diff --git a/swh/storage/tests/test_cli.py b/swh/storage/tests/test_cli.py
--- a/swh/storage/tests/test_cli.py
+++ b/swh/storage/tests/test_cli.py
@@ -6,19 +6,14 @@
 import copy
 import logging
 import re
-import requests
 import tempfile
-import threading
-import time
 import yaml
 
-from contextlib import contextmanager
 from typing import Any, Dict
 from unittest.mock import patch
 
 import pytest
 
-from aiohttp.test_utils import unused_port
 from click.testing import CliRunner
 from confluent_kafka import Producer
 
@@ -64,88 +59,8 @@
         yaml.dump(config, config_fd)
         config_fd.seek(0)
         args = ["-C" + config_fd.name] + list(args)
-        return runner.invoke(cli, args, obj={"log_level": logging.DEBUG}, env=env,)
-
-
-@contextmanager
-def check_rpc_serve():
-    # this context manager adds, if needed, a /quit route to the flask application that
-    # uses the werzeuk tric to exit the test server started by app.run()
-    #
-    # The /testing/ gathering code is executed in a thread while the main thread runs
-    # the test server. Results of the tests consist in a list of requests Response
-    # objects stored in the `response` shared list.
-    #
-    # This convoluted execution code is needed because the flask app needs to run in the
-    # main thread.
-    #
-    # The context manager will yield the port on which tests (GET queries) will be done,
-    # so the test function should start the RPC server on this port in the body of the
-    # context manager.
-
-    from swh.storage.api.server import app
-    from flask import request
-
-    if "/quit" not in [r.rule for r in app.url_map.iter_rules()]:
-
-        @app.route("/quit")
-        def quit_app():
-            request.environ["werkzeug.server.shutdown"]()
-            return "Bye"
-
-    port = unused_port()
-    responses = []
-
-    def run_tests():
-        # we do run the "test" part in the thread because flask does not like the
-        # app.run() to be executed in a (non-main) thread
-        def get(path):
-            for i in range(5):
-                try:
-                    resp = requests.get(f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}{path}")
-                    break
-                except requests.exceptions.ConnectionError:
-                    time.sleep(0.2)
-            responses.append(resp)
-
-        get("/")  # ensure the server starts and can reply the '/' path
-
-        get("/quit")  # ask the test server to quit gracefully
-
-    t = threading.Thread(target=run_tests)
-    t.start()
-    yield port  # this is where the caller should start the server listening on "port"
-
-    # we expect to reach this point because the /quit endpoint should have been called,
-    # thus the server, executed in the caller's context manager's body, should now
-    # return
-    t.join()
-
-    # check the GET requests we made in the thread have expected results
-    assert len(responses) == 2
-    assert responses[0].status_code == 200
-    assert "Software Heritage storage server" in responses[0].text
-    assert responses[1].status_code == 200
-    assert responses[1].text == "Bye"
-
-
-def test_rpc_serve():
-    with check_rpc_serve() as port:
-        invoke("rpc-serve", "--host", "127.0.0.1", "--port", port)
-
-
-def test_rpc_serve_bwcompat():
-    def invoke(*args, env=None):
-        config = copy.deepcopy(CLI_CONFIG)
-        runner = CliRunner()
-        with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile("a", suffix=".yml") as config_fd:
-            yaml.dump(config, config_fd)
-            config_fd.seek(0)
-            args = list(args) + [config_fd.name]
-            return runner.invoke(cli, args, obj={"log_level": logging.DEBUG}, env=env,)
-
-    with check_rpc_serve() as port:
-        invoke("rpc-serve", "--host", "127.0.0.1", "--port", port)
+        ret = runner.invoke(cli, args, obj={"log_level": logging.DEBUG}, env=env,)
+        return ret
 
 
 def test_replay(