diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8e1076e..c05cc40 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -44,7 +44,11 @@ export default defineConfig({
 
 ## API
 
-Webcontainer utilities are exposed as [test fixtures](https://vitest.dev/guide/test-context.html#test-extend).
+Webcontainer utilities are exposed as [test fixtures](https://vitest.dev/guide/test-context.html#test-extend):
+
+- [`preview`](#preview)
+- [`webcontainer`](#webcontainer)
+- [`setup`](#setup)
 
 ```ts
 import { test } from "@webcontainer/test";
@@ -70,7 +74,7 @@ import { test, type TestContext } from "@webcontainer/test";
 import { beforeEach } from "vitest";
 
 // Mount project before each test
-beforeEach<TextContext>(({ webcontainer }) => {
+beforeEach<TestContext>(({ webcontainer }) => {
   await webcontainer.mount("projects/example");
 });
 ```
@@ -214,5 +218,34 @@ WebContainer's [`rm`](https://webcontainers.io/guides/working-with-the-file-syst
 await webcontainer.rm("/node_modules");
 ```
 
+### `setup`
+
+If you have repetitive steps that are needed by multiple test cases, you can improve test performance by using `setup`.
+
+It calls the given function once, saves WebContainer state in a snapshot, and restores that snapshot before each test.
+
+```ts
+import { test, type TestContext } from "@webcontainer/test";
+import { beforeEach, expect, onTestFinished } from "vitest";
+
+beforeEach<TestContext>(async ({ webcontainer, setup }) => {
+  // This is run once and cached for each next run
+  await setup(async () => {
+    await webcontainer.mount("./svelte-project");
+    await webcontainer.runCommand("npm", ["install"]);
+  });
+});
+
+// No need to re-mount file system or re-run install in test cases
+test("user can build project", async ({ webcontainer }) => {
+  await webcontainer.runCommand("npm", ["run", "build"]);
+});
+
+test("user can start project", async ({ webcontainer, preview }) => {
+  void webcontainer.runCommand("npm", ["run", "dev"]);
+  await preview.getByRole("heading", { name: "Welcome to SvelteKit" });
+});
+```
+
 [version-badge]: https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@webcontainer/test
 [npm-url]: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@webcontainer/test
diff --git a/src/fixtures/file-system.ts b/src/fixtures/file-system.ts
index 9a0fd21..655a7d8 100644
--- a/src/fixtures/file-system.ts
+++ b/src/fixtures/file-system.ts
@@ -67,4 +67,14 @@ export class FileSystem {
   async rm(path: string) {
     return this._instance.fs.rm(path);
   }
+
+  /** @internal */
+  async export() {
+    return await this._instance.export("./", { format: "binary" });
+  }
+
+  /** @internal */
+  async restore(snapshot: Uint8Array) {
+    return await this._instance.mount(new Uint8Array(snapshot));
+  }
 }
diff --git a/src/fixtures/index.ts b/src/fixtures/index.ts
index 6ad221d..e046a45 100644
--- a/src/fixtures/index.ts
+++ b/src/fixtures/index.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ import { WebContainer } from "./webcontainer";
 export interface TestContext {
   preview: Preview;
   webcontainer: WebContainer;
+  setup: (callback: () => Promise<void>) => Promise<void>;
+
+  /** @internal */
+  _internalState: { current: Uint8Array | undefined };
 }
 
 /**
@@ -29,7 +33,10 @@ export interface TestContext {
  * });
  * ```
  */
-export const test = base.extend<TestContext>({
+export const test = base.extend<Omit<TestContext, "_internalState">>({
+  // @ts-ignore -- intentionally untyped, excluded from public API
+  _internalState: { current: undefined },
+
   preview: async ({ webcontainer }, use) => {
     await webcontainer.wait();
 
@@ -60,4 +67,21 @@ export const test = base.extend<TestContext>({
 
     await webcontainer.teardown();
   },
+
+  // @ts-ignore -- intentionally untyped, excluded from public API
+  setup: async ({ webcontainer, _internalState }, use) => {
+    const internalState = _internalState as TestContext["_internalState"];
+
+    await use(async (callback) => {
+      if (internalState.current) {
+        await webcontainer.restore(internalState.current);
+        return;
+      }
+
+      await callback();
+
+      // save current state in fixture
+      internalState.current = await webcontainer.export();
+    });
+  },
 });
diff --git a/test/setup.test.ts b/test/setup.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4f36d8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/setup.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import { beforeEach, expect } from "vitest";
+import { test, type TestContext } from "../src";
+
+const counts = { setup: 0, beforeEach: 0 };
+
+beforeEach<TestContext>(async ({ setup, webcontainer }) => {
+  await setup(async () => {
+    await webcontainer.writeFile("./example", "Hello world");
+    counts.setup++;
+  });
+
+  counts.beforeEach++;
+});
+
+test.for([1, 2, 3])("state is restored %d", async (count, { webcontainer }) => {
+  await expect(webcontainer.readFile("example")).resolves.toBe("Hello world");
+
+  // setup should always be called just once as it's cached
+  expect(counts.setup).toBe(1);
+
+  // hook itself is called each time
+  expect(counts.beforeEach).toBe(count);
+});