diff --git a/src/ai/handlers.rs b/src/ai/handlers.rs
index 2be4e85..b53d05e 100644
--- a/src/ai/handlers.rs
+++ b/src/ai/handlers.rs
@@ -2129,15 +2129,7 @@ mod turn_replay_tests {
     use actix_web::{App, web::Data};
     use std::sync::Arc;
 
-    /// Serialize `AppState::test_state()` construction across the parallel
-    /// tests in this module: each build opens ~10 DAO connections to the one
-    /// shared `DATABASE_URL` file, and doing several at once races the WAL
-    /// `journal_mode` switch into a spurious "database is locked". The test
-    /// bodies themselves still run in parallel; only the open is gated.
-    static DB_INIT: std::sync::Mutex<()> = std::sync::Mutex::new(());
-
     fn build_state() -> Data<AppState> {
-        let _guard = DB_INIT.lock().unwrap_or_else(|p| p.into_inner());
         Data::new(AppState::test_state())
     }
 
diff --git a/src/database/mod.rs b/src/database/mod.rs
index 3fe7468..afa62f0 100644
--- a/src/database/mod.rs
+++ b/src/database/mod.rs
@@ -167,7 +167,11 @@ impl UserDao for SqliteUserDao {
 
 pub fn connect() -> SqliteConnection {
     let db_url = dotenv::var("DATABASE_URL").expect("DATABASE_URL must be set");
-    let mut conn = SqliteConnection::establish(&db_url).expect("Error connecting to DB");
+    connect_to(&db_url)
+}
+
+fn connect_to(db_url: &str) -> SqliteConnection {
+    let mut conn = SqliteConnection::establish(db_url).expect("Error connecting to DB");
     // Each DAO opens its own connection (13+ across the app) and they all
     // share one DB file. Without WAL, a writer holds an exclusive lock
     // that blocks readers — `load_persons` racing the face-watch write
@@ -186,13 +190,33 @@ pub fn connect() -> SqliteConnection {
     // automatically and code that previously did manual two-step
     // cleanup (delete child rows, then parent) becomes redundant but
     // still correct.
-    conn.batch_execute(
-        "PRAGMA journal_mode = WAL; \
-         PRAGMA busy_timeout = 5000; \
-         PRAGMA synchronous = NORMAL; \
-         PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON;",
-    )
-    .expect("set sqlite pragmas");
+    //
+    // busy_timeout goes first so the WAL switch waits out ordinary
+    // contention. That isn't enough on its own: while the file is still in
+    // rollback mode, a connection that holds a shared lock and needs to
+    // upgrade gets SQLITE_BUSY immediately (deadlock avoidance skips the
+    // busy handler), so several connections opening a fresh file at once
+    // still fail with "database is locked" (#157). Retry for the same 5 s
+    // budget; once one connection has switched the file to WAL (persistent),
+    // the pragma is a no-op for the rest.
+    let deadline = std::time::Instant::now() + std::time::Duration::from_secs(5);
+    loop {
+        match conn.batch_execute(
+            "PRAGMA busy_timeout = 5000; \
+             PRAGMA journal_mode = WAL; \
+             PRAGMA synchronous = NORMAL; \
+             PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON;",
+        ) {
+            Ok(()) => break,
+            Err(e)
+                if e.to_string().contains("database is locked")
+                    && std::time::Instant::now() < deadline =>
+            {
+                std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(10));
+            }
+            Err(e) => panic!("set sqlite pragmas: {e:?}"),
+        }
+    }
     conn
 }
 
@@ -2564,6 +2588,37 @@ impl ExifDao for SqliteExifDao {
     }
 }
 
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod connect_tests {
+    use super::connect_to;
+
+    /// Many connections opening one fresh DB file at once (what parallel
+    /// `AppState::test_state()` builds do) must all get their pragmas set;
+    /// the WAL switch has to wait out contention, not fail with
+    /// "database is locked" (#157).
+    #[test]
+    fn concurrent_connects_to_fresh_file_all_succeed() {
+        for _ in 0..20 {
+            let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+            let url = dir.path().join("t.db").to_string_lossy().into_owned();
+            let barrier = std::sync::Arc::new(std::sync::Barrier::new(16));
+            let handles: Vec<_> = (0..16)
+                .map(|_| {
+                    let url = url.clone();
+                    let barrier = barrier.clone();
+                    std::thread::spawn(move || {
+                        barrier.wait();
+                        connect_to(&url);
+                    })
+                })
+                .collect();
+            for h in handles {
+                h.join().expect("connect panicked");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod exif_dao_tests {
     use super::*;