diff --git a/controller/internal/notify/deadapp_test.go b/controller/internal/notify/deadapp_test.go
index a1af278..49742d0 100644
--- a/controller/internal/notify/deadapp_test.go
+++ b/controller/internal/notify/deadapp_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package notify
 
 import (
+	"io"
 	"log"
 	"testing"
 )
@@ -8,7 +9,7 @@ import (
 // fix-3: app_start_failed fires ONCE per running→down transition. down→down cycles are silent (the
 // anti-spam guarantee); down→running clears the tracker so a later re-failure re-notifies.
 func TestNotifyAppStartFailures_OneEventPerTransition(t *testing.T) {
-	n := New("http://hub", "key", "cust", nil, log.New(nil, "", 0), false)
+	n := New("http://hub", "key", "cust", nil, log.New(io.Discard, "", 0), false)
 	var events []string
 	n.pushFn = func(eventType, _, msg string, _ interface{}) {
 		if eventType == "app_start_failed" {
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ func TestNotifyAppStartFailures_OneEventPerTransition(t *testing.T) {
 // An app that is down on the FIRST evaluation (the F11 dead-at-boot case, after the boot grace) still
 // fires — it is a running→down transition from the tracker's empty initial state.
 func TestNotifyAppStartFailures_FirstSeenDownFires(t *testing.T) {
-	n := New("http://hub", "key", "cust", nil, log.New(nil, "", 0), false)
+	n := New("http://hub", "key", "cust", nil, log.New(io.Discard, "", 0), false)
 	var count int
 	n.pushFn = func(eventType, _, _ string, _ interface{}) {
 		if eventType == "app_start_failed" {
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ func TestNotifyAppStartFailures_FirstSeenDownFires(t *testing.T) {
 
 // A deployed app that is up never fires.
 func TestNotifyAppStartFailures_HealthyNeverFires(t *testing.T) {
-	n := New("http://hub", "key", "cust", nil, log.New(nil, "", 0), false)
+	n := New("http://hub", "key", "cust", nil, log.New(io.Discard, "", 0), false)
 	var count int
 	n.pushFn = func(string, string, string, interface{}) { count++ }
 	n.NotifyAppStartFailures([]AppRunState{{Name: "radarr", Down: false}})
diff --git a/controller/internal/web/deadapp_alert_test.go b/controller/internal/web/deadapp_alert_test.go
index 0fa17d2..d7a493a 100644
--- a/controller/internal/web/deadapp_alert_test.go
+++ b/controller/internal/web/deadapp_alert_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package web
 
 import (
+	"io"
 	"log"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
@@ -10,7 +11,7 @@ import (
 // clears it. COMPANION red-proof: skip SetDeadAppAlerts entirely (the pre-fix-3 silence) → GetAlerts
 // has no dead-app banner → the "not fut" assertion fails.
 func TestDeadAppAlerts_PresentAndSelfClearing(t *testing.T) {
-	am := NewAlertManager(log.New(nil, "", 0))
+	am := NewAlertManager(log.New(io.Discard, "", 0))
 
 	am.SetDeadAppAlerts([]DeadApp{{Name: "cwa", DisplayName: "Calibre-Web", State: "stopped"}})
 	got := am.GetAlerts()
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ func TestDeadAppAlerts_PresentAndSelfClearing(t *testing.T) {
 // Above the group threshold, many dead apps collapse to ONE grouped banner (a reboot storm must not
 // paper the dashboard).
 func TestDeadAppAlerts_GroupedAboveThreshold(t *testing.T) {
-	am := NewAlertManager(log.New(nil, "", 0))
+	am := NewAlertManager(log.New(io.Discard, "", 0))
 	var many []DeadApp
 	for _, n := range []string{"radarr", "jellyfin", "navidrome", "calibre", "seerr"} {
 		many = append(many, DeadApp{Name: n, DisplayName: n, State: "stopped"})