diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index 2a8c0ae4..751eedfd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -11,17 +11,16 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
-        python-version: ["3.10", "3.11", "3.12", "3.13", "3.14", "3.15"]
+        python-version: ["3.10", "3.11", "3.12", "3.13", "3.14"]
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v7
     - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v7
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v6
       with:
         python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
         allow-prereleases: true
         cache: pip
         cache-dependency-path: pyproject.toml
-        check-latest: true
     - name: Build extension for --load-extension test
       run: |-
         (cd tests && gcc ext.c -fPIC -shared -o ext.so)
diff --git a/datasette/cli.py b/datasette/cli.py
index 2694c1f6..2259e672 100644
--- a/datasette/cli.py
+++ b/datasette/cli.py
@@ -670,9 +670,11 @@ def serve(
         raise click.ClickException("--token can only be used with --get")
 
     if get:
-        # --get means we don't run Uvicorn at all
+        # Run async soundness checks before startup hooks, since invoke_startup
+        # now populates internal tables which requires querying each database
         run_sync(lambda: check_databases(ds))
 
+        # Run the "startup" plugin hooks
         try:
             run_sync(ds.invoke_startup)
         except StartupError as e:
@@ -707,7 +709,8 @@ def serve(
     # on the loop (asyncio.create_task, Lock/Queue/Event objects, ...) is
     # still alive when the server starts handling requests.
     async def _serve_async():
-        # Populate internal catalog tables before invoke_startup
+        # Run async soundness checks before startup hooks, since invoke_startup
+        # now populates internal tables which requires querying each database
         await check_databases(ds)
 
         # Run the full startup sequence (immutable-database table-count
diff --git a/tests/test_cli_serve_server.py b/tests/test_cli_serve_server.py
index b76180fd..2f113ded 100644
--- a/tests/test_cli_serve_server.py
+++ b/tests/test_cli_serve_server.py
@@ -127,6 +127,11 @@ def test_startup_error_fails_fast_before_port_binds(serve_with_plugins):
     A "startup" plugin hook that raises StartupError must fail fast: print
     the message, exit non-zero, and never accept a connection on the port -
     the failure must happen before uvicorn.Server binds the socket.
+
+    Note this is a characterization test, not a regression test: it also
+    passes on unmodified main, where startup already ran ahead of
+    uvicorn.run(). It earns its keep once startup moves into the ASGI
+    lifespan, where fail-fast is genuinely at risk.
     """
     proc, port = serve_with_plugins(
         {"startup_error_plugin": STARTUP_ERROR_PLUGIN}, wait_for_startup=False