diff --git a/internal/backend/backend.go b/internal/backend/backend.go
index 5e487583..112132e0 100644
--- a/internal/backend/backend.go
+++ b/internal/backend/backend.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package backend
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
@@ -94,16 +95,58 @@ func (b *Backend) AddUser(ctx context.Context, userID string, conn connector.Con
 		return false, err
 	}
 
-	db, isNew, err := b.database.New(b.getDBDir(), userID)
-	if err != nil {
+	onErrorExit := func() {
 		if err := storeBuilder.Close(); err != nil {
 			logrus.WithError(err).Error("Failed to close store builder")
 		}
+	}
 
+	database, isNew, err := b.database.New(b.getDBDir(), userID)
+	if err != nil {
+		onErrorExit()
 		return false, err
 	}
 
-	user, err := newUser(ctx, userID, db, conn, storeBuilder, b.delim, b.imapLimits, uidValidityGenerator, b.panicHandler)
+	if err := database.Init(ctx, uidValidityGenerator); err != nil {
+		if err := database.Close(); err != nil {
+			logrus.WithError(err).Errorf("Failed to close db after migration failure")
+		}
+
+		if !errors.Is(err, db.ErrMigrationFailed) && !errors.Is(err, db.ErrInvalidDatabaseVersion) {
+			onErrorExit()
+			return false, err
+		}
+
+		reporter.ExceptionWithContext(ctx, "database migration failed", reporter.Context{
+			"error": err,
+		})
+
+		if err := b.database.Delete(b.getDBDir(), userID); err != nil {
+			onErrorExit()
+			return false, fmt.Errorf("failed to remove database after migration: %w", err)
+		}
+
+		database, isNew, err = b.database.New(b.getDBDir(), userID)
+		if err != nil {
+			onErrorExit()
+			return false, err
+		}
+
+		if !isNew {
+			if err := database.Close(); err != nil {
+				logrus.WithError(err).Errorf("failed to closed db")
+			}
+
+			return false, fmt.Errorf("expected database to be new after failed migration cleanup")
+		}
+
+		if err := database.Init(ctx, uidValidityGenerator); err != nil {
+			onErrorExit()
+			return false, err
+		}
+	}
+
+	user, err := newUser(ctx, userID, database, conn, storeBuilder, b.delim, b.imapLimits, uidValidityGenerator, b.panicHandler)
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, err
 	}
diff --git a/internal/backend/user.go b/internal/backend/user.go
index 3635c595..cab85f33 100644
--- a/internal/backend/user.go
+++ b/internal/backend/user.go
@@ -60,10 +60,6 @@ func newUser(
 	uidValidityGenerator imap.UIDValidityGenerator,
 	panicHandler async.PanicHandler,
 ) (*user, error) {
-	if err := database.Init(ctx, uidValidityGenerator); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
 	recoveredMessageHashes := utils.NewMessageHashesMap()
 
 	// Create recovery mailbox if it does not exist
diff --git a/internal/db_impl/db_impl.go b/internal/db_impl/db_impl.go
index 9d81034f..1fd36649 100644
--- a/internal/db_impl/db_impl.go
+++ b/internal/db_impl/db_impl.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package db_impl
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"github.com/ProtonMail/gluon/db"
 	"github.com/ProtonMail/gluon/internal/db_impl/sqlite3"
 )
@@ -8,3 +9,7 @@ import (
 func NewSQLiteDB(options ...sqlite3.Option) db.ClientInterface {
 	return sqlite3.NewBuilder(options...)
 }
+
+func TestUpdateDBVersion(ctx context.Context, dbPath, userID string, version int) error {
+	return sqlite3.TestUpdateDBVersion(ctx, dbPath, userID, version)
+}
diff --git a/internal/db_impl/sqlite3/client.go b/internal/db_impl/sqlite3/client.go
index 9daee010..8c40c210 100644
--- a/internal/db_impl/sqlite3/client.go
+++ b/internal/db_impl/sqlite3/client.go
@@ -289,3 +289,22 @@ func pathExists(path string) (bool, error) {
 func getDatabaseConn(dir, userID, path string) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("file:%v?cache=shared&_fk=1&_journal=WAL", path)
 }
+
+func TestUpdateDBVersion(ctx context.Context, dbPath, userID string, version int) error {
+	client, _, err := NewClient(dbPath, userID, false, false)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	defer func() {
+		if err := client.Close(); err != nil {
+			logrus.Panic("failed to close db")
+		}
+	}()
+
+	return client.wrapTx(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, tx *sql.Tx, entry *logrus.Entry) error {
+		qw := utils.TXWrapper{TX: tx}
+
+		return updateDBVersion(ctx, qw, version)
+	})
+}
diff --git a/tests/migration_test.go b/tests/migration_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..acc3cf21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/migration_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+package tests
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"github.com/ProtonMail/gluon/internal/db_impl"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestFailedMigrationRestsDatabase(t *testing.T) {
+	dbDir := t.TempDir()
+	serverOptions := defaultServerOptions(t, withDatabaseDir(dbDir))
+
+	var userID string
+
+	runServer(t, serverOptions, func(session *testSession) {
+		userID = session.userIDs["user"]
+	})
+
+	require.NoError(t, db_impl.TestUpdateDBVersion(context.Background(), dbDir, userID, 99999))
+
+	runServer(t, serverOptions, func(session *testSession) {})
+}