diff --git a/server/model/teamProvider/teamProvider.db.js b/server/model/teamProvider/teamProvider.db.js
index 49024cc..3608c26 100644
--- a/server/model/teamProvider/teamProvider.db.js
+++ b/server/model/teamProvider/teamProvider.db.js
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@
 // core-internal (docs/website/TEAMS.md §10.3) and this module must never name
 // one, even though it is what fills them.
 
-const core = require('../../core')
-
-const query = (...args) => core.db.query(...args)
+// `query` is destructured from the core facade at require time, like every other
+// *.db.js here. The facade resolves `ctx` per call, so taking it now is safe even
+// though `ctx` does not exist yet when this file is first required.
+const { query } = require('../../core')
 
 /**
  * The guild board — one row per guild the shard has told us about.