diff --git a/test/fixtures/breakpoints_utf8.js b/test/fixtures/breakpoints_utf8.js
index cd05c76023..8f0eb9dfc1 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/breakpoints_utf8.js
+++ b/test/fixtures/breakpoints_utf8.js
@@ -17,3 +17,7 @@ b();
 
 setInterval(function() {
 }, 5000);
+
+
+now = new Date();
+debugger;
diff --git a/test/simple/test-debugger-repl-utf8.js b/test/simple/test-debugger-repl-utf8.js
index 4b70bec3b4..73314b8a6a 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-debugger-repl-utf8.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-debugger-repl-utf8.js
@@ -19,162 +19,9 @@
 // OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE
 // USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
 
-
-process.env.NODE_DEBUGGER_TIMEOUT = 2000;
 var common = require('../common');
-var assert = require('assert');
-var spawn = require('child_process').spawn;
-var debug = require('_debugger');
-
-var port = common.PORT + 1337;
-
 var script = common.fixturesDir + '/breakpoints_utf8.js';
+process.env.NODE_DEBUGGER_TEST_SCRIPT = script;
 
-var child = spawn(process.execPath, ['debug', '--port=' + port, script]);
-
-console.error('./node', 'debug', '--port=' + port, script);
-
-var buffer = '';
-child.stdout.setEncoding('utf-8');
-child.stdout.on('data', function(data) {
-  data = (buffer + data.toString()).split(/\n/g);
-  buffer = data.pop();
-  data.forEach(function(line) {
-    child.emit('line', line);
-  });
-});
-child.stderr.pipe(process.stdout);
-
-var expected = [];
-
-child.on('line', function(line) {
-  line = line.replace(/^(debug> )+/, 'debug> ');
-  console.error('line> ' + line);
-  assert.ok(expected.length > 0, 'Got unexpected line: ' + line);
-
-  var expectedLine = expected[0].lines.shift();
-  assert.ok(line.match(expectedLine) !== null, line + ' != ' + expectedLine);
-
-  if (expected[0].lines.length === 0) {
-    var callback = expected[0].callback;
-    expected.shift();
-    callback && callback();
-  }
-});
-
-function addTest(input, output) {
-  function next() {
-    if (expected.length > 0) {
-      child.stdin.write(expected[0].input + '\n');
-
-      if (!expected[0].lines) {
-        setTimeout(function() {
-          var callback = expected[0].callback;
-          expected.shift();
-
-          callback && callback();
-        }, 50);
-      }
-    } else {
-      finish();
-    }
-  };
-  expected.push({input: input, lines: output, callback: next});
-}
-
-// Initial lines
-addTest(null, [
-  /listening on port \d+/,
-  /connecting... ok/,
-  /break in .*:1/,
-  /1/, /2/, /3/
-]);
-
-// Next
-addTest('n', [
-  /break in .*:11/,
-  /9/, /10/, /11/, /12/, /13/
-]);
-
-// Watch
-addTest('watch("\'x\'")');
-
-// Continue
-addTest('c', [
-  /break in .*:5/,
-  /Watchers/,
-  /0:\s+'x' = "x"/,
-  /()/,
-  /3/, /4/, /5/, /6/, /7/
-]);
-
-// Show watchers
-addTest('watchers', [
-  /0:\s+'x' = "x"/
-]);
-
-// Unwatch
-addTest('unwatch("\'x\'")');
-
-// Step out
-addTest('o', [
-  /break in .*:12/,
-  /10/, /11/, /12/, /13/, /14/
-]);
-
-// Continue
-addTest('c', [
-  /break in .*:5/,
-  /3/, /4/, /5/, /6/, /7/
-]);
-
-// Set breakpoint by function name
-addTest('sb("setInterval()", "!(setInterval.flag++)")', [
-  /1/, /2/, /3/, /4/, /5/, /6/, /7/, /8/, /9/, /10/
-]);
-
-// Continue
-addTest('c', [
-  /break in node.js:\d+/,
-  /\d/, /\d/, /\d/, /\d/, /\d/
-]);
-
-function finish() {
-  process.exit(0);
-}
-
-function quit() {
-  if (quit.called) return;
-  quit.called = true;
-  child.stdin.write('quit');
-}
-
-setTimeout(function() {
-  console.error('dying badly');
-  var err = 'Timeout';
-  if (expected.length > 0 && expected[0].lines) {
-    err = err + '. Expected: ' + expected[0].lines.shift();
-  }
-  quit();
-  child.kill('SIGINT');
-  child.kill('SIGTERM');
-
-  // give the sigkill time to work.
-  setTimeout(function() {
-    throw new Error(err);
-  }, 100);
-
-}, 5000);
-
-process.once('uncaughtException', function(e) {
-  quit();
-  console.error(e.toString());
-  process.exit(1);
-});
+require('./test-debugger-repl.js');
 
-process.on('exit', function(code) {
-  quit();
-  if (code === 0) {
-    assert.equal(expected.length, 0);
-  }
-});
diff --git a/test/simple/test-debugger-repl.js b/test/simple/test-debugger-repl.js
index d69a19a560..26c597398a 100644
--- a/test/simple/test-debugger-repl.js
+++ b/test/simple/test-debugger-repl.js
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@
 // OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE
 // USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
 
-
 process.env.NODE_DEBUGGER_TIMEOUT = 2000;
 var common = require('../common');
 var assert = require('assert');
@@ -28,11 +27,10 @@ var debug = require('_debugger');
 
 var port = common.PORT + 1337;
 
-var script = common.fixturesDir + '/breakpoints.js';
+var script = process.env.NODE_DEBUGGER_TEST_SCRIPT ||
+             common.fixturesDir + '/breakpoints.js';
 
-var child = spawn(process.execPath, ['debug', '--port=' + port, script], {
-  env: { NODE_FORCE_READLINE: 1 }
-});
+var child = spawn(process.execPath, ['debug', '--port=' + port, script]);
 
 console.error('./node', 'debug', '--port=' + port, script);
 
@@ -45,14 +43,13 @@ child.stdout.on('data', function(data) {
     child.emit('line', line);
   });
 });
-child.stderr.pipe(process.stdout);
+child.stderr.pipe(process.stderr);
 
 var expected = [];
 
 child.on('line', function(line) {
-  line = line.replace(/^(debug> )+/, 'debug> ');
-  line = line.replace(/\u001b\[\d+\w/g, '');
-  console.error('line> ' + line);
+  line = line.replace(/^(debug> *)+/, '');
+  console.log(line);
   assert.ok(expected.length > 0, 'Got unexpected line: ' + line);
 
   var expectedLine = expected[0].lines.shift();
@@ -68,23 +65,17 @@ child.on('line', function(line) {
 function addTest(input, output) {
   function next() {
     if (expected.length > 0) {
-      var res = child.stdin.write(expected[0].input + '\n'),
-          callback;
+      console.log('debug> ' + expected[0].input);
+      child.stdin.write(expected[0].input + '\n');
 
       if (!expected[0].lines) {
-        callback = expected[0].callback;
+        var callback = expected[0].callback;
         expected.shift();
-      }
 
-      if (callback) {
-        if (res !== true) {
-          child.stdin.on('drain', callback);
-        } else {
-          process.nextTick(callback);
-        }
+        callback && callback();
       }
     } else {
-      finish();
+      quit();
     }
   };
   expected.push({input: input, lines: output, callback: next});
@@ -100,17 +91,15 @@ addTest(null, [
 
 // Next
 addTest('n', [
-  /debug> n/,
   /break in .*:11/,
   /9/, /10/, /11/, /12/, /13/
 ]);
 
 // Watch
-addTest('watch("\'x\'"), true', [/debug>/, /true/]);
+addTest('watch("\'x\'")');
 
 // Continue
 addTest('c', [
-  /debug>/,
   /break in .*:5/,
   /Watchers/,
   /0:\s+'x' = "x"/,
@@ -120,98 +109,76 @@ addTest('c', [
 
 // Show watchers
 addTest('watchers', [
-  /debug>/,
   /0:\s+'x' = "x"/
 ]);
 
 // Unwatch
-addTest('unwatch("\'x\'"), true', [/debug>/, /true/]);
+addTest('unwatch("\'x\'")');
 
 // Step out
 addTest('o', [
-  /debug>/,
   /break in .*:12/,
   /10/, /11/, /12/, /13/, /14/
 ]);
 
 // Continue
 addTest('c', [
-  /debug>/,
   /break in .*:5/,
   /3/, /4/, /5/, /6/, /7/
 ]);
 
 // Set breakpoint by function name
 addTest('sb("setInterval()", "!(setInterval.flag++)")', [
-  /debug>/,
   /1/, /2/, /3/, /4/, /5/, /6/, /7/, /8/, /9/, /10/
 ]);
 
 // Continue
 addTest('c', [
-  /debug>/,
   /break in node.js:\d+/,
   /\d/, /\d/, /\d/, /\d/, /\d/
 ]);
 
-// Repeat last command
-addTest('', [
-  /debug>/,
-  /break in .*breakpoints.js:\d+/,
-  /\d/, /\d/, /\d/, /\d/, /\d/
-]);
-
-addTest('repl', [
-  /debug>/,
-  /Press Ctrl \+ C to leave debug repl/
-]);
-
-addTest('now', [
-  /> now/,
-  /\w* \w* \d* \d* \d*:\d*:\d* GMT[+-]\d* (\w*)/
-]);
-
-function finish() {
-  // Exit debugger repl
-  child.kill('SIGINT');
-  child.kill('SIGINT');
+addTest('quit', []);
 
-  // Exit debugger
-  child.kill('SIGINT');
-  process.exit(0);
-}
+var childClosed = false;
+child.on('close', function(code) {
+  assert(!code);
+  childClosed = true;
+});
 
+var quitCalled = false;
 function quit() {
-  if (quit.called) return;
-  quit.called = true;
+  if (quitCalled || childClosed) return;
+  quitCalled = true;
   child.stdin.write('quit');
+  child.kill('SIGTERM');
 }
 
 setTimeout(function() {
+  console.error('dying badly buffer=%j', buffer);
   var err = 'Timeout';
   if (expected.length > 0 && expected[0].lines) {
     err = err + '. Expected: ' + expected[0].lines.shift();
   }
-  quit();
-  child.kill('SIGINT');
-  child.kill('SIGTERM');
 
-  // give the sigkill time to work.
-  setTimeout(function() {
+  child.on('close', function() {
+    console.error('child is closed');
     throw new Error(err);
-  }, 100);
+  });
 
-}, 5000);
+  quit();
+}, 5000).unref();
 
 process.once('uncaughtException', function(e) {
+  console.error('UncaughtException', e, e.stack);
   quit();
   console.error(e.toString());
   process.exit(1);
 });
 
 process.on('exit', function(code) {
+  console.error('process exit', code);
   quit();
-  if (code === 0) {
-    assert.equal(expected.length, 0);
-  }
+  if (code === 0)
+    assert(childClosed);
 });