diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker.yml b/.github/workflows/docker.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b1db1a45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+name: Docker
+
+on:
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - '@lde/search-api-server@*'
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      version:
+        description: 'Published package version to build the image from'
+        required: true
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  packages: write
+
+jobs:
+  publish-image:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v7
+
+      - name: Determine version
+        id: version
+        run: |
+          if [ "${{ github.event_name }}" = "workflow_dispatch" ]; then
+            echo "version=${{ inputs.version }}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            echo "version=${GITHUB_REF_NAME##*@}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
+
+      # The release run pushes the tag before it publishes to npm, so the
+      # version this workflow was triggered for may not be installable yet.
+      - name: Wait for the npm publish
+        run: |
+          for attempt in $(seq 1 30); do
+            if npm view "@lde/search-api-server@${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}" version > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+              exit 0
+            fi
+            sleep 10
+          done
+          echo "@lde/search-api-server@${{ steps.version.outputs.version }} never appeared on npm" >&2
+          exit 1
+
+      - uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+
+      - uses: docker/login-action@v3
+        with:
+          registry: ghcr.io
+          username: ${{ github.actor }}
+          password: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
+        with:
+          context: packages/search-api-server
+          build-args: |
+            VERSION=${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+          push: true
+          tags: |
+            ghcr.io/ldelements/search-api-server:${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+            ghcr.io/ldelements/search-api-server:latest
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 943258d4..262e9ffb 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -148,6 +148,11 @@ await pipeline.run();
   <td><a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/@lde/search-api-graphql"><img src="https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@lde/search-api-graphql" alt="npm"></a></td>
   <td>Engine- and domain-agnostic GraphQL surface for search: builds an executable GraphQL schema from a SearchSchema at runtime and serves it as a framework-agnostic fetch handler with a self-contained playground</td>
 </tr>
+<tr>
+  <td><a href="packages/search-api-server">@lde/search-api-server</a></td>
+  <td><a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/@lde/search-api-server"><img src="https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@lde/search-api-server" alt="npm"></a></td>
+  <td>The served search API as a bootable process and prebuilt Docker image: mounts a schema-declaration module, binds the GraphQL handler to a Typesense engine, and serves /graphql plus /health from environment config</td>
+</tr>
 <tr>
   <td><a href="packages/search-pipeline">@lde/search-pipeline</a></td>
   <td><a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/@lde/search-pipeline"><img src="https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@lde/search-pipeline" alt="npm"></a></td>
@@ -241,6 +246,8 @@ graph TD
     docgen
     search --> text-normalization
     search-api-graphql --> search
+    search-api-server --> search-api-graphql
+    search-api-server --> search-typesense
     search-typesense --> search
     search-typesense --> text-normalization
     search-typesense --> pipeline
diff --git a/docs/decisions/0015-ship-the-served-search-api-as-a-docker-image-installed-from-npm.md b/docs/decisions/0015-ship-the-served-search-api-as-a-docker-image-installed-from-npm.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..27a41717
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/decisions/0015-ship-the-served-search-api-as-a-docker-image-installed-from-npm.md
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+# 15. Ship the served search API as a Docker image installed from npm
+
+Date: 2026-07-23
+
+## Status
+
+Accepted
+
+Extends [ADR 14 (Serve the search GraphQL API with graphql-yoga)](./0014-serve-the-search-graphql-api-with-graphql-yoga.md).
+Implements the image layer (layer 3) of
+[#600](https://github.com/ldelements/lde/issues/600).
+
+## Context
+
+The `createSearchGraphQLHandler()` fetch handler (ADR 14) still requires a JS
+host to mount it. Turnkey, non-JS and ops-driven deployments – and the
+dedicated search-API pod topology #600 recommends – need a prebuilt image that
+boots from configuration alone.
+
+Three constraints shaped the design:
+
+1. `@lde/search-api-graphql` deliberately names neither the domain nor the
+   engine, so a bootable server that binds Typesense cannot live there.
+2. A mounted ES module cannot use bare imports (`import '@lde/search'` does not
+   resolve from a mounted path), so the schema mount cannot be authored against
+   the library. The SHACL + `search:` source #600 assumed does not exist yet –
+   schema generation is [#495](https://github.com/ldelements/lde/issues/495)’s
+   still-open scope.
+3. Docker-building the Nx workspace inside the image duplicates the release
+   pipeline and produces images that do not correspond to published, versioned
+   artifacts.
+
+## Decision
+
+- **A separate composition package, `@lde/search-api-server`**: environment
+  config, schema-module loading, and a `node:http` server around the ADR 14
+  handler bound to `createTypesenseSearchEngine`. The engine-agnostic handler
+  package stays engine-agnostic.
+- **The schema mounts as a plain-data declaration module**: a `.mjs` file
+  default-exporting `SearchType` declarations, validated at boot by
+  `searchSchema()` – the exact “declarations built outside TypeScript”
+  path the runtime validation exists for. Optional functions (`derive`,
+  `transform`) remain expressible; a serving process never calls them. When
+  #495 delivers the SHACL + `search:` generator, mounted SHACL becomes a
+  second source for the same schema.
+- **The image installs the published package from npm** (`npm install
+@lde/search-api-server@<version>` in a `node:alpine` base) instead of
+  building the workspace. Each image corresponds one-to-one to a published,
+  provenance-attested npm version, and the Dockerfile stays a few lines.
+- **Publishing is tag-triggered**: the release run’s
+  `@lde/search-api-server@<version>` tag triggers the Docker workflow, which
+  waits for the version to appear on npm (the release tags before it
+  publishes), then pushes `ghcr.io/ldelements/search-api-server:<version>` and
+  `:latest`.
+
+## Consequences
+
+- Ops deploys get a turnkey `/graphql` + playground from a schema mount and
+  environment variables; JS hosts keep mounting the handler directly.
+- The image cannot serve custom-code GraphQL fields – by design (#600): such
+  consumers use the handler, or build `FROM` this image.
+- Image availability trails the npm publish by up to the workflow’s wait; a
+  missed publish (e.g. the manual first-version bootstrap) surfaces as a failed
+  Docker run to re-trigger via `workflow_dispatch`.
+- The first image requires the package’s manual npm bootstrap
+  (see [Releasing a new package](../../CLAUDE.md#releasing-a-new-package)).
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index d2389389..31da4c2b 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -20436,6 +20436,10 @@
       "resolved": "packages/search-api-graphql",
       "link": true
     },
+    "node_modules/@lde/search-api-server": {
+      "resolved": "packages/search-api-server",
+      "link": true
+    },
     "node_modules/@lde/search-pipeline": {
       "resolved": "packages/search-pipeline",
       "link": true
@@ -35793,7 +35797,7 @@
     },
     "packages/dataset-registry-client": {
       "name": "@lde/dataset-registry-client",
-      "version": "0.8.6",
+      "version": "0.9.0",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "@lde/dataset": "^0.7.8",
@@ -37240,7 +37244,7 @@
     },
     "packages/fastify-rdf": {
       "name": "@lde/fastify-rdf",
-      "version": "0.4.8",
+      "version": "0.5.0",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "@fastify/accepts": "^5.0.0",
@@ -37959,11 +37963,11 @@
     },
     "packages/pipeline": {
       "name": "@lde/pipeline",
-      "version": "0.34.4",
+      "version": "0.35.0",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "@lde/dataset": "^0.7.8",
-        "@lde/dataset-registry-client": "^0.8.6",
+        "@lde/dataset-registry-client": "^0.9.0",
         "@lde/distribution-health": "^0.2.7",
         "@lde/distribution-probe": "^0.2.6",
         "@lde/sparql-importer": "^0.6.7",
@@ -37985,7 +37989,7 @@
     },
     "packages/pipeline-console-reporter": {
       "name": "@lde/pipeline-console-reporter",
-      "version": "0.25.4",
+      "version": "0.26.0",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "chalk": "^5.4.1",
@@ -37996,7 +38000,7 @@
       },
       "peerDependencies": {
         "@lde/dataset": "^0.7.8",
-        "@lde/pipeline": "^0.34.4"
+        "@lde/pipeline": "^0.35.0"
       }
     },
     "packages/pipeline-console-reporter/node_modules/ansi-regex": {
@@ -38176,7 +38180,7 @@
     },
     "packages/pipeline-shacl-sampler": {
       "name": "@lde/pipeline-shacl-sampler",
-      "version": "0.8.4",
+      "version": "0.9.0",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "@rdfjs/types": "^2.0.1",
@@ -38187,7 +38191,7 @@
       },
       "peerDependencies": {
         "@lde/dataset": "^0.7.8",
-        "@lde/pipeline": "^0.34.4"
+        "@lde/pipeline": "^0.35.0"
       }
     },
     "packages/pipeline-shacl-sampler/node_modules/n3": {
@@ -38205,7 +38209,7 @@
     },
     "packages/pipeline-shacl-validator": {
       "name": "@lde/pipeline-shacl-validator",
-      "version": "0.17.4",
+      "version": "0.18.0",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "@rdfjs/types": "^2.0.1",
@@ -38219,7 +38223,7 @@
       },
       "peerDependencies": {
         "@lde/dataset": "^0.7.8",
-        "@lde/pipeline": "^0.34.4"
+        "@lde/pipeline": "^0.35.0"
       }
     },
     "packages/pipeline-shacl-validator/node_modules/n3": {
@@ -38238,7 +38242,7 @@
     },
     "packages/pipeline-void": {
       "name": "@lde/pipeline-void",
-      "version": "0.32.4",
+      "version": "0.33.0",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "@rdfjs/types": "^2.0.1",
@@ -38249,7 +38253,7 @@
       },
       "peerDependencies": {
         "@lde/dataset": "^0.7.8",
-        "@lde/pipeline": "^0.34.4"
+        "@lde/pipeline": "^0.35.0"
       }
     },
     "packages/pipeline-void/node_modules/n3": {
@@ -38305,7 +38309,7 @@
     },
     "packages/search-api-graphql": {
       "name": "@lde/search-api-graphql",
-      "version": "0.11.0",
+      "version": "0.12.0",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "@escape.tech/graphql-armor-cost-limit": "^2.4.3",
@@ -38319,9 +38323,25 @@
         "tslib": "^2.3.0"
       }
     },
+    "packages/search-api-server": {
+      "name": "@lde/search-api-server",
+      "version": "0.0.0",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "@lde/search": "^0.12.0",
+        "@lde/search-api-graphql": "^0.12.0",
+        "@lde/search-typesense": "^0.15.0",
+        "@whatwg-node/server": "^0.11.0",
+        "tslib": "^2.3.0",
+        "typesense": "^3.0.6"
+      },
+      "bin": {
+        "search-api-server": "dist/cli.js"
+      }
+    },
     "packages/search-pipeline": {
       "name": "@lde/search-pipeline",
-      "version": "0.11.2",
+      "version": "0.12.0",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "@lde/search": "^0.12.0",
@@ -38331,7 +38351,7 @@
         "tslib": "^2.3.0"
       },
       "devDependencies": {
-        "@lde/search-typesense": "^0.14.2",
+        "@lde/search-typesense": "^0.15.0",
         "@rdfjs/types": "^2.0.1",
         "n3": "^2.1.1",
         "testcontainers": "^12.0.3",
@@ -38339,7 +38359,7 @@
       },
       "peerDependencies": {
         "@lde/dataset": "^0.7.8",
-        "@lde/pipeline": "^0.34.4"
+        "@lde/pipeline": "^0.35.0"
       }
     },
     "packages/search-pipeline/node_modules/n3": {
@@ -38358,7 +38378,7 @@
     },
     "packages/search-typesense": {
       "name": "@lde/search-typesense",
-      "version": "0.14.2",
+      "version": "0.15.0",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "@lde/search": "^0.12.0",
@@ -38371,7 +38391,7 @@
       },
       "peerDependencies": {
         "@lde/dataset": "^0.7.8",
-        "@lde/pipeline": "^0.34.4"
+        "@lde/pipeline": "^0.35.0"
       }
     },
     "packages/search/node_modules/n3": {
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/Dockerfile b/packages/search-api-server/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..83dc494c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+# The prebuilt served search API (https://github.com/ldelements/lde/issues/600,
+# layer 3): installs the published @lde/search-api-server from npm rather than
+# building the workspace, so the image is small and reproducible from public,
+# provenance-attested artifacts. Built by .github/workflows/docker.yml on each
+# release tag of the package.
+FROM node:24-alpine
+
+ARG VERSION=latest
+ENV NODE_ENV=production
+RUN npm install --global @lde/search-api-server@${VERSION}
+
+USER node
+EXPOSE 4000
+HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=3s \
+  CMD wget --quiet --output-document=- http://127.0.0.1:${PORT:-4000}/health || exit 1
+CMD ["search-api-server"]
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/README.md b/packages/search-api-server/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..de4d3da9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+# @lde/search-api-server
+
+The served [@lde/search](../search) API as a bootable process and prebuilt
+Docker image: mount a schema-declaration module, point it at Typesense, and it
+serves `/graphql` – POST execution, the self-contained playground, the SDL –
+plus `/health`, with CORS and depth/cost limits on by default.
+
+This is the composition layer
+([#600](https://github.com/ldelements/lde/issues/600), layer 3) that binds the
+engine-agnostic [`@lde/search-api-graphql`](../search-api-graphql) handler
+(layer 2) to the [`@lde/search-typesense`](../search-typesense) engine. Use it
+for turnkey, non-JS and ops-driven deployments; a JS host that wants custom
+GraphQL fields mounts the handler itself instead (or builds `FROM` this image).
+
+## Run
+
+```sh
+docker run --publish 4000:4000 \
+  --volume ./search-schema.mjs:/config/search-schema.mjs:ro \
+  --env TYPESENSE_HOST=typesense.internal \
+  --env TYPESENSE_API_KEY=search-only-key \
+  ghcr.io/ldelements/search-api-server
+```
+
+Or without Docker (the same environment variables apply):
+
+```sh
+npx @lde/search-api-server
+```
+
+## The schema module
+
+The mounted module default-exports the deployment’s search type declarations as
+**plain data** – it must not import `@lde/search` (bare specifiers do not
+resolve from a mounted file), and does not need to: the server validates the
+declarations at boot, exactly as it would a SHACL generator’s output. Optional
+functions (`derive`, `transform`) are allowed; they are projection-time
+declarations a serving process never calls. If you must import, bundle the
+module (e.g. esbuild) before mounting it.
+
+```js
+// search-schema.mjs
+export default [
+  {
+    name: 'Dataset',
+    class: 'http://www.w3.org/ns/dcat#Dataset',
+    fields: [
+      {
+        name: 'title',
+        kind: 'text',
+        locales: ['nl', 'en'],
+        output: true,
+        searchable: { weight: 5 },
+      },
+      {
+        name: 'keyword',
+        kind: 'keyword',
+        array: true,
+        facetable: true,
+        output: true,
+      },
+    ],
+  },
+];
+
+// Optional: forwarded to buildGraphQLSchema (per-type options, maxPerPage, …).
+export const schemaOptions = { maxPerPage: 50 };
+
+// Optional: forwarded to createTypesenseSearchEngine (collection overrides, …).
+export const engineOptions = {};
+```
+
+Once the SHACL + `search:` generator lands
+([#495](https://github.com/ldelements/lde/issues/495)), mounted SHACL becomes
+an additional source for the same schema.
+
+## Configuration
+
+| Variable             | Default                     | Meaning                                            |
+| -------------------- | --------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
+| `SCHEMA_MODULE`      | `/config/search-schema.mjs` | Path of the mounted schema-declaration module      |
+| `PORT`               | `4000`                      | TCP port the server binds                          |
+| `GRAPHQL_ENDPOINT`   | `/graphql`                  | Path serving GraphQL, the playground and the SDL   |
+| `PLAYGROUND`         | `true`                      | Serve the playground on GET (`false`/`0` disables) |
+| `MAX_DEPTH`          | handler default (15)        | Query depth cap                                    |
+| `MAX_COST`           | handler default (5000)      | Query cost cap                                     |
+| `TYPESENSE_HOST`     | **required**                | Typesense host                                     |
+| `TYPESENSE_PORT`     | `8108`                      | Typesense port                                     |
+| `TYPESENSE_PROTOCOL` | `http`                      | `http` or `https`                                  |
+| `TYPESENSE_API_KEY`  | **required**                | Use a search-only key: the server only ever reads  |
+
+A misconfigured boot reports **all** problems in one error, not one per crash
+loop.
+
+## Endpoints
+
+- `POST /graphql` – GraphQL execution.
+- `GET /graphql` – the self-contained playground (no external CDN, no framing
+  headers, so a docs site can `<iframe>` it as a live client).
+- `GET /graphql?sdl` – the printed SDL: the contract without a running
+  introspection query.
+- `GET /health` – liveness; the Docker image’s `HEALTHCHECK` uses it.
+- `GET /` – redirects to the endpoint.
+
+## Programmatic use
+
+The bin is a thin wrapper over the exported API, usable in tests or a custom
+boot:
+
+```ts
+import {
+  configFromEnvironment,
+  createSearchApiServer,
+} from '@lde/search-api-server';
+
+const server = await createSearchApiServer(configFromEnvironment(process.env));
+const port = await server.start();
+```
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/eslint.config.mjs b/packages/search-api-server/eslint.config.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2dcaf60c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/eslint.config.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+import baseConfig from '../../eslint.config.mjs';
+
+export default [
+  ...baseConfig,
+  {
+    files: ['**/*.json'],
+    rules: {
+      '@nx/dependency-checks': [
+        'error',
+        {
+          ignoredFiles: [
+            '{projectRoot}/eslint.config.{js,cjs,mjs}',
+            '{projectRoot}/vite.config.{js,ts,mjs,mts}',
+          ],
+        },
+      ],
+    },
+    languageOptions: {
+      parser: await import('jsonc-eslint-parser'),
+    },
+  },
+];
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/package.json b/packages/search-api-server/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4ce25de7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+{
+  "name": "@lde/search-api-server",
+  "version": "0.0.0",
+  "description": "The served @lde/search API as a bootable process and prebuilt Docker image: loads a mounted schema-declaration module and Typesense connection details from the environment, then serves /graphql (execution, playground, SDL) plus /health over node:http. The composition layer that binds the engine-agnostic @lde/search-api-graphql handler to @lde/search-typesense – for turnkey, non-JS and ops-driven deployments.",
+  "repository": {
+    "url": "git+https://github.com/ldelements/lde.git",
+    "directory": "packages/search-api-server"
+  },
+  "license": "MIT",
+  "type": "module",
+  "exports": {
+    "./package.json": "./package.json",
+    ".": {
+      "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
+      "import": "./dist/index.js",
+      "development": "./src/index.ts",
+      "default": "./dist/index.js"
+    }
+  },
+  "main": "./dist/index.js",
+  "module": "./dist/index.js",
+  "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
+  "bin": {
+    "search-api-server": "dist/cli.js"
+  },
+  "files": [
+    "dist",
+    "!**/*.tsbuildinfo"
+  ],
+  "dependencies": {
+    "@lde/search": "^0.12.0",
+    "@lde/search-api-graphql": "^0.12.0",
+    "@lde/search-typesense": "^0.15.0",
+    "@whatwg-node/server": "^0.11.0",
+    "tslib": "^2.3.0",
+    "typesense": "^3.0.6"
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/src/cli.ts b/packages/search-api-server/src/cli.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d1204f93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/src/cli.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { configFromEnvironment } from './config.js';
+import { createSearchApiServer } from './server.js';
+
+const { version } = JSON.parse(
+  readFileSync(new URL('../package.json', import.meta.url), 'utf8'),
+) as { version: string };
+
+try {
+  const config = configFromEnvironment(process.env);
+  const server = await createSearchApiServer(config);
+  const port = await server.start();
+  console.info(
+    `@lde/search-api-server ${version} serving ${config.graphqlEndpoint} on port ${port}.`,
+  );
+  const shutdown = (signal: string): void => {
+    console.info(`Received ${signal}; shutting down.`);
+    void server.stop().then(() => process.exit(0));
+  };
+  process.on('SIGTERM', () => shutdown('SIGTERM'));
+  process.on('SIGINT', () => shutdown('SIGINT'));
+} catch (error) {
+  console.error(error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error));
+  process.exit(1);
+}
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/src/config.ts b/packages/search-api-server/src/config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..52ed9b59
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/src/config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+/**
+ * The server’s complete runtime configuration, read from environment
+ * variables ({@link configFromEnvironment}) – the contract of the Docker
+ * image. Everything engine- or schema-shaped (query defaults, collection
+ * overrides, per-type GraphQL options) lives in the mounted schema module
+ * instead, next to the declarations it configures.
+ */
+export interface ServerConfig {
+  /** Path of the mounted schema-declaration module (`SCHEMA_MODULE`). */
+  readonly schemaModulePath: string;
+  /** TCP port the HTTP server binds (`PORT`). */
+  readonly port: number;
+  /** Path serving GraphQL, the playground and the SDL (`GRAPHQL_ENDPOINT`). */
+  readonly graphqlEndpoint: string;
+  /** Serve the playground on GET requests to the endpoint (`PLAYGROUND`). */
+  readonly playground: boolean;
+  /** Query depth cap (`MAX_DEPTH`); the handler’s default when absent. */
+  readonly maxDepth?: number;
+  /** Query cost cap (`MAX_COST`); the handler’s default when absent. */
+  readonly maxCost?: number;
+  /** Where the Typesense engine reads (`TYPESENSE_*`). */
+  readonly typesense: TypesenseConnection;
+}
+
+/** Connection details of the Typesense node the engine searches. */
+export interface TypesenseConnection {
+  readonly host: string;
+  readonly port: number;
+  readonly protocol: 'http' | 'https';
+  /** Use a search-only key: the server only ever reads. */
+  readonly apiKey: string;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Read the {@link ServerConfig} from environment variables. Reports **all**
+ * problems in one error – a misconfigured deployment learns everything
+ * wrong with it from a single boot attempt, not one variable per crash loop.
+ */
+export function configFromEnvironment(
+  environment: Readonly<Record<string, string | undefined>>,
+): ServerConfig {
+  const problems: string[] = [];
+
+  const required = (name: string): string => {
+    const value = environment[name];
+    if (value === undefined || value.length === 0) {
+      problems.push(`${name} is required`);
+      return '';
+    }
+    return value;
+  };
+  const integer = (name: string, fallback?: number): number | undefined => {
+    const value = environment[name];
+    if (value === undefined || value.length === 0) {
+      return fallback;
+    }
+    const parsed = Number(value);
+    if (!Number.isInteger(parsed) || parsed < 0) {
+      problems.push(`${name} must be a non-negative integer, got “${value}”`);
+      return fallback;
+    }
+    return parsed;
+  };
+
+  const graphqlEndpoint = environment['GRAPHQL_ENDPOINT'] ?? '/graphql';
+  if (!graphqlEndpoint.startsWith('/')) {
+    problems.push(
+      `GRAPHQL_ENDPOINT must be an absolute path, got “${graphqlEndpoint}”`,
+    );
+  }
+  const protocol = environment['TYPESENSE_PROTOCOL'] ?? 'http';
+  if (protocol !== 'http' && protocol !== 'https') {
+    problems.push(
+      `TYPESENSE_PROTOCOL must be “http” or “https”, got “${protocol}”`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  const config: ServerConfig = {
+    schemaModulePath:
+      environment['SCHEMA_MODULE'] ?? '/config/search-schema.mjs',
+    port: integer('PORT', 4000)!,
+    graphqlEndpoint,
+    playground: !['false', '0'].includes(environment['PLAYGROUND'] ?? ''),
+    maxDepth: integer('MAX_DEPTH'),
+    maxCost: integer('MAX_COST'),
+    typesense: {
+      host: required('TYPESENSE_HOST'),
+      port: integer('TYPESENSE_PORT', 8108)!,
+      protocol: protocol as 'http' | 'https',
+      apiKey: required('TYPESENSE_API_KEY'),
+    },
+  };
+  if (problems.length > 0) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Invalid configuration:\n${problems.map((problem) => `- ${problem}`).join('\n')}`,
+    );
+  }
+  return config;
+}
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/src/index.ts b/packages/search-api-server/src/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8d5aac6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/src/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+// The bootable served search API: the composition layer binding the
+// engine-agnostic @lde/search-api-graphql handler to a Typesense engine, a
+// mounted schema-declaration module and environment config. The `search-api-server`
+// bin (src/cli.ts) and the Docker image are thin wrappers over these.
+export { createSearchApiServer } from './server.js';
+export type { SearchApiServer } from './server.js';
+export { configFromEnvironment } from './config.js';
+export type { ServerConfig, TypesenseConnection } from './config.js';
+export { loadSchemaModule } from './schema-module.js';
+export type { SchemaModule } from './schema-module.js';
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/src/schema-module.ts b/packages/search-api-server/src/schema-module.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ef6f9ca7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/src/schema-module.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+import { pathToFileURL } from 'node:url';
+import { searchSchema, type SearchSchema, type SearchType } from '@lde/search';
+import type { BuildGraphQLSchemaOptions } from '@lde/search-api-graphql';
+import type { TypesenseSearchEngineOptions } from '@lde/search-typesense';
+
+/**
+ * What the mounted module declares: the deployment’s whole search
+ * declaration, plus the schema- and engine-shaped options that belong next to
+ * it. The module is **plain data with optional functions** (`derive`,
+ * `transform`) – it cannot `import '@lde/search'` (bare specifiers do not
+ * resolve from a mounted file), and does not need to: the declarations are
+ * validated here, the way a SHACL generator’s output would be. Once the
+ * SHACL + `search:` generator exists
+ * ([#495](https://github.com/ldelements/lde/issues/495)), a SHACL mount
+ * becomes an additional source for the same result.
+ */
+export interface SchemaModule {
+  /** The validated schema built from the module’s default export. */
+  readonly searchSchema: SearchSchema;
+  /** The module’s optional `schemaOptions` export, forwarded to
+   *  `buildGraphQLSchema` (per-type options, language order, `maxPerPage`). */
+  readonly schemaOptions?: BuildGraphQLSchemaOptions;
+  /** The module’s optional `engineOptions` export, forwarded to
+   *  `createTypesenseSearchEngine` (collection overrides, query knobs). */
+  readonly engineOptions?: TypesenseSearchEngineOptions;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Load and validate a mounted schema-declaration module: an ES module whose
+ * default export is a non-empty array of {@link SearchType} declarations.
+ * Throws with the module path in the message for every failure mode – an
+ * unreadable file, a wrong export shape, an invalid declaration – so a bad
+ * mount fails the boot with a diagnosis, never the first query.
+ */
+export async function loadSchemaModule(
+  modulePath: string,
+): Promise<SchemaModule> {
+  let moduleExports: Record<string, unknown>;
+  try {
+    moduleExports = (await import(pathToFileURL(modulePath).href)) as Record<
+      string,
+      unknown
+    >;
+  } catch (cause) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Cannot load schema module “${modulePath}”: ${cause instanceof Error ? cause.message : String(cause)}`,
+      { cause },
+    );
+  }
+  const declarations = moduleExports['default'];
+  if (!Array.isArray(declarations) || declarations.length === 0) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Schema module “${modulePath}” must default-export a non-empty array of search type declarations.`,
+    );
+  }
+  try {
+    return {
+      searchSchema: searchSchema(...(declarations as SearchType[])),
+      schemaOptions: optionalObject(moduleExports, 'schemaOptions', modulePath),
+      engineOptions: optionalObject(moduleExports, 'engineOptions', modulePath),
+    };
+  } catch (cause) {
+    if (cause instanceof Error && cause.message.includes(modulePath)) {
+      throw cause;
+    }
+    throw new Error(
+      `Schema module “${modulePath}” declares an invalid schema: ${cause instanceof Error ? cause.message : String(cause)}`,
+      { cause },
+    );
+  }
+}
+
+function optionalObject<Options>(
+  moduleExports: Record<string, unknown>,
+  name: string,
+  modulePath: string,
+): Options | undefined {
+  const value = moduleExports[name];
+  if (value === undefined) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  if (typeof value !== 'object' || value === null || Array.isArray(value)) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Schema module “${modulePath}” export “${name}” must be an object.`,
+    );
+  }
+  return value as Options;
+}
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/src/server.ts b/packages/search-api-server/src/server.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..df076d92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/src/server.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+import { createServer, type Server } from 'node:http';
+import type { AddressInfo } from 'node:net';
+import { createServerAdapter } from '@whatwg-node/server';
+import { Client } from 'typesense';
+import { createSearchGraphQLHandler } from '@lde/search-api-graphql';
+import { createTypesenseSearchEngine } from '@lde/search-typesense';
+import type { ServerConfig } from './config.js';
+import { loadSchemaModule } from './schema-module.js';
+
+/** The bootable server: construct with {@link createSearchApiServer}. */
+export interface SearchApiServer {
+  /** Start listening on the configured port; resolves with the bound port
+   *  (useful with `port: 0`, which binds an ephemeral one). */
+  start(): Promise<number>;
+  /** Stop accepting connections and close the server. */
+  stop(): Promise<void>;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Compose the served search API from a {@link ServerConfig}: load and
+ * validate the mounted schema module, bind the Typesense engine, build the
+ * GraphQL handler, and wrap it all in a `node:http` server that also answers
+ * `GET /health` (liveness) and redirects `/` to the endpoint. Every
+ * misconfiguration – an invalid schema, an underivable collection name
+ * – throws here, at boot, never on the first query.
+ */
+export async function createSearchApiServer(
+  config: ServerConfig,
+): Promise<SearchApiServer> {
+  const { searchSchema, schemaOptions, engineOptions } = await loadSchemaModule(
+    config.schemaModulePath,
+  );
+  const client = new Client({
+    nodes: [
+      {
+        host: config.typesense.host,
+        port: config.typesense.port,
+        protocol: config.typesense.protocol,
+      },
+    ],
+    apiKey: config.typesense.apiKey,
+  });
+  const engine = createTypesenseSearchEngine(
+    client,
+    searchSchema,
+    engineOptions,
+  );
+  const graphql = createSearchGraphQLHandler({
+    searchSchema,
+    engine,
+    schemaOptions,
+    graphqlEndpoint: config.graphqlEndpoint,
+    playground: config.playground,
+    maxDepth: config.maxDepth,
+    maxCost: config.maxCost,
+  });
+
+  const adapter = createServerAdapter(
+    (request: Request): Response | Promise<Response> => {
+      const url = new URL(request.url);
+      if (url.pathname === '/health') {
+        return Response.json({ status: 'ok' });
+      }
+      if (url.pathname === '/') {
+        return Response.redirect(
+          new URL(config.graphqlEndpoint, url.origin).href,
+          302,
+        );
+      }
+      return graphql(request);
+    },
+  );
+  const server: Server = createServer(adapter);
+
+  return {
+    start: () =>
+      new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+        server.once('error', reject);
+        server.listen(config.port, () => {
+          resolve((server.address() as AddressInfo).port);
+        });
+      }),
+    stop: () =>
+      new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+        server.close((error) => (error ? reject(error) : resolve()));
+        // In-flight requests finish; idle keep-alive sockets would otherwise
+        // hold the close (and a rolling restart) open indefinitely.
+        server.closeIdleConnections();
+      }),
+  };
+}
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/test/config.test.ts b/packages/search-api-server/test/config.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fa818d8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/test/config.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { configFromEnvironment } from '../src/config.js';
+
+const minimal = {
+  TYPESENSE_HOST: 'typesense.internal',
+  TYPESENSE_API_KEY: 'search-only-key',
+};
+
+describe('configFromEnvironment', () => {
+  it('applies defaults with only the required variables set', () => {
+    const config = configFromEnvironment(minimal);
+    expect(config).toEqual({
+      schemaModulePath: '/config/search-schema.mjs',
+      port: 4000,
+      graphqlEndpoint: '/graphql',
+      playground: true,
+      maxDepth: undefined,
+      maxCost: undefined,
+      typesense: {
+        host: 'typesense.internal',
+        port: 8108,
+        protocol: 'http',
+        apiKey: 'search-only-key',
+      },
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('reads every override', () => {
+    const config = configFromEnvironment({
+      ...minimal,
+      SCHEMA_MODULE: '/mnt/schema.mjs',
+      PORT: '8080',
+      GRAPHQL_ENDPOINT: '/api/graphql',
+      PLAYGROUND: 'false',
+      MAX_DEPTH: '10',
+      MAX_COST: '1000',
+      TYPESENSE_PORT: '443',
+      TYPESENSE_PROTOCOL: 'https',
+    });
+    expect(config).toEqual({
+      schemaModulePath: '/mnt/schema.mjs',
+      port: 8080,
+      graphqlEndpoint: '/api/graphql',
+      playground: false,
+      maxDepth: 10,
+      maxCost: 1000,
+      typesense: {
+        host: 'typesense.internal',
+        port: 443,
+        protocol: 'https',
+        apiKey: 'search-only-key',
+      },
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('reports all problems in one error', () => {
+    let message = '';
+    try {
+      configFromEnvironment({ PORT: 'eighty', TYPESENSE_PROTOCOL: 'ftp' });
+    } catch (error) {
+      message = (error as Error).message;
+    }
+    expect(message).toContain('PORT must be a non-negative integer');
+    expect(message).toContain('TYPESENSE_PROTOCOL must be “http” or “https”');
+    expect(message).toContain('TYPESENSE_HOST is required');
+    expect(message).toContain('TYPESENSE_API_KEY is required');
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a relative GraphQL endpoint', () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      configFromEnvironment({ ...minimal, GRAPHQL_ENDPOINT: 'graphql' }),
+    ).toThrowError(/GRAPHQL_ENDPOINT must be an absolute path/);
+  });
+
+  it('treats an empty required variable as missing', () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      configFromEnvironment({ ...minimal, TYPESENSE_API_KEY: '' }),
+    ).toThrowError(/TYPESENSE_API_KEY is required/);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/test/fixtures/invalid-declaration.mjs b/packages/search-api-server/test/fixtures/invalid-declaration.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8546f758
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/test/fixtures/invalid-declaration.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+export default [
+  {
+    name: 'Broken',
+    class: 'http://example.com/Broken',
+    fields: [{ name: 'field', kind: 'no-such-kind' }],
+  },
+];
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/test/fixtures/not-an-array.mjs b/packages/search-api-server/test/fixtures/not-an-array.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fb48c69e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/test/fixtures/not-an-array.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export default { not: 'an array' };
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/test/fixtures/search-schema.mjs b/packages/search-api-server/test/fixtures/search-schema.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..995bd495
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/test/fixtures/search-schema.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+/**
+ * A minimal schema-declaration module, shaped exactly as a deployment mounts
+ * it into the image: plain data, no imports.
+ */
+export default [
+  {
+    name: 'Dataset',
+    class: 'http://www.w3.org/ns/dcat#Dataset',
+    fields: [
+      {
+        name: 'title',
+        kind: 'text',
+        locales: ['nl', 'en'],
+        output: true,
+        searchable: { weight: 5 },
+      },
+      {
+        name: 'keyword',
+        kind: 'keyword',
+        array: true,
+        facetable: true,
+        filterable: true,
+        output: true,
+      },
+    ],
+  },
+];
+
+export const schemaOptions = { maxPerPage: 50 };
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/test/schema-module.test.ts b/packages/search-api-server/test/schema-module.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..878e8f72
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/test/schema-module.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { loadSchemaModule } from '../src/schema-module.js';
+
+const fixture = (name: string): string =>
+  fileURLToPath(new URL(`./fixtures/${name}`, import.meta.url));
+
+describe('loadSchemaModule', () => {
+  it('builds the validated schema from the default export', async () => {
+    const { searchSchema, schemaOptions, engineOptions } =
+      await loadSchemaModule(fixture('search-schema.mjs'));
+    const types = [...searchSchema.values()];
+    expect(types).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(types[0]!.name).toBe('Dataset');
+    expect(schemaOptions).toEqual({ maxPerPage: 50 });
+    expect(engineOptions).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a missing file, naming the path', async () => {
+    await expect(loadSchemaModule('/no/such/module.mjs')).rejects.toThrowError(
+      /Cannot load schema module “\/no\/such\/module\.mjs”/,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a default export that is not an array', async () => {
+    await expect(
+      loadSchemaModule(fixture('not-an-array.mjs')),
+    ).rejects.toThrowError(/must default-export a non-empty array/);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects invalid declarations with the validation diagnosis', async () => {
+    await expect(
+      loadSchemaModule(fixture('invalid-declaration.mjs')),
+    ).rejects.toThrowError(/declares an invalid schema/);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/test/server.test.ts b/packages/search-api-server/test/server.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e1c669ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/test/server.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { createSearchApiServer, type SearchApiServer } from '../src/server.js';
+import type { ServerConfig } from '../src/config.js';
+
+const config: ServerConfig = {
+  schemaModulePath: fileURLToPath(
+    new URL('./fixtures/search-schema.mjs', import.meta.url),
+  ),
+  port: 0,
+  graphqlEndpoint: '/graphql',
+  playground: true,
+  // The engine is constructed but never searched in these tests, so the
+  // Typesense connection points nowhere.
+  typesense: { host: 'localhost', port: 1, protocol: 'http', apiKey: 'none' },
+};
+
+let server: SearchApiServer;
+let baseUrl: string;
+
+async function boot(overrides: Partial<ServerConfig> = {}): Promise<void> {
+  server = await createSearchApiServer({ ...config, ...overrides });
+  const port = await server.start();
+  baseUrl = `http://localhost:${port}`;
+}
+
+afterEach(() => server.stop());
+
+describe('createSearchApiServer', () => {
+  it('answers the liveness endpoint', async () => {
+    await boot();
+    const response = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/health`);
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ status: 'ok' });
+  });
+
+  it('serves the SDL without a running introspection query', async () => {
+    await boot();
+    const response = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/graphql?sdl`);
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(await response.text()).toContain('datasets');
+  });
+
+  it('serves the self-contained playground on GET', async () => {
+    await boot();
+    const response = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/graphql`, {
+      headers: { accept: 'text/html' },
+    });
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(response.headers.get('content-type')).toContain('text/html');
+    // Consume the (large) page, releasing the connection before stop().
+    expect(await response.text()).toContain('graphiql');
+  });
+
+  it('executes GraphQL over POST', async () => {
+    await boot();
+    const response = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/graphql`, {
+      method: 'POST',
+      headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' },
+      body: JSON.stringify({ query: '{ __schema { queryType { name } } }' }),
+    });
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    const { data, errors } = (await response.json()) as {
+      data: { __schema: { queryType: { name: string } } };
+      errors?: unknown;
+    };
+    expect(errors).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(data.__schema.queryType.name).toBe('Query');
+  });
+
+  it('redirects the root to the endpoint', async () => {
+    await boot();
+    const response = await fetch(baseUrl, { redirect: 'manual' });
+    expect(response.status).toBe(302);
+    expect(response.headers.get('location')).toBe(`${baseUrl}/graphql`);
+  });
+
+  it('answers unknown paths with 404', async () => {
+    await boot();
+    const response = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/nope`);
+    expect(response.status).toBe(404);
+  });
+
+  it('serves a custom endpoint path', async () => {
+    await boot({ graphqlEndpoint: '/api/graphql' });
+    const response = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/api/graphql?sdl`);
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/tsconfig.json b/packages/search-api-server/tsconfig.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c35c15cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/tsconfig.json
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+{
+  "extends": "../../tsconfig.base.json",
+  "files": [],
+  "include": [],
+  "references": [
+    {
+      "path": "./tsconfig.lib.json"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "./tsconfig.spec.json"
+    }
+  ],
+  "compilerOptions": {
+    "ignoreDeprecations": "6.0"
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/tsconfig.lib.json b/packages/search-api-server/tsconfig.lib.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..53d40c2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/tsconfig.lib.json
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+{
+  "extends": "../../tsconfig.base.json",
+  "compilerOptions": {
+    "rootDir": "src",
+    "outDir": "dist",
+    "tsBuildInfoFile": "dist/tsconfig.lib.tsbuildinfo",
+    "emitDeclarationOnly": false,
+    "types": ["node"],
+    "ignoreDeprecations": "6.0"
+  },
+  "include": ["src/**/*.ts"],
+  "references": [
+    {
+      "path": "../search/tsconfig.lib.json"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "../search-api-graphql/tsconfig.lib.json"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "../search-typesense/tsconfig.lib.json"
+    }
+  ],
+  "exclude": [
+    "vite.config.ts",
+    "vite.config.mts",
+    "vitest.config.ts",
+    "vitest.config.mts",
+    "test/**/*.test.ts",
+    "test/**/*.spec.ts",
+    "test/**/*.test.tsx",
+    "test/**/*.spec.tsx",
+    "test/**/*.test.js",
+    "test/**/*.spec.js",
+    "test/**/*.test.jsx",
+    "test/**/*.spec.jsx"
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/tsconfig.spec.json b/packages/search-api-server/tsconfig.spec.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bcf18b51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/tsconfig.spec.json
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+{
+  "extends": "../../tsconfig.base.json",
+  "compilerOptions": {
+    "outDir": "./out-tsc/vitest",
+    "types": ["node"],
+    "ignoreDeprecations": "6.0",
+    "rootDir": "."
+  },
+  "include": [
+    "vitest.config.ts",
+    "test/**/*.test.ts",
+    "test/**/*.spec.ts",
+    "test/**/*.test.tsx",
+    "test/**/*.spec.tsx",
+    "test/**/*.test.js",
+    "test/**/*.spec.js",
+    "test/**/*.test.jsx",
+    "test/**/*.spec.jsx",
+    "test/**/*.d.ts"
+  ],
+  "references": [
+    {
+      "path": "./tsconfig.lib.json"
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/packages/search-api-server/vite.config.ts b/packages/search-api-server/vite.config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ad2eada4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/search-api-server/vite.config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import { defineConfig, mergeConfig } from 'vitest/config';
+import baseConfig from '../../vite.base.config.js';
+
+export default mergeConfig(
+  baseConfig,
+  defineConfig({
+    root: __dirname,
+    cacheDir: '../../node_modules/.vite/packages/search-api-server',
+    resolve: {
+      // graphql ships both CJS and ESM builds without an `exports` map. Vite
+      // transforms our sources against the ESM build while the externalized
+      // graphql-yoga loads the CJS build in Node, and graphql rejects schemas
+      // crossing the two realms. Pin every import to the CJS build that Node
+      // resolves, so tests exercise one graphql instance.
+      alias: { graphql: 'graphql/index.js' },
+    },
+    test: {
+      coverage: {
+        exclude: ['src/cli.ts'],
+        thresholds: {
+          autoUpdate: true,
+          functions: 100,
+          lines: 96.92,
+          branches: 90.56,
+          statements: 96.96,
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  }),
+);
diff --git a/packages/search/src/schema.ts b/packages/search/src/schema.ts
index bfbae2c4..67670657 100644
--- a/packages/search/src/schema.ts
+++ b/packages/search/src/schema.ts
@@ -581,6 +581,7 @@ export interface SearchTypeIssue {
   readonly reason:
     | 'duplicate-field-name'
     | 'invalid-field-name'
+    | 'unknown-kind'
     | 'invalid-locale'
     | 'missing-ref'
     | 'ref-not-allowed'
@@ -668,6 +669,12 @@ export function validateSearchType(
     if (!FIELD_NAME_PATTERN.test(field.name)) {
       issue('invalid-field-name');
     }
+    // Every kind-dependent rule below would silently pass for a kind outside
+    // the union, so a typo’d kind in a plain-JS declaration must fail here.
+    if (!Object.hasOwn(OPERATOR_BY_KIND, field.kind)) {
+      issue('unknown-kind');
+      continue;
+    }
     if (field.kind === 'reference') {
       if (field.output === true && field.ref === undefined) {
         issue('missing-ref');
diff --git a/packages/search/test/schema.test.ts b/packages/search/test/schema.test.ts
index 735917cf..35ec6586 100644
--- a/packages/search/test/schema.test.ts
+++ b/packages/search/test/schema.test.ts
@@ -331,6 +331,14 @@ describe('validateSearchType', () => {
     ]);
   });
 
+  it('rejects an unknown field kind', () => {
+    // A typo’d kind in a plain-JS declaration must fail at declaration time –
+    // every kind-dependent rule would silently pass for it otherwise.
+    expect(
+      validateSearchType(typeWith({ name: 'broken', kind: 'no-such-kind' })),
+    ).toEqual([{ field: 'broken', reason: 'unknown-kind' }]);
+  });
+
   it('rejects a field name carrying a regex metacharacter', () => {
     // The name is interpolated raw into the display RE2 pattern, so a
     // metacharacter would over-match or break the collection schema.
diff --git a/packages/search/vite.config.ts b/packages/search/vite.config.ts
index 667a216e..59459de5 100644
--- a/packages/search/vite.config.ts
+++ b/packages/search/vite.config.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ export default mergeConfig(
         thresholds: {
           functions: 100,
           lines: 100,
-          branches: 98.87,
+          branches: 98.88,
           statements: 100,
         },
       },
diff --git a/tsconfig.json b/tsconfig.json
index 1611df39..418dd082 100644
--- a/tsconfig.json
+++ b/tsconfig.json
@@ -82,6 +82,9 @@
     },
     {
       "path": "./packages/search-pipeline"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "./packages/search-api-server"
     }
   ],
   "compilerOptions": {