diff --git a/e2e/smoke.spec.ts b/e2e/smoke.spec.ts
index eec460c..dc7403f 100644
--- a/e2e/smoke.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/smoke.spec.ts
@@ -148,7 +148,9 @@ test('SHIP SYSTEMS tab performs an affordable action and reflects it in the card
   // a build costs three parts. Jumping keeps it going if a whole system is exhausted.
   let ship = (await (await page.request.get('/api/ship')).json()) as ShipState;
   const upgradeTarget = () => ship.systems.find((s) => s.built && s.level < 5 && totalQty(ship.inventory, 'resource') >= s.level);
-  const buildTarget = () => (totalQty(ship.inventory, 'part') >= 3 ? ship.systems.find((s) => !s.built) : undefined);
+  // WEAPONS is gated behind the unresearched WEAPONS SYSTEMS tech — its build path is covered by
+  // the research test below, so this one only targets ungated types.
+  const buildTarget = () => (totalQty(ship.inventory, 'part') >= 3 ? ship.systems.find((s) => !s.built && s.type !== 'WEAPONS') : undefined);
 
   let iterations = 0;
   while (!upgradeTarget() && !buildTarget() && iterations < 60) {
@@ -204,6 +206,58 @@ test('SHIP SYSTEMS tab performs an affordable action and reflects it in the card
   }
 });
 
+test('SKILL TREE tab researches WEAPONS SYSTEMS and unlocks the gated WEAPONS build', async ({ page }) => {
+  // Research costs two parts, building WEAPONS three — scan until the hold has five. Parts drop on
+  // ~30% of scans, so P(<5 in 80 scans) is negligible; jumping keeps it going if a system exhausts.
+  let ship = (await (await page.request.get('/api/ship')).json()) as ShipState;
+  let iterations = 0;
+  while (totalQty(ship.inventory, 'part') < 5 && iterations < 80) {
+    iterations++;
+    const sys = (await (await page.request.get('/api/system')).json()) as SystemState;
+    const unexplored = sys.planets.filter((p) => !p.explored);
+    if (unexplored.length > 0) {
+      expect((await page.request.post('/api/explore', { data: { planetId: unexplored[0].id } })).status()).toBe(200);
+    } else {
+      const world = (await (await page.request.get('/api/world')).json()) as WorldState;
+      const currentId = world.systems.find((s) => s.current)!.id;
+      const edge = world.edges.find(([a, b]) => a === currentId || b === currentId)!;
+      const targetId = edge[0] === currentId ? edge[1] : edge[0];
+      expect((await page.request.post('/api/jump', { data: { systemId: targetId } })).status()).toBe(200);
+    }
+    ship = (await (await page.request.get('/api/ship')).json()) as ShipState;
+  }
+  expect(totalQty(ship.inventory, 'part')).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(5);
+
+  await page.goto('/');
+
+  // SHIP SYSTEMS tab: BUILD NEW on WEAPONS is disabled — gated behind the unresearched tech.
+  await page.getByRole('tab', { name: 'SHIP SYSTEMS' }).click();
+  const weaponsCard = page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'WEAPONS' }).locator('xpath=ancestor::div[3]');
+  await expect(weaponsCard.getByText('REQUIRES // WEAPONS SYSTEMS')).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(weaponsCard.getByRole('button', { name: 'BUILD NEW' })).toBeDisabled();
+
+  // SKILL TREE tab: research WEAPONS SYSTEMS (two parts) — the card flips to RESEARCHED.
+  await page.getByRole('tab', { name: 'SKILL TREE' }).click();
+  const techCard = page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'WEAPONS SYSTEMS' }).locator('xpath=ancestor::div[3]');
+  await expect(techCard.getByText('AVAILABLE')).toBeVisible(); // root tech — no prerequisites
+  await expect(techCard.getByRole('button', { name: 'RESEARCH' })).toBeEnabled(); // parts ≥ 2
+  const turnBefore = ship.turn;
+  await techCard.getByRole('button', { name: 'RESEARCH' }).click();
+  await expect(techCard.getByText('RESEARCHED')).toBeVisible();
+
+  const afterResearch = (await (await page.request.get('/api/ship')).json()) as ShipState;
+  expect(afterResearch.turn).toBe(turnBefore + 1); // research costs a turn
+
+  // The gated ship action is now available: BUILD NEW on WEAPONS flips to enabled and builds.
+  await page.getByRole('tab', { name: 'SHIP SYSTEMS' }).click();
+  await expect(weaponsCard.getByRole('button', { name: 'BUILD NEW' })).toBeEnabled();
+  await weaponsCard.getByRole('button', { name: 'BUILD NEW' }).click();
+
+  const afterBuild = (await (await page.request.get('/api/ship')).json()) as ShipState;
+  expect(afterBuild.systems.find((s) => s.type === 'WEAPONS')!.built).toBe(true);
+  await expect(weaponsCard.getByText('LV 1')).toBeVisible();
+});
+
 test('GET /api/version reports the app version as JSON', async ({ page }) => {
   const res = await page.request.get('/api/version');
   expect(res.status()).toBe(200);
diff --git a/e2e/state.spec.ts b/e2e/state.spec.ts
index bdb7702..4c7b94f 100644
--- a/e2e/state.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/state.spec.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ interface SystemState { systemId: number; systemName: string; planets: PlanetDto
 interface CrewDto { id: number; name: string; role: string; traitGood: string; traitBad: string; origin: string }
 interface ShipSystemDto { id: number; type: string; level: number; capacity: number; built: boolean }
 interface ShipState { systems: ShipSystemDto[]; inventory: { kind: string; name: string; qty: number }[]; turn: number }
+interface TechDto { id: number; slug: string; name: string; costKind: string; costQty: number; prereqs: string[]; effect: string; state: string; missingPrereqs: string[] }
 
 test('app survives a container restart (stack + volume persistence)', async ({ page }) => {
   test.setTimeout(180_000);
@@ -58,6 +59,10 @@ test('app survives a container restart (stack + volume persistence)', async ({ p
   const shipBefore = (await (await page.request.get('/api/ship')).json()) as ShipState;
   expect(shipBefore.systems.length).toBeGreaterThan(0); // starting ship is always seeded
 
+  // Tech baseline: the researched flags must survive too.
+  const techBefore = (await (await page.request.get('/api/tech')).json()) as TechDto[];
+  expect(techBefore.length).toBeGreaterThan(0); // the tech tree is always seeded
+
   // Restart the app container mid-run — the named DB volume must survive it.
   execSync(`docker compose ${composeArgs} restart space-wanderer`, { cwd: repoRoot, stdio: 'pipe' });
 
@@ -96,6 +101,10 @@ test('app survives a container restart (stack + volume persistence)', async ({ p
   const shipAfter = (await (await page.request.get('/api/ship')).json()) as ShipState;
   expect(shipAfter).toEqual(shipBefore);
 
+  // Tech tree survived too: same researched flags (no re-seed on restart).
+  const techAfter = (await (await page.request.get('/api/tech')).json()) as TechDto[];
+  expect(techAfter).toEqual(techBefore);
+
   // The page itself serves again with the landing title.
   await page.goto('/');
   await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'SpaceWanderer' })).toBeVisible();