diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 8e2c1ae..00df7fa 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [0.5.4] - 2026-04-03
+
+### Fixed
+- Fix SQLCipher PRAGMA key syntax error on fresh install — hex-encoded key must be wrapped in double quotes for valid PRAGMA syntax (fixes #3)
+
 ## [0.5.3] - 2026-04-03
 
 ### Security
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index c104293..9d4daf3 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "oikos",
-  "version": "0.5.2",
+  "version": "0.5.4",
   "description": "Selbstgehosteter Familienplaner — Kalender, Aufgaben, Einkauf, Essensplan, Budget und mehr. Privat, offen, ohne Abo.",
   "main": "server/index.js",
   "engines": {
diff --git a/server/db.js b/server/db.js
index c146d95..a6f65ac 100644
--- a/server/db.js
+++ b/server/db.js
@@ -33,7 +33,8 @@ function init() {
 
   if (DB_KEY) {
     // Nur wirksam wenn Binary gegen SQLCipher kompiliert ist (Docker)
-    db.pragma(`key=x'${Buffer.from(DB_KEY, 'utf8').toString('hex')}'`);
+    db.pragma(`key="x'${Buffer.from(DB_KEY, 'utf8').toString('hex')}'"`);
+
     // Sicherstellen dass die Datenbank tatsächlich entschlüsselbar ist
     try {
       db.prepare('SELECT count(*) FROM sqlite_master').get();