diff --git a/lfs.c b/lfs.c
index aed9a602..979121a1 100644
--- a/lfs.c
+++ b/lfs.c
@@ -15286,9 +15286,6 @@ static int lfs_init(lfs_t *lfs, const struct lfs_config *cfg) {
 //    // wear-leveling.
 //    LFS_ASSERT(lfs->cfg->block_cycles != 0);
 
-    // block_recycles should not be zero, use -1 to disable
-    LFS_ASSERT(lfs->cfg->block_recycles != 0);
-
     // inline_size must be <= block_size/4
     LFS_ASSERT(lfs->cfg->inline_size <= lfs->cfg->block_size/4);
     // shrub_size must be <= block_size/4
@@ -15375,12 +15372,13 @@ static int lfs_init(lfs_t *lfs, const struct lfs_config *cfg) {
 
     // find the number of bits to use for recycle counters
     //
-    // Multiply by 2, since we alternate which metadata block we erase each
-    // compaction, and limit to 28-bits so we always have some bits to
-    // determine the most recent revision.
+    // Add 1, to include the initial erase, multiply by 2, since we
+    // alternate which metadata block we erase each compaction, and limit
+    // to 28-bits so we always have some bits to determine the most recent
+    // revision.
     if (lfs->cfg->block_recycles != -1) {
         lfs->recycle_bits = lfs_min(
-                lfs_nlog2(2*lfs->cfg->block_recycles+1)-1,
+                lfs_nlog2(2*(lfs->cfg->block_recycles+1)+1)-1,
                 28);
     } else {
         lfs->recycle_bits = -1;
diff --git a/lfs.h b/lfs.h
index c974e09e..3fc57460 100644
--- a/lfs.h
+++ b/lfs.h
@@ -209,9 +209,11 @@ struct lfs_config {
     // Number of erase cycles before metadata blocks are relocated for
     // wear-leveling. Suggested values are in the range 16-1024. Larger values
     // relocate less frequently, improving average performance, at the cost
-    // of worse wear distribution. Note this is rounded down to a power-of-2.
+    // of worse wear distribution. Note this ends up rounded down to a
+    // power-of-2.
     //
-    // Set to -1 to disable block-level wear-leveling.
+    // 0 results in pure copy-on-write, which may be counter-productive. Set
+    // to -1 to disable block-level wear-leveling.
     int32_t block_recycles;
 
     // Size of the read cache in bytes. Larger buffers can improve
diff --git a/tests/test_mtree.toml b/tests/test_mtree.toml
index aa041c2b..6044aaf1 100644
--- a/tests/test_mtree.toml
+++ b/tests/test_mtree.toml
@@ -1136,7 +1136,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -1221,7 +1221,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -1318,7 +1318,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -1415,7 +1415,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -1469,7 +1469,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 # force our block to compact by setting prog_size=block_size, we don't have
 # an easy way to force the intermediary mroots to compact otherwise
 defines.PROG_SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE'
@@ -1540,7 +1540,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -1603,7 +1603,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -1705,7 +1705,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -1824,7 +1824,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -1914,7 +1914,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -1990,7 +1990,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -2076,7 +2076,7 @@ code = '''
 [cases.test_mtree_relocate_fuzz]
 defines.N = [5, 10, 20, 40]
 defines.FORCE_COMPACTION = [false, true]
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = [5, 2, 1]
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = [5, 1, 0]
 defines.SEED = 'range(500)'
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
@@ -2555,7 +2555,7 @@ code = '''
 
 [cases.test_mtree_opened_extend]
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -2613,7 +2613,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -2702,7 +2702,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -3528,7 +3528,7 @@ code = '''
 [cases.test_mtree_traversal_extend]
 defines.VALIDATE = [false, true]
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -4003,7 +4003,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 in = 'lfs.c'
 code = '''
     lfs_t lfs;
@@ -4057,7 +4057,7 @@ code = '''
 # this should be set so only one entry can fit in a metadata block
 defines.SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE / 4'
 # make it so blocks relocate every two compacts
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 1
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = 0
 # force our block to compact by setting prog_size=block_size, we don't have
 # any way to indirectly force the intermediary mroots to compact otherwise
 defines.PROG_SIZE = 'BLOCK_SIZE'
diff --git a/tests/test_wl.toml b/tests/test_wl.toml
index 0e9ac9c6..398df132 100644
--- a/tests/test_wl.toml
+++ b/tests/test_wl.toml
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ after = [
 
 # dirs + relocations may create problems for gstate
 [cases.test_wl_dir_fuzz]
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = [-1, 8, 2, 1]
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = [-1, 5, 1, 0]
 defines.N = [1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512]
 defines.OPS = 1024
 defines.REMOUNT = [false, true]
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ code = '''
 
 # files + relocations may create problems for shrubs
 [cases.test_wl_file_fuzz]
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = [-1, 8, 2, 1]
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = [-1, 5, 1, 0]
 defines.N = [1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64]
 defines.OPS = 1024
 defines.SIZE = [
@@ -374,7 +374,7 @@ code = '''
 
 # open files + relocations may create problems for orphans/zombies
 [cases.test_wl_orphanzombie_fuzz]
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = [-1, 8, 2, 1]
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = [-1, 5, 1, 0]
 defines.N = [1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64]
 defines.OPS = 1024
 defines.SIZE = [
@@ -713,7 +713,7 @@ code = '''
 # open files + dirs + relocations can cause so many problems it's not worth
 # listing them
 [cases.test_wl_orphanzombiedir_fuzz]
-defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = [-1, 8, 2, 1]
+defines.BLOCK_RECYCLES = [-1, 5, 1, 0]
 defines.N = [1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64]
 defines.OPS = 1024
 defines.SIZE = [