diff --git a/hermes_state_search.py b/hermes_state_search.py
index 3cd3427862..5986a4f840 100644
--- a/hermes_state_search.py
+++ b/hermes_state_search.py
@@ -532,9 +532,11 @@ class SessionSearchMixin:
                     "AND (name LIKE 'messages_fts_%' ESCAPE '\\' "
                     "OR name LIKE 'messages_fts_trigram_%' ESCAPE '\\') "
                     # messages_fts_cjk* is an independent v23+ index, not part of the
-                    # demoted legacy layout: renaming it (or its shadow tables) breaks
-                    # the vtable constructor chain (#103647).
-                    "AND name NOT LIKE 'messages_fts_cjk%'"
+                    # demoted legacy layout: fts5's xRename renames the entire shadow
+                    # family in one step, so sweeping the cjk vtable here aborts the
+                    # loop on the next cjk shadow entry and drags _config — needed by
+                    # the vtable constructor — into the trash family (#103647).
+                    "AND name NOT LIKE 'messages\\_fts\\_cjk%' ESCAPE '\\'"
                 ).fetchall():
                     conn.execute(f"ALTER TABLE {row[0]} RENAME TO fts_v22_trash_{row[0]}")
             # Claim the backfill BEFORE the empty v23 tables exist so a crash before