {
+        Ok(entries) => entries,
+        Err(e) => {
+            log::error!(
+                "Upload log {} is corrupt ({e}); ignoring its content, earlier uploads may not be detected as duplicates anymore",
+                path.display()
+            );
+            backup_corrupt_log(path);
+            Vec::new()
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Back up a corrupt upload log (best effort) so a later
+/// [`record_upload`] cannot silently destroy its content.
+fn backup_corrupt_log(path: &Path) {
+    let mut os = path.as_os_str().to_os_string();
+    os.push(".bak");
+    let backup_path = PathBuf::from(os);
+    match std::fs::copy(path, &backup_path) {
+        Ok(_) => log::warn!("Corrupt upload log backed up to {}", backup_path.display()),
+        Err(e) => log::warn!(
+            "Could not back up corrupt upload log to {}: {e}",
+            backup_path.display()
+        ),
+    }
 }
 
 /// The previous upload of `record` from the log at `log`, if any (same
@@ -484,7 +524,16 @@ fn find_previous_upload(
 fn record_upload(log: &Path, record: &UploadRecord) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
     let mut entries = load_upload_log(log);
     entries.push(record.clone());
-    std::fs::write(log, serde_json::to_string_pretty(&entries)?)?;
+    // Write to a temporary file next to the log, then rename it over the
+    // log: rename is atomic within a filesystem, so a crash mid-write leaves
+    // the previous log intact instead of a truncated (corrupt) file.
+    // The temporary file is created with default permissions; the log holds
+    // no secrets and lives in the user's data directory, so the previous
+    // mode is not carried over (same choice as `Files::save_atomic`).
+    let tmp = log.with_extension("new");
+    std::fs::write(&tmp, serde_json::to_string_pretty(&entries)?)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("cannot write '{}': {}", tmp.display(), e))?;
+    std::fs::rename(&tmp, log).map_err(|e| format!("cannot install '{}': {}", log.display(), e))?;
     Ok(())
 }
 
@@ -632,6 +681,65 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(find_previous_upload(&log, &rebuilt).unwrap().is_none());
     }
 
+    /// A plain upload record for the log tests
+    fn upload_log_record(sha256: &str) -> UploadRecord {
+        UploadRecord {
+            target: "ppa:user/ppa".to_string(),
+            file: "hello_1.0-1_source.changes".to_string(),
+            sha256: sha256.to_string(),
+            date: "2025-09-16 12:00".to_string(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// A corrupt log must not be silently reset: it is backed up byte for
+    /// byte, and the guard restarts from an empty log.
+    #[test]
+    fn corrupt_upload_log_is_backed_up_and_reset() {
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let log = dir.path().join("uploads.json");
+        let corrupt = b"{ \"not\": valid json";
+        std::fs::write(&log, corrupt).unwrap();
+
+        assert!(load_upload_log(&log).is_empty());
+
+        let backup = dir.path().join("uploads.json.bak");
+        assert_eq!(std::fs::read(&backup).unwrap(), corrupt);
+
+        // Recording after a corrupt log starts a fresh, parseable log
+        // without clobbering the backup
+        record_upload(&log, &upload_log_record("abc")).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(load_upload_log(&log), vec![upload_log_record("abc")]);
+        assert_eq!(std::fs::read(&backup).unwrap(), corrupt);
+    }
+
+    /// `record_upload` leaves a log that parses back, with no temporary
+    /// file left behind
+    #[test]
+    fn recorded_upload_parses_back_atomically() {
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let log = dir.path().join("uploads.json");
+
+        record_upload(&log, &upload_log_record("abc")).unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(load_upload_log(&log), vec![upload_log_record("abc")]);
+        assert!(!dir.path().join("uploads.new").exists());
+    }
+
+    /// Recording a second upload appends to the log instead of replacing it
+    #[test]
+    fn record_over_existing_log_preserves_prior_entries() {
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let log = dir.path().join("uploads.json");
+
+        record_upload(&log, &upload_log_record("abc")).unwrap();
+        record_upload(&log, &upload_log_record("def")).unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            load_upload_log(&log),
+            vec![upload_log_record("abc"), upload_log_record("def")]
+        );
+    }
+
     /// A minimal in-memory changes file for the superseded-version check
     fn changes_fixture(version: &str) -> changes::ChangesFile {
         changes::ChangesFile {