diff --git a/scripts/smoke.bat b/scripts/smoke.bat
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6a53a276
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/smoke.bat
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+@echo off
+REM smoke.bat - Windows wrapper for the minimal stdlib unittest smoke harness.
+echo Running MUIOGO Smoke Tests...
+python "%~dp0..\tests\smoke_test.py"
+pause
diff --git a/scripts/smoke.sh b/scripts/smoke.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..de28a0f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/smoke.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# smoke.sh - Wrapper for the minimal stdlib unittest smoke harness.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+PROJECT_ROOT="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+
+echo "Running MUIOGO Smoke Tests..."
+python3 "$PROJECT_ROOT/tests/smoke_test.py"
diff --git a/scripts/verify_base.sh b/scripts/verify_base.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..7cc41936
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/verify_base.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# ==============================================================================
+# MUIOGO VERIFICATION GATEWAY
+# ==============================================================================
+# This script is the primary safety gate for upstream pulls from OSeMOSYS/MUIO.
+# It ensures that MUIOGO's portability, security, and stability are preserved.
+#
+# MAINTAINER NOTES (Always Review these files during a v5.x pull):
+# 1. API/app.py - Core Flask config and blueprint registration.
+# 2. API/Classes/Case/OsemosysClass.py - Model execution logic.
+# 3. API/Routes/Case/CaseRoute.py - Backend API for case management.
+# 4. WebAPP/Classes/Osemosys.Class.js - Frontend solver coordination.
+#
+# REJECTED PATTERNS:
+# - Hardcoded paths (e.g. C:\)
+# - Insecure session/path handling
+# - Breaking Python 3.10-3.12 support
+# ==============================================================================
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+PROJECT_ROOT="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+
+BOLD="\033[1m"
+GREEN="\033[92m"
+YELLOW="\033[93m"
+RED="\033[91m"
+RESET="\033[0m"
+
+# Disable colours when not in a real terminal
+if [ ! -t 1 ]; then
+    BOLD="" GREEN="" YELLOW="" RED="" RESET=""
+fi
+
+_print_header() {
+    echo -e "\n${BOLD}=== $1 ===${RESET}"
+}
+
+_print_status() {
+    if [ "$1" -eq 0 ]; then
+        echo -e "  ${GREEN}[PASS]${RESET} $2"
+    else
+        echo -e "  ${RED}[FAIL]${RESET} $2"
+        [ -n "${3:-}" ] && echo -e "\n${3}"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+}
+
+# 1. Environment & Solvers check
+_print_header "Step 1: Environment & Solvers"
+# Run setup check quietly, only show output on failure
+if OUTPUT=$("$SCRIPT_DIR/setup.sh" --check --no-demo-data 2>&1); then
+    _print_status 0 "Python venv and solvers (GLPK/CBC) are ready."
+else
+    _print_status 1 "Environment check failed. Run ./scripts/setup.sh first." "$OUTPUT"
+fi
+
+# 2. Syntax Check (py_compile)
+_print_header "Step 2: Python Syntax Check"
+if python3 -m py_compile "$PROJECT_ROOT/API/app.py" 2>/dev/null; then
+    _print_status 0 "app.py is syntactically valid."
+else
+    _print_status 1 "Syntax error detected in app.py."
+fi
+
+# 3. Smoke Test Harness
+_print_header "Step 3: API & Route Smoke Tests"
+if OUTPUT=$(python3 "$PROJECT_ROOT/tests/smoke_test.py" 2>&1); then
+    _print_status 0 "Smoke tests passed (API boot and core routes)."
+else
+    _print_status 1 "Smoke tests failed." "$OUTPUT"
+fi
+
+# 4. Unresolved Merge state
+_print_header "Step 4: Git Merge Integrity"
+if [ -d "$PROJECT_ROOT/.git" ]; then
+    if [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT/.git/MERGE_HEAD" ] || [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT/.git/REBASE_HEAD" ] || [ -f "$PROJECT_ROOT/.git/CHERRY_PICK_HEAD" ]; then
+        _print_status 1 "Unresolved git merge/rebase detected (.git/MERGE_HEAD exists)."
+    else
+        _print_status 0 "No unresolved git merge/rebase state found."
+    fi
+else
+    echo -e "  ${YELLOW}[SKIP]${RESET} Not a git repository."
+fi
+
+# 5. Conflict Markers scan
+_print_header "Step 5: Conflict Marker Scan"
+# Use ^ to match markers at the beginning of the line to avoid decorative comments
+if grep -rnE "^<<<<<<<|^=======|^>>>>>>>" "$PROJECT_ROOT/API" "$PROJECT_ROOT/WebAPP/App" --exclude-dir=__pycache__ > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+    _print_status 1 "Conflict markers found in the codebase!"
+    grep -rnE "^<<<<<<<|^=======|^>>>>>>>" "$PROJECT_ROOT/API" "$PROJECT_ROOT/WebAPP/App" --exclude-dir=__pycache__
+else
+    _print_status 0 "No conflict markers found in key backend/frontend folders."
+fi
+
+echo -e "\n${BOLD}${GREEN}Verification Complete: MUIOGO is healthy and ready for upstream pull.${RESET}\n"
diff --git a/tests/smoke_test.py b/tests/smoke_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ef7c3314
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/smoke_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+import unittest
+import sys
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+
+# Add project root to sys.path to allow importing API.app
+PROJECT_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+sys.path.insert(0, str(PROJECT_ROOT / "API"))
+
+class SmokeTest(unittest.TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        """Initialize the Flask test client."""
+        try:
+            from app import app
+            app.config['TESTING'] = True
+            app.config['DEBUG'] = False
+            self.app = app.test_client()
+        except ImportError as e:
+            self.fail(f"Failed to import API.app: {e}")
+        except Exception as e:
+            self.fail(f"Failed to initialize Flask app: {e}")
+
+    def test_app_import(self):
+        """Basic check if the app module can be imported."""
+        import app
+        self.assertIsNotNone(app.app)
+
+    def test_index_route(self):
+        """Check if the home route returns 200."""
+        response = self.app.get('/')
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)
+
+    def test_get_session_route(self):
+        """Check if /getSession returns 200 (even if session is empty)."""
+        response = self.app.get('/getSession')
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)
+        self.assertIn('session', response.get_json())
+
+    def test_get_cases_route(self):
+        """Check if /getCases returns 200 or 404 (handled error)."""
+        response = self.app.get('/getCases')
+        # /getCases returns 200 with list or 404 if directory error
+        self.assertIn(response.status_code, [200, 404])
+
+    def test_config_validity(self):
+        """Verify that the Config class resolves paths correctly."""
+        from Classes.Base import Config
+        self.assertTrue(Config.BASE_DIR.exists())
+        self.assertTrue(Config.WEBAPP_PATH.exists())
+        # Note: We don't check for writability here as per 'read-only' constraint,
+        # but we check if the paths are resolved to the correct absolute locations.
+        self.assertIn("MUIOGO", str(Config.BASE_DIR))
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    unittest.main()