diff --git a/changelog.d/scaffold-404-guard.fixed.md b/changelog.d/scaffold-404-guard.fixed.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..541bc7617
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/scaffold-404-guard.fixed.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- Scaffolded controllers now return **404** for a key that matches no record, including a soft-deleted one. Previously `show`, `edit`, `update` and `delete` called `findByKey` bare, and a missing row made the action operate on an empty value — the view threw and the user saw a 500. A `requireRecord` before-filter now throws `Wheels.RecordNotFound`, which the framework maps to 404
diff --git a/cli/lucli/templates/codegen/CRUDContent.txt b/cli/lucli/templates/codegen/CRUDContent.txt
index e034e6e03..fa83f15d3 100644
--- a/cli/lucli/templates/codegen/CRUDContent.txt
+++ b/cli/lucli/templates/codegen/CRUDContent.txt
@@ -8,6 +8,17 @@
 	 */
 	function config() {
 		super.config();
+		// 404 rather than a 500 when the key matches nothing. findByKey returns a
+		// non-object for BOTH a missing key and a soft-deleted row, and the
+		// actions below then operate on that empty value — `post.title` in the
+		// view, or `.update()` here, throws.
+		//
+		// A BEFORE filter that deliberately does NOT assign the record: the
+		// actions keep their conventional single-finder body, which the
+		// `--belongsTo` parent wiring depends on — it only rewrites `show()`
+		// when the finder is the whole body, and skips a customized one.
+		// Loading twice is cheap and keeps that contract intact.
+		filters(through="requireRecord", only="show,edit,update,delete");
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -81,4 +92,21 @@
 		redirectTo(route="|ObjectNamePlural|");
 	}
 
+	/**
+	* Guard: abort with a 404 when the key matches no record.
+	*
+	* The message is a plain string on purpose. The scaffold's parent wiring
+	* scans this file with ScaffoldSource, which refuses interpolated strings
+	* (`##...##`) wholesale — a single `##params.key##` here would silently turn
+	* off `include=` wiring for every `--belongsTo` child of this model.
+	**/
+	private function requireRecord() {
+		if (!IsObject(model("|ObjectNameSingularC|").findByKey(key=params.key))) {
+			Throw(
+				type = "Wheels.RecordNotFound",
+				message = "|ObjectNameSingularC| not found for the requested key."
+			);
+		}
+	}
+
 }
diff --git a/cli/lucli/tests/specs/services/ScaffoldSpec.cfc b/cli/lucli/tests/specs/services/ScaffoldSpec.cfc
index 6fd26f898..286f1bedd 100644
--- a/cli/lucli/tests/specs/services/ScaffoldSpec.cfc
+++ b/cli/lucli/tests/specs/services/ScaffoldSpec.cfc
@@ -77,6 +77,40 @@ component extends="wheels.wheelstest.system.BaseSpec" {
 					expect(content).toInclude("function delete()");
 				});
 
+				it("guards every key-loading action against a missing record", () => {
+					// findByKey returns a non-object for BOTH a missing key and a
+					// soft-deleted row. Without a guard the action renders against
+					// that empty value and the view throws a 500 where a 404
+					// belongs — reproduced on a soft-deleted post before the fix.
+					var result = scaffold.generateScaffold(
+						name = "Notefile",
+						properties = [{name = "title", type = "string"}],
+						force = true
+					);
+					expect(result.success).toBeTrue();
+					var content = fileRead(tempRoot & "/app/controllers/Notefiles.cfc");
+
+					// A BEFORE filter covering all four key-loading actions.
+					expect(content).toInclude('filters(through="requireRecord", only="show,edit,update,delete")');
+					expect(content).toInclude("private function requireRecord()");
+					expect(content).toInclude('if (!IsObject(model("Notefile").findByKey(key=params.key))) {');
+					expect(content).toInclude('type = "Wheels.RecordNotFound"');
+
+					// The guard must NOT live inside show(): ScaffoldSource only
+					// rewrites show() when its finder is the whole body, so an
+					// inline guard there disables `--belongsTo` include= wiring.
+					var showBody = ReMatchNoCase("function show\(\) \{[^}]+\}", content);
+					expect(ArrayLen(showBody)).toBe(1);
+					expect(showBody[1]).notToInclude("IsObject");
+
+					// And the generated file must still SCAN. ScaffoldSource fails
+					// closed on any interpolated string, so a single `##...##` in
+					// the guard's message would silently switch off the parent
+					// wiring for every child of this model. Pin it at the source.
+					var scanned = new cli.lucli.services.ScaffoldSource().scan(content);
+					expect(scanned.valid).toBeTrue(scanned.reason);
+				});
+
 				it("emits a full CRUD controller spec with model().create() test data", () => {
 					var result = scaffold.generateScaffold(
 						name = "Chronicle",