diff --git a/node-tools/internal/launch/state_failed_test.go b/node-tools/internal/launch/state_failed_test.go
index 40595c2..8742e0b 100644
--- a/node-tools/internal/launch/state_failed_test.go
+++ b/node-tools/internal/launch/state_failed_test.go
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ const callingBundle = `#!/bin/sh
 while IFS= read -r line; do
   id=$(printf '%s' "$line" | sed -n 's/.*"id":\([0-9]*\)[,}].*/\1/p')
   case "$line" in
-    *'"method":"initialize"'*) echo started >> "$STARTS"; printf '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":%s,"result":{}}\n' "$id" ;;
+    *'"method":"initialize"'*) echo started >&2; printf '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":%s,"result":{}}\n' "$id" ;;
     *'"method":"tools/list"'*) printf '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":%s,"result":{"tools":[{"name":"t","description":"d"}]}}\n' "$id" ;;
     *'"method":"tools/call"'*) [ "$MODE" = long ] && printf '%4096s\n' x ;;
   esac
@@ -106,13 +106,12 @@ func TestAnOverlongLineAndAnUnansweredCallAreSaid(t *testing.T) {
 			CallTimeout = row.timeout
 			dir := t.TempDir()
 			entry := filepath.Join(dir, "bundle")
-			starts := filepath.Join(dir, "starts")
 			if err := os.WriteFile(entry, []byte(callingBundle), 0o755); err != nil {
 				t.Fatal(err)
 			}
 			said := make(chan string, 32)
 			logf := func(f string, a ...any) { said <- fmt.Sprintf(f, a...) }
-			l, err := Start("caller", entry, append(os.Environ(), "MODE="+row.mode, "STARTS="+starts), &refusingState{}, logf)
+			l, err := Start("caller", entry, append(os.Environ(), "MODE="+row.mode), &refusingState{}, logf)
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Fatal(err)
 			}
@@ -134,27 +133,18 @@ func TestAnOverlongLineAndAnUnansweredCallAreSaid(t *testing.T) {
 					t.Fatalf("the call failed with %q, not the cap's reason", err)
 				}
 			}
-			for found := false; !found; {
+			// For "long" the bundle is also started again: it says "started" on each start, so twice in all.
+			started, found := 0, false
+			for !found || (row.mode == "long" && started < 2) {
 				select {
 				case line := <-said:
 					heard = append(heard, line)
-					found = strings.Contains(line, want)
+					found = found || strings.Contains(line, want)
+					if line == "[caller] started" {
+						started++
+					}
 				case <-timeout:
-					t.Fatalf("not said; the log: %v", heard)
-				}
-			}
-			if row.mode != "long" {
-				return
-			}
-			// The bundle is started again: its start is written once more.
-			for {
-				if b, _ := os.ReadFile(starts); strings.Count(string(b), "started") >= 2 {
-					return
-				}
-				select {
-				case <-timeout:
-					t.Fatal("the bundle was not started again")
-				case <-time.After(10 * time.Millisecond):
+					t.Fatalf("not said, or the bundle not started again; the log: %v", heard)
 				}
 			}
 		})