--- test/xvfb-wrapper.c
+++ test/xvfb-wrapper.c
@@ -24,9 +24,8 @@
 
 #include "config.h"
 
 #include <stdio.h>
-#include <spawn.h>
 #include <assert.h>
 #include <signal.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <sys/wait.h>
@@ -88,14 +87,8 @@
      *    _XSERVTransSocketUNIXCreateListener: ...SocketCreateListener() failed
      * It is expected: this is the server trying the ports until it finds one
      * that works.
      */
-    ret = posix_spawnp(&xvfb_pid, "Xvfb", NULL, NULL, xvfb_argv, envp);
-    if (ret != 0) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "posix_spawnp error %d: %s\n", ret, strerror(ret));
-        ret = TEST_SETUP_FAILURE;
-        goto err_xvfd;
-    }
 
     sa.sa_handler = SIG_DFL;
     sa.sa_flags = 0;
     sigemptyset(&sa.sa_mask);
--- test/x11comp.c
+++ test/x11comp.c
@@ -23,9 +23,8 @@
 
 #include "config.h"
 
 #include <stdio.h>
-#include <spawn.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <assert.h>
 #include <signal.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
@@ -68,14 +67,8 @@
 
     xkb_path = test_get_path("keymaps/host.xkb");
     assert(ret >= 0);
     xkbcomp_argv[2] = xkb_path;
-    ret = posix_spawnp(&xkbcomp_pid, "xkbcomp", NULL, NULL, xkbcomp_argv, envp);
-    free(xkb_path);
-    if (ret != 0) {
-        ret = TEST_SETUP_FAILURE;
-        goto err_xcb;
-    }
     ret = waitpid(xkbcomp_pid, &status, 0);
     if (ret < 0 || !WIFEXITED(status) || WEXITSTATUS(status) != 0) {
         ret = TEST_SETUP_FAILURE;
         goto err_xcb;