diff --git a/tests/downloads/test_lidarr_pinning.py b/tests/downloads/test_lidarr_pinning.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2eb88738
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/downloads/test_lidarr_pinning.py
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+"""Phase A pinning tests for LidarrDownloadClient's download lifecycle.
+
+Lidarr is the special case in the dispatcher — it's an
+ALBUM-grabber, not a track-grabber. When the user asks for a
+track, Lidarr grabs the whole album, then we pick the wanted
+track out (logic at the end of `_download_thread_worker`).
+
+Engine refactor's plugin contract must accommodate album-only
+sources OR Lidarr stays special. Pinning the current contract
+forces the design decision to be conscious during Phase G.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import asyncio
+import threading
+from pathlib import Path
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+import pytest
+
+from core.lidarr_download_client import LidarrDownloadClient
+
+
+def _run_async(coro):
+    loop = asyncio.new_event_loop()
+    try:
+        return loop.run_until_complete(coro)
+    finally:
+        loop.close()
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def lidarr_client():
+    client = LidarrDownloadClient.__new__(LidarrDownloadClient)
+    client.download_path = Path('./test_lidarr_downloads')
+    client.shutdown_check = None
+    client.active_downloads = {}
+    client._download_lock = threading.Lock()
+    client._url = 'http://lidarr.test'
+    client._api_key = 'test-key'
+    return client
+
+
+def test_download_returns_none_when_not_configured():
+    """Pinning: no Lidarr URL/key → None. Orchestrator hybrid skip
+    behavior depends on this."""
+    client = LidarrDownloadClient.__new__(LidarrDownloadClient)
+    client._url = ''
+    client._api_key = ''
+    result = _run_async(client.download('lidarr', '12345||Album Name', 0))
+    assert result is None
+
+
+def test_download_returns_uuid_for_valid_filename(lidarr_client):
+    """Pinning: valid filename → UUID download_id."""
+    with patch('core.lidarr_download_client.threading.Thread') as fake:
+        fake.return_value.start = lambda: None
+        result = _run_async(lidarr_client.download(
+            'lidarr', '12345||Some Album', 0,
+        ))
+    assert result is not None
+    assert len(result) == 36
+
+
+def test_download_parses_album_foreign_id_from_filename(lidarr_client):
+    """Pinning: filename format is ``album_foreign_id||display`` where
+    `album_foreign_id` is the MusicBrainz album MBID Lidarr lookups
+    use. Engine refactor's plugin contract must respect that this
+    is an ALBUM identifier, not a track."""
+    with patch('core.lidarr_download_client.threading.Thread') as fake:
+        fake.return_value.start = lambda: None
+        download_id = _run_async(lidarr_client.download(
+            'lidarr', 'mbid-album-123||Some Album by Artist', 0,
+        ))
+
+    record = lidarr_client.active_downloads[download_id]
+    assert record['album_foreign_id'] == 'mbid-album-123'
+    assert record['display_name'] == 'Some Album by Artist'
+
+
+def test_download_handles_filename_without_separator(lidarr_client):
+    """Pinning: defensive — filename without `||` still produces a
+    download record (album_foreign_id stays empty, display_name is
+    the whole filename). Lidarr's worker tries lookup-by-display."""
+    with patch('core.lidarr_download_client.threading.Thread') as fake:
+        fake.return_value.start = lambda: None
+        download_id = _run_async(lidarr_client.download(
+            'lidarr', 'just-some-display-name', 0,
+        ))
+
+    assert download_id is not None
+    record = lidarr_client.active_downloads[download_id]
+    assert record['album_foreign_id'] == ''
+    assert record['display_name'] == 'just-some-display-name'
+
+
+def test_download_populates_active_downloads_with_album_oriented_state(lidarr_client):
+    """Pinning: Lidarr's state-dict is SMALLER than streaming sources
+    (no track_id, no transferred/speed/time_remaining — Lidarr
+    polls Lidarr's queue API for those, doesn't track byte-level
+    progress locally). Engine extraction must accommodate the
+    smaller schema."""
+    with patch('core.lidarr_download_client.threading.Thread') as fake:
+        fake.return_value.start = lambda: None
+        download_id = _run_async(lidarr_client.download(
+            'lidarr', 'mbid-1||Album', 0,
+        ))
+
+    record = lidarr_client.active_downloads[download_id]
+    assert record['id'] == download_id
+    assert record['username'] == 'lidarr'
+    assert record['state'] == 'Initializing'
+    assert record['progress'] == 0.0
+    assert record['album_foreign_id'] == 'mbid-1'
+    assert record['file_path'] is None
+
+
+def test_download_spawns_daemon_thread_targeting_worker(lidarr_client):
+    """Pinning: thread target is `_download_thread_worker(download_id,
+    album_foreign_id, display_name)` — 3 args, not 4 like streaming
+    sources. Lidarr doesn't need original_filename because the album
+    foreign id IS the unique key."""
+    captured_kwargs = {}
+
+    def capture_thread(*args, **kwargs):
+        captured_kwargs.update(kwargs)
+        return type('FakeThread', (), {'start': lambda self: None})()
+
+    with patch('core.lidarr_download_client.threading.Thread', side_effect=capture_thread):
+        _run_async(lidarr_client.download('lidarr', 'mbid-x||Album', 0))
+
+    assert captured_kwargs.get('daemon') is True
+    assert captured_kwargs.get('target') == lidarr_client._download_thread_worker
+    args = captured_kwargs.get('args', ())
+    assert len(args) == 3  # 3-arg signature
+    assert args[1] == 'mbid-x'
+    assert args[2] == 'Album'