diff --git a/backend/ee-repo-ref.txt b/backend/ee-repo-ref.txt
index e6df7f7752..99c1bc506d 100644
--- a/backend/ee-repo-ref.txt
+++ b/backend/ee-repo-ref.txt
@@ -1 +1 @@
-4c6cbb234019db102c44a91ada36c4a197721aa4
+cc8e28e80bb352269c576ff82b8e679d7a505444
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/copilot/chat/DatatableCreationPolicy.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/copilot/chat/DatatableCreationPolicy.svelte
index 65abb0e1c5..6c89e79525 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/copilot/chat/DatatableCreationPolicy.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/copilot/chat/DatatableCreationPolicy.svelte
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@
 	const aiChatManager = getAiChatManager()
 	import DefaultDatabaseSelector from '$lib/components/raw_apps/DefaultDatabaseSelector.svelte'
 	import { workspaceStore } from '$lib/stores'
-	import { createDatatablesResource } from '$lib/components/raw_apps/datatableUtils.svelte'
+	import {
+		createDatatablesResource,
+		roleAfterDatatableChange
+	} from '$lib/components/raw_apps/datatableUtils.svelte'
 
 	// Load available datatables from workspace using shared utility
 	const datatables = createDatatablesResource(() => $workspaceStore)
@@ -37,8 +40,10 @@
 	}
 
 	function handleDefaultChange(datatable: string | undefined, schema: string | undefined) {
-		aiChatManager.datatableCreationPolicy.datatable = datatable
-		aiChatManager.datatableCreationPolicy.schema = schema
+		const policy = aiChatManager.datatableCreationPolicy
+		policy.role = roleAfterDatatableChange(policy.datatable, datatable, policy.role)
+		policy.datatable = datatable
+		policy.schema = schema
 	}
 </script>
 
@@ -67,6 +72,7 @@
 		<DefaultDatabaseSelector
 			datatable={aiChatManager.datatableCreationPolicy.datatable}
 			schema={aiChatManager.datatableCreationPolicy.schema}
+			role={aiChatManager.datatableCreationPolicy.role}
 			onChange={handleDefaultChange}
 			description="Set the default datatable and schema for new tables. When table creation is enabled, AI can create tables here if needed."
 		/>
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/DefaultDatabaseSelector.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/DefaultDatabaseSelector.svelte
index 66e3ab0355..16ca39841f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/DefaultDatabaseSelector.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/DefaultDatabaseSelector.svelte
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
 	import Select from '$lib/components/select/Select.svelte'
 	import { workspaceStore } from '$lib/stores'
 	import {
+		createDatatableAccessResource,
 		createDatatablesResource,
-		createSchemasResource,
 		toDatatableItems,
 		toSchemaItems
 	} from './datatableUtils.svelte'
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@
 		datatable: string | undefined
 		/** Currently selected schema */
 		schema: string | undefined
+		/** The data table role the app's queries run as, if it names one. What a
+		 * role may see is what the schema list has to be read as. */
+		role?: string | undefined
 		/** Callback when either value changes */
 		onChange?: (datatable: string | undefined, schema: string | undefined) => void
 		/** Description text to show in the popover */
@@ -29,19 +32,21 @@
 	let {
 		datatable,
 		schema,
+		role = undefined,
 		onChange,
 		description = 'Set the default datatable and schema for new tables. This is where AI will create new tables when needed.'
 	}: Props = $props()
 
 	// Load available datatables and schemas using shared utilities
 	const datatables = createDatatablesResource(() => opWs)
-	const schemas = createSchemasResource(
+	const access = createDatatableAccessResource(
 		() => datatable,
+		() => role,
 		() => opWs
 	)
 
 	const datatableItems = $derived(toDatatableItems(datatables.current))
-	const schemaItems = $derived(toSchemaItems(schemas.current))
+	const schemaItems = $derived(toSchemaItems(access.current.schemas))
 
 	// Track datatable changes to reset schema
 	let previousDatatable = $state<string | undefined>(undefined)
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppDataTableList.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppDataTableList.svelte
index b874f37d17..a985ae410b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppDataTableList.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppDataTableList.svelte
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@
 		defaultDatatable?: string | undefined
 		/** Default schema for new tables */
 		defaultSchema?: string | undefined
+		/** The data table role the app's queries run as, if it names one. */
+		defaultRole?: string | undefined
 		onAdd?: () => void
 		onRemove?: (index: number) => void
 		onSelect?: (ref: DataTableRef, index: number) => void
@@ -31,6 +33,7 @@
 		dataTableRefs = [],
 		defaultDatatable = undefined,
 		defaultSchema = undefined,
+		defaultRole = undefined,
 		onAdd,
 		onRemove,
 		onSelect,
@@ -95,6 +98,7 @@
 			<DefaultDatabaseSelector
 				datatable={defaultDatatable}
 				schema={defaultSchema}
+				role={defaultRole}
 				onChange={onDefaultChange}
 			/>
 		{/if}
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppEditor.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppEditor.svelte
index 2b8f3b464f..43242dcd0d 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppEditor.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppEditor.svelte
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 <script lang="ts">
+	import { roleAfterDatatableChange } from './datatableUtils.svelte'
 	import { Pane, Splitpanes } from 'svelte-splitpanes'
 	import { paneMinPercent } from '$lib/utils/splitpaneSizing'
 	import RawAppInlineScriptsPanel from './RawAppInlineScriptsPanel.svelte'
@@ -2364,14 +2365,18 @@
 						}}
 						defaultDatatable={data.datatable}
 						defaultSchema={data.schema}
+						defaultRole={data.role}
 						onDefaultChange={(datatable, schema) => {
+							const role = roleAfterDatatableChange(data.datatable, datatable, data.role)
 							data.datatable = datatable
 							data.schema = schema
+							data.role = role
 							// Also sync to aiChatManager
 							aiChatManager.datatableCreationPolicy = {
 								...aiChatManager.datatableCreationPolicy,
 								datatable,
-								schema
+								schema,
+								role
 							}
 						}}
 						{runnables}
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppSidebar.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppSidebar.svelte
index fbe02e1dc9..350c83f64c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppSidebar.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/RawAppSidebar.svelte
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 		defaultDatatable?: string | undefined
 		/** Default schema for new tables */
 		defaultSchema?: string | undefined
+		defaultRole?: string | undefined
 		onDefaultChange?: (datatable: string | undefined, schema: string | undefined) => void
 	}
 
@@ -60,6 +61,7 @@
 		onDataTableRefsChange,
 		defaultDatatable = undefined,
 		defaultSchema = undefined,
+		defaultRole = undefined,
 		onDefaultChange
 	}: Props = $props()
 
@@ -153,6 +155,7 @@
 	{dataTableRefs}
 	{defaultDatatable}
 	{defaultSchema}
+	{defaultRole}
 	onAdd={() => dataTableDrawer?.openDrawer()}
 	onRemove={handleRemoveDataTable}
 	onSelect={handleSelectDataTable}
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/datatableUtils.svelte.ts b/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/datatableUtils.svelte.ts
index fecd6d1a05..5e3fd4b7fb 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/datatableUtils.svelte.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/datatableUtils.svelte.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,24 @@
 import { resource } from 'runed'
-import { workspaceStore, dbSchemas } from '$lib/stores'
+import { workspaceStore } from '$lib/stores'
 import { WorkspaceService } from '$lib/gen'
-import { getDbSchemas } from '$lib/components/apps/components/display/dbtable/metadata'
 import { ADMIN_DATATABLE_ROLE } from '$lib/components/dbTypes'
 import { get } from 'svelte/store'
 
+/**
+ * The role an app keeps when its default data table changes.
+ *
+ * A data table role is defined on one data table, so it does not follow the
+ * default to another: kept, the app's queries would name a role that data table
+ * has never heard of, and the one it names here may not be the one it gets.
+ */
+export function roleAfterDatatableChange(
+	previous: string | undefined,
+	next: string | undefined,
+	role: string | undefined
+): string | undefined {
+	return next === previous ? role : undefined
+}
+
 /**
  * Creates a resource that loads available datatables from the workspace.
  * Pass a getter function that returns the workspace to create a reactive dependency.
@@ -22,43 +36,6 @@ export function createDatatablesResource(getWorkspace: () => string | undefined)
 	})
 }
 
-/**
- * Creates a resource that loads schemas for a given datatable.
- * The getDatatable getter is used as a reactive dependency - when it changes, schemas are refetched.
- */
-export function createSchemasResource(
-	getDatatable: () => string | undefined,
-	getWorkspace: () => string | undefined = () => get(workspaceStore)
-) {
-	return resource<string[]>([() => getDatatable() ?? '', () => getWorkspace() ?? ''], async () => {
-		const datatable = getDatatable()
-		const workspace = getWorkspace()
-		if (!datatable || !workspace) return []
-
-		const resourcePath = `datatable://${datatable}`
-		// Key the schema cache by workspace too: a datatable of the same name can
-		// exist in both the nav and the acting workspace, so `datatable://<name>`
-		// alone would let one workspace's schema be reused for the other.
-		const cacheKey = `${workspace}:${resourcePath}`
-		const schemas = get(dbSchemas)
-		let dbSchema = schemas[cacheKey]
-
-		if (!dbSchema) {
-			try {
-				schemas[cacheKey] = await getDbSchemas('postgresql', resourcePath, workspace, (msg) =>
-					console.error('Schema error:', msg)
-				)
-				dbSchema = get(dbSchemas)[cacheKey]
-			} catch (e) {
-				console.error(`Failed to load schema for ${datatable}:`, e)
-				return []
-			}
-		}
-
-		if (!dbSchema?.schema) return []
-		return Object.keys(dbSchema.schema)
-	})
-}
 
 /**
  * Creates a resource that loads the roles the caller may use on a datatable,
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/datatableUtils.test.ts b/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/datatableUtils.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9a20f843af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/raw_apps/datatableUtils.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import { roleAfterDatatableChange } from './datatableUtils.svelte'
+
+describe('roleAfterDatatableChange', () => {
+	it('drops a role that belongs to the data table being left', () => {
+		// The role exists on `main` and says nothing about `second`, so an app
+		// whose default moves must not keep naming it.
+		expect(roleAfterDatatableChange('main', 'second', 'analyst')).toBe(undefined)
+		expect(roleAfterDatatableChange('main', undefined, 'analyst')).toBe(undefined)
+	})
+
+	it('keeps it when only the schema moved', () => {
+		expect(roleAfterDatatableChange('main', 'main', 'analyst')).toBe('analyst')
+		expect(roleAfterDatatableChange(undefined, undefined, undefined)).toBe(undefined)
+	})
+})