diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index eb28da6..7220b8d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -103,3 +103,38 @@ jobs:
         with:
           files: ./coverage.txt
           token: ${{ secrets.CODECOV_TOKEN }}
+
+  test-mariadb:
+    name: MySQL suite on MariaDB
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 10
+
+    services:
+      mariadb:
+        image: mariadb:11.4
+        env:
+          MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD: root
+        options: >-
+          --health-cmd "healthcheck.sh --connect --innodb_initialized"
+          --health-interval 5s
+          --health-timeout 5s
+          --health-retries 12
+        ports:
+          - 3306:3306
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1
+
+      - name: Set up Go
+        uses: actions/setup-go@b7ad1dad31e06c5925ef5d2fc7ad053ef454303e
+        with:
+          go-version: '1.27'
+          cache: true
+
+      # The mysql package and the adapters' MySQL tests, against MariaDB on
+      # the default MySQL address. The Postgres-backed tests are the other
+      # job's business.
+      - name: Run the MySQL-backed tests against MariaDB
+        run: |
+          go test -race -count=1 ./mysql/...
+          go test -race -count=1 -run 'TestMySQL' ./migrate/goose/... ./migrate/golangmigrate/...
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 2acd63e..752b517 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ POSTGRES_DB := testdb
 MYSQL_SERVICE := test-mysql
 MYSQL_USER := root
 MYSQL_PASSWORD := root
+MARIADB_SERVICE := test-mariadb
 
 .PHONY: check_pgcli
 check_pgcli:
@@ -103,6 +104,23 @@ define wait_for_mysql
 	echo "✅ MySQL is ready!"
 endef
 
+# The MariaDB image ships the mariadb client, not mysql.
+define wait_for_mariadb
+	@echo "Waiting for MariaDB to be ready..."
+	@attempts=0; \
+	while ! docker compose -f $(1) exec -T $(2) mariadb -u$(3) -p$(4) -e 'SELECT 1' >/dev/null 2>&1; do \
+		attempts=$$((attempts+1)); \
+		if [ $$attempts -gt 60 ]; then \
+			echo "❌ MariaDB failed to become ready after 60 seconds"; \
+			echo "Try 'make $(5)' for a fresh start"; \
+			exit 1; \
+		fi; \
+		echo "⏳ Waiting... ($$attempts/60)"; \
+		sleep 1; \
+	done; \
+	echo "✅ MariaDB is ready (port 3307; set TEST_MYSQL_URL to use it)"
+endef
+
 ## test/db/start: Start PostgreSQL test database
 .PHONY: test/db/start
 test/db/start:
@@ -110,6 +128,7 @@ test/db/start:
 	docker compose -f $(POSTGRES_COMPOSE_FILE) up -d
 	$(call wait_for_postgres,$(POSTGRES_COMPOSE_FILE),$(POSTGRES_SERVICE),$(POSTGRES_USER),$(POSTGRES_DB),test/db/restart)
 	$(call wait_for_mysql,$(POSTGRES_COMPOSE_FILE),$(MYSQL_SERVICE),$(MYSQL_USER),$(MYSQL_PASSWORD),test/db/restart)
+	$(call wait_for_mariadb,$(POSTGRES_COMPOSE_FILE),$(MARIADB_SERVICE),$(MYSQL_USER),$(MYSQL_PASSWORD),test/db/restart)
 
 ## test/db/stop: Stop PostgreSQL test database
 .PHONY: test/db/stop
@@ -141,6 +160,7 @@ test/db/restart: test/db/clean
 	docker compose -f $(POSTGRES_COMPOSE_FILE) up -d
 	$(call wait_for_postgres,$(POSTGRES_COMPOSE_FILE),$(POSTGRES_SERVICE),$(POSTGRES_USER),$(POSTGRES_DB),test/db/restart)
 	$(call wait_for_mysql,$(POSTGRES_COMPOSE_FILE),$(MYSQL_SERVICE),$(MYSQL_USER),$(MYSQL_PASSWORD),test/db/restart)
+	$(call wait_for_mariadb,$(POSTGRES_COMPOSE_FILE),$(MARIADB_SERVICE),$(MYSQL_USER),$(MYSQL_PASSWORD),test/db/restart)
 
 ## test/db/psql: Connect to Postgres database
 .PHONY: test/db/psql
diff --git a/docker-compose.test.yml b/docker-compose.test.yml
index a58d1ed..b4ad3ad 100644
--- a/docker-compose.test.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.test.yml
@@ -43,3 +43,22 @@ services:
       - "--skip-log-bin"
       - "--innodb-doublewrite=0"
       - "--innodb-flush-method=O_DIRECT_NO_FSYNC"
+
+  # MariaDB on 3307: point TEST_MYSQL_URL at it to run the MySQL suite
+  # against MariaDB, as CI does.
+  test-mariadb:
+    image: mariadb:11.4
+    environment:
+      MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD: root
+    ports:
+      - "3307:3306"
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "healthcheck.sh", "--connect", "--innodb_initialized"]
+      interval: 5s
+      timeout: 3s
+      retries: 12
+    command:
+      - "--innodb-flush-log-at-trx-commit=0"
+      - "--skip-log-bin"
+      - "--innodb-doublewrite=0"
+      - "--innodb-flush-method=O_DIRECT_NO_FSYNC"
diff --git a/mysql/template.go b/mysql/template.go
index 5760afa..9e4e76b 100644
--- a/mysql/template.go
+++ b/mysql/template.go
@@ -553,9 +553,14 @@ func lockName(template string) string {
 	return "testdb:template:" + hex.EncodeToString(sum[:12])
 }
 
+// buildLockTimeout bounds GET_LOCK when ctx has no deadline. MySQL treats a
+// negative timeout as "forever" but MariaDB returns NULL for it, so a long
+// finite wait is used on both; ctx still cancels the statement earlier.
+const buildLockTimeout = 24 * time.Hour
+
 // lockBuild takes the template's build lock, waiting as long as ctx allows.
 func lockBuild(ctx context.Context, conn *sql.Conn, template string) error {
-	timeout := -1 // forever, as far as MySQL is concerned; ctx still applies
+	timeout := int(buildLockTimeout.Seconds())
 	if deadline, ok := ctx.Deadline(); ok {
 		timeout = max(int(time.Until(deadline).Seconds()), 1)
 	}