diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
index def04b1..249222b 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -36,3 +36,20 @@ jobs:
           node-version: '24'
       - name: Run secrets-not-embedded test suite
         run: node --test tests/secrets-not-embedded.test.mjs
+
+  # E00-S03-T01: the static assertions of tests/compose-config.test.mjs (db
+  # image pinned to postgres:18.6-bookworm, health gate, volume persistence,
+  # build platforms) gate every PR (the docker-gated real-stack probes inside
+  # the same file run where a Docker daemon is available and skip cleanly
+  # otherwise).
+  compose-config:
+    name: Compose config (E00-S03-T01)
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Install Node.js 24
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: '24'
+      - name: Run compose-config test suite
+        run: node --test tests/compose-config.test.mjs
diff --git a/compose.yaml b/compose.yaml
index 34574cc..06aa600 100644
--- a/compose.yaml
+++ b/compose.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# EPPP Docker Compose baseline — [E00-S02-T01..T08]
+# EPPP Docker Compose baseline — [E00-S02-T01..T08] + [E00-S03-T01]
 #
 # `docker compose up -d` starts both the database (PostgreSQL) and the
 # application (@personal-blog/server). Rollback: `docker compose down`.
@@ -53,9 +53,12 @@
 
 services:
   db:
-    # PostgreSQL 18 on Debian bookworm — the documented runtime target
-    # (Technology-Stack §5.2/§5.4/§6.2, golden tuple §7; no Alpine drift).
-    image: postgres:18-bookworm
+    # PostgreSQL 18.6 on Debian bookworm — the documented runtime target
+    # (Technology-Stack §5.2/§5.4/§6.2, golden tuple §7; no Alpine drift),
+    # pinned to the exact 18.6 minor (E00-S03-T01) so the database container
+    # is reproducible and exposes the expected PostgreSQL version. Rollback:
+    # revert `image` to `postgres:18-bookworm`.
+    image: postgres:18.6-bookworm
     environment:
       POSTGRES_DB: ${POSTGRES_DB:-eppp}
       POSTGRES_USER: ${POSTGRES_USER:-eppp}