diff --git a/backend/tests/test_rc_backup_restore_scripts.py b/backend/tests/test_rc_backup_restore_scripts.py
index ae02b3ef..0c543f85 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_rc_backup_restore_scripts.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_rc_backup_restore_scripts.py
@@ -75,3 +75,17 @@ def test_readiness_gate_checks_release_safety_scripts() -> None:
         "restore_release_backup_smoke.sh",
     ):
         assert f"bash -n scripts/{name}" in readiness
+
+
+def test_password_rotation_never_prints_or_persists_generated_secret() -> None:
+    script = read("rotate_postgres_password.sh")
+
+    assert "openssl rand -hex 32" in script
+    assert 'echo "$NEW_PASSWORD"' not in script
+    assert 'printf "%s" "$NEW_PASSWORD"' not in script
+    assert "GEOINTEL_ROTATED_DATABASE_PASSWORD" in script
+    assert "NamedTemporaryFile" in script
+    assert "temporary.replace(path)" in script
+    assert "ALTER ROLE %s PASSWORD" in script
+    assert "run-dockerman-container.sh" in script
+    assert "/health/ready" not in script
diff --git a/scripts/README.md b/scripts/README.md
index d62a569d..03f97414 100644
--- a/scripts/README.md
+++ b/scripts/README.md
@@ -1976,3 +1976,17 @@ bash scripts/restore_release_backup_smoke.sh \
 
 The restore smoke rejects the production database name, compares PostGIS,
 Alembic and retained table counts, and removes its temporary database.
+
+After a verified backup/restore, rotate a default production password without
+printing or committing the generated secret:
+
+```bash
+bash scripts/rotate_postgres_password.sh \
+  --container geointel \
+  --env-file /mnt/user/appdata/geointel/.env \
+  --restart-all-in-one
+```
+
+The command atomically updates the operator-owned `.env`, changes the matching
+PostgreSQL role and recreates the container. A failed role change restores the
+previous environment file. The generated secret is never printed.
diff --git a/scripts/rotate_postgres_password.sh b/scripts/rotate_postgres_password.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..973e2b0f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/rotate_postgres_password.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)"
+CONTAINER="geointel"
+ENV_FILE="$ROOT/.env"
+RESTART="false"
+
+usage() {
+  cat <<'EOF'
+Usage: bash scripts/rotate_postgres_password.sh [options]
+
+Generates a random 64-character hexadecimal password, atomically updates
+GEOINTEL_POSTGRES_PASSWORD in the operator .env file, changes the matching
+PostgreSQL role, and never prints the secret.
+
+Options:
+  --container NAME
+  --env-file PATH
+  --restart-all-in-one   Recreate the managed all-in-one container and wait
+                         for fail-closed readiness
+EOF
+}
+
+while [ "$#" -gt 0 ]; do
+  case "$1" in
+    --container) CONTAINER="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+    --env-file) ENV_FILE="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+    --restart-all-in-one) RESTART="true"; shift ;;
+    --help|-h) usage; exit 0 ;;
+    *) echo "Unknown argument: $1" >&2; usage >&2; exit 2 ;;
+  esac
+done
+
+for required in docker openssl python3; do
+  command -v "$required" >/dev/null 2>&1 || {
+    echo "Missing required command: $required" >&2
+    exit 2
+  }
+done
+if [ "$(docker inspect -f '{{.State.Running}}' "$CONTAINER" 2>/dev/null || true)" != "true" ]; then
+  echo "Container '$CONTAINER' is not running." >&2
+  exit 3
+fi
+
+ENV_FILE="$(python3 -c 'import pathlib,sys; print(pathlib.Path(sys.argv[1]).expanduser().resolve())' "$ENV_FILE")"
+if [ ! -f "$ENV_FILE" ]; then
+  echo "Environment file does not exist: $ENV_FILE" >&2
+  exit 3
+fi
+DB_USER="$(docker exec "$CONTAINER" sh -c 'printf %s "${POSTGRES_USER:-${GEOINTEL_POSTGRES_USER:-geointel}}"' )"
+if ! [[ "$DB_USER" =~ ^[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]{0,62}$ ]]; then
+  echo "Unsafe PostgreSQL role name." >&2
+  exit 3
+fi
+
+NEW_PASSWORD="$(openssl rand -hex 32)"
+if [ "${#NEW_PASSWORD}" -ne 64 ]; then
+  echo "Password generator returned an unexpected result." >&2
+  exit 3
+fi
+export GEOINTEL_ROTATED_DATABASE_PASSWORD="$NEW_PASSWORD"
+BACKUP_ENV="${ENV_FILE}.password-rotation-backup.$$"
+cp -- "$ENV_FILE" "$BACKUP_ENV"
+chmod 600 "$BACKUP_ENV"
+
+restore_env_on_failure() {
+  if [ -f "$BACKUP_ENV" ]; then
+    mv -f -- "$BACKUP_ENV" "$ENV_FILE"
+  fi
+}
+trap restore_env_on_failure EXIT
+
+python3 - "$ENV_FILE" <<'PY'
+import os
+import pathlib
+import stat
+import sys
+import tempfile
+
+path = pathlib.Path(sys.argv[1])
+password = os.environ["GEOINTEL_ROTATED_DATABASE_PASSWORD"]
+lines = path.read_text(encoding="utf-8").splitlines()
+key = "GEOINTEL_POSTGRES_PASSWORD"
+replacement = f"{key}={password}"
+updated = False
+result = []
+for line in lines:
+    if line.startswith(f"{key}="):
+        if not updated:
+            result.append(replacement)
+            updated = True
+        continue
+    result.append(line)
+if not updated:
+    result.append(replacement)
+
+mode = stat.S_IMODE(path.stat().st_mode)
+with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(
+    "w",
+    encoding="utf-8",
+    dir=path.parent,
+    prefix=f".{path.name}.",
+    delete=False,
+) as handle:
+    handle.write("\n".join(result) + "\n")
+    temporary = pathlib.Path(handle.name)
+temporary.chmod(mode)
+temporary.replace(path)
+PY
+
+printf "ALTER ROLE %s PASSWORD '%s';\n" "$DB_USER" "$NEW_PASSWORD" \
+  | docker exec -i "$CONTAINER" psql \
+      -X -v ON_ERROR_STOP=1 -U "$DB_USER" -d postgres >/dev/null
+
+rm -f -- "$BACKUP_ENV"
+trap - EXIT
+unset NEW_PASSWORD GEOINTEL_ROTATED_DATABASE_PASSWORD
+echo "PostgreSQL password rotated without exposing the generated secret."
+
+if [ "$RESTART" = "true" ]; then
+  (
+    cd "$ROOT"
+    bash deploy/unraid/run-dockerman-container.sh
+  )
+  for attempt in $(seq 1 90); do
+    health="$(
+      docker inspect -f '{{if .State.Health}}{{.State.Health.Status}}{{else}}{{.State.Status}}{{end}}' \
+        "$CONTAINER" 2>/dev/null || true
+    )"
+    if [ "$health" = "healthy" ]; then
+      echo "Recreated container is healthy after attempt $attempt."
+      exit 0
+    fi
+    if [ "$health" = "unhealthy" ] || [ "$health" = "exited" ] || [ "$health" = "dead" ]; then
+      echo "Recreated container entered terminal state: $health" >&2
+      docker logs --tail 120 "$CONTAINER" >&2 || true
+      exit 4
+    fi
+    sleep 2
+  done
+  echo "Recreated container did not become healthy." >&2
+  docker logs --tail 120 "$CONTAINER" >&2 || true
+  exit 4
+fi
+
+echo "Recreate the container before starting new application work."
diff --git a/scripts/run_readiness_check.sh b/scripts/run_readiness_check.sh
index 3587e398..10f22ffc 100755
--- a/scripts/run_readiness_check.sh
+++ b/scripts/run_readiness_check.sh
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ echo "== GeoIntel run readiness check =="
 bash -n scripts/backup_release_state.sh
 bash -n scripts/verify_release_backup.sh
 bash -n scripts/restore_release_backup_smoke.sh
+bash -n scripts/rotate_postgres_password.sh
 echo "Using Python: ${PYTHON_BIN}"
 bash scripts/check_repo_structure.sh
 ${PYTHON_BIN} scripts/smoke_docs.py