diff --git a/bench/compare/go-sqlite/README.md b/bench/compare/go-sqlite/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1c3eedc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bench/compare/go-sqlite/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+# go-sqlite — the comparison harness
+
+Go (`database/sql` + mattn/go-sqlite3, cgo) mirroring
+`docs/examples/db-bench`'s schema and modes line-for-line, so the
+numbers align column-for-column. Not a gate — a reference point;
+SQLite is the honest peer (embedded, single-writer, WAL, same
+durability knob).
+
+Run: `go build -o go-sqlite . && ./go-sqlite ram 20000` /
+`./go-sqlite durable 20000 <ext4-dir>` — a tmpfs dir makes fsync free
+and the durable numbers a lie (measured: 122k/s on /tmp vs 3.1k/s on
+ext4; the campaign's own trap, re-confirmed).
+
+## Measured 2026-08-22 (N=20k, same machine, ext4, single-shard vs single-conn)
+
+| metric | writeonce | Go+SQLite | ratio |
+| --- | --- | --- | --- |
+| ram seed inserts/s | 245,188 | 296,965 | sqlite ×1.2 |
+| ram read ops/s (p50µs) | 1,097,574 (1) | 429,645 (2) | **wo ×2.6** |
+| ram query ops/s | 989,609 | 154,559 | **wo ×6.4** |
+| ram write ops/s | 195,465 | 380,069 | sqlite ×1.9 |
+| durable seed inserts/s (p50µs) | 4,460 (~220) | 3,113 (241) | **wo ×1.4** |
+| durable write ops/s | 2,324 | 3,257 | sqlite ×1.4 |
+
+Readings, honestly:
+
+- **Reads/queries: writeonce wins 2.6–6.4×** — RAM-authoritative rows +
+  the index probe answer without page decoding or a bytecode/VM ↔ cgo
+  boundary; SQLite pays B-tree page traversal + the cgo call per op.
+- **ram writes: SQLite wins ~1.9×** — writeonce's update path re-runs a
+  probe per update (update-through-query) and its insert encodes slots
+  per field; SQLite's page write is tight. A real optimization target,
+  now measured.
+- **durable seed: writeonce wins ~1.4×** (append-only WAL + fdatasync
+  vs SQLite WAL frame + FULL sync); durable mixed writes flip back to
+  SQLite ×1.4 — the update's extra probe again.
+- Caveats: different languages (Go harness pays ~1µs cgo per op; wo
+  pays its interpreter), both are the honest end-to-end app-visible
+  cost of their stack. Single connection vs single shard; no
+  concurrency comparison here (SQLite has one writer by design).
diff --git a/bench/compare/go-sqlite/go-sqlite b/bench/compare/go-sqlite/go-sqlite
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..b692a6a
Binary files /dev/null and b/bench/compare/go-sqlite/go-sqlite differ
diff --git a/bench/compare/go-sqlite/go.mod b/bench/compare/go-sqlite/go.mod
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d987054
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bench/compare/go-sqlite/go.mod
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+module writeonce.bench/go-sqlite
+
+go 1.25
+
+require github.com/mattn/go-sqlite3 v1.14.34
diff --git a/bench/compare/go-sqlite/go.sum b/bench/compare/go-sqlite/go.sum
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..684933a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bench/compare/go-sqlite/go.sum
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+github.com/mattn/go-sqlite3 v1.14.34 h1:3NtcvcUnFBPsuRcno8pUtupspG/GM+9nZ88zgJcp6Zk=
+github.com/mattn/go-sqlite3 v1.14.34/go.mod h1:Uh1q+B4BYcTPb+yiD3kU8Ct7aC0hY9fxUwlHK0RXw+Y=
diff --git a/bench/compare/go-sqlite/main.go b/bench/compare/go-sqlite/main.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7ce2e53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bench/compare/go-sqlite/main.go
@@ -0,0 +1,180 @@
+// go-sqlite — the comparison harness for docs/examples/db-bench.
+// Mirrors the .wo sample's schema and modes so the lines align
+// column-for-column: <op> <count> <ops/sec> <p50us> <p99us>.
+//
+// Flavors mirror the campaign's: "ram" = :memory:, "durable" = a file
+// with synchronous=FULL and per-statement autocommit — an fsync per
+// insert, the same ack-after-durable contract writeonce's WAL gives.
+//
+// Usage: go-sqlite <ram|durable> <N> [dir]
+package main
+
+import (
+	"database/sql"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"sort"
+	"time"
+
+	_ "github.com/mattn/go-sqlite3"
+)
+
+func pct(d []time.Duration, p int) int64 {
+	if len(d) == 0 {
+		return 0
+	}
+	s := make([]time.Duration, len(d))
+	copy(s, d)
+	sort.Slice(s, func(i, j int) bool { return s[i] < s[j] })
+	i := len(s) * p / 100
+	if i >= len(s) {
+		i = len(s) - 1
+	}
+	return s[i].Microseconds()
+}
+
+func report(op string, n int, total time.Duration, per []time.Duration) {
+	us := total.Microseconds()
+	if us < 1 {
+		us = 1
+	}
+	fmt.Printf("%s %d %d %d %d\n", op, n, int64(n)*1e6/us, pct(per, 50), pct(per, 99))
+}
+
+func must(err error) {
+	if err != nil {
+		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "go-sqlite:", err)
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+}
+
+func main() {
+	if len(os.Args) < 3 {
+		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "usage: go-sqlite <ram|durable> <N> [dir]")
+		os.Exit(2)
+	}
+	flavor := os.Args[1]
+	var n int
+	fmt.Sscanf(os.Args[2], "%d", &n)
+	dsn := ":memory:"
+	if flavor == "durable" {
+		dir := "."
+		if len(os.Args) > 3 {
+			dir = os.Args[3]
+		}
+		// FULL = fsync before every commit acknowledges — the peer of
+		// writeonce's per-statement WAL commit
+		dsn = filepath.Join(dir, "bench.db") + "?_journal_mode=WAL&_synchronous=FULL"
+	}
+	db, err := sql.Open("sqlite3", dsn)
+	must(err)
+	defer db.Close()
+	db.SetMaxOpenConns(1) // one writer, like the engine; keeps :memory: coherent
+
+	_, err = db.Exec(`
+	  CREATE TABLE buckets (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, tag TEXT NOT NULL UNIQUE);
+	  CREATE TABLE items (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, k INTEGER NOT NULL,
+	                      v INTEGER NOT NULL,
+	                      bucket INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES buckets(id));
+	  CREATE INDEX items_k ON items(k);
+	  CREATE INDEX items_bucket ON items(bucket);
+	  PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON;`)
+	must(err)
+
+	kmod := n / 10
+	if kmod < 1 {
+		kmod = 1
+	}
+	itemV := func(i int) int { return (i * 37) % 1000 }
+	lcg := func(s int) int {
+		x := s*1103515245 + 12345
+		if x < 0 {
+			x = -x
+		}
+		return x
+	}
+
+	// seed: one bucket per 100 children, per-statement autocommit —
+	// mirror of the .wo sample's ack-per-insert shape
+	insB, err := db.Prepare("INSERT INTO buckets(tag) VALUES(?)")
+	must(err)
+	insI, err := db.Prepare("INSERT INTO items(k, v, bucket) VALUES(?, ?, ?)")
+	must(err)
+	per := make([]time.Duration, 0, n)
+	t0 := time.Now()
+	var bref int64
+	for i, b := 1, 0; i <= n; b++ {
+		r, err := insB.Exec(fmt.Sprintf("b%d", b))
+		must(err)
+		bref, _ = r.LastInsertId()
+		for j := 0; j < 100 && i <= n; j, i = j+1, i+1 {
+			o0 := time.Now()
+			_, err = insI.Exec(i%kmod, itemV(i), bref)
+			must(err)
+			per = append(per, time.Since(o0))
+		}
+	}
+	report("seed", n, time.Since(t0), per)
+
+	// read: indexed point lookups, LIMIT 1 — the .wo take-1 shape
+	rd, err := db.Prepare("SELECT v FROM items WHERE k = ? LIMIT 1")
+	must(err)
+	per = per[:0]
+	sink, s := 0, 42
+	nr := n / 2
+	t0 = time.Now()
+	for i := 0; i < nr; i++ {
+		s = lcg(s)
+		o0 := time.Now()
+		var v int
+		if err := rd.QueryRow(s % kmod).Scan(&v); err == nil {
+			sink += v
+		}
+		per = append(per, time.Since(o0))
+	}
+	report("read", nr, time.Since(t0), per)
+
+	// query: full equality probes (~10 rows each), materialized + counted
+	qr, err := db.Prepare("SELECT v FROM items WHERE k = ?")
+	must(err)
+	per = per[:0]
+	rows, s := 0, 7
+	nq := n / 10
+	t0 = time.Now()
+	for i := 0; i < nq; i++ {
+		s = lcg(s)
+		o0 := time.Now()
+		rs, err := qr.Query(s % kmod)
+		must(err)
+		for rs.Next() {
+			rows++
+		}
+		rs.Close()
+		per = append(per, time.Since(o0))
+	}
+	report("query", nq, time.Since(t0), per)
+	fmt.Printf("query rows %d\n", rows)
+
+	// write: alternating inserts (disjoint k) and update-through-query
+	up, err := db.Prepare(
+		"UPDATE items SET v = v + 1 WHERE id = (SELECT id FROM items WHERE k = ? LIMIT 1)")
+	must(err)
+	per = per[:0]
+	s = 99
+	nw := n / 2
+	t0 = time.Now()
+	for i := 0; i < nw; i++ {
+		o0 := time.Now()
+		if i%2 == 0 {
+			_, err = insI.Exec(2000000+i, itemV(i), bref)
+		} else {
+			s = lcg(s)
+			_, err = up.Exec(s % kmod)
+		}
+		must(err)
+		per = append(per, time.Since(o0))
+	}
+	report("write", nw, time.Since(t0), per)
+	_ = sink
+}