diff --git a/backend/src/routes/cart.ts b/backend/src/routes/cart.ts
index cc5be3a..df7bbee 100644
--- a/backend/src/routes/cart.ts
+++ b/backend/src/routes/cart.ts
@@ -3,9 +3,41 @@ import { pool } from '../db';
 import { asyncRoute } from '../asyncRoute';
 import { requireCustomer } from '../middleware/customerAuth';
 import { getSettings } from '../adminSettings';
+import { ItemStatus, ItemImage } from '../types';
 
 const router = Router();
 
+/**
+ * Row shapes for the reads here. As in cartCheckout.ts, only queries whose rows
+ * are read carry a type, and each is kept in step with its SQL by hand.
+ */
+interface IdRow {
+  id: number;
+}
+
+/** What CART_ITEM_SELECT returns — a held item as the cart page renders it. */
+interface CartRow {
+  item_id: number;
+  added_at: Date;
+  expires_at: Date;
+  name: string;
+  price_cents: number;
+  status: ItemStatus;
+  // COALESCE'd json_agg, so always an array. Only id and image_path are
+  // selected; the cart does not need sort_order.
+  images: Pick<ItemImage, 'id' | 'image_path'>[];
+}
+
+/** The row locked FOR UPDATE before an item is reserved. */
+interface LockedItemRow {
+  id: number;
+  status: ItemStatus;
+}
+
+interface RemovedItemRow {
+  item_id: number;
+}
+
 const CART_ITEM_SELECT = `
   SELECT
     ci.item_id, ci.added_at, ci.expires_at,
@@ -24,9 +56,9 @@ const CART_ITEM_SELECT = `
 `;
 
 router.get('/', requireCustomer, asyncRoute(async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
-  const { rows: cartRows } = await pool.query(`SELECT id FROM carts WHERE customer_id = $1`, [req.customerId]);
+  const { rows: cartRows } = await pool.query<IdRow>(`SELECT id FROM carts WHERE customer_id = $1`, [req.customerId]);
   if (!cartRows.length) return res.json({ items: [] });
-  const { rows: items } = await pool.query(CART_ITEM_SELECT, [cartRows[0].id]);
+  const { rows: items } = await pool.query<CartRow>(CART_ITEM_SELECT, [cartRows[0].id]);
   res.json({ items });
 }));
 
@@ -35,7 +67,7 @@ router.post('/items/:itemId', requireCustomer, asyncRoute(async (req: Request, r
   const client = await pool.connect();
   try {
     await client.query('BEGIN');
-    const { rows: itemRows } = await client.query(`SELECT * FROM items WHERE id = $1 FOR UPDATE`, [itemId]);
+    const { rows: itemRows } = await client.query<LockedItemRow>(`SELECT * FROM items WHERE id = $1 FOR UPDATE`, [itemId]);
     const item = itemRows[0];
     if (!item) { await client.query('ROLLBACK'); return res.status(404).json({ error: 'not found' }); }
     if (item.status !== 'available') {
@@ -43,13 +75,13 @@ router.post('/items/:itemId', requireCustomer, asyncRoute(async (req: Request, r
       return res.status(409).json({ error: 'item is no longer available' });
     }
 
-    let { rows: cartRows } = await client.query(`SELECT id FROM carts WHERE customer_id = $1`, [req.customerId]);
+    let { rows: cartRows } = await client.query<IdRow>(`SELECT id FROM carts WHERE customer_id = $1`, [req.customerId]);
     let cartId: number;
     if (cartRows.length) {
       cartId = cartRows[0].id;
       await client.query(`UPDATE carts SET updated_at = now() WHERE id = $1`, [cartId]);
     } else {
-      const { rows: newCart } = await client.query(
+      const { rows: newCart } = await client.query<IdRow>(
         `INSERT INTO carts (customer_id) VALUES ($1) RETURNING id`,
         [req.customerId]
       );
@@ -79,7 +111,7 @@ router.delete('/items/:itemId', requireCustomer, asyncRoute(async (req: Request,
   const client = await pool.connect();
   try {
     await client.query('BEGIN');
-    const { rows } = await client.query(
+    const { rows } = await client.query<RemovedItemRow>(
       `DELETE FROM cart_items ci
        USING carts c
        WHERE ci.cart_id = c.id AND c.customer_id = $1 AND ci.item_id = $2
diff --git a/backend/src/routes/cartCheckout.ts b/backend/src/routes/cartCheckout.ts
index dd63a7a..2648d63 100644
--- a/backend/src/routes/cartCheckout.ts
+++ b/backend/src/routes/cartCheckout.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,35 @@ async function getAccessToken(): Promise<string> {
   return data.access_token;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Row shapes for the reads in this file.
+ *
+ * Only queries whose rows are actually read carry a type. The INSERTs, UPDATEs,
+ * DELETEs and the BEGIN/COMMIT/ROLLBACK calls return nothing anyone looks at,
+ * and annotating them would be ceremony that makes the ones that matter harder
+ * to pick out.
+ *
+ * Kept in step with their SQL by hand: `client.query<T>` asserts a shape rather
+ * than checking it, because TypeScript never reads the query string. The
+ * integration suite is what catches a select and its type disagreeing.
+ */
+interface IdRow {
+  id: number;
+}
+
+interface CheckoutItemRow {
+  item_id: number;
+  price_cents: number;
+}
+
+interface CheckoutOwnerRow {
+  customer_id: number | null;
+}
+
+interface CheckoutStatusRow {
+  status: string;
+}
+
 interface CartItem {
   id: number;
   name: string;
@@ -40,10 +69,10 @@ interface LockedCart {
 // Locks the customer's cart, verifies every item is still reserved to them,
 // and returns { cartId, items: [{id, name, price_cents}], totalCents }.
 async function loadLockedCart(client: PoolClient, customerId: number): Promise<LockedCart | null> {
-  const { rows: cartRows } = await client.query(`SELECT id FROM carts WHERE customer_id = $1`, [customerId]);
+  const { rows: cartRows } = await client.query<IdRow>(`SELECT id FROM carts WHERE customer_id = $1`, [customerId]);
   if (!cartRows.length) return null;
   const cartId = cartRows[0].id;
-  const { rows: items } = await client.query(
+  const { rows: items } = await client.query<CartItem>(
     `SELECT i.id, i.name, i.price_cents
      FROM cart_items ci
      JOIN items i ON i.id = ci.item_id
@@ -52,7 +81,7 @@ async function loadLockedCart(client: PoolClient, customerId: number): Promise<L
     [cartId]
   );
   if (!items.length) return { cartId, items: [], totalCents: 0 };
-  const totalCents = items.reduce((sum: number, it: CartItem) => sum + it.price_cents, 0);
+  const totalCents = items.reduce((sum, it) => sum + it.price_cents, 0);
   return { cartId, items, totalCents };
 }
 
@@ -71,7 +100,7 @@ async function openCheckout(
   processor: string,
   processorOrderId: string | null
 ): Promise<OpenedCheckout> {
-  const { rows: addrRows } = await client.query(
+  const { rows: addrRows } = await client.query<IdRow>(
     `SELECT id FROM shipping_addresses WHERE id = $1 AND customer_id = $2`,
     [shippingAddressId, customerId]
   );
@@ -80,7 +109,7 @@ async function openCheckout(
   const cart = await loadLockedCart(client, customerId);
   if (!cart || !cart.items.length) return { ok: false, error: 'cart is empty' };
 
-  const { rows: checkoutRows } = await client.query(
+  const { rows: checkoutRows } = await client.query<IdRow>(
     `INSERT INTO checkouts (customer_id, shipping_address_id, processor, processor_order_id, amount_cents, status)
      VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4, $5, 'pending') RETURNING id`,
     [customerId, shippingAddressId, processor, processorOrderId, cart.totalCents]
@@ -147,11 +176,11 @@ router.post('/paypal/create', requireCustomer, asyncRoute(async (req: Request, r
 // *after* COMMIT. Sending inside the transaction would email people about a
 // sale that then rolled back, and would hold the transaction open for SMTP.
 async function completeCheckout(client: PoolClient, checkoutId: number, processor: string, processorOrderId: string | null, rawEvent: unknown): Promise<{ itemIds: number[]; buyerId: number | null }> {
-  const { rows: checkoutItems } = await client.query(
+  const { rows: checkoutItems } = await client.query<CheckoutItemRow>(
     `SELECT item_id, price_cents FROM checkout_items WHERE checkout_id = $1`,
     [checkoutId]
   );
-  const { rows: checkoutRows } = await client.query(`SELECT customer_id FROM checkouts WHERE id = $1`, [checkoutId]);
+  const { rows: checkoutRows } = await client.query<CheckoutOwnerRow>(`SELECT customer_id FROM checkouts WHERE id = $1`, [checkoutId]);
   const customerId = checkoutRows[0]?.customer_id;
 
   for (const ci of checkoutItems) {
@@ -166,7 +195,7 @@ async function completeCheckout(client: PoolClient, checkoutId: number, processo
   await client.query(`UPDATE checkouts SET status = 'completed', raw_event = $1 WHERE id = $2`, [rawEvent, checkoutId]);
 
   return {
-    itemIds: checkoutItems.map((ci: { item_id: number }) => ci.item_id),
+    itemIds: checkoutItems.map((ci) => ci.item_id),
     buyerId: customerId ?? null
   };
 }
@@ -185,7 +214,7 @@ router.post('/paypal/capture', requireCustomer, asyncRoute(async (req: Request,
       return res.status(502).json({ error: 'capture failed', detail: capture });
     }
 
-    const { rows } = await pool.query(
+    const { rows } = await pool.query<IdRow>(
       `SELECT id FROM checkouts WHERE processor_order_id = $1 AND customer_id = $2`,
       [orderID, req.customerId]
     );
@@ -252,7 +281,7 @@ webhookRouter.post('/', asyncRoute(async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
     if (event.event_type === 'PAYMENT.CAPTURE.COMPLETED') {
       const checkoutId = event.resource?.custom_id;
       if (checkoutId) {
-        const { rows } = await pool.query(`SELECT status FROM checkouts WHERE id = $1`, [checkoutId]);
+        const { rows } = await pool.query<CheckoutStatusRow>(`SELECT status FROM checkouts WHERE id = $1`, [checkoutId]);
         if (rows.length && rows[0].status !== 'completed') {
           const client = await pool.connect();
           try {