diff --git a/exporter/src/app/consumer/exports.cljs b/exporter/src/app/consumer/exports.cljs
index 447213723e..a133888965 100644
--- a/exporter/src/app/consumer/exports.cljs
+++ b/exporter/src/app/consumer/exports.cljs
@@ -322,6 +322,13 @@
      :code (or (:code data) :export-failed)
      :hint (or (:hint data) (ex-message cause) "export failed")}))
 
+(defn cancelled?
+  "Whether `cause` ends a run the user asked to end: a cancelled
+  export is a normal ending, reported and logged as one, never as a
+  failure with a trace."
+  [cause]
+  (= :job-cancelled (:code (ex-data cause))))
+
 (defn- settle-failure!
   "Settles the job as failed, after releasing the temp files the run
   owns. The settle never rejects: if the failure cannot reach the
@@ -338,9 +345,14 @@
 
 (defn run-export!
   [{:keys [job-id]} params]
-  (let [session   (atom nil)
-        cancelled (atom false)
-        _         (jobs/register! job-id)
+  (let [session        (atom nil)
+        cancelled      (atom false)
+        ;; the watchdog outlives the scope that starts it, so its
+        ;; stopper travels in this atom: a run that ends badly stops
+        ;; beating too, or its interval would knock on a dead job
+        ;; forever, one HTTP call a second that only ever answers skip
+        stop-watchdog! (atom nil)
+        _              (jobs/register! job-id)
         stop-cmd! (fn []
                     (reset! cancelled true)
                     ;; the hard-cancel of the render the run holds: the
@@ -355,11 +367,11 @@
                               :job-id (str job-id))
              beats    (start-beats! job-id stop-cmd!)
              beats!   (:beat! beats)
-             stop!    (with-watchdog! beats! (:last beats))
+             _        (reset! stop-watchdog! (with-watchdog! beats! (:last beats)))
              _        (check-beat! (beats! :preparing {} :force? true))
              plan      (make-plan job-id token params)
              resource  (run-prepared! beats! cancelled plan)
-             _         (stop!)
+             _        (@stop-watchdog!)
              artifact  {:path     (str (:path resource))
                         :filename (:filename resource)
                         :mtype    (:mtype resource)}
@@ -371,7 +383,10 @@
                                :outcome "completed")]
        nil)
      (fn [cause]
-       (l/error :hint "export job failed" :job-id (str job-id) :cause cause)
+       (when-let [stop @stop-watchdog!] (stop))
+       (if (cancelled? cause)
+         (l/info :hint "export job cancelled" :job-id (str job-id))
+         (l/error :hint "export job failed" :job-id (str job-id) :cause cause))
        (settle-failure! job-id session cause)))))
 
 
diff --git a/exporter/test/exporter_tests/worker_test.cljs b/exporter/test/exporter_tests/worker_test.cljs
index 0b6bae2633..2f9bf3f2ee 100644
--- a/exporter/test/exporter_tests/worker_test.cljs
+++ b/exporter/test/exporter_tests/worker_test.cljs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
    ["node:fs/promises" :as fsp]
    ["node:path" :as path]
    ["undici" :as http]
+   [app.common.exceptions :as ex]
    [app.common.transit :as transit]
    [app.common.uuid :as uuid]
    [app.consumer.api :as api]
@@ -272,6 +273,34 @@
         (restore!)
         (done)))))
 
+(t/deftest cancelled-is-a-normal-ending-not-a-failure
+  (t/testing "the cooperative cancel classifies as cancelled"
+    (t/is (true? (exports/cancelled?
+                  (ex/error :type :internal
+                            :code :job-cancelled
+                            :hint "export job was cancelled")))))
+  (t/testing "anything else is a failure"
+    (t/is (false? (exports/cancelled? (ex-info "render boom" {}))))))
+
+(t/deftest a-failed-run-stops-beating-after-the-settle
+  ;; the watchdog interval belongs to the run: if the failure path
+  ;; does not clear it, it beats on a dead job forever — one HTTP call
+  ;; a second that only ever answers skip
+  (t/async done
+    (let [job-id   (uuid/next)
+          sid      (uuid/next)
+          params   (export-params)
+          stages   (volatile! [])
+          respond! (fake-fetch! (answer-with params sid stages))
+          restore! (fake-render-fail!)]
+      (p/let [_ (worker/process! (run-claim job-id))
+              _ (p/delay 1400)]
+        (t/testing "no beat traveled after the fail settle"
+          (t/is (= "fail-job" (last (steps-of)))))
+        (respond!)
+        (restore!)
+        (done)))))
+
 (t/deftest process-settles-a-failed-export-with-fail-job
   (t/async done
     (let [job-id    (uuid/next)