diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_dashboard_auth_gate.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_dashboard_auth_gate.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..867114d6f2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_dashboard_auth_gate.py
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+"""Regression harness for the dashboard auth gate.
+
+Phase 0 — establish a baseline pin on the current (pre-OAuth) behavior so
+later phases can prove they didn't break loopback mode.
+"""
+import pytest
+from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+from hermes_cli import web_server
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def client_loopback():
+    # Pin the bound-host state for host_header_middleware so requests with
+    # default Host: testclient pass the DNS-rebinding check.  TestClient
+    # sends Host: testserver by default, but our middleware accepts the
+    # loopback aliases when bound_host is loopback.
+    prev_host = getattr(web_server.app.state, "bound_host", None)
+    prev_port = getattr(web_server.app.state, "bound_port", None)
+    web_server.app.state.bound_host = "127.0.0.1"
+    web_server.app.state.bound_port = 9119
+    client = TestClient(web_server.app, base_url="http://127.0.0.1:9119")
+    yield client
+    web_server.app.state.bound_host = prev_host
+    web_server.app.state.bound_port = prev_port
+
+
+def test_loopback_status_is_public(client_loopback):
+    """`/api/status` must remain reachable without a token in loopback mode."""
+    r = client_loopback.get("/api/status")
+    assert r.status_code == 200
+    body = r.json()
+    assert "version" in body
+
+
+def test_loopback_protected_route_requires_token(client_loopback):
+    """Any non-public /api/ route must require the session token."""
+    # /api/sessions exists and is auth-gated by auth_middleware.
+    r = client_loopback.get("/api/sessions")
+    assert r.status_code == 401
+
+
+def test_loopback_protected_route_accepts_session_token(client_loopback):
+    """The injected SPA token unlocks protected /api/ routes."""
+    r = client_loopback.get(
+        "/api/sessions",
+        headers={"X-Hermes-Session-Token": web_server._SESSION_TOKEN},
+    )
+    # 200 or 404 (no sessions yet) both prove the auth layer let it through.
+    # 500 is also acceptable if there's a downstream issue unrelated to auth.
+    assert r.status_code != 401, (
+        f"Expected auth to succeed but got 401; body: {r.text}"
+    )
+
+
+def test_loopback_index_injects_session_token(client_loopback):
+    """Loopback mode keeps injecting the SPA token into index.html.
+
+    This is the property that the new auth gate MUST disable once a gated
+    bind is detected. Phase 3 will add an inverse test for the gated path.
+    """
+    r = client_loopback.get("/")
+    if r.status_code == 404:
+        pytest.skip("WEB_DIST not built in this env")
+    assert "__HERMES_SESSION_TOKEN__" in r.text
+
+
+def test_loopback_host_header_validation_still_enforced(client_loopback):
+    """DNS-rebinding protection: a foreign Host header is rejected."""
+    r = client_loopback.get("/api/status", headers={"Host": "evil.test"})
+    assert r.status_code == 400