diff --git a/extra/webapps/mason/backend/backend-tests.factor b/extra/webapps/mason/backend/backend-tests.factor
index 000ed4024e..b36fc24a74 100644
--- a/extra/webapps/mason/backend/backend-tests.factor
+++ b/extra/webapps/mason/backend/backend-tests.factor
@@ -5,11 +5,15 @@ IN: webapps.mason.backend.tests
 [ "test.db" temp-file delete-file ] ignore-errors
 
 [ 0 1 2 ] [
+    ! Do it in a with-transaction to simulate semantics of
+    ! with-mason-db
     "test.db" temp-file <sqlite-db> [
-        init-mason-db
+        [
+            init-mason-db
 
-        counter-value
-        increment-counter-value
-        increment-counter-value
+            counter-value
+            increment-counter-value
+            increment-counter-value
+        ] with-transaction
     ] with-db
 ] unit-test
diff --git a/extra/webapps/mason/backend/backend.factor b/extra/webapps/mason/backend/backend.factor
index fa01b3a2c6..217e6b8a1a 100644
--- a/extra/webapps/mason/backend/backend.factor
+++ b/extra/webapps/mason/backend/backend.factor
@@ -58,12 +58,10 @@ counter "COUNTER" {
     [ counter new dup insert-tuple ] unless* ;
 
 : counter-value ( -- n )
-    [ counter-tuple value>> 0 or ] with-transaction ;
+    counter-tuple value>> 0 or ;
 
 : increment-counter-value ( -- n )
-    [
-        counter-tuple [ 0 or 1 + dup ] change-value update-tuple
-    ] with-transaction ;
+    counter-tuple [ 0 or 1 + dup ] change-value update-tuple ;
 
 : funny-builders ( -- crashed broken )
     builder new select-tuples
diff --git a/extra/webapps/mason/dashboard/dashboard.factor b/extra/webapps/mason/dashboard/dashboard.factor
index 7a98bc881f..e8f97771dd 100644
--- a/extra/webapps/mason/dashboard/dashboard.factor
+++ b/extra/webapps/mason/dashboard/dashboard.factor
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ IN: webapps.mason.downloads
     [
         [
             funny-builders
-            [ builder-list ] tri@
+            [ builder-list ] bi@
             [ "crashed" set-value ]
             [ "broken" set-value ] bi*
         ] with-mason-db