diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index f33e93b..2f2e78b 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -43,7 +43,8 @@ mongo-volume
 mongo-volume-backup-*.tar.gz
 
 # backups directory for mongo-volume tarballs
-/backups/
+backups/
+mongo-backup/
 
 # Serena AI assistant
 .serena/
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ebfda4b..9c38412 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ The project includes multiple backup strategies for different deployment scenari
 - `db-backup--standalone.sh` - Creates offline backup of the complete mongo-volume directory
   - Database container is stopped during backup for consistency
   - Backs up the entire MongoDB data directory
-  - Output: `./backups/mongo-volume-backup-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM.tar.gz`
+  - Output: `./mongo-backup/mongo-volume-backup-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM.tar.gz`
   - Default retention: 7 backups (configurable via `KEEP` env var)
   - Usage: `./db-backup--standalone.sh` or `KEEP=2 ./db-backup--standalone.sh`
 
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ The project includes multiple backup strategies for different deployment scenari
 
 - `db-backup--swarm.sh` - Creates offline backup by scaling down the MongoDB service
   - Service is scaled to 0 during backup
-  - Output: `./backups/mongo-volume-backup-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM.tar.gz`
+  - Output: `./mongo-backup/mongo-volume-backup-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM.tar.gz`
   - Usage: `./db-backup--swarm.sh`
 
 - `db-restore-from-backup--swarm.sh` - Restores volume backup by scaling down the service
@@ -75,13 +75,13 @@ Backups run automatically via cron at 04:00 every day:
 - **Monday-Saturday**: Online database dumps without downtime (keeps 7 days of incremental backups)
 
 All backup operations are logged with timestamps:
-- Volume backups: `./backups/db-backup-standalone.log`
+- Volume backups: `./mongo-backup/db-backup-standalone.log`
 - Database dumps: `./mongo-backup/db-dump-db-standalone.log`
 - Restore operations: `./mongo-backup/db-restore-from-dump.log`
 
 ## Backup Directories
 
-- `./backups/` - Volume backup archives (full mongo-volume directory)
+- `./mongo-backup/` - Volume backup archives (full mongo-volume directory)
 - `./mongo-backup/` - Database dump archives (utility-bills database only)
 
 Both directories are excluded from git via `.gitignore`.
diff --git a/db-backup--standalone.sh b/db-backup--standalone.sh
index d395cf7..dab8368 100755
--- a/db-backup--standalone.sh
+++ b/db-backup--standalone.sh
@@ -21,9 +21,9 @@ set -euo pipefail
 #   - Creates compressed tarball (.tar.gz) of the volume
 #
 # OUTPUT:
-#   - Backup files stored in: ./backups/
+#   - Backup files stored in: ./mongo-backup/
 #   - Filename format: mongo-volume-backup-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM.tar.gz
-#   - Log file: ./backups/db-backup-standalone.log
+#   - Log file: ./mongo-backup/db-backup-standalone.log
 #   - Automatic rotation: keeps newest 7 backups (configurable via KEEP env var)
 #
 # USAGE:
@@ -37,8 +37,10 @@ set -euo pipefail
 # ==============================================================================
 
 # Configuration
+BACKUP_DIR="${BACKUP_DIR:-$SCRIPT_DIR/mongo-backup}"
+
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
-LOG_FILE="$SCRIPT_DIR/backups/db-backup-standalone.log"
+LOG_FILE="$BACKUP_DIR/db-backup-standalone.log"
 MONGO_SERVICE="mongo"
 COMPOSE_FILE="$SCRIPT_DIR/docker-compose-standalone.yaml"
 
@@ -60,7 +62,6 @@ docker compose -f "$COMPOSE_FILE" stop "$MONGO_SERVICE"
 TIMESTAMP=$(date +"%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M")
 
 # backup directory and retention (can be overridden via env)
-BACKUP_DIR="${BACKUP_DIR:-$SCRIPT_DIR/backups}"
 KEEP="${KEEP:-7}"
 
 mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
diff --git a/db-backup--swarm.sh b/db-backup--swarm.sh
index 289600a..0e96b83 100755
--- a/db-backup--swarm.sh
+++ b/db-backup--swarm.sh
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ set -euo pipefail
 #   - Creates compressed tarball (.tar.gz) of the volume
 #
 # OUTPUT:
-#   - Backup files stored in: ./backups/
+#   - Backup files stored in: ./mongo-backup/
 #   - Filename format: mongo-volume-backup-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM.tar.gz
 #   - Automatic rotation: keeps newest 7 backups (configurable via KEEP env var)
 #
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ docker service scale "$MONGO_SERVICE"=0
 TIMESTAMP=$(date +"%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M")
 
 # backup directory and retention (can be overridden via env)
-BACKUP_DIR="${BACKUP_DIR:-backups}"
+BACKUP_DIR="${BACKUP_DIR:-mongo-backup}"
 KEEP="${KEEP:-7}"
 
 mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
diff --git a/db-restore-from-backup--swarm.sh b/db-restore-from-backup--swarm.sh
index 8e00809..cf15152 100755
--- a/db-restore-from-backup--swarm.sh
+++ b/db-restore-from-backup--swarm.sh
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ set -euo pipefail
 #
 # INPUT:
 #   - Requires backup filename as parameter
-#   - Looks for file in: ./backups/
+#   - Looks for file in: ./mongo-backup/
 #   - Optional: --pre-backup flag to create safety backup before restore
 #
 # USAGE:
@@ -72,10 +72,10 @@ if [ -z "${TIMESTAMP:-}" ]; then
   echo "  --do-pre-backup=false   Skip interactive prompt, no pre-restore backup"
   echo ""
   echo "Available backups:"
-  ls -1t backups/mongo-volume-backup-*.tar.gz 2>/dev/null | sed 's/.*mongo-volume-backup-\(.*\)\.tar\.gz/  \1/' || echo "  No backups found"
+  ls -1t mongo-backup/mongo-volume-backup-*.tar.gz 2>/dev/null | sed 's/.*mongo-volume-backup-\(.*\)\.tar\.gz/  \1/' || echo "  No backups found"
   exit 1
 fi
-BACKUP_DIR="${BACKUP_DIR:-backups}"
+BACKUP_DIR="${BACKUP_DIR:-mongo-backup}"
 BACKUP_FILE="$BACKUP_DIR/mongo-volume-backup-$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz"
 
 # Check if backup file exists