diff --git a/internal/database/schema.go b/internal/database/schema.go
index 8a19e54..ae7abe8 100644
--- a/internal/database/schema.go
+++ b/internal/database/schema.go
@@ -77,6 +77,12 @@ func parseTableNames() ([]string, error) {
 	tables := make(map[string]bool)
 	for scanner.Scan() {
 		line := scanner.Text()
+		// Skip SQL comments: a doc line like "-- ... declared in CREATE
+		// TABLE above" would otherwise register a phantom table and fail
+		// startup verification.
+		if strings.HasPrefix(strings.TrimSpace(line), "--") {
+			continue
+		}
 		matches := pattern.FindStringSubmatch(line)
 		if len(matches) > 1 {
 			tableName := matches[1]
diff --git a/internal/database/schema_test.go b/internal/database/schema_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..92fdaec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/database/schema_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+package database
+
+import (
+	"regexp"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestParseTableNamesIgnoresComments guards against phantom tables parsed out
+// of SQL comments (e.g. "-- ... declared in CREATE TABLE above" once
+// registered a table named "above" and crashed startup verification).
+func TestParseTableNamesIgnoresComments(t *testing.T) {
+	tables, err := parseTableNames()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parseTableNames() error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(tables) == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("parseTableNames() returned no tables")
+	}
+
+	for _, name := range tables {
+		// Every parsed table must correspond to a real CREATE TABLE statement
+		// at the start of a (non-comment) line.
+		stmt := regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)^CREATE TABLE (?:IF NOT EXISTS )?(?:\w+\.)?` + regexp.QuoteMeta(name) + `\s`)
+		if !stmt.MatchString(SchemaFile) {
+			t.Errorf("parseTableNames() returned phantom table %q with no matching CREATE TABLE statement", name)
+		}
+	}
+}