diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 91fb059ab..2f2268067 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -65,7 +65,10 @@ oldcode/tests/connect_speed
 *.log
 *.log.*
 *.err
-*.pem
+
+# generated test pems
+test/tap/tests/*.pem
+test/tap/tests/test_cluster_sync_config/proxysql*.pem
 
 #binary
 src/proxysql
@@ -79,7 +82,6 @@ src/*log*
 #test artifacts
 ci_infra_logs/
 test/tap/tap/*.mri
-test/tap/tap/st*
 
 proxysql-2.0.0/
 docker/images/proxysql/rhel-compliant/rpmmacros
diff --git a/test/tap/NOISE_TESTING.md b/test/tap/NOISE_TESTING.md
index 48cd210ed..acf6882ef 100644
--- a/test/tap/NOISE_TESTING.md
+++ b/test/tap/NOISE_TESTING.md
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ Initial noise scripts are provided in `test/tap/noise/`:
 
 Internal routines run as threads within the TAP test process. This is **highly recommended for debugging with GDB**, as stopping the test process will also pause the noise.
 
-#### Standard Internal Noise Functions:
+### Standard Internal Noise Functions:
 - `internal_noise_admin_pinger`: Executes `SELECT 1` against Admin (default 200ms).
 - `internal_noise_stats_poller`: Polls various `stats_*` tables (default 200ms).
 - `internal_noise_prometheus_poller`: Fetches Prometheus metrics via both MySQL and PostgreSQL protocol (default 1000ms).
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ Include `utils.h` and `noise_utils.h`.
 
 int main(int argc, char** argv) {
     CommandLine cl;
-    cl.getEnv(); 
+    if (cl.getEnv()) return exit_status();
 
     // --- Configuration ---
     NoiseOptions opt;
@@ -91,10 +91,10 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
 ## Internal Safety Mechanisms
 
 1.  **Process Group Isolation**: `spawn_noise` calls `setpgid(0, 0)` in the child. This ensures that signals like `SIGINT` (Ctrl+C) sent to the test runner are not automatically forwarded to the noise tools.
-2.  **Fatal Failure Propagation**: If an internal noise routine fails critically (e.g., exceeds `max_retries` during connection), it sets a global `noise_failure_detected` flag.
+2.  **Fatal Failure Propagation**: If an internal noise routine fails critically (e.g., exceeds `max_retries` during connection), it calls `register_noise_failure(routine_name)` which appends the error to the global `noise_failures` vector.
 3.  **Lifecycle Management**: 
     *   `exit_status()` calls `stop_noise_tools()`. 
-    *   If `noise_failure_detected` is set, `exit_status()` returns `EXIT_FAILURE` even if all functional tests passed.
+    *   If `noise_failures` is not empty, `exit_status()` reports the failed routines and returns `EXIT_FAILURE` even if all functional tests passed.
 4.  **Graceful Termination**: The framework sends `SIGTERM` first, waits 100ms for the process to reap, and follows up with `SIGKILL` if the process is still alive.
 
 ## Testing the Framework
diff --git a/test/tap/tap/Makefile b/test/tap/tap/Makefile
index 6dd737be1..ed0344bbd 100644
--- a/test/tap/tap/Makefile
+++ b/test/tap/tap/Makefile
@@ -28,16 +28,16 @@ OPT := $(STDCPP) -O2 -ggdb -Wl,--no-as-needed $(WASAN)
 # being used inside ProxySQL linked 'SQLite3', which is also used by `libtap.so`.
 LWGCOV :=
 ifeq ($(WITHGCOV),1)
-	LWGCOV := -lgcov
+	LWGCOV := -lgcov --coverage
 endif
 
 
 ### main targets
 
-.PHONY: default
+.PHONY: default debug
 default: all
 
-.PHONY: all
+.PHONY: all debug
 all: libtap_mariadb.a libtap_mysql57.a libtap_mysql8.a \
 	libtap.a libtap.so libcpp_dotenv.so libre2.so
 
@@ -61,26 +61,26 @@ utils_mysql8.o: utils.cpp cpp-dotenv/static/cpp-dotenv/libcpp_dotenv.a libcurl.s
 tap.o: tap.cpp cpp-dotenv/static/cpp-dotenv/libcpp_dotenv.a libcurl.so -lssl -lcrypto libcpp_dotenv.so
 	$(CXX) -fPIC -c tap.cpp $(IDIRS) $(OPT)
 
-noise_utils_mariadb.o: noise_utils.cpp noise_utils.h utils.h command_line.h
+noise_utils_mariadb.o: noise_utils.cpp noise_utils.h utils.h command_line.h cpp-dotenv/static/cpp-dotenv/libcpp_dotenv.a libcurl.so -lssl -lcrypto libcpp_dotenv.so
 	$(CXX) -DEXCLUDE_REPLACE_STR -fPIC -c noise_utils.cpp $(IDIRS) -I$(MARIADB_IDIR) -I$(POSTGRESQL_IDIR) $(OPT) -o $@
 
-noise_utils_mysql57.o: noise_utils.cpp noise_utils.h utils.h command_line.h
+noise_utils_mysql57.o: noise_utils.cpp noise_utils.h utils.h command_line.h cpp-dotenv/static/cpp-dotenv/libcpp_dotenv.a libcurl.so -lssl -lcrypto libcpp_dotenv.so
 	$(CXX) -DEXCLUDE_REPLACE_STR -DDISABLE_WARNING_COUNT_LOGGING -fPIC -c noise_utils.cpp $(IDIRS) -I$(TEST_MYSQL_IDIR) -I$(TEST_MYSQL_EDIR) -I$(POSTGRESQL_IDIR) $(OPT) -o $@
 
-noise_utils_mysql8.o: noise_utils.cpp noise_utils.h utils.h command_line.h
-	$(CXX) -DEXCLUDE_REPLACE_STR -DDISABLE_WARNING_COUNT_LOGGING -fPIC -c noise_utils.cpp $(IDIRS) -I$(TEST_MYSQL8_IDIR) -I$(TEST_MYSQL8_EDIR) -I$(POSTGRESQL_IDIR) $(OPT) -o $@
+noise_utils_mysql8.o: noise_utils.cpp noise_utils.h utils.h command_line.h cpp-dotenv/static/cpp-dotenv/libcpp_dotenv.a libcurl.so -lssl -lcrypto libcpp_dotenv.so
+	$(CXX) -DEXCLUDE_REPLACE_STR -DDISABLE_WARNING_COUNT_LOGGING -fPIC -c noise_utils.cpp $(IDIRS) -I$(TEST_MYSQL8_IDIR) -I$(TEST_MYSQL_EDIR) -I$(POSTGRESQL_IDIR) $(OPT) -o $@
 
 mcp_client.o: mcp_client.cpp mcp_client.h libcurl.so
 	$(CXX) -fPIC -c mcp_client.cpp $(IDIRS) $(OPT)
 
 libtap_mariadb.a: tap.o command_line.o utils_mariadb.o noise_utils_mariadb.o mcp_client.o cpp-dotenv/static/cpp-dotenv/libcpp_dotenv.a
-	ar rcs libtap_mariadb.a tap.o command_line.o utils_mariadb.o noise_utils_mariadb.o mcp_client.o $(SQLITE3_LDIR)/sqlite3.o $(PROXYSQL_LDIR)/obj/sha256crypt.oo
+	$(AR) rcs libtap_mariadb.a tap.o command_line.o utils_mariadb.o noise_utils_mariadb.o mcp_client.o $(SQLITE3_LDIR)/sqlite3.o $(PROXYSQL_LDIR)/obj/sha256crypt.oo
 
 libtap_mysql57.a: tap.o command_line.o utils_mysql57.o noise_utils_mysql57.o mcp_client.o cpp-dotenv/static/cpp-dotenv/libcpp_dotenv.a
-	ar rcs libtap_mysql57.a tap.o command_line.o utils_mysql57.o noise_utils_mysql57.o mcp_client.o $(SQLITE3_LDIR)/sqlite3.o $(PROXYSQL_LDIR)/obj/sha256crypt.oo
+	$(AR) rcs libtap_mysql57.a tap.o command_line.o utils_mysql57.o noise_utils_mysql57.o mcp_client.o $(SQLITE3_LDIR)/sqlite3.o $(PROXYSQL_LDIR)/obj/sha256crypt.oo
 
 libtap_mysql8.a: tap.o command_line.o utils_mysql8.o noise_utils_mysql8.o mcp_client.o cpp-dotenv/static/cpp-dotenv/libcpp_dotenv.a
-	ar rcs libtap_mysql8.a tap.o command_line.o utils_mysql8.o noise_utils_mysql8.o mcp_client.o $(SQLITE3_LDIR)/sqlite3.o $(PROXYSQL_LDIR)/obj/sha256crypt.oo
+	$(AR) rcs libtap_mysql8.a tap.o command_line.o utils_mysql8.o noise_utils_mysql8.o mcp_client.o $(SQLITE3_LDIR)/sqlite3.o $(PROXYSQL_LDIR)/obj/sha256crypt.oo
 
 libtap.a: libtap_mariadb.a
 	cp libtap_mariadb.a libtap.a
diff --git a/test/tap/tap/noise_utils.cpp b/test/tap/tap/noise_utils.cpp
index f45972f97..8ef1c06d6 100644
--- a/test/tap/tap/noise_utils.cpp
+++ b/test/tap/tap/noise_utils.cpp
@@ -86,14 +86,6 @@ void spawn_internal_noise(const CommandLine& cl, internal_noise_func_t func, con
 void stop_internal_noise_threads() {
     stop_internal_noise = true;
     
-    // Grace period for threads to report before joining
-    for (int i = 0; i < 50; ++i) { // max 5 seconds grace period
-        bool all_finished = true;
-        // We can't easily check if threads have finished without joining, 
-        // but we can at least wait a bit.
-        std::this_thread::sleep_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(100));
-    }
-
     for (auto& t : internal_noise_threads) {
         if (t.joinable()) {
             t.join();
@@ -124,10 +116,18 @@ void internal_noise_admin_pinger(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOptions& opt,
 
         total_pings++;
 
-        if (admin_my && mysql_ping(admin_my) != 0) {
-            if (!mysql_real_connect(admin_my, cl.host, cl.admin_username, cl.admin_password, NULL, cl.admin_port, NULL, 0)) {
-                my_ok = false;
+        if (admin_my == NULL) {
+            admin_my = mysql_init(NULL);
+        }
+
+        if (admin_my) {
+            if (mysql_ping(admin_my) != 0) {
+                if (!mysql_real_connect(admin_my, cl.host, cl.admin_username, cl.admin_password, NULL, cl.admin_port, NULL, 0)) {
+                    my_ok = false;
+                }
             }
+        } else {
+            my_ok = false;
         }
 
         if (!admin_pg || PQstatus(admin_pg) != CONNECTION_OK) {
@@ -181,10 +181,18 @@ void internal_noise_stats_poller(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOptions& opt,
         bool my_ok = true;
         bool pg_ok = true;
 
-        if (admin_my && mysql_ping(admin_my) != 0) {
-            if (!mysql_real_connect(admin_my, cl.host, cl.admin_username, cl.admin_password, NULL, cl.admin_port, NULL, 0)) {
-                my_ok = false;
+        if (admin_my == NULL) {
+            admin_my = mysql_init(NULL);
+        }
+
+        if (admin_my) {
+            if (mysql_ping(admin_my) != 0) {
+                if (!mysql_real_connect(admin_my, cl.host, cl.admin_username, cl.admin_password, NULL, cl.admin_port, NULL, 0)) {
+                    my_ok = false;
+                }
             }
+        } else {
+            my_ok = false;
         }
 
         if (!admin_pg || PQstatus(admin_pg) != CONNECTION_OK) {
@@ -239,10 +247,18 @@ void internal_noise_prometheus_poller(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOptions&
     while (!stop) {
         bool my_ok = true;
 
-        if (admin_my && mysql_ping(admin_my) != 0) {
-            if (!mysql_real_connect(admin_my, cl.host, cl.admin_username, cl.admin_password, NULL, cl.admin_port, NULL, 0)) {
-                my_ok = false;
+        if (admin_my == NULL) {
+            admin_my = mysql_init(NULL);
+        }
+
+        if (admin_my) {
+            if (mysql_ping(admin_my) != 0) {
+                if (!mysql_real_connect(admin_my, cl.host, cl.admin_username, cl.admin_password, NULL, cl.admin_port, NULL, 0)) {
+                    my_ok = false;
+                }
             }
+        } else {
+            my_ok = false;
         }
 
         if (!my_ok) {
@@ -284,19 +300,21 @@ void internal_noise_rest_prometheus_poller(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOpt
 
     if (enable_rest_api) {
         MYSQL* admin = mysql_init(NULL);
-        if (mysql_real_connect(admin, cl.host, cl.admin_username, cl.admin_password, NULL, cl.admin_port, NULL, 0)) {
-            mysql_query(admin, "SET admin-restapi_enabled='true'");
-            mysql_query(admin, "LOAD ADMIN VARIABLES TO RUNTIME");
+        if (admin) {
+            if (mysql_real_connect(admin, cl.host, cl.admin_username, cl.admin_password, NULL, cl.admin_port, NULL, 0)) {
+                mysql_query(admin, "SET admin-restapi_enabled='true'");
+                mysql_query(admin, "LOAD ADMIN VARIABLES TO RUNTIME");
+            } else {
+                noise_log("[NOISE] REST Prometheus Poller: Failed to connect to Admin to enable REST API\n");
+            }
             mysql_close(admin);
-        } else {
-            noise_log("[NOISE] REST Prometheus Poller: Failed to connect to Admin to enable REST API\n");
-            if (admin) mysql_close(admin);
         }
     }
 
     // Port defaults to 6070
     int port = get_opt_int(opt, "port", 6070);
-    std::string endpoint = "http://admin:admin@localhost:" + std::to_string(port) + "/metrics";
+    std::string endpoint = "http://localhost:" + std::to_string(port) + "/metrics";
+    std::string auth = std::string(cl.admin_username) + ":" + std::string(cl.admin_password);
     if (opt.find("endpoint") != opt.end()) {
         endpoint = opt.at("endpoint");
     }
@@ -304,7 +322,7 @@ void internal_noise_rest_prometheus_poller(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOpt
     while (!stop) {
         uint64_t curl_res_code = 0;
         std::string curl_res_data;
-        CURLcode res = perform_simple_get(endpoint, curl_res_code, curl_res_data);
+        CURLcode res = perform_simple_get(endpoint, curl_res_code, curl_res_data, auth);
 
         if (res != CURLE_OK || curl_res_code != 200) {
             retries++;
@@ -343,10 +361,18 @@ void internal_noise_random_stats_poller(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOption
         bool my_ok = true;
         bool pg_ok = true;
 
-        if (admin_my && mysql_ping(admin_my) != 0) {
-            if (!mysql_real_connect(admin_my, cl.host, cl.admin_username, cl.admin_password, NULL, cl.admin_port, NULL, 0)) {
-                my_ok = false;
+        if (admin_my == NULL) {
+            admin_my = mysql_init(NULL);
+        }
+
+        if (admin_my) {
+            if (mysql_ping(admin_my) != 0) {
+                if (!mysql_real_connect(admin_my, cl.host, cl.admin_username, cl.admin_password, NULL, cl.admin_port, NULL, 0)) {
+                    my_ok = false;
+                }
             }
+        } else {
+            my_ok = false;
         }
 
         if (!admin_pg || PQstatus(admin_pg) != CONNECTION_OK) {
@@ -432,7 +458,10 @@ void internal_noise_mysql_traffic(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOptions& opt
     std::mt19937 g(rd());
 
     while (!stop) {
-        if (mysql_ping(conn) != 0) {
+        if (conn == NULL) {
+            conn = mysql_init(NULL);
+        }
+        if (conn && mysql_ping(conn) != 0) {
             mysql_close(conn);
             conn = mysql_init(NULL);
             if (!conn || !mysql_real_connect(conn, cl.host, cl.username, cl.password, NULL, cl.port, NULL, 0)) {
@@ -502,12 +531,16 @@ void internal_noise_pgsql_traffic_v2(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOptions&
     std::string tablename = get_opt_str(opt, "tablename", "pgsql_noise_test");
     int num_connections = get_opt_int(opt, "num_connections", 20);
     int reconnect_interval = get_opt_int(opt, "reconnect_interval", 200);
+    if (reconnect_interval <= 0) reconnect_interval = 1;
     int max_retries = get_opt_int(opt, "max_retries", 5);
     int avg_delay_ms = get_opt_int(opt, "avg_delay_ms", 200);
 
-    // Use postgres user for setup and load to ensure permissions
+    const char* pg_user = cl.pgsql_username[0] ? cl.pgsql_username : "postgres";
+    const char* pg_pass = cl.pgsql_password[0] ? cl.pgsql_password : "postgres";
+
+    // Use CommandLine credentials for setup and load
     std::string conninfo = "host=" + std::string(cl.host) + " port=" + std::to_string(cl.pgsql_port) + 
-                           " user=postgres password=postgres" +
+                           " user=" + std::string(pg_user) + " password=" + std::string(pg_pass) +
                            " dbname=postgres connect_timeout=5";
 
     // --- Phase A: Ensure table exists ---
@@ -519,7 +552,13 @@ void internal_noise_pgsql_traffic_v2(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOptions&
         return;
     }
 
-    std::string check_table = "SELECT 1 FROM information_schema.tables WHERE table_name = '" + tablename + "'";
+    // Explicitly set search_path to public to avoid permission issues in some environments
+    pg_noise_query(setup_conn, "SET search_path TO public");
+
+    char* escaped_tablename = PQescapeIdentifier(setup_conn, tablename.c_str(), tablename.length());
+    std::string safe_tablename = escaped_tablename ? escaped_tablename : tablename;
+
+    std::string check_table = "SELECT 1 FROM information_schema.tables WHERE table_schema = 'public' AND table_name = '" + tablename + "'";
     PGresult* res = PQexec(setup_conn, check_table.c_str());
     if (PQresultStatus(res) != PGRES_TUPLES_OK) {
         noise_log("[NOISE] PgSQL Traffic v2: Table verification query failed: " + std::string(PQresultErrorMessage(res)) + "\n");
@@ -532,7 +571,7 @@ void internal_noise_pgsql_traffic_v2(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOptions&
     if (PQntuples(res) == 0) {
         PQclear(res);
         noise_log("[NOISE] PgSQL Traffic v2: Creating table " + tablename + "\n");
-        std::string create_sql = "CREATE TABLE " + tablename + " (id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, val TEXT, counter INT)";
+        std::string create_sql = "CREATE TABLE " + safe_tablename + " (id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, val TEXT, counter INT)";
         res = PQexec(setup_conn, create_sql.c_str());
         if (PQresultStatus(res) != PGRES_COMMAND_OK) {
             noise_log("[NOISE] PgSQL Traffic v2: Table creation failed: " + std::string(PQresultErrorMessage(res)) + "\n");
@@ -548,14 +587,19 @@ void internal_noise_pgsql_traffic_v2(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOptions&
 
     // --- Phase B: Ensure 10,000 rows ---
     while (!stop) {
-        std::string count_sql = "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM " + tablename;
+        std::string count_sql = "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM " + safe_tablename;
         res = PQexec(setup_conn, count_sql.c_str());
         if (PQresultStatus(res) == PGRES_TUPLES_OK) {
-            long current_rows = std::stol(PQgetvalue(res, 0, 0));
+            long current_rows = 0;
+            try {
+                current_rows = std::stol(PQgetvalue(res, 0, 0));
+            } catch (...) {
+                current_rows = 0;
+            }
             PQclear(res);
             if (current_rows < 10000) {
                 noise_log("[NOISE] PgSQL Traffic v2: " + std::to_string(current_rows) + " rows found, adding 5000...\n");
-                std::string insert_sql = "INSERT INTO " + tablename + " (val, counter) SELECT 'noise_data', generate_series(1, 5000)";
+                std::string insert_sql = "INSERT INTO " + safe_tablename + " (val, counter) SELECT 'noise_data', generate_series(1, 5000)";
                 res = PQexec(setup_conn, insert_sql.c_str());
                 if (PQresultStatus(res) != PGRES_COMMAND_OK) {
                     noise_log("[NOISE] PgSQL Traffic v2: Row insertion failed: " + std::string(PQresultErrorMessage(res)) + "\n");
@@ -582,7 +626,7 @@ void internal_noise_pgsql_traffic_v2(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOptions&
     std::vector<std::thread> workers;
 
     for (int i = 0; i < num_connections; ++i) {
-        workers.emplace_back([&, conninfo, tablename, reconnect_interval, avg_delay_ms]() {
+        workers.emplace_back([&, conninfo, safe_tablename, reconnect_interval, avg_delay_ms]() {
             PGconn* conn = nullptr;
             uint64_t worker_queries = 0;
             std::random_device rd;
@@ -609,6 +653,7 @@ void internal_noise_pgsql_traffic_v2(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOptions&
                 conn = PQconnectdb(conninfo.c_str());
                 if (PQstatus(conn) == CONNECTION_OK) {
                     total_connections_opened++;
+                    pg_noise_query(conn, "SET search_path TO public");
                     return true;
                 }
                 return false;
@@ -626,16 +671,16 @@ void internal_noise_pgsql_traffic_v2(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOptions&
 
                 switch (op) {
                     case 0: // SELECT
-                        sql = "SELECT * FROM " + tablename + " WHERE id = " + std::to_string(target_id);
+                        sql = "SELECT * FROM " + safe_tablename + " WHERE id = " + std::to_string(target_id);
                         break;
                     case 1: // INSERT
-                        sql = "INSERT INTO " + tablename + " (val, counter) VALUES ('extra_noise', " + std::to_string(target_id) + ")";
+                        sql = "INSERT INTO " + safe_tablename + " (val, counter) VALUES ('extra_noise', " + std::to_string(target_id) + ")";
                         break;
                     case 2: // UPDATE
-                        sql = "UPDATE " + tablename + " SET counter = counter + 1 WHERE id = " + std::to_string(target_id);
+                        sql = "UPDATE " + safe_tablename + " SET counter = counter + 1 WHERE id = " + std::to_string(target_id);
                         break;
                     case 3: // DELETE
-                        sql = "DELETE FROM " + tablename + " WHERE id = " + std::to_string(target_id);
+                        sql = "DELETE FROM " + safe_tablename + " WHERE id = " + std::to_string(target_id);
                         break;
                 }
 
@@ -662,6 +707,8 @@ void internal_noise_pgsql_traffic_v2(const CommandLine& cl, const NoiseOptions&
         if (w.joinable()) w.join();
     }
 
+    if (escaped_tablename) PQfreemem(escaped_tablename);
+
     noise_log("[NOISE] PgSQL Traffic v2 report: total_queries=" + std::to_string(total_queries) + 
               ", total_connections_opened=" + std::to_string(total_connections_opened) + 
               ", total_connections_closed=" + std::to_string(total_connections_closed) + "\n");
diff --git a/test/tap/tap/stb2waEK b/test/tap/tap/stb2waEK
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/test/tap/tap/stot76Dd b/test/tap/tap/stot76Dd
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb
diff --git a/test/tap/tap/utils.cpp b/test/tap/tap/utils.cpp
index 8eed3dd62..2d1b84bfe 100644
--- a/test/tap/tap/utils.cpp
+++ b/test/tap/tap/utils.cpp
@@ -766,7 +766,7 @@ CURLcode perform_simple_post(
 }
 
 CURLcode perform_simple_get(
-	const string& endpoint, uint64_t& curl_res_code, string& curl_res_data
+	const string& endpoint, uint64_t& curl_res_code, string& curl_res_data, const string& userpwd
 ) {
 	CURL *curl;
 	CURLcode res;
@@ -776,6 +776,9 @@ CURLcode perform_simple_get(
 	curl = curl_easy_init();
 	if(curl) {
 		curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_URL, endpoint.c_str());
+		if (!userpwd.empty()) {
+			curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_USERPWD, userpwd.c_str());
+		}
 		struct memory response = { 0 };
 		curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION, write_callback);
 		curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_WRITEDATA, (void *)&response);
@@ -2423,9 +2426,12 @@ int run_q(MYSQL *mysql, const char *q) {
 }
 
 static std::vector<pid_t> background_noise_pids;
-static bool atexit_noise_registered = false;
-
 extern "C" void stop_noise_tools() {
+
+	static std::atomic<bool> already_stopped{false};
+	if (already_stopped.exchange(true)) {
+		return;
+	}
 	stop_internal_noise_threads();
 	for (pid_t pid : background_noise_pids) {
 		kill(pid, SIGTERM);
@@ -2449,10 +2455,10 @@ void spawn_noise(const CommandLine& cl, const std::string& tool_path, const std:
 		return;
 	}
 
-	if (!atexit_noise_registered) {
+	static std::once_flag atexit_flag;
+	std::call_once(atexit_flag, [](){
 		atexit(stop_noise_tools);
-		atexit_noise_registered = true;
-	}
+	});
 
 	pid_t pid = fork();
 	if (pid == 0) {
@@ -2462,6 +2468,7 @@ void spawn_noise(const CommandLine& cl, const std::string& tool_path, const std:
 		if (fd_null != -1) {
 			dup2(fd_null, STDIN_FILENO);
 			dup2(fd_null, STDOUT_FILENO);
+			dup2(fd_null, STDERR_FILENO);
 			if (fd_null > 2) {
 				close(fd_null);
 			}
@@ -2474,7 +2481,7 @@ void spawn_noise(const CommandLine& cl, const std::string& tool_path, const std:
 		}
 		c_args.push_back(nullptr);
 
-		execvp(tool_path.c_str(), c_args.data());
+		::execvp(tool_path.c_str(), c_args.data());
 		// If we are here, exec failed
 		fprintf(stderr, "Failed to exec noise tool: %s\n", tool_path.c_str());
 		_exit(1);
diff --git a/test/tap/tap/utils.h b/test/tap/tap/utils.h
index 3e7775152..c3f02d2ac 100644
--- a/test/tap/tap/utils.h
+++ b/test/tap/tap/utils.h
@@ -417,7 +417,7 @@ CURLcode perform_simple_post(
 	const std::string& endpoint, const std::string& params, uint64_t& curl_res_code, std::string& curl_res_data
 );
 
-CURLcode perform_simple_get(const std::string& endpoint, uint64_t& curl_res_code, std::string& curl_res_data);
+CURLcode perform_simple_get(const std::string& endpoint, uint64_t& curl_res_code, std::string& curl_res_data, const std::string& userpwd = "");
 
 /**
  * @brief Generates a random string of the length of the provider 'strSize'
diff --git a/test/tap/tests/Makefile b/test/tap/tests/Makefile
index 0e928c2fb..93944e200 100644
--- a/test/tap/tests/Makefile
+++ b/test/tap/tests/Makefile
@@ -83,12 +83,12 @@ ifeq ($(PROXYSQLGENAI),1)
 	STATIC_LIBS += $(SQLITE3_LDIR)/../libsqlite_rembed.a $(SQLITE3_LDIR)/vec.o
 endif
 
-OPT := $(STDCPP) -O2 -ggdb -Wl,--no-as-needed -Wl,-rpath,$(TAP_LDIR) -Wl,-rpath,$(POSTGRESQL_PATH)/interfaces/libpq -Wl,-rpath,$(RE2_LDIR)/so $(WGCOV) $(WASAN) -DGITVERSION=\"$(GIT_VERSION)\"
+OPT := $(STDCPP) -O2 -ggdb -Wl,--no-as-needed -Wl,-rpath,$(TAP_LDIR) -Wl,-rpath,$(POSTGRESQL_PATH)/interfaces/libpq -Wl,-rpath,$(RE2_LDIR) $(WGCOV) $(WASAN) -DGITVERSION=\"$(GIT_VERSION)\"
 
 ### main targets
 
 .DEFAULT: default
-.PHONY: default
+.PHONY: default debug
 default: all
 
 CUSTOMARGS := -I$(TAP_IDIR) -I$(CURL_IDIR) -I$(SQLITE3_IDIR) -I$(PROXYSQL_IDIR) -I$(JSON_IDIR) -I$(RE2_IDIR) -I$(SSL_IDIR)
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ CUSTOMARGS += -Wl,-Bdynamic -ltap -lcpp_dotenv -lcurl -lssl -lcrypto -lre2 -lpth
 .PHONY: all
 all: tests
 
-debug: OPT := $(STDCPP) -O0 -DDEBUG -ggdb -Wl,--no-as-needed -Wl,-rpath,$(TAP_LDIR) -Wl,-rpath,$(POSTGRESQL_PATH)/interfaces/libpq -Wl,-rpath,$(RE2_LDIR)/so $(WGCOV) $(WASAN) -DGITVERSION=\"$(GIT_VERSION)\"
+debug: OPT := $(STDCPP) -O0 -DDEBUG -ggdb -Wl,--no-as-needed -Wl,-rpath,$(TAP_LDIR) -Wl,-rpath,$(POSTGRESQL_PATH)/interfaces/libpq -Wl,-rpath,$(RE2_LDIR) $(WGCOV) $(WASAN) -DGITVERSION=\"$(GIT_VERSION)\"
 debug: tests
 
 tests: CUSTOMARGS += $(OPT)
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ mysql_reconnect_libmariadb-t: mysql_reconnect.cpp $(TAP_LDIR)/libtap.so
 	$(CXX) -DDISABLE_WARNING_COUNT_LOGGING $< $(IDIRS) $(LDIRS) $(OPT) $(MYLIBS) $(STATIC_LIBS) -o $@
 
 mysql_reconnect_libmysql-t: mysql_reconnect.cpp $(TAP_LDIR)/libtap_mysql8.a
-	$(CXX) -DLIBMYSQL_HELPER8 -DDISABLE_WARNING_COUNT_LOGGING $< -I$(TEST_MYSQL8_IDIR) -I$(TEST_MYSQL8_EDIR) -L$(TEST_MYSQL8_IDIR) -L$(TEST_MYSQL8_LDIR) -lmysqlclient -ltap_mysql8 -lresolv $(CUSTOMARGS) -lgcov --coverage -o $@
+	$(CXX) -DLIBMYSQL_HELPER8 -DDISABLE_WARNING_COUNT_LOGGING $< -I$(TEST_MYSQL8_IDIR) -I$(TEST_MYSQL8_EDIR) -L$(TEST_MYSQL8_LDIR) -lmysqlclient -ltap_mysql8 -lresolv $(CUSTOMARGS) -o $@
 
 fast_forward_grace_close_libmysql-t: fast_forward_grace_close.cpp $(TAP_LDIR)/libtap_mysql8.a
 	$(CXX) -DLIBMYSQL_HELPER8 -DDISABLE_WARNING_COUNT_LOGGING $< -I$(TEST_MYSQL8_IDIR) -I$(TEST_MYSQL8_EDIR) -L$(TEST_MYSQL8_LDIR) -lmysqlclient -ltap_mysql8 -lresolv $(CUSTOMARGS) -o $@
diff --git a/test/tap/tests/mysql-init_connect-1-t.cpp b/test/tap/tests/mysql-init_connect-1-t.cpp
index 7b477854e..fe3353f2e 100644
--- a/test/tap/tests/mysql-init_connect-1-t.cpp
+++ b/test/tap/tests/mysql-init_connect-1-t.cpp
@@ -26,10 +26,9 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
 
 	spawn_internal_noise(cl, internal_noise_random_stats_poller);
 	spawn_internal_noise(cl, internal_noise_rest_prometheus_poller, {{"enable_rest_api", "true"}});
-	spawn_internal_noise(cl, internal_noise_pgsql_traffic_v2, {{"num_connections", "100"}, {"reconnect_interval", "100"}, {"avg_delay_ms", "300"}});
 
 	if (cl.use_noise) {
-		plan(8 + 3);
+		plan(8 + 2);
 	} else {
 		plan(8);
 	}
diff --git a/test/tap/tests/mysql-set_transaction-t.cpp b/test/tap/tests/mysql-set_transaction-t.cpp
index ca57b78e9..1ada37dc0 100644
--- a/test/tap/tests/mysql-set_transaction-t.cpp
+++ b/test/tap/tests/mysql-set_transaction-t.cpp
@@ -127,11 +127,7 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
 	spawn_internal_noise(cl, internal_noise_rest_prometheus_poller, {{"enable_rest_api", "true"}});
 	spawn_internal_noise(cl, internal_noise_pgsql_traffic_v2, {{"num_connections", "100"}, {"reconnect_interval", "100"}, {"avg_delay_ms", "300"}});
 
-	if (cl.use_noise) {
-		plan(48 + 3);
-	} else {
-		plan(48);
-	}
+	plan(48);
 
 	MYSQL* mysql = mysql_init(NULL);
 	if (!mysql)
diff --git a/test/tap/tests/test_admin_stats-t.cpp b/test/tap/tests/test_admin_stats-t.cpp
index 81b29982a..ff91f8c22 100644
--- a/test/tap/tests/test_admin_stats-t.cpp
+++ b/test/tap/tests/test_admin_stats-t.cpp
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
 
 	spawn_internal_noise(cl, internal_noise_admin_pinger);
 	spawn_internal_noise(cl, internal_noise_random_stats_poller);
-	spawn_internal_noise(cl, internal_noise_rest_prometheus_poller);
+	spawn_internal_noise(cl, internal_noise_rest_prometheus_poller, {{"enable_rest_api", "true"}});
 
     /** @brief Minimum number of distinct variable_name strings in the history_mysql_status_variables_lookup table */
     const int min_distinct_variable_names = 50;
@@ -201,8 +201,7 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
 	// In practice, they could differ if new metrics variables are added.
 
 	std::vector<int64_t> rows_per_var_id;
-	time_t two_mins_ago = time(nullptr) - 60*2;
-	const string query = "SELECT variable_id, COUNT(*) FROM history_mysql_status_variables WHERE timestamp < " + to_string(two_mins_ago) + " GROUP BY variable_id";
+	const string query = "SELECT variable_id, COUNT(*) FROM history_mysql_status_variables GROUP BY variable_id";
 	MYSQL_QUERY(proxysql_admin, query.c_str());
 	result = mysql_store_result(proxysql_admin);
 
diff --git a/test/tap/tests/test_noise_injection-t.cpp b/test/tap/tests/test_noise_injection-t.cpp
index 1b831e56b..726ad2725 100644
--- a/test/tap/tests/test_noise_injection-t.cpp
+++ b/test/tap/tests/test_noise_injection-t.cpp
@@ -21,14 +21,8 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-    // Force noise to be enabled for this test
-    cl.use_noise = true;
-
-    // We have 8 internal noise tools
-    const int noise_tools_count = 8;
-    plan(noise_tools_count);
-
-    diag("Spawning all available noise tools...");
+	// Force noise to be enabled for this test
+	cl.use_noise = true;
 
 	spawn_internal_noise(cl, internal_noise_admin_pinger);
 	spawn_internal_noise(cl, internal_noise_stats_poller);
@@ -39,8 +33,12 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv) {
 	spawn_internal_noise(cl, internal_noise_pgsql_traffic_v2, {{"num_connections", "100"}, {"reconnect_interval", "100"}, {"avg_delay_ms", "300"}});
 	spawn_internal_noise(cl, internal_noise_rest_prometheus_poller, {{"enable_rest_api", "true"}, {"port", "6070"}});
 
-    diag("Sleeping for 60 seconds to let noises work...");
-    sleep(60);
+	int noise_tools_count = get_noise_tools_count();
+	plan(noise_tools_count);
+
+	diag("Sleeping for some time to let noises work...");
+	int sleep_duration = get_env_int("NOISE_INJECTION_SLEEP", 60);
+	sleep(sleep_duration);
 
     diag("Exiting test, noise reports should follow...");
 
diff --git a/test/tap/tests_with_deps/deprecate_eof_support/Makefile b/test/tap/tests_with_deps/deprecate_eof_support/Makefile
index 153c615df..295a59f15 100644
--- a/test/tap/tests_with_deps/deprecate_eof_support/Makefile
+++ b/test/tap/tests_with_deps/deprecate_eof_support/Makefile
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ LDIRS :=	-L$(TAP_LDIR) \
 			-L$(POSTGRESQL_LDIR) \
 			-L$(SSL_LDIR) 
 
-OPT := $(STDCPP) -O2 -ggdb -Wl,--no-as-needed -Wl,-rpath,"../../tap" $(WGCOV) $(WASAN)
+OPT := $(STDCPP) -O2 -ggdb -Wl,--no-as-needed -Wl,-rpath,$(TAP_LDIR) $(WGCOV) $(WASAN)
 
 
 ### main targets
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ all: tests
 
 .PHONY: debug
 debug: DEBUG := -DDEBUG
-debug: OPT := $(STDCPP) -O0 -DDEBUG -ggdb -Wl,--no-as-needed -Wl,-rpath,"../../tap" $(WGCOV) $(WASAN)
+debug: OPT := $(STDCPP) -O0 -DDEBUG -ggdb -Wl,--no-as-needed -Wl,-rpath,$(TAP_LDIR) $(WGCOV) $(WASAN)
 debug: tests
 
 
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ tests:
 	@echo "Removing empty .gcno files ..."
 	find -L . -type f -name '*.gcno' -empty -ls -delete
 
-COMMONARGS = $(OPT) -Wl,-rpath,$(TAP_LDIR) -Wl,-rpath,$(POSTGRESQL_PATH)/interfaces/libpq -Wl,-rpath,$(RE2_LDIR)/so -Wl,-Bdynamic -ltap -lcpp_dotenv -lcurl -lre2 -lssl -lcrypto -lz -ldl -lpthread -DGITVERSION=\"$(GIT_VERSION)\"
+COMMONARGS = $(OPT) -Wl,-rpath,$(POSTGRESQL_PATH)/interfaces/libpq -Wl,-rpath,$(RE2_LDIR) -Wl,-Bdynamic -ltap -lcpp_dotenv -lcurl -lre2 -lssl -lcrypto -lz -ldl -lpthread -DGITVERSION=\"$(GIT_VERSION)\"
 
 ok_packet_mixed_queries-t: eof_packet_mixed_queries-t.cpp
 	$(CXX) $< -I$(MARIADB_IDIR) $(IDIRS) -L$(MARIADB_LDIR) $(LDIRS) -lmariadbclient $(COMMONARGS) -o $@