diff --git a/.github/workflows/dev-release.yml b/.github/workflows/dev-release.yml
index 3f04fa8a..4616b9d1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/dev-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/dev-release.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-name: Dev Release
+name: CI and Dev Release
 
 on:
-  workflow_dispatch:
   push:
     branches:
       - main
@@ -12,14 +11,23 @@ on:
       - 'packages/**/*.json'
       - '*.yaml'
       - '*.yml'
+  pull_request:
+    paths:
+      - 'packages/**/*.ts'
+      - 'packages/**/*.tsx'
+      - 'packages/**/*.lock'
+      - 'packages/**/*.json'
+      - '*.yaml'
+      - '*.yml'
+  workflow_dispatch:
 
 jobs:
-  test-and-release:
-    name: Test and Dev Release
+  # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
+  #  Unit Tests                                                          #
+  # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
+  unit-tests:
+    name: Unit Tests
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    permissions:
-      contents: write
-      packages: write
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
@@ -46,9 +54,105 @@ jobs:
         run: bun test --verbose --workers=1
         working-directory: ./packages/backend
 
+  # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
+  #  Binary Startup Test                                                 #
+  # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
+  binary-startup:
+    name: Binary Startup Test
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: unit-tests
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up Bun
+        uses: oven-sh/setup-bun@v1
+        with:
+          bun-version: latest
+
+      - name: Install Base dependencies
+        run: bun install --frozen-lockfile
+
+      - name: Install Backend dependencies
+        run: bun install --frozen-lockfile
+        working-directory: ./packages/backend
+
+      - name: Install Frontend dependencies
+        run: bun install --frozen-lockfile
+        working-directory: ./packages/frontend
+
+      - name: Compile Linux binary
+        # compile:linux also runs build:frontend first
+        run: bun run compile:linux
+
+      - name: Run binary startup test
+        run: bash scripts/test-startup-binary.sh
+
+  # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
+  #  Docker Startup Test                                                 #
+  # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
+  docker-startup:
+    name: Docker Startup Test
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: unit-tests
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+
+      - name: Build Docker image
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+        with:
+          context: .
+          push: false
+          load: true
+          tags: plexus-test:latest
+          cache-from: type=gha
+          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max
+
+      - name: Run Docker startup test
+        run: bash scripts/test-startup-docker.sh plexus-test:latest
+
+  # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
+  #  Dev Release (main branch / workflow_dispatch only)                 #
+  # ------------------------------------------------------------------ #
+  dev-release:
+    name: Dev Release
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: [binary-startup, docker-startup]
+    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' || github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch'
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+      packages: write
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up Bun
+        uses: oven-sh/setup-bun@v1
+        with:
+          bun-version: latest
+
+      - name: Install Base dependencies
+        run: bun install --frozen-lockfile
+        working-directory: .
+
+      - name: Install Backend dependencies
+        run: bun install --frozen-lockfile
+        working-directory: ./packages/backend
+
+      - name: Install Frontend dependencies
+        run: bun install --frozen-lockfile
+        working-directory: ./packages/frontend
+
       - name: Compile Binaries
         # compiling each platform separately
-        # Note: Each compile script in package.json runs build:frontend. 
+        # Note: Each compile script in package.json runs build:frontend.
         # This is acceptable for correctness to ensure each binary is built with the latest assets.
         env:
           APP_VERSION: dev-${{ github.sha }}
@@ -94,5 +198,5 @@ jobs:
           tag_name: dev-${{ github.sha }}
           body: |
             Development pre-release from commit ${{ github.sha }}
-            
+
             Built from: `${{ github.ref }}` at `${{ github.sha }}`
diff --git a/scripts/test-startup-binary.sh b/scripts/test-startup-binary.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..c2e086f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/test-startup-binary.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# test-startup-binary.sh
+# Smoke-test the compiled Linux binary: verify it starts, serves /health, and loads /ui/.
+#
+# Usage: bash scripts/test-startup-binary.sh
+# Expected working directory: repository root (where plexus-linux lives after compile:linux)
+set -euo pipefail
+
+ADMIN_KEY="test-startup-key-ci"
+PORT=14000
+TIMEOUT=60
+BINARY_WORKDIR="packages/backend"
+BINARY_NAME="plexus-linux"
+LOG_FILE="/tmp/plexus-binary-startup.log"
+
+echo "=== Binary Startup Test ==="
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Cleanup: kill background process and remove temp binary copy
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+cleanup() {
+  if [[ -n "${PID:-}" ]]; then
+    echo "Stopping binary (PID=$PID)..."
+    kill "$PID" 2>/dev/null || true
+    wait "$PID" 2>/dev/null || true
+  fi
+  rm -f "${BINARY_WORKDIR}/${BINARY_NAME}"
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Stage binary in the backend package directory so that the static
+# file path ../frontend/dist resolves to packages/frontend/dist.
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+if [[ ! -f "./${BINARY_NAME}" ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: ./${BINARY_NAME} not found. Run 'bun run compile:linux' first."
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+cp "./${BINARY_NAME}" "${BINARY_WORKDIR}/${BINARY_NAME}"
+chmod +x "${BINARY_WORKDIR}/${BINARY_NAME}"
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Start the binary
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo "Starting binary from ${BINARY_WORKDIR}/..."
+pushd "${BINARY_WORKDIR}" >/dev/null
+DATABASE_URL="sqlite://:memory:" \
+  ADMIN_KEY="${ADMIN_KEY}" \
+  PORT="${PORT}" \
+  LOG_LEVEL="info" \
+  "./${BINARY_NAME}" > "${LOG_FILE}" 2>&1 &
+PID=$!
+popd >/dev/null
+echo "Binary PID: ${PID}"
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Wait for the "Server starting on port" log line
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo "Waiting for server to start (timeout: ${TIMEOUT}s)..."
+STARTED=0
+for i in $(seq 1 "${TIMEOUT}"); do
+  if grep -q "Server starting on port" "${LOG_FILE}" 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo "Server ready (detected after ~${i}s)"
+    STARTED=1
+    break
+  fi
+  if ! kill -0 "${PID}" 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo "ERROR: Binary exited prematurely after ${i}s"
+    echo "=== Log output ==="
+    cat "${LOG_FILE}"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  sleep 1
+done
+
+if [[ "${STARTED}" -eq 0 ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: Server did not log readiness within ${TIMEOUT}s"
+  echo "=== Log output ==="
+  cat "${LOG_FILE}"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Brief pause to ensure the TCP port is fully accepting connections
+sleep 1
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test /health
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo "Testing GET /health ..."
+HEALTH_RESPONSE=$(curl -sf --max-time 10 "http://localhost:${PORT}/health" || echo "CURL_FAILED")
+if [[ "${HEALTH_RESPONSE}" != "OK" ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: /health returned unexpected response: '${HEALTH_RESPONSE}'"
+  echo "=== Log output ==="
+  cat "${LOG_FILE}"
+  exit 1
+fi
+echo "  /health -> OK"
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test /ui/ returns HTTP 200 with HTML content
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo "Testing GET /ui/ ..."
+HTTP_CODE=$(curl -s --max-time 10 -o /tmp/plexus-binary-ui.html -w "%{http_code}" \
+  "http://localhost:${PORT}/ui/")
+if [[ "${HTTP_CODE}" != "200" ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: /ui/ returned HTTP ${HTTP_CODE}"
+  echo "=== Response body ==="
+  cat /tmp/plexus-binary-ui.html 2>/dev/null || true
+  echo "=== Log output ==="
+  cat "${LOG_FILE}"
+  exit 1
+fi
+if ! grep -qi "<html\|<!doctype" /tmp/plexus-binary-ui.html 2>/dev/null; then
+  echo "ERROR: /ui/ response does not appear to be HTML"
+  echo "=== Response body (first 512 bytes) ==="
+  head -c 512 /tmp/plexus-binary-ui.html
+  echo "=== Log output ==="
+  cat "${LOG_FILE}"
+  exit 1
+fi
+echo "  /ui/ -> HTTP ${HTTP_CODE} (HTML confirmed)"
+
+echo ""
+echo "Binary startup test PASSED"
diff --git a/scripts/test-startup-docker.sh b/scripts/test-startup-docker.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..30f822c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/test-startup-docker.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# test-startup-docker.sh
+# Smoke-test the Docker image: verify it starts, serves /health, and loads /ui/.
+#
+# Usage: bash scripts/test-startup-docker.sh [image-tag]
+# Expected working directory: repository root
+# Default image tag: plexus-test:latest
+set -euo pipefail
+
+IMAGE="${1:-plexus-test:latest}"
+ADMIN_KEY="test-startup-key-ci"
+HOST_PORT=14001
+CONTAINER_PORT=4000
+TIMEOUT=60
+CONTAINER_NAME="plexus-startup-test-$$"
+
+echo "=== Docker Startup Test (${IMAGE}) ==="
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Cleanup: always stop and remove the test container
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+cleanup() {
+  if docker inspect "${CONTAINER_NAME}" &>/dev/null; then
+    echo "Stopping container ${CONTAINER_NAME}..."
+    docker stop "${CONTAINER_NAME}" 2>/dev/null || true
+    docker rm  "${CONTAINER_NAME}" 2>/dev/null || true
+  fi
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Start the container with an in-memory SQLite database so no
+# persistent volume is required.
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo "Starting container..."
+docker run -d \
+  --name "${CONTAINER_NAME}" \
+  -p "${HOST_PORT}:${CONTAINER_PORT}" \
+  -e "ADMIN_KEY=${ADMIN_KEY}" \
+  -e "DATABASE_URL=sqlite://:memory:" \
+  -e "LOG_LEVEL=info" \
+  "${IMAGE}"
+
+echo "Container started: ${CONTAINER_NAME}"
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Wait for the "Server starting on port" log line
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo "Waiting for server to start (timeout: ${TIMEOUT}s)..."
+STARTED=0
+for i in $(seq 1 "${TIMEOUT}"); do
+  if docker logs "${CONTAINER_NAME}" 2>&1 | grep -q "Server starting on port"; then
+    echo "Server ready (detected after ~${i}s)"
+    STARTED=1
+    break
+  fi
+  # Check if the container is still running
+  STATUS=$(docker inspect --format='{{.State.Status}}' "${CONTAINER_NAME}" 2>/dev/null || echo "missing")
+  if [[ "${STATUS}" != "running" ]]; then
+    echo "ERROR: Container stopped unexpectedly after ${i}s (status=${STATUS})"
+    echo "=== Container logs ==="
+    docker logs "${CONTAINER_NAME}" 2>&1 || true
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  sleep 1
+done
+
+if [[ "${STARTED}" -eq 0 ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: Server did not log readiness within ${TIMEOUT}s"
+  echo "=== Container logs ==="
+  docker logs "${CONTAINER_NAME}" 2>&1 || true
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Brief pause to ensure the TCP port is fully accepting connections
+sleep 1
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test /health
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo "Testing GET /health ..."
+HEALTH_RESPONSE=$(curl -sf --max-time 10 "http://localhost:${HOST_PORT}/health" || echo "CURL_FAILED")
+if [[ "${HEALTH_RESPONSE}" != "OK" ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: /health returned unexpected response: '${HEALTH_RESPONSE}'"
+  echo "=== Container logs ==="
+  docker logs "${CONTAINER_NAME}" 2>&1 || true
+  exit 1
+fi
+echo "  /health -> OK"
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Test /ui/ returns HTTP 200 with HTML content
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo "Testing GET /ui/ ..."
+HTTP_CODE=$(curl -s --max-time 10 -o /tmp/plexus-docker-ui.html -w "%{http_code}" \
+  "http://localhost:${HOST_PORT}/ui/")
+if [[ "${HTTP_CODE}" != "200" ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: /ui/ returned HTTP ${HTTP_CODE}"
+  echo "=== Response body ==="
+  cat /tmp/plexus-docker-ui.html 2>/dev/null || true
+  echo "=== Container logs ==="
+  docker logs "${CONTAINER_NAME}" 2>&1 || true
+  exit 1
+fi
+if ! grep -qi "<html\|<!doctype" /tmp/plexus-docker-ui.html 2>/dev/null; then
+  echo "ERROR: /ui/ response does not appear to be HTML"
+  echo "=== Response body (first 512 bytes) ==="
+  head -c 512 /tmp/plexus-docker-ui.html
+  echo "=== Container logs ==="
+  docker logs "${CONTAINER_NAME}" 2>&1 || true
+  exit 1
+fi
+echo "  /ui/ -> HTTP ${HTTP_CODE} (HTML confirmed)"
+
+echo ""
+echo "Docker startup test PASSED"