diff --git a/tests/system_test.py b/tests/system_test.py
index c491feb6a..13235b64d 100755
--- a/tests/system_test.py
+++ b/tests/system_test.py
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 import re
 import shlex
 import shutil
+import signal
 import socket
 import subprocess
 import sys
@@ -366,12 +367,16 @@ def error(msg):
             try:
                 self.wait(TIMEOUT)
             except TimeoutExpired:
-                self.kill()
-                error("did not terminate properly, required kill()")
+                self.send_signal(signal.SIGABRT)  # so that we may get core dump
+                error("did not terminate properly, required SIGABORT")
 
         # at this point the process has terminated, either of its own accord or
         # due to the above terminate call.
 
+        # prevent leak of stdin fd
+        if self.stdin:
+            self.stdin.close()
+
         if state is None and self.expect != Process.RUNNING:
             error("process was unexpectedly still running")
 
@@ -563,6 +568,13 @@ def __init__(self, name=None, config=Config(), pyinclude=None, wait=True,
         if wait:
             self.wait_ready()
 
+    def __enter__(self):
+        """Allows using the class in the `with` contextmanager"""
+        return self
+
+    def __exit__(self, *_):
+        self.teardown()
+
     @property
     def management(self):
         """Return a management agent proxy for this router"""
diff --git a/tests/system_tests_one_router.py b/tests/system_tests_one_router.py
index 7cb42362d..bf13a5273 100644
--- a/tests/system_tests_one_router.py
+++ b/tests/system_tests_one_router.py
@@ -411,8 +411,8 @@ def test_01_listen_error(self):
         config = Qdrouterd.Config([
             ('router', {'mode': 'standalone', 'id': 'bad'}),
             ('listener', {'port': OneRouterTest.listen_port})])
-        r = Qdrouterd(name="expect_fail", config=config, wait=False)
-        self.assertEqual(1, r.wait())
+        with Qdrouterd(name="expect_fail", config=config, wait=False, expect=Process.EXIT_FAIL) as r:
+            self.assertEqual(1, r.wait())
 
     def test_02_pre_settled(self):
         addr = self.address + '/closest/' + str(OneRouterTest.closest_count)