diff --git a/agent/system.go b/agent/system.go
index a79819b7..eeb55cf1 100644
--- a/agent/system.go
+++ b/agent/system.go
@@ -169,21 +169,11 @@ func (a *Agent) getSystemStats(cacheTimeMs uint16) system.Stats {
 
 	// memory
 	if v, err := mem.VirtualMemory(); err == nil {
+		used, cacheBuff, swapUsed := calculateHostMemoryUsage(v, a.memCalc == "htop")
 		// swap
 		systemStats.Swap = utils.BytesToGigabytes(v.SwapTotal)
-		systemStats.SwapUsed = utils.BytesToGigabytes(v.SwapTotal - v.SwapFree - v.SwapCached)
-		// cache + buffers value for default mem calculation
-		// note: gopsutil automatically adds SReclaimable to v.Cached
-		cacheBuff := v.Cached + v.Buffers - v.Shared
-		if cacheBuff <= 0 {
-			cacheBuff = max(v.Total-v.Free-v.Used, 0)
-		}
-		// htop memory calculation overrides (likely outdated as of mid 2025)
-		if a.memCalc == "htop" {
-			// cacheBuff = v.Cached + v.Buffers - v.Shared
-			v.Used = v.Total - (v.Free + cacheBuff)
-			v.UsedPercent = float64(v.Used) / float64(v.Total) * 100.0
-		}
+		systemStats.SwapUsed = utils.BytesToGigabytes(swapUsed)
+		v.Used = used
 		// if a.memCalc == "legacy" {
 		// 	v.Used = v.Total - v.Free - v.Buffers - v.Cached
 		// 	cacheBuff = v.Total - v.Free - v.Used
@@ -193,10 +183,14 @@ func (a *Agent) getSystemStats(cacheTimeMs uint16) system.Stats {
 		if a.zfs {
 			if arcSize, _ := zfs.ARCSize(); arcSize > 0 && arcSize < v.Used {
 				v.Used = v.Used - arcSize
-				v.UsedPercent = float64(v.Used) / float64(v.Total) * 100.0
 				systemStats.MemZfsArc = utils.BytesToGigabytes(arcSize)
 			}
 		}
+		if v.Total > 0 {
+			v.UsedPercent = float64(v.Used) / float64(v.Total) * 100.0
+		} else {
+			v.UsedPercent = 0
+		}
 		systemStats.Mem = utils.BytesToGigabytes(v.Total)
 		systemStats.MemBuffCache = utils.BytesToGigabytes(cacheBuff)
 		systemStats.MemUsed = utils.BytesToGigabytes(v.Used)
@@ -263,6 +257,38 @@ func (a *Agent) getSystemStats(cacheTimeMs uint16) system.Stats {
 	return systemStats
 }
 
+// calculateHostMemoryUsage derives counters defensively because /proc/meminfo may
+// change while gopsutil reads it. Invalid unsigned subtractions saturate at zero.
+func calculateHostMemoryUsage(v *mem.VirtualMemoryStat, htop bool) (used, cacheBuff, swapUsed uint64) {
+	used = v.Used
+	if used > v.Total {
+		used = saturatingSub(v.Total, v.Available)
+	}
+
+	// gopsutil automatically adds SReclaimable to Cached.
+	cacheBuff = min(v.Cached, v.Total)
+	cacheBuff += min(v.Buffers, v.Total-cacheBuff)
+	cacheBuff = saturatingSub(cacheBuff, min(v.Shared, v.Total))
+	if v.Cached == 0 && v.Buffers == 0 {
+		cacheBuff = saturatingSub(v.Total, v.Free, used)
+	}
+	if htop {
+		used = saturatingSub(v.Total, v.Free, cacheBuff)
+	}
+	return used, cacheBuff, saturatingSub(v.SwapTotal, v.SwapFree, v.SwapCached)
+}
+
+// saturatingSub subtracts each value, returning zero on underflow.
+func saturatingSub(value uint64, subtrahends ...uint64) uint64 {
+	for _, subtrahend := range subtrahends {
+		if subtrahend > value {
+			return 0
+		}
+		value -= subtrahend
+	}
+	return value
+}
+
 // getOsPrettyName attempts to get the pretty OS name from /etc/os-release on Linux systems
 func getOsPrettyName() (string, error) {
 	file, err := os.Open("/etc/os-release")
diff --git a/agent/system_test.go b/agent/system_test.go
index ff74696d..98c21bac 100644
--- a/agent/system_test.go
+++ b/agent/system_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/henrygd/beszel/internal/common"
 	"github.com/henrygd/beszel/internal/entities/system"
+	"github.com/shirou/gopsutil/v4/mem"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
@@ -33,6 +34,59 @@ func TestGatherStatsDoesNotAttachDetailsToCachedRequests(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Nil(t, secondResponse.Details)
 }
 
+func TestCalculateHostMemoryUsage(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name                      string
+		memory                    mem.VirtualMemoryStat
+		htop                      bool
+		used, cacheBuff, swapUsed uint64
+	}{
+		{
+			name:      "normal",
+			memory:    mem.VirtualMemoryStat{Total: 100, Available: 40, Used: 60, Free: 20, Cached: 25, Buffers: 10, Shared: 5, SwapTotal: 20, SwapFree: 8, SwapCached: 2},
+			used:      60,
+			cacheBuff: 30,
+			swapUsed:  10,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "inconsistent counters saturate",
+			memory:    mem.VirtualMemoryStat{Total: 100, Available: 110, Used: ^uint64(0) - 9, Free: 90, Cached: 5, Buffers: 10, Shared: 20, SwapTotal: 10, SwapFree: 9, SwapCached: 2},
+			used:      0,
+			cacheBuff: 0,
+			swapUsed:  0,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "htop subtraction saturates",
+			memory:    mem.VirtualMemoryStat{Total: 100, Available: 20, Used: 80, Free: 90, Cached: 20, Buffers: 5, SwapTotal: 30, SwapFree: 10, SwapCached: 5},
+			htop:      true,
+			used:      0,
+			cacheBuff: 25,
+			swapUsed:  15,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "zero cache from shared cancellation does not fall back",
+			memory:    mem.VirtualMemoryStat{Total: 100, Used: 60, Free: 10, Cached: 20, Buffers: 10, Shared: 30},
+			used:      60,
+			cacheBuff: 0,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "absent cache counters use fallback",
+			memory:    mem.VirtualMemoryStat{Total: 100, Used: 60, Free: 10},
+			used:      60,
+			cacheBuff: 30,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			used, cacheBuff, swapUsed := calculateHostMemoryUsage(&tt.memory, tt.htop)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.used, used)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.cacheBuff, cacheBuff)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.swapUsed, swapUsed)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestUpdateSystemDetailsMarksDetailsDirty(t *testing.T) {
 	agent := &Agent{}