diff --git a/model_server/base/session.py b/model_server/base/session.py
index 7e06003f8be9407f6a8ee4f1816b70fac12f1900..8f25520d9dca34ca143337327bb14c74dc197ea3 100644
--- a/model_server/base/session.py
+++ b/model_server/base/session.py
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ class _Session(object):
 
     def __init__(self, root: str = None):
         self.models = {} # model_id : model object
-        self.paths = self.make_paths(root)
+        self.paths = self.make_paths(root)  # TODO: optionally set this in startup script
         self.accessors = OrderedDict()
 
         self.logfile = self.paths['logs'] / f'session.log'
diff --git a/model_server/conf/testing.py b/model_server/conf/testing.py
index 10a2eafbb03f87fd00d305b47c12e1b67a79e92d..b176f9e196b8d7aa652a199f4e03290fca84e55b 100644
--- a/model_server/conf/testing.py
+++ b/model_server/conf/testing.py
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ class TestServerBaseClass(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def assertGetFailure(self, endpoint, code):
         resp = self._get_sesh().get(self.uri + endpoint)
-        self.asserEqual(resp.status_code, code)
+        self.assertEqual(resp.status_code, code)
         return resp
 
     def assertPutSuccess(self, endpoint, query=None, body=None):
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ class TestServerBaseClass(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def get_accessor(self, accessor_id, filename=None):
         r = self.assertPutSuccess(f'/accessors/write_to_file/{accessor_id}', query={'filename': filename})
-        where_out = self.assertGetSuccess('paths').json()['outbound_images']
+        where_out = self.assertGetSuccess('paths')['outbound_images']
         fp_out = (Path(where_out) / r)
         self.assertTrue(fp_out.exists())
         return generate_file_accessor(fp_out)
diff --git a/tests/base/test_api.py b/tests/base/test_api.py
index 0698d701b6c37018b54c9724b00404b6568cc0ee..73a361880f3cb20fe0871c2374496cb83efb909d 100644
--- a/tests/base/test_api.py
+++ b/tests/base/test_api.py
@@ -27,11 +27,9 @@ class TestApiFromAutomatedClient(TestServerBaseClass):
             suffix = Path(model_server.conf.defaults.subdirectories[p]).__str__()
             self.assertTrue(r[p].endswith(suffix))
 
-    # TODO: was this even passing before?
     def test_list_empty_loaded_models(self):
         r = self.assertGetSuccess('models')
-        # self.assertEqual(resp.status_code, 200)
-        self.assertEqual(r, b'{}')
+        self.assertEqual(r, {})
 
     def test_load_dummy_semantic_model(self):
         mid = self.assertPutSuccess(f'testing/models/dummy_semantic/load')['model_id']
@@ -74,7 +72,6 @@ class TestApiFromAutomatedClient(TestServerBaseClass):
             body={'model_id': 'fake', 'accessor_id': in_acc_id}
         )
 
-    # TODO: this errors because it's overwriting, seems maybe session isn't refreshing each time
     def test_i2i_dummy_inference_by_api(self):
         fname = self.copy_input_file_to_server()
         model_id = self.assertPutSuccess(f'testing/models/dummy_semantic/load')['model_id']
@@ -129,64 +126,60 @@ class TestApiFromAutomatedClient(TestServerBaseClass):
         self.assertEqual(r_inpath['outbound_images'], r_check['outbound_images'])
 
     def test_no_change_inbound_path(self):
-        resp_inpath = self.assertGetSuccess('paths')
-        resp_change = self.assertPutSuccess(
+        r_inpath = self.assertGetSuccess('paths')
+        r_change = self.assertPutSuccess(
             f'paths/watch_output',
-            query={'path': resp_inpath.json()['outbound_images']}
+            query={'path': r_inpath['outbound_images']}
         )
-        self.assertEqual(resp_change.status_code, 200)
-        resp_check = self.assertGetSuccess('paths')
-        self.assertEqual(resp_inpath.json()['outbound_images'], resp_check.json()['outbound_images'])
+        r_check = self.assertGetSuccess('paths')
+        self.assertEqual(r_inpath['outbound_images'], r_check['outbound_images'])
 
     def test_get_logs(self):
-        resp = self.assertGetSuccess('session/logs')
-        self.assertEqual(resp.status_code, 200)
-        self.assertEqual(resp.json()[0]['message'], 'Initialized session')
+        r = self.assertGetSuccess('session/logs')
+        self.assertEqual(r[0]['message'], 'Initialized session')
 
     def test_add_and_delete_accessor(self):
         fname = self.copy_input_file_to_server()
 
         # add accessor to session
-        resp_add_acc = self.assertPutSuccess(
+        acc_id = self.assertPutSuccess(
             f'accessors/read_from_file/{fname}',
         )
-        acc_id = resp_add_acc.json()
         self.assertTrue(acc_id.startswith('auto_'))
 
         # confirm that accessor is listed in session context
-        resp_list_acc = self.assertGetSuccess(
+        acc_list = self.assertGetSuccess(
             f'accessors',
         )
-        self.assertEqual(len(resp_list_acc.json()), 1)
-        self.assertTrue(list(resp_list_acc.json().keys())[0].startswith('auto_'))
-        self.assertTrue(resp_list_acc.json()[acc_id]['loaded'])
+        self.assertEqual(len(acc_list), 1)
+        self.assertTrue(list(acc_list.keys())[0].startswith('auto_'))
+        self.assertTrue(acc_list[acc_id]['loaded'])
 
         # delete and check that its 'loaded' state changes
-        self.assertTrue(self.assertGetSuccess(f'accessors/{acc_id}').json()['loaded'])
-        self.assertEqual(self.assertGetSuccess(f'accessors/delete/{acc_id}').json(), acc_id)
-        self.assertFalse(self.assertGetSuccess(f'accessors/{acc_id}').json()['loaded'])
+        self.assertTrue(self.assertGetSuccess(f'accessors/{acc_id}')['loaded'])
+        self.assertEqual(self.assertGetSuccess(f'accessors/delete/{acc_id}'), acc_id)
+        self.assertFalse(self.assertGetSuccess(f'accessors/{acc_id}')['loaded'])
 
         # and try a non-existent accessor ID
-        resp_wrong_acc = self.assertGetSuccess('accessors/auto_123456')
-        self.assertEqual(resp_wrong_acc.status_code, 404)
+        self.assertGetFailure('accessors/auto_123456', 404)
 
         # load another... then remove all
         self.assertPutSuccess(f'accessors/read_from_file/{fname}')
-        self.assertEqual(sum([v['loaded'] for v in self.assertGetSuccess('accessors').json().values()]), 1)
-        self.assertEqual(len(self.assertGetSuccess(f'accessors/delete/*').json()), 1)
-        self.assertEqual(sum([v['loaded'] for v in self.assertGetSuccess('accessors').json().values()]), 0)
+        self.assertEqual(sum([v['loaded'] for v in self.assertGetSuccess('accessors').values()]), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(len(self.assertGetSuccess(f'accessors/delete/*')), 1)
+        self.assertEqual(sum([v['loaded'] for v in self.assertGetSuccess('accessors').values()]), 0)
 
 
     def test_empty_accessor_list(self):
-        resp_list_acc = self.assertGetSuccess(
+        r_list = self.assertGetSuccess(
             f'accessors',
         )
-        self.assertEqual(len(resp_list_acc.json()), 0)
+        self.assertEqual(len(r_list), 0)
 
     def test_write_accessor(self):
-        acc_id = self.assertPutSuccess('/testing/accessors/dummy_accessor/load').json()
-        self.assertTrue(self.assertGetSuccess(f'accessors/{acc_id}').json()['loaded'])
-        sd = self.assertGetSuccess(f'accessors/{acc_id}').json()['shape_dict']
-        self.assertEqual(self.assertGetSuccess(f'accessors/{acc_id}').json()['filepath'], '')
+        acc_id = self.assertPutSuccess('/testing/accessors/dummy_accessor/load')
+        self.assertTrue(self.assertGetSuccess(f'accessors/{acc_id}')['loaded'])
+        sd = self.assertGetSuccess(f'accessors/{acc_id}')['shape_dict']
+        self.assertEqual(self.assertGetSuccess(f'accessors/{acc_id}')['filepath'], '')
         acc_out = self.get_accessor(accessor_id=acc_id, filename='test_output.tif')
         self.assertEqual(sd, acc_out.shape_dict)
\ No newline at end of file