diff --git a/src/db.rs b/src/db.rs
index 5eb83ce..593e091 100644
--- a/src/db.rs
+++ b/src/db.rs
@@ -48,15 +48,21 @@ pub async fn get_pool() -> SqlitePool {
         .await
         .expect("can't connect to database");
 
-    let mut m = Migrator::new(std::path::Path::new("./migrations"))
-        .await
-        .expect("Should be able to read the migration directory.");
+    {
+        let mut m = Migrator::new(std::path::Path::new("./migrations"))
+            .await
+            .expect("Should be able to read the migration directory.");
 
-    let m = m.set_locking(true);
+        let m = m.set_locking(true);
 
-    m.run(&pool)
-        .await
-        .expect("Should be able to run the migration.");
+        m.run(&pool)
+            .await
+            .expect("Should be able to run the migration.");
+    }
+
+    // hack to ensure that migration has actually run; surely there is a better
+    // way!!
+    tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_secs(1)).await;
 
     tracing::info!("Ran migrations");
 
@@ -70,6 +76,10 @@ pub async fn session_layer(pool: SqlitePool, secret: &[u8]) -> SessionLayer<Sqli
         .await
         .expect("Calling `migrate()` should be reliable, is the DB gone?");
 
+    // hack to ensure that migration has actually run; surely there is a better
+    // way!!
+    tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_secs(1)).await;
+
     // since the secret is new every time the server starts, old sessions won't be
     // valid anymore; if there were ever more than one service host or there were
     // managed secrets, this would need to go away.
@@ -93,14 +103,15 @@ pub async fn auth_layer(
     AuthLayer::new(store, secret)
 }
 
+//-************************************************************************
+// Tests for `db` module.
+//-************************************************************************
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
-    use std::time::Duration;
 
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn it_migrates_the_db() {
         let db = super::get_pool().await;
-        tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_secs(2)).await;
         let r = sqlx::query("select count(*) from witches")
             .fetch_one(&db)
             .await;
@@ -108,6 +119,10 @@ mod tests {
     }
 }
 
+//-************************************************************************
+// End public interface.
+//-************************************************************************
+
 //-************************************************************************
 // Session store sub-module, not a public lib.
 //-************************************************************************