diff --git a/tests/pexpects/signals.py b/tests/pexpects/signals.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6919b6265
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/pexpects/signals.py
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+from pexpect_helper import SpawnedProc
+
+sp = SpawnedProc()
+send, sendline, sleep, expect_prompt, expect_re, expect_str = (
+    sp.send,
+    sp.sendline,
+    sp.sleep,
+    sp.expect_prompt,
+    sp.expect_re,
+    sp.expect_str,
+)
+
+from time import sleep
+import os
+import signal
+import subprocess
+
+expect_prompt()
+
+sendline("sleep 10 &")
+expect_prompt()
+
+send("\x03")
+sleep(0.010)
+sendline("jobs")
+expect_prompt("sleep.10")
+sendline("kill %1")
+expect_prompt ()
+
+# Verify that the fish_postexec handler is called after SIGINT.
+sendline("function postexec --on-event fish_postexec; echo fish_postexec spotted; end")
+expect_prompt()
+sendline("read")
+expect_re("\r\n?read> $")
+os.kill(sp.spawn.pid, signal.SIGINT)
+expect_str("fish_postexec spotted")
+expect_prompt()
+
+# Verify that the fish_kill_signal is set.
+sendline("functions -e postexec; function postexec --on-event fish_postexec; echo fish_kill_signal $fish_kill_signal; end")
+expect_prompt()
+sendline("sleep 5")
+sleep(0.100)
+subprocess.call(["pkill", "-INT", "sleep", "-P", str(sp.spawn.pid)])
+expect_str("fish_kill_signal 2")
+expect_prompt()
+
+sendline("sleep 5")
+sleep(0.100)
+subprocess.call(["pkill", "-TERM", "sleep", "-P", str(sp.spawn.pid)])
+expect_str("fish_kill_signal 15")
+expect_prompt()
+
+# Verify that sending SIGHUP to the shell, such as will happen when the tty is
+# closed by the terminal, terminates the shell and the foreground command and
+# any background commands run from that shell.
+send("sleep 130 &\r")
+expect_prompt()
+send("sleep 131 &\r")
+expect_prompt()
+send("sleep 132\r")
+os.kill(sp.spawn.pid, signal.SIGHUP)
+
+# Verify the spawned fish shell has exited.
+sp.spawn.wait()
+
+# Verify all child processes have been killed. We don't use `-p $pid` because
+# if the shell has a bug the child processes might have been reparented to pid
+# 1 rather than killed.
+proc = subprocess.run(
+    ["pgrep", "-l", "-f", "sleep 13"], stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE
+)
+if proc.returncode == 0:
+    print("Commands still running")
+    print(proc.stdout)
+    sys.exit(1)
diff --git a/tests/signals.expect b/tests/signals.expect
deleted file mode 100644
index 360ecfcb3..000000000
--- a/tests/signals.expect
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,62 +0,0 @@
-# vim: set filetype=expect:
-#
-# Test signal handling for interactive shells.
-
-set pid [spawn $fish -C "sleep 10&"]
-expect_prompt
-
-send "\x03"
-sleep 0.010
-send_line "jobs"
-expect_prompt -re {sleep.10} {} unmatched {
-    puts stderr "background job missing after SIGINT"
-}
-send_line "kill %1"
-expect_prompt 
-
-# Verify that the fish_postexec handler is called after SIGINT.
-send_line "function postexec --on-event fish_postexec; echo fish_postexec spotted; end"
-expect_prompt
-send_line read
-expect -re "\\r\\n?read> $"
-exec -- kill -INT $pid
-expect "fish_postexec spotted"
-expect_prompt
-
-# Verify that the fish_kill_signal is set.
-send_line "functions -e postexec; function postexec --on-event fish_postexec; echo fish_kill_signal \$fish_kill_signal; end"
-expect_prompt
-send_line "sleep 5"
-sleep 0.100
-exec -- pkill -INT sleep -P $pid
-expect "fish_kill_signal 2"
-expect_prompt
-
-send_line "sleep 5"
-sleep 0.100
-exec -- pkill -TERM sleep -P $pid
-expect "fish_kill_signal 15"
-expect_prompt
-
-# Verify that sending SIGHUP to the shell, such as will happen when the tty is
-# closed by the terminal, terminates the shell and the foreground command and
-# any background commands run from that shell.
-send "sleep 130 &\r"
-expect_prompt
-send "sleep 131 &\r"
-expect_prompt
-send "sleep 132\r"
-exec -- kill -HUP $pid
-
-# Verify the spawned fish shell has exited.
-catch {expect default exp_continue} output
-wait
-
-# Verify all child processes have been killed. We don't use `-p $pid` because
-# if the shell has a bug the child processes might have been reparented to pid
-# 1 rather than killed.
-set status [catch {exec pgrep -l -f "sleep 13"} output]
-if {$status == 0} {
-    puts stderr "Commands spawned by the shell still running after SIGHUP"
-    puts stderr $output
-}
diff --git a/tests/signals.expect.err b/tests/signals.expect.err
deleted file mode 100644
index e69de29bb..000000000
diff --git a/tests/signals.expect.out b/tests/signals.expect.out
deleted file mode 100644
index e69de29bb..000000000