diff --git a/test/s3/lifecycle/s3_lifecycle_config_update_test.go b/test/s3/lifecycle/s3_lifecycle_config_update_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..887ff5c9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/s3/lifecycle/s3_lifecycle_config_update_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+// Lifecycle config update across sweeps.
+package lifecycle
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/aws"
+	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/service/s3"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// TestLifecycleConfigUpdateBetweenSweeps: an operator changes the
+// lifecycle rule between two shell-driven sweeps. The second sweep
+// must respect the NEW rule, not a cached version of the old one.
+//
+// Each `runLifecycleShard` invocation spawns a fresh `weed shell`
+// subprocess, so cached engine state from a previous sweep doesn't
+// persist across runs. This test pins that the freshly-loaded config
+// actually changes routing — under the new prefix only matching
+// objects expire, even if there are still backdated objects sitting
+// under the old prefix.
+func TestLifecycleConfigUpdateBetweenSweeps(t *testing.T) {
+	c := s3Client(t)
+	fc, fcClose := filerClient(t)
+	defer fcClose()
+
+	bucket := uniqueBucket("config-update")
+	mustCreateBucket(t, c, bucket)
+
+	// Sweep 1: rule expires anything under "first/".
+	putExpirationLifecycle(t, c, bucket, "first/", 1)
+
+	const firstKey = "first/initial.txt"
+	putObject(t, c, bucket, firstKey, "first")
+	backdateMtime(t, fc, bucket, firstKey, 30)
+
+	out := runLifecycleShard(t)
+	t.Logf("sweep 1 output:\n%s", out)
+
+	require.Eventuallyf(t, func() bool {
+		_, err := c.HeadObject(context.Background(), &s3.HeadObjectInput{
+			Bucket: aws.String(bucket), Key: aws.String(firstKey),
+		})
+		return isS3NotFound(err)
+	}, 30*time.Second, 500*time.Millisecond, "sweep 1 must expire %s", firstKey)
+
+	// Update the rule to a different prefix. The old "first/" prefix
+	// is no longer covered by any rule; objects under it must NOT be
+	// expired by sweep 2 even when backdated.
+	putExpirationLifecycle(t, c, bucket, "second/", 1)
+
+	const secondKey = "second/new.txt"
+	const oldPrefixKey = "first/post-update.txt"
+	putObject(t, c, bucket, secondKey, "second")
+	putObject(t, c, bucket, oldPrefixKey, "stale rule")
+	backdateMtime(t, fc, bucket, secondKey, 30)
+	backdateMtime(t, fc, bucket, oldPrefixKey, 30)
+
+	out = runLifecycleShard(t)
+	t.Logf("sweep 2 output:\n%s", out)
+
+	// Sweep 2 expires the new-prefix object.
+	require.Eventuallyf(t, func() bool {
+		_, err := c.HeadObject(context.Background(), &s3.HeadObjectInput{
+			Bucket: aws.String(bucket), Key: aws.String(secondKey),
+		})
+		return isS3NotFound(err)
+	}, 30*time.Second, 500*time.Millisecond, "sweep 2 must expire %s under the new rule", secondKey)
+
+	// Sweep 2 must NOT expire the old-prefix object — the rule was
+	// replaced, not merged. A regression that caches old rules across
+	// PutBucketLifecycleConfiguration calls would fail here.
+	_, err := c.HeadObject(context.Background(), &s3.HeadObjectInput{
+		Bucket: aws.String(bucket), Key: aws.String(oldPrefixKey),
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err, "old-prefix object must survive after rule update — config replacement, not merge")
+}