diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/ApplicationsController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/ApplicationsController.php
index 7402fb5d35..d9080ea1df 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/ApplicationsController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/ApplicationsController.php
@@ -3631,6 +3631,7 @@ class ApplicationsController extends Controller
         }
 
         $this->authorize('update', $application);
+        $settingsBefore = $application->settings->getAttributes();
 
         if ($request->has('redact_all_env_values_in_logs') || $request->has('include_coolify_default_variables')) {
             $this->authorize('manageEnvironment', $application);
@@ -4092,12 +4093,18 @@ class ApplicationsController extends Controller
         $dnsCleanup->queueReleaseOfRemovedHostnames($application, $previousDnsHostnames, (int) $teamId);
         app(ResourceDnsRecords::class)->queueAutomaticRecords($application, $previousDnsHostnames);
 
-        auditLog('api.application.updated', [
-            'team_id' => $teamId,
-            'application_uuid' => $application->uuid,
-            'application_name' => $application->name,
-            'changed_fields' => array_values(array_intersect($allowedFields, array_keys($request->all()))),
-        ]);
+        $changedSettings = collect($application->settings->getAttributes())
+            ->reject(fn (mixed $value, string $field): bool => $field === 'updated_at' || ($settingsBefore[$field] ?? null) == $value)
+            ->keys();
+        $changedFields = [...auditSavedFields($application), ...$changedSettings];
+        if ($changedFields !== []) {
+            auditLog('api.application.updated', [
+                'team_id' => $teamId,
+                'application_uuid' => $application->uuid,
+                'application_name' => $application->name,
+                'changed_fields' => $changedFields,
+            ]);
+        }
 
         if ($instantDeploy) {
             $deployment_uuid = new_public_id();
@@ -4339,15 +4346,20 @@ class ApplicationsController extends Controller
             $env->value = $request->value;
         }
         $env->fill($request->only(['is_literal', 'is_multiline', 'is_shown_once', 'is_runtime', 'is_buildtime', 'comment']));
-        $env->save();
+        // One audit row with the application context, instead of a second row from the model.
+        $env->withoutAuditLogging(fn () => $env->save());
+        $changedFields = auditSavedFields($env);
 
-        auditLog('api.application.env_updated', [
-            'team_id' => $teamId,
-            'application_uuid' => $application->uuid,
-            'env_uuid' => $env->uuid,
-            'env_key' => $env->key,
-            'is_preview' => (bool) $is_preview,
-        ]);
+        if ($changedFields !== []) {
+            auditLog('api.application.env_updated', [
+                'team_id' => $teamId,
+                'application_uuid' => $application->uuid,
+                'env_uuid' => $env->uuid,
+                'env_key' => $env->key,
+                'is_preview' => (bool) $is_preview,
+                'changed_fields' => $changedFields,
+            ]);
+        }
 
         return response()->json($this->removeSensitiveData($env))->setStatusCode(201);
     }
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/DatabasesController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/DatabasesController.php
index 96ee88209a..7bb35ade98 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/DatabasesController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/DatabasesController.php
@@ -4016,14 +4016,19 @@ class DatabasesController extends Controller
         if ($request->has('comment')) {
             $env->comment = $request->comment;
         }
-        $env->save();
+        // One audit row with the database context, instead of a second row from the model.
+        $env->withoutAuditLogging(fn () => $env->save());
+        $changedFields = auditSavedFields($env);
 
-        auditLog('api.database.env_updated', [
-            'team_id' => $teamId,
-            'database_uuid' => $database->uuid,
-            'env_uuid' => $env->uuid,
-            'env_key' => $env->key,
-        ]);
+        if ($changedFields !== []) {
+            auditLog('api.database.env_updated', [
+                'team_id' => $teamId,
+                'database_uuid' => $database->uuid,
+                'env_uuid' => $env->uuid,
+                'env_key' => $env->key,
+                'changed_fields' => $changedFields,
+            ]);
+        }
 
         return response()->json($this->removeSensitiveEnvData($env))->setStatusCode(201);
     }
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/ServicesController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/ServicesController.php
index cd52dc0aff..b1c9adc3dc 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/ServicesController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/ServicesController.php
@@ -1584,14 +1584,19 @@ class ServicesController extends Controller
         if ($request->has('comment')) {
             $env->comment = $request->comment;
         }
-        $env->save();
+        // One audit row with the service context, instead of a second row from the model.
+        $env->withoutAuditLogging(fn () => $env->save());
+        $changedFields = auditSavedFields($env);
 
-        auditLog('api.service.env_updated', [
-            'team_id' => $teamId,
-            'service_uuid' => $service->uuid,
-            'env_uuid' => $env->uuid,
-            'env_key' => $env->key,
-        ]);
+        if ($changedFields !== []) {
+            auditLog('api.service.env_updated', [
+                'team_id' => $teamId,
+                'service_uuid' => $service->uuid,
+                'env_uuid' => $env->uuid,
+                'env_key' => $env->key,
+                'changed_fields' => $changedFields,
+            ]);
+        }
 
         return response()->json($this->removeSensitiveData($env))->setStatusCode(201);
     }
diff --git a/app/Models/Application.php b/app/Models/Application.php
index 23ca1881fe..5e67f0110e 100644
--- a/app/Models/Application.php
+++ b/app/Models/Application.php
@@ -329,6 +329,7 @@ class Application extends BaseModel
             $application->manual_webhook_secret_gitlab ??= Str::random(40);
             $application->manual_webhook_secret_bitbucket ??= Str::random(40);
             $application->manual_webhook_secret_gitea ??= Str::random(40);
+            $application->compose_parsing_version = self::$parserVersion;
         });
         static::addGlobalScope('withRelations', function ($builder) {
             $builder->withCount([
@@ -426,8 +427,6 @@ class Application extends BaseModel
             ApplicationSetting::create([
                 'application_id' => $application->id,
             ]);
-            $application->compose_parsing_version = self::$parserVersion;
-            $application->save();
 
             // Add default NIXPACKS_NODE_VERSION environment variable for Nixpacks applications
             if ($application->build_pack === 'nixpacks') {
diff --git a/app/Models/AuditEvent.php b/app/Models/AuditEvent.php
index 3020119781..f483ba8b19 100644
--- a/app/Models/AuditEvent.php
+++ b/app/Models/AuditEvent.php
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ class AuditEvent extends Model
      */
     public static function recordModelMutation(string $event, array $context, array $changes): void
     {
-        self::recordWithChanges($event, $context, $changes);
+        self::recordWithChanges($event, $context, $changes ?: null);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -161,6 +161,11 @@ class AuditEvent extends Model
      */
     private static function attributesFor(string $event, array $context, ?array $changes, string $level): array
     {
+        // API tokens store team_id as a string. Keep it an integer, so JSON filters on metadata work.
+        if (is_string($context['team_id'] ?? null) && ctype_digit($context['team_id'])) {
+            $context['team_id'] = (int) $context['team_id'];
+        }
+
         $teamId = data_get(auth()->user()?->currentAccessToken(), 'team_id')
             ?? (array_key_exists('team_id', $context)
                 ? $context['team_id']
diff --git a/app/Models/EnvironmentVariable.php b/app/Models/EnvironmentVariable.php
index ef4b1a4a5d..37b6989e1e 100644
--- a/app/Models/EnvironmentVariable.php
+++ b/app/Models/EnvironmentVariable.php
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ class EnvironmentVariable extends BaseModel
 {
     use Auditable;
 
+    /** The key is in the metadata of the row, and the flags of a new variable have little audit value. */
+    protected bool $auditCreatedChanges = false;
+
     /**
      * Flags that a "# coolify:" line of the developer view can set, with their defaults.
      *
@@ -140,6 +143,9 @@ class EnvironmentVariable extends BaseModel
 
     protected static function booted()
     {
+        static::creating(function (ModelsEnvironmentVariable $environment_variable) {
+            $environment_variable->version = config('constants.coolify.version');
+        });
         static::created(function (ModelsEnvironmentVariable $environment_variable) {
             if ($environment_variable->resourceable_type === Application::class && ! $environment_variable->is_preview) {
                 $found = ModelsEnvironmentVariable::where('key', $environment_variable->key)
@@ -152,7 +158,8 @@ class EnvironmentVariable extends BaseModel
                     $application = Application::find($environment_variable->resourceable_id);
                     // A compose preview generates its own magic secrets on the first pull request parse.
                     if ($application && ! ($application->build_pack === 'dockercompose' && $environment_variable->isGeneratedMagicVariable())) {
-                        ModelsEnvironmentVariable::create([
+                        // The preview copy is part of the same change, so it gets no audit rows of its own.
+                        $preview = new ModelsEnvironmentVariable([
                             'key' => $environment_variable->key,
                             'value' => $environment_variable->value,
                             'is_multiline' => $environment_variable->is_multiline ?? false,
@@ -166,12 +173,10 @@ class EnvironmentVariable extends BaseModel
                             'resourceable_id' => $environment_variable->resourceable_id,
                             'is_preview' => true,
                         ]);
+                        $preview->withoutAuditLogging(fn () => $preview->save());
                     }
                 }
             }
-            $environment_variable->update([
-                'version' => config('constants.coolify.version'),
-            ]);
         });
 
         static::saving(function (ModelsEnvironmentVariable $environmentVariable) {
diff --git a/app/Models/Service.php b/app/Models/Service.php
index 2b696ff1e8..26f5b81d46 100644
--- a/app/Models/Service.php
+++ b/app/Models/Service.php
@@ -100,10 +100,7 @@ class Service extends BaseModel
             if (blank($service->name)) {
                 $service->name = 'service-'.new_public_id();
             }
-        });
-        static::created(function ($service) {
             $service->compose_parsing_version = self::$parserVersion;
-            $service->save();
         });
         static::saving(function ($service) {
             if ($service->isDirty('docker_compose_raw')) {
diff --git a/app/Traits/Auditable.php b/app/Traits/Auditable.php
index 52cd033bcb..21475fc9c9 100644
--- a/app/Traits/Auditable.php
+++ b/app/Traits/Auditable.php
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ trait Auditable
             "{$resourceType}_uuid" => $this->getAttribute('uuid'),
             "{$resourceType}_name" => $this->getAttribute('name') ?? $this->getAttribute('key'),
             'changed_fields' => $changedFields,
-        ], $this->auditChanges(
+        ], $action === 'created' && ($this->auditCreatedChanges ?? true) === false ? [] : $this->auditChanges(
             $action,
             $action === 'updated' ? $changedFields : array_keys($this->getAttributes()),
         ));
diff --git a/bootstrap/helpers/audit.php b/bootstrap/helpers/audit.php
index d6c83c8e54..79c1c10cf1 100644
--- a/bootstrap/helpers/audit.php
+++ b/bootstrap/helpers/audit.php
@@ -71,6 +71,19 @@ if (! function_exists('auditChangedFields')) {
     }
 }
 
+if (! function_exists('auditSavedFields')) {
+    /**
+     * Names of the attributes that the last save() really changed, without timestamps.
+     * Call it after save(), so changes made by saving hooks are included.
+     *
+     * @return array<int, string>
+     */
+    function auditSavedFields(Model $model): array
+    {
+        return array_values(array_diff(array_keys($model->getChanges()), ['created_at', 'updated_at']));
+    }
+}
+
 if (! function_exists('auditFailureDeduplicationWindow')) {
     /**
      * Seconds during which repeated unauthenticated or permission failures from one source are recorded once.
diff --git a/database/migrations/2026_11_05_224732_drop_unused_indexes_from_audit_events_table.php b/database/migrations/2026_11_05_224732_drop_unused_indexes_from_audit_events_table.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9458e15af0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database/migrations/2026_11_05_224732_drop_unused_indexes_from_audit_events_table.php
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+<?php
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+return new class extends Migration
+{
+    /**
+     * No query filters audit events by level or by resource, so these indexes only cost disk space and write time.
+     */
+    public function up(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('audit_events', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            if (Schema::hasIndex('audit_events', 'audit_events_level_index')) {
+                $table->dropIndex('audit_events_level_index');
+            }
+            if (Schema::hasIndex('audit_events', ['team_id', 'resource_type', 'resource_uuid', 'created_at'])) {
+                $table->dropIndex(['team_id', 'resource_type', 'resource_uuid', 'created_at']);
+            }
+        });
+    }
+
+    public function down(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('audit_events', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->index('level');
+            $table->index(['team_id', 'resource_type', 'resource_uuid', 'created_at']);
+        });
+    }
+};