diff --git a/src/hooks/useOnboardingChecklist.wiring.test.ts b/src/hooks/useOnboardingChecklist.wiring.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..10a4bc0
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+++ b/src/hooks/useOnboardingChecklist.wiring.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,202 @@
+// useOnboardingChecklist — the hook's own wiring (#396).
+//
+// The reducer, the loader, the follower and the derivation are tested in
+// useOnboardingChecklist.test.ts; renderToStaticMarkup runs no effect, so what
+// the hook does with React would stay unguarded. Here React's hooks are
+// stubbed (same technique as useImportWizard.executeImport.test.ts): the hook
+// runs as a plain function on a prepared state, its effects are captured and
+// run by hand, and the onboarding service is mocked.
+
+import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
+
+type Effect = { fn: () => void | (() => void); deps: readonly unknown[] | undefined };
+
+const harness = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  state: null as unknown,
+  dispatch: vi.fn(),
+  effects: [] as Effect[],
+  pathname: "/",
+}));
+
+vi.mock("react", async (importOriginal) => {
+  const actual = await importOriginal<typeof import("react")>();
+  return {
+    ...actual,
+    useReducer: () => [harness.state, harness.dispatch],
+    useState: (init: unknown) => [typeof init === "function" ? (init as () => unknown)() : init, () => undefined],
+    useCallback: (fn: unknown) => fn,
+    useMemo: (fn: () => unknown) => fn(),
+    useEffect: (fn: Effect["fn"], deps?: readonly unknown[]) => {
+      harness.effects.push({ fn, deps });
+    },
+  };
+});
+vi.mock("react-router-dom", () => ({ useLocation: () => ({ pathname: harness.pathname }) }));
+vi.mock("./useEntitlement", () => ({ useEntitlement: () => ({ allowed: true, ready: true }) }));
+vi.mock("../services/logService", () => ({ logInfo: vi.fn(), logWarn: vi.fn(), logError: vi.fn() }));
+vi.mock("../services/onboardingService", () => ({
+  getOnboardingSnapshot: vi.fn(),
+  initializeGuidedPath: vi.fn(),
+  hideChecklist: vi.fn(),
+  showChecklist: vi.fn(),
+  skipStep: vi.fn(),
+  resumeStep: vi.fn(),
+}));
+
+import {
+  useOnboardingChecklist,
+  initialOnboardingChecklistState,
+  onboardingChecklistReducer,
+  type OnboardingChecklistState,
+} from "./useOnboardingChecklist";
+import { notifyDataChanged } from "../services/dataEvents";
+import { logError } from "../services/logService";
+import {
+  getOnboardingSnapshot,
+  hideChecklist,
+  initializeGuidedPath,
+  resumeStep,
+  showChecklist,
+  skipStep,
+  type OnboardingSnapshot,
+} from "../services/onboardingService";
+
+const snapshot: OnboardingSnapshot = {
+  counters: { sources: 1, imports: 1, manualCategorized: 0, budgetEntries: 0, transactions: 12 },
+  importFolderSet: true,
+  hidden: false,
+  skipped: [],
+};
+
+const ready: OnboardingChecklistState = [
+  { type: "LOAD_START", seq: 1 } as const,
+  { type: "LOAD_DONE", seq: 1, snapshot } as const,
+].reduce(onboardingChecklistReducer, initialOnboardingChecklistState);
+
+/** Lets the loader's promises settle. */
+const flush = async () => {
+  for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) await Promise.resolve();
+};
+
+const actionsOfType = (type: string) =>
+  harness.dispatch.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0]).filter((a) => a.type === type);
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  harness.state = initialOnboardingChecklistState;
+  harness.pathname = "/";
+  harness.effects = [];
+  harness.dispatch.mockReset();
+  vi.mocked(getOnboardingSnapshot).mockReset().mockResolvedValue(snapshot);
+  vi.mocked(initializeGuidedPath).mockReset().mockResolvedValue({ hidden: false });
+  for (const write of [hideChecklist, showChecklist, skipStep, resumeStep]) {
+    vi.mocked(write).mockReset().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+  }
+  vi.mocked(logError).mockReset();
+});
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  vi.useRealTimers();
+});
+
+describe("useOnboardingChecklist — wiring (#396)", () => {
+  it("reads at mount, through rule D9, and again whenever the route changes", async () => {
+    harness.pathname = "/import";
+    useOnboardingChecklist();
+    const [reread] = harness.effects;
+    // The route is a dependency: React runs the read again on every new pathname.
+    expect(reread.deps).toContain("/import");
+
+    reread.fn();
+    await flush();
+    expect(initializeGuidedPath).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(getOnboardingSnapshot).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(harness.dispatch.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0])).toEqual([
+      { type: "LOAD_START", seq: 1 },
+      { type: "LOAD_DONE", seq: 1, snapshot },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("re-reads 150 ms after a burst of data events, and its cleanup unsubscribes", async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    useOnboardingChecklist();
+    const follow = harness.effects[1];
+    expect(follow.deps).not.toContain(harness.pathname);
+
+    const cleanup = follow.fn() as () => void;
+    notifyDataChanged();
+    notifyDataChanged();
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(149);
+    expect(actionsOfType("LOAD_START")).toHaveLength(0);
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(1);
+    expect(actionsOfType("LOAD_START")).toHaveLength(1);
+    await flush();
+
+    cleanup();
+    notifyDataChanged();
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(300);
+    expect(actionsOfType("LOAD_START")).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
+  it("stores a card latch that changed during render, and only then", () => {
+    harness.state = { ...ready, cardPage: "/import" };
+    harness.pathname = "/reports";
+    useOnboardingChecklist();
+    expect(harness.dispatch).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ type: "SET_CARD_PAGE", cardPage: null });
+
+    harness.dispatch.mockReset();
+    harness.state = ready;
+    useOnboardingChecklist();
+    expect(harness.dispatch).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("shares the derived next step and mode with the state", () => {
+    harness.state = ready;
+    harness.pathname = "/reports";
+    const value = useOnboardingChecklist();
+    expect(value.status).toBe("ready");
+    expect(value.nextStep?.key).toBe("manualCategory");
+    expect(value.mode).toBe("banner");
+    expect(value.cardPage).toBeNull();
+    expect(value.checklist?.done).toBe(4);
+  });
+
+  it("each action writes its preference first, then updates the state", async () => {
+    harness.state = ready;
+    const value = useOnboardingChecklist();
+    await value.hide();
+    await value.show();
+    await value.skip("budget");
+    await value.resume("budget");
+
+    expect(hideChecklist).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(showChecklist).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(skipStep).toHaveBeenCalledWith("budget");
+    expect(resumeStep).toHaveBeenCalledWith("budget");
+    expect(harness.dispatch.mock.calls.map((c) => c[0])).toEqual([
+      { type: "HIDE" },
+      { type: "SHOW" },
+      { type: "SKIP", key: "budget" },
+      { type: "RESUME", key: "budget" },
+    ]);
+    const hideDispatch = harness.dispatch.mock.invocationCallOrder[0];
+    expect(vi.mocked(hideChecklist).mock.invocationCallOrder[0]).toBeLessThan(hideDispatch);
+  });
+
+  it("an action whose write fails leaves the state alone and logs", async () => {
+    harness.state = ready;
+    const value = useOnboardingChecklist();
+    vi.mocked(hideChecklist).mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("database is locked"));
+    vi.mocked(skipStep).mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("database is locked"));
+    await value.hide();
+    await value.skip("source");
+    expect(harness.dispatch).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(logError).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+  });
+
+  it("refresh is the loader itself", async () => {
+    const value = useOnboardingChecklist();
+    await value.refresh();
+    expect(getOnboardingSnapshot).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(actionsOfType("LOAD_DONE")).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+});