diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 784afca..13de4f2 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -351,16 +351,20 @@ snapshot from the local index and strips the snapshot's metadata from
 the backup destination store. Blobs are NOT touched — deleting blobs
 requires reading every remaining remote manifest (the destination store
 may hold snapshots this host doesn't know about), which is what
-`vaultik prune` does. On success the command prints the exact `vaultik
-prune` invocation to run as a follow-up. An ID that names no snapshot in
-the local index or on the destination store is an error; with
-`--local-only`, the snapshot must be in the local index. Local row
+`vaultik prune` does. The command prints the `vaultik prune` invocation
+to run as a follow-up only when it removed the snapshot's metadata from
+the destination store, and never under `--json`. An ID that names no
+snapshot in the local index or on the destination store is an error;
+with `--local-only`, the snapshot must be in the local index. Local row
 cleanup (files, chunks, blobs the snapshot was the last referrer for)
-runs automatically. If the destination store is unreachable, the local-DB
-removal still completes and a warning is emitted; run `vaultik snapshot
-remove <snapshot-id>` again once the store is reachable to remove the
-snapshot's metadata from it (`vaultik prune` does not). To wipe everything
-on the destination in one go, use `vaultik remote nuke --force`.
+runs automatically. If removing the snapshot's metadata from the
+destination store fails (for example because the store is unreachable),
+the local-DB removal still completes and a warning is emitted; run
+`vaultik snapshot remove <snapshot-id>` again once the store is reachable
+to remove the snapshot's metadata from it (`vaultik prune` does not). For
+a snapshot that is only on the destination store, that failure is an
+error. To wipe everything on the destination in one go, use `vaultik
+remote nuke --force`.
 * `--local-only`: Skip remote cleanup; only touch the local index
 * `--dry-run`: Show what would be deleted without deleting
 * `--force`: Skip confirmation prompt
diff --git a/internal/cli/snapshot.go b/internal/cli/snapshot.go
index 0997140..7fd5b73 100644
--- a/internal/cli/snapshot.go
+++ b/internal/cli/snapshot.go
@@ -270,8 +270,9 @@ By default, this removes the snapshot from the local index database and
 strips the snapshot's metadata from the backup destination store. Blobs
 are NOT touched: deleting them requires reading every remaining remote
 manifest (the destination store may hold snapshots this host doesn't
-know about), which is what 'vaultik prune' does. On success the command
-prints the exact 'vaultik prune' invocation to run as a follow-up.
+know about), which is what 'vaultik prune' does. The command prints the
+'vaultik prune' invocation to run as a follow-up only when it removed the
+snapshot's metadata from the destination store, and never under --json.
 
 An ID that names no snapshot in the local index or on the destination
 store is an error.
@@ -280,10 +281,12 @@ Use --local-only to skip the remote half (e.g. when you want to forget a
 snapshot locally without touching the destination store); the snapshot
 must then be in the local index.
 
-If the remote is unreachable, the local-database removal still completes
-and a warning is emitted; run 'vaultik snapshot remove <snapshot-id>' again
-once the destination store is reachable to remove the snapshot's metadata
-from it ('vaultik prune' does not).
+If removing the snapshot's metadata from the destination store fails (for
+example because the remote is unreachable), the local-database removal
+still completes and a warning is emitted; run 'vaultik snapshot remove
+<snapshot-id>' again once the destination store is reachable to remove
+the snapshot's metadata from it ('vaultik prune' does not). For a
+snapshot that is only on the destination store, that failure is an error.
 
 To wipe the entire destination store and start over, use 'vaultik remote
 nuke --force' — it is the single supported entry point for that.`,
diff --git a/internal/vaultik/remove_snapshot_test.go b/internal/vaultik/remove_snapshot_test.go
index 7d85bea..f50212e 100644
--- a/internal/vaultik/remove_snapshot_test.go
+++ b/internal/vaultik/remove_snapshot_test.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import (
 	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/log"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/snapshot"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/storage"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/storage/faultstore"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/types"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/vaultik"
 )
@@ -431,6 +432,40 @@ func TestRemoveSnapshot_NotInLocalIndex(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Contains(t, out, "Removed snapshot metadata from remote storage")
 }
 
+// TestRemoveSnapshot_NotInLocalIndexDeleteFails checks that removing a
+// snapshot only the destination store holds fails when its metadata
+// cannot be deleted there, under --force and under --json: nothing was
+// removed, so the command must not succeed.
+func TestRemoveSnapshot_NotInLocalIndexDeleteFails(t *testing.T) {
+	log.Initialize(log.Config{})
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	for name, opts := range map[string]vaultik.RemoveOptions{
+		"force": {Force: true},
+		"json":  {JSON: true},
+	} {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+
+			store := newTestStorer()
+			addManifest(t, store, "snapshot-001", nil)
+
+			faulty := faultstore.New(store)
+			faulty.OnDelete = func(string) bool { return true }
+
+			tv := vaultik.NewForTesting(faulty)
+			tv.Repositories = newLocalIndex(t)
+
+			result, err := tv.RemoveSnapshot("snapshot-001", &opts)
+
+			require.ErrorIs(t, err, faultstore.ErrInjectedDelete)
+			assert.False(t, result.RemoteRemoved)
+			assert.True(t, store.hasKey(remoteKeyPath("snapshot-001")))
+			assert.Empty(t, tv.Stdout.String())
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestRemoveAllSnapshots_RequiresForce(t *testing.T) {
 	log.Initialize(log.Config{})
 	t.Parallel()
diff --git a/internal/vaultik/snapshot.go b/internal/vaultik/snapshot.go
index 630e2ba..a170611 100644
--- a/internal/vaultik/snapshot.go
+++ b/internal/vaultik/snapshot.go
@@ -1218,9 +1218,11 @@ const snapshotRemoveCommandHint = "vaultik snapshot remove"
 // destination store. Blobs are NOT touched: removing a snapshot's
 // blobs requires reading every remaining remote manifest (the remote
 // may hold snapshots this host doesn't know about), which is what
-// `vaultik prune` is for — the command prints the prune invocation to
-// run as a follow-up. When the remote is unreachable the command still
-// completes the local-DB removal and warns.
+// `vaultik prune` is for — when metadata was removed from the
+// destination store, the text output names the prune invocation to run
+// as a follow-up. When removing the metadata fails, a snapshot in the
+// local index is still removed from it, with a warning; a snapshot
+// only on the destination store is an error.
 func (v *Vaultik) RemoveSnapshot(
 	snapshotID string, opts *RemoveOptions,
 ) (*RemoveResult, error) {
@@ -1255,8 +1257,10 @@ func (v *Vaultik) RemoveSnapshot(
 		}
 	}
 
-	if !opts.LocalOnly {
-		result.RemoteRemoved = v.removeSnapshotRemote(snapshotID, opts)
+	result.RemoteRemoved, err = v.removeSnapshotRemote(
+		snapshotID, inLocalIndex, opts)
+	if err != nil {
+		return result, err
 	}
 
 	if v.SnapshotManager != nil {
@@ -1378,19 +1382,32 @@ func (v *Vaultik) confirmRemoveSnapshot(snapshotID string, opts *RemoveOptions)
 }
 
 // removeSnapshotRemote strips the snapshot's metadata from the
-// destination store, warning and proceeding on failure: the local-DB
-// removal has already happened, so the user is told the remote half
-// didn't finish and to run `vaultik snapshot remove` for the snapshot
-// again once the destination store is reachable (`vaultik prune` never
-// removes snapshot metadata). Returns true when the remote removal
-// succeeded and deleted something.
-func (v *Vaultik) removeSnapshotRemote(snapshotID string, opts *RemoveOptions) bool {
+// destination store and returns true when it deleted something; under
+// LocalOnly it does nothing. When the snapshot is only on the
+// destination store, a failure is returned as an error, because that
+// removal is all the command does. When the snapshot was in the local
+// index, its removal there has already happened, so a failure is only a
+// warning telling the user to run `vaultik snapshot remove` for the
+// snapshot again once the destination store is reachable (`vaultik
+// prune` never removes snapshot metadata).
+func (v *Vaultik) removeSnapshotRemote(
+	snapshotID string, inLocalIndex bool, opts *RemoveOptions,
+) (bool, error) {
+	if opts.LocalOnly {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+
 	log.Info("Removing snapshot metadata from remote storage",
 		"snapshot_id", snapshotID)
 
 	remoteKey := snapshot.RemoteSnapshotKey(snapshotID)
 
 	deleted, err := v.deleteRemoteSnapshotByKey(remoteKey)
+	if err != nil && !inLocalIndex {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf(
+			"removing snapshot metadata from destination store: %w", err)
+	}
+
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Warn("Could not remove snapshot metadata from remote storage; "+
 			"run '"+snapshotRemoveCommandHint+"' with the snapshot's ID "+
@@ -1405,10 +1422,10 @@ func (v *Vaultik) removeSnapshotRemote(snapshotID string, opts *RemoveOptions) b
 				err, snapshotRemoveCommandHint, snapshotID)
 		}
 
-		return false
+		return false, nil
 	}
 
-	return deleted > 0
+	return deleted > 0, nil
 }
 
 // RemoveAllSnapshots removes every snapshot known to the local