diff --git a/internal/jobspec/spec_test.go b/internal/jobspec/spec_test.go
index 5a75228..d1f0a3e 100644
--- a/internal/jobspec/spec_test.go
+++ b/internal/jobspec/spec_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 package jobspec
 
 import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 )
 
@@ -58,3 +61,223 @@ task "no-cmd" {}
 		t.Fatal("expected error for missing command")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestParse_GoldenFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name        string
+		file        string
+		wantJob     string
+		wantJobType string
+		wantTasks   int
+		checkTask   func(t *testing.T, s *Spec)
+	}{
+		{
+			name:        "single_task",
+			file:        "valid_single_task.hcl",
+			wantJob:     "single",
+			wantTasks:   1,
+			wantJobType: "",
+			checkTask: func(t *testing.T, s *Spec) {
+				if s.Tasks[0].Name != "solo" {
+					t.Errorf("task name = %q, want solo", s.Tasks[0].Name)
+				}
+				if s.Tasks[0].Command != "/bin/true" {
+					t.Errorf("command = %q, want /bin/true", s.Tasks[0].Command)
+				}
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:        "multi_task",
+			file:        "valid_multi_task.hcl",
+			wantJob:     "multi",
+			wantJobType: "batch",
+			wantTasks:   3,
+			checkTask: func(t *testing.T, s *Spec) {
+				byName := map[string]TaskSpec{}
+				for _, tk := range s.Tasks {
+					byName[tk.Name] = tk
+				}
+				if _, ok := byName["build"]; !ok {
+					t.Errorf("missing task 'build'")
+				}
+				if _, ok := byName["test"]; !ok {
+					t.Errorf("missing task 'test'")
+				}
+				if len(byName["test"].Env) != 2 {
+					t.Errorf("test env count = %d, want 2", len(byName["test"].Env))
+				}
+				if _, ok := byName["deploy"]; !ok {
+					t.Errorf("missing task 'deploy'")
+				}
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "env_vars",
+			file:      "valid_env_vars.hcl",
+			wantJob:   "envvars",
+			wantTasks: 1,
+			checkTask: func(t *testing.T, s *Spec) {
+				if len(s.Tasks[0].Env) != 3 {
+					t.Errorf("env count = %d, want 3", len(s.Tasks[0].Env))
+				}
+				want := "FOO=bar"
+				if s.Tasks[0].Env[0] != want {
+					t.Errorf("env[0] = %q, want %q", s.Tasks[0].Env[0], want)
+				}
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			path := filepath.Join("testdata", tc.file)
+			spec, err := ParseFile(path)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("ParseFile(%s): %v", tc.file, err)
+			}
+			if spec.Job.Name != tc.wantJob {
+				t.Errorf("job name = %q, want %q", spec.Job.Name, tc.wantJob)
+			}
+			if tc.wantJobType != "" && spec.Job.Type != tc.wantJobType {
+				t.Errorf("job type = %q, want %q", spec.Job.Type, tc.wantJobType)
+			}
+			if len(spec.Tasks) != tc.wantTasks {
+				t.Fatalf("tasks = %d, want %d", len(spec.Tasks), tc.wantTasks)
+			}
+			if tc.checkTask != nil {
+				tc.checkTask(t, spec)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParse_ErrorPaths(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name     string
+		file     string
+		wantErr  string
+		useParse bool
+		hcl      string
+	}{
+		{name: "no_tasks", file: "err_no_tasks.hcl", wantErr: "at least one task"},
+		{name: "missing_command", file: "err_missing_command.hcl", wantErr: "required"},
+		{name: "malformed", file: "err_malformed.hcl", wantErr: "decode hcl"},
+		{name: "missing_job", file: "err_missing_job.hcl", wantErr: "Missing job block"},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			path := filepath.Join("testdata", tc.file)
+			_, err := ParseFile(path)
+			if err == nil {
+				t.Fatalf("expected error containing %q, got nil", tc.wantErr)
+			}
+			if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), tc.wantErr) {
+				t.Errorf("error = %q, want it to contain %q", err.Error(), tc.wantErr)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParse_EmptyFile(t *testing.T) {
+	_, err := Parse([]byte(""), "empty.hcl")
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error for empty file")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParse_MalformedHCL(t *testing.T) {
+	_, err := Parse([]byte("job = "), "bad.hcl")
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error for malformed HCL")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "decode hcl") {
+		t.Errorf("error = %q, want it to contain 'decode hcl'", err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseFile_Nonexistent(t *testing.T) {
+	_, err := ParseFile(filepath.Join("testdata", "does_not_exist.hcl"))
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error for nonexistent file")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "read spec file") {
+		t.Errorf("error = %q, want it to contain 'read spec file'", err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseFile_ReadError(t *testing.T) {
+	// Directory exists but is not readable as a file.
+	_, err := ParseFile("testdata")
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error when ParseFile target is a directory")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSpec_Validate(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name    string
+		spec    *Spec
+		wantErr string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:    "empty_job_name",
+			spec:    &Spec{Job: JobSpec{Name: "   "}, Tasks: []TaskSpec{{Name: "t", Command: "/bin/echo"}}},
+			wantErr: "job name is required",
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "no_tasks",
+			spec:    &Spec{Job: JobSpec{Name: "x"}},
+			wantErr: "at least one task is required",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "valid",
+			spec: &Spec{Job: JobSpec{Name: "x"}, Tasks: []TaskSpec{{Name: "t", Command: "/bin/echo"}}},
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			err := tc.spec.Validate()
+			if tc.wantErr == "" {
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Errorf("Validate: got %v, want nil", err)
+				}
+				return
+			}
+			if err == nil {
+				t.Fatalf("expected error containing %q, got nil", tc.wantErr)
+			}
+			if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), tc.wantErr) {
+				t.Errorf("error = %q, want it to contain %q", err.Error(), tc.wantErr)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSpec_Validate_RoundTripFromParse(t *testing.T) {
+	path := filepath.Join("testdata", "valid_single_task.hcl")
+	spec, err := ParseFile(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ParseFile: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := spec.Validate(); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Validate on parsed spec: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseFile_GoldenFilesExist(t *testing.T) {
+	// Guard against accidentally removing testdata fixtures.
+	files := []string{
+		"valid_single_task.hcl",
+		"valid_multi_task.hcl",
+		"valid_env_vars.hcl",
+		"err_no_tasks.hcl",
+		"err_missing_command.hcl",
+		"err_malformed.hcl",
+		"err_missing_job.hcl",
+	}
+	for _, f := range files {
+		path := filepath.Join("testdata", f)
+		if _, err := os.Stat(path); err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("missing testdata fixture %s: %v", f, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/jobspec/testdata/err_malformed.hcl b/internal/jobspec/testdata/err_malformed.hcl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd64b18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/jobspec/testdata/err_malformed.hcl
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+job "x" { command = invalid }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/internal/jobspec/testdata/err_missing_command.hcl b/internal/jobspec/testdata/err_missing_command.hcl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d273506
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/jobspec/testdata/err_missing_command.hcl
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+job "x" {}
+
+task "nocmd" {}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/internal/jobspec/testdata/err_missing_job.hcl b/internal/jobspec/testdata/err_missing_job.hcl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..420f89b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/jobspec/testdata/err_missing_job.hcl
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+task "x" { command = "/bin/echo" }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/internal/jobspec/testdata/err_no_tasks.hcl b/internal/jobspec/testdata/err_no_tasks.hcl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..49f06d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/jobspec/testdata/err_no_tasks.hcl
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+job "empty" {}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/internal/jobspec/testdata/valid_env_vars.hcl b/internal/jobspec/testdata/valid_env_vars.hcl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aeac2ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/jobspec/testdata/valid_env_vars.hcl
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+job "envvars" {}
+
+task "runner" {
+  command = "/bin/printenv"
+  env     = ["FOO=bar", "BAZ=qux", "EMPTY="]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/internal/jobspec/testdata/valid_multi_task.hcl b/internal/jobspec/testdata/valid_multi_task.hcl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b4d3aa5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/jobspec/testdata/valid_multi_task.hcl
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+job "multi" {
+  type = "batch"
+}
+
+task "build" {
+  command = "/bin/echo"
+  args    = ["build", "done"]
+}
+
+task "test" {
+  command = "/usr/bin/go"
+  args    = ["test", "./..."]
+  env     = ["GOCACHE=/tmp/gocache", "GOFLAGS=-v"]
+}
+
+task "deploy" {
+  command = "/bin/sh"
+  args    = ["-c", "echo deploying"]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/internal/jobspec/testdata/valid_single_task.hcl b/internal/jobspec/testdata/valid_single_task.hcl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c990b36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/jobspec/testdata/valid_single_task.hcl
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+job "single" {}
+
+task "solo" {
+  command = "/bin/true"
+}
\ No newline at end of file