diff --git a/crates/adapters/sqlite/src/migrations.rs b/crates/adapters/sqlite/src/migrations.rs
index 3df60715..afcae43b 100644
--- a/crates/adapters/sqlite/src/migrations.rs
+++ b/crates/adapters/sqlite/src/migrations.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,34 @@
+use std::time::Duration;
+
 use domain::errors::DomainError;
 use sqlx::SqlitePool;
 
+/// Server and worker both migrate at startup, so two processes can race on the
+/// same database. The loser's migration fails (e.g. duplicate column) because
+/// the winner already applied it; re-running re-reads `_sqlx_migrations` and
+/// skips what is done. Only an error that persists across all retries is returned.
+const RETRY_BACKOFFS: [Duration; 5] = [
+    Duration::from_millis(100),
+    Duration::from_millis(250),
+    Duration::from_millis(500),
+    Duration::from_secs(1),
+    Duration::from_secs(1),
+];
+
 pub(crate) async fn run(pool: &SqlitePool) -> Result<(), DomainError> {
-    sqlx::migrate!("./migrations")
-        .set_ignore_missing(true)
-        .run(pool)
-        .await
-        .map_err(|e| DomainError::InfrastructureError(e.to_string()))
+    let mut migrator = sqlx::migrate!("./migrations");
+    migrator.set_ignore_missing(true);
+    let mut backoffs = RETRY_BACKOFFS.iter();
+    loop {
+        match migrator.run(pool).await {
+            Ok(()) => return Ok(()),
+            Err(e) => match backoffs.next() {
+                Some(delay) => {
+                    tracing::warn!("migration failed, retrying (concurrent migrator?): {e}");
+                    tokio::time::sleep(*delay).await;
+                }
+                None => return Err(DomainError::InfrastructureError(e.to_string())),
+            },
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/adapters/sqlite/tests/migration_ledger_test.rs b/crates/adapters/sqlite/tests/migration_ledger_test.rs
index b226c58a..fbc1c75d 100644
--- a/crates/adapters/sqlite/tests/migration_ledger_test.rs
+++ b/crates/adapters/sqlite/tests/migration_ledger_test.rs
@@ -56,3 +56,47 @@ async fn a_database_migrated_by_the_old_layout_migrates_again_cleanly() {
 
     assert_eq!(ledger(&pool).await, LEDGER);
 }
+
+async fn wal_pool(path: &Path, create: bool) -> SqlitePool {
+    let opts = SqliteConnectOptions::new()
+        .filename(path)
+        .create_if_missing(create)
+        .journal_mode(sqlx::sqlite::SqliteJournalMode::Wal)
+        .busy_timeout(std::time::Duration::from_secs(5));
+    SqlitePoolOptions::new()
+        .max_connections(2)
+        .connect_with(opts)
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+}
+
+async fn race_two_migrators(start: Option<&Path>) {
+    for _ in 0..10 {
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let path = dir.path().join("race.db");
+        if let Some(src) = start {
+            std::fs::copy(src, &path).unwrap();
+        }
+        let a = wal_pool(&path, start.is_none()).await;
+        let b = wal_pool(&path, false).await;
+
+        let (ra, rb) = tokio::join!(sqlite::migrate(&a), sqlite::migrate(&b));
+
+        ra.unwrap();
+        rb.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(ledger(&a).await, LEDGER);
+    }
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn two_processes_migrating_the_same_fresh_database_both_succeed() {
+    race_two_migrators(None).await;
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn two_processes_migrating_a_database_at_the_old_version_both_succeed() {
+    race_two_migrators(Some(
+        &Path::new(env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR")).join(PRE_MERGE_DB),
+    ))
+    .await;
+}
diff --git a/docs/adr/0015-transactional-outbox.md b/docs/adr/0015-transactional-outbox.md
index 50ae4d24..19b50a09 100644
--- a/docs/adr/0015-transactional-outbox.md
+++ b/docs/adr/0015-transactional-outbox.md
@@ -79,7 +79,9 @@ backends dead-letter after the same number of attempts.
   and updates `duplicate_window` (1 h) and the consumer's `max_deliver`/`ack_wait` in place, with a
   warning in the log. Both are mutable on a live stream/consumer, so no recreate is needed;
   immutable consumer fields (name, filter, deliver policy) are never touched.
-- Starting server and worker at the same moment against a database that still needs migration `0101`
-  can make one fail with `duplicate column name`; start the server first, or restart the loser.
+- Server and worker both migrate at startup (docker compose starts them together). `sqlite::migrate`
+  retries with a bounded backoff (100 ms to 1 s, 5 retries), so the loser of a migration race
+  re-reads `_sqlx_migrations`, skips what the winner applied and succeeds; only a persistent error
+  is returned.
 - Handler authors must keep new handlers idempotent; the ledger narrows duplicates but cannot
   remove the crash-after-effect case.