diff --git a/playwright.config.ts b/playwright.config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f89bb1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playwright.config.ts
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+import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';
+
+// Phase 1: Playwright is installed and configured but ships no specs.
+// First spec lands in Phase 2 (PIPE-07) — a smoke test that asserts the
+// "Tend the garden / Begin" gesture screen mounts and CORE-01 (game loads
+// in <5s) holds. This config exists so Plan 01 proves Playwright is wired.
+export default defineConfig({
+  testDir: 'tests/e2e',
+  use: { baseURL: 'http://localhost:5173' },
+  webServer: {
+    command: 'npm run dev',
+    url: 'http://localhost:5173',
+    reuseExistingServer: true,
+    timeout: 30_000,
+  },
+});
diff --git a/src/__sentinel__.test.ts b/src/__sentinel__.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..235b2e9
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+++ b/src/__sentinel__.test.ts
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+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
+
+// Phase 1 sentinel test.
+//
+// This test exists purely to prove the test infrastructure is wired:
+//   - vitest can find and run *.test.ts files,
+//   - the happy-dom environment is active (so Plan 03 can rely on `window`
+//     for its IndexedDB-via-fake-indexeddb tests).
+//
+// Delete this file once real tests exist (Plan 03 onward).
+describe('phase-1 test infrastructure sentinel', () => {
+  it('vitest is wired and the happy-dom environment is active', () => {
+    expect(1 + 1).toBe(2);
+    // happy-dom provides `window` in the test env, which save tests will rely on
+    // for IndexedDB. Assert it exists so Plan 03 can trust the env.
+    expect(typeof globalThis.window).toBe('object');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/vitest.config.ts b/vitest.config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d0bff50
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vitest.config.ts
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+import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config';
+
+// Phase 1 test infrastructure config.
+//
+// `happy-dom` is the chosen DOM env because Plan 03's IndexedDB tests will
+// use happy-dom together with `fake-indexeddb/auto` (happy-dom does not ship
+// IndexedDB). RESEARCH § Validation Architecture explicitly calls for this.
+//
+// `passWithNoTests: false` enforces RESEARCH CI Pitfall B — a green CI run
+// must mean tests *ran*, not "no tests existed".
+export default defineConfig({
+  test: {
+    environment: 'happy-dom',
+    include: ['src/**/*.test.ts', 'src/**/*.test.tsx', 'scripts/**/*.test.mjs'],
+    passWithNoTests: false,
+    globals: false,
+  },
+});