diff --git a/gitnexus/src/cli/analyze.ts b/gitnexus/src/cli/analyze.ts
index a20503bc4..ec3636afc 100644
--- a/gitnexus/src/cli/analyze.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/src/cli/analyze.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import { execFileSync } from 'child_process';
 import v8 from 'v8';
 import cliProgress from 'cli-progress';
 import { closeLbug } from '../core/lbug/lbug-adapter.js';
+import { isWalCorruptionError, WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION } from '../core/lbug/lbug-config.js';
 import {
   getStoragePaths,
   getGlobalRegistryPath,
@@ -638,6 +639,20 @@ export const analyzeCommand = async (inputPath?: string, options?: AnalyzeOption
       return;
     }
 
+    // WAL corruption — the index file is unreadable. Give a clear recovery
+    // path without a confusing stack trace (the native error message alone
+    // is enough signal).
+    if (isWalCorruptionError(err) || msg.includes('LadybugDB WAL corruption')) {
+      cliError(
+        `  The GitNexus index has a corrupted WAL file.\n` +
+          `  This usually happens when a previous analysis was interrupted mid-write.\n` +
+          `  ${WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION}\n`,
+        { recoveryHint: 'wal-corruption' },
+      );
+      process.exitCode = 1;
+      return;
+    }
+
     // HF download failure — show clean guidance without the raw stack trace.
     // Checked before writeFatalToStderr so the user sees one focused message
     // rather than a stack-trace dump followed by a second remediation block.
diff --git a/gitnexus/src/cli/serve.ts b/gitnexus/src/cli/serve.ts
index 9356b5bab..003e2ce69 100644
--- a/gitnexus/src/cli/serve.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/src/cli/serve.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { createServer } from '../server/api.js';
 import { logger, flushLoggerSync } from '../core/logger.js';
 import { cliError } from './cli-message.js';
+import { isWalCorruptionError, WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION } from '../core/lbug/lbug-config.js';
 
 // Catch anything that would cause a silent exit. Pino v10's default
 // destination is `sync: false` (SonicBoom buffered) — call
@@ -34,7 +35,13 @@ export const serveCommand = async (options?: { port?: string; host?: string }) =
   try {
     await createServer(port, host);
   } catch (err: any) {
-    if (err.code === 'EADDRINUSE') {
+    if (isWalCorruptionError(err)) {
+      cliError(
+        `\nGitNexus server could not start: the index has a corrupted WAL file.\n` +
+          `  ${WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION}\n`,
+        { recoveryHint: 'wal-corruption' },
+      );
+    } else if (err.code === 'EADDRINUSE') {
       cliError(
         `\nFailed to start GitNexus server:\n` +
           `  ${err.message || err}\n\n` +
diff --git a/gitnexus/src/core/lbug/lbug-adapter.ts b/gitnexus/src/core/lbug/lbug-adapter.ts
index 54d98b667..c01966d0c 100644
--- a/gitnexus/src/core/lbug/lbug-adapter.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/src/core/lbug/lbug-adapter.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@ import {
   closeLbugConnection,
   isDbBusyError,
   isOpenRetryExhausted,
+  isWalCorruptionError,
   openLbugConnection,
+  WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION,
   waitForWindowsHandleRelease,
   type LbugConnectionHandle,
 } from './lbug-config.js';
@@ -594,6 +596,24 @@ const doInitLbug = async (dbPath: string) => {
       //     anyway and any genuine cross-process lock contention surfaces
       //     on the next operation via withLbugDb's retry. Logging it here
       //     would just be noise in CI.
+      //
+      // WAL corruption: the first DDL write after DB open triggers WAL
+      // replay — if the WAL file was left in a corrupt state by an
+      // interrupted previous run, the native engine throws here. Rather
+      // than logging a WARN and continuing in a broken state, close the
+      // DB cleanly and surface an actionable error so the caller (serve,
+      // MCP, analyze) can exit with a clear recovery message.
+      if (isWalCorruptionError(err)) {
+        await safeClose();
+        currentDbPath = null;
+        ftsLoaded = false;
+        vectorExtensionLoaded = false;
+        ensuredFTSIndexes.clear();
+        throw new Error(
+          `LadybugDB WAL corruption detected at ${dbPath}. ${WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION}\n` +
+            `  Original error: ${msg.slice(0, 200)}`,
+        );
+      }
       if (!msg.includes('already exists') && !isDbBusyError(err)) {
         logger.warn(`⚠️ Schema creation warning: ${msg.slice(0, 120)}`);
       }
diff --git a/gitnexus/src/core/lbug/lbug-config.ts b/gitnexus/src/core/lbug/lbug-config.ts
index ceb445693..22f2d3b18 100644
--- a/gitnexus/src/core/lbug/lbug-config.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/src/core/lbug/lbug-config.ts
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ export const LBUG_MAX_DB_SIZE: number = (() => {
 const WAL_CORRUPTION_RE = /corrupt(ed)?\s+wal|invalid\s+wal\s+record|wal.*corrupt|checksum.*wal/i;
 
 export const WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION =
-  'WAL corruption detected. Run `gitnexus analyze` to rebuild the index.';
+  'WAL corruption detected. Run `gitnexus analyze --force` to rebuild the index.';
 
 export function isWalCorruptionError(err: unknown): boolean {
   if (!err) return false;
diff --git a/gitnexus/src/core/lbug/pool-adapter.ts b/gitnexus/src/core/lbug/pool-adapter.ts
index f18d7fcc3..2b432cba3 100644
--- a/gitnexus/src/core/lbug/pool-adapter.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/src/core/lbug/pool-adapter.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,11 @@
 import fs from 'fs/promises';
 import lbug from '@ladybugdb/core';
 import { loadFTSExtension } from './lbug-adapter.js';
-import { createLbugDatabase, isWalCorruptionError } from './lbug-config.js';
+import {
+  createLbugDatabase,
+  isWalCorruptionError,
+  WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION,
+} from './lbug-config.js';
 
 /** Per-repo pool: one Database, many Connections */
 interface PoolEntry {
@@ -375,8 +379,7 @@ async function doInitLbug(repoId: string, dbPath: string): Promise<void> {
             break;
           } catch (retryErr) {
             throw new Error(
-              `LadybugDB WAL corruption detected for ${repoId}. ` +
-                `Run \`gitnexus analyze\` to rebuild the index. ` +
+              `LadybugDB WAL corruption detected for ${repoId}. ${WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION} ` +
                 `(${retryErr instanceof Error ? retryErr.message : String(retryErr)})`,
             );
           }
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/analyze-wal-error.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/analyze-wal-error.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1b4ed5101
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/analyze-wal-error.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+/**
+ * Tests for WAL corruption error handling in the `analyzeCommand` CLI.
+ *
+ * Before this fix, a WAL corruption error surfaced as a raw stack-trace dump.
+ * After the fix, it is caught before the generic error path and rendered as
+ * a clean, actionable message telling the user to run `gitnexus analyze --force`.
+ *
+ * Mirrors the test shape of analyze-worker-timeout.test.ts:
+ *   - vi.mock the heavy dependencies so no real DB / git is touched
+ *   - drive `analyzeCommand` with a mocked `runFullAnalysis` that throws
+ *   - assert on process.exitCode and the logged output
+ */
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+
+const runFullAnalysisMock = vi.fn();
+
+vi.mock('../../src/core/run-analyze.js', () => ({
+  runFullAnalysis: runFullAnalysisMock,
+}));
+
+vi.mock('../../src/core/lbug/lbug-adapter.js', () => ({
+  closeLbug: vi.fn(async () => undefined),
+}));
+
+vi.mock('../../src/storage/repo-manager.js', () => ({
+  getStoragePaths: vi.fn(() => ({ storagePath: '.gitnexus', lbugPath: '.gitnexus/lbug' })),
+  getGlobalRegistryPath: vi.fn(() => 'registry.json'),
+  RegistryNameCollisionError: class RegistryNameCollisionError extends Error {},
+  AnalysisNotFinalizedError: class AnalysisNotFinalizedError extends Error {},
+  assertAnalysisFinalized: vi.fn(async () => undefined),
+}));
+
+vi.mock('../../src/storage/git.js', () => ({
+  getGitRoot: vi.fn(() => '/repo'),
+  hasGitDir: vi.fn(() => true),
+}));
+
+vi.mock('../../src/core/ingestion/utils/max-file-size.js', () => ({
+  getMaxFileSizeBannerMessage: vi.fn(() => null),
+}));
+
+// analyze.ts imports isHfDownloadFailure from hf-env.js, which in turn imports
+// from gitnexus-shared (not linked in dev). Mock the module to break the chain.
+vi.mock('../../src/core/embeddings/hf-env.js', () => ({
+  isHfDownloadFailure: vi.fn(() => false),
+}));
+
+// ─── Tests ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+describe('analyzeCommand WAL corruption error handling', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.resetModules();
+    runFullAnalysisMock.mockReset();
+    process.exitCode = undefined;
+    // Ensure ensureHeap() short-circuits (heap already at target size)
+    process.env.NODE_OPTIONS = `${process.env.NODE_OPTIONS ?? ''} --max-old-space-size=8192`.trim();
+  });
+
+  it('surfaces a clean recovery message on a re-wrapped WAL corruption error', async () => {
+    // This error shape is what lbug-adapter throws after detecting WAL corruption
+    // in doInitLbug and re-wrapping it with the recovery suggestion.
+    const walError = new Error(
+      'LadybugDB WAL corruption detected at /repo/.gitnexus/lbug. ' +
+        'Run `gitnexus analyze` to rebuild the index.\n' +
+        '  Original error: Runtime exception: Corrupted wal file.',
+    );
+    runFullAnalysisMock.mockRejectedValue(walError);
+
+    const { _captureLogger } = await import('../../src/core/logger.js');
+    const cap = _captureLogger();
+    const { analyzeCommand } = await import('../../src/cli/analyze.js');
+
+    await analyzeCommand(undefined, {});
+
+    expect(process.exitCode).toBe(1);
+
+    const records = cap.records();
+    const walRecord = records.find(
+      (r) => typeof r.msg === 'string' && r.msg.includes('gitnexus analyze --force'),
+    );
+    expect(walRecord).toBeDefined();
+
+    // Raw stack trace must NOT appear via cliError
+    const stackRecord = records.find(
+      (r) => typeof r.msg === 'string' && r.msg.includes('at analyzeCommand'),
+    );
+    expect(stackRecord).toBeUndefined();
+
+    cap.restore();
+  });
+
+  it('surfaces a clean recovery message when the native WAL error fires directly', async () => {
+    // isWalCorruptionError fires on the native engine message before re-wrapping.
+    const nativeWalError = new Error(
+      'Runtime exception: Corrupted wal file. Read out invalid WAL record type.',
+    );
+    runFullAnalysisMock.mockRejectedValue(nativeWalError);
+
+    const { _captureLogger } = await import('../../src/core/logger.js');
+    const cap = _captureLogger();
+    const { analyzeCommand } = await import('../../src/cli/analyze.js');
+
+    await analyzeCommand(undefined, {});
+
+    expect(process.exitCode).toBe(1);
+
+    const records = cap.records();
+    const walRecord = records.find(
+      (r) => typeof r.msg === 'string' && r.msg.includes('gitnexus analyze --force'),
+    );
+    expect(walRecord).toBeDefined();
+
+    cap.restore();
+  });
+
+  it('does NOT route non-WAL errors through the WAL handler', async () => {
+    const genericError = new Error('Some unexpected failure unrelated to WAL');
+    runFullAnalysisMock.mockRejectedValue(genericError);
+
+    const { _captureLogger } = await import('../../src/core/logger.js');
+    const cap = _captureLogger();
+    const { analyzeCommand } = await import('../../src/cli/analyze.js');
+
+    await analyzeCommand(undefined, {});
+
+    expect(process.exitCode).toBe(1);
+
+    // The WAL recovery message must NOT appear for unrelated errors
+    const records = cap.records();
+    const walRecord = records.find(
+      (r) => typeof r.msg === 'string' && r.msg.includes('gitnexus analyze --force'),
+    );
+    expect(walRecord).toBeUndefined();
+
+    cap.restore();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/lbug-adapter-wal-schema.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/lbug-adapter-wal-schema.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c5f4b6773
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/lbug-adapter-wal-schema.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,259 @@
+/**
+ * Tests for WAL corruption detection in the doInitLbug schema creation loop.
+ *
+ * Before this fix, a corrupt WAL that threw during schema DDL was silently
+ * logged as WARN. After the fix, `isWalCorruptionError` is checked first:
+ * the DB is closed cleanly and an Error with `WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION` is
+ * thrown so the caller (serve / MCP / analyze) can exit with a clear message.
+ *
+ * Two test layers (same pattern as lbug-checkpoint-lifecycle.test.ts):
+ *   1. Structural — grep the adapter source to verify the guard is wired in.
+ *   2. Behavioural — vi.doMock + vi.resetModules to exercise the runtime path.
+ */
+import { afterEach, beforeAll, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+import fs from 'node:fs/promises';
+import path from 'node:path';
+
+// ─── Helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+const makeOpenMock = () =>
+  vi.fn(async () => ({
+    writeFile: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+    close: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+  }));
+
+const SCHEMA_MOCK = {
+  NODE_TABLES: ['File', 'Function', 'Class'],
+  REL_TABLE_NAME: 'CodeRelation',
+  EMBEDDING_TABLE_NAME: 'Embedding',
+  STALE_HASH_SENTINEL: '__stale__',
+  SCHEMA_QUERIES: ['CREATE NODE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS File (id STRING, PRIMARY KEY(id))'],
+};
+
+function makeFsMock(dbPath: string) {
+  const ENOENT = Object.assign(new Error(`ENOENT: ${dbPath}`), { code: 'ENOENT' });
+  return {
+    default: {
+      lstat: vi.fn(async () => {
+        throw ENOENT;
+      }),
+      access: vi.fn(async () => {
+        throw ENOENT;
+      }),
+      unlink: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+      mkdir: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+      open: makeOpenMock(),
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+// ─── Structural tests ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+describe('doInitLbug WAL corruption guard — structural', () => {
+  let adapterSource: string;
+  let schemaLoopBody: string;
+
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    adapterSource = await fs.readFile(
+      path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'src', 'core', 'lbug', 'lbug-adapter.ts'),
+      'utf-8',
+    );
+    // 3000-char window from the SCHEMA_QUERIES loop comfortably covers the
+    // full catch block including the throw with WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION.
+    const loopIdx = adapterSource.indexOf('for (const schemaQuery of SCHEMA_QUERIES)');
+    schemaLoopBody = adapterSource.slice(loopIdx, loopIdx + 3000);
+  });
+
+  it('imports isWalCorruptionError and WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION from lbug-config', () => {
+    expect(adapterSource).toMatch(/isWalCorruptionError/);
+    expect(adapterSource).toMatch(/WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION/);
+    expect(adapterSource).toMatch(/from '\.\/lbug-config\.js'/);
+  });
+
+  it('calls isWalCorruptionError inside the schema creation loop catch block', () => {
+    expect(schemaLoopBody).toMatch(/isWalCorruptionError\(err\)/);
+  });
+
+  it('WAL guard calls safeClose() to avoid leaving an open handle', () => {
+    expect(schemaLoopBody).toMatch(/await safeClose\(\)/);
+  });
+
+  it('WAL guard resets currentDbPath to null', () => {
+    expect(schemaLoopBody).toMatch(/currentDbPath = null/);
+  });
+
+  it('WAL guard throws with WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION in the message', () => {
+    expect(schemaLoopBody).toMatch(/WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION/);
+    expect(schemaLoopBody).toMatch(/throw new Error/);
+  });
+
+  it('WAL guard appears BEFORE the generic schema-warning logger.warn', () => {
+    const walGuardIdx = schemaLoopBody.indexOf('isWalCorruptionError(err)');
+    // Avoid multi-byte emoji — search for the text portion only
+    const warnIdx = schemaLoopBody.indexOf('Schema creation warning');
+    expect(walGuardIdx).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
+    expect(warnIdx).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
+    expect(walGuardIdx).toBeLessThan(warnIdx);
+  });
+});
+
+// ─── Behavioural tests ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+describe('doInitLbug WAL corruption guard — behavioural', () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.doUnmock('fs/promises');
+    vi.doUnmock('../../src/core/lbug/schema.js');
+    vi.doUnmock('../../src/core/lbug/lbug-config.js');
+    vi.doUnmock('../../src/core/lbug/extension-loader.js');
+    vi.doUnmock('../../src/core/logger.js');
+    vi.resetModules();
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it('throws with WAL recovery message when a schema query raises a WAL corruption error', async () => {
+    vi.resetModules();
+
+    const dbPath = '/tmp/gitnexus-lbug-wal-schema-throw/lbug';
+    const walError = new Error(
+      'Runtime exception: Corrupted wal file. Read out invalid WAL record type.',
+    );
+    const queryResult = { getAll: vi.fn(async () => []), close: vi.fn() };
+    const conn = {
+      query: vi.fn().mockRejectedValueOnce(walError).mockResolvedValue(queryResult),
+      close: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+    };
+    const db = { close: vi.fn(async () => {}) };
+
+    vi.doMock('fs/promises', () => makeFsMock(dbPath));
+    vi.doMock('../../src/core/lbug/schema.js', () => SCHEMA_MOCK);
+    vi.doMock('../../src/core/lbug/lbug-config.js', () => ({
+      openLbugConnection: vi.fn(async () => ({ db, conn })),
+      closeLbugConnection: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+      isDbBusyError: vi.fn(() => false),
+      isOpenRetryExhausted: vi.fn(() => false),
+      isWalCorruptionError: vi.fn((err: unknown) => {
+        const msg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
+        return /corrupt.*wal|invalid.*wal.*record/i.test(msg);
+      }),
+      WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION:
+        'WAL corruption detected. Run `gitnexus analyze --force` to rebuild the index.',
+      waitForWindowsHandleRelease: vi.fn(async () => true),
+    }));
+    vi.doMock('../../src/core/lbug/extension-loader.js', () => ({
+      extensionManager: {
+        ensure: vi.fn(async () => true),
+        getCapabilities: vi.fn(() => []),
+        reset: vi.fn(),
+      },
+    }));
+    vi.doMock('../../src/core/logger.js', () => ({
+      logger: { warn: vi.fn(), info: vi.fn(), error: vi.fn(), debug: vi.fn() },
+    }));
+
+    const adapter = await import('../../src/core/lbug/lbug-adapter.js');
+
+    // Catch the error once and assert both patterns in the message.
+    // (mockRejectedValueOnce is consumed on the first call, so a second
+    //  initLbug call would succeed — test both patterns in one shot.)
+    const err = await adapter.initLbug(dbPath).catch((e: unknown) => e);
+    expect(err).toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+    expect((err as Error).message).toMatch(/LadybugDB WAL corruption detected/);
+    expect((err as Error).message).toMatch(/gitnexus analyze/);
+  });
+
+  it('does NOT throw for unrecognised schema errors — logs warn and continues', async () => {
+    vi.resetModules();
+
+    const dbPath = '/tmp/gitnexus-lbug-wal-schema-nonwal/lbug';
+    const genericError = new Error('some unrelated schema warning');
+    const queryResult = { getAll: vi.fn(async () => []), close: vi.fn() };
+    let callCount = 0;
+    const conn = {
+      query: vi.fn(async () => {
+        callCount++;
+        if (callCount === 1) throw genericError;
+        return queryResult;
+      }),
+      close: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+    };
+    const db = { close: vi.fn(async () => {}) };
+    const warnMock = vi.fn();
+
+    vi.doMock('fs/promises', () => makeFsMock(dbPath));
+    vi.doMock('../../src/core/lbug/schema.js', () => SCHEMA_MOCK);
+    vi.doMock('../../src/core/lbug/lbug-config.js', () => ({
+      openLbugConnection: vi.fn(async () => ({ db, conn })),
+      closeLbugConnection: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+      isDbBusyError: vi.fn(() => false),
+      isOpenRetryExhausted: vi.fn(() => false),
+      isWalCorruptionError: vi.fn(() => false), // always false → generic warn path
+      WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION:
+        'WAL corruption detected. Run `gitnexus analyze --force` to rebuild the index.',
+      waitForWindowsHandleRelease: vi.fn(async () => true),
+    }));
+    vi.doMock('../../src/core/lbug/extension-loader.js', () => ({
+      extensionManager: {
+        ensure: vi.fn(async () => true),
+        getCapabilities: vi.fn(() => []),
+        reset: vi.fn(),
+      },
+    }));
+    vi.doMock('../../src/core/logger.js', () => ({
+      logger: { warn: warnMock, info: vi.fn(), error: vi.fn(), debug: vi.fn() },
+    }));
+
+    const adapter = await import('../../src/core/lbug/lbug-adapter.js');
+
+    // Must resolve without throwing — non-WAL schema errors are swallowed (logged as WARN)
+    await expect(adapter.initLbug(dbPath)).resolves.toBeDefined();
+    expect(warnMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining('Schema creation warning'));
+
+    await adapter.closeLbug();
+  });
+
+  it('calls safeClose() (db.close) when WAL corruption is detected mid-schema', async () => {
+    vi.resetModules();
+
+    const dbPath = '/tmp/gitnexus-lbug-wal-schema-state/lbug';
+    const walError = new Error('Corrupted wal file. Read out invalid WAL record type.');
+    const queryResult = { getAll: vi.fn(async () => []), close: vi.fn() };
+    const conn = {
+      query: vi.fn().mockRejectedValueOnce(walError).mockResolvedValue(queryResult),
+      close: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+    };
+    const db = { close: vi.fn(async () => {}) };
+
+    vi.doMock('fs/promises', () => makeFsMock(dbPath));
+    vi.doMock('../../src/core/lbug/schema.js', () => SCHEMA_MOCK);
+    vi.doMock('../../src/core/lbug/lbug-config.js', () => ({
+      openLbugConnection: vi.fn(async () => ({ db, conn })),
+      closeLbugConnection: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+      isDbBusyError: vi.fn(() => false),
+      isOpenRetryExhausted: vi.fn(() => false),
+      isWalCorruptionError: vi.fn((err: unknown) => {
+        const msg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
+        return /corrupt.*wal|invalid.*wal.*record/i.test(msg);
+      }),
+      WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION:
+        'WAL corruption detected. Run `gitnexus analyze --force` to rebuild the index.',
+      waitForWindowsHandleRelease: vi.fn(async () => true),
+    }));
+    vi.doMock('../../src/core/lbug/extension-loader.js', () => ({
+      extensionManager: {
+        ensure: vi.fn(async () => true),
+        getCapabilities: vi.fn(() => []),
+        reset: vi.fn(),
+      },
+    }));
+    vi.doMock('../../src/core/logger.js', () => ({
+      logger: { warn: vi.fn(), info: vi.fn(), error: vi.fn(), debug: vi.fn() },
+    }));
+
+    const adapter = await import('../../src/core/lbug/lbug-adapter.js');
+
+    await expect(adapter.initLbug(dbPath)).rejects.toThrow(/LadybugDB WAL corruption/);
+
+    // safeClose was called — db.close is its final step
+    expect(db.close).toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/pool-wal-recovery.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/pool-wal-recovery.test.ts
index 19b24c583..cda42806a 100644
--- a/gitnexus/test/unit/pool-wal-recovery.test.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/pool-wal-recovery.test.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ vi.mock('../../src/core/lbug/lbug-adapter.js', () => ({
 vi.mock('../../src/core/lbug/lbug-config.js', () => ({
   createLbugDatabase: vi.fn(),
   LBUG_MAX_DB_SIZE: 1024,
+  WAL_RECOVERY_SUGGESTION:
+    'WAL corruption detected. Run `gitnexus analyze --force` to rebuild the index.',
   isWalCorruptionError: vi.fn((err: unknown) => {
     const msg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err ?? '');
     return /corrupt(ed)?\s+wal|invalid\s+wal\s+record/i.test(msg);