diff --git a/docsgpt/deploy/commands.py b/docsgpt/deploy/commands.py
index aad99560..6353925a 100644
--- a/docsgpt/deploy/commands.py
+++ b/docsgpt/deploy/commands.py
@@ -568,6 +568,10 @@ def backup(args, context: Optional[Context] = None) -> int:
     env = _installed(directory)
     if env is None:
         return 1
+    if _mode(directory) == "native":
+        raise DeployError(
+            f"{directory} is a native install: its database and its files are not in Docker volumes, so there is nothing here to archive. Back up the PostgreSQL that POSTGRES_URI points at with pg_dump, and copy the indexes, inputs and vectors folders from the data home."
+        )
 
     out_dir = Path(args.out).expanduser() if args.out else directory / "backups"
     taken_at = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
@@ -657,13 +661,17 @@ def _restore_data(context: Context, directory: Path, archive: Path, volumes: lis
 def restore(args, context: Optional[Context] = None) -> int:
     """Put a backup's database and data volumes back over this install."""
     context = context or Context.default(args)
+    directory = stack.stack_dir(args.dir)
+    if _mode(directory) == "native":
+        raise DeployError(
+            f"{directory} is a native install: its database and its files are not in Docker volumes, so there is nothing here to archive. Back up the PostgreSQL that POSTGRES_URI points at with pg_dump, and copy the indexes, inputs and vectors folders from the data home. `docsgpt restore` puts back what `docsgpt backup` wrote for a Docker install."
+        )
     archive = Path(args.archive).expanduser()
     manifest = backup_format.read_manifest(archive)
     backup_format.check_version(manifest, context.version, args.force)
     # Everything the archive declares is checked here, while DocsGPT is still up.
     volumes = backup_format.validate(archive, manifest)
 
-    directory = stack.stack_dir(args.dir)
     env = _installed(directory)
     if env is None:
         return 1
diff --git a/tests/deploy/test_native.py b/tests/deploy/test_native.py
index 39a8938c..2b360803 100644
--- a/tests/deploy/test_native.py
+++ b/tests/deploy/test_native.py
@@ -238,6 +238,17 @@ class TestNativeLifecycle:
         self._installed(tmp_path, FakeServices())
         assert _run(["logs", "--dir", str(tmp_path)], _native_context()) == 0, "logs work in both modes"
 
+    def test_backup_says_why_there_is_nothing_to_archive(self, tmp_path):
+        """Its data is not in Docker volumes, so compose would fail with no configuration file."""
+        self._installed(tmp_path, FakeServices())
+        with pytest.raises(DeployError, match="native install"):
+            _run(["backup", "--dir", str(tmp_path)], _native_context())
+
+    def test_restore_refuses_before_it_touches_anything(self, tmp_path):
+        self._installed(tmp_path, FakeServices())
+        with pytest.raises(DeployError, match="native install"):
+            _run(["restore", str(tmp_path / "any.tar.gz"), "--dir", str(tmp_path), "--yes"], _native_context())
+
 
 class FakeLaunchctl:
     """launchctl, with a bootout that takes `unload_polls` polls to take effect."""