diff --git a/server/alembic/versions/8e2cb3003f8a_usage_events.py b/server/alembic/versions/8e2cb3003f8a_usage_events.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..88f407f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/alembic/versions/8e2cb3003f8a_usage_events.py
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+"""usage events (CR-019, wave 11)
+
+Append-only navigation/session activity, separate from audit_log on purpose —
+see the UsageEvent docstring in server/models.py. Retention is indefinite by
+decision (docs/waves/decisions-2026-09-17.md); nothing here schedules a purge.
+
+Revision ID: 8e2cb3003f8a
+Revises: 1d60a608bb51
+Create Date: 2026-09-23 00:00:00.000000
+"""
+from alembic import op
+import sqlalchemy as sa
+
+
+# revision identifiers, used by Alembic.
+revision = '8e2cb3003f8a'
+down_revision = '1d60a608bb51'
+branch_labels = None
+depends_on = None
+
+
+def upgrade() -> None:
+    op.create_table('usage_events',
+    sa.Column('id', sa.String(length=40), nullable=False),
+    sa.Column('at', sa.DateTime(timezone=True), nullable=False),
+    sa.Column('username', sa.String(length=200), nullable=False),
+    sa.Column('project_id', sa.String(length=40), nullable=True),
+    sa.Column('tool', sa.String(length=40), nullable=False),
+    sa.Column('event', sa.String(length=40), nullable=False),
+    sa.Column('detail', sa.JSON(), nullable=False),
+    sa.PrimaryKeyConstraint('id')
+    )
+    op.create_index(op.f('ix_usage_events_at'), 'usage_events', ['at'], unique=False)
+    op.create_index(op.f('ix_usage_events_username'), 'usage_events', ['username'], unique=False)
+    op.create_index(op.f('ix_usage_events_project_id'), 'usage_events', ['project_id'], unique=False)
+    op.create_index(op.f('ix_usage_events_tool'), 'usage_events', ['tool'], unique=False)
+    op.create_index(op.f('ix_usage_events_event'), 'usage_events', ['event'], unique=False)
+
+
+def downgrade() -> None:
+    op.drop_index(op.f('ix_usage_events_event'), table_name='usage_events')
+    op.drop_index(op.f('ix_usage_events_tool'), table_name='usage_events')
+    op.drop_index(op.f('ix_usage_events_project_id'), table_name='usage_events')
+    op.drop_index(op.f('ix_usage_events_username'), table_name='usage_events')
+    op.drop_index(op.f('ix_usage_events_at'), table_name='usage_events')
+    op.drop_table('usage_events')
diff --git a/server/models.py b/server/models.py
index 05d1b19..6e02226 100644
--- a/server/models.py
+++ b/server/models.py
@@ -337,6 +337,45 @@ class AuditLog(Base):
         }
 
 
+class UsageEvent(Base):
+    """CR-019: append-only record of who used the suite, when, and which tool —
+    navigation/session activity, not business mutations. Deliberately a SEPARATE
+    table from AuditLog rather than a new `action` value there: AuditLog answers
+    "who changed what" and is read by people auditing a specific record's
+    history; mixing in a `page_open` row for every authenticated page load
+    would make that trail noisy for its existing purpose. This table answers a
+    different question — "who is active, and on what" — and CR-019's admin
+    console reads from here, not from AuditLog.
+
+    Not a ForeignKey to `users`, matching AuditLog's own reasoning: a user who
+    is later removed should still show up in historical activity rather than
+    silently vanishing from it, and `D18`'s deprovisioning sync only ever sets
+    `is_active=False` — it never deletes a row — so this is defensive symmetry
+    rather than a live concern today.
+
+    Retention is indefinite (decided 2026-09-17, `decisions-2026-09-17.md`) —
+    nothing purges rows written here; that is a deliberate product decision,
+    not an oversight to fix later."""
+    __tablename__ = "usage_events"
+
+    id: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(40), primary_key=True)
+    at: Mapped[datetime] = mapped_column(DateTime(timezone=True), default=utcnow, index=True)
+    username: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(200), default="", index=True)
+    project_id: Mapped[Optional[str]] = mapped_column(String(40), nullable=True, index=True)
+    # creator | wizard | field_view | dashboard | admin | directory | ...
+    tool: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(40), default="", index=True)
+    # page_open | login
+    event: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(String(40), default="", index=True)
+    detail: Mapped[dict] = mapped_column(JSON, default=dict)
+
+    def to_dict(self) -> dict:
+        return {
+            "id": self.id, "at": _iso(self.at), "username": self.username,
+            "project_id": self.project_id, "tool": self.tool, "event": self.event,
+            "detail": self.detail or {},
+        }
+
+
 class AppSetting(Base):
     """Admin-editable application settings (feature flags, SMTP config, …) stored
     as key -> JSON value. Read/written via /api/settings (admin only). Secrets like