diff --git a/tests/integration/features/build/resources-parallel.docker.spec.ts b/tests/integration/features/build/resources-parallel.docker.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c9c46dc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/integration/features/build/resources-parallel.docker.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+/**
+ * Integration tests for PARALLEL resource building with real Docker.
+ *
+ * Uses the microservices example (base component + api/worker/gateway that
+ * depend on base:image) to prove the scheduler's dependency barrier holds
+ * against concurrent `docker build`s.
+ */
+import { runCommand } from '@oclif/test';
+import { execa } from 'execa';
+import { describe, expect, test } from 'vitest';
+
+import { useExampleWithDocker } from '../../helpers.js';
+
+async function imageExists(
+  projectName: string,
+  componentName: string,
+): Promise<boolean> {
+  const { stdout } = await execa('docker', [
+    'images',
+    '--filter',
+    `label=emb/project=${projectName}`,
+    '--format',
+    '{{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}}',
+  ]);
+  return stdout.includes(`${projectName}/${componentName}`);
+}
+
+describe('Build - resources (parallel)', () => {
+  useExampleWithDocker('microservices');
+
+  test('honours the dependency barrier under -j (base built before its dependents)', async () => {
+    // Clean daemon (beforeAll ran `clean --force`): base:image does not exist
+    // yet, so api/worker's real `FROM microservices/base` would fail if the
+    // scheduler let them start before base finished. Both depend on base — a
+    // green build proves base was built first, then both ran concurrently.
+    const { error } = await runCommand(
+      'resources build api:image worker:image -j 4',
+    );
+
+    expect(error).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(await imageExists('microservices', 'base')).toBe(true);
+    expect(await imageExists('microservices', 'api')).toBe(true);
+    expect(await imageExists('microservices', 'worker')).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  test('accepts -j auto', async () => {
+    const { error } = await runCommand('resources build api:image -j auto');
+
+    expect(error).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(await imageExists('microservices', 'api')).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  test('-j 1 builds a dependent chain serially', async () => {
+    const { error } = await runCommand('resources build gateway:image -j 1');
+
+    expect(error).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(await imageExists('microservices', 'gateway')).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  test('--force rebuilds under -j', async () => {
+    await runCommand('resources build gateway:image -j 4');
+    const { error } = await runCommand(
+      'resources build gateway:image -j 4 --force',
+    );
+
+    expect(error).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(await imageExists('microservices', 'gateway')).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/vitest.workspace.ts b/vitest.workspace.ts
index dc4c6f9d..2742bc98 100644
--- a/vitest.workspace.ts
+++ b/vitest.workspace.ts
@@ -66,6 +66,9 @@ export default defineWorkspace([
       },
       // Longer timeout for Docker operations
       testTimeout: 120_000,
+      // `clean --force` (image removal) in setup/teardown can exceed the
+      // default 10s hook timeout.
+      hookTimeout: 120_000,
     },
   },
   {