@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+---
+'@objectstack/driver-sql': patch
+---
+
+fix(driver-sql): the first boot of a new database no longer prints a `DATABASE_ERROR` for `sys_migration` (#20768)
+
+On the first boot of a new database, the SQL driver printed this line once, on its warn channel (stderr by default):
+
+```text
+[sql-driver] DATABASE_ERROR — the backend refused a read on 'sys_migration' (SQLITE_ERROR) ... no such table: sys_migration
+```
+
+Nothing was wrong. At the start of its first schema sync, before it creates any table, the driver asks whether this deployment's file columns have moved (the ADR-0104 media-arm resolver). The resolver the engine supplies answers by reading `sys_migration`. On a new database that table does not exist yet, so the read is refused and the answer is "not moved", which is correct for an empty store.
+
+The driver now asks that question inside an async scope. Inside it, a read refused because its own target table does not exist goes to the logger's `debug` channel instead of `warn`. The default logger has no `debug`, so the line is not printed. The logger shape gains an optional `debug`. The refusal is still thrown to the resolver, and the resolver's answer is the same as before.
+
+What still warns:
+
+- every other refusal inside that scope, such as a malformed statement on a table that exists, or a missing table named by another relation (a view over a dropped table);
+- a missing table read anywhere else, as before.
+
+The missing-table check is the shared `isMissingTableError` from `@objectstack/types`, which `@objectstack/metadata/errors` re-exports. There is nothing to migrate.
@@ -0,0 +1,287 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2026 ObjectStack. Licensed under the Apache-2.0 license.
+
+/**
+ * [#20768] A missing table read by a driver's own PRE-DDL question leaves the
+ * warn channel. Nothing else does.
+ *
+ * ## The measured defect
+ *
+ * `objectstack dev --database file:NEW.sqlite` on `examples/app-crm` printed
+ * one line on the first boot of a new database, on the driver's warn channel
+ * (stderr):
+ *
+ * ```text
+ * [sql-driver] DATABASE_ERROR — the backend refused a read on 'sys_migration' (SQLITE_ERROR) ...
+ * select * from `sys_migration` where `id` = 'adr-0104-file-references' limit 1 - no such table: sys_migration
+ * ```
+ *
+ * The read is the engine's migration-gate read. The ADR-0104 media-arm
+ * resolver reaches it, and this driver asks that resolver at the start of its
+ * first `initObjects`, before its schema pass has created any table. On a new
+ * database the ledger is not there yet, the resolver answers "not moved", and
+ * that answer is right. Only the log line was wrong.
+ *
+ * ## What this file pins, from the driver's side
+ *
+ * The engine-driven boot is pinned in `@objectstack/runtime`
+ * (`first-boot-migration-gate-read.integration.test.ts`). Here the resolver is
+ * a stand-in that reads the ledger the way the engine does: one row by id,
+ * with a failed read answered as "not moved".
+ *
+ *  ① first boot: the question's read of a table that does not exist yet goes
+ *    to `debug`, not `warn`. The resolver still gets the refusal envelope, and
+ *    the arm is the one it always was.
+ *  ② the same holds when the ledger is served by ANOTHER driver instance: the
+ *    scope follows the async chain, not the instance.
+ *  ③ second boot: the table exists, the read succeeds, nothing is logged, and
+ *    the answer comes from the ledger row.
+ *
+ * Controls, each a refusal that must still warn:
+ *
+ *  ④ a malformed read on an EXISTING table, inside the question;
+ *  ⑤ a missing table named by some OTHER relation (a view over a dropped
+ *    table), inside the question;
+ *  ⑥ a missing table read OUTSIDE the question.
+ */
+
+import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest';
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
+import { join } from 'node:path';
+import type { DriverQuery } from '@objectstack/spec/contracts';
+import { SqlDriver } from './sql-driver.js';
+import type { SqlDriverConfig } from './sql-driver.js';
+
+const LEDGER = 'sys_migration';
+const MIGRATION_ID = 'adr-0104-file-references';
+/** The ledger's columns the engine's gate read looks at, as a stand-in object. */
+const LEDGER_OBJECT = {
+  name: LEDGER,
+  fields: {
+    last_run_at: { type: 'text' },
+    verified_at: { type: 'text' },
+    columns_moved_at: { type: 'text' },
+    blocking: { type: 'number' },
+  },
+};
+/** An app object with a media column: the column the arm decides the encoding of. */
+const MEDIA_OBJECT = { name: 'os20768_doc', fields: { cover: { type: 'image' }, title: { type: 'text' } } };
+
+type Line = { level: 'warn' | 'debug' | 'info' | 'error'; message: string };
+
+/** Reads the arm the way every writer and every DDL branch reads it. */
+class ArmProbe extends SqlDriver {
+  readonly lines: Line[] = [];
+
+  constructor(config: SqlDriverConfig) {
+    super(config);
+    // Arrow closures on purpose: this sink records, it is not the receiver test
+    // (`logger-receiver-detach.test.ts` owns that).
+    (this as unknown as { logger: Record<Line['level'], (m: string) => void> }).logger = {
+      warn: (m) => this.lines.push({ level: 'warn', message: String(m) }),
+      debug: (m) => this.lines.push({ level: 'debug', message: String(m) }),
+      info: (m) => this.lines.push({ level: 'info', message: String(m) }),
+      error: (m) => this.lines.push({ level: 'error', message: String(m) }),
+    };
+  }
+
+  get arm(): boolean {
+    return (this as unknown as { fileColumnsMoved: boolean }).fileColumnsMoved;
+  }
+
+  databaseErrors(level: Line['level'], object: string): string[] {
+    return this.lines
+      .filter((l) => l.level === level && l.message.includes(`'${object}'`))
+      .map((l) => l.message);
+  }
+}
+
+const open: ArmProbe[] = [];
+const dirs: string[] = [];
+
+function newDatabaseFile(): string {
+  const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'os-20768-'));
+  dirs.push(dir);
+  // Named but not created: the first driver to connect creates it, as a new
+  // deployment's first boot does.
+  return join(dir, 'new.sqlite');
+}
+
+function driver(filename: string): ArmProbe {
+  const d = new ArmProbe({
+    client: 'better-sqlite3',
+    connection: { filename },
+    useNullAsDefault: true,
+  } as SqlDriverConfig);
+  open.push(d);
+  return d;
+}
+
+/** A resolver shaped like the engine's: read one ledger row, a failure is "not moved". */
+function ledgerResolver(ledger: SqlDriver, observed: { error?: any; row?: any; asked: number }) {
+  return async (): Promise<boolean> => {
+    observed.asked += 1;
+    try {
+      observed.row = await ledger.findOne(LEDGER, { where: { id: MIGRATION_ID } });
+      return observed.row?.verified_at != null && observed.row?.columns_moved_at != null;
+    } catch (e) {
+      observed.error = e;
+      return false;
+    }
+  };
+}
+
+afterEach(async () => {
+  while (open.length) await open.pop()?.disconnect().catch(() => {});
+  while (dirs.length) rmSync(dirs.pop()!, { recursive: true, force: true });
+});
+
+describe('[#20768] a missing table read by the pre-DDL question is not a DATABASE_ERROR', () => {
+  it('① first boot: the ledger read goes to debug; the resolver hears the refusal; the arm is unchanged', async () => {
+    const d = driver(newDatabaseFile());
+    const observed: { error?: any; row?: any; asked: number } = { asked: 0 };
+    expect(d.setFileColumnsMovedResolver(ledgerResolver(d, observed))).toBe(true);
+
+    await d.initObjects([LEDGER_OBJECT, MEDIA_OBJECT] as any);
+
+    // The question was asked, and its read really was refused, with the envelope.
+    expect(observed.asked).toBe(1);
+    expect(observed.error?.code).toBe('DATABASE_ERROR');
+    expect(observed.error?.status).toBe(500);
+    // No warn line for the ledger ...
+    expect(d.databaseErrors('warn', LEDGER)).toEqual([]);
+    // ... and the demoted line exists: demoted, not deleted.
+    const demoted = d.databaseErrors('debug', LEDGER);
+    expect(demoted).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(demoted[0]).toContain('no such table');
+    // The arm the resolver's answer set: "not moved", as before.
+    expect(d.arm).toBe(false);
+    // The schema pass went on to create the ledger.
+    expect(await d.find(LEDGER, {})).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('② the scope follows the async chain: a ledger served by another driver instance is demoted too', async () => {
+    const asker = driver(newDatabaseFile());
+    const ledger = driver(newDatabaseFile());
+    const observed: { error?: any; row?: any; asked: number } = { asked: 0 };
+    asker.setFileColumnsMovedResolver(ledgerResolver(ledger, observed));
+
+    await asker.initObjects([MEDIA_OBJECT] as any);
+
+    expect(observed.error?.code).toBe('DATABASE_ERROR');
+    expect(ledger.databaseErrors('warn', LEDGER)).toEqual([]);
+    expect(ledger.databaseErrors('debug', LEDGER)).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(asker.arm).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('③ second boot: the read succeeds, nothing is logged, and the answer comes from the ledger row', async () => {
+    const file = newDatabaseFile();
+    const first = driver(file);
+    first.setFileColumnsMovedResolver(ledgerResolver(first, { asked: 0 }));
+    await first.initObjects([LEDGER_OBJECT, MEDIA_OBJECT] as any);
+    // Between boots, the column move is recorded, so the second boot's answer
+    // can only be "moved" if its read reached the row.
+    const now = new Date().toISOString();
+    await first.create(
+      LEDGER,
+      { id: MIGRATION_ID, last_run_at: now, verified_at: now, columns_moved_at: now, blocking: 0 },
+      { bypassTenantAudit: true },
+    );
+    await first.disconnect();
+
+    const second = driver(file);
+    const observed: { error?: any; row?: any; asked: number } = { asked: 0 };
+    second.setFileColumnsMovedResolver(ledgerResolver(second, observed));
+    await second.initObjects([LEDGER_OBJECT, MEDIA_OBJECT] as any);
+
+    expect(observed.error).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(observed.row?.id).toBe(MIGRATION_ID);
+    expect(second.arm).toBe(true);
+    expect(second.lines.filter((l) => l.message.includes('DATABASE_ERROR'))).toEqual([]);
+    expect(second.databaseErrors('debug', LEDGER)).toEqual([]);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('[#20768] CONTROLS — every other refusal still warns', () => {
+  it('④ a malformed read on an EXISTING table, inside the question, still warns', async () => {
+    const file = newDatabaseFile();
+    const first = driver(file);
+    await first.initObjects([LEDGER_OBJECT] as any);
+    await first.disconnect();
+
+    const d = driver(file);
+    const observed: { error?: any; row?: any; asked: number } = { asked: 0 };
+    // More bound variables than SQLite accepts in one statement: the backend
+    // refuses the statement, and the table is there.
+    const tooMany: NonNullable<DriverQuery['where']> = {
+      id: { $in: Array.from({ length: 40_000 }, (_, i) => `k${i}`) },
+    };
+    d.setFileColumnsMovedResolver(async () => {
+      observed.asked += 1;
+      try {
+        await d.find(LEDGER, { where: tooMany });
+      } catch (e) {
+        observed.error = e;
+      }
+      return false;
+    });
+
+    await d.initObjects([MEDIA_OBJECT] as any);
+
+    expect(observed.asked).toBe(1);
+    expect(observed.error?.code).toBe('DATABASE_ERROR');
+    expect(observed.error?.status).toBe(500);
+    const warned = d.databaseErrors('warn', LEDGER);
+    expect(warned).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(warned[0]).toContain('DATABASE_ERROR');
+    expect(d.databaseErrors('debug', LEDGER)).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('⑤ a missing table named by ANOTHER relation (a view over a dropped table), inside the question, still warns', async () => {
+    const file = newDatabaseFile();
+    const first = driver(file);
+    await first.initObjects([LEDGER_OBJECT] as any);
+    await first.execute('create table os20768_gone (id text primary key)');
+    await first.execute('create view os20768_view as select * from os20768_gone');
+    await first.execute('drop table os20768_gone');
+    await first.disconnect();
+
+    const d = driver(file);
+    const observed: { error?: any; asked: number } = { asked: 0 };
+    d.setFileColumnsMovedResolver(async () => {
+      observed.asked += 1;
+      try {
+        await d.find('os20768_view', {});
+      } catch (e) {
+        observed.error = e;
+      }
+      return false;
+    });
+
+    await d.initObjects([MEDIA_OBJECT] as any);
+
+    expect(observed.error?.code).toBe('DATABASE_ERROR');
+    expect(observed.error?.status).toBe(500);
+    expect(d.databaseErrors('warn', 'os20768_view')).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(d.databaseErrors('debug', 'os20768_view')).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('⑥ a missing table read OUTSIDE the question still warns', async () => {
+    const d = driver(newDatabaseFile());
+    d.setFileColumnsMovedResolver(ledgerResolver(d, { asked: 0 }));
+    await d.initObjects([LEDGER_OBJECT] as any);
+    // The question has been asked and answered; the scope is closed.
+    let refusal: any;
+    try {
+      await d.find('os20768_never_created', {});
+    } catch (e) {
+      refusal = e;
+    }
+    expect(refusal?.code).toBe('DATABASE_ERROR');
+    expect(refusal?.status).toBe(500);
+    const warned = d.databaseErrors('warn', 'os20768_never_created');
+    expect(warned).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(warned[0]).toContain('no such table');
+    expect(d.databaseErrors('debug', 'os20768_never_created')).toEqual([]);
+  });
+});