diff --git a/plugins/prometheus/migrations/versions/prometheus_005_own_tokens.py b/plugins/prometheus/migrations/versions/prometheus_005_own_tokens.py
index 1e62cb0..18959b1 100644
--- a/plugins/prometheus/migrations/versions/prometheus_005_own_tokens.py
+++ b/plugins/prometheus/migrations/versions/prometheus_005_own_tokens.py
@@ -17,11 +17,13 @@ depends_on: Union[str, Sequence[str], None] = None
 
 def upgrade() -> None:
     # Left in place, such a target would ask with no token, and some services ban
-    # an address for that. Its newest values go with it; history ages out.
-    op.execute("""
-        DELETE FROM plugin_metric_latest l USING prometheus_targets t
-        WHERE t.token_from IS NOT NULL AND l.source_module = 'prometheus'
-          AND (l.resource_name = t.name OR left(l.resource_name, length(t.name) + 1) = t.name || ':')""")
+    # an address for that. Its newest values go with it; history ages out. On a new
+    # database the metric tables may not exist yet, and there is nothing to remove.
+    if sa.inspect(op.get_bind()).has_table("plugin_metric_latest"):
+        op.execute("""
+            DELETE FROM plugin_metric_latest l USING prometheus_targets t
+            WHERE t.token_from IS NOT NULL AND l.source_module = 'prometheus'
+              AND (l.resource_name = t.name OR left(l.resource_name, length(t.name) + 1) = t.name || ':')""")
     op.execute("DELETE FROM prometheus_targets WHERE token_from IS NOT NULL")
     op.drop_column("prometheus_targets", "token_from")