diff --git a/internal/cbm/sqlite_writer.c b/internal/cbm/sqlite_writer.c
index 3b102a079..2f70c5fc4 100644
--- a/internal/cbm/sqlite_writer.c
+++ b/internal/cbm/sqlite_writer.c
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 #include "sqlite_writer.h"
 #include "foundation/constants.h"
+#include "foundation/compat_fs.h"
 #include "foundation/compat_thread.h"
 #include "foundation/profile.h"
 
@@ -2206,6 +2207,10 @@ struct cbm_db_writer {
 };
 
 cbm_db_writer_t *cbm_writer_open(const char *path) {
+    /* Installing a fresh DB generation: drop the destination's leftover
+     * -wal/-shm or a crashed session's WAL gets replayed on top of the
+     * new file at the next open (#897). */
+    cbm_remove_db_sidecars(path);
     FILE *fp = fopen(path, "wb");
     if (!fp) {
         return NULL;
diff --git a/src/foundation/compat_fs.c b/src/foundation/compat_fs.c
index f1b94c0d9..838c1cf96 100644
--- a/src/foundation/compat_fs.c
+++ b/src/foundation/compat_fs.c
@@ -713,3 +713,47 @@ int cbm_exec_no_shell(const char *const *argv) {
 }
 
 #endif /* _WIN32 */
+
+/* rename() with overwrite semantics on every platform: POSIX rename already
+ * replaces atomically; Windows rename fails with EEXIST when the target
+ * exists, so use MoveFileExW(MOVEFILE_REPLACE_EXISTING) there (wide paths —
+ * raw MoveFileExA would re-mangle non-ASCII cache paths). */
+int cbm_rename_replace(const char *src, const char *dst) {
+#ifdef _WIN32
+    wchar_t *wsrc = cbm_utf8_to_wide(src);
+    wchar_t *wdst = cbm_utf8_to_wide(dst);
+    int ret = CBM_NOT_FOUND;
+    if (wsrc && wdst) {
+        ret = MoveFileExW(wsrc, wdst, MOVEFILE_REPLACE_EXISTING | MOVEFILE_COPY_ALLOWED)
+                  ? 0
+                  : CBM_NOT_FOUND;
+    }
+    free(wsrc);
+    free(wdst);
+    return ret;
+#else
+    return rename(src, dst);
+#endif
+}
+
+/* Remove a SQLite database's -wal/-shm sidecars (both platforms). Any code
+ * path that installs a FRESH database file at a path where a previous
+ * generation lived must call this first: SQLite decides whether to replay a
+ * WAL purely from the sidecar's own header/checksums, so a leftover WAL
+ * from a crashed session is recovered ON TOP of the freshly installed file
+ * at the next open, splicing old-generation pages into it (#897). */
+void cbm_remove_db_sidecars(const char *db_path) {
+    if (!db_path || !db_path[0]) {
+        return;
+    }
+    enum { SIDECAR_PATH_MAX = 4096 };
+    char side[SIDECAR_PATH_MAX];
+    int n = snprintf(side, sizeof(side), "%s-wal", db_path);
+    if (n > 0 && (size_t)n < sizeof(side)) {
+        (void)cbm_unlink(side);
+    }
+    n = snprintf(side, sizeof(side), "%s-shm", db_path);
+    if (n > 0 && (size_t)n < sizeof(side)) {
+        (void)cbm_unlink(side);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/foundation/compat_fs.h b/src/foundation/compat_fs.h
index 224e2b9a4..05cae3dda 100644
--- a/src/foundation/compat_fs.h
+++ b/src/foundation/compat_fs.h
@@ -46,6 +46,13 @@ bool cbm_mkdir_p(const char *path, int mode);
 
 /* Delete a file. Returns 0 on success. */
 int cbm_unlink(const char *path);
+/* Remove <db_path>-wal/-shm. MUST be called by any path installing a fresh
+ * DB file where a previous generation lived — a leftover WAL is otherwise
+ * replayed on top of the new file at the next open (#897). */
+void cbm_remove_db_sidecars(const char *db_path);
+/* rename() that replaces an existing destination on every platform
+ * (Windows rename fails with EEXIST; this uses MoveFileExW there). */
+int cbm_rename_replace(const char *src, const char *dst);
 
 /* Delete an empty directory. Returns 0 on success. */
 int cbm_rmdir(const char *path);
diff --git a/src/pipeline/artifact.c b/src/pipeline/artifact.c
index d01fff2e0..4c525a71e 100644
--- a/src/pipeline/artifact.c
+++ b/src/pipeline/artifact.c
@@ -699,7 +699,11 @@ int cbm_artifact_import(const char *repo_path, const char *cache_db_path) {
 
     cbm_store_close(store);
 
-    /* Atomic rename to final path */
+    /* Atomic rename to final path. Drop the DESTINATION's leftover
+     * -wal/-shm first: the import cleans the tmp file's sidecars, but a
+     * stale WAL next to the cache path would be replayed on top of the
+     * imported file at the next open (#897). */
+    cbm_remove_db_sidecars(cache_db_path);
     if (rename(tmp_path, cache_db_path) != 0) {
         cbm_log_error("artifact.import", "err", "rename_to_cache");
         cbm_unlink(tmp_path);
diff --git a/src/store/store.c b/src/store/store.c
index 67e46e970..4d506f58c 100644
--- a/src/store/store.c
+++ b/src/store/store.c
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ enum {
 
 #define SLEN(s) (sizeof(s) - 1)
 #include "store/store.h"
+#include "foundation/compat_fs.h"
 #include "foundation/platform.h"
 #include "foundation/compat.h"
 #include "foundation/log.h"
@@ -1095,9 +1096,12 @@ int cbm_store_dump_to_file(cbm_store_t *s, const char *dest_path) {
     sqlite3_exec(dest_db, "PRAGMA journal_mode = WAL;", NULL, NULL, NULL);
     sqlite3_close(dest_db);
 
-    /* Atomic rename: old WAL/SHM become stale and get recreated by
-     * the next reader's configure_pragmas call. */
-    if (rename(tmp_path, dest_path) != 0) {
+    /* Remove the DESTINATION's leftover sidecars before installing: a
+     * stale WAL from a crashed session would be replayed on top of the
+     * fresh file at the next open — SQLite validates the WAL against its
+     * own header/checksums, not against the main file (#897). */
+    cbm_remove_db_sidecars(dest_path);
+    if (cbm_rename_replace(tmp_path, dest_path) != 0) {
         store_set_error(s, "dump: rename failed");
         (void)unlink(tmp_path);
         return CBM_STORE_ERR;
diff --git a/tests/test_store_checkpoint.c b/tests/test_store_checkpoint.c
index 11542969c..9097befd7 100644
--- a/tests/test_store_checkpoint.c
+++ b/tests/test_store_checkpoint.c
@@ -74,6 +74,116 @@ TEST(checkpoint_does_not_truncate_wal) {
     PASS();
 }
 
+
+/* #897: any code path installing a fresh DB file must delete the
+ * destination's -wal/-shm first. SQLite decides whether to replay a WAL
+ * purely from the sidecar's own header/checksums — a leftover WAL from a
+ * crashed previous session is recovered ON TOP of the freshly installed
+ * file at the next open, splicing old-generation pages into it (short
+ * indexes, btreeInitPage failures, or resurrected stale rows).
+ *
+ * Repro (per the issue): hot-copy a live WAL aside, close cleanly, restore
+ * the copy as the crashed-session leftover, install a fresh generation via
+ * cbm_store_dump_to_file, reopen — the stale generation's row must NOT be
+ * visible and the fresh row must be. */
+static int tsc_copy_file(const char *src, const char *dst) {
+    FILE *in = fopen(src, "rb");
+    if (!in) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+    FILE *out = fopen(dst, "wb");
+    if (!out) {
+        (void)fclose(in);
+        return -1;
+    }
+    char buf[4096];
+    size_t n;
+    while ((n = fread(buf, 1, sizeof(buf), in)) > 0) {
+        if (fwrite(buf, 1, n, out) != n) {
+            (void)fclose(in);
+            (void)fclose(out);
+            return -1;
+        }
+    }
+    (void)fclose(in);
+    (void)fclose(out);
+    return 0;
+}
+
+TEST(dump_install_ignores_stale_wal_sidecar) {
+    char *td = th_mktempdir("cbm_stalewal");
+    char db_path[512];
+    char wal_path[512];
+    char stale_copy[512];
+    snprintf(db_path, sizeof(db_path), "%s/gen.db", td);
+    snprintf(wal_path, sizeof(wal_path), "%s-wal", db_path);
+    snprintf(stale_copy, sizeof(stale_copy), "%s/stale.wal", td);
+
+    /* Generation 1: file-backed store with a marker row living in the WAL. */
+    cbm_store_t *s1 = cbm_store_open_path(db_path);
+    ASSERT_NOT_NULL(s1);
+    cbm_store_upsert_project(s1, "walgen", "/tmp/walgen");
+    cbm_node_t stale = {.project = "walgen",
+                        .label = "Function",
+                        .name = "stale_gen_node",
+                        .qualified_name = "walgen.mod.stale_gen_node",
+                        .file_path = "mod.py",
+                        .start_line = 1,
+                        .end_line = 2};
+    ASSERT_TRUE(cbm_store_upsert_node(s1, &stale) > 0);
+
+    /* Hot-copy the live WAL (must be non-empty or the repro is vacuous). */
+    struct stat st_wal = {0};
+    ASSERT_EQ(stat(wal_path, &st_wal), 0);
+    ASSERT_TRUE(st_wal.st_size > 0);
+    ASSERT_EQ(tsc_copy_file(wal_path, stale_copy), 0);
+    cbm_store_close(s1); /* clean close checkpoints + removes the WAL */
+
+    /* Simulate the crashed previous session's leftover sidecar. */
+    ASSERT_EQ(tsc_copy_file(stale_copy, wal_path), 0);
+
+    /* Generation 2: fresh store installed over db_path. */
+    cbm_store_t *s2 = cbm_store_open_memory();
+    ASSERT_NOT_NULL(s2);
+    cbm_store_upsert_project(s2, "walgen", "/tmp/walgen");
+    cbm_node_t fresh = {.project = "walgen",
+                        .label = "Function",
+                        .name = "fresh_gen_node",
+                        .qualified_name = "walgen.mod.fresh_gen_node",
+                        .file_path = "mod.py",
+                        .start_line = 1,
+                        .end_line = 2};
+    ASSERT_TRUE(cbm_store_upsert_node(s2, &fresh) > 0);
+    ASSERT_EQ(cbm_store_dump_to_file(s2, db_path), CBM_STORE_OK);
+    cbm_store_close(s2);
+
+    /* Reader: the stale WAL must not have been replayed onto gen 2. */
+    cbm_store_t *s3 = cbm_store_open_path(db_path);
+    ASSERT_NOT_NULL(s3);
+    cbm_node_t *hits = NULL;
+    int hit_count = 0;
+    ASSERT_EQ(cbm_store_find_nodes_by_name(s3, "walgen", "fresh_gen_node", &hits, &hit_count),
+              CBM_STORE_OK);
+    ASSERT_TRUE(hit_count >= 1);
+    cbm_store_free_nodes(hits, hit_count);
+    hits = NULL;
+    hit_count = 0;
+    ASSERT_EQ(cbm_store_find_nodes_by_name(s3, "walgen", "stale_gen_node", &hits, &hit_count),
+              CBM_STORE_OK);
+    ASSERT_EQ(hit_count, 0);
+    cbm_store_free_nodes(hits, hit_count);
+    cbm_store_close(s3);
+
+    unlink(wal_path);
+    char shm_path[512];
+    snprintf(shm_path, sizeof(shm_path), "%s-shm", db_path);
+    unlink(shm_path);
+    unlink(db_path);
+    unlink(stale_copy);
+    PASS();
+}
+
 SUITE(store_checkpoint) {
     RUN_TEST(checkpoint_does_not_truncate_wal);
+    RUN_TEST(dump_install_ignores_stale_wal_sidecar);
 }