diff --git a/crates/miroir-core/src/reshard.rs b/crates/miroir-core/src/reshard.rs
index 81e60ee..36bc2ae 100644
--- a/crates/miroir-core/src/reshard.rs
+++ b/crates/miroir-core/src/reshard.rs
@@ -3568,6 +3568,9 @@ pub enum CleanupError {
     CleanupAborted(String),
 }
 
+/// Callback type for cleanup metrics emission.
+pub type CleanupMetricsCallback = Arc<dyn Fn(f64, &CleanupResult) + Send + Sync>;
+
 /// Execute Phase 6: Cleanup old index after retention (plan §13.1 step 6).
 ///
 /// Deletes the live index from all nodes after the retention period.
@@ -3578,9 +3581,11 @@ pub enum CleanupError {
 /// * `new_index_uid` - The shadow index UID (now live)
 /// * `node_addresses` - List of all node addresses
 /// * `master_key` - Meilisearch master key
+/// * `cleanup_deadline` - UNIX ms timestamp when retention expires (None = skip cleanup)
+/// * `metrics_callback` - Optional callback for metrics emission
 ///
 /// # Returns
-/// `Ok(CleanupResult)` with cleanup details on success.
+/// `Ok(CleanupResult)` with cleanup details on success, or Err if deadline not reached.
 ///
 /// # Rollback
 /// If cleanup fails on some nodes, the index remains partially available.
@@ -3590,16 +3595,51 @@ pub async fn cleanup_phase(
     new_index_uid: &str,
     node_addresses: &[String],
     master_key: &str,
+    cleanup_deadline: Option<u64>,
+    metrics_callback: Option<CleanupMetricsCallback>,
 ) -> Result<CleanupResult, CleanupError> {
     use std::time::{SystemTime, UNIX_EPOCH};
 
+    let now = SystemTime::now()
+        .duration_since(UNIX_EPOCH)
+        .unwrap_or_default()
+        .as_millis() as u64;
+
     tracing::info!(
         old_index = %old_index_uid,
         new_index = %new_index_uid,
         nodes = node_addresses.len(),
+        cleanup_deadline,
         "starting Phase 6: cleanup old index"
     );
 
+    // Check retention deadline before proceeding
+
+    if let Some(deadline) = cleanup_deadline {
+        if now < deadline {
+            let remaining_hours = (deadline - now) / 3600 / 1000;
+            tracing::info!(
+                old_index = %old_index_uid,
+                remaining_hours,
+                deadline,
+                "retention period not yet reached, skipping cleanup"
+            );
+            return Err(CleanupError::CleanupAborted(format!(
+                "retention period not reached: {} hours remaining",
+                remaining_hours
+            )));
+        }
+    } else {
+        tracing::info!(
+            old_index = %old_index_uid,
+            "no cleanup deadline set, skipping cleanup"
+        );
+        return Err(CleanupError::CleanupAborted(
+            "no cleanup deadline set".to_string(),
+        ));
+    }
+
+    let cleanup_start = now;
     let client = reqwest::Client::builder()
         .timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(30))
         .build()
@@ -3658,12 +3698,21 @@ pub async fn cleanup_phase(
         );
     }
 
-    Ok(CleanupResult {
+    let result = CleanupResult {
         old_index: old_index_uid.to_string(),
         new_index: new_index_uid.to_string(),
         nodes_deleted_from,
         completed_at,
-    })
+    };
+
+    // Emit cleanup completion metric (miroir_reshard_cleanup_completed_seconds)
+    // Measures the duration of the cleanup phase itself (time to delete the index)
+    let cleanup_duration_secs = (completed_at.saturating_sub(cleanup_start)) as f64 / 1000.0;
+    if let Some(ref callback) = metrics_callback {
+        callback(cleanup_duration_secs, &result);
+    }
+
+    Ok(result)
 }
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -3733,6 +3782,13 @@ mod tests_backfill_cleanup {
         assert!(err.to_string().contains("node-1"));
         assert!(err.to_string().contains("timeout"));
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn cleanup_error_aborted_display() {
+        let err = CleanupError::CleanupAborted("retention period not reached: 23 hours remaining".to_string());
+        assert!(err.to_string().contains("retention period not reached"));
+        assert!(err.to_string().contains("23 hours remaining"));
+    }
 }
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------