diff --git a/tests/integration/api-parameter-validation.test.ts b/tests/integration/api-parameter-validation.test.ts
index da4aed14..4e25e781 100644
--- a/tests/integration/api-parameter-validation.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/api-parameter-validation.test.ts
@@ -34,10 +34,6 @@ 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 031d29f1..b5bb34c5 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, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy.js'
 import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
 
@@ -19,10 +19,6 @@ 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/find-fields-projection.test.ts b/tests/integration/find-fields-projection.test.ts
index 25ee416c..5d339f08 100644
--- a/tests/integration/find-fields-projection.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/find-fields-projection.test.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
  * index-served (a body field, or a bucketed timestamp), exactly the owing rows
  * are read and the rest are still served from the index.
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, vi } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy'
 import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes'
 import { generateTestVector } from '../helpers/test-factory'
@@ -59,10 +59,6 @@ describe('find/get({ fields }) — projection', () => {
     await brain.flush()
   })
 
-  afterAll(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   /** Count canonical record reads for one call. */
   const countingReads = async <R>(body: () => Promise<R>): Promise<{ out: R; reads: number }> => {
     const spy = vi.spyOn(brain as any, 'batchGet')
diff --git a/tests/integration/find-near.test.ts b/tests/integration/find-near.test.ts
index b2bf01cd..3fb235c8 100644
--- a/tests/integration/find-near.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/find-near.test.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
  * it). Now the anchor is fetched with its vector, and an anchor without one
  * refuses by name instead of failing inside the index.
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy'
 import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes'
 import { v5 } from '../../src/universal/uuid'
@@ -28,10 +28,6 @@ describe('find({ near }) uses the anchor vector', () => {
     await brain.add({ id: 'far', data: 'far row', type: NounType.Thing, vector: generateTestVector() })
   })
 
-  afterAll(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   it('returns the anchor\'s neighbours by its own vector', async () => {
     const results = await brain.find({ near: { id: 'anchor' }, limit: 3 })
     expect(results.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
diff --git a/tests/integration/find-orderby-every-path.test.ts b/tests/integration/find-orderby-every-path.test.ts
index e62ec670..7637a79b 100644
--- a/tests/integration/find-orderby-every-path.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/find-orderby-every-path.test.ts
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
  * the covering is ASSERTED from the leg's own output rather than assumed. This
  * pin is about ordering, and it says nothing about recall.
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy'
 import { NounType, VerbType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes'
 import { resolveEntityId } from '../../src/utils/idNormalization'
@@ -107,10 +107,6 @@ describe('find(): orderBy is the order on every path', () => {
     }
   })
 
-  afterAll(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   it('the fixture: the hybrid candidate set covers the whole filter universe', async () => {
     const universe: string[] = await (brain as any).filterIdsBelted({ lane: 'alpha' })
     expect(universe).toHaveLength(ROWS)
diff --git a/tests/integration/find-planner-door.test.ts b/tests/integration/find-planner-door.test.ts
index e5224f6d..964b13f9 100644
--- a/tests/integration/find-planner-door.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/find-planner-door.test.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
  * against the adjacency before it is believed, so a not-serving graph refuses
  * loudly instead of answering `[]` as truth.
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, vi } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy'
 import { NounType, VerbType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes'
 import { generateTestVector } from '../helpers/test-factory'
@@ -56,10 +56,6 @@ describe('find(): the optional planner door', () => {
     }
   })
 
-  afterAll(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   /** Install a planner door for one call, then remove it. */
   const withDoor = async <T>(
     door: (...a: any[]) => Promise<any>,
diff --git a/tests/integration/find-unified-integration.test.ts b/tests/integration/find-unified-integration.test.ts
index 3c4741c2..94053d55 100644
--- a/tests/integration/find-unified-integration.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/find-unified-integration.test.ts
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ describe('Unified Find() Integration Tests', () => {
 
   afterAll(async () => {
     await cleanup.cleanup()
-    await brain.close()
     brain = null as any
   })
 
diff --git a/tests/integration/related-verb-array.test.ts b/tests/integration/related-verb-array.test.ts
index 7ed1bd3f..36a49850 100644
--- a/tests/integration/related-verb-array.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/related-verb-array.test.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ 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 c18057fb..b6e11cb5 100644
--- a/tests/integration/relationship-intelligence.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/relationship-intelligence.test.ts
@@ -59,8 +59,7 @@ describe('Relationship Intelligence', () => {
     await brain.init()
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
+  afterEach(() => {
     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 3bff59f1..64b184a3 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, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy.js'
 import { RevisionConflictError } from '../../src/transaction/RevisionConflictError.js'
 import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
@@ -22,10 +22,6 @@ 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 7bbad478..0a7919bf 100644
--- a/tests/integration/vfs-containment-batched.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/vfs-containment-batched.test.ts
@@ -81,7 +81,6 @@ 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 5eeb0ef5..7e781139 100644
--- a/tests/integration/vfs-debug.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/vfs-debug.test.ts
@@ -9,10 +9,9 @@ import * as XLSX from 'xlsx'
 describe('VFS Debug', () => {
   it('minimal VFS writeFile test', async () => {
     const brain = new Brainy({ requireSubtype: false, storage: { type: 'memory' } })
-    try {
-      await brain.init()
+    await brain.init()
 
-      console.log('✅ Brain initialized')
+    console.log('✅ Brain initialized')
 
     // Get VFS and initialize
     const vfs = brain.vfs
@@ -78,8 +77,5 @@ describe('VFS Debug', () => {
     // THE REAL TEST: Can we query VFS?
     expect(children.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
     expect(rootContents.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-    } finally {
-      await brain.close()
-    }
   })
 })
diff --git a/tests/unit/brainy-core.unit.test.ts b/tests/unit/brainy-core.unit.test.ts
index 0488057d..eb6614e4 100644
--- a/tests/unit/brainy-core.unit.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/brainy-core.unit.test.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  * No mocks, no fakes, real implementation
  */
 
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy.js'
 import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
 
@@ -21,10 +21,6 @@ describe('Brainy 3.0 Core (Unit Tests)', () => {
     await brain.init()
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   describe('CRUD Operations', () => {
     it('should create items with add', async () => {
       const id = await brain.add({ 
diff --git a/tests/unit/brainy/find-complement-operators.test.ts b/tests/unit/brainy/find-complement-operators.test.ts
index 710fbbbf..76fbb017 100644
--- a/tests/unit/brainy/find-complement-operators.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/brainy/find-complement-operators.test.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  * soft-delete semantic: `field !== value` MUST include entities that have no
  * such field at all.
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../../src/brainy'
 import { NounType } from '../../../src/types/graphTypes'
 
@@ -26,10 +26,6 @@ describe('find() complement operators (ne / exists:false / missing:true)', () =>
     ids.noField2 = await brain.add({ data: 'n2', type: NounType.Thing, metadata: { other: 2 } })
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   it('ne returns everything except the matching value — INCLUDING entities without the field', async () => {
     const rows = await brain.find({ where: { status: { ne: 'active' } }, limit: 100 })
     const got = new Set(rows.map((r) => r.id))
diff --git a/tests/unit/brainy/find-index-integrity-guard.test.ts b/tests/unit/brainy/find-index-integrity-guard.test.ts
index 3e63d790..30cfdf1b 100644
--- a/tests/unit/brainy/find-index-integrity-guard.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/brainy/find-index-integrity-guard.test.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
  * returns an id whose record matches NEITHER the type nor the where filter) and
  * assert the phantom is dropped while the genuine matches survive.
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../../src/brainy'
 import { NounType } from '../../../src/types/graphTypes'
 
@@ -48,10 +48,6 @@ describe('find() index-integrity guard (phantom row class)', () => {
     })
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   it('healthy index: the discriminant query returns only the staff Person', async () => {
     const rows = await brain.find({ type: NounType.Person, where: { entityType: 'staff' }, limit: 100 })
     expect(rows.map((r) => r.id)).toEqual([staffId])
diff --git a/tests/unit/brainy/find.test.ts b/tests/unit/brainy/find.test.ts
index 59601456..5bead272 100644
--- a/tests/unit/brainy/find.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/brainy/find.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../../src/brainy'
 import { createAddParams } from '../../helpers/test-factory'
 import { NounType } from '../../../src/types/graphTypes'
@@ -12,11 +12,7 @@ describe('Brainy.find()', () => {
     })
     await brain.init()
   })
-
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
+  
   describe('success paths', () => {
     it('should find entities by text query', async () => {
       // Arrange
diff --git a/tests/unit/brainy/metadata-provider-contract.test.ts b/tests/unit/brainy/metadata-provider-contract.test.ts
index 466fc654..945c0670 100644
--- a/tests/unit/brainy/metadata-provider-contract.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/brainy/metadata-provider-contract.test.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
  * exercised by cor's combined matrix); they inject probe/spy hooks onto the live JS
  * metadata index, which has neither method by default.
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../../src/brainy'
 import { NounType } from '../../../src/types/graphTypes'
 
@@ -34,10 +34,6 @@ describe('metadata-provider contract wiring (getIdsForFilter opts)', () => {
     mi = (brain as any).metadataIndex
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   it('RETIRED: a read never calls probeConsistency() / self-heals via detectAndRepairCorruption — that is the read-triggered dark rebuild the health-gate law forbids', async () => {
     let probes = 0
     let repairs = 0
diff --git a/tests/unit/brainy/migration-gate-family-scoped.test.ts b/tests/unit/brainy/migration-gate-family-scoped.test.ts
index ce510a4e..b71c3899 100644
--- a/tests/unit/brainy/migration-gate-family-scoped.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/brainy/migration-gate-family-scoped.test.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
  * gate that hung getStats / readdir / readFile behind an unrelated family's
  * migration until the wait timed out.
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../../src/brainy.js'
 import { MigrationInProgressError } from '../../../src/errors/brainyError.js'
 
@@ -38,19 +38,12 @@ const jam = (provider: unknown) => {
 }
 
 describe('migration LOCK is family-scoped', () => {
-  const opened: Brainy[] = []
-
   beforeEach(() => {
     process.env.BRAINY_DETERMINISTIC_EMBEDDINGS = 'true'
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    for (const b of opened.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-  })
-
   it('a stuck VECTOR migration does not block canonical or graph/metadata reads', async () => {
     const brain = await seed()
-    opened.push(brain)
     const childId = (
       (await brain.vfs.readdir('/notes', { withFileTypes: true })) as Array<{ entityId: string }>
     )[0].entityId
@@ -67,7 +60,6 @@ describe('migration LOCK is family-scoped', () => {
 
   it('a stuck VECTOR migration STILL blocks a read that needs the vector family', async () => {
     const brain = await seed()
-    opened.push(brain)
     jam((brain as any).index)
 
     // A semantic query consults the vector index — it must wait, and (bounded by
@@ -78,7 +70,6 @@ describe('migration LOCK is family-scoped', () => {
 
   it('a stuck GRAPH migration blocks traversal but not vector/canonical reads', async () => {
     const brain = await seed()
-    opened.push(brain)
     const childId = (
       (await brain.vfs.readdir('/notes', { withFileTypes: true })) as Array<{ entityId: string }>
     )[0].entityId
@@ -96,7 +87,6 @@ describe('migration LOCK is family-scoped', () => {
 
   it('with no migration in flight, every read serves (the fast path is a no-op)', async () => {
     const brain = await seed()
-    opened.push(brain)
     await expect(brain.getStats()).resolves.toBeDefined()
     await expect(brain.find({ query: 'doc' })).resolves.toBeDefined()
     await expect(brain.vfs.readdir('/notes')).resolves.toHaveLength(1)
diff --git a/tests/unit/brainy/relate-duplicate-optimization.test.ts b/tests/unit/brainy/relate-duplicate-optimization.test.ts
index 910d057d..8bcb7c7a 100644
--- a/tests/unit/brainy/relate-duplicate-optimization.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/brainy/relate-duplicate-optimization.test.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ describe('Duplicate Check Optimization', () => {
   })
 
   afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
+    // Cleanup is automatic with memory storage
   })
 
   it('should detect duplicate relationships using GraphAdjacencyIndex', async () => {
diff --git a/tests/unit/get-index-status-readiness.test.ts b/tests/unit/get-index-status-readiness.test.ts
index 5e283bc8..7f82ec5d 100644
--- a/tests/unit/get-index-status-readiness.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/get-index-status-readiness.test.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  * _indexRebuildFailed / _indexDegradedIds degraded states (mirroring
  * validateIndexConsistency / checkHealth).
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy, NounType } from '../../src/index.js'
 
 describe('getIndexStatus honest readiness (Finding 9)', () => {
@@ -20,10 +20,6 @@ describe('getIndexStatus honest readiness (Finding 9)', () => {
     await brain.flush()
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   it('a not-ready provider makes populated honest (false) and exposes ready:false', async () => {
     brain.index.isReady = () => false // count present, serving structure NOT loaded
     const status = await brain.getIndexStatus()
diff --git a/tests/unit/graph/graph-fastpath-honest-readiness.test.ts b/tests/unit/graph/graph-fastpath-honest-readiness.test.ts
index 95a6c0c4..46d318b4 100644
--- a/tests/unit/graph/graph-fastpath-honest-readiness.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/graph/graph-fastpath-honest-readiness.test.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
  * scan; and a one-shot probe self-heals a no-isReady provider whose adjacency
  * did not cold-load.
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy, NounType, VerbType } from '../../../src/index.js'
 
 describe('graph fast-path honest readiness (Finding 2)', () => {
@@ -33,10 +33,6 @@ describe('graph fast-path honest readiness (Finding 2)', () => {
     await storage.getVerbsBySource(a)
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   it('not-ready provider → shard scan returns the REAL edges, not a silent []', async () => {
     const gi = storage.graphIndex
     // Simulate a cold native provider: count/manifest loaded (isInitialized) but
diff --git a/tests/unit/metadata-cold-read-guard.test.ts b/tests/unit/metadata-cold-read-guard.test.ts
index d079982e..b4f82f15 100644
--- a/tests/unit/metadata-cold-read-guard.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/metadata-cold-read-guard.test.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
  * The 8.0 JS index cold-loads correctly, so we simulate the cold native failure
  * mode by intercepting the provider's getIdsForFilter/rebuild.
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy, NounType, MetadataIndexNotReadyError } from '../../src/index.js'
 
 const V = () => Array.from({ length: 384 }, (_, i) => Math.sin(i * 0.1) + 0.001)
@@ -31,10 +31,6 @@ describe('Metadata cold-read guard (#venue silent-[])', () => {
     await brain.flush()
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   it('warm brain: filtered find is correct and the guard does not rebuild', async () => {
     const mi = brain.metadataIndex
     let rebuilds = 0
diff --git a/tests/unit/migration-lock.test.ts b/tests/unit/migration-lock.test.ts
index 63f6953e..f0fbbe4c 100644
--- a/tests/unit/migration-lock.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/migration-lock.test.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
  * the production feature-detection reads it.
  */
 
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy, NounType, MigrationInProgressError } from '../../src/index.js'
 import { GraphAdjacencyIndex } from '../../src/graph/graphAdjacencyIndex.js'
 
@@ -39,12 +39,6 @@ describe('Migration LOCK (#18) — coordinated 7.x→8.0 auto-upgrade', () => {
     await brain.init()
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    // The "close() is not gated" test already closes `brain` itself as its
-    // own assertion — closing an already-closed brain is a safe no-op here.
-    await brain.close().catch(() => {})
-  })
-
   it('does not gate operations when no provider is migrating (fast path)', async () => {
     const id = await brain.add({ data: 'hello', type: NounType.Concept })
     expect(id).toBeTruthy()
@@ -136,9 +130,6 @@ describe('Migration LOCK (#18) — coordinated 7.x→8.0 auto-upgrade', () => {
       expect(e).toBeInstanceOf(MigrationInProgressError)
       expect(e.retryable).toBe(true)
       expect(typeof e.elapsedMs).toBe('number')
-    } finally {
-      // close() is proven not-gated by the test below — safe even mid-migration.
-      await shortBrain.close()
     }
   })
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/neural/signals/EmbeddingSignal.test.ts b/tests/unit/neural/signals/EmbeddingSignal.test.ts
index ad08e045..54d34b64 100644
--- a/tests/unit/neural/signals/EmbeddingSignal.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/neural/signals/EmbeddingSignal.test.ts
@@ -13,11 +13,10 @@ describe('EmbeddingSignal', () => {
     signal = new EmbeddingSignal(brain)
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
     signal.clearCache()
     signal.clearHistory()
     signal.resetStats()
-    await brain.close()
   })
 
   describe('initialization', () => {
diff --git a/tests/unit/storage/pagination-parallel-hydration.test.ts b/tests/unit/storage/pagination-parallel-hydration.test.ts
index a98fe8c9..ada324bb 100644
--- a/tests/unit/storage/pagination-parallel-hydration.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/storage/pagination-parallel-hydration.test.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  * hydration (zero per-entity reads when unfiltered). Both must preserve the exact
  * pagination contract: same order, cursor continuation, filters, totalCount.
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, vi } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy, NounType } from '../../../src/index.js'
 
 describe('paginated enumeration — parallel hydration + id-only (cortex heal-cost)', () => {
@@ -30,10 +30,6 @@ describe('paginated enumeration — parallel hydration + id-only (cortex heal-co
     storage = brain.storage
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   /** Page the whole dataset through a small limit via cursor and collect ordered ids. */
   const pageAll = async (fn: (opts: any) => Promise<any>, key: 'items' | 'ids') => {
     const out: string[] = []
diff --git a/tests/unit/type-filtering.unit.test.ts b/tests/unit/type-filtering.unit.test.ts
index a1943da9..9e4700b2 100644
--- a/tests/unit/type-filtering.unit.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/type-filtering.unit.test.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  * Tests to verify that brain.find({ type: NounType.X }) correctly filters entities
  */
 
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy, NounType } from '../../src/index.js'
 
 describe('Type Filtering (A Consumer Team Issue)', () => {
@@ -17,10 +17,6 @@ describe('Type Filtering (A Consumer Team Issue)', () => {
     await brain.init()
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   it('should filter entities by NounType.Person', async () => {
     // Add 3 people
     await brain.add({ data: 'John Smith', type: NounType.Person, metadata: { name: 'John' } })
diff --git a/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-array-bound.test.ts b/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-array-bound.test.ts
index 32bf5d8c..a96ae1d6 100644
--- a/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-array-bound.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-array-bound.test.ts
@@ -48,10 +48,6 @@ describe('the indexable-array bound', () => {
     await brain.init()
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   describe('BELOW the bound: the array indexes, every element of it', () => {
     it('the eleven-element array that used to vanish is searchable', async () => {
       // ELEVEN — one over the old silent limit, the whole shape of the defect.
diff --git a/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-sparse-range-collation.test.ts b/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-sparse-range-collation.test.ts
index 7a2bf0a7..d6d00568 100644
--- a/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-sparse-range-collation.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-sparse-range-collation.test.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
  * column store adopts the field. It is named in `getIdsFromChunksForRange`'s
  * doc comment rather than papered over.
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../../src/brainy'
 import { NounType } from '../../../src/types/graphTypes'
 import { SparseIndex, ChunkManager } from '../../../src/utils/metadataIndexChunking'
@@ -122,10 +122,6 @@ describe('legacy sparse index: range queries order values, or refuse', () => {
     expect(index.columnStore.hasField(FIELD)).toBe(false)
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   describe('(a) a long BOUND against ordinary short values', () => {
     // 'apple' < 'mango' < 'zebra', and every bound below is compared against
     // these three raw keys.
diff --git a/tests/unit/validate-invariants-delegation.test.ts b/tests/unit/validate-invariants-delegation.test.ts
index 69133733..a5def81f 100644
--- a/tests/unit/validate-invariants-delegation.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/validate-invariants-delegation.test.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
  * validateInvariants(), and repairIndex() maps a failing invariant with heal:'rebuild'
  * to that provider's rebuild(). "healthy-while-broken must be impossible."
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy, NounType } from '../../src/index.js'
 import type { ProviderInvariantReport } from '../../src/index.js'
 
@@ -48,10 +48,6 @@ describe('validateIndexConsistency delegates to provider validateInvariants() (P
     await brain.flush()
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   it('a broken provider report makes the store unhealthy and names the failing invariant', async () => {
     brain.index.validateInvariants = async () => brokenReport('vector')
     const v = await brain.validateIndexConsistency()
diff --git a/tests/unit/vector-cold-read-guard.test.ts b/tests/unit/vector-cold-read-guard.test.ts
index 963009b7..0905f298 100644
--- a/tests/unit/vector-cold-read-guard.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/vector-cold-read-guard.test.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
  * signal (from either strategy) THROWS VectorIndexNotReadyError immediately,
  * with no rebuild attempt in between — never a silent empty result.
  */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy, NounType, VectorIndexNotReadyError } from '../../src/index.js'
 
 const V = (): number[] => Array.from({ length: 384 }, (_, i) => Math.sin(i * 0.1) + 0.001)
@@ -28,10 +28,6 @@ describe('Vector cold-read guard (verifyVectorLive) — silent-[] on cold semant
     await brain.flush()
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   it('warm brain: semantic find is correct and the guard does not rebuild', async () => {
     const vi = brain.index
     let rebuilds = 0
diff --git a/tests/unit/vfs-multi-instance-diagnostic.test.ts b/tests/unit/vfs-multi-instance-diagnostic.test.ts
index 85ff1002..deaa4615 100644
--- a/tests/unit/vfs-multi-instance-diagnostic.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/vfs-multi-instance-diagnostic.test.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  * Tests to verify VFS import behavior and identify if VFS creates only wrappers or also graph entities
  */
 
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy, NounType } from '../../src/index.js'
 
 describe('VFS Multi-instance Diagnostic', () => {
@@ -17,10 +17,6 @@ describe('VFS Multi-instance Diagnostic', () => {
     await brain.init()
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   it('should verify VFS creates document wrappers AND allows entity filtering', async () => {
     console.log('\n🔬 VFS Multi-instance Diagnostic Test\n')
     console.log('='.repeat(70))
diff --git a/tests/vfs/tree-operations.unit.test.ts b/tests/vfs/tree-operations.unit.test.ts
index 91743227..8c717115 100644
--- a/tests/vfs/tree-operations.unit.test.ts
+++ b/tests/vfs/tree-operations.unit.test.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  * Ensures tree methods prevent recursion and work correctly
  */
 
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy.js'
 import { VirtualFileSystem } from '../../src/vfs/VirtualFileSystem.js'
 import { VFSTreeUtils } from '../../src/vfs/TreeUtils.js'
@@ -24,10 +24,6 @@ describe('VFS Tree Operations', () => {
     await vfs.init()
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   describe('Critical: No Self-Inclusion Bug', () => {
     it('should NEVER return a directory as its own child', async () => {
       // Create test structure
diff --git a/tests/vfs/vfs-bug-fixes.unit.test.ts b/tests/vfs/vfs-bug-fixes.unit.test.ts
index 12199c8b..f98d6a76 100644
--- a/tests/vfs/vfs-bug-fixes.unit.test.ts
+++ b/tests/vfs/vfs-bug-fixes.unit.test.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
  * - Issue #2: File read decompression error
  */
 
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy.js'
 import { VirtualFileSystem } from '../../src/vfs/VirtualFileSystem.js'
 
@@ -25,10 +25,6 @@ describe('VFS Bug Fixes', () => {
     await vfs.init()
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   describe('Issue #1: Duplicate Directory Nodes', () => {
     it('should not create duplicate directory entries when writing multiple files to same directory', async () => {
       // Write multiple files to the same directory (reproduce the bug scenario)
diff --git a/tests/vfs/vfs-bulkwrite-race.unit.test.ts b/tests/vfs/vfs-bulkwrite-race.unit.test.ts
index 09d68568..238ac6b9 100644
--- a/tests/vfs/vfs-bulkwrite-race.unit.test.ts
+++ b/tests/vfs/vfs-bulkwrite-race.unit.test.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
  * other operations in parallel batches.
  */
 
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
 import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy.js'
 import { VirtualFileSystem } from '../../src/vfs/VirtualFileSystem.js'
 
@@ -30,10 +30,6 @@ describe('VFS bulkWrite Race Condition Fix', () => {
     await vfs.init()
   })
 
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    await brain.close()
-  })
-
   describe('operation ordering', () => {
     it('should create directories before files when mixed in same batch', async () => {
       // This is the exact scenario that triggered the race condition: