diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 79f39c7..d1d89ea 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,14 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## [Unreleased]
+
+### Fixed
+- `test_app_lifecycle` now checks the apps. It guarded every check with `#ifdef EAPPS_BUILD_<CATEGORY>`,
+  but `tests/CMakeLists.txt` never passed those defines, so it ran 0 assertions and always passed.
+  The enabled categories are now compiled in and `esettings` and `ebot` are linked. The test fails
+  when no check runs, and when the number of categories it checked differs from the number of
+  `EAPPS_BUILD_<CATEGORY>` options that are ON.
+
 ## [3.0.1] - 2026-05-16
 
 ### Production Release — Unified EmbeddedOS-org v3.0.1
diff --git a/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index ce65bb9..c7612cd 100644
--- a/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -44,28 +44,55 @@ endif()
 add_test(NAME test_ewifi_shellsafe COMMAND test_ewifi_shellsafe)
 
 # App lifecycle tests — needs all app libraries
+# test_app_lifecycle.c checks each category only under #ifdef EAPPS_BUILD_<CATEGORY>,
+# so every enabled category must also be passed as a compile definition. Without
+# them the test compiled to an empty main() and passed with 0 assertions.
+# esettings is a system app (always built, top-level CMakeLists.txt), so it is
+# linked whenever the productivity checks that reference it are compiled.
+# LIFECYCLE_EXPECTED counts the enabled categories straight from the options, not
+# from LIFECYCLE_DEFS, so the test fails if a category's define is ever dropped.
 set(LIFECYCLE_LIBS eapps_common eapps_ui)
+set(LIFECYCLE_DEFS)
+set(LIFECYCLE_EXPECTED 0)
+foreach(category PRODUCTIVITY MEDIA GAMES CONNECTIVITY SECURITY WEB)
+    if(EAPPS_BUILD_${category})
+        math(EXPR LIFECYCLE_EXPECTED "${LIFECYCLE_EXPECTED} + 1")
+    endif()
+endforeach()
 if(EAPPS_BUILD_PRODUCTIVITY)
-    list(APPEND LIFECYCLE_LIBS ecal enote econverter ebuffer efiles ecleaner eclock etools etimer epdf ezip eviewer esession)
+    list(APPEND LIFECYCLE_LIBS ecal enote econverter ebuffer efiles ecleaner eclock etools etimer epdf ezip eviewer esession esettings)
+    list(APPEND LIFECYCLE_DEFS EAPPS_BUILD_PRODUCTIVITY)
 endif()
 if(EAPPS_BUILD_MEDIA)
     list(APPEND LIFECYCLE_LIBS emusic evideo egallery eplay epaint)
+    list(APPEND LIFECYCLE_DEFS EAPPS_BUILD_MEDIA)
 endif()
 if(EAPPS_BUILD_GAMES)
     list(APPEND LIFECYCLE_LIBS snake tetris minesweeper dice erunner esurfer echess ebirds eslice eblocks ecrush)
+    list(APPEND LIFECYCLE_DEFS EAPPS_BUILD_GAMES)
 endif()
 if(EAPPS_BUILD_CONNECTIVITY)
     list(APPEND LIFECYCLE_LIBS eftp eserial essh evnc etunnel echat eremote ewifi)
+    list(APPEND LIFECYCLE_DEFS EAPPS_BUILD_CONNECTIVITY)
 endif()
 if(EAPPS_BUILD_SECURITY)
-    list(APPEND LIFECYCLE_LIBS evpn eguard evirustower)
+    list(APPEND LIFECYCLE_LIBS evpn eguard evirustower ebot)
+    list(APPEND LIFECYCLE_DEFS EAPPS_BUILD_SECURITY)
 endif()
 if(EAPPS_BUILD_WEB)
     list(APPEND LIFECYCLE_LIBS eweb)
+    list(APPEND LIFECYCLE_DEFS EAPPS_BUILD_WEB)
 endif()
-add_executable(test_app_lifecycle test_app_lifecycle.c)
-target_link_libraries(test_app_lifecycle PRIVATE ${LIFECYCLE_LIBS})
-if(NOT MSVC)
-    target_link_libraries(test_app_lifecycle PRIVATE m)
+# With every category switched off there is nothing to check, so no test.
+if(LIFECYCLE_EXPECTED GREATER 0)
+    add_executable(test_app_lifecycle test_app_lifecycle.c)
+    target_link_libraries(test_app_lifecycle PRIVATE ${LIFECYCLE_LIBS})
+    target_compile_definitions(test_app_lifecycle PRIVATE ${LIFECYCLE_DEFS}
+        EAPPS_LIFECYCLE_EXPECTED_CATEGORIES=${LIFECYCLE_EXPECTED})
+    if(NOT MSVC)
+        target_link_libraries(test_app_lifecycle PRIVATE m)
+    endif()
+    add_test(NAME test_app_lifecycle COMMAND test_app_lifecycle)
+else()
+    message(STATUS "test_app_lifecycle skipped: every EAPPS_BUILD_<CATEGORY> option is OFF")
 endif()
-add_test(NAME test_app_lifecycle COMMAND test_app_lifecycle)
diff --git a/tests/test_app_lifecycle.c b/tests/test_app_lifecycle.c
index 057c87c..d5ff98d 100644
--- a/tests/test_app_lifecycle.c
+++ b/tests/test_app_lifecycle.c
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@
 #include "eapps_test.h"
 #include "../core/common/include/eapps/types.h"
 
+#ifndef EAPPS_LIFECYCLE_EXPECTED_CATEGORIES
+#error "EAPPS_LIFECYCLE_EXPECTED_CATEGORIES must be set by tests/CMakeLists.txt"
+#endif
+
 /* ================================================================
  * Extern declarations for all app infos and lifecycles.
  * Grouped by build category, matching the pattern in suite.c.
@@ -172,24 +176,42 @@ static void test_web_apps(void) {
 #endif
 
 int main(void) {
+    int categories_checked = 0;
+
 #ifdef EAPPS_BUILD_PRODUCTIVITY
     test_productivity_apps();
+    categories_checked++;
 #endif
 #ifdef EAPPS_BUILD_MEDIA
     test_media_apps();
+    categories_checked++;
 #endif
 #ifdef EAPPS_BUILD_GAMES
     test_games_apps();
+    categories_checked++;
 #endif
 #ifdef EAPPS_BUILD_CONNECTIVITY
     test_connectivity_apps();
+    categories_checked++;
 #endif
 #ifdef EAPPS_BUILD_SECURITY
     test_security_apps();
+    categories_checked++;
 #endif
 #ifdef EAPPS_BUILD_WEB
     test_web_apps();
+    categories_checked++;
 #endif
 
+    /* No checks at all means the EAPPS_BUILD_* category defines did not reach
+     * this file (see tests/CMakeLists.txt). Fail instead of passing empty. */
+    ASSERT_TRUE(t_passes + t_failures > 0, "at least one app check ran");
+
+    /* tests/CMakeLists.txt counts the categories enabled by the CMake options,
+     * separately from the defines it passes, so a category whose define goes
+     * missing fails here instead of silently dropping its checks. */
+    ASSERT_EQ(categories_checked, EAPPS_LIFECYCLE_EXPECTED_CATEGORIES,
+              "app categories checked match the categories enabled in CMake");
+
     TEST_EXIT();
 }