diff --git a/src/commands/migrations/v0_29_1.ts b/src/commands/migrations/v0_29_1.ts
index 38b677d6c..28927d6ad 100644
--- a/src/commands/migrations/v0_29_1.ts
+++ b/src/commands/migrations/v0_29_1.ts
@@ -45,10 +45,15 @@ async function phaseBBackfill(opts: OrchestratorOpts): Promise<OrchestratorPhase
   try {
     const { createEngine } = await import('../../core/engine-factory.ts');
     const { loadConfig, toEngineConfig } = await import('../../core/config.ts');
+    const { connectWithRetry } = await import('../../core/db.ts');
     const { backfillEffectiveDate } = await import('../../core/backfill-effective-date.ts');
     const cfg = loadConfig();
     if (!cfg) throw new Error('No gbrain config; run `gbrain init` first.');
-    const engine = await createEngine(toEngineConfig(cfg));
+    const engineCfg = toEngineConfig(cfg);
+    const engine = await createEngine(engineCfg);
+    await connectWithRetry(engine, engineCfg, {
+      noRetry: process.argv.includes('--no-retry-connect') || process.env.GBRAIN_NO_RETRY_CONNECT === '1',
+    });
 
     let totalExamined = 0;
     let totalUpdated = 0;
@@ -63,6 +68,8 @@ async function phaseBBackfill(opts: OrchestratorOpts): Promise<OrchestratorPhase
       },
     });
 
+    await engine.disconnect();
+
     return {
       name: 'backfill_effective_date',
       status: 'complete',
@@ -80,9 +87,14 @@ async function phaseCVerify(opts: OrchestratorOpts): Promise<OrchestratorPhaseRe
   try {
     const { createEngine } = await import('../../core/engine-factory.ts');
     const { loadConfig, toEngineConfig } = await import('../../core/config.ts');
+    const { connectWithRetry } = await import('../../core/db.ts');
     const cfg = loadConfig();
     if (!cfg) throw new Error('No gbrain config; run `gbrain init` first.');
-    const engine = await createEngine(toEngineConfig(cfg));
+    const engineCfg = toEngineConfig(cfg);
+    const engine = await createEngine(engineCfg);
+    await connectWithRetry(engine, engineCfg, {
+      noRetry: process.argv.includes('--no-retry-connect') || process.env.GBRAIN_NO_RETRY_CONNECT === '1',
+    });
     // Count rows where effective_date is still NULL but frontmatter HAS a
     // parseable date — those are the rows the backfill should have touched
     // but didn't. (Rows that fall through to 'fallback' have non-null
@@ -92,12 +104,14 @@ async function phaseCVerify(opts: OrchestratorOpts): Promise<OrchestratorPhaseRe
     );
     const remaining = Number(rows[0]?.count ?? 0);
     if (remaining > 0) {
+      await engine.disconnect();
       return {
         name: 'verify',
         status: 'failed',
         detail: `${remaining} pages still have NULL effective_date (backfill incomplete)`,
       };
     }
+    await engine.disconnect();
     return { name: 'verify', status: 'complete', detail: '0 pages with NULL effective_date' };
   } catch (e) {
     return { name: 'verify', status: 'failed', detail: e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e) };
diff --git a/src/core/pglite-schema.ts b/src/core/pglite-schema.ts
index 942f734c0..8ff4a36a8 100644
--- a/src/core/pglite-schema.ts
+++ b/src/core/pglite-schema.ts
@@ -92,8 +92,16 @@ CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_pages_source_id ON pages(source_id);
 CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS pages_deleted_at_purge_idx
   ON pages (deleted_at) WHERE deleted_at IS NOT NULL;
 -- v0.29.1: expression index for since/until date-range filters.
-CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS pages_coalesce_date_idx
-  ON pages ((COALESCE(effective_date, updated_at)));
+DO $$
+BEGIN
+  IF EXISTS (
+    SELECT 1
+    FROM information_schema.columns
+    WHERE table_name = 'pages' AND column_name = 'effective_date'
+  ) THEN
+    EXECUTE 'CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS pages_coalesce_date_idx ON pages ((COALESCE(effective_date, updated_at)))';
+  END IF;
+END $$;
 
 -- ============================================================
 -- content_chunks: chunked content with embeddings
diff --git a/src/core/schema-embedded.ts b/src/core/schema-embedded.ts
index 905936657..7217708aa 100644
--- a/src/core/schema-embedded.ts
+++ b/src/core/schema-embedded.ts
@@ -124,8 +124,16 @@ CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS pages_deleted_at_purge_idx
 -- COALESCE(effective_date, updated_at). A partial index on effective_date
 -- alone would NOT help — the planner can't use it for the negative side of
 -- the COALESCE. Expression index is what actually accelerates the filter.
-CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS pages_coalesce_date_idx
-  ON pages ((COALESCE(effective_date, updated_at)));
+DO $$
+BEGIN
+  IF EXISTS (
+    SELECT 1
+    FROM information_schema.columns
+    WHERE table_name = 'pages' AND column_name = 'effective_date'
+  ) THEN
+    EXECUTE 'CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS pages_coalesce_date_idx ON pages ((COALESCE(effective_date, updated_at)))';
+  END IF;
+END $$;
 
 -- ============================================================
 -- content_chunks: chunked content with embeddings
diff --git a/src/schema.sql b/src/schema.sql
index e059d539f..754cca47f 100644
--- a/src/schema.sql
+++ b/src/schema.sql
@@ -120,8 +120,16 @@ CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS pages_deleted_at_purge_idx
 -- COALESCE(effective_date, updated_at). A partial index on effective_date
 -- alone would NOT help — the planner can't use it for the negative side of
 -- the COALESCE. Expression index is what actually accelerates the filter.
-CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS pages_coalesce_date_idx
-  ON pages ((COALESCE(effective_date, updated_at)));
+DO $$
+BEGIN
+  IF EXISTS (
+    SELECT 1
+    FROM information_schema.columns
+    WHERE table_name = 'pages' AND column_name = 'effective_date'
+  ) THEN
+    EXECUTE 'CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS pages_coalesce_date_idx ON pages ((COALESCE(effective_date, updated_at)))';
+  END IF;
+END $$;
 
 -- ============================================================
 -- content_chunks: chunked content with embeddings