diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index eb1c769..a29d0b4 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -155,6 +155,12 @@ ignore_missing_imports = true
 [tool.pytest.ini_options]
 asyncio_mode = "auto"
 testpaths = ["tests"]
+# Skip `integration` tests by default — they require live Postgres + Redis.
+# Run them explicitly with: pytest -m integration
+addopts = "-m 'not integration'"
+markers = [
+    "integration: tests that require live infrastructure (Postgres, Redis, external HTTP). Skipped by default; run with `pytest -m integration`.",
+]
 
 [tool.coverage.run]
 branch = true
diff --git a/tests/test_api_integration.py b/tests/test_api_integration.py
index 149faee..71cf64e 100644
--- a/tests/test_api_integration.py
+++ b/tests/test_api_integration.py
@@ -18,6 +18,22 @@ from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock, patch
 import pytest
 from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
 
+
+def _has_postgres(host: str = "127.0.0.1", port: int = 5432) -> bool:
+    """Return True if Postgres is reachable on the given host:port.
+
+    Used to skip integration tests that require a live database when running
+    the suite locally without docker-compose up.
+    """
+    import socket
+
+    try:
+        with socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM) as s:
+            s.settimeout(0.25)
+            return s.connect_ex((host, port)) == 0
+    except OSError:
+        return False
+
 # ── Fixtures ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 
@@ -125,6 +141,10 @@ class TestHealthEndpoints:
         assert resp.status_code == 200
         assert resp.json() == {"status": "alive"}
 
+    @pytest.mark.integration
+    @pytest.mark.skipif(
+        not _has_postgres(), reason="requires running Postgres + Redis"
+    )
     def test_ready_returns_200(self, client: TestClient) -> None:
         resp = client.get("/ready")
         assert resp.status_code == 200