diff --git a/bincio/serve/server.py b/bincio/serve/server.py
index 78cffdc..51e5104 100644
--- a/bincio/serve/server.py
+++ b/bincio/serve/server.py
@@ -594,7 +594,9 @@ async def admin_disk(bincio_session: Optional[str] = Cookie(default=None)) -> JS
     def _mb(path: Path) -> float:
         if not path.exists():
             return 0.0
-        total = sum(f.stat().st_size for f in path.rglob("*") if f.is_file())
+        # Use lstat to count symlink entries (few bytes each) rather than following
+        # the link to the target — prevents _merged/ from double-counting activities/.
+        total = sum(f.lstat().st_size for f in path.rglob("*") if f.is_file() or f.is_symlink())
         return round(total / 1_048_576, 1)
 
     def _count(path: Path, pattern: str = "*") -> int:
@@ -991,7 +993,7 @@ async def me_storage(bincio_session: Optional[str] = Cookie(default=None)) -> JS
     def _mb(path: Path) -> float:
         if not path.exists():
             return 0.0
-        total = sum(f.stat().st_size for f in path.rglob("*") if f.is_file())
+        total = sum(f.lstat().st_size for f in path.rglob("*") if f.is_file() or f.is_symlink())
         return round(total / 1_048_576, 2)
 
     def _count(path: Path, pattern: str = "*") -> int:
diff --git a/docs/deployment/vps.md b/docs/deployment/vps.md
index 87b6d5b..02655f2 100644
--- a/docs/deployment/vps.md
+++ b/docs/deployment/vps.md
@@ -68,8 +68,11 @@ while read oldrev newrev refname; do
   cd $DEPLOY
   ~/.local/bin/uv run bincio render --data-dir $DATA --site-dir $DEPLOY/site
 
+  echo "--- Pruning dist/data (nginx serves /data/ directly from $DATA) ---"
+  rm -rf $DEPLOY/site/dist/data
+
   echo "--- Copying dist to webroot ---"
-  rsync -a --delete $DEPLOY/site/dist/ /var/www/bincio/
+  rsync -a --delete --exclude=data/ $DEPLOY/site/dist/ /var/www/bincio/
 
   echo "--- Restarting API ---"
   systemctl restart bincio || echo "WARNING: bincio service restart failed — check journalctl -u bincio"
@@ -223,7 +226,8 @@ ssh root@<vps> "cd /opt/bincio && uv run bincio extract"
 # rebuild site
 ssh root@<vps> "cd /opt/bincio && \
   uv run bincio render --data-dir /var/bincio/data --site-dir site && \
-  rsync -a --delete site/dist/ /var/www/bincio/"
+  rm -rf site/dist/data && \
+  rsync -a --delete --exclude=data/ site/dist/ /var/www/bincio/"
 ```
 
 ---
@@ -253,6 +257,11 @@ server {
 
     # Data files served live from disk — bypasses the build/rsync cycle
     # so uploads and merges are visible immediately without a site rebuild.
+    #
+    # IMPORTANT: because nginx owns /data/ here, the post-receive hook must
+    # delete dist/data/ before rsyncing to the webroot. Otherwise astro build
+    # copies all activity JSON (GBs) into dist/ and rsync duplicates it again.
+    # The hook already does this; manual rebuilds must do the same.
     location /data/ {
         alias /var/bincio/data/;
         add_header Cache-Control "no-cache, must-revalidate";