diff --git a/src/backend/utils/user-keys.test.ts b/src/backend/utils/user-keys.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e2eafa4b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/backend/utils/user-keys.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+import crypto from "crypto";
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+const settingsStore = new Map<string, string>();
+
+vi.mock("../database/repositories/factory.js", () => ({
+  getCurrentSettingValue: (key: string) => settingsStore.get(key) ?? null,
+  createCurrentSettingsRepository: () => ({
+    upsert: async (key: string, value: string) => {
+      settingsStore.set(key, value);
+    },
+    delete: async (key: string) => {
+      settingsStore.delete(key);
+    },
+  }),
+}));
+
+import {
+  UserKeyManager,
+  UserKeyUnavailableError,
+  userDekSettingsKey,
+} from "./user-keys.js";
+
+const masterKey = crypto.randomBytes(32);
+const manager = UserKeyManager.getInstance();
+
+function storedWrap(userId: string): Record<string, unknown> {
+  return JSON.parse(settingsStore.get(userDekSettingsKey(userId))!);
+}
+
+function putWrap(userId: string, wrap: Record<string, unknown>): void {
+  settingsStore.set(userDekSettingsKey(userId), JSON.stringify(wrap));
+}
+
+beforeEach(async () => {
+  settingsStore.clear();
+  await manager.initialize(masterKey);
+});
+
+describe("UserKeyManager", () => {
+  it("creates and round-trips a DEK", async () => {
+    const dek = await manager.createUserDEK("user-1");
+
+    expect(dek).toHaveLength(32);
+    expect(manager.hasUserDEK("user-1")).toBe(true);
+
+    manager.clearCache();
+    expect(manager.getUserDEK("user-1").equals(dek)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("refuses to create a second DEK for the same user", async () => {
+    await manager.createUserDEK("user-1");
+    await expect(manager.createUserDEK("user-1")).rejects.toThrow(
+      /already has a data encryption key/,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("throws missing for a user with no wrap and no legacy rows", () => {
+    expect(() => manager.getUserDEK("ghost")).toThrow(UserKeyUnavailableError);
+    try {
+      manager.getUserDEK("ghost");
+    } catch (error) {
+      expect((error as UserKeyUnavailableError).reason).toBe("missing");
+    }
+    expect(manager.tryGetUserDEK("ghost")).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("throws pending_migration when only legacy wrap rows exist", () => {
+    settingsStore.set("user_encrypted_dek_legacy-user", "{}");
+    try {
+      manager.getUserDEK("legacy-user");
+      expect.unreachable();
+    } catch (error) {
+      expect((error as UserKeyUnavailableError).reason).toBe(
+        "pending_migration",
+      );
+    }
+
+    settingsStore.clear();
+    settingsStore.set("user_kek_salt_legacy-user", "{}");
+    try {
+      manager.getUserDEK("legacy-user");
+      expect.unreachable();
+    } catch (error) {
+      expect((error as UserKeyUnavailableError).reason).toBe(
+        "pending_migration",
+      );
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("fails to unwrap with a different master key", async () => {
+    const dek = await manager.createUserDEK("user-1");
+
+    await manager.initialize(crypto.randomBytes(32));
+    expect(() => manager.getUserDEK("user-1")).toThrow();
+
+    await manager.initialize(masterKey);
+    expect(manager.getUserDEK("user-1").equals(dek)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects tampered iv, ciphertext and tag", async () => {
+    await manager.createUserDEK("user-1");
+
+    for (const field of ["iv", "ct", "tag"] as const) {
+      const wrap = storedWrap("user-1");
+      const bytes = Buffer.from(wrap[field] as string, "base64");
+      bytes[0] ^= 0xff;
+      putWrap("user-1", { ...wrap, [field]: bytes.toString("base64") });
+      manager.clearCache();
+      expect(() => manager.getUserDEK("user-1")).toThrow();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a wrap moved to another user (AAD/info binding)", async () => {
+    await manager.createUserDEK("user-a");
+
+    putWrap("user-b", storedWrap("user-a"));
+    manager.clearCache();
+    expect(() => manager.getUserDEK("user-b")).toThrow();
+  });
+
+  it("rejects unknown wrap versions and algorithms", async () => {
+    await manager.createUserDEK("user-1");
+
+    const wrap = storedWrap("user-1");
+    putWrap("user-1", { ...wrap, v: 99 });
+    manager.clearCache();
+    expect(() => manager.getUserDEK("user-1")).toThrow(/Unsupported key wrap/);
+
+    putWrap("user-1", { ...wrap, alg: "aes-128-gcm" });
+    manager.clearCache();
+    expect(() => manager.getUserDEK("user-1")).toThrow(/Unsupported key wrap/);
+  });
+
+  it("persistDEK overwrites and rotateUserDEK replaces the key", async () => {
+    const original = await manager.createUserDEK("user-1");
+    const rotated = await manager.rotateUserDEK("user-1");
+
+    expect(rotated.equals(original)).toBe(false);
+    manager.clearCache();
+    expect(manager.getUserDEK("user-1").equals(rotated)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("deleteUserDEK removes the wrap and cached key", async () => {
+    await manager.createUserDEK("user-1");
+    await manager.deleteUserDEK("user-1");
+
+    expect(manager.hasUserDEK("user-1")).toBe(false);
+    expect(manager.tryGetUserDEK("user-1")).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("serves cached DEKs without re-reading settings", async () => {
+    const dek = await manager.createUserDEK("user-1");
+
+    settingsStore.delete(userDekSettingsKey("user-1"));
+    expect(manager.getUserDEK("user-1").equals(dek)).toBe(true);
+
+    manager.clearCache();
+    expect(() => manager.getUserDEK("user-1")).toThrow(UserKeyUnavailableError);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/user-keys.ts b/src/backend/utils/user-keys.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e33fd4a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/backend/utils/user-keys.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,225 @@
+import crypto from "crypto";
+import { SystemCrypto } from "./system-crypto.js";
+import {
+  createCurrentSettingsRepository,
+  getCurrentSettingValue,
+} from "../database/repositories/factory.js";
+import { authLogger } from "./logger.js";
+
+const DEK_LENGTH = 32;
+const WRAP_VERSION = 3;
+const WRAP_ALGORITHM = "aes-256-gcm";
+const WRAP_INFO_PREFIX = "termix:dek-wrap:v3:";
+const CACHE_TTL_MS = 15 * 60 * 1000;
+
+export type UserKeyUnavailableReason = "pending_migration" | "missing";
+
+export class UserKeyUnavailableError extends Error {
+  constructor(
+    readonly userId: string,
+    readonly reason: UserKeyUnavailableReason,
+  ) {
+    super(
+      reason === "pending_migration"
+        ? `User ${userId} data stays locked until their next login migrates their encryption key`
+        : `User ${userId} has no data encryption key`,
+    );
+    this.name = "UserKeyUnavailableError";
+  }
+}
+
+interface WrappedDek {
+  v: number;
+  alg: string;
+  iv: string;
+  ct: string;
+  tag: string;
+  createdAt: string;
+}
+
+interface CacheEntry {
+  dek: Buffer;
+  expiresAt: number;
+}
+
+export function userDekSettingsKey(userId: string): string {
+  return `user_dek_v3_${userId}`;
+}
+
+const LEGACY_WRAP_KEY_PREFIXES = [
+  "user_encrypted_dek_",
+  "user_kek_salt_",
+] as const;
+
+export class UserKeyManager {
+  private static instance: UserKeyManager | null = null;
+
+  private masterKey: Buffer | null = null;
+  private cache = new Map<string, CacheEntry>();
+
+  static getInstance(): UserKeyManager {
+    if (!UserKeyManager.instance) {
+      UserKeyManager.instance = new UserKeyManager();
+    }
+    return UserKeyManager.instance;
+  }
+
+  async initialize(masterKey?: Buffer): Promise<void> {
+    this.masterKey =
+      masterKey ?? (await SystemCrypto.getInstance().getEncryptionKey());
+    this.cache.clear();
+  }
+
+  getUserDEK(userId: string): Buffer {
+    const cached = this.cache.get(userId);
+    if (cached && cached.expiresAt > Date.now()) {
+      return cached.dek;
+    }
+
+    const raw = getCurrentSettingValue(userDekSettingsKey(userId));
+    if (!raw) {
+      throw new UserKeyUnavailableError(
+        userId,
+        this.hasLegacyWrap(userId) ? "pending_migration" : "missing",
+      );
+    }
+
+    const dek = this.unwrap(userId, raw);
+    this.cacheDek(userId, dek);
+    return dek;
+  }
+
+  tryGetUserDEK(userId: string): Buffer | null {
+    try {
+      return this.getUserDEK(userId);
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (error instanceof UserKeyUnavailableError) {
+        return null;
+      }
+      throw error;
+    }
+  }
+
+  hasUserDEK(userId: string): boolean {
+    if (this.cache.has(userId)) return true;
+    return getCurrentSettingValue(userDekSettingsKey(userId)) !== null;
+  }
+
+  async createUserDEK(userId: string): Promise<Buffer> {
+    if (this.hasUserDEK(userId)) {
+      throw new Error(`User ${userId} already has a data encryption key`);
+    }
+
+    const dek = crypto.randomBytes(DEK_LENGTH);
+    await this.persistDEK(userId, dek);
+    return dek;
+  }
+
+  async persistDEK(userId: string, dek: Buffer): Promise<void> {
+    if (dek.length !== DEK_LENGTH) {
+      throw new Error(`DEK must be ${DEK_LENGTH} bytes`);
+    }
+
+    const wrapped = this.wrap(userId, dek);
+    await createCurrentSettingsRepository().upsert(
+      userDekSettingsKey(userId),
+      JSON.stringify(wrapped),
+    );
+    this.cacheDek(userId, dek);
+  }
+
+  async rotateUserDEK(userId: string): Promise<Buffer> {
+    const dek = crypto.randomBytes(DEK_LENGTH);
+    await this.persistDEK(userId, dek);
+    authLogger.warn(`Replaced data encryption key for user ${userId}`, {
+      operation: "user_dek_rotated",
+      userId,
+    });
+    return dek;
+  }
+
+  async deleteUserDEK(userId: string): Promise<void> {
+    await createCurrentSettingsRepository().delete(userDekSettingsKey(userId));
+    this.invalidate(userId);
+  }
+
+  invalidate(userId: string): void {
+    this.cache.delete(userId);
+  }
+
+  clearCache(): void {
+    this.cache.clear();
+  }
+
+  private hasLegacyWrap(userId: string): boolean {
+    return LEGACY_WRAP_KEY_PREFIXES.some(
+      (prefix) => getCurrentSettingValue(`${prefix}${userId}`) !== null,
+    );
+  }
+
+  private cacheDek(userId: string, dek: Buffer): void {
+    this.cache.set(userId, { dek, expiresAt: Date.now() + CACHE_TTL_MS });
+  }
+
+  private deriveWrapKey(userId: string): Buffer {
+    if (!this.masterKey) {
+      throw new Error("UserKeyManager is not initialized");
+    }
+
+    return Buffer.from(
+      crypto.hkdfSync(
+        "sha256",
+        this.masterKey,
+        Buffer.alloc(0),
+        `${WRAP_INFO_PREFIX}${userId}`,
+        DEK_LENGTH,
+      ),
+    );
+  }
+
+  private wrap(userId: string, dek: Buffer): WrappedDek {
+    const wrapKey = this.deriveWrapKey(userId);
+    const iv = crypto.randomBytes(12);
+    const cipher = crypto.createCipheriv(WRAP_ALGORITHM, wrapKey, iv);
+    cipher.setAAD(Buffer.from(userId, "utf8"));
+    const ct = Buffer.concat([cipher.update(dek), cipher.final()]);
+
+    return {
+      v: WRAP_VERSION,
+      alg: WRAP_ALGORITHM,
+      iv: iv.toString("base64"),
+      ct: ct.toString("base64"),
+      tag: cipher.getAuthTag().toString("base64"),
+      createdAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+    };
+  }
+
+  private unwrap(userId: string, raw: string): Buffer {
+    let wrapped: WrappedDek;
+    try {
+      wrapped = JSON.parse(raw) as WrappedDek;
+    } catch {
+      throw new Error(`Stored key wrap for user ${userId} is not valid JSON`);
+    }
+
+    if (wrapped.v !== WRAP_VERSION || wrapped.alg !== WRAP_ALGORITHM) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Unsupported key wrap (v=${wrapped.v}, alg=${wrapped.alg}) for user ${userId}`,
+      );
+    }
+
+    const wrapKey = this.deriveWrapKey(userId);
+    const decipher = crypto.createDecipheriv(
+      WRAP_ALGORITHM,
+      wrapKey,
+      Buffer.from(wrapped.iv, "base64"),
+    );
+    decipher.setAAD(Buffer.from(userId, "utf8"));
+    decipher.setAuthTag(Buffer.from(wrapped.tag, "base64"));
+
+    return Buffer.concat([
+      decipher.update(Buffer.from(wrapped.ct, "base64")),
+      decipher.final(),
+    ]);
+  }
+}