diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yml b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
index f32691fe..cf1b7950 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
@@ -22,9 +22,9 @@ jobs:
           submodules: true
 
       - name: Build docker image
-        run: docker compose --file docker-compose.test.yml build
+        run: docker compose build
 
       - name: Run tests
-        run: docker compose --file docker-compose.test.yml run sut
+        run: docker compose run test scripts/test_and_cover.sh
         env:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.github_token }}
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 14e4f47f..e22b9b6b 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -161,9 +161,6 @@ RUN cpanm --notest \
 
 ENV SDRROOT /htapps/babel
 ENV ROOTDIR "${SDRROOT}/crms"
-
-RUN wget -O /usr/local/bin/wait-for https://github.com/eficode/wait-for/releases/download/v2.2.3/wait-for; chmod +x /usr/local/bin/wait-for
-
 RUN mkdir -p $ROOTDIR
 COPY . $ROOTDIR
 WORKDIR $ROOTDIR
diff --git a/Makefile.PL b/Makefile.PL
deleted file mode 100755
index 006e8da2..00000000
--- a/Makefile.PL
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-use strict;
-use warnings;
-use ExtUtils::MakeMaker;
-
-my ($mm) = $ExtUtils::MakeMaker::VERSION =~ /^([^_]+)/;
-
-WriteMakefile(
-  NAME         => 'CRMS',
-  VERSION_FROM => 'lib/CRMS/Version.pm',
-  test => {RECURSIVE_TEST_FILES => 1}
-);
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b0b1e5f2..298fad3c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -12,18 +12,13 @@ A web app and suite of tools for performing copyright review projects.
 git submodule init
 git submodule update
 docker compose build
-docker compose up -d mariadb
+docker compose up -d mariadb mariadb-ht
 docker compose run --rm test
 ```
 
-## Running Tests with Coverage
-
-```
-scripts/cover.sh
-```
-
-The other coverage script -- `scripts/test_and_cover.sh` -- is used by GitHub actions
-to upload results to Coveralls.
+By default the `test` service produces a `Devel::Cover` HTML report using
+`scripts/test.sh`. The other script, `scripts/test_and_cover.sh`, is for upload to
+Coveralls and is used in the GitHub action.
 
 ## What is Where
 
@@ -32,7 +27,7 @@ to upload results to Coveralls.
 - `docker` Database seeds
 - `lib` Perl modules (new development and refactored modules from `cgi`)
 - `prep` Destination for some log files and reports
-- `scripts` Binaries run as part of development or by GitHub
+- `scripts` Testing wrappers run as part of development or by GitHub
 - `t` Tests
 - `web` Static assets including images, JS, CSS
 
diff --git a/docker-compose.test.yml b/docker-compose.test.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index aed432f2..00000000
--- a/docker-compose.test.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,41 +0,0 @@
-version: '3'
-
-services:
-
-  mariadb:
-    build: docker/db
-    restart: always
-    environment:
-      MYSQL_RANDOM_ROOT_PASSWORD: 1
-    ports:
-      - 3306:3306
-
-  mariadb_ht:
-    image: ghcr.io/hathitrust/db-image:latest
-    restart: always
-    environment:
-      MYSQL_RANDOM_ROOT_PASSWORD: 1
-    ports:
-      - 3307:3306
-
-  sut:
-    build: .
-    volumes:
-      - .:/htapps/babel/crms
-    environment:
-      - SDRROOT=/htapps/babel
-      - CRMS_DB_HOST=mariadb
-      - CRMS_DB_HOST_DEVELOPMENT=mariadb
-      - CRMS_HT_DB_HOST=mariadb_ht
-      # pass through info needed by coveralls uploader
-      - GITHUB_TOKEN
-      - GITHUB_RUN_ID
-      - GITHUB_EVENT_TOKEN
-      - GITHUB_EVENT_PATH
-      - GITHUB_SHA
-      - GITHUB_REF
-      - GITHUB_ACTIONS
-    depends_on:
-      - mariadb
-      - mariadb_ht
-    command: scripts/test_and_cover.sh
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 8063b122..8177f0b4 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,13 @@
-version: '3'
+---
+
+x-condition-healthy: &healthy
+  condition: service_healthy
+
+x-healthcheck-defaults: &healthcheck-defaults
+  interval: 5s
+  timeout: 10s
+  start_period: 10s
+  retries: 5
 
 services:
 
@@ -6,17 +15,23 @@ services:
     build: docker/db
     restart: always
     environment:
-      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: 'crms'
+      MYSQL_RANDOM_ROOT_PASSWORD: 1
     ports:
       - 3306:3306
+    healthcheck:
+      <<: *healthcheck-defaults
+      test: [ "CMD", "healthcheck.sh", "--su-mysql", "--connect", "--innodb_initialized" ]
 
   mariadb_ht:
     image: ghcr.io/hathitrust/db-image:latest
     restart: always
     environment:
-      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: 'crms'
+      MYSQL_RANDOM_ROOT_PASSWORD: 1
     ports:
       - 3307:3306
+    healthcheck:
+      <<: *healthcheck-defaults
+      test: [ "CMD", "healthcheck.sh", "--su-mysql", "--connect", "--innodb_initialized" ]
 
   test:
     build: .
@@ -27,7 +42,15 @@ services:
       - CRMS_DB_HOST=mariadb
       - CRMS_DB_HOST_DEVELOPMENT=mariadb
       - CRMS_HT_DB_HOST=mariadb_ht
+      # pass through info needed by coveralls uploader
+      - GITHUB_TOKEN
+      - GITHUB_RUN_ID
+      - GITHUB_EVENT_TOKEN
+      - GITHUB_EVENT_PATH
+      - GITHUB_SHA
+      - GITHUB_REF
+      - GITHUB_ACTIONS
     depends_on:
-      - mariadb
-      - mariadb_ht
+      mariadb: *healthy
+      mariadb_ht: *healthy
     command: scripts/test.sh
diff --git a/docker/db/Dockerfile b/docker/db/Dockerfile
index 5038f22d..7cdeac25 100644
--- a/docker/db/Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/db/Dockerfile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-FROM mariadb:10.1
+FROM mariadb:10.11
 
 # copy schema files inside
 COPY sql/* /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/
diff --git a/scripts/cover.sh b/scripts/cover.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index adfd326a..00000000
--- a/scripts/cover.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-# This script doesn't do the wait-for song and dance so if there are sporadic database errors,
-# try making sure the databases are fully up and running again.
-docker compose run --rm test cover -ignore_re '^t/' +ignore_re '^post' -test -make 'prove -r t/; exit $?'
diff --git a/scripts/test.sh b/scripts/test.sh
index 3142d347..d84952cd 100755
--- a/scripts/test.sh
+++ b/scripts/test.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,3 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-perl /htapps/babel/crms/Makefile.PL
-/usr/local/bin/wait-for --timeout=300 mariadb:3306
-/usr/local/bin/wait-for --timeout=30 mariadb_ht:3306
-make test TEST_VERBOSE=1
+cover -test -ignore_re '^t/' +ignore_re '^post' -report html -make 'prove -r t/; exit $?'
diff --git a/scripts/test_and_cover.sh b/scripts/test_and_cover.sh
index 74a73fac..466fcff9 100755
--- a/scripts/test_and_cover.sh
+++ b/scripts/test_and_cover.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-/usr/local/bin/wait-for --timeout=300 mariadb:3306
-/usr/local/bin/wait-for --timeout=30 mariadb_ht:3306
 cover -test -ignore_re '^t/' +ignore_re '^post' -report Coveralls -make 'prove -r t/; exit $?'