diff --git a/esphome/components/daikin/daikin.cpp b/esphome/components/daikin/daikin.cpp
index d45586ba2d..d3cad0f0a1 100644
--- a/esphome/components/daikin/daikin.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/daikin/daikin.cpp
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+// DNM: do not merge. Trivial touch to mark daikin changed; this is the working
+// esp8266-ard component that should generate memory impact (see PR #16788).
 #include "daikin.h"
 #include "esphome/components/remote_base/remote_base.h"
 
diff --git a/esphome/components/shelly_dimmer/shelly_dimmer.cpp b/esphome/components/shelly_dimmer/shelly_dimmer.cpp
index b0f43f0ffc..3d8c299706 100644
--- a/esphome/components/shelly_dimmer/shelly_dimmer.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/shelly_dimmer/shelly_dimmer.cpp
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+// DNM: do not merge. Trivial touch to mark shelly_dimmer changed so the
+// memory-impact CI job exercises the no-common-platform fix (see PR #16788).
 #include "esphome/core/defines.h"
 #include "esphome/core/helpers.h"
 
diff --git a/tests/components/const/common.yaml b/tests/components/const/common.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..109db65b63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/components/const/common.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+display:
+  - platform: qspi_dbi
+    model: RM690B0
+    data_rate: 80MHz
+    spi_mode: mode0
+    dimensions:
+      width: 450
+      height: 600
+      offset_width: 16
+    color_order: rgb
+    invert_colors: false
+    brightness: 255
+    cs_pin: 11
+    reset_pin: 13
+    enable_pin: 9
+
+  - platform: qspi_dbi
+    model: CUSTOM
+    id: main_lcd
+    draw_from_origin: true
+    dimensions:
+      height: 240
+      width: 536
+    transform:
+      mirror_x: true
+      swap_xy: true
+    color_order: rgb
+    brightness: 255
+    cs_pin: 6
+    reset_pin: 17
+    enable_pin: 38
+    init_sequence:
+      - [0x3A, 0x66]
+      - [0x11]
+      - delay 120ms
+      - [0x29]
+      - delay 20ms
diff --git a/tests/components/const/test-display.esp32-s3-idf.yaml b/tests/components/const/test-display.esp32-s3-idf.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..48560b7b5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/components/const/test-display.esp32-s3-idf.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+# DNM proof: this is a VARIANT test (test-display.*) with no base test.*.yaml.
+# The memory-impact build runs --base-only, so const has nothing buildable and
+# must be excluded; it only contributes an esp32-s3-idf platform hint.
+packages:
+  qspi: !include ../../test_build_components/common/qspi/esp32-s3-idf.yaml
+
+<<: !include common.yaml