diff --git a/svn_mirror/gitea.py b/svn_mirror/gitea.py
index 172e6cc..1ea5ba7 100644
--- a/svn_mirror/gitea.py
+++ b/svn_mirror/gitea.py
@@ -84,7 +84,8 @@ def push_to_gitea(mirror: Mirror) -> bool:
     # and DOES NOT trigger Gitea's pre-receive hook.
     # Only fast-forward updates allowed (no `+` prefix on heads).
     # If Gitea is ahead (user pushed there), this is safely skipped.
-    cmd = ["git", "--git-dir", str(gitea_path), "fetch", "--prune",
+    # NOTE: no `--prune` — would delete Gitea-only branches (user pushes)
+    cmd = ["git", "--git-dir", str(gitea_path), "fetch",
            canonical, "refs/heads/*:refs/heads/*",
            "+refs/tags/*:refs/tags/*"]
     try: