diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/unit/podcasts/test_draft_task.py b/surfsense_backend/tests/unit/podcasts/test_draft_task.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d04692ae4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_backend/tests/unit/podcasts/test_draft_task.py
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+"""The transcript-drafting task's billing gate.
+
+Drafting is the expensive LLM step, so it runs under ``billable_call``. The
+behavior that protects users' money: if billing denies the reservation the
+podcast must end FAILED with no transcript, and only when billing succeeds does
+a drafted transcript open the review gate. These tests fake the true
+boundaries — the database, the billing system, and the generation graph — and
+assert the podcast's resulting state, never how those boundaries were called.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+from uuid import uuid4
+
+import pytest
+
+from app.podcasts.persistence import Podcast, PodcastStatus
+from app.podcasts.service import read_transcript
+from app.podcasts.tasks import draft
+from app.services.billable_calls import (
+    BillingSettlementError,
+    QuotaInsufficientError,
+)
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.unit
+
+
+def _drafting_podcast(make_spec) -> Podcast:
+    """A podcast already at DRAFTING with an approved brief, as the API leaves it."""
+    podcast = Podcast(
+        title="Episode",
+        search_space_id=42,
+        status=PodcastStatus.DRAFTING,
+        spec_version=1,
+    )
+    podcast.id = 1
+    podcast.thread_id = None
+    podcast.spec = make_spec().model_dump(mode="json")
+    podcast.source_content = "Some source material to discuss."
+    return podcast
+
+
+def _wire_boundaries(monkeypatch, *, session, billable_call, transcript=None):
+    """Replace every external dependency the task body reaches for."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr(draft, "get_celery_session_maker", lambda: (lambda: session))
+
+    async def _resolver(_session, _search_space_id, *, thread_id=None):
+        return uuid4(), "free", "openrouter/model"
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        draft, "_resolve_agent_billing_for_search_space", _resolver
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr(draft, "billable_call", billable_call)
+
+    async def _ainvoke(_state, config=None):
+        return {"transcript": transcript}
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(draft, "transcript_graph", SimpleNamespace(ainvoke=_ainvoke))
+
+
+async def test_successful_billing_opens_the_review_gate_with_a_transcript(
+    monkeypatch, make_celery_session, make_spec, make_transcript
+):
+    podcast = _drafting_podcast(make_spec)
+    session = make_celery_session(podcast)
+
+    @asynccontextmanager
+    async def _ok(**_kwargs):
+        yield SimpleNamespace()
+
+    _wire_boundaries(
+        monkeypatch, session=session, billable_call=_ok, transcript=make_transcript()
+    )
+
+    result = await draft._draft_transcript(podcast_id=1, search_space_id=42)
+
+    assert podcast.status == PodcastStatus.AWAITING_REVIEW
+    assert read_transcript(podcast) is not None
+    assert result["status"] == "awaiting_review"
+
+
+async def test_quota_denial_fails_the_podcast_without_a_transcript(
+    monkeypatch, make_celery_session, make_spec
+):
+    """A denied reservation must not leave a half-drafted, billable mess."""
+    podcast = _drafting_podcast(make_spec)
+    session = make_celery_session(podcast)
+
+    @asynccontextmanager
+    async def _deny(**_kwargs):
+        raise QuotaInsufficientError(
+            usage_type="podcast_generation",
+            used_micros=5_000_000,
+            limit_micros=5_000_000,
+            remaining_micros=0,
+        )
+        yield  # pragma: no cover - unreachable, satisfies the CM protocol
+
+    _wire_boundaries(monkeypatch, session=session, billable_call=_deny)
+
+    result = await draft._draft_transcript(podcast_id=1, search_space_id=42)
+
+    assert podcast.status == PodcastStatus.FAILED
+    assert read_transcript(podcast) is None
+    assert result["reason"] == "quota"
+
+
+async def test_billing_settlement_failure_fails_the_podcast(
+    monkeypatch, make_celery_session, make_spec, make_transcript
+):
+    podcast = _drafting_podcast(make_spec)
+    session = make_celery_session(podcast)
+
+    @asynccontextmanager
+    async def _settlement_fails(**_kwargs):
+        yield SimpleNamespace()
+        raise BillingSettlementError(
+            usage_type="podcast_generation",
+            user_id=uuid4(),
+            cause=RuntimeError("finalize failed"),
+        )
+
+    _wire_boundaries(
+        monkeypatch,
+        session=session,
+        billable_call=_settlement_fails,
+        transcript=make_transcript(),
+    )
+
+    result = await draft._draft_transcript(podcast_id=1, search_space_id=42)
+
+    assert podcast.status == PodcastStatus.FAILED
+    assert result["reason"] == "billing"