diff --git a/gnommo/cli.py b/gnommo/cli.py
index 3503632..197e169 100644
--- a/gnommo/cli.py
+++ b/gnommo/cli.py
@@ -3222,6 +3222,9 @@ def cmd_sync(project_path: Path, verbose: bool, dry_run: bool, download: bool) -
         "-e",
         f"ssh -p {server['port']}",
         *[f"--exclude={p}" for p in _RSYNC_EXCLUDES],
+        # On upload: delete server-side files that no longer exist locally so
+        # the remote stays an exact mirror of the local project.
+        *(["--delete"] if not download else []),
         src,
         dest,
     ]