diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/__init__.py b/surfsense_backend/tests/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/conftest.py b/surfsense_backend/tests/conftest.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0eb36016f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_backend/tests/conftest.py
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+"""Root conftest — shared fixtures available to all test modules."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import contextlib
+from collections.abc import AsyncGenerator
+
+import httpx
+import pytest
+
+from tests.utils.helpers import (
+    BACKEND_URL,
+    TEST_SEARCH_SPACE_ID,
+    auth_headers,
+    delete_document,
+    get_auth_token,
+)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="session")
+def backend_url() -> str:
+    return BACKEND_URL
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="session")
+def search_space_id() -> int:
+    return TEST_SEARCH_SPACE_ID
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="session")
+async def auth_token(backend_url: str) -> str:
+    """Authenticate once per session and return the JWT token."""
+    async with httpx.AsyncClient(
+        base_url=backend_url, timeout=30.0
+    ) as client:
+        return await get_auth_token(client)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="session")
+def headers(auth_token: str) -> dict[str, str]:
+    """Authorization headers reused across all tests in the session."""
+    return auth_headers(auth_token)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+async def client(backend_url: str) -> AsyncGenerator[httpx.AsyncClient]:
+    """Per-test async HTTP client pointing at the running backend."""
+    async with httpx.AsyncClient(
+        base_url=backend_url, timeout=180.0
+    ) as c:
+        yield c
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def cleanup_doc_ids() -> list[int]:
+    """Accumulator for document IDs that should be deleted after the test."""
+    return []
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+async def _cleanup_documents(
+    client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+    headers: dict[str, str],
+    cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+):
+    """
+    Runs after every test.  Deletes any document IDs that were appended to
+    the ``cleanup_doc_ids`` list during the test body.
+    """
+    yield
+    for doc_id in cleanup_doc_ids:
+        with contextlib.suppress(Exception):
+            await delete_document(client, headers, doc_id)
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/e2e/__init__.py b/surfsense_backend/tests/e2e/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/e2e/test_document_upload.py b/surfsense_backend/tests/e2e/test_document_upload.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d4540f0b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_backend/tests/e2e/test_document_upload.py
@@ -0,0 +1,487 @@
+"""
+End-to-end tests for manual document upload.
+
+These tests exercise the full pipeline:
+  API upload → Celery task → ETL extraction → chunking → embedding → DB storage
+
+Prerequisites (must be running):
+  - FastAPI backend
+  - PostgreSQL + pgvector
+  - Redis
+  - Celery worker
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import shutil
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import httpx
+
+from tests.utils.helpers import (
+    FIXTURES_DIR,
+    TEST_SEARCH_SPACE_ID,
+    delete_document,
+    get_document,
+    poll_document_status,
+    upload_file,
+    upload_multiple_files,
+)
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Helpers local to this module
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def _assert_document_ready(doc: dict, *, expected_filename: str) -> None:
+    """Common assertions for a successfully processed document."""
+    assert doc["title"] == expected_filename
+    assert doc["document_type"] == "FILE"
+    assert doc["content"], "Document content (summary) should not be empty"
+    assert doc["content_hash"], "content_hash should be set"
+    assert doc["document_metadata"].get("FILE_NAME") == expected_filename
+    assert doc["document_metadata"].get("ETL_SERVICE"), "ETL_SERVICE should be set"
+    if doc.get("status"):
+        assert doc["status"]["state"] == "ready"
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test A: Upload a .txt file (direct read path — no ETL service needed)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestTxtFileUpload:
+    """Upload a plain-text file and verify the full pipeline."""
+
+    async def test_upload_txt_returns_document_id(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+    ):
+        resp = await upload_file(client, headers, "sample.txt")
+        assert resp.status_code == 200
+
+        body = resp.json()
+        assert body["pending_files"] >= 1
+        assert len(body["document_ids"]) >= 1
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(body["document_ids"])
+
+    async def test_txt_processing_reaches_ready(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+    ):
+        resp = await upload_file(client, headers, "sample.txt")
+        assert resp.status_code == 200
+        doc_ids = resp.json()["document_ids"]
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(doc_ids)
+
+        statuses = await poll_document_status(client, headers, doc_ids)
+        for did in doc_ids:
+            assert statuses[did]["status"]["state"] == "ready"
+
+    async def test_txt_document_fields_populated(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+    ):
+        resp = await upload_file(client, headers, "sample.txt")
+        doc_ids = resp.json()["document_ids"]
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(doc_ids)
+
+        await poll_document_status(client, headers, doc_ids)
+
+        doc = await get_document(client, headers, doc_ids[0])
+        _assert_document_ready(doc, expected_filename="sample.txt")
+        assert doc["document_metadata"]["ETL_SERVICE"] == "MARKDOWN"
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test B: Upload a .md file (markdown direct-read path)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestMarkdownFileUpload:
+    """Upload a Markdown file and verify the full pipeline."""
+
+    async def test_md_processing_reaches_ready(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+    ):
+        resp = await upload_file(client, headers, "sample.md")
+        assert resp.status_code == 200
+        doc_ids = resp.json()["document_ids"]
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(doc_ids)
+
+        statuses = await poll_document_status(client, headers, doc_ids)
+        for did in doc_ids:
+            assert statuses[did]["status"]["state"] == "ready"
+
+    async def test_md_document_fields_populated(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+    ):
+        resp = await upload_file(client, headers, "sample.md")
+        doc_ids = resp.json()["document_ids"]
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(doc_ids)
+
+        await poll_document_status(client, headers, doc_ids)
+
+        doc = await get_document(client, headers, doc_ids[0])
+        _assert_document_ready(doc, expected_filename="sample.md")
+        assert doc["document_metadata"]["ETL_SERVICE"] == "MARKDOWN"
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test C: Upload a .pdf file (ETL path — Docling / Unstructured)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestPdfFileUpload:
+    """Upload a PDF and verify it goes through the ETL extraction pipeline."""
+
+    async def test_pdf_processing_reaches_ready(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+    ):
+        resp = await upload_file(client, headers, "sample.pdf")
+        assert resp.status_code == 200
+        doc_ids = resp.json()["document_ids"]
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(doc_ids)
+
+        statuses = await poll_document_status(
+            client, headers, doc_ids, timeout=300.0
+        )
+        for did in doc_ids:
+            assert statuses[did]["status"]["state"] == "ready"
+
+    async def test_pdf_document_fields_populated(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+    ):
+        resp = await upload_file(client, headers, "sample.pdf")
+        doc_ids = resp.json()["document_ids"]
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(doc_ids)
+
+        await poll_document_status(
+            client, headers, doc_ids, timeout=300.0
+        )
+
+        doc = await get_document(client, headers, doc_ids[0])
+        _assert_document_ready(doc, expected_filename="sample.pdf")
+        assert doc["document_metadata"]["ETL_SERVICE"] in {
+            "DOCLING",
+            "UNSTRUCTURED",
+            "LLAMACLOUD",
+        }
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test D: Upload multiple files in a single request
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestMultiFileUpload:
+    """Upload several files at once and verify all are processed."""
+
+    async def test_multi_upload_returns_all_ids(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+    ):
+        resp = await upload_multiple_files(
+            client, headers, ["sample.txt", "sample.md"]
+        )
+        assert resp.status_code == 200
+
+        body = resp.json()
+        assert body["pending_files"] == 2
+        assert len(body["document_ids"]) == 2
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(body["document_ids"])
+
+    async def test_multi_upload_all_reach_ready(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+    ):
+        resp = await upload_multiple_files(
+            client, headers, ["sample.txt", "sample.md"]
+        )
+        doc_ids = resp.json()["document_ids"]
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(doc_ids)
+
+        statuses = await poll_document_status(client, headers, doc_ids)
+        for did in doc_ids:
+            assert statuses[did]["status"]["state"] == "ready"
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test E: Duplicate file upload (same file uploaded twice)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestDuplicateFileUpload:
+    """
+    Uploading the exact same file a second time should be detected as a
+    duplicate via ``unique_identifier_hash``.
+    """
+
+    async def test_duplicate_file_is_skipped(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+    ):
+        # First upload
+        resp1 = await upload_file(client, headers, "sample.txt")
+        assert resp1.status_code == 200
+        first_ids = resp1.json()["document_ids"]
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(first_ids)
+
+        await poll_document_status(client, headers, first_ids)
+
+        # Second upload of the same file
+        resp2 = await upload_file(client, headers, "sample.txt")
+        assert resp2.status_code == 200
+
+        body2 = resp2.json()
+        assert body2["skipped_duplicates"] >= 1
+        assert len(body2["duplicate_document_ids"]) >= 1
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(body2.get("document_ids", []))
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test F: Duplicate content detection (different name, same content)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestDuplicateContentDetection:
+    """
+    Uploading a file with a different name but identical content should be
+    detected as duplicate content via ``content_hash``.
+    """
+
+    async def test_same_content_different_name_detected(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+        tmp_path: Path,
+    ):
+        # First upload
+        resp1 = await upload_file(client, headers, "sample.txt")
+        assert resp1.status_code == 200
+        first_ids = resp1.json()["document_ids"]
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(first_ids)
+        await poll_document_status(client, headers, first_ids)
+
+        # Copy fixture content to a differently named temp file
+        src = FIXTURES_DIR / "sample.txt"
+        dest = tmp_path / "renamed_sample.txt"
+        shutil.copy2(src, dest)
+
+        with open(dest, "rb") as f:
+            resp2 = await client.post(
+                "/api/v1/documents/fileupload",
+                headers=headers,
+                files={"files": ("renamed_sample.txt", f)},
+                data={"search_space_id": str(TEST_SEARCH_SPACE_ID)},
+            )
+        assert resp2.status_code == 200
+        second_ids = resp2.json()["document_ids"]
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(second_ids)
+
+        if second_ids:
+            statuses = await poll_document_status(client, headers, second_ids)
+            for did in second_ids:
+                assert statuses[did]["status"]["state"] == "failed"
+                assert "duplicate" in (
+                    statuses[did]["status"].get("reason", "").lower()
+                )
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test G: Empty / corrupt file handling
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestEmptyFileUpload:
+    """An empty file should be processed but ultimately fail gracefully."""
+
+    async def test_empty_pdf_fails(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+    ):
+        resp = await upload_file(client, headers, "empty.pdf")
+        assert resp.status_code == 200
+
+        doc_ids = resp.json()["document_ids"]
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(doc_ids)
+
+        if doc_ids:
+            statuses = await poll_document_status(
+                client, headers, doc_ids, timeout=120.0
+            )
+            for did in doc_ids:
+                assert statuses[did]["status"]["state"] == "failed"
+                assert statuses[did]["status"].get("reason"), (
+                    "Failed document should include a reason"
+                )
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test H: Upload without authentication
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestUnauthenticatedUpload:
+    """Requests without a valid JWT should be rejected."""
+
+    async def test_upload_without_auth_returns_401(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+    ):
+        file_path = FIXTURES_DIR / "sample.txt"
+        with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
+            resp = await client.post(
+                "/api/v1/documents/fileupload",
+                files={"files": ("sample.txt", f)},
+                data={"search_space_id": str(TEST_SEARCH_SPACE_ID)},
+            )
+        assert resp.status_code == 401
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test I: Upload with no files attached
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestNoFilesUpload:
+    """Submitting the form with zero files should return a validation error."""
+
+    async def test_no_files_returns_error(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+    ):
+        resp = await client.post(
+            "/api/v1/documents/fileupload",
+            headers=headers,
+            data={"search_space_id": str(TEST_SEARCH_SPACE_ID)},
+        )
+        assert resp.status_code in {400, 422}
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test J: Document deletion after successful upload
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestDocumentDeletion:
+    """Upload, wait for ready, delete, then verify it's gone."""
+
+    async def test_delete_processed_document(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+    ):
+        resp = await upload_file(client, headers, "sample.txt")
+        doc_ids = resp.json()["document_ids"]
+        await poll_document_status(client, headers, doc_ids)
+
+        del_resp = await delete_document(client, headers, doc_ids[0])
+        assert del_resp.status_code == 200
+
+        get_resp = await client.get(
+            f"/api/v1/documents/{doc_ids[0]}",
+            headers=headers,
+        )
+        assert get_resp.status_code == 404
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test K: Cannot delete a document while it is still processing
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestDeleteWhileProcessing:
+    """Attempting to delete a pending/processing document should be rejected."""
+
+    async def test_delete_pending_document_returns_409(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+    ):
+        resp = await upload_file(client, headers, "sample.pdf")
+        assert resp.status_code == 200
+        doc_ids = resp.json()["document_ids"]
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(doc_ids)
+
+        # Immediately try to delete before processing finishes
+        del_resp = await delete_document(client, headers, doc_ids[0])
+        assert del_resp.status_code == 409
+
+        # Let it finish so cleanup can work
+        await poll_document_status(
+            client, headers, doc_ids, timeout=300.0
+        )
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test L: Status polling returns correct structure
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+class TestStatusPolling:
+    """Verify the status endpoint returns well-formed responses."""
+
+    async def test_status_endpoint_returns_items(
+        self,
+        client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+        headers: dict[str, str],
+        cleanup_doc_ids: list[int],
+    ):
+        resp = await upload_file(client, headers, "sample.txt")
+        doc_ids = resp.json()["document_ids"]
+        cleanup_doc_ids.extend(doc_ids)
+
+        status_resp = await client.get(
+            "/api/v1/documents/status",
+            headers=headers,
+            params={
+                "search_space_id": TEST_SEARCH_SPACE_ID,
+                "document_ids": ",".join(str(d) for d in doc_ids),
+            },
+        )
+        assert status_resp.status_code == 200
+
+        body = status_resp.json()
+        assert "items" in body
+        assert len(body["items"]) == len(doc_ids)
+        for item in body["items"]:
+            assert "id" in item
+            assert "status" in item
+            assert "state" in item["status"]
+            assert item["status"]["state"] in {
+                "pending",
+                "processing",
+                "ready",
+                "failed",
+            }
+
+        await poll_document_status(client, headers, doc_ids)
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/fixtures/empty.pdf b/surfsense_backend/tests/fixtures/empty.pdf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/fixtures/sample.md b/surfsense_backend/tests/fixtures/sample.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7217540d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_backend/tests/fixtures/sample.md
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+# SurfSense Test Document
+
+## Overview
+
+This is a **sample markdown document** used for end-to-end testing of the manual
+document upload pipeline. It includes various markdown formatting elements.
+
+## Key Features
+
+- Document upload and processing
+- Automatic chunking of content
+- Embedding generation for semantic search
+- Real-time status tracking via ElectricSQL
+
+## Technical Architecture
+
+### Backend Stack
+
+The SurfSense backend is built with:
+
+1. **FastAPI** for the REST API
+2. **PostgreSQL** with pgvector for vector storage
+3. **Celery** with Redis for background task processing
+4. **Docling/Unstructured** for document parsing (ETL)
+
+### Processing Pipeline
+
+Documents go through a multi-stage pipeline:
+
+| Stage | Description |
+|-------|-------------|
+| Upload | File received via API endpoint |
+| Parsing | Content extracted using ETL service |
+| Chunking | Text split into semantic chunks |
+| Embedding | Vector representations generated |
+| Storage | Chunks stored with embeddings in pgvector |
+
+## Code Example
+
+```python
+async def process_document(file_path: str) -> Document:
+    content = extract_content(file_path)
+    chunks = create_chunks(content)
+    embeddings = generate_embeddings(chunks)
+    return store_document(chunks, embeddings)
+```
+
+## Conclusion
+
+This document serves as a test fixture to validate the complete document processing
+pipeline from upload through to chunk creation and embedding storage.
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/fixtures/sample.pdf b/surfsense_backend/tests/fixtures/sample.pdf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..228071def
Binary files /dev/null and b/surfsense_backend/tests/fixtures/sample.pdf differ
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/fixtures/sample.txt b/surfsense_backend/tests/fixtures/sample.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0ee6513b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_backend/tests/fixtures/sample.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+SurfSense Document Upload Test
+
+This is a sample text document used for end-to-end testing of the manual document
+upload pipeline in SurfSense. The document contains multiple paragraphs to ensure
+that the chunking system has enough content to work with.
+
+Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
+
+Artificial intelligence (AI) is a broad field of computer science concerned with
+building smart machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human
+intelligence. Machine learning is a subset of AI that enables systems to learn and
+improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.
+
+Natural Language Processing
+
+Natural language processing (NLP) is a subfield of linguistics, computer science,
+and artificial intelligence concerned with the interactions between computers and
+human language. Key applications include machine translation, sentiment analysis,
+text summarization, and question answering systems.
+
+Vector Databases and Semantic Search
+
+Vector databases store data as high-dimensional vectors, enabling efficient
+similarity search operations. When combined with embedding models, they power
+semantic search systems that understand the meaning behind queries rather than
+relying on exact keyword matches. This technology is fundamental to modern
+retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems.
+
+Document Processing Pipelines
+
+Modern document processing pipelines involve several stages: extraction, transformation,
+chunking, embedding generation, and storage. Each stage plays a critical role in
+converting raw documents into searchable, structured knowledge that can be retrieved
+and used by AI systems for accurate information retrieval and generation.
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/utils/__init__.py b/surfsense_backend/tests/utils/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/utils/helpers.py b/surfsense_backend/tests/utils/helpers.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7c68bfac5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_backend/tests/utils/helpers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,157 @@
+"""Shared test helpers for authentication, polling, and cleanup."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import asyncio
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import httpx
+
+FIXTURES_DIR = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent / "fixtures"
+
+BACKEND_URL = os.environ.get("TEST_BACKEND_URL", "http://localhost:8000")
+TEST_EMAIL = os.environ.get("TEST_USER_EMAIL", "testuser@surfsense.com")
+TEST_PASSWORD = os.environ.get("TEST_USER_PASSWORD", "testpassword123")
+TEST_SEARCH_SPACE_ID = int(os.environ.get("TEST_SEARCH_SPACE_ID", "1"))
+
+
+async def get_auth_token(client: httpx.AsyncClient) -> str:
+    """Log in and return a Bearer JWT token."""
+    response = await client.post(
+        "/auth/jwt/login",
+        data={"username": TEST_EMAIL, "password": TEST_PASSWORD},
+        headers={"Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"},
+    )
+    assert response.status_code == 200, (
+        f"Login failed ({response.status_code}): {response.text}"
+    )
+    return response.json()["access_token"]
+
+
+def auth_headers(token: str) -> dict[str, str]:
+    """Return Authorization header dict for a Bearer token."""
+    return {"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"}
+
+
+async def upload_file(
+    client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+    headers: dict[str, str],
+    fixture_name: str,
+    *,
+    search_space_id: int = TEST_SEARCH_SPACE_ID,
+    filename_override: str | None = None,
+) -> httpx.Response:
+    """Upload a single fixture file and return the raw response."""
+    file_path = FIXTURES_DIR / fixture_name
+    upload_name = filename_override or fixture_name
+    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
+        return await client.post(
+            "/api/v1/documents/fileupload",
+            headers=headers,
+            files={"files": (upload_name, f)},
+            data={"search_space_id": str(search_space_id)},
+        )
+
+
+async def upload_multiple_files(
+    client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+    headers: dict[str, str],
+    fixture_names: list[str],
+    *,
+    search_space_id: int = TEST_SEARCH_SPACE_ID,
+) -> httpx.Response:
+    """Upload multiple fixture files in a single request."""
+    files = []
+    open_handles = []
+    try:
+        for name in fixture_names:
+            fh = open(FIXTURES_DIR / name, "rb")  # noqa: SIM115
+            open_handles.append(fh)
+            files.append(("files", (name, fh)))
+
+        return await client.post(
+            "/api/v1/documents/fileupload",
+            headers=headers,
+            files=files,
+            data={"search_space_id": str(search_space_id)},
+        )
+    finally:
+        for fh in open_handles:
+            fh.close()
+
+
+async def poll_document_status(
+    client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+    headers: dict[str, str],
+    document_ids: list[int],
+    *,
+    search_space_id: int = TEST_SEARCH_SPACE_ID,
+    timeout: float = 180.0,
+    interval: float = 3.0,
+) -> dict[int, dict]:
+    """
+    Poll ``GET /api/v1/documents/status`` until every document reaches a
+    terminal state (``ready`` or ``failed``) or *timeout* seconds elapse.
+
+    Returns a mapping of ``{document_id: status_item_dict}``.
+    """
+    ids_param = ",".join(str(d) for d in document_ids)
+    terminal_states = {"ready", "failed"}
+    elapsed = 0.0
+
+    while elapsed < timeout:
+        resp = await client.get(
+            "/api/v1/documents/status",
+            headers=headers,
+            params={
+                "search_space_id": search_space_id,
+                "document_ids": ids_param,
+            },
+        )
+        assert resp.status_code == 200, (
+            f"Status poll failed ({resp.status_code}): {resp.text}"
+        )
+
+        items = {item["id"]: item for item in resp.json()["items"]}
+        if all(
+            items.get(did, {}).get("status", {}).get("state") in terminal_states
+            for did in document_ids
+        ):
+            return items
+
+        await asyncio.sleep(interval)
+        elapsed += interval
+
+    raise TimeoutError(
+        f"Documents {document_ids} did not reach terminal state within {timeout}s. "
+        f"Last status: {items}"
+    )
+
+
+async def get_document(
+    client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+    headers: dict[str, str],
+    document_id: int,
+) -> dict:
+    """Fetch a single document by ID."""
+    resp = await client.get(
+        f"/api/v1/documents/{document_id}",
+        headers=headers,
+    )
+    assert resp.status_code == 200, (
+        f"GET document {document_id} failed ({resp.status_code}): {resp.text}"
+    )
+    return resp.json()
+
+
+async def delete_document(
+    client: httpx.AsyncClient,
+    headers: dict[str, str],
+    document_id: int,
+) -> httpx.Response:
+    """Delete a document by ID, returning the raw response."""
+    return await client.delete(
+        f"/api/v1/documents/{document_id}",
+        headers=headers,
+    )