diff --git a/src/app/(app)/layout.tsx b/src/app/(app)/layout.tsx
index fb98185..5faf03a 100644
--- a/src/app/(app)/layout.tsx
+++ b/src/app/(app)/layout.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,23 @@
+import { redirect } from "next/navigation";
+import { auth } from "@/lib/auth";
+import { prisma } from "@/lib/prisma";
 import { Sidebar } from "@/components/layout/sidebar";
 import { Header } from "@/components/layout/header";
 
-export default function AppLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
+export default async function AppLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
+  // Guard against a stale JWT session whose user no longer exists in the
+  // database (e.g. after a DB reset). The signed cookie still passes edge
+  // middleware, but every downstream query keyed on session.user.id would fail.
+  // Send such sessions to /logout, which clears the cookie and returns to login.
+  const session = await auth();
+  if (session?.user?.id) {
+    const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
+      where: { id: session.user.id },
+      select: { id: true },
+    });
+    if (!user) redirect("/logout");
+  }
+
   return (
     <div className="flex h-screen overflow-hidden">
       <div className="hidden lg:block">
diff --git a/src/app/logout/route.ts b/src/app/logout/route.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..66b4f7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/logout/route.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import { signOut } from "@/lib/auth";
+
+// Server-side sign-out that clears the JWT session cookie and redirects to the
+// login page. Used to recover from a stale session whose user no longer exists
+// in the database (e.g. after a DB reset), which a client-only signOut can't
+// reach because the app crashes before rendering the user menu.
+export async function GET() {
+  await signOut({ redirectTo: "/login" });
+}
diff --git a/src/data/settings.queries.ts b/src/data/settings.queries.ts
index d353462..246fe41 100644
--- a/src/data/settings.queries.ts
+++ b/src/data/settings.queries.ts
@@ -1,20 +1,37 @@
+import { Prisma } from "@prisma/client";
 import { prisma } from "@/lib/prisma";
 
+const DEFAULT_SETTINGS = {
+  lowStockThreshold: 20,
+  currency: "EUR",
+  theme: "dark",
+  units: "metric",
+} as const;
+
 export async function getUserSettings(userId: string) {
   let settings = await prisma.userSettings.findUnique({
     where: { userId },
   });
 
   if (!settings) {
-    settings = await prisma.userSettings.create({
-      data: {
-        userId,
-        lowStockThreshold: 20,
-        currency: "EUR",
-        theme: "dark",
-        units: "metric",
-      },
-    });
+    try {
+      settings = await prisma.userSettings.create({
+        data: { userId, ...DEFAULT_SETTINGS },
+      });
+    } catch (err) {
+      // The session's user may no longer exist (e.g. a stale JWT cookie after a
+      // database reset). Creating settings then hits a foreign-key violation
+      // (P2003). Don't crash the Server Component render — return unsaved
+      // defaults. The (app) layout guard redirects such stale sessions to
+      // sign-out, so this fallback is only ever momentarily visible.
+      if (
+        err instanceof Prisma.PrismaClientKnownRequestError &&
+        err.code === "P2003"
+      ) {
+        return { id: "", userId, ...DEFAULT_SETTINGS };
+      }
+      throw err;
+    }
   }
 
   return settings;