diff --git a/Common/OpenShockDb/EmailOutboxQueries.cs b/Common/OpenShockDb/EmailOutboxQueries.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ade6d04a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Common/OpenShockDb/EmailOutboxQueries.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
+using OpenShock.Common.Models;
+
+namespace OpenShock.Common.OpenShockDb;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Reusable queries over the <see cref="EmailOutboxMessage"/> table. Kept here (rather than inline in the
+/// Cron delivery job) so the raw SQL is a single source of truth that integration tests can execute
+/// directly - a table or column rename then breaks the test rather than surfacing only in production.
+/// </summary>
+public static class EmailOutboxQueries
+{
+    /// <summary>How many due rows the delivery job claims per batch.</summary>
+    public const int ClaimBatchSize = 50;
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The delivery job's claim query: due rows - <see cref="EmailStatus.Pending"/> past their
+    /// next-attempt time, or <see cref="EmailStatus.Sending"/> whose lease has lapsed - oldest first,
+    /// capped at <paramref name="batchSize"/>, locked with <c>FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED</c> so concurrent
+    /// runs take disjoint batches. Run it inside an explicit transaction to hold the locks for the claim.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static IQueryable<EmailOutboxMessage> DueForDelivery(this DbSet<EmailOutboxMessage> outbox, int batchSize)
+    {
+        if (batchSize <= 0) throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(nameof(batchSize));
+
+        return outbox.FromSql(
+            $"""
+             SELECT * FROM email_outbox
+             WHERE next_attempt_at <= now()
+               AND (status = {EmailStatus.Pending} OR status = {EmailStatus.Sending})
+             ORDER BY next_attempt_at
+             LIMIT {batchSize}
+             FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED
+             """);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Cron.IntegrationTests/Tests/EmailOutboxQueryTests.cs b/Cron.IntegrationTests/Tests/EmailOutboxQueryTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d69df67d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Cron.IntegrationTests/Tests/EmailOutboxQueryTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
+using OpenShock.Common.Models;
+using OpenShock.Common.OpenShockDb;
+
+namespace OpenShock.Cron.IntegrationTests.Tests;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Runs the delivery job's actual claim query (<see cref="EmailOutboxQueries.DueForDelivery"/>, the single
+/// source of truth the job uses) against real Postgres via the Cron host's own pooled context - the same
+/// registration + enum-mapping path that runs in production. Guards the raw SQL (table/column names, the
+/// email_status enum, LIMIT, FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED, SELECT * materialization) so a schema rename breaks
+/// this test rather than only surfacing in the Cron host at runtime.
+/// </summary>
+public sealed class EmailOutboxQueryTests
+{
+    [ClassDataSource<CronApplicationFactory>(Shared = SharedType.PerTestSession)]
+    public required CronApplicationFactory Factory { get; init; }
+
+    [Test]
+    public async Task DueForDelivery_RunsTheJobsRawSql_AgainstTheRealSchema()
+    {
+        var recipient = $"outbox-claim-sql-{Guid.CreateVersion7():N}@test.org";
+
+        Guid id;
+        await using (var db = await Factory.DbContextFactory.CreateDbContextAsync())
+        {
+            var message = EmailOutboxMessage.Create(
+                EmailType.PasswordReset, recipient, "Claim",
+                new Dictionary<string, string> { ["k"] = "v" });
+            // Dated well into the past so it sorts first and the global LIMIT can never exclude it.
+            message.NextAttemptAt = DateTime.UtcNow - TimeSpan.FromDays(1);
+            db.EmailOutbox.Add(message);
+            await db.SaveChangesAsync();
+            id = message.Id;
+        }
+
+        // Resolve the pooled OpenShockContext exactly as the Cron delivery job does (DI-injected) so this
+        // covers the same registration + enum-mapping path that runs in production.
+        using var scope = Factory.Services.CreateScope();
+        var db2 = scope.ServiceProvider.GetRequiredService<OpenShockContext>();
+
+        var claimed = await db2.EmailOutbox.DueForDelivery(1).ToListAsync();
+
+        await Assert.That(claimed.Any(m => m.Id == id)).IsTrue();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Cron/Jobs/EmailOutboxDeliveryJob.cs b/Cron/Jobs/EmailOutboxDeliveryJob.cs
index 59f45bef..c970be61 100644
--- a/Cron/Jobs/EmailOutboxDeliveryJob.cs
+++ b/Cron/Jobs/EmailOutboxDeliveryJob.cs
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ namespace OpenShock.Cron.Jobs;
 [CronJob("* * * * *")] // Every minute (https://crontab.guru/)
 public sealed class EmailOutboxDeliveryJob
 {
-    private const int BatchSize = 50;
+    private const int BatchSize = EmailOutboxQueries.ClaimBatchSize;
 
     private readonly OpenShockContext _db;
     private readonly IEmailOutboxDispatcher _dispatcher;
@@ -88,15 +88,7 @@ private async Task<List<Guid>> ClaimDueBatchAsync()
 
         await using var transaction = await _db.Database.BeginTransactionAsync();
 
-        var due = await _db.EmailOutbox.FromSql(
-            $"""
-             SELECT * FROM email_outbox
-             WHERE next_attempt_at <= now()
-               AND (status = {EmailStatus.Pending} OR status = {EmailStatus.Sending})
-             ORDER BY next_attempt_at
-             LIMIT {BatchSize}
-             FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED
-             """).ToListAsync();
+        var due = await _db.EmailOutbox.DueForDelivery(BatchSize).ToListAsync();
 
         if (due.Count == 0)
         {