diff --git a/src/init.cpp b/src/init.cpp
index 89243cf1e..9a3e48458 100644
--- a/src/init.cpp
+++ b/src/init.cpp
@@ -2307,6 +2307,23 @@ bool AppInit2(boost::thread_group& threadGroup, CScheduler& scheduler)
 
         if (!pwalletMain->HaveHDSeed())
         {
+            // Does this wallet predate the seed we are about to install? If so,
+            // that seed cannot appear in any backup the user already holds.
+            // Checked BEFORE installing, and before the restore path pre-derives
+            // its gap of keys.
+            bool fWalletHadContent = false;
+            {
+                LOCK(pwalletMain->cs_wallet);
+                std::set<CKeyID> setExistingKeys;
+                pwalletMain->GetKeys(setExistingKeys);                     // keystore.h:60 / crypter.h:212
+                std::set<libzcash::SaplingPaymentAddress> setExistingZAddrs;
+                pwalletMain->GetSaplingPaymentAddresses(setExistingZAddrs); // keystore.h:226-238
+                fWalletHadContent = !setExistingKeys.empty() ||
+                                    !setExistingZAddrs.empty() ||
+                                    !pwalletMain->mapWallet.empty() ||      // wallet.h:1041
+                                    pwalletMain->IsCrypted();               // crypter.h:174
+            }
+
             std::string mnemonic  = GetArg("-mnemonic", "");
             std::string hdSeedHex = GetArg("-hdseed", "");
             bool restoring = false;
@@ -2338,6 +2355,19 @@ bool AppInit2(boost::thread_group& threadGroup, CScheduler& scheduler)
                 pwalletMain->GenerateNewSeed();
             }
 
+            pwalletMain->SetHDSeedOrigin(restoring
+                ? CWallet::HDSEED_ORIGIN_RESTORED
+                : (fWalletHadContent ? CWallet::HDSEED_ORIGIN_RETROFIT
+                                     : CWallet::HDSEED_ORIGIN_CREATED));
+            if (pwalletMain->hdSeedOrigin == CWallet::HDSEED_ORIGIN_RETROFIT)
+            {
+                LogPrintf("%s: WARNING: generated a new HD seed for a wallet that already held keys or "
+                          "transactions. This seed is in NO backup you made before now.\n", __func__);
+                InitWarning(_("A new HD seed was generated for this pre-existing wallet. Any backup you "
+                              "made before now does not contain it: back the wallet up again "
+                              "(z_exportwallet) before receiving funds to newly derived addresses."));
+            }
+
             if (restoring)
             {
                 // Pre-derive keys (birthday = genesis) so the startup rescan finds
@@ -2356,6 +2386,15 @@ bool AppInit2(boost::thread_group& threadGroup, CScheduler& scheduler)
                 LogPrintf("%s: pre-derived %d transparent and %d sapling keys for restore rescan\n", __func__, (int)tGap, (int)zGap);
             }
         }
+        else if (pwalletMain->hdSeedOrigin == CWallet::HDSEED_ORIGIN_UNRECORDED)
+        {
+            // The seed was installed by a build that predates this record, so
+            // we cannot tell whether it was minted onto a pre-existing wallet
+            // (and is therefore absent from the user's older backups). Assume
+            // the worst; the user can still opt in explicitly.
+            pwalletMain->SetHDSeedOrigin(CWallet::HDSEED_ORIGIN_UNKNOWN);
+            LogPrintf("%s: HD seed predates seed-provenance recording; recorded origin as unknown\n", __func__);
+        }
 
         //Set Sapling Consolidation
         pwalletMain->fSaplingConsolidationEnabled = GetBoolArg("-consolidation", false);
diff --git a/src/wallet/wallet.cpp b/src/wallet/wallet.cpp
index 30eabdc43..fd2f31fed 100644
--- a/src/wallet/wallet.cpp
+++ b/src/wallet/wallet.cpp
@@ -2470,30 +2470,26 @@ void CWallet::GenerateNewSeed()
 
     // Opt-in: create the wallet from a fresh BIP39 mnemonic so its 24 words can
     // be exported (z_exportmnemonic) and used in SilentDragonXLite.
+    //
+    // NO SILENT FALLBACK. Falling back to a random seed here produced a wallet
+    // that looks mnemonic-capable but whose words can never be exported
+    // (z_exportmnemonic refuses non-mnemonic wallets, rpcdump.cpp:1031+) and
+    // that no seed phrase can restore. A user who asked for -usemnemonic must
+    // get that or a hard failure.
     if (GetBoolArg("-usemnemonic", false)) {
         RawHDSeed entropy;
-        if (GenerateMnemonicEntropy(256, entropy)) {
-            HDSeed seed(entropy);
-            if (InstallHDSeed(seed, true, nCreationTime))
-                return;
-        }
-        LogPrintf("%s: -usemnemonic seed generation failed, falling back to a random seed\n", __func__);
+        if (!GenerateMnemonicEntropy(256, entropy))
+            throw std::runtime_error(std::string(__func__) + ": -usemnemonic entropy generation failed");
+        HDSeed seed(entropy);
+        if (!InstallHDSeed(seed, true, nCreationTime))
+            throw std::runtime_error(std::string(__func__) + ": installing the mnemonic HD seed failed");
+        return;
     }
 
-    auto seed = HDSeed::Random(HD_WALLET_SEED_LENGTH);
-
     // If the wallet is encrypted and locked, this will fail.
-    if (!SetHDSeed(seed))
+    auto seed = HDSeed::Random(HD_WALLET_SEED_LENGTH);
+    if (!InstallHDSeed(seed, false, nCreationTime))
         throw std::runtime_error(std::string(__func__) + ": SetHDSeed failed");
-
-    // store the key creation time together with
-    // the child index counter in the database
-    // as a hdchain object
-    CHDChain newHdChain;
-    newHdChain.nVersion = CHDChain::VERSION_HD_TRANSPARENT;
-    newHdChain.seedFp = seed.Fingerprint();
-    newHdChain.nCreateTime = nCreationTime;
-    SetHDChain(newHdChain, false);
 }
 
 bool CWallet::SetHDSeed(const HDSeed& seed)
@@ -2535,6 +2531,7 @@ bool CWallet::SetCryptedHDSeed(const uint256& seedFp, const std::vector<unsigned
     return false;
 }
 
+
 void CWallet::SetHDChain(const CHDChain& chain, bool memonly)
 {
     LOCK(cs_wallet);
@@ -2544,6 +2541,20 @@ void CWallet::SetHDChain(const CHDChain& chain, bool memonly)
     hdChain = chain;
 }
 
+void CWallet::SetHDSeedOrigin(int origin)
+{
+    LOCK(cs_wallet);
+
+    hdSeedOrigin = origin;
+
+    // Deliberately non-fatal, unlike SetHDChain: losing this record must never
+    // stop a node from starting. The cost of a failed write is that the next
+    // start re-classifies the wallet, and re-classification of an already-seeded
+    // wallet yields HDSEED_ORIGIN_UNKNOWN, i.e. the safe answer.
+    if (fFileBacked && !CWalletDB(strWalletFile).WriteHDSeedOrigin((int64_t)origin))
+        LogPrintf("%s: WARNING: could not record HD seed origin %d in wallet.dat\n", __func__, origin);
+}
+
 bool CWallet::LoadHDSeed(const HDSeed& seed)
 {
     return CBasicKeyStore::SetHDSeed(seed);
@@ -2558,16 +2569,23 @@ bool CWallet::InstallHDSeed(const HDSeed& seed, bool fMnemonic, int64_t nCreateT
 {
     AssertLockHeld(cs_wallet);
 
-    if (!SetHDSeed(seed))
-        return false;
-
+    // Chain BEFORE seed. A crash between the two records must never leave a
+    // wallet that holds a seed with no hdchain: on the next load hdChain would
+    // silently revert to its defaults, clearing fMnemonicSeed (which switches
+    // the derivation input, wallet.cpp:2615-2633) and resetting
+    // saplingAccountCounter. The opposite torn state — chain without seed — is
+    // harmless and self-healing: HaveHDSeed() is false, so init installs a seed
+    // again and overwrites the chain.
     CHDChain newHdChain;
     newHdChain.nVersion = fMnemonic ? CHDChain::VERSION_HD_MNEMONIC
                                     : CHDChain::VERSION_HD_TRANSPARENT;
     newHdChain.seedFp = seed.Fingerprint();
     newHdChain.nCreateTime = nCreateTime;
     newHdChain.fMnemonicSeed = fMnemonic;
-    SetHDChain(newHdChain, false);
+    SetHDChain(newHdChain, false); // throws if the write fails
+
+    if (!SetHDSeed(seed))
+        return false;
 
     return true;
 }
diff --git a/src/wallet/wallet.h b/src/wallet/wallet.h
index 8dc20618e..697823878 100644
--- a/src/wallet/wallet.h
+++ b/src/wallet/wallet.h
@@ -855,6 +855,18 @@ public:
     // Id of the in-flight autoshield op; read by the op to confirm it is still
     // the current one before mutating scheduler state.
     AsyncRPCOperationId saplingAutoShieldOperationId;
+    // Provenance of this wallet's HD seed, recorded once in wallet.dat the
+    // first time a build that knows about it opens the wallet. Features that
+    // move funds into addresses only the seed can re-derive must not turn
+    // themselves ON by default unless the user can actually restore that seed.
+    enum HDSeedOrigin {
+        HDSEED_ORIGIN_UNRECORDED = 0, // no record in wallet.dat yet
+        HDSEED_ORIGIN_CREATED    = 1, // minted onto a brand-new empty wallet
+        HDSEED_ORIGIN_RESTORED   = 2, // user supplied -mnemonic / -hdseed
+        HDSEED_ORIGIN_RETROFIT   = 3, // minted onto a pre-existing seedless wallet
+        HDSEED_ORIGIN_UNKNOWN    = 4, // seed predates this record
+    };
+    int hdSeedOrigin = HDSEED_ORIGIN_UNRECORDED;
 
     void ClearNoteWitnessCache();
 
@@ -1373,6 +1385,12 @@ public:
     void SetHDChain(const CHDChain& chain, bool memonly);
     const CHDChain& GetHDChain() const { return hdChain; }
 
+    /* Record (in memory and in wallet.dat) how this wallet's HD seed came to
+       exist. Best-effort: a failed write is logged, not fatal — the next start
+       simply re-classifies, and re-classification always errs toward
+       HDSEED_ORIGIN_UNKNOWN, which is the conservative answer. */
+    void SetHDSeedOrigin(int origin);
+
     /* Set the current HD seed, without saving it to disk (used by LoadWallet) */
     bool LoadHDSeed(const HDSeed& key);
 
diff --git a/src/wallet/walletdb.cpp b/src/wallet/walletdb.cpp
index 1fcb59a06..478a5ec24 100644
--- a/src/wallet/walletdb.cpp
+++ b/src/wallet/walletdb.cpp
@@ -216,6 +216,12 @@ bool CWalletDB::WriteWitnessCacheSize(int64_t nWitnessCacheSize)
     return Write(std::string("witnesscachesize"), nWitnessCacheSize);
 }
 
+bool CWalletDB::WriteHDSeedOrigin(int64_t nOrigin)
+{
+    nWalletDBUpdated++;
+    return Write(std::string("hdseedorigin"), nOrigin);
+}
+
 bool CWalletDB::ReadPool(int64_t nPool, CKeyPool& keypool)
 {
     return Read(std::make_pair(std::string("pool"), nPool), keypool);
@@ -403,12 +409,15 @@ public:
     bool fAnyUnordered;
     int nFileVersion;
     vector<uint256> vWalletUpgrade;
+    // True once a well-formed "hdchain" record has been loaded.
+    bool fHDChainRead;
 
     CWalletScanState() {
         nKeys = nCKeys = nKeyMeta = nZKeys = nCZKeys = nZKeyMeta = nSapZAddrs = 0;
         fIsEncrypted = false;
         fAnyUnordered = false;
         nFileVersion = 0;
+        fHDChainRead = false;
     }
 };
 
@@ -833,9 +842,24 @@ ReadKeyValue(CWallet* pwallet, CDataStream& ssKey, CDataStream& ssValue,
         else if (strType == "hdchain")
         {
             CHDChain chain;
-            ssValue >> chain;
+            try {
+                ssValue >> chain;
+            } catch (...) {
+                // Do not let this land in the "user can live with it" bucket:
+                // report it, and leave wss.fHDChainRead false so LoadWallet
+                // turns it into DB_CORRUPT when a seed is present.
+                strErr = "Error reading wallet database: hdchain record is corrupt";
+                return false;
+            }
+            wss.fHDChainRead = true;
             pwallet->SetHDChain(chain, true);
         }
+        else if (strType == "hdseedorigin")
+        {
+            int64_t nOrigin = 0;
+            ssValue >> nOrigin;
+            pwallet->hdSeedOrigin = (int)nOrigin;
+        }
     } catch (...)
     {
         return false;
@@ -947,6 +971,21 @@ DBErrors CWalletDB::LoadWallet(CWallet* pwallet)
     if (fNoncriticalErrors && result == DB_LOAD_OK)
         result = DB_NONCRITICAL_ERROR;
 
+    // A wallet that holds an HD seed but whose hdchain record is missing or
+    // unreadable is NOT safe to run. hdChain would fall back to its SetNull
+    // defaults (walletdb.h:105-113), which (a) clears fMnemonicSeed, switching
+    // HD derivation from the 64-byte BIP39 seed to the raw 32-byte entropy
+    // (CWallet::GetHDSeedForDerivation, wallet.cpp:2615-2633) -> an entirely
+    // different key tree, and (b) resets saplingAccountCounter to 0, so the
+    // next GenerateNewSaplingZKey walks back over accounts that already exist.
+    // Both are silent today (a bad hdchain read is only DB_NONCRITICAL_ERROR).
+    // Fail loud instead of quietly deriving into the wrong tree.
+    if (pwallet->HaveHDSeed() && !wss.fHDChainRead)
+    {
+        LogPrintf("Error loading wallet.dat: HD seed present but the hdchain record is missing or corrupt\n");
+        return DB_CORRUPT;
+    }
+
     // Any wallet corruption at all: skip any rewriting or
     // upgrading, we don't want to make it worse.
     if (result != DB_LOAD_OK)
@@ -1240,7 +1279,13 @@ bool CWalletDB::Recover(CDBEnv& dbenv, const std::string& filename, bool fOnlyKe
                 fReadOK = ReadKeyValue(&dummyWallet, ssKey, ssValue,
                                         wss, strType, strErr);
             }
-            if (!IsKeyType(strType))
+            // "hdchain" is not a key type, but it must survive a keys-only
+            // salvage: a recovered wallet that keeps its seed while losing its
+            // hdchain silently derives from a different key tree (fMnemonicSeed
+            // cleared -> raw entropy instead of the 64-byte BIP39 seed) and
+            // re-issues sapling accounts from 0. CWalletDB::LoadWallet now
+            // refuses such a wallet outright, so preserve the record here.
+            if (!IsKeyType(strType) && strType != "hdchain")
                 continue;
             if (!fReadOK)
             {
diff --git a/src/wallet/walletdb.h b/src/wallet/walletdb.h
index d55072271..b3547a003 100644
--- a/src/wallet/walletdb.h
+++ b/src/wallet/walletdb.h
@@ -191,6 +191,9 @@ public:
 
     bool WriteWitnessCacheSize(int64_t nWitnessCacheSize);
 
+    //! Record how this wallet's HD seed came to exist (CWallet::HDSeedOrigin).
+    bool WriteHDSeedOrigin(int64_t nOrigin);
+
     bool ReadPool(int64_t nPool, CKeyPool& keypool);
     bool WritePool(int64_t nPool, const CKeyPool& keypool);
     bool ErasePool(int64_t nPool);