diff --git a/src/engine/db/account.rs b/src/engine/db/account.rs
index cc6e15c..98d49b4 100644
--- a/src/engine/db/account.rs
+++ b/src/engine/db/account.rs
@@ -500,6 +500,10 @@ impl Db {
         }
         self.log.append(Event::AccountDropped { account: account.to_string() }).map_err(|_| RegError::Internal)?;
         self.accounts.remove(&k);
+        // Keep live state in step with what the AccountDropped fold does on replay:
+        // erase every reference so a re-registration can't inherit the account's
+        // channel access, successorship, or group standing.
+        super::event::purge_account_refs(account, &mut self.channels, &mut self.grouped, &mut self.net.groups);
         Ok(true)
     }
 
diff --git a/src/engine/db/event.rs b/src/engine/db/event.rs
index efd4e59..80c5555 100644
--- a/src/engine/db/event.rs
+++ b/src/engine/db/event.rs
@@ -249,6 +249,32 @@ fn owns_over(held: &Account, claim: &Account) -> bool {
 
 // Fold one event into the store. Shared by log replay (`open`) and gossip
 // ingest, so both routes reconstruct identical state.
+// Erase every remaining reference to a gone account — its nick aliases, channel
+// access and successorship, and group membership/foundership — so that a later
+// re-registration of the same name can't silently inherit its standing. Channels
+// *founded* by the account are handled separately (transfer to a successor or
+// drop) by the engine's `handle_account_gone`; groups have no successor concept,
+// so a founderless group is dropped here. Shared by the local `drop_account`
+// path and the replay/gossip `apply` path so both converge on the same state.
+pub(crate) fn purge_account_refs(
+    account: &str,
+    channels: &mut HashMap<String, ChannelInfo>,
+    grouped: &mut HashMap<String, String>,
+    groups: &mut Vec<Group>,
+) {
+    grouped.retain(|_, a| !a.eq_ignore_ascii_case(account));
+    for c in channels.values_mut() {
+        c.access.retain(|a| !a.account.eq_ignore_ascii_case(account));
+        if c.successor.as_deref().is_some_and(|s| s.eq_ignore_ascii_case(account)) {
+            c.successor = None;
+        }
+    }
+    for g in groups.iter_mut() {
+        g.members.retain(|m| !m.account.eq_ignore_ascii_case(account));
+    }
+    groups.retain(|g| !g.founder.eq_ignore_ascii_case(account));
+}
+
 pub(crate) fn apply(accounts: &mut HashMap<String, Account>, channels: &mut HashMap<String, ChannelInfo>, grouped: &mut HashMap<String, String>, bots: &mut HashMap<String, Bot>, host_cfg: &mut HostConfig, net: &mut NetData, event: Event) {
     match event {
         Event::AccountRegistered(a) => {
@@ -306,7 +332,7 @@ pub(crate) fn apply(accounts: &mut HashMap<String, Account>, channels: &mut Hash
         }
         Event::AccountDropped { account } => {
             accounts.remove(&key(&account));
-            grouped.retain(|_, a| !a.eq_ignore_ascii_case(&account)); // its aliases go too
+            purge_account_refs(&account, channels, grouped, &mut net.groups);
         }
         Event::AccountVerified { account } => {
             if let Some(a) = accounts.get_mut(&key(&account)) {
diff --git a/src/engine/db/tests.rs b/src/engine/db/tests.rs
index ddd0372..9194b61 100644
--- a/src/engine/db/tests.rs
+++ b/src/engine/db/tests.rs
@@ -461,3 +461,46 @@
         assert_eq!(db.channel("#c").unwrap().join_mode("bob"), Some("+v"), "survives reopen");
         assert_eq!(db.channel("#c").unwrap().join_mode("alice"), None, "removal survives reopen");
     }
+
+    // Dropping an account erases every reference to it — channel access and
+    // successorship, group membership and foundership — so a later re-registration
+    // of the same name can't inherit its standing. Holds live and after replay.
+    #[test]
+    fn dropping_an_account_purges_all_its_references() {
+        let p = tmp("droppurge");
+        let mut db = Db::open(&p, "local");
+        db.scram_iterations = 4096;
+        db.register("bob", "pw", None).unwrap();
+        db.register("carol", "pw", None).unwrap();
+        db.register("alice", "pw", None).unwrap();
+        db.register_channel("#foo", "bob").unwrap();
+        db.access_add("#foo", "alice", "op").unwrap();
+        db.register_channel("#bar", "carol").unwrap();
+        db.set_successor("#bar", Some("alice")).unwrap();
+        db.group_register("!alicegrp", "alice").unwrap();
+        db.group_register("!bobgrp", "bob").unwrap();
+        db.group_set_flags("!bobgrp", "alice", "").unwrap();
+
+        // Sanity: every reference is in place.
+        assert_eq!(db.channel("#foo").unwrap().join_mode("alice"), Some("+o"), "alice starts as an op");
+        assert_eq!(db.channel_successor("#bar").as_deref(), Some("alice"));
+        assert!(db.is_group_member("!bobgrp", "alice"));
+        assert!(db.group("!alicegrp").is_some());
+
+        // Dropping alice erases all of them.
+        assert!(db.drop_account("alice").unwrap());
+        assert_eq!(db.channel("#foo").unwrap().join_mode("alice"), None, "access grant purged");
+        assert_eq!(db.channel_successor("#bar"), None, "successorship purged");
+        assert!(!db.is_group_member("!bobgrp", "alice"), "group membership purged");
+        assert!(db.group("!alicegrp").is_none(), "founderless group dropped");
+
+        // Re-registering the name must not inherit the old op access.
+        db.register("alice", "pw2", None).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(db.channel("#foo").unwrap().join_mode("alice"), None, "re-registration inherits nothing");
+
+        // And the purge survives a reload (the fold matches live state).
+        drop(db);
+        let db = Db::open(&p, "local");
+        assert_eq!(db.channel("#foo").unwrap().join_mode("alice"), None, "purge holds after replay");
+        assert_eq!(db.channel_successor("#bar"), None, "successor purge holds after replay");
+    }