diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 4f29c10..4474959 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "alkstore",
  "alkstore-contract-suite",
  "deadpool-postgres",
+ "thiserror",
  "tokio",
  "tokio-postgres",
 ]
diff --git a/alkstore-postgres/Cargo.toml b/alkstore-postgres/Cargo.toml
index b21c47b..2518a8a 100644
--- a/alkstore-postgres/Cargo.toml
+++ b/alkstore-postgres/Cargo.toml
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ alkstore = { version = "0.1", path = "../alkstore" }
 tokio = { version = "1", features = ["rt-multi-thread", "macros"] }
 tokio-postgres = "0.7"
 deadpool-postgres = "0.14"
+thiserror = "2"
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 alkstore-contract-suite = { path = "../alkstore-contract-suite" }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/alkstore-postgres/src/lib.rs b/alkstore-postgres/src/lib.rs
index 8b13789..f4e0ed1 100644
--- a/alkstore-postgres/src/lib.rs
+++ b/alkstore-postgres/src/lib.rs
@@ -1 +1,27 @@
+//! alkstore-postgres — the Postgres engine: the core contract
+//! implemented on tokio-postgres + deadpool-postgres (ADR-001,
+//! ADR-004).
+//!
+//! # Posture
+//!
+//! **Multi-host by nature** (ADR-016): connections are per-process
+//! state; nothing assumes a shared host — this engine's deployment
+//! boundary is its crate identity (compile-time engine discovery:
+//! pick this crate, get this posture). No runtime capability surface.
+//!
+//! **Natively async** (ADR-004/ADR-007): no blocking bridge, no
+//! `spawn_blocking` seam — the driver's client is `Send + Sync` and
+//! the tx handle holds the pooled object directly (POC #2
+//! compile-probe verified).
+//!
+//! Wave 4 build order: schema bootstrap (this module — the dependency
+//! root), then `open`/`PgOpts` + pool + listener wiring, the tx seam,
+//! the LISTEN forwarder, the mechanisms (queues, streams, locks,
+//! scheduler/outbox); each task replaces the prior stubs.
 
+mod schema;
+
+pub use schema::{
+    BootstrapError, BootstrapResult, DEFAULT_SCHEMA, QualifiedTable, bootstrap, quote_identifier,
+    tables,
+};
diff --git a/alkstore-postgres/src/schema.rs b/alkstore-postgres/src/schema.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6e52d6b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/alkstore-postgres/src/schema.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,358 @@
+//! Schema bootstrap (ADR-010 §8): the one engine-owned PostgreSQL
+//! schema and its table family — the dependency root every later
+//! wave-4 task rides.
+//!
+//! # Layout posture
+//!
+//! All engine-owned objects — job, dead, stream events, offsets,
+//! schedule, locks — live in one PostgreSQL schema, default
+//! [`DEFAULT_SCHEMA`] (`"alkstore"`), overridable per-engine option
+//! (the `PgOpts::schema` knob the `open` task wires), co-tenanted
+//! safely with consumer tables (deployment.md's co-tenancy posture;
+//! the alkblobs ADR-008 precedent). Queues are rows in one job table —
+//! no per-queue tables, no per-queue schemas (ADR-010 §8); per-queue
+//! configuration is stamped onto job rows (ADR-010 §3a), never stored
+//! in a registry. Queue creation is not a DDL operation.
+//!
+//! # Payload posture
+//!
+//! Payload columns are `BYTEA` — the engine stores exactly the bytes
+//! `encode_payload` returned, byte for byte (ADR-020 §4). `JSONB` is
+//! deliberately rejected: its normalization (key reordering,
+//! duplicate-key folding, number canonicalization) promises no byte
+//! identity, and the contract suite's byte-identical-rows row pins
+//! that rows enqueueing the same `Value` store identical bytes.
+//!
+//! # No migration machinery in v1
+//!
+//! Tables are created fresh per schema via idempotent DDL
+//! (`CREATE … IF NOT EXISTS`); this module carries no ALTER/migration
+//! machinery. Append-column evolution is the SQLite substrate's
+//! discipline for its in-place database files; a greenfield pg schema
+//! needs none in v1 — wave 6's release pass revisits if the
+//! deployment story demands in-place upgrades.
+//!
+//! # Column sets
+//!
+//! Column sets follow the contract's value shapes — the
+//! `#[doc(hidden)]` engine constructors' field lists
+//! (`alkstore::Job::from_row`, `alkstore::StreamEvent::from_row`,
+//! `alkstore::Schedule::new`) are the lists of record (ADR-019 §3,
+//! ADR-021 §2, ADR-015 §3), with the `QueueOpts` stamp columns per
+//! ADR-010 §3a and the schedule row's boundary-state columns per
+//! ADR-009 §3/§4 (the substrate's `__alkstore_scheduler_tasks`
+//! concrete stamp set re-owned in pg form; `enabled` dropped — the
+//! collapse surface has no pause/resume, ADR-009 §1). Timestamps are
+//! unix-seconds `BIGINT` engine-wide — the engines' single clock
+//! source, second-precision integer arithmetic (honker parity); no
+//! `timestamptz`.
+//!
+//! # Identifier quoting
+//!
+//! The engine composes schema-qualified SQL from a consumer-supplied
+//! schema name — [`quote_identifier`] is the injection boundary:
+//! every identifier entering SQL text (schema name, table names,
+//! index names) is quoted through it. Two column names are
+//! reserved-word hazards in Postgres and must stay quoted in later
+//! tasks' SQL: the offsets checkpoint column `"offset"` and the
+//! events key column `"key"`.
+//!
+//! # Index-name qualification
+//!
+//! `CREATE INDEX` does not accept a schema-qualified index name — the
+//! index lands in the table's schema automatically — and
+//! `IF NOT EXISTS` on the resulting *bare* name checks existence
+//! across every schema on the search path: a co-tenant's unrelated
+//! `public.job_claim_idx` would silently skip our bootstrap's index
+//! creation. The bootstrap therefore names every index
+//! `{schema}_{table}_{suffix}` (schema-prefixed, quoted) — a name a
+//! non-engine co-tenant will not carry, and unique among engine
+//! instances with distinct schema names too. The canonical suffixes
+//! ([`indexes`]) are what the later mechanism tasks' SQL reuses.
+
+use std::fmt;
+
+use thiserror::Error;
+
+/// The default engine-owned schema name (ADR-010 §8).
+pub const DEFAULT_SCHEMA: &str = "alkstore";
+
+/// A bootstrap failure: a DDL statement errored server-side (or the
+/// connection did).
+///
+/// The `open` constructor (the next task) maps this onto the engine's
+/// `Error::Database` surface, source chain preserved.
+#[derive(Debug, Error)]
+#[error("schema bootstrap failed")]
+pub struct BootstrapError(#[source] pub tokio_postgres::Error);
+
+/// Result alias for [`bootstrap`].
+pub type BootstrapResult = Result<(), BootstrapError>;
+
+/// Quote a SQL identifier (Postgres rule: double embedded `"`).
+///
+/// Consumer-supplied schema names ride DDL text through this quoting;
+/// an identifier is never interpolated into SQL unquoted.
+pub fn quote_identifier(name: &str) -> String {
+    let mut quoted = String::with_capacity(name.len() + 2);
+    quoted.push('"');
+    for c in name.chars() {
+        if c == '"' {
+            quoted.push('"');
+        }
+        quoted.push(c);
+    }
+    quoted.push('"');
+    quoted
+}
+
+/// A schema-qualified table or index reference: `"schema"."name"`.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy)]
+pub struct QualifiedTable<'a> {
+    /// The schema name (unquoted form).
+    pub schema: &'a str,
+    /// The table/index name (unquoted form).
+    pub name: &'a str,
+}
+
+impl fmt::Display for QualifiedTable<'_> {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
+        write!(
+            f,
+            "{}.{}",
+            quote_identifier(self.schema),
+            quote_identifier(self.name)
+        )
+    }
+}
+
+/// The engine-owned object names inside the schema — fixed constants,
+/// the one owner of the names the later mechanism tasks' SQL reuses.
+///
+/// Object names do not ride engine configuration (only the schema
+/// name does, ADR-010 §8).
+pub mod tables {
+    /// The job table (live rows — pending and processing).
+    pub const JOB: &str = "job";
+    /// The dead-letter table (physical move target, ADR-010 §4).
+    pub const DEAD: &str = "dead";
+    /// The stream events table (`id BIGSERIAL` = the offset).
+    pub const EVENTS: &str = "stream_events";
+    /// The per-consumer offset checkpoint table.
+    pub const OFFSETS: &str = "stream_offsets";
+    /// The schedule table (ADR-009's collapse shape).
+    pub const SCHEDULE: &str = "schedule";
+    /// The TTL lock table.
+    pub const LOCKS: &str = "locks";
+}
+
+/// The engine-owned index names inside the schema — schema-prefixed
+/// (see the module docs' index-name qualification posture),
+/// schema-parameterized at DDL-composition time by [`bootstrap_ddl`].
+pub mod indexes {
+    /// The claim-ordering index (`priority DESC, run_at, id`).
+    pub const JOB_CLAIM: &str = "job_claim_idx";
+    /// The pending-ready-time hot-path index.
+    pub const JOB_PENDING: &str = "job_pending_idx";
+    /// The processing-claim-deadline index.
+    pub const JOB_DEADLINE: &str = "job_deadline_idx";
+    /// The dead-rows retention index (`queue, died_at`).
+    pub const DEAD_RETENTION: &str = "dead_retention_idx";
+    /// The events read index (`stream, id` — the offset ASC path).
+    pub const EVENTS_READ: &str = "events_read_idx";
+    /// The schedule due-boundary index (`next_fire_at`).
+    pub const SCHEDULE_FIRE: &str = "schedule_fire_idx";
+    /// The locks expiry index (lazy-acquire sweep support).
+    pub const LOCKS_EXPIRY: &str = "locks_expiry_idx";
+}
+
+/// Run the schema bootstrap for one engine-owned schema on `conn`.
+/// Idempotent.
+///
+/// Creates the schema and the full table family + indexes (column
+/// sets per the module docs) with `CREATE … IF NOT EXISTS` — a second
+/// run is a no-op. Runnable at open on any connection; the deadpool
+/// pooled client is a `tokio_postgres::Client` (POC-verified), so a
+/// pool checkout passes directly.
+///
+/// The schema name is engine configuration (default
+/// [`DEFAULT_SCHEMA`], decided at the `PgOpts` layer); object names
+/// inside the schema are fixed ([`tables`]).
+pub async fn bootstrap(conn: &tokio_postgres::Client, schema_name: &str) -> BootstrapResult {
+    conn.batch_execute(&bootstrap_ddl(schema_name))
+        .await
+        .map_err(BootstrapError)
+}
+
+fn bootstrap_ddl(schema: &str) -> String {
+    // Index names are bare at the `CREATE INDEX` statement (Postgres
+    // rejects a qualified index name there) but schema-prefixed in
+    // their *text* — the qualification posture that keeps a
+    // co-tenant's same-named index from silently skipping ours.
+    let schema_q = quote_identifier(schema);
+    let index = |suffix: &'static str| quote_identifier(&format!("{schema}_{suffix}"));
+    let job = QualifiedTable {
+        schema,
+        name: tables::JOB,
+    };
+    let dead = QualifiedTable {
+        schema,
+        name: tables::DEAD,
+    };
+    let events = QualifiedTable {
+        schema,
+        name: tables::EVENTS,
+    };
+    let offsets = QualifiedTable {
+        schema,
+        name: tables::OFFSETS,
+    };
+    let schedule = QualifiedTable {
+        schema,
+        name: tables::SCHEDULE,
+    };
+    let locks = QualifiedTable {
+        schema,
+        name: tables::LOCKS,
+    };
+    let job_claim_idx = index(indexes::JOB_CLAIM);
+    let job_pending_idx = index(indexes::JOB_PENDING);
+    let job_deadline_idx = index(indexes::JOB_DEADLINE);
+    let dead_retention_idx = index(indexes::DEAD_RETENTION);
+    let events_read_idx = index(indexes::EVENTS_READ);
+    let schedule_fire_idx = index(indexes::SCHEDULE_FIRE);
+    let locks_expiry_idx = index(indexes::LOCKS_EXPIRY);
+
+    format!(
+        "
+CREATE SCHEMA IF NOT EXISTS {schema_q};
+
+-- Job table (live rows, pending + processing; delete-on-ack —
+-- ADR-010 §1). Columns = Job's field list of record (ADR-019 §3,
+-- ADR-021 §2) + the stamped QueueOpts (ADR-010 §3a).
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS {job} (
+  id BIGSERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
+  queue TEXT NOT NULL,
+  state TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'pending',
+  payload BYTEA NOT NULL,
+  priority BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  run_at BIGINT NOT NULL,
+  attempts BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  max_attempts BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 3,
+  worker_id TEXT,
+  claimed_at BIGINT,
+  claim_expires_at BIGINT,
+  created_at BIGINT NOT NULL,
+  expires_at BIGINT,
+  visibility_timeout_s BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 300,
+  backoff_base_s BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 5,
+  dead_letter_retention_s BIGINT
+);
+-- Claim-ordering index (ADR-010 §1's ordering row: priority DESC,
+-- run_at ASC, enqueue order = id). Partial: dead rows ride the dead
+-- table, the claim path never scans them.
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS {job_claim_idx} ON {job} (queue, priority DESC, run_at, id)
+  WHERE state IN ('pending', 'processing');
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS {job_pending_idx} ON {job} (queue, run_at)
+  WHERE state = 'pending';
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS {job_deadline_idx} ON {job} (queue, claim_expires_at)
+  WHERE state = 'processing';
+
+-- Dead table (ADR-010 §4): the job row's diagnosis fields + died_at;
+-- physical move target, off the claim path. Retention index for the
+-- sweep's dead-TTL enforcement (the only sweeper dead rows have).
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS {dead} (
+  id BIGINT PRIMARY KEY,
+  queue TEXT NOT NULL,
+  payload BYTEA NOT NULL,
+  priority BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  run_at BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  attempts BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  max_attempts BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  worker_id TEXT,
+  claimed_at BIGINT,
+  claim_expires_at BIGINT,
+  created_at BIGINT NOT NULL,
+  expires_at BIGINT,
+  visibility_timeout_s BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 300,
+  backoff_base_s BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 5,
+  dead_letter_retention_s BIGINT,
+  last_error TEXT,
+  died_at BIGINT NOT NULL
+);
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS {dead_retention_idx} ON {dead} (queue, died_at);
+
+-- Stream events table (ADR-015 §3): `id BIGSERIAL` is the offset —
+-- engine-assigned, monotone, immutable, never renumbered; global
+-- FIFO per stream by id ASC; gaps legal after trim/delete. Nullable
+-- key column = carried metadata (ADR-015 §1). created_at is
+-- informational.
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS {events} (
+  id BIGSERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
+  stream TEXT NOT NULL,
+  \"key\" TEXT,
+  payload BYTEA NOT NULL,
+  created_at BIGINT NOT NULL
+);
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS {events_read_idx} ON {events} (stream, id);
+
+-- Offsets table: (stream, consumer) → offset, the monotone
+-- checkpoint upsert target (the streams task's SQL owns the
+-- monotonicity rule, GREATEST-guarded upsert, one owner). The
+-- non-negative CHECK bounds the domain (cursors start at 0).
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS {offsets} (
+  stream TEXT NOT NULL,
+  consumer TEXT NOT NULL,
+  \"offset\" BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0 CHECK (\"offset\" >= 0),
+  PRIMARY KEY (stream, consumer)
+);
+
+-- Schedule table (ADR-009 §3/§5): name (unique — the PK), the
+-- `@every` spec, target queue, payload, the ScheduleOpts stamps
+-- (priority / max_attempts / expires_s) over the resolved QueueOpts
+-- stamp set (the substrate's __alkstore_scheduler_tasks
+-- concrete-stamp shape re-owned; `enabled` dropped — the collapse
+-- surface has no pause/resume), and next_fire_at — the boundary
+-- column the tick math advances (`next = last + interval`).
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS {schedule} (
+  name TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+  spec TEXT NOT NULL,
+  queue TEXT NOT NULL,
+  payload BYTEA NOT NULL,
+  priority BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  expires_s BIGINT,
+  next_fire_at BIGINT NOT NULL,
+  max_attempts BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 3,
+  visibility_timeout_s BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 300,
+  backoff_base_s BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 5,
+  dead_letter_retention_s BIGINT
+);
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS {schedule_fire_idx} ON {schedule} (next_fire_at);
+
+-- Locks table: the TTL lock machinery's storage (the substrate's
+-- lock-table semantics re-derived: PK on name prevents dual
+-- acquisition; expiry lazy — no sweeper, an expired lock is
+-- acquirable; the locks task's ops own the SQL).
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS {locks} (
+  name TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+  owner TEXT NOT NULL,
+  expires_at BIGINT NOT NULL
+);
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS {locks_expiry_idx} ON {locks} (expires_at);
+",
+        schema_q = schema_q,
+        job = job,
+        job_claim_idx = job_claim_idx,
+        job_pending_idx = job_pending_idx,
+        job_deadline_idx = job_deadline_idx,
+        dead = dead,
+        dead_retention_idx = dead_retention_idx,
+        events = events,
+        events_read_idx = events_read_idx,
+        offsets = offsets,
+        schedule = schedule,
+        schedule_fire_idx = schedule_fire_idx,
+        locks = locks,
+        locks_expiry_idx = locks_expiry_idx,
+    )
+}
diff --git a/alkstore-postgres/tests/schema_tests.rs b/alkstore-postgres/tests/schema_tests.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9463a0f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/alkstore-postgres/tests/schema_tests.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,483 @@
+//! Schema bootstrap tests against the harness server
+//! (`docs/plans/implementation.md`'s test posture: dockerized
+//! `postgres:16-alpine` on :15432 — connection settings ride the
+//! environment, never hardcoded; tests without a reachable server
+//! skip cleanly so the workspace gates stay green server-less).
+//!
+//! A fresh schema per test (unique name per test run) is the
+//! isolation guarantee — the POC's shared-server
+//! parallel-interference caveat is answered by schema-per-test
+//! isolation, not sequential-only harnesses.
+
+use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, Ordering};
+
+use alkstore_postgres::{bootstrap, quote_identifier, tables};
+
+const ENV_HOST: &str = "ALKSTORE_PG_HOST";
+const ENV_PORT: &str = "ALKSTORE_PG_PORT";
+const ENV_USER: &str = "ALKSTORE_PG_USER";
+const ENV_PASSWORD: &str = "ALKSTORE_PG_PASSWORD";
+const ENV_DB: &str = "ALKSTORE_PG_DB";
+
+fn harness_dsn() -> Option<String> {
+    let host = std::env::var(ENV_HOST).ok()?;
+    let port: u16 = std::env::var(ENV_PORT).ok()?.parse().ok()?;
+    let user = std::env::var(ENV_USER).ok()?;
+    let password = std::env::var(ENV_PASSWORD).ok()?;
+    let db = std::env::var(ENV_DB).unwrap_or_else(|_| "postgres".to_string());
+    Some(format!(
+        "host={host} port={port} user={user} password={password} dbname={db}"
+    ))
+}
+
+async fn harness_client() -> Option<tokio_postgres::Client> {
+    let (client, connection) = tokio_postgres::connect(&harness_dsn()?, tokio_postgres::NoTls)
+        .await
+        .ok()?;
+    tokio::spawn(async move {
+        let _ = connection.await;
+    });
+    Some(client)
+}
+
+fn instance_namer(tag: &str) -> impl Fn() -> String + use<'_> {
+    let counter = AtomicU64::new(0);
+    move || {
+        format!(
+            "{tag}_{}_{}_{}",
+            std::process::id(),
+            std::time::SystemTime::now()
+                .duration_since(std::time::UNIX_EPOCH)
+                .unwrap_or_default()
+                .as_nanos(),
+            counter.fetch_add(1, Ordering::SeqCst),
+        )
+    }
+}
+
+async fn drop_schema(client: &tokio_postgres::Client, schema: &str) {
+    let sql = format!("DROP SCHEMA IF EXISTS {} CASCADE", quote_identifier(schema));
+    let _ = client.batch_execute(&sql).await;
+}
+
+async fn table_names(client: &tokio_postgres::Client, schema: &str) -> Vec<String> {
+    client
+        .query(
+            "SELECT tablename FROM pg_tables WHERE schemaname = $1 ORDER BY tablename",
+            &[&schema],
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap_or_default()
+        .iter()
+        .map(|r| r.get::<_, String>(0))
+        .collect()
+}
+
+async fn column_names(client: &tokio_postgres::Client, schema: &str, table: &str) -> Vec<String> {
+    let sql = "SELECT column_name FROM information_schema.columns
+         WHERE table_schema = $1 AND table_name = $2
+         ORDER BY ordinal_position"
+        .to_string();
+    client
+        .query(&sql, &[&schema, &table])
+        .await
+        .unwrap_or_default()
+        .iter()
+        .map(|r| r.get::<_, String>(0))
+        .collect()
+}
+
+async fn index_names(client: &tokio_postgres::Client, schema: &str) -> Vec<String> {
+    client
+        .query(
+            "SELECT indexname FROM pg_indexes WHERE schemaname = $1 ORDER BY indexname",
+            &[&schema],
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap_or_default()
+        .iter()
+        .map(|r| r.get::<_, String>(0))
+        .collect()
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn bootstrap_is_idempotent() {
+    let Some(client) = harness_client().await else {
+        eprintln!("skip: no harness server");
+        return;
+    };
+    let schema = instance_namer("idempotent")();
+    assert!(bootstrap(&client, &schema).await.is_ok());
+    assert!(bootstrap(&client, &schema).await.is_ok());
+    third_run_converges(&client, &schema).await;
+    drop_schema(&client, &schema).await;
+}
+
+async fn third_run_converges(client: &tokio_postgres::Client, schema: &str) {
+    assert!(bootstrap(client, schema).await.is_ok());
+    let names = table_names(client, schema).await;
+    assert_eq!(names.len(), 6, "expected the 6-table family, saw {names:?}");
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn table_family_exists_with_pinned_shapes() {
+    let Some(client) = harness_client().await else {
+        eprintln!("skip: no harness server");
+        return;
+    };
+    let schema = instance_namer("shapes")();
+    bootstrap(&client, &schema).await.unwrap();
+
+    // Job: the field list of record (Job::from_row, ADR-019 §3 /
+    // ADR-021 §2) + the stamped QueueOpts (ADR-010 §3a).
+    assert_eq!(
+        column_names(&client, &schema, tables::JOB).await,
+        vec![
+            "id",
+            "queue",
+            "state",
+            "payload",
+            "priority",
+            "run_at",
+            "attempts",
+            "max_attempts",
+            "worker_id",
+            "claimed_at",
+            "claim_expires_at",
+            "created_at",
+            "expires_at",
+            "visibility_timeout_s",
+            "backoff_base_s",
+            "dead_letter_retention_s"
+        ]
+    );
+
+    // Dead: the job row's diagnosis fields + died_at.
+    assert_eq!(
+        column_names(&client, &schema, tables::DEAD).await,
+        vec![
+            "id",
+            "queue",
+            "payload",
+            "priority",
+            "run_at",
+            "attempts",
+            "max_attempts",
+            "worker_id",
+            "claimed_at",
+            "claim_expires_at",
+            "created_at",
+            "expires_at",
+            "visibility_timeout_s",
+            "backoff_base_s",
+            "dead_letter_retention_s",
+            "last_error",
+            "died_at"
+        ]
+    );
+
+    // Events: bigserial offset, nullable key, payload, created_at.
+    assert_eq!(
+        column_names(&client, &schema, tables::EVENTS).await,
+        vec!["id", "stream", "key", "payload", "created_at"]
+    );
+
+    // Offsets: (stream, consumer) → offset, the checkpoint.
+    assert_eq!(
+        column_names(&client, &schema, tables::OFFSETS).await,
+        vec!["stream", "consumer", "offset"]
+    );
+
+    // Schedule: the substrate's __alkstore_scheduler_tasks shape
+    // re-owned (no `enabled`).
+    assert_eq!(
+        column_names(&client, &schema, tables::SCHEDULE).await,
+        vec![
+            "name",
+            "spec",
+            "queue",
+            "payload",
+            "priority",
+            "expires_s",
+            "next_fire_at",
+            "max_attempts",
+            "visibility_timeout_s",
+            "backoff_base_s",
+            "dead_letter_retention_s"
+        ]
+    );
+
+    // Locks: name (unique — PK), owner, expiry TTL.
+    assert_eq!(
+        column_names(&client, &schema, tables::LOCKS).await,
+        vec!["name", "owner", "expires_at"]
+    );
+
+    drop_schema(&client, &schema).await;
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn payload_columns_are_bytea() {
+    let expected_payload_type = "bytea";
+    let Some(client) = harness_client().await else {
+        eprintln!("skip: no harness server");
+        return;
+    };
+    let schema = instance_namer("bytea")();
+    bootstrap(&client, &schema).await.unwrap();
+
+    for table in [tables::JOB, tables::DEAD, tables::EVENTS, tables::SCHEDULE] {
+        let table = table.to_string();
+        let sql = "SELECT data_type FROM information_schema.columns
+             WHERE table_schema = $1 AND table_name = $2 AND column_name = 'payload'"
+            .to_string();
+        let rows = client.query(&sql, &[&schema, &table]).await.unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(rows.len(), 1, "{table}: payload column missing");
+        let ty: String = rows[0].get(0);
+        assert_eq!(ty, expected_payload_type, "{table}: payload not bytea");
+    }
+
+    drop_schema(&client, &schema).await;
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn bigserial_offset_is_monotone_with_gaps_on_delete() {
+    let Some(client) = harness_client().await else {
+        eprintln!("skip: no harness server");
+        return;
+    };
+    let schema = instance_namer("offsets")();
+    bootstrap(&client, &schema).await.unwrap();
+
+    let mut events: Vec<i64> = Vec::new();
+    for _ in 0..3 {
+        let row = client
+            .query_one(
+                &format!(
+                    "INSERT INTO {} (stream, key, payload, created_at)
+                     VALUES ('s', NULL, '\\x7b7d', 1) RETURNING id",
+                    alkstore_postgres::QualifiedTable {
+                        schema: &schema,
+                        name: tables::EVENTS,
+                    }
+                ),
+                &[],
+            )
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        events.push(row.get(0));
+    }
+    assert_eq!(events, vec![1, 2, 3], "bigserial starts at 1, step 1");
+
+    client
+        .execute(
+            &format!(
+                "DELETE FROM {} WHERE id = $1",
+                alkstore_postgres::QualifiedTable {
+                    schema: &schema,
+                    name: tables::EVENTS,
+                }
+            ),
+            &[&events[1]],
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    let row = client
+        .query_one(
+            &format!(
+                "INSERT INTO {} (stream, key, payload, created_at)
+                 VALUES ('s', NULL, '\\x7b7d', 1) RETURNING id",
+                alkstore_postgres::QualifiedTable {
+                    schema: &schema,
+                    name: tables::EVENTS,
+                }
+            ),
+            &[],
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let after_delete: i64 = row.get(0);
+    assert_eq!(
+        after_delete, 4,
+        "the offset never renumbers — deletion leaves a gap, the sequence advances"
+    );
+
+    drop_schema(&client, &schema).await;
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn claim_ordering_index_exists() {
+    let Some(client) = harness_client().await else {
+        eprintln!("skip: no harness server");
+        return;
+    };
+    let schema = instance_namer("idx")();
+    bootstrap(&client, &schema).await.unwrap();
+
+    let indexes = index_names(&client, &schema).await;
+    let prefixed = |suffix: &str| format!("{schema}_{suffix}");
+    let contains = |needle: String| indexes.iter().any(|i| i == &needle);
+    assert!(
+        contains(prefixed("job_claim_idx")),
+        "claim-ordering index missing; saw {indexes:?}"
+    );
+    assert!(
+        contains(prefixed("job_pending_idx")) && contains(prefixed("job_deadline_idx")),
+        "hot-path partial indexes missing; saw {indexes:?}"
+    );
+    assert!(
+        contains(prefixed("dead_retention_idx")),
+        "dead retention index missing; saw {indexes:?}"
+    );
+    assert!(
+        contains(prefixed("events_read_idx")),
+        "events (stream, id) index missing; saw {indexes:?}"
+    );
+    assert!(
+        contains(prefixed("schedule_fire_idx")) && contains(prefixed("locks_expiry_idx")),
+        "schedule/locks indexes missing; saw {indexes:?}"
+    );
+
+    // The ordering row's column set + directionality (priority DESC,
+    // run_at ASC, enqueue order = id) — pg_indexes' indexdef carries
+    // it.
+    let def = client
+        .query_one(
+            "SELECT indexdef FROM pg_indexes
+             WHERE schemaname = $1 AND indexname = $2",
+            &[&schema, &prefixed("job_claim_idx")],
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+        .get::<_, String>(0);
+    for fragment in ["queue", "priority DESC", "run_at", "id"] {
+        assert!(
+            def.contains(fragment),
+            "claim index def missing {fragment}: {def}"
+        );
+    }
+    assert!(
+        def.contains("pending"),
+        "claim index not partial over the live states: {def}"
+    );
+
+    drop_schema(&client, &schema).await;
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn schema_name_is_a_parameter() {
+    let expected_default = "alkstore";
+    let Some(client) = harness_client().await else {
+        eprintln!("skip: no harness server");
+        return;
+    };
+    assert_eq!(alkstore_postgres::DEFAULT_SCHEMA, expected_default);
+
+    // A non-default schema name lands its objects under that name
+    // (quoted, reserved-word-safe) — the PgOpts layer's knob works.
+    let schema = "select";
+    assert!(bootstrap(&client, schema).await.is_ok());
+    let names = table_names(&client, schema).await;
+    assert_eq!(
+        names.len(),
+        6,
+        "reserved-word schema name quoted and populated"
+    );
+    drop_schema(&client, schema).await;
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn bootstrap_is_atomic_in_the_schema_scope() {
+    let Some(client) = harness_client().await else {
+        eprintln!("skip: no harness server");
+        return;
+    };
+    let schema = instance_namer("atomic")();
+    assert!(bootstrap(&client, &schema).await.is_ok());
+
+    // A consumer table co-temporaries the instance untouched by a
+    // re-bootstrap (the co-tenancy posture — engine DDL never
+    // touches non-engine objects in other scopes).
+    client
+        .execute(
+            &format!(
+                "CREATE TABLE {}.consumer_thing (x INT)",
+                quote_identifier(&schema)
+            ),
+            &[],
+        )
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert!(bootstrap(&client, &schema).await.is_ok());
+    let names = table_names(&client, &schema).await;
+    assert_eq!(
+        names.len(),
+        7,
+        "engine re-bootstrap left the co-tenant intact"
+    );
+    drop_schema(&client, &schema).await;
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn co_tenant_index_name_never_blocks_the_bootstrap() {
+    let Some(client) = harness_client().await else {
+        eprintln!("skip: no harness server");
+        return;
+    };
+    // A co-tenant carries an index with the bare name the engine's
+    // bootstrap would use — `CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS` checks
+    // existence across all schemas, so an un-prefixed engine index
+    // name would be silently skipped here (the defect class the
+    // schema-prefixed index naming exists to exclude).
+    client
+        .execute("CREATE TABLE public.co_tenant (x INT)", &[])
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    client
+        .execute("CREATE INDEX job_claim_idx ON public.co_tenant (x)", &[])
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    let schema = instance_namer("cotenant")();
+    bootstrap(&client, &schema).await.unwrap();
+    let indexes = index_names(&client, &schema).await;
+    assert!(
+        indexes
+            .iter()
+            .any(|i| i == &format!("{schema}_job_claim_idx")),
+        "co-tenant's bare-name index must not skip the engine's; saw {indexes:?}"
+    );
+
+    client
+        .execute("DROP INDEX public.job_claim_idx", &[])
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    client
+        .execute("DROP TABLE public.co_tenant", &[])
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    drop_schema(&client, &schema).await;
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn custom_schema_quoting_rejects_injection() {
+    let Some(client) = harness_client().await else {
+        eprintln!("skip: no harness server");
+        return;
+    };
+    // An identifier containing a double-quote must be inert SQL text
+    // (doubled) — never a breakout into a second object.
+    let hostile = "alk\"; DROP SCHEMA public; CREATE SCHEMA sneaky; --";
+    assert!(bootstrap(&client, hostile).await.is_ok());
+    let names = table_names(&client, hostile).await;
+    assert_eq!(
+        names.len(),
+        6,
+        "hostile-named schema populated exactly once"
+    );
+    let sneaky = table_names(&client, "sneaky").await;
+    assert!(sneaky.is_empty(), "injection created a second schema");
+    drop_schema(&client, hostile).await;
+    drop_schema(&client, "sneaky").await;
+}
diff --git a/tasks/pg-engine-schema.md b/tasks/pg-engine-schema.md
index c77925d..453b5d6 100644
--- a/tasks/pg-engine-schema.md
+++ b/tasks/pg-engine-schema.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 id: pg-engine-schema
 name: Postgres engine — schema bootstrap (engine-owned schema, table family)
-status: pending
+status: completed
 depends_on: []
 scope: narrow
 risk: low
@@ -79,17 +79,18 @@ index exists.
 
 ## Acceptance Criteria
 
-- [ ] `schema.rs` with an idempotent `bootstrap(conn, schema_name)`
+- [x] `schema.rs` with an idempotent `bootstrap(conn, schema_name)`
       creating the full table family + indexes in the one schema
-- [ ] Column sets match the contract's value shapes (the constructors'
+- [x] Column sets match the contract's value shapes (the constructors'
       field lists; stamp columns per ADR-010 §3a; `claimed_at` per
       ADR-021 §2)
-- [ ] Payload columns are `bytea` (exact-bytes posture, JSONB
+- [x] Payload columns are `bytea` (exact-bytes posture, JSONB
       rejected — documented in the module docs with the reason)
-- [ ] Schema name is a parameter (default `alkstore` decided at the
+- [x] Schema name is a parameter (default `alkstore` decided at the
       `PgOpts` layer, next task)
-- [ ] Idempotence + table-shape tests green against the harness server
-- [ ] `cargo test -p alkstore-postgres`, clippy `-D warnings`, fmt clean
+- [x] Indexes: idempotence + table-shape tests green against the
+      harness server
+- [x] `cargo test -p alkstore-postgres`, clippy `-D warnings`, fmt clean
 
 ## References
 
@@ -103,8 +104,80 @@ index exists.
 
 ## Notes
 
-> To be filled by implementation agent
+Decisions of record made while implementing (the description didn't
+pin them):
+
+- **Table names**: `job`, `dead`, `stream_events`, `stream_offsets`,
+  `schedule`, `locks` — fixed constants exported as
+  `alkstore_postgres::tables` for the later mechanism tasks' SQL.
+  Table names do not ride configuration; only the schema name does.
+- **Index-name qualification**: Postgres rejects schema-qualified
+  index names at `CREATE INDEX`, but `IF NOT EXISTS` on a *bare* name
+  checks existence across all schemas — a co-tenant's unrelated
+  `public.job_claim_idx` would silently skip our index creation. So
+  every engine index is named `{schema}_{table}_{suffix}`
+  (`job_claim_idx`, `job_pending_idx`, `job_deadline_idx`,
+  `dead_retention_idx`, `events_read_idx`, `schedule_fire_idx`,
+  `locks_expiry_idx`, exported as `indexes::`) — schema-prefixed and
+  quoted, tested against a co-tenant carrying the bare name.
+  Sub-HOT-path indexes (`job_pending`, `job_deadline`, the substrate's
+  trio) carried over from the reference shapes — the claim/heartbeat
+  paths the queue task re-derives ride them.
+- **Reserved-word columns**: the offsets checkpoint column is
+  `"offset"` and the events key column `"key"` — both quoted here and
+  flagged in the module docs so every later task's SQL keeps the
+  quotes. The offsets column carries a non-negative CHECK (cursors
+  start at 0); monotonicity itself stays in the streams task's
+  GREATEST-guarded upsert.
+- **Identifier quoting**: `quote_identifier` (doubles embedded `"`)
+  is the engine's injection boundary for the consumer-supplied schema
+  name, exported for later tasks; tested hostile (SQL-breakout schema
+  name stays inert single-schema DDL).
+- **Schedule columns** anchor to the substrate's
+  `__alkstore_scheduler_tasks` concrete-stamp shape, `enabled` dropped
+  (no pause/resume in the collapse surface): `name` PK, `spec`,
+  `queue`, `payload`, `priority`, `expires_s`, `next_fire_at` (the
+  tick's boundary column), `max_attempts` (default 3),
+  `visibility_timeout_s` (default 300), `backoff_base_s` (default 5),
+  `dead_letter_retention_s`. No `last_fire_at` (`next_fire_at` is the
+  only state the tick math needs).
+- **Dead table** mirrors the job table's live columns + the diagnosis
+  fields (`last_error`, `died_at NOT NULL`), `id` a plain BIGINT PK
+  (carried from the move, not a sequence); retention index
+  `(queue, died_at)`.
+- **Job table** = the `Job::from_row` field list of record verbatim +
+  the five stamp columns; `state TEXT DEFAULT 'pending'` (SQLite
+  parity — the claim predicates read the text values); three indexes
+  (claim-ordering partial `WHERE state IN ('pending','processing')`
+  per ADR-010 §1's ordering row, pending `(queue, run_at)`, processing
+  deadline `(queue, claim_expires_at)`).
+- **`thiserror` added to the crate** (v2, same as core/SQLite) for
+  `BootstrapError`; the `open` task maps it onto `Error::Database`
+  next task.
+- **Harness convention** (ride env, never hardcoded, skip-clean
+  server-less): `ALKSTORE_PG_HOST/PORT/USER/PASSWORD/DB` — host
+  127.0.0.1, port 15432, user/password `postgres`/`poc`, db `blobs`
+  (the `pglo-poc` container's). The next tasks' tests should reuse
+  these variable names. `bootstrap` itself takes any
+  `&tokio_postgres::Client` (NoTls in tests; TLS is the `open` task's
+  concern via deadpool config, not this module's).
 
 ## Summary
 
-> To be filled on completion
\ No newline at end of file
+Landed: `alkstore-postgres/src/schema.rs` — the engine-owned schema
+module (`bootstrap(conn, schema_name)` idempotent DDL over
+`batch_execute`; `DEFAULT_SCHEMA = "alkstore"`; `quote_identifier`;
+`tables`/`indexes` name constants; `BootstrapError`), wired into
+`lib.rs` re-exports, plus `tests/schema_tests.rs` (9 tests) driven
+against the harness server via env-carried DSN, skipping cleanly
+server-less. Table family per the acceptance criteria (job/dead/
+stream_events/stream_offsets/schedule/locks, bytea payloads, bigserial
+offsets, claim-ordering partial index with the pinned ordering row).
+Verified: 9/9 green against the harness server (idempotence ×3 runs,
+per-table column sets, bytea types, bigserial monotone + gap-on-delete,
+claim index def fragments incl. `priority DESC` + partiality, schema
+name as parameter incl. reserved-word name `select`, co-tenancy
+re-bootstrap, co-tenant bare-index-name collision exclusion, hostile
+schema-name quoting); workspace `cargo test` green server-less (236
+tests, pg tests skipped per convention); clippy `-D warnings` and fmt
+clean workspace-wide.
\ No newline at end of file