diff --git a/modules/commands/version_command.py b/modules/commands/version_command.py
index 25193c6..6e6e387 100644
--- a/modules/commands/version_command.py
+++ b/modules/commands/version_command.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ Returns the currently running bot version string.
 from typing import Any
 
 from ..models import MeshMessage
-from ..version_info import resolve_runtime_version
+from ..version_info import resolve_application_version
 from .base_command import BaseCommand
 
 
@@ -43,9 +43,7 @@ class VersionCommand(BaseCommand):
     async def execute(self, message: MeshMessage) -> bool:
         version_value = getattr(self.bot, "bot_version", None)
         if not version_value:
-            bot_root = getattr(self.bot, "bot_root", ".")
-            version_value = resolve_runtime_version(bot_root).get("display", "unknown")
+            version_value = resolve_application_version().get("display", "unknown")
         sender = message.sender_id or "Unknown"
         response = f"@[{sender}] Bot version: {version_value}"
         return await self.send_response(message, response)
-
diff --git a/modules/db_manager.py b/modules/db_manager.py
index c287c4b..cac4139 100644
--- a/modules/db_manager.py
+++ b/modules/db_manager.py
@@ -8,8 +8,9 @@ import json
 import os
 import re
 import sqlite3
+import threading
 from collections.abc import AsyncGenerator, Generator
-from contextlib import asynccontextmanager, contextmanager
+from contextlib import asynccontextmanager, contextmanager, suppress
 from datetime import date, datetime, timezone
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any, Optional
@@ -64,6 +65,13 @@ class DBManager:
         self.bot = bot
         self.logger = bot.logger
         self.db_path = db_path
+        # WAL is persistent database state, and re-applying it on every
+        # short-lived connection is surprisingly expensive (and can take a
+        # lock), so it is set once per config section. The rollback journal
+        # modes are connection-local; see _apply_sqlite_pragmas.
+        self._journal_mode_lock = threading.Lock()
+        self._journal_mode_initialized: set[str] = set()
+        self._journal_mode_warned: set[str] = set()
         self._init_database()
 
     def _init_database(self) -> None:
@@ -572,17 +580,47 @@ class DBManager:
         foreign_keys = bool(foreign_keys)
         journal_mode = str(journal_mode).strip() or "WAL"
         if journal_mode.upper() not in VALID_JOURNAL_MODES:
-            self.logger.warning(f"Invalid journal_mode {journal_mode!r}, falling back to WAL")
+            # Warn once per section: this runs on every connection, so an
+            # unconditional warning here would flood the log.
+            if section not in self._journal_mode_warned:
+                self._journal_mode_warned.add(section)
+                self.logger.warning(
+                    f"Invalid journal_mode {journal_mode!r} in [{section}], falling back to WAL"
+                )
             journal_mode = "WAL"
 
         try:
             conn.execute(f"PRAGMA foreign_keys={'ON' if foreign_keys else 'OFF'}")
             conn.execute(f"PRAGMA busy_timeout={busy_timeout_ms}")
-            conn.execute(f"PRAGMA journal_mode={journal_mode}")
         except sqlite3.OperationalError:
-            # journal_mode can fail if DB is locked; others are best-effort.
+            # Connection-local tuning is best-effort when the database is busy.
             pass
 
+        # Only WAL is recorded in the database header and so survives to later
+        # connections. DELETE/TRUNCATE/PERSIST/MEMORY/OFF are connection-local:
+        # setting one of those just once would leave every subsequent connection
+        # silently running the SQLite default instead of the configured mode.
+        if journal_mode.upper() != "WAL":
+            with suppress(sqlite3.OperationalError):
+                conn.execute(f"PRAGMA journal_mode={journal_mode}")
+            return
+
+        # Tracked per section: [Bot] and [Web_Viewer] are read by different
+        # callers against this same database, so one must not starve the other.
+        if section in self._journal_mode_initialized:
+            return
+
+        # The first successful connection initializes persistent WAL mode.
+        # If SQLite is locked, leave the section clear so a later connection retries.
+        with self._journal_mode_lock:
+            if section in self._journal_mode_initialized:
+                return
+            try:
+                conn.execute(f"PRAGMA journal_mode={journal_mode}")
+            except sqlite3.OperationalError:
+                return
+            self._journal_mode_initialized.add(section)
+
     @contextmanager
     def connection(self) -> Generator[sqlite3.Connection, None, None]:
         """Context manager that yields a configured connection and closes it on exit.
diff --git a/modules/mesh_graph.py b/modules/mesh_graph.py
index ce1a599..6f00fdd 100644
--- a/modules/mesh_graph.py
+++ b/modules/mesh_graph.py
@@ -45,11 +45,15 @@ def _merge_avg_hop_position(
 class MeshGraph:
     """Graph structure tracking observed connections between mesh nodes."""
 
-    def __init__(self, bot):
+    def __init__(self, bot, capture: Optional[bool] = None):
         """Initialize the mesh graph.
 
         Args:
             bot: Bot instance with db_manager and config access.
+            capture: Force the capture kill-switch instead of reading it from
+                config. Pass False for a read-only consumer (e.g. the web
+                viewer's path decoding) so it loads the graph without writing
+                edges or running a batch-writer thread. None reads config.
         """
         self.bot = bot
         self.logger = bot.logger
@@ -58,7 +62,10 @@ class MeshGraph:
         # Capture/validation feature flags
         # graph_capture_enabled: controls whether new edge data is collected from packets
         # When False, no new edges are added and the batch writer thread is not started.
-        self.capture_enabled = bot.config.getboolean('Path_Command', 'graph_capture_enabled', fallback=True)
+        if capture is None:
+            self.capture_enabled = bot.config.getboolean('Path_Command', 'graph_capture_enabled', fallback=True)
+        else:
+            self.capture_enabled = bool(capture)
 
         # In-memory graph storage: {(from_prefix, to_prefix): edge_data}
         self.edges: dict[tuple[str, str], dict] = {}
diff --git a/modules/repeater_manager.py b/modules/repeater_manager.py
index 4481e7e..e0e9ac6 100644
--- a/modules/repeater_manager.py
+++ b/modules/repeater_manager.py
@@ -64,6 +64,46 @@ def collect_protected_pubkeys_for_device_mode(config: Any, logger: Any) -> set[s
     return set(keys)
 
 
+REQUIRED_REPEATER_TABLES = (
+    "repeater_contacts",
+    "complete_contact_tracking",
+    "daily_stats",
+    "unique_advert_packets",
+    "purging_log",
+    "mesh_connections",
+    "observed_paths",
+)
+
+
+def validate_repeater_tables(db_manager: Any, logger: Any) -> None:
+    """Raise RuntimeError if the repeater/graph tables migrations create are missing.
+
+    Split out of RepeaterManager.__init__ so callers that build the manager
+    lazily (the web viewer) can still fail fast at startup with an actionable
+    message, instead of surfacing a migration problem from inside whichever
+    request first happens to need the manager.
+    """
+    with db_manager.connection() as conn:
+        missing = [
+            table
+            for table in REQUIRED_REPEATER_TABLES
+            if conn.execute(
+                "SELECT name FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table' AND name=?",
+                (table,),
+            ).fetchone()
+            is None
+        ]
+
+    if missing:
+        msg = (
+            "Missing repeater/graph database tables: "
+            + ", ".join(missing)
+            + ". Run the bot once to apply migrations."
+        )
+        logger.error(msg)
+        raise RuntimeError(msg)
+
+
 class RepeaterManager:
     """Manages repeater contacts database and purging operations"""
 
@@ -156,34 +196,7 @@ class RepeaterManager:
     def _init_repeater_tables(self):
         """Ensure repeater-specific tables exist (created by migrations)."""
         try:
-            with self.db_manager.connection() as conn:
-                required_tables = [
-                    "repeater_contacts",
-                    "complete_contact_tracking",
-                    "daily_stats",
-                    "unique_advert_packets",
-                    "purging_log",
-                    "mesh_connections",
-                    "observed_paths",
-                ]
-                missing = []
-                for t in required_tables:
-                    cur = conn.execute(
-                        "SELECT name FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table' AND name=?",
-                        (t,),
-                    )
-                    if cur.fetchone() is None:
-                        missing.append(t)
-
-                if missing:
-                    msg = (
-                        "Missing repeater/graph database tables: "
-                        + ", ".join(missing)
-                        + ". Run the bot once to apply migrations."
-                    )
-                    self.logger.error(msg)
-                    raise RuntimeError(msg)
-
+            validate_repeater_tables(self.db_manager, self.logger)
             self.logger.info("Repeater contacts database initialized successfully")
 
         except Exception as e:
diff --git a/modules/service_plugins/packet_capture_service.py b/modules/service_plugins/packet_capture_service.py
index ff73879..18412ad 100644
--- a/modules/service_plugins/packet_capture_service.py
+++ b/modules/service_plugins/packet_capture_service.py
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ from ..utils import (
     parse_trace_payload_route_hashes,
     verify_meshcore_advert_ed25519,
 )
-from ..version_info import resolve_runtime_version
+from ..version_info import resolve_application_version
 
 # Import MQTT client
 try:
@@ -1904,7 +1904,7 @@ class PacketCaptureService(BaseServicePlugin):
     def _load_client_version(self) -> str:
         """Load client version from shared runtime resolver."""
         try:
-            info = resolve_runtime_version(self.bot.bot_root)
+            info = resolve_application_version()
             display = info.get("display") or "unknown"
             return f"meshcore-bot/{display}"
         except Exception as e:
diff --git a/modules/version_info.py b/modules/version_info.py
index 645dc41..ce547d9 100644
--- a/modules/version_info.py
+++ b/modules/version_info.py
@@ -90,6 +90,21 @@ def _read_pyproject_version(repo_root: Path) -> str | None:
     return None
 
 
+def get_application_root() -> Path:
+    """Return the installed/source directory containing the bot application.
+
+    Runtime configuration may live elsewhere (for example, ``/etc/meshcore-bot``
+    or ``/data/config``), so version metadata must be resolved relative to this
+    module rather than relative to the config file.
+    """
+    return Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+
+
+def resolve_application_version() -> dict[str, str | None]:
+    """Resolve version metadata for the running bot application."""
+    return resolve_runtime_version(get_application_root())
+
+
 def resolve_runtime_version(repo_root: Path | str) -> dict[str, str | None]:
     """Resolve version metadata and a single runtime display value.
 
@@ -161,4 +176,3 @@ def resolve_runtime_version(repo_root: Path | str) -> dict[str, str | None]:
         "date": date,
         "display": display,
     }
-
diff --git a/modules/web_viewer/app.py b/modules/web_viewer/app.py
index 8d2cfc9..1c11ee9 100644
--- a/modules/web_viewer/app.py
+++ b/modules/web_viewer/app.py
@@ -55,7 +55,6 @@ from modules.db_retention import (
 )
 from modules.ini_writer import IniValueError, update_ini_values
 from modules.security_utils import (
-    VALID_JOURNAL_MODES,
     SafeUrlPolicy,
     create_safe_requests_session,
     safe_requests_request,
@@ -68,7 +67,7 @@ from modules.settings_schema import (
     validate_field,
 )
 from modules.settings_store import get_settings_store
-from modules.version_info import resolve_runtime_version
+from modules.version_info import resolve_application_version
 from modules.web_viewer.dashboard_stats import (
     SERIES_METRICS,
     TOP_KINDS,
@@ -158,7 +157,7 @@ from modules.feed_manager import (
     FeedManager,
     _useful_feed_content_type,
 )
-from modules.repeater_manager import RepeaterManager
+from modules.repeater_manager import RepeaterManager, validate_repeater_tables
 from modules.url_shortener import _coerce_url_string
 from modules.utils import resolve_path
 from modules.web_viewer.config_panels import CONFIG_PANELS, PANEL_CATEGORIES
@@ -298,6 +297,8 @@ class BotDataViewer:
         self._db_lock = threading.Lock()
         self._db_last_used = 0
         self._db_timeout = 300  # 5 minutes connection timeout
+        # SQLite pragma handling (including the once-per-section WAL setup)
+        # lives in DBManager; see _configure_db_connection.
 
         # The contacts list needs all-time multibyte hop-prefix evidence for its
         # capability badge.  Cache that derived set between requests and invalidate
@@ -489,7 +490,7 @@ class BotDataViewer:
 
     def _get_version_info(self) -> dict[str, str | None]:
         """Get version info for footer via centralized version resolver. Never raises."""
-        info = resolve_runtime_version(self.bot_root)
+        info = resolve_application_version()
         display = info.get("display")
         return {
             # 'display' is what the footer renders — same value !version reports,
@@ -581,13 +582,24 @@ class BotDataViewer:
             # Now set db_manager on the minimal bot for RepeaterManager
             minimal_bot.db_manager = self.db_manager
 
-            # Initialize repeater manager for geocoding functionality
-            self.repeater_manager = RepeaterManager(minimal_bot)
+            # The viewer only needs RepeaterManager for the manual geocode
+            # endpoint, so defer its setup until that endpoint is actually used.
+            self._repeater_manager_bot = minimal_bot
+            self._repeater_manager_lock = threading.Lock()
+            self.repeater_manager: RepeaterManager | None = None
 
-            # Initialize mesh graph for path resolution (uses same logic as path command)
-            from modules.mesh_graph import MeshGraph
-            minimal_bot.mesh_graph = MeshGraph(minimal_bot)
-            self.mesh_graph = minimal_bot.mesh_graph
+            # RepeaterManager's constructor is what used to validate these at
+            # startup. It is lazy now, so validate here: a missing migration is
+            # a startup failure, not a mystery 500 from the geocode endpoint.
+            validate_repeater_tables(self.db_manager, self.logger)
+
+            # MeshGraph is only read by the two path-decoding routes, so build it
+            # on first use rather than at startup. It is NOT optional for them:
+            # without it decode_path_nodes() falls back to geographic-only
+            # selection and disagrees with the bot's `path` command.
+            self._mesh_graph_bot = minimal_bot
+            self._mesh_graph_lock = threading.Lock()
+            self.mesh_graph = None
 
             # Store database paths for direct connection
             self.db_path = self.db_path
@@ -597,23 +609,56 @@ class BotDataViewer:
             self.logger.error(f"Failed to initialize databases: {e}")
             raise
 
+    def _get_repeater_manager(self) -> RepeaterManager:
+        """Lazily construct the manual-geocoding helper once."""
+        if self.repeater_manager is not None:
+            return self.repeater_manager
+        with self._repeater_manager_lock:
+            if self.repeater_manager is None:
+                self.repeater_manager = RepeaterManager(self._repeater_manager_bot)
+            return self.repeater_manager
+
+    def _get_mesh_graph(self):
+        """Lazily load the read-only mesh graph used to disambiguate path prefixes.
+
+        Returns None only if the graph cannot be loaded, in which case path
+        decoding degrades to geographic-only selection rather than failing the
+        request. Loaded with capture disabled: the bot process owns edge
+        capture, so the viewer must not write edges or run a batch writer.
+        """
+        if self.mesh_graph is not None:
+            return self.mesh_graph
+        with self._mesh_graph_lock:
+            if self.mesh_graph is None:
+                from modules.mesh_graph import MeshGraph
+                try:
+                    graph = MeshGraph(self._mesh_graph_bot, capture=False)
+                except Exception as e:
+                    self.logger.error(
+                        f"Mesh graph unavailable; path decoding will fall back to "
+                        f"geographic selection only: {e}"
+                    )
+                    return None
+                self._mesh_graph_bot.mesh_graph = graph
+                self.mesh_graph = graph
+            return self.mesh_graph
+
+    def _configure_db_connection(self, conn: sqlite3.Connection) -> None:
+        """Apply SQLite pragmas to a viewer connection.
+
+        Delegates to DBManager, which owns the single implementation and the
+        once-per-section WAL bookkeeping. Safe because this DBManager was built
+        for self.db_path, which is the file every viewer connection opens — the
+        journal-mode state it tracks belongs to that same database.
+        """
+        self.db_manager._apply_sqlite_pragmas(conn, for_web_viewer=True)
+
     def _get_db_connection(self):
         """Get database connection - create new connection for each request to avoid threading issues"""
         try:
             conn = sqlite3.connect(self.db_path, timeout=60)
             conn.row_factory = sqlite3.Row
-            try:
-                foreign_keys = self.config.getboolean("Web_Viewer", "sqlite_foreign_keys", fallback=True)
-                busy_timeout_ms = self.config.getint("Web_Viewer", "sqlite_busy_timeout_ms", fallback=60000)
-                journal_mode = self.config.get("Web_Viewer", "sqlite_journal_mode", fallback="WAL").strip() or "WAL"
-                if journal_mode.upper() not in VALID_JOURNAL_MODES:
-                    self.logger.warning(f"Invalid journal_mode {journal_mode!r}, falling back to WAL")
-                    journal_mode = "WAL"
-                conn.execute(f"PRAGMA foreign_keys={'ON' if foreign_keys else 'OFF'}")
-                conn.execute(f"PRAGMA busy_timeout={int(busy_timeout_ms)}")
-                conn.execute(f"PRAGMA journal_mode={journal_mode}")
-            except sqlite3.OperationalError:
-                pass
+            self._configure_db_connection(conn)
             return conn
         except Exception as e:
             self.logger.error(f"Failed to create database connection: {e}")
@@ -626,18 +671,7 @@ class BotDataViewer:
         """
         conn = sqlite3.connect(self.db_path, timeout=60)
         conn.row_factory = sqlite3.Row
-        try:
-            foreign_keys = self.config.getboolean("Web_Viewer", "sqlite_foreign_keys", fallback=True)
-            busy_timeout_ms = self.config.getint("Web_Viewer", "sqlite_busy_timeout_ms", fallback=60000)
-            journal_mode = self.config.get("Web_Viewer", "sqlite_journal_mode", fallback="WAL").strip() or "WAL"
-            if journal_mode.upper() not in VALID_JOURNAL_MODES:
-                self.logger.warning(f"Invalid journal_mode {journal_mode!r}, falling back to WAL")
-                journal_mode = "WAL"
-            conn.execute(f"PRAGMA foreign_keys={'ON' if foreign_keys else 'OFF'}")
-            conn.execute(f"PRAGMA busy_timeout={int(busy_timeout_ms)}")
-            conn.execute(f"PRAGMA journal_mode={journal_mode}")
-        except sqlite3.OperationalError:
-            pass
+        self._configure_db_connection(conn)
         try:
             yield conn
         finally:
@@ -957,7 +991,7 @@ class BotDataViewer:
             config=self.config,
             db_manager=self.db_manager,
             logger=self.logger,
-            mesh_graph=getattr(self, "mesh_graph", None),
+            mesh_graph=self._get_mesh_graph(),
             include_location=True,
         )
         node_ids = [n["node_id"] for n in nodes]
@@ -3151,8 +3185,13 @@ class BotDataViewer:
                 current_country = contact['country']
                 self.logger.debug(f"Current location data - city: {current_city}, state: {current_state}, country: {current_country}")
 
+                # Outside the try below: a failure to build the manager is a
+                # setup problem, not a geocoding one, and must not be reported
+                # to the user as "Geocoding exception".
+                repeater_manager = self._get_repeater_manager()
+
                 try:
-                    location_info = self.repeater_manager._get_full_location_from_coordinates(lat, lon)
+                    location_info = repeater_manager._get_full_location_from_coordinates(lat, lon)
                     self.logger.debug(f"Geocoding result for {name}: {location_info}")
                 except Exception as geocode_error:
                     self.logger.error(f"Exception during geocoding for {name} at {lat}, {lon}: {geocode_error}", exc_info=True)
@@ -4736,6 +4775,21 @@ class BotDataViewer:
                     import sqlite3
                     import time
 
+                    # Subscription handlers replay recent history themselves.
+                    # With no live command/packet/message subscribers there is
+                    # nothing to broadcast, so avoid opening SQLite and decoding
+                    # every packet-stream row merely to discard it.
+                    if not self._has_live_stream_subscribers():
+                        last_timestamp = time.time()
+                        # An idle period is not a failure. Without this, an
+                        # error burst before the last subscriber left would
+                        # still be counted against the first poll after the
+                        # next one arrives, mis-escalating its log level and
+                        # backoff.
+                        consecutive_errors = 0
+                        time.sleep(2.0)
+                        continue
+
                     # Check if database file exists and is accessible
                     db_file = Path(self.db_path)
                     if not db_file.exists():
@@ -4854,6 +4908,19 @@ class BotDataViewer:
         polling_thread.start()
         self.logger.info("Database polling started")
 
+    def _has_live_stream_subscribers(self) -> bool:
+        """Return whether any client consumes a DB-backed live stream."""
+        subscription_keys = (
+            'subscribed_commands',
+            'subscribed_packets',
+            'subscribed_messages',
+        )
+        with self._clients_lock:
+            return any(
+                any(client.get(key, False) for key in subscription_keys)
+                for client in self.connected_clients.values()
+            )
+
     def _config_int(self, section: str, option: str, fallback: int) -> int:
         """Read an int config value, falling back on a missing or malformed entry."""
         try:
@@ -4950,9 +5017,7 @@ class BotDataViewer:
         """
         conn = sqlite3.connect(self.db_path, timeout=60, isolation_level=None)
         conn.row_factory = sqlite3.Row
-        with suppress(sqlite3.OperationalError):
-            conn.execute(f"PRAGMA busy_timeout={self._config_int('Web_Viewer', 'sqlite_busy_timeout_ms', 60000)}")
-            conn.execute("PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL")
+        self._configure_db_connection(conn)
         return conn
 
     def _start_dashboard_refresher(self):
@@ -8463,7 +8528,7 @@ class BotDataViewer:
             config=self.config,
             db_manager=self.db_manager,
             logger=self.logger,
-            mesh_graph=getattr(self, "mesh_graph", None),
+            mesh_graph=self._get_mesh_graph(),
         )
 
     def run(self, host='127.0.0.1', port=8080, debug=False):
diff --git a/tests/commands/test_version_command.py b/tests/commands/test_version_command.py
index 66a0d14..b3d0eed 100644
--- a/tests/commands/test_version_command.py
+++ b/tests/commands/test_version_command.py
@@ -39,14 +39,25 @@ class TestVersionCommand:
         assert call_args[0][1] == "@[TestUser] Bot version: dev-abc1234"
 
     @pytest.mark.asyncio
-    async def test_execute_falls_back_to_resolver(self, command_mock_bot, monkeypatch):
+    async def test_execute_resolves_version_from_application_root(
+        self, command_mock_bot, monkeypatch, tmp_path
+    ):
         command_mock_bot.config.add_section("Version_Command")
         command_mock_bot.config.set("Version_Command", "enabled", "true")
         command_mock_bot.bot_version = None
-        command_mock_bot.bot_root = "."
+        command_mock_bot.bot_root = tmp_path / "etc" / "meshcore-bot"
+
+        application_root = tmp_path / "opt" / "meshcore-bot"
+        application_root.mkdir(parents=True)
+        (application_root / ".version_info").write_text(
+            '{"installer_version": "v0.9"}', encoding="utf-8"
+        )
+        monkeypatch.delenv("MESHCORE_BOT_VERSION", raising=False)
         monkeypatch.setattr(
-            "modules.commands.version_command.resolve_runtime_version",
-            lambda _root: {"display": "v0.9"},
+            "modules.version_info.get_application_root", lambda: application_root
+        )
+        monkeypatch.setattr(
+            "modules.version_info._safe_git_run", lambda *_args, **_kwargs: None
         )
 
         cmd = VersionCommand(command_mock_bot)
@@ -57,4 +68,3 @@ class TestVersionCommand:
         call_args = command_mock_bot.command_manager.send_response.call_args
         assert call_args is not None
         assert call_args[0][1] == "@[TestUser] Bot version: v0.9"
-
diff --git a/tests/test_db_manager.py b/tests/test_db_manager.py
index f18e0e3..c02964c 100644
--- a/tests/test_db_manager.py
+++ b/tests/test_db_manager.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 """Tests for modules.db_manager."""
 
+import configparser
 import sqlite3
 from contextlib import closing
 from unittest.mock import Mock
@@ -35,6 +36,140 @@ class TestDatabaseInitialization:
         assert "parent=" in logged
         assert "exists=False" in logged
 
+    def test_journal_mode_is_initialized_once_per_manager(
+        self, mock_logger, monkeypatch, tmp_path
+    ):
+        statements = []
+        real_connect = sqlite3.connect
+
+        class TracingConnection(sqlite3.Connection):
+            def execute(self, sql, parameters=()):
+                statements.append(sql)
+                return super().execute(sql, parameters)
+
+        def tracing_connect(*args, **kwargs):
+            kwargs["factory"] = TracingConnection
+            return real_connect(*args, **kwargs)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(sqlite3, "connect", tracing_connect)
+        bot = Mock()
+        bot.logger = mock_logger
+        bot.config = configparser.ConfigParser()
+        bot.config["Bot"] = {"sqlite_journal_mode": "WAL"}
+
+        manager = DBManager(bot, str(tmp_path / "journal-once.db"))
+        manager.get_metadata("missing-one")
+        manager.get_metadata("missing-two")
+
+        journal_statements = [
+            sql for sql in statements if sql.upper().startswith("PRAGMA JOURNAL_MODE=")
+        ]
+        foreign_key_statements = [
+            sql for sql in statements if sql.upper().startswith("PRAGMA FOREIGN_KEYS=")
+        ]
+        assert journal_statements == ["PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL"]
+        assert len(foreign_key_statements) == 3
+
+    def test_journal_mode_retries_after_database_lock(self, db):
+        db._journal_mode_initialized.clear()
+        locked_connection = Mock()
+
+        def locked_execute(sql):
+            if sql.upper().startswith("PRAGMA JOURNAL_MODE="):
+                raise sqlite3.OperationalError("database is locked")
+            return Mock()
+
+        locked_connection.execute.side_effect = locked_execute
+        db._apply_sqlite_pragmas(locked_connection)
+        assert "Bot" not in db._journal_mode_initialized
+
+        available_connection = Mock()
+        db._apply_sqlite_pragmas(available_connection)
+        assert "Bot" in db._journal_mode_initialized
+        assert any(
+            call.args[0].upper().startswith("PRAGMA JOURNAL_MODE=")
+            for call in available_connection.execute.call_args_list
+        )
+
+    def test_config_sections_do_not_starve_each_other(self, db):
+        """[Bot] and [Web_Viewer] are read by different callers against one file.
+
+        A single shared flag would let whichever ran first suppress the other's
+        journal-mode setup entirely.
+        """
+        db._journal_mode_initialized.clear()
+
+        bot_conn = Mock()
+        db._apply_sqlite_pragmas(bot_conn, for_web_viewer=False)
+        viewer_conn = Mock()
+        db._apply_sqlite_pragmas(viewer_conn, for_web_viewer=True)
+
+        def journal_pragmas(conn):
+            return [
+                c.args[0] for c in conn.execute.call_args_list
+                if c.args[0].upper().startswith("PRAGMA JOURNAL_MODE=")
+            ]
+
+        assert journal_pragmas(bot_conn) == ["PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL"]
+        assert journal_pragmas(viewer_conn) == ["PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL"]
+        assert db._journal_mode_initialized == {"Bot", "Web_Viewer"}
+
+        # ...and each section is still only initialized once.
+        again = Mock()
+        db._apply_sqlite_pragmas(again, for_web_viewer=True)
+        assert journal_pragmas(again) == []
+
+    def test_invalid_journal_mode_warns_once_per_section(self, mock_logger, tmp_path):
+        bot = Mock()
+        bot.logger = mock_logger
+        bot.config = configparser.ConfigParser()
+        bot.config["Bot"] = {"sqlite_journal_mode": "NOT_A_MODE"}
+        manager = DBManager(bot, str(tmp_path / "bad-mode.db"))
+        # Construction runs migrations, which already consumed the one warning
+        # and initialized the mode for [Bot].
+        manager._journal_mode_warned.clear()
+        manager._journal_mode_initialized.clear()
+        mock_logger.warning.reset_mock()
+
+        applied = []
+        conn = Mock()
+        conn.execute.side_effect = lambda sql: applied.append(sql)
+        for _ in range(3):
+            manager._apply_sqlite_pragmas(conn)
+
+        assert mock_logger.warning.call_count == 1
+        assert "NOT_A_MODE" in str(mock_logger.warning.call_args)
+        assert [s for s in applied if s.upper().startswith("PRAGMA JOURNAL_MODE=")] == [
+            "PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL"
+        ]
+
+    def test_rollback_journal_mode_is_applied_to_every_connection(
+        self, mock_logger, tmp_path
+    ):
+        """Only WAL persists in the file header; the rollback modes are per-connection.
+
+        Caching a rollback mode after the first connection would leave every
+        later connection silently running SQLite's default DELETE.
+        """
+        bot = Mock()
+        bot.logger = mock_logger
+        bot.config = configparser.ConfigParser()
+        bot.config["Bot"] = {"sqlite_journal_mode": "TRUNCATE"}
+        manager = DBManager(bot, str(tmp_path / "rollback-mode.db"))
+
+        applied = []
+        conn = Mock()
+        conn.execute.side_effect = lambda sql: applied.append(sql)
+        manager._apply_sqlite_pragmas(conn)
+        manager._apply_sqlite_pragmas(conn)
+
+        assert [s for s in applied if s.upper().startswith("PRAGMA JOURNAL_MODE=")] == [
+            "PRAGMA journal_mode=TRUNCATE",
+            "PRAGMA journal_mode=TRUNCATE",
+        ]
+        # A non-persistent mode must not consume the WAL-only fast path.
+        assert "Bot" not in manager._journal_mode_initialized
+
 
 class TestGeocoding:
     """Tests for geocoding cache."""
diff --git a/tests/test_repeater_manager.py b/tests/test_repeater_manager.py
index c1c3367..2ac84ca 100644
--- a/tests/test_repeater_manager.py
+++ b/tests/test_repeater_manager.py
@@ -10,11 +10,38 @@ import pytest
 from meshcore import EventType
 
 from modules.repeater_manager import (
+    REQUIRED_REPEATER_TABLES,
     RepeaterManager,
     collect_protected_pubkeys_for_device_mode,
+    validate_repeater_tables,
 )
 
 
+class TestValidateRepeaterTables:
+    """Callable without a RepeaterManager so lazy callers can still fail fast."""
+
+    def test_passes_on_a_migrated_database(self, test_db, mock_logger):
+        validate_repeater_tables(test_db, mock_logger)
+
+    def test_names_every_missing_table(self, test_db, mock_logger):
+        with test_db.connection() as conn:
+            conn.execute("DROP TABLE observed_paths")
+            conn.execute("DROP TABLE purging_log")
+            conn.commit()
+
+        with pytest.raises(RuntimeError) as excinfo:
+            validate_repeater_tables(test_db, mock_logger)
+
+        message = str(excinfo.value)
+        assert "observed_paths" in message
+        assert "purging_log" in message
+        assert "Run the bot once to apply migrations" in message
+
+    def test_covers_the_tables_the_manager_depends_on(self):
+        assert "mesh_connections" in REQUIRED_REPEATER_TABLES
+        assert "repeater_contacts" in REQUIRED_REPEATER_TABLES
+
+
 @pytest.fixture
 def bot(mock_logger, test_db):
     """Minimal bot mock for RepeaterManager — uses a real test DB."""
diff --git a/tests/test_web_viewer.py b/tests/test_web_viewer.py
index 1d9bdde..e70cf28 100644
--- a/tests/test_web_viewer.py
+++ b/tests/test_web_viewer.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import configparser
 import json
 import logging
 import sqlite3
-from contextlib import closing
+from contextlib import closing, contextmanager
 from pathlib import Path
 from unittest.mock import MagicMock, Mock, patch
 
@@ -35,6 +35,30 @@ def _write_config(path: Path, db_path: str) -> None:
         cfg.write(f)
 
 
+@contextmanager
+def _temp_config_option(config, section: str, option: str, value: str):
+    """Set a config option for the body of a test, restoring prior state after.
+
+    Patching ConfigParser.get is not a substitute: getboolean/getint delegate to
+    it internally, so a stubbed get breaks every other option read too.
+    """
+    added_section = not config.has_section(section)
+    if added_section:
+        config.add_section(section)
+    had_option = config.has_option(section, option)
+    previous = config.get(section, option) if had_option else None
+    config.set(section, option, value)
+    try:
+        yield
+    finally:
+        if added_section:
+            config.remove_section(section)
+        elif had_option:
+            config.set(section, option, previous)
+        else:
+            config.remove_option(section, option)
+
+
 def _fake_setup_logging(self: BotDataViewer) -> None:
     """Replace file-based logging with an in-memory logger for tests."""
     self.logger = logging.getLogger("test_web_viewer")
@@ -2250,6 +2274,214 @@ class TestSubscribeCommandsHistoryReplay:
             "last_timestamp must be initialized to time.time()-300, not 0"
         )
 
+    def test_mesh_graph_is_not_built_at_startup(self, tmp_path):
+        """Uses its own viewer: the shared one may already have decoded a path."""
+        db_path = str(tmp_path / "startup.db")
+        config_path = str(tmp_path / "config.ini")
+        _write_config(Path(config_path), db_path)
+
+        factory = Mock()
+        with (
+            patch("modules.mesh_graph.MeshGraph", factory),
+            patch.object(BotDataViewer, "_setup_logging", _fake_setup_logging),
+            patch.object(BotDataViewer, "_start_database_polling", lambda self: None),
+            patch.object(BotDataViewer, "_start_log_tailing", lambda self: None),
+            patch.object(BotDataViewer, "_start_cleanup_scheduler", lambda self: None),
+            patch.object(BotDataViewer, "_start_dashboard_refresher", lambda self: None),
+        ):
+            v = BotDataViewer(db_path=db_path, config_path=config_path)
+
+        assert v.mesh_graph is None
+        factory.assert_not_called()
+
+    def test_mesh_graph_is_lazy_singleton_and_read_only(self, viewer, monkeypatch):
+        graph = object()
+        factory = Mock(return_value=graph)
+        monkeypatch.setattr("modules.mesh_graph.MeshGraph", factory)
+        viewer.mesh_graph = None
+        try:
+            assert viewer._get_mesh_graph() is graph
+            assert viewer._get_mesh_graph() is graph
+            # capture=False keeps edge writes and the batch-writer thread in the
+            # bot process, which owns capture.
+            factory.assert_called_once_with(viewer._mesh_graph_bot, capture=False)
+        finally:
+            viewer.mesh_graph = None
+
+    def test_path_decoding_passes_mesh_graph_to_shared_engine(self, viewer, monkeypatch):
+        """Without the graph, decoding silently disagrees with the bot's `path` command."""
+        graph = object()
+        monkeypatch.setattr(
+            "modules.mesh_graph.MeshGraph", Mock(return_value=graph)
+        )
+        decode = Mock(return_value=[])
+        monkeypatch.setattr("modules.path_inference.decode_path_nodes", decode)
+        viewer.mesh_graph = None
+        try:
+            viewer._decode_path_hex("aabb")
+            assert decode.call_args.kwargs["mesh_graph"] is graph
+
+            decode.reset_mock()
+            viewer._resolve_path("aabb")
+            assert decode.call_args.kwargs["mesh_graph"] is graph
+        finally:
+            viewer.mesh_graph = None
+
+    def test_path_decoding_degrades_when_mesh_graph_fails_to_load(self, viewer, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setattr(
+            "modules.mesh_graph.MeshGraph", Mock(side_effect=RuntimeError("no table"))
+        )
+        decode = Mock(return_value=[])
+        monkeypatch.setattr("modules.path_inference.decode_path_nodes", decode)
+        viewer.mesh_graph = None
+        try:
+            viewer._decode_path_hex("aabb")
+            assert decode.call_args.kwargs["mesh_graph"] is None
+        finally:
+            viewer.mesh_graph = None
+
+    def test_missing_migrations_fail_at_startup_not_in_a_request(self, tmp_path):
+        """RepeaterManager is lazy now, so the viewer must validate up front.
+
+        Otherwise a migration problem first surfaces as a 500 from whichever
+        request happens to need the manager.
+        """
+        db_path = str(tmp_path / "unmigrated.db")
+        config_path = str(tmp_path / "config.ini")
+        _write_config(Path(config_path), db_path)
+
+        boom = Mock(side_effect=RuntimeError("Missing repeater/graph database tables: purging_log"))
+        with (
+            patch("modules.web_viewer.app.validate_repeater_tables", boom),
+            patch.object(BotDataViewer, "_setup_logging", _fake_setup_logging),
+            patch.object(BotDataViewer, "_start_database_polling", lambda self: None),
+            patch.object(BotDataViewer, "_start_log_tailing", lambda self: None),
+            patch.object(BotDataViewer, "_start_cleanup_scheduler", lambda self: None),
+            patch.object(BotDataViewer, "_start_dashboard_refresher", lambda self: None),
+            pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="Missing repeater/graph database tables"),
+        ):
+            BotDataViewer(db_path=db_path, config_path=config_path)
+
+    def test_repeater_manager_is_lazy_and_singleton(self, viewer, monkeypatch):
+        manager = object()
+        factory = Mock(return_value=manager)
+        monkeypatch.setattr("modules.web_viewer.app.RepeaterManager", factory)
+        viewer.repeater_manager = None
+        try:
+            assert viewer._get_repeater_manager() is manager
+            assert viewer._get_repeater_manager() is manager
+            factory.assert_called_once_with(viewer._repeater_manager_bot)
+        finally:
+            viewer.repeater_manager = None
+
+    def test_live_stream_polling_is_idle_without_relevant_subscribers(self, viewer):
+        with viewer._clients_lock:
+            original_clients = dict(viewer.connected_clients)
+            viewer.connected_clients.clear()
+            viewer.connected_clients["mesh-only"] = {"subscribed_mesh": True}
+        try:
+            assert viewer._has_live_stream_subscribers() is False
+            with viewer._clients_lock:
+                viewer.connected_clients["packet-client"] = {
+                    "subscribed_packets": True
+                }
+            assert viewer._has_live_stream_subscribers() is True
+        finally:
+            with viewer._clients_lock:
+                viewer.connected_clients.clear()
+                viewer.connected_clients.update(original_clients)
+
+    def test_viewer_journal_mode_is_initialized_once(self, viewer, monkeypatch):
+        statements = []
+        real_connect = sqlite3.connect
+
+        class TracingConnection(sqlite3.Connection):
+            def execute(self, sql, parameters=()):
+                statements.append(sql)
+                return super().execute(sql, parameters)
+
+        def tracing_connect(*args, **kwargs):
+            kwargs["factory"] = TracingConnection
+            return real_connect(*args, **kwargs)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(sqlite3, "connect", tracing_connect)
+        viewer.db_manager._journal_mode_initialized.discard("Web_Viewer")
+        for _ in range(3):
+            with closing(viewer._get_db_connection()):
+                pass
+
+        journal_statements = [
+            sql for sql in statements if sql.upper().startswith("PRAGMA JOURNAL_MODE=")
+        ]
+        foreign_key_statements = [
+            sql for sql in statements if sql.upper().startswith("PRAGMA FOREIGN_KEYS=")
+        ]
+        assert journal_statements == ["PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL"]
+        assert len(foreign_key_statements) == 3
+
+    def test_viewer_connections_use_the_shared_dbmanager_implementation(self, viewer):
+        """The viewer must not carry its own copy of the pragma logic."""
+        conn = Mock()
+        with patch.object(viewer.db_manager, "_apply_sqlite_pragmas") as shared:
+            viewer._configure_db_connection(conn)
+        shared.assert_called_once_with(conn, for_web_viewer=True)
+
+        # The DBManager it delegates to must own the same file every viewer
+        # connection opens, or its journal-mode bookkeeping would be tracking
+        # a different database.
+        assert str(viewer.db_manager.db_path) == str(viewer.db_path)
+
+    def test_rollback_journal_mode_is_applied_to_every_connection(self, viewer):
+        """DELETE/TRUNCATE/PERSIST/MEMORY/OFF are connection-local, not persistent.
+
+        Caching them like WAL would leave every connection after the first
+        silently running SQLite's default mode instead of the configured one.
+        """
+        applied = []
+        conn = Mock()
+        conn.execute.side_effect = lambda sql: applied.append(sql)
+        viewer.db_manager._journal_mode_initialized.discard("Web_Viewer")
+
+        with _temp_config_option(
+            viewer.config, "Web_Viewer", "sqlite_journal_mode", "MEMORY"
+        ):
+            viewer._configure_db_connection(conn)
+            viewer._configure_db_connection(conn)
+
+        assert [s for s in applied if s.upper().startswith("PRAGMA JOURNAL_MODE=")] == [
+            "PRAGMA journal_mode=MEMORY",
+            "PRAGMA journal_mode=MEMORY",
+        ]
+        # A non-persistent mode must not consume the WAL-only fast path.
+        assert "Web_Viewer" not in viewer.db_manager._journal_mode_initialized
+
+    def test_invalid_journal_mode_warns_once_and_falls_back(self, viewer):
+        """The mode is read per connection now, so the warning must not repeat."""
+        viewer.db_manager._journal_mode_warned.discard("Web_Viewer")
+        viewer.db_manager._journal_mode_initialized.discard("Web_Viewer")
+        applied = []
+        conn = Mock()
+        conn.execute.side_effect = lambda sql: applied.append(sql)
+        fake_logger = Mock()
+        try:
+            with (
+                _temp_config_option(
+                    viewer.config, "Web_Viewer", "sqlite_journal_mode", "BOGUS"
+                ),
+                patch.object(viewer.db_manager, "logger", fake_logger),
+            ):
+                for _ in range(3):
+                    viewer._configure_db_connection(conn)
+        finally:
+            viewer.db_manager._journal_mode_warned.discard("Web_Viewer")
+
+        assert fake_logger.warning.call_count == 1
+        assert "BOGUS" in str(fake_logger.warning.call_args)
+        # Falls back to WAL rather than sending an invalid pragma to SQLite.
+        assert [s for s in applied if s.upper().startswith("PRAGMA JOURNAL_MODE=")] == [
+            "PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL"
+        ]
+
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # TASK-03: GET /api/connected_clients