diff --git a/litellm-proxy-extras/litellm_proxy_extras/migrations/20260727000000_add_verification_token_user_fkey/migration.sql b/litellm-proxy-extras/litellm_proxy_extras/migrations/20260727000000_add_verification_token_user_fkey/migration.sql
index fed756cd334..18dfb895caf 100644
--- a/litellm-proxy-extras/litellm_proxy_extras/migrations/20260727000000_add_verification_token_user_fkey/migration.sql
+++ b/litellm-proxy-extras/litellm_proxy_extras/migrations/20260727000000_add_verification_token_user_fkey/migration.sql
@@ -1,15 +1,23 @@
--- Null out user_ids that reference users that no longer exist; the foreign key
--- below cannot be added over them, and ON DELETE SET NULL would have produced
--- the same rows had the constraint existed when those users were deleted
-UPDATE "LiteLLM_VerificationToken" vt
-SET "user_id" = NULL
-WHERE vt."user_id" IS NOT NULL
-  AND NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM "LiteLLM_UserTable" u WHERE u."user_id" = vt."user_id");
-
 -- AddForeignKey
+-- NOT VALID so no existing row is touched or judged: keys whose user_id points
+-- at a user that no longer existed before this migration keep their value, and
+-- the constraint only enforces new INSERTs and UPDATEs of user_id.
 DO $$
 BEGIN
     IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM pg_constraint WHERE conname = 'LiteLLM_VerificationToken_user_id_fkey') THEN
-        ALTER TABLE "LiteLLM_VerificationToken" ADD CONSTRAINT "LiteLLM_VerificationToken_user_id_fkey" FOREIGN KEY ("user_id") REFERENCES "LiteLLM_UserTable"("user_id") ON DELETE SET NULL ON UPDATE CASCADE;
+        ALTER TABLE "LiteLLM_VerificationToken" ADD CONSTRAINT "LiteLLM_VerificationToken_user_id_fkey" FOREIGN KEY ("user_id") REFERENCES "LiteLLM_UserTable"("user_id") ON DELETE SET NULL ON UPDATE CASCADE NOT VALID;
     END IF;
 END $$;
+
+-- Best-effort validation: on databases with no orphaned user_ids (the normal
+-- case; user deletion removes the user's keys) this marks the constraint fully
+-- valid. Where orphans exist the constraint simply stays NOT VALID and keeps
+-- enforcing go-forward writes; the migration never fails and never mutates data.
+DO $$
+BEGIN
+    BEGIN
+        ALTER TABLE "LiteLLM_VerificationToken" VALIDATE CONSTRAINT "LiteLLM_VerificationToken_user_id_fkey";
+    EXCEPTION WHEN foreign_key_violation THEN
+        RAISE NOTICE 'LiteLLM_VerificationToken has user_ids referencing missing users; constraint left NOT VALID';
+    END;
+END $$;