diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index e2a6531..b9ffa64 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ For every Go-related task, always invoke and follow the `golang-how-to` skill, t
 - Configuration comes from validated environment variables. Logs go to stdout as structured records without credentials, card keys, or sensitive payloads.
 - Propagate `context.Context`; bound external calls, queues, batches, and database pools.
 - Use parameterized queries and transactions with explicit boundaries. Stream/bulk-load the multi-million-row input instead of holding it in memory.
+- Use Ent for application persistence and relationship modeling. Use pgx with PostgreSQL `COPY` for the bulk-import staging path; do not force high-volume ingestion through row-by-row ORM operations.
+- Database migrations are explicit, versioned, reviewed artifacts applied by a dedicated migration/deployment step. Never run Ent automatic schema creation against production during application startup.
 - Passwords use an approved adaptive hash (Argon2id or bcrypt per the approved auth spec); sessions use secure, HttpOnly cookies and server-side revocation.
 - Required verification includes unit/integration tests, race detection where applicable, `go vet`, `golangci-lint`, `govulncheck`, and migration/import tests.
 
diff --git a/docs/DATA-FOUNDATION-SPEC.md b/docs/DATA-FOUNDATION-SPEC.md
index 8695ed4..636ae31 100644
--- a/docs/DATA-FOUNDATION-SPEC.md
+++ b/docs/DATA-FOUNDATION-SPEC.md
@@ -150,10 +150,11 @@ Resolved: use a capability-oriented modular monolith, with lightweight ports/ada
 
 Resolved: use manual constructor injection with explicit wiring at thin `cmd/` composition roots. See ADR 0002.
 
+Resolved: use Ent for application persistence/modeling and pgx/PostgreSQL `COPY` for streamed bulk-ingestion staging. Migrations are explicit and versioned; production startup never performs automatic schema changes. See ADR 0003.
+
 Remaining approval gates:
 
-1. PostgreSQL access stack: ORM choice plus a bulk-ingest path suitable for 2.2M+ rows.
-2. Source timestamp timezone and daylight-saving assumptions.
-3. Whether `payer_card_key` must be retained, irreversibly transformed, or omitted after derived analytics.
-4. Minimum cohort size and suppression policy for peer benchmarks.
-5. Physical partitioning/materialization strategy, which must follow measured query needs rather than the logical ERD alone.
+1. Source timestamp timezone and daylight-saving assumptions.
+2. Whether `payer_card_key` must be retained, irreversibly transformed, or omitted after derived analytics.
+3. Minimum cohort size and suppression policy for peer benchmarks.
+4. Physical partitioning/materialization strategy, which must follow measured query needs rather than the logical ERD alone.
diff --git a/docs/decisions/0003-ent-pgx-data-access.md b/docs/decisions/0003-ent-pgx-data-access.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..58fe57e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/decisions/0003-ent-pgx-data-access.md
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+# ADR 0003: Ent application persistence with pgx bulk ingestion
+
+- Status: Accepted
+- Date: 2026-08-20
+
+## Context
+
+The backend requires an ORM-backed relational model with explicit entity relationships and a repeatable path from schema definitions to an ERD. The source archive contains more than 2.2 million payment-attempt rows, making row-by-row ORM insertion unsuitable for ingestion. Production schema changes must remain reviewable and reversible rather than occurring implicitly at process startup.
+
+## Decision
+
+Use Ent for application persistence, relationship modeling, and type-safe access within capability adapters. Keep Ent-generated artifacts and the schema definitions that produce them in Git according to the future scaffold specification.
+
+Use pgx directly for the importer’s PostgreSQL staging boundary. Feed `CopyFrom` with a streaming `CopyFromSource` (or equivalent bounded batches) so decompressed CSV rows are not accumulated in memory. Validate and promote staged data through explicit transactions/steps described by the import spec; bulk loading must not bypass reconciliation or data-quality rules.
+
+Use versioned SQL migrations generated/planned from the reviewed schema and committed to Git. Apply them through a dedicated migration command or deployment step. Ent automatic schema creation is allowed only in disposable development/test contexts if the later implementation spec permits it; it must never run as part of production application startup.
+
+## Consequences
+
+- Domain-oriented code gains typed entities, edges, predicates, and compile-time feedback.
+- Engineers must still inspect generated SQL, query plans, indexes, transaction boundaries, and possible N+1 behavior; the ORM is not a performance or correctness boundary.
+- The importer owns a deliberate lower-level pgx path and cannot reuse ordinary Ent writes for convenience.
+- Both Ent and pgx require compatible pool/transaction ownership and context propagation; adapters must not hide unbounded work.
+- Migration generation tooling and the migration runner remain to be selected in the implementation spec. Versioned migration files—not runtime diffs—are the production contract.
+
+## References
+
+- Ent versioned migrations: <https://entgo.io/docs/versioned/intro/>
+- pgx v5 `CopyFrom`: <https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/jackc/pgx/v5#Conn.CopyFrom>
+