diff --git a/test/schedule.test.js b/test/schedule.test.js
index 88852be..a1da495 100644
--- a/test/schedule.test.js
+++ b/test/schedule.test.js
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ test('Cleanup is scheduled automatically', async (t) => {
   alice.goals.set(postFeedID, 'newest-3')
   assert('alice set a goal for newest-3 of post feed')
 
-  alice.gc.start(4 * 1024), // 4kB, approximately 8 messages
-    await p(setTimeout)(3000)
+  alice.gc.start(4 * 1024) // 4kB, approximately 8 messages
+  await p(setTimeout)(3000)
 
   assert.deepEqual(
     getTexts([...alice.db.msgs()]),
@@ -93,7 +93,6 @@ test('Compaction is scheduled automatically', async (t) => {
   alice.goals.set(alice.db.feed.getID(aliceID, 'post4'), 'all')
 
   alice.gc.start(6 * 1024) // 6kB, approximately 12 messages
-
   await p(setTimeout)(3000)
 
   assert.deepEqual(
diff --git a/test/util.js b/test/util.js
index 9917b6a..3fc1b85 100644
--- a/test/util.js
+++ b/test/util.js
@@ -1,19 +1,20 @@
-const os = require('node:os')
-const path = require('node:path')
+const OS = require('node:os')
+const Path = require('node:path')
 const rimraf = require('rimraf')
 const caps = require('ppppp-caps')
 const Keypair = require('ppppp-keypair')
 
 function createPeer(opts) {
   if (opts.name) {
-    opts.path ??= path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'ppppp-gc-' + opts.name)
+    const tmp = OS.tmpdir()
+    opts.db ??= {path: Path.join(tmp, `ppppp-gc-${opts.name}-${Date.now()}`)}
     opts.keypair ??= Keypair.generate('ed25519', opts.name)
     opts.name = undefined
   }
-  if (!opts.path) throw new Error('need opts.path in createPeer()')
+  if (!opts.db.path) throw new Error('need opts.db.path in createPeer()')
   if (!opts.keypair) throw new Error('need opts.keypair in createPeer()')
 
-  rimraf.sync(opts.path)
+  rimraf.sync(opts.db.path)
   return require('secret-stack/bare')()
     .use(require('secret-stack/plugins/net'))
     .use(require('secret-handshake-ext/secret-stack'))