diff --git a/server/src/db/migrations.ts b/server/src/db/migrations.ts
index 50aaffe4a..a79cf90cf 100644
--- a/server/src/db/migrations.ts
+++ b/server/src/db/migrations.ts
@@ -3772,17 +3772,6 @@ function runMigrations(db: Database.Database): void {
         if (!err.message?.includes('duplicate column name')) throw err;
       }
     },
-    // Per-segment travel mode for boundary legs: a leg whose ORIGIN is not a place
-    // (booking arrival, morning hotel) stores its mode on the DESTINATION stop.
-    // NULL = inherit the day default. INERT whenever the previous timeline element
-    // is itself a place (that place's outgoing leg_transport_mode wins).
-    () => {
-      try {
-        db.exec('ALTER TABLE day_assignments ADD COLUMN incoming_leg_transport_mode TEXT');
-      } catch (err: any) {
-        if (!err.message?.includes('duplicate column name')) throw err;
-      }
-    },
     // School holidays are a visual Vacay calendar layer. Keep them separate from
     // public holidays so applyHolidayCalendars never removes vacation entries for
     // school-break dates. Appended LAST: this branch was cut before #1435/#1281
@@ -3876,6 +3865,20 @@ function runMigrations(db: Database.Database): void {
       const hasColor = db.prepare("SELECT 1 FROM pragma_table_info('day_notes') WHERE name = 'color'").get();
       if (!hasColor) db.exec('ALTER TABLE day_notes ADD COLUMN color TEXT');
     },
+
+    // Per-segment travel mode for boundary legs: a leg whose ORIGIN is not a place
+    // (booking arrival, morning hotel) stores its mode on the DESTINATION stop.
+    // NULL = inherit the day default. INERT whenever the previous timeline element
+    // is itself a place (that place's outgoing leg_transport_mode wins).
+    // Appended LAST: the array is index-addressed against schema_version, so a slot
+    // inserted anywhere above this line is simply skipped on every existing database.
+    () => {
+      try {
+        db.exec('ALTER TABLE day_assignments ADD COLUMN incoming_leg_transport_mode TEXT');
+      } catch (err: any) {
+        if (!err.message?.includes('duplicate column name')) throw err;
+      }
+    },
   ];
 
   if (currentVersion < migrations.length) {
diff --git a/server/tests/integration/leg-mode-incoming.test.ts b/server/tests/integration/leg-mode-incoming.test.ts
index 8548f291b..1e2adcad7 100644
--- a/server/tests/integration/leg-mode-incoming.test.ts
+++ b/server/tests/integration/leg-mode-incoming.test.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,27 @@ describe('incoming_leg_transport_mode migration', () => {
     const cols = testDb.prepare(`PRAGMA table_info(day_assignments)`).all() as { name: string }[];
     expect(cols.map(c => c.name)).toContain('incoming_leg_transport_mode');
   });
+
+  // The case above starts from an empty database and runs every migration, so it
+  // passes wherever this one sits in the array. Existing installs replay only the
+  // slots above their schema_version, which is why the migration has to be the
+  // trailing entry: from anywhere but the end it is silently skipped on upgrade.
+  it('still lands on a database that already holds every earlier migration', () => {
+    const upgraded = new Database(':memory:');
+    upgraded.exec('PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON');
+    createTables(upgraded);
+    runMigrations(upgraded);
+
+    const { version } = upgraded.prepare('SELECT version FROM schema_version').get() as { version: number };
+    upgraded.exec('ALTER TABLE day_assignments DROP COLUMN incoming_leg_transport_mode');
+    upgraded.prepare('UPDATE schema_version SET version = ?').run(version - 1);
+
+    runMigrations(upgraded);
+
+    const cols = upgraded.prepare(`PRAGMA table_info(day_assignments)`).all() as { name: string }[];
+    expect(cols.map(c => c.name)).toContain('incoming_leg_transport_mode');
+    upgraded.close();
+  });
 });
 
 // ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────