diff --git a/pocketbase/pb_migrations/1789601100_added_user_active.js b/pocketbase/pb_migrations/1789601100_added_user_active.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e849f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pocketbase/pb_migrations/1789601100_added_user_active.js
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+/// <reference path="../pb_data/types.d.ts" />
+/**
+ * `active` on users.
+ *
+ * REFERENCE ONLY — see pb_migrations/README.md. scripts/setup-remote.ts is
+ * what runs.
+ *
+ * Accounts are deactivated, never deleted: activity.actor and comments.author
+ * are relations to users, and removing a row turns every historical entry that
+ * referenced it into "Someone". An audit trail that forgets who did what is
+ * not an audit trail.
+ *
+ * Existing rows are backfilled to true so nobody is locked out by the upgrade.
+ */
+migrate(
+  (app) => {
+    const users = app.findCollectionByNameOrId("users");
+
+    users.fields.add(
+      new Field({ name: "active", type: "bool", required: false })
+    );
+
+    app.save(users);
+
+    for (const user of app.findAllRecords("users")) {
+      user.set("active", true);
+      app.save(user);
+    }
+
+    return true;
+  },
+  (app) => {
+    const users = app.findCollectionByNameOrId("users");
+    const field = users.fields.find((f) => f.name === "active");
+    if (field) users.fields.removeById(field.id);
+    return app.save(users);
+  }
+);
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/scripts/setup-remote.ts b/scripts/setup-remote.ts
index 45777f4..f6135cb 100644
--- a/scripts/setup-remote.ts
+++ b/scripts/setup-remote.ts
@@ -80,12 +80,33 @@ async function ensureUsersFields(pb: PocketBase): Promise<void> {
     changed = true;
   }
 
+  if (!have.has("active")) {
+    fields.push({
+      name: "active",
+      type: "bool",
+      required: false,
+      presentable: false,
+      hidden: false,
+      system: false,
+    });
+    changed = true;
+  }
+
   if (changed) {
     await pb.collections.update(users.id, { fields });
-    console.log("  + users fields: role, client");
+    console.log("  + users fields: role, client, active");
   } else {
     console.log("  = users fields already present");
   }
+
+  // Backfill: an account with active unset must not be locked out by this
+  // field appearing.
+  const existing = await pb.collection("users").getFullList();
+  for (const user of existing) {
+    if (user.active !== true) {
+      await pb.collection("users").update(user.id, { active: true });
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 const OWNER = '@request.auth.role = "owner"';
diff --git a/src/app/api/auth/login/route.ts b/src/app/api/auth/login/route.ts
index 2ba0f8c..41d2908 100644
--- a/src/app/api/auth/login/route.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/auth/login/route.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,13 @@ export async function POST(request: Request): Promise<Response> {
     return jsonError("Invalid email or password", 401);
   }
 
+  // A deactivated account authenticates fine — PocketBase knows nothing about
+  // our `active` flag — so the check has to happen here. Same generic message
+  // as a bad password, so the response cannot be used to enumerate accounts.
+  if (pb.authStore.record?.active === false) {
+    return jsonError("Invalid email or password", 401);
+  }
+
   const cookie = pb.authStore.exportToCookie(
     {
       httpOnly: true,
diff --git a/src/lib/pb/types.ts b/src/lib/pb/types.ts
index 10990d8..f16256c 100644
--- a/src/lib/pb/types.ts
+++ b/src/lib/pb/types.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ export interface UserRecord extends BaseRecord {
   role: Role;
   /** Empty string when role is "owner". */
   client: string;
+  /** False disables sign-in without deleting the account or its history. */
+  active: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface ClientRecord extends BaseRecord {