diff --git a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/CommaFeedApplication.java b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/CommaFeedApplication.java
index 545e21a0..062a2c79 100644
--- a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/CommaFeedApplication.java
+++ b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/CommaFeedApplication.java
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ public class CommaFeedApplication {
 	private final CommaFeedConfiguration config;
 
 	public void start(@Observes StartupEvent ev) {
+		log.info("starting up...");
+
 		PasswordConstraintValidator.setMinimumPasswordLength(config.users().minimumPasswordLength());
 
 		feedRefreshEngine.start();
diff --git a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/feed/FeedRefreshEngine.java b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/feed/FeedRefreshEngine.java
index 36498277..0ef815df 100644
--- a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/feed/FeedRefreshEngine.java
+++ b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/feed/FeedRefreshEngine.java
@@ -42,12 +42,12 @@ public class FeedRefreshEngine {
 
 	private final BlockingDeque<Feed> queue;
 
-	private final ExecutorService feedProcessingLoopExecutor;
-	private final ExecutorService refillLoopExecutor;
-	private final ExecutorService refillExecutor;
-	private final ThreadPoolExecutor workerExecutor;
-	private final ThreadPoolExecutor databaseUpdaterExecutor;
-	private final ThreadPoolExecutor notifierExecutor;
+	private ExecutorService feedProcessingLoopExecutor;
+	private ExecutorService refillLoopExecutor;
+	private ThreadPoolExecutor refillExecutor;
+	private ThreadPoolExecutor workerExecutor;
+	private ThreadPoolExecutor databaseUpdaterExecutor;
+	private ThreadPoolExecutor notifierExecutor;
 
 	public FeedRefreshEngine(UnitOfWork unitOfWork, FeedDAO feedDAO, FeedRefreshWorker worker, FeedRefreshUpdater updater,
 			FeedUpdateNotifier notifier, CommaFeedConfiguration config, MetricRegistry metrics) {
@@ -61,6 +61,15 @@ public class FeedRefreshEngine {
 
 		this.queue = new LinkedBlockingDeque<>();
 
+		metrics.register(MetricRegistry.name(getClass(), "queue", "size"), (Gauge<Integer>) queue::size);
+		metrics.register(MetricRegistry.name(getClass(), "worker", "active"), (Gauge<Integer>) () -> workerExecutor.getActiveCount());
+		metrics.register(MetricRegistry.name(getClass(), "updater", "active"),
+				(Gauge<Integer>) () -> databaseUpdaterExecutor.getActiveCount());
+		metrics.register(MetricRegistry.name(getClass(), "notifier", "active"), (Gauge<Integer>) () -> notifierExecutor.getActiveCount());
+		metrics.register(MetricRegistry.name(getClass(), "notifier", "queue"), (Gauge<Integer>) () -> notifierExecutor.getQueue().size());
+	}
+
+	private void createExecutors() {
 		this.feedProcessingLoopExecutor = Executors.newSingleThreadExecutor();
 		this.refillLoopExecutor = Executors.newSingleThreadExecutor();
 		this.refillExecutor = newDiscardingSingleThreadExecutorService();
@@ -68,15 +77,10 @@ public class FeedRefreshEngine {
 		this.databaseUpdaterExecutor = newBlockingExecutorService(config.feedRefresh().databaseThreads());
 		this.notifierExecutor = newDiscardingExecutorService(config.pushNotifications().threads(),
 				config.pushNotifications().queueCapacity());
-
-		metrics.register(MetricRegistry.name(getClass(), "queue", "size"), (Gauge<Integer>) queue::size);
-		metrics.register(MetricRegistry.name(getClass(), "worker", "active"), (Gauge<Integer>) workerExecutor::getActiveCount);
-		metrics.register(MetricRegistry.name(getClass(), "updater", "active"), (Gauge<Integer>) databaseUpdaterExecutor::getActiveCount);
-		metrics.register(MetricRegistry.name(getClass(), "notifier", "active"), (Gauge<Integer>) notifierExecutor::getActiveCount);
-		metrics.register(MetricRegistry.name(getClass(), "notifier", "queue"), (Gauge<Integer>) () -> notifierExecutor.getQueue().size());
 	}
 
 	public void start() {
+		createExecutors();
 		startFeedProcessingLoop();
 		startRefillLoop();
 	}
@@ -204,6 +208,8 @@ public class FeedRefreshEngine {
 		MoreExecutors.shutdownAndAwaitTermination(this.workerExecutor, config.shutdownTimeout());
 		MoreExecutors.shutdownAndAwaitTermination(this.databaseUpdaterExecutor, config.shutdownTimeout());
 		MoreExecutors.shutdownAndAwaitTermination(this.notifierExecutor, config.shutdownTimeout());
+
+		queue.clear();
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/task/ScheduledTask.java b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/task/ScheduledTask.java
index b9fbdeb6..fc29c92c 100644
--- a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/task/ScheduledTask.java
+++ b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/task/ScheduledTask.java
@@ -23,8 +23,8 @@ public abstract class ScheduledTask {
 				log.error(e.getMessage(), e);
 			}
 		};
-		log.info("registering task {} for execution every {} {}, starting in {} {}", getClass().getSimpleName(), getPeriod(), getTimeUnit(),
-				getInitialDelay(), getTimeUnit());
+		log.debug("registering task {} for execution every {} {}, starting in {} {}", getClass().getSimpleName(), getPeriod(),
+				getTimeUnit(), getInitialDelay(), getTimeUnit());
 		executor.scheduleWithFixedDelay(runnable, getInitialDelay(), getPeriod(), getTimeUnit());
 	}
 }
diff --git a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/task/TaskScheduler.java b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/task/TaskScheduler.java
index f63c5cb9..4e511bb6 100644
--- a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/task/TaskScheduler.java
+++ b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/task/TaskScheduler.java
@@ -18,16 +18,17 @@ public class TaskScheduler {
 
 	private final List<ScheduledTask> tasks;
 	private final CommaFeedConfiguration config;
-	private final ScheduledExecutorService executor;
+
+	private ScheduledExecutorService executor;
 
 	public TaskScheduler(@All List<ScheduledTask> tasks, CommaFeedConfiguration config) {
 		this.tasks = tasks;
 		this.config = config;
-		this.executor = Executors.newScheduledThreadPool(tasks.size());
 	}
 
 	public void start() {
-		tasks.forEach(task -> task.register(executor));
+		this.executor = Executors.newScheduledThreadPool(tasks.size());
+		this.tasks.forEach(task -> task.register(executor));
 	}
 
 	public void stop() {
diff --git a/commafeed-server/src/test/java/com/commafeed/DatabaseReset.java b/commafeed-server/src/test/java/com/commafeed/DatabaseReset.java
index a8776931..25784b30 100644
--- a/commafeed-server/src/test/java/com/commafeed/DatabaseReset.java
+++ b/commafeed-server/src/test/java/com/commafeed/DatabaseReset.java
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import jakarta.persistence.EntityManager;
 import org.hibernate.Session;
 import org.kohsuke.MetaInfServices;
 
+import io.quarkus.runtime.ShutdownEvent;
+import io.quarkus.runtime.StartupEvent;
 import io.quarkus.test.junit.callback.QuarkusTestBeforeEachCallback;
 import io.quarkus.test.junit.callback.QuarkusTestMethodContext;
 
@@ -17,12 +19,17 @@ public class DatabaseReset implements QuarkusTestBeforeEachCallback {
 
 	@Override
 	public void beforeEach(QuarkusTestMethodContext context) {
-		CDI.current()
-				.select(EntityManager.class)
-				.get()
-				.unwrap(Session.class)
-				.getSessionFactory()
-				.getSchemaManager()
-				.truncateMappedObjects();
+		// stop the application to make sure that there are no active transactions when we truncate the tables
+		getBean(CommaFeedApplication.class).stop(new ShutdownEvent());
+
+		// truncate all tables so that we have a clean slate for the next test
+		getBean(EntityManager.class).unwrap(Session.class).getSessionFactory().getSchemaManager().truncateMappedObjects();
+
+		// restart the application
+		getBean(CommaFeedApplication.class).start(new StartupEvent());
+	}
+
+	private static <T> T getBean(Class<T> clazz) {
+		return CDI.current().select(clazz).get();
 	}
 }