diff --git a/.env.test b/.env.test
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..655248af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.test
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# .env.test
+# Environment variables for the test environment.
+# This file is loaded by `tsx` when running the `npm run test:integration` command.
+
+# --- Test Database Connection ---
+# IMPORTANT: These should point to your *test* database, not production.
+# These values will be used by the backend server when it starts for integration tests.
+DB_HOST=localhost
+DB_PORT=5432
+DB_USER=flyer_crawler_user
+DB_PASSWORD=WoA2kFtqqHdTLqdZsoCa
+DB_DATABASE=flyer-crawler-test
+DB_NAME=flyer-crawler-test
+
+# --- Test JWT Secret ---
+JWT_SECRET=a-secure-secret-for-testing-only
+
+# --- Other Test Variables ---
+# These can be dummy values if the feature is not being tested directly.
+FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000
+GEMINI_API_KEY=dummy-api-key-for-testing
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 8bb0c870..589c57df 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
     "test:integration": "vitest run -c vitest.config.integration.ts",
     "lint": "eslint . --ext ts,tsx --report-unused-disable-directives --max-warnings 0",
     "seed": "ts-node-dev scripts/seed.ts",
-    "start:server": "tsx server.ts"
+    "start:server": "tsx --env-file .env.test server.ts"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@google/genai": "^1.30.0",
diff --git a/src/services/shopping-list.integration.test.ts b/src/services/shopping-list.integration.test.ts
index 5d67c110..ebbceed9 100644
--- a/src/services/shopping-list.integration.test.ts
+++ b/src/services/shopping-list.integration.test.ts
@@ -23,18 +23,20 @@ describe('Shopping List DB Service Tests', () => {
   });
 
   it('should create and retrieve a shopping list for a user', async () => {
-    // Arrange: Create two lists for our test user
+    // Arrange: The `beforeEach` hook already creates a user, which in turn
+    // triggers the creation of a "Main Shopping List". We then create two more.
     await db.createShoppingList(testUserId, 'Weekly Groceries');
     await db.createShoppingList(testUserId, 'Party Supplies');
 
     // Act: Fetch the shopping lists for that user
     const lists = await db.getShoppingLists(testUserId);
 
-    // Assert: Check that we got the correct lists back
+    // Assert: We expect to find 3 lists: the default one and the two we just created.
     expect(lists).toBeDefined();
-    expect(lists).toHaveLength(2);
-    expect(lists[0].name).toBe('Weekly Groceries');
-    expect(lists[1].name).toBe('Party Supplies');
+    expect(lists).toHaveLength(3);
+    expect(lists.some(list => list.name === 'Main Shopping List')).toBe(true);
+    expect(lists.some(list => list.name === 'Weekly Groceries')).toBe(true);
+    expect(lists.some(list => list.name === 'Party Supplies')).toBe(true);
   });
 
   it('should not retrieve shopping lists belonging to another user', async () => {