diff --git a/src/bin/psql/t/010_tab_completion.pl b/src/bin/psql/t/010_tab_completion.pl
index fa7427af8c58..c391c3b3be5b 100644
--- a/src/bin/psql/t/010_tab_completion.pl
+++ b/src/bin/psql/t/010_tab_completion.pl
@@ -77,8 +77,10 @@
 # for possible debugging purposes.
 my $historyfile = "${PostgreSQL::Test::Utils::log_path}/010_psql_history.txt";
 
-# fire up an interactive psql session
+# fire up an interactive psql session and configure it such that each query
+# restarts the timer
 my $h = $node->interactive_psql('postgres', history_file => $historyfile);
+$h->set_query_timer_restart();
 
 # Simple test case: type something and see if psql responds as expected
 sub check_completion
@@ -88,9 +90,6 @@ sub check_completion
 	# report test failures from caller location
 	local $Test::Builder::Level = $Test::Builder::Level + 1;
 
-	# restart per-command timer
-	$h->{timeout}->start($PostgreSQL::Test::Utils::timeout_default);
-
 	# send the data to be sent and wait for its result
 	my $out = $h->query_until($pattern, $send);
 	my $okay = ($out =~ $pattern && !$h->{timeout}->is_expired);
diff --git a/src/test/modules/test_misc/t/005_timeouts.pl b/src/test/modules/test_misc/t/005_timeouts.pl
index cdce2afd9356..5478d3394d1b 100644
--- a/src/test/modules/test_misc/t/005_timeouts.pl
+++ b/src/test/modules/test_misc/t/005_timeouts.pl
@@ -118,11 +118,7 @@
 
 # We just initialize the GUC and wait. No transaction is required.
 $psql_session = $node->background_psql('postgres');
-$psql_session->query_until(
-	qr/starting_bg_psql/, q(
-   \echo starting_bg_psql
-   SET idle_session_timeout to '10ms';
-));
+$psql_session->query(q(SET idle_session_timeout to '10ms';));
 
 # Wait until the backend enters the timeout injection point.
 $node->wait_for_event('client backend', 'idle-session-timeout');
diff --git a/src/test/perl/PostgreSQL/Test/BackgroundPsql.pm b/src/test/perl/PostgreSQL/Test/BackgroundPsql.pm
index 60bbd5dd445b..af7d0892c10a 100644
--- a/src/test/perl/PostgreSQL/Test/BackgroundPsql.pm
+++ b/src/test/perl/PostgreSQL/Test/BackgroundPsql.pm
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ sub new
 	  "Forbidden caller of constructor: package: $package, file: $file:$line"
 	  unless $package->isa('PostgreSQL::Test::Cluster');
 
-	$psql->{timeout} = IPC::Run::timeout(
+	$psql->{timeout} = IPC::Run::timer(
 		defined($timeout)
 		? $timeout
 		: $PostgreSQL::Test::Utils::timeout_default);
@@ -179,8 +179,10 @@ sub wait_connect
 
 =item $session->quit
 
-Close the session and clean up resources. Each test run must be closed with
-C<quit>.
+Close the psql session and clean up resources.  Each psql session must be
+closed with C<quit> before the end of the test.  Returns TRUE if psql exited
+successfully (i.e. with zero exit code), otherwise returns FALSE and reports
+a test failure.
 
 =cut
 
@@ -190,7 +192,9 @@ sub quit
 
 	$self->{stdin} .= "\\q\n";
 
-	return $self->{run}->finish;
+	my $ret = $self->{run}->finish;
+	ok($ret, 'Terminating interactive psql session');
+	return $ret;
 }
 
 =pod
@@ -274,7 +278,8 @@ sub query
 		$self->{run}, $self->{timeout},
 		\$self->{stderr}, qr/$banner_match/);
 
-	die "psql query timed out" if $self->{timeout}->is_expired;
+	ok(!$self->{timeout}->is_expired, 'psql query timed out') || return;
+	$output = $self->{stdout};
 
 	note "results query $query_cnt:\n",
 	  explain {
@@ -342,7 +347,8 @@ sub query_until
 
 	pump_until($self->{run}, $self->{timeout}, \$self->{stdout}, $until);
 
-	die "psql query timed out" if $self->{timeout}->is_expired;
+	ok(!$self->{timeout}->is_expired, 'psql query_until did not time out')
+	  || return;
 
 	$ret = $self->{stdout};
 
diff --git a/src/test/recovery/t/031_recovery_conflict.pl b/src/test/recovery/t/031_recovery_conflict.pl
index 028b0b5f0e15..965537d1f975 100644
--- a/src/test/recovery/t/031_recovery_conflict.pl
+++ b/src/test/recovery/t/031_recovery_conflict.pl
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@
     -- wait for lock held by prepared transaction
 	SELECT * FROM $table2;
     ]);
-ok(1,
+isnt($res, undef,
 	"$sect: cursor holding conflicting pin, also waiting for lock, established"
 );