diff --git a/include/ircd/db/database/txn.h b/include/ircd/db/database/txn.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5ba116334
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/ircd/db/database/txn.h
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+// Matrix Construct
+//
+// Copyright (C) Matrix Construct Developers, Authors & Contributors
+// Copyright (C) 2016-2018 Jason Volk <jason@zemos.net>
+//
+// Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software for any
+// purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
+// copyright notice and this permission notice is present in all copies. The
+// full license for this software is available in the LICENSE file.
+
+#pragma once
+#define HAVE_IRCD_DB_DATABASE_TXN_H
+
+// This file is not part of the standard include stack because it requires
+// RocksDB symbols which we cannot forward declare. It is used internally
+// and does not need to be included by general users of IRCd.
+
+struct ircd::db::txn::handler
+:rocksdb::WriteBatch::Handler
+{
+	using Status = rocksdb::Status;
+	using Slice = rocksdb::Slice;
+
+	const database &d;
+	const std::function<bool (const delta &)> &cb;
+	bool _continue {true};
+
+	Status callback(const delta &) noexcept;
+	Status callback(const uint32_t &, const op &, const Slice &a, const Slice &b) noexcept;
+
+	bool Continue() noexcept override;
+	Status MarkRollback(const Slice &xid) noexcept override;
+	Status MarkCommit(const Slice &xid) noexcept override;
+	Status MarkEndPrepare(const Slice &xid) noexcept override;
+	Status MarkBeginPrepare() noexcept override;
+
+	Status MergeCF(const uint32_t cfid, const Slice &, const Slice &) noexcept override;
+	Status SingleDeleteCF(const uint32_t cfid, const Slice &) noexcept override;
+	Status DeleteRangeCF(const uint32_t cfid, const Slice &, const Slice &) noexcept override;
+	Status DeleteCF(const uint32_t cfid, const Slice &) noexcept override;
+	Status PutCF(const uint32_t cfid, const Slice &, const Slice &) noexcept override;
+
+	handler(const database &d,
+	        const std::function<bool (const delta &)> &cb)
+	:d{d}
+	,cb{cb}
+	{}
+};
diff --git a/ircd/db.cc b/ircd/db.cc
index bf22efe78..a8cfd254a 100644
--- a/ircd/db.cc
+++ b/ircd/db.cc
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 #include <ircd/db/database/stats.h>
 #include <ircd/db/database/logs.h>
 #include <ircd/db/database/column.h>
+#include <ircd/db/database/txn.h>
 #include <ircd/db/database/env/env.h>
 #include <ircd/db/database/env/writable_file.h>
 #include <ircd/db/database/env/sequential_file.h>
@@ -2247,38 +2248,6 @@ noexcept
 // db/txn.h
 //
 
-struct ircd::db::txn::handler
-:rocksdb::WriteBatch::Handler
-{
-	using Status = rocksdb::Status;
-	using Slice = rocksdb::Slice;
-
-	const database &d;
-	const std::function<bool (const delta &)> &cb;
-	bool _continue {true};
-
-	Status callback(const delta &) noexcept;
-	Status callback(const uint32_t &, const op &, const Slice &a, const Slice &b) noexcept;
-
-	bool Continue() noexcept override;
-	Status MarkRollback(const Slice &xid) noexcept override;
-	Status MarkCommit(const Slice &xid) noexcept override;
-	Status MarkEndPrepare(const Slice &xid) noexcept override;
-	Status MarkBeginPrepare() noexcept override;
-
-	Status MergeCF(const uint32_t cfid, const Slice &, const Slice &) noexcept override;
-	Status SingleDeleteCF(const uint32_t cfid, const Slice &) noexcept override;
-	Status DeleteRangeCF(const uint32_t cfid, const Slice &, const Slice &) noexcept override;
-	Status DeleteCF(const uint32_t cfid, const Slice &) noexcept override;
-	Status PutCF(const uint32_t cfid, const Slice &, const Slice &) noexcept override;
-
-	handler(const database &d,
-	        const std::function<bool (const delta &)> &cb)
-	:d{d}
-	,cb{cb}
-	{}
-};
-
 std::string
 ircd::db::debug(const txn &t)
 {
@@ -2332,7 +2301,7 @@ ircd::db::test(const txn &t,
 }
 
 ///
-/// handler
+/// handler (db/database/txn.h)
 ///
 
 rocksdb::Status