diff --git a/backend/migrations/20261015160053_account_created_by_follows_user.down.sql b/backend/migrations/20261015160053_account_created_by_follows_user.down.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..218946e997
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/migrations/20261015160053_account_created_by_follows_user.down.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+DROP TRIGGER IF EXISTS account_created_by_follows_user_trigger ON usr;
+DROP FUNCTION IF EXISTS account_created_by_follows_user();
diff --git a/backend/migrations/20261015160053_account_created_by_follows_user.up.sql b/backend/migrations/20261015160053_account_created_by_follows_user.up.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fc8987d1c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/migrations/20261015160053_account_created_by_follows_user.up.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+-- `account.created_by` grants the right to link the account to a variable, so it must name the
+-- same person for as long as it is set: follow the user through a rename, and clear it when the
+-- user leaves the workspace, so a later member given the same username does not inherit it.
+-- A trigger rather than application code, because users are removed from several code paths.
+CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION account_created_by_follows_user() RETURNS trigger AS $$
+BEGIN
+    IF TG_OP = 'DELETE' THEN
+        UPDATE account SET created_by = NULL
+        WHERE workspace_id = OLD.workspace_id AND created_by = OLD.username;
+    ELSIF NEW.username IS DISTINCT FROM OLD.username THEN
+        UPDATE account SET created_by = NEW.username
+        WHERE workspace_id = OLD.workspace_id AND created_by = OLD.username;
+    END IF;
+    RETURN NULL;
+END;
+$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
+
+CREATE TRIGGER account_created_by_follows_user_trigger
+AFTER UPDATE OF username OR DELETE ON usr
+FOR EACH ROW
+EXECUTE FUNCTION account_created_by_follows_user();
diff --git a/backend/windmill-api-integration-tests/tests/variables.rs b/backend/windmill-api-integration-tests/tests/variables.rs
index b74e50ac88..14e0fcda05 100644
--- a/backend/windmill-api-integration-tests/tests/variables.rs
+++ b/backend/windmill-api-integration-tests/tests/variables.rs
@@ -454,3 +454,33 @@ async fn test_oauth_account_link_requires_ownership(db: Pool<Postgres>) -> anyho
 
     Ok(())
 }
+
+/// The creator recorded on an OAuth account follows the user through a rename and is cleared
+/// when they leave, so a later member reusing the username cannot link the account.
+#[sqlx::test(migrations = "../migrations", fixtures("base", "permissions_test"))]
+async fn test_oauth_account_creator_follows_user(db: Pool<Postgres>) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
+    let account: i32 = sqlx::query_scalar(
+        "INSERT INTO account (workspace_id, client, expires_at, refresh_token, created_by)
+         VALUES ('test-workspace', 'github', now(), 'r', 'alice') RETURNING id",
+    )
+    .fetch_one(&db)
+    .await?;
+    let creator = || async {
+        sqlx::query_scalar::<_, Option<String>>("SELECT created_by FROM account WHERE id = $1")
+            .bind(account)
+            .fetch_one(&db)
+            .await
+    };
+
+    sqlx::query("UPDATE usr SET username = 'alice2' WHERE username = 'alice'")
+        .execute(&db)
+        .await?;
+    assert_eq!(creator().await?.as_deref(), Some("alice2"));
+
+    sqlx::query("DELETE FROM usr WHERE username = 'alice2'")
+        .execute(&db)
+        .await?;
+    assert_eq!(creator().await?, None);
+
+    Ok(())
+}