diff --git a/GerbilManager.Tests/SearchVariationsTests.cs b/GerbilManager.Tests/SearchVariationsTests.cs
new file mode 100644
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+++ b/GerbilManager.Tests/SearchVariationsTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+using System.Net.Http.Json;
+using System.Text.Json;
+
+namespace GerbilManager.Tests;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// SEARCH verification — every search variation Julian asked about, against the
+/// REAL endpoints (SQLite host). Covers: substring/contains, case-insensitivity,
+/// the no-trailing-* contains fix, separator-insensitive nameSearch (spaces ==
+/// hyphens), umlauts, the OriginBreeder (Herkunft) filter, the /gerbils/breeders
+/// distinct dropdown source, paged envelope, and a combined status+name filter.
+/// Each test uses a unique token so the shared class DB doesn't cross-contaminate.
+/// </summary>
+public class SearchVariationsTests : IClassFixture<ApiFactory>
+{
+    private readonly HttpClient _client;
+    public SearchVariationsTests(ApiFactory factory) => _client = factory.CreateClient();
+
+    private async Task Create(string name, string? originBreeder = null, string status = "Active")
+    {
+        var resp = await _client.PostAsJsonAsync("/gerbils",
+            new { name, gender = "female", status, originBreeder });
+        resp.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>GET /gerbils?filter=... → the list of returned names.</summary>
+    private async Task<List<string>> Names(string filter)
+    {
+        var url = $"/gerbils?filter={Uri.EscapeDataString(filter)}&page=1&pageSize=200";
+        var doc = JsonDocument.Parse(await _client.GetStringAsync(url));
+        return doc.RootElement.GetProperty("items").EnumerateArray()
+            .Select(x => x.GetProperty("name").GetString()!).ToList();
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Contains_matches_substring_case_insensitively()
+    {
+        await Create("SuchSchokoEins");
+        await Create("SuchSchokoladeZwei");
+        await Create("SuchKeksDrei");
+
+        // lowercase query, capitalised names → exercises /i contains
+        var hits = await Names("name=*suchschoko/i");
+        Assert.Contains("SuchSchokoEins", hits);
+        Assert.Contains("SuchSchokoladeZwei", hits);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("SuchKeksDrei", hits);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Contains_single_letter_returns_matches_not_the_trailing_star_bug()
+    {
+        // Regression guard for the contains hotfix (0ee2b53): the frontend used to
+        // build name=*VALUE* which Gridify read as literal "VALUE*" → 0 rows.
+        // Correct form name=*VALUE must return every name containing VALUE.
+        await Create("BugGuardAlpha");
+        await Create("BugGuardBeta");
+        var hits = await Names("name=*bugguard/i");
+        Assert.Equal(2, hits.Count(n => n.StartsWith("BugGuard")));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task NameSearch_is_separator_insensitive_spaces_equal_hyphens()
+    {
+        // The headline ask: "clan kleine chaoten" must match "clan-kleine-chaoten".
+        await Create("SepClan-Kleine-Chaoten");
+        await Create("SepClan Kleine Chaoten");
+        await Create("SepClanKleineChaoten");
+        await Create("SepUnrelatedMaus");
+
+        // Frontend normalizes the typed term the same way the backend stores it:
+        // lowercase + strip whitespace/.-_  → "sepclankleinechaoten".
+        var hits = await Names("nameSearch=*sepclankleinechaoten");
+
+        Assert.Contains("SepClan-Kleine-Chaoten", hits);   // hyphens
+        Assert.Contains("SepClan Kleine Chaoten", hits);    // spaces
+        Assert.Contains("SepClanKleineChaoten", hits);      // none
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("SepUnrelatedMaus", hits);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task NameSearch_dotted_and_underscored_separators_also_match()
+    {
+        await Create("SepDot.Von.Den.Chaoten");
+        await Create("SepDot_Von_Den_Chaoten");
+        var hits = await Names("nameSearch=*sepdotvondenchaoten");
+        Assert.Equal(2, hits.Count(n => n.StartsWith("SepDot")));
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task NameSearch_handles_umlauts()
+    {
+        await Create("SuchKrümel von den Chaoten");
+        // nameSearch is stored pre-lowercased; the frontend sends a pre-lowercased
+        // normalized term, so this works without provider unicode case-folding.
+        var hits = await Names("nameSearch=*suchkrümelvondenchaoten");
+        Assert.Contains("SuchKrümel von den Chaoten", hits);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task OriginBreeder_filter_returns_only_that_breeder()
+    {
+        await Create("HerkunftA1", originBreeder: "Zucht HerkunftTest Eins");
+        await Create("HerkunftA2", originBreeder: "Zucht HerkunftTest Eins");
+        await Create("HerkunftB1", originBreeder: "Zucht HerkunftTest Zwei");
+
+        var hits = await Names("originBreeder==Zucht HerkunftTest Eins");
+        Assert.Contains("HerkunftA1", hits);
+        Assert.Contains("HerkunftA2", hits);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("HerkunftB1", hits);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Breeders_endpoint_returns_distinct_nonempty_sorted_values()
+    {
+        await Create("DistinctX1", originBreeder: "ZZZ Distinct Eins");
+        await Create("DistinctX2", originBreeder: "ZZZ Distinct Eins"); // duplicate breeder
+        await Create("DistinctX3", originBreeder: "ZZZ Distinct Zwei");
+        await Create("DistinctNoBreeder", originBreeder: null);
+
+        var list = JsonDocument.Parse(await _client.GetStringAsync("/gerbils/breeders"))
+            .RootElement.EnumerateArray().Select(x => x.GetString()!).ToList();
+
+        Assert.Contains("ZZZ Distinct Eins", list);
+        Assert.Contains("ZZZ Distinct Zwei", list);
+        Assert.Equal(1, list.Count(v => v == "ZZZ Distinct Eins")); // de-duplicated
+        Assert.DoesNotContain(list, string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace);      // no empty/null
+        Assert.Equal(list.OrderBy(v => v, StringComparer.Ordinal).ToList(), list); // sorted
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task List_returns_paged_envelope()
+    {
+        var doc = JsonDocument.Parse(await _client.GetStringAsync("/gerbils?page=1&pageSize=5"));
+        var root = doc.RootElement;
+        Assert.True(root.TryGetProperty("items", out _));
+        Assert.True(root.TryGetProperty("totalCount", out _));
+        Assert.Equal(1, root.GetProperty("page").GetInt32());
+        Assert.Equal(5, root.GetProperty("pageSize").GetInt32());
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Combined_status_and_name_filter()
+    {
+        await Create("KombiVerkauf", status: "ForSale");
+        await Create("KombiAktiv", status: "Active");
+        var hits = await Names("status==ForSale,nameSearch=*kombi");
+        Assert.Contains("KombiVerkauf", hits);
+        Assert.DoesNotContain("KombiAktiv", hits);
+    }
+}