diff --git a/test/errors.c b/test/errors.c
index df0061b5..9b32d6b1 100644
--- a/test/errors.c
+++ b/test/errors.c
@@ -6,16 +6,12 @@
 // Do not put any test cases in this file; they will not be run.
 
 struct checkProgrammerErrorParams {
-	const char *file;
-	long line;
-	bool inThread;
 	bool caught;
-	void (*f)(void);
 	char *msgGot;
 	const char *msgWant;
 };
 
-static char *ourStrdup(struct checkProgrammerErrorParams *p, const char *s)
+static char *ourStrdup(const char *s)
 {
 	char *t;
 	size_t n;
@@ -23,7 +19,7 @@ static char *ourStrdup(struct checkProgrammerErrorParams *p, const char *s)
 	n = (strlen(s) + 1) * sizeof (char);
 	t = (char *) malloc(n);
 	if (t == NULL)
-		TestFatalfFull(p->file, p->line, "memory exhausted in ourStrdup() copying %s", s);
+		TestFatalf("memory exhausted in ourStrdup() copying %s", s);
 	memcpy(t, s, n);
 	return t;
 }
@@ -34,9 +30,11 @@ static void handleProgrammerError(const char *msg, void *data)
 
 	p->caught = true;
 	if (strcmp(msg, p->msgWant) != 0)
-		p->msgGot = ourStrdup(p, msg);
+		p->msgGot = ourStrdup(msg);
 }
 
+#if 0
+// TODO
 static void checkProgrammerErrorThreadProc(void *data)
 {
 	struct checkProgrammerErrorParams *p = (struct checkProgrammerErrorParams *) data;
@@ -57,34 +55,34 @@ static void checkProgrammerErrorSubtestImpl(struct checkProgrammerErrorParams *p
 		err = threadThreadWaitAndFree(thread);
 		if (err != 0)
 			TestFatalfFull(p->file, p->line, "error waiting for thread to finish: " threadSysErrorFmt, threadSysErrorFmtArg(err));
-	} else
-		(*(p->f))();
+	}
+}
+#endif
+
+void *beginCheckProgrammerError(const char *want)
+{
+	struct checkProgrammerErrorParams *p;
+
+	p = (struct checkProgrammerErrorParams *) malloc(sizeof (struct checkProgrammerErrorParams));
+	if (p == NULL)
+		TestFatalf("memory exhausted allocating beginCheckProgrammerError() context");
+	memset(p, 0, sizeof (struct checkProgrammerErrorParams));
+	p->msgWant = want;
+	uiprivTestHookReportProgrammerError(handleProgrammerError, p);
+	return p;
+}
+
+void endCheckProgrammerErrorFull(const char *file, long line, void *context)
+{
+	struct checkProgrammerErrorParams *p = (struct checkProgrammerErrorParams *) context;
+
 	if (!p->caught)
-		TestErrorfFull(p->file, p->line, "did not throw a programmer error; should have");
+		TestErrorfFull(file, line, "did not throw a programmer error; should have");
 	if (p->msgGot != NULL) {
-		TestErrorfFull(p->file, p->line, "message doesn't match expected string:" diff("%s"),
+		TestErrorfFull(file, line, "message doesn't match expected string:" diff("%s"),
 			p->msgGot, p->msgWant);
 		free(p->msgGot);
 	}
-}
-
-void checkProgrammerErrorsFull(const char *file, long line, const struct checkErrorCase *cases, bool inThread)
-{
-	const struct checkErrorCase *c;
-	struct checkProgrammerErrorParams p;
-
-	memset(&p, 0, sizeof (struct checkProgrammerErrorParams));
-	p.file = file;
-	p.line = line;
-	p.inThread = inThread;
-	uiprivTestHookReportProgrammerError(handleProgrammerError, &p);
-	for (c = cases; c->name != NULL; c++) {
-		p.caught = false;
-		p.f = c->f;
-		p.msgGot = NULL;
-		p.msgWant = c->msgWant;
-		// TODO this should be a proper subtest, but we don't have that facility with meson yet
-		checkProgrammerErrorSubtestImpl(&p);
-	}
+	free(p);
 	uiprivTestHookReportProgrammerError(NULL, NULL);
 }
diff --git a/test/test.h b/test/test.h
index 3071180d..16b8f235 100644
--- a/test/test.h
+++ b/test/test.h
@@ -78,14 +78,9 @@ sharedbitsPrintfFunc(
 #define diff(fmt) "\ngot  " fmt "\nwant " fmt
 
 // errors.c
-struct checkErrorCase {
-	const char *name;
-	void (*f)(void);
-	const char *msgWant;
-};
-extern void checkProgrammerErrorsFull(const char *file, long line, const struct checkErrorCase *cases, bool inThread);
-#define checkProgrammerErrors(cases) checkProgrammerErrorsFull(__FILE__, __LINE__, cases, false)
-#define checkProgrammerErrorsInThread(cases) checkProgrammerErrorsFull(__FILE__, __LINE__, cases, true)
+extern void *beginCheckProgrammerError(const char *want);
+extern void endCheckProgrammerErrorFull(const char *file, long line, void *context);
+#define endCheckProgrammerError(context) checkProgrammerErrorFull(__FILE__, __LINE__, context)
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }