diff --git a/tests/unit/LoaderTest.php b/tests/unit/LoaderTest.php
index cc9e049..a6f3677 100644
--- a/tests/unit/LoaderTest.php
+++ b/tests/unit/LoaderTest.php
@@ -387,21 +387,27 @@ public function test_an_already_loaded_sub_plugin_is_not_dependency_checked(): v
 		$constant = $this->define_guard( 'ABSORBER_LOADED_BEFORE_DEPS_GUARD' );
 
 		$checked = 0;
-		$this->register(
-			[
-				'dependency_check' => static function () use ( &$checked ) {
-					++$checked;
 
-					return false;
-				},
-			],
-			$constant
-		);
+		$check = static function () use ( &$checked ) {
+			++$checked;
+
+			return false;
+		};
+
+		$this->register( [ 'dependency_check' => $check ], $constant );
 
 		$this->loader()->load_all();
 
 		$this->assertSame( 0, $checked );
 		$this->assertSame( [], $this->queued_notices(), 'No notice for a plugin that is already running.' );
+
+		// The recorder has to be shown to work. A mistyped config key, a fixture that dropped the
+		// override, a load path that stopped reading `dependency_check` at all: each leaves this
+		// counter at zero for a reason that has nothing to do with the gate order, and this is the
+		// only test pinning the order that carries the whole re-declaration guarantee.
+		$check();
+
+		$this->assertSame( 1, $checked, 'The recorder must catch a call that really happened.' );
 	}
 
 	public function test_the_should_load_filter_can_veto_the_load(): void {