diff --git a/test/offer-test.js b/test/offer-test.js
index 590d3f262b..9407a79179 100644
--- a/test/offer-test.js
+++ b/test/offer-test.js
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ var testutils  = require("./testutils.js");
 buster.testRunner.timeout = 5000;
 
 buster.testCase("Offer tests", {
-  'setUp' : testutils.test_setup,
+  'setUp' : testutils.build_setup(),
   'tearDown' : testutils.test_teardown,
 
   "offer create then cancel in one ledger" :
diff --git a/test/remote-test.js b/test/remote-test.js
index a22230af09..94d896f494 100644
--- a/test/remote-test.js
+++ b/test/remote-test.js
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ var serverDelay = 1500;	  // XXX Not implemented.
 buster.testRunner.timeout = 5000;
  
 buster.testCase("Remote functions", {
-  'setUp' : testutils.test_setup,
+  'setUp' : testutils.build_setup(),
   'tearDown' : testutils.test_teardown,
 
   'request_ledger_current' :
diff --git a/test/send-test.js b/test/send-test.js
index 3d53e7d06c..f98e08e46d 100644
--- a/test/send-test.js
+++ b/test/send-test.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ var serverDelay = 1500;
 buster.testRunner.timeout = 5000;
 
 buster.testCase("// Sending", {
-  'setUp' : testutils.test_setup,
+  'setUp' : testutils.build_setup(),
   'tearDown' : testutils.test_teardown,
 
   "send XNS to non-existant account without create." :
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ buster.testCase("// Sending", {
 
 // XXX In the future add ledger_accept after partial retry is implemented in the server.
 buster.testCase("Sending future", {
-  'setUp' : testutils.test_setup,
+  'setUp' : testutils.build_setup(),
   'tearDown' : testutils.test_teardown,
 
   "direct ripple" :
diff --git a/test/testutils.js b/test/testutils.js
index 8d9c337af1..bb04d40fce 100644
--- a/test/testutils.js
+++ b/test/testutils.js
@@ -6,33 +6,78 @@ var Server  = require("./server.js").Server;
 
 var config  = require("./config.js");
 
-var test_setup = function (done, host, verbose) {
-  var self  = this;
-  var host  = host || config.server_default;
+/**
+ * Helper called by test cases to generate a setUp routine.
+ *
+ * By default you would call this without options, but it is useful to
+ * be able to plug options in during development for quick and easy
+ * debugging.
+ *
+ * @example
+ *   buster.testCase("Foobar", {
+ *     setUp: testutils.build_setup({verbose: true}),
+ *     // ...
+ *   });
+ *
+ * @param host {String} Identifier for the host configuration to be used.
+ * @param opts {Object} These options allow quick-and-dirty test-specific
+ *   customizations of your test environment.
+ * @param opts.verbose {Bool} Enable all debug output (then cover your ears
+ *   and run)
+ * @param opts.verbose_ws {Bool} Enable tracing in the Remote class. Prints
+ *   websocket traffic.
+ * @param opts.verbose_server {Bool} Set the -v option when running rippled.
+ * @param opts.no_server {Bool} Don't auto-run rippled.
+ */
+var build_setup = function (opts) {
+  opts = this.opts = opts || {};
 
-  this.store  = this.store || {};
+  // Normalize options
+  if (opts.verbose) {
+    opts.verbose_ws = true;
+    opts.verbose_server = true;
+  };
 
-  var data   = this.store[host] = this.store[host] || {};
+  return function (done) {
+    var self = this;
 
-  data.server = Server.from_config(host, verbose).on('started', function () {
-      self.remote = data.remote = Remote.from_config(host).once('ledger_closed', done).connect();
-    }).start();
+    var host = host || config.server_default;
+
+    this.store = this.store || {};
+
+    var data = this.store[host] = this.store[host] || {};
+
+    async.series([
+      function runServerStep(callback) {
+        if (opts.no_server) return callback();
+
+        data.server = Server.from_config(host, !!opts.verbose_server).on('started', callback).start();
+      },
+      function connectWebsocketStep(callback) {
+        self.remote = data.remote = Remote.from_config(host, !!opts.verbose_ws).once('ledger_closed', callback).connect();
+      }
+    ], done);
+  };
 };
 
-var test_setup_verbose = function (done, host) {
-  test_setup.call(this, done, host, 'VERBOSE');
-}
+var test_teardown = function (done, host) {
+  host  = host || config.server_default;
 
-var test_teardown = function (done, host) { 
-  var host  = host || config.server_default;
+  var data = this.store[host];
+  var opts = this.opts;
 
-  var data  = this.store[host];
+  async.series([
+    function disconnectWebsocketStep(callback) {
+       data.remote
+        .on('disconnected', callback)
+        .connect(false);
+    },
+    function stopServerStep(callback) {
+      if (opts.no_server) return callback();
 
-  data.remote
-    .on('disconnected', function () {
-	data.server.on('stopped', done).stop();
-      })
-    .connect(false);
+      data.server.on('stopped', callback).stop();
+    }
+  ], done);
 };
 
 var create_accounts = function (remote, src, amount, accounts, callback) {
@@ -76,8 +121,7 @@ var credit_limit = function (remote, src, amount, callback) {
 
 exports.create_accounts	    = create_accounts;
 exports.credit_limit	    = credit_limit;
-exports.test_setup	    = test_setup;
-exports.test_setup_verbose  = test_setup_verbose;
+exports.build_setup	    = build_setup;
 exports.test_teardown	    = test_teardown;
 
 // vim:sw=2:sts=2:ts=8