diff --git a/API.category.md b/API.category.md
index 9ff2c68..3be5750 100644
--- a/API.category.md
+++ b/API.category.md
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ const category = await store.category.createUnderParent({ googleAuthId: 42, pare
 
 *Source: `src/store/category/delete.js`*
 
-Deletes a category, refusing to delete the company's root category.
+Deletes a category, refusing to delete the company's root category. If recursive is true, recursively deletes the subtree and articles that only belong to it.
 
 **Parameters**
 
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ Deletes a category, refusing to delete the company's root category.
 | `input` | `object` | The delete input. |
 | `input.googleAuthId` | `number` | The id of the Google auth user. |
 | `input.id` | `number` | The id of the category to delete. |
+| `[input.recursive=false]` | `boolean` | Whether to delete the category subtree recursively. |
 | `[tx]` | `object` | Optional transaction to run within. |
 
 **Returns**
@@ -76,12 +77,13 @@ Deletes a category, refusing to delete the company's root category.
 
 **Throws**
 
-`Error` — If the category is the root category or contains articles/subcategories.
+`Error` — If the category is the root category or contains articles/subcategories (when recursive is false).
 
 **Example**
 
 ```js
 await store.category.delete({ googleAuthId: 42, id: 5 });
+await store.category.delete({ googleAuthId: 42, id: 5, recursive: true });
 ```
 
 ## `category.deleteImage`
diff --git a/API.md b/API.md
index dda98ea..e7a9c78 100644
--- a/API.md
+++ b/API.md
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ The store is exposed as a `LibDashStore` instance (see `src/index.js`). Each met
 - [category](API.category.md)
   - `addImage(googleAuthId: number, categoryId: number, image: Buffer, tx?: object): Promise<{id: number, fullHash: string, thumbW: number, thumbH: number, thumbHash: string}>`
   - `createUnderParent(input: {googleAuthId: number, parentId: number, name: string}, tx?: object): Promise<{id: number, parentId: number, sort: number, name: string, slug: string}>`
-  - `delete(input: {googleAuthId: number, id: number}, tx?: object): Promise<void>`
+  - `delete(input: {googleAuthId: number, id: number, recursive?: boolean}, tx?: object): Promise<void>`
   - `deleteImage(googleAuthId: number, categoryId: number, tx?: object): Promise<{id: number, thumbW: null, thumbH: null, thumbHash: null}>`
   - `ensureByPath(input: {googleAuthId: number, parentId: number, path: string}, tx?: object): Promise<number>`
   - `getCategoryArticles(googleAuthId: number, categoryId: number, tx?: object): Promise<Array<{id: number, sku: string, name: string, slug: string, net: number|null, taxRate: number|null, optionsCount: number, articleListCount: number, childCount: number, parentArticleId: number|null, parentSku: string|null, fullHash: string|null, thumbW: number|null, thumbH: number|null, thumbHash: string|null, brand: {id: number|null, name: string, fullHash: string|null, thumbW: number|null, thumbH: number|null, thumbHash: string|null}|null}>>`
diff --git a/scripts/test-category-delete-recursive.js b/scripts/test-category-delete-recursive.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a0ab8cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/test-category-delete-recursive.js
@@ -0,0 +1,214 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
+import { join } from 'node:path';
+import LibDashStore from '../src/index.js';
+import { BetterSqlite3Provider } from '../src/providers/sqlite3/index.js';
+
+async function run() {
+  console.log('--- Testing category recursive deletion ---');
+
+  const tempDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'test-cat-del-rec-'));
+  const dbFile = join(tempDir, 'test.db');
+  const storageDir = join(tempDir, 'storage');
+
+  const provider = new BetterSqlite3Provider({
+    filename: dbFile,
+    storageDir,
+  });
+
+  await provider.initialize();
+  const store = await new LibDashStore(provider);
+
+  try {
+    const googleAuthId = await store.google_auth.add('tester@example.com');
+    const company = await store.company.create({
+      name: 'Recursive Test Corp',
+      iso639: 'de',
+      taxrate: 19,
+      reducedtaxrate: 7,
+      googleAuthId,
+    });
+    await store.google_auth.setSelectedCompany(googleAuthId, company.id);
+
+    const rootId = company.rootCategoryId;
+
+    // 1. Refuse to delete root category, even with recursive: true
+    console.log('1. Testing refusal to delete root category...');
+    await assert.rejects(
+      () => store.category.delete({ googleAuthId, id: rootId, recursive: true }),
+      /Cannot delete root category/
+    );
+
+    // 2. Build category tree:
+    // Root
+    // ├── OutsideCat (for preserved articles)
+    // └── MainCat (to be recursively deleted)
+    //     ├── SubCat1
+    //     │   └── SubSubCat1
+    //     └── SubCat2
+    console.log('2. Building category tree...');
+    const outsideCat = await store.category.createUnderParent({
+      googleAuthId,
+      parentId: rootId,
+      name: 'Outside Category',
+    });
+    const mainCat = await store.category.createUnderParent({
+      googleAuthId,
+      parentId: rootId,
+      name: 'Main Category',
+    });
+    const subCat1 = await store.category.createUnderParent({
+      googleAuthId,
+      parentId: mainCat.id,
+      name: 'Sub Category 1',
+    });
+    const subSubCat1 = await store.category.createUnderParent({
+      googleAuthId,
+      parentId: subCat1.id,
+      name: 'Sub Sub Category 1',
+    });
+    const subCat2 = await store.category.createUnderParent({
+      googleAuthId,
+      parentId: mainCat.id,
+      name: 'Sub Category 2',
+    });
+
+    // 3. Test non-recursive delete guards
+    console.log('3. Testing non-recursive delete guards...');
+    await assert.rejects(
+      () => store.category.delete({ googleAuthId, id: mainCat.id, recursive: false }),
+      /Category has subcategories/
+    );
+
+    // 4. Create articles:
+    // Article 1: Only in SubSubCat1 -> Should be deleted
+    // Article 2: In SubCat1 AND OutsideCat -> Should survive, removed from SubCat1
+    // Article 3: Parent in SubCat2 with a variant child -> Both should be deleted
+    // Article 4: Outside article in OutsideCat -> Untouched
+    console.log('4. Creating articles in categories...');
+    const artOnlySub = await store.article.createUnderParent({
+      googleAuthId,
+      parentId: subSubCat1.id,
+      name: 'Only SubSubCat Article',
+    });
+
+    const artMulti = await store.article.createUnderParent({
+      googleAuthId,
+      parentId: subCat1.id,
+      name: 'Multi Category Article',
+    });
+    // Add outsideCat to artMulti
+    await store.article.setCategoryIdsBySku(googleAuthId, artMulti.sku, [subCat1.id, outsideCat.id]);
+
+    const attrName = await store.attributename.create(googleAuthId, { name: 'Size' });
+    const artParent = await store.article.createUnderParent({
+      googleAuthId,
+      parentId: subCat2.id,
+      name: 'Parent Article In Sub2',
+    });
+    await store.article.toggleParent(googleAuthId, artParent.sku, {
+      isParent: true,
+      attributeNameId: attrName.id,
+    });
+    const artChild = await store.article.addChild(googleAuthId, artParent.sku, {
+      value: 'M',
+    });
+
+    const artOutside = await store.article.createUnderParent({
+      googleAuthId,
+      parentId: outsideCat.id,
+      name: 'Purely Outside Article',
+    });
+
+    // 5. Test POS terminal assignment unlinking on recursive delete
+    console.log('5. Setting up POS terminal assignment...');
+    const posTerminal = await store.posterminal.upsert(googleAuthId, {
+      name: 'POS Register 1',
+      pairingpin: '1234',
+    });
+    await store.posterminal.setOn(googleAuthId, posTerminal.id, subCat2.id);
+    await store.posterminal.setOn(googleAuthId, posTerminal.id, outsideCat.id);
+
+    const posCatsBefore = provider.db.prepare(
+      'SELECT category_id FROM posterminalcategory WHERE posterminal_id = ?'
+    ).all(posTerminal.id).map(r => r.category_id);
+    assert.ok(posCatsBefore.includes(subCat2.id));
+    assert.ok(posCatsBefore.includes(outsideCat.id));
+
+    // 6. Execute recursive deletion of mainCat
+    console.log('6. Executing recursive category delete on mainCat...');
+    await store.category.delete({
+      googleAuthId,
+      id: mainCat.id,
+      recursive: true,
+    });
+
+    // 7. Verify category tree state
+    console.log('7. Verifying category tree...');
+    const catsRemaining = provider.db.prepare('SELECT id FROM category').all().map(r => r.id);
+    assert.ok(catsRemaining.includes(rootId));
+    assert.ok(catsRemaining.includes(outsideCat.id));
+    assert.ok(!catsRemaining.includes(mainCat.id));
+    assert.ok(!catsRemaining.includes(subCat1.id));
+    assert.ok(!catsRemaining.includes(subSubCat1.id));
+    assert.ok(!catsRemaining.includes(subCat2.id));
+
+    // 8. Verify POS terminal assignment was unlinked for deleted category
+    console.log('8. Verifying POS terminal categories...');
+    const posCatsAfter = provider.db.prepare(
+      'SELECT category_id FROM posterminalcategory WHERE posterminal_id = ?'
+    ).all(posTerminal.id).map(r => r.category_id);
+    assert.ok(!posCatsAfter.includes(subCat2.id));
+    assert.ok(posCatsAfter.includes(outsideCat.id));
+
+    // 9. Verify article states:
+    console.log('9. Verifying article states...');
+    // artOnlySub: deleted
+    await assert.rejects(
+      () => store.article.getBySku(googleAuthId, artOnlySub.sku),
+      /Article not found/
+    );
+    // tombstone for artOnlySub exists
+    const t1 = provider.db.prepare('SELECT * FROM articletombstone WHERE sku = ?').all(artOnlySub.sku);
+    assert.equal(t1.length, 1);
+
+    // artParent and its child artChild: both deleted
+    await assert.rejects(
+      () => store.article.getBySku(googleAuthId, artParent.sku),
+      /Article not found/
+    );
+    await assert.rejects(
+      () => store.article.getBySku(googleAuthId, artChild.article.sku),
+      /Article not found/
+    );
+    const tParent = provider.db.prepare('SELECT * FROM articletombstone WHERE sku = ?').all(artParent.sku);
+    const tChild = provider.db.prepare('SELECT * FROM articletombstone WHERE sku = ?').all(artChild.article.sku);
+    assert.equal(tParent.length, 1);
+    assert.equal(tChild.length, 1);
+
+    // artMulti: continues to exist!
+    const artMultiDetail = await store.article.getBySku(googleAuthId, artMulti.sku);
+    assert.equal(artMultiDetail.article.sku, artMulti.sku);
+    // artMulti categoryarticle now ONLY contains outsideCat
+    const artMultiCats = provider.db.prepare(
+      'SELECT category_id FROM categoryarticle WHERE article_id = ?'
+    ).all(artMultiDetail.article.id).map(r => r.category_id);
+    assert.deepEqual(artMultiCats, [outsideCat.id]);
+
+    // artOutside: completely untouched
+    const artOutsideDetail = await store.article.getBySku(googleAuthId, artOutside.sku);
+    assert.equal(artOutsideDetail.article.sku, artOutside.sku);
+
+    console.log('✅ ALL RECURSIVE CATEGORY DELETE TESTS PASSED');
+  } finally {
+    try {
+      rmSync(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    } catch {}
+  }
+}
+
+run().catch((err) => {
+  console.error('Test failed:', err);
+  process.exit(1);
+});
diff --git a/src/store/category/delete.js b/src/store/category/delete.js
index 836dd35..770425b 100644
--- a/src/store/category/delete.js
+++ b/src/store/category/delete.js
@@ -1,26 +1,36 @@
 import { DELETE as MSSQL_DELETE } from '../../providers/mssql/queries/category.js';
 import { DELETE as SQLITE_DELETE } from '../../providers/sqlite3/queries/category.js';
+import * as mssqlArticleDelete from '../../providers/mssql/queries/articleDelete.js';
+import * as sqliteArticleDelete from '../../providers/sqlite3/queries/articleDelete.js';
+import * as mssqlArticle from '../../providers/mssql/queries/article.js';
+import * as sqliteArticle from '../../providers/sqlite3/queries/article.js';
 import resolveCategoryAccess from './resolveCategoryAccess.js';
 import makeRunner from '../runner.js';
 
 export default function del(provider) {
   const access = resolveCategoryAccess(provider);
-  const sql = provider?.dialect === 'sqlite3' ? SQLITE_DELETE : MSSQL_DELETE;
+  const isSqlite = provider?.dialect === 'sqlite3';
+  const sql = isSqlite ? SQLITE_DELETE : MSSQL_DELETE;
+  const articleDeleteQueries = isSqlite ? sqliteArticleDelete : mssqlArticleDelete;
+  const articleQueries = isSqlite ? sqliteArticle : mssqlArticle;
 
   /**
    * Deletes a category, refusing to delete the company's root category.
+   * If recursive is true, recursively deletes the subtree and articles that only belong to it.
    *
    * @param {object} input - The delete input.
    * @param {number} input.googleAuthId - The id of the Google auth user.
    * @param {number} input.id - The id of the category to delete.
+   * @param {boolean} [input.recursive=false] - Whether to delete the category subtree recursively.
    * @param {object} [tx] - Optional transaction to run within.
    * @returns {Promise<void>}
-   * @throws {Error} If the category is the root category or contains articles/subcategories.
+   * @throws {Error} If the category is the root category or contains articles/subcategories (when recursive is false).
    *
    * @example
    * await store.category.delete({ googleAuthId: 42, id: 5 });
+   * await store.category.delete({ googleAuthId: 42, id: 5, recursive: true });
    */
-  return async ({ googleAuthId, id }, tx) => {
+  return async ({ googleAuthId, id, recursive = false }, tx) => {
     const run = async (runner) => {
       const { rootCategoryId } = await access(googleAuthId, id, runner);
 
@@ -28,41 +38,183 @@ export default function del(provider) {
         throw new Error('Cannot delete root category');
       }
 
-      const childRes = await runner.query(
-        'SELECT id FROM category WHERE parent_id = @id',
-        { id },
-      );
-      if (childRes.rows?.length > 0) {
-        throw new Error('Category has subcategories');
-      }
+      if (!recursive) {
+        const childRes = await runner.query(
+          'SELECT id FROM category WHERE parent_id = @id',
+          { id },
+        );
+        if (childRes.rows?.length > 0) {
+          throw new Error('Category has subcategories');
+        }
 
-      const artRes = await runner.query(
-        'SELECT article_id FROM categoryarticle WHERE category_id = @id',
-        { id },
-      );
-      if (artRes.rows?.length > 0) {
-        throw new Error('Category has articles');
-      }
-
-      const posRes = await runner.query(
-        'SELECT posterminal_id FROM posterminalcategory WHERE category_id = @id',
-        { id },
-      );
-      if (posRes.rows?.length > 0) {
-        throw new Error('Category is assigned to POS terminals');
-      }
-
-      try {
-        await runner.query(sql, { id });
-      } catch (err) {
-        if (
-          err.message?.includes('FOREIGN KEY constraint failed') ||
-          err.message?.includes('foreign key constraint') ||
-          err.message?.includes('REFERENCE constraint')
-        ) {
+        const artRes = await runner.query(
+          'SELECT article_id FROM categoryarticle WHERE category_id = @id',
+          { id },
+        );
+        if (artRes.rows?.length > 0) {
           throw new Error('Category has articles');
         }
-        throw err;
+
+        const posRes = await runner.query(
+          'SELECT posterminal_id FROM posterminalcategory WHERE category_id = @id',
+          { id },
+        );
+        if (posRes.rows?.length > 0) {
+          throw new Error('Category is assigned to POS terminals');
+        }
+
+        try {
+          await runner.query(sql, { id });
+        } catch (err) {
+          if (
+            err.message?.includes('FOREIGN KEY constraint failed') ||
+            err.message?.includes('foreign key constraint') ||
+            err.message?.includes('REFERENCE constraint')
+          ) {
+            throw new Error('Category has articles');
+          }
+          throw err;
+        }
+        return;
+      }
+
+      // 1. Collect all category IDs in the subtree (BFS)
+      const subtreeIds = [];
+      const queue = [id];
+      while (queue.length > 0) {
+        const currentId = queue.shift();
+        subtreeIds.push(currentId);
+        const childRes = await runner.query(
+          'SELECT id FROM category WHERE parent_id = @id',
+          { id: currentId },
+        );
+        for (const row of childRes.rows) {
+          queue.push(row.id);
+        }
+      }
+      const subtreeSet = new Set(subtreeIds);
+
+      // 2. Unassign POS terminal categories for the subtree
+      for (const catId of subtreeIds) {
+        await runner.query(
+          'DELETE FROM posterminalcategory WHERE category_id = @categoryId',
+          { categoryId: catId },
+        );
+      }
+
+      // 3. Find all articles assigned to any category in the subtree
+      const affectedArticleIds = new Set();
+      for (const catId of subtreeIds) {
+        const artRes = await runner.query(
+          'SELECT article_id FROM categoryarticle WHERE category_id = @categoryId',
+          { categoryId: catId },
+        );
+        for (const row of artRes.rows) {
+          affectedArticleIds.add(row.article_id);
+        }
+      }
+
+      // 4. For each article, determine if it has categories outside the subtree
+      const articlesToDelete = [];
+      for (const articleId of affectedArticleIds) {
+        const allCatsRes = await runner.query(
+          'SELECT category_id FROM categoryarticle WHERE article_id = @articleId',
+          { articleId },
+        );
+        const remainingCats = allCatsRes.rows
+          .map((r) => r.category_id)
+          .filter((catId) => !subtreeSet.has(catId));
+
+        if (remainingCats.length > 0) {
+          // Article remains in another category: remove assignment to deleted subtree categories
+          for (const catRow of allCatsRes.rows) {
+            if (subtreeSet.has(catRow.category_id)) {
+              await runner.query(
+                'DELETE FROM categoryarticle WHERE category_id = @categoryId AND article_id = @articleId',
+                { categoryId: catRow.category_id, articleId },
+              );
+            }
+          }
+        } else {
+          // Article only belongs to categories in the deleted subtree: will be deleted
+          articlesToDelete.push(articleId);
+        }
+      }
+
+      // Helper to delete an article and its child articles recursively
+      const deleteArticleAndLists = async (artId) => {
+        const listIds = await runner.query(articleDeleteQueries.GET_LIST_IDS, { articleId: artId });
+        const { articlelistId, optionslistId } = listIds.rows[0] ?? {};
+
+        await runner.query(articleDeleteQueries.CREATE_TOMBSTONE, { articleId: artId });
+        await runner.query(articleDeleteQueries.DELETE_PICS_BY_ARTICLE, { articleId: artId });
+
+        const deleted = await runner.query(articleDeleteQueries.DELETE_BY_ID, { articleId: artId });
+        if (!deleted.rowsAffected) {
+          throw new Error('Article not found');
+        }
+
+        if (articlelistId != null) {
+          await runner.query(articleDeleteQueries.DELETE_ARTICLELIST, { id: articlelistId });
+        }
+
+        if (optionslistId != null) {
+          await runner.query(articleDeleteQueries.DELETE_OPTIONSLIST, { id: optionslistId });
+        }
+      };
+
+      const deleteArticleSubtree = async (artId) => {
+        const children = await runner.query(articleDeleteQueries.GET_CHILDREN_IDS, { id: artId });
+        for (const child of children.rows) {
+          await deleteArticleSubtree(child.id);
+        }
+        await deleteArticleAndLists(artId);
+      };
+
+      // 5. Delete articles and their children
+      for (const artId of articlesToDelete) {
+        // Check if article still exists (might have already been deleted as a child of another article)
+        const artRes = await runner.query(
+          'SELECT id, parentarticle_id FROM article WHERE id = @articleId',
+          { articleId: artId },
+        );
+        if (!artRes.rows || artRes.rows.length === 0) {
+          continue;
+        }
+
+        const parentArticleId = artRes.rows[0].parentarticle_id;
+
+        await deleteArticleSubtree(artId);
+
+        // If it was a child of a surviving parent, re-sort the surviving parent's remaining children
+        if (parentArticleId != null) {
+          const parentExists = await runner.query(
+            'SELECT id FROM article WHERE id = @parentArticleId',
+            { parentArticleId },
+          );
+          if (parentExists.rows?.length > 0) {
+            const remainingChildrenRes = await runner.query(
+              'SELECT id, parentsort FROM article WHERE parentarticle_id = @parentArticleId ORDER BY parentsort ASC, id ASC',
+              { parentArticleId },
+            );
+            for (let i = 0; i < remainingChildrenRes.rows.length; i++) {
+              const childRow = remainingChildrenRes.rows[i];
+              if (Number(childRow.parentsort) !== i) {
+                await runner.query(articleQueries.SET_PARENT_SORT, {
+                  articleId: childRow.id,
+                  parentArticleId,
+                  parentsort: i,
+                });
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+
+      // 6. Delete categories in bottom-up order (reverse BFS)
+      const reversedIds = [...subtreeIds].reverse();
+      for (const catId of reversedIds) {
+        await runner.query(sql, { id: catId });
       }
     };