diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index b2b8040b..7965bdb7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -48,10 +48,13 @@ jobs:
         run: npm ci
 
       - name: Verify migrations and schema syntax
-        run: bash scripts/verify-migrations.sh
+        run: |
+          chmod +x scripts/verify-migrations.sh
+          bash scripts/verify-migrations.sh
         env:
           DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:password@localhost:5432/astroid_test?schema=public
           SHADOW_DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:password@localhost:5432/astroid_shadow?schema=public
+          CI: "true"
 
       - name: Run typecheck
         run: npm run typecheck
diff --git a/docs/database.md b/docs/database.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dff9517f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/database.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# Database Guidelines & Migration Verification
+
+All database changes must be managed via Prisma migrations. 
+
+## Migration Verification Requirements
+- Every migration folder must contain a valid, non-empty `migration.sql` file.
+- Migration directories must start with a 14-digit timestamp prefix (`YYYYMMDDHHMMSS`) to ensure strict ordering and avoid conflicts.
+- Run `npm run db:verify` locally to execute `scripts/verify-migrations.sh` prior to opening a pull request.
+- The CI pipeline automatically runs `scripts/verify-migrations.sh` to validate schema syntax, migration structure, and working tree cleanliness.
diff --git a/scripts/verify-migrations.sh b/scripts/verify-migrations.sh
index 4eb3fe72..50b92c50 100644
--- a/scripts/verify-migrations.sh
+++ b/scripts/verify-migrations.sh
@@ -1,24 +1,72 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-set -e
+set -euo pipefail
 
 echo "Starting database migration verification..."
+
+# 1. Validate Prisma schema syntax
 echo "Validating Prisma schema..."
 npx prisma validate
 
 MIGRATIONS_DIR="prisma/migrations"
+
 if [ -d "$MIGRATIONS_DIR" ]; then
-  COUNT=$(find "$MIGRATIONS_DIR" -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -type d ! -name 'migration_lock.toml' | wc -l)
-  echo "Found $COUNT migration directory(ies)"
-  for dir in "$MIGRATIONS_DIR"/*/; do
-    if [ -d "$dir" ]; then
-      if [ ! -f "${dir}migration.sql" ]; then
-        echo "Error: Missing migration.sql in $dir"
+  echo "Checking migration directories under $MIGRATIONS_DIR..."
+  
+  declare -A timestamps
+  migration_count=0
+
+  for dir in "$MIGRATIONS_DIR"/*/;
+  do
+    # Skip if not a directory or if it's not a migration folder
+    [ -d "$dir" ] || continue
+    dirname=$(basename "$dir")
+    
+    # Skip lock files or other non-migration directories if any
+    if [ "$dirname" = "migration_lock.toml" ]; then
+      continue
+    fi
+
+    migration_count=$((migration_count + 1))
+    echo "Inspecting migration: $dirname"
+
+    # Check 2: Verify migration.sql exists and is non-empty
+    sql_file="${dir}migration.sql"
+    if [ ! -f "$sql_file" ]; then
+      echo "Error: Missing migration.sql in migration folder '$dirname'"
+        exit 1
+      fi
+
+    if [ ! -s "$sql_file" ]; then
+      echo "Error: migration.sql in '$dirname' is empty"
+      exit 1
+    fi
+
+    # Check 3: Extract timestamp prefix (expects YYYYMMDDHHMMSS or similar leading numeric prefix)
+    if [[ "$dirname" =~ ^([0-9]{14}) ]]; then
+      ts="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+      if [ -n "${timestamps[$ts]:-}" ]; then
+        echo "Error: Conflicting migration timestamps detected: '$dirname' shares timestamp prefix with '${timestamps[$ts]}'"
         exit 1
       fi
+      timestamps["$ts"]="$dirname"
+    else
+      echo "Warning: Migration directory '$dirname' does not start with a standard 14-digit timestamp (YYYYMMDDHHMMSS)"
     fi
   done
+
+  echo "Successfully verified $migration_count migration folder(s)."
 else
-  echo "No migrations directory found."
+  echo "No migrations directory found at $MIGRATIONS_DIR."
+fi
+
+# Check 4: Optionally check git working tree cleanliness if explicitly requested
+if [ "${CHECK_GIT_DIRTY:-false}" = "true" ]; then
+  echo "Checking git working tree state..."
+  if [ -n "$(git status --porcelain)" ]; then
+    echo "Error: Git working tree is dirty. Uncommitted migration or schema changes detected."
+    git status --porcelain
+    exit 1
+  fi
 fi
 
 echo "Migration verification completed successfully!"