diff --git a/rust/cloud-storage/email_service/src/pubsub/backfill/increment_counters.rs b/rust/cloud-storage/email_service/src/pubsub/backfill/increment_counters.rs
index b3da8175a7..c9fde06859 100644
--- a/rust/cloud-storage/email_service/src/pubsub/backfill/increment_counters.rs
+++ b/rust/cloud-storage/email_service/src/pubsub/backfill/increment_counters.rs
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ pub async fn incr_completed_messages(
 
 /// performs actions when all threads and messages have been backfilled for the user.
 #[tracing::instrument(skip(ctx))]
-async fn handle_job_completed(
+pub(super) async fn handle_job_completed(
     ctx: &PubSubContext,
     link: &Link,
     job_id: Uuid,
diff --git a/rust/cloud-storage/email_service/src/pubsub/backfill/init.rs b/rust/cloud-storage/email_service/src/pubsub/backfill/init.rs
index d1756e35d1..2467a65b0a 100644
--- a/rust/cloud-storage/email_service/src/pubsub/backfill/init.rs
+++ b/rust/cloud-storage/email_service/src/pubsub/backfill/init.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use super::increment_counters;
 use crate::pubsub::context::PubSubContext;
 use crate::pubsub::util::{CheckGmailRateLimitArgs, check_gmail_rate_limit};
 use crate::util::process_pre_insert::sync_labels::sync_labels;
@@ -91,6 +92,14 @@ pub async fn init_backfill(
         })
     })?;
 
+    // With no threads to list, no per-thread message is ever enqueued, so the
+    // per-thread completion path that finalizes the job never runs. Complete
+    // the job directly instead.
+    if total_threads == 0 {
+        increment_counters::handle_job_completed(ctx, link, scope.job_id).await?;
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+
     ctx.redis_client
         .init_backfill_job_progress(scope.job_id, total_threads)
         .await
diff --git a/rust/cloud-storage/email_service/src/pubsub/backfill/list_threads.rs b/rust/cloud-storage/email_service/src/pubsub/backfill/list_threads.rs
index db9aa4671d..fd9295e122 100644
--- a/rust/cloud-storage/email_service/src/pubsub/backfill/list_threads.rs
+++ b/rust/cloud-storage/email_service/src/pubsub/backfill/list_threads.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use super::increment_counters;
 use crate::pubsub::context::PubSubContext;
 use crate::pubsub::util::{CheckGmailRateLimitArgs, check_gmail_rate_limit};
 use models_email::email::service::backfill::{
@@ -63,12 +64,13 @@ pub async fn list_threads(
 
     // pass along token if it exists for fetching next batch of thread_ids
     let next_page_token = thread_list.next_page_token.clone();
+    let threads = thread_list.threads;
 
     // add the threads we just discovered to the job counter
     email_db_client::backfill::job::update::update_job_threads_retrieved_count(
         &ctx.db,
         scope.job_id,
-        thread_list.threads.len() as i32,
+        threads.len() as i32,
     )
     .await
     .map_err(|e| {
@@ -79,7 +81,7 @@ pub async fn list_threads(
     })?;
 
     // send a pubsub message for each discovered thread
-    for thread in thread_list.threads {
+    for thread in &threads {
         let thread_sqs_msg = BackfillPubsubMessage {
             backfill_operation: BackfillOperation::BackfillThread(JobScopedPayload {
                 link_id: scope.link_id,
@@ -120,6 +122,18 @@ pub async fn list_threads(
                     source: e.context("Failed to enqueue list threads message".to_string()),
                 })
             })?;
+    } else if threads.is_empty() && threads_retrieved_count == 0 {
+        // A truly empty mailbox is completed in init_backfill (total_threads
+        // is 0 there). Reaching here means the profile reported threads but
+        // the listing returned none, so no per-thread message was ever
+        // enqueued and the per-thread completion path will never finalize the
+        // job. Complete it here.
+        increment_counters::handle_job_completed(ctx, link, scope.job_id).await?;
+        let _ = ctx
+            .redis_client
+            .delete_backfill_job_progress(scope.job_id)
+            .await
+            .inspect_err(|e| tracing::error!(error = ?e, "Failed to delete backfill job progress"));
     }
 
     Ok(())