diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/PostController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/PostController.php
index 022665d..985fa69 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/PostController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/PostController.php
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ public function show($year, $month, $slug)
         $relatedPosts = WpPostService::getRelatedPosts($post);
 
         return inertia('PostContent', [
-            'post' => WpPostResource::make($post),
+            'post' => WpPostResource::make($post)->detailed(),
             'relatedPosts' => WpPostResource::collection($relatedPosts),
         ]);
     }
diff --git a/app/Http/Resources/WpPostResource.php b/app/Http/Resources/WpPostResource.php
index 88891d4..22dd4e0 100644
--- a/app/Http/Resources/WpPostResource.php
+++ b/app/Http/Resources/WpPostResource.php
@@ -26,6 +26,28 @@
  */
 class WpPostResource extends JsonResource
 {
+    /**
+     * Whether to include the heavy, single-post-only fields.
+     */
+    private bool $detailed = false;
+
+    /**
+     * Opt in to the full payload: processed content, subtitle, tags and author
+     * biography.
+     *
+     * This used to be inferred from $request->routeIs('post'), which meant the
+     * related posts rendered on that same page were also given the full
+     * treatment — including running EmbedProcessorService over their content —
+     * even though the component that renders them only reads the title,
+     * thumbnail, slug and date.
+     */
+    public function detailed(): static
+    {
+        $this->detailed = true;
+
+        return $this;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Transform the resource into an array.
      *
@@ -50,7 +72,7 @@ public function toArray(Request $request): array
             ],
         ];
 
-        if ($request->routeIs('post')) {
+        if ($this->detailed) {
             $postData['content'] = EmbedProcessorService::processContent($this->post_content);
             $postData['subtitle'] = $this->metadata->filter(fn ($meta) => $meta->meta_key === 'subtitle')?->first()?->meta_value;
             $postData['date']['day'] = $parsedPostDate->format('d');
diff --git a/app/Models/WpAttachment.php b/app/Models/WpAttachment.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..45918e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Models/WpAttachment.php
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Models;
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
+
+/**
+ * Attachment rows of wp_posts.
+ *
+ * Same table as WpPost but deliberately without WpPostScope: that scope filters
+ * post_type = 'post' and post_status = 'publish', which would exclude every
+ * attachment (post_type = 'attachment', post_status = 'inherit').
+ */
+class WpAttachment extends Model
+{
+    protected $table = 'wp_posts';
+
+    protected $primaryKey = 'ID';
+
+    public $timestamps = false;
+}
diff --git a/app/Models/WpPost.php b/app/Models/WpPost.php
index 0ae7b32..714b77f 100644
--- a/app/Models/WpPost.php
+++ b/app/Models/WpPost.php
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
 use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\BelongsTo;
 use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\HasMany;
+use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\HasOneThrough;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
 
 #[ScopedBy(WpPostScope::class)]
@@ -35,16 +36,30 @@ public function author(): BelongsTo
         ]);
     }
 
-    public function getThumbnail()
+    /**
+     * Featured image, resolved through the _thumbnail_id meta row.
+     *
+     * Modelled as a relation so it can be eager loaded: wp_posts -> wp_postmeta
+     * (_thumbnail_id) -> wp_posts (the attachment). Reading it through
+     * $this->metadata() instead would issue two queries for every post.
+     */
+    public function thumbnail(): HasOneThrough
     {
-        if (! $postMeta = $this->metadata()->thumbnailId()->first()) {
-            return '';
-        }
+        return $this->hasOneThrough(
+            WpAttachment::class,
+            WpPostMeta::class,
+            'post_id',    // wp_postmeta.post_id -> wp_posts.ID (this model)
+            'ID',         // wp_posts.ID (attachment) -> wp_postmeta.meta_value
+            'ID',
+            'meta_value',
+        )
+            ->where('wp_postmeta.meta_key', '_thumbnail_id')
+            ->where('wp_posts.post_type', 'attachment');
+    }
 
-        return DB::table('wp_posts')
-            ->where('ID', $postMeta->meta_value)
-            ->where('post_type', 'attachment')
-            ->value('guid') ?? '';
+    public function getThumbnail(): string
+    {
+        return $this->thumbnail?->guid ?? '';
     }
 
     #[Scope]
diff --git a/app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php b/app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php
index 452e6b6..fcf4c23 100644
--- a/app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php
+++ b/app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 namespace App\Providers;
 
+use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
 use Illuminate\Support\ServiceProvider;
 
 class AppServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
@@ -19,6 +20,8 @@ public function register(): void
      */
     public function boot(): void
     {
-        //
+        // Turns an accidental lazy load into a loud failure while developing
+        // and in CI, instead of a silent extra query per record in production.
+        Model::preventLazyLoading(! $this->app->isProduction());
     }
 }
diff --git a/app/Services/WpPostService.php b/app/Services/WpPostService.php
index 6e463f1..bedc82b 100644
--- a/app/Services/WpPostService.php
+++ b/app/Services/WpPostService.php
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ public static function getHighlightedPosts(): Collection
 
         return cache()->remember($cacheKey, $cacheTTL, function () {
             return WpPost::query()
-                ->with(['metadata'])
+                ->with(['terms', 'author', 'thumbnail'])
                 ->whereCategorySlug('destaques')
                 ->limit(self::DEFAULT_LIMIT_HIGHLIGHT_POSTS)
                 ->get();
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ public static function getHomePosts(int $page, ?string $searchTerm = null): Leng
 
         return cache()->remember($cacheKey, $cacheTTL, function () use ($searchTerm) {
             return WpPost::query()
-                ->with(['metadata'])
+                ->with(['terms', 'author', 'thumbnail'])
                 ->whereNotCategorySlug('destaques')
                 ->useSearchTerm($searchTerm)
                 ->paginate(self::DEFAULT_PER_PAGE_ON_LISTS);
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ public static function getPostsByCategorySlug(int $page, string $slug): LengthAw
 
         return cache()->remember($cacheKey, $cacheTTL, function () use ($slug) {
             return WpPost::query()
-                ->with(['metadata', 'author'])
+                ->with(['terms', 'author', 'thumbnail'])
                 ->whereCategorySlug($slug)
                 ->paginate(self::DEFAULT_PER_PAGE_ON_LISTS);
         });
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ public static function getPostsByAuthorNicename(int $page, string $nicename): Le
 
         return cache()->remember($cacheKey, $cacheTTL, function () use ($nicename) {
             return WpPost::query()
-                ->with(['metadata', 'author'])
+                ->with(['terms', 'author', 'thumbnail'])
                 ->whereAuthorNicename($nicename)
                 ->paginate(self::DEFAULT_PER_PAGE_ON_LISTS);
         });
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ public static function getPostsByYearMonth(int $page, string $year, string $mont
 
         return cache()->remember($cacheKey, $cacheTTL, function () use ($year, $month) {
             return WpPost::query()
-                ->with(['metadata', 'author'])
+                ->with(['terms', 'author', 'thumbnail'])
                 ->whereYear('post_date', $year)
                 ->whereMonth('post_date', $month)
                 ->paginate(self::DEFAULT_PER_PAGE_ON_LISTS);
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ public static function getPostsByTagSlug(int $page, string $slug): LengthAwarePa
 
         return cache()->remember($cacheKey, $cacheTTL, function () use ($slug) {
             return WpPost::query()
-                ->with(['metadata', 'author'])
+                ->with(['terms', 'author', 'thumbnail'])
                 ->whereTagSlug($slug)
                 ->paginate(self::DEFAULT_PER_PAGE_ON_LISTS);
         });
@@ -101,6 +101,9 @@ public static function getPostByYearMonthSlug($year, $month, $slug): WpPost
 
         return cache()->remember($cacheKey, $cacheTTL, function () use ($year, $month, $slug) {
             return WpPost::query()
+                // The single post view also renders the subtitle meta and the
+                // author biography, so it needs more than the listings do.
+                ->with(['terms', 'thumbnail', 'metadata', 'author.metadata'])
                 ->whereYear('post_date', $year)
                 ->whereMonth('post_date', $month)
                 ->where('post_name', $slug)
@@ -124,7 +127,7 @@ public static function getRelatedPosts(WpPost $post, int $limit = 3): Collection
             }
 
             return WpPost::query()
-                ->with(['metadata'])
+                ->with(['terms', 'author', 'thumbnail'])
                 ->whereCategorySlug($categorySlug)
                 ->where('ID', '!=', $post->ID)
                 ->limit($limit)
diff --git a/phpunit.xml b/phpunit.xml
index c09b5bc..61c031c 100644
--- a/phpunit.xml
+++ b/phpunit.xml
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
         <env name="APP_MAINTENANCE_DRIVER" value="file"/>
         <env name="BCRYPT_ROUNDS" value="4"/>
         <env name="CACHE_STORE" value="array"/>
-        <env name="DB_DATABASE" value="testing"/>
+        <env name="DB_CONNECTION" value="sqlite"/>
+        <env name="DB_DATABASE" value=":memory:"/>
         <env name="MAIL_MAILER" value="array"/>
         <env name="PULSE_ENABLED" value="false"/>
         <env name="QUEUE_CONNECTION" value="sync"/>
diff --git a/tests/Feature/ExampleTest.php b/tests/Feature/ExampleTest.php
deleted file mode 100644
index 1e2a000..0000000
--- a/tests/Feature/ExampleTest.php
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-<?php
-
-test('returns a successful response', function () {
-    $response = $this->get('/');
-
-    $response->assertStatus(200);
-});
diff --git a/tests/Feature/QueryCountTest.php b/tests/Feature/QueryCountTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..acaa2a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Feature/QueryCountTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+<?php
+
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
+use Tests\Support\Wp;
+
+/**
+ * Guards against N+1 regressions.
+ *
+ * The thresholds are deliberately a little above the current numbers: they are
+ * meant to catch a per-post query creeping back in, not to break on an extra
+ * one-off query.
+ */
+function countQueries(callable $callback): int
+{
+    DB::flushQueryLog();
+    DB::enableQueryLog();
+
+    $callback();
+
+    $log = DB::getQueryLog();
+    DB::disableQueryLog();
+
+    return count($log);
+}
+
+function seedPosts(int $count): void
+{
+    $author = Wp::user(['user_login' => 'autor', 'user_nicename' => 'autor']);
+
+    for ($i = 1; $i <= $count; $i++) {
+        $post = Wp::post([
+            'post_author' => $author->ID,
+            'post_title' => "Post {$i}",
+            'post_name' => "post-{$i}",
+            'post_date' => '2026-07-'.str_pad((string) $i, 2, '0', STR_PAD_LEFT).' 12:00:00',
+        ]);
+
+        Wp::categorise($post->ID, 'games');
+        Wp::thumbnail($post->ID);
+    }
+}
+
+it('does not scale queries with the number of posts on the home page', function () {
+    seedPosts(3);
+    $few = countQueries(fn () => $this->get('/')->assertOk());
+
+    // Fresh state, ten times the posts.
+    Tests\Support\WordPressSchema::create();
+    cache()->flush();
+    seedPosts(30);
+    $many = countQueries(fn () => $this->get('/')->assertOk());
+
+    // The point of the test: the count must not track the post count.
+    expect($many)->toBe($few);
+});
+
+it('keeps the home page within a query budget', function () {
+    seedPosts(10);
+
+    // measured: 7
+    expect(countQueries(fn () => $this->get('/')->assertOk()))
+        ->toBeLessThanOrEqual(9);
+});
+
+it('keeps the single post page within a query budget', function () {
+    seedPosts(10);
+
+    // measured: 11 — higher than the listings because it also loads the
+    // subtitle meta, the author biography and the related posts.
+    expect(countQueries(fn () => $this->get('/2026/07/post-1')->assertOk()))
+        ->toBeLessThanOrEqual(13);
+});
+
+it('keeps the category listing within a query budget', function () {
+    seedPosts(10);
+
+    // measured: 6
+    expect(countQueries(fn () => $this->get('/category/games')->assertOk()))
+        ->toBeLessThanOrEqual(8);
+});
diff --git a/tests/Feature/RoutesTest.php b/tests/Feature/RoutesTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ebf750
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Feature/RoutesTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+<?php
+
+use Tests\Support\Wp;
+
+/**
+ * Smoke coverage for every route in routes/web.php.
+ *
+ * Before this file the only feature test was `GET /` asserting 200, and it
+ * could not pass because no wp_* table existed in the test database.
+ */
+beforeEach(function () {
+    $this->author = Wp::user([
+        'user_login' => 'mayron',
+        'user_nicename' => 'mayron',
+        'display_name' => 'Autor Um',
+        'user_email' => 'autor@example.com',
+    ]);
+
+    $this->post = Wp::post([
+        'post_author' => $this->author->ID,
+        'post_title' => 'Primeiro post',
+        'post_name' => 'primeiro-post',
+        'post_date' => '2026-07-15 12:00:00',
+    ]);
+
+    Wp::categorise($this->post->ID, 'games');
+    Wp::categorise($this->post->ID, 'lancamentos', 'post_tag');
+    Wp::thumbnail($this->post->ID);
+});
+
+it('renders the home page', function () {
+    $this->get('/')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertInertia(fn ($page) => $page
+            ->component('Home')
+            ->has('posts.data', 1)
+            ->where('posts.data.0.title', 'Primeiro post')
+        );
+});
+
+it('excludes highlighted posts from the home listing', function () {
+    $highlighted = Wp::post(['post_title' => 'Em destaque', 'post_name' => 'em-destaque']);
+    Wp::categorise($highlighted->ID, 'destaques');
+
+    $this->get('/')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertInertia(fn ($page) => $page
+            ->has('posts.data', 1)
+            ->has('highlightedPosts.data', 1)
+            ->where('posts.data.0.title', 'Primeiro post')
+            ->where('highlightedPosts.data.0.title', 'Em destaque')
+        );
+});
+
+it('renders a single post', function () {
+    $this->get('/2026/07/primeiro-post')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertInertia(fn ($page) => $page
+            ->component('PostContent')
+            ->where('post.data.title', 'Primeiro post')
+            ->where('post.data.slug', 'primeiro-post')
+        );
+});
+
+it('returns 404 for an unknown post slug', function () {
+    $this->get('/2026/07/nao-existe')->assertNotFound();
+});
+
+it('renders the category listing', function () {
+    $this->get('/category/games')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertInertia(fn ($page) => $page
+            ->component('CategoryPosts')
+            ->has('posts.data', 1)
+        );
+});
+
+it('renders the tag listing', function () {
+    $this->get('/tag/lancamentos')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertInertia(fn ($page) => $page
+            ->component('TagPosts')
+            ->has('posts.data', 1)
+        );
+});
+
+it('renders the author listing', function () {
+    $this->get('/author/mayron')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertInertia(fn ($page) => $page
+            ->component('AuthorPosts')
+            ->has('posts.data', 1)
+        );
+});
+
+it('renders the year and month archive', function () {
+    $this->get('/2026/07')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertInertia(fn ($page) => $page
+            ->component('YearMonthPosts')
+            ->has('posts.data', 1)
+        );
+});
+
+it('renders the privacy policy page', function () {
+    Wp::post([
+        'post_title' => 'Politica de Privacidade',
+        'post_name' => 'politica-de-privacidade',
+        'post_type' => 'page',
+    ]);
+
+    $this->get('/politica-de-privacidade')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertInertia(fn ($page) => $page
+            ->component('PrivacyPolicy')
+            ->where('page.data.title', 'Politica de Privacidade')
+        );
+});
+
+it('finds posts by search term', function () {
+    Wp::post(['post_title' => 'Outro assunto', 'post_name' => 'outro-assunto']);
+
+    $this->get('/?s=Primeiro')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertInertia(fn ($page) => $page
+            ->where('searchTerm', 'Primeiro')
+            ->has('posts.data', 1)
+            ->where('posts.data.0.title', 'Primeiro post')
+        );
+});
+
+it('hides posts that are not published', function () {
+    Wp::post(['post_title' => 'Rascunho', 'post_name' => 'rascunho', 'post_status' => 'draft']);
+    Wp::post(['post_title' => 'Futuro', 'post_name' => 'futuro', 'post_date' => '2099-01-01 00:00:00']);
+
+    $this->get('/')
+        ->assertOk()
+        ->assertInertia(fn ($page) => $page->has('posts.data', 1));
+});
diff --git a/tests/Pest.php b/tests/Pest.php
index 40d096b..3c76ee0 100644
--- a/tests/Pest.php
+++ b/tests/Pest.php
@@ -13,6 +13,17 @@
 
 pest()->extend(Tests\TestCase::class)
     ->use(Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\RefreshDatabase::class)
+    ->beforeEach(function () {
+        // The app reads an existing WordPress database, so there are no
+        // migrations for wp_* tables. Build them per test instead.
+        Tests\Support\WordPressSchema::create();
+
+        // Rendering the root Blade view resolves @vite, which needs a built
+        // manifest. Stub it so the suite does not depend on `npm run build`.
+        $this->withoutVite();
+
+        cache()->flush();
+    })
     ->in('Feature');
 
 /*
diff --git a/tests/Support/WordPressSchema.php b/tests/Support/WordPressSchema.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..df23af6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Support/WordPressSchema.php
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Tests\Support;
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+/**
+ * Creates the WordPress tables this application reads.
+ *
+ * The app has no migrations for them — it points Eloquent models at an existing
+ * WordPress database — so without this the whole suite can only test code that
+ * never touches the database.
+ *
+ * Column types mirror WordPress core closely enough for the queries in
+ * App\Models and App\Services to behave as they do in production. Columns the
+ * application never reads are omitted on purpose, to keep the fixture readable.
+ */
+class WordPressSchema
+{
+    /**
+     * @var list<string> Drop order matters only for readability; sqlite has no FKs here.
+     */
+    private const TABLES = [
+        'wp_posts',
+        'wp_postmeta',
+        'wp_users',
+        'wp_usermeta',
+        'wp_terms',
+        'wp_term_taxonomy',
+        'wp_term_relationships',
+    ];
+
+    public static function create(): void
+    {
+        self::drop();
+
+        Schema::create('wp_posts', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->id('ID');
+            $table->unsignedBigInteger('post_author')->default(0);
+            $table->dateTime('post_date')->nullable();
+            $table->longText('post_content')->nullable();
+            $table->text('post_title')->nullable();
+            $table->text('post_excerpt')->nullable();
+            $table->string('post_status', 20)->default('publish');
+            $table->string('post_name', 200)->default('');
+            $table->string('post_type', 20)->default('post');
+            $table->string('guid', 255)->default('');
+            $table->integer('menu_order')->default(0);
+            $table->unsignedBigInteger('post_parent')->default(0);
+        });
+
+        Schema::create('wp_postmeta', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->id('meta_id');
+            $table->unsignedBigInteger('post_id')->default(0);
+            $table->string('meta_key', 255)->nullable();
+            $table->longText('meta_value')->nullable();
+        });
+
+        Schema::create('wp_users', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->id('ID');
+            $table->string('user_login', 60)->default('');
+            $table->string('user_pass', 255)->default('');
+            $table->string('user_nicename', 50)->default('');
+            $table->string('user_email', 100)->default('');
+            $table->string('display_name', 250)->default('');
+        });
+
+        Schema::create('wp_usermeta', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->id('umeta_id');
+            $table->unsignedBigInteger('user_id')->default(0);
+            $table->string('meta_key', 255)->nullable();
+            $table->longText('meta_value')->nullable();
+        });
+
+        Schema::create('wp_terms', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->id('term_id');
+            $table->string('name', 200)->default('');
+            $table->string('slug', 200)->default('');
+        });
+
+        Schema::create('wp_term_taxonomy', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->id('term_taxonomy_id');
+            $table->unsignedBigInteger('term_id')->default(0);
+            $table->string('taxonomy', 32)->default('');
+            $table->longText('description')->nullable();
+            $table->unsignedBigInteger('parent')->default(0);
+            $table->bigInteger('count')->default(0);
+        });
+
+        Schema::create('wp_term_relationships', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->unsignedBigInteger('object_id')->default(0);
+            $table->unsignedBigInteger('term_taxonomy_id')->default(0);
+            $table->integer('term_order')->default(0);
+        });
+    }
+
+    public static function drop(): void
+    {
+        foreach (self::TABLES as $table) {
+            Schema::dropIfExists($table);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/Support/Wp.php b/tests/Support/Wp.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c29ebf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Support/Wp.php
@@ -0,0 +1,130 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Tests\Support;
+
+use App\Models\WpPost;
+use App\Models\WpUser;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
+
+/**
+ * Small builders for WordPress rows.
+ *
+ * Eloquent factories are not used here: the Wp* models declare no $fillable and
+ * several use non-conventional primary keys, so plain inserts stay closer to
+ * what the production database actually contains.
+ */
+class Wp
+{
+    public static function user(array $attributes = []): WpUser
+    {
+        $id = DB::table('wp_users')->insertGetId(array_merge([
+            'user_login' => 'autor',
+            'user_pass' => '$P$Bexamplehashexamplehashexample',
+            'user_nicename' => 'autor',
+            'user_email' => 'autor@example.com',
+            'display_name' => 'Autor de Teste',
+        ], $attributes), 'ID');
+
+        return WpUser::query()->findOrFail($id);
+    }
+
+    public static function post(array $attributes = []): WpPost
+    {
+        $id = DB::table('wp_posts')->insertGetId(array_merge([
+            'post_author' => 1,
+            'post_date' => '2026-07-15 12:00:00',
+            'post_title' => 'Post de teste',
+            'post_excerpt' => 'Resumo do post.',
+            'post_content' => 'Conteudo do post.',
+            'post_name' => 'post-de-teste',
+            'post_status' => 'publish',
+            'post_type' => 'post',
+        ], $attributes), 'ID');
+
+        return WpPost::withoutGlobalScopes()->findOrFail($id);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a term in the given taxonomy and returns its term_taxonomy_id.
+     */
+    public static function term(string $slug, string $taxonomy = 'category', ?string $name = null): int
+    {
+        $termId = DB::table('wp_terms')->insertGetId([
+            'name' => $name ?? ucfirst($slug),
+            'slug' => $slug,
+        ], 'term_id');
+
+        return DB::table('wp_term_taxonomy')->insertGetId([
+            'term_id' => $termId,
+            'taxonomy' => $taxonomy,
+        ], 'term_taxonomy_id');
+    }
+
+    public static function attach(int $postId, int $termTaxonomyId): void
+    {
+        DB::table('wp_term_relationships')->insert([
+            'object_id' => $postId,
+            'term_taxonomy_id' => $termTaxonomyId,
+        ]);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Convenience: create the term if needed and attach it in one call.
+     */
+    public static function categorise(int $postId, string $slug, string $taxonomy = 'category'): int
+    {
+        $ttId = DB::table('wp_term_taxonomy')
+            ->join('wp_terms', 'wp_terms.term_id', '=', 'wp_term_taxonomy.term_id')
+            ->where('wp_terms.slug', $slug)
+            ->where('wp_term_taxonomy.taxonomy', $taxonomy)
+            ->value('wp_term_taxonomy.term_taxonomy_id');
+
+        $ttId ??= self::term($slug, $taxonomy);
+
+        self::attach($postId, $ttId);
+
+        return $ttId;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Attaches a featured image: an attachment post plus the _thumbnail_id meta
+     * that WpPost::getThumbnail() resolves.
+     */
+    public static function thumbnail(int $postId, string $url = 'https://example.com/capa.jpg'): int
+    {
+        $attachmentId = DB::table('wp_posts')->insertGetId([
+            'post_title' => 'capa',
+            'post_name' => 'capa',
+            'post_type' => 'attachment',
+            'post_status' => 'inherit',
+            'post_date' => '2026-07-15 12:00:00',
+            'guid' => $url,
+        ], 'ID');
+
+        DB::table('wp_postmeta')->insert([
+            'post_id' => $postId,
+            'meta_key' => '_thumbnail_id',
+            'meta_value' => (string) $attachmentId,
+        ]);
+
+        return $attachmentId;
+    }
+
+    public static function postMeta(int $postId, string $key, string $value): void
+    {
+        DB::table('wp_postmeta')->insert([
+            'post_id' => $postId,
+            'meta_key' => $key,
+            'meta_value' => $value,
+        ]);
+    }
+
+    public static function userMeta(int $userId, string $key, string $value): void
+    {
+        DB::table('wp_usermeta')->insert([
+            'user_id' => $userId,
+            'meta_key' => $key,
+            'meta_value' => $value,
+        ]);
+    }
+}