diff --git a/lib/src/golden_test.dart b/lib/src/golden_test.dart
index acdacfc..5cc97df 100644
--- a/lib/src/golden_test.dart
+++ b/lib/src/golden_test.dart
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
 import 'package:meta/meta.dart';
 
 final Set<String> _loadedFontFamilies = {};
+bool _goldenTestSetUpRegistered = false;
 
 /// Default golden test runner which uses the flutter test framework.
 const defaultGoldenTestRunner = FlutterGoldenTestRunner();
@@ -168,7 +169,10 @@ Future<void> goldenTest(
     currentPlatform: currentPlatform,
   );
 
-  goldenTestAdapter.setUp(_setUpGoldenTests);
+  if (!_goldenTestSetUpRegistered) {
+    _goldenTestSetUpRegistered = true;
+    goldenTestAdapter.setUp(_setUpGoldenTests);
+  }
 
   await goldenTestAdapter.testWidgets(
     description,
diff --git a/test/src/golden_test_set_up_accumulation_test.dart b/test/src/golden_test_set_up_accumulation_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..92ee5a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/src/golden_test_set_up_accumulation_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+import 'package:alchemist/alchemist.dart';
+import 'package:alchemist/src/golden_test_adapter.dart';
+import 'package:alchemist/src/golden_test_runner.dart';
+import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+import 'package:mocktail/mocktail.dart';
+
+class MockGoldenTestRunner extends Mock implements GoldenTestRunner {}
+
+class MockWidgetTester extends Mock implements WidgetTester {}
+
+void main() {
+  setUpAll(() {
+    registerFallbackValue(MockWidgetTester());
+    registerFallbackValue(const SizedBox());
+    registerFallbackValue(const BoxConstraints());
+  });
+
+  group('goldenTest setUp accumulation', () {
+    // Stores every callback passed to setUp during test registration.
+    late List<ValueGetter<dynamic>> registeredSetUpCallbacks;
+
+    // Stores every (variant, callback) pair passed to testWidgets.
+    late List<(TestVariant<Object?>, Future<void> Function(WidgetTester))>
+        registeredTests;
+
+    late MockGoldenTestRunner runner;
+
+    setUp(() {
+      registeredSetUpCallbacks = [];
+      registeredTests = [];
+      runner = MockGoldenTestRunner();
+
+      // Use the real adapter so goldenTest → adapter.setUp → setUpFn path
+      // is exercised.
+      goldenTestAdapter = const FlutterGoldenTestAdapter();
+      goldenTestRunner = runner;
+      hostPlatform = HostPlatform.linux;
+
+      // Intercept setUp: record each callback without registering it in
+      // flutter_test's real infrastructure (which would pollute this test).
+      setUpFn = (body) {
+        registeredSetUpCallbacks.add(body);
+      };
+
+      // Intercept testWidgets: record the test but don't execute it yet.
+      testWidgetsFn = (
+        String description,
+        Future<void> Function(WidgetTester) callback, {
+        bool? skip,
+        Timeout? timeout,
+        bool semanticsEnabled = true,
+        TestVariant<Object?> variant = const DefaultTestVariant(),
+        dynamic tags,
+        int? retry,
+      }) {
+        registeredTests.add((variant, callback));
+      };
+
+      when(
+        () => runner.run(
+          tester: any(named: 'tester'),
+          goldenPath: any(named: 'goldenPath'),
+          widget: any(named: 'widget'),
+          globalConfigTheme: any(named: 'globalConfigTheme'),
+          variantConfigTheme: any(named: 'variantConfigTheme'),
+          goldenTestTheme: any(named: 'goldenTestTheme'),
+          forceUpdate: any(named: 'forceUpdate'),
+          obscureText: any(named: 'obscureText'),
+          renderShadows: any(named: 'renderShadows'),
+          textScaleFactor: any(named: 'textScaleFactor'),
+          constraints: any(named: 'constraints'),
+          pumpBeforeTest: any(named: 'pumpBeforeTest'),
+          pumpWidget: any(named: 'pumpWidget'),
+          whilePerforming: any(named: 'whilePerforming'),
+        ),
+      ).thenAnswer((_) async {});
+    });
+
+    tearDown(() {
+      goldenTestAdapter = defaultGoldenTestAdapter;
+      goldenTestRunner = defaultGoldenTestRunner;
+      hostPlatform = defaultHostPlatform;
+      setUpFn = defaultSetUpFn;
+      testWidgetsFn = defaultTestWidgetsFn;
+    });
+
+    test(
+      'setUp is registered once and executions scale O(N) not O(N²)',
+      () async {
+        const n = 10;
+        for (var i = 0; i < n; i++) {
+          await goldenTest(
+            'test $i',
+            fileName: 'test_$i',
+            builder: () => const SizedBox(),
+          );
+        }
+
+        // FIXED: only one setUp callback should be registered regardless
+        // of how many goldenTest() calls are made.
+        expect(
+          registeredSetUpCallbacks,
+          hasLength(1),
+          reason: 'goldenTest should register setUp at most once',
+        );
+
+        // --- Simulate what flutter_test does at runtime ---
+        //
+        // flutter_test runs every registered setUp callback before each
+        // test invocation.  With TestVariant producing V values per test,
+        // each test runs V times.
+        //
+        // Total setUp body executions =
+        //   (# tests) × (# variant values per test) × (# setUp callbacks)
+
+        var totalSetUpExecutions = 0;
+        for (final (variant, _) in registeredTests) {
+          final variantCount = variant.values.length;
+          for (var v = 0; v < variantCount; v++) {
+            totalSetUpExecutions += registeredSetUpCallbacks.length;
+          }
+        }
+
+        // With default AlchemistConfig both platform and CI are enabled,
+        // so each test has 2 variant values.
+        //
+        // Registered setUps  : 1
+        // Registered tests   : N
+        // Variants per test  : 2
+        // Total setUp calls  : N × 1 × 2 = 2N
+        expect(registeredTests, hasLength(n));
+        expect(
+          totalSetUpExecutions,
+          2 * n, // 20 — linear, not quadratic
+          reason:
+              'setUp should execute O(N) times '
+              '($totalSetUpExecutions instead of expected ${2 * n})',
+        );
+      },
+    );
+  });
+}