diff --git a/src/tests/backend-new/specs/test-settings-updater-off.test.ts b/src/tests/backend-new/specs/test-settings-updater-off.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1204ac0aee8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/backend-new/specs/test-settings-updater-off.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+'use strict';
+
+// Source-level pin for src/tests/settings.json having `updates.tier: "off"`.
+//
+// Why this exists (#7800):
+//   v2.7.x introduced the pad version-badge — an absolutely-positioned banner
+//   at bottom-right (z-index 9999) that renders when /api/version-status
+//   reports the running core is at least one major behind the latest GitHub
+//   release. It intercepts pointer events on #chaticon (same corner,
+//   z-index 400). Every Playwright spec that clicks the chat icon then
+//   times out.
+//
+//   With `updates.tier: "off"`, `expressCreateServer` in
+//   node/hooks/express/updateStatus.ts short-circuits and never registers
+//   /api/version-status — the client fetch 404s and the badge stays hidden.
+//
+//   This setting is easy to silently revert during a settings reshuffle.
+//   The lint here is cheap insurance: keep the default at "off" so any
+//   downstream plugin that does `cp src/tests/settings.json settings.json`
+//   against this core gets the fix for free.
+//
+// If you genuinely need the updater on for a specific test scenario, set
+// it in that test's local fixture — don't change the shared default.
+
+import {readFileSync} from 'fs';
+import {join} from 'path';
+import {describe, it, expect} from 'vitest';
+
+const repoRoot = join(__dirname, '..', '..', '..', '..');
+const read = (rel: string) => readFileSync(join(repoRoot, rel), 'utf8');
+
+describe('test-settings updater default (#7800)', () => {
+  it('src/tests/settings.json sets updates.tier="off"', () => {
+    const json = JSON.parse(read('src/tests/settings.json'));
+    expect(json.updates, 'updates block must be present').toBeDefined();
+    expect(json.updates.tier).toBe('off');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/tests/settings.json b/src/tests/settings.json
index d9b32f8846d..1a61f4bb2ff 100644
--- a/src/tests/settings.json
+++ b/src/tests/settings.json
@@ -1 +1 @@
-{"title":"Etherpad","favicon":null,"skinName":"colibris","skinVariants":"super-light-toolbar super-light-editor light-background","ip":"0.0.0.0","port":9001,"showSettingsInAdminPage":true,"dbType":"dirty","dbSettings":{"filename":"var/dirty.db"},"defaultPadText":"Welcome to Etherpad!\n\nThis pad text is synchronized as you type, so that everyone viewing this page sees the same text. This allows you to collaborate seamlessly on documents!\n\nGet involved with Etherpad at https://etherpad.org\n","padOptions":{"noColors":false,"showControls":true,"showChat":true,"showLineNumbers":true,"useMonospaceFont":false,"userName":null,"userColor":null,"rtl":false,"alwaysShowChat":false,"chatAndUsers":false,"lang":null},"padShortcutEnabled":{"altF9":true,"altC":true,"cmdShift2":true,"delete":true,"return":true,"esc":true,"cmdS":true,"tab":true,"cmdZ":true,"cmdY":true,"cmdI":true,"cmdB":true,"cmdU":true,"cmd5":true,"cmdShiftL":true,"cmdShiftN":true,"cmdShift1":true,"cmdShiftC":true,"cmdH":true,"ctrlHome":true,"pageUp":true,"pageDown":true},"suppressErrorsInPadText":false,"requireSession":false,"editOnly":false,"minify":true,"maxAge":21600,"soffice":null,"allowUnknownFileEnds":true,"requireAuthentication":false,"requireAuthorization":false,"trustProxy":false,"cookie":{"keyRotationInterval":86400000,"sameSite":"Lax","sessionLifetime":864000000,"sessionRefreshInterval":86400000},"disableIPlogging":false,"automaticReconnectionTimeout":0,"scrollWhenFocusLineIsOutOfViewport":{"percentage":{"editionAboveViewport":0,"editionBelowViewport":0},"duration":0,"scrollWhenCaretIsInTheLastLineOfViewport":false,"percentageToScrollWhenUserPressesArrowUp":0},"users":{"admin":{"password":"changeme1","is_admin":true},"user":{"password":"changeme1","is_admin":false}},"socketTransportProtocols":["websocket","polling"],"socketIo":{"maxHttpBufferSize":1000000},"loadTest":false,"dumpOnUncleanExit":false,"importExportRateLimiting":{"windowMs":90000,"max":10},"importMaxFileSize":52428800,"commitRateLimiting":{"duration":1,"points":10},"exposeVersion":false,"loglevel":"INFO","customLocaleStrings":{},"enableAdminUITests":true,"enablePadWideSettings":true,"lowerCasePadIds":false,"sso":{"issuer":"${SSO_ISSUER:http://localhost:9001}","clients":[{"client_id":"${ADMIN_CLIENT:admin_client}","client_secret":"${ADMIN_SECRET:admin}","grant_types":["authorization_code"],"response_types":["code"],"redirect_uris":["${ADMIN_REDIRECT:http://localhost:9001/admin/}","https://oauth.pstmn.io/v1/callback"]},{"client_id":"${USER_CLIENT:user_client}","client_secret":"${USER_SECRET:user}","grant_types":["authorization_code"],"response_types":["code"],"redirect_uris":["${USER_REDIRECT:http://localhost:9001/}"]}]}}
+{"title":"Etherpad","favicon":null,"skinName":"colibris","skinVariants":"super-light-toolbar super-light-editor light-background","ip":"0.0.0.0","port":9001,"showSettingsInAdminPage":true,"dbType":"dirty","dbSettings":{"filename":"var/dirty.db"},"defaultPadText":"Welcome to Etherpad!\n\nThis pad text is synchronized as you type, so that everyone viewing this page sees the same text. This allows you to collaborate seamlessly on documents!\n\nGet involved with Etherpad at https://etherpad.org\n","padOptions":{"noColors":false,"showControls":true,"showChat":true,"showLineNumbers":true,"useMonospaceFont":false,"userName":null,"userColor":null,"rtl":false,"alwaysShowChat":false,"chatAndUsers":false,"lang":null},"padShortcutEnabled":{"altF9":true,"altC":true,"cmdShift2":true,"delete":true,"return":true,"esc":true,"cmdS":true,"tab":true,"cmdZ":true,"cmdY":true,"cmdI":true,"cmdB":true,"cmdU":true,"cmd5":true,"cmdShiftL":true,"cmdShiftN":true,"cmdShift1":true,"cmdShiftC":true,"cmdH":true,"ctrlHome":true,"pageUp":true,"pageDown":true},"suppressErrorsInPadText":false,"requireSession":false,"editOnly":false,"minify":true,"maxAge":21600,"soffice":null,"allowUnknownFileEnds":true,"requireAuthentication":false,"requireAuthorization":false,"trustProxy":false,"cookie":{"keyRotationInterval":86400000,"sameSite":"Lax","sessionLifetime":864000000,"sessionRefreshInterval":86400000},"disableIPlogging":false,"automaticReconnectionTimeout":0,"scrollWhenFocusLineIsOutOfViewport":{"percentage":{"editionAboveViewport":0,"editionBelowViewport":0},"duration":0,"scrollWhenCaretIsInTheLastLineOfViewport":false,"percentageToScrollWhenUserPressesArrowUp":0},"users":{"admin":{"password":"changeme1","is_admin":true},"user":{"password":"changeme1","is_admin":false}},"socketTransportProtocols":["websocket","polling"],"socketIo":{"maxHttpBufferSize":1000000},"loadTest":false,"dumpOnUncleanExit":false,"importExportRateLimiting":{"windowMs":90000,"max":10},"importMaxFileSize":52428800,"commitRateLimiting":{"duration":1,"points":10},"exposeVersion":false,"loglevel":"INFO","customLocaleStrings":{},"enableAdminUITests":true,"enablePadWideSettings":true,"lowerCasePadIds":false,"updates":{"tier":"off"},"sso":{"issuer":"${SSO_ISSUER:http://localhost:9001}","clients":[{"client_id":"${ADMIN_CLIENT:admin_client}","client_secret":"${ADMIN_SECRET:admin}","grant_types":["authorization_code"],"response_types":["code"],"redirect_uris":["${ADMIN_REDIRECT:http://localhost:9001/admin/}","https://oauth.pstmn.io/v1/callback"]},{"client_id":"${USER_CLIENT:user_client}","client_secret":"${USER_SECRET:user}","grant_types":["authorization_code"],"response_types":["code"],"redirect_uris":["${USER_REDIRECT:http://localhost:9001/}"]}]}}
\ No newline at end of file