diff --git a/backend/config/database.php b/backend/config/database.php
index 3df077c..c271cf6 100644
--- a/backend/config/database.php
+++ b/backend/config/database.php
@@ -39,5 +39,11 @@ function migrate($db) {
         created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
     )");
     // Add notes column if missing
-    try { $db->exec("ALTER TABLE network_nodes ADD COLUMN notes TEXT DEFAULT ''"); } catch (Exception $e) {}
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+    try {
+        $r = $db->query("SHOW COLUMNS FROM network_nodes LIKE 'notes'");
+        if ($r->rowCount() === 0) {
+            $db->exec("ALTER TABLE network_nodes ADD COLUMN notes TEXT DEFAULT '' AFTER group_name");
+        }
+    } catch (Exception $e) {
+        // Table might not exist yet, ignore
+    }
\ No newline at end of file