diff --git a/tests/helpers/index.js b/tests/helpers/index.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 088b166f9..000000000
--- a/tests/helpers/index.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,74 +0,0 @@
-import { KeyManager } from '@mapeo/crypto'
-import Hypercore from 'hypercore'
-import RAM from 'random-access-memory'
-
-export async function createCore(...args) {
-  const core = new Hypercore(RAM, ...args)
-  await core.ready()
-  return core
-}
-
-/**
- * @param {string} name
- * @param {Buffer} [namespace] - 32 byte Buffer
- */
-export function createCoreKeyPair(name, namespace = Buffer.alloc(32, 0)) {
-  const { keyManager } = createIdentityKeys()
-  const coreKeyPair = keyManager.getHypercoreKeypair(name, namespace)
-  return coreKeyPair
-}
-
-export function createIdentityKeys() {
-  const rootKey = KeyManager.generateRootKey()
-  const keyManager = new KeyManager(rootKey)
-  const identityKeyPair = keyManager.getIdentityKeypair()
-  const identityId = identityKeyPair.publicKey.toString('hex')
-  return { rootKey, identityId, identityKeyPair, keyManager }
-}
-
-export function replicate(peers) {
-  const connected = new Map()
-
-  for (const peer1 of peers) {
-    const peer1Connections = new Set()
-    connected.set(peer1.id, peer1Connections)
-
-    for (const peer2 of peers) {
-      if (peer1.id === peer2.id) {
-        continue
-      }
-
-      const peer2Connections = connected.get(peer2.id)
-
-      if (
-        peer1Connections.has(peer2.id) ||
-        (peer2Connections && peer2Connections.has(peer1.id))
-      ) {
-        continue
-      }
-
-      peer1Connections.add(peer2.id)
-      const stream1 = peer1.core.replicate(true, { live: true })
-      const stream2 = peer2.core.replicate(false, { live: true })
-      stream1.pipe(stream2).pipe(stream1)
-    }
-  }
-}
-
-export async function waitForIndexing(stores) {
-  await Promise.all(
-    stores.map((store) => {
-      return store.indexing()
-    })
-  )
-}
-
-export async function timeoutException(promise, timeout = 100) {
-  const timer = new Promise((resolve) => {
-    setTimeout(() => {
-      resolve('timeout')
-    }, timeout)
-  })
-
-  return (await Promise.race([promise, timer])) === 'timeout'
-}
diff --git a/tests/sync/core-sync-state.js b/tests/sync/core-sync-state.js
index 759acbd79..de0bbd342 100644
--- a/tests/sync/core-sync-state.js
+++ b/tests/sync/core-sync-state.js
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 // @ts-check
 import NoiseSecretStream from '@hyperswarm/secret-stream'
 import test from 'brittle'
+import Hypercore from 'hypercore'
+import RAM from 'random-access-memory'
 import {
   deriveState,
   PeerState,
@@ -10,8 +12,6 @@ import {
 import RemoteBitfield, {
   BITS_PER_PAGE,
 } from '../../src/core-manager/remote-bitfield.js'
-import { createCore } from '../helpers/index.js'
-// import { setTimeout } from 'timers/promises'
 import { once } from 'node:events'
 import pTimeout from 'p-timeout'
 import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events'
@@ -351,6 +351,12 @@ test.skip('bitCount32', (t) => {
   }
 })
 
+async function createCore(key) {
+  const core = new Hypercore(RAM, key)
+  await core.ready()
+  return core
+}
+
 /**
  * Slow but understandable implementation to compare with fast obscure implementation
  * @param {number} n