diff --git a/tests/test_integration_family_reach.py b/tests/test_integration_family_reach.py
index b7f0416d..45e5e92e 100644
--- a/tests/test_integration_family_reach.py
+++ b/tests/test_integration_family_reach.py
@@ -94,6 +94,14 @@ async def corpus():
     return ids
 
 
+def _family(corpus) -> set[int]:
+    """This corpus's family records. The reach is computed across every
+    user's canon (the search applies readability afterwards), and the
+    integration database holds other tests' Android ideas, so assertions
+    about it are made on this corpus's ids only."""
+    return {corpus["idea"], corpus["kotlin_ref"], corpus["python_ref"]}
+
+
 async def _search(uid, **kw):
     with patch("scribe.services.embeddings.get_embedding", AsyncMock(return_value=QUERY_VEC)):
         hits = await semantic_search_notes(uid, "how does the app update itself", limit=20, **kw)
@@ -127,14 +135,14 @@ async def test_with_no_reference_in_the_projects_language_every_reference_comes(
         b_own.data = {"language": "dart"}
         await s.commit()
     reach = await adoption_svc.family_reach_ids(corpus["b"])
-    assert reach == {corpus["idea"], corpus["kotlin_ref"], corpus["python_ref"]}
+    assert reach & _family(corpus) == _family(corpus)
 
 
 async def test_a_retired_idea_reaches_nobody(corpus):
     async with async_session() as s:
         (await s.get(FamilyIdea, corpus["idea"])).status = "retired"
         await s.commit()
-    assert await adoption_svc.family_reach_ids(corpus["b"]) == set()
+    assert not await adoption_svc.family_reach_ids(corpus["b"]) & _family(corpus)
 
 
 # --- the entry readout and the owed answers a close hands back -------------------