diff --git a/src/main/java/net/sf/jsqlparser/statement/create/table/ColumnDefinition.java b/src/main/java/net/sf/jsqlparser/statement/create/table/ColumnDefinition.java
index 7778b0ac3..cc0f7e794 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/sf/jsqlparser/statement/create/table/ColumnDefinition.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/sf/jsqlparser/statement/create/table/ColumnDefinition.java
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 
 import java.io.Serializable;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -50,6 +51,11 @@ public ColumnDefinition(String columnName, ColDataType colDataType, List<String>
         this.columnSpecs = columnSpecs;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns raw specifications, or a token snapshot when structured options are present. Use the
+     * option API or {@link #addColumnSpecs(Collection)} to append without discarding structured
+     * references and constraints.
+     */
     public List<String> getColumnSpecs() {
         if (columnOptions != null) {
             List<String> tokens = new ArrayList<>();
@@ -76,6 +82,7 @@ public List<ColumnOption> getColumnOptions() {
 
     public void setColumnOptions(List<ColumnOption> columnOptions) {
         this.columnOptions = columnOptions;
+        this.columnSpecs = null;
     }
 
     public boolean isSerialDefaultValue() {
@@ -102,6 +109,9 @@ public ColumnDefinition withColumnOptions(List<ColumnOption> columnOptions) {
     public ColumnDefinition addColumnOptions(ColumnOption... columnOptions) {
         List<ColumnOption> collection =
                 Optional.ofNullable(getColumnOptions()).orElseGet(ArrayList::new);
+        if (this.columnOptions == null && columnSpecs != null && !columnSpecs.isEmpty()) {
+            collection.add(ColumnOption.raw(new ArrayList<>(columnSpecs)));
+        }
         Collections.addAll(collection, columnOptions);
         return withColumnOptions(collection);
     }
@@ -153,12 +163,16 @@ public ColumnDefinition withColumnSpecs(List<String> columnSpecs) {
     }
 
     public ColumnDefinition addColumnSpecs(String... columnSpecs) {
-        List<String> collection = Optional.ofNullable(getColumnSpecs()).orElseGet(ArrayList::new);
-        Collections.addAll(collection, columnSpecs);
-        return this.withColumnSpecs(collection);
+        return addColumnSpecs(Arrays.asList(columnSpecs));
     }
 
     public ColumnDefinition addColumnSpecs(Collection<String> columnSpecs) {
+        if (columnOptions != null) {
+            if (!columnSpecs.isEmpty()) {
+                columnOptions.add(ColumnOption.raw(new ArrayList<>(columnSpecs)));
+            }
+            return this;
+        }
         List<String> collection = Optional.ofNullable(getColumnSpecs()).orElseGet(ArrayList::new);
         collection.addAll(columnSpecs);
         return this.withColumnSpecs(collection);
diff --git a/src/test/java/net/sf/jsqlparser/statement/create/ColumnOptionMutationTest.java b/src/test/java/net/sf/jsqlparser/statement/create/ColumnOptionMutationTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3b6233e66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/net/sf/jsqlparser/statement/create/ColumnOptionMutationTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+/*-
+ * #%L
+ * JSQLParser library
+ * %%
+ * Copyright (C) 2004 - 2026 JSQLParser
+ * %%
+ * Dual licensed under GNU LGPL 2.1 or Apache License 2.0
+ * #L%
+ */
+package net.sf.jsqlparser.statement.create;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertSame;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import net.sf.jsqlparser.JSQLParserException;
+import net.sf.jsqlparser.parser.CCJSqlParserUtil;
+import net.sf.jsqlparser.statement.create.table.ColumnDefinition;
+import net.sf.jsqlparser.statement.create.table.ColumnOption;
+import net.sf.jsqlparser.statement.create.table.CreateTable;
+import net.sf.jsqlparser.statement.create.table.ForeignKeyReference;
+import net.sf.jsqlparser.util.TablesNamesFinder;
+import net.sf.jsqlparser.util.deparser.StatementDeParser;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+class ColumnOptionMutationTest {
+    @Test
+    void clearingIdentityDoesNotRestoreRawSpecifications() throws JSQLParserException {
+        CreateTable table = parse("id INT GENERATED ALWAYS AS IDENTITY");
+        ColumnDefinition column = table.getColumnDefinitions().get(0);
+        column.getColumnOptions().clear();
+        assertTrue(column.getColumnSpecs().isEmpty());
+        assertSql(table, "CREATE TABLE t (id INT)");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void legacyAppendPreservesReferenceAndTraversal() throws JSQLParserException {
+        CreateTable table = parse("id INT REFERENCES parent(id)");
+        ColumnDefinition column = table.getColumnDefinitions().get(0);
+        ForeignKeyReference reference = column.getForeignKeyReference();
+        column.addColumnSpecs("NOT", "NULL");
+        column.addColumnSpecs(Arrays.asList("DEFAULT", "1"));
+        assertSame(reference, column.getForeignKeyReference());
+        assertTrue(new TablesNamesFinder().getTables(table).contains("parent"));
+        assertSql(table, "CREATE TABLE t (id INT REFERENCES parent(id) NOT NULL DEFAULT 1)");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void addingStructuredOptionPreservesExistingRawSpecifications() throws JSQLParserException {
+        CreateTable table = parse("id INT NOT NULL");
+        ColumnDefinition column = table.getColumnDefinitions().get(0);
+        assertNull(column.getColumnOptions());
+        ForeignKeyReference reference = parse("id INT REFERENCES parent(id)")
+                .getColumnDefinitions().get(0).getForeignKeyReference();
+        column.addColumnOptions(ColumnOption.reference(reference));
+        assertSql(table, "CREATE TABLE t (id INT NOT NULL REFERENCES parent(id))");
+        assertTrue(new TablesNamesFinder().getTables(table).contains("parent"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void replacingOptionsWithNullClearsPreviousSpecifications() throws JSQLParserException {
+        CreateTable table = parse("id INT GENERATED ALWAYS AS IDENTITY");
+        ColumnDefinition column = table.getColumnDefinitions().get(0);
+        column.setColumnOptions(null);
+        assertNull(column.getColumnSpecs());
+        assertSql(table, "CREATE TABLE t (id INT)");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void legacySetterStillReplacesStructuredOptions() throws JSQLParserException {
+        CreateTable table = parse("id INT REFERENCES parent(id)");
+        ColumnDefinition column = table.getColumnDefinitions().get(0);
+        column.setColumnSpecs(Arrays.asList("NOT", "NULL"));
+        assertNull(column.getForeignKeyReference());
+        assertSql(table, "CREATE TABLE t (id INT NOT NULL)");
+    }
+
+    private static CreateTable parse(String definition) throws JSQLParserException {
+        return (CreateTable) CCJSqlParserUtil.parse("CREATE TABLE t (" + definition + ")");
+    }
+
+    private static void assertSql(CreateTable table, String expected) throws JSQLParserException {
+        assertEquals(expected, table.toString());
+        StringBuilder buffer = new StringBuilder();
+        table.accept(new StatementDeParser(buffer), null);
+        assertEquals(expected, buffer.toString());
+        assertEquals(expected, CCJSqlParserUtil.parse(expected).toString());
+    }
+}