diff --git a/src/cli/commands/DbCommand.ts b/src/cli/commands/DbCommand.ts
index 0590683..e52416b 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/DbCommand.ts
+++ b/src/cli/commands/DbCommand.ts
@@ -52,12 +52,28 @@ export class DbCommand extends Command<CliApp> {
         bindings: bindings as DatabaseValue[],
       })) as DatabaseRow[]
     } catch (error) {
-      return void this.error(`Error: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`)
+      return void this.error(`Error: ${this.describeError(error)}`)
     }
 
     this.render(rows)
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Builds a readable message from an adapter error, appending the underlying
+   * cause (e.g. the PostgreSQL error) so failures aren't hidden behind the
+   * generic "Raw query execution failed" wrapper.
+   */
+  private describeError(error: unknown): string {
+    const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
+    const cause = (error as { cause?: unknown }).cause
+    const causeMessage =
+      cause instanceof Error ? cause.message : typeof cause === 'string' ? cause : undefined
+
+    return causeMessage && !message.includes(causeMessage)
+      ? `${message} (${causeMessage})`
+      : message
+  }
+
   /**
    * Resolves the SQL to run. Priority: the positional argument, then `--file`,
    * then an interactive editor prompt (so a bare `arkorm db` lets you compose a
diff --git a/src/cli/commands/MigrateRollbackCommand.ts b/src/cli/commands/MigrateRollbackCommand.ts
index 48cb620..cdc870c 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/MigrateRollbackCommand.ts
+++ b/src/cli/commands/MigrateRollbackCommand.ts
@@ -76,8 +76,11 @@ export class MigrateRollbackCommand extends Command<CliApp> {
     // rolls back the single most recent batch (the group of migrations from the
     // last `migrate` run); `--step=N` rolls back the last N batches. Targets come
     // back ordered for rollback — the reverse of the order they were applied.
+    // musket yields an empty string for a declared-but-unpassed value option, so
+    // treat null/undefined/'' all as "not provided" (default: one batch).
     const stepOption = this.option('step')
-    const stepCount = stepOption == null ? 1 : Number(stepOption)
+    const stepProvided = stepOption != null && String(stepOption).trim() !== ''
+    const stepCount = stepProvided ? Number(stepOption) : 1
     if (!Number.isFinite(stepCount) || stepCount <= 0 || !Number.isInteger(stepCount))
       return void this.error('Error: --step must be a positive integer.')
 
diff --git a/tests/base/db-command.spec.ts b/tests/base/db-command.spec.ts
index ffeff06..ccfeab6 100644
--- a/tests/base/db-command.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/base/db-command.spec.ts
@@ -214,6 +214,24 @@ describe('DbCommand (raw SQL)', () => {
     expect(io.errorLines.some((line) => line.includes('syntax error'))).toBe(true)
   })
 
+  it('appends the underlying cause behind a generic wrapper error', async () => {
+    const wrapper = new Error('Raw query execution failed for the Kysely adapter.')
+    ;(wrapper as { cause?: unknown }).cause = new Error('relation "widgets" does not exist')
+    const adapter = {
+      rawQuery: async () => {
+        throw wrapper
+      },
+    }
+
+    const io = await runDb(adapter, {}, { sql: 'select * from widgets' })
+
+    expect(
+      io.errorLines.some(
+        (line) => line.includes('Raw query execution failed') && line.includes('does not exist'),
+      ),
+    ).toBe(true)
+  })
+
   it('loads the adapter from arkormx.config when none is pre-set (regression)', async () => {
     // No getConfig stub: the command must load the project config itself and
     // resolve the adapter from it — the original bug returned "no adapter".
diff --git a/tests/base/migrate-database.spec.ts b/tests/base/migrate-database.spec.ts
index 0b2e780..793f7ce 100644
--- a/tests/base/migrate-database.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/base/migrate-database.spec.ts
@@ -318,6 +318,53 @@ describe('database-backed migration command fallback', () => {
     expect(adapter.state.migrations).toHaveLength(0)
   })
 
+  it('treats an empty --step string as the default last batch (regression)', async () => {
+    // musket yields '' for a declared-but-unpassed value option like `--step=`;
+    // the command must not read that as step 0.
+    const workspace = makeTempDir('arkormx-db-rollback-empty-step-')
+    process.chdir(workspace)
+
+    const migrationsDir = join(workspace, 'database', 'migrations')
+    mkdirSync(migrationsDir, { recursive: true })
+
+    const migrationBaseImport = `${originalCwd.replace(/\\/g, '/')}/src/database/Migration.ts`
+    writeFileSync(
+      join(migrationsDir, 'CreateGadgets.ts'),
+      [
+        `import { Migration } from '${migrationBaseImport}'`,
+        '',
+        'export class CreateGadgets extends Migration {',
+        "  async up (schema) { schema.createTable('gadgets', (table) => { table.id() }) }",
+        "  async down (schema) { schema.dropTable('gadgets') }",
+        '}',
+        '',
+      ].join('\n'),
+    )
+
+    const adapter = createNoopAdapter() as DatabaseAdapter & {
+      state: AppliedMigrationsState
+      executed: SchemaOperation[][]
+    }
+
+    configureArkormRuntime(() => ({}), { adapter, paths: { migrations: migrationsDir } })
+
+    const app = new CliApp()
+
+    const migrate = new MigrateCommand(app, new Kernel(app))
+    ;(migrate as unknown as { app: CliApp }).app = app
+    attachCommandIo(migrate as unknown as any, { all: true })
+    await migrate.handle()
+
+    const rollback = new MigrateRollbackCommand(app, new Kernel(app))
+    ;(rollback as unknown as { app: CliApp }).app = app
+    const io = attachCommandIo(rollback as unknown as any, { step: '' })
+    await rollback.handle()
+
+    expect(io.errorLines).toHaveLength(0)
+    expect(io.successLines.some((line) => line.includes('Rolled back 1 migration(s).'))).toBe(true)
+    expect(adapter.state.migrations).toHaveLength(0)
+  })
+
   it('offers to create the configured database before adapter-backed migrate runs', async () => {
     const workspace = makeTempDir('arkormx-db-migrate-create-database-')
     process.chdir(workspace)