diff --git a/crates/mcp/src/main.rs b/crates/mcp/src/main.rs
index a970eec..0e74708 100644
--- a/crates/mcp/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/mcp/src/main.rs
@@ -7,8 +7,15 @@ use tokio::io::{AsyncBufReadExt, AsyncWriteExt, BufReader};
 #[tokio::main(flavor = "current_thread")]
 async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     let db_path = kon_storage::database_path();
-    eprintln!("[kon-mcp] opening Kon database at {}", db_path.display());
-    let pool = kon_storage::init(&db_path).await?;
+    eprintln!(
+        "[kon-mcp] opening Kon database at {} (read-only)",
+        db_path.display()
+    );
+    // Open read-only at the connection level so the MCP server cannot write
+    // to the user's database, regardless of which tools the dispatcher
+    // exposes. Migrations are deliberately skipped — this binary never owns
+    // the schema; the main app is the single migration writer.
+    let pool = kon_storage::init_readonly(&db_path).await?;
     eprintln!("[kon-mcp] ready, waiting for JSON-RPC on stdin");
 
     let mut lines = BufReader::new(tokio::io::stdin()).lines();
diff --git a/crates/storage/src/database.rs b/crates/storage/src/database.rs
index 59b1099..7009ad1 100644
--- a/crates/storage/src/database.rs
+++ b/crates/storage/src/database.rs
@@ -31,6 +31,25 @@ pub async fn init(db_path: &Path) -> Result<SqlitePool> {
     Ok(pool)
 }
 
+/// Open the SQLite database in read-only mode without running migrations.
+///
+/// Used by `kon-mcp` so the MCP server cannot write to the user's database
+/// regardless of which tools the dispatcher exposes — `read_only(true)` makes
+/// the constraint structural rather than relying on the request handler being
+/// well-behaved. Fails cleanly if the DB doesn't exist (no `create_if_missing`).
+pub async fn init_readonly(db_path: &Path) -> Result<SqlitePool> {
+    let options = SqliteConnectOptions::new()
+        .filename(db_path)
+        .create_if_missing(false)
+        .read_only(true);
+
+    SqlitePoolOptions::new()
+        .max_connections(2)
+        .connect_with(options)
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| KonError::StorageError(format!("Read-only connect failed: {e}")))
+}
+
 /// Run schema migrations via the versioned migration system.
 async fn run_migrations(pool: &SqlitePool) -> Result<()> {
     crate::migrations::run_migrations(pool).await
@@ -2388,4 +2407,68 @@ mod tests {
         let total: u32 = series.iter().map(|d| d.count).sum();
         assert_eq!(total, 2, "exactly two completions across the window");
     }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn init_readonly_rejects_writes_and_serves_reads() {
+        let dir = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!("kon-storage-ro-{}", std::process::id()));
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir).unwrap();
+        let path = dir.join("ro.db");
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_file(&path);
+
+        // Seed via the writable path so migrations run.
+        let writable = init(&path).await.unwrap();
+        insert_transcript(
+            &writable,
+            &InsertTranscriptParams {
+                id: "ro1",
+                text: "seed",
+                source: "microphone",
+                profile_id: crate::DEFAULT_PROFILE_ID,
+                title: None,
+                audio_path: None,
+                duration: 0.0,
+                engine: None,
+                model_id: None,
+                inference_ms: None,
+                sample_rate: None,
+                audio_channels: None,
+                format_mode: None,
+                remove_fillers: false,
+                british_english: false,
+                anti_hallucination: false,
+            },
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+        writable.close().await;
+
+        // Reopen read-only.
+        let ro = init_readonly(&path).await.expect("read-only open");
+        assert_eq!(count_transcripts(&ro).await.unwrap(), 1, "reads must work");
+
+        let write_attempt = sqlx::query("DELETE FROM transcripts WHERE id = 'ro1'")
+            .execute(&ro)
+            .await;
+        assert!(
+            write_attempt.is_err(),
+            "writes must be rejected on the read-only pool",
+        );
+
+        ro.close().await;
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_file(&path);
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_dir(&dir);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn init_readonly_fails_when_db_missing() {
+        let path = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!(
+            "kon-storage-ro-missing-{}.db",
+            std::process::id()
+        ));
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_file(&path);
+        assert!(
+            init_readonly(&path).await.is_err(),
+            "must fail when DB file does not exist (no create_if_missing)",
+        );
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/storage/src/lib.rs b/crates/storage/src/lib.rs
index 6bb9837..a344d57 100644
--- a/crates/storage/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/storage/src/lib.rs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ pub use database::{
     add_profile_term, complete_subtask_and_check_parent, complete_task, count_transcripts,
     create_profile, delete_implementation_rule, delete_profile, delete_profile_term, delete_task,
     delete_transcript, get_implementation_rule, get_profile, get_setting, get_task_by_id,
-    get_transcript, init, insert_implementation_rule, insert_subtask, insert_task,
+    get_transcript, init, init_readonly, insert_implementation_rule, insert_subtask, insert_task,
     insert_transcript, list_feedback_examples, list_implementation_rules, list_profile_terms,
     list_profiles, list_recent_completions, list_recent_errors, list_subtasks, list_tasks,
     list_transcripts, list_transcripts_paged, log_error, mark_implementation_rule_fired,