diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main/vault-service.ts b/apps/desktop/src/main/vault-service.ts
index bb50344..6c2d0b2 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main/vault-service.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main/vault-service.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { appstash, resolve } from 'appstash';
 import { existsSync, promises as fs } from 'fs';
 import * as path from 'path';
 
-import type { TotpEntry, VaultStatus } from '../shared/api';
+import type { RebuildReport, TotpEntry, VaultStatus } from '../shared/api';
 
 const APP_NAME = 'dcrypt';
 
@@ -87,9 +87,9 @@ export class VaultService {
    * Re-runs the pgpm deploy into a fresh database and moves every row across,
    * so a vault created by an earlier module version picks up schema changes.
    */
-  async rebuild(): Promise<void> {
+  async rebuild(): Promise<RebuildReport> {
     await this.flush();
-    await this.current().rebuild(vaultModulePath());
+    return this.current().rebuild(vaultModulePath());
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/renderer/src/screens/SettingsScreen.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/renderer/src/screens/SettingsScreen.tsx
index c1cfea5..7cb465a 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/renderer/src/screens/SettingsScreen.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/renderer/src/screens/SettingsScreen.tsx
@@ -82,8 +82,12 @@ export const SettingsScreen = ({ onLocked }: { onLocked: () => void }) => {
   const rebuild = async () => {
     setBusy(true);
     try {
-      await dcrypt.vault.rebuild();
-      toast.success('Database rebuilt. Every item was carried over.');
+      const report = await dcrypt.vault.rebuild();
+      const rows = Object.values(report.copied).reduce((sum, n) => sum + n, 0);
+      toast.success(
+        `Database rebuilt: ${report.tables} tables deployed, ${rows} rows carried over ` +
+          `(${report.copied.items ?? 0} items).`
+      );
     } catch (err) {
       toast.error(err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err));
     } finally {
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/shared/api.ts b/apps/desktop/src/shared/api.ts
index 86b51ad..9ae1385 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/shared/api.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/shared/api.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,12 @@ export type BrandIcon =
   | { kind: 'logo'; title: string; slug: string; light: string; dark: string }
   | { kind: 'glyph'; title: string; slug: string; path: string; hex: string };
 
+/** What a rebuild carried across, so the UI can show it was not a no-op. */
+export interface RebuildReport {
+  tables: number;
+  copied: Record<string, number>;
+}
+
 /**
  * The complete surface the renderer can reach. Everything crosses the context
  * bridge as plain JSON; secrets flow through only as explicit call results,
@@ -72,7 +78,7 @@ export interface DcryptApi {
     save(): Promise<void>;
     changePassphrase(next: string): Promise<void>;
     /** Re-deploys the pgpm module into a fresh database, keeping every item. */
-    rebuild(): Promise<void>;
+    rebuild(): Promise<RebuildReport>;
     /** Deletes the vault and every other file dcrypt keeps on this machine. */
     eraseAll(): Promise<void>;
   };
diff --git a/packages/vault/__tests__/vault.test.ts b/packages/vault/__tests__/vault.test.ts
index b4c500e..80182cb 100644
--- a/packages/vault/__tests__/vault.test.ts
+++ b/packages/vault/__tests__/vault.test.ts
@@ -143,6 +143,8 @@ describe('Vault', () => {
     await vault.setField(code.id, 'seed', 'totp_seed', 'GEZDGNBVGY3TQOJQGEZDGNBVGY3TQOJQ');
     const before = await vault.totpCode(code.id);
 
+    // the rebuild asserts the fresh database really carries the deployed schema,
+    // so this passing at all rules out a deploy that quietly did nothing
     await vault.rebuild(MODULE_PATH);
 
     // same ids, same ciphertext, same passphrase — nothing was re-keyed
diff --git a/packages/vault/src/vault.ts b/packages/vault/src/vault.ts
index dd84f21..a3b1080 100644
--- a/packages/vault/src/vault.ts
+++ b/packages/vault/src/vault.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,16 @@ import {
  
 const { pgcrypto } = require('@electric-sql/pglite/contrib/pgcrypto');
 
+const VAULT_SCHEMA = 'dcrypt_vault';
+
+/** What a rebuild moved, so the UI can show that it was not a no-op. */
+export interface RebuildReport {
+  /** Tables in the freshly deployed schema that were copied through. */
+  tables: number;
+  /** Rows carried across, per table. */
+  copied: Record<string, number>;
+}
+
 const DB_KEY_INFO = 'dcrypt/db-values';
 const DB_KEY_SALT_META = 'db_key_salt';
 
@@ -145,23 +155,44 @@ export class Vault {
     // evict the cached pool so the next open never reaches this instance
     await teardownPgPools();
     handle.unregister();
+    await Vault.assertDeployed(handle.db as unknown as PGlite);
     // the adapter's PGlite type is resolved through the ESM declarations while
     // this CJS build resolves the CTS ones — identical runtime class
     return handle.db as unknown as PGlite;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * A deploy that decides it has nothing to do would leave an empty database
+   * that then silently swallows a rebuild, so prove the schema is really there.
+   */
+  private static async assertDeployed(db: PGlite): Promise<void> {
+    const wanted = COPY_ORDER.map((spec) => spec.table);
+    const found = await db.query<{ tablename: string }>(
+      'SELECT tablename FROM pg_tables WHERE schemaname = $1',
+      [VAULT_SCHEMA]
+    );
+    const present = new Set(found.rows.map((row) => row.tablename));
+    const missing = wanted.filter((table) => !present.has(table));
+    if (missing.length > 0) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `pgpm deployed nothing usable: ${VAULT_SCHEMA} is missing ${missing.join(', ')}`
+      );
+    }
+  }
+
   /**
    * Re-deploys the pgpm module into a fresh database and copies every row
    * across, so a vault created by an older module picks up schema changes.
    * Values move as ciphertext and the key salt is preserved, so no plaintext
    * is materialised and the master passphrase still opens the result.
    */
-  async rebuild(modulePath: string): Promise<void> {
+  async rebuild(modulePath: string): Promise<RebuildReport> {
     const old = this.database;
     const next = await Vault.deployFresh(modulePath);
+    const copied: Record<string, number> = {};
     try {
       for (const spec of COPY_ORDER) {
-        await copyTable(old, next, spec);
+        copied[spec.table] = await copyTable(old, next, spec);
       }
       // folders were inserted detached to satisfy their self-reference
       await reattachFolders(old, next);
@@ -172,6 +203,7 @@ export class Vault {
     this.db = next;
     await old.close();
     await this.save();
+    return { tables: COPY_ORDER.length, copied };
   }
 
   private static async readDbKeySalt(db: PGlite): Promise<string> {
@@ -568,7 +600,7 @@ const COPY_ORDER: CopySpec[] = [
   },
 ];
 
-const copyTable = async (from: PGlite, to: PGlite, spec: CopySpec): Promise<void> => {
+const copyTable = async (from: PGlite, to: PGlite, spec: CopySpec): Promise<number> => {
   const binary = new Set(spec.binary ?? []);
   const detached = new Set(spec.detach ?? []);
   const selected = spec.columns
@@ -581,7 +613,7 @@ const copyTable = async (from: PGlite, to: PGlite, spec: CopySpec): Promise<void
   const rows = await from.query<Record<string, unknown>>(
     `SELECT ${selected} FROM dcrypt_vault.${spec.table}`
   );
-  if (!rows.rows.length) return;
+  if (!rows.rows.length) return 0;
 
   const placeholders = spec.columns
     .map((column, index) => {
@@ -599,6 +631,7 @@ const copyTable = async (from: PGlite, to: PGlite, spec: CopySpec): Promise<void
       spec.columns.map((column) => (detached.has(column) ? null : (row[column] ?? null)))
     );
   }
+  return rows.rows.length;
 };
 
 /** Second pass for folders, whose parent may be inserted after the child. */