diff --git a/extension.neon b/extension.neon
index ac7f226..76ce936 100644
--- a/extension.neon
+++ b/extension.neon
@@ -33,6 +33,11 @@ services:
         tags:
             - phpstan.broker.dynamicFunctionReturnTypeExtension
 
+    -
+        class: Pest\PHPStan\Type\Pest\TestFunctionReturnTypeExtension
+        tags:
+            - phpstan.broker.dynamicFunctionReturnTypeExtension
+
     -
         class: Pest\PHPStan\Type\Pest\ExpectationMethodReturnTypeExtension
         tags:
diff --git a/src/Type/Pest/PestHookPropertyReader.php b/src/Type/Pest/PestHookPropertyReader.php
index 5b72139..7c3005f 100644
--- a/src/Type/Pest/PestHookPropertyReader.php
+++ b/src/Type/Pest/PestHookPropertyReader.php
@@ -288,17 +288,7 @@ private function extractPropertyAssignments(Closure|ArrowFunction $hook, array $
                 continue;
             }
 
-            if (! $var->var instanceof Variable) {
-                continue;
-            }
-
-            $thisVariable = $var->var;
-
-            if (! is_string($thisVariable->name)) {
-                continue;
-            }
-
-            if ($thisVariable->name !== 'this') {
+            if (! $this->isTestCaseReference($var->var)) {
                 continue;
             }
 
@@ -330,6 +320,18 @@ private function extractPropertyAssignments(Closure|ArrowFunction $hook, array $
         return $properties;
     }
 
+    private function isTestCaseReference(Expr $expr): bool
+    {
+        // @note: a bare test() proxies the running test case, so `test()->name = …` sets the same property as `$this->name = …`.
+        if ($expr instanceof FuncCall) {
+            return $expr->name instanceof Name
+                && $expr->name->toString() === 'test'
+                && $expr->getArgs() === [];
+        }
+
+        return $expr instanceof Variable && $expr->name === 'this';
+    }
+
     /**
      * @param  array<string, string>  $useMap
      * @return array<string, Expr>
diff --git a/src/Type/Pest/PestTestCaseType.php b/src/Type/Pest/PestTestCaseType.php
index 1da0108..2971d87 100644
--- a/src/Type/Pest/PestTestCaseType.php
+++ b/src/Type/Pest/PestTestCaseType.php
@@ -19,6 +19,12 @@ public function __construct(
 
     public function resolve(string $filePath): Type
     {
+        return $this->resolveIfBound($filePath) ?? new ObjectType(TestCase::class);
+    }
+
+    public function resolveIfBound(string $filePath): ?Type
+    {
+        // @note: returns null when no binding covers the file, so callers can tell an unbound file from one bound to PHPUnit's TestCase.
         [$classNames, $traitNames] = $this->partition(
             $this->pestConfigReader->resolveFileBindings($filePath),
         );
@@ -31,6 +37,10 @@ public function resolve(string $filePath): Type
             $traitNames = array_values(array_unique([...$directoryTraitNames, ...$traitNames]));
         }
 
+        if ($classNames === [] && $traitNames === []) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
         if ($classNames === []) {
             $classNames[] = TestCase::class;
         }
diff --git a/src/Type/Pest/TestFunctionReturnTypeExtension.php b/src/Type/Pest/TestFunctionReturnTypeExtension.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..11337e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Type/Pest/TestFunctionReturnTypeExtension.php
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Pest\PHPStan\Type\Pest;
+
+use PhpParser\Node\Expr\FuncCall;
+use PHPStan\Analyser\Scope;
+use PHPStan\Reflection\FunctionReflection;
+use PHPStan\Type\DynamicFunctionReturnTypeExtension;
+use PHPStan\Type\ObjectType;
+use PHPStan\Type\Type;
+use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
+
+final class TestFunctionReturnTypeExtension implements DynamicFunctionReturnTypeExtension
+{
+    public function __construct(
+        private readonly PestTestCaseType $pestTestCaseType,
+    ) {}
+
+    public function isFunctionSupported(FunctionReflection $functionReflection): bool
+    {
+        return $functionReflection->getName() === 'test';
+    }
+
+    public function getTypeFromFunctionCall(
+        FunctionReflection $functionReflection,
+        FuncCall $functionCall,
+        Scope $scope
+    ): ?Type {
+        if ($functionCall->getArgs() !== []) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        if (! $this->pestTestCaseType->resolveIfBound($scope->getFile()) instanceof Type) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        if (! $scope->hasVariableType('this')->yes()) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        // @note: a bare test() proxies the running test case, so it only gets the test case type where $this is the test case; helper functions and unbound files keep the declared type.
+        $thisType = $scope->getVariableType('this');
+
+        if (! new ObjectType(TestCase::class)->isSuperTypeOf($thisType)->yes()) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        return $thisType;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/Fixtures/CustomTestCaseInference/Feature/test-function-custom-testcase.php b/tests/Fixtures/CustomTestCaseInference/Feature/test-function-custom-testcase.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7242e56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Fixtures/CustomTestCaseInference/Feature/test-function-custom-testcase.php
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace TestFunctionCustomTestCase;
+
+use Pest\PendingCalls\TestCall;
+use Tests\Type\Fixtures\CustomTestCase;
+use Tests\Type\Fixtures\Post;
+
+use function PHPStan\Testing\assertType;
+
+function testBareTestCallInTestClosure(): void
+{
+    it('types a bare test() as the bound test case', function (): void {
+        assertType(CustomTestCase::class, test());
+    });
+}
+
+function testBareTestCallInBeforeEach(): void
+{
+    beforeEach(function (): void {
+        assertType(CustomTestCase::class, test());
+    });
+}
+
+function testBareTestCallInHelperFunctionKeepsDeclaredType(): void
+{
+    assertType('Pest\\PendingCalls\\TestCall|Pest\\Support\\HigherOrderTapProxy', test());
+}
+
+function testBareTestCallInStaticClosureKeepsDeclaredType(): void
+{
+    it('keeps the declared type without $this', static function (): void {
+        assertType('Pest\\PendingCalls\\TestCall|Pest\\Support\\HigherOrderTapProxy', test());
+    });
+}
+
+function testBareTestCallInNestedArrowFunction(): void
+{
+    it('types a bare test() inside a nested arrow function', function (): void {
+        $resolve = fn () => test();
+
+        assertType(CustomTestCase::class, $resolve());
+    });
+}
+
+function testMethodCallThroughBareTestCall(): void
+{
+    it('resolves methods through a bare test()', function (): void {
+        assertType('string', test()->createHelper());
+    });
+}
+
+function testHookPropertyReadThroughBareTestCall(): void
+{
+    beforeEach(function (): void {
+        test()->post = new Post;
+    });
+
+    it('resolves a hook property read through a bare test()', function (): void {
+        assertType(Post::class, test()->post);
+    });
+}
+
+function testTestCallWithDescriptionIsUnchanged(): void
+{
+    assertType(TestCall::class, test('has a description'));
+}
diff --git a/tests/Type/CustomTestCaseTest.php b/tests/Type/CustomTestCaseTest.php
index a13648b..2824a9e 100644
--- a/tests/Type/CustomTestCaseTest.php
+++ b/tests/Type/CustomTestCaseTest.php
@@ -11,6 +11,12 @@
     yield from CustomTestCaseTestCase::gatherAssertTypes(__DIR__.'/../Fixtures/CustomTestCaseInference/Feature/test-with-closures-custom-testcase.php');
 });
 
+test('a bare test() call types as the bound custom testcase', function (string $assertType, string $file, mixed ...$args): void {
+    $this->assertFileAsserts($assertType, $file, ...$args);
+})->with(function (): Iterator {
+    yield from CustomTestCaseTestCase::gatherAssertTypes(__DIR__.'/../Fixtures/CustomTestCaseInference/Feature/test-function-custom-testcase.php');
+});
+
 test('custom testcase closure types when a class and a trait are bound', function (string $assertType, string $file, mixed ...$args): void {
     $this->assertFileAsserts($assertType, $file, ...$args);
 })->with(function (): Iterator {
diff --git a/tests/Type/ExpectTypeTest.php b/tests/Type/ExpectTypeTest.php
index ccb4808..bd47d2f 100644
--- a/tests/Type/ExpectTypeTest.php
+++ b/tests/Type/ExpectTypeTest.php
@@ -16,6 +16,12 @@
     yield from TestCase::gatherAssertTypes(__DIR__.'/data/test-closures.php');
 });
 
+test('bare test() call types', function (string $assertType, string $file, mixed ...$args): void {
+    $this->assertFileAsserts($assertType, $file, ...$args);
+})->with(function (): Iterator {
+    yield from TestCase::gatherAssertTypes(__DIR__.'/data/test-function.php');
+});
+
 test('with closure types', function (string $assertType, string $file, mixed ...$args): void {
     $this->assertFileAsserts($assertType, $file, ...$args);
 })->with(function (): Iterator {
diff --git a/tests/Type/data/test-function.php b/tests/Type/data/test-function.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e2a8e6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Type/data/test-function.php
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace TestFunction;
+
+use function PHPStan\Testing\assertType;
+
+function testBareTestCallWithoutBindingKeepsDeclaredType(): void
+{
+    it('keeps the declared type when no binding covers the file', function (): void {
+        assertType('Pest\PendingCalls\TestCall|Pest\Support\HigherOrderTapProxy', test());
+    });
+}
diff --git a/tests/Type/data/test-hook-properties.php b/tests/Type/data/test-hook-properties.php
index 3ed3f56..c0b6e69 100644
--- a/tests/Type/data/test-hook-properties.php
+++ b/tests/Type/data/test-hook-properties.php
@@ -306,3 +306,26 @@ function testBeforeEachMutuallyReferentialProperties(): void
         assertType('mixed', $this->cycleFirst);
     });
 }
+
+function testBeforeEachAssignmentThroughTestFunction(): void
+{
+    beforeEach(function (): void {
+        test()->viaTestFunction = new Post;
+    });
+
+    it('resolves a property a hook sets through test()', function (): void {
+        assertType(Post::class, $this->viaTestFunction);
+    });
+}
+
+function testBeforeEachAssignmentThroughTestFunctionWithLocalVariable(): void
+{
+    beforeEach(function (): void {
+        $author = new Author;
+        test()->viaTestFunctionLocal = $author;
+    });
+
+    it('resolves a local variable a hook sets through test()', function (): void {
+        assertType(Author::class, $this->viaTestFunctionLocal);
+    });
+}