diff --git a/src/server/lib/__tests__/cli.test.ts b/src/server/lib/__tests__/cli.test.ts
index a9107d4b..03c68228 100644
--- a/src/server/lib/__tests__/cli.test.ts
+++ b/src/server/lib/__tests__/cli.test.ts
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ import {
   deleteBuild,
   deleteDeploy,
   deployBuild,
+  isPinnedCname,
   waitForCodefresh,
 } from '../cli';
 
@@ -477,6 +478,18 @@ describe('generic CLI deploy lifecycle', () => {
     expect(mockLoggerInfo).toHaveBeenCalledWith('CLI: deleted');
   });
 
+  test('deleteBuild leaves a pinned aurora database in place', async () => {
+    const pinned = createCliDeploy(DeployTypes.AURORA_RESTORE, { cname: 'database-rw.example.test' });
+    const withGraphFetched = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue([pinned]);
+    const where = jest.fn(() => ({ withGraphFetched }));
+    mockDeployQuery.mockReturnValue({ where });
+
+    await deleteBuild({ id: 42, uuid: 'build-uuid' } as any);
+
+    expect(mockShellPromise).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(mockLoggerInfo).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith('CLI: deleting');
+  });
+
   test('codefresh deploy and destroy omit optional triggers and destroy preserves undefined CLI output', async () => {
     const deploy = createDeploy({
       env: { ENABLED: true, EMPTY: null },
@@ -499,3 +512,23 @@ describe('generic CLI deploy lifecycle', () => {
     expect(mockUpdateLogContext).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ buildUuid: 'build-uuid' });
   });
 });
+
+describe('isPinnedCname', () => {
+  test.each([
+    [null, false],
+    [undefined, false],
+    ['', false],
+    ['   ', false],
+    ['app-db-env.cluster-abc123.us-west-2.rds.amazonaws.com', false],
+    ['app-db-env.abc123.us-west-2.rds.amazonaws.com', false],
+    ['APP-DB-ENV.CLUSTER-ABC123.US-WEST-2.RDS.AMAZONAWS.COM.', false],
+    ['  app-db-env.cluster-abc123.us-west-2.rds.amazonaws.com  ', false],
+    ['app-db-env.cluster-abc123.cn-north-1.rds.amazonaws.com.cn', false],
+    ['app-db-rw.example.com', true],
+    ['app-db-rw.example.com.', true],
+    ['rds.amazonaws.com.example.com', true],
+    ['app-db.cluster-abc123.us-west-2.rds.amazonaws.com.example.com', true],
+  ])('%p → %p', (cname, expected) => {
+    expect(isPinnedCname(cname)).toBe(expected);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/server/lib/cli.ts b/src/server/lib/cli.ts
index aa785c05..8a77ec06 100644
--- a/src/server/lib/cli.ts
+++ b/src/server/lib/cli.ts
@@ -205,6 +205,20 @@ export async function waitForCodefresh(id: string) {
   }
 }
 
+const RDS_HOST = /\.rds\.amazonaws\.com(\.cn)?$/;
+
+/**
+ * Whether an aurora-restore deploy's cname was pinned by an operator rather than written by Lifecycle.
+ *
+ * Lifecycle only ever stores RDS endpoints returned by AWS, so any other host (typically a DNS record
+ * fronting an externally managed database) was set by hand. Pinned cnames must never be restored over
+ * or destroyed.
+ */
+export function isPinnedCname(cname: string | null | undefined): boolean {
+  const host = cname?.trim().toLowerCase().replace(/\.$/, '');
+  return !!host && !RDS_HOST.test(host);
+}
+
 /**
  * Deletes CLI based services for this build
  * @param build the build to delete CLI services from
@@ -223,6 +237,7 @@ export async function deleteBuild(build: Build) {
       deploys
         ?.filter((d) => {
           const serviceType: DeployTypes = d.deployable.type;
+          if (serviceType === DeployTypes.AURORA_RESTORE && isPinnedCname(d.cname)) return false;
           return CLIDeployTypes.has(serviceType) && d.active;
         })
         .map(async (deploy) => {
diff --git a/src/server/services/__tests__/deploy.test.ts b/src/server/services/__tests__/deploy.test.ts
index 95fa386e..d8d210ea 100644
--- a/src/server/services/__tests__/deploy.test.ts
+++ b/src/server/services/__tests__/deploy.test.ts
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ jest.mock('server/lib/cli', () => ({
   cliDeploy: (...args: any[]) => mockCliDeploy(...args),
   codefreshDeploy: (...args: any[]) => mockCodefreshDeploy(...args),
   waitForCodefresh: (...args: any[]) => mockWaitForCodefresh(...args),
+  isPinnedCname: jest.requireActual('server/lib/cli').isPinnedCname,
 }));
 
 describe('DeployService - shouldTriggerGithubDeployment', () => {
@@ -2051,7 +2052,7 @@ describe('DeployService uncovered public behavior', () => {
       id: 1,
       uuid: 'database-env',
       status: DeployStatus.BUILT,
-      cname: 'database.example.test',
+      cname: 'database-env.cluster-abc.us-west-2.rds.amazonaws.com',
       build: { uuid: 'env' },
       deployable: { name: 'database', type: DeployTypes.AURORA_RESTORE },
       reload: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
@@ -2064,6 +2065,56 @@ describe('DeployService uncovered public behavior', () => {
     expect(mockCliDeploy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  test.each([
+    DeployStatus.QUEUED,
+    DeployStatus.BUILDING,
+    DeployStatus.DEPLOY_FAILED,
+    DeployStatus.ERROR,
+    DeployStatus.TORN_DOWN,
+  ])('deployAurora keeps a pinned cname from %s without consulting AWS or running restore', async (status) => {
+    const { service, deployPatch } = serviceHarness();
+    const deploy: any = {
+      id: 1,
+      uuid: 'database-env',
+      status,
+      cname: 'database-rw.example.test',
+      build: { uuid: 'env' },
+      deployable: { name: 'database', type: DeployTypes.AURORA_RESTORE },
+      reload: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      $fetchGraph: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+    };
+
+    await expect(service.deployAurora(deploy, 'run-1')).resolves.toBe(true);
+
+    expect(mockTaggingGetResources).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(mockCliDeploy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(deployPatch).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(deployPatch).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ status: DeployStatus.BUILT });
+  });
+
+  test.each([DeployStatus.BUILT, DeployStatus.READY])(
+    'deployAurora leaves a %s pinned cname untouched',
+    async (status) => {
+      const { service, deployPatch } = serviceHarness();
+      const deploy: any = {
+        id: 1,
+        uuid: 'database-env',
+        status,
+        cname: 'database-rw.example.test',
+        build: { uuid: 'env' },
+        deployable: { name: 'database', type: DeployTypes.AURORA_RESTORE },
+        reload: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+        $fetchGraph: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
+      };
+
+      await expect(service.deployAurora(deploy, 'run-1')).resolves.toBe(true);
+
+      expect(mockTaggingGetResources).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(mockCliDeploy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(deployPatch).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    }
+  );
+
   test('deployAurora adopts an existing cluster endpoint without running restore', async () => {
     const { service, deployPatch } = serviceHarness();
     mockTaggingGetResources.mockResolvedValue({
diff --git a/src/server/services/__tests__/deployCleanup.test.ts b/src/server/services/__tests__/deployCleanup.test.ts
index 1f10dbe8..fd858f37 100644
--- a/src/server/services/__tests__/deployCleanup.test.ts
+++ b/src/server/services/__tests__/deployCleanup.test.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ jest.mock('server/lib/shell', () => ({
 jest.mock('server/lib/cli', () => ({
   codefreshDestroy: (...args: any[]) => mockCodefreshDestroy(...args),
   deleteDeploy: (...args: any[]) => mockDeleteDeploy(...args),
+  isPinnedCname: jest.requireActual('server/lib/cli').isPinnedCname,
 }));
 
 jest.mock('server/lib/metrics', () => ({
@@ -442,6 +443,32 @@ describe('DeployCleanupService', () => {
     );
   });
 
+  test('infra cleanup keeps a pinned aurora database and its cname', async () => {
+    const deploy = createDeploy({
+      cname: 'database-rw.example.test',
+      deployable: { name: 'database', type: DeployTypes.AURORA_RESTORE, serviceDisksYaml: null },
+    });
+    const service = createService();
+
+    await expect(service.cleanupDeploy(deploy, { mode: 'infra' })).resolves.toBe(true);
+
+    expect(mockDeleteDeploy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(deploy.patch).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ status: DeployStatus.TORN_DOWN }));
+    expect(deploy.patch).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ cname: expect.anything() }));
+  });
+
+  test('infra cleanup destroys a Lifecycle-restored aurora database', async () => {
+    const deploy = createDeploy({
+      cname: 'database-build-1.cluster-abc.us-west-2.rds.amazonaws.com',
+      deployable: { name: 'database', type: DeployTypes.AURORA_RESTORE, serviceDisksYaml: null },
+    });
+    const service = createService();
+
+    await expect(service.cleanupDeploy(deploy, { mode: 'infra' })).resolves.toBe(true);
+
+    expect(mockDeleteDeploy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(deploy);
+  });
+
   test('enqueueCleanup queues infra cleanup jobs', async () => {
     const queueAdd = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
     const service = createService({}, queueAdd);
diff --git a/src/server/services/deploy.ts b/src/server/services/deploy.ts
index 3deccd71..cfce55d9 100644
--- a/src/server/services/deploy.ts
+++ b/src/server/services/deploy.ts
@@ -262,7 +262,17 @@ export default class DeployService extends BaseService {
           throw new Error('Aurora restore deployable is missing.');
         }
 
-        if ((deploy.status === DeployStatus.BUILT || deploy.status === DeployStatus.READY) && deploy.cname) {
+        const isBuilt = deploy.status === DeployStatus.BUILT || deploy.status === DeployStatus.READY;
+
+        if (cli.isPinnedCname(deploy.cname)) {
+          getLogger().info('Aurora: skipped reason=pinned');
+          if (!isBuilt) {
+            await this.patchDeployForRun(deploy, runUUID, { status: DeployStatus.BUILT });
+          }
+          return true;
+        }
+
+        if (isBuilt && deploy.cname) {
           getLogger().info('Aurora: skipped reason=alreadyBuilt');
           return true;
         }
diff --git a/src/server/services/deployCleanup.ts b/src/server/services/deployCleanup.ts
index 9bef4760..0204a145 100644
--- a/src/server/services/deployCleanup.ts
+++ b/src/server/services/deployCleanup.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import { Deploy } from 'server/models';
 import { shellPromise } from 'server/lib/shell';
 import { extractContextForQueue, getLogger, withLogContext } from 'server/lib/logger';
 import { CLIDeployTypes, DeployStatus, DeployTypes } from 'shared/constants';
-import { codefreshDestroy, deleteDeploy } from 'server/lib/cli';
+import { codefreshDestroy, deleteDeploy, isPinnedCname } from 'server/lib/cli';
 import Metrics from 'server/lib/metrics';
 import BaseService from './_service';
 import { parseSecretRefsFromEnv } from 'server/lib/secretRefs';
@@ -389,6 +389,11 @@ export default class DeployCleanupService extends BaseService {
       return null;
     }
 
+    if (deployType === DeployTypes.AURORA_RESTORE && isPinnedCname(deploy.cname)) {
+      getLogger().info('Deploy cleanup: cli-destroy skipped reason=pinned');
+      return null;
+    }
+
     return {
       name: 'cli-destroy',
       resourceType: deployType,