diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 4a9635a..d724a9d 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ members = ["codegen", "examples", "performance_measurement", "performance_measur
 
 [package]
 name = "worktable"
-version = "0.9.2"
+version = "0.9.3"
 edition = "2024"
 authors = ["Handy-caT"]
 license = "MIT"
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ tracing = "0.1"
 url = { version = "2", optional = true }
 uuid = { version = "1.10.0", features = ["v4", "v7"] }
 walkdir = { version = "2", optional = true }
-worktable_codegen = { path = "codegen", version = "=0.9.2" }
+worktable_codegen = { path = "codegen", version = "=0.9.3" }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 chrono = "0.4.43"
diff --git a/codegen/Cargo.toml b/codegen/Cargo.toml
index bba25fb..6c6b40e 100644
--- a/codegen/Cargo.toml
+++ b/codegen/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "worktable_codegen"
-version = "0.9.2"
+version = "0.9.3"
 edition = "2024"
 license = "MIT"
 description = "Proc-macro companion crate for worktable: the worktable! macro and its derives."
diff --git a/codegen/src/generators/read_only/table/mod.rs b/codegen/src/generators/read_only/table/mod.rs
index ab138d3..2c8c31f 100644
--- a/codegen/src/generators/read_only/table/mod.rs
+++ b/codegen/src/generators/read_only/table/mod.rs
@@ -75,10 +75,14 @@ impl ReadOnlyGenerator {
             .collect::<Vec<_>>();
         let pk_types_unsized = is_unsized_vec(pk_types);
 
+        // `read_only` and `pk_unsized` are independent: the first selects the read-only
+        // shape of the table (no persistence engine or task, sync `into_worktable`), the
+        // second selects the unsized primary index. A read-only table with an unsized key
+        // needs both, so `read_only` is unconditional here.
         let derive = if pk_types_unsized {
             quote! {
                 #[derive(Debug, PersistTable)]
-                #[table(pk_unsized)]
+                #[table(read_only, pk_unsized)]
             }
         } else {
             quote! {
diff --git a/codegen/src/worktable_version/mod.rs b/codegen/src/worktable_version/mod.rs
index 6cce717..ea7c1ed 100644
--- a/codegen/src/worktable_version/mod.rs
+++ b/codegen/src/worktable_version/mod.rs
@@ -139,6 +139,25 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn test_unsized_primary_key_stays_read_only() {
+        let input = quote! {
+            name: ThingV1,
+            columns: {
+                id: String primary_key,
+                name: String,
+            },
+        };
+
+        let res = expand(input).unwrap();
+        let output = res.to_string();
+
+        assert!(
+            output.contains("table (read_only , pk_unsized)"),
+            "an unsized primary key must keep read_only, not replace it with pk_unsized"
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn test_rejects_version_after_columns() {
         let input = quote! {
diff --git a/tests/worktable_version/mod.rs b/tests/worktable_version/mod.rs
index 1bca5f8..ccaeb9c 100644
--- a/tests/worktable_version/mod.rs
+++ b/tests/worktable_version/mod.rs
@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 mod basic;
+mod string_primary_key;
diff --git a/tests/worktable_version/string_primary_key.rs b/tests/worktable_version/string_primary_key.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3372a9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/worktable_version/string_primary_key.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+use crate::remove_dir_if_exists;
+
+use worktable::prelude::*;
+use worktable_codegen::{worktable, worktable_version};
+
+// A primary key that is not generated and not fixed-size. The read-only table it produces
+// needs both the read-only shape and the unsized primary index, so this exercises the
+// `#[table(read_only, pk_unsized)]` pairing that a `u64 primary_key autoincrement` does not.
+worktable!(
+    name: Doc,
+    persist: true,
+    columns: {
+        id: String primary_key,
+        title: String,
+        author: String,
+    },
+    indexes: {
+        author_idx: author,
+    },
+);
+
+worktable_version!(
+    name: DocV1,
+    columns: {
+        id: String primary_key,
+        title: String,
+        author: String,
+    },
+    indexes: {
+        author_idx: author,
+    },
+);
+
+#[test]
+fn test_version_reads_persisted_data_with_string_primary_key() {
+    let config = DiskConfig::new_with_table_name(
+        "tests/data/version/string_primary_key",
+        DocWorkTable::name_snake_case(),
+        DocWorkTable::version(),
+    );
+
+    let runtime = tokio::runtime::Builder::new_multi_thread()
+        .worker_threads(2)
+        .enable_io()
+        .enable_time()
+        .build()
+        .unwrap();
+
+    runtime.block_on(async {
+        remove_dir_if_exists("tests/data/version/string_primary_key".to_string()).await;
+
+        {
+            let engine = DocPersistenceEngine::new(config.clone()).await.unwrap();
+            let table = DocWorkTable::load(engine).await.unwrap();
+
+            table
+                .insert(DocRow {
+                    id: "doc-alpha".to_string(),
+                    title: "Alpha".to_string(),
+                    author: "Alice".to_string(),
+                })
+                .unwrap();
+
+            table
+                .insert(DocRow {
+                    id: "doc-beta".to_string(),
+                    title: "Beta".to_string(),
+                    author: "Bob".to_string(),
+                })
+                .unwrap();
+
+            table.wait_for_ops().await
+        }
+
+        {
+            let engine = ReadOnlyPersistenceEngine::create(config.clone()).await.unwrap();
+            let table = DocV1WorkTable::load(engine).await.unwrap();
+
+            assert_eq!(table.count(), 2);
+
+            let rows = table.select_all().execute().unwrap();
+            assert_eq!(rows.len(), 2);
+
+            let titles: Vec<_> = rows.iter().map(|r| r.title.clone()).collect();
+            assert!(titles.contains(&"Alpha".to_string()));
+            assert!(titles.contains(&"Beta".to_string()));
+
+            // Look the row up by its string key, not just by scanning every row.
+            let alpha = table.select("doc-alpha".to_string()).unwrap();
+            assert_eq!(alpha.author, "Alice".to_string());
+        }
+    });
+}