diff --git a/litellm/proxy/spend_tracking/spend_tracking_utils.py b/litellm/proxy/spend_tracking/spend_tracking_utils.py
index ba5f873c4e9..6065e8c3bc8 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/spend_tracking/spend_tracking_utils.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/spend_tracking/spend_tracking_utils.py
@@ -1294,11 +1294,14 @@ def _truncated_for_db(value: str, max_length: int) -> str:
         return value
     start_chars: Final = int(max_length * 0.35)
     end_chars: Final = int(max_length * 0.65)
+    # The tail is indexed from the front: `value[-0:]` is the whole string, and both shares
+    # floor to 0 at a limit of 1 or less, so the tightest limits stored the entire prompt.
+    tail_chars: Final = min(end_chars, max_length - start_chars)
     return (
         f"{value[:start_chars]}"
         f"... ({LITELLM_TRUNCATED_PAYLOAD_FIELD} skipped {len(value) - start_chars - end_chars} chars. "
         f"{LITELLM_TRUNCATION_DB_SAFEGUARD_NOTE}) ..."
-        f"{value[-min(end_chars, max_length - start_chars) :]}"
+        f"{value[len(value) - tail_chars :]}"
     )
 
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/proxy/spend_tracking/test_spend_tracking_utils.py b/tests/unit/proxy/spend_tracking/test_spend_tracking_utils.py
index f52f40ad55d..48ee4674288 100644
--- a/tests/unit/proxy/spend_tracking/test_spend_tracking_utils.py
+++ b/tests/unit/proxy/spend_tracking/test_spend_tracking_utils.py
@@ -816,17 +816,14 @@ def test_large_request_no_truncation_threshold():
     assert "skipped" in truncated_content
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize(
-    ("max_string_length_prompt_in_db", "stored_tail"),
-    [(0, "claude-sonnet-5-5"), (1, "claude-sonnet-5-5"), (-1, "laude-sonnet-5-5"), (-2, "aude-sonnet-5-5")],
-)
-def test_a_limit_under_two_keeps_mains_tail_after_the_marker(max_string_length_prompt_in_db: int, stored_tail: str):
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("max_string_length_prompt_in_db", [0, 1, -1, -2])
+def test_a_limit_under_two_keeps_no_tail_after_the_marker(max_string_length_prompt_in_db: int):
     sanitized: Final = _sanitize_request_body_for_spend_logs_payload(
         {"model": "claude-sonnet-5-5"}, max_string_length_prompt_in_db=max_string_length_prompt_in_db
     )
 
     assert sanitized["model"].startswith("...")
-    assert sanitized["model"].endswith(f") ...{stored_tail}")
+    assert sanitized["model"].endswith(") ...")
 
 
 def test_small_request_no_truncation():
@@ -970,6 +967,22 @@ def test_sanitize_request_body_for_spend_logs_payload_long_string():
     assert sanitized["normal_text"] == "short text"
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("limit", [0, 1, -1])
+def test_sanitize_request_body_never_stores_more_than_it_was_given(monkeypatch, limit):
+    """The truncation is a database-size safeguard, so the tightest limits must be
+    the ones that store least. Both shares floor to zero at a limit of 1 or less,
+    and `value[-0:]` is the whole string, so the entire prompt was written out
+    behind a marker saying it had been skipped."""
+    monkeypatch.setenv("MAX_STRING_LENGTH_PROMPT_IN_DB", str(limit))
+    long_string: Final = "a" * 5000
+
+    sanitized = _sanitize_request_body_for_spend_logs_payload({"text": long_string})
+
+    assert long_string not in sanitized["text"]
+    assert len(sanitized["text"]) < len(long_string)
+    assert LITELLM_TRUNCATED_PAYLOAD_FIELD in sanitized["text"]
+
+
 def test_sanitize_request_body_for_spend_logs_payload_nested_dict():
     from litellm.constants import MAX_STRING_LENGTH_PROMPT_IN_DB