diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/CommentController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/CommentController.php
index b51ca21..2f5cc7b 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/CommentController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/CommentController.php
@@ -206,4 +206,56 @@ class CommentController extends Controller
 
         return response()->json(['liked' => $liked, 'count' => $count]);
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Toggle the "creator heart" on a comment. Only the video owner can
+     * drop a heart; anyone else gets a 403.
+     */
+    public function heart(Comment $comment)
+    {
+        $video = $comment->video;
+        if (! $video || $video->user_id !== Auth::id()) {
+            return response()->json(['error' => 'Only the video owner can heart a comment.'], 403);
+        }
+
+        $comment->hearted = ! $comment->hearted;
+        $comment->save();
+
+        return response()->json([
+            'hearted' => (bool) $comment->hearted,
+        ]);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Toggle "pinned" on a top-level comment. Only the video owner can
+     * pin, and pinned comments sort ahead of everything else in the list.
+     * At most one comment is pinned at a time — pinning a new one unpins
+     * the previous.
+     */
+    public function pin(Comment $comment)
+    {
+        $video = $comment->video;
+        if (! $video || $video->user_id !== Auth::id()) {
+            return response()->json(['error' => 'Only the video owner can pin a comment.'], 403);
+        }
+        if ($comment->parent_id) {
+            return response()->json(['error' => 'Only top-level comments can be pinned.'], 422);
+        }
+
+        $wasPinned = (bool) $comment->pinned;
+        if (! $wasPinned) {
+            // Unpin any previously-pinned comment on this video first so
+            // the UI invariant "at most one pinned" is maintained at the
+            // DB level, not just in the view.
+            Comment::where('video_id', $video->id)
+                ->where('pinned', true)
+                ->update(['pinned' => false]);
+        }
+        $comment->pinned = ! $wasPinned;
+        $comment->save();
+
+        return response()->json([
+            'pinned' => (bool) $comment->pinned,
+        ]);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/UserController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/UserController.php
index 73edc0d..80fea93 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/UserController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/UserController.php
@@ -453,14 +453,42 @@ class UserController extends Controller
         } else {
             $video->likes()->attach($user->id);
             $liked = true;
+            // Toggling to like clears any existing dislike — mirrors YT's
+            // behavior where a video can be liked OR disliked, not both.
+            $video->dislikes()->detach($user->id);
             if ($video->user_id && $video->user_id !== $user->id) {
                 try { $video->user->notify(new VideoLikedNotification($video, $user)); } catch (\Throwable) {}
             }
         }
 
         return response()->json([
-            'liked' => $liked,
-            'like_count' => $video->like_count,
+            'liked'          => $liked,
+            'disliked'       => false, // was cleared above if we just liked, otherwise toggle didn't touch it
+            'like_count'     => $video->like_count,
+            'dislike_count'  => $video->dislike_count,
+        ]);
+    }
+
+    // Toggle dislike (API). Mutually exclusive with the like state.
+    public function toggleDislike(Video $video)
+    {
+        $user = Auth::user();
+
+        if ($video->isDislikedBy($user)) {
+            $video->dislikes()->detach($user->id);
+            $disliked = false;
+        } else {
+            $video->dislikes()->attach($user->id);
+            $disliked = true;
+            // Clear any existing like.
+            $video->likes()->detach($user->id);
+        }
+
+        return response()->json([
+            'disliked'       => $disliked,
+            'liked'          => $video->isLikedBy($user), // guaranteed false here when disliked just became true
+            'like_count'     => $video->like_count,
+            'dislike_count'  => $video->dislike_count,
         ]);
     }
 
diff --git a/app/Models/Comment.php b/app/Models/Comment.php
index 32bbdd3..63df92f 100644
--- a/app/Models/Comment.php
+++ b/app/Models/Comment.php
@@ -11,6 +11,13 @@ class Comment extends Model
         'user_id',
         'parent_id',
         'body',
+        'hearted',
+        'pinned',
+    ];
+
+    protected $casts = [
+        'hearted' => 'boolean',
+        'pinned'  => 'boolean',
     ];
 
     // Relationships
diff --git a/app/Models/Video.php b/app/Models/Video.php
index 5897017..4410b9a 100644
--- a/app/Models/Video.php
+++ b/app/Models/Video.php
@@ -53,6 +53,11 @@ class Video extends Model
         return $this->belongsToMany(User::class, 'video_likes')->withTimestamps();
     }
 
+    public function dislikes()
+    {
+        return $this->belongsToMany(User::class, 'video_dislikes')->withTimestamps();
+    }
+
     public function viewers()
     {
         return $this->belongsToMany(User::class, 'video_views')
@@ -177,6 +182,20 @@ class Video extends Model
         return $this->likes()->count();
     }
 
+    // Dislike helpers — same shape as the like pair above.
+    public function isDislikedBy($user)
+    {
+        if (! $user) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        return $this->dislikes()->where('user_id', $user->id)->exists();
+    }
+
+    public function getDislikeCountAttribute()
+    {
+        return $this->dislikes()->count();
+    }
+
     // Get view count - use direct query to avoid timestamp issues
     public function getViewCountAttribute()
     {
diff --git a/database/migrations/2026_10_21_000001_create_video_dislikes_table.php b/database/migrations/2026_10_21_000001_create_video_dislikes_table.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fff266f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database/migrations/2026_10_21_000001_create_video_dislikes_table.php
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+<?php
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+/**
+ * Dislike counterpart to video_likes.
+ *
+ * One row per (user, video) pair. The unique index on the pair prevents a
+ * user from racking up multiple dislikes against the same video, and the
+ * foreign keys cascade so cleaning up a user or video drops their dislikes
+ * for free.
+ */
+return new class extends Migration {
+    public function up(): void
+    {
+        Schema::create('video_dislikes', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->id();
+            $table->foreignId('video_id')->constrained()->cascadeOnDelete();
+            $table->foreignId('user_id')->constrained()->cascadeOnDelete();
+            $table->timestamps();
+
+            $table->unique(['video_id', 'user_id']);
+            $table->index('video_id');
+        });
+    }
+
+    public function down(): void
+    {
+        Schema::dropIfExists('video_dislikes');
+    }
+};
diff --git a/database/migrations/2026_10_21_000002_add_hearted_and_pinned_to_comments.php b/database/migrations/2026_10_21_000002_add_hearted_and_pinned_to_comments.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d2215b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database/migrations/2026_10_21_000002_add_hearted_and_pinned_to_comments.php
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+<?php
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+/**
+ * Creator-engagement flags on comments.
+ *
+ *   - hearted: the video owner has acknowledged the comment with a red
+ *     heart (YouTube's "creator heart"). Visible to everyone.
+ *   - pinned: the owner has anchored the comment to the top of the list.
+ *     The comment component sorts pinned comments ahead of everything
+ *     else, newest-pinned first.
+ *
+ * Both default to false and are indexed only on `pinned` because that's the
+ * one the comments query sorts by.
+ */
+return new class extends Migration {
+    public function up(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('comments', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->boolean('hearted')->default(false)->after('body');
+            $table->boolean('pinned')->default(false)->after('hearted');
+            $table->index('pinned');
+        });
+    }
+
+    public function down(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('comments', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->dropIndex(['pinned']);
+            $table->dropColumn(['hearted', 'pinned']);
+        });
+    }
+};
diff --git a/resources/views/components/video-actions.blade.php b/resources/views/components/video-actions.blade.php
index fde7e0c..3de8a69 100644
--- a/resources/views/components/video-actions.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/components/video-actions.blade.php
@@ -164,19 +164,33 @@
     @endauth
 
     @auth
+        {{-- Like + Dislike pair. Mutually exclusive on the server; clicking
+             one clears the other via the controllers' detach() call. --}}
         <button type="button"
             class="action-btn desktop-action like-toggle-btn {{ $video->isLikedBy(Auth::user()) ? 'liked' : '' }}"
             data-video-id="{{ $video->id }}"
             data-toggle-url="{{ route('videos.toggleLike', $video) }}"
-            data-liked="{{ $video->isLikedBy(Auth::user()) ? 'true' : 'false' }}">
-            <i class="bi {{ $video->isLikedBy(Auth::user()) ? 'bi-hand-thumbs-up-fill' : 'bi-hand-thumbs-up' }}"></i>
+            data-liked="{{ $video->isLikedBy(Auth::user()) ? 'true' : 'false' }}"
+            aria-label="{{ $video->isLikedBy(Auth::user()) ? 'Remove like' : 'Like' }}">
+            <i class="bi {{ $video->isLikedBy(Auth::user()) ? 'bi-hand-thumbs-up-fill' : 'bi-hand-thumbs-up' }}" aria-hidden="true"></i>
             <span class="like-count-label">{{ $video->like_count > 0 ? number_format($video->like_count) : 'Like' }}</span>
         </button>
+        <button type="button"
+            class="action-btn desktop-action dislike-toggle-btn {{ $video->isDislikedBy(Auth::user()) ? 'disliked' : '' }}"
+            data-video-id="{{ $video->id }}"
+            data-toggle-url="{{ route('videos.toggleDislike', $video) }}"
+            data-disliked="{{ $video->isDislikedBy(Auth::user()) ? 'true' : 'false' }}"
+            aria-label="{{ $video->isDislikedBy(Auth::user()) ? 'Remove dislike' : 'Dislike' }}">
+            <i class="bi {{ $video->isDislikedBy(Auth::user()) ? 'bi-hand-thumbs-down-fill' : 'bi-hand-thumbs-down' }}" aria-hidden="true"></i>
+        </button>
     @else
         <button onclick="window.location.href='{{ route('login') }}'" class="action-btn desktop-action">
-            <i class="bi bi-hand-thumbs-up"></i>
+            <i class="bi bi-hand-thumbs-up" aria-hidden="true"></i>
             {{ $video->like_count > 0 ? number_format($video->like_count) : 'Like' }}
         </button>
+        <button onclick="window.location.href='{{ route('login') }}'" class="action-btn desktop-action" aria-label="Dislike">
+            <i class="bi bi-hand-thumbs-down" aria-hidden="true"></i>
+        </button>
     @endauth
 
     @if ($video->isShareable())
@@ -451,6 +465,46 @@
             if (typeof toast === 'function') toast('Could not update like. Try again.', 'error');
         });
     });
+
+    // ── Dislike button ─────────────────────────────────────────────
+    // Dislike is mutually exclusive with like on the server side; whenever
+    // the server returns a new state, we reconcile BOTH buttons in one
+    // sweep so the pair always reflects the authoritative truth.
+    document.addEventListener('click', function (e) {
+        var btn = e.target.closest('.dislike-toggle-btn');
+        if (!btn) return;
+
+        var url      = btn.dataset.toggleUrl;
+        var videoId  = btn.dataset.videoId;
+
+        fetch(url, {
+            method: 'POST',
+            headers: { 'X-CSRF-TOKEN': csrfToken, 'Accept': 'application/json' },
+        })
+        .then(function (r) { return r.json(); })
+        .then(function (data) {
+            // Reconcile dislike pair.
+            document.querySelectorAll('.dislike-toggle-btn[data-video-id="' + videoId + '"]').forEach(function (b) {
+                var icon = b.querySelector('i');
+                b.dataset.disliked = data.disliked ? 'true' : 'false';
+                b.classList.toggle('disliked', data.disliked);
+                if (icon) icon.className = 'bi ' + (data.disliked ? 'bi-hand-thumbs-down-fill' : 'bi-hand-thumbs-down');
+                b.setAttribute('aria-label', data.disliked ? 'Remove dislike' : 'Dislike');
+            });
+            // Reconcile like pair in parallel — may have flipped off.
+            document.querySelectorAll('.like-toggle-btn[data-video-id="' + videoId + '"]').forEach(function (b) {
+                var icon  = b.querySelector('i');
+                var label = b.querySelector('.like-count-label');
+                b.dataset.liked = data.liked ? 'true' : 'false';
+                b.classList.toggle('liked', data.liked);
+                if (icon)  icon.className = 'bi ' + (data.liked ? 'bi-hand-thumbs-up-fill' : 'bi-hand-thumbs-up');
+                if (label) label.textContent = data.like_count > 0 ? data.like_count.toLocaleString() : 'Like';
+            });
+        })
+        .catch(function () {
+            if (typeof toast === 'function') toast('Could not update dislike. Try again.', 'error');
+        });
+    });
 })();
 
 // ── Slideshow video generation progress ──────────────────────────────
diff --git a/resources/views/components/video-comments.blade.php b/resources/views/components/video-comments.blade.php
index 436c305..b492302 100644
--- a/resources/views/components/video-comments.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/components/video-comments.blade.php
@@ -10,7 +10,17 @@
     // user's nationality. Batched so the comments list stays a single query.
     $commenterIds = $video->comments()->pluck('user_id')->filter()->unique()->values()->all();
     $commenterCountry = \App\Models\User::topCountriesFor($commenterIds);
-    $topComments     = $video->comments()->whereNull('parent_id')->with('user', 'replies.user')->latest()->get();
+    // Pinned comments bubble to the top of the list regardless of recency,
+    // then everything else sorts newest-first. reorder() wipes the
+    // ->latest() default the comments() relation already applied, so
+    // pinned DESC becomes the PRIMARY sort instead of a tiebreaker.
+    $topComments     = $video->comments()
+        ->whereNull('parent_id')
+        ->with('user', 'replies.user')
+        ->reorder()
+        ->orderByDesc('pinned')
+        ->latest()
+        ->get();
     $topLevelCount   = $topComments->count();
     $replyCount      = $topComments->sum(fn($c) => $c->replies->count());
 
@@ -105,8 +115,16 @@
     {{-- ── Comments list ── --}}
     <div id="ytcList">
         @forelse($topComments as $comment)
-            @php $isOwn = $comment->user_id === $currentUserId; @endphp
-            <div class="ytc-comment" id="comment-{{ $comment->id }}">
+            @php
+                $isOwn        = $comment->user_id === $currentUserId;
+                $isVideoOwner = $currentUserId === $video->user_id;
+            @endphp
+            <div class="ytc-comment{{ $comment->pinned ? ' ytc-pinned' : '' }}" id="comment-{{ $comment->id }}">
+                @if($comment->pinned)
+                <div class="ytc-pinned-badge" aria-label="Pinned by the creator">
+                    <i class="bi bi-pin-fill" aria-hidden="true"></i> Pinned by {{ $video->user->name ?? 'the creator' }}
+                </div>
+                @endif
                 <a href="{{ $comment->user ? route('channel', $comment->user->channel) : '#' }}" class="ytc-avatar-link">
                     <img src="{{ ytcAvatar($comment->user) }}" class="ytc-avatar" alt="{{ $comment->user->name ?? 'User' }}">
                 </a>
@@ -119,6 +137,13 @@
                            href="?lc={{ $comment->id }}#comment-{{ $comment->id }}"
                            title="Copy link to this comment"
                            aria-label="Permalink">{{ ytcTime($comment->created_at) }}</a>
+                        @if($comment->hearted)
+                        <span class="ytc-heart-badge"
+                              aria-label="Hearted by the creator"
+                              title="Hearted by {{ $video->user->name ?? 'the creator' }}">
+                            <i class="bi bi-heart-fill" aria-hidden="true"></i>
+                        </span>
+                        @endif
                     </div>
 
                     <div class="ytc-text _comment-body" data-_comment-enhanced="0">{{ $comment->body }}</div>
@@ -149,6 +174,23 @@
                             <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M15 3H6c-.83 0-1.54.5-1.84 1.22l-3.02 7.05c-.09.23-.14.47-.14.73v2c0 1.1.9 2 2 2h6.31l-.95 4.57-.03.32c0 .41.17.79.44 1.06L10.83 23l6.59-6.59c.36-.36.58-.86.58-1.41V5c0-1.1-.9-2-2-2zm4 0v12h4V3h-4z"/></svg>
                         </button>
                         @auth
+                        {{-- Creator-only heart + pin toggles. The server
+                             rejects anyone else, but hiding the buttons
+                             keeps the UI uncluttered for regular viewers. --}}
+                        @if($isVideoOwner)
+                        <button class="ytc-creator-btn ytc-heart-toggle{{ $comment->hearted ? ' active' : '' }}"
+                                data-comment-id="{{ $comment->id }}"
+                                aria-pressed="{{ $comment->hearted ? 'true' : 'false' }}"
+                                title="{{ $comment->hearted ? 'Remove heart' : 'Heart this comment' }}">
+                            <i class="bi {{ $comment->hearted ? 'bi-heart-fill' : 'bi-heart' }}" aria-hidden="true"></i>
+                        </button>
+                        <button class="ytc-creator-btn ytc-pin-toggle{{ $comment->pinned ? ' active' : '' }}"
+                                data-comment-id="{{ $comment->id }}"
+                                aria-pressed="{{ $comment->pinned ? 'true' : 'false' }}"
+                                title="{{ $comment->pinned ? 'Unpin' : 'Pin to top' }}">
+                            <i class="bi {{ $comment->pinned ? 'bi-pin-fill' : 'bi-pin' }}" aria-hidden="true"></i>
+                        </button>
+                        @endif
                         <button class="ytc-reply-btn _comment-reply-trigger" data-comment-id="{{ $comment->id }}">Reply</button>
                         @endauth
                         @if($llmEnabled)
@@ -328,6 +370,49 @@
     margin-left: 4px;
 }
 
+/* ── Creator engagement (heart + pin) ── */
+.ytc-pinned-badge {
+    display: inline-flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: 6px;
+    font-size: 12px;
+    font-weight: 600;
+    color: var(--text-secondary);
+    margin-bottom: 4px;
+}
+.ytc-pinned-badge i { color: #ef4444; }
+.ytc-comment.ytc-pinned {
+    background: rgba(239, 68, 68, 0.03);
+    border-left: 2px solid rgba(239, 68, 68, 0.5);
+    padding-left: 10px;
+    margin-left: -12px;
+}
+.ytc-heart-badge {
+    display: inline-flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    margin-left: 4px;
+    color: #ef4444;
+    font-size: 13px;
+}
+.ytc-creator-btn {
+    background: none;
+    border: none;
+    color: var(--text-secondary);
+    font-size: 15px;
+    cursor: pointer;
+    padding: 4px;
+    border-radius: 50%;
+    width: 28px;
+    height: 28px;
+    display: inline-flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
+    transition: background .15s, color .15s;
+}
+.ytc-creator-btn:hover { background: rgba(255,255,255,.08); color: var(--text-primary); }
+.ytc-creator-btn.active { color: #ef4444; }
+.ytc-creator-btn.active:hover { background: rgba(239, 68, 68, 0.15); }
+
 /* Comment permalink highlight — brief glow on the targeted row when a
    ?lc=<id> link lands on this page. Fades on its own after ~2.8s. */
 .ytc-comment.ytc-highlight,
@@ -1081,6 +1166,53 @@ document.getElementById('ytcList')?.addEventListener('click', e => {
     const db = e.target.closest('.ytc-dislike-btn');
     if (db) { e.stopPropagation(); toggleDislike(db); return; }
 
+    // Creator heart — owner-only, server rejects anyone else
+    const hb = e.target.closest('.ytc-heart-toggle');
+    if (hb) {
+        e.stopPropagation();
+        const id = hb.dataset.commentId;
+        fetch('/comments/' + id + '/heart', {
+            method: 'POST',
+            headers: { 'X-CSRF-TOKEN': YTC.csrf, 'Accept': 'application/json' },
+        }).then(r => r.json()).then(d => {
+            if (d.hearted !== undefined) {
+                hb.classList.toggle('active', d.hearted);
+                hb.setAttribute('aria-pressed', d.hearted ? 'true' : 'false');
+                hb.querySelector('i').className = 'bi ' + (d.hearted ? 'bi-heart-fill' : 'bi-heart');
+                // Also toggle the visible heart badge in the comment meta.
+                const meta = hb.closest('.ytc-comment').querySelector('.ytc-meta');
+                let badge = meta?.querySelector('.ytc-heart-badge');
+                if (d.hearted && !badge && meta) {
+                    badge = document.createElement('span');
+                    badge.className = 'ytc-heart-badge';
+                    badge.innerHTML = '<i class="bi bi-heart-fill" aria-hidden="true"></i>';
+                    meta.appendChild(badge);
+                } else if (!d.hearted && badge) {
+                    badge.remove();
+                }
+            }
+        }).catch(() => {});
+        return;
+    }
+
+    // Creator pin — owner-only, pins top-level comments to the list head
+    const pb = e.target.closest('.ytc-pin-toggle');
+    if (pb) {
+        e.stopPropagation();
+        const id = pb.dataset.commentId;
+        fetch('/comments/' + id + '/pin', {
+            method: 'POST',
+            headers: { 'X-CSRF-TOKEN': YTC.csrf, 'Accept': 'application/json' },
+        }).then(r => r.json()).then(d => {
+            if (d.pinned !== undefined) {
+                // Reload to re-sort — pin changes the order of top-level
+                // comments and the DOM move is cleaner server-side than
+                // trying to shuffle the live list.
+                location.reload();
+            }
+        }).catch(() => {});
+        return;
+    }
 });
 
 // Translate — bound at `document` level once, dispatches to the LATEST
diff --git a/routes/web.php b/routes/web.php
index 6a490e0..ec5d52c 100644
--- a/routes/web.php
+++ b/routes/web.php
@@ -131,6 +131,7 @@ Route::middleware(['auth', 'verified'])->group(function () {
     Route::post('/videos/{video}/like', [UserController::class, 'like'])->name('videos.like');
     Route::post('/videos/{video}/unlike', [UserController::class, 'unlike'])->name('videos.unlike');
     Route::post('/videos/{video}/toggle-like', [UserController::class, 'toggleLike'])->name('videos.toggleLike');
+    Route::post('/videos/{video}/toggle-dislike', [UserController::class, 'toggleDislike'])->name('videos.toggleDislike');
 });
 
 // Subscribe + notifications — auth but NOT email verification required
@@ -155,6 +156,8 @@ Route::middleware(['auth', 'verified'])->group(function () {
     Route::put('/comments/{comment}', [CommentController::class, 'update'])->name('comments.update');
     Route::delete('/comments/{comment}', [CommentController::class, 'destroy'])->name('comments.destroy');
     Route::post('/comments/{comment}/like', [CommentController::class, 'like'])->name('comments.like');
+    Route::post('/comments/{comment}/heart', [CommentController::class, 'heart'])->name('comments.heart');
+    Route::post('/comments/{comment}/pin',   [CommentController::class, 'pin'])->name('comments.pin');
 });
 
 // User routes
diff --git a/tests/Feature/DislikeHeartPinTest.php b/tests/Feature/DislikeHeartPinTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..41720a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Feature/DislikeHeartPinTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,198 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Tests\Feature;
+
+use App\Http\Middleware\VerifyCsrfToken;
+use App\Models\Comment;
+use App\Models\User;
+use App\Models\Video;
+use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\RefreshDatabase;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
+use Tests\TestCase;
+
+/**
+ * Video dislike toggle + creator heart + creator pin.
+ *
+ * The in-memory DB these tests run against gets the two post-audit migrations
+ * applied automatically by RefreshDatabase, so no manual migrate step is
+ * required to exercise the full feature.
+ */
+class DislikeHeartPinTest extends TestCase
+{
+    use RefreshDatabase;
+
+    protected function setUp(): void
+    {
+        putenv('DB_CONNECTION=sqlite');
+        putenv('DB_DATABASE=:memory:');
+        $_ENV['DB_CONNECTION'] = 'sqlite';
+        $_ENV['DB_DATABASE']   = ':memory:';
+
+        parent::setUp();
+
+        $this->withoutMiddleware([
+            VerifyCsrfToken::class,
+            \Illuminate\Session\Middleware\AuthenticateSession::class,
+        ]);
+    }
+
+    // ─── Dislike toggle ──────────────────────────────
+
+    public function test_toggle_dislike_adds_then_removes_the_row(): void
+    {
+        [$owner, $viewer, $video] = $this->makeOwnerViewerVideo();
+        $this->actingAs($viewer);
+
+        $this->postJson(route('videos.toggleDislike', $video))
+            ->assertOk()
+            ->assertJson(['disliked' => true, 'dislike_count' => 1]);
+        $this->assertDatabaseHas('video_dislikes', ['video_id' => $video->id, 'user_id' => $viewer->id]);
+
+        $this->postJson(route('videos.toggleDislike', $video))
+            ->assertOk()
+            ->assertJson(['disliked' => false, 'dislike_count' => 0]);
+        $this->assertDatabaseMissing('video_dislikes', ['video_id' => $video->id, 'user_id' => $viewer->id]);
+    }
+
+    public function test_disliking_clears_an_existing_like(): void
+    {
+        [$owner, $viewer, $video] = $this->makeOwnerViewerVideo();
+        $this->actingAs($viewer);
+        $video->likes()->attach($viewer->id);
+
+        $this->postJson(route('videos.toggleDislike', $video))
+            ->assertOk()
+            ->assertJson(['disliked' => true, 'liked' => false, 'like_count' => 0]);
+        $this->assertDatabaseMissing('video_likes', ['video_id' => $video->id, 'user_id' => $viewer->id]);
+    }
+
+    public function test_liking_clears_an_existing_dislike(): void
+    {
+        [$owner, $viewer, $video] = $this->makeOwnerViewerVideo();
+        $this->actingAs($viewer);
+        $video->dislikes()->attach($viewer->id);
+
+        $this->postJson(route('videos.toggleLike', $video))
+            ->assertOk()
+            ->assertJson(['liked' => true, 'disliked' => false, 'like_count' => 1, 'dislike_count' => 0]);
+        $this->assertDatabaseMissing('video_dislikes', ['video_id' => $video->id, 'user_id' => $viewer->id]);
+    }
+
+    // ─── Heart ──────────────────────────────────────
+
+    public function test_owner_can_heart_a_comment(): void
+    {
+        [$owner, $viewer, $video] = $this->makeOwnerViewerVideo();
+        $this->actingAs($owner);
+        $comment = Comment::create([
+            'user_id'  => $viewer->id,
+            'video_id' => $video->id,
+            'body'     => 'nice video!',
+        ]);
+
+        $this->postJson(route('comments.heart', $comment))
+            ->assertOk()
+            ->assertJson(['hearted' => true]);
+        $this->assertEquals(true, $comment->fresh()->hearted);
+
+        $this->postJson(route('comments.heart', $comment))
+            ->assertOk()
+            ->assertJson(['hearted' => false]);
+    }
+
+    public function test_non_owner_cannot_heart_a_comment(): void
+    {
+        [$owner, $viewer, $video] = $this->makeOwnerViewerVideo();
+        $comment = Comment::create([
+            'user_id'  => $viewer->id,
+            'video_id' => $video->id,
+            'body'     => 'nice video!',
+        ]);
+        $this->actingAs($viewer);
+
+        $this->postJson(route('comments.heart', $comment))->assertStatus(403);
+        $this->assertEquals(false, $comment->fresh()->hearted);
+    }
+
+    // ─── Pin ────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    public function test_owner_pins_at_most_one_comment_at_a_time(): void
+    {
+        [$owner, $viewer, $video] = $this->makeOwnerViewerVideo();
+        $this->actingAs($owner);
+        $a = Comment::create(['user_id' => $viewer->id, 'video_id' => $video->id, 'body' => 'A']);
+        $b = Comment::create(['user_id' => $viewer->id, 'video_id' => $video->id, 'body' => 'B']);
+
+        $this->postJson(route('comments.pin', $a))->assertOk()->assertJson(['pinned' => true]);
+        $this->assertTrue((bool) $a->fresh()->pinned);
+        $this->assertFalse((bool) $b->fresh()->pinned);
+
+        // Pinning B must unpin A.
+        $this->postJson(route('comments.pin', $b))->assertOk()->assertJson(['pinned' => true]);
+        $this->assertFalse((bool) $a->fresh()->pinned);
+        $this->assertTrue((bool) $b->fresh()->pinned);
+    }
+
+    public function test_cannot_pin_a_reply(): void
+    {
+        [$owner, $viewer, $video] = $this->makeOwnerViewerVideo();
+        $this->actingAs($owner);
+        $parent = Comment::create(['user_id' => $viewer->id, 'video_id' => $video->id, 'body' => 'top']);
+        $reply  = Comment::create(['user_id' => $viewer->id, 'video_id' => $video->id, 'parent_id' => $parent->id, 'body' => 'r']);
+
+        $this->postJson(route('comments.pin', $reply))->assertStatus(422);
+        $this->assertFalse((bool) $reply->fresh()->pinned);
+    }
+
+    public function test_non_owner_cannot_pin_a_comment(): void
+    {
+        [$owner, $viewer, $video] = $this->makeOwnerViewerVideo();
+        $this->actingAs($viewer);
+        $comment = Comment::create(['user_id' => $viewer->id, 'video_id' => $video->id, 'body' => 'self']);
+
+        $this->postJson(route('comments.pin', $comment))->assertStatus(403);
+    }
+
+    // ─── Pinned comments sort first in the component ──
+
+    public function test_pinned_comments_render_before_newer_unpinned_ones(): void
+    {
+        [$owner, $viewer, $video] = $this->makeOwnerViewerVideo();
+        $this->actingAs($owner);
+
+        $pinned = Comment::create(['user_id' => $viewer->id, 'video_id' => $video->id, 'body' => 'OLDPINNED', 'pinned' => true]);
+        // Date it older than the second one so sort would normally send it to the bottom.
+        $pinned->created_at = now()->subDays(5); $pinned->save();
+        Comment::create(['user_id' => $viewer->id, 'video_id' => $video->id, 'body' => 'NEWFRESH']);
+
+        $html = view('components.video-comments', ['video' => $video])->render();
+        // Match on the unique comment-id markup so count/header text can't
+        // interfere with the order check.
+        $pOld = strpos($html, 'id="comment-' . $pinned->id . '"');
+        $pNew = strpos($html, 'id="comment-' . ($pinned->id + 1) . '"');
+
+        $this->assertNotFalse($pOld);
+        $this->assertNotFalse($pNew);
+        $this->assertLessThan($pNew, $pOld, 'Pinned comment must render before a newer unpinned one.');
+    }
+
+    // ─── Helpers ────────────────────────────────────
+
+    private function makeOwnerViewerVideo(): array
+    {
+        $owner  = User::factory()->create(['username' => 'own-'.substr(bin2hex(random_bytes(4)), 0, 6)]);
+        $viewer = User::factory()->create(['username' => 'vwr-'.substr(bin2hex(random_bytes(4)), 0, 6)]);
+        $video  = Video::create([
+            'user_id'     => $owner->id,
+            'title'       => 'test',
+            'description' => '',
+            'filename'    => 'users/x/videos/y/video.mp4',
+            'path'        => 'users/x/videos/y/video.mp4',
+            'type'        => 'generic',
+            'visibility'  => 'public',
+            'status'      => 'ready',
+            'share_token' => bin2hex(random_bytes(8)),
+        ]);
+        return [$owner, $viewer, $video];
+    }
+}