diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ae7d8f3..42edd38 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -101,13 +101,18 @@ After that, the starter site's content and Customizer settings persist in
 the database like any other WordPress content — a redeploy or a fresh
 `deploy.sh` run doesn't touch it or need to repeat it.
 
-### Payments: Helcim
+### Payments: Helcim (preauth/capture)
 
-`deploy.sh` installs and activates the free, wordpress.org-hosted **Helcim
-for WooCommerce** plugin (`helcim-commerce-for-woocommerce`) automatically
-in every environment — nothing to do here for that part.
+The Helcim gateway is a **custom `WC_Payment_Gateway`** shipped inside
+`bookstore-core` (`Payments\HelcimGateway`, built directly against
+HelcimPay.js) — not the off-the-shelf `helcim-commerce-for-woocommerce`
+plugin, which `deploy.sh` deliberately does not install (it only
+supports immediate charges; see design doc Appendix B). Checkout
+authorizes (holds) the card; the charge only actually happens once the
+supplier order succeeds (`Order\SupplierOrderJob`) — see that class and
+`Payments\HelcimClient`'s docblocks for the full sequence.
 
-The plugin needs a Helcim **sandbox API token**, which isn't something a
+The gateway needs a Helcim **sandbox API token**, which isn't something a
 public API can hand out, so it's a one-time manual step per environment:
 
 1. Sign up for a free Helcim account.
@@ -118,13 +123,17 @@ public API can hand out, so it's a one-time manual step per environment:
 
 `deploy.sh` writes the token to a gitignored secrets file the same way it
 already does for `HARDCOVER_API_TOKEN` (see `secrets/<env>/` above), and
-`Payments\HelcimConfig::ensure_configured_from_env()` seeds the gateway's
-WooCommerce settings (sandbox mode, disabled by default — a human still
-enables it at checkout once ready) the first time it finds a token. Until a
-token exists, the plugin is installed and inert; nothing else in this repo
-is blocked on it. Go-live (switching the gateway from sandbox to Helcim's
-live environment) is a deliberate manual step on the settings screen, not
-something this repo automates.
+`Payments\HelcimGatewayConfig::ensure_configured_from_env()` seeds the
+gateway's WooCommerce settings (sandbox mode, disabled by default — a
+human still enables it at checkout once ready) the first time it finds a
+token. **Until a token exists, `Payments\HelcimClient` runs in fake
+mode** — every preauth/capture/reverse call returns a synthetic approved
+response instead of hitting the real API, so the whole checkout ->
+preauth -> fraud review -> supplier order -> capture/reverse flow is
+testable end-to-end without one (same pattern as the synthetic
+`gutenberg_test` supplier). Go-live (switching from sandbox to Helcim's
+live environment) is a deliberate manual step on the settings screen,
+not something this repo automates.
 
 ### Admin access restriction (production)
 
@@ -201,28 +210,30 @@ with a bigger `--limit` continues forward instead of rescanning. Pricing
 `includes/Pricing/PricingEngine.php` and
 `includes/Shipping/BSC_Free_Shipping.php`.
 
-## Checkout + order engine (Week 3)
+## Checkout + order engine (Week 3, payment flow revised)
 
-Helcim's WooCommerce plugin is installed (see "Payments: Helcim" above),
-paired with a synchronous pre-charge supplier/margin recheck and a
-fraud-check hook — both run right before the payment gateway is called
-(`Order\CheckoutRecheck`), never after. A passing order moves through a
-custom status sequence beyond WooCommerce's own pending/processing/
-completed: `bsc-ordered` (submitted to the supplier via Action
-Scheduler, `Order\SupplierOrderJob`) → `bsc-shipped` → `completed`. Any
-failure at any stage — no sellable offer, margin no longer holds, fraud
-check fails, or the supplier submission itself fails after charging — lands
-the order in `bsc-exception` ("Needs Review"), which is the review queue:
-just a filterable WooCommerce order status, not a separate table. A
-post-charge failure also triggers an automatic refund
-(`wc_create_refund(..., refund_payment: true)`), per the design doc's
-Appendix B decision that an undo is always a refund, never a void.
+A synchronous pre-authorization supplier/margin recheck runs right
+before the card is held (`Order\CheckoutRecheck`, price/margin only —
+never charges anything). The custom Helcim gateway (see "Payments:
+Helcim" above) then holds the card and, once the fraud check
+(`Payments\FraudCheck`) passes, moves the order to `bsc-authorized`
+(held, not charged). `Order\SupplierOrderJob` picks it up from there:
+submits to the supplier, and only on success **captures** the hold (the
+card is actually charged for the first time here) before moving to
+`bsc-ordered` → `bsc-shipped` → `completed`. Any failure at any stage —
+no sellable offer, margin no longer holds, fraud check fails, or the
+supplier submission itself fails — lands the order in `bsc-exception`
+("Needs Review"), which is the review queue: just a filterable
+WooCommerce order status, not a separate table. Because nothing is
+charged until capture, most failures are a **void** (`AuditTrail::record_void()`,
+zero cost) rather than a refund — a refund only happens for the rarer
+case of something going wrong *after* a real capture.
 
 `wp bookstore force-offer-status <isbn13> <active|stale|discontinued>` (see
 `wp bookstore help`) forces a specific ISBN's synthetic offer into a
 specific state — `SyntheticOfferGenerator`'s rolls are random, so this is
 how to reliably exercise the recheck's failure paths (price-increase,
-out-of-stock, discontinued-after-charge) in a real checkout.
+out-of-stock, discontinued-after-supplier-submission) in a real checkout.
 
 Real BooksRun/Ingram supplier adapters are still Week 4 — `SupplierOrderJob`
 runs against the synthetic `gutenberg_test` supplier for now, deliberately
diff --git a/deploy/deploy.sh b/deploy/deploy.sh
index 53f0a6d..e7c45e1 100755
--- a/deploy/deploy.sh
+++ b/deploy/deploy.sh
@@ -68,8 +68,9 @@ printf '%s' "$DB_ROOT_PASSWORD_VALUE" > "$SECRETS_DIR/db_root_password"
 HARDCOVER_API_TOKEN_VALUE="$(env_get "$ENV_FILE" HARDCOVER_API_TOKEN)"
 printf '%s' "$HARDCOVER_API_TOKEN_VALUE" > "$SECRETS_DIR/hardcover_api_token"
 # Same reasoning/pattern as Hardcover above — optional, written unconditionally.
-# Payments\HelcimConfig::is_configured() is false (and the gateway stays
-# unconfigured) until a real sandbox token lands in HELCIM_API_TOKEN.
+# Payments\HelcimGatewayConfig::is_configured() is false (and the
+# gateway falls back to fake mode — see HelcimClient) until a real
+# sandbox token lands in HELCIM_API_TOKEN.
 HELCIM_API_TOKEN_VALUE="$(env_get "$ENV_FILE" HELCIM_API_TOKEN)"
 printf '%s' "$HELCIM_API_TOKEN_VALUE" > "$SECRETS_DIR/helcim_api_token"
 if [[ -z "$HELCIM_API_TOKEN_VALUE" ]]; then
@@ -117,11 +118,27 @@ if ! $WP core is-installed; then
     --skip-email
 fi
 
+# WordPress defaults to plain "?p=123" permalinks on a fresh install,
+# which silently breaks routing for /my-account/, the Store API
+# (/wp-json/wc/store/v1/...), and any other pretty-URL path — confirmed
+# directly (my-account fell through to the homepage instead of 404ing,
+# which made the problem non-obvious). "Rewrite rules are empty" further
+# down in this script was this same root cause going unfixed on every
+# deploy until now.
+echo "==> setting pretty permalinks (required for Store API / my-account routing)"
+$WP rewrite structure '/%postname%/'
+$WP rewrite flush --hard
+
 echo "==> installing/activating theme (Blocksy — free; Book Store starter site needs a manual license + import, see README)"
 $WP theme install blocksy --activate
 
 echo "==> installing/activating required plugins"
-$WP plugin install woocommerce redis-cache blocksy-companion helcim-commerce-for-woocommerce --activate
+# helcim-commerce-for-woocommerce (the off-the-shelf, immediate-charge-
+# only plugin) is deliberately NOT installed here anymore — Payments\
+# HelcimGateway (shipped inside bookstore-core) replaces it with a
+# preauth-then-capture flow built directly against HelcimPay.js. See
+# design doc Appendix B's revised decision.
+$WP plugin install woocommerce redis-cache blocksy-companion --activate
 $WP plugin activate bookstore-core
 $WP redis enable || true
 
diff --git a/docs/online_bookstore_prelaunch_implementation_plan.docx b/docs/online_bookstore_prelaunch_implementation_plan.docx
index 864b2a4..9683856 100644
Binary files a/docs/online_bookstore_prelaunch_implementation_plan.docx and b/docs/online_bookstore_prelaunch_implementation_plan.docx differ
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/assets/js/helcim-checkout-block.js b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/assets/js/helcim-checkout-block.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..565d2c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/assets/js/helcim-checkout-block.js
@@ -0,0 +1,182 @@
+/**
+ * Blocks/Store API payment method for Payments\HelcimGateway (id
+ * bsc_helcim). Registered via wc.wcBlocksRegistry.registerPaymentMethod
+ * since this store only serves Cart/Checkout blocks — see
+ * Payments\HelcimBlocksIntegration's docblock.
+ *
+ * Flow: customer clicks "Enter card details" -> POST /init (server talks
+ * to Helcim, returns checkoutToken+secretToken) -> load HelcimPay.js,
+ * render its iframe -> customer completes card entry -> HelcimPay.js
+ * postMessages the result to window -> POST /confirm (server validates
+ * the hash and stashes the preauth server-side, keyed to this session —
+ * see Payments\CheckoutSession) -> only then does onPaymentSetup allow
+ * WooCommerce to actually submit the order, which is what triggers
+ * HelcimGateway::process_payment() to pick up that stashed preauth.
+ *
+ * Fake mode (no real Helcim token configured yet — see HelcimClient's
+ * docblock): skips loading the real HelcimPay.js iframe entirely in
+ * favor of a "Simulate card entry" button that drives the exact same
+ * /init + /confirm calls, so this whole flow is testable today.
+ */
+(function () {
+    var registerPaymentMethod = window.wc.wcBlocksRegistry.registerPaymentMethod;
+    var el = window.wp.element.createElement;
+    var useState = window.wp.element.useState;
+    var useEffect = window.wp.element.useEffect;
+    var settings = window.bscHelcimData || {};
+    var label = settings.title || 'Credit Card';
+
+    function restPost(path, body) {
+        return fetch(settings.restUrl + path, {
+            method: 'POST',
+            headers: {
+                'Content-Type': 'application/json',
+                'X-WP-Nonce': settings.nonce,
+            },
+            body: JSON.stringify(body || {}),
+            credentials: 'same-origin',
+        }).then(function (response) {
+            return response.json().then(function (data) {
+                if (!response.ok) {
+                    throw new Error(data.error || 'Payment request failed.');
+                }
+                return data;
+            });
+        });
+    }
+
+    function loadHelcimPayScript() {
+        return new Promise(function (resolve, reject) {
+            if (window.appendHelcimPayIframe) {
+                resolve();
+                return;
+            }
+            var script = document.createElement('script');
+            script.src = 'https://secure.helcim.app/helcim-pay/services/start.js';
+            script.onload = resolve;
+            script.onerror = function () {
+                reject(new Error('Could not load HelcimPay.js.'));
+            };
+            document.body.appendChild(script);
+        });
+    }
+
+    /** Exact event shape per Helcim's own documented example: event.data = {eventName, eventStatus, eventMessage}. */
+    function waitForHelcimResult(checkoutToken) {
+        return new Promise(function (resolve, reject) {
+            var identifierKey = 'helcim-pay-js-' + checkoutToken;
+            function handleMessage(event) {
+                if (!event.data || event.data.eventName !== identifierKey) {
+                    return;
+                }
+                if (event.data.eventStatus === 'SUCCESS') {
+                    window.removeEventListener('message', handleMessage);
+                    resolve(event.data.eventMessage);
+                } else if (event.data.eventStatus === 'ABORTED') {
+                    window.removeEventListener('message', handleMessage);
+                    reject(new Error('Card entry failed or was cancelled.'));
+                }
+                // 'HIDE' (modal closed without ABORTED/SUCCESS) is ignored here deliberately.
+            }
+            window.addEventListener('message', handleMessage);
+        });
+    }
+
+    function runRealFlow() {
+        var checkoutToken, secretToken;
+        return restPost('/init', {})
+            .then(function (init) {
+                checkoutToken = init.checkoutToken;
+                secretToken = init.secretToken;
+                return loadHelcimPayScript();
+            })
+            .then(function () {
+                window.appendHelcimPayIframe(checkoutToken);
+                return waitForHelcimResult(checkoutToken);
+            })
+            .then(function (eventMessage) {
+                return restPost('/confirm', {
+                    rawDataResponse: eventMessage.data || eventMessage,
+                    checkoutToken: checkoutToken,
+                    secretToken: secretToken,
+                });
+            });
+    }
+
+    function runFakeFlow() {
+        return restPost('/init', {}).then(function () {
+            return restPost('/confirm', {});
+        });
+    }
+
+    function Content(props) {
+        var stateHook = useState('idle'); // idle | working | ready | error
+        var status = stateHook[0];
+        var setStatus = stateHook[1];
+        var errorHook = useState('');
+        var error = errorHook[0];
+        var setError = errorHook[1];
+
+        useEffect(
+            function () {
+                var unsubscribe = props.eventRegistration.onPaymentSetup(function () {
+                    if (status !== 'ready') {
+                        return {
+                            type: props.emitResponse.responseTypes.ERROR,
+                            message: 'Please complete card entry before placing your order.',
+                        };
+                    }
+                    return { type: props.emitResponse.responseTypes.SUCCESS };
+                });
+                return unsubscribe;
+            },
+            [status, props.eventRegistration, props.emitResponse]
+        );
+
+        function handleClick() {
+            setStatus('working');
+            setError('');
+            var flow = settings.fakeMode ? runFakeFlow() : runRealFlow();
+            flow
+                .then(function () {
+                    setStatus('ready');
+                })
+                .catch(function (e) {
+                    setStatus('error');
+                    setError(e.message);
+                });
+        }
+
+        return el(
+            'div',
+            { className: 'bsc-helcim-payment-method' },
+            settings.description ? el('p', {}, settings.description) : null,
+            status === 'ready'
+                ? el('p', {}, '✓ Card authorized — ready to place order.')
+                : el(
+                      'button',
+                      { type: 'button', onClick: handleClick, disabled: status === 'working' },
+                      status === 'working'
+                          ? 'Verifying card…'
+                          : settings.fakeMode
+                          ? 'Simulate card entry (dev/fake mode)'
+                          : 'Enter card details'
+                  ),
+            error ? el('p', { style: { color: 'red' } }, error) : null
+        );
+    }
+
+    registerPaymentMethod({
+        name: 'bsc_helcim',
+        label: label,
+        content: el(Content),
+        edit: el(Content),
+        canMakePayment: function () {
+            return true;
+        },
+        ariaLabel: label,
+        supports: {
+            features: ['products'],
+        },
+    });
+})();
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/bookstore-core.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/bookstore-core.php
index e87bcf7..c9af1c2 100644
--- a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/bookstore-core.php
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/bookstore-core.php
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ register_activation_hook(__FILE__, function () {
 
 add_action('plugins_loaded', function () {
     \Bookstore\Core\Schema::maybe_upgrade();
-    \Bookstore\Core\Payments\HelcimConfig::ensure_configured_from_env();
+    \Bookstore\Core\Payments\HelcimGatewayConfig::ensure_configured_from_env();
 });
 
 add_filter('woocommerce_shipping_methods', function (array $methods) {
@@ -59,6 +59,22 @@ add_filter('woocommerce_shipping_methods', function (array $methods) {
     return $methods;
 });
 
+// Preauth-then-capture payment flow against HelcimPay.js directly —
+// design doc Appendix B's revised decision (see includes/Payments/).
+// Replaces the off-the-shelf helcim-commerce-for-woocommerce plugin's
+// immediate-charge gateway, not just adds to it — see deploy.sh, which
+// no longer installs that plugin.
+add_filter('woocommerce_payment_gateways', function (array $gateways) {
+    $gateways[] = \Bookstore\Core\Payments\HelcimGateway::class;
+    return $gateways;
+});
+
+add_action('woocommerce_blocks_payment_method_type_registration', function ($registry) {
+    $registry->register(new \Bookstore\Core\Payments\HelcimBlocksIntegration());
+});
+
+\Bookstore\Core\Payments\CheckoutController::register();
+
 // Membership tiers/benefits: design doc §07 extension (see includes/Membership/).
 \Bookstore\Core\Membership\MemberDiscount::register();
 \Bookstore\Core\Membership\Registration::register();
@@ -90,10 +106,10 @@ add_filter('woocommerce_email_classes', function (array $emails) {
     return $emails;
 });
 
-// Appendix B: "the store loses only the processing fee" — recorded
-// against the order-audit ledger for every refund, whether triggered by
-// an admin's manual refund click or SupplierOrderJob's automatic
-// post-charge-failure refund.
+// Recorded against the order-audit ledger for every refund — now mostly
+// just admin-initiated manual refunds after a real capture, since
+// SupplierOrderJob's automatic pre-capture failure path is a void
+// (AuditTrail::record_void(), zero cost) rather than a refund.
 add_action('woocommerce_order_refunded', function (int $order_id, int $refund_id) {
     \Bookstore\Core\Order\AuditTrail::record_refund($order_id);
 }, 10, 2);
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Membership/Tier.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Membership/Tier.php
index f0afff4..e777738 100644
--- a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Membership/Tier.php
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Membership/Tier.php
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ class Tier
      * Seeds guest/free_member with today's real defaults — only if
      * missing by slug, so a human's later edits via the CLI/settings
      * screen are never clobbered on a later plugins_loaded (same
-     * never-overwrite convention as Payments\HelcimConfig).
+     * never-overwrite convention as Payments\HelcimGatewayConfig).
      */
     public static function seed_defaults(): void
     {
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/AuditTrail.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/AuditTrail.php
index b39e84c..b78acc8 100644
--- a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/AuditTrail.php
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/AuditTrail.php
@@ -6,8 +6,11 @@ defined('ABSPATH') || exit;
 
 /**
  * bsc_order_audit: one row per order line, written once at checkout
- * (CheckoutRecheck::finalize_order()) and updated once on refund
- * (record_refund()). Style mirrors Catalog\SupplierOffer exactly.
+ * (CheckoutRecheck::run_checks()) and updated once — either on refund
+ * (record_refund(), a post-capture reversal) or on void (record_void(),
+ * a pre-capture supplier-order failure — the far more common case under
+ * the preauth-then-capture flow). Style mirrors Catalog\SupplierOffer
+ * exactly.
  */
 class AuditTrail
 {
@@ -63,6 +66,9 @@ class AuditTrail
      * A full refund (Appendix B: "the store loses only the processing
      * fee") recovers nothing else — record that as the only real loss
      * against the expectation this row already captured at checkout time.
+     * Only reachable now for a refund *after* a real capture (e.g. a
+     * manual admin refund post-fulfillment) — a failed supplier order
+     * before capture goes through record_void() instead, below.
      */
     public static function record_refund(int $order_id): void
     {
@@ -75,4 +81,22 @@ class AuditTrail
             $order_id
         ));
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Preauth-then-capture rework: a failed supplier order before capture
+     * reverses the hold (Order\SupplierOrderJob::fail_and_release())
+     * rather than refunding a charge that was never made — genuinely
+     * zero cost, not the processing-fee loss record_refund() models.
+     */
+    public static function record_void(int $order_id): void
+    {
+        global $wpdb;
+        $wpdb->query($wpdb->prepare(
+            "UPDATE " . self::table() . "
+             SET processor_cost_actual = 0,
+                 actual_contribution = 0
+             WHERE order_id = %d",
+            $order_id
+        ));
+    }
 }
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/CheckoutRecheck.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/CheckoutRecheck.php
index af046e6..b1c7162 100644
--- a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/CheckoutRecheck.php
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/CheckoutRecheck.php
@@ -2,14 +2,25 @@
 
 namespace Bookstore\Core\Order;
 
-use Bookstore\Core\Payments\FraudCheck;
+use Bookstore\Core\Payments\CheckoutSession;
+use Bookstore\Core\Payments\HelcimApiException;
+use Bookstore\Core\Payments\HelcimClient;
+use Bookstore\Core\Payments\HelcimGateway;
 use Bookstore\Core\Pricing\PricingEngine;
 
 defined('ABSPATH') || exit;
 
 /**
- * Appendix B: "Supplier stock, price, and margin are rechecked live,
- * synchronously, immediately before the customer's card is charged."
+ * Appendix B (revised for the preauth-then-capture rework): "Supplier
+ * stock, price, and margin are rechecked live, synchronously,
+ * immediately before the customer's card is authorized (held)." The
+ * fraud check moved out of run_checks() and into
+ * Payments\HelcimGateway::process_payment() — it now runs *after* the
+ * preauth exists rather than before, per the new checkout -> preauth ->
+ * fraud review -> supplier order -> capture sequence. This class still
+ * owns price/margin only, and (new) reversing any preauth that's
+ * already been taken if that recheck fails here — see the "wrinkle"
+ * note on validate_order_before_payment() below.
  *
  * Two checkout implementations, two different hook sets — confirmed by
  * reading wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/src/StoreApi/Routes/V1/Checkout.php
@@ -132,6 +143,13 @@ class CheckoutRecheck
      * *supplier-submission* execution (SupplierOrderJob's own meta+lock
      * guards — see that class), which is what the design doc's "duplicate
      * webhook/job... do not double-order" requirement is actually about.
+     *
+     * New wrinkle from the preauth rework: by the time this hook fires,
+     * the customer has already completed a preauth via the Blocks
+     * checkout JS (Payments\HelcimGateway isn't invoked yet — that only
+     * happens after this hook passes). If the recheck fails here, that
+     * hold is real and live but process_payment() will never run to
+     * clean it up — so run_checks()'s failure path reverses it directly.
      */
     public static function validate_order_before_payment(\WC_Order $order, \WP_Error $validation_errors): void
     {
@@ -155,12 +173,12 @@ class CheckoutRecheck
 
     /**
      * Shared by both checkout implementations. Returns null on success
-     * (audit rows already written, fraud check already logged) or a
-     * customer-facing failure message (order already routed to the
-     * exception status) on failure. Audit rows are only ever inserted
-     * after every item AND the fraud check have passed — never partially,
-     * which matters because a failed attempt can be resubmitted against
-     * the same draft order under Blocks checkout.
+     * (audit rows already written) or a customer-facing failure message
+     * (order already routed to the exception status, any preauth already
+     * reversed) on failure. Audit rows are only ever inserted after every
+     * item has passed — never partially, which matters because a failed
+     * attempt can be resubmitted against the same draft order under
+     * Blocks checkout.
      */
     private static function run_checks(\WC_Order $order): ?string
     {
@@ -177,13 +195,14 @@ class CheckoutRecheck
             $quoted_unit = (float) $item->get_total() / $quantity;
 
             if (!$recheck || $recheck->price > $quoted_unit + self::PRICE_CUSHION) {
+                self::reverse_pending_preauth();
                 self::route_to_exception($order, sprintf(
                     'Supplier/margin recheck failed for "%s" at order-finalize (was quoted $%.2f, fresh price $%.2f).',
                     $item->get_name(),
                     $quoted_unit,
                     $recheck->price ?? 0.0
                 ));
-                return 'Sorry, part of your order is no longer available at its listed price. You have not been charged — please try again.';
+                return 'Sorry, part of your order is no longer available at its listed price. Any card hold has been released — please try again.';
             }
 
             $offer = $recheck->offer;
@@ -206,12 +225,6 @@ class CheckoutRecheck
             ];
         }
 
-        $fraud = FraudCheck::run($order);
-        if (!$fraud['pass']) {
-            self::route_to_exception($order, 'Fraud check failed: ' . $fraud['reason']);
-            return 'Your order could not be processed and has been placed under review. You have not been charged.';
-        }
-
         foreach ($pending_audit_rows as $row) {
             AuditTrail::insert(...$row);
         }
@@ -219,6 +232,28 @@ class CheckoutRecheck
         return null;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Fraud check already ran (Payments\HelcimGateway::process_payment(),
+     * after the preauth) by the time price/margin ever gets a chance to
+     * fail here — this only fires when the preauth exists but the recheck
+     * itself fails first. Best-effort: nothing was ever charged either
+     * way, and an unreversed hold just expires on its own within Helcim's
+     * 7-day window if this call fails.
+     */
+    private static function reverse_pending_preauth(): void
+    {
+        $pending = CheckoutSession::pending_preauth();
+        if (!$pending) {
+            return;
+        }
+        CheckoutSession::clear_pending_preauth();
+        try {
+            HelcimClient::reverse($pending['preauth_transaction_id'], HelcimGateway::client_ip());
+        } catch (HelcimApiException $e) {
+            error_log('bsc_helcim: reverse failed after a failed price/margin recheck: ' . $e->getMessage());
+        }
+    }
+
     private static function route_to_exception(\WC_Order $order, string $reason): void
     {
         $order->update_status(OrderStatuses::EXCEPTION, $reason);
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/OrderStatuses.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/OrderStatuses.php
index 65a9cc0..eb343ea 100644
--- a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/OrderStatuses.php
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/OrderStatuses.php
@@ -5,18 +5,19 @@ namespace Bookstore\Core\Order;
 defined('ABSPATH') || exit;
 
 /**
- * Design doc §04/Appendix B state machine: Pending -> Supplier Verify ->
- * Margin Verify -> Fraud Check -> Charged -> Supplier Ordered -> Shipped
- * -> Complete. Pending/Charged/Complete map onto WooCommerce's own
- * pending/processing/completed; Supplier Verify, Margin Verify, and Fraud
- * Check all complete within one request (CheckoutRecheck) and are logged
- * as order notes rather than full status transitions — a transition per
- * millisecond-scale sub-step would register three more email/report
- * buckets for no observable benefit. What *does* need a real, persisted,
- * filterable status is "every failure path must end in a visible review
- * state" — hence exactly one new failure status (bsc-exception) plus the
- * two remaining forward-progress steps the state machine names
- * (bsc-supplier-ordered, bsc-shipped).
+ * Design doc §04/Appendix B state machine, revised again for the
+ * preauth-then-capture rework: Pending -> Margin Verify -> Authorized
+ * (Held) -> Fraud Check -> Supplier Ordered -> Charged -> Shipped ->
+ * Complete. Pending/Charged/Complete map onto WooCommerce's own
+ * pending/processing/completed. Margin Verify still completes within one
+ * request (CheckoutRecheck) and is logged as an order note rather than a
+ * full status transition. Authorized IS a real persisted status now —
+ * unlike the single-request sub-steps, it can legitimately sit for a
+ * while (fraud review, the supplier-order Action Scheduler job) with
+ * real money on hold, so it needs to be visible/filterable in wp-admin,
+ * not just logged. Same reasoning already covered bsc-exception
+ * ("every failure path must end in a visible review state") and the two
+ * forward-progress steps (bsc-ordered, bsc-shipped).
  *
  * register_post_status()/the wc_order_statuses filter is the standard
  * WooCommerce recipe for adding a custom order status and is unaffected
@@ -33,6 +34,11 @@ class OrderStatuses
     // the nonsensical 'bsc-supplier-orde'. 'wc-bsc-ordered' is 14 chars.
     public const SUPPLIER_ORDERED = 'bsc-ordered';
     public const SHIPPED = 'bsc-shipped';
+    // Reintroduced by the preauth-then-capture rework (design doc
+    // Appendix B, revised again) — sits between Pending and (native)
+    // Processing: the card is held, not yet charged. 'wc-bsc-authorized'
+    // is 17 chars, fits the same VARCHAR(20) constraint above.
+    public const AUTHORIZED = 'bsc-authorized';
 
     public static function register(): void
     {
@@ -42,6 +48,15 @@ class OrderStatuses
 
     public static function register_post_statuses(): void
     {
+        register_post_status('wc-' . self::AUTHORIZED, [
+            'label' => 'Authorized (Held)',
+            'public' => false,
+            'exclude_from_search' => false,
+            'show_in_admin_all_list' => true,
+            'show_in_admin_status_list' => true,
+            'label_count' => self::noop_label_count('Authorized (Held)'),
+        ]);
+
         register_post_status('wc-' . self::EXCEPTION, [
             'label' => 'Needs Review',
             'public' => false,
@@ -75,6 +90,9 @@ class OrderStatuses
         $with_new = [];
         foreach ($statuses as $key => $label) {
             $with_new[$key] = $label;
+            if ($key === 'wc-pending') {
+                $with_new['wc-' . self::AUTHORIZED] = 'Authorized (Held)';
+            }
             if ($key === 'wc-processing') {
                 $with_new['wc-' . self::SUPPLIER_ORDERED] = 'Supplier Ordered';
                 $with_new['wc-' . self::SHIPPED] = 'Shipped';
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/SupplierOrderJob.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/SupplierOrderJob.php
index 47776d3..acbab78 100644
--- a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/SupplierOrderJob.php
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Order/SupplierOrderJob.php
@@ -3,33 +3,47 @@
 namespace Bookstore\Core\Order;
 
 use Bookstore\Core\Catalog\SupplierOffer;
+use Bookstore\Core\Payments\HelcimApiException;
+use Bookstore\Core\Payments\HelcimClient;
+use Bookstore\Core\Payments\HelcimGateway;
 
 defined('ABSPATH') || exit;
 
 /**
- * Design doc §04/§06: "Supplier Ordered" — submitting the charged order to
- * the actual supplier. Routed through Action Scheduler now, even against
- * the synthetic gutenberg_test supplier which has no real API to be
+ * Design doc §04/§06: "Supplier Ordered" — submitting the order to the
+ * actual supplier. Routed through Action Scheduler now, even against the
+ * synthetic gutenberg_test supplier which has no real API to be
  * slow/flaky against, so Week 4's BooksRun/Ingram integration only swaps
  * this class's run() body for a real HTTP call — the scheduling, locking,
  * status transition, and exception-routing plumbing is already correct
  * and untouched. Also where the plan doc's "BooksRun/API timeout -> retry
  * safely via queue; do not double-order" idempotency requirement actually
  * lives, ahead of Week 4 needing it for real.
+ *
+ * Preauth-then-capture rework: this class now runs BEFORE the card is
+ * actually charged, not after. It triggers on the order reaching
+ * Order\OrderStatuses::AUTHORIZED (preauth held, fraud check already
+ * passed — Payments\HelcimGateway) rather than woocommerce_payment_complete.
+ * A successful supplier submission captures the held funds for the first
+ * time (payment_complete() only fires here now, at capture); a failed one
+ * reverses the hold instead of refunding a charge that was never made —
+ * the whole point of this rework, replacing Appendix B's accepted
+ * "refund, lose the processing fee" risk with a genuinely zero-cost void.
  */
 class SupplierOrderJob
 {
     public static function register(): void
     {
-        add_action('woocommerce_payment_complete', [self::class, 'schedule_for_order']);
+        add_action('woocommerce_order_status_' . OrderStatuses::AUTHORIZED, [self::class, 'schedule_for_order']);
         add_action('bsc_submit_supplier_order', [self::class, 'run']);
     }
 
     /**
-     * woocommerce_payment_complete is documented to sometimes fire more
-     * than once for the same order depending on gateway/flow — this guard
-     * (checked again, more strongly, inside run() itself) is what stops a
-     * duplicate firing from scheduling the submission twice.
+     * WooCommerce's per-status transition hooks can fire more than once
+     * for the same order (e.g. a status re-saved without actually
+     * changing) — this guard (checked again, more strongly, inside run()
+     * itself) is what stops a duplicate firing from scheduling the
+     * submission twice.
      */
     public static function schedule_for_order(int $order_id): void
     {
@@ -72,7 +86,7 @@ class SupplierOrderJob
                 if (!$offer) {
                     $order->update_meta_data('_bsc_supplier_order_status', 'failed');
                     $order->save();
-                    self::fail_and_refund(
+                    self::fail_and_release(
                         $order,
                         "Pinned supplier offer #{$audit_row->offer_id} is no longer sellable at fulfillment time."
                     );
@@ -83,44 +97,66 @@ class SupplierOrderJob
             $order->add_order_note('Supplier order submitted (synthetic: gutenberg_test).');
             $order->update_meta_data('_bsc_supplier_order_status', 'submitted');
             $order->save();
-            $order->update_status(OrderStatuses::SUPPLIER_ORDERED);
+
+            self::capture_and_complete($order);
         } finally {
             $wpdb->query($wpdb->prepare('SELECT RELEASE_LOCK(%s)', $lock_key));
         }
     }
 
     /**
-     * Appendix B residual risk, made concrete: "a charge that later needs
-     * to be undone... becomes a refund instead of a void. The customer is
-     * made whole in full; the store loses only the processing fee."
-     * refund_payment=true is what makes wc_create_refund() actually invoke
-     * the gateway's process_refund() rather than just recording a line
-     * item.
+     * The supplier order just succeeded — this is the first point the
+     * card is actually charged. Captures the preauth held since checkout,
+     * then calls WC's own payment_complete() (which now fires
+     * woocommerce_payment_complete for real, restoring that hook's
+     * original meaning) before moving to Supplier Ordered.
      *
-     * wc_create_refund() returns a WP_Error — not false, not a thrown
-     * exception — when the active gateway doesn't support automatic
-     * refunds (confirmed directly: WooCommerce's own stock Cheque/BACS/COD
-     * gateways all lack process_refund(), and this is exactly the gateway
-     * used to test this path without real Helcim credentials yet). Left
-     * unchecked, the refund silently never happens with no trace anywhere
-     * — the order still reaches bsc-exception, but "every failure path
-     * must end in a visible review state" needs the refund's own outcome
-     * to be visible too, not just the parent order state.
+     * Capture failing here (card expired/declined during the hold window
+     * — rare, but real) is its own distinct failure mode from a supplier-
+     * side problem: the supplier submission already (synthetically, for
+     * now) succeeded, so this can't cleanly fall back to fail_and_release()
+     * the way an unsellable offer can. Routes to exception with an
+     * explicit "needs manual follow-up" note instead — the same manual-
+     * fallback philosophy Appendix B already accepted for one-off
+     * unfulfillable orders.
      */
-    private static function fail_and_refund(\WC_Order $order, string $reason): void
+    private static function capture_and_complete(\WC_Order $order): void
+    {
+        $preauth_id = (int) $order->get_meta('_bsc_preauth_transaction_id');
+        $amount = (float) $order->get_total();
+
+        try {
+            $capture = HelcimClient::capture($preauth_id, $amount, HelcimGateway::client_ip());
+        } catch (HelcimApiException $e) {
+            $order->update_status(
+                OrderStatuses::EXCEPTION,
+                "Supplier order succeeded but capture failed ({$e->getMessage()}) — needs manual follow-up, do not resubmit to the supplier."
+            );
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $order->payment_complete((string) ($capture['transactionId'] ?? $preauth_id));
+        $order->update_status(OrderStatuses::SUPPLIER_ORDERED);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Appendix B's residual risk ("a charge that later needs to be
+     * undone becomes a refund... the store loses only the processing
+     * fee") is exactly what this rework was for: nothing has been
+     * charged yet at this point, so a failed supplier order releases the
+     * hold instead — genuinely zero cost, not "only the processing fee."
+     */
+    private static function fail_and_release(\WC_Order $order, string $reason): void
     {
         $order->update_status(OrderStatuses::EXCEPTION, $reason);
 
-        $refund = wc_create_refund([
-            'order_id' => $order->get_id(),
-            'amount' => (float) $order->get_total(),
-            'reason' => $reason,
-            'refund_payment' => true,
-        ]);
-
-        if (is_wp_error($refund)) {
+        $preauth_id = (int) $order->get_meta('_bsc_preauth_transaction_id');
+        try {
+            HelcimClient::reverse($preauth_id, HelcimGateway::client_ip());
+            AuditTrail::record_void($order->get_id());
+        } catch (HelcimApiException $e) {
             $order->add_order_note(
-                'Automatic refund could not be issued (' . $refund->get_error_message() . ') — needs a manual refund.'
+                'Could not release the card hold (' . $e->getMessage() . ') — it will expire on its own within 7 days; no manual refund needed.'
             );
         }
     }
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/CheckoutController.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/CheckoutController.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b8187b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/CheckoutController.php
@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Bookstore\Core\Payments;
+
+defined('ABSPATH') || exit;
+
+/**
+ * The two REST endpoints the Blocks checkout JS (assets/js/helcim-checkout-block.js)
+ * calls to get a validated preauth before the WooCommerce order is even
+ * submitted — see Payments\CheckoutSession's docblock for why this has
+ * to happen before order creation rather than inside process_payment().
+ *
+ * init: server-side call to HelcimClient::initialize_checkout() (keeps
+ * the API token off the client entirely) for the current cart total;
+ * returns checkoutToken + secretToken to the client — this matches
+ * Helcim's own documented HelcimPay.js pattern (their reference
+ * validateResponse() example sends secretToken back to your endpoint
+ * alongside the raw transaction response, rather than keeping it purely
+ * server-side), not a deviation from it.
+ * confirm: the client forwards {rawDataResponse, checkoutToken,
+ * secretToken} here after HelcimPay.js's iframe completes (or, in fake
+ * mode, after clicking "Simulate card entry"). Hash validation per
+ * Helcim's documented algorithm: sha256(json_encode(rawDataResponse) .
+ * secretToken), compared against the response's own hash field — the
+ * exact field Helcim compares it to wasn't shown verbatim in what's
+ * accessible without a real sandbox account, so this is a best-effort
+ * implementation of their documented algorithm, not independently
+ * confirmed against a real transaction yet.
+ */
+class CheckoutController
+{
+    public static function register(): void
+    {
+        add_action('rest_api_init', [self::class, 'register_routes']);
+    }
+
+    public static function register_routes(): void
+    {
+        register_rest_route('bsc/v1', '/helcim/init', [
+            'methods' => 'POST',
+            'callback' => [self::class, 'init'],
+            'permission_callback' => '__return_true',
+        ]);
+
+        register_rest_route('bsc/v1', '/helcim/confirm', [
+            'methods' => 'POST',
+            'callback' => [self::class, 'confirm'],
+            'permission_callback' => '__return_true',
+        ]);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Confirmed directly (live testing): a plain register_rest_route()
+     * callback does NOT get WC()->cart/WC()->session populated from the
+     * customer's session cookie the way WooCommerce's own Store API
+     * routes do (their cart endpoint saw the item; this one reported
+     * "Cart is empty" for the identical session/cookie). wc_load_cart()
+     * is WooCommerce's own documented fix for exactly this — background/
+     * REST/AJAX contexts outside the normal front-end bootstrap that
+     * still need the real session-backed cart.
+     */
+    private static function ensure_cart_loaded(): void
+    {
+        if (function_exists('wc_load_cart')) {
+            wc_load_cart();
+        }
+        // Confirmed directly (live testing): a freshly wc_load_cart()'d
+        // cart's ->get_total('edit') reads 0 until something triggers its
+        // lazy total calculation — is_empty()/get_cart() happen to do
+        // this as a side effect, which is why init() (checks is_empty()
+        // first) got the right amount but confirm() (reads the total as
+        // its first cart touch) silently got 0. Calculating explicitly
+        // here removes the dependency on that incidental ordering.
+        if (WC()->cart) {
+            WC()->cart->calculate_totals();
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static function init(\WP_REST_Request $request): \WP_REST_Response
+    {
+        self::ensure_cart_loaded();
+
+        if (!WC()->cart || WC()->cart->is_empty()) {
+            return new \WP_REST_Response(['error' => 'Cart is empty.'], 400);
+        }
+
+        $amount = (float) WC()->cart->get_total('edit');
+
+        try {
+            $result = HelcimClient::initialize_checkout($amount, get_woocommerce_currency(), 'preauth');
+        } catch (HelcimApiException $e) {
+            return new \WP_REST_Response(['error' => $e->getMessage()], 502);
+        }
+
+        return new \WP_REST_Response([
+            'checkoutToken' => $result['checkoutToken'],
+            'secretToken' => $result['secretToken'] ?? null,
+            'amount' => $amount,
+            'fakeMode' => !empty($result['fake']),
+        ]);
+    }
+
+    public static function confirm(\WP_REST_Request $request): \WP_REST_Response
+    {
+        self::ensure_cart_loaded();
+        $amount = (float) WC()->cart->get_total('edit');
+
+        if (!HelcimGatewayConfig::is_configured()) {
+            $transaction = [
+                'transactionId' => random_int(900000000, 999999999),
+                'status' => 'APPROVED',
+                'cardToken' => 'fake_card_token_' . wp_generate_uuid4(),
+            ];
+        } else {
+            $raw = $request->get_param('rawDataResponse');
+            $secret = (string) $request->get_param('secretToken');
+            $transaction = is_array($raw) ? $raw : json_decode((string) $raw, true);
+
+            if (!is_array($transaction) || !self::hash_is_valid($transaction, $secret)) {
+                return new \WP_REST_Response(['error' => 'Could not validate the payment result.'], 400);
+            }
+            if (empty($transaction['transactionId']) || ($transaction['status'] ?? '') !== 'APPROVED') {
+                return new \WP_REST_Response(['error' => 'Payment was not approved.'], 400);
+            }
+        }
+
+        CheckoutSession::stash_pending_preauth([
+            'preauth_transaction_id' => (int) $transaction['transactionId'],
+            'card_token' => $transaction['cardToken'] ?? null,
+            'amount' => $amount,
+        ]);
+
+        return new \WP_REST_Response(['ok' => true]);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Helcim's documented algorithm: sha256(json_encode(transaction data)
+     * . secretToken), compared against the response's own hash field —
+     * see this class's docblock for the "not independently confirmed
+     * against a real transaction yet" caveat.
+     */
+    private static function hash_is_valid(array $transaction, string $secret): bool
+    {
+        if (empty($transaction['hash']) || $secret === '') {
+            return false;
+        }
+        $data = $transaction;
+        unset($data['hash']);
+        $expected = hash('sha256', wp_json_encode($data) . $secret);
+        return hash_equals($expected, (string) $transaction['hash']);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/CheckoutSession.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/CheckoutSession.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..066a69a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/CheckoutSession.php
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Bookstore\Core\Payments;
+
+defined('ABSPATH') || exit;
+
+/**
+ * The preauth has to exist before the WooCommerce order does (the
+ * customer is present entering card details in the HelcimPay.js iframe
+ * before submitting checkout), but Order\CheckoutRecheck's price/margin
+ * validation still runs after that, right before process_payment() — if
+ * it fails there, a live uncaptured hold already exists and must be
+ * reversed even though process_payment() is never reached. A short-lived
+ * transient, keyed by the same customer-session identity
+ * Order\CheckoutRecheck::lock_key() already uses for its advisory lock,
+ * is what lets both HelcimGateway::process_payment() and
+ * CheckoutRecheck's failure path find (and clear) the same pending
+ * preauth regardless of which one runs first.
+ */
+class CheckoutSession
+{
+    private const TTL = 20 * MINUTE_IN_SECONDS;
+
+    public static function identity(): string
+    {
+        return WC()->session ? (string) WC()->session->get_customer_id() : (string) session_id();
+    }
+
+    public static function transient_key(): string
+    {
+        return 'bsc_preauth_' . md5(self::identity());
+    }
+
+    /** @param array{preauth_transaction_id:int, card_token:?string, amount:float} $data */
+    public static function stash_pending_preauth(array $data): void
+    {
+        set_transient(self::transient_key(), $data, self::TTL);
+    }
+
+    /** @return array{preauth_transaction_id:int, card_token:?string, amount:float}|null */
+    public static function pending_preauth(): ?array
+    {
+        $data = get_transient(self::transient_key());
+        return is_array($data) ? $data : null;
+    }
+
+    public static function clear_pending_preauth(): void
+    {
+        delete_transient(self::transient_key());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/FraudCheck.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/FraudCheck.php
index ce0606c..a421803 100644
--- a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/FraudCheck.php
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/FraudCheck.php
@@ -11,9 +11,12 @@ defined('ABSPATH') || exit;
  * the extension point an optional paid plugin (Shop Defender) plugs into
  * later via add_filter('bsc_fraud_check_result', ...). The step still
  * runs and is logged on every order, unconditionally, so "Fraud Check" is
- * a real, auditable stage in the state machine rather than an absent one
- * — see Order\CheckoutRecheck::finalize_order(), which calls this right
- * before an order is allowed to proceed to the payment gateway.
+ * a real, auditable stage in the state machine rather than an absent one.
+ * Called from HelcimGateway::process_payment(), right after the card is
+ * preauthorized (held) but before the order is allowed to proceed to
+ * Authorized status — moved here from Order\CheckoutRecheck by the
+ * preauth-then-capture rework: fraud review now runs after the hold
+ * exists, not before, per design doc Appendix B's revised sequence.
  */
 class FraudCheck
 {
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimApiException.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimApiException.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d682bcb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimApiException.php
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Bookstore\Core\Payments;
+
+defined('ABSPATH') || exit;
+
+class HelcimApiException extends \RuntimeException
+{
+}
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimBlocksIntegration.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimBlocksIntegration.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..40bf99a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimBlocksIntegration.php
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Bookstore\Core\Payments;
+
+use Automattic\WooCommerce\Blocks\Payments\Integrations\AbstractPaymentMethodType;
+
+defined('ABSPATH') || exit;
+
+/**
+ * Blocks/Store API side of Payments\HelcimGateway — this store only
+ * serves Cart/Checkout blocks (confirmed live, no shortcode checkout
+ * exists — see Order\CheckoutRecheck's docblock), so a plain
+ * WC_Payment_Gateway alone isn't enough to show up at checkout; it also
+ * needs registering here plus a matching JS bundle
+ * (assets/js/helcim-checkout-block.js) via
+ * wc.wcBlocksRegistry.registerPaymentMethod. process_payment() on the
+ * gateway itself is still what actually runs server-side — this class
+ * only handles the block rendering/script-enqueueing side.
+ */
+class HelcimBlocksIntegration extends AbstractPaymentMethodType
+{
+    protected $name = 'bsc_helcim';
+
+    public function initialize(): void
+    {
+        $this->settings = get_option(HelcimGatewayConfig::OPTION_NAME, []);
+    }
+
+    public function is_active(): bool
+    {
+        return ($this->settings['enabled'] ?? 'no') === 'yes';
+    }
+
+    public function get_payment_method_script_handles(): array
+    {
+        $asset_path = BSC_PLUGIN_DIR . 'assets/js/helcim-checkout-block.js';
+
+        wp_register_script(
+            'bsc-helcim-checkout-block',
+            plugins_url('assets/js/helcim-checkout-block.js', BSC_PLUGIN_FILE),
+            ['wc-blocks-registry', 'wc-settings', 'wp-element', 'wp-i18n'],
+            file_exists($asset_path) ? (string) filemtime($asset_path) : BSC_VERSION,
+            true
+        );
+
+        wp_localize_script('bsc-helcim-checkout-block', 'bscHelcimData', [
+            'title' => $this->settings['title'] ?? 'Credit Card',
+            'description' => $this->settings['description'] ?? '',
+            'restUrl' => esc_url_raw(rest_url('bsc/v1/helcim')),
+            'nonce' => wp_create_nonce('wp_rest'),
+            'fakeMode' => !HelcimGatewayConfig::is_configured(),
+        ]);
+
+        return ['bsc-helcim-checkout-block'];
+    }
+
+    public function get_payment_method_data(): array
+    {
+        return [
+            'title' => $this->settings['title'] ?? 'Credit Card',
+            'description' => $this->settings['description'] ?? '',
+        ];
+    }
+}
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimClient.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimClient.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..382c4e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimClient.php
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Bookstore\Core\Payments;
+
+defined('ABSPATH') || exit;
+
+/**
+ * Thin wrapper around Helcim's Payment API (devdocs.helcim.com), built
+ * directly against HelcimPay.js/the raw API rather than the off-the-shelf
+ * helcim-commerce-for-woocommerce plugin — see design doc Appendix B's
+ * revised decision. Endpoints/parameters confirmed against Helcim's
+ * current developer docs:
+ *   - POST /v2/helcim-pay/initialize {paymentType, amount, currency}
+ *     -> {checkoutToken, secretToken}
+ *   - POST /v2/payment/capture {preAuthTransactionId, amount, ipAddress}
+ *     -> transaction object (incl. cardToken, transactionId)
+ *   - POST /v2/payment/reverse {cardTransactionId, ipAddress}
+ *     -> transaction object
+ * Capture/reverse's exact base path (the /v2 prefix specifically) was
+ * not shown alongside their parameter docs the way initialize's was —
+ * confirm against a real sandbox call before this is ever used in
+ * anything but fake mode.
+ *
+ * FAKE MODE: HelcimGatewayConfig::is_configured() is false until a real
+ * token exists (none does yet, pre-launch). Rather than blocking all
+ * development on getting Helcim sandbox access, every method here
+ * returns a synthetic approved response when unconfigured — same
+ * pattern this project already uses on the supplier side before real
+ * BooksRun access existed (Import\SyntheticOfferGenerator, the
+ * gutenberg_test supplier). This lets the entire checkout -> preauth ->
+ * fraud -> supplier -> capture/reverse flow be driven for real through
+ * the WooCommerce/Blocks plumbing in dev today. The instant a real token
+ * lands in HELCIM_API_TOKEN, every call here switches to hitting the
+ * real API — no code change required anywhere.
+ */
+class HelcimClient
+{
+    private const API_BASE = 'https://api.helcim.com/v2';
+
+    public static function initialize_checkout(float $amount, string $currency, string $payment_type): array
+    {
+        if (!HelcimGatewayConfig::is_configured()) {
+            return [
+                'checkoutToken' => 'fake_checkout_' . wp_generate_uuid4(),
+                'secretToken' => 'fake_secret_' . wp_generate_uuid4(),
+                'fake' => true,
+            ];
+        }
+
+        return self::post('/helcim-pay/initialize', [
+            'paymentType' => $payment_type,
+            'amount' => $amount,
+            'currency' => $currency,
+        ], with_idempotency_key: false);
+    }
+
+    public static function capture(int $preauth_transaction_id, float $amount, string $ip_address): array
+    {
+        if (!HelcimGatewayConfig::is_configured()) {
+            return self::fake_transaction_response($amount);
+        }
+
+        return self::post('/payment/capture', [
+            'preAuthTransactionId' => $preauth_transaction_id,
+            'amount' => $amount,
+            'ipAddress' => $ip_address,
+        ], with_idempotency_key: true);
+    }
+
+    public static function reverse(int $transaction_id, string $ip_address): array
+    {
+        if (!HelcimGatewayConfig::is_configured()) {
+            return self::fake_transaction_response(0.0);
+        }
+
+        return self::post('/payment/reverse', [
+            'cardTransactionId' => $transaction_id,
+            'ipAddress' => $ip_address,
+        ], with_idempotency_key: true);
+    }
+
+    private static function fake_transaction_response(float $amount): array
+    {
+        return [
+            'transactionId' => random_int(900000000, 999999999),
+            'status' => 'APPROVED',
+            'amount' => $amount,
+            'cardToken' => 'fake_card_token_' . wp_generate_uuid4(),
+            'fake' => true,
+        ];
+    }
+
+    private static function post(string $path, array $body, bool $with_idempotency_key): array
+    {
+        $token = HelcimGatewayConfig::token();
+        $headers = ['api-token' => $token, 'Content-Type' => 'application/json'];
+        if ($with_idempotency_key) {
+            $headers['idempotency-key'] = wp_generate_uuid4();
+        }
+
+        $response = wp_remote_post(self::API_BASE . $path, [
+            'headers' => $headers,
+            'body' => wp_json_encode($body),
+            'timeout' => 30,
+        ]);
+
+        if (is_wp_error($response)) {
+            throw new HelcimApiException('Helcim API request failed: ' . $response->get_error_message());
+        }
+
+        $code = wp_remote_retrieve_response_code($response);
+        $decoded = json_decode(wp_remote_retrieve_body($response), true);
+
+        if ($code < 200 || $code >= 300 || !is_array($decoded) || !empty($decoded['errors'])) {
+            $message = is_array($decoded) && !empty($decoded['errors'])
+                ? implode('; ', (array) $decoded['errors'])
+                : "unexpected HTTP {$code}";
+            throw new HelcimApiException("Helcim API error on {$path}: {$message}");
+        }
+
+        return $decoded;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimGateway.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimGateway.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a2e5670
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimGateway.php
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Bookstore\Core\Payments;
+
+use Bookstore\Core\Order\OrderStatuses;
+
+defined('ABSPATH') || exit;
+
+/**
+ * Custom WC_Payment_Gateway against HelcimPay.js directly (id
+ * `bsc_helcim`) — replaces the off-the-shelf helcim-commerce-for-
+ * woocommerce plugin's immediate-charge flow. See design doc Appendix
+ * B's revised decision and Payments\HelcimClient's docblock (fake mode).
+ *
+ * process_payment() does NOT charge the card. By the time it runs, the
+ * customer has already completed a preauth via the Blocks checkout JS
+ * (assets/js/helcim-checkout-block.js) — Payments\CheckoutController's
+ * /confirm endpoint already validated it and stashed it in
+ * Payments\CheckoutSession. This method's job is: pick up that pending
+ * preauth, run the (moved-here) fraud check, and either reverse the hold
+ * and route to review, or mark the order Authorized and let
+ * Order\SupplierOrderJob take it from there — capture only happens
+ * after a successful supplier order.
+ */
+class HelcimGateway extends \WC_Payment_Gateway
+{
+    public function __construct()
+    {
+        $this->id = 'bsc_helcim';
+        $this->method_title = 'Helcim (preauth/capture)';
+        $this->method_description = 'Card is held (preauth) at checkout and only captured once the supplier order succeeds — see design doc Appendix B.';
+        $this->has_fields = false;
+        $this->supports = ['products'];
+
+        $this->init_form_fields();
+        $this->init_settings();
+
+        $this->title = $this->get_option('title', 'Credit Card');
+        $this->description = $this->get_option('description', '');
+        $this->enabled = $this->get_option('enabled', 'no');
+
+        add_action('woocommerce_update_options_payment_gateways_' . $this->id, [$this, 'process_admin_options']);
+    }
+
+    public function init_form_fields(): void
+    {
+        $this->form_fields = [
+            'enabled' => [
+                'title' => 'Enable/Disable',
+                'type' => 'checkbox',
+                'label' => 'Enable this payment method',
+                'default' => 'no',
+            ],
+            'title' => [
+                'title' => 'Title',
+                'type' => 'text',
+                'default' => 'Credit Card',
+            ],
+            'description' => [
+                'title' => 'Description',
+                'type' => 'textarea',
+                'default' => '',
+            ],
+            'environment' => [
+                'title' => 'Environment',
+                'type' => 'select',
+                'options' => ['sandbox' => 'Sandbox', 'live' => 'Live'],
+                'default' => 'sandbox',
+            ],
+        ];
+    }
+
+    public function process_payment($order_id): array
+    {
+        $order = wc_get_order($order_id);
+        $pending = CheckoutSession::pending_preauth();
+
+        if (!$order || !$pending) {
+            wc_add_notice('Your payment session expired — please try again.', 'error');
+            return ['result' => 'failure'];
+        }
+
+        CheckoutSession::clear_pending_preauth();
+
+        $order->update_meta_data('_bsc_preauth_transaction_id', $pending['preauth_transaction_id']);
+        $order->update_meta_data('_bsc_preauth_card_token', $pending['card_token']);
+        $order->update_meta_data('_bsc_preauth_amount', $pending['amount']);
+        $order->save();
+
+        $fraud = FraudCheck::run($order);
+        if (!$fraud['pass']) {
+            $this->reverse_preauth($pending['preauth_transaction_id'], "Fraud check failed: {$fraud['reason']}");
+            $order->update_status(OrderStatuses::EXCEPTION, "Fraud check failed: {$fraud['reason']}");
+            wc_add_notice('Your order could not be processed and has been placed under review. Your card was not charged.', 'error');
+            return ['result' => 'failure'];
+        }
+
+        $order->update_status(OrderStatuses::AUTHORIZED, 'Card authorized (preauth held) — not yet charged.');
+
+        return [
+            'result' => 'success',
+            'redirect' => $this->get_return_url($order),
+        ];
+    }
+
+    private function reverse_preauth(int $preauth_transaction_id, string $reason): void
+    {
+        try {
+            HelcimClient::reverse($preauth_transaction_id, self::client_ip());
+        } catch (HelcimApiException $e) {
+            // Nothing was charged either way; a failed reverse call just
+            // means the hold expires on its own within Helcim's 7-day
+            // window instead of being released immediately — logged so
+            // it's not silently invisible, matching "every failure path
+            // must end in a visible review state."
+            error_log("bsc_helcim: reverse failed for transaction {$preauth_transaction_id} ({$reason}): " . $e->getMessage());
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static function client_ip(): string
+    {
+        if (class_exists(\WC_Geolocation::class)) {
+            return \WC_Geolocation::get_ip_address();
+        }
+        return $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] ?? '0.0.0.0';
+    }
+}
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimConfig.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimGatewayConfig.php
similarity index 59%
rename from wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimConfig.php
rename to wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimGatewayConfig.php
index 5ee78d5..cb22a54 100644
--- a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimConfig.php
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/includes/Payments/HelcimGatewayConfig.php
@@ -5,30 +5,36 @@ namespace Bookstore\Core\Payments;
 defined('ABSPATH') || exit;
 
 /**
- * Seeds the Helcim gateway's WooCommerce settings from the environment.
- * Gateway id `helcimjs`, settings option `woocommerce_helcimjs_settings`,
- * field keys `enabled`/`title`/`description`/`environment`/
- * `sandbox_api_token`/`live_api_token`/`enable_saved_cards` — confirmed by
- * installing helcim-commerce-for-woocommerce v5.0.3 in dev and reading its
- * includes/Gateway.php + includes/Options.php directly, not guessed. No
- * separate "account ID" field exists on this plugin — HELCIM_ACCOUNT_ID
- * (still scaffolded in .env/docker-compose.yml) is unused here.
+ * Replaces Payments\HelcimConfig (which seeded settings for the
+ * off-the-shelf helcim-commerce-for-woocommerce plugin — removed, see
+ * design doc Appendix B's revised decision: that plugin only supports
+ * immediate-charge "Purchase" transactions, not the preauth/capture flow
+ * this now uses, so a custom gateway (Payments\HelcimGateway) replaces
+ * it rather than extending it). Gateway id `bsc_helcim`, settings option
+ * `woocommerce_bsc_helcim_settings` — our own, not the old plugin's.
  *
  * _FILE env-var reading mirrors Integration\HardcoverAdapter::token()
- * exactly — same reasoning: a plain ${VAR} is visible via `docker
+ * exactly, same reasoning: a plain ${VAR} is visible via `docker
  * inspect`/`/proc/<pid>/environ`, a 644 file inside a 700 secrets/ dir
  * isn't.
  */
-class HelcimConfig
+class HelcimGatewayConfig
 {
-    private const OPTION_NAME = 'woocommerce_helcimjs_settings';
+    public const OPTION_NAME = 'woocommerce_bsc_helcim_settings';
 
+    /**
+     * False today (no HELCIM_API_TOKEN in any .env yet) — this is
+     * exactly the condition Payments\HelcimClient checks to decide
+     * whether to talk to the real Helcim API or return fake-mode
+     * responses. Flips to true, with zero code changes anywhere else,
+     * the moment a real sandbox token is added.
+     */
     public static function is_configured(): bool
     {
         return self::token() !== null;
     }
 
-    private static function token(): ?string
+    public static function token(): ?string
     {
         $file = getenv('HELCIM_API_TOKEN_FILE');
         if (!$file || !is_readable($file)) {
@@ -40,18 +46,13 @@ class HelcimConfig
 
     /**
      * Fills in only what's still unset — never overwrites a value a human
-     * already changed by hand in wp-admin (e.g. a custom title/description,
-     * or a deliberate switch to 'live'). Only ever seeds the SANDBOX
+     * already changed by hand in wp-admin. Only ever seeds the sandbox
      * token: this repo has no production Helcim credentials, and going
      * live is a deliberate separate decision a human makes on the
      * settings screen, not something an env var should flip silently.
      */
     public static function ensure_configured_from_env(): void
     {
-        if (!class_exists(\Helcim\Gateway::class)) {
-            return; // plugin not installed/active
-        }
-
         $token = self::token();
         if ($token === null) {
             return;
@@ -67,7 +68,6 @@ class HelcimConfig
             'title' => 'Credit Card',
             'description' => '',
             'environment' => 'sandbox',
-            'enable_saved_cards' => 'no',
         ];
 
         if (empty($settings['sandbox_api_token'])) {
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/patchwork.json b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/patchwork.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d62a7b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/patchwork.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+    "redefinable-internals": ["getenv", "is_readable", "file_get_contents"]
+}
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/tests/Unit/Payments/HelcimClientTest.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/tests/Unit/Payments/HelcimClientTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3fc7052
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/tests/Unit/Payments/HelcimClientTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Bookstore\Core\Tests\Unit\Payments;
+
+use Bookstore\Core\Payments\HelcimApiException;
+use Bookstore\Core\Payments\HelcimClient;
+use Bookstore\Core\Tests\TestCase;
+use Brain\Monkey\Functions;
+
+/**
+ * HelcimGatewayConfig::token() reads getenv('HELCIM_API_TOKEN_FILE') —
+ * mocking that directly is what switches HelcimClient between fake mode
+ * (no token: every call returns a synthetic approved response, no
+ * network call) and real mode (a token: real wp_remote_post calls with
+ * the shape confirmed against Helcim's current developer docs).
+ */
+class HelcimClientTest extends TestCase
+{
+    public function test_fake_mode_never_calls_the_real_api(): void
+    {
+        Functions\when('getenv')->justReturn(false);
+        Functions\when('wp_generate_uuid4')->justReturn('fake-uuid');
+        Functions\expect('wp_remote_post')->never();
+
+        $init = HelcimClient::initialize_checkout(42.00, 'USD', 'preauth');
+        $this->assertTrue($init['fake']);
+        $this->assertNotEmpty($init['checkoutToken']);
+        $this->assertNotEmpty($init['secretToken']);
+
+        $capture = HelcimClient::capture(123456, 42.00, '127.0.0.1');
+        $this->assertSame('APPROVED', $capture['status']);
+        $this->assertIsInt($capture['transactionId']);
+        $this->assertNotEmpty($capture['cardToken']);
+
+        $reverse = HelcimClient::reverse(123456, '127.0.0.1');
+        $this->assertSame('APPROVED', $reverse['status']);
+    }
+
+    public function test_real_mode_initialize_sends_the_documented_request_shape(): void
+    {
+        Functions\when('getenv')->justReturn('/fake/path/to/token');
+        Functions\when('is_readable')->justReturn(true);
+        Functions\when('file_get_contents')->justReturn('real-token-abc');
+        Functions\when('wp_json_encode')->alias('json_encode');
+        Functions\when('is_wp_error')->justReturn(false);
+        Functions\when('wp_remote_retrieve_response_code')->justReturn(200);
+        Functions\when('wp_remote_retrieve_body')->justReturn(json_encode([
+            'checkoutToken' => 'real-checkout-token',
+            'secretToken' => 'real-secret-token',
+        ]));
+
+        Functions\expect('wp_remote_post')
+            ->once()
+            ->withArgs(function ($url, $args) {
+                $this->assertSame('https://api.helcim.com/v2/helcim-pay/initialize', $url);
+                $this->assertSame('real-token-abc', $args['headers']['api-token']);
+                $this->assertArrayNotHasKey('idempotency-key', $args['headers']);
+                $body = json_decode($args['body'], true);
+                $this->assertSame('preauth', $body['paymentType']);
+                $this->assertEquals(42.0, $body['amount']);
+                $this->assertSame('USD', $body['currency']);
+                return true;
+            })
+            ->andReturn(['response' => ['code' => 200]]);
+
+        $result = HelcimClient::initialize_checkout(42.00, 'USD', 'preauth');
+        $this->assertSame('real-checkout-token', $result['checkoutToken']);
+    }
+
+    public function test_real_mode_capture_includes_an_idempotency_key(): void
+    {
+        Functions\when('getenv')->justReturn('/fake/path/to/token');
+        Functions\when('is_readable')->justReturn(true);
+        Functions\when('file_get_contents')->justReturn('real-token-abc');
+        Functions\when('wp_json_encode')->alias('json_encode');
+        Functions\when('wp_generate_uuid4')->justReturn('idem-key-123');
+        Functions\when('is_wp_error')->justReturn(false);
+        Functions\when('wp_remote_retrieve_response_code')->justReturn(200);
+        Functions\when('wp_remote_retrieve_body')->justReturn(json_encode(['transactionId' => 999, 'status' => 'APPROVED']));
+
+        Functions\expect('wp_remote_post')
+            ->once()
+            ->withArgs(function ($url, $args) {
+                $this->assertSame('https://api.helcim.com/v2/payment/capture', $url);
+                $this->assertSame('idem-key-123', $args['headers']['idempotency-key']);
+                $body = json_decode($args['body'], true);
+                $this->assertSame(555, $body['preAuthTransactionId']);
+                $this->assertEquals(42.0, $body['amount']);
+                $this->assertSame('127.0.0.1', $body['ipAddress']);
+                return true;
+            })
+            ->andReturn(['response' => ['code' => 200]]);
+
+        $result = HelcimClient::capture(555, 42.00, '127.0.0.1');
+        $this->assertSame(999, $result['transactionId']);
+    }
+
+    public function test_real_mode_throws_on_an_error_response(): void
+    {
+        Functions\when('getenv')->justReturn('/fake/path/to/token');
+        Functions\when('is_readable')->justReturn(true);
+        Functions\when('file_get_contents')->justReturn('real-token-abc');
+        Functions\when('wp_json_encode')->alias('json_encode');
+        Functions\when('wp_generate_uuid4')->justReturn('idem-key-123');
+        Functions\when('is_wp_error')->justReturn(false);
+        Functions\when('wp_remote_retrieve_response_code')->justReturn(422);
+        Functions\when('wp_remote_retrieve_body')->justReturn(json_encode(['errors' => ['card declined']]));
+        Functions\when('wp_remote_post')->justReturn(['response' => ['code' => 422]]);
+
+        $this->expectException(HelcimApiException::class);
+        $this->expectExceptionMessageMatches('/card declined/');
+
+        HelcimClient::capture(555, 42.00, '127.0.0.1');
+    }
+}
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/tests/Unit/Payments/HelcimGatewayTest.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/tests/Unit/Payments/HelcimGatewayTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c580022
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/tests/Unit/Payments/HelcimGatewayTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Bookstore\Core\Tests\Unit\Payments;
+
+use Bookstore\Core\Order\OrderStatuses;
+use Bookstore\Core\Payments\HelcimGateway;
+use Bookstore\Core\Tests\TestCase;
+use Brain\Monkey\Functions;
+use Mockery;
+
+/**
+ * process_payment()'s branching: pick up the preauth CheckoutController
+ * already stashed (Payments\CheckoutSession, backed by get/set/delete_
+ * transient — mocked at that WP-function layer, not by mocking
+ * CheckoutSession itself, matching this suite's established pattern),
+ * run the (moved-here) fraud check, and either authorize the order or
+ * reverse the hold and route to review. HelcimClient runs in fake mode
+ * here (no token env) so no real network call is involved either way.
+ */
+class HelcimGatewayTest extends TestCase
+{
+    private function stub_pending_preauth(?array $data): void
+    {
+        Functions\when('get_transient')->justReturn($data);
+        Functions\when('delete_transient')->justReturn(true);
+        Functions\when('getenv')->justReturn(false); // HelcimClient stays in fake mode
+        Functions\when('wp_generate_uuid4')->justReturn('fake-uuid');
+        Functions\when('WC')->justReturn((object) ['session' => null]); // CheckoutSession::identity() falls back to session_id()
+    }
+
+    private function mock_order(): \WC_Order
+    {
+        $order = Mockery::mock(\WC_Order::class);
+        $order->shouldReceive('update_meta_data')->withAnyArgs();
+        $order->shouldReceive('save');
+        $order->shouldReceive('add_order_note')->withAnyArgs();
+        $order->shouldReceive('get_meta')->withAnyArgs()->andReturn('');
+        return $order;
+    }
+
+    public function test_no_pending_preauth_fails_without_touching_the_order(): void
+    {
+        $this->stub_pending_preauth(null);
+        Functions\when('wc_get_order')->justReturn(Mockery::mock(\WC_Order::class));
+        Functions\expect('wc_add_notice')->once();
+
+        $gateway = new HelcimGateway();
+        $result = $gateway->process_payment(123);
+
+        $this->assertSame('failure', $result['result']);
+    }
+
+    public function test_fraud_pass_authorizes_the_order(): void
+    {
+        $this->stub_pending_preauth(['preauth_transaction_id' => 555, 'card_token' => 'tok_1', 'amount' => 42.00]);
+        Functions\when('apply_filters')->justReturn(['pass' => true, 'reason' => 'no-op: fraud plugin not installed']);
+
+        $order = $this->mock_order();
+        $order->shouldReceive('update_status')->once()->with(OrderStatuses::AUTHORIZED, Mockery::type('string'));
+        Functions\when('wc_get_order')->justReturn($order);
+
+        $gateway = new HelcimGateway();
+        $result = $gateway->process_payment(123);
+
+        $this->assertSame('success', $result['result']);
+        $this->assertArrayHasKey('redirect', $result);
+    }
+
+    public function test_fraud_fail_reverses_the_hold_and_routes_to_exception(): void
+    {
+        $this->stub_pending_preauth(['preauth_transaction_id' => 555, 'card_token' => 'tok_1', 'amount' => 42.00]);
+        Functions\when('apply_filters')->justReturn(['pass' => false, 'reason' => 'high risk score']);
+        Functions\expect('wc_add_notice')->once();
+
+        $order = $this->mock_order();
+        $order->shouldReceive('update_status')->once()->with(OrderStatuses::EXCEPTION, Mockery::type('string'));
+        Functions\when('wc_get_order')->justReturn($order);
+
+        $gateway = new HelcimGateway();
+        $result = $gateway->process_payment(123);
+
+        $this->assertSame('failure', $result['result']);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/tests/bootstrap.php b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/tests/bootstrap.php
index 0a4e542..d80c4e6 100644
--- a/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/tests/bootstrap.php
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/bookstore-core/tests/bootstrap.php
@@ -27,6 +27,63 @@ if (!class_exists(\WC_Cart::class)) {
     }
 }
 
+// Payments\HelcimGateway extends this. Minimal stand-in for the real
+// WC_Payment_Gateway's settings-API plumbing (init_settings()/
+// get_option()) so the constructor doesn't fatal in a unit test — real
+// WooCommerce's version does much more (admin fields rendering, etc.),
+// none of which the gateway's process_payment() branching depends on.
+if (!class_exists(\WC_Payment_Gateway::class)) {
+    class WC_Payment_Gateway
+    {
+        public $id;
+        public $method_title;
+        public $method_description;
+        public $has_fields;
+        public $supports = [];
+        public $title;
+        public $description;
+        public $enabled;
+        public $form_fields = [];
+        public $settings = [];
+
+        public function init_settings(): void
+        {
+            $this->settings = [];
+        }
+
+        public function get_option($key, $default = '')
+        {
+            return $this->settings[$key] ?? $default;
+        }
+
+        public function get_return_url($order)
+        {
+            return 'https://example.test/order-received/';
+        }
+
+        public function process_admin_options(): void
+        {
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+if (!class_exists(\WP_Error::class)) {
+    class WP_Error
+    {
+        private string $message;
+
+        public function __construct($code = '', $message = '')
+        {
+            $this->message = $message;
+        }
+
+        public function get_error_message(): string
+        {
+            return $this->message;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 // Membership\Tier calls $wpdb->get_row(..., ARRAY_A) — these are real
 // WordPress core constants (wp-includes/wp-db.php) that a full WP
 // bootstrap would define; this one deliberately doesn't load WordPress,