diff --git a/docs-site/content/docs/cli-reference/ktx-sql.mdx b/docs-site/content/docs/cli-reference/ktx-sql.mdx
index d78864e2..9c8f540a 100644
--- a/docs-site/content/docs/cli-reference/ktx-sql.mdx
+++ b/docs-site/content/docs/cli-reference/ktx-sql.mdx
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ Use `ktx sql` with a required connection id and positional SQL text.
 ktx sql --connection <id> [options] <sql...>
 ```
 
+`ktx sql` runs against any configured connection, whether or not it is a scan or
+ingest target. Connections marked `scan_enabled: false` (execute-only) work here
+too — see [execute-only connections](/docs/configuration/ktx-yaml#execute-only-connections).
+
 ## Options
 
 Use output flags to choose between terminal display, TSV rows, and structured
diff --git a/docs-site/content/docs/configuration/ktx-yaml.mdx b/docs-site/content/docs/configuration/ktx-yaml.mdx
index 34bb31d5..a98773dd 100644
--- a/docs-site/content/docs/configuration/ktx-yaml.mdx
+++ b/docs-site/content/docs/configuration/ktx-yaml.mdx
@@ -158,6 +158,29 @@ connections:
     dataset_ids: [analytics, mart]
 ```
 
+#### Execute-only connections
+
+Set `scan_enabled: false` to register a warehouse for SQL execution only. The
+connection is usable by `ktx sql` and the agent `sql_execution` tool, but **ktx**
+never introspects, scans, or ingests it — and `ktx setup` validates the
+credential without discovering or scanning its schemas. This is the supported way
+to run read-only queries against shared or public data (for example a BigQuery
+billing project full of unrelated datasets) without making it a context source.
+
+```yaml
+connections:
+  public_bq:
+    driver: bigquery
+    credentials_json: file:./service-account.json
+    scan_enabled: false
+```
+
+Without `scan_enabled`, a warehouse is a scan target. In scripted setup
+(`--no-input`) with no `--database-schema` and no `dataset_ids`/`schemas`, **ktx**
+scopes the scan to every schema or dataset the credential can see and prints a
+warning naming the count; pass `--database-schema` to narrow it, or
+`scan_enabled: false` to register it for execution only.
+
 For Postgres, MySQL, SQL Server, and Snowflake connections, set
 `maxConnections` when scan or ingest work needs to stay below the target's
 connection cap. Postgres, MySQL, and SQL Server default to `10`; Snowflake
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/context/connections/local-warehouse-descriptor.ts b/packages/cli/src/context/connections/local-warehouse-descriptor.ts
index 4ad926df..674a7033 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/context/connections/local-warehouse-descriptor.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/context/connections/local-warehouse-descriptor.ts
@@ -72,6 +72,24 @@ export function localConnectionToWarehouseDescriptor(
   return info;
 }
 
+/**
+ * True when the connection is registered for SQL execution only (`scan_enabled: false`) and
+ * must never be used as a scan/ingest target. Execution paths (`ktx sql`, `sql_execution`) are
+ * unaffected — they resolve the warehouse via {@link localConnectionToWarehouseDescriptor}.
+ */
+export function isExecuteOnlyConnection(connection: KtxProjectConnectionConfig | undefined): boolean {
+  return (connection as { scan_enabled?: boolean } | undefined)?.scan_enabled === false;
+}
+
+/**
+ * True when the connection is a warehouse AND eligible to be scanned/ingested. This is the single
+ * predicate every scan-target selection path routes through, so execute-only connections are
+ * excluded consistently — including the "fall back to all warehouses" path.
+ */
+export function isScanTargetWarehouse(id: string, connection: KtxProjectConnectionConfig | undefined): boolean {
+  return localConnectionToWarehouseDescriptor(id, connection) !== null && !isExecuteOnlyConnection(connection);
+}
+
 export function localConnectionTypeForConfig(id: string, connection: KtxProjectConnectionConfig | undefined): string {
   const descriptor = localConnectionToWarehouseDescriptor(id, connection);
   if (descriptor) {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/context/ingest/local-adapters.ts b/packages/cli/src/context/ingest/local-adapters.ts
index 3cd8a998..3d3e69d1 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/context/ingest/local-adapters.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/context/ingest/local-adapters.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { join } from 'node:path';
-import { localConnectionToWarehouseDescriptor } from '../../context/connections/local-warehouse-descriptor.js';
+import { isScanTargetWarehouse, localConnectionToWarehouseDescriptor } from '../../context/connections/local-warehouse-descriptor.js';
 import { notionConnectionToPullConfig, parseNotionConnectionConfig } from '../../context/connections/notion-config.js';
 import { resolveKtxConfigReference } from '../core/config-reference.js';
 import { ktxLocalStateDbPath } from '../../context/project/local-state-db.js';
@@ -147,14 +147,14 @@ export function createDefaultLocalIngestAdapters(
 function primaryWarehouseConnectionIds(project: KtxLocalProject): string[] {
   const configuredPrimaryIds = project.config.setup?.database_connection_ids ?? [];
   const configured = configuredPrimaryIds.filter((connectionId) =>
-    Boolean(localConnectionToWarehouseDescriptor(connectionId, project.config.connections[connectionId])),
+    isScanTargetWarehouse(connectionId, project.config.connections[connectionId]),
   );
   if (configured.length > 0) {
     return [...new Set(configured)];
   }
 
   return Object.entries(project.config.connections)
-    .filter(([connectionId, connection]) => Boolean(localConnectionToWarehouseDescriptor(connectionId, connection)))
+    .filter(([connectionId, connection]) => isScanTargetWarehouse(connectionId, connection))
     .map(([connectionId]) => connectionId)
     .sort((left, right) => left.localeCompare(right));
 }
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/context/project/driver-schemas.ts b/packages/cli/src/context/project/driver-schemas.ts
index f9a3639f..12505b66 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/context/project/driver-schemas.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/context/project/driver-schemas.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,12 @@ function warehouseConnectionSchema<const Driver extends WarehouseDriver>(driver:
         .describe(
           'Optional allowlist of fully-qualified table names ("schema.table") to ingest. When set, live-database ingest discards any table whose schema-qualified name is not in this list. Useful for smoke-testing ingest on a single table.',
         ),
+      scan_enabled: z
+        .boolean()
+        .optional()
+        .describe(
+          'When false, this connection is registered for SQL execution only (ktx sql / sql_execution) and is never used as a scan/ingest target. Omit (or true) to scan and ingest it as a primary warehouse.',
+        ),
     })
     .describe(
       `${driver} warehouse connection. Additional driver-tunable fields (e.g. context.queryHistory) are accepted and passed through.`,
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/setup-databases.ts b/packages/cli/src/setup-databases.ts
index 002ead30..9a22c643 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/setup-databases.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/setup-databases.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { delimiter, dirname, join } from 'node:path';
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
 import { promisify } from 'node:util';
 import { getDriverRegistration } from './context/connections/drivers.js';
+import { isExecuteOnlyConnection } from './context/connections/local-warehouse-descriptor.js';
 import { createLocalKtxLlmRuntimeFromConfig } from './context/llm/local-config.js';
 import type { KtxLlmRuntimePort } from './context/llm/runtime-port.js';
 import { queryHistoryDialectForConnection } from './context/ingest/adapters/historic-sql/connection-dialect.js';
@@ -459,12 +460,14 @@ function configuredPrimaryConnectionIds(
   const configuredIds =
     setupConnectionIds
       ?.filter((connectionId) => normalizeDriver(connections[connectionId]?.driver) !== null)
+      .filter((connectionId) => !isExecuteOnlyConnection(connections[connectionId]))
       .filter((connectionId, index, ids) => ids.indexOf(connectionId) === index) ?? [];
   if (configuredIds.length > 0) {
     return configuredIds;
   }
   return Object.entries(connections)
     .filter(([, connection]) => normalizeDriver(connection.driver) !== null)
+    .filter(([, connection]) => !isExecuteOnlyConnection(connection))
     .map(([connectionId]) => connectionId)
     .sort((left, right) => left.localeCompare(right));
 }
@@ -1384,11 +1387,13 @@ async function maybeConfigureDatabaseScope(input: {
   if (input.args.inputMode === 'disabled') {
     if (spec) {
       let scopeToWrite: string[] = cliSchemas;
+      let scopedFromDiscovery = false;
       if (scopeToWrite.length === 0) {
         try {
           scopeToWrite = unique(
             await (input.deps.listSchemas ?? defaultListSchemas)(input.projectDir, input.connectionId),
           );
+          scopedFromDiscovery = true;
         } catch (error) {
           const detail = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
           input.io.stderr.write(
@@ -1397,6 +1402,18 @@ async function maybeConfigureDatabaseScope(input: {
           return okValidateResult();
         }
       }
+      // Scripted setup with no explicit scope would otherwise silently scan every discovered
+      // schema/dataset the credential can see — including unrelated ones on a shared billing
+      // account. Surface that so the operator can narrow it or register the connection as
+      // execute-only instead of discovering it as a silent full-warehouse scan.
+      if (scopedFromDiscovery && scopeToWrite.length > 1) {
+        input.io.stderr.write(
+          `No --database-schema given for ${input.connectionId}; scanning all ${scopeToWrite.length} ` +
+            `discovered ${spec.nounPlural} (${scopeToWrite.join(', ')}). Pass --database-schema to narrow ` +
+            'the scan, or set connections.' +
+            `${input.connectionId}.scan_enabled: false to register it for SQL execution only.\n`,
+        );
+      }
       if (scopeToWrite.length > 0) {
         await writeScopeConfig({
           projectDir: input.projectDir,
@@ -1894,6 +1911,15 @@ async function validateAndScanConnection(input: {
   const testLines = ['✓ Connection test passed', `Driver: ${driverDisplay}`];
   writeSetupSection(input.io, `Testing ${input.connectionId}`, testLines);
 
+  // Execute-only connections (scan_enabled: false) are registered for SQL execution only:
+  // the credential is validated above, but ktx never introspects/scans the warehouse.
+  if (isExecuteOnlyConnection(project.config.connections[input.connectionId])) {
+    writeSetupSection(input.io, `Registering ${input.connectionId}`, [
+      'Execute-only connection (scan_enabled: false) — skipping schema scan.',
+    ]);
+    return okValidateResult();
+  }
+
   const scopeStatus = await maybeConfigureDatabaseScope({ ...input, forcePrompt: input.forceScopeAndTables });
   if (scopeStatus.status !== 'ok') {
     return scopeStatus;
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/context/connections/local-warehouse-descriptor.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/context/connections/local-warehouse-descriptor.test.ts
index e0a285a9..bf218bb8 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/context/connections/local-warehouse-descriptor.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/context/connections/local-warehouse-descriptor.test.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,32 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 import {
+  isExecuteOnlyConnection,
+  isScanTargetWarehouse,
   localConnectionInfoFromConfig,
   localConnectionToWarehouseDescriptor,
   localConnectionTypeForConfig,
 } from '../../../src/context/connections/local-warehouse-descriptor.js';
 
+describe('execute-only warehouse connections', () => {
+  it('treats a warehouse without scan_enabled as a scan target', () => {
+    const connection = { driver: 'postgres', url: 'postgresql://db/a' } as const;
+    expect(isExecuteOnlyConnection(connection)).toBe(false);
+    expect(isScanTargetWarehouse('w', connection)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('excludes a warehouse with scan_enabled: false from scan targets but still resolves it as a warehouse', () => {
+    const connection = { driver: 'postgres', url: 'postgresql://db/a', scan_enabled: false } as const;
+    expect(isExecuteOnlyConnection(connection)).toBe(true);
+    expect(isScanTargetWarehouse('w', connection)).toBe(false);
+    // Execution paths must still see it as a warehouse so `ktx sql` works.
+    expect(localConnectionToWarehouseDescriptor('w', connection)).not.toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it('does not treat non-warehouse connections as scan targets', () => {
+    expect(isScanTargetWarehouse('n', { driver: 'notion', auth_token: 'x' } as never)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
 describe('localConnectionToWarehouseDescriptor', () => {
   it('maps local Postgres URLs to canonical warehouse descriptors', () => {
     expect(
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/context/ingest/local-adapters.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/context/ingest/local-adapters.test.ts
index a8799cee..c0834676 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/context/ingest/local-adapters.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/context/ingest/local-adapters.test.ts
@@ -634,6 +634,21 @@ describe('local ingest adapters', () => {
     await expect(adapter?.listTargetConnectionIds?.('/tmp/staged-dbt')).resolves.toEqual(['warehouse']);
   });
 
+  it('excludes execute-only (scan_enabled: false) warehouses from primary scan targets', async () => {
+    const adapters = createDefaultLocalIngestAdapters(
+      projectWithConnections({
+        scannable: { driver: 'postgres', url: 'postgresql://db/a' },
+        executeonly: { driver: 'postgres', url: 'postgresql://db/b', scan_enabled: false },
+        docs: { driver: 'dbt', source_dir: './dbt' },
+      } as never),
+    );
+
+    // No setup.database_connection_ids → falls back to "all warehouses", which must now
+    // skip the execute-only connection rather than re-including it.
+    const dbt = adapters.find((adapter) => adapter.source === 'dbt');
+    await expect(dbt?.listTargetConnectionIds?.('/tmp/staged-dbt')).resolves.toEqual(['scannable']);
+  });
+
   it('passes primary warehouse connection ids to the local Notion adapter', async () => {
     const adapters = createDefaultLocalIngestAdapters(
       projectWithConnections({
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/context/project/config.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/context/project/config.test.ts
index e5911a25..99912ffd 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/context/project/config.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/context/project/config.test.ts
@@ -129,6 +129,18 @@ connections:
     expect(serialized).not.toContain('completed_steps:');
   });
 
+  it('parses and serializes a warehouse connection marked execute-only (scan_enabled: false)', () => {
+    const config = parseKtxProjectConfig(`
+connections:
+  public_bq:
+    driver: bigquery
+    scan_enabled: false
+`);
+
+    expect(config.connections.public_bq).toMatchObject({ driver: 'bigquery', scan_enabled: false });
+    expect(serializeKtxProjectConfig(config)).toContain('scan_enabled: false');
+  });
+
   it('parses global direct Anthropic LLM config', () => {
     const config = parseKtxProjectConfig(`
 llm:
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/setup-databases.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/setup-databases.test.ts
index 957dfdb2..f3029021 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/setup-databases.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/setup-databases.test.ts
@@ -1586,6 +1586,64 @@ describe('setup databases step', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it('registers an execute-only connection (scan_enabled: false) without scanning it', async () => {
+    await writeFile(
+      join(tempDir, 'ktx.yaml'),
+      ['connections:', '  public_bq:', '    driver: bigquery', '    scan_enabled: false', ''].join('\n'),
+      'utf-8',
+    );
+    const io = makeIo();
+    const testConnection = vi.fn(async () => 0);
+    const scanConnection = vi.fn(async () => 0);
+
+    const result = await runKtxSetupDatabasesStep(
+      {
+        projectDir: tempDir,
+        inputMode: 'disabled',
+        databaseConnectionIds: ['public_bq'],
+        databaseSchemas: [],
+        skipDatabases: false,
+      },
+      io.io,
+      { testConnection, scanConnection, listSchemas: vi.fn(async () => ['a', 'b', 'c']) },
+    );
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe('ready');
+    // The credential is validated, but the warehouse is never introspected/scanned.
+    expect(testConnection).toHaveBeenCalledWith(tempDir, 'public_bq', expect.anything());
+    expect(scanConnection).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('warns instead of silently scanning every discovered dataset when scripted setup has no scope', async () => {
+    await writeFile(
+      join(tempDir, 'ktx.yaml'),
+      ['connections:', '  warehouse:', '    driver: bigquery', ''].join('\n'),
+      'utf-8',
+    );
+    const io = makeIo();
+
+    const result = await runKtxSetupDatabasesStep(
+      {
+        projectDir: tempDir,
+        inputMode: 'disabled',
+        databaseConnectionIds: ['warehouse'],
+        databaseSchemas: [],
+        skipDatabases: false,
+      },
+      io.io,
+      {
+        testConnection: vi.fn(async () => 0),
+        scanConnection: vi.fn(async () => 0),
+        listSchemas: vi.fn(async () => ['stripe', 'posthog', 'linear']),
+        listTables: vi.fn(async () => []),
+      },
+    );
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe('ready');
+    expect(io.stderr()).toContain('No --database-schema given for warehouse');
+    expect(io.stderr()).toContain('scan_enabled: false');
+  });
+
   it('keeps scripted database ids fail-fast even when input mode is auto', async () => {
     await writeFile(
       join(tempDir, 'ktx.yaml'),