diff --git a/pkg/kv/kvserver/replica_command.go b/pkg/kv/kvserver/replica_command.go
index 7d4b57575afd..ab53e7af92e3 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/kvserver/replica_command.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/kvserver/replica_command.go
@@ -658,26 +658,31 @@ func (r *Replica) AdminMerge(
 			return errors.Errorf("ranges not collocated; %s != %s", lReplicas, rReplicas)
 		}
 
-		// Ensure that every current replica of the LHS has been initialized.
-		// Otherwise there is a rare race where the replica GC queue can GC a
-		// replica of the RHS too early. The comment on
-		// TestStoreRangeMergeUninitializedLHSFollower explains the situation in full.
-		if err := waitForReplicasInit(
-			ctx, r.store.cfg.NodeDialer, origLeftDesc.RangeID, origLeftDesc.Replicas().Descriptors(),
-		); err != nil {
-			return errors.Wrap(err, "waiting for all left-hand replicas to initialize")
-		}
-		// Out of an abundance of caution, also ensure that replicas of the RHS have
-		// all been initialized. If for whatever reason the initial upreplication
-		// snapshot for a NON_VOTER on the RHS fails, it will have to get picked up
-		// by the raft snapshot queue to upreplicate and may be uninitialized at
-		// this point. As such, if we send a subsume request to the RHS in this sort
-		// of state, we will wastefully and unintentionally block all traffic on it
-		// for 5 seconds.
-		if err := waitForReplicasInit(
-			ctx, r.store.cfg.NodeDialer, rightDesc.RangeID, rightDesc.Replicas().Descriptors(),
-		); err != nil {
-			return errors.Wrap(err, "waiting for all right-hand replicas to initialize")
+		disableWaitForReplicasInTesting := r.store.TestingKnobs() != nil &&
+			r.store.TestingKnobs().DisableMergeWaitForReplicasInit
+
+		if !disableWaitForReplicasInTesting {
+			// Ensure that every current replica of the LHS has been initialized.
+			// Otherwise there is a rare race where the replica GC queue can GC a
+			// replica of the RHS too early. The comment on
+			// TestStoreRangeMergeUninitializedLHSFollower explains the situation in full.
+			if err := waitForReplicasInit(
+				ctx, r.store.cfg.NodeDialer, origLeftDesc.RangeID, origLeftDesc.Replicas().Descriptors(),
+			); err != nil {
+				return errors.Wrap(err, "waiting for all left-hand replicas to initialize")
+			}
+			// Out of an abundance of caution, also ensure that replicas of the RHS have
+			// all been initialized. If for whatever reason the initial upreplication
+			// snapshot for a NON_VOTER on the RHS fails, it will have to get picked up
+			// by the raft snapshot queue to upreplicate and may be uninitialized at
+			// this point. As such, if we send a subsume request to the RHS in this sort
+			// of state, we will wastefully and unintentionally block all traffic on it
+			// for 5 seconds.
+			if err := waitForReplicasInit(
+				ctx, r.store.cfg.NodeDialer, rightDesc.RangeID, rightDesc.Replicas().Descriptors(),
+			); err != nil {
+				return errors.Wrap(err, "waiting for all right-hand replicas to initialize")
+			}
 		}
 
 		mergeReplicas := lReplicas.Descriptors()
@@ -750,6 +755,9 @@ func (r *Replica) AdminMerge(
 
 		err = contextutil.RunWithTimeout(ctx, "waiting for merge application", mergeApplicationTimeout,
 			func(ctx context.Context) error {
+				if disableWaitForReplicasInTesting {
+					return nil
+				}
 				return waitForApplication(ctx, r.store.cfg.NodeDialer, rightDesc.RangeID, mergeReplicas,
 					rhsSnapshotRes.LeaseAppliedIndex)
 			})
@@ -820,11 +828,6 @@ func waitForApplication(
 	replicas []roachpb.ReplicaDescriptor,
 	leaseIndex uint64,
 ) error {
-	if dialer == nil && len(replicas) == 1 {
-		// This early return supports unit tests (testContext{}) that also
-		// want to perform merges.
-		return nil
-	}
 	g := ctxgroup.WithContext(ctx)
 	for _, repl := range replicas {
 		repl := repl // copy for goroutine
@@ -854,11 +857,6 @@ func waitForReplicasInit(
 	rangeID roachpb.RangeID,
 	replicas []roachpb.ReplicaDescriptor,
 ) error {
-	if dialer == nil && len(replicas) == 1 {
-		// This early return supports unit tests (testContext{}) that also
-		// want to perform merges.
-		return nil
-	}
 	return contextutil.RunWithTimeout(ctx, "wait for replicas init", 5*time.Second, func(ctx context.Context) error {
 		g := ctxgroup.WithContext(ctx)
 		for _, repl := range replicas {
diff --git a/pkg/kv/kvserver/replica_test.go b/pkg/kv/kvserver/replica_test.go
index 493f35ba8151..531c2be0b34b 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/kvserver/replica_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/kvserver/replica_test.go
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ func (tc *testContext) Start(ctx context.Context, t testing.TB, stopper *stop.St
 	// testContext tests like to move the manual clock around and assume that they can write at past
 	// timestamps.
 	cfg.TestingKnobs.DontCloseTimestamps = true
+	cfg.TestingKnobs.DisableMergeWaitForReplicasInit = true
 	tc.StartWithStoreConfig(ctx, t, stopper, cfg)
 }
 
@@ -14008,7 +14009,7 @@ func TestStoreTenantMetricsAndRateLimiterRefcount(t *testing.T) {
 			Key: leftRepl.Desc().StartKey.AsRawKey(),
 		},
 	}, "testing")
-	require.Nil(t, pErr)
+	require.NoError(t, pErr.GoError())
 
 	// The store metrics no longer track tenant 123.
 	require.Equal(t,
diff --git a/pkg/kv/kvserver/store_test.go b/pkg/kv/kvserver/store_test.go
index 0ed8b8ce6db1..5f1af70bf316 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/kvserver/store_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/kvserver/store_test.go
@@ -202,7 +202,15 @@ func createTestStoreWithoutStart(
 	eng := storage.NewDefaultInMemForTesting()
 	stopper.AddCloser(eng)
 	require.Nil(t, cfg.Transport)
-	cfg.Transport = NewDummyRaftTransport(cfg.Settings, cfg.AmbientCtx.Tracer)
+
+	require.NotNil(t, cfg.Gossip) // was set above already
+	// Even though testContext is fundamentally a single-store test, some tests
+	// will try config changes, etc, so we will see some use of the transport
+	// and it's important that this doesn't cause crashes. Just set up the
+	// "real thing" since it's straightforward enough.
+	cfg.NodeDialer = nodedialer.New(rpcContext, gossip.AddressResolver(cfg.Gossip))
+	cfg.Transport = NewRaftTransport(cfg.AmbientCtx, cfg.Settings, cfg.Tracer(), cfg.NodeDialer, server, stopper)
+
 	stores := NewStores(cfg.AmbientCtx, cfg.Clock)
 	nodeDesc := &roachpb.NodeDescriptor{NodeID: 1}
 
diff --git a/pkg/kv/kvserver/testing_knobs.go b/pkg/kv/kvserver/testing_knobs.go
index 9b93058b225c..271155e9e06c 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/kvserver/testing_knobs.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/kvserver/testing_knobs.go
@@ -443,6 +443,10 @@ type StoreTestingKnobs struct {
 	// Replica.executeReadOnlyBatch after checks have successfully determined
 	// execution can proceed but a storage snapshot has not been acquired.
 	PreStorageSnapshotButChecksCompleteInterceptor func(replica *Replica)
+
+	// DisableMergeWaitForReplicasInit skips the waitForReplicasInit calls
+	// during merges. Useful for testContext tests that want to use merges.
+	DisableMergeWaitForReplicasInit bool
 }
 
 // ModuleTestingKnobs is part of the base.ModuleTestingKnobs interface.