diff --git a/.github/workflows/go_test.yml b/.github/workflows/go_test.yml
index 46ba1d3f6..c5b980800 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/go_test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/go_test.yml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ jobs:
           go-version: ${{ matrix.go-version }}
 
       - name: Run tests
-        run: go test -v -race ./...
+        run: go test -race ./...
 
   test-aws-mysql:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -54,4 +54,4 @@ jobs:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Test with Go
         # Parallel tests are disabled for the MySQL test database to always be in a known state.
-        run: go test -p=1 -v -race ./storage/aws/... -is_mysql_test_optional=false
+        run: go test -p=1 -race ./storage/aws/... -is_mysql_test_optional=false
diff --git a/internal/mirror/gateway/mirror_gateway_test.go b/internal/mirror/gateway/mirror_gateway_test.go
index 0ff57af0b..191226da1 100644
--- a/internal/mirror/gateway/mirror_gateway_test.go
+++ b/internal/mirror/gateway/mirror_gateway_test.go
@@ -56,8 +56,7 @@ func TestGateway(t *testing.T) {
 	} {
 		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			opts := tessera.NewAppendOptions().
-				WithCheckpointInterval(100 * time.Millisecond).
-				WithCheckpointRepublishInterval(100 * time.Millisecond)
+				WithCheckpointInterval(100 * time.Millisecond)
 
 			testLog, shutdown := testonly.NewTestLog(t, opts)
 			defer func() {
diff --git a/storage/posix/files_test.go b/storage/posix/files_test.go
index 2960d982a..9711de44c 100644
--- a/storage/posix/files_test.go
+++ b/storage/posix/files_test.go
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ import (
 
 func TestGarbageCollect(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := t.Context()
+	appCtx, cancel := context.WithCancel(ctx)
+	defer cancel()
 	batchSize := uint64(60000)
 	integrateEvery := uint64(31343)
 
@@ -59,7 +61,7 @@ func TestGarbageCollect(t *testing.T) {
 		s:           s,
 		entriesPath: opts.EntriesPath(),
 	}
-	appender, lr, err := s.newAppender(ctx, logStorage, opts)
+	appender, lr, err := s.newAppender(appCtx, logStorage, opts)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Appender: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -113,6 +115,9 @@ func TestGarbageCollect(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 
+	// Stop background appender jobs before running fsck and TempDir cleanup.
+	cancel()
+
 	// And finally, for good measure, assert that all the resources implied by the log's checkpoint
 	// are present.
 	f := fsck.New(vk.Name(), vk, lr, defaultMerkleLeafHasher, fsck.Opts{N: 1})
@@ -149,6 +154,8 @@ func TestGarbageCollectOption(t *testing.T) {
 	} {
 		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			ctx := t.Context()
+			appCtx, cancel := context.WithCancel(ctx)
+			defer cancel()
 
 			s := &Storage{
 				cfg: Config{
@@ -172,7 +179,7 @@ func TestGarbageCollectOption(t *testing.T) {
 				s:           s,
 				entriesPath: opts.EntriesPath(),
 			}
-			appender, lr, err := s.newAppender(ctx, logStorage, opts)
+			appender, lr, err := s.newAppender(appCtx, logStorage, opts)
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Fatalf("Appender: %v", err)
 			}
@@ -240,6 +247,9 @@ func TestGarbageCollectOption(t *testing.T) {
 				}
 			}
 
+			// Stop background appender jobs before running fsck and TempDir cleanup.
+			cancel()
+
 			// And finally, for good measure, assert that all the resources implied by the log's checkpoint
 			// are present.
 			f := fsck.New(vk.Name(), vk, lr, defaultMerkleLeafHasher, fsck.Opts{N: 1})
diff --git a/testonly/testlog.go b/testonly/testlog.go
index 06830eb25..88f852bb8 100644
--- a/testonly/testlog.go
+++ b/testonly/testlog.go
@@ -46,13 +46,16 @@ func NewTestLog(t *testing.T, opts *tessera.AppendOptions) (*TestLog, func(conte
 	}
 
 	root := t.TempDir()
-	driver, err := posix.New(t.Context(), posix.Config{Path: root})
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(t.Context())
+	t.Cleanup(cancel)
+
+	driver, err := posix.New(ctx, posix.Config{Path: root})
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("posix.New: %v", err)
 	}
 
 	opts.WithCheckpointSigner(s)
-	a, shutdown, lr, err := tessera.NewAppender(t.Context(), driver, opts)
+	a, shutdown, lr, err := tessera.NewAppender(ctx, driver, opts)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("NewAppender: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -64,7 +67,10 @@ func NewTestLog(t *testing.T, opts *tessera.AppendOptions) (*TestLog, func(conte
 		Appender:    a,
 	}
 
-	return r, shutdown
+	return r, func(sCtx context.Context) error {
+		defer cancel()
+		return shutdown(sCtx)
+	}
 }
 
 // TestLog represents an ephemeral POSIX log instance intended for use in tests.