diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 9f0a1a7..bf435bd 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "primer-brain",
-  "version": "0.1.3",
+  "version": "0.1.4",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "primer-brain",
-      "version": "0.1.3",
+      "version": "0.1.4",
       "license": "Apache-2.0",
       "dependencies": {
         "@agentclientprotocol/sdk": "^1.3.0",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index e8d912d..48fd1f9 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "primer-brain",
-  "version": "0.1.3",
+  "version": "0.1.4",
   "description": "An open learner record + MCP server. The memory layer for AI tutoring. No fixed interface \u2014 the tutor builds one per child, per moment.",
   "license": "Apache-2.0",
   "type": "module",
diff --git a/src/db/migrations/003_artifacts.sql b/src/db/migrations/003_artifacts.sql
index 33187eb..5681d6c 100644
--- a/src/db/migrations/003_artifacts.sql
+++ b/src/db/migrations/003_artifacts.sql
@@ -8,6 +8,22 @@
 -- reviewing an artifact writes evidence back the same way any other observation does
 -- (`observation.kind = 'artifact_review'`).
 
+-- Some early records predate the artifact table entirely. The baseline schema
+-- normally creates it before migrations run, but this keeps the upgrade safe
+-- when a record was made by an older standalone binary.
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS artifact (
+  id         TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+  learner_id TEXT NOT NULL REFERENCES learner(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+  session_id TEXT,
+  ts         TEXT NOT NULL,
+  kind       TEXT NOT NULL,
+  path       TEXT NOT NULL,
+  mime       TEXT,
+  caption    TEXT,
+  skill_ids  TEXT
+);
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_artifact_learner ON artifact(learner_id, ts DESC);
+
 ALTER TABLE artifact ADD COLUMN duration_ms INTEGER;
 ALTER TABLE artifact ADD COLUMN mime_type TEXT;
 ALTER TABLE artifact ADD COLUMN prompt TEXT;          -- what they were asked to read or do
diff --git a/test/migrations.test.ts b/test/migrations.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..208fa21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/migrations.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { DatabaseSync } from 'node:sqlite';
+import { mkdtempSync, readFileSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
+import { join } from 'node:path';
+
+const ROOT = join(import.meta.dirname, '..');
+
+test('the artifact migration upgrades a record from before artifacts existed', () => {
+  const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'primer-pre-artifact-'));
+  const database = new DatabaseSync(join(dir, 'record.db'));
+  try {
+    // This is the only dependency 003 has after 002. The record is otherwise an
+    // old baseline where audio artifacts had never been introduced.
+    database.exec('CREATE TABLE setting (key TEXT PRIMARY KEY, value TEXT NOT NULL, updated_at TEXT NOT NULL, updated_by TEXT)');
+    database.exec(readFileSync(join(ROOT, 'src/db/migrations/003_artifacts.sql'), 'utf8'));
+
+    const columns = database
+      .prepare('SELECT name FROM pragma_table_info(\'artifact\') ORDER BY name')
+      .all() as { name: string }[];
+    assert.deepEqual(
+      columns.map((column) => column.name),
+      ['bytes', 'caption', 'duration_ms', 'id', 'kind', 'learner_id', 'mime', 'mime_type', 'path', 'prompt', 'reviewed_at', 'reviewed_by', 'session_id', 'skill_ids', 'transcript', 'ts'],
+    );
+  } finally {
+    database.close();
+    rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+});