diff --git a/crates/tracedecay/tests/storage_suite/multi_connection_test/fail_closed.rs b/crates/tracedecay/tests/storage_suite/multi_connection_test/fail_closed.rs
index cfe16b33c9c..e1fcc3f8cab 100644
--- a/crates/tracedecay/tests/storage_suite/multi_connection_test/fail_closed.rs
+++ b/crates/tracedecay/tests/storage_suite/multi_connection_test/fail_closed.rs
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ fn split_brain_is_rejected_and_unavailable_daemon_fails_closed_until_restart() {
         "rejected contender is still running after fail-closed rejection"
     );
 
-    stop_child(&mut owner);
+    drop(owner);
     install_unavailable_socket_sentinel(&socket_path);
     let before = storage_snapshot(&profile_db_path);
     for (label, mut command) in [
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ fn split_brain_is_rejected_and_unavailable_daemon_fails_closed_until_restart() {
         &profile_db_path,
     );
 
-    let mut restarted = spawn_daemon(&home_path, &socket_path);
+    let restarted = spawn_daemon(&home_path, &socket_path);
     assert_command_success(
         "restarted daemon status",
         &tool_status(&home_path, &project_path, &socket_path),
@@ -161,5 +161,4 @@ fn split_brain_is_rejected_and_unavailable_daemon_fails_closed_until_restart() {
         authority_after["epoch"].as_u64() > authority_before["epoch"].as_u64(),
         "restart must advance daemon authority epoch"
     );
-    stop_child(&mut restarted);
 }
diff --git a/crates/tracedecay/tests/storage_suite/multi_connection_test/harness.rs b/crates/tracedecay/tests/storage_suite/multi_connection_test/harness.rs
index 8fb0c7d7af5..3e05bc4da24 100644
--- a/crates/tracedecay/tests/storage_suite/multi_connection_test/harness.rs
+++ b/crates/tracedecay/tests/storage_suite/multi_connection_test/harness.rs
@@ -136,19 +136,13 @@ fn wait_for_socket(socket_path: &Path, child: &mut Child) {
     );
 }
 
-pub(super) fn spawn_daemon(home: &Path, socket_path: &Path) -> ChildGuard {
-    let mut child = ChildGuard::new(
-        common::tracedecay_command_with_home(home)
-            .args(["daemon", "run", "--socket"])
+pub(super) fn spawn_daemon(home: &Path, socket_path: &Path) -> common::DaemonProcess {
+    common::spawn_tracedecay_daemon_with(home, |command| {
+        command
+            .arg("--socket")
             .arg(socket_path)
-            .stdin(Stdio::null())
-            .stdout(Stdio::null())
-            .stderr(Stdio::null())
-            .spawn()
-            .expect("spawn daemon"),
-    );
-    wait_for_socket(socket_path, &mut child);
-    child
+            .env_remove("TRACEDECAY_TEST_ALLOW_INCOMPLETE_HOLDER_SCAN");
+    })
 }
 
 /// Where the spawned daemon's stderr was redirected, when the caller captured