diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 9d46448..60821b2 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -18,8 +18,9 @@ Review the `README.md` and `CONTRIBUTING.md` for all relevant repository informa
 ## Testing Tips
 
 - Use `npm link` in this directory and `npm link @harperfast/nextjs` in other project directories to test out changes locally
-- Run `npm run install:fixtures` before running tests for the first time, and again after changing any fixture's `package.json`.
+- Run `npm run install:fixtures` before running tests for the first time, and again after changing any fixture's `package.json` **or any plugin source under `src/`**. Fixtures install the plugin with `--install-links`, so each one holds a *copy* of `dist/`, not a symlink — `npm run build` alone does not reach them.
 - Run `npm run test:integration` to run all tests, or `npm run test:integration -- integrationTests/next-15.pw.ts` for a single file.
 - Test startup is slow by design — each test file starts a real Harper instance and waits for Next.js to build (up to 2 minutes). A slow start is not a failure.
 - The ISR cache tests in `integrationTests/next-16.pw.ts` are intentionally skipped; `CacheHandler.cts` is a work in progress.
+- `next-16-static-data` is run by two test files: `next-16-static-data.pw.ts` on the default VM module loader (where Harper's component `harper` allowlist omits `flushDatabases`, so the plugin's pre-build flush is a no-op and a read-only build child can't see unflushed writes) and `next-16-static-data-native.pw.ts` under `applications.moduleLoader: native`, where the flush does run. The pair is what pins that behavior down — keep both.
 - CI is currently disabled (`if: false` in `.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml`). Run tests locally.
diff --git a/fixtures/next-16-static-data/.npmrc b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/.npmrc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..43c97e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/.npmrc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+package-lock=false
diff --git a/fixtures/next-16-static-data/app/dogs/page.js b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/app/dogs/page.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3e873a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/app/dogs/page.js
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+// A statically generated page that reads a Harper table at build time. No `force-dynamic`, no
+// dynamic APIs, so Next.js prerenders it during `next build` — and Next.js runs static generation in
+// a *child process*. Loading Harper there opens the same RocksDB databases the parent Harper process
+// already has open, which without `HARPER_READONLY` fails with:
+//
+//   Error: IO error: While lock file: <root>/database/data/LOCK: Resource temporarily unavailable
+//
+// Real apps declare `harper` as a dependency and use the bare `import('harper')` specifier (see
+// HarperFast/nextjs-example). Fixtures can't: the harness deep-copies the fixture directory into the
+// Harper root and `harper` installs to ~577MB. So the test passes harper's already-resolved entry
+// path in via `HARPER_FIXTURE_HARPER_ENTRY`. The mechanism under test is unchanged — a build child
+// process loading Harper's storage layer against a database the parent holds locked.
+const harperEntry = process.env.HARPER_FIXTURE_HARPER_ENTRY;
+
+async function listDogs() {
+	// Served from a Harper worker thread, the `tables` global is already there. In the build child it
+	// is not, and loading Harper is what installs it (and opens the databases).
+	//
+	// The ignore comments are required: both bundlers otherwise try to resolve this specifier at build
+	// time and fail with "Cannot find module as expression is too dynamic". They tell the bundler to
+	// leave the import alone and let Node resolve the absolute path at runtime.
+	if (typeof globalThis.tables === 'undefined') {
+		if (!harperEntry) {
+			throw new Error(
+				'HARPER_FIXTURE_HARPER_ENTRY is not set, so this fixture cannot load Harper outside a Harper thread. ' +
+					'It is passed in by integrationTests/next-16-static-data.pw.ts.'
+			);
+		}
+		await import(/* webpackIgnore: true */ /* turbopackIgnore: true */ harperEntry);
+	}
+
+	// No fallback if `tables.Dog` is missing, deliberately. An empty list is a *meaningful* result here
+	// — it is what a read-only child renders when it can't see the parent's unflushed writes — so
+	// swallowing a failure to load Harper as `[]` would make this test pass for the wrong reason.
+	const dogs = [];
+	for await (const dog of globalThis.tables.Dog.search()) {
+		dogs.push({ id: dog.id, name: dog.name });
+	}
+	return dogs;
+}
+
+export default async function Page() {
+	const dogs = await listDogs();
+
+	return (
+		<ul data-testid="dogs">
+			{dogs.map((dog) => (
+				<li key={dog.id} data-testid={`dog-${dog.id}`}>
+					{dog.name}
+				</li>
+			))}
+		</ul>
+	);
+}
diff --git a/fixtures/next-16-static-data/app/layout.js b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/app/layout.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d64c151
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/app/layout.js
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+export const metadata = {
+	title: 'Harper - Next.js v16 Static Data App',
+};
+
+export default function RootLayout({ children }) {
+	return (
+		<html>
+			<body>{children}</body>
+		</html>
+	);
+}
diff --git a/fixtures/next-16-static-data/app/page.js b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/app/page.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8080041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/app/page.js
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+export default function Page() {
+	return <h1>Next.js v16 Static Data</h1>;
+}
diff --git a/fixtures/next-16-static-data/config.yaml b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/config.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..da8288c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/config.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+rest: true
+
+graphqlSchema:
+  files: schema.graphql
+
+# Seeds the Dog table. Declared before @harperfast/nextjs so the row is committed by the time the
+# plugin runs `next build` — the statically generated /dogs page reads it during prerender.
+jsResource:
+  files: seed.js
+
+'@harperfast/nextjs':
+  package: '@harperfast/nextjs'
diff --git a/fixtures/next-16-static-data/next.config.mjs b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/next.config.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ada3f1d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/next.config.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+import { withHarper } from '@harperfast/nextjs';
+
+export default withHarper({});
diff --git a/fixtures/next-16-static-data/package.json b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6b606f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+{
+	"name": "next-16-static-data",
+	"private": true,
+	"scripts": {
+		"dev": "next dev",
+		"build": "next build",
+		"start": "next start",
+		"lint": "next lint"
+	},
+	"dependencies": {
+		"@harperfast/nextjs": "file:../../",
+		"react": "^19",
+		"react-dom": "^19",
+		"next": "^16"
+	}
+}
diff --git a/fixtures/next-16-static-data/schema.graphql b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/schema.graphql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..46bc292
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/schema.graphql
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+type Dog @table @export {
+	id: ID @primaryKey
+	name: String
+}
diff --git a/fixtures/next-16-static-data/seed.js b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/seed.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..001dac4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fixtures/next-16-static-data/seed.js
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+import { tables } from 'harper';
+
+// Top-level await: Harper awaits component module evaluation, so the row is committed before the
+// '@harperfast/nextjs' plugin (declared after this file in config.yaml) starts `next build`.
+await tables.Dog.put({ id: 'rex', name: 'Rex' });
diff --git a/integrationTests/fixture.ts b/integrationTests/fixture.ts
index e1aeef6..3ebc0c4 100644
--- a/integrationTests/fixture.ts
+++ b/integrationTests/fixture.ts
@@ -15,10 +15,27 @@ function getHarperBinPath(): string {
 	return join(dirname(require.resolve('harper')), 'bin', 'harper.js');
 }
 
+/**
+ * Absolute path to Harper's module entry, for fixtures whose app code needs to import Harper from a
+ * `next build` child process. Fixtures can't depend on `harper` themselves — the harness deep-copies
+ * the fixture directory and the package is ~577MB — so the resolved path is passed through the
+ * environment instead. See fixtures/next-16-static-data/app/dogs/page.js.
+ */
+export function harperModuleEntry(): string {
+	return require.resolve('harper');
+}
+
 // Next.js build can take a while — give it 2 minutes.
 const STARTUP_TIMEOUT_MS = 120_000;
 
-export function makeHarperFixture(fixtureName: string) {
+export interface FixtureOptions {
+	/** Extra environment variables for the Harper process (inherited by its workers and their children). */
+	env?: Record<string, string>;
+	/** Overrides merged over the default `applications` config, e.g. `{ moduleLoader: 'native' }`. */
+	applications?: Record<string, string>;
+}
+
+export function makeHarperFixture(fixtureName: string, { env, applications }: FixtureOptions = {}) {
 	return async ({}: {}, use: (harper: HarperContext) => Promise<void>) => {
 		const fixturePath = join(import.meta.dirname, '..', 'fixtures', fixtureName);
 		const ctx = createHarperContext(fixtureName);
@@ -28,6 +45,7 @@ export function makeHarperFixture(fixtureName: string) {
 			started = await setupHarperWithFixture(ctx, fixturePath, {
 				harperBinPath: getHarperBinPath(),
 				startupTimeoutMs: STARTUP_TIMEOUT_MS,
+				...(env && { env }),
 				config: {
 					logging: {
 						stdStreams: true,
@@ -36,7 +54,8 @@ export function makeHarperFixture(fixtureName: string) {
 						lockdown: 'none',
 						moduleLoader: 'none',
 						dependencyLoader: 'native',
-						allowedDirectory: 'any'
+						allowedDirectory: 'any',
+						...applications,
 					},
 				},
 			});
@@ -55,9 +74,9 @@ export function makeHarperFixture(fixtureName: string) {
 	};
 }
 
-export function fixture(fixtureName: string) {
+export function fixture(fixtureName: string, options?: FixtureOptions) {
 	const test = base.extend<{}, { harper: HarperContext }>({
-		harper: [makeHarperFixture(fixtureName), { scope: 'worker', timeout: 120_000 }],
+		harper: [makeHarperFixture(fixtureName, options), { scope: 'worker', timeout: 120_000 }],
 	});
 	return { test, expect };
 }
diff --git a/integrationTests/next-16-static-data-native.pw.ts b/integrationTests/next-16-static-data-native.pw.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a673fcc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/integrationTests/next-16-static-data-native.pw.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import { fixture, harperModuleEntry } from './fixture.ts';
+
+// The same fixture as next-16-static-data.pw.ts, under `applications.moduleLoader: native`.
+//
+// Harper's default VM loader hands components a `harper` module built from a fixed allowlist
+// (`getHarperExports` in harper's security/jsLoader.ts) that omits `flushDatabases`, so the plugin's
+// pre-build flush is a no-op and a read-only build child can't see writes the parent hasn't flushed.
+// `native` mode skips the VM loader entirely and resolves the real package, so the flush runs — which
+// makes this the only place the suite actually covers `flushDatabases()` doing its job.
+//
+// The trade-off is real and documented: native mode gives up per-app tagged logging and `config`.
+const { test, expect } = fixture('next-16-static-data', {
+	env: { HARPER_FIXTURE_HARPER_ENTRY: harperModuleEntry() },
+	applications: { moduleLoader: 'native' },
+});
+
+// The counterpart to 'without a reachable flush...' in next-16-static-data.pw.ts: same page, same
+// seeded row, but the flush ran before `next build`, so the statically generated page sees the row.
+test('a reachable flush lets the build child see writes committed before the build', async ({ page, harper }) => {
+	await page.goto(`${harper.httpURL}/dogs`);
+	await expect(page.getByTestId('dog-rex')).toHaveText('Rex');
+});
+
+test('Harper still accepts writes after the build', async ({ request, harper }) => {
+	const headers = {
+		authorization: `Basic ${Buffer.from(`${harper.admin.username}:${harper.admin.password}`).toString('base64')}`,
+		'content-type': 'application/json',
+	};
+
+	const response = await request.put(`${harper.httpURL}/Dog/fido`, { data: { name: 'Fido' }, headers });
+	expect(response.ok()).toBe(true);
+});
diff --git a/integrationTests/next-16-static-data.pw.ts b/integrationTests/next-16-static-data.pw.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1db3b1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/integrationTests/next-16-static-data.pw.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import { fixture, harperModuleEntry } from './fixture.ts';
+
+// Regression coverage for Harper read-only mode during `next build`.
+//
+// Next.js runs static generation in child processes. When a prerendered page reads Harper data, that
+// child loads Harper's storage layer and opens the same RocksDB databases the parent Harper process
+// already holds — which fails on the LOCK file unless the build sets `HARPER_READONLY`. Every other
+// fixture either never touches Harper data or marks its data pages `force-dynamic`, so nothing else
+// in this suite covers the build-time path.
+const { test, expect } = fixture('next-16-static-data', {
+	env: { HARPER_FIXTURE_HARPER_ENTRY: harperModuleEntry() },
+});
+
+test('home page renders', async ({ page, harper }) => {
+	await page.goto(harper.httpURL);
+	await expect(page.locator('h1')).toHaveText('Next.js v16 Static Data');
+});
+
+// The core assertion. Without `HARPER_READONLY` the prerender of /dogs throws on the RocksDB LOCK,
+// `next build` exits non-zero, and the plugin never reaches `serve()` — so no route exists at all and
+// this fails on a connection error rather than a missing element. Reaching a rendered list means the
+// build child opened the locked databases read-only.
+test('statically generated page builds while Harper holds the databases open', async ({ page, harper }) => {
+	await page.goto(`${harper.httpURL}/dogs`);
+	await expect(page.getByTestId('dogs')).toBeAttached();
+});
+
+// Documents the flush gap under the default (VM) loader, rather than skipping it. Harper's component
+// `harper` module is a fixed allowlist (security/jsLoader.ts) that omits `flushDatabases`, so the
+// pre-build flush is a no-op here: the read-only child reads on-disk state and prerenders an empty
+// list even though `GET /Dog/rex` returns Rex. next-16-static-data-native.pw.ts runs the same fixture
+// with `moduleLoader: native`, where the flush does run and the row *is* visible.
+test('without a reachable flush, the build child does not see unflushed writes', async ({ page, harper }) => {
+	await page.goto(`${harper.httpURL}/dogs`);
+	await expect(page.getByTestId('dogs')).toBeEmpty();
+});
+
+// The build must not leave the serving process read-only, or writes after the build fail.
+test('Harper still accepts writes after the build', async ({ request, harper }) => {
+	const headers = {
+		authorization: `Basic ${Buffer.from(`${harper.admin.username}:${harper.admin.password}`).toString('base64')}`,
+		'content-type': 'application/json',
+	};
+
+	const response = await request.put(`${harper.httpURL}/Dog/fido`, { data: { name: 'Fido' }, headers });
+	expect(response.ok()).toBe(true);
+
+	const created = await request.get(`${harper.httpURL}/Dog/fido`, { headers });
+	expect(created.status()).toBe(200);
+	expect((await created.json()).name).toBe('Fido');
+});
diff --git a/scripts/install-fixtures.js b/scripts/install-fixtures.js
index f7b6b92..8262384 100644
--- a/scripts/install-fixtures.js
+++ b/scripts/install-fixtures.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
 
-import { readdirSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { readdirSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { join, dirname } from 'node:path';
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
 import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process';
@@ -13,8 +13,18 @@ const fixtures = readdirSync(fixturesDir, { withFileTypes: true })
 
 for (const fixture of fixtures) {
 	console.log(`Installing ${fixture} dependencies...`);
+	const fixtureDir = join(fixturesDir, fixture);
+
+	// `--install-links` copies `file:../..` instead of symlinking it, so the fixture holds a snapshot
+	// of the plugin rather than a live view. npm considers that snapshot to satisfy the tree and
+	// restores it from its cache on reinstall, so a rebuilt `dist/` never reaches the fixture and
+	// tests silently run stale plugin code. Dropping the copy *and* npm's hidden lockfile forces a
+	// fresh one — without removing `.package-lock.json` npm just re-extracts the cached version.
+	rmSync(join(fixtureDir, 'node_modules', '@harperfast'), { recursive: true, force: true });
+	rmSync(join(fixtureDir, 'node_modules', '.package-lock.json'), { force: true });
+
 	spawnSync('npm', ['install', '--install-links'], {
-		cwd: join(fixturesDir, fixture),
+		cwd: fixtureDir,
 		stdio: 'inherit',
 	});
 	console.log('\n');
diff --git a/src/plugin.ts b/src/plugin.ts
index e9353e9..9868b45 100644
--- a/src/plugin.ts
+++ b/src/plugin.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,14 @@
-import { flushDatabases, type Scope, type Config, type FilesOption } from 'harper';
+// Namespace import, not `import { flushDatabases }`. Harper loads components through a sandboxed VM
+// loader where `harper` is a SyntheticModule built from a hardcoded allowlist (getHarperExports in
+// harper's security/jsLoader.ts). `flushDatabases` is a documented package export but is not on that
+// allowlist, so a named import fails at *link* time with "does not provide an export named
+// 'flushDatabases'" — fatal, taking the whole plugin down. A namespace import always links; the
+// property is simply undefined where it isn't exposed, which runNextBuild handles.
+//
+// It *is* defined under `applications.moduleLoader: native`, which bypasses the VM loader and resolves
+// the real package. So this has to work both ways, not just on the default loader.
+import * as harper from 'harper';
+import type { Scope, Config, FilesOption } from 'harper';
 
 import { createRequire } from 'node:module';
 import { parse as urlParse } from 'node:url';
@@ -282,9 +292,29 @@ async function runNextBuild(scope: Scope, config: NextPluginConfig, next: NextPa
 	// RocksDB databases, so force child processes to start Harper in read-only mode. Flush first
 	// so child processes can see all committed data. Unset after the build so the server process
 	// itself is not permanently locked into read-only mode.
+	//
+	// The flush is best-effort in both directions: it isn't reachable on every Harper build (see the
+	// import comment), and it can fail on a transient storage error. Read-only children still open the
+	// databases and replay the on-disk WAL, so a missing flush only risks them not seeing the most
+	// recent writes — worth a warning, not worth failing the build. Nothing here may throw: this runs
+	// before the try/finally below, so an escaping error would leave HARPER_READONLY set on a thread
+	// that goes on serving requests.
 	const prevHarperReadonly = process.env.HARPER_READONLY;
 	process.env.HARPER_READONLY = 'true';
-	await flushDatabases();
+	if (harper.flushDatabases) {
+		try {
+			await harper.flushDatabases();
+		} catch (error) {
+			scope.logger.warn?.('Failed to flush databases before build; static pages may not see the most recent writes: ', error);
+		}
+	} else {
+		scope.logger.warn?.(
+			'harper.flushDatabases is unavailable, so the pre-build flush was skipped and statically generated pages ' +
+				'may not see recently written data. Harper only exposes it to components under the native module ' +
+				'loader; set `applications.moduleLoader: native` in harperdb-config.yaml to enable the flush, at the ' +
+				'cost of per-application tagged logging and config.'
+		);
+	}
 
 	// --expose-internals is set in Harper's worker execArgv but is not allowed in NODE_OPTIONS.
 	// Next.js reads process.execArgv to forward flags to its own child workers via NODE_OPTIONS,