diff --git a/src/module/templates.ts b/src/module/templates.ts
index e3cecf8e..f88d0c96 100644
--- a/src/module/templates.ts
+++ b/src/module/templates.ts
@@ -72,7 +72,8 @@ function getCloudflareContext(event) {
 
 function resolveHyperdrive(event) {
   const cloudflareEnv = getCloudflareContext(event)?.env
-  return cloudflareEnv?.POSTGRES || process.env.POSTGRES || globalThis.__env__?.POSTGRES || globalThis.POSTGRES
+  const runtimeEnv = event?.req?.runtime?.cloudflare?.env
+  return cloudflareEnv?.POSTGRES || runtimeEnv?.POSTGRES || process.env.POSTGRES || globalThis.__env__?.POSTGRES || globalThis.POSTGRES
 }
 
 function scheduleCleanup(event, cleanup) {
@@ -114,6 +115,11 @@ function registerClientCleanup(event, client) {
   response.once('close', cleanup)
 }
 
+// Hyperdrive clients belong to one request; any other database is shared by the whole process.
+export function isRequestScopedDatabase(event) {
+  return Boolean(resolveHyperdrive(event)?.connectionString)
+}
+
 export function createDatabase(event) {
   const hyperdrive = resolveHyperdrive(event)
   if (!hyperdrive?.connectionString)
@@ -152,11 +158,13 @@ import * as schema from './schema.${input.hubDialect}.mjs'
 import { drizzleAdapter } from 'better-auth/adapters/drizzle'
 const rawDialect = '${input.hubDialect}'
 const dialect = rawDialect === 'postgresql' ? 'pg' : rawDialect
+export function isRequestScopedDatabase() { return false }
 export function createDatabase() { return drizzleAdapter(db, { provider: dialect, schema, usePlural: ${input.usePlural}, camelCase: ${input.camelCase} }) }
 export { db }`
   }
 
-  return `export function createDatabase() { return undefined }
+  return `export function isRequestScopedDatabase() { return false }
+export function createDatabase() { return undefined }
 export const db = undefined`
 }
 
diff --git a/src/module/type-templates.ts b/src/module/type-templates.ts
index 64a8c4ca..9822acc0 100644
--- a/src/module/type-templates.ts
+++ b/src/module/type-templates.ts
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ type AvailableRouterMethod<_ReqT extends NitroFetchRequest> = 'get' | 'head' | '
 declare module '#auth/database' {
   import type { BetterAuthOptions } from 'better-auth'
   export function createDatabase(event?: import('${h3TypesPath}').H3Event): BetterAuthOptions['database']
+  export function isRequestScopedDatabase(event?: import('${h3TypesPath}').H3Event): boolean
   export const db: ${hasHubDb ? `typeof import('@nuxthub/db')['db']` : 'undefined'}
 }
 `,
diff --git a/src/runtime/server/utils/auth.ts b/src/runtime/server/utils/auth.ts
index 27e32798..cebe0c80 100644
--- a/src/runtime/server/utils/auth.ts
+++ b/src/runtime/server/utils/auth.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import type { BetterAuthOptions, BetterAuthPlugin } from 'better-auth'
 import type { ServerEvent } from '../internal/nitro-compat'
 import { betterAuth, env } from 'better-auth'
-import { createDatabase, db } from '#auth/database'
+import { createDatabase, db, isRequestScopedDatabase } from '#auth/database'
 import createServerAuth from '#auth/server'
 import type { DerivedAuthSecretState } from '../internal/auth-secret'
 import { getConfiguredAuthSecret, getDerivedAuthSecret, hasExplicitAuthSecret, prepareAuthSecret } from '../internal/auth-secret'
@@ -365,6 +365,18 @@ export function serverAuth(event?: ServerEvent): AuthInstance {
   if (requestContext?.[requestAuthKey])
     return requestContext[requestAuthKey]
 
+  // Only a request-scoped database (a Hyperdrive client) forces a fresh instance per request. Otherwise
+  // a cached instance is returned before building the user config, which reruns every plugin factory.
+  const requestScopedDatabase = (isRequestScopedDatabase as (event?: ServerEvent) => boolean)(event)
+  if (!requestScopedDatabase) {
+    const cached = _authCache.get(cacheKey)
+    if (cached) {
+      if (requestContext)
+        requestContext[requestAuthKey] = cached
+      return cached
+    }
+  }
+
   userConfig ??= createServerAuth({ runtimeConfig, db, requestOrigin }) as UserAuthConfig
 
   // Explicit secrets keep their existing precedence; Nuxt's appSecret only fills the gap (4.6+).
@@ -404,15 +416,7 @@ export function serverAuth(event?: ServerEvent): AuthInstance {
     : userConfig.rateLimit
 
   // An instance without the derived secret must not outlive the request that needed it.
-  const cacheable = !database && !derivedSecretMissing
-  if (cacheable) {
-    const cached = _authCache.get(cacheKey)
-    if (cached) {
-      if (requestContext)
-        requestContext[requestAuthKey] = cached
-      return cached
-    }
-  }
+  const cacheable = !requestScopedDatabase && !derivedSecretMissing
 
   const authOptions = {
     ...userConfig,
diff --git a/src/runtime/server/virtual-modules.d.ts b/src/runtime/server/virtual-modules.d.ts
index d177c990..ef27a595 100644
--- a/src/runtime/server/virtual-modules.d.ts
+++ b/src/runtime/server/virtual-modules.d.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 declare module '#auth/database' {
   export const db: any
   export function createDatabase(...args: any[]): any
+  export function isRequestScopedDatabase(...args: any[]): boolean
 }
 
 declare module '#imports' {
diff --git a/test/cases/plugins-type-inference/virtual-modules.d.ts b/test/cases/plugins-type-inference/virtual-modules.d.ts
index 632996af..71cecf88 100644
--- a/test/cases/plugins-type-inference/virtual-modules.d.ts
+++ b/test/cases/plugins-type-inference/virtual-modules.d.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 declare module '#auth/database' {
   export const db: any
   export function createDatabase(...args: any[]): any
+  export function isRequestScopedDatabase(...args: any[]): boolean
 }
 
 declare module '#better-auth/app-secret' {
diff --git a/test/database-scope.test.ts b/test/database-scope.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a4fbeb53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/database-scope.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import { runInNewContext } from 'node:vm'
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { buildDatabaseCode } from '../src/module/templates'
+
+function loadDatabase() {
+  const postgres = vi.fn(() => ({}))
+  const code = buildDatabaseCode({ provider: 'nuxthub', hubDialect: 'postgresql', usePlural: false, camelCase: false })
+    .replace(/^import .*$/gm, '')
+    .replace(/^export /gm, '')
+  const database = runInNewContext(`${code}\n;({ isRequestScopedDatabase, createDatabase })`, {
+    process: { env: {} },
+    db: {},
+    schema: {},
+    postgres,
+    drizzle: (options: unknown) => options,
+    drizzleAdapter: (database: unknown) => database,
+  })
+  return { ...database, postgres }
+}
+
+describe('generated database request scope', () => {
+  it.each(['context', 'runtime'])('recognizes Hyperdrive in the %s binding location', (location) => {
+    const { isRequestScopedDatabase, createDatabase, postgres } = loadDatabase()
+    const cloudflare = { env: { POSTGRES: { connectionString: 'postgres://hyperdrive/test' } } }
+    const event = location === 'context'
+      ? { context: { cloudflare } }
+      : { context: {}, req: { runtime: { cloudflare } } }
+
+    expect(isRequestScopedDatabase(event)).toBe(true)
+    const first = createDatabase(event)
+    expect(createDatabase(event)).toBe(first)
+    expect(postgres).toHaveBeenCalledExactlyOnceWith('postgres://hyperdrive/test', expect.objectContaining({ prepare: false, max: 1 }))
+  })
+
+  it('keeps database access process-wide without a Hyperdrive connection string', () => {
+    const { isRequestScopedDatabase, createDatabase, postgres } = loadDatabase()
+    const event = { req: { runtime: { cloudflare: { env: {} } } } }
+    expect(isRequestScopedDatabase(event)).toBe(false)
+    expect(isRequestScopedDatabase()).toBe(false)
+    createDatabase(event)
+    expect(postgres).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/test/get-base-url.test.ts b/test/get-base-url.test.ts
index c66b0a3b..9152ea4c 100644
--- a/test/get-base-url.test.ts
+++ b/test/get-base-url.test.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ const runtimeConfig = {
 }
 const createServerAuthMock = vi.fn()
 
-vi.mock('#auth/database', () => ({ createDatabase: () => undefined, db: {} }))
+vi.mock('#auth/database', () => ({ createDatabase: () => undefined, db: {}, isRequestScopedDatabase: () => false }))
 vi.mock('#auth/server', () => ({ default: createServerAuthMock }))
 vi.mock('better-auth', () => ({
   betterAuth: (options: BetterAuthOptions) => ({ options }),
diff --git a/test/server-auth-app-secret.test.ts b/test/server-auth-app-secret.test.ts
index 29b7e769..bc75fb74 100644
--- a/test/server-auth-app-secret.test.ts
+++ b/test/server-auth-app-secret.test.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ const appSecret = { available: true }
 vi.mock('#auth/database', () => ({
   createDatabase: () => undefined,
   db: undefined,
+  isRequestScopedDatabase: () => false,
 }))
 
 vi.mock('#auth/server', () => ({
diff --git a/test/server-auth-database-cache.test.ts b/test/server-auth-database-cache.test.ts
index badfa49a..49c0a7f6 100644
--- a/test/server-auth-database-cache.test.ts
+++ b/test/server-auth-database-cache.test.ts
@@ -3,12 +3,14 @@ import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 
 const betterAuthMock = vi.fn()
 const createDatabaseMock = vi.fn()
+const isRequestScopedDatabaseMock = vi.fn()
 const createServerAuthMock = vi.fn()
 const useRuntimeConfigMock = vi.fn()
 
 vi.mock('#auth/database', () => ({
   createDatabase: createDatabaseMock,
   db: { query: {} },
+  isRequestScopedDatabase: isRequestScopedDatabaseMock,
 }))
 
 vi.mock('#auth/server', () => ({
@@ -58,6 +60,7 @@ describe('serverAuth database cache and secret validation', () => {
     createServerAuthMock.mockReturnValue({
       trustedOrigins: undefined,
     })
+    isRequestScopedDatabaseMock.mockReturnValue(false)
 
     betterAuthMock.mockImplementation((options: Record<string, unknown>) => ({
       options,
@@ -291,11 +294,28 @@ describe('serverAuth database cache and secret validation', () => {
     expect(betterAuthMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
   })
 
-  it('creates a fresh auth instance for each request when a database adapter is active', async () => {
+  it('shares one auth instance across requests when the database adapter is process-wide', async () => {
     createDatabaseMock.mockReturnValue({ kind: 'database-adapter' })
 
     const { serverAuth } = await import('../src/runtime/server/utils/auth')
 
+    const first = serverAuth(createEvent())
+    const second = serverAuth(createEvent())
+    const third = serverAuth()
+
+    expect(first).toBe(second)
+    expect(third).toBe(first)
+    expect(createServerAuthMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(createDatabaseMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(betterAuthMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+  })
+
+  it('creates a fresh auth instance for each request when the database is request-scoped', async () => {
+    createDatabaseMock.mockReturnValue({ kind: 'database-adapter' })
+    isRequestScopedDatabaseMock.mockReturnValue(true)
+
+    const { serverAuth } = await import('../src/runtime/server/utils/auth')
+
     const first = serverAuth(createEvent())
     const second = serverAuth(createEvent())
 
@@ -304,8 +324,9 @@ describe('serverAuth database cache and secret validation', () => {
     expect(betterAuthMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
   })
 
-  it('creates a fresh auth instance without request context when a database adapter is active', async () => {
+  it('creates a fresh auth instance without request context when the database is request-scoped', async () => {
     createDatabaseMock.mockReturnValue({ kind: 'database-adapter' })
+    isRequestScopedDatabaseMock.mockReturnValue(true)
 
     const { serverAuth } = await import('../src/runtime/server/utils/auth')
 
@@ -326,7 +347,8 @@ describe('serverAuth database cache and secret validation', () => {
     const second = serverAuth()
 
     expect(first).toBe(second)
-    expect(createDatabaseMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+    expect(createServerAuthMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(createDatabaseMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
     expect(betterAuthMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
   })
 
diff --git a/test/server-auth-startup.test.ts b/test/server-auth-startup.test.ts
index e2e77fa6..eba51080 100644
--- a/test/server-auth-startup.test.ts
+++ b/test/server-auth-startup.test.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ vi.mock('../src/runtime/server/internal/nitro-compat', () => ({
 vi.mock('#auth/database', () => ({
   createDatabase: () => undefined,
   db: undefined,
+  isRequestScopedDatabase: () => false,
 }))
 
 vi.mock('#auth/server', () => ({