diff --git a/packages/daemon/src/db/migrations/003_events.ts b/packages/daemon/src/db/migrations/003_events.ts
index 9b680959f..29975332e 100644
--- a/packages/daemon/src/db/migrations/003_events.ts
+++ b/packages/daemon/src/db/migrations/003_events.ts
@@ -5,11 +5,12 @@ export const eventsSchema: Migration = {
   sql: `
     CREATE TABLE events (
       seq         INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-      rig_id      TEXT REFERENCES rigs(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+      -- INTENTIONALLY NOT AN FK to rigs(id).
+      -- Events are an append-only history log. They must survive rig deletion
+      -- so the full timeline is preserved for replay and audit.
+      rig_id      TEXT,
       -- INTENTIONALLY NOT AN FK to nodes(id).
-      -- Events are an append-only history log. They must survive node deletion
-      -- so the full timeline is preserved for replay and audit. An FK with
-      -- CASCADE would destroy history; SET NULL would lose the node reference.
+      -- Same rationale: events must survive node deletion.
       node_id     TEXT,
       type        TEXT NOT NULL,
       payload     TEXT NOT NULL,
diff --git a/packages/daemon/src/routes/rigs.ts b/packages/daemon/src/routes/rigs.ts
index 446d89626..34ed8df19 100644
--- a/packages/daemon/src/routes/rigs.ts
+++ b/packages/daemon/src/routes/rigs.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { Hono } from "hono";
 import type { RigRepository } from "../domain/rig-repository.js";
 import type { SessionRegistry } from "../domain/session-registry.js";
+import type { EventBus } from "../domain/event-bus.js";
 import { projectRigToGraph } from "../domain/graph-projection.js";
 
 export const rigsRoutes = new Hono();
@@ -46,6 +47,32 @@ rigsRoutes.get("/:id/graph", (c) => {
 });
 
 rigsRoutes.delete("/:id", (c) => {
-  getRepo(c).deleteRig(c.req.param("id"));
-  return c.body(null, 204);
+  const rigId = c.req.param("id");
+  const repo = getRepo(c);
+  const eventBus = c.get("eventBus" as never) as EventBus;
+
+  // Only emit event + delete if rig exists
+  const rig = repo.getRig(rigId);
+  if (!rig) {
+    return c.body(null, 204);
+  }
+
+  // Atomic: event persist + rig delete in one transaction
+  // Uses eventBus.db (same handle as rigRepo.db — enforced by shared AppDeps)
+  const txn = eventBus.db.transaction(() => {
+    const persisted = eventBus.persistWithinTransaction({
+      type: "rig.deleted",
+      rigId,
+    });
+    repo.deleteRig(rigId);
+    return persisted;
+  });
+
+  try {
+    const persistedEvent = txn();
+    eventBus.notifySubscribers(persistedEvent);
+    return c.body(null, 204);
+  } catch (err) {
+    return c.json({ error: "delete failed" }, 500);
+  }
 });
diff --git a/packages/daemon/src/server.ts b/packages/daemon/src/server.ts
index 996c922aa..4782fe6d0 100644
--- a/packages/daemon/src/server.ts
+++ b/packages/daemon/src/server.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,15 @@ export interface AppDeps {
 }
 
 export function createApp(deps: AppDeps): Hono {
+  // Hard runtime invariant: all domain services must share the same db handle.
+  // Routes that use atomic transactions across services depend on this.
+  if (deps.rigRepo.db !== deps.eventBus.db) {
+    throw new Error("createApp: rigRepo and eventBus must share the same db handle");
+  }
+  if (deps.rigRepo.db !== deps.sessionRegistry.db) {
+    throw new Error("createApp: rigRepo and sessionRegistry must share the same db handle");
+  }
+
   const app = new Hono();
 
   // Inject dependencies into context for all routes
diff --git a/packages/daemon/test/rigs-routes.test.ts b/packages/daemon/test/rigs-routes.test.ts
index 1c7cb58ad..8b0d268a3 100644
--- a/packages/daemon/test/rigs-routes.test.ts
+++ b/packages/daemon/test/rigs-routes.test.ts
@@ -89,9 +89,49 @@ describe("Rig CRUD routes", () => {
     expect(repo.getRig(rig.id)).toBeNull();
   });
 
-  it("DELETE /api/rigs/:id with nonexistent id -> 204 (idempotent)", async () => {
+  it("DELETE /api/rigs/:id -> rig.deleted event row in DB", async () => {
+    const rig = repo.createRig("test-rig");
+
+    const res = await app.request(`/api/rigs/${rig.id}`, { method: "DELETE" });
+    expect(res.status).toBe(204);
+
+    const events = db
+      .prepare("SELECT type, payload FROM events WHERE type = 'rig.deleted'")
+      .all() as { type: string; payload: string }[];
+    expect(events).toHaveLength(1);
+    const payload = JSON.parse(events[0]!.payload);
+    expect(payload.rigId).toBe(rig.id);
+  });
+
+  it("DELETE /api/rigs/:id with nonexistent id -> 204 + no rig.deleted event", async () => {
     const res = await app.request("/api/rigs/nonexistent", { method: "DELETE" });
     expect(res.status).toBe(204);
+
+    const events = db
+      .prepare("SELECT * FROM events WHERE type = 'rig.deleted'")
+      .all();
+    expect(events).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+
+  it("DELETE /api/rigs/:id with sabotaged events -> rig still exists + no event row", async () => {
+    const rig = repo.createRig("test-rig");
+
+    // Sabotage events table so event insert fails inside the transaction
+    db.exec("DROP TABLE events");
+    db.exec(
+      "CREATE TABLE events (seq INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT, rig_id TEXT, node_id TEXT, type TEXT NOT NULL, payload TEXT NOT NULL, created_at TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT (datetime('now')), CONSTRAINT force_fail CHECK(length(type) < 1))"
+    );
+
+    const res = await app.request(`/api/rigs/${rig.id}`, { method: "DELETE" });
+    // Should fail (transaction rolled back)
+    expect(res.status).toBe(500);
+
+    // Rig still exists (rollback)
+    expect(repo.getRig(rig.id)).not.toBeNull();
+
+    // No partial event row
+    const events = db.prepare("SELECT * FROM events").all();
+    expect(events).toHaveLength(0);
   });
 
   it("POST /api/rigs with invalid body -> 400", async () => {
diff --git a/packages/daemon/test/schema-events.test.ts b/packages/daemon/test/schema-events.test.ts
index be128da88..7895eb888 100644
--- a/packages/daemon/test/schema-events.test.ts
+++ b/packages/daemon/test/schema-events.test.ts
@@ -173,13 +173,37 @@ describe("003_events", () => {
     expect(events[1]!.type).toBe("session.status_changed");
   });
 
-  it("cascades on rig delete", () => {
+  it("events survive rig deletion (audit trail preserved)", () => {
     db.prepare(
       "INSERT INTO events (rig_id, type, payload) VALUES (?, ?, ?)"
     ).run("rig-1", "event.a", "{}");
+    db.prepare(
+      "INSERT INTO events (rig_id, type, payload) VALUES (?, ?, ?)"
+    ).run("rig-1", "event.b", "{}");
 
     db.prepare("DELETE FROM rigs WHERE id = ?").run("rig-1");
-    const events = db.prepare("SELECT * FROM events").all();
-    expect(events).toHaveLength(0);
+
+    // Events must still exist with original rig_id intact
+    const events = db
+      .prepare("SELECT rig_id, type FROM events ORDER BY seq")
+      .all() as { rig_id: string; type: string }[];
+    expect(events).toHaveLength(2);
+    expect(events[0]!.rig_id).toBe("rig-1");
+    expect(events[1]!.rig_id).toBe("rig-1");
+  });
+
+  it("allows event with rig_id referencing nonexistent rig (orphan refs)", () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      db
+        .prepare(
+          "INSERT INTO events (rig_id, type, payload) VALUES (?, ?, ?)"
+        )
+        .run("nonexistent-rig", "rig.created", "{}")
+    ).not.toThrow();
+
+    const event = db
+      .prepare("SELECT rig_id FROM events WHERE rig_id = ?")
+      .get("nonexistent-rig") as { rig_id: string };
+    expect(event.rig_id).toBe("nonexistent-rig");
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/daemon/test/server.test.ts b/packages/daemon/test/server.test.ts
index 180982055..310c99c8c 100644
--- a/packages/daemon/test/server.test.ts
+++ b/packages/daemon/test/server.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
 import { createFullTestDb, createTestApp } from "./helpers/test-app.js";
+import { RigRepository } from "../src/domain/rig-repository.js";
+import { SessionRegistry } from "../src/domain/session-registry.js";
+import { EventBus } from "../src/domain/event-bus.js";
+import { NodeLauncher } from "../src/domain/node-launcher.js";
+import { createApp } from "../src/server.js";
+import { mockTmuxAdapter, unavailableCmuxAdapter } from "./helpers/test-app.js";
 
 describe("Hono server (production app)", () => {
   it("GET /healthz returns 200 with status ok", async () => {
@@ -29,4 +35,23 @@ describe("Hono server (production app)", () => {
     expect(Array.isArray(body)).toBe(true);
     db.close();
   });
+
+  it("createApp throws if rigRepo and eventBus use different db handles", () => {
+    const db1 = createFullTestDb();
+    const db2 = createFullTestDb();
+
+    const rigRepo = new RigRepository(db1);
+    const sessionRegistry = new SessionRegistry(db1);
+    const eventBus = new EventBus(db2); // different handle
+    const tmux = mockTmuxAdapter();
+    const cmux = unavailableCmuxAdapter();
+    const nodeLauncher = new NodeLauncher({ db: db1, rigRepo, sessionRegistry, eventBus: new EventBus(db1), tmuxAdapter: tmux });
+
+    expect(() =>
+      createApp({ rigRepo, sessionRegistry, eventBus, nodeLauncher, tmuxAdapter: tmux, cmuxAdapter: cmux })
+    ).toThrow(/same db handle/);
+
+    db1.close();
+    db2.close();
+  });
 });