diff --git a/server/src/reducer.rs b/server/src/reducer.rs
index 6841d35cfc9de2389f340a22b8a45acb335e36c3..0e36979abe0f051493038ff7e652efc7f7a0ac80 100644
--- a/server/src/reducer.rs
+++ b/server/src/reducer.rs
@@ -112,6 +112,10 @@ impl GroupState {
         if vote.ratio_right < 0 {
             vote.ratio_right = 0;
         }
+        if vote.ratio_left == 0 || vote.ratio_right == 0 {
+            // Zero on either side produces no valid edge; drop before registering items or pair.
+            return;
+        }
 
         let a_idx = self.ensure_item(&vote.a);
         let b_idx = self.ensure_item(&vote.b);
@@ -121,10 +125,6 @@ impl GroupState {
 
         let w_a = vote.ratio_left as f64;
         let w_b = vote.ratio_right as f64;
-        if w_a == 0.0 || w_b == 0.0 {
-            // Zero on either side produces no valid edge; drop the vote.
-            return;
-        }
 
         self.add_edge_weight(b_idx, a_idx, w_a);
         self.add_edge_weight(a_idx, b_idx, w_b);
diff --git a/server/tests/basic.rs b/server/tests/basic.rs
index cc8c1a0d139f3722ba6ecd13dd001c65be835b67..08159f4a7f0850fd165817a4a1af4f31ced2ad76 100644
--- a/server/tests/basic.rs
+++ b/server/tests/basic.rs
@@ -546,12 +546,10 @@ fn reducer_negative_ratio_clamped_to_zero() {
         delegate: Some("00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000:test:local/test".to_string()),
         thread_tag: "t".to_string(),
     });
-    // Items are registered, but the zero-clamped vote produces no edges.
-    assert_eq!(group.idx_to_item.len(), 2);
-    let a_idx = group.item_to_idx[&item_id("https://slug.social/~/t/a")];
-    let b_idx = group.item_to_idx[&item_id("https://slug.social/~/t/b")];
-    assert!(!group.edges.contains_key(&(a_idx, b_idx)));
-    assert!(!group.edges.contains_key(&(b_idx, a_idx)));
+    // Nothing registered: zero-clamped vote is dropped before ensure_item.
+    assert!(group.idx_to_item.is_empty());
+    assert!(group.edges.is_empty());
+    assert!(group.voted_pairs.is_empty());
 }