diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 1e7bab17d..7b9e64934 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -71,6 +71,12 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
   match the current monorepo layout.
 
 ### Fixed
+- **ObjectQLPlugin: cold-start metadata restoration** — `ObjectQLPlugin.start()` now calls
+  `protocol.loadMetaFromDb()` after driver initialization and before schema sync, restoring
+  all persisted metadata (objects, views, apps, etc.) from the `sys_metadata` table into the
+  in-memory `SchemaRegistry`. Previously, user-created custom objects were lost after kernel
+  cold starts or redeployments because the hydration step was missing. The fix gracefully
+  degrades in in-memory-only or first-run scenarios where `sys_metadata` does not yet exist.
 - **Studio Vercel API routes returning HTML instead of JSON** — Adopted the
   same Vercel deployment pattern used by `hotcrm`: committed
   `api/[[...route]].js` catch-all route so Vercel detects it pre-build,
diff --git a/packages/objectql/src/plugin.integration.test.ts b/packages/objectql/src/plugin.integration.test.ts
index 008998dc2..5e3fdaf3e 100644
--- a/packages/objectql/src/plugin.integration.test.ts
+++ b/packages/objectql/src/plugin.integration.test.ts
@@ -822,4 +822,174 @@ describe('ObjectQLPlugin - Metadata Service Integration', () => {
       expect(singleCalls).toContain('nb__item');
     });
   });
+
+  describe('Cold-Start Metadata Restoration', () => {
+    it('should restore metadata from sys_metadata via protocol.loadMetaFromDb on start', async () => {
+      // Arrange — a driver whose find() returns persisted metadata records
+      const findCalls: Array<{ object: string; query: any }> = [];
+      const mockDriver = {
+        name: 'restore-driver',
+        version: '1.0.0',
+        connect: async () => {},
+        disconnect: async () => {},
+        find: async (object: string, query: any) => {
+          findCalls.push({ object, query });
+          if (object === 'sys_metadata') {
+            return [
+              {
+                id: '1',
+                type: 'apps',
+                name: 'custom_crm',
+                state: 'active',
+                metadata: JSON.stringify({ name: 'custom_crm', label: 'Custom CRM' }),
+              },
+              {
+                id: '2',
+                type: 'object',
+                name: 'invoice',
+                state: 'active',
+                metadata: JSON.stringify({
+                  name: 'invoice',
+                  label: 'Invoice',
+                  fields: { amount: { name: 'amount', label: 'Amount', type: 'number' } },
+                }),
+                packageId: 'user_pkg',
+              },
+            ];
+          }
+          return [];
+        },
+        findOne: async () => null,
+        create: async (_o: string, d: any) => d,
+        update: async (_o: string, _i: any, d: any) => d,
+        delete: async () => true,
+        syncSchema: async () => {},
+      };
+
+      await kernel.use({
+        name: 'mock-restore-driver',
+        type: 'driver',
+        version: '1.0.0',
+        init: async (ctx) => {
+          ctx.registerService('driver.restore', mockDriver);
+        },
+      });
+
+      const plugin = new ObjectQLPlugin();
+      await kernel.use(plugin);
+
+      // Act
+      await kernel.bootstrap();
+
+      // Assert — sys_metadata should have been queried
+      const metaQuery = findCalls.find((c) => c.object === 'sys_metadata');
+      expect(metaQuery).toBeDefined();
+      expect(metaQuery!.query.where).toEqual({ state: 'active' });
+
+      // Assert — items should be restored into the registry
+      const registry = (kernel.getService('objectql') as any).registry;
+      expect(registry.getAllApps()).toContainEqual({
+        name: 'custom_crm',
+        label: 'Custom CRM',
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should not throw when protocol.loadMetaFromDb fails (graceful degradation)', async () => {
+      // Arrange — driver that throws on find('sys_metadata')
+      const mockDriver = {
+        name: 'failing-db-driver',
+        version: '1.0.0',
+        connect: async () => {},
+        disconnect: async () => {},
+        find: async (object: string) => {
+          if (object === 'sys_metadata') {
+            throw new Error('SQLITE_ERROR: no such table: sys_metadata');
+          }
+          return [];
+        },
+        findOne: async () => null,
+        create: async (_o: string, d: any) => d,
+        update: async (_o: string, _i: any, d: any) => d,
+        delete: async () => true,
+        syncSchema: async () => {},
+      };
+
+      await kernel.use({
+        name: 'mock-fail-driver',
+        type: 'driver',
+        version: '1.0.0',
+        init: async (ctx) => {
+          ctx.registerService('driver.faildb', mockDriver);
+        },
+      });
+
+      const plugin = new ObjectQLPlugin();
+      await kernel.use(plugin);
+
+      // Act & Assert — should not throw
+      await expect(kernel.bootstrap()).resolves.not.toThrow();
+    });
+
+    it('should restore metadata before syncRegisteredSchemas so restored objects get table sync', async () => {
+      // Arrange — track the order of operations
+      const operations: string[] = [];
+      const mockDriver = {
+        name: 'order-driver',
+        version: '1.0.0',
+        connect: async () => {},
+        disconnect: async () => {},
+        find: async (object: string) => {
+          if (object === 'sys_metadata') {
+            operations.push('loadMetaFromDb');
+            return [
+              {
+                id: '1',
+                type: 'object',
+                name: 'restored_obj',
+                state: 'active',
+                metadata: JSON.stringify({
+                  name: 'restored_obj',
+                  label: 'Restored Object',
+                  fields: { title: { name: 'title', label: 'Title', type: 'text' } },
+                }),
+                packageId: 'user_pkg',
+              },
+            ];
+          }
+          return [];
+        },
+        findOne: async () => null,
+        create: async (_o: string, d: any) => d,
+        update: async (_o: string, _i: any, d: any) => d,
+        delete: async () => true,
+        syncSchema: async (object: string) => {
+          operations.push(`syncSchema:${object}`);
+        },
+      };
+
+      await kernel.use({
+        name: 'mock-order-driver',
+        type: 'driver',
+        version: '1.0.0',
+        init: async (ctx) => {
+          ctx.registerService('driver.order', mockDriver);
+        },
+      });
+
+      const plugin = new ObjectQLPlugin();
+      await kernel.use(plugin);
+
+      // Act
+      await kernel.bootstrap();
+
+      // Assert — loadMetaFromDb must appear before any syncSchema call
+      const loadIdx = operations.indexOf('loadMetaFromDb');
+      expect(loadIdx).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
+
+      const firstSync = operations.findIndex((op) => op.startsWith('syncSchema:'));
+      if (firstSync >= 0) {
+        expect(loadIdx).toBeLessThan(firstSync);
+      }
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/objectql/src/plugin.ts b/packages/objectql/src/plugin.ts
index 5bb9129b9..c0e7e3e4c 100644
--- a/packages/objectql/src/plugin.ts
+++ b/packages/objectql/src/plugin.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,25 @@ import { Plugin, PluginContext } from '@objectstack/core';
 
 export type { Plugin, PluginContext };
 
+/**
+ * Protocol extension for DB-based metadata hydration.
+ * `loadMetaFromDb` is implemented by ObjectStackProtocolImplementation but
+ * is NOT (yet) part of the canonical ObjectStackProtocol wire-contract in
+ * `@objectstack/spec`, since it is a server-side bootstrap concern only.
+ */
+interface ProtocolWithDbRestore {
+  loadMetaFromDb(): Promise<{ loaded: number; errors: number }>;
+}
+
+/** Type guard — checks whether the service exposes `loadMetaFromDb`. */
+function hasLoadMetaFromDb(service: unknown): service is ProtocolWithDbRestore {
+  return (
+    typeof service === 'object' &&
+    service !== null &&
+    typeof (service as Record<string, unknown>)['loadMetaFromDb'] === 'function'
+  );
+}
+
 export class ObjectQLPlugin implements Plugin {
   name = 'com.objectstack.engine.objectql';
   type = 'objectql';
@@ -99,6 +118,12 @@ export class ObjectQLPlugin implements Plugin {
     // Initialize drivers (calls driver.connect() which sets up persistence)
     await this.ql?.init();
 
+    // Restore persisted metadata from sys_metadata table.
+    // This hydrates SchemaRegistry with objects/views/apps that were saved
+    // via protocol.saveMetaItem() in a previous session, ensuring custom
+    // schemas survive cold starts and redeployments.
+    await this.restoreMetadataFromDb(ctx);
+
     // Sync all registered object schemas to database
     // This ensures tables/collections are created or updated for every
     // object registered by plugins (e.g., sys_user from plugin-auth).
@@ -332,6 +357,53 @@ export class ObjectQLPlugin implements Plugin {
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Restore persisted metadata from the database (sys_metadata) on startup.
+   *
+   * Calls `protocol.loadMetaFromDb()` to bulk-load all active metadata
+   * records (objects, views, apps, etc.) into the in-memory SchemaRegistry.
+   * This closes the persistence loop so that user-created schemas survive
+   * kernel cold starts and redeployments.
+   *
+   * Gracefully degrades when:
+   * - The protocol service is unavailable (e.g., in-memory-only mode).
+   * - `loadMetaFromDb` is not implemented by the protocol shim.
+   * - The underlying driver/table does not exist yet (first-run scenario).
+   */
+  private async restoreMetadataFromDb(ctx: PluginContext): Promise<void> {
+    // Phase 1: Resolve protocol service (separate from DB I/O for clearer diagnostics)
+    let protocol: ProtocolWithDbRestore;
+    try {
+      const service = ctx.getService('protocol');
+      if (!service || !hasLoadMetaFromDb(service)) {
+        ctx.logger.debug('Protocol service does not support loadMetaFromDb, skipping DB restore');
+        return;
+      }
+      protocol = service;
+    } catch (e: unknown) {
+      ctx.logger.debug('Protocol service unavailable, skipping DB restore', {
+        error: e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e),
+      });
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // Phase 2: DB hydration
+    try {
+      const { loaded, errors } = await protocol.loadMetaFromDb();
+
+      if (loaded > 0 || errors > 0) {
+        ctx.logger.info('Metadata restored from database', { loaded, errors });
+      } else {
+        ctx.logger.debug('No persisted metadata found in database');
+      }
+    } catch (e: unknown) {
+      // Non-fatal: first-run or in-memory driver may not have sys_metadata yet
+      ctx.logger.debug('DB metadata restore failed (non-fatal)', {
+        error: e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e),
+      });
+    }
+  }
+
   /**
    * Load metadata from external metadata service into ObjectQL registry
    * This enables ObjectQL to use file-based or remote metadata