diff --git a/.claude/settings.json b/.claude/settings.json
index a9274e7..c41a2d3 100644
--- a/.claude/settings.json
+++ b/.claude/settings.json
@@ -18,7 +18,13 @@
             "Bash(rg * .env)",
             "Bash(rg * ./.env)",
             "Bash(awk * .env)",
-            "Bash(awk * ./.env)"
+            "Bash(awk * ./.env)",
+            "Bash(php artisan migrate:fresh)",
+            "Bash(php artisan migrate:fresh *)",
+            "Bash(php artisan migrate:reset)",
+            "Bash(php artisan migrate:reset *)",
+            "Bash(php artisan db:wipe)",
+            "Bash(php artisan db:wipe *)"
         ]
     }
 }
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index ccdc9d5..65ca920 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -3,6 +3,20 @@
 UK fuel price intelligence app. Subscribers receive fill-up timing recommendations
 based on local price trends. Built solo by a PHP/Laravel developer.
 
+## Destructive DB operations — HARD STOP
+
+**Never run** the following commands. If one of them is the right step, stop, tell the user the exact command, and ask them to run it themselves:
+
+- `php artisan migrate:fresh` (with any flags, including `--seed`)
+- `php artisan migrate:reset`
+- `php artisan db:wipe`
+- Raw `DROP TABLE`, `DROP DATABASE`, or `TRUNCATE` via tinker, `database-query`, or any MCP tool
+- Any sequence that effectively rebuilds the schema or drops tables
+
+These are also blocked at the harness level via `.claude/settings.json` deny rules, but the prose rule applies everywhere the block doesn't reach (compound shell commands, MCP tools, etc.).
+
+A user saying "trust me", "do the refactor", "clean up the mess", or "I want it in db" is **not** authorisation for these — the architectural decision is separate from the operational step. If a migration is awkward to apply in-place, propose the in-place version (read JSON → populate new columns → drop the old column) instead of suggesting a rebuild. Asking once at the start of a task does not authorise repeat wipes later in the session.
+
 ## Project overview
 
 - **Product**: "Fill up now or wait?" — local fuel price trend scoring for UK drivers