diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 6d4526ca0..3cb6c6b70 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -58,6 +58,8 @@ coverage/
 .nyc_output/
 test-results/
 playwright-report/
+playwright-report-personas/
+test-results/
 .auth-state.json
 
 # TypeScript
diff --git a/docs/plans/mana-mcp-and-personas.md b/docs/plans/mana-mcp-and-personas.md
index 28e87f5bc..951aeb014 100644
--- a/docs/plans/mana-mcp-and-personas.md
+++ b/docs/plans/mana-mcp-and-personas.md
@@ -465,7 +465,22 @@ Full tick loop live. End-to-end pipeline proven through type-check + boot smoke;
 
 **Exit criteria:** Grep nach duplizierten Tool-Definitionen → leer. Beide Consumer grün.
 
-### M5 — Visual Suite
+### M5 — Visual Suite — ✅ M5.a scaffold SHIPPED 2026-04-23
+
+Single-flow foundation. Fixture + config + one spec + README + pnpm-scripts. Extension is copy-paste per module. Live baseline capture is user-side (needs running stack + seeded + persona-runner ticked).
+
+- [x] `tests/personas/playwright.config.ts` — own config, 2 viewports (desktop + mobile Pixel 5), 0.2 % diff threshold, animations disabled, `snapshotPathTemplate` scoped to per-spec folder, no auto-webServer (regressions only matter against a real running stack)
+- [x] `tests/personas/fixtures/persona-auth.ts` — HMAC-SHA256 password derivation (bit-identical mirror of `scripts/personas/password.ts` + `services/mana-persona-runner/src/password.ts` — **3-way contract**, changing one breaks the others), Set-Cookie parsing, typed `test.extend` with `personaKey` worker option + `personaPage` fixture
+- [x] `tests/personas/flows/home.spec.ts` — smoke flow, captures home-tour screenshot as `anna-adhd-student`
+- [x] `tests/personas/README.md` — prerequisites, run recipe, architecture diagram, "adding a flow" steps
+- [x] `pnpm test:personas` + `pnpm test:personas:update` on the root
+
+**Deferred** (copy-paste extensions once user has stack running):
+- Per-module flows: todo, journal, notes, habits, calendar, contacts
+- Additional viewports (iPad, webkit)
+- Nightly CI job via GitHub Action or Mac-Mini cron
+
+#### Archived initial checklist
 
 - [ ] `tests/personas/` Struktur
 - [ ] Persona-Login-Fixture (API-Login → storageState)
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 869cf7cfb..d533e60c3 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@
 		"setup:dev-user": "./scripts/dev/setup-dev-user.sh",
 		"seed:personas": "bun run scripts/personas/seed.ts",
 		"seed:personas:cleanup": "bun run scripts/personas/cleanup.ts",
+		"test:personas": "pnpm --filter @mana/tests-personas test",
+		"test:personas:update": "pnpm --filter @mana/tests-personas test:update",
 		"build:packages": "pnpm --filter './packages/*' build",
 		"postinstall": "node scripts/generate-env.mjs && pnpm run build:packages",
 		"mana:dev": "turbo run dev --filter=mana...",
diff --git a/tests/personas/README.md b/tests/personas/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..54b31b7bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/personas/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+# Persona Visual Suite
+
+Playwright-driven visual regression tests that log in as each of the **M2 personas**, navigate through the modules the persona uses, and diff screenshots against committed baselines. Detects UI regressions before real users do.
+
+**Plan:** [`docs/plans/mana-mcp-and-personas.md`](../../docs/plans/mana-mcp-and-personas.md) (M5)
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+The suite assumes the full local stack is already running and **seeded with persona data**. It does *not* auto-start anything — a silent "all green" against an empty seed would hide regressions, not find them.
+
+```bash
+# 1. Stack up + seeded
+pnpm docker:up
+cd services/mana-auth && bun run db:push
+pnpm dev:auth            # mana-auth on 3001
+pnpm dev:sync            # mana-sync on 3050
+pnpm mana:dev            # web app on 5173 — the suite hits this
+
+# 2. Seed the 10 catalog personas
+export MANA_ADMIN_JWT=…
+export PERSONA_SEED_SECRET=…    # same value the suite uses below
+pnpm seed:personas
+
+# 3. Optional but recommended: run the persona-runner once so each
+#    persona has real content. Empty accounts make empty baselines.
+pnpm --filter @mana/mcp-service dev         # :3069
+pnpm --filter @mana/persona-runner dev      # :3070
+export MANA_SERVICE_KEY=…
+export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=…
+curl -X POST localhost:3070/diag/tick
+```
+
+## Running
+
+```bash
+cd tests/personas
+
+# First run — captures baselines (or diffs against existing ones):
+pnpm test
+
+# Accept current render as new baseline (after intentional UI changes):
+pnpm test:update
+
+# View the HTML report with diff visualisations:
+pnpm report
+```
+
+## Environment
+
+| Var | Default | Purpose |
+|---|---|---|
+| `PERSONAS_AUTH_URL` | `http://localhost:3001` | mana-auth for API login |
+| `PERSONAS_BASE_URL` | `http://localhost:5173` | web app the browser loads |
+| `PERSONAS_COOKIE_DOMAIN` | derived from `PERSONAS_BASE_URL` host | Where better-auth's cookie lands |
+| `PERSONA_SEED_SECRET` | dev fallback | MUST match `scripts/personas/password.ts` and the runner |
+
+## Architecture
+
+```
+┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
+│  tests/personas/fixtures/persona-auth.ts     │
+│  ├── personaPassword(email) — HMAC-SHA256    │
+│  ├── loginAndGetCookies — POST /auth/login   │
+│  └── test.use({ personaKey: 'anna' })        │
+└──────────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
+                       │
+                       ▼
+   BrowserContext.addCookies(better-auth session)
+                       │
+                       ▼
+              page.goto('/')  — logged in!
+                       │
+                       ▼
+    flow-specific assertions + toHaveScreenshot()
+                       │
+                       ▼
+   ./__snapshots__/<spec>/<img>-<project>.png
+```
+
+## Adding a flow
+
+Copy `flows/home.spec.ts` to `flows/<module>.spec.ts`, change:
+
+- `test.use({ personaKey: '…' })` to the right persona
+- the `goto('/')` path
+- the screenshot filename
+
+Run `pnpm test:update` once to capture the baseline, commit the new PNG, done. CI diffs on every future run.
+
+## Design notes
+
+- **No webServer in config**: the suite runs against the *running* stack, not a hermetic one. That's the point — we want to catch regressions in the app that real users would see, not just the test build. If the stack is down, all tests fail loud with a descriptive login error.
+- **API-login, not form-login**: the login UI is tested elsewhere; re-driving it per persona × per spec would add minutes to every run with no signal.
+- **Two viewports, one browser**: `desktop` (1440×900 Chrome) + `mobile` (Pixel 5). Enough to catch most layout regressions without quadrupling the baseline count. Add `iPad` / `webkit` after the suite has settled.
+- **Diff threshold 0.2%**: tight enough to catch real regressions, loose enough to ignore antialiasing noise. Tune if false positives emerge.
+- **`animations: 'disabled'`**: Playwright pauses CSS animations for the screenshot, so transitions don't bleed into diffs.
+- **Live timestamps hidden**: any element with `data-testid="live-time"` gets `visibility: hidden` before the screenshot. Add that testid to clock/relative-time components.
diff --git a/tests/personas/fixtures/persona-auth.ts b/tests/personas/fixtures/persona-auth.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b28ca737e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/personas/fixtures/persona-auth.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,171 @@
+/**
+ * API-login fixture.
+ *
+ * The web app's normal login flow is a visual concern — we're testing
+ * downstream views, not the login UI, so we skip the form. Instead:
+ *
+ *   1. Derive the persona's password (same HMAC algorithm as the seed
+ *      script + the persona-runner — all three must stay in sync).
+ *   2. POST /api/v1/auth/login to capture the better-auth session cookie.
+ *   3. Inject the cookie into the Playwright browser context, then goto /.
+ *
+ * Tests opt in via the typed `test.use({ persona: 'anna' })` below;
+ * they receive a logged-in `page` with `persona.email` available.
+ */
+
+import { test as base, expect, type BrowserContext, type Page } from '@playwright/test';
+import { createHmac } from 'node:crypto';
+
+const AUTH_URL = process.env.PERSONAS_AUTH_URL ?? 'http://localhost:3001';
+const BASE_URL = process.env.PERSONAS_BASE_URL ?? 'http://localhost:5173';
+const COOKIE_DOMAIN = process.env.PERSONAS_COOKIE_DOMAIN ?? new URL(BASE_URL).hostname;
+const SEED_SECRET = process.env.PERSONA_SEED_SECRET ?? 'dev-persona-seed-secret-rotate-in-prod';
+
+/**
+ * Must stay bit-identical to `scripts/personas/password.ts` and
+ * `services/mana-persona-runner/src/password.ts`. Changing one without
+ * the others locks the test suite out of every persona.
+ */
+function personaPassword(email: string): string {
+	const hmac = createHmac('sha256', SEED_SECRET).update(email).digest('base64');
+	return hmac.replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/g, '').slice(0, 32);
+}
+
+export interface PersonaInfo {
+	name: string;
+	email: string;
+	archetype: string;
+}
+
+export const PERSONAS: Record<string, PersonaInfo> = {
+	anna: { name: 'Anna', email: 'persona.anna@mana.test', archetype: 'adhd-student' },
+	ben: { name: 'Ben', email: 'persona.ben@mana.test', archetype: 'adhd-student' },
+	marcus: { name: 'Marcus', email: 'persona.marcus@mana.test', archetype: 'ceo-busy' },
+	lena: { name: 'Lena', email: 'persona.lena@mana.test', archetype: 'ceo-busy' },
+	sofia: { name: 'Sofia', email: 'persona.sofia@mana.test', archetype: 'creative-parent' },
+	tom: { name: 'Tom', email: 'persona.tom@mana.test', archetype: 'creative-parent' },
+	kai: { name: 'Kai', email: 'persona.kai@mana.test', archetype: 'solo-dev' },
+	julia: { name: 'Julia', email: 'persona.julia@mana.test', archetype: 'researcher' },
+	paul: { name: 'Paul', email: 'persona.paul@mana.test', archetype: 'freelancer' },
+	maya: { name: 'Maya', email: 'persona.maya@mana.test', archetype: 'overwhelmed-newbie' },
+} as const;
+
+export type PersonaKey = keyof typeof PERSONAS;
+
+interface SetCookie {
+	name: string;
+	value: string;
+	path?: string;
+	domain?: string;
+	expires?: number;
+	httpOnly?: boolean;
+	secure?: boolean;
+	sameSite?: 'Strict' | 'Lax' | 'None';
+}
+
+/**
+ * Log in over HTTP, return the Set-Cookie headers as Playwright-compatible
+ * cookie objects ready for `context.addCookies()`.
+ */
+async function loginAndGetCookies(email: string): Promise<SetCookie[]> {
+	const res = await fetch(`${AUTH_URL}/api/v1/auth/login`, {
+		method: 'POST',
+		headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' },
+		body: JSON.stringify({ email, password: personaPassword(email) }),
+	});
+	if (!res.ok) {
+		const text = await res.text().catch(() => '<unreadable>');
+		throw new Error(
+			`Persona login ${email} failed: HTTP ${res.status} — ${text.slice(0, 300)}. ` +
+				`Is mana-auth running at ${AUTH_URL}? Has \`pnpm seed:personas\` been run?`
+		);
+	}
+	const raw =
+		res.headers.getSetCookie?.() ?? res.headers.get('set-cookie')?.split(/, (?=[^ ])/) ?? [];
+	const cookies: SetCookie[] = [];
+	for (const line of raw) {
+		const cookie = parseSetCookie(line);
+		if (cookie) cookies.push(cookie);
+	}
+	if (cookies.length === 0) {
+		throw new Error(
+			`Persona login ${email} succeeded but no Set-Cookie headers — better-auth config drift?`
+		);
+	}
+	return cookies;
+}
+
+function parseSetCookie(header: string): SetCookie | null {
+	const parts = header.split(';').map((p) => p.trim());
+	const [nv, ...rest] = parts;
+	const eq = nv.indexOf('=');
+	if (eq < 0) return null;
+	const cookie: SetCookie = {
+		name: nv.slice(0, eq),
+		value: nv.slice(eq + 1),
+		path: '/',
+		domain: COOKIE_DOMAIN,
+	};
+	for (const attr of rest) {
+		const [rk, rv] = attr.split('=', 2);
+		const key = rk.toLowerCase();
+		if (key === 'path' && rv) cookie.path = rv;
+		else if (key === 'domain' && rv) cookie.domain = rv.replace(/^\./, '');
+		else if (key === 'httponly') cookie.httpOnly = true;
+		else if (key === 'secure') cookie.secure = true;
+		else if (key === 'samesite' && rv) {
+			const s = rv as 'Strict' | 'Lax' | 'None';
+			cookie.sameSite = s;
+		}
+	}
+	return cookie;
+}
+
+export async function loginPersonaContext(context: BrowserContext, email: string): Promise<void> {
+	const cookies = await loginAndGetCookies(email);
+	await context.addCookies(
+		cookies.map((c) => ({
+			name: c.name,
+			value: c.value,
+			domain: c.domain ?? COOKIE_DOMAIN,
+			path: c.path ?? '/',
+			httpOnly: c.httpOnly,
+			secure: c.secure,
+			sameSite: c.sameSite,
+		}))
+	);
+}
+
+// ─── Typed test fixture ───────────────────────────────────────────
+
+type PersonaTestFixtures = {
+	persona: PersonaInfo;
+	/** Pre-logged-in page pointed at `/`. Waiting for networkidle already done. */
+	personaPage: Page;
+};
+
+type PersonaWorkerOptions = {
+	personaKey: PersonaKey;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Use `test.extend<{}, PersonaWorkerOptions>` and declare `test.use({ personaKey: 'anna' })`
+ * at the top of each spec. Each spec gets a freshly-logged-in page.
+ */
+export const test = base.extend<PersonaTestFixtures, PersonaWorkerOptions>({
+	personaKey: ['anna', { option: true, scope: 'worker' }],
+	persona: async ({ personaKey }, use) => {
+		const info = PERSONAS[personaKey];
+		if (!info) throw new Error(`Unknown persona key: ${personaKey}`);
+		await use(info);
+	},
+	personaPage: async ({ context, persona }, use) => {
+		await loginPersonaContext(context, persona.email);
+		const page = await context.newPage();
+		await page.goto('/');
+		await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');
+		await use(page);
+	},
+});
+
+export { expect };
diff --git a/tests/personas/flows/home.spec.ts b/tests/personas/flows/home.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..af41a9e6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/personas/flows/home.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+/**
+ * Home-tour spec — smallest possible end-to-end signal.
+ *
+ * Runs the suite's auth fixture, lands on `/`, verifies the app loaded
+ * under the persona's account (dashboard chrome visible), captures a
+ * baseline screenshot.
+ *
+ * When this goes green, the whole persona-visual stack is plumbed:
+ * seed-script → mana-auth → API login → cookie injection → web app →
+ * screenshot. Copy this file, change the route in `page.goto`, and you
+ * have a new module flow.
+ */
+
+import { test, expect } from '../fixtures/persona-auth';
+
+// Worker-scoped fixture — must be top-level, not inside describe.
+test.use({ personaKey: 'anna' });
+
+test.describe('home — Anna', () => {
+	test('dashboard renders', async ({ personaPage, persona }) => {
+		// Sanity: we're logged in as the right user.
+		// The URL should be inside the authenticated (app) group, not /login.
+		await expect(personaPage).not.toHaveURL(/\/login(\?|$)/);
+
+		// Give any lazy-loaded dashboard widgets a beat to settle, then
+		// freeze dynamic timestamps so screenshots are deterministic.
+		await personaPage.waitForLoadState('networkidle');
+		await personaPage.evaluate(() => {
+			// Hide any element that renders a live clock / relative time.
+			// Tests can update this list if specific selectors are known.
+			for (const el of document.querySelectorAll<HTMLElement>('[data-testid="live-time"]')) {
+				el.style.visibility = 'hidden';
+			}
+		});
+
+		await expect(personaPage).toHaveScreenshot(`home-${persona.archetype}.png`, {
+			fullPage: true,
+		});
+	});
+});
diff --git a/tests/personas/package.json b/tests/personas/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9fc053eeb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/personas/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+{
+	"name": "@mana/tests-personas",
+	"version": "0.1.0",
+	"private": true,
+	"description": "Visual regression suite driven by the M2 personas (see docs/plans/mana-mcp-and-personas.md M5).",
+	"type": "module",
+	"scripts": {
+		"test": "playwright test --config=playwright.config.ts",
+		"test:update": "playwright test --config=playwright.config.ts --update-snapshots",
+		"report": "playwright show-report playwright-report-personas"
+	},
+	"devDependencies": {
+		"@playwright/test": "^1.49.0"
+	}
+}
diff --git a/tests/personas/playwright.config.ts b/tests/personas/playwright.config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..de353442a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/personas/playwright.config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+/**
+ * Persona visual regression suite.
+ *
+ * Separate from the repo's main Playwright config (`../../playwright.config.ts`)
+ * because this suite has different defaults: fewer viewports (baselines
+ * cost disk + review time), tighter diff threshold, and a deterministic
+ * animation/font-loading setup so the same code produces the same
+ * pixels across runs.
+ *
+ * Plan: docs/plans/mana-mcp-and-personas.md (M5).
+ */
+
+import { defineConfig, devices } from '@playwright/test';
+
+const BASE = process.env.PERSONAS_BASE_URL ?? 'http://localhost:5173';
+
+export default defineConfig({
+	testDir: './flows',
+	// Baselines are stable across OS as long as `--project=…` is pinned
+	// and the server is the same. Diff threshold is tight; expect a few
+	// real-UI-change updates per week.
+	expect: {
+		toHaveScreenshot: {
+			maxDiffPixelRatio: 0.002,
+			animations: 'disabled',
+		},
+	},
+	snapshotPathTemplate: '{testDir}/__snapshots__/{testFilePath}/{arg}-{projectName}{ext}',
+	fullyParallel: true,
+	forbidOnly: !!process.env.CI,
+	retries: process.env.CI ? 1 : 0,
+	// Avoid cross-contamination — each persona has its own storageState,
+	// running in parallel is safe but keep it modest to not thrash mana-auth.
+	workers: process.env.CI ? 2 : undefined,
+	reporter: [['html', { outputFolder: 'playwright-report-personas' }], ['list']],
+	use: {
+		baseURL: BASE,
+		trace: 'retain-on-failure',
+		screenshot: 'only-on-failure',
+		video: 'retain-on-failure',
+	},
+	// Two viewports as a starting point — one desktop, one mobile. Add
+	// more later (iPad, large desktop) once the baselines are stable.
+	projects: [
+		{
+			name: 'desktop',
+			use: { ...devices['Desktop Chrome'], viewport: { width: 1440, height: 900 } },
+		},
+		{ name: 'mobile', use: { ...devices['Pixel 5'] } },
+	],
+	// webServer stays OFF here — this suite expects the full local stack
+	// (mana-auth, mana-sync, web app) to already be running. Persona
+	// tests assume real data has been seeded; auto-starting only the web
+	// app would give a meaningless pass. Run-recipe lives in README.md.
+});