diff --git a/src/shared/config.c b/src/shared/config.c
index 6adc800..03dcebd 100644
--- a/src/shared/config.c
+++ b/src/shared/config.c
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ static void config_set_defaults(Config* config) {
   config->from0 = false;
   config->cvs_exclude = false;
   config->per_dir_filter = false;
+  config->per_dir_filter_count = 0;
   config->one_file_system = false;
   config->no_implied_dirs = false;
   config->dirs = false;
diff --git a/tests/test_iconv.c b/tests/test_iconv.c
index faee11b..da31243 100644
--- a/tests/test_iconv.c
+++ b/tests/test_iconv.c
@@ -213,5 +213,8 @@ void test_iconv() {
   test_iconv_wire_sender_converts_local_to_remote();
   test_iconv_wire_receiver_converts_remote_to_local();
   test_iconv_wire_disabled_passthrough();
-  test_iconv_wire_str_roundtrip();
+  // This subtest forks to exercise the wire string handshake; the instrumented
+  // parent is too slow under valgrind for the child's blocking reads.
+  if (!is_running_under_valgrind())
+    test_iconv_wire_str_roundtrip();
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/test_utils.h b/tests/test_utils.h
index 4d5f3d3..93d87ed 100644
--- a/tests/test_utils.h
+++ b/tests/test_utils.h
@@ -6,10 +6,22 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdbool.h>
 
-// Detect if running under valgrind by checking /proc/self/maps for vgpreload.
-// This is used to skip fork-based tests that are incompatible with valgrind
-// (the instrumented parent runs too slowly, causing pipe timeouts).
+// Reset the thread-local protocol descriptor redirection installed by
+// io_set_fds(), so a suite that leaks a test pipe's fds cannot redirect a later
+// suite's raw send_n_data()/receive_n_data() to the wrong descriptor.
+void io_set_fds(int read_fd, int write_fd);
+
+// Detect if running under valgrind.  The CI valgrind step exports
+// FASTSYNC_UNDER_VALGRIND=1; a /proc/self/maps scan is the fallback for a local
+// valgrind run (newer valgrind versions can hide their own mappings from the
+// guest, so the "vgpreload" match is not reliable on every version -- set
+// FASTSYNC_UNDER_VALGRIND=1 when invoking valgrind by hand).  Used to skip
+// fork-based tests incompatible with valgrind, whose instrumented parent runs
+// too slowly and causes pipe timeouts.
 static inline bool is_running_under_valgrind(void) {
+  const char* env = getenv("FASTSYNC_UNDER_VALGRIND");
+  if (env && env[0] != '\0' && strcmp(env, "0") != 0)
+    return true;
   FILE* f = fopen("/proc/self/maps", "r");
   if (!f)
     return false;
@@ -31,6 +43,7 @@ extern bool current_test_failed;
     printf("Running %s...\n", #test_func);                                                         \
     tests_run++;                                                                                   \
     current_test_failed = false;                                                                   \
+    io_set_fds(-1, -1);                                                                            \
     test_func();                                                                                   \
     if (current_test_failed) {                                                                     \
       tests_failed++;                                                                              \