diff --git a/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/SKILL.md b/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/SKILL.md
index 400438e..8689ce5 100644
--- a/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/SKILL.md
+++ b/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/SKILL.md
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ Use these concepts as the planning backbone:
 7. Observability and resilience:
    Add pool/connection settings, logging, timeout, and health checks as first-class plan items.
    See the [observability reference](references/observability.md).
+8. SQLModel adoption where appropriate:
+   Prefer SQLModel for typed ORM models and API-facing data models when it reduces duplication, while preserving SQLAlchemy async lifecycle patterns.
+   See the [SQLModel integration reference](references/sqlmodel.md).
 
 ### Concept Reference Map
 
@@ -74,6 +77,7 @@ Use these concepts as the planning backbone:
 | Dependency injection | [Session management reference](references/session.md) |
 | Implicit I/O control in ORM | [Implicit I/O reference](references/implicit_io.md) |
 | Observability and resilience | [Observability reference](references/observability.md) |
+| SQLModel adoption where appropriate | [SQLModel integration reference](references/sqlmodel.md) |
 
 ## Decision Points
 
@@ -85,6 +89,7 @@ Use these branching decisions before proposing migration steps.
 | ORM usage | Already ORM 2.x style (`select`, `session.execute`) | Legacy Query API: add compatibility stage and refactor incrementally |
 | Session scope | Request-scoped already | Global/shared sessions found: prioritize session-scope fix first |
 | Lifespan | Existing FastAPI lifespan hook | No lifespan hook: introduce lifespan before broader DB changes |
+| Model layer | Existing SQLModel models fit roadmap | SQLAlchemy-only models: evaluate SQLModel adoption by bounded module |
 | Concurrency | Background jobs/tasks use DB | No background DB use |
 | Transaction style | Explicit context-managed transactions | Implicit/autobegin side effects |
 
@@ -115,6 +120,17 @@ Define one canonical model to migrate toward.
 
 Completion check: architecture diagram can explain where engine/session are created, used, and closed.
 
+### Step 1.5: Decide SQLModel Adoption Scope
+
+Decide where SQLModel should be introduced during modernization.
+
+- Prefer SQLModel when it reduces duplicated schema definitions between ORM entities and API data models.
+- Keep SQLAlchemy async engine/session lifecycle as the runtime foundation.
+- Use bounded adoption first (one module or feature area), then expand after validation.
+- If project is already heavily SQLAlchemy-only and stable, document rationale for staying SQLAlchemy-only.
+
+Completion check: plan includes an explicit SQLModel branch with target modules and non-goals.
+
 ### Step 2: Plan Engine Modernization
 
 Plan engine creation and pool behavior.
@@ -198,6 +214,7 @@ Create modernization quality gates.
 - Concurrency tests confirming one-session-per-task behavior.
 - Lifespan tests verifying cleanup calls and ordering.
 - Health/readiness tests including DB connectivity checks.
+- If SQLModel is adopted, model-validation tests cover SQLModel table models and API models at module boundaries.
 
 Completion check: all quality gates pass under the target async configuration.
 
@@ -222,6 +239,7 @@ A plan is complete only when it includes:
 - Explicit context-manager patterns for resource ownership.
 - AsyncExitStack composition strategy.
 - Transaction policy and exception behavior.
+- SQLModel adoption branch (use/adopt/defer) with rationale.
 - Concrete tests and rollout checkpoints.
 - A documented advisory backlog for non-critical implicit I/O improvements.
 
@@ -232,6 +250,7 @@ A plan is complete only when it includes:
 - Implicit commit/rollback behavior with unclear ownership.
 - Global mutable session state.
 - Lifespan cleanup that depends on implicit garbage collection.
+- Forcing SQLModel rewrites across the entire codebase in one phase without module-level rollout.
 
 ## Output Contract
 
diff --git a/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/references/index.md b/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/references/index.md
index 34d919f..313de3b 100644
--- a/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/references/index.md
+++ b/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/references/index.md
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ Purpose: concept registry for modernization guidance used by this skill.
 | Transaction boundaries | [transactions.md](transactions.md) | adopted | mandatory | platform/backend | 2026-06-17 |
 | Implicit ORM I/O under asyncio | [implicit_io.md](implicit_io.md) | adopted | advisory | platform/backend | 2026-06-17 |
 | Observability and resilience | [observability.md](observability.md) | adopted | mandatory | platform/backend | 2026-06-17 |
+| SQLModel adoption and boundaries | [sqlmodel.md](sqlmodel.md) | adopted | advisory | platform/backend | 2026-06-26 |
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/references/session.md b/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/references/session.md
index c40ba2b..0579c6d 100644
--- a/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/references/session.md
+++ b/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/references/session.md
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ async def get_db_session(
     session_factory: async_sessionmaker[AsyncSession] = Depends(get_session_factory),
 ) -> AsyncIterator[AsyncSession]:
     async with session_factory() as session:
-    yield session
+        yield session
 ```
 
 Route usage:
@@ -72,8 +72,8 @@ router = APIRouter()
 @router.post("/items")
 async def create_item(session: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db_session)) -> dict:
     async with session.begin():
-    # write operations here
-    ...
+        # write operations here
+        ...
     return {"status": "ok"}
 ```
 
@@ -98,6 +98,12 @@ Notes:
 - `expire_on_commit=False` is commonly preferred in asyncio applications to reduce accidental post-commit reload behavior.
 - `AsyncSession.refresh()` is preferred over broad expiration patterns when state refresh is needed.
 
+## SQLModel Alignment
+
+- If using SQLModel, keep the same session ownership model: one `async_sessionmaker`, one `AsyncSession` per request/unit-of-work.
+- SQLModel does not replace SQLAlchemy async lifecycle primitives; it complements model declaration and typed data handling.
+- During migration, avoid mixed ad hoc patterns where some handlers create SQLAlchemy sessions directly while others use SQLModel-specific wrappers.
+
 ---
 
 ## Concurrency Rules
diff --git a/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/references/sqlmodel.md b/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/references/sqlmodel.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fff215b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/skills/fastapi-async-sqlalchemy-modernization/references/sqlmodel.md
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+# SQLModel Adoption and Boundaries
+
+!!! info "Primary sources"
+    - [SQLModel documentation](https://sqlmodel.tiangolo.com/)
+    - [SQLModel FastAPI session dependency tutorial](https://sqlmodel.tiangolo.com/tutorial/fastapi/session-with-dependency/)
+    - [SQLModel release notes](https://sqlmodel.tiangolo.com/release-notes/)
+    - [SQLAlchemy asyncio extension](https://docs.sqlalchemy.org/en/21/orm/extensions/asyncio.html)
+
+??? abstract "Decision metadata"
+    - Status: adopted
+    - Decision level: advisory
+    - Applies to: api-runtime, workers, tests
+    - Last reviewed: 2026-06-26
+
+---
+
+## Purpose
+
+Define when and how to use SQLModel in an async FastAPI + SQLAlchemy modernization effort.
+
+The goal is pragmatic adoption: use SQLModel where it reduces model duplication and improves typing ergonomics, without disrupting established async engine/session lifecycle rules.
+
+---
+
+## Scope and Non-Goals
+
+- In scope: model-layer decisions, integration boundaries, phased adoption strategy.
+- Out of scope: full framework rewrites and all-at-once model migration.
+
+---
+
+## Rules
+
+- Keep SQLAlchemy async primitives as the runtime base: `create_async_engine`, `async_sessionmaker`, and `AsyncSession`.
+- Prefer SQLModel for new domain modules where table models and API schemas would otherwise be duplicated.
+- Migrate by bounded module or feature area; do not force whole-repo conversion in one phase.
+- Keep transaction and session ownership policies identical whether models are SQLAlchemy Declarative or SQLModel.
+- Document explicit reasons when SQLModel is deferred for a module.
+
+---
+
+## Recommended Patterns
+
+### Pattern A: Bounded module adoption
+
+- Choose one feature slice (for example, billing, projects, or auth profile data).
+- Introduce SQLModel models for that slice only.
+- Keep unchanged modules on existing SQLAlchemy models until a dedicated migration phase.
+
+### Pattern B: Data model split for API boundaries
+
+Use distinct models for persistence and external contracts.
+
+```python
+from sqlmodel import Field, SQLModel
+
+
+class UserBase(SQLModel):
+    email: str
+    display_name: str
+
+
+class User(UserBase, table=True):
+    id: int | None = Field(default=None, primary_key=True)
+
+
+class UserCreate(UserBase):
+    pass
+
+
+class UserRead(UserBase):
+    id: int
+```
+
+### Pattern C: Keep async lifecycle unchanged
+
+```python
+from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession, async_sessionmaker, create_async_engine
+
+engine = create_async_engine(settings.database_url, pool_pre_ping=True)
+session_factory = async_sessionmaker(engine, class_=AsyncSession, expire_on_commit=False)
+```
+
+---
+
+## Interoperability Notes
+
+- SQLModel is designed as a thin layer over SQLAlchemy and Pydantic, so mixed codebases are expected during migration.
+- Prefer one query style per module to reduce cognitive overhead.
+- Keep loader strategies explicit in async paths to avoid implicit I/O surprises.
+
+---
+
+## Anti-Patterns
+
+- Treating SQLModel adoption as equivalent to async-session modernization.
+- Rewriting all models at once without rollback checkpoints.
+- Introducing SQLModel in handlers while keeping old global/shared session patterns.
+- Mixing multiple query/session idioms within the same module without clear conventions.
+
+---
+
+## Operational Checks
+
+- Modernized module documents whether it is SQLModel-first or SQLAlchemy-only.
+- Session/transaction ownership remains consistent across both model styles.
+- New model modules use explicit API boundary models where needed.
+
+---
+
+## Testing Checks
+
+- Module-level tests verify CRUD semantics for adopted SQLModel models.
+- API tests verify response/request model behavior for SQLModel-based endpoints.
+- Regression tests confirm unchanged modules continue to function during phased rollout.
+
+---
+
+## Migration Notes
+
+- Start with low-risk bounded domains.
+- Expand only after validation of session lifecycle, transaction behavior, and endpoint correctness.
+- Maintain a tracked backlog of deferred modules with rationale and planned phase.
\ No newline at end of file