diff --git a/tests/vector_store/test_backend_facade_contract.py b/tests/vector_store/test_backend_facade_contract.py
new file mode 100644
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+++ b/tests/vector_store/test_backend_facade_contract.py
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+"""Facade-level contract tests for the cloud vector store backends.
+
+Every other test in this directory either mocks a backend's internals or
+injects a fake directly into ``VectorStore._backend_store``. Both bypass
+``_init_backend_store``, which is where the qdrant/pinecone/milvus/weaviate
+adapters are actually constructed, so a backend can look fully covered while
+being unusable through the public facade.
+
+These tests construct each backend through the real facade path and assert on
+the two capabilities ``store migrate`` depends on: an established connection,
+and a write path the facade can dispatch to.
+
+Gaps are recorded as strict xfail rather than as assertions that the gap
+exists. When the wiring lands these turn into XPASS, which strict mode reports
+as a failure, so whoever fixes it is told to remove the marker instead of the
+pin silently rotting.
+
+Related: #1265 (enumeration), #1019 (backend conformance).
+"""
+
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+import numpy as np
+import pytest
+
+from semantica.vector_store import VectorStore
+
+# Backends whose adapters need a network connection established before use.
+_AVAILABILITY_FLAG = {
+    "qdrant": "semantica.vector_store.qdrant_store.QDRANT_AVAILABLE",
+    "pinecone": "semantica.vector_store.pinecone_store.PINECONE_AVAILABLE",
+    "milvus": "semantica.vector_store.milvus_store.MILVUS_AVAILABLE",
+    "weaviate": "semantica.vector_store.weaviate_store.WEAVIATE_AVAILABLE",
+}
+
+CLOUD_BACKENDS = sorted(_AVAILABILITY_FLAG)
+
+# The facade dispatches store_vectors() to `add` or `add_vectors`. Milvus
+# happens to expose add_vectors, so it already resolves; the other three name
+# their write method differently and fall through to NotImplementedError.
+_NO_WRITE_DISPATCH = {"qdrant", "pinecone", "weaviate"}
+
+
+def _construct(backend):
+    """Build a VectorStore through the real _init_backend_store path."""
+    with patch(_AVAILABILITY_FLAG[backend], True):
+        return VectorStore(backend=backend, config={"dimension": 3})
+
+
+def _live_handle(backend_store):
+    """The attribute each adapter uses to hold its connected resource."""
+    for name in ("collection", "index"):
+        if hasattr(backend_store, name):
+            return getattr(backend_store, name)
+    return None
+
+
+def _param(backend, broken_for, reason):
+    marks = [pytest.mark.xfail(strict=True, reason=reason)] if backend in broken_for else []
+    return pytest.param(backend, marks=marks)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("backend", CLOUD_BACKENDS)
+def test_facade_constructs_an_adapter(backend):
+    """The adapter object itself is built. This part already works."""
+    store = _construct(backend)
+
+    assert store._backend_store is not None
+    assert store.backend == backend
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "backend",
+    [
+        _param(b, CLOUD_BACKENDS, "_init_backend_store never connects or selects a collection")
+        for b in CLOUD_BACKENDS
+    ],
+)
+def test_backend_is_connected_after_construction(backend):
+    """A constructed store should be usable without the caller reaching past
+    the facade to call connect() and get_collection() itself.
+
+    Today _init_backend_store constructs the adapter and stops, so every read
+    path raises "Collection not initialized" / "Index not initialized".
+    """
+    store = _construct(backend)
+
+    assert _live_handle(store._backend_store) is not None
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "backend",
+    [
+        _param(b, _NO_WRITE_DISPATCH, "facade dispatches only to add/add_vectors")
+        for b in CLOUD_BACKENDS
+    ],
+)
+def test_store_vectors_dispatch_resolves(backend):
+    """store_vectors() should reach the backend's write method.
+
+    This isolates dispatch from connectivity on purpose: any error other than
+    NotImplementedError means the facade found a method and the failure came
+    from further down, which is the connection gap covered above.
+    """
+    store = _construct(backend)
+
+    try:
+        store.store_vectors([np.zeros(3)], [{}], ids=["a"])
+    except NotImplementedError as exc:
+        pytest.fail(f"no write dispatch for {backend}: {exc}")
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+
+
+def test_milvus_write_dispatch_already_resolves():
+    """Guards the assumption behind _NO_WRITE_DISPATCH.
+
+    Milvus is the control case: it exposes add_vectors, which the existing
+    dispatch chain already matches. If this ever stops holding, the xfail list
+    above is wrong rather than the feature being broken.
+    """
+    store = _construct("milvus")
+
+    assert hasattr(store._backend_store, "add_vectors")