diff --git a/core/artwork/e2e/resolution_harness_test.go b/core/artwork/e2e/resolution_harness_test.go
index 1a917cb2d..1aa60d49c 100644
--- a/core/artwork/e2e/resolution_harness_test.go
+++ b/core/artwork/e2e/resolution_harness_test.go
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/scanner"
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/server/events"
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/tests"
+	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/tests/harness"
 	"github.com/navidrome/navidrome/utils/cache"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -65,8 +66,19 @@ var (
 // Windows. A suite-level tempdir plus an AfterSuite close avoids the lock conflict.
 var suiteDBTempDir string
 
+// Migrating the schema costs ~400ms, so it runs once per suite and specs reset by truncating.
+var userTables []string
+
 var _ = BeforeSuite(func() {
 	suiteDBTempDir = GinkgoT().TempDir()
+
+	DeferCleanup(configtest.SetupConfig())
+	conf.Server.DbPath = filepath.Join(suiteDBTempDir, "artwork-resolution-e2e.db") + "?_journal_mode=WAL"
+	conf.Server.DataFolder = conf.NewDir(GinkgoT().TempDir())
+	db.Db().SetMaxOpenConns(1)
+	db.Init(request.WithUser(context.Background(), model.User{ID: "admin-1", IsAdmin: true}))
+
+	userTables = harness.ResettableTables()
 })
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
@@ -86,10 +98,8 @@ func setupResolutionHarness() {
 	conf.Server.EnableMediaFileCoverArt = true
 	conf.Server.ArtworkWorkerConcurrency = 1
 
-	db.Db().SetMaxOpenConns(1)
 	rctx = request.WithUser(GinkgoT().Context(), model.User{ID: "admin-1", UserName: "admin", IsAdmin: true})
-	db.Init(rctx)
-	DeferCleanup(func() { Expect(tests.ClearDB()).To(Succeed()) })
+	harness.TruncateDB(userTables)
 
 	rds = &tests.MockDataStore{RealDS: persistence.New(db.Db())}
 
diff --git a/tests/harness/harness.go b/tests/harness/harness.go
index 9ccbdcaf3..b4da0377e 100644
--- a/tests/harness/harness.go
+++ b/tests/harness/harness.go
@@ -86,17 +86,13 @@ func SetupDB(ctx context.Context, users ...*model.User) *DB {
 	return h
 }
 
-// Restore reloads every table from the golden snapshot via ATTACH DATABASE — much faster than a
-// rescan. FTS shadow tables are skipped; they are kept in sync by their content tables' triggers.
-func (h *DB) Restore() {
-	sqlDB := db.Db()
-	_, err := sqlDB.Exec("PRAGMA foreign_keys = OFF")
-	Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
-	_, err = sqlDB.Exec("ATTACH DATABASE ? AS snapshot", h.SnapshotPath)
-	Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
-
-	rows, err := sqlDB.Query("SELECT name FROM main.sqlite_master WHERE type='table' AND name NOT LIKE 'sqlite_%' AND name NOT LIKE '%_fts' AND name NOT LIKE '%_fts_%'")
+// ResettableTables lists the tables a per-spec reset may write. FTS shadow tables are excluded;
+// they are kept in sync by their content tables' triggers, and writing them directly corrupts the
+// index.
+func ResettableTables() []string {
+	rows, err := db.Db().Query("SELECT name FROM main.sqlite_master WHERE type='table' AND name NOT LIKE 'sqlite_%' AND name NOT LIKE '%_fts' AND name NOT LIKE '%_fts_%'")
 	Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+	defer rows.Close()
 	var tables []string
 	for rows.Next() {
 		var name string
@@ -104,12 +100,38 @@ func (h *DB) Restore() {
 		tables = append(tables, name)
 	}
 	Expect(rows.Err()).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
-	rows.Close()
+	return tables
+}
+
+// TruncateDB empties every resettable table, leaving the migrated schema in place. Suites whose
+// specs each build their own library use this instead of a golden snapshot, since re-migrating the
+// schema per spec costs ~400ms.
+func TruncateDB(tables []string) {
+	sqlDB := db.Db()
+	_, err := sqlDB.Exec("PRAGMA foreign_keys = OFF")
+	Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+	defer func() { _, _ = sqlDB.Exec("PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON") }()
 
 	for _, table := range tables {
 		// Table names come from sqlite_master, not user input.
 		_, err = sqlDB.Exec(`DELETE FROM main."` + table + `"`) //nolint:gosec
 		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+	}
+}
+
+// Restore reloads every table from the golden snapshot via ATTACH DATABASE — much faster than a
+// rescan.
+func (h *DB) Restore() {
+	sqlDB := db.Db()
+	_, err := sqlDB.Exec("PRAGMA foreign_keys = OFF")
+	Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+	_, err = sqlDB.Exec("ATTACH DATABASE ? AS snapshot", h.SnapshotPath)
+	Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+	for _, table := range ResettableTables() {
+		// Table names come from sqlite_master, not user input.
+		_, err = sqlDB.Exec(`DELETE FROM main."` + table + `"`) //nolint:gosec
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 		_, err = sqlDB.Exec(`INSERT INTO main."` + table + `" SELECT * FROM snapshot."` + table + `"`) //nolint:gosec
 		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 	}