diff --git a/soulseek-rs/tests/cli_e2e.rs b/soulseek-rs/tests/cli_e2e.rs
index b05bf93..040e663 100644
--- a/soulseek-rs/tests/cli_e2e.rs
+++ b/soulseek-rs/tests/cli_e2e.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 mod common;
 
-use common::{CLI_ENV_VARS, Soulfind, free_port, login, settle};
+use common::{CLI_ENV_VARS, Soulfind, free_port, login, settle, silent_peer};
 use soulseek_rs::Client;
 use std::io::Write;
 use std::net::{TcpStream, ToSocketAddrs};
@@ -1560,12 +1560,14 @@ fn transfer_cancel_stops_a_download_another_client_is_waiting_on() {
         return;
     }
     let server = server_or_skip!();
+    let _peer =
+        silent_peer(&server.host, server.port, "cli_e2e_cancel_silent_peer");
     let mut all = server.args("cli_e2e_cancel_waiter");
     all.extend(
         [
             "download",
-            "e2e_ghost_peer",
-            "@@ghost\\never.mp3",
+            "cli_e2e_cancel_silent_peer",
+            "@@silent\\never.mp3",
             "--size",
             "10",
             "--timeout",
@@ -1587,7 +1589,12 @@ fn transfer_cancel_stops_a_download_another_client_is_waiting_on() {
         let output = cli(
             &server,
             "cli_e2e_cancel_waiter",
-            &["transfer", "cancel", "e2e_ghost_peer", "@@ghost\\never.mp3"],
+            &[
+                "transfer",
+                "cancel",
+                "cli_e2e_cancel_silent_peer",
+                "@@silent\\never.mp3",
+            ],
         );
         if code(&output) == EXIT_OK {
             cancelled = Some(output);
diff --git a/soulseek-rs/tests/common/mod.rs b/soulseek-rs/tests/common/mod.rs
index 03ada03..d942a9e 100644
--- a/soulseek-rs/tests/common/mod.rs
+++ b/soulseek-rs/tests/common/mod.rs
@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@
 
 #![allow(dead_code)]
 
+use soulseek_rs::message::server::MessageFactory;
 use soulseek_rs::{Client, ClientSettings, PeerAddress};
-use std::net::TcpStream;
+use std::io::{Read, Write};
+use std::net::{TcpListener, TcpStream};
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::process::{Child, Command, Stdio};
 use std::time::{Duration, Instant};
@@ -145,6 +147,57 @@ pub fn login(host: &str, port: u16, user: &str, shares: Vec<String>) -> Client {
     client
 }
 
+/// A user who is online and reachable but never answers, held for as long as
+/// the value lives.
+///
+/// Their listener accepts a connection and then says nothing, so a download
+/// from them waits in the queue the way one waits behind a busy peer, with no
+/// timer to race. A user who does not exist cannot stand in for this: the
+/// server refuses to broker a connection to them, and their download fails
+/// before a test gets to act on it.
+pub struct SilentPeer {
+    _session: TcpStream,
+    _listener: TcpListener,
+}
+
+pub fn silent_peer(host: &str, port: u16, user: &str) -> SilentPeer {
+    // Not loopback: soulfind hands a loopback login's address out as the
+    // host's LAN address, where a 127.0.0.1 listener is never reached.
+    let listener = TcpListener::bind("0.0.0.0:0").expect("silent listener");
+    let wait_port = listener.local_addr().expect("listener address").port();
+    let mut session = TcpStream::connect((host, port)).expect("server");
+    let login = MessageFactory::build_login_message(
+        user,
+        "pw",
+        soulseek_rs::ClientVersion::default(),
+    );
+    session
+        .write_all(&login.get_buffer())
+        .expect("silent login");
+    // soulfind drops everything but a login until the login has landed, so a
+    // port announced any sooner is announced to nobody.
+    session
+        .set_read_timeout(Some(Duration::from_secs(10)))
+        .expect("read timeout");
+    loop {
+        let mut len = [0; 4];
+        session.read_exact(&mut len).expect("login reply");
+        let mut body = vec![0; u32::from_le_bytes(len) as usize];
+        session.read_exact(&mut body).expect("login reply");
+        if body[..4] == 1u32.to_le_bytes() {
+            assert_eq!(body[4], 1, "{user} should log in");
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+    let wait = MessageFactory::build_set_wait_port_message(wait_port);
+    session.write_all(&wait.get_buffer()).expect("wait port");
+    settle();
+    SilentPeer {
+        _session: session,
+        _listener: listener,
+    }
+}
+
 /// Wait out the SetWaitPort registrations so peer lookups resolve.
 pub fn settle() {
     std::thread::sleep(Duration::from_secs(1));
diff --git a/soulseek-rs/tests/daemon_protocol_e2e.rs b/soulseek-rs/tests/daemon_protocol_e2e.rs
index 60fd48f..c67063d 100644
--- a/soulseek-rs/tests/daemon_protocol_e2e.rs
+++ b/soulseek-rs/tests/daemon_protocol_e2e.rs
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 
 mod common;
 
-use common::{CLI_ENV_VARS, Soulfind, free_port};
+use common::{CLI_ENV_VARS, Soulfind, free_port, silent_peer};
 use std::io::{BufRead, BufReader, Write};
 use std::net::TcpStream;
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
@@ -838,19 +838,21 @@ fn a_wishlist_search_is_reported_as_just_started() {
 #[test]
 fn a_queued_download_is_cancelled_and_listed_as_such() {
     let daemon = daemon_or_skip!();
+    let _peer =
+        silent_peer("127.0.0.1", daemon.server.port(), "cli_e2e_silent_peer");
     let mut connection = daemon.connect_tcp().expect("tcp");
     connection
         .authenticate(Some(&daemon.token()))
         .expect("an answer");
     let started = connection
         .call(
-            r#"{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"download.start","params":{"username":"e2e_ghost_peer","filename":"@@ghost\\never.mp3","size":10}}"#,
+            r#"{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":2,"method":"download.start","params":{"username":"cli_e2e_silent_peer","filename":"@@silent\\never.mp3","size":10}}"#,
         )
         .expect("an answer");
     assert!(!started.contains("error"), "got {started}");
     let reply = connection
         .call(
-            r#"{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":3,"method":"download.cancel","params":{"username":"e2e_ghost_peer","filename":"@@ghost\\never.mp3"}}"#,
+            r#"{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":3,"method":"download.cancel","params":{"username":"cli_e2e_silent_peer","filename":"@@silent\\never.mp3"}}"#,
         )
         .expect("an answer");
     assert!(reply.contains(r#""ok":true"#), "got {reply}");