diff --git a/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/.gitignore b/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..07172ca859
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+dist/
+temp/
diff --git a/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/README.md b/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c2f53b81fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+# Wheels SQLite Lucee Extension
+
+A Lucee CFML extension (`.lex`) that ships the SQLite JDBC driver as an OSGi bundle, so Lucee 7 can resolve `org.sqlite.JDBC` datasources without manual JAR drops.
+
+## Why this exists
+
+`wheels new` writes a SQLite-by-default datasource into `config/app.cfm`. Lucee 7 loads JDBC drivers via OSGi bundles in `lucee-server/bundles/`, but the stock Lucee Express bundles directory ships drivers for MySQL, MSSQL, PostgreSQL, and HSQLDB — **not** SQLite. Result: every fresh `wheels new` app fails on the first `wheels migrate latest` with:
+
+```
+The OSGi Bundle with name [org.xerial.sqlite-jdbc] is not available locally
+[ (~/.wheels/servers/<name>/lucee-server/bundles)] or from the update provider
+[ (https://update.lucee.org)].
+```
+
+This is finding **F8** in the fresh-VM onboarding journals. Until now the workaround was to hand-copy the JAR from `~/.wheels/express/<version>/lib/ext/sqlite-jdbc-*.jar` into `lucee-server/bundles/` — which works once but evaporates on every `wheels server start --force`.
+
+## What's in the box
+
+```
+src/
+  build.properties        Extension metadata (uuid, label, connection string, ...)
+  SQLite.cfc              Lucee admin UI driver descriptor
+  sqlite-jdbc-3.49.1.0.jar  Vendored xerial sqlite-jdbc JAR (Maven Central)
+build.sh                  Build the .lex artifact
+install.sh                Install into a Lucee server's bundles/ directory
+dist/                     Build output: <bundle-symbolic-name>-<version>.lex
+```
+
+## Build
+
+```bash
+bash tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/build.sh
+```
+
+Produces `dist/org.xerial.sqlite-jdbc-3.49.1.0.lex` (~14 MB). The build script:
+
+1. Reads `src/build.properties` for extension UUID + JDBC metadata.
+2. Reads OSGi headers from the bundled JAR (`Bundle-SymbolicName`, `Bundle-Version`).
+3. Reads the JDBC driver class from `META-INF/services/java.sql.Driver` inside the JAR.
+4. **Patches the JAR's MANIFEST.MF** (see "OSGi compatibility patch" below).
+5. Stages `META-INF/MANIFEST.MF`, `jars/<jar>.jar`, `context/admin/dbdriver/SQLite.cfc`.
+6. Zips → `.lex`.
+
+## OSGi compatibility patch
+
+The upstream `org.xerial:sqlite-jdbc` JAR is a valid OSGi bundle, but its manifest declares two things that block loading on Lucee 7 + JDK 11+:
+
+```
+Bundle-SymbolicName: org.xerial.sqlite-jdbc;singleton:=true
+Require-Capability:  osgi.ee;filter:="(&(osgi.ee=JavaSE)(version=1.8))"
+```
+
+The strict `version=1.8` (exact match in some OSGi resolvers) prevents Felix on Java 21 from satisfying the requirement, even though Java 21 ⊇ Java 1.8. PostgreSQL's bundle uses `(version>=1.8)` and works; the sqlite-jdbc maintainers haven't relaxed this.
+
+`build.sh` rewrites both headers in-place:
+
+```
+Bundle-SymbolicName: org.xerial.sqlite-jdbc
+Require-Capability:  osgi.ee;filter:="(&(|(osgi.ee=J2SE)(osgi.ee=JavaSE))(version>=1.8))"
+```
+
+(The patch is applied to a copy — the original `src/sqlite-jdbc-*.jar` is untouched.)
+
+## Install
+
+### Option A (recommended today): direct bundle install
+
+```bash
+bash tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/install.sh ~/.wheels/servers/<name>
+```
+
+Drops the patched bundle straight into `<server>/lucee-server/bundles/`. Restart the server and SQLite datasources resolve.
+
+### Option B: drop the .lex into Lucee's deploy folder
+
+```bash
+cp dist/org.xerial.sqlite-jdbc-3.49.1.0.lex ~/.wheels/servers/<name>/lucee-server/deploy/
+```
+
+This is the canonical Lucee install path (Lucee polls `deploy/` every 60s). On Lucee 7.0.0.395 we observed silent rejection — the file moves to `deploy/failed-to-deploy/` without an error log. The bundle path (Option A) is deterministic; the deploy path is the future-proof distribution mechanism once we (or upstream) figure out why Lucee 7 quarantines the file.
+
+### Option C: install via Lucee admin UI
+
+Log into `http://localhost:<port>/lucee/admin.cfm`, go to **Server → Extensions → Applications**, upload `dist/org.xerial.sqlite-jdbc-3.49.1.0.lex`. Same end state as Option A.
+
+## Verify
+
+```bash
+# Server must already be running with a SQLite datasource configured.
+curl -s http://localhost:9988/dbtest.cfm
+
+# Before install: FAIL ... org.xerial.sqlite-jdbc is not available locally
+# After install:  OK datasource=sqliteapp result=1
+```
+
+## Upstream upgrade plan
+
+1. Ship this artifact alongside Wheels releases (GitHub release asset on `wheels-dev/wheels`).
+2. Have `wheels new` (or first `wheels start`) auto-run `install.sh` against the freshly-created server so SQLite-by-default works zero-config.
+3. After 1–2 release cycles, file an upstream PR as `lucee/extension-jdbc-sqlite` so Lucee's update server distributes it. Once accepted, Wheels can drop the local bundle approach.
+4. Separately, file an issue with `xerial/sqlite-jdbc` to relax their `Require-Capability: osgi.ee;version=1.8` to `version>=1.8` — eliminates the manifest-patch step and benefits everyone running OSGi.
+
+## Trivia
+
+- **Extension UUID**: `EACF838C-62B6-469C-A8DA-F802A9596C57` (regenerate if forking).
+- **Bundle Symbolic Name**: `org.xerial.sqlite-jdbc` (matches `bundleName` in [cli/src/models/EnvironmentService.cfc:1009](../../../cli/src/models/EnvironmentService.cfc:1009) — already correct in Wheels CLI).
+- **JDBC class**: `org.sqlite.JDBC` (declared by xerial's `META-INF/services/java.sql.Driver`).
+- **Layout mirrors**: [lucee/extension-jdbc-postgresql](https://github.com/lucee/extension-jdbc-postgresql), [lucee/extension-jdbc-duckdb](https://github.com/lucee/extension-jdbc-duckdb).
diff --git a/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/build.sh b/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/build.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..f969263247
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/build.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,223 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/build.sh — build the SQLite Lucee extension (.lex)
+#
+# Mirrors the layout produced by lucee/extension-jdbc-postgresql and
+# lucee/extension-jdbc-duckdb but uses bash+zip instead of Ant.
+#
+# Output: dist/<bundle-symbolic-name>-<bundle-version>.lex
+# That .lex can be dropped into any Lucee server's lucee-server/deploy/
+# directory; Lucee picks it up on next boot, installs the OSGi bundle
+# into lucee-server/bundles/, and registers SQLite in the admin UI.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+HERE="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+SRC="$HERE/src"
+DIST="$HERE/dist"
+TEMP="$HERE/temp"
+
+# ── Inputs ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+JAR="$(ls "$SRC"/*.jar 2>/dev/null | head -1)"
+if [ -z "$JAR" ] || [ ! -f "$JAR" ]; then
+    echo "✗ no .jar found in $SRC/" >&2
+    echo "  drop the xerial sqlite-jdbc JAR into src/ and re-run." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+JAR_NAME="$(basename "$JAR")"
+
+CFC="$(ls "$SRC"/*.cfc 2>/dev/null | head -1)"
+if [ -z "$CFC" ] || [ ! -f "$CFC" ]; then
+    echo "✗ no .cfc found in $SRC/" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+CFC_NAME="$(basename "$CFC")"
+
+if [ ! -f "$SRC/build.properties" ]; then
+    echo "✗ src/build.properties is missing" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# ── Read extension metadata from build.properties ─────────────────────
+
+# shellcheck disable=SC2002
+prop() {
+    local key="$1"
+    cat "$SRC/build.properties" \
+        | grep -E "^${key}=" \
+        | head -1 \
+        | sed -E "s/^${key}=//"
+}
+EXT_ID="$(prop id)"
+EXT_LABEL="$(prop label)"
+JDBC_ID="$(prop jdbcid)"
+CONN_STR="$(prop connstr)"
+EXT_DESC="$(prop description)"
+LUCEE_CORE_VERSION="$(prop lucee-core-version)"
+
+for v in EXT_ID EXT_LABEL JDBC_ID CONN_STR EXT_DESC LUCEE_CORE_VERSION; do
+    if [ -z "${!v}" ]; then
+        echo "✗ src/build.properties is missing key for $v" >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+done
+
+# ── Read OSGi bundle metadata from JAR's MANIFEST.MF ──────────────────
+
+manifest_value() {
+    # OSGi manifests wrap long lines with a leading space on the next line.
+    # Unwrap first, then grep the header.
+    unzip -p "$JAR" META-INF/MANIFEST.MF \
+        | awk 'BEGIN{prev=""} /^ / {prev=prev substr($0,2); next} {if(prev!="")print prev; prev=$0} END{if(prev!="")print prev}' \
+        | grep -E "^$1:" \
+        | head -1 \
+        | sed -E "s/^$1:[ ]*//" \
+        | tr -d '\r'
+}
+
+SYMBOLIC_NAME_RAW="$(manifest_value Bundle-SymbolicName)"
+# Strip OSGi directives like ";singleton:=true"
+SYMBOLIC_NAME="${SYMBOLIC_NAME_RAW%%;*}"
+BUNDLE_VERSION="$(manifest_value Bundle-Version)"
+
+if [ -z "$SYMBOLIC_NAME" ] || [ -z "$BUNDLE_VERSION" ]; then
+    echo "✗ $JAR_NAME does not declare Bundle-SymbolicName / Bundle-Version" >&2
+    echo "  This script needs an OSGi-ready JAR. Wrap with bnd if necessary." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# ── Read JDBC driver class from the SPI file ──────────────────────────
+
+DRIVER_CLASS="$(unzip -p "$JAR" META-INF/services/java.sql.Driver 2>/dev/null \
+    | grep -v '^[[:space:]]*#' \
+    | grep -v '^[[:space:]]*$' \
+    | head -1 \
+    | tr -d '[:space:]')"
+
+if [ -z "$DRIVER_CLASS" ]; then
+    echo "✗ $JAR_NAME does not declare a java.sql.Driver SPI" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "Extension metadata:"
+echo "  id              = $EXT_ID"
+echo "  label           = $EXT_LABEL"
+echo "  jdbcId          = $JDBC_ID"
+echo "  connStr         = $CONN_STR"
+echo "  driver class    = $DRIVER_CLASS"
+echo "  bundle name     = $SYMBOLIC_NAME"
+echo "  bundle version  = $BUNDLE_VERSION"
+echo "  lucee-core min  = $LUCEE_CORE_VERSION"
+
+# ── Stage the .lex tree ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+rm -rf "$TEMP" "$DIST"
+STAGE="$TEMP/extension/$SYMBOLIC_NAME-$BUNDLE_VERSION"
+mkdir -p "$STAGE/META-INF" "$STAGE/jars" "$STAGE/context/admin/dbdriver"
+
+NOW="$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')"
+JDBC_JSON="[{'label':'$EXT_LABEL','id':'$JDBC_ID','connectionString':'$CONN_STR','class':'$DRIVER_CLASS','bundleName':'$SYMBOLIC_NAME','bundleVersion':'$BUNDLE_VERSION'}]"
+
+cat > "$STAGE/META-INF/MANIFEST.MF" <<EOF
+Manifest-Version: 1.0
+Built-Date: $NOW
+version: "$BUNDLE_VERSION"
+id: "$EXT_ID"
+name: "$EXT_LABEL"
+description: "$EXT_DESC"
+category: "Datasource"
+lucee-core-version: "$LUCEE_CORE_VERSION"
+start-bundles: false
+jdbc: "$JDBC_JSON"
+EOF
+
+# Copy + patch the JAR. Two manifest fixes are required for Lucee 7 / Felix on
+# JDK 11+:
+#   1. xerial declares Require-Capability with `version=1.8` (exact match) —
+#      Felix on Java 21 reports osgi.ee=JavaSE versions 1.8/11/21 separately,
+#      and exact-match against 1.8 fails resolution on some configurations.
+#      Relax to `(|(osgi.ee=J2SE)(osgi.ee=JavaSE))(version>=1.8)` so the
+#      bundle loads on any Java 8+ runtime — same filter PostgreSQL uses.
+#   2. xerial uses `Bundle-SymbolicName: ...;singleton:=true`. The directive
+#      is harmless but the bundle filename / lookup we declare in the .lex
+#      manifest uses the bare symbolic name — strip the directive from the
+#      JAR's manifest so they match exactly.
+# Renaming the file to <symbolicName>-<bundleVersion>.jar matches how Lucee's
+# bundle loader expects to find it.
+PATCHED_DIR="$TEMP/patched-jar"
+mkdir -p "$PATCHED_DIR"
+unzip -q "$JAR" -d "$PATCHED_DIR"
+python3 - "$PATCHED_DIR/META-INF/MANIFEST.MF" "$SYMBOLIC_NAME" <<'PYEOF'
+import sys
+mf_path, symbolic_name = sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2]
+with open(mf_path, 'rb') as f:
+    text = f.read().decode('utf-8')
+def unfold(s):
+    lines, cur = [], ''
+    for line in s.split('\r\n'):
+        if line.startswith(' '):
+            cur += line[1:]
+        else:
+            if cur != '':
+                lines.append(cur)
+            cur = line
+    if cur != '':
+        lines.append(cur)
+    return lines
+def fold(lines):
+    out = []
+    for line in lines:
+        if len(line) <= 70:
+            out.append(line)
+            continue
+        out.append(line[:70])
+        rest = line[70:]
+        while rest:
+            out.append(' ' + rest[:69])
+            rest = rest[69:]
+    return out
+patched = []
+for line in unfold(text):
+    if line.startswith('Bundle-SymbolicName:'):
+        patched.append(f'Bundle-SymbolicName: {symbolic_name}')
+    elif line.startswith('Require-Capability:'):
+        patched.append('Require-Capability: osgi.ee;filter:="(&(|(osgi.ee=J2SE)(osgi.ee=JavaSE))(version>=1.8))"')
+    else:
+        patched.append(line)
+out = '\r\n'.join(fold(patched)) + '\r\n\r\n'
+with open(mf_path, 'w', encoding='utf-8', newline='') as f:
+    f.write(out)
+PYEOF
+
+PATCHED_JAR="$STAGE/jars/$SYMBOLIC_NAME-$BUNDLE_VERSION.jar"
+(
+    cd "$PATCHED_DIR"
+    zip -qrX0 "$PATCHED_JAR" META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
+    zip -qrX  "$PATCHED_JAR" . -x "META-INF/MANIFEST.MF"
+)
+
+# Copy the admin driver descriptor.
+cp "$CFC" "$STAGE/context/admin/dbdriver/$CFC_NAME"
+
+# Copy logo if present.
+if [ -f "$SRC/logo.png" ]; then
+    cp "$SRC/logo.png" "$STAGE/META-INF/logo.png"
+fi
+
+# ── Zip → .lex ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+mkdir -p "$DIST"
+LEX_NAME="$SYMBOLIC_NAME-$BUNDLE_VERSION.lex"
+LEX_PATH="$DIST/$LEX_NAME"
+
+(cd "$STAGE" && zip -qr "$LEX_PATH" .)
+
+rm -rf "$TEMP"
+
+echo ""
+echo "✓ built $LEX_NAME"
+echo "  $LEX_PATH ($(du -h "$LEX_PATH" | awk '{print $1}'))"
+echo ""
+echo "Install:"
+echo "  cp \"$LEX_PATH\" ~/.wheels/servers/<name>/lucee-server/deploy/"
+echo "  wheels stop && wheels server start --force"
diff --git a/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/install.sh b/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/install.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..f001e0842c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/install.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/install.sh — install the SQLite extension into a Lucee server.
+#
+# Two paths:
+#   1. .lex into lucee-server/deploy/ — the canonical Lucee path. Works for
+#      installs done before the server first boots; requires the deploy
+#      auto-install flow to recognize the .lex (Lucee 7 has been observed
+#      to silently move it to failed-to-deploy/ on some configurations).
+#   2. Patched JAR straight into lucee-server/bundles/ — the workaround
+#      Wheels users have been doing by hand. This is the path this script
+#      uses by default because it's deterministic on Lucee 7.
+#
+# Usage:
+#   install.sh <server-dir>            # e.g. ~/.wheels/servers/blog
+#   install.sh --with-lex <server-dir> # also copy .lex to deploy/
+#
+# Run AFTER the server has been created (so lucee-server/bundles/ exists)
+# and BEFORE it next starts (or restart it after this script).
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+HERE="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+DIST="$HERE/dist"
+
+WITH_LEX=false
+if [ "${1:-}" = "--with-lex" ]; then
+    WITH_LEX=true
+    shift
+fi
+
+SERVER_DIR="${1:-}"
+if [ -z "$SERVER_DIR" ] || [ ! -d "$SERVER_DIR/lucee-server" ]; then
+    echo "Usage: $0 [--with-lex] <server-dir>" >&2
+    echo "  <server-dir> must contain lucee-server/ (e.g. ~/.wheels/servers/<name>)" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+LEX="$(ls "$DIST"/*.lex 2>/dev/null | head -1)"
+if [ -z "$LEX" ]; then
+    echo "✗ no .lex found in $DIST/. Run build.sh first." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Extract the bundle JAR from inside the .lex — that JAR is the patched one
+# (Bundle-SymbolicName + Require-Capability fixed for OSGi on Java 11+).
+TMP="$(mktemp -d)"
+trap 'rm -rf "$TMP"' EXIT
+unzip -q "$LEX" -d "$TMP"
+
+JAR="$(ls "$TMP"/jars/*.jar 2>/dev/null | head -1)"
+if [ -z "$JAR" ]; then
+    echo "✗ no bundle JAR inside $LEX/jars/" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+JAR_NAME="$(basename "$JAR")"
+
+mkdir -p "$SERVER_DIR/lucee-server/bundles"
+cp "$JAR" "$SERVER_DIR/lucee-server/bundles/$JAR_NAME"
+echo "✓ installed bundle: $SERVER_DIR/lucee-server/bundles/$JAR_NAME"
+
+if $WITH_LEX; then
+    mkdir -p "$SERVER_DIR/lucee-server/deploy"
+    cp "$LEX" "$SERVER_DIR/lucee-server/deploy/$(basename "$LEX")"
+    echo "✓ staged .lex: $SERVER_DIR/lucee-server/deploy/$(basename "$LEX")"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo "Next: start (or restart) the Lucee server for the bundle to be loaded."
diff --git a/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/src/SQLite.cfc b/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/src/SQLite.cfc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..eb8c7796aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/src/SQLite.cfc
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+<cfcomponent extends="types.Driver" implements="types.IDatasource">
+
+	<cfset fields=array(
+		field(
+			"Database File Path",
+			"path",
+			"",
+			true,
+			"Absolute path to the SQLite database file. The file is created automatically if it doesn't exist. Use ':memory:' for an in-memory database."
+		)
+	)>
+
+	<cfset this.type.host=this.TYPE_HIDDEN>
+	<cfset this.type.port=this.TYPE_HIDDEN>
+	<cfset this.type.database=this.TYPE_HIDDEN>
+	<cfset this.type.username=this.TYPE_HIDDEN>
+	<cfset this.type.password=this.TYPE_HIDDEN>
+
+	<cfset this.dsn="jdbc:sqlite:{path}">
+	<cfset this.className="org.sqlite.JDBC">
+	<cfset this.bundleName="org.xerial.sqlite-jdbc">
+
+	<cfscript>
+		string function getDSN() output="no" {
+			var _path = trim(form.custom_path ?: "");
+			if (len(_path) == 0) {
+				throw message="[path] is required for the SQLite driver. Provide an absolute path to a database file, or ':memory:' for an in-memory database.";
+			}
+			if (_path == ":memory:") {
+				return "jdbc:sqlite::memory:";
+			}
+			return "jdbc:sqlite:" & _path;
+		}
+	</cfscript>
+
+	<cffunction name="getName" returntype="string" output="no"
+		hint="returns display name of the driver">
+		<cfreturn "SQLite">
+	</cffunction>
+
+	<cffunction name="getId" returntype="string" output="no"
+		hint="returns the ID of the driver">
+		<cfreturn "sqlite">
+	</cffunction>
+
+	<cffunction name="getDescription" returntype="string" output="no"
+		hint="returns description for the driver">
+		<cfreturn "SQLite JDBC driver (xerial sqlite-jdbc). Embedded, file-based or in-memory SQL database with no external service. Ideal for development, tests, single-user apps, and Wheels' default datasource.">
+	</cffunction>
+
+	<cffunction name="getFields" returntype="array" output="no"
+		hint="returns array of fields">
+		<cfreturn fields>
+	</cffunction>
+
+</cfcomponent>
diff --git a/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/src/build.properties b/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/src/build.properties
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..be3798141e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/src/build.properties
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+id=EACF838C-62B6-469C-A8DA-F802A9596C57
+label=SQLite
+jdbcid=sqlite
+connstr=jdbc:sqlite:{path}
+description=SQLite JDBC driver (xerial sqlite-jdbc). Embedded, file-based or in-memory SQL database. Ships the org.xerial.sqlite-jdbc OSGi bundle so Lucee 7 can resolve org.sqlite.JDBC without manual JAR drops.
+lucee-core-version=5.0.0.019
diff --git a/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/src/sqlite-jdbc-3.49.1.0.jar b/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/src/sqlite-jdbc-3.49.1.0.jar
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..071afa614c
Binary files /dev/null and b/tools/lucee-extensions/sqlite/src/sqlite-jdbc-3.49.1.0.jar differ