diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 023157e1..6f7db737 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -3461,11 +3461,6 @@
       "integrity": "sha1-R+Y/evVa+m+S4VAOaQ64uFKcCZo=",
       "dev": true
     },
-    "jju": {
-      "version": "1.3.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/jju/-/jju-1.3.0.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha1-2t2e8BkkvHKLA/L3l5vb1i96Kqo="
-    },
     "js-string-escape": {
       "version": "1.0.1",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/js-string-escape/-/js-string-escape-1.0.1.tgz",
@@ -3505,14 +3500,6 @@
       "integrity": "sha1-597mbjXW/Bb3EP6R1c9p9w8IkR0=",
       "dev": true
     },
-    "json-parse-helpfulerror": {
-      "version": "1.0.3",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/json-parse-helpfulerror/-/json-parse-helpfulerror-1.0.3.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha1-E/FM4C7tTpgSl7ZOueO5MuLdE9w=",
-      "requires": {
-        "jju": "1.3.0"
-      }
-    },
     "json-schema": {
       "version": "0.2.3",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/json-schema/-/json-schema-0.2.3.tgz",
@@ -5946,17 +5933,6 @@
         "strip-json-comments": "2.0.1"
       }
     },
-    "read-package-json": {
-      "version": "2.0.10",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/read-package-json/-/read-package-json-2.0.10.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-iNWaEs9hW9nviu5rHADmkm/Ob5dvah5zajtTS1XbyERSzkWgSwWZ6Z12bION7bEAzVc2YRFWnAz8k/tAr+5/eg==",
-      "requires": {
-        "glob": "7.1.2",
-        "graceful-fs": "4.1.11",
-        "json-parse-helpfulerror": "1.0.3",
-        "normalize-package-data": "2.4.0"
-      }
-    },
     "read-pkg": {
       "version": "1.1.0",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/read-pkg/-/read-pkg-1.1.0.tgz",
diff --git a/test/fixtures.ts b/test/fixtures.ts
index bd39efe2..c64f8c1e 100644
--- a/test/fixtures.ts
+++ b/test/fixtures.ts
@@ -64,16 +64,3 @@ export async function withFixtures(
 
   return result;
 }
-
-// Problem: the following doesn't quite work with Ava. Ava expects direct calls
-// to `test`, and if it doesn't find them, it thinks that there do not exist
-// any tests in a file.
-// TODO: figure out a solution. Without this, the users of withFixtures have to
-// remember to use test.serial rather than test.
-export async function testWithFixtures(
-    name: string, fixtures: Fixtures, testFn: Test) {
-  return await withFixtures(fixtures, async () => {
-    // The tests are run serially because we chdir to temp directory.
-    return await test.serial(name, testFn);
-  });
-}
diff --git a/test/test-clean.ts b/test/test-clean.ts
index ddadb853..861cf752 100644
--- a/test/test-clean.ts
+++ b/test/test-clean.ts
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ test.failing.serial(
     'should gracefully error if tsconfig is missing', async t => {
       await withFixtures({}, async () => {
         await clean(OPTIONS);
-        t.pass();
       });
     });
 
diff --git a/test/test-kitchen.ts b/test/test-kitchen.ts
index c54c9c5b..01ef0508 100644
--- a/test/test-kitchen.ts
+++ b/test/test-kitchen.ts
@@ -23,22 +23,18 @@ const execOpts = {
   cwd: `${stagingPath}/kitchen`
 };
 
+console.log(`${chalk.blue(`${__filename} staging area: ${stagingPath}`)}`);
+
 /**
  * Create a staging directory with temp fixtures used
  * to test on a fresh application.
  */
 test.before(async () => {
-  try {
-    await execp('npm pack');
-    const tarball = `${pkg.name}-${pkg.version}.tgz`;
-    await renamep(tarball, `${stagingPath}/gts.tgz`);
-    await ncpp('test/fixtures', `${stagingPath}/`);
-    await execp('npm install', execOpts);
-  } catch (e) {
-    console.error('Failed to prepare test staging sandbox.');
-    console.error(e);
-    throw e;
-  }
+  await execp('npm pack');
+  const tarball = `${pkg.name}-${pkg.version}.tgz`;
+  await renamep(tarball, `${stagingPath}/gts.tgz`);
+  await ncpp('test/fixtures', `${stagingPath}/`);
+  await execp('npm install', execOpts);
 });
 
 test.serial('init', async t => {
@@ -95,7 +91,5 @@ test.serial('clean', async t => {
 test.after.always('cleanup staging', async () => {
   if (!keep) {
     stagingDir.removeCallback();
-  } else {
-    console.log(`${chalk.blue(`${__filename} staging area: ${stagingPath}`)}`);
   }
 });