diff --git a/tests/z_api_alignment_test.c b/tests/z_api_alignment_test.c
index a9cadb833..dd0be80da 100644
--- a/tests/z_api_alignment_test.c
+++ b/tests/z_api_alignment_test.c
@@ -11,12 +11,14 @@
 // Contributors:
 //   ZettaScale Zenoh Team, <zenoh@zettascale.tech>
 
-#include <assert.h>
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
+#undef NDEBUG
+#include <assert.h>
+
 #if defined(WIN32) || defined(_WIN32) || defined(__WIN32) && !defined(__CYGWIN__)
 #include <windows.h>
 #define sleep(x) Sleep(x * 1000)
diff --git a/tests/z_client_test.c b/tests/z_client_test.c
index 0c42ab132..22475a352 100644
--- a/tests/z_client_test.c
+++ b/tests/z_client_test.c
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 // Contributors:
 //   ZettaScale Zenoh Team, <zenoh@zettascale.tech>
 
-#include <assert.h>
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
@@ -21,6 +20,9 @@
 #include "zenoh-pico/api/types.h"
 #include "zenoh-pico/collections/string.h"
 
+#undef NDEBUG
+#include <assert.h>
+
 #define MSG 1000
 #define MSG_LEN 1024
 #define QRY 100
diff --git a/tests/z_data_struct_test.c b/tests/z_data_struct_test.c
index 8990ef678..461ee92ca 100644
--- a/tests/z_data_struct_test.c
+++ b/tests/z_data_struct_test.c
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 //   ZettaScale Zenoh Team, <zenoh@zettascale.tech>
 //
 
-#include <assert.h>
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
@@ -22,6 +21,9 @@
 #include "zenoh-pico/system/platform.h"
 #include "zenoh-pico/transport/transport.h"
 
+#undef NDEBUG
+#include <assert.h>
+
 void entry_list_test(void) {
     _z_transport_peer_entry_list_t *root = _z_transport_peer_entry_list_new();
     for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
diff --git a/tests/z_endpoint_test.c b/tests/z_endpoint_test.c
index 217fe0f4a..621955c9d 100644
--- a/tests/z_endpoint_test.c
+++ b/tests/z_endpoint_test.c
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 //   ZettaScale Zenoh Team, <zenoh@zettascale.tech>
 //
 
-#include <assert.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
@@ -22,6 +21,9 @@
 #include "zenoh-pico/link/endpoint.h"
 #include "zenoh-pico/utils/result.h"
 
+#undef NDEBUG
+#include <assert.h>
+
 int main(void) {
     char *s = (char *)malloc(64);
 
diff --git a/tests/z_iobuf_test.c b/tests/z_iobuf_test.c
index 4b7d41462..0b490d515 100644
--- a/tests/z_iobuf_test.c
+++ b/tests/z_iobuf_test.c
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 // Contributors:
 //   ZettaScale Zenoh Team, <zenoh@zettascale.tech>
 //
-#include <assert.h>
+
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@
 
 #include "zenoh-pico/protocol/iobuf.h"
 
+#undef NDEBUG
+#include <assert.h>
+
 #define RUNS 1000
 
 /*=============================*/
diff --git a/tests/z_msgcodec_test.c b/tests/z_msgcodec_test.c
index dcf051d41..168a3adce 100644
--- a/tests/z_msgcodec_test.c
+++ b/tests/z_msgcodec_test.c
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@
 #include "zenoh-pico/protocol/definitions/transport.h"
 #define ZENOH_PICO_TEST_H
 
-#include <assert.h>
 #include <stdbool.h>
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
@@ -41,6 +40,9 @@
 #include "zenoh-pico/protocol/keyexpr.h"
 #include "zenoh-pico/system/platform.h"
 
+#undef NDEBUG
+#include <assert.h>
+
 #define RUNS 1000
 
 #define _Z_MOCK_EXTENSION_UNIT 0x01
diff --git a/tests/z_peer_multicast_test.c b/tests/z_peer_multicast_test.c
index e1ede7104..d29551a0f 100644
--- a/tests/z_peer_multicast_test.c
+++ b/tests/z_peer_multicast_test.c
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 //   ZettaScale Zenoh Team, <zenoh@zettascale.tech>
 //
 
-#include <assert.h>
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
@@ -22,6 +21,9 @@
 #include "zenoh-pico/collections/bytes.h"
 #include "zenoh-pico/protocol/core.h"
 
+#undef NDEBUG
+#include <assert.h>
+
 #define MSG 10
 #define MSG_LEN 1024
 #define QRY 10