diff --git a/tests/integration/api-parameter-validation.test.ts b/tests/integration/api-parameter-validation.test.ts
index 4e25e781..da4aed14 100644
--- a/tests/integration/api-parameter-validation.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/api-parameter-validation.test.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ describe('API Parameter Validation', () => {
     })
   })
 
+  afterAll(async () => {
+    await brain.close()
+  })
+
   it('should use "where" parameter for metadata filtering', async () => {
     const results = await brain.find({
       where: { category: 'test-category' },
diff --git a/tests/integration/entity-confidence-weight.test.ts b/tests/integration/entity-confidence-weight.test.ts
index b5bb34c5..031d29f1 100644
--- a/tests/integration/entity-confidence-weight.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/entity-confidence-weight.test.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  * - Backward compatibility preserved
  */
 
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy.js'
 import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
 
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@ describe('Entity Confidence & Weight Exposure', () => {
     await brain.init()
   })
 
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await brain.close()
+  })
+
   describe('Entity interface', () => {
     it('should expose confidence when adding entity with confidence', async () => {
       const id = await brain.add({
diff --git a/tests/integration/related-verb-array.test.ts b/tests/integration/related-verb-array.test.ts
index 36a49850..7ed1bd3f 100644
--- a/tests/integration/related-verb-array.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/related-verb-array.test.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ describe('related() with a verb-type array returns every requested type', () =>
   })
 
   afterAll(async () => {
+    await brain.close()
     brain = null as any
   })
 
diff --git a/tests/integration/relationship-intelligence.test.ts b/tests/integration/relationship-intelligence.test.ts
index b6e11cb5..c18057fb 100644
--- a/tests/integration/relationship-intelligence.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/relationship-intelligence.test.ts
@@ -59,7 +59,8 @@ describe('Relationship Intelligence', () => {
     await brain.init()
   })
 
-  afterEach(() => {
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await brain.close()
     if (fs.existsSync(testDir)) {
       fs.rmSync(testDir, { recursive: true })
     }
diff --git a/tests/integration/rev-and-ifabsent.test.ts b/tests/integration/rev-and-ifabsent.test.ts
index 64b184a3..3bff59f1 100644
--- a/tests/integration/rev-and-ifabsent.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/rev-and-ifabsent.test.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
  *   - addMany({ ifAbsent: true }) applies the flag to every item
  */
 
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy.js'
 import { RevisionConflictError } from '../../src/transaction/RevisionConflictError.js'
 import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
@@ -22,6 +22,10 @@ describe('7.31.0 — _rev CAS + ifAbsent', () => {
     await brain.init()
   })
 
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await brain.close()
+  })
+
   describe('_rev initialization + surface', () => {
     it('initializes _rev to 1 on add()', async () => {
       const id = await brain.add({ data: 'hello', type: NounType.Document })
diff --git a/tests/integration/vfs-containment-batched.test.ts b/tests/integration/vfs-containment-batched.test.ts
index 0a7919bf..7bbad478 100644
--- a/tests/integration/vfs-containment-batched.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/vfs-containment-batched.test.ts
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ describe('repairContainment: batched pass 2', () => {
   })
 
   afterAll(async () => {
+    await brain.close()
     brain = null as any
   })
 
diff --git a/tests/integration/vfs-debug.test.ts b/tests/integration/vfs-debug.test.ts
index 7e781139..5eeb0ef5 100644
--- a/tests/integration/vfs-debug.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/vfs-debug.test.ts
@@ -9,9 +9,10 @@ import * as XLSX from 'xlsx'
 describe('VFS Debug', () => {
   it('minimal VFS writeFile test', async () => {
     const brain = new Brainy({ requireSubtype: false, storage: { type: 'memory' } })
-    await brain.init()
+    try {
+      await brain.init()
 
-    console.log('✅ Brain initialized')
+      console.log('✅ Brain initialized')
 
     // Get VFS and initialize
     const vfs = brain.vfs
@@ -77,5 +78,8 @@ describe('VFS Debug', () => {
     // THE REAL TEST: Can we query VFS?
     expect(children.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
     expect(rootContents.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
+    } finally {
+      await brain.close()
+    }
   })
 })