diff --git a/src/mcp/mcp.c b/src/mcp/mcp.c
index 90179f211..7db4bc413 100644
--- a/src/mcp/mcp.c
+++ b/src/mcp/mcp.c
@@ -2003,6 +2003,14 @@ static bool quarantine_corrupt_store(cbm_mcp_server_t *srv, const char *project,
                                      char *backup_out, size_t backup_out_size) {
     char backup[CBM_SZ_2K];
     char pending[CBM_SZ_2K];
+    /* #1425 belt-and-braces: an empty store path would render the backup as a
+     * bare relative ".corrupt.<hex>" in the process cwd. There is nothing at
+     * such a path worth quarantining. */
+    if (!path || !path[0]) {
+        cbm_log_error("store.auto_clean_failed", "project", project, "path", "", "reason",
+                      "empty store path");
+        return false;
+    }
     if (!reserve_unique_corrupt_pending(path, pending, sizeof(pending), backup, sizeof(backup))) {
         cbm_log_error("store.auto_clean_failed", "project", project, "path", path, "reason",
                       "cannot reserve unique backup");
@@ -2090,10 +2098,16 @@ static cbm_store_t *resolve_store_internal(cbm_mcp_server_t *srv, const char *pr
     }
 
     /* Open project's .db file — query-only open (no SQLITE_OPEN_CREATE) to
-     * prevent ghost .db file creation for unknown/unindexed projects. */
+     * prevent ghost .db file creation for unknown/unindexed projects.
+     * #1425: an invalid project name yields an empty path. SQLite opens ""
+     * as an anonymous temp db, which then fails the integrity check and
+     * quarantines a db that never existed — as a RELATIVE .corrupt.<hex>
+     * file in the daemon's cwd. Skip the direct open entirely; the fallback
+     * scan below still resolves legacy dbs whose internal name predates
+     * validation. */
     char path[CBM_SZ_1K];
     project_db_path(project, path, sizeof(path));
-    srv->store = cbm_store_open_path_query(path);
+    srv->store = path[0] ? cbm_store_open_path_query(path) : NULL;
     if (srv->store) {
         /* Check DB integrity — back up (never silently delete) a corrupt DB */
         if (!cbm_store_check_integrity(srv->store)) {
diff --git a/tests/test_mcp.c b/tests/test_mcp.c
index e61fa0ffa..852134686 100644
--- a/tests/test_mcp.c
+++ b/tests/test_mcp.c
@@ -2551,6 +2551,53 @@ TEST(tool_trace_call_path_not_found) {
     PASS();
 }
 
+/* Regression for #1425: a project name that fails validation must produce a
+ * clean "not found" error and NOTHING else. project_db_path() yields "" for
+ * such names; SQLite opens "" as an anonymous temp db, its integrity check
+ * fails, and quarantine rendered "".corrupt.<hex> - a RELATIVE path dropped
+ * into the daemon's cwd on every such query. */
+TEST(tool_call_invalid_project_name_leaves_no_corrupt_litter_issue1425) {
+    char tmpdir[256];
+    snprintf(tmpdir, sizeof(tmpdir), "/tmp/mcp-litter-XXXXXX");
+    if (!cbm_mkdtemp(tmpdir))
+        FAIL("cbm_mkdtemp failed");
+    char oldcwd[CBM_SZ_1K];
+    if (!cbm_getcwd(oldcwd, sizeof(oldcwd)))
+        FAIL("getcwd failed");
+    if (cbm_chdir(tmpdir) != 0)
+        FAIL("chdir failed");
+
+    cbm_mcp_server_t *srv = cbm_mcp_server_new(NULL);
+    char *resp =
+        cbm_mcp_server_handle(srv, "{\"jsonrpc\":\"2.0\",\"id\":30,\"method\":\"tools/call\","
+                                   "\"params\":{\"name\":\"search_graph\","
+                                   "\"arguments\":{\"name_pattern\":\"x\","
+                                   "\"project\":\"bad name\"}}}");
+    bool clean_error = resp && strstr(resp, "not found") != NULL;
+    free(resp);
+    cbm_mcp_server_free(srv);
+
+    int litter = 0;
+    cbm_dir_t *dir = cbm_opendir(tmpdir);
+    if (dir) {
+        cbm_dirent_t *entry;
+        while ((entry = cbm_readdir(dir)) != NULL) {
+            if (strstr(entry->name, ".corrupt.")) {
+                litter++;
+            }
+        }
+        cbm_closedir(dir);
+    }
+    if (cbm_chdir(oldcwd) != 0)
+        FAIL("chdir back failed");
+    th_rmtree(tmpdir);
+    if (!clean_error)
+        FAIL("invalid project name must produce a clean not-found error");
+    if (litter != 0)
+        FAIL("invalid project name must not quarantine an anonymous temp db into cwd (#1425)");
+    PASS();
+}
+
 TEST(tool_trace_missing_function_name) {
     cbm_mcp_server_t *srv = cbm_mcp_server_new(NULL);
 
@@ -10352,6 +10399,7 @@ SUITE(mcp) {
 
     /* Tool handlers with validation */
     RUN_TEST(tool_trace_call_path_not_found);
+    RUN_TEST(tool_call_invalid_project_name_leaves_no_corrupt_litter_issue1425);
     RUN_TEST(tool_trace_missing_function_name);
     RUN_TEST(tool_trace_call_path_ambiguous);
     RUN_TEST(tool_trace_union_records_min_hop_across_seeds);