diff --git a/core/src/local/mod.rs b/core/src/local/mod.rs
index 6db4203..2b4e2a4 100644
--- a/core/src/local/mod.rs
+++ b/core/src/local/mod.rs
@@ -77,9 +77,15 @@ pub fn open(path: &Path) -> rusqlite::Result<Db> {
 /// crate was doing before the core was extracted. The Android bindings will want the
 /// same thing.
 pub fn open_in_memory() -> rusqlite::Result<Db> {
+    Ok(Db(Mutex::new(memory_conn()?)))
+}
+
+/// A migrated, in-memory connection: [`open_in_memory`]'s, and every core test's
+/// store.
+pub(crate) fn memory_conn() -> rusqlite::Result<Connection> {
     let conn = Connection::open_in_memory()?;
     schema::migrate(&conn)?;
-    Ok(Db(Mutex::new(conn)))
+    Ok(conn)
 }
 
 /// A one-line count summary of the store, for the startup log.
diff --git a/core/src/local/portable.rs b/core/src/local/portable.rs
index 5e41756..2c5a5b8 100644
--- a/core/src/local/portable.rs
+++ b/core/src/local/portable.rs
@@ -593,11 +593,9 @@ fn dirname(path: &str) -> &str {
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
-    use crate::local::schema;
 
     fn store() -> (Connection, BlobStore, std::path::PathBuf) {
-        let conn = Connection::open_in_memory().unwrap();
-        schema::migrate(&conn).unwrap();
+        let conn = crate::local::memory_conn().unwrap();
         let dir = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!("inkwell-portable-{}", uuid::Uuid::new_v4()));
         let blobs = BlobStore::new(dir.clone()).unwrap();
         (conn, blobs, dir)
diff --git a/core/src/local/retention.rs b/core/src/local/retention.rs
index 137a5c5..95dfd9f 100644
--- a/core/src/local/retention.rs
+++ b/core/src/local/retention.rs
@@ -80,12 +80,9 @@ pub fn sweep_if_unlinked(conn: &Connection) -> rusqlite::Result<Option<usize>> {
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
-    use crate::local::schema;
 
     fn db() -> Connection {
-        let conn = Connection::open_in_memory().expect("in-memory db");
-        schema::migrate(&conn).expect("migrate");
-        conn
+        crate::local::memory_conn().expect("in-memory db")
     }
 
     /// A trashed note of a given age, stamped in the format the CLIENT writes
diff --git a/core/src/local/store.rs b/core/src/local/store.rs
index 14a71bc..b8e49af 100644
--- a/core/src/local/store.rs
+++ b/core/src/local/store.rs
@@ -1143,12 +1143,9 @@ mod tests {
     //! against a real schema catches, which is what every test here runs.
 
     use super::*;
-    use crate::local::schema;
 
     fn db() -> Connection {
-        let conn = Connection::open_in_memory().expect("in-memory db");
-        schema::migrate(&conn).expect("migrate");
-        conn
+        crate::local::memory_conn().expect("in-memory db")
     }
 
     fn note(conn: &Connection, body: &str) -> Note {
diff --git a/core/src/sync/pull.rs b/core/src/sync/pull.rs
index 94fa2ca..1d80ed4 100644
--- a/core/src/sync/pull.rs
+++ b/core/src/sync/pull.rs
@@ -507,12 +507,9 @@ pub async fn run(
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
-    use crate::local::schema;
 
     fn db() -> Connection {
-        let conn = Connection::open_in_memory().expect("in-memory db");
-        schema::migrate(&conn).expect("migrate");
-        conn
+        crate::local::memory_conn().expect("in-memory db")
     }
 
     fn note(id: &str, revision: i64) -> wire::Note {
diff --git a/core/src/sync/push.rs b/core/src/sync/push.rs
index c26d7df..9aa3305 100644
--- a/core/src/sync/push.rs
+++ b/core/src/sync/push.rs
@@ -702,13 +702,10 @@ pub fn parse_results(raw: &str) -> Result<Vec<PushResult>, String> {
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
-    use crate::local::schema;
     use crate::local::store;
 
     fn db() -> Connection {
-        let conn = Connection::open_in_memory().expect("in-memory db");
-        schema::migrate(&conn).expect("migrate");
-        conn
+        crate::local::memory_conn().expect("in-memory db")
     }
 
     fn seed_note(conn: &Connection, id: &str, dirty: i64) {
diff --git a/core/src/sync/sharing.rs b/core/src/sync/sharing.rs
index 61fa751..ce14c79 100644
--- a/core/src/sync/sharing.rs
+++ b/core/src/sync/sharing.rs
@@ -85,15 +85,10 @@ pub async fn unshare(
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
-    use crate::local::schema;
     use crate::sync::client::Member;
-    use rusqlite::Connection;
-    use std::sync::Mutex;
 
     fn db() -> Db {
-        let conn = Connection::open_in_memory().expect("in-memory db");
-        schema::migrate(&conn).expect("migrate");
-        Db(Mutex::new(conn))
+        crate::local::open_in_memory().expect("in-memory db")
     }
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/core/src/sync/state.rs b/core/src/sync/state.rs
index 5db0a71..01a6281 100644
--- a/core/src/sync/state.rs
+++ b/core/src/sync/state.rs
@@ -308,12 +308,9 @@ pub fn status(conn: &Connection) -> rusqlite::Result<Status> {
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
-    use crate::local::schema;
 
     fn db() -> Connection {
-        let conn = Connection::open_in_memory().expect("in-memory db");
-        schema::migrate(&conn).expect("migrate");
-        conn
+        crate::local::memory_conn().expect("in-memory db")
     }
 
     #[test]