diff --git a/cameleer-server-app/src/main/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/controller/AlertController.java b/cameleer-server-app/src/main/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/controller/AlertController.java
index 2726cf88..54a79afb 100644
--- a/cameleer-server-app/src/main/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/controller/AlertController.java
+++ b/cameleer-server-app/src/main/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/controller/AlertController.java
@@ -151,11 +151,7 @@ public class AlertController {
     }
 
     private List<UUID> inEnvLiveIds(List<UUID> ids, UUID envId) {
-        return ids.stream()
-                .filter(id -> instanceRepo.findById(id)
-                        .map(i -> i.environmentId().equals(envId) && i.deletedAt() == null)
-                        .orElse(false))
-                .toList();
+        return instanceRepo.filterInEnvLive(ids, envId);
     }
 
     private String currentUserId() {
diff --git a/cameleer-server-app/src/main/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/storage/PostgresAlertInstanceRepository.java b/cameleer-server-app/src/main/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/storage/PostgresAlertInstanceRepository.java
index e76fab97..395296dc 100644
--- a/cameleer-server-app/src/main/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/storage/PostgresAlertInstanceRepository.java
+++ b/cameleer-server-app/src/main/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/storage/PostgresAlertInstanceRepository.java
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ public class PostgresAlertInstanceRepository implements AlertInstanceRepository
             c.createArrayOf("uuid", ids.toArray()));
         jdbc.update("""
             UPDATE alert_instances SET read_at = ?
-             WHERE id = ANY(?) AND read_at IS NULL
+             WHERE id = ANY(?) AND read_at IS NULL AND deleted_at IS NULL
             """, Timestamp.from(when), idArray);
     }
 
@@ -262,6 +262,17 @@ public class PostgresAlertInstanceRepository implements AlertInstanceRepository
             """, rowMapper(), Timestamp.from(now));
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public List<UUID> filterInEnvLive(List<UUID> ids, UUID environmentId) {
+        if (ids == null || ids.isEmpty()) return List.of();
+        Array idArray = jdbc.execute((ConnectionCallback<Array>) c ->
+            c.createArrayOf("uuid", ids.toArray()));
+        return jdbc.query("""
+            SELECT id FROM alert_instances
+             WHERE id = ANY(?) AND environment_id = ? AND deleted_at IS NULL
+            """, (rs, i) -> (UUID) rs.getObject("id"), idArray, environmentId);
+    }
+
     @Override
     public void deleteResolvedBefore(Instant cutoff) {
         jdbc.update("""
diff --git a/cameleer-server-app/src/test/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/storage/PostgresAlertInstanceRepositoryIT.java b/cameleer-server-app/src/test/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/storage/PostgresAlertInstanceRepositoryIT.java
index 6e53a91c..5ee591a0 100644
--- a/cameleer-server-app/src/test/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/storage/PostgresAlertInstanceRepositoryIT.java
+++ b/cameleer-server-app/src/test/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/storage/PostgresAlertInstanceRepositoryIT.java
@@ -372,6 +372,18 @@ class PostgresAlertInstanceRepositoryIT extends AbstractPostgresIT {
         assertThat(rows).extracting(AlertInstance::id).contains(inst.id());
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void filterInEnvLive_excludes_other_env_and_soft_deleted() {
+        var a = insertFreshFiring();                        // env envId, live
+        var b = insertFreshFiring();                        // env envId, will be soft-deleted
+        repo.softDelete(b.id(), Instant.now());
+
+        UUID unknownId = UUID.randomUUID();                 // not in DB at all
+
+        var kept = repo.filterInEnvLive(List.of(a.id(), b.id(), unknownId), envId);
+        assertThat(kept).containsExactly(a.id());
+    }
+
     // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     /** Creates and saves a fresh FIRING instance targeted at the test userId with its own rule. */
diff --git a/cameleer-server-app/src/test/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/storage/V12MigrationIT.java b/cameleer-server-app/src/test/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/storage/V12MigrationIT.java
index 5f59e421..a6d5bcd7 100644
--- a/cameleer-server-app/src/test/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/storage/V12MigrationIT.java
+++ b/cameleer-server-app/src/test/java/com/cameleer/server/app/alerting/storage/V12MigrationIT.java
@@ -22,14 +22,15 @@ class V12MigrationIT extends AbstractPostgresIT {
 
     @Test
     void allAlertingTablesAndEnumsExist() {
+        // Note: alert_reads was created in V12 but dropped by V17 (superseded by read_at column).
         var tables = jdbcTemplate.queryForList(
             "SELECT table_name FROM information_schema.tables WHERE table_schema='public' " +
             "AND table_name IN ('alert_rules','alert_rule_targets','alert_instances'," +
-            "'alert_silences','alert_notifications','alert_reads')",
+            "'alert_silences','alert_notifications')",
             String.class);
         assertThat(tables).containsExactlyInAnyOrder(
             "alert_rules","alert_rule_targets","alert_instances",
-            "alert_silences","alert_notifications","alert_reads");
+            "alert_silences","alert_notifications");
 
         var enums = jdbcTemplate.queryForList(
             "SELECT typname FROM pg_type WHERE typname IN " +
diff --git a/cameleer-server-core/src/main/java/com/cameleer/server/core/alerting/AlertInstanceRepository.java b/cameleer-server-core/src/main/java/com/cameleer/server/core/alerting/AlertInstanceRepository.java
index 964cffe6..2522b3b4 100644
--- a/cameleer-server-core/src/main/java/com/cameleer/server/core/alerting/AlertInstanceRepository.java
+++ b/cameleer-server-core/src/main/java/com/cameleer/server/core/alerting/AlertInstanceRepository.java
@@ -73,4 +73,10 @@ public interface AlertInstanceRepository {
     void bulkAck(List<UUID> ids, String userId, Instant when);
 
     List<AlertInstance> listFiringDueForReNotify(Instant now);
+
+    /**
+     * Filter the given IDs to those that exist in the given environment and are not
+     * soft-deleted. Single SQL round-trip — avoids N+1 in bulk operations.
+     */
+    List<UUID> filterInEnvLive(List<UUID> ids, UUID environmentId);
 }