diff --git a/backend/AGENTS.md b/backend/AGENTS.md
index 4418e891658..7d6c42d29a1 100644
--- a/backend/AGENTS.md
+++ b/backend/AGENTS.md
@@ -123,6 +123,8 @@ bash test-preflight.sh   # Verify env
 bash test.sh             # Run all tests (CI source of truth)
 ```
 
+On Windows, use `powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\test-preflight.ps1` for the preflight check, then `powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\test.ps1` to run the same pytest list from `test.sh` with `PYTHONUTF8=1`.
+
 **New test files must be added to `test.sh`** or they won't run in CI.
 
 Pre-mock heavy deps before importing the module under test. Use `patch.object(target_module, "func")` not string-based `patch("module.func")` — the string form silently patches the wrong reference if the function was already imported. When modules construct objects at import time, use lazy getters to avoid triggering heavy init in tests.
diff --git a/backend/README.md b/backend/README.md
index 31be561b56e..b82cff71fc7 100644
--- a/backend/README.md
+++ b/backend/README.md
@@ -115,6 +115,34 @@ This README provides a quick setup guide for the Omi backend. For a comprehensiv
     deactivate
     ```
 
+## Running Backend Tests on Windows
+
+From PowerShell, run the Windows preflight before the backend test suite:
+
+```powershell
+cd backend
+powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\test-preflight.ps1
+```
+
+If you have multiple Python versions installed, pass the Python 3.11 executable explicitly:
+
+```powershell
+powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\test-preflight.ps1 -Python C:\Path\To\Python311\python.exe
+```
+
+The preflight checks Python, pytest, formatter availability, key backend imports, optional integration environment
+variables, Redis CLI connectivity, and whether every test referenced by `test.sh` exists.
+
+After the preflight passes, run the Windows test wrapper:
+
+```powershell
+powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\test.ps1
+```
+
+`test.ps1` reads the pytest commands from `test.sh`, sets `PYTHONUTF8=1` for Windows source reads, and skips the
+fair-use integration tests when `redis-cli` is not available. To preview the pytest commands without running them, add
+`-List`.
+
 ## Additional Resources
 
 - [Full Backend Setup Documentation](https://docs.omi.me/developer/backend/Backend_Setup)
diff --git a/backend/test-preflight.ps1 b/backend/test-preflight.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ec513bb1ca1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/test-preflight.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,264 @@
+param(
+    [string]$Python
+)
+
+$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
+
+$RootDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
+Set-Location $RootDir
+
+$script:PassCount = 0
+$script:WarnCount = 0
+$script:FailCount = 0
+$script:PythonCommand = @()
+
+function Write-Ok {
+    param([string]$Message)
+    Write-Host "  [OK] $Message" -ForegroundColor Green
+    $script:PassCount += 1
+}
+
+function Write-Warn {
+    param([string]$Message)
+    Write-Host "  [WARN] $Message" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+    $script:WarnCount += 1
+}
+
+function Write-Bad {
+    param([string]$Message)
+    Write-Host "  [FAIL] $Message" -ForegroundColor Red
+    $script:FailCount += 1
+}
+
+function Set-PythonCommand {
+    if ($Python) {
+        $script:PythonCommand = @($Python)
+        return
+    }
+
+    if (Get-Command python -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
+        $script:PythonCommand = @("python")
+        return
+    }
+
+    if (Get-Command py -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
+        $script:PythonCommand = @("py", "-3")
+        return
+    }
+}
+
+function Invoke-Python {
+    param([string[]]$Arguments)
+
+    $exe = $script:PythonCommand[0]
+    $prefix = @()
+    if ($script:PythonCommand.Count -gt 1) {
+        $prefix = $script:PythonCommand[1..($script:PythonCommand.Count - 1)]
+    }
+
+    $oldErrorActionPreference = $ErrorActionPreference
+    $ErrorActionPreference = "Continue"
+    try {
+        & $exe @prefix @Arguments
+    } finally {
+        $ErrorActionPreference = $oldErrorActionPreference
+    }
+}
+
+function Test-PythonImport {
+    param([string]$ModuleName)
+
+    Invoke-Python @("-c", "import $ModuleName") *> $null
+    return $LASTEXITCODE -eq 0
+}
+
+function Get-EnvValue {
+    param([string]$Name)
+    return [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable($Name)
+}
+
+function Check-Env {
+    param(
+        [string]$Name,
+        [string]$Description
+    )
+
+    if (Get-EnvValue $Name) {
+        Write-Ok "$Name ($Description)"
+    } else {
+        Write-Warn "$Name not set ($Description)"
+    }
+}
+
+Write-Host "Tools:"
+Set-PythonCommand
+
+if ($script:PythonCommand.Count -eq 0) {
+    Write-Bad "python not found (install Python 3.11 or pass -Python <path>)"
+} else {
+    $pythonVersion = (Invoke-Python @("--version") 2>&1) -join " "
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
+        if ($pythonVersion -match "Python 3\.11\.") {
+            Write-Ok $pythonVersion
+        } else {
+            Write-Warn "$pythonVersion detected; backend expects Python 3.11"
+        }
+    } else {
+        Write-Bad "python command failed"
+    }
+}
+
+if ($script:PythonCommand.Count -gt 0) {
+    $pytestVersion = (Invoke-Python @("-m", "pytest", "--version") 2>&1) -join " "
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
+        Write-Ok $pytestVersion
+    } else {
+        Write-Bad "pytest not installed (pip install pytest)"
+    }
+}
+
+if (Get-Command black -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
+    Write-Ok "black (formatter)"
+} elseif ($script:PythonCommand.Count -gt 0) {
+    Invoke-Python @("-m", "black", "--version") *> $null
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
+        Write-Ok "python -m black (formatter)"
+    } else {
+        Write-Warn "black not installed; pre-commit formatting will fail (pip install black)"
+    }
+} else {
+    Write-Warn "black not checked because python was not found"
+}
+
+Write-Host ""
+Write-Host "Python packages:"
+
+$missingPackages = @()
+if ($script:PythonCommand.Count -gt 0) {
+    foreach ($pkg in @("pydantic", "fastapi", "firebase_admin", "google.cloud.firestore", "redis", "deepgram_sdk", "openpipe")) {
+        if (Test-PythonImport $pkg) {
+            Write-Ok $pkg
+        } else {
+            $missingPackages += $pkg
+            Write-Warn "$pkg not importable"
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+if ($missingPackages.Count -gt 0) {
+    Write-Host "  -> Run: pip install -r requirements.txt" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+}
+
+Write-Host ""
+Write-Host "Env vars (unit tests):"
+
+if (Get-EnvValue "ENCRYPTION_SECRET") {
+    Write-Ok "ENCRYPTION_SECRET (set in env)"
+} else {
+    Write-Ok "ENCRYPTION_SECRET (set by test.sh; no action needed)"
+}
+
+Write-Host ""
+Write-Host "Env vars (integration - optional):"
+
+Check-Env "OPENAI_API_KEY" "LLM calls; some integration tests skip without it"
+Check-Env "DEEPGRAM_API_KEY" "STT streaming and pre-recorded transcription"
+Check-Env "ADMIN_KEY" "admin endpoint tests"
+Check-Env "REDIS_DB_HOST" "Redis connection (default: localhost)"
+Check-Env "REDIS_DB_PASSWORD" "Redis auth"
+Check-Env "GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS" "Firebase/Firestore integration tests"
+
+Write-Host ""
+Write-Host "Services:"
+
+$redisCli = Get-Command redis-cli -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+if ($redisCli) {
+    $redisHost = Get-EnvValue "REDIS_DB_HOST"
+    if (-not $redisHost) {
+        $redisHost = "localhost"
+    }
+    $redisPort = Get-EnvValue "REDIS_DB_PORT"
+    if (-not $redisPort) {
+        $redisPort = "6379"
+    }
+
+    $redisArgs = @("-h", $redisHost, "-p", $redisPort)
+    $redisPassword = Get-EnvValue "REDIS_DB_PASSWORD"
+    $redisArgs += "ping"
+
+    $previousRedisCliAuth = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("REDISCLI_AUTH")
+    if ($redisPassword) {
+        $env:REDISCLI_AUTH = $redisPassword
+    }
+
+    try {
+        & $redisCli.Source @redisArgs *> $null
+    } finally {
+        if ($null -eq $previousRedisCliAuth) {
+            Remove-Item Env:REDISCLI_AUTH -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        } else {
+            $env:REDISCLI_AUTH = $previousRedisCliAuth
+        }
+    }
+
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
+        Write-Ok "Redis ($redisHost`:$redisPort) connected"
+    } else {
+        Write-Warn "Redis ($redisHost`:$redisPort) not reachable (integration tests may fail)"
+    }
+} else {
+    Write-Warn "redis-cli not installed; cannot check Redis connectivity"
+}
+
+Write-Host ""
+Write-Host "Test files:"
+
+$unitTests = Get-ChildItem -Path "tests/unit" -Filter "test_*.py" -File -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+if ($unitTests.Count -gt 0) {
+    Write-Ok "$($unitTests.Count) unit test files found"
+} else {
+    Write-Bad "No unit test files found in tests/unit/"
+}
+
+$missingTests = @()
+if (Test-Path "test.sh") {
+    $testRefs = Get-Content "test.sh" |
+        ForEach-Object {
+            $line = $_.Trim()
+            if ($line -match "^pytest\s+") {
+                $line -split "\s+" | Where-Object { $_ -like "tests/*" }
+            }
+        }
+
+    foreach ($testRef in $testRefs) {
+        if (-not (Test-Path $testRef)) {
+            $missingTests += $testRef
+        }
+    }
+
+    if ($missingTests.Count -gt 0) {
+        Write-Bad "test.sh references missing files: $($missingTests -join ', ')"
+    } else {
+        Write-Ok "All test.sh references resolve to existing files"
+    }
+} else {
+    Write-Bad "test.sh not found"
+}
+
+Write-Host ""
+Write-Host "----------------------------------------"
+$total = $script:PassCount + $script:WarnCount + $script:FailCount
+Write-Host "  $script:PassCount passed  $script:WarnCount warnings  $script:FailCount failed  ($total checks)"
+
+if ($script:FailCount -gt 0) {
+    Write-Host "  Fix failures above before running test.sh" -ForegroundColor Red
+    exit 1
+}
+
+if ($script:WarnCount -gt 0) {
+    Write-Host "  Warnings are optional; unit tests should still pass" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+    exit 0
+}
+
+Write-Host "  All clear; ready to run test.sh" -ForegroundColor Green
+exit 0
diff --git a/backend/test.ps1 b/backend/test.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..934875f10f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/test.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+param(
+    [string]$Python = "python",
+    [switch]$List
+)
+
+$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
+
+$RootDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
+Set-Location $RootDir
+
+$env:ENCRYPTION_SECRET = "omi_ZwB2ZNqB2HHpMK6wStk7sTpavJiPTFg7gXUHnc4tFABPU6pZ2c2DKgehtfgi4RZv"
+$env:PYTHONUTF8 = "1"
+
+if (-not (Test-Path "test.sh")) {
+    Write-Error "test.sh not found"
+}
+
+$pytestCommands = Get-Content "test.sh" |
+    Where-Object { $_ -match "^pytest\s+tests/unit/" } |
+    ForEach-Object { $_.Trim() }
+
+if ($pytestCommands.Count -eq 0) {
+    Write-Error "No pytest commands found in test.sh"
+}
+
+if ($List) {
+    $pytestCommands | ForEach-Object { Write-Output $_ }
+    exit 0
+}
+
+foreach ($command in $pytestCommands) {
+    $arguments = $command -split "\s+"
+    Write-Host "> $Python -m $($arguments -join ' ')" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+    & $Python -m @arguments
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+        exit $LASTEXITCODE
+    }
+}
+
+$redisCli = Get-Command redis-cli -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+if ($redisCli) {
+    & $redisCli.Source ping *> $null
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
+        foreach ($integrationTest in @(
+            "tests/integration/test_fair_use_live.py",
+            "tests/integration/test_fair_use_api.py"
+        )) {
+            Write-Host "> $Python -m pytest $integrationTest -v" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+            & $Python -m pytest $integrationTest -v
+            if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+                exit $LASTEXITCODE
+            }
+        }
+    } else {
+        Write-Host "SKIP: fair-use integration tests (Redis not available)"
+    }
+} else {
+    Write-Host "SKIP: fair-use integration tests (redis-cli not available)"
+}