diff --git a/src/review_classification/cli/app.py b/src/review_classification/cli/app.py
index 6f5d4bb..d51c580 100644
--- a/src/review_classification/cli/app.py
+++ b/src/review_classification/cli/app.py
@@ -570,6 +570,16 @@ def classify(
         )
         raise typer.Exit(code=1)
 
+    from ..sqlite.database import database_is_initialized
+
+    if not database_is_initialized():
+        typer.echo(
+            "Error: No database found. Run 'review-classify fetch' first "
+            "to collect PR data.",
+            err=True,
+        )
+        raise typer.Exit(code=1)
+
     try:
         targets = _resolve_targets(
             repos=repo_list,
diff --git a/src/review_classification/sqlite/database.py b/src/review_classification/sqlite/database.py
index 8317d75..3fdd4bd 100644
--- a/src/review_classification/sqlite/database.py
+++ b/src/review_classification/sqlite/database.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import os
 from datetime import datetime
 
 from sqlalchemy import text
@@ -12,6 +13,26 @@
 engine = create_engine(sqlite_url)
 
 
+def database_is_initialized() -> bool:
+    """Return True if the database file exists and contains the PR table.
+
+    A bare file with no tables (e.g. left behind by an earlier failed run)
+    counts as *not* initialized, so callers can prompt the user to run
+    ``fetch`` first instead of producing an empty report. The on-disk check
+    runs first to avoid lazily creating an empty database file.
+    """
+    from sqlalchemy import inspect
+    from sqlalchemy.exc import OperationalError
+
+    if not os.path.exists(sqlite_file_name):
+        return False
+
+    try:
+        return inspect(engine).has_table(str(PullRequest.__tablename__))
+    except OperationalError:
+        return False
+
+
 def init_db() -> None:
     """Initialize the database tables."""
     SQLModel.metadata.create_all(engine)
@@ -123,14 +144,20 @@ def get_repos_for_org(org_name: str) -> list[str]:
     """Return distinct repository names stored in the DB for the given org/owner.
 
     Avoids any network call — resolves org repos entirely from fetched data.
+    Returns an empty list if the database has not been initialized yet.
     """
-    with Session(engine) as session:
-        statement = (
-            select(col(PullRequest.repository_name))
-            .where(col(PullRequest.repository_name).like(f"{org_name}/%"))
-            .distinct()
-        )
-        return sorted(session.exec(statement).all())
+    from sqlalchemy.exc import OperationalError
+
+    try:
+        with Session(engine) as session:
+            statement = (
+                select(col(PullRequest.repository_name))
+                .where(col(PullRequest.repository_name).like(f"{org_name}/%"))
+                .distinct()
+            )
+            return sorted(session.exec(statement).all())
+    except OperationalError:
+        return []
 
 
 def get_outlier_scores(
diff --git a/tests/cli/test_classify.py b/tests/cli/test_classify.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb815d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/cli/test_classify.py
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+"""Tests for classify command behavior."""
+
+from importlib import import_module
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+import typer
+from sqlmodel import create_engine
+
+cli_app = import_module("review_classification.cli.app")
+
+
+def test_classify_missing_database_shows_clean_error(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+    tmp_path: Path,
+    capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str],
+) -> None:
+    """classify in a dir with no DB exits 1 with a clean message, no traceback."""
+    monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+
+    with pytest.raises(typer.Exit) as exc_info:
+        cli_app.classify(
+            repo=["my-org/repo"],
+            org=None,
+            config=None,
+            threshold=2.0,
+            min_samples=30,
+            output_format="table",
+            verbose=False,
+            start=None,
+            end=None,
+            exclude_primary_merged=False,
+        )
+
+    assert exc_info.value.exit_code == 1
+
+    captured = capsys.readouterr()
+    assert "No database found" in captured.err
+    assert "fetch" in captured.err
+    # The raw SQLAlchemy error must never reach the user.
+    assert "OperationalError" not in captured.err
+    assert "no such table" not in captured.err
+    # No stray empty database file should be created.
+    assert not (tmp_path / "review_classification.db").exists()
+
+
+def test_classify_missing_database_for_org_shows_clean_error(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+    tmp_path: Path,
+    capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str],
+) -> None:
+    """The org path (which reads the DB to resolve repos) also fails gracefully."""
+    monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+
+    with pytest.raises(typer.Exit) as exc_info:
+        cli_app.classify(
+            repo=None,
+            org=["my-org"],
+            config=None,
+            threshold=2.0,
+            min_samples=30,
+            output_format="table",
+            verbose=False,
+            start=None,
+            end=None,
+            exclude_primary_merged=False,
+        )
+
+    assert exc_info.value.exit_code == 1
+
+    captured = capsys.readouterr()
+    assert "No database found" in captured.err
+    assert "OperationalError" not in captured.err
+
+
+def test_classify_empty_database_for_org_shows_clean_error(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+    tmp_path: Path,
+    capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str],
+) -> None:
+    """A leftover empty DB file (no tables) must not yield a silent empty report."""
+    import review_classification.sqlite.database as db_module
+
+    monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+    db_path = tmp_path / db_module.sqlite_file_name
+    db_path.touch()  # file exists but has no tables, e.g. from a failed run
+    monkeypatch.setattr(db_module, "engine", create_engine(f"sqlite:///{db_path}"))
+
+    with pytest.raises(typer.Exit) as exc_info:
+        cli_app.classify(
+            repo=None,
+            org=["my-org"],
+            config=None,
+            threshold=2.0,
+            min_samples=30,
+            output_format="table",
+            verbose=False,
+            start=None,
+            end=None,
+            exclude_primary_merged=False,
+        )
+
+    assert exc_info.value.exit_code == 1
+    captured = capsys.readouterr()
+    assert "No database found" in captured.err
diff --git a/tests/sqlite/test_database.py b/tests/sqlite/test_database.py
index f4e74da..a58675c 100644
--- a/tests/sqlite/test_database.py
+++ b/tests/sqlite/test_database.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 """Tests for sqlite.database helper functions."""
 
 from datetime import UTC, datetime
+from pathlib import Path
 
 import pytest
 from sqlalchemy.engine import Engine
@@ -83,3 +84,57 @@ def test_get_repos_for_org_deduplicates(patched_engine: Engine) -> None:
         session.commit()
 
     assert get_repos_for_org("my-org") == ["my-org/repo-a"]
+
+
+def test_get_repos_for_org_handles_missing_table(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    """Returns [] instead of raising when the database has no tables yet."""
+    import review_classification.sqlite.database as db_module
+
+    # Engine pointing at an in-memory DB with no tables created.
+    empty_engine = create_engine("sqlite:///:memory:")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(db_module, "engine", empty_engine)
+
+    assert db_module.get_repos_for_org("any-org") == []
+
+
+def test_database_is_initialized_false_when_file_missing(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, tmp_path: Path
+) -> None:
+    """No database file on disk → not initialized (and no file is created)."""
+    import review_classification.sqlite.database as db_module
+
+    monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+    assert db_module.database_is_initialized() is False
+    # The check must not lazily create an empty database file.
+    assert not (tmp_path / db_module.sqlite_file_name).exists()
+
+
+def test_database_is_initialized_false_for_empty_file(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, tmp_path: Path
+) -> None:
+    """A bare file with no tables (failed earlier run) counts as not initialized."""
+    import review_classification.sqlite.database as db_module
+
+    monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+    db_path = tmp_path / db_module.sqlite_file_name
+    db_path.touch()  # empty SQLite file, no tables
+    monkeypatch.setattr(db_module, "engine", create_engine(f"sqlite:///{db_path}"))
+
+    assert db_module.database_is_initialized() is False
+
+
+def test_database_is_initialized_true_with_tables(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, tmp_path: Path
+) -> None:
+    """A file containing the expected tables counts as initialized."""
+    import review_classification.sqlite.database as db_module
+
+    monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+    db_path = tmp_path / db_module.sqlite_file_name
+    engine = create_engine(f"sqlite:///{db_path}")
+    SQLModel.metadata.create_all(engine)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(db_module, "engine", engine)
+
+    assert db_module.database_is_initialized() is True