diff --git a/module/netbox/config.py b/module/netbox/config.py
index 8f943c0..b4897ea 100644
--- a/module/netbox/config.py
+++ b/module/netbox/config.py
@@ -128,7 +128,15 @@ def __init__(self):
             ConfigOption("cache_directory_location",
                          str,
                          description="The location of the directory where the cache files should be stored",
-                         default_value="cache")
+                         default_value="cache"),
+
+            ConfigOption("skip_prune_on_source_failure",
+                        bool,
+                        description="""Safety switch: If any enabled source fails (init/connect/query),
+                        pruning will be skipped for this run to prevent mass orphaning/deletions
+                        during temporary source outages.
+                        """,
+                        default_value=True)
         ]
 
         super().__init__()
diff --git a/netbox-sync.py b/netbox-sync.py
index e499838..a4e3963 100755
--- a/netbox-sync.py
+++ b/netbox-sync.py
@@ -124,7 +124,23 @@ def main():
     # update data in NetBox
     nb_handler.update_instance()
 
-    # prune orphaned objects from NetBox
+# prune orphaned objects from NetBox (safe-guard)
+failed_enabled_sources = [
+    s for s in inventory.source_list
+    if getattr(getattr(s, "settings", None), "enabled", False) is True
+    and getattr(s, "init_successful", False) is False
+]
+
+if nb_handler.settings.prune_enabled and \
+   getattr(nb_handler.settings, "skip_prune_on_source_failure", True) and \
+   len(failed_enabled_sources) > 0:
+
+    failed_names = ", ".join([getattr(s, "name", "<unknown>") for s in failed_enabled_sources])
+    log.warning(
+        f"Skipping prune because {len(failed_enabled_sources)} enabled source(s) failed init: {failed_names}"
+    )
+
+else:
     nb_handler.prune_data()
 
     # delete tags which are not used anymore
diff --git a/settings-example.ini b/settings-example.ini
index 432d4c2..ab3a91f 100644
--- a/settings-example.ini
+++ b/settings-example.ini
@@ -109,6 +109,9 @@ host_fqdn = netbox.example.com
 ;;; a sources name. Sources can be defined multiple times to represent different sources.
 ;;;
 
+; Safety: If any enabled source fails, skip pruning for this run
+;skip_prune_on_source_failure = True
+
 [source/my-vcenter-example]
 
 ; Defines if this source is enabled or not