diff --git a/src/dipdup/aerich.py b/src/dipdup/aerich.py
index a89bb961a..e69de29bb 100644
--- a/src/dipdup/aerich.py
+++ b/src/dipdup/aerich.py
@@ -1,23 +0,0 @@
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
-
-if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from collections.abc import Iterable
-    from pathlib import Path
-    from types import ModuleType
-
-    from aerich import Command as AerichCommand  # type: ignore[import-untyped]
-
-
-async def create_aerich_command(db_url: str, package: str, migrations_dir: 'Path') -> 'AerichCommand':
-    """Create and return an `AerichCommand` instance
-
-    The AerichCommand is the entry point to manage database migrations using aerich.
-    """
-    from aerich import Command as AerichCommand
-    from tortoise.backends.base.config_generator import generate_config
-
-    # TODO: Refactor building the app_modules dict and use here and in the tortoise_wrapper function ?
-    # Or maybe add the tortoise_config to database config ?
-    app_modules: dict[str, Iterable[str | ModuleType]] = {'models': [f'{package}.models', 'aerich.models']}
-    tortoise_config = generate_config(db_url=db_url, app_modules=app_modules)
-    return AerichCommand(tortoise_config=tortoise_config, app='models', location=migrations_dir.as_posix())
diff --git a/src/dipdup/cli.py b/src/dipdup/cli.py
index c696feed0..9ab5e075f 100644
--- a/src/dipdup/cli.py
+++ b/src/dipdup/cli.py
@@ -673,9 +673,14 @@ async def schema(ctx: click.Context) -> None:
               Run `dipdup schema init` or `dipdup run` to the run the indexer and it'll be initialized automatically."""
             )
 
-        from dipdup.aerich import create_aerich_command
+        from aerich import Command as AerichCommand  # type: ignore[import-untyped]
 
-        aerich_command = await create_aerich_command(config.database.connection_string, config.package, migrations_dir)
+        from dipdup.database import get_tortoise_config
+
+        tortoise_config = get_tortoise_config(config.database.connection_string, config.package)
+        aerich_command = AerichCommand(
+            tortoise_config=tortoise_config, app='models', location=migrations_dir.as_posix()
+        )
         await aerich_command.init()
 
         ctx.obj['command'] = aerich_command
diff --git a/src/dipdup/database.py b/src/dipdup/database.py
index 9917822ad..651790abe 100644
--- a/src/dipdup/database.py
+++ b/src/dipdup/database.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import decimal
 import hashlib
 import importlib
+import importlib.util
 import logging
 from collections.abc import AsyncIterator
 from collections.abc import Iterable
@@ -35,6 +36,7 @@
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from types import ModuleType
 
+
 _logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 DEFAULT_CONNECTION_NAME = 'default'
@@ -53,6 +55,32 @@ def set_connection(conn: SupportedClient) -> None:
     connections.set(DEFAULT_CONNECTION_NAME, conn)
 
 
+def get_tortoise_config(db_url: str, project_models: str | None = None) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    """Get Tortoise config for the given URL and internal, aerich and project models"""
+    from tortoise.backends.base.config_generator import generate_config
+
+    app_modules: dict[str, Iterable[str | ModuleType]] = {
+        'int_models': ['dipdup.models'],
+    }
+
+    models = []
+
+    if project_models:
+        if not project_models.endswith('.models'):
+            project_models += '.models'
+        models.append(project_models)
+
+    if 'sqlite' not in db_url:
+        import importlib
+
+        if importlib.util.find_spec('aerich') is not None:
+            models.append('aerich.models')
+
+    app_modules['models'] = models
+
+    return generate_config(db_url=db_url, app_modules=app_modules)
+
+
 @asynccontextmanager
 async def tortoise_wrapper(
     url: str,
@@ -67,15 +95,6 @@ async def tortoise_wrapper(
     if '/tmp/' in url:
         _logger.warning('Using tmpfs database; data will be lost on reboot')
 
-    model_modules: dict[str, Iterable[str | ModuleType]] = {
-        'int_models': ['dipdup.models'],
-    }
-
-    if models:
-        if not models.endswith('.models'):
-            models += '.models'
-        model_modules['models'] = [models, 'dipdup.models']
-
     # NOTE: Must be called before entering Tortoise context
     decimal_precision = decimal_precision or guess_decimal_precision(models)
     set_decimal_precision(decimal_precision)
@@ -84,10 +103,7 @@ async def tortoise_wrapper(
     try:
         for attempt in range(timeout):
             try:
-                await Tortoise.init(
-                    db_url=url,
-                    modules=model_modules,
-                )
+                await Tortoise.init(config=get_tortoise_config(url, models))
 
                 conn = get_connection()
                 try:
diff --git a/src/dipdup/dipdup.py b/src/dipdup/dipdup.py
index 1f517794d..ac7c91608 100644
--- a/src/dipdup/dipdup.py
+++ b/src/dipdup/dipdup.py
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
 from tortoise.exceptions import OperationalError
 
 from dipdup import env
-from dipdup.aerich import create_aerich_command
 from dipdup.codegen import CodeGenerator
 from dipdup.codegen import CommonCodeGenerator
 from dipdup.codegen import generate_environments
@@ -937,9 +936,16 @@ async def _initialize_migrations(self) -> None:
 
         migrations_dir = self._ctx.package.migrations
         try:
-            aerich_command = await create_aerich_command(
-                self._config.database.connection_string, self._config.package, migrations_dir
+            from aerich import Command as AerichCommand  # type: ignore[import-untyped]
+
+            from dipdup.database import get_tortoise_config
+
+            tortoise_config = get_tortoise_config(self._config.database.connection_string, self._config.package)
+            aerich_command = AerichCommand(
+                tortoise_config=tortoise_config, app='models', location=migrations_dir.as_posix()
             )
+            await aerich_command.init()
+
             _logger.info("Initializing database migrations at '%s'", migrations_dir)
             await aerich_command.init_db(safe=True)
         except ModuleNotFoundError as e: