diff --git a/channeldb/db.go b/channeldb/db.go
index 9390b9352..3e6590878 100644
--- a/channeldb/db.go
+++ b/channeldb/db.go
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ func initChannelDB(db kvdb.Backend) error {
 	err := kvdb.Update(db, func(tx kvdb.RwTx) error {
 		meta := &Meta{}
 		// Check if DB is already initialized.
-		err := fetchMeta(meta, tx)
+		err := FetchMeta(meta, tx)
 		if err == nil {
 			return nil
 		}
@@ -1561,6 +1561,12 @@ func (d *DB) ChannelStateDB() *ChannelStateDB {
 	return d.channelStateDB
 }
 
+// LatestDBVersion returns the number of the latest database version currently
+// known to the channel DB.
+func LatestDBVersion() uint32 {
+	return getLatestDBVersion(dbVersions)
+}
+
 func getLatestDBVersion(versions []mandatoryVersion) uint32 {
 	return versions[len(versions)-1].number
 }
diff --git a/channeldb/meta.go b/channeldb/meta.go
index 55efa8d60..a32ab81ed 100644
--- a/channeldb/meta.go
+++ b/channeldb/meta.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package channeldb
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 
 	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/kvdb"
@@ -20,6 +21,15 @@ var (
 	// dbVersionKey is a boltdb key and it's used for storing/retrieving
 	// a list of optional migrations that have been applied.
 	optionalVersionKey = []byte("ovk")
+
+	// TombstoneKey is the key under which we add a tag in the source DB
+	// after we've successfully and completely migrated it to the target/
+	// destination DB.
+	TombstoneKey = []byte("data-migration-tombstone")
+
+	// ErrMarkerNotPresent is the error that is returned if the queried
+	// marker is not present in the given database.
+	ErrMarkerNotPresent = errors.New("marker not present")
 )
 
 // Meta structure holds the database meta information.
@@ -33,7 +43,7 @@ func (d *DB) FetchMeta() (*Meta, error) {
 	var meta *Meta
 
 	err := kvdb.View(d, func(tx kvdb.RTx) error {
-		return fetchMeta(meta, tx)
+		return FetchMeta(meta, tx)
 	}, func() {
 		meta = &Meta{}
 	})
@@ -44,10 +54,9 @@ func (d *DB) FetchMeta() (*Meta, error) {
 	return meta, nil
 }
 
-// fetchMeta is an internal helper function used in order to allow callers to
-// re-use a database transaction. See the publicly exported FetchMeta method
-// for more information.
-func fetchMeta(meta *Meta, tx kvdb.RTx) error {
+// FetchMeta is a helper function used in order to allow callers to re-use a
+// database transaction.
+func FetchMeta(meta *Meta, tx kvdb.RTx) error {
 	metaBucket := tx.ReadBucket(metaBucket)
 	if metaBucket == nil {
 		return ErrMetaNotFound
@@ -149,7 +158,7 @@ func (d *DB) fetchOptionalMeta() (*OptionalMeta, error) {
 	return om, nil
 }
 
-// fetchOptionalMeta writes an optional meta to the database.
+// putOptionalMeta writes an optional meta to the database.
 func (d *DB) putOptionalMeta(om *OptionalMeta) error {
 	return kvdb.Update(d, func(tx kvdb.RwTx) error {
 		metaBucket, err := tx.CreateTopLevelBucket(metaBucket)
@@ -176,3 +185,62 @@ func (d *DB) putOptionalMeta(om *OptionalMeta) error {
 		return metaBucket.Put(optionalVersionKey, b.Bytes())
 	}, func() {})
 }
+
+// CheckMarkerPresent returns the marker under the requested key or
+// ErrMarkerNotFound if either the root bucket or the marker key within that
+// bucket does not exist.
+func CheckMarkerPresent(tx kvdb.RTx, markerKey []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+	markerBucket := tx.ReadBucket(markerKey)
+	if markerBucket == nil {
+		return nil, ErrMarkerNotPresent
+	}
+
+	val := markerBucket.Get(markerKey)
+
+	// If we wrote the marker correctly, we created a bucket _and_ created a
+	// key with a non-empty value. It doesn't matter to us whether the key
+	// exists or whether its value is empty, to us, it just means the marker
+	// isn't there.
+	if len(val) == 0 {
+		return nil, ErrMarkerNotPresent
+	}
+
+	return val, nil
+}
+
+// EnsureNoTombstone returns an error if there is a tombstone marker in the DB
+// of the given transaction.
+func EnsureNoTombstone(tx kvdb.RTx) error {
+	marker, err := CheckMarkerPresent(tx, TombstoneKey)
+	if err == ErrMarkerNotPresent {
+		// No marker present, so no tombstone. The DB is still alive.
+		return nil
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// There was no error so there is a tombstone marker/tag. We cannot use
+	// this DB anymore.
+	return fmt.Errorf("refusing to use db, it was marked with a tombstone "+
+		"after successful data migration; tombstone reads: %s",
+		string(marker))
+}
+
+// AddMarker adds the marker with the given key into a top level bucket with the
+// same name. So the structure will look like:
+//
+//	marker-key (top level bucket)
+//	    |->   marker-key:marker-value (key/value pair)
+func AddMarker(tx kvdb.RwTx, markerKey, markerValue []byte) error {
+	if len(markerValue) == 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("marker value cannot be empty")
+	}
+
+	markerBucket, err := tx.CreateTopLevelBucket(markerKey)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return markerBucket.Put(markerKey, markerValue)
+}
diff --git a/channeldb/meta_test.go b/channeldb/meta_test.go
index 9918d73a2..a6a965f11 100644
--- a/channeldb/meta_test.go
+++ b/channeldb/meta_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/btcsuite/btcwallet/walletdb"
 	"github.com/go-errors/errors"
 	"github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/kvdb"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
@@ -574,3 +575,110 @@ func TestApplyOptionalVersions(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, err, "failed to apply optional migration")
 	require.Equal(t, 1, migrateCount, "expected no migration")
 }
+
+// TestFetchMeta tests that the FetchMeta returns the latest DB version for a
+// freshly created DB instance.
+func TestFetchMeta(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	db, cleanUp, err := MakeTestDB()
+	defer cleanUp()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	meta := &Meta{}
+	err = db.View(func(tx walletdb.ReadTx) error {
+		return FetchMeta(meta, tx)
+	}, func() {
+		meta = &Meta{}
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	require.Equal(t, LatestDBVersion(), meta.DbVersionNumber)
+}
+
+// TestMarkerAndTombstone tests that markers like a tombstone can be added to a
+// DB.
+func TestMarkerAndTombstone(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	db, cleanUp, err := MakeTestDB()
+	defer cleanUp()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Test that a generic marker is not present in a fresh DB.
+	var marker []byte
+	err = db.View(func(tx walletdb.ReadTx) error {
+		var err error
+		marker, err = CheckMarkerPresent(tx, []byte("foo"))
+		return err
+	}, func() {
+		marker = nil
+	})
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrMarkerNotPresent)
+	require.Nil(t, marker)
+
+	// Only adding the marker bucket should not be enough to be counted as
+	// a marker, we explicitly also want the value to be set.
+	err = db.Update(func(tx walletdb.ReadWriteTx) error {
+		_, err := tx.CreateTopLevelBucket([]byte("foo"))
+		return err
+	}, func() {})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = db.View(func(tx walletdb.ReadTx) error {
+		var err error
+		marker, err = CheckMarkerPresent(tx, []byte("foo"))
+		return err
+	}, func() {
+		marker = nil
+	})
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrMarkerNotPresent)
+	require.Nil(t, marker)
+
+	// Test that a tombstone marker is not present in a fresh DB.
+	err = db.View(EnsureNoTombstone, func() {})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Add a generic marker now and assert that it can be read.
+	err = db.Update(func(tx walletdb.ReadWriteTx) error {
+		return AddMarker(tx, []byte("foo"), []byte("bar"))
+	}, func() {})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = db.View(func(tx walletdb.ReadTx) error {
+		var err error
+		marker, err = CheckMarkerPresent(tx, []byte("foo"))
+		return err
+	}, func() {
+		marker = nil
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, []byte("bar"), marker)
+
+	// A tombstone should still not be present.
+	err = db.View(EnsureNoTombstone, func() {})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Finally, add a tombstone.
+	tombstoneText := []byte("RIP test DB")
+	err = db.Update(func(tx walletdb.ReadWriteTx) error {
+		return AddMarker(tx, TombstoneKey, tombstoneText)
+	}, func() {})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// We can read it as a normal marker.
+	err = db.View(func(tx walletdb.ReadTx) error {
+		var err error
+		marker, err = CheckMarkerPresent(tx, TombstoneKey)
+		return err
+	}, func() {
+		marker = nil
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, tombstoneText, marker)
+
+	// But also as a tombstone, and now we should get an error that the DB
+	// cannot be used anymore.
+	err = db.View(EnsureNoTombstone, func() {})
+	require.ErrorContains(t, err, string(tombstoneText))
+}