diff --git a/components/gitpod-db/package.json b/components/gitpod-db/package.json
index f7efd902b52b1b..1a03e39a65bc3c 100644
--- a/components/gitpod-db/package.json
+++ b/components/gitpod-db/package.json
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
     "test": "yarn db-test",
     "watch": "leeway exec --package .:lib --transitive-dependencies --filter-type yarn --components --parallel -- tsc -w --preserveWatchOutput",
     "db-test": "r(){ . $(leeway run components/gitpod-db:db-test-env); yarn db-test-run; };r",
-    "db-test-run": "mocha '**/*.spec.db.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
+    "db-test-run": "mocha '**/*.spec.db.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**' --exit",
     "wait-for-db": "node ./lib/wait-for-db.js",
     "typeorm": "typeorm -f lib/typeorm/ormconfig",
     "migrate-migrations": "node ./lib/migrate-migrations.js",
@@ -26,13 +26,10 @@
       "reflect-metadata/Reflect",
       "source-map-support/register"
     ],
-    "spec": [
-      "src/**/*.spec.ts",
-      "src/**/*.spec.db.ts"
-    ],
     "extensions": [
       "ts"
-    ]
+    ],
+    "exit": true
   },
   "files": [
     "/lib"
diff --git a/components/gitpod-protocol/package.json b/components/gitpod-protocol/package.json
index 0241b4b79d5950..686a18e4a66dc6 100644
--- a/components/gitpod-protocol/package.json
+++ b/components/gitpod-protocol/package.json
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
         "lint": "yarn eslint src/*.ts src/**/*.ts",
         "lint:fix": "yarn eslint src/*.ts src/**/*.ts --fix",
         "test": "mocha './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
-        "test-debug": "mocha --inspect-brk './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
+        "test-debug": "mocha --inspect-brk './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**' --exit",
         "watch": "leeway exec --package .:lib --transitive-dependencies --filter-type yarn --components --parallel -- tsc -w --preserveWatchOutput"
     },
     "mocha": {
@@ -51,12 +51,10 @@
             "reflect-metadata/Reflect",
             "source-map-support/register"
         ],
-        "spec": [
-            "src/**/*.spec.ts"
-        ],
         "extensions": [
             "ts"
-        ]
+        ],
+        "exit": true
     },
     "dependencies": {
         "@types/react": "17.0.32",
diff --git a/components/public-api/typescript/package.json b/components/public-api/typescript/package.json
index 71f87777a9c617..9c3320c5443bdf 100644
--- a/components/public-api/typescript/package.json
+++ b/components/public-api/typescript/package.json
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
   "scripts": {
     "build": "mkdir -p lib; tsc",
     "watch": "leeway exec --package .:lib --transitive-dependencies --filter-type yarn --components --parallel -- tsc -w --preserveWatchOutput",
-    "test": "mocha './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
+    "test": "mocha './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**' --exit",
     "test:brk": "yarn test --inspect-brk"
   },
   "mocha": {
@@ -19,12 +19,10 @@
       "reflect-metadata/Reflect",
       "source-map-support/register"
     ],
-    "spec": [
-      "src/**/*.spec.ts"
-    ],
     "extensions": [
       "ts"
-    ]
+    ],
+    "exit": true
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@bufbuild/connect": "^0.13.0",
diff --git a/components/server/package.json b/components/server/package.json
index 1e11817aebfd3c..3cfe9270c2cefa 100644
--- a/components/server/package.json
+++ b/components/server/package.json
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@
     "purge": "yarn clean && yarn clean:node && yarn run rimraf yarn.lock",
     "test:leeway": "yarn build && yarn test",
     "test": "yarn test:unit && yarn test:db",
-    "test:unit": "mocha './**/*.spec.js' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
-    "test:db": "cleanup() { echo 'Cleanup started'; yarn stop-services; }; trap cleanup EXIT; . $(leeway run components/gitpod-db:db-test-env) && yarn start-services && mocha './**/*.spec.db.js'  --exclude './node_modules/**'",
+    "test:unit": "mocha './**/*.spec.js' --exclude './node_modules/**' --exit",
+    "test:db": "cleanup() { echo 'Cleanup started'; yarn stop-services; }; trap cleanup EXIT; . $(leeway run components/gitpod-db:db-test-env) && yarn start-services && mocha './**/*.spec.db.js'  --exclude './node_modules/**' --exit",
     "start-services": "yarn start-testdb && yarn start-redis && yarn start-spicedb",
     "stop-services": "yarn stop-redis && yarn stop-spicedb",
     "start-testdb": "leeway run components/gitpod-db:init-testdb",
@@ -34,13 +34,10 @@
       "reflect-metadata/Reflect",
       "source-map-support/register"
     ],
-    "spec": [
-      "dist/**/*.spec.js",
-      "dist/**/*.spec.db.js"
-    ],
     "extensions": [
       "js"
-    ]
+    ],
+    "exit": true
   },
   "files": [
     "/dist",
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-api/typescript/package.json b/components/ws-manager-api/typescript/package.json
index 7e455b274ef91c..1f961f8d1ef23d 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-api/typescript/package.json
+++ b/components/ws-manager-api/typescript/package.json
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
   "scripts": {
     "build": "mkdir -p lib && cp -f src/*.js src/*d.ts lib && tsc",
     "watch": "leeway exec --package .:lib --transitive-dependencies --filter-type yarn --components --parallel -- tsc -w --preserveWatchOutput",
-    "test": "mocha './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
+    "test": "mocha './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**' --exit",
     "test:brk": "yarn test --inspect-brk"
   },
   "mocha": {
@@ -19,12 +19,10 @@
       "reflect-metadata/Reflect",
       "source-map-support/register"
     ],
-    "spec": [
-      "src/**/*.spec.ts"
-    ],
     "extensions": [
       "ts"
-    ]
+    ],
+    "exit": true
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@gitpod/content-service": "0.1.5",
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-bridge/package.json b/components/ws-manager-bridge/package.json
index 17b79403db12ca..5e4115d47190d2 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-bridge/package.json
+++ b/components/ws-manager-bridge/package.json
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
   "license": "UNLICENSED",
   "scripts": {
     "start": "node ./dist/index.js",
-    "test": "mocha './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**'",
+    "test": "mocha './**/*.spec.ts' --exclude './node_modules/**' --exit",
     "lint": "yarn eslint src/*.ts src/**/*.ts",
     "lint:fix": "yarn eslint src/*.ts src/**/*.ts --fix",
     "build": "yarn lint && npx tsc",
@@ -25,12 +25,10 @@
       "reflect-metadata/Reflect",
       "source-map-support/register"
     ],
-    "spec": [
-      "src/**/*.spec.ts"
-    ],
     "extensions": [
       "ts"
-    ]
+    ],
+    "exit": true
   },
   "files": [
     "/dist"