diff --git a/src/env_universal_common.cpp b/src/env_universal_common.cpp
index 778f41055..aaafe746c 100644
--- a/src/env_universal_common.cpp
+++ b/src/env_universal_common.cpp
@@ -1357,22 +1357,22 @@ universal_notifier_t::notifier_strategy_t universal_notifier_t::resolve_default_
 }
 
 universal_notifier_t &universal_notifier_t::default_notifier() {
-    static universal_notifier_t *result =
+    static std::unique_ptr<universal_notifier_t> result =
         new_notifier_for_strategy(universal_notifier_t::resolve_default_strategy());
     return *result;
 }
 
-universal_notifier_t *universal_notifier_t::new_notifier_for_strategy(
+std::unique_ptr<universal_notifier_t> universal_notifier_t::new_notifier_for_strategy(
     universal_notifier_t::notifier_strategy_t strat, const wchar_t *test_path) {
     switch (strat) {
         case strategy_notifyd: {
-            return new universal_notifier_notifyd_t();
+            return make_unique<universal_notifier_notifyd_t>();
         }
         case strategy_shmem_polling: {
-            return new universal_notifier_shmem_poller_t();
+            return make_unique<universal_notifier_shmem_poller_t>();
         }
         case strategy_named_pipe: {
-            return new universal_notifier_named_pipe_t(test_path);
+            return make_unique<universal_notifier_named_pipe_t>(test_path);
         }
         default: {
             debug(0, "Unsupported universal notifier strategy %d\n", strat);
diff --git a/src/env_universal_common.h b/src/env_universal_common.h
index c25c7e2e6..a410f92c3 100644
--- a/src/env_universal_common.h
+++ b/src/env_universal_common.h
@@ -135,9 +135,9 @@ class universal_notifier_t {
     static notifier_strategy_t resolve_default_strategy();
     virtual ~universal_notifier_t();
 
-    // Factory constructor. Free with delete.
-    static universal_notifier_t *new_notifier_for_strategy(notifier_strategy_t strat,
-                                                           const wchar_t *test_path = NULL);
+    // Factory constructor.
+    static std::unique_ptr<universal_notifier_t> new_notifier_for_strategy(notifier_strategy_t strat,
+                                                                           const wchar_t *test_path = NULL);
 
     // Default instance. Other instances are possible for testing.
     static universal_notifier_t &default_notifier();
diff --git a/src/fish_tests.cpp b/src/fish_tests.cpp
index 6fb542841..5454b352b 100644
--- a/src/fish_tests.cpp
+++ b/src/fish_tests.cpp
@@ -532,12 +532,12 @@ static int test_iothread_thread_call(int *addr) {
 
 static void test_iothread(void) {
     say(L"Testing iothreads");
-    int *int_ptr = new int(0);
+    std::unique_ptr<int> int_ptr = make_unique<int>(0);
     int iterations = 50000;
     int max_achieved_thread_count = 0;
     double start = timef();
     for (int i = 0; i < iterations; i++) {
-        int thread_count = iothread_perform(test_iothread_thread_call, int_ptr);
+        int thread_count = iothread_perform(test_iothread_thread_call, int_ptr.get());
         max_achieved_thread_count = std::max(max_achieved_thread_count, thread_count);
     }
 
@@ -552,8 +552,6 @@ static void test_iothread(void) {
 
     say(L"    (%.02f msec, with max of %d threads)", (end - start) * 1000.0,
         max_achieved_thread_count);
-
-    delete int_ptr;
 }
 
 static parser_test_error_bits_t detect_argument_errors(const wcstring &src) {
@@ -2553,7 +2551,7 @@ static void test_universal_callbacks() {
     if (system("rm -Rf /tmp/fish_uvars_test")) err(L"rm failed");
 }
 
-bool poll_notifier(universal_notifier_t *note) {
+bool poll_notifier(const std::unique_ptr<universal_notifier_t> &note) {
     bool result = false;
     if (note->usec_delay_between_polls() > 0) {
         result = note->poll();
@@ -2591,7 +2589,7 @@ static void trigger_or_wait_for_notification(universal_notifier_t::notifier_stra
 
 static void test_notifiers_with_strategy(universal_notifier_t::notifier_strategy_t strategy) {
     say(L"Testing universal notifiers with strategy %d", (int)strategy);
-    universal_notifier_t *notifiers[16];
+    std::unique_ptr<universal_notifier_t> notifiers[16];
     size_t notifier_count = sizeof notifiers / sizeof *notifiers;
 
     // Populate array of notifiers.
@@ -2625,7 +2623,7 @@ static void test_notifiers_with_strategy(universal_notifier_t::notifier_strategy
             if (!poll_notifier(notifiers[i])) {
                 err(L"Universal variable notifier (%lu) %p polled failed to notice changes, with "
                     L"strategy %d",
-                    i, notifiers[i], (int)strategy);
+                    i, notifiers[i].get(), (int)strategy);
             }
         }
 
@@ -2648,11 +2646,6 @@ static void test_notifiers_with_strategy(universal_notifier_t::notifier_strategy
                 (int)strategy);
         }
     }
-
-    // Clean up.
-    for (size_t i = 0; i < notifier_count; i++) {
-        delete notifiers[i];
-    }
 }
 
 static void test_universal_notifiers() {