diff --git a/discourse-cli/.env.example b/discourse-cli/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5ecce90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/discourse-cli/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# Discourse connection details
+# Copy this file to .env and fill in real values. The .env file is gitignored.
+DISCOURSE_URL=https://discourse.example.com
+DISCOURSE_API_KEY=your-api-key-here
+DISCOURSE_API_USERNAME=your-username
diff --git a/discourse-cli/Dockerfile b/discourse-cli/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..990b133
--- /dev/null
+++ b/discourse-cli/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+FROM python:3.12-slim
+
+ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 \
+    PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE=1 \
+    PIP_NO_CACHE_DIR=1
+
+WORKDIR /app
+
+COPY requirements.txt .
+RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
+
+COPY src/discourse_cli.py /usr/local/bin/discourse-cli
+RUN chmod +x /usr/local/bin/discourse-cli
+
+ENTRYPOINT ["discourse-cli"]
+CMD ["--help"]
diff --git a/discourse-cli/README.md b/discourse-cli/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5e992d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/discourse-cli/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+# discourse-cli
+
+A Docker container that lets an AI agent (or a human) read, post, reply,
+search, and discuss on a [Discourse](https://www.discourse.org/) forum through
+the Discourse REST API. A small Python CLI built on `requests`.
+
+## Requirements
+
+- Docker on the host.
+- A Discourse instance with API access enabled
+  (Admin → API → "All users" or "Single user" API key).
+- An API key and the username the key acts as.
+
+## Configuration
+
+Copy the env template and fill in real values (the `.env` is gitignored):
+
+```bash
+cp .env.example .env
+# then edit .env:
+#   DISCOURSE_URL=https://discourse.example.com
+#   DISCOURSE_API_KEY=abc123...
+#   DISCOURSE_API_USERNAME=your-username
+```
+
+## Build
+
+```bash
+docker build -t kneldevstack-aimiddleware-discourse-cli .
+```
+
+A prebuilt image is also available in the Gitea registry:
+
+```
+git.knownelement.com/reachableceo/discourse-cli:latest
+```
+
+## Usage
+
+### Via docker directly (from this directory)
+
+```bash
+docker run --rm --env-file .env kneldevstack-aimiddleware-discourse-cli whoami
+docker run --rm --env-file .env kneldevstack-aimiddleware-discourse-cli ls
+docker run --rm --env-file .env kneldevstack-aimiddleware-discourse-cli show 42
+docker run --rm --env-file .env kneldevstack-aimiddleware-discourse-cli create -c 5 -t "Hello" -b "Body text"
+docker run --rm --env-file .env kneldevstack-aimiddleware-discourse-cli reply 42 -b "Nice point"
+```
+
+## Commands
+
+| Command                          | Description                                              |
+| -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `whoami`                         | Show the authenticated user (also a connection test).    |
+| `categories`                     | List categories (id, slug, topic count).                |
+| `cat-info <cat>`                 | Show details of a category (id or slug).                |
+| `topics` (`ls`)                  | List topics (latest, or filtered by category/new/unread).|
+| `show <topic_id>`                | Show a topic with all its posts.                         |
+| `create`                         | Create a topic (`--category`, `--title`, `--body`, `--tags`). |
+| `reply <topic_id>`               | Reply to a topic (`--body`, optional `--reply-to`).     |
+| `update <post_id>`               | Update a post (`--body`).                               |
+| `delete <post_id>`               | Delete a post.                                           |
+| `search <query>`                 | Search the forum.                                        |
+| `notifications`                  | List your notifications.                                 |
+
+### `topics` / `ls` filters
+
+- `-c, --category <id|slug>` — only topics in this category
+- `-n, --new` — only new (unread tracking) topics
+- `-u, --unread` — only unread topics
+- `-p, --page <n>` — page number (default 0)
+
+### `create` options
+
+- `-c, --category <id|slug>` — category to post in
+- `-t, --title <text>` — topic title (required)
+- `-b, --body <text>` — post body, raw text or markdown (required)
+- `--tags <a,b,c>` — comma-separated tags
+
+### `reply` options
+
+- `-b, --body <text>` — reply body, raw text or markdown (required)
+- `-r, --reply-to <post_number>` — reply to a specific post number (optional)
+
+## Environment variables
+
+| Variable                | Required | Description                              |
+| ----------------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------- |
+| `DISCOURSE_URL`         | yes      | Base URL of the Discourse instance.      |
+| `DISCOURSE_API_KEY`     | yes      | API key ("All users" or "Single user").  |
+| `DISCOURSE_API_USERNAME`| yes      | Username the API key acts as.            |
diff --git a/discourse-cli/requirements.txt b/discourse-cli/requirements.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0eb8cae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/discourse-cli/requirements.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+requests>=2.31.0
diff --git a/discourse-cli/src/discourse_cli.py b/discourse-cli/src/discourse_cli.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..80debc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/discourse-cli/src/discourse_cli.py
@@ -0,0 +1,434 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Discourse CLI - a thin wrapper around the Discourse REST API.
+
+Connection details come from the environment:
+    DISCOURSE_URL          base URL of the Discourse instance (e.g. https://discourse.example.com)
+    DISCOURSE_API_KEY      API key ("All users" or "Single user" key from Admin > API)
+    DISCOURSE_API_USERNAME username the API key acts as (e.g. system, or your account)
+
+Designed to be run inside the discourse-cli Docker container, but works anywhere
+these environment variables are set.
+"""
+
+import argparse
+import json
+import os
+import sys
+
+import requests
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# HTTP client
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+class DiscourseAPI:
+    """Minimal authenticated Discourse REST client."""
+
+    def __init__(self, url, api_key, api_username):
+        self.base_url = url.rstrip("/")
+        self.headers = {
+            "Api-Key": api_key,
+            "Api-Username": api_username,
+            "Accept": "application/json",
+        }
+        self.timeout = 30
+
+    def _request(self, method, path, **kwargs):
+        url = f"{self.base_url}/{path.lstrip('/')}"
+        resp = requests.request(
+            method, url, headers=self.headers, timeout=self.timeout, **kwargs
+        )
+        if resp.status_code == 429:
+            _err(f"rate limited by Discourse (HTTP 429). Retry later.")
+        if not resp.ok:
+            detail = ""
+            try:
+                detail = resp.json().get("errors", resp.text[:200])
+            except Exception:
+                detail = resp.text[:200]
+            _err(f"Discourse API error {resp.status_code} for {method} {path}: {detail}")
+        if resp.status_code == 204 or not resp.content:
+            return {}
+        return resp.json()
+
+    def get(self, path, params=None):
+        return self._request("GET", path, params=params)
+
+    def post(self, path, data=None):
+        return self._request("POST", path, json=data)
+
+    def put(self, path, data=None):
+        return self._request("PUT", path, json=data)
+
+    def delete(self, path, data=None):
+        return self._request("DELETE", path, json=data)
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# Helpers
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+def _client():
+    """Build and return an authenticated Discourse client, or exit with help."""
+    url = os.environ.get("DISCOURSE_URL", "").strip()
+    key = os.environ.get("DISCOURSE_API_KEY", "").strip()
+    user = os.environ.get("DISCOURSE_API_USERNAME", "").strip()
+    missing = [
+        n
+        for n, v in (
+            ("DISCOURSE_URL", url),
+            ("DISCOURSE_API_KEY", key),
+            ("DISCOURSE_API_USERNAME", user),
+        )
+        if not v
+    ]
+    if missing:
+        sys.stderr.write(
+            "ERROR: missing required environment variable(s): "
+            + ", ".join(missing)
+            + "\n"
+        )
+        sys.exit(2)
+    return DiscourseAPI(url, key, user)
+
+
+def _err(msg, code=1):
+    sys.stderr.write(f"ERROR: {msg}\n")
+    sys.exit(code)
+
+
+def _kv(label, value):
+    """Format a label/value line, omitting falsy values gracefully."""
+    if value in (None, "", [], {}):
+        return None
+    return f"{label:>14}: {value}"
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# Commands
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+def cmd_whoami(args):
+    api = _client()
+    data = api.get("/session/current.json")
+    u = data.get("current_user", {})
+    print(f"id:        {u.get('id', '?')}")
+    print(f"username:  {u.get('username', '?')}")
+    print(f"name:      {u.get('name', '?')}")
+    print(f"admin:     {u.get('admin', False)}")
+    print(f"trust:     {u.get('trust_level', '?')}")
+    print(f"discourse: {os.environ['DISCOURSE_URL']}")
+    return 0
+
+
+def cmd_categories(args):
+    api = _client()
+    data = api.get("/categories.json")
+    cats = data.get("category_list", {}).get("categories", [])
+    print(f"{'ID':<6} {'SLUG':<28} {'TOPICS':>7}  NAME")
+    print("-" * 80)
+    for c in cats:
+        topic_count = c.get("topic_count", 0)
+        print(f"{c.get('id','?'):<6} {str(c.get('slug','')):<28} {topic_count:>6}  {c.get('name','')}")
+    subcats = []
+    for c in cats:
+        subcats.extend(c.get("subcategory_ids", []) or [])
+    print(f"\n{len(cats)} category(ies)")
+    return 0
+
+
+def cmd_topics(args):
+    api = _client()
+    if args.category:
+        cat_id = _resolve_category(api, args.category)
+        data = api.get(f"/c/{cat_id}.json", params={"page": args.page})
+        topics = data.get("topic_list", {}).get("topics", [])
+    else:
+        path = "/latest.json"
+        if args.unread:
+            path = "/unread.json"
+        elif args.new:
+            path = "/new.json"
+        data = api.get(path, params={"page": args.page})
+        topics = data.get("topic_list", {}).get("topics", [])
+
+    print(f"{'ID':<10} {'REPLIES':>8} {'VIEWS':>9}  TITLE")
+    print("-" * 90)
+    for t in topics:
+        if t.get("pinned"):
+            continue
+        replies = t.get("posts_count", 1) - 1
+        views = t.get("views", 0)
+        title = t.get("title", "")
+        print(f"{t.get('id','?'):<10} {replies:>8} {views:>9}  {title}")
+    print(f"\n{len(topics)} topic(s)")
+    return 0
+
+
+def cmd_show(args):
+    api = _client()
+    data = api.get(f"/t/{args.topic_id}.json")
+    print(f"#{data.get('id','?')}: {data.get('title','?')}")
+    print("=" * 90)
+    print(_kv("category_id", data.get("category_id")))
+    print(_kv("views", data.get("views")))
+    print(_kv("like_count", data.get("like_count")))
+    print(_kv("posts_count", data.get("posts_count")))
+    print(_kv("created", data.get("created_at")))
+    print(_kv("last_posted", data.get("last_posted_at")))
+    print("")
+
+    posts = data.get("post_stream", {}).get("posts", [])
+    for idx, p in enumerate(posts, start=1):
+        post_num = p.get("post_number", idx)
+        author = p.get("username", "?")
+        created = p.get("created_at", "?")
+        likes = p.get("actions_summary", [])
+        like_count = 0
+        for a in likes:
+            if a.get("id") == 2:
+                like_count = a.get("count", 0)
+        print(f"\n--- #{post_num} [{post_num}] {author} ({created})  likes={like_count} ---")
+        cooked = p.get("cooked", "")
+        text = _strip_html(cooked)
+        if text.strip():
+            print(text.strip())
+        else:
+            print("(no content)")
+    return 0
+
+
+def cmd_create(args):
+    api = _client()
+    if not args.title:
+        _err("--title is required to create a topic")
+    if not args.body:
+        _err("--body is required to create a topic")
+    cat_id = _resolve_category(api, args.category) if args.category else None
+    payload = {
+        "title": args.title,
+        "raw": args.body,
+    }
+    if cat_id is not None:
+        payload["category"] = cat_id
+    if args.tags:
+        payload["tags"] = [t.strip() for t in args.tags.split(",") if t.strip()]
+    data = api.post("/posts.json", data=payload)
+    topic_id = data.get("topic_id", "?")
+    post_id = data.get("id", "?")
+    print(f"Created topic #{topic_id} (post #{post_id}): {args.title}")
+    if topic_id != "?":
+        print(f"URL: {os.environ['DISCOURSE_URL']}/t/{topic_id}")
+    return 0
+
+
+def cmd_reply(args):
+    api = _client()
+    if not args.body:
+        _err("--body is required to reply")
+    payload = {"topic_id": args.topic_id, "raw": args.body}
+    if args.reply_to:
+        payload["reply_to_post_number"] = args.reply_to
+    data = api.post("/posts.json", data=payload)
+    post_id = data.get("id", "?")
+    post_num = data.get("post_number", "?")
+    print(f"Posted reply #{post_num} (id={post_id}) in topic #{args.topic_id}")
+    return 0
+
+
+def cmd_update(args):
+    api = _client()
+    if not args.body:
+        _err("--body is required to update a post")
+    data = api.put(f"/posts/{args.post_id}.json", data={"post": {"raw": args.body}})
+    post_num = data.get("post", {}).get("post_number", "?")
+    print(f"Updated post #{post_num} (id={args.post_id})")
+    return 0
+
+
+def cmd_delete(args):
+    api = _client()
+    api.delete(f"/posts/{args.post_id}.json")
+    print(f"Deleted post #{args.post_id}")
+    return 0
+
+
+def cmd_search(args):
+    api = _client()
+    params = {"q": args.query, "page": args.page}
+    data = api.get("/search.json", params=params)
+    topics = data.get("topics", [])
+    posts = data.get("posts", [])
+    topic_map = {t.get("id"): t for t in topics}
+    print(f"{'TOPIC':<10} {'POST':<8}  BLURB")
+    print("-" * 90)
+    for p in posts:
+        tid = p.get("topic_id", "?")
+        t = topic_map.get(tid, {})
+        title = t.get("title", "")
+        blurb = p.get("blurb", "")
+        pid = p.get("id", "?")
+        print(f"{tid:<10} {pid:<8}  {title}")
+        if blurb:
+            print(f"{'':<20}{blurb}")
+    print(f"\n{len(posts)} result(s)")
+    return 0
+
+
+def cmd_notifications(args):
+    api = _client()
+    data = api.get("/notifications.json")
+    notifs = data.get("notifications", [])
+    if not notifs:
+        print("(no notifications)")
+        return 0
+    print(f"{'ID':<10} {'READ':>5}  TYPE                 SUBJECT")
+    print("-" * 90)
+    for n in notifs[: args.limit]:
+        nid = n.get("id", "?")
+        read = "yes" if n.get("read") else "no"
+        ntype = n.get("notification_type", "?")
+        subject = n.get("slug") or n.get("data", {}).get("topic_title", "")
+        print(f"{nid:<10} {read:>5}  {str(ntype):<20} {subject}")
+    print(f"\n{len(notifs)} notification(s), showing {min(len(notifs), args.limit)}")
+    return 0
+
+
+def cmd_categories_info(args):
+    api = _client()
+    cat_id = _resolve_category(api, args.category)
+    data = api.get(f"/c/{cat_id}/show.json")
+    c = data.get("category", {})
+    print(f"#{c.get('id','?')}: {c.get('name','?')}")
+    print("=" * 60)
+    print(_kv("slug", c.get("slug")))
+    print(_kv("color", c.get("color")))
+    print(_kv("topic_count", c.get("topic_count")))
+    print(_kv("post_count", c.get("post_count")))
+    print(_kv("description", _strip_html(c.get("description", "") or "")[:200]))
+    return 0
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# Resolution helpers
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+def _resolve_category(api, ref):
+    """Resolve a category id, slug, or name to a numeric id."""
+    if str(ref).isdigit():
+        return int(ref)
+    data = api.get("/categories.json")
+    cats = data.get("category_list", {}).get("categories", [])
+    needle = str(ref).strip().lower()
+    for c in cats:
+        if str(c.get("slug", "")).lower() == needle:
+            return c["id"]
+        if str(c.get("name", "")).lower() == needle:
+            return c["id"]
+    _err(f"unknown category '{ref}'. Run 'categories' to list valid slugs/names.")
+
+
+def _strip_html(cooked):
+    """Very small HTML-to-text for display of Discourse 'cooked' post bodies."""
+    import html
+    import re
+
+    if not cooked:
+        return ""
+    # Preserve block-level breaks
+    text = re.sub(r"(?i)</(p|div|li|h[1-6]|tr|blockquote)>", "\n", cooked)
+    text = re.sub(r"(?i)<br\s*/?>", "\n", text)
+    text = re.sub(r"(?i)<li[^>]*>", "  - ", text)
+    # Code blocks
+    text = re.sub(r"(?i)<code[^>]*>", "`", text)
+    text = re.sub(r"(?i)</code>", "`", text)
+    # Strip all remaining tags
+    text = re.sub(r"<[^>]+>", "", text)
+    text = html.unescape(text)
+    # Collapse excessive blank lines
+    text = re.sub(r"\n{3,}", "\n\n", text)
+    return text
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# Argument parsing
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------------- #
+def build_parser():
+    p = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        prog="discourse-cli",
+        description="Read, post, and discuss on a Discourse forum via the REST API.",
+    )
+    sub = p.add_subparsers(dest="command", required=True)
+
+    sub.add_parser(
+        "whoami", help="show the authenticated user (connection test)"
+    ).set_defaults(func=cmd_whoami)
+
+    sp = sub.add_parser("categories", help="list categories")
+    sp.set_defaults(func=cmd_categories)
+
+    sp = sub.add_parser("cat-info", help="show details of a category")
+    sp.add_argument("category", metavar="ID_OR_SLUG")
+    sp.set_defaults(func=cmd_categories_info)
+
+    sp = sub.add_parser("topics", aliases=["ls"], help="list topics (latest or in a category)")
+    sp.add_argument("-c", "--category", metavar="ID_OR_SLUG", help="filter by category")
+    sp.add_argument("-n", "--new", action="store_true", help="only new topics")
+    sp.add_argument("-u", "--unread", action="store_true", help="only unread topics")
+    sp.add_argument("-p", "--page", type=int, default=0, help="page number (default 0)")
+    sp.set_defaults(func=cmd_topics)
+
+    sp = sub.add_parser("show", help="show a topic with its posts")
+    sp.add_argument("topic_id", type=int)
+    sp.set_defaults(func=cmd_show)
+
+    sp = sub.add_parser("create", help="create a new topic")
+    sp.add_argument("-c", "--category", metavar="ID_OR_SLUG")
+    sp.add_argument("-t", "--title", required=True, help="topic title")
+    sp.add_argument("-b", "--body", required=True, help="post body (raw text/markdown)")
+    sp.add_argument("--tags", help="comma-separated tags")
+    sp.set_defaults(func=cmd_create)
+
+    sp = sub.add_parser("reply", help="reply to a topic")
+    sp.add_argument("topic_id", type=int)
+    sp.add_argument("-b", "--body", required=True, help="reply body (raw text/markdown)")
+    sp.add_argument(
+        "-r", "--reply-to", type=int, metavar="POST_NUMBER", help="reply to a specific post number"
+    )
+    sp.set_defaults(func=cmd_reply)
+
+    sp = sub.add_parser("update", help="update an existing post")
+    sp.add_argument("post_id", type=int)
+    sp.add_argument("-b", "--body", required=True, help="new post body (raw text/markdown)")
+    sp.set_defaults(func=cmd_update)
+
+    sp = sub.add_parser("delete", help="delete a post")
+    sp.add_argument("post_id", type=int)
+    sp.set_defaults(func=cmd_delete)
+
+    sp = sub.add_parser("search", help="search the forum")
+    sp.add_argument("query", help="search query")
+    sp.add_argument("-p", "--page", type=int, default=1, help="page number (default 1)")
+    sp.set_defaults(func=cmd_search)
+
+    sp = sub.add_parser("notifications", help="list your notifications")
+    sp.add_argument("-l", "--limit", type=int, default=20, help="max results (default 20)")
+    sp.set_defaults(func=cmd_notifications)
+
+    return p
+
+
+def main(argv=None):
+    parser = build_parser()
+    args = parser.parse_args(argv)
+    try:
+        return args.func(args)
+    except requests.exceptions.ConnectionError:
+        _err(f"could not connect to Discourse at {os.environ.get('DISCOURSE_URL','?')}", 2)
+    except requests.exceptions.Timeout:
+        _err("request timed out talking to Discourse", 2)
+    except SystemExit:
+        raise
+    except Exception as e:  # noqa: BLE001 - top-level safety net for the CLI
+        _err(f"{type(e).__name__}: {e}")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())
diff --git a/discourse-cli/validate.sh b/discourse-cli/validate.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..93d4d84
--- /dev/null
+++ b/discourse-cli/validate.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,209 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# discourse-cli validation script.
+# Runs everything inside containers so no host tooling (curl, etc.) is needed.
+#
+# Usage:  ./validate.sh   (reads .env from the discourse-cli directory)
+#
+# Exit codes: 0 = all checks passed, 1 = one or more checks failed
+set -eu
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+cd "$SCRIPT_DIR"
+
+# Ensure .env exists
+if [ ! -f .env ]; then
+    echo "FAIL: .env not found. Copy .env.example to .env and fill in real values."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+IMAGE="${DISCOURSE_CLI_IMAGE:-kneldevstack-aimiddleware-discourse-cli}"
+PASS=0
+FAIL=0
+TOTAL=0
+
+ok()   { TOTAL=$((TOTAL+1)); echo "PASS: $1"; PASS=$((PASS+1)); }
+fail() { TOTAL=$((TOTAL+1)); echo "FAIL: $1"; FAIL=$((FAIL+1)); }
+
+echo "============================================"
+echo "  discourse-cli validation"
+echo "  image: ${IMAGE}"
+echo "============================================"
+echo ""
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# 0. Credential sanity (raw HTTP via containerized curl)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+echo "--- [0] Credential check (raw HTTP via containerized curl) ---"
+
+# Load env vars from .env for the raw test
+DISCOURSE_URL=$(grep -E '^DISCOURSE_URL=' .env | cut -d= -f2-)
+DISCOURSE_API_KEY=$(grep -E '^DISCOURSE_API_KEY=' .env | cut -d= -f2-)
+DISCOURSE_API_USERNAME=$(grep -E '^DISCOURSE_API_USERNAME=' .env | cut -d= -f2-)
+
+HTTP_CODE=$(docker run --rm curlimages/curl:latest \
+    -s -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}' \
+    -H "Api-Key: ${DISCOURSE_API_KEY}" \
+    -H "Api-Username: ${DISCOURSE_API_USERNAME}" \
+    -H "Accept: application/json" \
+    "${DISCOURSE_URL}/session/current.json" 2>/dev/null || echo "000")
+
+if [ "$HTTP_CODE" = "200" ]; then
+    ok "raw HTTP credentials accepted (HTTP ${HTTP_CODE})"
+else
+    fail "raw HTTP credentials rejected (HTTP ${HTTP_CODE})"
+    echo "  -> Discourse at ${DISCOURSE_URL} returned ${HTTP_CODE} for /session/current.json"
+    echo "  -> Check: API key active? IP allowlist? Username matches key scope?"
+    echo ""
+    echo "  Stopping: cannot validate CLI commands without valid credentials."
+    echo ""
+    echo "============================================"
+    echo "  RESULTS: ${PASS}/${TOTAL} passed, ${FAIL} failed"
+    echo "============================================"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# 1. whoami (live connection test)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+echo "--- [1] whoami ---"
+OUT=$(docker run --rm --env-file .env "${IMAGE}" whoami 2>&1) || true
+if echo "$OUT" | grep -qE '^username:'; then
+    ok "whoami returned user info"
+    echo "  $OUT" | head -5
+else
+    fail "whoami did not return expected output"
+    echo "  $OUT" | head -5
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# 2. categories (live read)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+echo "--- [2] categories ---"
+OUT=$(docker run --rm --env-file .env "${IMAGE}" categories 2>&1) || true
+if echo "$OUT" | grep -qE '^[0-9]+ category'; then
+    ok "categories returned data"
+    echo "  $OUT" | head -6
+    # Grab first category id for later tests
+    CAT_ID=$(echo "$OUT" | grep -E '^[0-9]' | head -1 | awk '{print $1}')
+else
+    fail "categories did not return expected output"
+    echo "  $OUT" | head -6
+    CAT_ID=""
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# 3. topics / ls (live read)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+echo "--- [3] topics (latest) ---"
+OUT=$(docker run --rm --env-file .env "${IMAGE}" ls 2>&1) || true
+if echo "$OUT" | grep -qE 'topic\(s\)'; then
+    ok "topics list returned data"
+    echo "  $OUT" | head -6
+    TOPIC_ID=$(echo "$OUT" | grep -E '^[0-9]' | head -1 | awk '{print $1}')
+else
+    fail "topics list did not return expected output"
+    echo "  $OUT" | head -6
+    TOPIC_ID=""
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# 4. show topic (live read)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+if [ -n "${TOPIC_ID:-}" ]; then
+    echo "--- [4] show topic ${TOPIC_ID} ---"
+    OUT=$(docker run --rm --env-file .env "${IMAGE}" show "${TOPIC_ID}" 2>&1) || true
+    if echo "$OUT" | grep -qE '^#'; then
+        ok "show topic ${TOPIC_ID} returned content"
+        echo "  $OUT" | head -8
+    else
+        fail "show topic ${TOPIC_ID} did not return expected output"
+        echo "  $OUT" | head -8
+    fi
+else
+    echo "--- [4] show topic (SKIPPED - no topic id found in step 3) ---"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# 5. search (live read)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+echo "--- [5] search ---"
+OUT=$(docker run --rm --env-file .env "${IMAGE}" search "test" 2>&1) || true
+if echo "$OUT" | grep -qE 'result\(s\)'; then
+    ok "search returned results"
+    echo "  $OUT" | head -5
+else
+    fail "search did not return expected output"
+    echo "  $OUT" | head -5
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# 6. create + reply + update + delete (live write cycle)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+echo "--- [6] create + reply + update + delete (write cycle) ---"
+
+CREATE_OUT=$(docker run --rm --env-file .env "${IMAGE}" create \
+    ${CAT_ID:+-c "$CAT_ID"} \
+    -t "discourse-cli validation test $(date +%s)" \
+    -b "This is an automated validation test post. It will be cleaned up shortly after creation." \
+    2>&1) || true
+NEW_TOPIC_ID=$(echo "$CREATE_OUT" | grep -oE 'topic #[0-9]+' | grep -oE '[0-9]+')
+
+if [ -n "${NEW_TOPIC_ID:-}" ]; then
+    ok "create topic succeeded (topic #${NEW_TOPIC_ID})"
+    echo "  $CREATE_OUT"
+
+    # reply
+    REPLY_OUT=$(docker run --rm --env-file .env "${IMAGE}" reply "${NEW_TOPIC_ID}" \
+        -b "Validation reply test." 2>&1) || true
+    POST_ID=$(echo "$REPLY_OUT" | grep -oE 'id=[0-9]+' | grep -oE '[0-9]+')
+    if echo "$REPLY_OUT" | grep -qE 'Posted reply'; then
+        ok "reply succeeded"
+        echo "  $REPLY_OUT"
+    else
+        fail "reply failed"
+        echo "  $REPLY_OUT"
+    fi
+
+    # update
+    if [ -n "${POST_ID:-}" ]; then
+        UPD_OUT=$(docker run --rm --env-file .env "${IMAGE}" update "${POST_ID}" \
+            -b "Updated validation reply test." 2>&1) || true
+        if echo "$UPD_OUT" | grep -qE 'Updated post'; then
+            ok "update post ${POST_ID} succeeded"
+        else
+            fail "update post ${POST_ID} failed"
+            echo "  $UPD_OUT"
+        fi
+
+        # delete
+        DEL_OUT=$(docker run --rm --env-file .env "${IMAGE}" delete "${POST_ID}" 2>&1) || true
+        if echo "$DEL_OUT" | grep -qE 'Deleted post'; then
+            ok "delete post ${POST_ID} succeeded"
+        else
+            fail "delete post ${POST_ID} failed"
+            echo "  $DEL_OUT"
+        fi
+    fi
+else
+    fail "create topic failed"
+    echo "  $CREATE_OUT"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+# Summary
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
+echo "============================================"
+echo "  RESULTS: ${PASS}/${TOTAL} passed, ${FAIL} failed"
+echo "============================================"
+
+if [ "$FAIL" -gt 0 ]; then
+    exit 1
+fi
+exit 0