diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index d1e19fb347..b17012d800 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ jobs:
         os: [ubuntu-latest, windows-latest]
         env: ['dev', 'built']
         builder: ['vite', 'webpack']
-        payload: ['json', 'js']
+        context: ['async', 'default']
         node: [16]
         exclude:
           - env: 'dev'
@@ -231,8 +231,8 @@ jobs:
         env:
           TEST_ENV: ${{ matrix.env }}
           TEST_BUILDER: ${{ matrix.builder }}
-          TEST_PAYLOAD: ${{ matrix.payload }}
-          SKIP_BUNDLE_SIZE: ${{ github.event_name != 'push' || matrix.env == 'dev' || matrix.builder == 'webpack' || matrix.payload == 'js' || runner.os == 'Windows' }}
+          TEST_CONTEXT: ${{ matrix.context }}
+          SKIP_BUNDLE_SIZE: ${{ github.event_name != 'push' || matrix.env == 'dev' || matrix.builder == 'webpack' || matrix.context == 'default' || runner.os == 'Windows' }}
 
   build-release:
     permissions:
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index e0a6db7c56..7612d64473 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
     "play:preview": "nuxi preview playground",
     "test": "pnpm test:fixtures && pnpm test:fixtures:payload && pnpm test:fixtures:dev && pnpm test:fixtures:webpack && pnpm test:unit && pnpm typecheck",
     "test:fixtures": "nuxi prepare test/fixtures/basic && nuxi prepare test/fixtures/runtime-compiler && vitest run --dir test",
-    "test:fixtures:payload": "TEST_PAYLOAD=js pnpm test:fixtures",
     "test:fixtures:dev": "TEST_ENV=dev pnpm test:fixtures",
     "test:fixtures:webpack": "TEST_BUILDER=webpack pnpm test:fixtures",
     "test:runtime": "vitest -c vitest.nuxt.config.ts",
diff --git a/test/basic.test.ts b/test/basic.test.ts
index 05bf6e9d15..9e07df313b 100644
--- a/test/basic.test.ts
+++ b/test/basic.test.ts
@@ -1901,7 +1901,7 @@ describe.skipIf(isDev() || isWindows || !isRenderingJson)('payload rendering', (
   })
 })
 
-describe('Async context', () => {
+describe.skipIf(process.env.TEST_CONTEXT !== 'async')('Async context', () => {
   it('should be available', async () => {
     expect(await $fetch('/async-context')).toContain('"hasApp": true')
   })
diff --git a/test/fixtures/basic/nuxt.config.ts b/test/fixtures/basic/nuxt.config.ts
index 85724eaed6..88b1ff5e6c 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/basic/nuxt.config.ts
+++ b/test/fixtures/basic/nuxt.config.ts
@@ -179,7 +179,6 @@ export default defineNuxtConfig({
   experimental: {
     typedPages: true,
     polyfillVueUseHead: true,
-    renderJsonPayloads: process.env.TEST_PAYLOAD !== 'js',
     respectNoSSRHeader: true,
     clientFallback: true,
     restoreState: true,
@@ -188,7 +187,7 @@ export default defineNuxtConfig({
     reactivityTransform: true,
     treeshakeClientOnly: true,
     payloadExtraction: true,
-    asyncContext: true,
+    asyncContext: process.env.TEST_CONTEXT === 'async',
     headCapoPlugin: true
   },
   appConfig: {
diff --git a/test/utils.ts b/test/utils.ts
index d6f199aa3b..bd1015b262 100644
--- a/test/utils.ts
+++ b/test/utils.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { reactive, ref, shallowReactive, shallowRef } from 'vue'
 import { createError } from 'h3'
 import { createPage, getBrowser, url, useTestContext } from '@nuxt/test-utils'
 
-export const isRenderingJson = process.env.TEST_PAYLOAD !== 'js'
+export const isRenderingJson = true
 
 export async function renderPage (path = '/') {
   const ctx = useTestContext()