diff --git a/hermes_cli/doctor_state.py b/hermes_cli/doctor_state.py
index 038315f6e6..0a66427f0e 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/doctor_state.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/doctor_state.py
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ from hermes_cli.doctor_report import (
     warn_on_error,
 )
 from hermes_cli.sizefmt import format_bytes as _human_bytes
-from hermes_state_common import FTS_STORAGE_VERSION, read_only_db_uri
+from hermes_state_common import FTS_STORAGE_VERSION
+from hermes_state_holders import read_only_db_uri
 
 
 def _honcho_is_configured_for_doctor() -> bool:
@@ -166,9 +167,8 @@ def _write_health_reason(state_db_path: Path, *, should_fix: bool):
     """FTS/write-health probe (a rolled-back BEGIN IMMEDIATE). Against a store a live writer holds,
     that probe is the second-writer class (#103339), so probe a read-only snapshot instead; a quiet
     store is probed in place. Returns the failure reason, or None when healthy or skipped."""
-    from hermes_state_repair import _connect_repair_durable, _db_opens_cleanly
-    from hermes_state_holders import live_writer_holds_db
-    if not live_writer_holds_db(state_db_path, connect_repair_durable=_connect_repair_durable):
+    from hermes_state_repair import _db_opens_cleanly, _live_writer_holds_db
+    if not _live_writer_holds_db(state_db_path):
         return _db_opens_cleanly(state_db_path)
     if not should_fix and state_db_path.stat().st_size > _WRITE_PROBE_SNAPSHOT_MAX_BYTES:
         check_info("state.db write-health probe skipped: store is held by a live writer and larger than 1 GB "
@@ -236,14 +236,22 @@ def _repair_state_db(f: Finding, should_fix: bool, state_db_path: Path, kind: st
     f.fixed += 1
 
 
+def _report_structural_damage(f: Finding, should_fix: bool, state_db_path: Path, _DHH: str, reason) -> bool:
+    """True (and reported/repaired) when the canonical b-tree, not just the FTS index, is damaged."""
+    from hermes_state_repair import state_db_has_structural_damage
+    if not state_db_has_structural_damage(state_db_path):
+        return False
+    check_warn(f"{_DHH}/state.db has structural corruption (canonical tables/indexes damaged, "
+               "not the FTS index)", f"({reason})")
+    _repair_state_db(f, should_fix, state_db_path, "structural")
+    return True
+
+
 def _classify_unreadable_state_db(f: Finding, should_fix: bool, state_db_path: Path, _DHH: str, exc: Exception) -> None:
     """Structural damage first; only then schema repair. Avoids SessionDB auto-repair side effects."""
     from hermes_state import is_malformed_db_error
-    from hermes_state_repair import state_db_has_structural_damage
-    if state_db_has_structural_damage(state_db_path):
-        check_warn(f"{_DHH}/state.db has structural corruption (canonical tables/indexes damaged, "
-                   "not the FTS index)", f"({exc})")
-        return _repair_state_db(f, should_fix, state_db_path, "structural")
+    if _report_structural_damage(f, should_fix, state_db_path, _DHH, exc):
+        return
     if not is_malformed_db_error(exc):
         return check_warn(f"{_DHH}/state.db exists but has issues: {exc}")
     # sqlite_master itself is malformed (e.g. duplicate messages_fts): every statement fails before it runs,
@@ -254,7 +262,6 @@ def _classify_unreadable_state_db(f: Finding, should_fix: bool, state_db_path: P
 
 def _state_db_health(f: Finding, should_fix: bool, state_db_path: Path, _DHH: str) -> None:
     """Session count + FTS write-health probe; malformed-schema path when even COUNT(*) fails."""
-    from hermes_state_repair import state_db_has_structural_damage
     try:
         check_ok(f"{_DHH}/state.db exists ({_session_count(state_db_path)} sessions)")
         # COUNT(*) succeeds even when the FTS index is corrupt and every write fails through the triggers.
@@ -262,10 +269,8 @@ def _state_db_health(f: Finding, should_fix: bool, state_db_path: Path, _DHH: st
     except Exception as e:
         return _classify_unreadable_state_db(f, should_fix, state_db_path, _DHH, e)
     if _write_reason is not None:
-        if state_db_has_structural_damage(state_db_path):
-            check_warn(f"{_DHH}/state.db has structural corruption (canonical tables/indexes damaged, "
-                       "not the FTS index)", f"({_write_reason})")
-            return _repair_state_db(f, should_fix, state_db_path, "structural")
+        if _report_structural_damage(f, should_fix, state_db_path, _DHH, _write_reason):
+            return
         check_warn(f"{_DHH}/state.db fails a write-health probe (FTS index may be corrupt)", f"({_write_reason})")
         _repair_state_db(f, should_fix, state_db_path, "fts")
 
diff --git a/hermes_cli/sessions_cmd.py b/hermes_cli/sessions_cmd.py
index f9c1497d88..1a53aea286 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/sessions_cmd.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/sessions_cmd.py
@@ -981,8 +981,8 @@ def cmd_sessions(args, sessions_parser=None):
     if pre is not None:
         return pre(args)
     observational = action in _OBSERVATIONAL_DB_ACTIONS
+    from hermes_state import SessionDB, _default_db_path
     try:
-        from hermes_state import SessionDB, _default_db_path
         db = SessionDB(read_only=observational)
     except Exception as e:
         # mode=ro cannot create the store; a reader on a fresh profile reports empty rather than failing.
@@ -998,7 +998,9 @@ def cmd_sessions(args, sessions_parser=None):
         try:
             return handler(db, args)
         except sqlite3.OperationalError as e:
-            if not observational or not str(e).lower().startswith("no such "):
+            from hermes_state_repair import _schema_not_built
+
+            if not observational or not _schema_not_built(e):
                 raise
             # A read-only opener skips schema migration, so a store from an older release can lack a column.
             print(f"Error: session database needs migration — run any writing hermes command first ({e})")
diff --git a/hermes_state.py b/hermes_state.py
index ef11001d33..86d865cc65 100644
--- a/hermes_state.py
+++ b/hermes_state.py
@@ -27,9 +27,8 @@ from pathlib import Path
 from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home, mkdir_under_hermes_home
 from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, Iterator, List, Optional, Tuple, TypeVar, cast
 
-from hermes_state_common import (
-    escape_like as _escape_like, read_only_db_uri, stat_db_file_identity as _stat_db_file_identity,
-)
+from hermes_state_common import escape_like as _escape_like, stat_db_file_identity as _stat_db_file_identity
+from hermes_state_holders import read_only_db_uri
 from hermes_state_errors import (
     _DELETED_WAL_GENERATION_MSG, _DISK_IO_ERROR_MARKER, _STATE_DB_CORRUPT_MSG, _STATE_DB_GENERATION_KEY,
     _STATE_DB_REPLACED_MSG, DeletedWalGenerationError, SessionCompressionInProgressError, StateDbCorruptError,
diff --git a/hermes_state_common.py b/hermes_state_common.py
index bd02fb3ee6..453b2ecef4 100644
--- a/hermes_state_common.py
+++ b/hermes_state_common.py
@@ -8,19 +8,12 @@ import logging
 import os
 import sys
 import time
-from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any
 
 from agent.skill_commands import SKILL_EXCERPT_JOINT, SKILL_SCAFFOLD_SQL_LIKE, describe_skill_invocation
 from agent.context_compressor import (LEGACY_SUMMARY_PREFIX, SUMMARY_PREFIX, _MERGED_PRIOR_CONTEXT_HEADER,
     _MERGED_SUMMARY_DELIMITER, _SUMMARY_END_MARKER)
 
-def read_only_db_uri(db_path) -> str:
-    """``file:`` URI for a ``mode=ro`` open. ``as_uri()`` percent-encodes ``?``/``#`` in the home
-    path; a raw ``f"file:{path}?mode=ro"`` truncates there and opens the wrong (empty) database."""
-    return Path(db_path).resolve().as_uri() + "?mode=ro"
-
-
 
 # Session preview = head of the first user message (shown when a session has no title).  A /skill invocation
 # embeds the whole skill body, so scaffolded rows take a wider excerpt (whole message under budget, else head +
diff --git a/hermes_state_dbfile.py b/hermes_state_dbfile.py
index b1333ef44d..4a96cff79e 100644
--- a/hermes_state_dbfile.py
+++ b/hermes_state_dbfile.py
@@ -24,9 +24,8 @@ import time
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, List, Optional, Tuple
 
-from hermes_state_holders import canonical_sqlite_path
+from hermes_state_holders import canonical_sqlite_path, read_only_db_uri
 from hermes_state_common import (
-    read_only_db_uri,
     FTS_REBUILD_DEFERRAL_KEY, stat_db_file_identity as _stat_db_file_identity
 )
 
diff --git a/hermes_state_holders.py b/hermes_state_holders.py
index ab7b84bc20..794dffa301 100644
--- a/hermes_state_holders.py
+++ b/hermes_state_holders.py
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@ except ImportError:  # pragma: no cover - stripped/scaffold installs only
     psutil = None  # type: ignore[assignment]
 
 
+def read_only_db_uri(db_path) -> str:
+    """``file:`` URI for a ``mode=ro`` open. ``as_uri()`` percent-encodes ``?``/``#`` in the home
+    path; a raw ``f"file:{path}?mode=ro"`` truncates there and opens the wrong (empty) database."""
+    return Path(db_path).resolve().as_uri() + "?mode=ro"
+
+
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 _IS_WINDOWS = sys.platform == "win32"
diff --git a/hermes_state_repair.py b/hermes_state_repair.py
index b1c22d827f..7e8cc95879 100644
--- a/hermes_state_repair.py
+++ b/hermes_state_repair.py
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Tuple
 
 from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
 from hermes_startup_watchdog import report_startup_progress
+from hermes_state_holders import read_only_db_uri
 from hermes_state_common import (
-    read_only_db_uri,
     _acquire_db_flock, _clear_lock_holder_record, _describe_lock_holder, _read_lock_holder_record,
     is_advisory_lock_contention,
 )