diff --git a/tests/logging_contract.py b/tests/logging_contract.py
index bd6fd83..7c07061 100644
--- a/tests/logging_contract.py
+++ b/tests/logging_contract.py
@@ -44,14 +44,18 @@ def start(root: str, port: int, prefix: list[str]) -> subprocess.Popen[str]:
 
 
 def wait_ready(process: subprocess.Popen[str], port: int) -> None:
+    # listener-first startup: the listener answers from bind time, so wait
+    # for /status to leave "starting" (storage published, pipeline starting)
     deadline = time.monotonic() + 10
     while time.monotonic() < deadline:
         if process.poll() is not None:
             stderr = process.stderr.read() if process.stderr else ""
             raise AssertionError(f"stream exited with {process.returncode}:\n{stderr}")
         try:
-            urllib.request.urlopen(f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}/", timeout=0.2).read()
-            return
+            body = urllib.request.urlopen(f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}/status", timeout=0.2).read()
+            if b"state            starting" not in body:
+                return
+            time.sleep(0.025)
         except OSError:
             time.sleep(0.025)
     raise AssertionError(f"listener {port} did not start")
@@ -79,8 +83,34 @@ def warn_json_case(root: str) -> None:
     port = unused_port()
     process = start(root, port, ["serve", "--log-level=warning"])
     wait_ready(process, port)
-    time.sleep(0.1)
-    records = [json.loads(line) for line in stop(process)]
+    # the case needs at least one failed upstream dial (the ERROR record)
+    # before shutdown; with listener-first startup the listener answers
+    # before the pipeline's first dial, so wait for the record itself
+    # instead of sleeping a fixed slice
+    import threading
+
+    lines: list[str] = []
+    got_error = threading.Event()
+
+    def pump() -> None:
+        assert process.stderr is not None
+        for line in process.stderr:
+            if line.strip():
+                lines.append(line)
+                try:
+                    if json.loads(line)["level"] == "ERROR":
+                        got_error.set()
+                except ValueError:
+                    pass
+
+    reader = threading.Thread(target=pump, daemon=True)
+    reader.start()
+    assert got_error.wait(10), f"no ERROR record before deadline: {lines!r}"
+    process.send_signal(signal.SIGTERM)
+    process.wait(timeout=5)
+    assert process.returncode == 0
+    reader.join(timeout=5)
+    records = [json.loads(line) for line in lines]
     assert records
     assert any(record["level"] == "ERROR" for record in records)
     assert all(record["level"] in ("WARN", "ERROR") for record in records)