diff --git a/SVSim.UnitTests/Infrastructure/SVSimTestFactory.cs b/SVSim.UnitTests/Infrastructure/SVSimTestFactory.cs
index 1eef314..13cf1b5 100644
--- a/SVSim.UnitTests/Infrastructure/SVSimTestFactory.cs
+++ b/SVSim.UnitTests/Infrastructure/SVSimTestFactory.cs
@@ -174,13 +174,14 @@ internal sealed class SVSimTestFactory : WebApplicationFactory<Program>
             await db.SaveChangesAsync();
         }
 
-        // Third scope: override TutorialState to the requested value when non-zero.
-        // BuildDefaultViewer now starts viewers at 0 (PRE_TUTORIAL_STEP). Tests that want
-        // a pre-completed-tutorial viewer (the common case for existing tests) pass the
-        // default tutorialState=100 here.
-        if (tutorialState != 0)
+        // Third scope: write the requested TutorialState. The parameter defaults to 100 —
+        // the post-tutorial baseline that ~30 existing tests rely on — so callers that don't
+        // care about the tutorial step keep working unchanged. Pass tutorialState: 1 to seed
+        // a fresh-signup viewer, or any other value to land mid-tutorial. RegisterViewer's
+        // own default (set in BuildDefaultViewer) is irrelevant here because this override
+        // always runs.
+        using (var scope = Services.CreateScope())
         {
-            using var scope = Services.CreateScope();
             var db = scope.ServiceProvider.GetRequiredService<SVSimDbContext>();
             var viewer = await db.Viewers.Include(v => v.MissionData).FirstAsync(v => v.Id == viewerId);
             viewer.MissionData.TutorialState = tutorialState;