diff --git a/tests/int/tickets.int.spec.ts b/tests/int/tickets.int.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..32a3376
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/int/tickets.int.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,243 @@
+import { getPayload, Payload } from "payload";
+import config from "@/payload.config";
+import { convertLexicalToPlaintext } from "@payloadcms/richtext-lexical/plaintext";
+
+import { beforeAll, afterAll, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import type { Ticket, User } from "@/payload-types";
+import { plaintextToLexical } from "@/lib/tickets/lexical";
+import { getStaffUserIds } from "@/lib/tickets/staff";
+import { STATUS_LABEL, TICKET_STATUSES } from "@/lib/tickets/ticketMeta";
+
+let payload: Payload;
+
+const RUN = `tk-${Date.now().toString(36)}`;
+
+const makeUser = async (label: string, roles: NonNullable<User["roles"]> = ["user"]): Promise<User> => {
+  const tag = `${RUN}-${label}`;
+  return (await payload.create({
+    collection: "users",
+    data: {
+      username: tag,
+      discordUsername: tag,
+      displayName: label.toUpperCase(),
+      steamId: `7656119${Math.floor(Math.random() * 1e9)}`,
+      password: "Test123",
+      roles,
+    },
+    overrideAccess: true,
+    depth: 0,
+  })) as unknown as User;
+};
+
+const createTicket = async (reporterId: number, title = `${RUN} Issue`): Promise<Ticket> =>
+  (await payload.create({
+    collection: "tickets",
+    data: {
+      title,
+      description: plaintextToLexical(`${RUN} description with multiple\nlines of detail.`),
+      category: "bug_report",
+      priority: "high",
+      status: "open",
+      reporter: reporterId,
+      activity: [
+        { type: "system", content: plaintextToLexical("Ticket created"), created_at: new Date().toISOString() },
+      ],
+    },
+    overrideAccess: true,
+    depth: 0,
+  })) as unknown as Ticket;
+
+const fetchTicket = async (id: number): Promise<Ticket> =>
+  (await payload.findByID({
+    collection: "tickets",
+    id,
+    depth: 1,
+    overrideAccess: true,
+  })) as unknown as Ticket;
+
+const activityTexts = (ticket: Ticket): string[] =>
+  (ticket.activity ?? []).map((entry) => convertLexicalToPlaintext({ data: entry.content }));
+
+const idOf = (ref: number | { id: number } | null | undefined): number | null => {
+  if (ref == null) return null;
+  return typeof ref === "object" ? ref.id : ref;
+};
+
+describe("Tickets", () => {
+  let reporter: User;
+  let assignee: User;
+  let staff: User;
+
+  beforeAll(async () => {
+    const payloadConfig = await config;
+    payload = await getPayload({ config: payloadConfig });
+
+    reporter = await makeUser("reporter");
+    assignee = await makeUser("assignee");
+    staff = await makeUser("staff", ["admin"]);
+  });
+
+  afterAll(async () => {
+    if (!payload) return;
+
+    const tickets = await payload.find({
+      collection: "tickets",
+      where: { title: { contains: RUN } },
+      limit: 100,
+      depth: 0,
+      overrideAccess: true,
+    });
+    for (const ticket of tickets.docs) {
+      await payload.delete({ collection: "tickets", id: ticket.id, overrideAccess: true });
+    }
+
+    for (const user of [reporter, assignee, staff]) {
+      if (!user) continue;
+      await payload.delete({ collection: "users", id: user.id, overrideAccess: true });
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("plaintextToLexical produces a valid round-trippable lexical state", () => {
+    const state = plaintextToLexical("Hello\nworld\n\nSecond paragraph");
+
+    expect(state.root.type).toBe("root");
+    expect(state.root.children).toHaveLength(2);
+
+    const first = state.root.children[0];
+    expect(first.children).toHaveLength(3); // text, linebreak, text
+    expect(first.children[1]).toMatchObject({ type: "linebreak" });
+
+    const roundTrip = convertLexicalToPlaintext({
+      data: state as unknown as Parameters<typeof convertLexicalToPlaintext>[0]["data"],
+    });
+    expect(roundTrip).toContain("Hello");
+    expect(roundTrip).toContain("Second paragraph");
+
+    // Empty input yields a single empty paragraph.
+    expect(plaintextToLexical("").root.children).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
+  it("getStaffUserIds resolves only admin/developer users", async () => {
+    const staffIds = await getStaffUserIds(payload);
+    expect(staffIds).toContain(staff.id);
+    expect(staffIds).not.toContain(reporter.id);
+    expect(staffIds).not.toContain(assignee.id);
+  });
+
+  it("creates a ticket with the initial system activity entry", async () => {
+    const ticket = await createTicket(reporter.id);
+    expect(ticket.status).toBe("open");
+    expect(ticket.reporter).toBe(reporter.id);
+    expect(ticket.closedAt).toBeNull();
+
+    const populated = await fetchTicket(ticket.id);
+    expect(populated.activity ?? []).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(activityTexts(populated)).toContain("Ticket created");
+  });
+
+  it("appends a system entry and manages closedAt on status transitions", async () => {
+    const ticket = await createTicket(reporter.id);
+
+    // Open → In Progress: system entry, no closedAt.
+    await payload.update({
+      collection: "tickets",
+      id: ticket.id,
+      data: { status: "in_progress" },
+      overrideAccess: true,
+      depth: 0,
+    });
+    let populated = await fetchTicket(ticket.id);
+    expect(activityTexts(populated)).toContain(
+      `Status changed from ${STATUS_LABEL.open} to ${STATUS_LABEL.in_progress}`,
+    );
+    expect(populated.closedAt).toBeNull();
+
+    // In Progress → Resolved: system entry + closedAt set.
+    await payload.update({
+      collection: "tickets",
+      id: ticket.id,
+      data: { status: "resolved" },
+      overrideAccess: true,
+      depth: 0,
+    });
+    populated = await fetchTicket(ticket.id);
+    expect(activityTexts(populated)).toContain(
+      `Status changed from ${STATUS_LABEL.in_progress} to ${STATUS_LABEL.resolved}`,
+    );
+    expect(populated.closedAt).not.toBeNull();
+
+    // Reopening clears closedAt.
+    await payload.update({
+      collection: "tickets",
+      id: ticket.id,
+      data: { status: "open" },
+      overrideAccess: true,
+      depth: 0,
+    });
+    populated = await fetchTicket(ticket.id);
+    expect(populated.closedAt).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("appends a system entry when assigned or unassigned", async () => {
+    const ticket = await createTicket(reporter.id);
+
+    await payload.update({
+      collection: "tickets",
+      id: ticket.id,
+      data: { assignee: assignee.id },
+      overrideAccess: true,
+      depth: 0,
+    });
+    let populated = await fetchTicket(ticket.id);
+    const texts = activityTexts(populated);
+    expect(texts.some((t) => t.includes("Ticket assigned to"))).toBe(true);
+    expect(idOf(populated.assignee)).toBe(assignee.id);
+
+    await payload.update({
+      collection: "tickets",
+      id: ticket.id,
+      data: { assignee: null },
+      overrideAccess: true,
+      depth: 0,
+    });
+    populated = await fetchTicket(ticket.id);
+    expect(activityTexts(populated)).toContain("Ticket unassigned");
+    expect(idOf(populated.assignee)).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("preserves client/agent messages appended by actions", async () => {
+    const ticket = await createTicket(reporter.id);
+
+    await payload.update({
+      collection: "tickets",
+      id: ticket.id,
+      data: {
+        activity: [
+          ...((await fetchTicket(ticket.id)).activity ?? []),
+          {
+            type: "client_message",
+            content: plaintextToLexical("A reporter reply."),
+            author: reporter.id,
+            created_at: new Date().toISOString(),
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+      overrideAccess: true,
+      depth: 0,
+    });
+
+    const populated = await fetchTicket(ticket.id);
+    const client = (populated.activity ?? []).find((entry) => entry.type === "client_message");
+    expect(client).toBeDefined();
+    if (client?.content) {
+      expect(convertLexicalToPlaintext({ data: client.content })).toBe("A reporter reply.");
+    }
+    expect(idOf(client?.author)).toBe(reporter.id);
+  });
+
+  it("exposes every status from TICKET_STATUSES as a valid select option label", () => {
+    for (const status of TICKET_STATUSES) {
+      expect(STATUS_LABEL[status.value]).toBe(status.label);
+    }
+  });
+});