diff --git a/src/app/api/db-backups/import/route.ts b/src/app/api/db-backups/import/route.ts
index c594d86cde..f25a3285da 100644
--- a/src/app/api/db-backups/import/route.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/db-backups/import/route.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 import { NextResponse } from "next/server";
-import Database from "better-sqlite3";
 import path from "path";
 import fs from "fs";
 import os from "os";
 import { getDbInstance, resetDbInstance, SQLITE_FILE } from "@/lib/db/core";
+import { openDatabaseAsync } from "@/lib/db/adapters/driverFactory";
+import type { SqliteAdapter } from "@/lib/db/adapters/types";
 import { backupDbFile } from "@/lib/db/backup";
 import { isAuthRequired, isAuthenticated } from "@/shared/utils/apiAuth";
 import { getSettings } from "@/lib/db/settings";
@@ -86,10 +87,14 @@ export async function POST(request: Request) {
     tmpPath = path.join(os.tmpdir(), `omniroute-import-${Date.now()}.sqlite`);
     fs.writeFileSync(tmpPath, fileBuffer!);
 
-    // Validate SQLite integrity
-    let testDb: InstanceType<typeof Database> | null = null;
+    // Validate SQLite integrity.
+    // Use the resilient driver factory (better-sqlite3 → node:sqlite → sql.js) rather than
+    // a direct `better-sqlite3` import: in the packaged Electron app that native module is
+    // absent from the standalone server's node_modules, so a hard import crashes the route
+    // with "Cannot find module 'better-sqlite3'" even though node:sqlite is available (#3025).
+    let testDb: SqliteAdapter | null = null;
     try {
-      testDb = new Database(tmpPath, { readonly: true });
+      testDb = await openDatabaseAsync(tmpPath, { readonly: true });
       const result = testDb.pragma("integrity_check") as any[];
       if (result[0]?.integrity_check !== "ok") {
         return NextResponse.json(
diff --git a/tests/unit/db-import-resilient-driver-3025.test.ts b/tests/unit/db-import-resilient-driver-3025.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8a54c94540
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/db-import-resilient-driver-3025.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+/**
+ * #3025 — DB import route must not hard-depend on a static `better-sqlite3` import.
+ *
+ * In the packaged Electron app, `better-sqlite3` is stripped from the Next standalone
+ * server's `node_modules` (it is rebuilt for the Electron ABI elsewhere). Every other DB
+ * code path survives because it loads the driver through the resilient driver factory
+ * (`tryOpenSync` → better-sqlite3 → node:sqlite → sql.js). The db-backups *import* route
+ * was the lone exception: it did `import Database from "better-sqlite3"` at module scope,
+ * so loading the route crashed with `Cannot find module 'better-sqlite3'` (reported on
+ * Windows installer v3.8.10), even though node:sqlite was available.
+ *
+ * Guard: no API route under src/app/api may statically import/require better-sqlite3 —
+ * routes run inside the standalone server where the native module is not guaranteed.
+ * Behaviour: the resilient opener validates a real sqlite file via PRAGMA integrity_check
+ * and surfaces the same `[{ integrity_check: "ok" }]` shape the route relies on.
+ */
+import test from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import os from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { readFileSync, readdirSync, statSync } from "node:fs";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+
+import { openDatabaseAsync } from "../../src/lib/db/adapters/driverFactory.ts";
+
+const __dirname = path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
+const API_DIR = path.join(__dirname, "..", "..", "src", "app", "api");
+
+function walk(dir: string): string[] {
+  const out: string[] = [];
+  for (const entry of readdirSync(dir)) {
+    const full = path.join(dir, entry);
+    if (statSync(full).isDirectory()) out.push(...walk(full));
+    else if (/\.(ts|tsx|js|mjs)$/.test(entry)) out.push(full);
+  }
+  return out;
+}
+
+const DIRECT_IMPORT = /(?:from\s+|require\(\s*)["']better-sqlite3["']/;
+
+test("no API route statically imports better-sqlite3 (must use the resilient driver factory)", () => {
+  const offenders = walk(API_DIR).filter((file) => DIRECT_IMPORT.test(readFileSync(file, "utf8")));
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    offenders.map((f) => path.relative(API_DIR, f)),
+    [],
+    "API routes run in the standalone server where better-sqlite3 may be absent; open " +
+      "databases via src/lib/db (openDatabaseAsync / getDbInstance), never a direct import."
+  );
+});
+
+test("openDatabaseAsync validates a real sqlite file with the integrity_check shape the route expects", async () => {
+  const tmp = path.join(os.tmpdir(), `omniroute-3025-${process.pid}-${process.hrtime.bigint()}.sqlite`);
+  // Seed a valid sqlite file through the same resilient adapter the route will now use.
+  const seed = await openDatabaseAsync(tmp);
+  seed.exec("CREATE TABLE api_keys (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY)");
+  seed.close();
+
+  const db = await openDatabaseAsync(tmp, { readonly: true });
+  try {
+    const result = db.pragma("integrity_check") as Array<{ integrity_check?: string }>;
+    assert.equal(result[0]?.integrity_check, "ok");
+    const tables = (db.prepare("SELECT name FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table'").all() as Array<{
+      name: string;
+    }>).map((r) => r.name);
+    assert.ok(tables.includes("api_keys"));
+  } finally {
+    db.close();
+    for (const f of [tmp, `${tmp}-wal`, `${tmp}-shm`, `${tmp}-journal`]) {
+      if (fs.existsSync(f)) fs.unlinkSync(f);
+    }
+  }
+});