diff --git a/tests/GameCult.Caching.Tests/ForeignRecordTests.cs b/tests/GameCult.Caching.Tests/ForeignRecordTests.cs
index d707da52..b469f6e5 100644
--- a/tests/GameCult.Caching.Tests/ForeignRecordTests.cs
+++ b/tests/GameCult.Caching.Tests/ForeignRecordTests.cs
@@ -551,27 +551,19 @@ namespace GameCult.Caching.Tests
         }
 
         // A writer cannot see whether a foreign record holds element ids, so a store marked as holding them stays marked while it
-        // carries one. Without one, a whole-view write decides by what it writes, and nothing here holds an id.
+        // carries one: a write that copies any record forward keeps the mark.
         [Test]
-        public void AMarkedHeaderStaysMarkedWhileTheStoreCarriesAForeignRecord(
-            [Values(Write.Flush, Write.Commit)] Write write,
-            [Values] bool carriesForeign)
+        public void AMarkedHeaderStaysMarkedWhileTheStoreCarriesAForeignRecord([Values(Write.Flush, Write.Commit)] Write write)
         {
             var path = Seeded("marked.cc", directory: false);
             var snapshot = Read(path);
             snapshot.FormatVersion = CultPersistedStoreSnapshot.FormatV3;
-            if (!carriesForeign)
-            {
-                snapshot.Records = snapshot.Records.Where(record => record.Key != W.Value).ToArray();
-                snapshot.SchemaCatalog = snapshot.SchemaCatalog.Where(entry => entry.SchemaId != WidgetId).ToArray();
-            }
-
             File.WriteAllBytes(path, CultDocumentMessagePackSerialization.SerializeSnapshot(snapshot));
 
             using (var cache = Open(path, DeckOnly, directory: false))
                 Land(cache, write, E, DeckOf("e"));
 
-            Assert.That(Read(path).FormatVersion, Is.EqualTo(carriesForeign ? CultPersistedStoreSnapshot.FormatV3 : CultPersistedStoreSnapshot.FormatV1));
+            Assert.That(Read(path).FormatVersion, Is.EqualTo(CultPersistedStoreSnapshot.FormatV3));
         }
 
         private const string OtherRuntimeId = "other.runtime.deck";
diff --git a/tests/GameCult.Caching.Tests/WriteSetTests.cs b/tests/GameCult.Caching.Tests/WriteSetTests.cs
index da8f9424..6749966d 100644
--- a/tests/GameCult.Caching.Tests/WriteSetTests.cs
+++ b/tests/GameCult.Caching.Tests/WriteSetTests.cs
@@ -565,11 +565,23 @@ namespace GameCult.Caching.Tests
             Seed(path, directory, "k");
             var k = new CultRecordKey("k");
             var ahead = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.AddHours(1).ToString("O", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture);
-            var snapshot = Read(path);
-            snapshot.Records.Single(record => record.Key == "k").StoredAt = ahead;
-            Write(path, snapshot);
+            // A single file holds the record at that storedAt. A directory store loads a record from its page, which the manifest
+            // does not own, so there both writers are made to hold it ahead: a stage then mints from it, as a skewed clock does.
+            if (!directory)
+            {
+                var snapshot = Read(path);
+                snapshot.Records.Single(record => record.Key == "k").StoredAt = ahead;
+                Write(path, snapshot);
+            }
+
             using var a = Open(path, directory);
             using var b = Open(path, directory);
+            if (directory)
+            {
+                a.GetStored(k)!.StoredAt = ahead;
+                b.GetStored(k)!.StoredAt = ahead;
+            }
+
             if (commit)
                 b.Commit(batch => batch.Upsert(typeof(WsItem), new WsItem { Name = "name-k", Note = "by-b" }, k));
             else