diff --git a/TESTING.md b/TESTING.md
index 659db13..70e3899 100644
--- a/TESTING.md
+++ b/TESTING.md
@@ -2,8 +2,12 @@
 
 ## DNS Resolution Tests
 
-All resolver tests **MUST** use live queries against real DNS servers.
-No mocking of the DNS client layer is permitted.
+DNS is never mocked in this project, not in tests and not anywhere
+else; see the README section "No DNS mocking. Ever." Every test that
+looks something up in DNS **MUST** query live DNS servers, never a
+stand-in. Logic that works on record data, such as comparing or
+formatting records, may be tested on that data directly with no
+lookup.
 
 ### Rationale
 
@@ -21,14 +25,18 @@ real servers ensures the resolver works correctly in production.
 - Query timeout is calibrated to 3× maximum antipodal RTT (~300ms)
   plus processing margin
 - Root server fan-out is limited to reduce parallel query load
+- Live lookups that expect an answer go through `internal/livedns`,
+  which limits how many run at once in a test binary and retries a
+  lookup that got none
 - Flaky failures from transient network issues are acceptable and
   should be investigated as potential resolver bugs, not papered over
   with mocks or skip flags
 
 ### What NOT to do
 
-- **Do not mock `DNSClient`** for resolver tests (the mock constructor
-  exists for unit-testing other packages that consume the resolver)
+- **Do not mock, fake or stub DNS** anywhere: no stand-in `DNSClient`,
+  no stand-in for the watcher's `DNSResolver`, no fake DNS server, no
+  canned responses
 - **Do not add `-short` flags** to skip slow tests
 - **Do not increase `-timeout`** to hide hanging queries
 - **Do not remove `-count=1` from `script/test`** — Go's test cache
diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index 5ce0129..c03615b 100644
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -10,11 +10,7 @@
 
 # Status
 
-pre-1.0. No git tags. Core resolver work in flight on feature/resolver
-(dirty: internal/resolver/resolver_test.go). Local checkout has diverged
-from origin: origin/main is 8 commits ahead (watcher orchestrator,
-unified TARGETS) and origin/feature/resolver already contains the full
-iterative resolver implementation with hermetic mocked tests.
+pre-1.0. No git tags.
 
 # Next Step
 
@@ -23,6 +19,13 @@ Rationale, Design, TODO, License, Author) if any are still missing.
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-09-29: nothing stands in for DNS any more. Watcher tests that look
+  something up in DNS use the real resolver against live DNS servers and test
+  record and nameserver changes by preparing the saved state a check starts
+  from; the resolver timeout test queries an address that never answers, and
+  `NewFromLoggerWithClient`, used only by its stand-in client, is gone. The
+  live-DNS retry and concurrency limit moved to `internal/livedns`, which both
+  test packages use. `TESTING.md` states the README's rule (closes #159).
 - 2026-09-28: the inconsistency alert is sent once, on the check where two
   nameservers start to disagree or where a nameserver that disagrees first
   appears, instead of on every check while they disagree, and not again after
@@ -261,6 +264,5 @@ Infrastructure notes (from untracked TODO.md):
 - Module path sneak.berlin/go/dnswatcher differs from the git.eeqj.de
   remote intentionally; do not "fix" it
 - Dependencies: github.com/miekg/dns, golang.org/x/net/publicsuffix
-- Resolver tests originally used live DNS against *.dns.sneak.cloud
-  (required records documented in the test file header); origin now has
-  mocked hermetic tests, keep them hermetic
+- DNS is never mocked; tests that look something up in DNS query live DNS
+  servers (README, "No DNS mocking. Ever.")
diff --git a/internal/livedns/livedns.go b/internal/livedns/livedns.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b86794b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/livedns/livedns.go
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+// Package livedns runs the live DNS operations of tests. Tests that
+// look something up in DNS query live DNS servers, never a stand-in —
+// see TESTING.md. Nothing here mocks, fakes, stubs, records or replays
+// DNS, and nothing here skips a test: it only changes *how* the live
+// queries are issued, so that a single dropped UDP packet or one slow
+// authoritative server does not turn correct code into a red build.
+//
+// Two mechanisms:
+//
+//  1. Bounded concurrency. Tests run in parallel and the build hosts
+//     have many cores, so without a limit every test starts its own
+//     iterative resolution at the same instant and they all hit the
+//     first root server within a few milliseconds of each other. Root
+//     servers rate-limit that, which shows up as a different arbitrary
+//     subset of tests failing on each run. Run caps how many live
+//     operations are in flight at once in one test binary.
+//
+//  2. Retry with exponential backoff. Each live operation gets several
+//     attempts with its own timeout. An attempt is retried when it
+//     obtained nothing to check, never because of what the test
+//     asserts about the result, so a wrong result still fails on the
+//     first attempt. A fault in the code under test that leaves
+//     nothing to check looks the same as live DNS not answering, and
+//     fails only after the last attempt.
+package livedns
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+const (
+	// attempts is how many times a live DNS operation is attempted
+	// before the test fails.
+	attempts = 3
+
+	// AttemptTimeout bounds one attempt. Worst case for an operation
+	// is attempts * AttemptTimeout plus the backoff — about 26
+	// seconds, well inside the 90-second `go test -timeout` backstop
+	// even when several operations exhaust their attempts.
+	AttemptTimeout = 8 * time.Second
+
+	// backoffBase is the delay after the first failed attempt; it is
+	// multiplied by backoffFactor each time.
+	backoffBase = 500 * time.Millisecond
+
+	// backoffFactor is the exponential backoff multiplier.
+	backoffFactor = 2
+
+	// Concurrency caps how many live operations may be in flight
+	// across one test binary at once.
+	Concurrency = 6
+)
+
+// gate bounds concurrent live operations. It has to be package scoped:
+// the whole point is that it is shared by every parallel test in the
+// test binary.
+//
+//nolint:gochecknoglobals // package-wide live query rate limit
+var gate = make(chan struct{}, Concurrency)
+
+// ErrNoAnswer reports that a live operation produced no usable answer,
+// which is retried rather than asserted on.
+var ErrNoAnswer = errors.New("no answer from live DNS")
+
+// Run executes one attempt of a live operation, holding a slot in gate
+// for its duration and bounding it with its own timeout.
+func Run(op func(ctx context.Context) error) error {
+	gate <- struct{}{}
+	defer func() { <-gate }()
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(
+		context.Background(), AttemptTimeout,
+	)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	return op(ctx)
+}
+
+// Retry runs op until it reports success, retrying failures with
+// exponential backoff, and fails the test if every attempt fails. op
+// returns an error only for a failure to obtain an answer — never for
+// an answer the test disagrees with, which belongs in an assertion so
+// that it fails immediately. op stores whatever it obtained where its
+// caller can find it.
+func Retry(
+	t *testing.T,
+	what string,
+	op func(ctx context.Context) error,
+) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	var last error
+
+	backoff := backoffBase
+
+	for attempt := range attempts {
+		if attempt > 0 {
+			t.Logf(
+				"%s: attempt %d of %d failed (%v), "+
+					"retrying in %s",
+				what, attempt, attempts, last, backoff,
+			)
+			time.Sleep(backoff)
+
+			backoff *= backoffFactor
+		}
+
+		last = Run(op)
+		if last == nil {
+			return
+		}
+	}
+
+	t.Fatalf(
+		"%s: all %d live attempts failed: %v",
+		what, attempts, last,
+	)
+}
diff --git a/internal/livedns/livedns_test.go b/internal/livedns/livedns_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1c0f5fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/livedns/livedns_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+package livedns_test
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+
+	"sneak.berlin/go/dnswatcher/internal/livedns"
+)
+
+// Tests for the retry and the concurrency limit themselves. They
+// perform no DNS resolution of any kind.
+
+func TestRetryRecoversFromTransientFailure(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	const wantAttempts = 2
+
+	attempts := 0
+
+	livedns.Retry(t, "transient", func(_ context.Context) error {
+		attempts++
+
+		if attempts < wantAttempts {
+			return livedns.ErrNoAnswer
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	})
+
+	assert.Equal(t, wantAttempts, attempts)
+}
+
+func TestRetryGivesEachAttemptADeadline(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	livedns.Retry(t, "deadline", func(ctx context.Context) error {
+		deadline, ok := ctx.Deadline()
+		assert.True(t, ok, "attempt should carry a deadline")
+
+		remaining := time.Until(deadline)
+
+		assert.LessOrEqual(t, remaining, livedns.AttemptTimeout)
+
+		// Lower bound too: without one this passes for a
+		// deadline far shorter than intended, which would
+		// silently turn every live attempt into an instant
+		// timeout.
+		assert.Greater(t, remaining, livedns.AttemptTimeout/2)
+
+		return nil
+	})
+}
+
+func TestRunBoundsConcurrency(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	const workers = 24
+
+	var (
+		mu       sync.Mutex
+		wg       sync.WaitGroup
+		inFlight int
+		maxSeen  int
+	)
+
+	wg.Add(workers)
+
+	for range workers {
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+
+			_ = livedns.Run(func(_ context.Context) error {
+				mu.Lock()
+				inFlight++
+
+				if inFlight > maxSeen {
+					maxSeen = inFlight
+				}
+				mu.Unlock()
+
+				time.Sleep(time.Millisecond)
+
+				mu.Lock()
+				inFlight--
+				mu.Unlock()
+
+				return nil
+			})
+		}()
+	}
+
+	wg.Wait()
+
+	assert.Positive(t, maxSeen)
+	assert.LessOrEqual(
+		t, maxSeen, livedns.Concurrency,
+		"live queries must stay under the package-wide gate",
+	)
+}
diff --git a/internal/resolver/dns_client.go b/internal/resolver/dns_client.go
index 589c657..13135e5 100644
--- a/internal/resolver/dns_client.go
+++ b/internal/resolver/dns_client.go
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/miekg/dns"
 )
 
-// DNSClient abstracts DNS wire-protocol exchanges so the resolver
-// can be tested without hitting real nameservers.
+// DNSClient sends one DNS message to a nameserver and returns the
+// reply. The resolver holds one for UDP and one for TCP.
 type DNSClient interface {
 	ExchangeContext(
 		ctx context.Context,
diff --git a/internal/resolver/livedns_harness_test.go b/internal/resolver/livedns_harness_test.go
index 87ce704..2efdb39 100644
--- a/internal/resolver/livedns_harness_test.go
+++ b/internal/resolver/livedns_harness_test.go
@@ -1,10 +1,7 @@
 package resolver_test
 
 import (
-	"context"
-	"sync"
 	"testing"
-	"time"
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 
@@ -12,9 +9,8 @@ import (
 )
 
 // Tests for the live-DNS harness in livedns_test.go itself. These
-// exercise pure logic and the retry/concurrency plumbing; they
-// perform no DNS resolution of any kind, so they neither mock DNS
-// nor depend on it.
+// exercise pure logic; they perform no DNS resolution of any kind, so
+// they neither mock DNS nor depend on it.
 
 // Names for the synthetic status maps below. Nothing is ever queried
 // at them: they are map keys handed to the package's pure counting
@@ -90,47 +86,6 @@ func TestStatusCountingIgnoresSilentNameservers(t *testing.T) {
 	)
 }
 
-func TestRetryLiveRecoversFromTransientFailure(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	const wantAttempts = 2
-
-	attempts := 0
-
-	retryLive(t, "transient", func(_ context.Context) error {
-		attempts++
-
-		if attempts < wantAttempts {
-			return errLiveNoAnswer
-		}
-
-		return nil
-	})
-
-	assert.Equal(t, wantAttempts, attempts)
-}
-
-func TestRetryLiveGivesEachAttemptADeadline(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	retryLive(t, "deadline", func(ctx context.Context) error {
-		deadline, ok := ctx.Deadline()
-		assert.True(t, ok, "attempt should carry a deadline")
-
-		remaining := time.Until(deadline)
-
-		assert.LessOrEqual(t, remaining, liveAttemptTimeout)
-
-		// Lower bound too: without one this passes for a
-		// deadline far shorter than intended, which would
-		// silently turn every live attempt into an instant
-		// timeout.
-		assert.Greater(t, remaining, liveAttemptTimeout/2)
-
-		return nil
-	})
-}
-
 // TestUnsanctionedStatusesRejectsWrongAnswers is the regression test
 // for the defect this allowlist exists to prevent: a minority of
 // nameservers answering WRONGLY while quorum keeps the suite green.
@@ -235,50 +190,3 @@ func TestUnsanctionedStatusesToleratesSilenceOnly(t *testing.T) {
 		unsanctionedStatuses(results, allowed...),
 	)
 }
-
-func TestRunLiveBoundsConcurrency(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
-	const workers = 24
-
-	var (
-		mu       sync.Mutex
-		wg       sync.WaitGroup
-		inFlight int
-		maxSeen  int
-	)
-
-	wg.Add(workers)
-
-	for range workers {
-		go func() {
-			defer wg.Done()
-
-			_ = runLive(func(_ context.Context) error {
-				mu.Lock()
-				inFlight++
-
-				if inFlight > maxSeen {
-					maxSeen = inFlight
-				}
-				mu.Unlock()
-
-				time.Sleep(time.Millisecond)
-
-				mu.Lock()
-				inFlight--
-				mu.Unlock()
-
-				return nil
-			})
-		}()
-	}
-
-	wg.Wait()
-
-	assert.Positive(t, maxSeen)
-	assert.LessOrEqual(
-		t, maxSeen, liveConcurrency,
-		"live queries must stay under the package-wide gate",
-	)
-}
diff --git a/internal/resolver/livedns_test.go b/internal/resolver/livedns_test.go
index b864460..b7d1be2 100644
--- a/internal/resolver/livedns_test.go
+++ b/internal/resolver/livedns_test.go
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ import (
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
-	"time"
 
+	"sneak.berlin/go/dnswatcher/internal/livedns"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/dnswatcher/internal/resolver"
 )
 
@@ -17,144 +17,34 @@ import (
 // Live DNS test support
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------
 //
-// Every test in this package resolves against the real, live DNS —
-// see TESTING.md. Nothing here mocks, fakes, stubs, records or
-// replays DNS, and nothing here skips or gates a test: the helpers
-// below only change *how* the live queries are issued, so that a
-// single dropped UDP packet or one slow authoritative server does
-// not turn a correct resolver into a red build.
+// Tests that look something up in DNS query live DNS servers, never a
+// stand-in; logic that works on record data may be tested on that
+// data with no lookup (see TESTING.md). Each live operation below goes
+// through livedns.Retry, which bounds how many resolutions are in
+// flight at once and retries an operation that got no answer (see
+// package livedns).
 //
-// Three mechanisms, all test-side:
+// Where an assertion spans several independent nameservers, a quorum
+// is enough: a strict majority answering as expected. A server that
+// fails to answer is tolerated, while a server that answers *wrongly*
+// still fails the test.
 //
-//  1. Bounded concurrency. The package's tests are parallel and the
-//     build hosts have many cores, so without a limit every test
-//     starts its own iterative resolution at the same instant and
-//     they all hit the first root server in rootServerList() within
-//     a few milliseconds of each other. Root servers rate-limit
-//     that, which shows up as a different arbitrary subset of tests
-//     failing on each run. liveGate caps how many resolutions are
-//     in flight at once.
-//
-//  2. Retry with exponential backoff. Each live operation gets
-//     several attempts with its own timeout. The retry predicate is
-//     strictly transport-level — "did a nameserver answer at all" —
-//     never the assertion the test is making. A resolver that
-//     answers incorrectly still fails on the first attempt.
-//
-//  3. Quorum. Where an assertion spans several independent
-//     nameservers, a strict majority answering as expected is
-//     enough; a server that fails to answer is tolerated, while a
-//     server that answers *wrongly* still fails the test.
-//
-// The tolerance in (3) is expressed as an ALLOWLIST of sanctioned
-// statuses, never as a blocklist of known-bad ones. A blocklist bans
-// the one wrong answer its author thought of and silently admits
-// every other status, including any added to the resolver later; an
-// allowlist fails on anything nobody explicitly sanctioned. Silence
-// (timeout, error) is the only thing quorum exists to tolerate. A
-// *wrong answer* — nxdomain for a name that exists, ok for one that
-// does not, nodata for either — is never tolerated at any count.
+// That tolerance is expressed as an ALLOWLIST of sanctioned statuses,
+// never as a blocklist of known-bad ones. A blocklist bans the one
+// wrong answer its author thought of and silently admits every other
+// status, including any added to the resolver later; an allowlist
+// fails on anything nobody explicitly sanctioned. Silence (timeout,
+// error) is the only thing quorum exists to tolerate. A *wrong
+// answer* — nxdomain for a name that exists, ok for one that does
+// not, nodata for either — is never tolerated at any count.
 
-const (
-	// liveAttempts is how many times a live DNS operation is
-	// attempted before the test fails.
-	liveAttempts = 3
+// minNameservers is the smallest nameserver count a well-run zone is
+// expected to publish.
+const minNameservers = 2
 
-	// liveAttemptTimeout bounds one attempt. Worst case for an
-	// operation is liveAttempts * liveAttemptTimeout plus the
-	// backoff — about 26 seconds, well inside the 90-second
-	// `go test -timeout` backstop even when several operations
-	// exhaust their attempts.
-	liveAttemptTimeout = 8 * time.Second
-
-	// liveBackoffBase is the delay after the first failed
-	// attempt; it is multiplied by liveBackoffFactor each time.
-	liveBackoffBase = 500 * time.Millisecond
-
-	// liveBackoffFactor is the exponential backoff multiplier.
-	liveBackoffFactor = 2
-
-	// liveConcurrency caps how many live resolutions may be in
-	// flight across the whole package at once.
-	liveConcurrency = 6
-
-	// minNameservers is the smallest nameserver count a
-	// well-run zone is expected to publish.
-	minNameservers = 2
-)
-
-// liveGate bounds concurrent live resolutions package-wide. It has
-// to be package scoped: the whole point is that it is shared by
-// every parallel test in the package.
-//
-//nolint:gochecknoglobals // package-wide live query rate limit
-var liveGate = make(chan struct{}, liveConcurrency)
-
-var (
-	// errLiveNoAnswer reports that a live operation produced no
-	// usable answer, which is retried rather than asserted on.
-	errLiveNoAnswer = errors.New("no answer from live DNS")
-
-	// errLiveNoQuorum reports that too few of a domain's
-	// nameservers answered for a quorum assertion to be made.
-	errLiveNoQuorum = errors.New("no nameserver quorum")
-)
-
-// runLive executes one attempt of a live operation, holding a slot
-// in liveGate for its duration and bounding it with its own
-// timeout.
-func runLive(op func(ctx context.Context) error) error {
-	liveGate <- struct{}{}
-	defer func() { <-liveGate }()
-
-	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(
-		context.Background(), liveAttemptTimeout,
-	)
-	defer cancel()
-
-	return op(ctx)
-}
-
-// retryLive runs op until it reports success, retrying transport
-// failures with exponential backoff, and fails the test if every
-// attempt fails. op returns an error only for a failure to obtain
-// an answer — never for an answer the test disagrees with, which
-// belongs in an assertion so that it fails immediately. op stores
-// whatever it obtained where its caller can find it.
-func retryLive(
-	t *testing.T,
-	what string,
-	op func(ctx context.Context) error,
-) {
-	t.Helper()
-
-	var last error
-
-	backoff := liveBackoffBase
-
-	for attempt := range liveAttempts {
-		if attempt > 0 {
-			t.Logf(
-				"%s: attempt %d of %d failed (%v), "+
-					"retrying in %s",
-				what, attempt, liveAttempts, last, backoff,
-			)
-			time.Sleep(backoff)
-
-			backoff *= liveBackoffFactor
-		}
-
-		last = runLive(op)
-		if last == nil {
-			return
-		}
-	}
-
-	t.Fatalf(
-		"%s: no answer after %d live attempts: %v",
-		what, liveAttempts, last,
-	)
-}
+// errLiveNoQuorum reports that too few of a domain's nameservers
+// answered for a quorum assertion to be made.
+var errLiveNoQuorum = errors.New("no nameserver quorum")
 
 // liveQuorum is how many of total nameservers must agree for a
 // multi-nameserver assertion to hold: a strict majority.
@@ -272,7 +162,7 @@ func liveFindAuthoritative(
 
 	var out []string
 
-	retryLive(
+	livedns.Retry(
 		t,
 		"FindAuthoritativeNameservers("+domain+")",
 		func(ctx context.Context) error {
@@ -284,7 +174,7 @@ func liveFindAuthoritative(
 			if len(ns) == 0 {
 				return fmt.Errorf(
 					"%w: %s has no nameservers",
-					errLiveNoAnswer, domain,
+					livedns.ErrNoAnswer, domain,
 				)
 			}
 
@@ -308,7 +198,7 @@ func liveLookupNS(
 
 	var out []string
 
-	retryLive(
+	livedns.Retry(
 		t,
 		"LookupNS("+domain+")",
 		func(ctx context.Context) error {
@@ -320,7 +210,7 @@ func liveLookupNS(
 			if len(ns) == 0 {
 				return fmt.Errorf(
 					"%w: %s has no nameservers",
-					errLiveNoAnswer, domain,
+					livedns.ErrNoAnswer, domain,
 				)
 			}
 
@@ -350,7 +240,7 @@ func liveQueryNameserver(
 
 	var out *resolver.NameserverResponse
 
-	retryLive(
+	livedns.Retry(
 		t,
 		what,
 		func(ctx context.Context) error {
@@ -365,7 +255,7 @@ func liveQueryNameserver(
 				resp.Status == resolver.StatusError {
 				return fmt.Errorf(
 					"%w: %s returned %s: %s",
-					errLiveNoAnswer, nameserver,
+					livedns.ErrNoAnswer, nameserver,
 					resp.Status, resp.Error,
 				)
 			}
@@ -392,7 +282,7 @@ func liveQueryAllNameservers(
 
 	var out map[string]*resolver.NameserverResponse
 
-	retryLive(
+	livedns.Retry(
 		t,
 		"QueryAllNameservers("+hostname+")",
 		func(ctx context.Context) error {
@@ -404,7 +294,7 @@ func liveQueryAllNameservers(
 			if len(results) == 0 {
 				return fmt.Errorf(
 					"%w: no nameservers queried for %s",
-					errLiveNoAnswer, hostname,
+					livedns.ErrNoAnswer, hostname,
 				)
 			}
 
@@ -437,7 +327,7 @@ func liveResolveIPs(
 
 	var out []string
 
-	retryLive(
+	livedns.Retry(
 		t,
 		"ResolveIPAddresses("+hostname+")",
 		func(ctx context.Context) error {
@@ -449,7 +339,7 @@ func liveResolveIPs(
 			if len(ips) == 0 {
 				return fmt.Errorf(
 					"%w: no addresses for %s",
-					errLiveNoAnswer, hostname,
+					livedns.ErrNoAnswer, hostname,
 				)
 			}
 
@@ -476,7 +366,7 @@ func liveResolveIPsAllowingEmpty(
 
 	var out []string
 
-	retryLive(
+	livedns.Retry(
 		t,
 		"ResolveIPAddresses("+hostname+")",
 		func(ctx context.Context) error {
diff --git a/internal/resolver/resolver.go b/internal/resolver/resolver.go
index aec9b89..83b3f47 100644
--- a/internal/resolver/resolver.go
+++ b/internal/resolver/resolver.go
@@ -67,17 +67,4 @@ func NewFromLogger(log *slog.Logger) *Resolver {
 	}
 }
 
-// NewFromLoggerWithClient creates a Resolver with a custom DNS
-// client, useful for testing with mock DNS responses.
-func NewFromLoggerWithClient(
-	log *slog.Logger,
-	client DNSClient,
-) *Resolver {
-	return &Resolver{
-		log:    log,
-		client: client,
-		tcp:    client,
-	}
-}
-
 // Method implementations are in iterative.go.
diff --git a/internal/resolver/resolver_test.go b/internal/resolver/resolver_test.go
index 13bdcde..2dd0369 100644
--- a/internal/resolver/resolver_test.go
+++ b/internal/resolver/resolver_test.go
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
-	"github.com/miekg/dns"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
@@ -33,8 +32,8 @@ func newTestResolver(t *testing.T) *resolver.Resolver {
 }
 
 // findOneNSForDomain picks one authoritative nameserver to aim a
-// test at. Live-DNS retry, concurrency and quorum handling live in
-// livedns_test.go.
+// test at. Quorum handling lives in livedns_test.go, and the live-DNS
+// retry and concurrency limit in package livedns.
 func findOneNSForDomain(
 	t *testing.T,
 	r *resolver.Resolver,
@@ -526,21 +525,18 @@ func TestQueryAllNameservers_ContextCanceled(t *testing.T) {
 func TestQueryNameserverIP_Timeout(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	log := slog.New(slog.NewTextHandler(
-		os.Stderr,
-		&slog.HandlerOptions{Level: slog.LevelDebug},
-	))
-
-	r := resolver.NewFromLoggerWithClient(
-		log, &timeoutClient{},
-	)
+	r := newTestResolver(t)
 
+	// Nothing answers at 192.0.2.1, a documentation address. The
+	// resolver tries each query twice; if the deadline has passed
+	// before the second try starts, the query is reported as nodata,
+	// not timeout. So the deadline must outlast the first try's
+	// two-second timeout.
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(
-		context.Background(), 10*time.Second,
+		context.Background(), 3*time.Second,
 	)
 	t.Cleanup(cancel)
 
-	// Query any IP — the client always returns a timeout error.
 	resp, err := r.QueryNameserverIP(
 		ctx, "unreachable.test.", "192.0.2.1",
 		"example.com",
@@ -551,27 +547,6 @@ func TestQueryNameserverIP_Timeout(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.NotEmpty(t, resp.Error)
 }
 
-// timeoutClient simulates DNS timeout errors for testing.
-type timeoutClient struct{}
-
-func (c *timeoutClient) ExchangeContext(
-	_ context.Context,
-	_ *dns.Msg,
-	_ string,
-) (*dns.Msg, time.Duration, error) {
-	return nil, 0, &net.OpError{
-		Op:  "read",
-		Net: "udp",
-		Err: &timeoutError{},
-	}
-}
-
-type timeoutError struct{}
-
-func (e *timeoutError) Error() string   { return "i/o timeout" }
-func (e *timeoutError) Timeout() bool   { return true }
-func (e *timeoutError) Temporary() bool { return true }
-
 func TestResolveIPAddresses_ContextCanceled(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
diff --git a/internal/watcher/watcher_test.go b/internal/watcher/watcher_test.go
index 0069af2..5ad6030 100644
--- a/internal/watcher/watcher_test.go
+++ b/internal/watcher/watcher_test.go
@@ -2,151 +2,77 @@ package watcher_test
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"log/slog"
+	"slices"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
 	"sneak.berlin/go/dnswatcher/internal/config"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/dnswatcher/internal/livedns"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/dnswatcher/internal/portcheck"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/dnswatcher/internal/resolver"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/dnswatcher/internal/state"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/dnswatcher/internal/tlscheck"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/dnswatcher/internal/watcher"
 )
 
-// errNotFound is returned when mock data is missing.
-var errNotFound = errors.New("not found")
-
-// Fixture values shared across tests.
+// The watcher looks these names up in live DNS with the real resolver,
+// so tests assert on what the watcher does with the answers, never on
+// the records these zones publish. testHost's nameservers and addresses
+// stay the same from one check to the next, which the tests that check
+// it twice rely on.
 const (
-	testDomain = "example.com"
-	testHost   = "www.example.com"
-	testNS1    = "ns1.example.com."
-	testNS2    = "ns2.example.com."
-	testIPv4   = "93.184.216.34"
-	testIP     = "1.2.3.4"
+	testDomain = "google.com"
+	testHost   = "cloudflare.com"
 	testIssuer = "DigiCert"
 )
 
-// --- Mock implementations ---
+// Saved-state values that live DNS never returns: nameserver names
+// under .invalid and a documentation address.
+const (
+	oldNS1 = "ns1.example.invalid."
+	oldNS2 = "ns2.example.invalid."
+	oldIP  = "192.0.2.1"
+)
 
-type mockResolver struct {
-	mu             sync.Mutex
-	nsRecords      map[string][]string
-	allRecords     map[string]map[string]map[string][]string
-	ipAddresses    map[string][]string
-	lookupNSErr    error
-	allRecordsErr  error
-	resolveIPErr   error
-	lookupNSCalls  int
-	allRecordCalls int
-}
-
-func (m *mockResolver) LookupNS(
-	_ context.Context,
-	domain string,
-) ([]string, error) {
-	m.mu.Lock()
-	defer m.mu.Unlock()
-
-	m.lookupNSCalls++
-
-	if m.lookupNSErr != nil {
-		return nil, m.lookupNSErr
-	}
-
-	ns, ok := m.nsRecords[domain]
-	if !ok {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf(
-			"%w: NS for %s", errNotFound, domain,
-		)
-	}
-
-	return ns, nil
-}
-
-func (m *mockResolver) LookupAllRecords(
-	_ context.Context,
-	hostname string,
-) (map[string]map[string][]string, error) {
-	m.mu.Lock()
-	defer m.mu.Unlock()
-
-	m.allRecordCalls++
-
-	if m.allRecordsErr != nil {
-		return nil, m.allRecordsErr
-	}
-
-	recs, ok := m.allRecords[hostname]
-	if !ok {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf(
-			"%w: records for %s", errNotFound, hostname,
-		)
-	}
-
-	return recs, nil
-}
-
-func (m *mockResolver) ResolveIPAddresses(
-	_ context.Context,
-	hostname string,
-) ([]string, error) {
-	m.mu.Lock()
-	defer m.mu.Unlock()
-
-	if m.resolveIPErr != nil {
-		return nil, m.resolveIPErr
-	}
-
-	ips, ok := m.ipAddresses[hostname]
-	if !ok {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf(
-			"%w: IPs for %s", errNotFound, hostname,
-		)
-	}
-
-	return ips, nil
-}
+// --- Stand-ins for the port checker, TLS checker and notifier ---
+//
+// DNS has none: the watchers built here use the real resolver (see
+// TESTING.md).
 
+// mockPortChecker reports every port open until closed is set.
 type mockPortChecker struct {
-	mu      sync.Mutex
-	results map[string]bool
-	err     error
-	calls   int
+	mu     sync.Mutex
+	closed bool
+	calls  int
 }
 
 func (m *mockPortChecker) CheckPort(
 	_ context.Context,
-	address string,
-	port int,
+	_ string,
+	_ int,
 ) (*portcheck.PortResult, error) {
 	m.mu.Lock()
 	defer m.mu.Unlock()
 
 	m.calls++
 
-	if m.err != nil {
-		return nil, m.err
-	}
-
-	key := fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", address, port)
-	open := m.results[key]
-
-	return &portcheck.PortResult{Open: open}, nil
+	return &portcheck.PortResult{Open: !m.closed}, nil
 }
 
+// mockTLSChecker returns a certificate for the requested hostname that
+// expires at notAfter.
 type mockTLSChecker struct {
-	mu    sync.Mutex
-	certs map[string]*tlscheck.CertificateInfo
-	err   error
-	calls int
+	mu       sync.Mutex
+	notAfter time.Time
+	calls    int
 }
 
 func (m *mockTLSChecker) CheckCertificate(
 	_ context.Context,
-	ip string,
+	_ string,
 	hostname string,
 ) (*tlscheck.CertificateInfo, error) {
 	m.mu.Lock()
@@ -154,20 +80,12 @@ func (m *mockTLSChecker) CheckCertificate(
 
 	m.calls++
 
-	if m.err != nil {
-		return nil, m.err
-	}
-
-	key := fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s", ip, hostname)
-	cert, ok := m.certs[key]
-
-	if !ok {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf(
-			"%w: cert for %s", errNotFound, key,
-		)
-	}
-
-	return cert, nil
+	return &tlscheck.CertificateInfo{
+		CommonName:              hostname,
+		Issuer:                  testIssuer,
+		NotAfter:                m.notAfter,
+		SubjectAlternativeNames: []string{hostname},
+	}, nil
 }
 
 type notification struct {
@@ -205,10 +123,9 @@ func (m *mockNotifier) getNotifications() []notification {
 	return result
 }
 
-// --- Helper to build a Watcher for testing ---
+// --- Helpers to build a Watcher and run its checks against live DNS ---
 
 type testDeps struct {
-	resolver    *mockResolver
 	portChecker *mockPortChecker
 	tlsChecker  *mockTLSChecker
 	notifier    *mockNotifier
@@ -223,16 +140,9 @@ func newTestWatcher(
 	t.Helper()
 
 	deps := &testDeps{
-		resolver: &mockResolver{
-			nsRecords:   make(map[string][]string),
-			allRecords:  make(map[string]map[string]map[string][]string),
-			ipAddresses: make(map[string][]string),
-		},
-		portChecker: &mockPortChecker{
-			results: make(map[string]bool),
-		},
+		portChecker: &mockPortChecker{},
 		tlsChecker: &mockTLSChecker{
-			certs: make(map[string]*tlscheck.CertificateInfo),
+			notAfter: time.Now().Add(90 * 24 * time.Hour),
 		},
 		notifier: &mockNotifier{},
 		config:   cfg,
@@ -243,7 +153,7 @@ func newTestWatcher(
 	w := watcher.NewForTest(
 		deps.config,
 		deps.state,
-		deps.resolver,
+		resolver.NewFromLogger(slog.Default()),
 		deps.portChecker,
 		deps.tlsChecker,
 		deps.notifier,
@@ -263,6 +173,122 @@ func defaultTestConfig(t *testing.T) *config.Config {
 	}
 }
 
+// checkOnce runs the watcher's checks once and returns an error when a
+// configured name has no hostname state saved by this check, or that
+// state holds no address. Either live DNS gave no answer for the name,
+// or the watcher saved no fresh result for it.
+func checkOnce(
+	ctx context.Context,
+	w *watcher.Watcher,
+	deps *testDeps,
+) error {
+	started := time.Now()
+
+	w.RunOnce(ctx)
+
+	names := slices.Concat(deps.config.Domains, deps.config.Hostnames)
+
+	for _, name := range names {
+		hs, ok := deps.state.GetHostnameState(name)
+		if !ok || hs.LastChecked.Before(started) ||
+			len(addresses(hs)) == 0 {
+			return fmt.Errorf(
+				"%s: %w, or the watcher saved no fresh "+
+					"result for it",
+				name, livedns.ErrNoAnswer,
+			)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// runChecks builds a watcher, lets prepare set up the saved state and
+// stand-ins it starts from, and runs its checks once against live DNS.
+// If change is not nil, change then alters the saved state or stand-ins
+// and the checks run a second time. When either check finds no fresh
+// address for a name (see checkOnce), the watcher is thrown away and
+// all of this runs again on a new one, so a failed attempt leaves
+// nothing behind in the saved state, the stand-ins or the notifications.
+func runChecks(
+	t *testing.T,
+	cfg *config.Config,
+	prepare, change func(deps *testDeps),
+) *testDeps {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	var deps *testDeps
+
+	livedns.Retry(t, "watcher checks", func(ctx context.Context) error {
+		var w *watcher.Watcher
+
+		w, deps = newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
+
+		if prepare != nil {
+			prepare(deps)
+		}
+
+		err := checkOnce(ctx, w, deps)
+		if err != nil || change == nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		change(deps)
+
+		return checkOnce(ctx, w, deps)
+	})
+
+	return deps
+}
+
+// addresses returns the A and AAAA values saved for a hostname.
+func addresses(hs *state.HostnameState) []string {
+	var ips []string
+
+	for _, nsState := range hs.RecordsByNameserver {
+		ips = append(ips, nsState.Records["A"]...)
+		ips = append(ips, nsState.Records["AAAA"]...)
+	}
+
+	return ips
+}
+
+// assertNotified checks that a notification with this title and
+// priority was sent.
+func assertNotified(
+	t *testing.T,
+	deps *testDeps,
+	title, priority string,
+) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	notifications := deps.notifier.getNotifications()
+
+	for _, n := range notifications {
+		if n.Title == title && n.Priority == priority {
+			return
+		}
+	}
+
+	t.Errorf(
+		"expected %s notification %q, got: %v",
+		priority, title, notifications,
+	)
+}
+
+// countNotifications counts the notifications sent with this title.
+func countNotifications(deps *testDeps, title string) int {
+	count := 0
+
+	for _, n := range deps.notifier.getNotifications() {
+		if n.Title == title {
+			count++
+		}
+	}
+
+	return count
+}
+
 func TestFirstRunBaseline(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
@@ -270,51 +296,12 @@ func TestFirstRunBaseline(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg.Domains = []string{testDomain}
 	cfg.Hostnames = []string{testHost}
 
-	w, deps := newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
-	setupBaselineMocks(deps)
-
-	w.RunOnce(t.Context())
+	deps := runChecks(t, cfg, nil, nil)
 
 	assertNoNotifications(t, deps)
 	assertStatePopulated(t, deps)
 }
 
-func setupBaselineMocks(deps *testDeps) {
-	deps.resolver.nsRecords[testDomain] = []string{
-		testNS1,
-		testNS2,
-	}
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[testDomain] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1: {"A": {testIPv4}},
-		testNS2: {"A": {testIPv4}},
-	}
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[testHost] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1: {"A": {testIPv4}},
-		testNS2: {"A": {testIPv4}},
-	}
-	deps.resolver.ipAddresses[testHost] = []string{
-		testIPv4,
-	}
-	deps.portChecker.results["93.184.216.34:80"] = true
-	deps.portChecker.results["93.184.216.34:443"] = true
-	deps.tlsChecker.certs["93.184.216.34:www.example.com"] = &tlscheck.CertificateInfo{
-		CommonName: testHost,
-		Issuer:     testIssuer,
-		NotAfter:   time.Now().Add(90 * 24 * time.Hour),
-		SubjectAlternativeNames: []string{
-			testHost,
-		},
-	}
-	deps.tlsChecker.certs["93.184.216.34:example.com"] = &tlscheck.CertificateInfo{
-		CommonName: testDomain,
-		Issuer:     testIssuer,
-		NotAfter:   time.Now().Add(90 * 24 * time.Hour),
-		SubjectAlternativeNames: []string{
-			testDomain,
-		},
-	}
-}
-
 func assertNoNotifications(
 	t *testing.T,
 	deps *testDeps,
@@ -361,26 +348,7 @@ func TestDomainPortAndTLSChecks(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg := defaultTestConfig(t)
 	cfg.Domains = []string{testDomain}
 
-	w, deps := newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
-
-	deps.resolver.nsRecords[testDomain] = []string{
-		testNS1,
-	}
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[testDomain] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1: {"A": {testIPv4}},
-	}
-	deps.portChecker.results["93.184.216.34:80"] = true
-	deps.portChecker.results["93.184.216.34:443"] = true
-	deps.tlsChecker.certs["93.184.216.34:example.com"] = &tlscheck.CertificateInfo{
-		CommonName: testDomain,
-		Issuer:     testIssuer,
-		NotAfter:   time.Now().Add(90 * 24 * time.Hour),
-		SubjectAlternativeNames: []string{
-			testDomain,
-		},
-	}
-
-	w.RunOnce(t.Context())
+	deps := runChecks(t, cfg, nil, nil)
 
 	snap := deps.state.GetSnapshot()
 
@@ -419,50 +387,18 @@ func TestNSChangeDetection(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg := defaultTestConfig(t)
 	cfg.Domains = []string{testDomain}
 
-	w, deps := newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
+	// The saved state lists nameservers that live DNS does not.
+	deps := runChecks(t, cfg, func(deps *testDeps) {
+		deps.state.SetDomainState(testDomain, &state.DomainState{
+			Nameservers: []string{oldNS1, oldNS2},
+		})
+	}, nil)
 
-	deps.resolver.nsRecords[testDomain] = []string{
-		testNS1,
-		testNS2,
-	}
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[testDomain] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1: {"A": {testIP}},
-		testNS2: {"A": {testIP}},
-	}
-	deps.portChecker.results["1.2.3.4:80"] = false
-	deps.portChecker.results["1.2.3.4:443"] = false
+	assertNotified(t, deps, "NS Change: "+testDomain, "warning")
 
-	ctx := t.Context()
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
-
-	deps.resolver.mu.Lock()
-	deps.resolver.nsRecords[testDomain] = []string{
-		testNS1,
-		"ns3.example.com.",
-	}
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[testDomain] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1:            {"A": {testIP}},
-		"ns3.example.com.": {"A": {testIP}},
-	}
-	deps.resolver.mu.Unlock()
-
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
-
-	notifications := deps.notifier.getNotifications()
-	if len(notifications) == 0 {
-		t.Error("expected notification for NS change")
-	}
-
-	found := false
-
-	for _, n := range notifications {
-		if n.Priority == "warning" {
-			found = true
-		}
-	}
-
-	if !found {
-		t.Error("expected warning-priority NS change notification")
+	ds, _ := deps.state.GetDomainState(testDomain)
+	if slices.Contains(ds.Nameservers, oldNS1) {
+		t.Errorf("saved nameservers not updated: %v", ds.Nameservers)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -472,40 +408,18 @@ func TestRecordChangeDetection(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg := defaultTestConfig(t)
 	cfg.Hostnames = []string{testHost}
 
-	w, deps := newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
+	// Between the checks, save for every nameserver an address live DNS
+	// never returns.
+	deps := runChecks(t, cfg, nil, func(deps *testDeps) {
+		hs, _ := deps.state.GetHostnameState(testHost)
+		for _, nsState := range hs.RecordsByNameserver {
+			nsState.Records = map[string][]string{"A": {oldIP}}
+		}
 
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[testHost] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1: {"A": {testIPv4}},
-	}
-	deps.resolver.ipAddresses[testHost] = []string{
-		testIPv4,
-	}
-	deps.portChecker.results["93.184.216.34:80"] = false
-	deps.portChecker.results["93.184.216.34:443"] = false
+		deps.state.SetHostnameState(testHost, hs)
+	})
 
-	ctx := t.Context()
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
-
-	deps.resolver.mu.Lock()
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[testHost] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1: {"A": {"93.184.216.35"}},
-	}
-	deps.resolver.ipAddresses[testHost] = []string{
-		"93.184.216.35",
-	}
-	deps.resolver.mu.Unlock()
-
-	deps.portChecker.mu.Lock()
-	deps.portChecker.results["93.184.216.35:80"] = false
-	deps.portChecker.results["93.184.216.35:443"] = false
-	deps.portChecker.mu.Unlock()
-
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
-
-	notifications := deps.notifier.getNotifications()
-	if len(notifications) == 0 {
-		t.Error("expected notification for record change")
-	}
+	assertNotified(t, deps, "Record Change: "+testHost, "warning")
 }
 
 func TestPortStateChange(t *testing.T) {
@@ -514,38 +428,23 @@ func TestPortStateChange(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg := defaultTestConfig(t)
 	cfg.Hostnames = []string{testHost}
 
-	w, deps := newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
+	// Between the checks, every port closes.
+	deps := runChecks(t, cfg, nil, func(deps *testDeps) {
+		deps.portChecker.mu.Lock()
+		deps.portChecker.closed = true
+		deps.portChecker.mu.Unlock()
+	})
 
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[testHost] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1: {"A": {testIP}},
-	}
-	deps.resolver.ipAddresses[testHost] = []string{
-		testIP,
-	}
-	deps.portChecker.results["1.2.3.4:80"] = true
-	deps.portChecker.results["1.2.3.4:443"] = true
-	deps.tlsChecker.certs["1.2.3.4:www.example.com"] = &tlscheck.CertificateInfo{
-		CommonName: testHost,
-		Issuer:     testIssuer,
-		NotAfter:   time.Now().Add(90 * 24 * time.Hour),
-		SubjectAlternativeNames: []string{
-			testHost,
-		},
-	}
+	hs, _ := deps.state.GetHostnameState(testHost)
+	assertNotified(
+		t, deps, "Port Change: "+addresses(hs)[0]+":443", "warning",
+	)
+}
 
-	ctx := t.Context()
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
-
-	deps.portChecker.mu.Lock()
-	deps.portChecker.results["1.2.3.4:443"] = false
-	deps.portChecker.mu.Unlock()
-
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
-
-	notifications := deps.notifier.getNotifications()
-	if len(notifications) == 0 {
-		t.Error("expected notification for port state change")
-	}
+// expiresInThreeDays makes the TLS checker return certificates that
+// expire within the seven-day warning period.
+func expiresInThreeDays(deps *testDeps) {
+	deps.tlsChecker.notAfter = time.Now().Add(3 * 24 * time.Hour)
 }
 
 func TestTLSExpiryWarning(t *testing.T) {
@@ -554,49 +453,9 @@ func TestTLSExpiryWarning(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg := defaultTestConfig(t)
 	cfg.Hostnames = []string{testHost}
 
-	w, deps := newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
+	deps := runChecks(t, cfg, expiresInThreeDays, nil)
 
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[testHost] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1: {"A": {testIP}},
-	}
-	deps.resolver.ipAddresses[testHost] = []string{
-		testIP,
-	}
-	deps.portChecker.results["1.2.3.4:80"] = true
-	deps.portChecker.results["1.2.3.4:443"] = true
-	deps.tlsChecker.certs["1.2.3.4:www.example.com"] = &tlscheck.CertificateInfo{
-		CommonName: testHost,
-		Issuer:     testIssuer,
-		NotAfter:   time.Now().Add(3 * 24 * time.Hour),
-		SubjectAlternativeNames: []string{
-			testHost,
-		},
-	}
-
-	ctx := t.Context()
-
-	// First run = baseline
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
-
-	// Second run should warn about expiry
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
-
-	notifications := deps.notifier.getNotifications()
-
-	found := false
-
-	for _, n := range notifications {
-		if n.Priority == "warning" {
-			found = true
-		}
-	}
-
-	if !found {
-		t.Errorf(
-			"expected expiry warning, got: %v",
-			notifications,
-		)
-	}
+	assertNotified(t, deps, "TLS Expiry Warning: "+testHost, "warning")
 }
 
 func TestTLSExpiryWarningDedup(t *testing.T) {
@@ -606,50 +465,25 @@ func TestTLSExpiryWarningDedup(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg.Hostnames = []string{testHost}
 	cfg.TLSInterval = 24 * time.Hour
 
-	w, deps := newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
+	title := "TLS Expiry Warning: " + testHost
 
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[testHost] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1: {"A": {testIP}},
-	}
-	deps.resolver.ipAddresses[testHost] = []string{
-		testIP,
-	}
-	deps.portChecker.results["1.2.3.4:80"] = true
-	deps.portChecker.results["1.2.3.4:443"] = true
-	deps.tlsChecker.certs["1.2.3.4:www.example.com"] = &tlscheck.CertificateInfo{
-		CommonName: testHost,
-		Issuer:     testIssuer,
-		NotAfter:   time.Now().Add(3 * 24 * time.Hour),
-		SubjectAlternativeNames: []string{
-			testHost,
-		},
+	// The second check comes within the TLS interval of the first,
+	// so it must not warn again.
+	var warnings int
+
+	deps := runChecks(t, cfg, expiresInThreeDays, func(deps *testDeps) {
+		warnings = countNotifications(deps, title)
+	})
+
+	if warnings == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("expected expiry warnings from the first check")
 	}
 
-	ctx := t.Context()
-
-	// First run = baseline, no notifications
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
-
-	// Second run should fire one expiry warning
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
-
-	// Third run should NOT fire another warning (dedup)
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
-
-	notifications := deps.notifier.getNotifications()
-
-	expiryCount := 0
-
-	for _, n := range notifications {
-		if n.Title == "TLS Expiry Warning: www.example.com" {
-			expiryCount++
-		}
-	}
-
-	if expiryCount != 1 {
+	got := countNotifications(deps, title)
+	if got != warnings {
 		t.Errorf(
-			"expected exactly 1 expiry warning (dedup), got %d",
-			expiryCount,
+			"expected %d expiry warnings (dedup), got %d",
+			warnings, got,
 		)
 	}
 }
@@ -657,21 +491,12 @@ func TestTLSExpiryWarningDedup(t *testing.T) {
 func TestGracefulShutdown(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
+	// No domains or hostnames: stopping does not involve DNS.
 	cfg := defaultTestConfig(t)
-	cfg.Domains = []string{testDomain}
 	cfg.DNSInterval = 100 * time.Millisecond
 	cfg.TLSInterval = 100 * time.Millisecond
 
-	w, deps := newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
-
-	deps.resolver.nsRecords[testDomain] = []string{
-		testNS1,
-	}
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[testDomain] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1: {"A": {testIP}},
-	}
-	deps.portChecker.results["1.2.3.4:80"] = false
-	deps.portChecker.results["1.2.3.4:443"] = false
+	w, _ := newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
 
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(t.Context())
 
@@ -693,90 +518,52 @@ func TestGracefulShutdown(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func setupHostnameIP(
-	deps *testDeps,
-	hostname, ip string,
-) {
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[hostname] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1: {"A": {ip}},
-	}
-	deps.portChecker.results[ip+":80"] = true
-	deps.portChecker.results[ip+":443"] = true
-	deps.tlsChecker.certs[ip+":"+hostname] = &tlscheck.CertificateInfo{
-		CommonName:              hostname,
-		Issuer:                  testIssuer,
-		NotAfter:                time.Now().Add(90 * 24 * time.Hour),
-		SubjectAlternativeNames: []string{hostname},
-	}
-}
-
-func updateHostnameIP(deps *testDeps, hostname, ip string) {
-	deps.resolver.mu.Lock()
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[hostname] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1: {"A": {ip}},
-	}
-	deps.resolver.mu.Unlock()
-
-	deps.portChecker.mu.Lock()
-	deps.portChecker.results[ip+":80"] = true
-	deps.portChecker.results[ip+":443"] = true
-	deps.portChecker.mu.Unlock()
-
-	deps.tlsChecker.mu.Lock()
-	deps.tlsChecker.certs[ip+":"+hostname] = &tlscheck.CertificateInfo{
-		CommonName:              hostname,
-		Issuer:                  testIssuer,
-		NotAfter:                time.Now().Add(90 * 24 * time.Hour),
-		SubjectAlternativeNames: []string{hostname},
-	}
-	deps.tlsChecker.mu.Unlock()
-}
-
 func TestDNSRunsBeforePortAndTLSChecks(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
 	cfg := defaultTestConfig(t)
 	cfg.Hostnames = []string{testHost}
 
-	w, deps := newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
-
-	setupHostnameIP(deps, testHost, "10.0.0.1")
-
-	ctx := t.Context()
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
+	// The saved state says the last check found testHost at oldIP.
+	deps := runChecks(t, cfg, func(deps *testDeps) {
+		deps.state.SetHostnameState(testHost, &state.HostnameState{
+			RecordsByNameserver: map[string]*state.NameserverRecordState{
+				oldNS1: {
+					Records: map[string][]string{"A": {oldIP}},
+					Status:  "ok",
+				},
+			},
+		})
+	}, nil)
 
 	snap := deps.state.GetSnapshot()
-	if _, ok := snap.Ports["10.0.0.1:80"]; !ok {
-		t.Fatal("expected port state for 10.0.0.1:80")
+
+	if _, ok := snap.Ports[oldIP+":80"]; ok {
+		t.Error("port check used stale DNS: found " + oldIP + ":80")
 	}
 
-	// DNS changes to a new IP; port and TLS must pick it up.
-	updateHostnameIP(deps, testHost, "10.0.0.2")
+	// Port and TLS checks must use the addresses this check found.
+	for _, ip := range addresses(snap.Hostnames[testHost]) {
+		if _, ok := snap.Ports[ip+":80"]; !ok {
+			t.Error("port check used stale DNS: missing " + ip + ":80")
+		}
 
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
-
-	snap = deps.state.GetSnapshot()
-
-	if _, ok := snap.Ports["10.0.0.2:80"]; !ok {
-		t.Error("port check used stale DNS: missing 10.0.0.2:80")
-	}
-
-	certKey := "10.0.0.2:443:www.example.com"
-	if _, ok := snap.Certificates[certKey]; !ok {
-		t.Error("TLS check used stale DNS: missing " + certKey)
+		certKey := ip + ":443:" + testHost
+		if _, ok := snap.Certificates[certKey]; !ok {
+			t.Error("TLS check used stale DNS: missing " + certKey)
+		}
 	}
 }
 
 func TestSendTestNotification_Enabled(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
+	// No domains or hostnames: the startup notification does not
+	// involve DNS.
 	cfg := defaultTestConfig(t)
-	cfg.Domains = []string{testDomain}
-	cfg.Hostnames = []string{testHost}
 	cfg.SendTestNotification = true
 
 	w, deps := newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
-	setupBaselineMocks(deps)
 
 	w.RunOnce(t.Context())
 
@@ -797,14 +584,11 @@ func TestSendTestNotification_ViaRun(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
 	cfg := defaultTestConfig(t)
-	cfg.Domains = []string{testDomain}
-	cfg.Hostnames = []string{testHost}
 	cfg.SendTestNotification = true
 	cfg.DNSInterval = 24 * time.Hour
 	cfg.TLSInterval = 24 * time.Hour
 
 	w, deps := newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
-	setupBaselineMocks(deps)
 
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(t.Context())
 
@@ -844,14 +628,11 @@ func TestSendTestNotification_Disabled(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
 	cfg := defaultTestConfig(t)
-	cfg.Domains = []string{testDomain}
-	cfg.Hostnames = []string{testHost}
 	cfg.SendTestNotification = false
 	cfg.DNSInterval = 24 * time.Hour
 	cfg.TLSInterval = 24 * time.Hour
 
 	w, deps := newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
-	setupBaselineMocks(deps)
 
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(t.Context())
 
@@ -884,32 +665,22 @@ func TestNSFailureAndRecovery(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg := defaultTestConfig(t)
 	cfg.Hostnames = []string{testHost}
 
-	w, deps := newTestWatcher(t, cfg)
+	// Between the checks, save every nameserver the first check found
+	// as failed, and add, as answering, one that live DNS does not list.
+	deps := runChecks(t, cfg, nil, func(deps *testDeps) {
+		hs, _ := deps.state.GetHostnameState(testHost)
+		for _, nsState := range hs.RecordsByNameserver {
+			nsState.Status = "error"
+		}
 
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[testHost] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1: {"A": {testIP}},
-		testNS2: {"A": {testIP}},
-	}
-	deps.resolver.ipAddresses[testHost] = []string{
-		testIP,
-	}
-	deps.portChecker.results["1.2.3.4:80"] = false
-	deps.portChecker.results["1.2.3.4:443"] = false
+		hs.RecordsByNameserver[oldNS1] = &state.NameserverRecordState{
+			Records: map[string][]string{"A": {oldIP}},
+			Status:  "ok",
+		}
 
-	ctx := t.Context()
+		deps.state.SetHostnameState(testHost, hs)
+	})
 
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
-
-	deps.resolver.mu.Lock()
-	deps.resolver.allRecords[testHost] = map[string]map[string][]string{
-		testNS1: {"A": {testIP}},
-	}
-	deps.resolver.mu.Unlock()
-
-	w.RunOnce(ctx)
-
-	notifications := deps.notifier.getNotifications()
-	if len(notifications) == 0 {
-		t.Error("expected notification for NS disappearance")
-	}
+	assertNotified(t, deps, "NS Failure: "+testHost, "error")
+	assertNotified(t, deps, "NS Recovery: "+testHost, "success")
 }