diff --git a/gateway/platforms/discord.py b/gateway/platforms/discord.py
index 0d23407bf..332d83f52 100644
--- a/gateway/platforms/discord.py
+++ b/gateway/platforms/discord.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 """
 Discord platform adapter.
 
diff --git a/tests/gateway/test_discord_imports.py b/tests/gateway/test_discord_imports.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bbda79c9e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/gateway/test_discord_imports.py
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+"""Import-safety tests for the Discord gateway adapter."""
+
+import builtins
+import importlib
+import sys
+
+
+class TestDiscordImportSafety:
+    def test_module_imports_even_when_discord_dependency_is_missing(self, monkeypatch):
+        original_import = builtins.__import__
+
+        def fake_import(name, globals=None, locals=None, fromlist=(), level=0):
+            if name == "discord" or name.startswith("discord."):
+                raise ImportError("discord unavailable for test")
+            return original_import(name, globals, locals, fromlist, level)
+
+        monkeypatch.delitem(sys.modules, "gateway.platforms.discord", raising=False)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(builtins, "__import__", fake_import)
+
+        module = importlib.import_module("gateway.platforms.discord")
+
+        assert module.DISCORD_AVAILABLE is False
+        assert module.discord is None