diff --git a/cmd/bd/daemon.go b/cmd/bd/daemon.go
index ad48031b..c1cb820d 100644
--- a/cmd/bd/daemon.go
+++ b/cmd/bd/daemon.go
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ Common operations:
   bd daemon killall              Stop all running daemons
 
 Run 'bd daemon --help' to see all subcommands.`,
-	PersistentPreRunE: guardDaemonUnsupportedForDolt,
 	Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 		start, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("start")
 		stop, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("stop")
diff --git a/cmd/bd/daemon_guard.go b/cmd/bd/daemon_guard.go
index 5abf4798..717f5891 100644
--- a/cmd/bd/daemon_guard.go
+++ b/cmd/bd/daemon_guard.go
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ func singleProcessBackendHelp(backend string) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("daemon mode is not supported with the %q backend (single-process only). To use daemon mode, initialize with %q (e.g. `bd init --backend sqlite`). Otherwise run commands in direct mode (default for dolt)", b, configfile.BackendSQLite)
 }
 
-// guardDaemonUnsupportedForDolt blocks all daemon-related commands when the current
-// workspace backend is Dolt.
+// guardDaemonStartForDolt blocks daemon start/restart commands when the current
+// workspace backend is Dolt, unless --federation is specified.
 //
 // Rationale: embedded Dolt is effectively single-writer at the OS-process level. The
 // daemon architecture relies on multiple processes (CLI + daemon + helper spawns),
@@ -28,8 +28,12 @@ func singleProcessBackendHelp(backend string) string {
 //
 // Exception: --federation flag enables dolt sql-server mode which is multi-writer.
 //
+// Note: This guard should only be attached to commands that START a daemon process
+// (start, restart). Read-only commands (status, stop, logs, health, list) are allowed
+// even with Dolt backend.
+//
 // We still allow help output so users can discover the command surface.
-func guardDaemonUnsupportedForDolt(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
+func guardDaemonStartForDolt(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 	// Allow `--help` for any daemon subcommand.
 	if helpFlag := cmd.Flags().Lookup("help"); helpFlag != nil {
 		if help, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("help"); help {
diff --git a/cmd/bd/daemon_start.go b/cmd/bd/daemon_start.go
index 888e212f..12f96729 100644
--- a/cmd/bd/daemon_start.go
+++ b/cmd/bd/daemon_start.go
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ Examples:
   bd daemon start --foreground       # Run in foreground (for systemd/supervisord)
   bd daemon start --local            # Local-only mode (no git sync)
   bd daemon start --federation       # Enable federation mode (dolt sql-server)`,
+	PreRunE: guardDaemonStartForDolt,
 	Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 		interval, _ := cmd.Flags().GetDuration("interval")
 		autoCommit, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("auto-commit")
diff --git a/cmd/bd/daemons.go b/cmd/bd/daemons.go
index 81e51a8f..14ea6e79 100644
--- a/cmd/bd/daemons.go
+++ b/cmd/bd/daemons.go
@@ -79,7 +79,6 @@ Subcommands:
   logs    - View daemon logs
   killall - Stop all running daemons
   restart - Restart a specific daemon (not yet implemented)`,
-	PersistentPreRunE: guardDaemonUnsupportedForDolt,
 }
 var daemonsListCmd = &cobra.Command{
 	Use:   "list",
@@ -225,7 +224,8 @@ var daemonsRestartCmd = &cobra.Command{
 	Short: "Restart a specific bd daemon",
 	Long: `Restart a specific bd daemon by workspace path or PID.
 Stops the daemon gracefully, then starts a new one.`,
-	Args: cobra.ExactArgs(1),
+	Args:    cobra.ExactArgs(1),
+	PreRunE: guardDaemonStartForDolt,
 	Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 		target := args[0]
 		searchRoots, _ := cmd.Flags().GetStringSlice("search")
diff --git a/cmd/bd/dolt_singleprocess_test.go b/cmd/bd/dolt_singleprocess_test.go
index d611f554..3691f212 100644
--- a/cmd/bd/dolt_singleprocess_test.go
+++ b/cmd/bd/dolt_singleprocess_test.go
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ func TestDoltSingleProcess_TryAutoStartDoesNotCreateStartlock(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestDoltSingleProcess_DaemonGuardBlocksCommands(t *testing.T) {
+func TestDoltSingleProcess_DaemonGuardBlocksStartCommand(t *testing.T) {
 	oldDBPath := dbPath
 	t.Cleanup(func() { dbPath = oldDBPath })
 	dbPath = ""
@@ -78,12 +78,14 @@ func TestDoltSingleProcess_DaemonGuardBlocksCommands(t *testing.T) {
 	beadsDir, _ := writeDoltWorkspace(t, ws)
 	t.Setenv("BEADS_DIR", beadsDir)
 
-	// Ensure help flag exists (cobra adds it during execution; for unit testing we add it explicitly).
-	cmd := daemonCmd
+	// Use daemonStartCmd which has the guard attached.
+	// Ensure help and federation flags exist (cobra adds them during execution).
+	cmd := daemonStartCmd
 	cmd.Flags().Bool("help", false, "help")
-	err := guardDaemonUnsupportedForDolt(cmd, nil)
+	// Note: federation flag is already registered in init()
+	err := guardDaemonStartForDolt(cmd, nil)
 	if err == nil {
-		t.Fatalf("expected daemon guard error for dolt backend")
+		t.Fatalf("expected daemon guard error for dolt backend without --federation")
 	}
 	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "single-process") {
 		t.Fatalf("expected error to mention single-process, got: %v", err)