diff --git a/src/flext_tests/_constants/docker.py b/src/flext_tests/_constants/docker.py
index 124d088..b6d0a0e 100644
--- a/src/flext_tests/_constants/docker.py
+++ b/src/flext_tests/_constants/docker.py
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ class FlextTestsConstantsDocker:
     ENV_CI: Final[str] = "CI"
     CI_MAKE_VALUE: Final[str] = "Y"
     DOCKER_CI_SKIP_REASON: Final[str] = "docker disabled under CI=Y"
+    DOCKER_CONNECTIVITY_MARKER: Final[str] = "docker"
+    DOCKER_UNREACHABLE_SKIP_REASON: Final[str] = (
+        "Docker daemon unreachable; start it to run Docker integration tests"
+    )
     # Default probe ceiling for callers that omit max_wait. Under CI=Y the
     # Docker lifecycle skips before probing. Outside CI, shared-container
     # startup_timeout remains the SSOT for long boots (Oracle/kind).
@@ -38,6 +42,10 @@ class FlextTestsConstantsDocker:
         "ldap": "flext-openldap-test",
         "kubernetes": "flext-kind-test",
     }
+    CONNECTIVITY_MARKERS: Final[tuple[str, ...]] = (
+        DOCKER_CONNECTIVITY_MARKER,
+        *CONNECTIVITY_MARKER_CONTAINERS,
+    )
     UNREACHABLE_SKIP_REASON: Final[str] = (
         "{marker} service unreachable at {host}:{port}; start it to run these tests"
     )
diff --git a/src/flext_tests/_fixtures/connectivity.py b/src/flext_tests/_fixtures/connectivity.py
index 60b7e98..d22a696 100644
--- a/src/flext_tests/_fixtures/connectivity.py
+++ b/src/flext_tests/_fixtures/connectivity.py
@@ -45,6 +45,19 @@ def _unreachable_reason(marker: str) -> str | None:
     """Return a skip reason when the marker's service cannot be reached."""
     if marker in _probe_cache:
         return _probe_cache[marker]
+    if marker == c.Tests.DOCKER_CONNECTIVITY_MARKER:
+        from flext_tests.docker import FlextTestsDocker
+
+        manager = FlextTestsDocker()
+        client = manager.client
+        docker_reason: str | None
+        if client is None:
+            docker_reason = c.Tests.DOCKER_UNREACHABLE_SKIP_REASON
+        else:
+            client.close()
+            docker_reason = None
+        _probe_cache[marker] = docker_reason
+        return docker_reason
     reason: str | None = None
     container = c.Tests.CONNECTIVITY_MARKER_CONTAINERS.get(marker)
     endpoint = None if container is None else _endpoint(container)
@@ -69,7 +82,7 @@ def pytest_collection_modifyitems(
     """Mark connectivity-bound tests as skipped when their service is down."""
     del config
     for item in items:
-        for marker in c.Tests.CONNECTIVITY_MARKER_CONTAINERS:
+        for marker in c.Tests.CONNECTIVITY_MARKERS:
             if item.get_closest_marker(marker) is None:
                 continue
             reason = _unreachable_reason(marker)
diff --git a/src/flext_tests/docker.py b/src/flext_tests/docker.py
index 9179261..ec3c999 100644
--- a/src/flext_tests/docker.py
+++ b/src/flext_tests/docker.py
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@
 
 import pytest
 from docker import DockerClient as DockerSDKClient, from_env as docker_from_env
+from docker.constants import DEFAULT_DOCKER_API_VERSION
 from docker.errors import DockerException, NotFound
+from docker.transport import UnixHTTPAdapter
 from python_on_whales import DockerClient as WhalesDockerClient
 from python_on_whales.exceptions import DockerException as WhalesDockerException
 
@@ -130,15 +132,27 @@ def model_post_init(self, __context: t.JsonValue | None, /) -> None:
     @property
     def client(self) -> DockerSDKClient | None:
         """Docker client with lazy initialization."""
-        if self.docker_client is None:
+        if self.docker_client is None and self.client_error is None:
+            client: DockerSDKClient | None = None
             try:
-                self.docker_client = docker_from_env()
-                self.client_error = None
+                client = docker_from_env(version=DEFAULT_DOCKER_API_VERSION)
+                adapter = client.api.get_adapter(client.api.base_url)
+                if (
+                    isinstance(adapter, UnixHTTPAdapter)
+                    and not Path(adapter.socket_path).exists()
+                ):
+                    raise FileNotFoundError(adapter.socket_path)
+                _ = client.ping()
             except (DockerException, OSError, TypeError, ValueError) as error:
+                if client is not None:
+                    client.close()
                 self.logger.exception(
                     "Failed to initialize Docker client", error=str(error)
                 )
                 self.client_error = str(error)
+            else:
+                self.docker_client = client
+                self.client_error = None
         return self.docker_client
 
     @property