diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5a32ea6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+# Copy to .env and fill in. .env is not committed.
+PB_DIR=pocketbase/pb_data
+PB_SUPERUSER_EMAIL=
+PB_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD=
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 854acd5..abc6aa7 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ yarn-error.log
 *.launch
 .settings/
 *.sublime-workspace
+.claude/
 
 # Visual Studio Code
 .vscode/*
@@ -39,6 +40,10 @@ testem.log
 /typings
 __screenshots__/
 
+# PocketBase
+/pocketbase/pb_data
+.env
+
 # System files
 .DS_Store
 Thumbs.db
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3615144..3875e41 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -54,6 +54,32 @@ ng e2e
 
 Angular CLI does not come with an end-to-end testing framework by default. You can choose one that suits your needs.
 
+## PocketBase
+
+The backend is [PocketBase](https://pocketbase.io/) (v0.40.x). The `pocketbase` binary must be in `PATH`.
+
+- `pocketbase/pb_migrations/` — collection schema as JS migrations (committed).
+- `pocketbase/pb_data/` — local dev database (not committed).
+
+Local development:
+
+```bash
+cp .env.example .env    # then set PB_SUPERUSER_EMAIL / PB_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD
+pnpm pb:superuser       # create the superuser or reset its password (safe to re-run)
+pnpm pb:serve           # http://127.0.0.1:8090, admin UI at /_/
+```
+
+Migrations are applied on `pb:serve` start (or explicitly with `pnpm pb:migrate`). Schema changes made in the dev admin UI are written to `pocketbase/pb_migrations/` automatically — commit them.
+
+Production uses the same binary version and the same `pb_migrations/`, with its own data dir:
+
+```bash
+pocketbase serve --dir /path/to/pb_data --migrationsDir pocketbase/pb_migrations --automigrate=false --http 127.0.0.1:8090
+PB_DIR=/path/to/pb_data node --env-file=.env scripts/pb-superuser.mjs
+```
+
+Back up by copying the `pb_data` directory.
+
 ## Additional Resources
 
 For more information on using the Angular CLI, including detailed command references, visit the [Angular CLI Overview and Command Reference](https://angular.dev/tools/cli) page.
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index a111885..575ce7d 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -7,7 +7,10 @@
     "build": "ng build",
     "watch": "ng build --watch --configuration development",
     "test": "ng test",
-    "serve:ssr:pchelpcrm": "node dist/pchelpcrm/server/server.mjs"
+    "serve:ssr:pchelpcrm": "node dist/pchelpcrm/server/server.mjs",
+    "pb:serve": "pocketbase serve --dir pocketbase/pb_data --migrationsDir pocketbase/pb_migrations --dev",
+    "pb:superuser": "node --env-file=.env scripts/pb-superuser.mjs",
+    "pb:migrate": "pocketbase migrate up --dir pocketbase/pb_data --migrationsDir pocketbase/pb_migrations"
   },
   "private": true,
   "dependencies": {
@@ -20,6 +23,7 @@
     "@angular/router": "^22.2.0",
     "@angular/ssr": "^22.2.3",
     "express": "^5.1.0",
+    "pocketbase": "^0.28.1",
     "rxjs": "~7.8.0",
     "tslib": "^2.3.0"
   },
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index 7755fcc..fff2fe9 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -35,6 +35,9 @@ importers:
       express:
         specifier: ^5.1.0
         version: 5.3.0(supports-color@8.1.1)
+      pocketbase:
+        specifier: ^0.28.1
+        version: 0.28.1
       rxjs:
         specifier: ~7.8.0
         version: 7.8.2
@@ -1986,6 +1989,9 @@ packages:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-vv7l/mM7B9WgrhDaudIqv1x6v4LOBRYYmpWGdWushhpbCmVHp11sUB2v4hj1CAeTGXVxuZFz6xOU1RalAiPKfQ==}
     engines: {node: '>=20.x'}
 
+  pocketbase@0.28.1:
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-/3ihkq+rvfcs0MQgrK4sEElOg6gfenHW9S/O+3BSO+V1yT+4B10+9aT22uTQUPqze9ItwNtwWyY5ZmdgVCTdVA==}
+
   postcss-media-query-parser@0.2.3:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-3sOlxmbKcSHMjlUXQZKQ06jOswE7oVkXPxmZdoB1r5l0q6gTFTQSHxNxOrCccElbW7dxNytifNEo8qidX2Vsig==}
 
@@ -4194,6 +4200,8 @@ snapshots:
     optionalDependencies:
       '@napi-rs/nice': 1.1.1
 
+  pocketbase@0.28.1: {}
+
   postcss-media-query-parser@0.2.3: {}
 
   postcss-safe-parser@7.1.0(postcss@8.5.31):
diff --git a/pocketbase/pb_migrations/.gitkeep b/pocketbase/pb_migrations/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/scripts/pb-superuser.mjs b/scripts/pb-superuser.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..51a061e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/pb-superuser.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+// Creates the PocketBase superuser or resets its password (idempotent).
+import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process';
+
+const { PB_SUPERUSER_EMAIL: email, PB_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD: password } = process.env;
+const dir = process.env.PB_DIR || 'pocketbase/pb_data';
+
+if (!email || !password) {
+  console.error('PB_SUPERUSER_EMAIL and PB_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD must be set (see .env.example)');
+  process.exit(1);
+}
+
+execFileSync('pocketbase', ['superuser', 'upsert', email, password, '--dir', dir], { stdio: 'inherit' });