diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 31e52c295..d8f09c1ac 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,15 @@ adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+- Store implementations can **optionally** implement the `TableExists` method to provide optimized
+  table existence checks (#860)
+  - Default postgres Store implementation updated to use `pg_tables` system catalog, more to follow
+  - Backward compatible change - existing implementations will continue to work without modification
+
+```go
+TableExists(ctx context.Context, db database.DBTxConn) (bool, error)
+```
+
 ## [v3.23.0]
 
 - Add `WithLogger` to `NewProvider` to allow custom loggers (#833)
diff --git a/database/dialect.go b/database/dialect.go
index ba2da5cab..9f138f560 100644
--- a/database/dialect.go
+++ b/database/dialect.go
@@ -53,13 +53,13 @@ func NewStore(dialect Dialect, tablename string) (Store, error) {
 	}
 	return &store{
 		tablename: tablename,
-		querier:   querier,
+		querier:   dialectquery.NewQueryController(querier),
 	}, nil
 }
 
 type store struct {
 	tablename string
-	querier   dialectquery.Querier
+	querier   *dialectquery.QueryController
 }
 
 var _ Store = (*store)(nil)
@@ -147,3 +147,26 @@ func (s *store) ListMigrations(
 	}
 	return migrations, nil
 }
+
+//
+//
+//
+// Additional methods that are not part of the core Store interface, but are extended by the
+// [controller.StoreController] type.
+//
+//
+//
+
+func (s *store) TableExists(ctx context.Context, db DBTxConn) (bool, error) {
+	q := s.querier.TableExists(s.tablename)
+	if q == "" {
+		return false, errors.ErrUnsupported
+	}
+	var exists bool
+	// Note, we do not pass the table name as an argument to the query, as the query should be
+	// pre-defined by the dialect.
+	if err := db.QueryRowContext(ctx, q).Scan(&exists); err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("failed to check if table exists: %w", err)
+	}
+	return exists, nil
+}
diff --git a/database/store_extended.go b/database/store_extended.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e3aae4d9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database/store_extended.go
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+package database
+
+import "context"
+
+// StoreExtender is an extension of the Store interface that provides optional optimizations and
+// database-specific features. While not required by the core goose package, implementing these
+// methods can improve performance and functionality for specific databases.
+//
+// IMPORTANT: This interface may be expanded in future versions. Implementors MUST be prepared to
+// update their implementations when new methods are added, either by implementing the new
+// functionality or returning [errors.ErrUnsupported].
+//
+// The goose package handles these extended capabilities through a [controller.StoreController],
+// which automatically uses optimized methods when available while falling back to default behavior
+// when they're not implemented.
+//
+// Example usage to verify implementation:
+//
+//	var _ StoreExtender = (*CustomStoreExtended)(nil)
+//
+// In short, it's exported to allows implementors to have a compile-time check that they are
+// implementing the interface correctly.
+type StoreExtender interface {
+	Store
+
+	// TableExists checks if the migrations table exists in the database. Implementing this method
+	// allows goose to optimize table existence checks by using database-specific system catalogs
+	// (e.g., pg_tables for PostgreSQL, sqlite_master for SQLite) instead of generic SQL queries.
+	//
+	// Return [errors.ErrUnsupported] if the database does not provide an efficient way to check
+	// table existence.
+	TableExists(ctx context.Context, db DBTxConn) (bool, error)
+}
diff --git a/internal/controller/controller.go b/internal/controller/controller.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1d26e55b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/controller/controller.go
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package controller
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+
+	"github.com/pressly/goose/v3/database"
+)
+
+// A StoreController is used by the goose package to interact with a database. This type is a
+// wrapper around the Store interface, but can be extended to include additional (optional) methods
+// that are not part of the core Store interface.
+type StoreController struct{ database.Store }
+
+var _ database.StoreExtender = (*StoreController)(nil)
+
+// NewStoreController returns a new StoreController that wraps the given Store.
+//
+// If the Store implements the following optional methods, the StoreController will call them as
+// appropriate:
+//
+//   - TableExists(context.Context, DBTxConn) (bool, error)
+//
+// If the Store does not implement a method, it will either return a [errors.ErrUnsupported] error
+// or fall back to the default behavior.
+func NewStoreController(store database.Store) *StoreController {
+	return &StoreController{store}
+}
+
+func (c *StoreController) TableExists(ctx context.Context, db database.DBTxConn) (bool, error) {
+	if t, ok := c.Store.(interface {
+		TableExists(ctx context.Context, db database.DBTxConn) (bool, error)
+	}); ok {
+		return t.TableExists(ctx, db)
+	}
+	return false, errors.ErrUnsupported
+}
diff --git a/internal/dialect/dialectquery/dialectquery.go b/internal/dialect/dialectquery/dialectquery.go
index 5e10e46e4..49ce96f47 100644
--- a/internal/dialect/dialectquery/dialectquery.go
+++ b/internal/dialect/dialectquery/dialectquery.go
@@ -25,3 +25,25 @@ type Querier interface {
 	// table. Returns a nullable int64 value.
 	GetLatestVersion(tableName string) string
 }
+
+var _ Querier = (*QueryController)(nil)
+
+type QueryController struct{ Querier }
+
+// NewQueryController returns a new QueryController that wraps the given Querier.
+func NewQueryController(querier Querier) *QueryController {
+	return &QueryController{Querier: querier}
+}
+
+// Optional methods
+
+// TableExists returns the SQL query string to check if the version table exists. If the Querier
+// does not implement this method, it will return an empty string.
+//
+// Returns a boolean value.
+func (c *QueryController) TableExists(tableName string) string {
+	if t, ok := c.Querier.(interface{ TableExists(string) string }); ok {
+		return t.TableExists(tableName)
+	}
+	return ""
+}
diff --git a/internal/dialect/dialectquery/postgres.go b/internal/dialect/dialectquery/postgres.go
index 2def6c6ca..facbc2ff7 100644
--- a/internal/dialect/dialectquery/postgres.go
+++ b/internal/dialect/dialectquery/postgres.go
@@ -1,6 +1,16 @@
 package dialectquery
 
-import "fmt"
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+const (
+	// defaultSchemaName is the default schema name for Postgres.
+	//
+	// https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/ddl-schemas.html#DDL-SCHEMAS-PUBLIC
+	defaultSchemaName = "public"
+)
 
 type Postgres struct{}
 
@@ -40,3 +50,17 @@ func (p *Postgres) GetLatestVersion(tableName string) string {
 	q := `SELECT max(version_id) FROM %s`
 	return fmt.Sprintf(q, tableName)
 }
+
+func (p *Postgres) TableExists(tableName string) string {
+	schemaName, tableName := parseTableIdentifier(tableName)
+	q := `SELECT EXISTS ( SELECT FROM pg_tables WHERE schemaname = '%s' AND tablename = '%s' )`
+	return fmt.Sprintf(q, schemaName, tableName)
+}
+
+func parseTableIdentifier(name string) (schema, table string) {
+	schema, table, found := strings.Cut(name, ".")
+	if !found {
+		return defaultSchemaName, name
+	}
+	return schema, table
+}
diff --git a/provider.go b/provider.go
index ec3b8749a..a4163a667 100644
--- a/provider.go
+++ b/provider.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/pressly/goose/v3/database"
+	"github.com/pressly/goose/v3/internal/controller"
 	"github.com/pressly/goose/v3/internal/gooseutil"
 	"github.com/pressly/goose/v3/internal/sqlparser"
 	"go.uber.org/multierr"
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ type Provider struct {
 	mu sync.Mutex
 
 	db               *sql.DB
-	store            database.Store
+	store            *controller.StoreController
 	versionTableOnce sync.Once
 
 	fsys fs.FS
@@ -141,7 +142,7 @@ func newProvider(
 		db:         db,
 		fsys:       fsys,
 		cfg:        cfg,
-		store:      store,
+		store:      controller.NewStoreController(store),
 		migrations: migrations,
 	}, nil
 }
diff --git a/provider_run.go b/provider_run.go
index 66c23c67d..c083d3967 100644
--- a/provider_run.go
+++ b/provider_run.go
@@ -296,25 +296,29 @@ func (p *Provider) tryEnsureVersionTable(ctx context.Context, conn *sql.Conn) er
 	b := retry.NewConstant(1 * time.Second)
 	b = retry.WithMaxRetries(3, b)
 	return retry.Do(ctx, b, func(ctx context.Context) error {
-		if e, ok := p.store.(interface {
-			TableExists(context.Context, database.DBTxConn, string) (bool, error)
-		}); ok {
-			exists, err := e.TableExists(ctx, conn, p.store.Tablename())
-			if err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("failed to check if version table exists: %w", err)
-			}
-			if exists {
-				return nil
-			}
-		} else {
-			// This chicken-and-egg behavior is the fallback for all existing implementations of the
-			// Store interface. We check if the version table exists by querying for the initial
-			// version, but the table may not exist yet. It's important this runs outside of a
-			// transaction to avoid failing the transaction.
+		exists, err := p.store.TableExists(ctx, conn)
+		if err == nil && exists {
+			return nil
+		} else if err != nil && errors.Is(err, errors.ErrUnsupported) {
+			// Fallback strategy for checking table existence:
+			//
+			// When direct table existence checks aren't supported, we attempt to query the initial
+			// migration (version 0). This approach has two implications:
+			//
+			//  1. If the table exists, the query succeeds and confirms existence
+			//  2. If the table doesn't exist, the query fails and generates an error log
+			//
+			// Note: This check must occur outside any transaction, as a failed query would
+			// otherwise cause the entire transaction to roll back. The error logs generated by this
+			// approach are expected and can be safely ignored.
 			if res, err := p.store.GetMigration(ctx, conn, 0); err == nil && res != nil {
 				return nil
 			}
+			// Fallthrough to create the table.
+		} else if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to check if version table exists: %w", err)
 		}
+
 		if err := beginTx(ctx, conn, func(tx *sql.Tx) error {
 			if err := p.store.CreateVersionTable(ctx, tx); err != nil {
 				return err
diff --git a/provider_run_test.go b/provider_run_test.go
index 4598e9510..aedfa7fa9 100644
--- a/provider_run_test.go
+++ b/provider_run_test.go
@@ -745,15 +745,17 @@ func TestGoMigrationPanic(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestCustomStoreTableExists(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
-
+	db := newDB(t)
 	store, err := database.NewStore(database.DialectSQLite3, goose.DefaultTablename)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
-	p, err := goose.NewProvider("", newDB(t), newFsys(),
-		goose.WithStore(&customStoreSQLite3{store}),
-	)
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-	_, err = p.Up(context.Background())
-	require.NoError(t, err)
+	for i := 0; i < 2; i++ {
+		p, err := goose.NewProvider("", db, newFsys(),
+			goose.WithStore(&customStoreSQLite3{store}),
+		)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		_, err = p.Up(context.Background())
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+	}
 }
 
 func TestProviderApply(t *testing.T) {
@@ -842,14 +844,14 @@ func TestPending(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
-type customStoreSQLite3 struct {
-	database.Store
-}
+var _ database.StoreExtender = (*customStoreSQLite3)(nil)
+
+type customStoreSQLite3 struct{ database.Store }
 
-func (s *customStoreSQLite3) TableExists(ctx context.Context, db database.DBTxConn, name string) (bool, error) {
-	q := `SELECT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table' AND name=$1) AS table_exists`
+func (s *customStoreSQLite3) TableExists(ctx context.Context, db database.DBTxConn) (bool, error) {
+	q := `SELECT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table' AND name=?) AS table_exists`
 	var exists bool
-	if err := db.QueryRowContext(ctx, q, name).Scan(&exists); err != nil {
+	if err := db.QueryRowContext(ctx, q, s.Tablename()).Scan(&exists); err != nil {
 		return false, err
 	}
 	return exists, nil