diff --git a/src/database/database.service.ts b/src/database/database.service.ts
index e4be839..5306be8 100644
--- a/src/database/database.service.ts
+++ b/src/database/database.service.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,10 @@ export class DatabaseService implements OnModuleInit, OnModuleDestroy {
     mkdirSync(dirname(this.dbPath), { recursive: true })
     this.db = new Database(this.dbPath)
     this.db.pragma('journal_mode = WAL')
-    runSchemaMigrations(this.db)
+    const applied = runSchemaMigrations(this.db)
+    if (applied.length > 0) {
+      this.logger.log(`Applied migrations: ${applied.join(', ')}`)
+    }
     this.logger.log(`SQLite ready at ${this.dbPath}`)
   }
 
diff --git a/src/database/migration-runner.ts b/src/database/migration-runner.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..475d3b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/database/migration-runner.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+import type Database from 'better-sqlite3'
+import { SQL_MIGRATIONS } from './migrations'
+
+const MIGRATIONS_TABLE = 'schema_migrations'
+
+function ensureMigrationsTable(db: Database.Database): void {
+  db.exec(`
+    CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS schema_migrations (
+      id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+      applied_at TEXT NOT NULL
+    );
+  `)
+}
+
+function isMigrationApplied(db: Database.Database, id: string): boolean {
+  const row = db
+    .prepare(`SELECT id FROM ${MIGRATIONS_TABLE} WHERE id = ?`)
+    .get(id) as { id: string } | undefined
+  return row !== undefined
+}
+
+function recordMigrationApplied(db: Database.Database, id: string): void {
+  db.prepare(`INSERT INTO ${MIGRATIONS_TABLE} (id, applied_at) VALUES (?, ?)`).run(
+    id,
+    new Date().toISOString(),
+  )
+}
+
+/** Run pending versioned migrations inside a transaction per migration. */
+export function runPendingMigrations(db: Database.Database): string[] {
+  ensureMigrationsTable(db)
+
+  const applied: string[] = []
+
+  for (const migration of SQL_MIGRATIONS) {
+    if (isMigrationApplied(db, migration.id)) {
+      continue
+    }
+
+    const apply = db.transaction(() => {
+      db.exec(migration.up)
+      recordMigrationApplied(db, migration.id)
+    })
+
+    apply()
+    applied.push(migration.id)
+  }
+
+  return applied
+}
+
+export function listAppliedMigrationIds(db: Database.Database): string[] {
+  ensureMigrationsTable(db)
+  const rows = db
+    .prepare(`SELECT id FROM ${MIGRATIONS_TABLE} ORDER BY id`)
+    .all() as Array<{ id: string }>
+  return rows.map((row) => row.id)
+}
+
+export function listPendingMigrationIds(db: Database.Database): string[] {
+  ensureMigrationsTable(db)
+  const applied = new Set(listAppliedMigrationIds(db))
+  return SQL_MIGRATIONS.filter((migration) => !applied.has(migration.id)).map(
+    (migration) => migration.id,
+  )
+}
diff --git a/src/database/migration.service.ts b/src/database/migration.service.ts
index 2b1b23d..a8ff1e6 100644
--- a/src/database/migration.service.ts
+++ b/src/database/migration.service.ts
@@ -1,55 +1,17 @@
 import type Database from 'better-sqlite3'
+import {
+  listAppliedMigrationIds,
+  listPendingMigrationIds,
+  runPendingMigrations,
+} from './migration-runner'
 
-/** Idempotent schema setup — mirrors backend/db.ts + backend/migrations.ts (no destructive ops). */
-export function runSchemaMigrations(db: Database.Database): void {
-  db.exec(`
-    CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (
-      id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
-      state_json TEXT NOT NULL,
-      updated_at TEXT NOT NULL
-    );
-
-    CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS user_level_progress (
-      id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-      user_id TEXT NOT NULL,
-      level_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
-      best_score INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
-      stars INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
-      attempts_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
-      started_at TEXT,
-      completed_at TEXT,
-      updated_at TEXT NOT NULL,
-      UNIQUE(user_id, level_id)
-    );
-
-    CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS reward_ledger (
-      id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-      user_id TEXT NOT NULL,
-      source_type TEXT NOT NULL,
-      source_id TEXT NOT NULL,
-      reward_key TEXT NOT NULL,
-      xp_delta INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
-      coins_delta INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
-      metadata_json TEXT,
-      created_at TEXT NOT NULL,
-      UNIQUE(user_id, reward_key)
-    );
-
-    CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_user_level_progress_user
-      ON user_level_progress(user_id);
-    CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_reward_ledger_user
-      ON reward_ledger(user_id);
-
-    CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS auth_accounts (
-      id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
-      username TEXT NOT NULL UNIQUE,
-      password_hash TEXT NOT NULL,
-      user_id TEXT NOT NULL,
-      created_at TEXT NOT NULL
-    );
-  `)
+/** Apply all pending versioned SQL migrations (safe to call on every startup). */
+export function runSchemaMigrations(db: Database.Database): string[] {
+  return runPendingMigrations(db)
 }
 
+export { listAppliedMigrationIds, listPendingMigrationIds }
+
 export const EXPECTED_TABLES = [
   'users',
   'user_level_progress',
@@ -61,5 +23,7 @@ export function listUserTables(db: Database.Database): string[] {
   const rows = db
     .prepare("SELECT name FROM sqlite_master WHERE type = 'table' AND name NOT LIKE 'sqlite_%'")
     .all() as Array<{ name: string }>
-  return rows.map((row) => row.name)
+  return rows
+    .map((row) => row.name)
+    .filter((name) => name !== 'schema_migrations')
 }
diff --git a/src/database/migrations/001-initial-schema.ts b/src/database/migrations/001-initial-schema.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..03a7a8d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/database/migrations/001-initial-schema.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+/** Initial application schema — idempotent (CREATE IF NOT EXISTS). */
+export const migrationId = '001_initial_schema'
+
+export const up = `
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (
+  id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+  state_json TEXT NOT NULL,
+  updated_at TEXT NOT NULL
+);
+
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS user_level_progress (
+  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+  user_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+  level_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
+  best_score INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  stars INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  attempts_count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  started_at TEXT,
+  completed_at TEXT,
+  updated_at TEXT NOT NULL,
+  UNIQUE(user_id, level_id)
+);
+
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS reward_ledger (
+  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+  user_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+  source_type TEXT NOT NULL,
+  source_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+  reward_key TEXT NOT NULL,
+  xp_delta INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  coins_delta INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  metadata_json TEXT,
+  created_at TEXT NOT NULL,
+  UNIQUE(user_id, reward_key)
+);
+
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_user_level_progress_user
+  ON user_level_progress(user_id);
+
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_reward_ledger_user
+  ON reward_ledger(user_id);
+
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS auth_accounts (
+  id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+  username TEXT NOT NULL UNIQUE,
+  password_hash TEXT NOT NULL,
+  user_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+  created_at TEXT NOT NULL
+);
+`
diff --git a/src/database/migrations/index.ts b/src/database/migrations/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f6ce06c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/database/migrations/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+import { migrationId as id001, up as up001 } from './001-initial-schema'
+
+export interface SqlMigration {
+  id: string
+  up: string
+}
+
+/** Ordered list — append new files and import them here. */
+export const SQL_MIGRATIONS: SqlMigration[] = [
+  { id: id001, up: up001 },
+]