diff --git a/src/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing/MongoSequenceInitializer.cs b/src/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing/MongoSequenceInitializer.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..489cb8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing/MongoSequenceInitializer.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+using MongoDB.Bson;
+using MongoDB.Driver;
+
+namespace DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Utility for initializing sequence counters prior to use with
+/// <see cref="MongoSequencedAppender{TDocument,TContext}"/>.
+/// </summary>
+public static class MongoSequenceInitializer
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Initializes a sequence counter so that the first document appended will be assigned
+    /// <paramref name="initialSequenceNumber"/>. Has no effect if the counter document already exists.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <returns>
+    /// <see langword="true"/> if the sequence counter was created; <see langword="false"/> if it already existed.
+    /// </returns>
+    public static async Task<bool> TryInitializeAsync(
+        IMongoClient mongoClient,
+        CollectionNamespace sequenceCollectionNamespace,
+        string sequenceId,
+        long initialSequenceNumber,
+        CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
+    {
+        ArgumentOutOfRangeException.ThrowIfNegative(initialSequenceNumber);
+
+        var collection = mongoClient
+            .GetDatabase(sequenceCollectionNamespace.DatabaseNamespace.DatabaseName)
+            .GetCollection<BsonDocument>(sequenceCollectionNamespace.CollectionName)
+            .WithWriteConcern(WriteConcern.WMajority.With(journal: true));
+
+        var filter = Builders<BsonDocument>.Filter.Eq("_id", sequenceId);
+
+        // SetOnInsert ensures this is a no-op if the counter document already exists.
+        var update = Builders<BsonDocument>.Update.SetOnInsert(SequenceFieldNames.Next, initialSequenceNumber);
+
+        var result = await collection
+            .UpdateOneAsync(filter, update, new UpdateOptions { IsUpsert = true }, cancellationToken)
+            .ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+        return result.UpsertedId is not null;
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing/MongoSequencedAppender.cs b/src/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing/MongoSequencedAppender.cs
index adb98ff..a8ad053 100644
--- a/src/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing/MongoSequencedAppender.cs
+++ b/src/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing/MongoSequencedAppender.cs
@@ -339,15 +339,13 @@ void CompleteAndRemoveFromBatch(Exception exception)
 
     private async Task<long> ClaimSequenceAsync(IClientSessionHandle session, long count, CancellationToken ct)
     {
-        const string nextFieldName = "next";
-
         var filter = Builders<BsonDocument>.Filter.Eq("_id", _sequenceId);
-        var update = Builders<BsonDocument>.Update.Inc(nextFieldName, count);
+        var update = Builders<BsonDocument>.Update.Inc(SequenceFieldNames.Next, count);
 
         var options = new FindOneAndUpdateOptions<BsonDocument>
         {
             IsUpsert = true,
-            Projection = Builders<BsonDocument>.Projection.Include(nextFieldName),
+            Projection = Builders<BsonDocument>.Projection.Include(SequenceFieldNames.Next),
             ReturnDocument = ReturnDocument.Before
         };
 
@@ -355,7 +353,7 @@ private async Task<long> ClaimSequenceAsync(IClientSessionHandle session, long c
             .FindOneAndUpdateAsync(session, filter, update, options, ct)
             .ConfigureAwait(false);
 
-        var start = result?[nextFieldName].ToInt64() ?? 0;
+        var start = result?[SequenceFieldNames.Next].ToInt64() ?? 0;
 
         return start;
     }
diff --git a/src/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing/SequenceFieldNames.cs b/src/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing/SequenceFieldNames.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff3de9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing/SequenceFieldNames.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+namespace DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing;
+
+internal static class SequenceFieldNames
+{
+    public const string Next = "next";
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing.Tests.Integration/MongoSequenceInitializerTests.cs b/tests/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing.Tests.Integration/MongoSequenceInitializerTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d8ae4e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing.Tests.Integration/MongoSequenceInitializerTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+using MongoDB.Bson;
+using MongoDB.Bson.Serialization.Attributes;
+using MongoDB.Driver;
+using NUnit.Framework;
+using Shouldly;
+
+namespace DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing.Tests.Integration;
+
+public class MongoSequenceInitializerTests
+{
+    private const string TestDbPrefix = "seq_init_test_";
+    private const string SequenceId = "test_seq";
+
+    private MongoClient _mongoClient = null!;
+    private string _databaseName = null!;
+    private CollectionNamespace _seqNs = null!;
+
+    [SetUp]
+    public void SetUp()
+    {
+        _mongoClient = new MongoClient(MongoReplicaSetFixture.ConnectionString);
+        _databaseName = $"{TestDbPrefix}{Guid.NewGuid():N}";
+        _seqNs = new CollectionNamespace(_databaseName, "sequences");
+    }
+
+    [TearDown]
+    public async Task TearDown()
+    {
+        var cts = new CancellationTokenSource(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10));
+
+        try
+        {
+            await _mongoClient.DropDatabaseAsync(_databaseName, cts.Token);
+        }
+        catch (OperationCanceledException)
+        {
+            // best-effort
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            cts.Dispose();
+
+#if !MONGO_DRIVER_V2
+            _mongoClient.Dispose();
+#endif
+        }
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public async Task InitializeAsync_WhenSequenceDoesNotExist_ReturnsTrueAndSeedsCounter()
+    {
+        var result = await MongoSequenceInitializer.TryInitializeAsync(_mongoClient, _seqNs, SequenceId, 1);
+
+        result.ShouldBeTrue();
+
+        var next = await ReadNextAsync();
+        next.ShouldBe(1);
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public async Task InitializeAsync_WhenSequenceAlreadyExists_ReturnsFalseAndLeavesCounterUnchanged()
+    {
+        await MongoSequenceInitializer.TryInitializeAsync(_mongoClient, _seqNs, SequenceId, 1);
+
+        var result = await MongoSequenceInitializer.TryInitializeAsync(_mongoClient, _seqNs, SequenceId, 100);
+
+        result.ShouldBeFalse();
+
+        var next = await ReadNextAsync();
+        next.ShouldBe(1, "counter must not be overwritten by second call");
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public async Task InitializeAsync_WithZeroInitialSequenceNumber_Succeeds()
+    {
+        var result = await MongoSequenceInitializer.TryInitializeAsync(_mongoClient, _seqNs, SequenceId, 0);
+
+        result.ShouldBeTrue();
+
+        var next = await ReadNextAsync();
+        next.ShouldBe(0);
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public void InitializeAsync_WithNegativeInitialSequenceNumber_Throws()
+    {
+        Should.Throw<ArgumentOutOfRangeException>(() =>
+            MongoSequenceInitializer.TryInitializeAsync(_mongoClient, _seqNs, SequenceId, -1));
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    [CancelAfter(30_000)]
+    public async Task InitializeAsync_FirstAppend_StartsFromInitialSequenceNumber(CancellationToken ct)
+    {
+        await MongoSequenceInitializer.TryInitializeAsync(_mongoClient, _seqNs, SequenceId, 10, ct);
+
+        var targetNs = new CollectionNamespace(_databaseName, "targets");
+        var db = _mongoClient.GetDatabase(_databaseName);
+        await db.CreateCollectionAsync(targetNs.CollectionName, cancellationToken: ct);
+
+        var targetCollection = db.GetCollection<TargetDoc>(targetNs.CollectionName);
+
+        await targetCollection.Indexes.CreateOneAsync(
+            new CreateIndexModel<TargetDoc>(
+                Builders<TargetDoc>.IndexKeys.Ascending(x => x.Sequence),
+                new CreateIndexOptions { Unique = true }),
+            cancellationToken: ct);
+
+        var binding = new MongoSequenceBinding<TargetDoc>(
+            sequenceCollectionNamespace: _seqNs,
+            sequenceId: SequenceId,
+            targetCollectionNamespace: targetNs,
+            targetField: new ExpressionFieldDefinition<TargetDoc, long>(x => x.Sequence));
+
+        await using var appender = new MongoSequencedAppender<TargetDoc, object>(_mongoClient, binding);
+
+        await appender.AppendAsync(
+            [
+                new TargetDoc { Value = "a" },
+                new TargetDoc { Value = "b" }
+            ],
+            new object(),
+            cancellationToken: ct);
+
+        var docs = await targetCollection
+            .Find(FilterDefinition<TargetDoc>.Empty)
+            .Sort(Builders<TargetDoc>.Sort.Ascending(x => x.Sequence))
+            .ToListAsync(ct);
+
+        docs[0].Sequence.ShouldBe(10);
+        docs[1].Sequence.ShouldBe(11);
+    }
+
+    private async Task<long> ReadNextAsync()
+    {
+        var collection = _mongoClient
+            .GetDatabase(_seqNs.DatabaseNamespace.DatabaseName)
+            .GetCollection<BsonDocument>(_seqNs.CollectionName);
+
+        var doc = await collection
+            .Find(Builders<BsonDocument>.Filter.Eq("_id", SequenceId))
+            .FirstOrDefaultAsync();
+
+        doc.ShouldNotBeNull("sequence counter document should exist");
+        return doc["next"].ToInt64();
+    }
+
+    // ReSharper disable all
+    private record TargetDoc
+    {
+        public ObjectId Id { get; init; }
+        public required string Value { get; init; }
+
+        [BsonElement("seq")]
+        public long Sequence { get; init; }
+    }
+    // ReSharper restore all
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing.Tests.Integration/MongoSequencedAppenderBenchmarkTests.cs b/tests/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing.Tests.Integration/MongoSequencedAppenderBenchmarkTests.cs
index 2270459..acf6680 100644
--- a/tests/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing.Tests.Integration/MongoSequencedAppenderBenchmarkTests.cs
+++ b/tests/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing.Tests.Integration/MongoSequencedAppenderBenchmarkTests.cs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ public class MongoSequencedAppenderBenchmarkTests
 {
     private const int TestTimeoutMillis = 30 * 1_000;
     private const string TestDbPrefix = "seq_bench_";
+    private const string SequenceId = "bench_seq";
 
     private MongoClient _mongoClient = null!;
     private string _databaseName = null!;
@@ -221,7 +222,7 @@ private MongoSequencedAppender<BenchmarkDoc, object> CreateAppender(int index =
     {
         var binding = new MongoSequenceBinding<BenchmarkDoc>(
             sequenceCollectionNamespace: _seqNs,
-            sequenceId: "bench_seq",
+            sequenceId: SequenceId,
             targetCollectionNamespace: _targetNs,
             targetField: new ExpressionFieldDefinition<BenchmarkDoc, long>(x => x.Sequence));
 
diff --git a/tests/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing.Tests.Integration/MongoSequencedAppenderConcurrencyTests.cs b/tests/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing.Tests.Integration/MongoSequencedAppenderConcurrencyTests.cs
index 620862a..688e255 100644
--- a/tests/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing.Tests.Integration/MongoSequencedAppenderConcurrencyTests.cs
+++ b/tests/DomainBlocks.MongoDB.Sequencing.Tests.Integration/MongoSequencedAppenderConcurrencyTests.cs
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ public class MongoSequencedAppenderConcurrencyTests
     private const int TestTimeoutMillis = 10 * 1_000;
     private const int AppenderCount = 5;
     private const string TestDbPrefix = "seq_test_";
+    private const string SequenceId = "test_seq";
 
     private MongoClient _mongoClient = null!;
     private string _databaseName = null!;
@@ -241,7 +242,7 @@ private MongoSequencedAppender<TargetDoc, object> CreateAppender(int index)
     {
         var binding = new MongoSequenceBinding<TargetDoc>(
             sequenceCollectionNamespace: _seqNs,
-            sequenceId: "test_seq",
+            sequenceId: SequenceId,
             targetCollectionNamespace: _targetNs,
             targetField: new ExpressionFieldDefinition<TargetDoc, long>(x => x.Nested!.Sequence));