diff --git a/packages/boot/test/bootstrapTests/liquidation.js b/packages/boot/test/bootstrapTests/liquidation.js
index 647988311b7..6eabe517aec 100644
--- a/packages/boot/test/bootstrapTests/liquidation.js
+++ b/packages/boot/test/bootstrapTests/liquidation.js
@@ -40,14 +40,15 @@ export const makeLiquidationTestContext = async t => {
 
   // has to be late enough for agoricNames data to have been published
   /** @type {import('@agoric/vats/tools/board-utils.js').AgoricNamesRemotes} */
-  const agoricNamesRemotes = {};
+  const agoricNamesRemotes = makeAgoricNamesRemotesFromFakeStorage(
+    swingsetTestKit.storage,
+  );
   const refreshAgoricNamesRemotes = () => {
     Object.assign(
       agoricNamesRemotes,
       makeAgoricNamesRemotesFromFakeStorage(swingsetTestKit.storage),
     );
   };
-  refreshAgoricNamesRemotes();
   agoricNamesRemotes.brand.ATOM || Fail`ATOM missing from agoricNames`;
   console.timeLog('DefaultTestContext', 'agoricNamesRemotes');
 
diff --git a/packages/boot/test/bootstrapTests/test-vaults-integration.js b/packages/boot/test/bootstrapTests/test-vaults-integration.js
index 3263f6a1f97..36f11834e25 100644
--- a/packages/boot/test/bootstrapTests/test-vaults-integration.js
+++ b/packages/boot/test/bootstrapTests/test-vaults-integration.js
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ test('exit bid', async t => {
     giveCollateral: 9.0,
   });
 
-  wd.sendOfferMaker(Offers.auction.Bid, {
+  await wd.sendOfferMaker(Offers.auction.Bid, {
     offerId: 'bid',
     maxBuy: '1.23ATOM',
     give: '0.1IST',
diff --git a/packages/boot/test/bootstrapTests/test-zcf-upgrade.js b/packages/boot/test/bootstrapTests/test-zcf-upgrade.js
index 669e8a0d5c2..b25aa1165a1 100644
--- a/packages/boot/test/bootstrapTests/test-zcf-upgrade.js
+++ b/packages/boot/test/bootstrapTests/test-zcf-upgrade.js
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ test('run restart-vats proposal', async t => {
   await buildAndExecuteProposal(zcfPackageSpec);
 
   t.log('upgrade zoe&zcf proposal executed');
-  zoeDriver.upgradeProbe(zcfProbeBundle);
+  await zoeDriver.upgradeProbe(zcfProbeBundle);
   const nextDucats = beforeResult.leftoverPayments.Ducats;
   const nextAmount = await EV(issuer).getAmountOf(nextDucats);
 
diff --git a/packages/boot/test/upgrading/test-upgrade-contracts.js b/packages/boot/test/upgrading/test-upgrade-contracts.js
index 5b056b7042e..fdb5edba1d2 100644
--- a/packages/boot/test/upgrading/test-upgrade-contracts.js
+++ b/packages/boot/test/upgrading/test-upgrade-contracts.js
@@ -7,32 +7,15 @@ import { test as anyTest } from '@agoric/swingset-vat/tools/prepare-test-env-ava
 import { buildVatController } from '@agoric/swingset-vat';
 
 /**
- * @type {import('ava').TestFn<
- *   Awaited<ReturnType<typeof makeTestContext>>
- * >}
+ * @type {import('ava').TestFn<{}>}
  */
 const test = anyTest;
 
-/**
- * WARNING: uses ambient authority of import.meta.url
- *
- * We aim to use ambient authority only in test.before(); splitting out
- * makeTestContext() lets us type t.context.
- */
-const makeTestContext = async () => {
-  const bfile = name => new URL(name, import.meta.url).pathname;
-  const importSpec = spec =>
-    importMetaResolve(spec, import.meta.url).then(u => new URL(u).pathname);
-  return { bfile, importSpec };
-};
-
-test.before(async t => {
-  t.context = await makeTestContext();
-});
+const bfile = name => new URL(name, import.meta.url).pathname;
+const importSpec = spec =>
+  importMetaResolve(spec, import.meta.url).then(u => new URL(u).pathname);
 
 test('upgrade mintHolder', async t => {
-  const { bfile, importSpec } = t.context;
-
   /** @type {SwingSetConfig} */
   const config = harden({
     bootstrap: 'bootstrap',
diff --git a/packages/boot/test/upgrading/test-upgrade-vats.js b/packages/boot/test/upgrading/test-upgrade-vats.js
index 40c2c91c892..bbbdf15c9c4 100644
--- a/packages/boot/test/upgrading/test-upgrade-vats.js
+++ b/packages/boot/test/upgrading/test-upgrade-vats.js
@@ -7,33 +7,21 @@ import { buildVatController } from '@agoric/swingset-vat';
 import { makeRunUtils } from '../bootstrapTests/supports.js';
 
 /**
- * @type {import('ava').TestFn<
- *   Awaited<ReturnType<typeof makeTestContext>>
- * >}
+ * @type {import('ava').TestFn<{}>}
  */
 const test = anyTest;
 
 const { Fail } = assert;
 
+const bfile = name => new URL(name, import.meta.url).pathname;
 const importSpec = spec =>
   importMetaResolve(spec, import.meta.url).then(u => new URL(u).pathname);
 
-const makeTestContext = async metaUrl => {
-  const bfile = name => new URL(name, metaUrl).pathname;
-
-  return { bfile };
-};
-
 const makeCallOutbound = t => (srcID, obj) => {
   t.log(`callOutbound(${srcID}, ${obj})`);
   return obj;
 };
 
-/** NOTE: limit ambient authority such as import.meta.url to test.before() */
-test.before(async t => {
-  t.context = await makeTestContext(import.meta.url);
-});
-
 /**
  * @param {any} t
  * @param {Partial<SwingSetConfig>} [kernelConfigOverrides]
@@ -133,7 +121,6 @@ test.failing('upgrade bootstrap vat', async t => {
 });
 
 test('upgrade vat-bridge', async t => {
-  const { bfile } = t.context;
   const bundles = {
     bridge: { sourceSpec: await importSpec('@agoric/vats/src/vat-bridge.js') },
   };
@@ -244,7 +231,6 @@ test('upgrade vat-bridge', async t => {
 });
 
 test('upgrade vat-bank', async t => {
-  const { bfile } = t.context;
   const bundles = {
     bank: { sourceSpec: await importSpec('@agoric/vats/src/vat-bank.js') },
     bridge: { sourceSpec: await importSpec('@agoric/vats/src/vat-bridge.js') },
diff --git a/packages/boot/tsconfig.json b/packages/boot/tsconfig.json
index d293cd5e449..f3e0f6a0f37 100644
--- a/packages/boot/tsconfig.json
+++ b/packages/boot/tsconfig.json
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   "extends": "../../tsconfig.json",
   "compilerOptions": {
     "allowSyntheticDefaultImports": true,
-    "checkJs": false,
+    "checkJs": true,
     "maxNodeModuleJsDepth": 2,
   },
   "include": [