diff --git a/src/tests.c b/src/tests.c
index 6c3cd39f..b0d94d6a 100644
--- a/src/tests.c
+++ b/src/tests.c
@@ -372,7 +372,6 @@ static void run_scratch_tests(void) {
     size_t checkpoint;
     size_t checkpoint_2;
     secp256k1_scratch_space *scratch;
-    secp256k1_scratch_space local_scratch;
 
     /* Test public API */
     scratch = secp256k1_scratch_space_create(CTX, 1000);
@@ -412,16 +411,7 @@ static void run_scratch_tests(void) {
     CHECK_ERROR_VOID(CTX, secp256k1_scratch_apply_checkpoint(&CTX->error_callback, scratch, checkpoint_2)); /* checkpoint_2 is after checkpoint */
     CHECK_ERROR_VOID(CTX, secp256k1_scratch_apply_checkpoint(&CTX->error_callback, scratch, (size_t) -1)); /* this is just wildly invalid */
 
-    /* try to use badly initialized scratch space */
-    secp256k1_scratch_space_destroy(CTX, scratch);
-    memset(&local_scratch, 0, sizeof(local_scratch));
-    scratch = &local_scratch;
-    CHECK_ERROR(CTX, secp256k1_scratch_max_allocation(&CTX->error_callback, scratch, 0));
-    CHECK_ERROR(CTX, secp256k1_scratch_alloc(&CTX->error_callback, scratch, 500));
-    CHECK_ERROR_VOID(CTX, secp256k1_scratch_space_destroy(CTX, scratch));
-
     /* Test that large integers do not wrap around in a bad way */
-    scratch = secp256k1_scratch_space_create(CTX, 1000);
     /* Try max allocation with a large number of objects. Only makes sense if
      * ALIGNMENT is greater than 1 because otherwise the objects take no extra
      * space. */
@@ -436,6 +426,21 @@ static void run_scratch_tests(void) {
     secp256k1_scratch_space_destroy(CTX, NULL); /* no-op */
 }
 
+/* try to use badly initialized scratch space */
+static void run_invalid_scratch_space_tests(void) {
+    secp256k1_scratch_space* scratch = checked_malloc(&CTX->error_callback, sizeof(*scratch));
+    size_t magic_size = sizeof(scratch->magic);
+    memset(scratch, 0, sizeof(*scratch));
+    /* catch accesses beyond the magic */
+    SECP256K1_CHECKMEM_UNDEFINE((unsigned char*)scratch + magic_size, sizeof(*scratch) - magic_size);
+
+    CHECK_ERROR(CTX, secp256k1_scratch_max_allocation(&CTX->error_callback, scratch, 0));
+    CHECK_ERROR(CTX, secp256k1_scratch_alloc(&CTX->error_callback, scratch, 500));
+    CHECK_ERROR_VOID(CTX, secp256k1_scratch_space_destroy(CTX, scratch));
+
+    free(scratch);
+}
+
 /* A compression function that does nothing */
 static void invalid_sha256_compression(uint32_t *s, const unsigned char *msg, size_t rounds) {
     (void)s; (void)msg; (void)rounds;
@@ -7935,6 +7940,7 @@ static const struct tf_test_entry tests_general[] = {
     CASE(all_static_context_tests),
     CASE(deprecated_context_flags_test),
     CASE(scratch_tests),
+    CASE(invalid_scratch_space_tests),
     CASE(plug_sha256_compression_tests),
     CASE(sha256_multi_block_compression_tests),
 };