diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 469584ce..84085d7f 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -145,11 +145,11 @@ Key principles:
 
 | File | Purpose |
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
-| `src/vip/cli.py` | CLI entry point: version, verify, cleanup (Connect content + orphaned Workbench sessions via `--workbench-url`), install, uninstall, auth, scaffold commands; `--version` flag |
+| `src/vip/cli.py` | CLI entry point: version, verify (including `--basic` to skip `@slow`-tagged scenarios), cleanup (Connect content + orphaned Workbench sessions via `--workbench-url`), install, uninstall, auth, scaffold commands; `--version` flag |
 | `src/vip/config.py` | TOML config loader and dataclasses |
 | `src/vip/auth.py` | Interactive and headless browser authentication for OIDC providers; `authenticated_page` opens a headless page from a cached auth session for `vip cleanup --workbench-url` |
 | `src/vip/idp.py` | IdP login form strategies for headless auth (Keycloak, Okta) |
-| `src/vip/plugin.py` | pytest plugin: markers, auto-skip, JSON report output |
+| `src/vip/plugin.py` | pytest plugin: markers (including `slow`, used by `verify --basic`), auto-skip, JSON report output |
 | `src/vip/version.py` | `ProductVersion` parsing/comparison for `min_version` gating; `MINIMUM_SUPPORTED_POSIT_TEAM` support floor (powers `vip version`) |
 | `src/vip/workbench_ui.py` | Browser-driven Workbench session-cleanup sweep (`quit_vip_sessions_via_ui`), shared by the per-test cleanup fixture and `vip cleanup --workbench-url` |
 | `src/vip/reporting.py` | Report data model for Quarto templates |
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a1d8bcf3..bc6acc28 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@ cp vip.toml.example vip.toml     # edit with your deployment details
 vip verify --config vip.toml
 ```
 
+Fast confidence check — skip the detailed/long-running checks:
+
+```bash
+vip verify --config vip.toml --basic
+```
+
 ## Uninstalling
 
 To reverse what `vip install` (or `just setup`) did:
diff --git a/docs/test-architecture.md b/docs/test-architecture.md
index fd5a97aa..43cc7253 100644
--- a/docs/test-architecture.md
+++ b/docs/test-architecture.md
@@ -245,6 +245,18 @@ Deliberately **not** scaled:
 Values < 1.0 are valid and useful for speeding up CI smoke checks
 (`VIP_TIMEOUT_SCALE=0.5`).
 
+## Fast confidence checks with `--basic`
+
+`vip verify --basic` runs only the core subset of tests, excluding detailed or
+long-running checks tagged `@slow`. Today the `@slow` set covers the heavier
+Workbench checks — IDE extension installation, job execution, Git operations,
+and publishing to Connect — so a `--basic` run still exercises auth, IDE launch,
+sessions, runtime versions, packages, data sources, and Chronicle.
+
+`--basic` composes with `--categories`: `vip verify --categories workbench --basic`
+runs the Workbench category minus its `@slow` scenarios. The mechanism is
+product-agnostic — tag any feature `@slow` to exclude it from basic runs.
+
 ## Adding a New Test: Layer-by-Layer Checklist
 
 1. **Layer 1 -- Feature file**: Write the Gherkin scenario with a `@product` tag. Focus on business intent, not implementation.
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 977a4266..8eedcad9 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -172,6 +172,7 @@ markers = [
     "performance: performance validation tests (opt-in; excluded by default)",
     "security: security validation tests",
     "config_hygiene: checks of VIP's own configuration (opt-in; excluded by default)",
+    "slow: detailed/long-running checks; excluded by --basic",
     "min_version(product, version): only run when product meets minimum version",
     "if_applicable: test is skipped when the feature is not configured",
     "api_auth: test requires only an API key, not browser credentials",
diff --git a/selftests/test_cli_verify.py b/selftests/test_cli_verify.py
index 2e2b5e9d..cadc0f87 100644
--- a/selftests/test_cli_verify.py
+++ b/selftests/test_cli_verify.py
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ def _make_args(**overrides) -> argparse.Namespace:
         "headless_auth": False,
         "idp": None,
         "performance_tests": False,
+        "basic": False,
         "insecure": False,
         "ca_bundle": None,
     }
@@ -70,6 +71,18 @@ def _capture_cmd(args: argparse.Namespace) -> list[str]:
     return cmd
 
 
+def _marker_expr(cmd: list[str]) -> str:
+    """Return the value passed to pytest's -m in the assembled command.
+
+    ``cmd[0:2]`` is always ``[sys.executable, "-m"]`` (invoking pytest as a
+    module), so the marker expression is the value after the *second*
+    ``-m`` occurrence.
+    """
+    first = cmd.index("-m")
+    second = cmd.index("-m", first + 1)
+    return cmd[second + 1]
+
+
 def _vip_tests_path() -> str:
     """Return the resolved vip_tests package path for assertions."""
     from importlib.util import find_spec
@@ -601,6 +614,41 @@ def test_explicit_category_overrides_performance_flag(self, tmp_path):
         assert self._marker_expr(cmd) == "connect"
 
 
+class TestBasicFlag:
+    """--basic appends 'not slow' to the pytest marker expression."""
+
+    def test_basic_adds_not_slow(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+        monkeypatch.delenv("VIP_CONFIG", raising=False)
+        cmd = _capture_cmd(
+            _make_args(workbench_url="https://wb.example.com", no_auth=True, basic=True)
+        )
+        assert "not slow" in _marker_expr(cmd)
+
+    def test_no_basic_has_no_not_slow(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+        monkeypatch.delenv("VIP_CONFIG", raising=False)
+        cmd = _capture_cmd(
+            _make_args(workbench_url="https://wb.example.com", no_auth=True, basic=False)
+        )
+        assert "not slow" not in _marker_expr(cmd)
+
+    def test_basic_composes_with_categories(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+        monkeypatch.delenv("VIP_CONFIG", raising=False)
+        cmd = _capture_cmd(
+            _make_args(
+                workbench_url="https://wb.example.com",
+                no_auth=True,
+                categories="workbench",
+                basic=True,
+            )
+        )
+        expr = _marker_expr(cmd)
+        assert "workbench" in expr
+        assert "not slow" in expr
+
+
 class TestExtraKeepFromArgs:
     """_extra_keep_from_args mirrors --performance-tests into the marker expression."""
 
diff --git a/selftests/test_gherkin.py b/selftests/test_gherkin.py
index 83c95daa..56f2be3a 100644
--- a/selftests/test_gherkin.py
+++ b/selftests/test_gherkin.py
@@ -109,3 +109,15 @@ def test_scenario_outline(self, tmp_path):
         assert len(result["scenarios"]) == 1
         assert result["scenarios"][0]["title"] == "Deploy <type> content"
         assert len(result["scenarios"][0]["steps"]) == 3
+
+
+def test_slow_membership_matches_decision():
+    from pathlib import Path
+
+    wb = Path(__file__).parent.parent / "src" / "vip_tests" / "workbench"
+    slow = ["test_ide_extensions", "test_jobs", "test_git_ops", "test_publish_to_connect"]
+    for name in slow:
+        text = (wb / f"{name}.feature").read_text()
+        assert "@slow" in text, f"{name}.feature should be tagged @slow"
+    # Chronicle is deliberately kept in the basic run.
+    assert "@slow" not in (wb / "test_chronicle.feature").read_text()
diff --git a/selftests/test_plugin.py b/selftests/test_plugin.py
index 9083e7c2..9d38448a 100644
--- a/selftests/test_plugin.py
+++ b/selftests/test_plugin.py
@@ -247,6 +247,19 @@ def test_needs_connect():
         result.assert_outcomes()
         result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["*1 deselected*"])
 
+    def test_slow_deselected_by_not_slow(self, selftest_pytester):
+        selftest_pytester.makepyfile(
+            """
+            import pytest
+
+            @pytest.mark.slow
+            def test_a_slow_check():
+                assert True
+            """
+        )
+        result = selftest_pytester.runpytest("--vip-config=vip.toml", "-m", "not slow", "-v")
+        result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["*1 deselected*"])
+
     def test_progress_indicator_recolored_per_line(self, selftest_pytester):
         """After a failure, a later passing line's [x%] stays green, not red.
 
@@ -699,6 +712,10 @@ def test_markers_registered(self, selftest_pytester):
             ]
         )
 
+    def test_slow_marker_registered(self, selftest_pytester):
+        result = selftest_pytester.runpytest("--markers")
+        result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["*slow: *"])
+
     def test_interactive_auth_option_registered(self, selftest_pytester):
         """--interactive-auth appears in help output."""
         result = selftest_pytester.runpytest("--help")
diff --git a/selftests/test_workbench_ordering.py b/selftests/test_workbench_ordering.py
index f49778fe..273c5c73 100644
--- a/selftests/test_workbench_ordering.py
+++ b/selftests/test_workbench_ordering.py
@@ -29,7 +29,19 @@
 _NODEID_RE = re.compile(r"^\S+::\S+$")
 
 
-def _collect_workbench_nodeids(tmp_path: Path) -> list[str]:
+def _slow_workbench_stems() -> set[str]:
+    """Return the stems of Workbench feature files tagged ``@slow``.
+
+    Derived from the files themselves (not hardcoded) so the deselection
+    test below self-maintains as the ``@slow`` set changes. The intended
+    membership is locked separately in ``test_gherkin.py``.
+    """
+    stems = {f.stem for f in _WORKBENCH_DIR.glob("*.feature") if "@slow" in f.read_text()}
+    assert stems, "expected at least one @slow-tagged Workbench feature file"
+    return stems
+
+
+def _collect_workbench_nodeids(tmp_path: Path, marker_expr: str | None = None) -> list[str]:
     """Run ``pytest --collect-only`` over the Workbench suite and return node ids in order.
 
     Workbench and Connect must both be "configured" (a URL present) or every
@@ -37,6 +49,9 @@ def _collect_workbench_nodeids(tmp_path: Path) -> list[str]:
     gate (``_should_deselect_for_product``) -- ``test_publish_to_connect``
     requires both products, and an unconfigured product means "no test at
     all", not "collected but skipped".
+
+    Pass *marker_expr* to add a ``-m`` filter (e.g. ``"not slow"``, what
+    ``vip verify --basic`` applies) and observe which scenarios survive it.
     """
     config_path = tmp_path / "vip.toml"
     config_path.write_text(
@@ -44,16 +59,20 @@ def _collect_workbench_nodeids(tmp_path: Path) -> list[str]:
         '[connect]\nurl = "https://connect.example.com"\n'
     )
 
+    cmd = [
+        sys.executable,
+        "-m",
+        "pytest",
+        str(_WORKBENCH_DIR),
+        "--collect-only",
+        "-q",
+        f"--vip-config={config_path}",
+    ]
+    if marker_expr is not None:
+        cmd.extend(["-m", marker_expr])
+
     result = subprocess.run(
-        [
-            sys.executable,
-            "-m",
-            "pytest",
-            str(_WORKBENCH_DIR),
-            "--collect-only",
-            "-q",
-            f"--vip-config={config_path}",
-        ],
+        cmd,
         cwd=_REPO_ROOT,
         capture_output=True,
         text=True,
@@ -118,3 +137,32 @@ def test_ide_extensions_is_last_workbench_file(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
         f"test_ide_extensions must be the last Workbench test file collected, "
         f"got {last_file!r} last: {nodeids}"
     )
+
+
+def test_basic_marker_deselects_slow_workbench_features(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    """End-to-end: ``-m "not slow"`` (what ``vip verify --basic`` applies) must
+    drop exactly the @slow-tagged Workbench features and keep the basic ones.
+
+    This exercises the full chain the other selftests only cover in isolation:
+    real ``.feature`` files -> pytest-bdd Gherkin-tag->pytest-marker conversion
+    -> ``-m`` deselection. It would catch a pytest-bdd change (or a stray
+    ``pytest_bdd_apply_tag`` hook) that silently stopped converting ``@slow``,
+    which would turn ``--basic`` into a no-op with no other failing test.
+    """
+    slow_files = _slow_workbench_stems()
+    all_files = {_file_of(n) for n in _collect_workbench_nodeids(tmp_path)}
+    basic_nodeids = _collect_workbench_nodeids(tmp_path, marker_expr="not slow")
+    basic_files = {_file_of(n) for n in basic_nodeids}
+
+    # Sanity: unfiltered, the @slow files really do collect (so a broken
+    # collection can't let the deselection assertion pass vacuously).
+    assert slow_files <= all_files, (
+        f"expected all @slow files unfiltered; missing {slow_files - all_files}"
+    )
+    # The filter drops every @slow file ...
+    leaked = slow_files & basic_files
+    assert not leaked, f"@slow files leaked into a `not slow` run: {leaked}"
+    # ... and keeps a known basic feature (Chronicle stays in the basic run).
+    assert "test_chronicle" in basic_files, (
+        f"test_chronicle should remain in a basic run: {sorted(basic_files)}"
+    )
diff --git a/src/vip/cli.py b/src/vip/cli.py
index 05b4ec1d..f79099b5 100644
--- a/src/vip/cli.py
+++ b/src/vip/cli.py
@@ -499,9 +499,12 @@ def run_verify(args: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
     for ext in args.extensions or []:
         cmd.append(f"--vip-extensions={ext}")
     if args.categories:
-        cmd.extend(["-m", _normalize_categories(args.categories)])
+        marker_expr = _normalize_categories(args.categories)
     else:
-        cmd.extend(["-m", _default_marker_expr(_extra_keep_from_args(args))])
+        marker_expr = _default_marker_expr(_extra_keep_from_args(args))
+    if getattr(args, "basic", False):
+        marker_expr = f"({marker_expr}) and not slow" if marker_expr else "not slow"
+    cmd.extend(["-m", marker_expr])
     if args.filter_expr:
         cmd.extend(["-k", args.filter_expr])
 
@@ -1379,6 +1382,14 @@ def main() -> None:
         help="Include performance tests in the default selection (excluded otherwise). "
         "Has no effect when --categories is also specified.",
     )
+    verify_parser.add_argument(
+        "--basic",
+        action="store_true",
+        default=False,
+        help="Run only the basic subset; exclude detailed/long-running checks "
+        "tagged @slow (IDE extensions, jobs, git ops, publish to Connect). "
+        "Composes with --categories.",
+    )
     verify_parser.add_argument(
         "-f",
         "--filter",
diff --git a/src/vip/plugin.py b/src/vip/plugin.py
index b4cfe90f..4d80a405 100644
--- a/src/vip/plugin.py
+++ b/src/vip/plugin.py
@@ -162,6 +162,10 @@ def pytest_configure(config: pytest.Config) -> None:
         "markers",
         "config_hygiene: checks of VIP's own configuration (opt-in; excluded by default)",
     )
+    config.addinivalue_line(
+        "markers",
+        "slow: detailed/long-running checks; excluded by --basic",
+    )
     config.addinivalue_line(
         "markers",
         "min_version(product, version): skip when product is below the specified version",
diff --git a/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_git_ops.feature b/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_git_ops.feature
index 32f11639..9f91775f 100644
--- a/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_git_ops.feature
+++ b/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_git_ops.feature
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-@workbench
+@workbench @slow
 Feature: Git operations from Workbench sessions
   Validate that users inside a Workbench session can clone, commit, and push
   to a Git repository through IDE terminals (RStudio, VS Code, Positron).
diff --git a/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_ide_extensions.feature b/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_ide_extensions.feature
index ac1fef6d..fdedb17f 100644
--- a/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_ide_extensions.feature
+++ b/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_ide_extensions.feature
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-@workbench
+@workbench @slow
 Feature: Workbench IDE extensions
   As a Posit Team administrator
   I want to verify that required extensions are installed in each IDE
diff --git a/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_jobs.feature b/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_jobs.feature
index df12e86c..feb6565c 100644
--- a/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_jobs.feature
+++ b/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_jobs.feature
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-@workbench
+@workbench @slow
 Feature: Workbench job execution
 
   Scenario: Background Job runs and completes
diff --git a/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_publish_to_connect.feature b/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_publish_to_connect.feature
index bec25516..1be14c79 100644
--- a/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_publish_to_connect.feature
+++ b/src/vip_tests/workbench/test_publish_to_connect.feature
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-@workbench @connect
+@workbench @connect @slow
 Feature: Publish from Workbench to Connect
   As a Posit Team administrator
   I want to verify that a user can deploy content from a Workbench session to Connect