diff --git a/spinifex/daemon/daemon.go b/spinifex/daemon/daemon.go
index eecde6573..59fcd22e9 100644
--- a/spinifex/daemon/daemon.go
+++ b/spinifex/daemon/daemon.go
@@ -1282,6 +1282,12 @@ func (d *Daemon) startCluster() error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("initialize JetStream: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	// Set the default KV replica count before any handler creates a bucket, so
+	// lazily-created buckets are born at cluster-size replication instead of R1.
+	if d.clusterConfig != nil {
+		utils.SetDefaultKVReplicas(len(d.clusterConfig.Nodes))
+	}
+
 	// Remove the obsolete spinifex-dhcp-leases bucket (idempotent).
 	if js, jsErr := d.natsConn.JetStream(); jsErr == nil {
 		if err := utils.DeleteKVBucketIfExists(js, "spinifex-dhcp-leases"); err != nil {
diff --git a/spinifex/utils/account.go b/spinifex/utils/account.go
index b04e9ae18..85a4cf32b 100644
--- a/spinifex/utils/account.go
+++ b/spinifex/utils/account.go
@@ -4,10 +4,29 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"strconv"
+	"sync/atomic"
 
 	"github.com/nats-io/nats.go"
 )
 
+// defaultKVReplicas is the replica count applied to buckets created via
+// GetOrCreateKVBucket. The daemon sets it once at boot to the cluster size so
+// lazily-created buckets are born quorate on multi-node; 0 means unset and is
+// treated as 1 (single-node / tests).
+var defaultKVReplicas atomic.Int64
+
+// SetDefaultKVReplicas sets the replica count for buckets subsequently created
+// via GetOrCreateKVBucket. Clamped to a minimum of 1. Called once at daemon
+// boot with the cluster size, before any handler creates a bucket.
+func SetDefaultKVReplicas(n int) {
+	defaultKVReplicas.Store(int64(max(n, 1)))
+}
+
+// DefaultKVReplicas returns the current default replica count (minimum 1).
+func DefaultKVReplicas() int {
+	return max(int(defaultKVReplicas.Load()), 1)
+}
+
 // VersionKey is the well-known KV key used to store a bucket's schema version.
 const VersionKey = "_version"
 
@@ -69,9 +88,11 @@ func IsAccountID(s string) bool {
 	return true
 }
 
-// GetOrCreateKVBucket creates or retrieves a NATS KV bucket at Replicas=1.
+// GetOrCreateKVBucket creates or retrieves a NATS KV bucket at the cluster's
+// default replica count (see SetDefaultKVReplicas), so buckets created lazily
+// after boot are quorate on multi-node rather than stuck at R1.
 func GetOrCreateKVBucket(js nats.JetStreamContext, bucketName string, history int) (nats.KeyValue, error) {
-	return GetOrCreateKVBucketWithReplicas(js, bucketName, history, 1)
+	return GetOrCreateKVBucketWithReplicas(js, bucketName, history, DefaultKVReplicas())
 }
 
 // GetOrCreateKVBucketWithReplicas creates or retrieves a NATS KV bucket at the
diff --git a/spinifex/utils/account_replicas_test.go b/spinifex/utils/account_replicas_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ef6d04c02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spinifex/utils/account_replicas_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+package utils
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/mulgadc/spinifex/spinifex/testutil"
+)
+
+func TestDefaultKVReplicas(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Cleanup(func() { defaultKVReplicas.Store(0) })
+
+	if got := DefaultKVReplicas(); got != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("unset default = %d, want 1", got)
+	}
+	SetDefaultKVReplicas(0)
+	if got := DefaultKVReplicas(); got != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("SetDefaultKVReplicas(0) = %d, want 1 (clamped)", got)
+	}
+	SetDefaultKVReplicas(3)
+	if got := DefaultKVReplicas(); got != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("SetDefaultKVReplicas(3) = %d, want 3", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGetOrCreateKVBucketUsesDefaultReplicas(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Cleanup(func() { defaultKVReplicas.Store(0) })
+	_, _, js := testutil.StartTestJetStream(t)
+
+	// A single-node test server can only host R1, so assert the default is
+	// threaded into the created stream config rather than the hardcoded 1.
+	// The R>1 case is exercised on a live multi-node cluster.
+	SetDefaultKVReplicas(1)
+	if _, err := GetOrCreateKVBucket(js, "test-default-replicas", 1); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("GetOrCreateKVBucket: %v", err)
+	}
+	info, err := js.StreamInfo("KV_test-default-replicas")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("StreamInfo: %v", err)
+	}
+	if info.Config.Replicas != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("bucket replicas = %d, want 1", info.Config.Replicas)
+	}
+}