diff --git a/__tests__/dogfoodConfig.test.ts b/__tests__/dogfoodConfig.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b84be3a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/dogfoodConfig.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+import { existsSync, readdirSync, readFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import * as path from 'node:path'
+import * as yaml from 'js-yaml'
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+
+import { dynamicPrefixedCommand, prefixedLabelCommands, sectionFor } from '../src/labels/prefixed'
+import { mergeProwConfig, parseProwConfig, repoConfigPaths } from '../src/utils/config'
+import { builtinLabelDefaults, desiredLabels } from '../src/utils/labelCatalog'
+
+// The configuration the bot actually loads for this repository, as opposed to
+// templates/prow.yaml which is only shipped to consumers. prow-bot.yml runs
+// label-sync whenever this file changes on main, so a typo here goes live.
+const dogfoodConfigPath = '.github/prow.yaml'
+const dogfoodWorkflowPath = '.github/workflows/prow-bot.yml'
+const issueTemplateDir = '.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE'
+
+const root = path.resolve(__dirname, '..')
+
+function read(file: string): string {
+  return readFileSync(path.join(root, file), 'utf8')
+}
+
+interface Workflow { jobs: Record<string, { with?: Record<string, unknown> }> }
+
+const parsed = parseProwConfig(dogfoodConfigPath, read(dogfoodConfigPath))
+const config = { ...mergeProwConfig({}, parsed), sources: [dogfoodConfigPath] }
+const catalogue = new Map(desiredLabels(config).map(label => [label.name, label]))
+
+const workflow = yaml.load(read(dogfoodWorkflowPath)) as Workflow
+const prowCommands = String(workflow.jobs.prow.with?.['prow-commands']).split(/\s+/)
+
+describe(dogfoodConfigPath, () => {
+  it('parses as the new form with label sections, a required-label rule and a tide gate', () => {
+    expect(Object.keys(parsed.labels ?? {}).length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+    expect(parsed.require_matching_label?.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+    expect(parsed.tide).toBeDefined()
+  })
+
+  it('is the repository config path the loader probes first, so no other candidate shadows it', () => {
+    expect(repoConfigPaths[0]).toBe(dogfoodConfigPath)
+    for (const candidate of repoConfigPaths.slice(1)) {
+      expect(existsSync(path.join(root, candidate)), candidate).toBe(false)
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('only declares label sections whose command prow-bot.yml enables', () => {
+    for (const key of Object.keys(config.labels)) {
+      const cmd = prefixedLabelCommands.find(c => c.allowlistKey === key) ?? dynamicPrefixedCommand(key)
+      expect(prowCommands, `${key} section needs ${cmd.command}`).toContain(cmd.command)
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('gives every enabled built-in label command a section or built-in values to allow', () => {
+    for (const cmd of prefixedLabelCommands) {
+      if (prowCommands.includes(cmd.command)) {
+        expect(sectionFor(config.labels, cmd)?.values.length, cmd.command).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+      }
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('agrees with the label catalogue on every label it names', () => {
+    for (const [key, section] of Object.entries(config.labels)) {
+      const prefix = prefixedLabelCommands.find(c => c.allowlistKey === key)?.prefix ?? key
+      for (const value of section.definitions) {
+        const name = prefix === '' ? value.name : `${prefix}/${value.name}`
+        const builtin = builtinLabelDefaults[name]
+        if (builtin) {
+          expect(value.color, name).toBe(builtin.color)
+          expect(value.description, name).toBe(builtin.description)
+        }
+        expect(catalogue.get(name), name).toMatchObject(value.color ? { color: value.color.toLowerCase() } : {})
+      }
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('has a required-label rule that some catalogued label can satisfy, and a missing label the sync creates', () => {
+    for (const rule of config.require_matching_label) {
+      const pattern = new RegExp(rule.regexp)
+      expect([...catalogue.keys()].filter(name => pattern.test(name)), rule.regexp).not.toEqual([])
+      expect(catalogue.get(rule.missing_label), rule.missing_label).toMatchObject({ color: 'ededed' })
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('tells contributors how to satisfy the rule with commands and values that exist', () => {
+    for (const rule of config.require_matching_label) {
+      const commands = [...(rule.missing_comment ?? '').matchAll(/`(\/[a-z][a-z0-9-]*) ([^`\s]+)`/g)]
+      expect(commands.length, rule.missing_label).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+      for (const [, command, value] of commands) {
+        expect(prowCommands, command).toContain(command)
+        const cmd = prefixedLabelCommands.find(c => c.command === command) ?? dynamicPrefixedCommand(command.slice(1))
+        const label = cmd.prefix === '' ? value : `${cmd.prefix}/${value}`
+        expect(new RegExp(rule.regexp).test(label), `${command} ${value} yields ${label}`).toBe(true)
+        expect(catalogue.has(label), label).toBe(true)
+      }
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('uses a merge method GitHub accepts', () => {
+    expect(['merge', 'squash', 'rebase']).toContain(config.tide.merge_method)
+  })
+
+  it('labels every issue template with labels the catalogue manages', () => {
+    const templates = readdirSync(path.join(root, issueTemplateDir)).filter(f => f.endsWith('.md'))
+    expect(templates).not.toEqual([])
+    for (const file of templates) {
+      const match = read(`${issueTemplateDir}/${file}`).match(/^---\n([\s\S]*?)\n---/)
+      expect(match, `${file} has yaml front matter`).not.toBeNull()
+      const { labels } = yaml.load(match![1]) as { labels?: string | string[] }
+      const names = (Array.isArray(labels) ? labels : String(labels ?? '').split(',')).map(s => s.trim()).filter(Boolean)
+      for (const name of names) {
+        expect(catalogue.has(name), `${file}: ${name}`).toBe(true)
+      }
+    }
+  })
+})