diff --git a/.github/workflows/migration-guard.yml b/.github/workflows/migration-guard.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3a7657ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/migration-guard.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# Blocks the failure mode that crashlooped assistant-api: an already-applied
+# Flyway migration was edited, flipping its checksum so `validate` hard-fails
+# on boot. Enforces that committed migrations are immutable and that versions
+# only ever increment. Fast (seconds) and unconditional so it is safe to mark
+# as a required status check — a PR that touches no migrations still reports a
+# green "Migration Guard".
+name: Migration Guard
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+
+jobs:
+  guard:
+    name: Migration Guard
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6.0.2
+        with:
+          # Full history so the base branch and merge-base are available to
+          # diff against.
+          fetch-depth: 0
+      - name: Check migrations are immutable and incrementing
+        env:
+          # A reviewed, deliberate correction (e.g. restoring a migration that
+          # was wrongly edited) can label the PR `allow-migration-change` to
+          # downgrade the immutability error to a warning. Versioning checks
+          # always apply.
+          ALLOW_MIGRATION_CHANGE: ${{ contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'allow-migration-change') }}
+        run: bash infra/scripts/check-migrations.sh "origin/${{ github.base_ref }}"
diff --git a/infra/scripts/check-migrations.sh b/infra/scripts/check-migrations.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..838d54d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/scripts/check-migrations.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Guard for Flyway-style SQL migrations. Enforces two invariants that, if
+# broken, crashloop a service in production:
+#
+#   1. IMMUTABILITY — a migration that already exists on the base branch must
+#      never be modified, renamed, or deleted. Flyway checksums each file in
+#      full (comments included), so editing an applied migration breaks
+#      `validate` on the next boot. Add a NEW migration instead. Override for
+#      a deliberate, reviewed correction with ALLOW_MIGRATION_CHANGE=true.
+#
+#   2. VERSIONING — within each service, migration versions are unique, and
+#      every newly added migration's version is strictly greater than the
+#      highest version already on the base branch (incrementing; no reuse, no
+#      backfilling a lower/middle version).
+#
+# Usage: check-migrations.sh [base-ref]   (default base: origin/main)
+set -euo pipefail
+
+base="${1:-origin/main}"
+allow_change="${ALLOW_MIGRATION_CHANGE:-false}"
+
+# V<version>__name.sql under any service's migration tree(s). knowledge-api
+# splits versions across migration/ and migration-pg/, so both are in scope
+# and share one version namespace per service.
+mig_re='services/[^/]+/src/main/resources/db/migration(-pg)?/V[0-9][^/]*\.sql$'
+
+fail=0
+
+# Extract the numeric version token from a path: V12__foo.sql -> 12,
+# V1_1__foo.sql -> 1.1 (dotted form sorts correctly under `sort -V`).
+verkey() { basename "$1" | sed -E 's/^V([0-9]+(_[0-9]+)*)__.*/\1/; s/_/./g'; }
+
+# Return 0 iff $1 > $2 as version strings.
+ver_gt() { [[ "$1" != "$2" && "$(printf '%s\n%s\n' "$1" "$2" | sort -V | tail -1)" == "$1" ]]; }
+
+# --- Invariant 1: immutability of existing migrations ---
+changed="$(git diff --diff-filter=MDR --name-only "${base}...HEAD" | { grep -E "$mig_re" || true; })"
+if [[ -n "$changed" ]]; then
+  if [[ "$allow_change" == "true" ]]; then
+    echo "::warning::Existing migrations changed — allowed via ALLOW_MIGRATION_CHANGE override:"
+    echo "$changed" | sed 's/^/  - /'
+  else
+    echo "::error::Applied migrations are immutable. Do not modify, rename, or delete a committed migration — add a NEW migration with a higher version. Offending files:"
+    echo "$changed" | sed 's/^/  - /'
+    fail=1
+  fi
+fi
+
+# --- Invariant 2: unique + incrementing versions, per service ---
+head_files="$(git ls-files | { grep -E "$mig_re" || true; })"
+services="$(printf '%s\n' "$head_files" | sed -E 's#(services/[^/]+)/.*#\1#' | sort -u)"
+base_all="$(git ls-tree -r --name-only "$base" | { grep -E "$mig_re" || true; })"
+
+for svc in $services; do
+  [[ -z "$svc" ]] && continue
+  svc_re="^${svc}/src/main/resources/db/migration(-pg)?/V[0-9][^/]*\.sql$"
+  cur="$(printf '%s\n' "$head_files" | { grep -E "$svc_re" || true; })"
+  base_svc="$(printf '%s\n' "$base_all" | { grep -E "$svc_re" || true; })"
+
+  # duplicate versions within the service (across both migration dirs)
+  dups="$(for f in $cur; do verkey "$f"; done | sort | uniq -d)"
+  if [[ -n "$dups" ]]; then
+    echo "::error::[${svc##*/}] duplicate migration version(s): $(printf '%s ' $dups)"
+    fail=1
+  fi
+
+  # newly added migrations must exceed the highest version already on base
+  base_max="$(for f in $base_svc; do [[ -n "$f" ]] && verkey "$f"; done | sort -V | tail -1)"
+  [[ -z "$base_max" ]] && continue
+  for f in $cur; do
+    printf '%s\n' "$base_svc" | grep -qxF "$f" && continue   # not newly added
+    v="$(verkey "$f")"
+    if ! ver_gt "$v" "$base_max"; then
+      echo "::error::[${svc##*/}] new migration $(basename "$f") (version $v) must be greater than the highest existing version ($base_max)"
+      fail=1
+    fi
+  done
+done
+
+if [[ $fail -eq 0 ]]; then
+  echo "Migration guard: OK"
+fi
+exit $fail