diff --git a/server/reflector/worker/cleanup.py b/server/reflector/worker/cleanup.py
index 8b7ac5a9..7fcc1f73 100644
--- a/server/reflector/worker/cleanup.py
+++ b/server/reflector/worker/cleanup.py
@@ -34,49 +34,47 @@ class CleanupStats(TypedDict):
 
 
 async def delete_single_transcript(
-    session_factory, transcript_data: dict, stats: CleanupStats
+    session_factory, transcript_data: dict, stats: CleanupStats, session=None
 ):
     transcript_id = transcript_data["id"]
     meeting_id = transcript_data["meeting_id"]
     recording_id = transcript_data["recording_id"]
 
     try:
-        async with session_factory() as session:
-            async with session.begin():
-                if meeting_id:
+        if session:
+            # Use provided session for testing - don't start new transaction
+            if meeting_id:
+                await session.execute(
+                    delete(MeetingModel).where(MeetingModel.id == meeting_id)
+                )
+                stats["meetings_deleted"] += 1
+                logger.info("Deleted associated meeting", meeting_id=meeting_id)
+
+            if recording_id:
+                result = await session.execute(
+                    select(RecordingModel).where(RecordingModel.id == recording_id)
+                )
+                recording = result.mappings().first()
+                if recording:
+                    try:
+                        await get_recordings_storage().delete_file(
+                            recording["object_key"]
+                        )
+                    except Exception as storage_error:
+                        logger.warning(
+                            "Failed to delete recording from storage",
+                            recording_id=recording_id,
+                            object_key=recording["object_key"],
+                            error=str(storage_error),
+                        )
+
                     await session.execute(
-                        delete(MeetingModel).where(MeetingModel.id == meeting_id)
+                        delete(RecordingModel).where(RecordingModel.id == recording_id)
                     )
-                    stats["meetings_deleted"] += 1
-                    logger.info("Deleted associated meeting", meeting_id=meeting_id)
-
-                if recording_id:
-                    result = await session.execute(
-                        select(RecordingModel).where(RecordingModel.id == recording_id)
+                    stats["recordings_deleted"] += 1
+                    logger.info(
+                        "Deleted associated recording", recording_id=recording_id
                     )
-                    recording = result.mappings().first()
-                    if recording:
-                        try:
-                            await get_recordings_storage().delete_file(
-                                recording["object_key"]
-                            )
-                        except Exception as storage_error:
-                            logger.warning(
-                                "Failed to delete recording from storage",
-                                recording_id=recording_id,
-                                object_key=recording["object_key"],
-                                error=str(storage_error),
-                            )
-
-                        await session.execute(
-                            delete(RecordingModel).where(
-                                RecordingModel.id == recording_id
-                            )
-                        )
-                        stats["recordings_deleted"] += 1
-                        logger.info(
-                            "Deleted associated recording", recording_id=recording_id
-                        )
 
             await transcripts_controller.remove_by_id(session, transcript_id)
             stats["transcripts_deleted"] += 1
@@ -85,6 +83,55 @@ async def delete_single_transcript(
                 transcript_id=transcript_id,
                 created_at=transcript_data["created_at"].isoformat(),
             )
+        else:
+            # Use session factory for production
+            async with session_factory() as session:
+                async with session.begin():
+                    if meeting_id:
+                        await session.execute(
+                            delete(MeetingModel).where(MeetingModel.id == meeting_id)
+                        )
+                        stats["meetings_deleted"] += 1
+                        logger.info("Deleted associated meeting", meeting_id=meeting_id)
+
+                    if recording_id:
+                        result = await session.execute(
+                            select(RecordingModel).where(
+                                RecordingModel.id == recording_id
+                            )
+                        )
+                        recording = result.mappings().first()
+                        if recording:
+                            try:
+                                await get_recordings_storage().delete_file(
+                                    recording["object_key"]
+                                )
+                            except Exception as storage_error:
+                                logger.warning(
+                                    "Failed to delete recording from storage",
+                                    recording_id=recording_id,
+                                    object_key=recording["object_key"],
+                                    error=str(storage_error),
+                                )
+
+                            await session.execute(
+                                delete(RecordingModel).where(
+                                    RecordingModel.id == recording_id
+                                )
+                            )
+                            stats["recordings_deleted"] += 1
+                            logger.info(
+                                "Deleted associated recording",
+                                recording_id=recording_id,
+                            )
+
+                await transcripts_controller.remove_by_id(session, transcript_id)
+                stats["transcripts_deleted"] += 1
+                logger.info(
+                    "Deleted transcript",
+                    transcript_id=transcript_id,
+                    created_at=transcript_data["created_at"].isoformat(),
+                )
     except Exception as e:
         error_msg = f"Failed to delete transcript {transcript_id}: {str(e)}"
         logger.error(error_msg, exc_info=e)
@@ -92,7 +139,7 @@ async def delete_single_transcript(
 
 
 async def cleanup_old_transcripts(
-    session_factory, cutoff_date: datetime, stats: CleanupStats
+    session_factory, cutoff_date: datetime, stats: CleanupStats, session=None
 ):
     """Delete old anonymous transcripts and their associated recordings/meetings."""
     query = select(
@@ -104,14 +151,27 @@ async def cleanup_old_transcripts(
         (TranscriptModel.created_at < cutoff_date) & (TranscriptModel.user_id.is_(None))
     )
 
-    async with session_factory() as session:
+    if session:
+        # Use provided session for testing
         result = await session.execute(query)
         old_transcripts = result.mappings().all()
+    else:
+        # Use session factory for production
+        async with session_factory() as session:
+            result = await session.execute(query)
+            old_transcripts = result.mappings().all()
 
     logger.info(f"Found {len(old_transcripts)} old transcripts to delete")
 
     for transcript_data in old_transcripts:
-        await delete_single_transcript(session_factory, transcript_data, stats)
+        try:
+            await delete_single_transcript(
+                session_factory, transcript_data, stats, session
+            )
+        except Exception as e:
+            error_msg = f"Failed to delete transcript {transcript_data['id']}: {str(e)}"
+            logger.error(error_msg, exc_info=e)
+            stats["errors"].append(error_msg)
 
 
 def log_cleanup_results(stats: CleanupStats):
@@ -132,6 +192,7 @@ def log_cleanup_results(stats: CleanupStats):
 
 async def cleanup_old_public_data(
     days: PositiveInt | None = None,
+    session=None,
 ) -> CleanupStats | None:
     if days is None:
         days = settings.PUBLIC_DATA_RETENTION_DAYS
@@ -154,7 +215,7 @@ async def cleanup_old_public_data(
     }
 
     session_factory = get_session_factory()
-    await cleanup_old_transcripts(session_factory, cutoff_date, stats)
+    await cleanup_old_transcripts(session_factory, cutoff_date, stats, session)
 
     log_cleanup_results(stats)
     return stats
diff --git a/server/tests/test_attendee_parsing_bug.py b/server/tests/test_attendee_parsing_bug.py
index f50064d1..9495c0ab 100644
--- a/server/tests/test_attendee_parsing_bug.py
+++ b/server/tests/test_attendee_parsing_bug.py
@@ -1,15 +1,14 @@
 import os
-from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, patch
+from unittest.mock import patch
 
 import pytest
 
-from reflector.db import get_session_factory
 from reflector.db.rooms import rooms_controller
 from reflector.services.ics_sync import ICSSyncService
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_attendee_parsing_bug():
+async def test_attendee_parsing_bug(session):
     """
     Test that reproduces the attendee parsing bug where a string with comma-separated
     emails gets parsed as individual characters instead of separate email addresses.
@@ -18,22 +17,24 @@ async def test_attendee_parsing_bug():
     instead of properly parsed email addresses.
     """
     # Create a test room
-    async with get_session_factory()() as session:
-        room = await rooms_controller.add(
-            session,
-            name="test-room",
-            user_id="test-user",
-            zulip_auto_post=False,
-            zulip_stream="",
-            zulip_topic="",
-            is_locked=False,
-            room_mode="normal",
-            recording_type="cloud",
-            recording_trigger="automatic-2nd-participant",
-            is_shared=False,
-            ics_url="http://test.com/test.ics",
-            ics_enabled=True,
-        )
+    room = await rooms_controller.add(
+        session,
+        name="test-room",
+        user_id="test-user",
+        zulip_auto_post=False,
+        zulip_stream="",
+        zulip_topic="",
+        is_locked=False,
+        room_mode="normal",
+        recording_type="cloud",
+        recording_trigger="automatic-2nd-participant",
+        is_shared=False,
+        ics_url="http://test.com/test.ics",
+        ics_enabled=True,
+    )
+
+    # Force flush to make room visible to other sessions
+    await session.flush()
 
     # Read the test ICS file that reproduces the bug and update it with current time
     from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
@@ -62,37 +63,55 @@ async def test_attendee_parsing_bug():
     # Create sync service and mock the fetch
     sync_service = ICSSyncService()
 
-    with patch.object(
-        sync_service.fetch_service, "fetch_ics", new_callable=AsyncMock
-    ) as mock_fetch:
-        mock_fetch.return_value = ics_content
+    # Mock the session factory to use our test session
+    from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
+    from unittest.mock import AsyncMock
 
-        # Debug: Parse the ICS content directly to examine attendee parsing
-        calendar = sync_service.fetch_service.parse_ics(ics_content)
-        from reflector.settings import settings
+    @asynccontextmanager
+    async def mock_session_context():
+        yield session
 
-        room_url = f"{settings.UI_BASE_URL}/{room.name}"
+    # Create a mock sessionmaker that behaves like async_sessionmaker
+    class MockSessionMaker:
+        def __call__(self):
+            return mock_session_context()
 
-        print(f"Room URL being used for matching: {room_url}")
-        print(f"ICS content:\n{ics_content}")
+    mock_session_factory = MockSessionMaker()
 
-        events, total_events = sync_service.fetch_service.extract_room_events(
-            calendar, room.name, room_url
-        )
+    with patch("reflector.services.ics_sync.get_session_factory") as mock_get_factory:
+        mock_get_factory.return_value = mock_session_factory
 
-        print(f"Total events in calendar: {total_events}")
-        print(f"Events matching room: {len(events)}")
+        with patch.object(
+            sync_service.fetch_service, "fetch_ics", new_callable=AsyncMock
+        ) as mock_fetch:
+            mock_fetch.return_value = ics_content
 
-        # Perform the sync
-        result = await sync_service.sync_room_calendar(room)
+            # Debug: Parse the ICS content directly to examine attendee parsing
+            calendar = sync_service.fetch_service.parse_ics(ics_content)
+            from reflector.settings import settings
 
-        # Check that the sync succeeded
-        assert result.get("status") == "success"
-        assert result.get("events_found", 0) >= 0  # Allow for debugging
+            room_url = f"{settings.UI_BASE_URL}/{room.name}"
 
-        # We already have the matching events from the debug code above
-        assert len(events) == 1
-        event = events[0]
+            print(f"Room URL being used for matching: {room_url}")
+            print(f"ICS content:\n{ics_content}")
+
+            events, total_events = sync_service.fetch_service.extract_room_events(
+                calendar, room.name, room_url
+            )
+
+            print(f"Total events in calendar: {total_events}")
+            print(f"Events matching room: {len(events)}")
+
+            # Perform the sync
+            result = await sync_service.sync_room_calendar(room)
+
+            # Check that the sync succeeded
+            assert result.get("status") == "success"
+            assert result.get("events_found", 0) >= 0  # Allow for debugging
+
+            # We already have the matching events from the debug code above
+            assert len(events) == 1
+            event = events[0]
 
         # This is where the bug manifests - check the attendees
         attendees = event["attendees"]
diff --git a/server/tests/test_cleanup.py b/server/tests/test_cleanup.py
index 032b161c..9ccead68 100644
--- a/server/tests/test_cleanup.py
+++ b/server/tests/test_cleanup.py
@@ -80,8 +80,8 @@ async def test_cleanup_old_public_data_deletes_old_anonymous_transcripts(session
         with patch("reflector.worker.cleanup.delete_single_transcript") as mock_delete:
             mock_delete.return_value = None
 
-            # Run cleanup
-            await cleanup_old_public_data()
+            # Run cleanup with test session
+            await cleanup_old_public_data(session=session)
 
             # Verify only old anonymous transcript was deleted
             assert mock_delete.call_count == 1
@@ -161,8 +161,8 @@ async def test_cleanup_deletes_associated_meeting_and_recording(session):
         with patch("reflector.worker.cleanup.get_recordings_storage") as mock_storage:
             mock_storage.return_value.delete_file = AsyncMock()
 
-            # Run cleanup
-            await cleanup_old_public_data()
+            # Run cleanup with test session
+            await cleanup_old_public_data(session=session)
 
             # Verify transcript was deleted
             result = await session.execute(
@@ -225,8 +225,8 @@ async def test_cleanup_handles_errors_gracefully(session):
         with patch("reflector.worker.cleanup.delete_single_transcript") as mock_delete:
             mock_delete.side_effect = [Exception("Delete failed"), None]
 
-            # Run cleanup - should not raise exception
-            await cleanup_old_public_data()
+            # Run cleanup with test session - should not raise exception
+            await cleanup_old_public_data(session=session)
 
             # Both transcripts should have been attempted to delete
             assert mock_delete.call_count == 2
diff --git a/server/tests/test_ics_background_tasks.py b/server/tests/test_ics_background_tasks.py
index b31b4ae3..4b16767c 100644
--- a/server/tests/test_ics_background_tasks.py
+++ b/server/tests/test_ics_background_tasks.py
@@ -30,8 +30,8 @@ async def test_sync_room_ics_task(session):
         ics_url="https://calendar.example.com/task.ics",
         ics_enabled=True,
     )
-    # Commit to make room visible to ICS service's separate session
-    await session.commit()
+    # Flush to make room visible to other operations within the same session
+    await session.flush()
 
     cal = Calendar()
     event = Event()
@@ -46,17 +46,34 @@ async def test_sync_room_ics_task(session):
     cal.add_component(event)
     ics_content = cal.to_ical().decode("utf-8")
 
-    with patch(
-        "reflector.services.ics_sync.ICSFetchService.fetch_ics", new_callable=AsyncMock
-    ) as mock_fetch:
-        mock_fetch.return_value = ics_content
+    # Mock the session factory to use our test session
+    from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
 
-        # Call the service directly instead of the Celery task to avoid event loop issues
-        await ics_sync_service.sync_room_calendar(room)
+    @asynccontextmanager
+    async def mock_session_context():
+        yield session
 
-        events = await calendar_events_controller.get_by_room(session, room.id)
-        assert len(events) == 1
-        assert events[0].ics_uid == "task-event-1"
+    class MockSessionMaker:
+        def __call__(self):
+            return mock_session_context()
+
+    mock_session_factory = MockSessionMaker()
+
+    with patch("reflector.services.ics_sync.get_session_factory") as mock_get_factory:
+        mock_get_factory.return_value = mock_session_factory
+
+        with patch(
+            "reflector.services.ics_sync.ICSFetchService.fetch_ics",
+            new_callable=AsyncMock,
+        ) as mock_fetch:
+            mock_fetch.return_value = ics_content
+
+            # Call the service directly instead of the Celery task to avoid event loop issues
+            await ics_sync_service.sync_room_calendar(room)
+
+            events = await calendar_events_controller.get_by_room(session, room.id)
+            assert len(events) == 1
+            assert events[0].ics_uid == "task-event-1"
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
diff --git a/server/tests/test_ics_sync.py b/server/tests/test_ics_sync.py
index e448dd7d..7c604de7 100644
--- a/server/tests/test_ics_sync.py
+++ b/server/tests/test_ics_sync.py
@@ -134,9 +134,10 @@ async def test_ics_fetch_service_extract_room_events():
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_ics_sync_service_sync_room_calendar():
+async def test_ics_sync_service_sync_room_calendar(session):
     # Create room
     room = await rooms_controller.add(
+        session,
         name="sync-test",
         user_id="test-user",
         zulip_auto_post=False,
@@ -150,6 +151,8 @@ async def test_ics_sync_service_sync_room_calendar():
         ics_url="https://calendar.example.com/test.ics",
         ics_enabled=True,
     )
+    # Flush to make room visible to other operations within the same session
+    await session.flush()
 
     # Mock ICS content
     cal = Calendar()
@@ -166,57 +169,75 @@ async def test_ics_sync_service_sync_room_calendar():
     cal.add_component(event)
     ics_content = cal.to_ical().decode("utf-8")
 
+    # Mock the session factory to use our test session
+    from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
+
+    @asynccontextmanager
+    async def mock_session_context():
+        yield session
+
+    class MockSessionMaker:
+        def __call__(self):
+            return mock_session_context()
+
+    mock_session_factory = MockSessionMaker()
+
     # Create sync service and mock fetch
     sync_service = ICSSyncService()
 
-    with patch.object(
-        sync_service.fetch_service, "fetch_ics", new_callable=AsyncMock
-    ) as mock_fetch:
-        mock_fetch.return_value = ics_content
+    with patch("reflector.services.ics_sync.get_session_factory") as mock_get_factory:
+        mock_get_factory.return_value = mock_session_factory
 
-        # First sync
-        result = await sync_service.sync_room_calendar(room)
+        with patch.object(
+            sync_service.fetch_service, "fetch_ics", new_callable=AsyncMock
+        ) as mock_fetch:
+            mock_fetch.return_value = ics_content
 
-        assert result["status"] == "success"
-        assert result["events_found"] == 1
-        assert result["events_created"] == 1
-        assert result["events_updated"] == 0
-        assert result["events_deleted"] == 0
+            # First sync
+            result = await sync_service.sync_room_calendar(room)
 
-        # Verify event was created
-        events = await calendar_events_controller.get_by_room(room.id)
-        assert len(events) == 1
-        assert events[0].ics_uid == "sync-event-1"
-        assert events[0].title == "Sync Test Meeting"
+            assert result["status"] == "success"
+            assert result["events_found"] == 1
+            assert result["events_created"] == 1
+            assert result["events_updated"] == 0
+            assert result["events_deleted"] == 0
 
-        # Second sync with same content (should be unchanged)
-        # Refresh room to get updated etag and force sync by setting old sync time
-        room = await rooms_controller.get_by_id(room.id)
-        await rooms_controller.update(
-            room, {"ics_last_sync": datetime.now(timezone.utc) - timedelta(minutes=10)}
-        )
-        result = await sync_service.sync_room_calendar(room)
-        assert result["status"] == "unchanged"
+            # Verify event was created
+            events = await calendar_events_controller.get_by_room(session, room.id)
+            assert len(events) == 1
+            assert events[0].ics_uid == "sync-event-1"
+            assert events[0].title == "Sync Test Meeting"
 
-        # Third sync with updated event
-        event["summary"] = "Updated Meeting Title"
-        cal = Calendar()
-        cal.add_component(event)
-        ics_content = cal.to_ical().decode("utf-8")
-        mock_fetch.return_value = ics_content
+            # Second sync with same content (should be unchanged)
+            # Refresh room to get updated etag and force sync by setting old sync time
+            room = await rooms_controller.get_by_id(session, room.id)
+            await rooms_controller.update(
+                session,
+                room,
+                {"ics_last_sync": datetime.now(timezone.utc) - timedelta(minutes=10)},
+            )
+            result = await sync_service.sync_room_calendar(room)
+            assert result["status"] == "unchanged"
 
-        # Force sync by clearing etag
-        await rooms_controller.update(room, {"ics_last_etag": None})
+            # Third sync with updated event
+            event["summary"] = "Updated Meeting Title"
+            cal = Calendar()
+            cal.add_component(event)
+            ics_content = cal.to_ical().decode("utf-8")
+            mock_fetch.return_value = ics_content
 
-        result = await sync_service.sync_room_calendar(room)
-        assert result["status"] == "success"
-        assert result["events_created"] == 0
-        assert result["events_updated"] == 1
+            # Force sync by clearing etag
+            await rooms_controller.update(session, room, {"ics_last_etag": None})
 
-        # Verify event was updated
-        events = await calendar_events_controller.get_by_room(room.id)
-        assert len(events) == 1
-        assert events[0].title == "Updated Meeting Title"
+            result = await sync_service.sync_room_calendar(room)
+            assert result["status"] == "success"
+            assert result["events_created"] == 0
+            assert result["events_updated"] == 1
+
+            # Verify event was updated
+            events = await calendar_events_controller.get_by_room(session, room.id)
+            assert len(events) == 1
+            assert events[0].title == "Updated Meeting Title"
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -261,9 +282,10 @@ async def test_ics_sync_service_skip_disabled():
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_ics_sync_service_error_handling():
+async def test_ics_sync_service_error_handling(session):
     # Create room
     room = await rooms_controller.add(
+        session,
         name="error-test",
         user_id="test-user",
         zulip_auto_post=False,
@@ -277,14 +299,32 @@ async def test_ics_sync_service_error_handling():
         ics_url="https://calendar.example.com/error.ics",
         ics_enabled=True,
     )
+    # Flush to make room visible to other operations within the same session
+    await session.flush()
+
+    # Mock the session factory to use our test session
+    from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
+
+    @asynccontextmanager
+    async def mock_session_context():
+        yield session
+
+    class MockSessionMaker:
+        def __call__(self):
+            return mock_session_context()
+
+    mock_session_factory = MockSessionMaker()
 
     sync_service = ICSSyncService()
 
-    with patch.object(
-        sync_service.fetch_service, "fetch_ics", new_callable=AsyncMock
-    ) as mock_fetch:
-        mock_fetch.side_effect = Exception("Network error")
+    with patch("reflector.services.ics_sync.get_session_factory") as mock_get_factory:
+        mock_get_factory.return_value = mock_session_factory
 
-        result = await sync_service.sync_room_calendar(room)
-        assert result["status"] == "error"
-        assert "Network error" in result["error"]
+        with patch.object(
+            sync_service.fetch_service, "fetch_ics", new_callable=AsyncMock
+        ) as mock_fetch:
+            mock_fetch.side_effect = Exception("Network error")
+
+            result = await sync_service.sync_room_calendar(room)
+            assert result["status"] == "error"
+            assert "Network error" in result["error"]
diff --git a/server/tests/test_pipeline_main_file.py b/server/tests/test_pipeline_main_file.py
index f86dc85d..32a69f24 100644
--- a/server/tests/test_pipeline_main_file.py
+++ b/server/tests/test_pipeline_main_file.py
@@ -101,21 +101,37 @@ async def mock_transcript_in_db(tmpdir):
         target_language="en",
     )
 
-    # Mock the controller to return our transcript
+    # Mock all transcripts controller methods that are used in the pipeline
     try:
         with patch(
             "reflector.pipelines.main_file_pipeline.transcripts_controller.get_by_id"
         ) as mock_get:
             mock_get.return_value = transcript
             with patch(
-                "reflector.pipelines.main_live_pipeline.transcripts_controller.get_by_id"
-            ) as mock_get2:
-                mock_get2.return_value = transcript
+                "reflector.pipelines.main_file_pipeline.transcripts_controller.update"
+            ) as mock_update:
+                mock_update.return_value = transcript
                 with patch(
-                    "reflector.pipelines.main_live_pipeline.transcripts_controller.update"
-                ) as mock_update:
-                    mock_update.return_value = None
-                    yield transcript
+                    "reflector.pipelines.main_file_pipeline.transcripts_controller.set_status"
+                ) as mock_set_status:
+                    mock_set_status.return_value = None
+                    with patch(
+                        "reflector.pipelines.main_file_pipeline.transcripts_controller.upsert_topic"
+                    ) as mock_upsert_topic:
+                        mock_upsert_topic.return_value = None
+                        with patch(
+                            "reflector.pipelines.main_file_pipeline.transcripts_controller.append_event"
+                        ) as mock_append_event:
+                            mock_append_event.return_value = None
+                            with patch(
+                                "reflector.pipelines.main_live_pipeline.transcripts_controller.get_by_id"
+                            ) as mock_get2:
+                                mock_get2.return_value = transcript
+                                with patch(
+                                    "reflector.pipelines.main_live_pipeline.transcripts_controller.update"
+                                ) as mock_update2:
+                                    mock_update2.return_value = None
+                                    yield transcript
     finally:
         # Restore original DATA_DIR
         settings.DATA_DIR = original_data_dir