diff --git a/baradadb.nimble b/baradadb.nimble
index 6b28c75..e6f4a10 100644
--- a/baradadb.nimble
+++ b/baradadb.nimble
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ task test, "Run all tests":
   # Quick embedded suites first, heavy fuzz/stress suites last.
   for t in ["test_minimal", "test_all", "bugfix_test", "join_tests", "test_lock",
             "test_schema_persist", "test_storage_hardening", "tla_faithfulness",
-            "nimforum_smoke_test", "fuzz_test", "prop_test",
+            "nimforum_smoke_test", "raft_e2e_test", "fuzz_test", "prop_test",
             "test_wire_insert_stress", "stress_test"]:
     exec "nim c -r tests/" & t & ".nim"
 
diff --git a/src/barabadb/core/raft.nim b/src/barabadb/core/raft.nim
index e7f6ff3..55c54b3 100644
--- a/src/barabadb/core/raft.nim
+++ b/src/barabadb/core/raft.nim
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import std/streams
 import std/strutils
 import std/endians
 import std/os
+import logging
 import ../protocol/wire
 
 type
@@ -233,6 +234,7 @@ proc becomeCandidate*(node: RaftNode) =
 proc becomeLeader*(node: RaftNode) =
   node.state = rsLeader
   node.leaderId = node.id
+  info("Raft node " & node.id & " became leader for term " & $node.currentTerm)
   for peer in node.peers:
     node.nextIndex[peer] = node.lastLogIndex + 1
     node.matchIndex[peer] = 0
diff --git a/src/baradadb.nim b/src/baradadb.nim
index 6b0a952..a5bc13c 100644
--- a/src/baradadb.nim
+++ b/src/baradadb.nim
@@ -332,7 +332,12 @@ proc main() =
     info("Starting Raft node " & config.raftNodeId & " on port " & $config.raftPort)
     let raftDataDir = config.dataDir / "raft"
     createDir(raftDataDir)  # idempotent; loadState reads from it, saveState writes
-    var raftNode = newRaftNode(config.raftNodeId, config.raftPeers, config.raftPort,
+    # Raft convention: `peers` excludes the node itself (majority math and
+    # RequestVote fan-out assume it); peerAddrs keeps every entry for dialing.
+    var raftPeers: seq[string] = @[]
+    for p in config.raftPeers:
+      if p != config.raftNodeId: raftPeers.add(p)
+    var raftNode = newRaftNode(config.raftNodeId, raftPeers, config.raftPort,
                                dataDir = raftDataDir)
     raftNode.peerAddrs = config.raftPeerAddrs
     # Wire state machine to apply committed entries to the default database
diff --git a/tests/raft_e2e_test.nim b/tests/raft_e2e_test.nim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8b5c000
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/raft_e2e_test.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,214 @@
+## Raft E2E — real 3-node cluster over the TCP transport.
+## Starts three actual build/baradadb processes, waits for one to log
+## leadership, kills it, and waits for a survivor to take over.
+## Process-management conventions follow tests/nimforum_smoke_test.nim.
+import std/unittest
+import std/osproc
+import std/os
+import std/strtabs
+import std/strutils
+import std/times
+import std/net
+import std/posix
+
+const
+  BinaryPath = "./build/baradadb"
+  LeaderMarker = "became leader"
+
+type
+  NodeProc = object
+    id: string
+    clientPort: int
+    p: Process
+    dataDir: string
+    output: string
+    alive: bool
+
+proc drainOutput(n: var NodeProc) =
+  ## Reads whatever the child has written so far. The pipe was set O_NONBLOCK
+  ## at start, so this never blocks — a hung read is impossible here.
+  var tmp: array[8192, char]
+  while true:
+    let count = posix.read(n.p.outputHandle.cint, tmp[0].addr, tmp.len)
+    if count <= 0: break
+    for i in 0 ..< count: n.output.add tmp[i]
+
+proc drainAll(nodes: var seq[NodeProc]) =
+  for n in nodes.mitems:
+    if n.p != nil: n.drainOutput()
+
+proc dumpAll(nodes: var seq[NodeProc]) =
+  ## Debuggability: on failure, everything the nodes said.
+  nodes.drainAll()
+  for n in nodes:
+    echo "===== output of ", n.id, " (port ", n.clientPort, ") ====="
+    echo n.output
+
+proc portOpen(port: int): bool =
+  var s: Socket
+  try:
+    s = newSocket()
+    s.connect("127.0.0.1", Port(port), timeout = 250)
+    s.close()
+    result = true
+  except CatchableError:
+    if s != nil: s.close()
+    result = false
+
+proc killNode(n: var NodeProc) =
+  if n.p != nil and n.alive:
+    try:
+      n.p.terminate()
+      discard n.p.waitForExit()
+    except CatchableError:
+      discard
+    n.alive = false
+
+proc leaderTerms(output: string): seq[int] =
+  ## All terms this node logged leadership for ("became leader for term T").
+  var pos = 0
+  while true:
+    let idx = output.find(LeaderMarker, pos)
+    if idx < 0: break
+    let tIdx = output.find("term ", idx)
+    if tIdx < 0: break
+    let numStart = tIdx + 5
+    var numEnd = numStart
+    while numEnd < output.len and output[numEnd] in Digits: inc numEnd
+    if numEnd > numStart:
+      result.add(parseInt(output[numStart ..< numEnd]))
+    pos = numEnd
+
+proc maxLeader(nodes: seq[NodeProc]): tuple[idx, term: int] =
+  ## Node that logged leadership for the highest term seen so far.
+  result = (-1, 0)
+  for i in 0 ..< nodes.len:
+    for t in leaderTerms(nodes[i].output):
+      if t > result.term: result = (i, t)
+
+proc drainFor(nodes: var seq[NodeProc], ms: int) =
+  let start = getTime()
+  while getTime() - start < initDuration(milliseconds = ms):
+    nodes.drainAll()
+    sleep(50)
+
+proc runClusterScenario() =
+  ## Fatal phase failures dump all captured node output, record a test
+  ## failure, and return; cleanup happens in the finally below either way.
+  let tstamp = getTime().toUnix.int
+  # Port bases: distinct from nimforum_smoke_test (35000+mod10000) and from
+  # the in-process raft tests in test_all (29011-29025). Client ports are
+  # spaced by 10 because the server derives HTTP (port+440), WS (port+441)
+  # and gossip (raftPort+100) ports — consecutive client ports collide.
+  let cbase = 41000 + (tstamp mod 5000)
+  let rbase = cbase + 100
+  let peers = "n1@127.0.0.1:" & $(rbase + 1) &
+              ",n2@127.0.0.1:" & $(rbase + 2) &
+              ",n3@127.0.0.1:" & $(rbase + 3)
+
+  var nodes: seq[NodeProc]
+  for i in 1 .. 3:
+    let id = "n" & $i
+    let dataDir = getTempDir() / "baradb_raft_e2e_" & $tstamp & "_" & id
+    createDir(dataDir)
+    var env = newStringTable()
+    for key, val in envPairs():
+      env[key] = val
+    env["BARADB_PORT"] = $(cbase + i * 10)
+    env["BARADB_RAFT_ENABLED"] = "true"
+    env["BARADB_RAFT_PORT"] = $(rbase + i)
+    env["BARADB_RAFT_NODE_ID"] = id
+    env["BARADB_RAFT_PEERS"] = peers
+    env["BARADB_DATA_DIR"] = dataDir
+    env["BARADB_LOG_LEVEL"] = "info"
+    let p = startProcess(BinaryPath, env = env,
+                         options = {poStdErrToStdOut, poDaemon})
+    discard fcntl(p.outputHandle.cint, F_SETFL,
+                  fcntl(p.outputHandle.cint, F_GETFL) or O_NONBLOCK)
+    nodes.add NodeProc(id: id, clientPort: cbase + i * 10, p: p,
+                       dataDir: dataDir, alive: true)
+
+  try:
+    # Readiness: all three client ports accept TCP connections (10s each).
+    for i in 0 ..< nodes.len:
+      let readyStart = getTime()
+      var ok = false
+      while getTime() - readyStart < initDuration(seconds = 10):
+        if portOpen(nodes[i].clientPort):
+          ok = true
+          break
+        sleep(100)
+      if not ok:
+        echo "node ", nodes[i].id, " never became ready"
+        dumpAll(nodes)
+        fail()
+        return
+
+    # Election: timeouts are 150-300ms, heartbeat 50ms — a leader should
+    # emerge within ~2s; 10s deadline for margin.
+    var elected = false
+    let electStart = getTime()
+    while getTime() - electStart < initDuration(seconds = 10):
+      nodes.drainAll()
+      if maxLeader(nodes).idx >= 0:
+        elected = true
+        break
+      sleep(50)
+    if not elected:
+      echo "no leader elected within 10s"
+      dumpAll(nodes)
+      fail()
+      return
+
+    # Simultaneous boot often causes a split first election — a normal Raft
+    # retry, not a bug. Settle, take the highest-term leader, then require
+    # stability: no higher term (i.e. no new election) for another second.
+    nodes.drainFor(2000)
+    let (leaderIdx, leaderTerm) = maxLeader(nodes)
+    nodes.drainFor(1000)
+    let (stableIdx, stableTerm) = maxLeader(nodes)
+    if stableIdx != leaderIdx or stableTerm != leaderTerm:
+      echo "cluster unstable: leadership moved from ", nodes[leaderIdx].id,
+           " (term ", leaderTerm, ") to ", nodes[stableIdx].id,
+           " (term ", stableTerm, ")"
+      dumpAll(nodes)
+      fail()
+      return
+    echo "leader elected: ", nodes[leaderIdx].id, " (term ", leaderTerm, ")"
+
+    # Failover: kill the leader; a survivor must win a HIGHER term within 10s.
+    killNode(nodes[leaderIdx])
+    var newLeaderIdx = -1
+    let foStart = getTime()
+    while getTime() - foStart < initDuration(seconds = 10):
+      for i in 0 ..< nodes.len:
+        if i == leaderIdx: continue
+        nodes[i].drainOutput()
+        for t in leaderTerms(nodes[i].output):
+          if t > leaderTerm:
+            newLeaderIdx = i
+            break
+        if newLeaderIdx >= 0: break
+      if newLeaderIdx >= 0: break
+      sleep(50)
+    if newLeaderIdx < 0:
+      echo "no failover leader within 10s after killing ", nodes[leaderIdx].id
+      dumpAll(nodes)
+      fail()
+      return
+    echo "failover complete: new leader ", nodes[newLeaderIdx].id
+
+    check leaderIdx != newLeaderIdx
+  finally:
+    for n in nodes.mitems:
+      n.killNode()
+      if n.p != nil: n.p.close()
+      removeDir(n.dataDir)
+
+suite "Raft E2E cluster":
+  test "3-node election and failover":
+    if not fileExists(BinaryPath):
+      echo "[SKIP] ", BinaryPath, " missing — run `nimble test` (builds the server first)"
+      skip()
+    else:
+      runClusterScenario()