diff --git a/internal/db/db.go b/internal/db/db.go
index e2dce3a..5fec112 100644
--- a/internal/db/db.go
+++ b/internal/db/db.go
@@ -90,6 +90,17 @@ func (database *Database) connect(ctx context.Context) error {
 		dbURL = config.DefaultDBURL
 	}
 
+	// SQLite keeps the foreign keys setting per connection. The driver
+	// runs each _pragma parameter on every connection it opens. A
+	// PRAGMA run once would miss the connection the pool opens after a
+	// cancelled query breaks the old one.
+	separator := "?"
+	if strings.Contains(dbURL, "?") {
+		separator = "&"
+	}
+
+	dbURL += separator + "_pragma=foreign_keys(1)"
+
 	database.log.Info(
 		"connecting to database", "url", dbURL,
 	)
@@ -109,13 +120,6 @@ func (database *Database) connect(ctx context.Context) error {
 	database.conn = conn
 	database.log.Info("database connected")
 
-	_, err = database.conn.ExecContext(
-		ctx, "PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON",
-	)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("enable foreign keys: %w", err)
-	}
-
 	return database.runMigrations(ctx)
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/db/db_test.go b/internal/db/db_test.go
index c79fdfc..d5719b1 100644
--- a/internal/db/db_test.go
+++ b/internal/db/db_test.go
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 package db_test
 
 import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	"go.uber.org/fx/fxtest"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/neoirc/internal/config"
@@ -14,6 +17,16 @@ import (
 
 const wantBusyTimeoutMS = 5000
 
+const (
+	// endlessQuery counts the rows of a recursive query that never
+	// stops, so it runs until its context ends.
+	endlessQuery = `WITH RECURSIVE n(x) AS
+		(SELECT 1 UNION ALL SELECT x + 1 FROM n)
+		SELECT COUNT(*) FROM n`
+
+	endlessQueryTimeout = 100 * time.Millisecond
+)
+
 // TestDefaultDBURLSetsWALAndBusyTimeout opens a file database
 // with the default URL's parameters the way the server does,
 // and checks the journal mode and busy timeout it ends up with.
@@ -73,3 +86,84 @@ func TestDefaultDBURLSetsWALAndBusyTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 		)
 	}
 }
+
+// TestForeignKeysOnAfterCancelledQuery cancels a query while it
+// runs, which makes the pool close its only connection and open a
+// new one. It checks that the file database keeps its tables and
+// that the new connection has foreign keys on.
+func TestForeignKeysOnAfterCancelledQuery(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	_, defaultParams, _ := strings.Cut(config.DefaultDBURL, "?")
+
+	urlParams := map[string]string{
+		"default parameters": "?" + defaultParams,
+		"no parameters":      "",
+	}
+
+	for name, params := range urlParams {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+
+			dbURL := "file://" +
+				filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "state.db") + params
+
+			lifecycle := fxtest.NewLifecycle(t)
+
+			log, err := logger.New(lifecycle, logger.Params{
+				Globals: &globals.Globals{},
+			})
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			database, err := db.New(lifecycle, db.Params{
+				Logger: log,
+				Config: &config.Config{DBURL: dbURL},
+			})
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			lifecycle.RequireStart()
+			t.Cleanup(lifecycle.RequireStop)
+
+			ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(
+				t.Context(), endlessQueryTimeout,
+			)
+			defer cancel()
+
+			_, err = database.GetDB().ExecContext(ctx, endlessQuery)
+			if !errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) {
+				t.Fatalf("endless query: err = %v", err)
+			}
+
+			var migrations int
+
+			err = database.GetDB().QueryRowContext(
+				t.Context(),
+				"SELECT COUNT(*) FROM schema_migrations",
+			).Scan(&migrations)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if migrations == 0 {
+				t.Error("schema_migrations is empty")
+			}
+
+			var foreignKeys int
+
+			err = database.GetDB().QueryRowContext(
+				t.Context(), "PRAGMA foreign_keys",
+			).Scan(&foreignKeys)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if foreignKeys != 1 {
+				t.Errorf("foreign_keys = %d, want 1", foreignKeys)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}