diff --git a/controller/internal/quiesce/quiesce.go b/controller/internal/quiesce/quiesce.go
index 8e57eac..5944bef 100644
--- a/controller/internal/quiesce/quiesce.go
+++ b/controller/internal/quiesce/quiesce.go
@@ -453,24 +453,50 @@ func (l *Loop) quiesceAndPoll(ctx context.Context) error {
 // `09` §3 decision 156 (R-518 option A): the press makes the local copy with one short stop; the
 // off-site tier follows at the next scheduled night run. Pinned by TestManualPress_RunsOnlyLocalTier.
 //
-// The primary is the tier the agent FLAGS Primary — not the first in the list. If no kept tier carries
-// the flag (the primary's storage reported absent, or an agent that flags none), the first kept tier is
-// backed up rather than nothing: a press that silently backs up nothing would be the applied-and-empty
-// fault in a different costume.
+// The primary is the tier the agent FLAGS Primary — not the first in the list. If the agent flags a primary
+// but its storage is reported absent, the press backs up NOTHING and says so at ERROR: the ruling is „the
+// local copy only", so the off-site tier is not a stand-in (it still runs at night), and no app is stopped
+// (an empty window returns before the stop). Pinned by TestManualRunTiers_NoPrimaryAvailable_BacksUpNothing.
+// An agent that flags NO tier primary at all (none advertised it) keeps the old order: the first tier.
 func (l *Loop) manualRunTiers(ctx context.Context) []dueTier {
 	all := l.allTiersForManualRun(ctx)
-	if len(all) <= 1 {
+	if len(all) == 0 {
 		return all
 	}
+	if len(all) == 1 && all[0].target == "" {
+		return all // a pre-R-82 agent: the single untargeted tier
+	}
 	for _, t := range all {
 		if t.primary {
 			return []dueTier{t}
 		}
 	}
-	l.logger.Printf("[WARN] [quiesce] manual run: no available tier is flagged primary — backing up tier %s (the first available)", tierLabel(all[0].target))
+	if l.primaryAdvertised(ctx) {
+		l.logger.Printf("[ERROR] [quiesce] manual run: the local copy's storage is not available — nothing backed up now; the off-site copy follows at the night run (`09` §3 decision 156)")
+		return nil
+	}
+	l.logger.Printf("[WARN] [quiesce] manual run: the agent flags no tier as the local one — backing up tier %s (the first available)", tierLabel(all[0].target))
 	return all[:1]
 }
 
+// primaryAdvertised reports whether the agent flags ANY tier primary, its storage absent or not.
+func (l *Loop) primaryAdvertised(ctx context.Context) bool {
+	tb, ok := l.backend.(TieredBackend)
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+	tiers, err := tb.Tiers(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	for _, t := range tiers {
+		if t.Primary {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 // allTiersForManualRun lists every tier the agent can back up now: all advertised tiers whose storage
 // is not absent on an R-82 agent, or the single untargeted tier otherwise. manualRunTiers picks the
 // primary from it.
diff --git a/controller/internal/quiesce/tier_skip_test.go b/controller/internal/quiesce/tier_skip_test.go
index 2dbb76b..fa6a647 100644
--- a/controller/internal/quiesce/tier_skip_test.go
+++ b/controller/internal/quiesce/tier_skip_test.go
@@ -82,12 +82,24 @@ func TestManualRun_UnknownStorageNotSkipped(t *testing.T) {
 
 // `09` §3 decision 156: a press backs up ONE tier. When no available tier is flagged primary (the
 // primary's storage is absent), the first available tier is backed up — never nothing.
-func TestManualRunTiers_NoPrimaryAvailable_BacksUpFirstAvailable(t *testing.T) {
+// `09` §3 decision 156: the press makes the LOCAL copy only. With the local storage absent it makes no copy at
+// all — the off-site tier is never its stand-in (it runs at night) — and stops no app.
+func TestManualRunTiers_NoPrimaryAvailable_BacksUpNothing(t *testing.T) {
 	be := newTierBackend()
 	be.tiers = []BackupTier{{Target: "local", Primary: true, StorageAbsent: true}, {Target: "felhom-pbs"}, {Target: "other"}}
-	l := newTierLoop(t, be, &fakeStacks{}, nil)
+	st := &fakeStacks{}
+	l := newTierLoop(t, be, st, nil)
 	got := l.manualRunTiers(context.Background())
-	if len(got) != 1 || got[0].target != "felhom-pbs" {
-		t.Fatalf("want exactly the first available tier, got %+v", got)
+	if len(got) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("want no tier (the local copy's storage is absent), got %+v", got)
+	}
+	if err := l.quiesceAndPollTiers(context.Background(), got); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("empty window: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(be.started) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("an off-site backup was started for a manual press: %v", be.started)
+	}
+	if n := len(st.stoppedNames()); n != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("%d app(s) were stopped for a press that backs up nothing", n)
 	}
 }