diff --git a/datasette/app.py b/datasette/app.py
index c82ea0759f..b3c9664281 100644
--- a/datasette/app.py
+++ b/datasette/app.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
 from .column_types import SQLiteType
 from .csrf import CrossOriginProtectionMiddleware
 from .database import Database, QueryInterrupted
-from .events import Event
+from .events import AddDatabaseEvent, Event, RemoveDatabaseEvent
 from .plugins import DEFAULT_PLUGINS, get_plugins, pm
 from .renderer import json_renderer
 from .resources import DatabaseResource, TableResource
@@ -423,6 +423,9 @@ def __init__(
     ):
         self._startup_invoked = False
         self._closed = False
+        # Strong references to in-flight fire-and-forget event dispatch
+        # tasks, so they cannot be garbage-collected before completing
+        self._pending_event_tasks = set()
         assert config_dir is None or isinstance(
             config_dir, Path
         ), "config_dir= should be a pathlib.Path"
@@ -935,6 +938,14 @@ def add_database(self, db, name=None, route=None):
         new_databases[name] = db
         # don't mutate! that causes race conditions with live import
         self.databases = new_databases
+        self._track_event_soon(
+            AddDatabaseEvent(
+                actor=None,
+                database=db.name,
+                path=str(Path(db.path).resolve()) if db.path else None,
+                is_memory=db.is_memory,
+            )
+        )
         return db
 
     def add_memory_database(self, memory_name, name=None, route=None):
@@ -943,10 +954,41 @@ def add_memory_database(self, memory_name, name=None, route=None):
         )
 
     def remove_database(self, name):
-        self.get_database(name).close()
+        db = self.get_database(name)
+        # Capture event details before close() - is_temp_disk databases
+        # delete their backing file during close()
+        path = str(Path(db.path).resolve()) if db.path else None
+        is_memory = db.is_memory
+        # Fire the event only after close() returns: close() drains any
+        # queued writes, so listeners doing a final read of the file see
+        # everything
+        db.close()
         new_databases = self.databases.copy()
         new_databases.pop(name)
         self.databases = new_databases
+        self._track_event_soon(
+            RemoveDatabaseEvent(
+                actor=None,
+                database=name,
+                path=path,
+                is_memory=is_memory,
+            )
+        )
+
+    def _track_event_soon(self, event):
+        # Best-effort fire-and-forget event dispatch from synchronous code.
+        # If startup has not run (event classes are not yet registered) or
+        # there is no running event loop, the event is intentionally
+        # dropped - lifecycle events are documented as runtime-only
+        if not self._startup_invoked:
+            return
+        try:
+            loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
+        except RuntimeError:
+            return
+        task = loop.create_task(self.track_event(event))
+        self._pending_event_tasks.add(task)
+        task.add_done_callback(self._pending_event_tasks.discard)
 
     def close(self):
         """Release all resources held by this Datasette instance.
diff --git a/datasette/events.py b/datasette/events.py
index 5f3fd06eb6..3583be4406 100644
--- a/datasette/events.py
+++ b/datasette/events.py
@@ -241,6 +241,54 @@ class DeleteRowEvent(Event):
     pks: list
 
 
+@dataclass
+class AddDatabaseEvent(Event):
+    """
+    Event name: ``add-database``
+
+    A new database was attached to this Datasette instance while it was
+    running, using :ref:`datasette.add_database() <datasette_add_database>`.
+
+    :ivar database: The name the database was attached as.
+    :type database: str
+    :ivar path: Resolved absolute filesystem path to the database file, or ``None`` for in-memory databases.
+    :type path: str or None
+    :ivar is_memory: ``True`` if this is an in-memory database.
+    :type is_memory: bool
+    """
+
+    name = "add-database"
+    database: str
+    path: str | None
+    is_memory: bool
+
+
+@dataclass
+class RemoveDatabaseEvent(Event):
+    """
+    Event name: ``remove-database``
+
+    A database was detached from this Datasette instance using
+    :ref:`datasette.remove_database() <datasette_remove_database>`. The
+    database file itself is not deleted by Datasette core, and any queued
+    writes have been flushed by the time this event is delivered - with one
+    exception: temporary on-disk databases remove their backing file when
+    they are closed, so for those the path in this event no longer exists.
+
+    :ivar database: The name the database was attached as.
+    :type database: str
+    :ivar path: Resolved absolute filesystem path to the database file, or ``None`` for in-memory databases.
+    :type path: str or None
+    :ivar is_memory: ``True`` if this was an in-memory database.
+    :type is_memory: bool
+    """
+
+    name = "remove-database"
+    database: str
+    path: str | None
+    is_memory: bool
+
+
 @hookimpl
 def write_wrapper(datasette, database, request, transaction):
     def wrapper(conn, track_event):
@@ -291,4 +339,6 @@ def register_events():
         UpsertRowsEvent,
         UpdateRowEvent,
         DeleteRowEvent,
+        AddDatabaseEvent,
+        RemoveDatabaseEvent,
     ]
diff --git a/docs/events.md b/docs/events.md
index f63d189343..c3c71057c1 100644
--- a/docs/events.md
+++ b/docs/events.md
@@ -9,6 +9,15 @@ Note that these events will *not* fire for changes made to a SQLite database by
 
 Plugins can listen for events using the {ref}`plugin_hook_track_event` plugin hook, which will be called with instances of the following classes - or additional classes {ref}`registered by other plugins <plugin_hook_register_events>`.
 
+## Delivery guarantees for database lifecycle events
+
+The ``add-database`` and ``remove-database`` events have some specific delivery characteristics:
+
+- Delivery is asynchronous. Listeners run shortly after the change, not before the triggering ``add_database()`` or ``remove_database()`` call returns.
+- These events fire only for changes made at runtime - while an event loop is running, after Datasette's startup has completed. Databases attached while the instance is starting up do not produce events: plugins that need to see those should iterate over ``datasette.databases`` in their own {ref}`plugin_hook_startup` hook.
+- Rapid successive changes involving the same database name may reach listeners interleaved. Listeners should tolerate events arriving out of order.
+- ``event.actor`` is ``None`` for programmatic calls made by Datasette itself or by plugins.
+
 ```{eval-rst}
 .. automodule:: datasette.events
     :members:
diff --git a/docs/internals.rst b/docs/internals.rst
index d2bd46efb5..34e29e2cbd 100644
--- a/docs/internals.rst
+++ b/docs/internals.rst
@@ -1357,6 +1357,8 @@ Use ``is_mutable=False`` to add an immutable database.
         "CREATE TABLE foo(id integer primary key)"
     )
 
+Calling this method while the instance is running - after ``invoke_startup()`` has completed, with an event loop running - emits an ``add-database`` :ref:`event <events>`. Databases attached during startup do not emit events: plugins that need to see those should iterate over ``datasette.databases`` in their own :ref:`plugin_hook_startup` hook.
+
 .. _datasette_add_memory_database:
 
 .add_memory_database(memory_name, name=None, route=None)
@@ -1392,6 +1394,8 @@ The ``name`` and ``route`` parameters are optional and work the same way as they
 
 This removes a database that has been previously added. ``name=`` is the unique name of that database.
 
+The database is closed but its file is not deleted. When called while the instance is running this emits a ``remove-database`` :ref:`event <events>` after the database has been closed - since closing flushes any queued writes first, an event listener can safely perform a final read of the database file. The exception is temporary on-disk databases, which remove their backing file when closed.
+
 .. _datasette_close:
 
 .close()
diff --git a/tests/test_internals_datasette.py b/tests/test_internals_datasette.py
index ed2aeaf0b7..e3d9b8239e 100644
--- a/tests/test_internals_datasette.py
+++ b/tests/test_internals_datasette.py
@@ -476,3 +476,98 @@ class ExampleContext(Context):
     await ds.invoke_startup()
     rendered = await ds.render_template("error.html", context)
     assert "shallow-copied-value" in rendered
+
+
+def _lifecycle_events(ds):
+    return [
+        event
+        for event in getattr(ds, "_tracked_events", [])
+        if event.name in ("add-database", "remove-database")
+    ]
+
+
+async def _drain_event_tasks(ds):
+    await asyncio.gather(*ds._pending_event_tasks)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_add_database_fires_event(tmp_path):
+    ds = Datasette(memory=True)
+    await ds.invoke_startup()
+    path = str(tmp_path / "data.db")
+    sqlite3.connect(path).execute("vacuum")
+    db = ds.add_database(Database(ds, path=path, is_mutable=True))
+    await _drain_event_tasks(ds)
+    events = _lifecycle_events(ds)
+    assert len(events) == 1
+    event = events[0]
+    assert event.name == "add-database"
+    assert event.database == db.name == "data"
+    assert event.path == os.path.abspath(path)
+    assert event.is_memory is False
+    assert event.actor is None
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_add_memory_database_fires_event():
+    ds = Datasette(memory=True)
+    await ds.invoke_startup()
+    ds.add_memory_database("test_add_memory_database_event")
+    await _drain_event_tasks(ds)
+    events = _lifecycle_events(ds)
+    assert len(events) == 1
+    event = events[0]
+    assert event.name == "add-database"
+    assert event.database == "test_add_memory_database_event"
+    assert event.path is None
+    assert event.is_memory is True
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_remove_database_fires_event(tmp_path):
+    ds = Datasette(memory=True)
+    await ds.invoke_startup()
+    path = str(tmp_path / "data.db")
+    sqlite3.connect(path).execute("vacuum")
+    db = ds.add_database(Database(ds, path=path, is_mutable=True))
+    ds.remove_database(db.name)
+    await _drain_event_tasks(ds)
+    events = _lifecycle_events(ds)
+    assert [event.name for event in events] == ["add-database", "remove-database"]
+    event = events[1]
+    assert event.database == "data"
+    assert event.path == os.path.abspath(path)
+    assert event.is_memory is False
+    assert event.actor is None
+    # remove_database never deletes the file
+    assert os.path.exists(path)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_add_database_no_event_before_startup():
+    ds = Datasette(memory=True)
+    # invoke_startup() has not run - no event, and no AssertionError from
+    # track_event()'s event_classes check
+    ds.add_database(Database(ds, memory_name="pre_startup_db"))
+    assert ds._pending_event_tasks == set()
+    assert _lifecycle_events(ds) == []
+
+
+def test_add_database_no_event_without_running_loop():
+    ds = Datasette(memory=True)
+    asyncio.run(ds.invoke_startup())
+    # Startup has run but there is no running event loop now
+    ds.add_database(Database(ds, memory_name="no_loop_db"))
+    assert ds._pending_event_tasks == set()
+    assert _lifecycle_events(ds) == []
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_add_database_event_uses_renamed_name():
+    ds = Datasette(memory=True)
+    await ds.invoke_startup()
+    ds.add_memory_database("first_mem", name="clash")
+    ds.add_memory_database("second_mem", name="clash")
+    await _drain_event_tasks(ds)
+    events = _lifecycle_events(ds)
+    assert [event.database for event in events] == ["clash", "clash_2"]
diff --git a/tests/test_plugins.py b/tests/test_plugins.py
index 734f0fc290..1c00bc9cc3 100644
--- a/tests/test_plugins.py
+++ b/tests/test_plugins.py
@@ -1661,6 +1661,9 @@ async def test_hook_register_events():
     datasette = Datasette(memory=True)
     await datasette.invoke_startup()
     assert any(k.__name__ == "OneEvent" for k in datasette.event_classes)
+    # Core database lifecycle events should be registered too
+    registered_names = {k.name for k in datasette.event_classes}
+    assert {"add-database", "remove-database"} <= registered_names
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio