diff --git a/pkg/base/test_server_args.go b/pkg/base/test_server_args.go
index 9c5baea50bb5..4f0b4e2dcd63 100644
--- a/pkg/base/test_server_args.go
+++ b/pkg/base/test_server_args.go
@@ -263,4 +263,9 @@ type TestTenantArgs struct {
 	// ExternalIODirConfig is used to initialize the same-named
 	// field on the server.Config struct.
 	ExternalIODirConfig ExternalIODirConfig
+
+	// If set, this will be appended to the Postgres URL by functions that
+	// automatically open a connection to the server. That's equivalent to running
+	// SET DATABASE=foo, which works even if the database doesn't (yet) exist.
+	UseDatabase string
 }
diff --git a/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeed_test.go b/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeed_test.go
index fd9cd271b506..e92055285f85 100644
--- a/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeed_test.go
+++ b/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/changefeed_test.go
@@ -215,15 +215,10 @@ func TestChangefeedTenants(t *testing.T) {
 	defer leaktest.AfterTest(t)()
 	defer log.Scope(t).Close(t)
 
-	ctx := context.Background()
-	defer changefeedbase.TestingSetDefaultFlushFrequency(testSinkFlushFrequency)()
-
-	kvServer, kvSQLdb, _ := serverutils.StartServer(t, base.TestServerArgs{
-		ExternalIODirConfig: base.ExternalIODirConfig{
-			DisableOutbound: true,
-		},
+	kvServer, kvSQLdb, cleanup := startTestServer(t, func(args *base.TestServerArgs) {
+		args.ExternalIODirConfig.DisableOutbound = true
 	})
-	defer kvServer.Stopper().Stop(ctx)
+	defer cleanup()
 
 	tenantArgs := base.TestTenantArgs{
 		// crdb_internal.create_tenant called by StartTenant
@@ -234,27 +229,16 @@ func TestChangefeedTenants(t *testing.T) {
 		ExternalIODirConfig: base.ExternalIODirConfig{
 			DisableOutbound: true,
 		},
+		UseDatabase: `d`,
 	}
 
 	tenantServer, tenantDB := serverutils.StartTenant(t, kvServer, tenantArgs)
 	tenantSQL := sqlutils.MakeSQLRunner(tenantDB)
-	// TODO(ssd): Cleanup this shared setup code once the refactor
-	// in #64693 is setttled.
-	tenantSQL.Exec(t, `SET CLUSTER SETTING kv.rangefeed.enabled = true`)
-	tenantSQL.Exec(t, `SET CLUSTER SETTING kv.closed_timestamp.target_duration = '100ms'`)
-	tenantSQL.Exec(t, `SET CLUSTER SETTING changefeed.experimental_poll_interval = '10ms'`)
-
-	// Database `d` is hardcoded in a number of places. Create it
-	// and create a new connection to that database.
-	tenantSQL.Exec(t, `CREATE DATABASE d`)
-	tenantSQL = sqlutils.MakeSQLRunner(
-		serverutils.OpenDBConn(t,
-			tenantServer.SQLAddr(), `d`, false /* insecure */, kvServer.Stopper()))
-	tenantSQL.Exec(t, `CREATE TABLE foo_in_tenant (pk INT PRIMARY KEY)`)
+	tenantSQL.Exec(t, serverSetupStatements)
 
+	tenantSQL.Exec(t, `CREATE TABLE foo_in_tenant (pk INT PRIMARY KEY)`)
 	t.Run("changefeed on non-tenant table fails", func(t *testing.T) {
 		kvSQL := sqlutils.MakeSQLRunner(kvSQLdb)
-		kvSQL.Exec(t, `CREATE DATABASE d`)
 		kvSQL.Exec(t, `CREATE TABLE d.foo (pk INT PRIMARY KEY)`)
 
 		tenantSQL.ExpectErr(t, `table "foo" does not exist`,
diff --git a/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/helpers_test.go b/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/helpers_test.go
index 3db7169f036a..85c3ba1bbb60 100644
--- a/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/helpers_test.go
+++ b/pkg/ccl/changefeedccl/helpers_test.go
@@ -353,6 +353,7 @@ func sinklessTenantTestWithServerArgs(
 			ExternalIODirConfig: base.ExternalIODirConfig{
 				DisableOutbound: true,
 			},
+			UseDatabase: `d`,
 		}
 
 		tenantServer, tenantDB := serverutils.StartTenant(t, kvServer, tenantArgs)
@@ -361,10 +362,6 @@ func sinklessTenantTestWithServerArgs(
 		_, err := tenantDB.ExecContext(ctx, serverSetupStatements)
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 
-		// Database `d` is hardcoded in a number of
-		// places. Create a new connection to that database.
-		tenantDB = serverutils.OpenDBConn(t, tenantServer.SQLAddr(), `d`, false /* insecure */, kvServer.Stopper())
-
 		sink, cleanup := sqlutils.PGUrl(t, tenantServer.SQLAddr(), t.Name(), url.User(security.RootUser))
 		defer cleanup()
 
diff --git a/pkg/testutils/serverutils/test_server_shim.go b/pkg/testutils/serverutils/test_server_shim.go
index 016c6748354f..d377082336d2 100644
--- a/pkg/testutils/serverutils/test_server_shim.go
+++ b/pkg/testutils/serverutils/test_server_shim.go
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ func StartTenant(
 	}
 
 	goDB := OpenDBConn(
-		t, tenant.SQLAddr(), "", false /* insecure */, stopper)
+		t, tenant.SQLAddr(), params.UseDatabase, false /* insecure */, stopper)
 	return tenant, goDB
 }