diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 16acdb4..2af6ea7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@ Boolean values can be one of:
 | Ignore CHECK Constraints | `_ignore_check_constraints` | `boolean` | For more information see [PRAGMA ignore_check_constraints](https://www.sqlite.org/pragma.html#pragma_ignore_check_constraints) |
 | Immutable | `immutable` | `boolean` | For more information see [Immutable](https://www.sqlite.org/c3ref/open.html) |
 | Journal Mode | `_journal_mode` \| `_journal` | <ul><li>DELETE</li><li>TRUNCATE</li><li>PERSIST</li><li>MEMORY</li><li>WAL</li><li>OFF</li></ul> | For more information see [PRAGMA journal_mode](https://www.sqlite.org/pragma.html#pragma_journal_mode) |
+| SQLCipher Key | `_key` | passphrase or `x'<64 hexadecimal digits>'` | Applies `PRAGMA key` immediately after opening and before every driver initialization PRAGMA. Requires SQLCipher linked with the `libsqlite3` build tag. |
 | Locking Mode | `_locking_mode` \| `_locking` | <ul><li>NORMAL</li><li>EXCLUSIVE</li></ul> | For more information see [PRAGMA locking_mode](https://www.sqlite.org/pragma.html#pragma_locking_mode) |
 | Mode | `mode` | <ul><li>ro</li><li>rw</li><li>rwc</li><li>memory</li></ul> | Access Mode of the database. For more information see [SQLite Open](https://www.sqlite.org/c3ref/open.html) |
 | Mutex Locking | `_mutex` | <ul><li>no</li><li>full</li></ul> | Specify mutex mode. |
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 88c68ee..e7515d8 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-module github.com/mattn/go-sqlite3
+module git.pablu.de/pablu/go-sqlite3
 
 go 1.21
 
diff --git a/sqlite3.go b/sqlite3.go
index c30bb8f..68ac4b1 100644
--- a/sqlite3.go
+++ b/sqlite3.go
@@ -946,6 +946,28 @@ func lastError(db *C.sqlite3) error {
 	}
 }
 
+func sqlCipherKeyPragma(key string) (string, error) {
+	if strings.IndexByte(key, 0) >= 0 {
+		return "", errors.New("Invalid _key: contains NUL")
+	}
+	if isSQLCipherRawKey(key) {
+		return "PRAGMA key = \"" + key + "\";", nil
+	}
+	return "PRAGMA key = '" + strings.ReplaceAll(key, "'", "''") + "';", nil
+}
+
+func isSQLCipherRawKey(key string) bool {
+	if len(key) != 67 || (key[0] != 'x' && key[0] != 'X') || key[1] != '\'' || key[66] != '\'' {
+		return false
+	}
+	for _, c := range key[2:66] {
+		if !(c >= '0' && c <= '9') && !(c >= 'a' && c <= 'f') && !(c >= 'A' && c <= 'F') {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
 // Exec implements Execer.
 func (c *SQLiteConn) Exec(query string, args []driver.Value) (driver.Result, error) {
 	return c.exec(context.Background(), query, valueToNamedValue(args))
@@ -1137,6 +1159,11 @@ func (c *SQLiteConn) begin(ctx context.Context) (driver.Tx, error) {
 //	_busy_timeout=XXX"| _timeout=XXX
 //	  Specify value for sqlite3_busy_timeout.
 //
+//	_key=KEY
+//	  Set the SQLCipher key before any driver initialization PRAGMA. KEY is a
+//	  passphrase or a raw key expression of the form x'<64 hexadecimal digits>'.
+//	  Requires a SQLCipher library linked with the libsqlite3 build tag.
+//
 //	_case_sensitive_like=Boolean | _cslike=Boolean
 //	  https://www.sqlite.org/pragma.html#pragma_case_sensitive_like
 //	  Default or disabled the LIKE operation is case-insensitive.
@@ -1213,6 +1240,7 @@ func (d *SQLiteDriver) Open(dsn string) (driver.Conn, error) {
 	vfsName := ""
 	var cacheSize *int64
 	stmtCacheSize := 0
+	keyPragma := ""
 
 	pos := strings.IndexRune(dsn, '?')
 	if pos >= 1 {
@@ -1222,6 +1250,14 @@ func (d *SQLiteDriver) Open(dsn string) (driver.Conn, error) {
 		}
 
 		// Authentication
+		if _, ok := params["_key"]; ok {
+			var err error
+			keyPragma, err = sqlCipherKeyPragma(params.Get("_key"))
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+		}
+
 		if _, ok := params["_auth"]; ok {
 			authCreate = true
 		}
@@ -1594,6 +1630,16 @@ func (d *SQLiteDriver) Open(dsn string) (driver.Conn, error) {
 	if db == nil {
 		return nil, errors.New("sqlite succeeded without returning a database")
 	}
+	if keyPragma != "" {
+		cs := C.CString(keyPragma)
+		rv := C.sqlite3_exec(db, cs, nil, nil, nil)
+		C.free(unsafe.Pointer(cs))
+		if rv != C.SQLITE_OK {
+			err := lastError(db)
+			C.sqlite3_close_v2(db)
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
 
 	// Create connection to SQLite
 	conn := &SQLiteConn{db: db, loc: loc, txlock: txlock}
diff --git a/sqlite3_sqlcipher_test.go b/sqlite3_sqlcipher_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4263b35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sqlite3_sqlcipher_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+//go:build libsqlite3 && sqlcipher
+// +build libsqlite3,sqlcipher
+
+package sqlite3
+
+import (
+	"database/sql"
+	"net/url"
+	"os"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+const sqlCipherTestRawKey = "x'0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef'"
+
+func requireSQLCipher(t *testing.T, db *sql.DB) {
+	t.Helper()
+	var version string
+	if err := db.QueryRow("PRAGMA cipher_version").Scan(&version); err != nil || version == "" {
+		t.Fatalf("SQLCipher is required for this test; link it with -tags libsqlite3: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSQLCipherKeyDSN(t *testing.T) {
+	filename := TempFilename(t)
+	defer os.Remove(filename)
+
+	dsn := "file:" + filename + "?_key=" + url.QueryEscape(sqlCipherTestRawKey)
+	db, err := sql.Open("sqlite3", dsn)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	requireSQLCipher(t, db)
+	if _, err := db.Exec("CREATE TABLE test (value TEXT)"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := db.Exec("INSERT INTO test VALUES ('encrypted')"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := db.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	db, err = sql.Open("sqlite3", dsn)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	var value string
+	if err := db.QueryRow("SELECT value FROM test").Scan(&value); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if value != "encrypted" {
+		t.Fatalf("value = %q; want encrypted", value)
+	}
+	if err := db.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	for _, key := range []string{
+		"x'ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff'",
+		"",
+	} {
+		db, err = sql.Open("sqlite3", "file:"+filename+"?_key="+url.QueryEscape(key))
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		var count int
+		err = db.QueryRow("SELECT count(*) FROM test").Scan(&count)
+		db.Close()
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Errorf("reading encrypted database with key %q succeeded", key)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSQLCipherKeyAbsentPreservesSQLiteBehavior(t *testing.T) {
+	filename := TempFilename(t)
+	defer os.Remove(filename)
+
+	db, err := sql.Open("sqlite3", filename)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer db.Close()
+	if _, err := db.Exec("CREATE TABLE test (value TEXT)"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := db.Exec("INSERT INTO test VALUES ('plain')"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	var value string
+	if err := db.QueryRow("SELECT value FROM test").Scan(&value); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if value != "plain" {
+		t.Fatalf("value = %q; want plain", value)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/sqlite3_test.go b/sqlite3_test.go
index 10ecf7b..0f13a01 100644
--- a/sqlite3_test.go
+++ b/sqlite3_test.go
@@ -103,6 +103,29 @@ func TestOpen(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestSQLCipherKeyPragma(t *testing.T) {
+	rawKey := "x'0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef'"
+	tests := []struct {
+		key  string
+		want string
+	}{
+		{rawKey, "PRAGMA key = \"" + rawKey + "\";"},
+		{"pass'word; PRAGMA foreign_keys = OFF", "PRAGMA key = 'pass''word; PRAGMA foreign_keys = OFF';"},
+	}
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		got, err := sqlCipherKeyPragma(test.key)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("sqlCipherKeyPragma(%q): %v", test.key, err)
+		}
+		if got != test.want {
+			t.Errorf("sqlCipherKeyPragma(%q) = %q; want %q", test.key, got, test.want)
+		}
+	}
+	if _, err := sqlCipherKeyPragma("pass\x00word"); err == nil {
+		t.Error("sqlCipherKeyPragma accepted a key containing NUL")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestOpenWithVFS(t *testing.T) {
 	filename := t.Name() + ".sqlite"