diff --git a/hermes_state.py b/hermes_state.py
index 5285782e4f5..5a06c175760 100644
--- a/hermes_state.py
+++ b/hermes_state.py
@@ -818,6 +818,57 @@ def _log_wal_fallback_once(db_label: str, exc: Exception) -> None:
         exc,
     )
 
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Config-driven database pragmas
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+def apply_database_pragmas(
+    conn: sqlite3.Connection,
+    *,
+    db_label: str = "state.db",
+) -> None:
+    """Apply optional WAL-sizing PRAGMAs from ``config.yaml``.
+
+    Reads the ``database:`` section and applies ``wal_autocheckpoint``
+    and ``journal_size_limit`` when set to integer values.  The journal
+    mode itself is NOT handled here — ``database.journal_mode`` is owned
+    by :func:`resolve_journal_mode` inside :func:`apply_wal_with_fallback`,
+    which layers the operator setting under all the safety guards
+    (never live-downgrading an on-disk WAL DB, filesystem fallback,
+    WAL-reset-bug gating).  Keeping a single owner prevents a second,
+    unguarded journal-mode switch path.
+
+    Best-effort: config load or pragma failures are ignored so DB init
+    never breaks on a malformed ``database:`` section.
+    """
+    try:
+        # Local import avoids a circular import with hermes_cli.config.
+        from hermes_cli.config import cfg_get, load_config_readonly
+
+        cfg = load_config_readonly()
+    except Exception:
+        return
+
+    for pragma_name in ("wal_autocheckpoint", "journal_size_limit"):
+        raw_value = cfg_get(cfg, "database", pragma_name, default=None)
+        if raw_value is None:
+            continue
+        try:
+            value = int(str(raw_value).strip())
+        except (TypeError, ValueError):
+            logger.warning(
+                "%s: ignoring non-integer database.%s=%r",
+                db_label,
+                pragma_name,
+                raw_value,
+            )
+            continue
+        try:
+            conn.execute(f"PRAGMA {pragma_name}={value}")
+        except sqlite3.OperationalError:
+            pass
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Malformed-schema recovery
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -1837,6 +1888,7 @@ class SessionDB(SessionSearchMixin, SessionSchemaMixin, SessionPortabilityMixin)
                 self._wal_active = (
                     apply_wal_with_fallback(self._conn, db_label="state.db") == "wal"
                 )
+                apply_database_pragmas(self._conn, db_label="state.db")
                 self._conn.execute("PRAGMA foreign_keys=ON")
                 self._fts_cjk_loaded = load_fts5_cjk_extension(self._conn)
                 self._init_schema()
diff --git a/tests/test_hermes_state.py b/tests/test_hermes_state.py
index b83a29fedf4..3b9c9c8e563 100644
--- a/tests/test_hermes_state.py
+++ b/tests/test_hermes_state.py
@@ -2856,3 +2856,88 @@ class TestGatewayRoutingPkHeal:
         cur = db._conn.cursor()
         db._heal_gateway_routing_pk(cur)
         assert db.load_gateway_routing_entries(scope="s") == {"k1": "{}"}
+
+
+class TestApplyDatabasePragmas:
+    """Config-driven WAL-sizing pragma application (database: section)."""
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _patch_cfg(monkeypatch, cfg):
+        monkeypatch.setattr(
+            "hermes_cli.config.load_config_readonly",
+            lambda: cfg,
+        )
+
+    def test_honors_wal_autocheckpoint_from_config(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        import sqlite3
+        from hermes_state import apply_database_pragmas
+
+        conn = sqlite3.connect(str(tmp_path / "pragmas.db"))
+        try:
+            conn.execute("PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL")
+            self._patch_cfg(monkeypatch, {"database": {"wal_autocheckpoint": 250}})
+            apply_database_pragmas(conn, db_label="test.db")
+            assert conn.execute("PRAGMA wal_autocheckpoint").fetchone()[0] == 250
+        finally:
+            conn.close()
+
+    def test_honors_journal_size_limit_from_config(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        import sqlite3
+        from hermes_state import apply_database_pragmas
+
+        conn = sqlite3.connect(str(tmp_path / "pragmas.db"))
+        try:
+            conn.execute("PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL")
+            self._patch_cfg(
+                monkeypatch, {"database": {"journal_size_limit": 10485760}}
+            )
+            apply_database_pragmas(conn, db_label="test.db")
+            assert (
+                conn.execute("PRAGMA journal_size_limit").fetchone()[0] == 10485760
+            )
+        finally:
+            conn.close()
+
+    def test_noop_when_database_section_missing(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        import sqlite3
+        from hermes_state import apply_database_pragmas
+
+        conn = sqlite3.connect(str(tmp_path / "pragmas.db"))
+        try:
+            conn.execute("PRAGMA journal_mode=DELETE")
+            self._patch_cfg(monkeypatch, {})
+            apply_database_pragmas(conn, db_label="test.db")
+            assert conn.execute("PRAGMA journal_mode").fetchone()[0] == "delete"
+        finally:
+            conn.close()
+
+    def test_never_touches_journal_mode(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        """journal_mode is owned by apply_wal_with_fallback — a database:
+        journal_mode entry must NOT cause a second, unguarded mode switch."""
+        import sqlite3
+        from hermes_state import apply_database_pragmas
+
+        conn = sqlite3.connect(str(tmp_path / "pragmas.db"))
+        try:
+            conn.execute("PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL")
+            self._patch_cfg(monkeypatch, {"database": {"journal_mode": "delete"}})
+            apply_database_pragmas(conn, db_label="test.db")
+            assert conn.execute("PRAGMA journal_mode").fetchone()[0] == "wal"
+        finally:
+            conn.close()
+
+    def test_ignores_non_integer_values(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        import sqlite3
+        from hermes_state import apply_database_pragmas
+
+        conn = sqlite3.connect(str(tmp_path / "pragmas.db"))
+        try:
+            conn.execute("PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL")
+            before = conn.execute("PRAGMA wal_autocheckpoint").fetchone()[0]
+            self._patch_cfg(
+                monkeypatch, {"database": {"wal_autocheckpoint": "lots"}}
+            )
+            apply_database_pragmas(conn, db_label="test.db")
+            assert conn.execute("PRAGMA wal_autocheckpoint").fetchone()[0] == before
+        finally:
+            conn.close()