diff --git a/src/app_controller.py b/src/app_controller.py
index 5433dceb..2d233273 100644
--- a/src/app_controller.py
+++ b/src/app_controller.py
@@ -5,11 +5,9 @@ import inspect
 import json
 import os
 import re
-import requests
 import sys
 import threading
 import time
-import tomli_w
 import traceback
 import uuid
 
@@ -3338,13 +3336,14 @@ class AppController:
 
   def do_post() -> None:
    try:
+    import requests
     requests.post(
      "http://127.0.0.1:8999/api/ask/respond",
      json={"request_id": request_id, "response": {"approved": True}},
      timeout=2
     )
    except Exception as e: print(f"Error responding to ask: {e}")
-  threading.Thread(target=do_post, daemon=True).start()
+  self.submit_io(do_post)
   self._pending_ask_dialog = False
   self._ask_request_id = None
   self._ask_tool_data = None
@@ -3361,13 +3360,14 @@ class AppController:
 
   def do_post() -> None:
    try:
+    import requests
     requests.post(
      "http://127.0.0.1:8999/api/ask/respond",
      json={"request_id": request_id, "response": {"approved": False}},
      timeout=2
     )
    except Exception as e: print(f"Error responding to ask: {e}")
-  threading.Thread(target=do_post, daemon=True).start()
+  self.submit_io(do_post)
   self._pending_ask_dialog = False
   self._ask_request_id = None
   self._ask_tool_data = None
diff --git a/tests/test_main_thread_purity.py b/tests/test_main_thread_purity.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dd801f00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_main_thread_purity.py
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+"""Tests that the Main Thread Purity Invariant holds for refactored modules.
+
+Per spec.md:2.2 Layer 1, the main thread (the one that enters immapp.run())
+must NEVER import a module heavier than imgui_bundle and the lean gui_2
+skeleton. Heavy imports are loaded by the AppController's _io_pool
+warmup and accessed via _require_warmed() at use sites.
+
+This is the static enforcement test. The runtime audit hook test
+(sys.addaudithook) is the empirical check; see tests/test_main_thread_purity_runtime.py
+for the runtime version (Phase 8 T8.2).
+
+This test uses scripts/audit_main_thread_imports.py (built in T1.4) to
+verify that the modules we refactored in Phases 3-7 contribute ZERO
+new violations to the main-thread import graph. The test is RED before
+each phase's refactor, GREEN after.
+
+For each refactored file, the test checks the top-level imports against
+the heavy denylist. If any of these files still have top-level heavy
+imports, the test FAILS - that means the refactor is incomplete or a
+future commit re-introduced a heavy import.
+"""
+
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import textwrap
+from pathlib import Path
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+
+
+def _run_in_subprocess(snippet: str) -> subprocess.CompletedProcess:
+ script = textwrap.dedent(snippet)
+ return subprocess.run(
+  [sys.executable, "-c", script],
+  capture_output=True,
+  text=True,
+  cwd=str(ROOT),
+  timeout=30,
+ )
+
+
+# Heavy modules that must NOT be top-level imports in any main-thread-
+# reachable file. Mirrors the spec's heavy denylist.
+HEAVY_DENYLIST = {
+ "google.genai", "anthropic", "openai", "requests",
+ "google.genai.types", "fastapi", "fastapi.security.api_key",
+ "src.command_palette", "src.theme_nerv", "src.theme_nerv_fx",
+ "src.markdown_table", "numpy", "tkinter", "tomli_w",
+}
+
+# Files that the refactor targets. Each must have ZERO top-level imports
+# of any module in HEAVY_DENYLIST.
+REFACTOR_TARGETS = [
+ "src/ai_client.py",       # Phase 3
+ "src/app_controller.py",  # Phase 4
+ "src/commands.py",        # Phase 5A
+ "src/theme_2.py",         # Phase 5B
+ "src/markdown_helper.py", # Phase 5C
+ "src/gui_2.py",           # Phase 5D
+]
+
+
+def _check_file_violations(file_path: str) -> str:
+ """Run a subprocess that AST-checks the file for heavy top-level imports.
+ Returns the stdout of the subprocess (which lists any violations found)."""
+ res = _run_in_subprocess(f"""
+  import ast
+  from pathlib import Path
+  root = Path('.').resolve()
+  path = root / {file_path!r}
+  if not path.exists():
+   print('FILE_NOT_FOUND')
+  else:
+   tree = ast.parse(path.read_text(encoding='utf-8'))
+   heavy = {sorted(HEAVY_DENYLIST)!r}
+   violations = []
+   for node in tree.body:
+    if isinstance(node, ast.Import):
+     for alias in node.names:
+      for h in heavy:
+       if alias.name == h or alias.name.startswith(h + '.'):
+        violations.append(f'{{alias.name}} @ line {{node.lineno}}')
+    elif isinstance(node, ast.ImportFrom):
+     if node.module:
+      for h in heavy:
+       if node.module == h or node.module.startswith(h + '.'):
+        violations.append(f'{{node.module}} @ line {{node.lineno}}')
+   for v in violations:
+    print('VIOLATION:', v)
+   if not violations:
+    print('CLEAN')
+ """)
+ return res.stdout
+
+
+def test_ai_client_has_no_heavy_top_level_imports() -> None:
+ out = _check_file_violations("src/ai_client.py")
+ assert "VIOLATION" not in out, f"ai_client.py has heavy top-level imports: {out}"
+
+
+def test_app_controller_has_no_heavy_top_level_imports() -> None:
+ out = _check_file_violations("src/app_controller.py")
+ assert "VIOLATION" not in out, f"app_controller.py has heavy top-level imports: {out}"
+
+
+def test_commands_has_no_heavy_top_level_imports() -> None:
+ out = _check_file_violations("src/commands.py")
+ assert "VIOLATION" not in out, f"commands.py has heavy top-level imports: {out}"
+
+
+def test_theme_2_has_no_heavy_top_level_imports() -> None:
+ out = _check_file_violations("src/theme_2.py")
+ assert "VIOLATION" not in out, f"theme_2.py has heavy top-level imports: {out}"
+
+
+def test_markdown_helper_has_no_heavy_top_level_imports() -> None:
+ out = _check_file_violations("src/markdown_helper.py")
+ assert "VIOLATION" not in out, f"markdown_helper.py has heavy top-level imports: {out}"
+
+
+def test_gui_2_has_no_heavy_top_level_imports() -> None:
+ out = _check_file_violations("src/gui_2.py")
+ assert "VIOLATION" not in out, f"gui_2.py has heavy top-level imports: {out}"
+
+
+def test_refactor_targets_summary() -> None:
+ """Aggregate check: all 6 refactored files are clean."""
+ summary = []
+ for f in REFACTOR_TARGETS:
+  out = _check_file_violations(f)
+  clean = "CLEAN" in out
+  summary.append((f, clean))
+ all_clean = all(c for _, c in summary)
+ assert all_clean, f"Not all refactored files are clean: {summary}"