diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1127c01..eecc3c2 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -25,6 +25,20 @@ When it comes to stability guarantees the Postgres database should always be mig
 don't lose historic data. The API under `/federations` isn't stable at this point and I'd recommend to subscribing to
 changes in Fedimint Observer if building against it.
 
+### What database migrations actually do
+On startup the backend runs schema setup/migrations in order (`v0.sql`, `v1.sql`, …).
+
+1. It checks the current DB version via `schema_version`.
+2. It runs every migration newer than the current version inside a SQL transaction.
+3. For migrations that need data reshaping, it runs a Rust backfill procedure before commit.
+
+There are three migration kinds in code:
+* `schema_setup`: only for fresh DB setup, not allowed when upgrading an already populated DB.
+* `migration`: pure SQL migration that can run for setup and upgrades.
+* `migration_backfill`: SQL + Rust backfill for safe upgrades.
+
+In the current code path, `v0`-`v6` are marked as `schema_setup` (fresh setup only), while `v7`, `v8`, and `v9` are upgrade-capable migrations for existing databases. `v9` is additive and creates a new `gateways` table plus indexes; it does not alter/drop existing tables.
+
 ## Federation Inspector
 The lesser-known component is an API under the `/config` path it can be used to get a JSON-encoded version of the
 federation config if you have an invite code. The first time it fetches the config from the federation using the invite
diff --git a/fmo_server/schema/v9.sql b/fmo_server/schema/v9.sql
index b262f74..7d4af1d 100644
--- a/fmo_server/schema/v9.sql
+++ b/fmo_server/schema/v9.sql
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@ INSERT INTO
 VALUES
     (9);
 
-CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS gateways (
+-- V9 is intentionally additive: it creates a new table and indexes only.
+-- It must not modify or drop any existing production tables.
+CREATE TABLE gateways (
     federation_id   BYTEA        NOT NULL REFERENCES federations (federation_id),
     gateway_id      TEXT         NOT NULL,
     node_pub_key    TEXT         NOT NULL,
diff --git a/fmo_server/src/federation/observer.rs b/fmo_server/src/federation/observer.rs
index 432177d..a5e22f9 100644
--- a/fmo_server/src/federation/observer.rs
+++ b/fmo_server/src/federation/observer.rs
@@ -1620,4 +1620,16 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(last_7_days[6], now);
         assert_eq!(last_7_days[0], now - chrono::Duration::days(6));
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn v9_schema_is_additive_only() {
+        let migration = include_str!(concat!(env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR"), "/schema/v9.sql")).to_lowercase();
+
+        assert!(migration.contains("create table gateways"));
+        assert!(migration.contains("create index if not exists gateways_federation_id"));
+        assert!(migration.contains("create index if not exists gateways_node_pub_key"));
+        assert!(!migration.contains("alter table"));
+        assert!(!migration.contains("drop table"));
+        assert!(!migration.contains("create table if not exists gateways"));
+    }
 }