diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index d482e26..929700b 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ async fn main() {
     }
 
     // Load and parse config
-    let config = match config::load_config(&config_path) {
+    let config = match config::load_config(config_path) {
         Ok(config) => config,
         Err(e) => {
             eprintln!("Error: Failed to parse config file '{}': {}", config_path, e);
diff --git a/tests/common.rs b/tests/common.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..894d59a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/common.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use tempfile::TempDir;
+
+pub struct TestEnvironment {
+    pub temp_dir: TempDir,
+    pub config_path: PathBuf,
+    pub cert_path: PathBuf,
+    pub key_path: PathBuf,
+    pub content_path: PathBuf,
+    pub port: u16,
+}
+
+pub fn setup_test_environment() -> TestEnvironment {
+    let temp_dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+    let config_path = temp_dir.path().join("config.toml");
+    let cert_path = temp_dir.path().join("cert.pem");
+    let key_path = temp_dir.path().join("key.pem");
+    let content_path = temp_dir.path().join("content");
+
+    // Create content directory and file
+    std::fs::create_dir(&content_path).unwrap();
+    std::fs::write(content_path.join("test.gmi"), "# Test Gemini content\n").unwrap();
+
+    // Generate test certificates
+    generate_test_certificates(temp_dir.path());
+
+    // Use a unique port based on process ID to avoid conflicts
+    let port = 1967 + (std::process::id() % 1000) as u16;
+
+    TestEnvironment {
+        temp_dir,
+        config_path,
+        cert_path,
+        key_path,
+        content_path,
+        port,
+    }
+}
+
+fn generate_test_certificates(temp_dir: &Path) {
+    use std::process::Command;
+
+    let cert_path = temp_dir.join("cert.pem");
+    let key_path = temp_dir.join("key.pem");
+
+    let status = Command::new("openssl")
+        .args(&[
+            "req", "-x509", "-newkey", "rsa:2048",
+            "-keyout", &key_path.to_string_lossy(),
+            "-out", &cert_path.to_string_lossy(),
+            "-days", "1",
+            "-nodes",
+            "-subj", "/CN=localhost"
+        ])
+        .status()
+        .unwrap();
+
+    assert!(status.success(), "Failed to generate test certificates");
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/config_validation.rs b/tests/config_validation.rs
index 5fd50bf..2a43719 100644
--- a/tests/config_validation.rs
+++ b/tests/config_validation.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
+mod common;
+
 use std::process::Command;
-use std::env;
 
 #[test]
 fn test_missing_config_file() {
@@ -17,83 +18,100 @@ fn test_missing_config_file() {
 
 #[test]
 fn test_missing_hostname() {
-    let temp_dir = env::temp_dir().join(format!("pollux_test_config_{}", std::process::id()));
-    std::fs::create_dir_all(&temp_dir).unwrap();
-    let config_path = temp_dir.join("config.toml");
-    std::fs::write(&config_path, r#"
-        root = "/tmp"
-        cert = "cert.pem"
-        key = "key.pem"
-        bind_host = "0.0.0.0"
-    "#).unwrap();
+    let env = common::setup_test_environment();
+    let config_content = format!(r#"
+        root = "{}"
+        cert = "{}"
+        key = "{}"
+        bind_host = "127.0.0.1"
+    "#, env.content_path.display(), env.cert_path.display(), env.key_path.display());
+    std::fs::write(&env.config_path, config_content).unwrap();
 
     let output = Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_pollux"))
         .arg("--config")
-        .arg(&config_path)
+        .arg(&env.config_path)
         .output()
         .unwrap();
 
     assert!(!output.status.success());
     let stderr = String::from_utf8(output.stderr).unwrap();
     assert!(stderr.contains("'hostname' field is required"));
-    assert!(stderr.contains("hostname = \"your.domain.com\""));
-
-    // Cleanup
-    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&temp_dir);
+    assert!(stderr.contains("Add: hostname = \"your.domain.com\""));
 }
 
 #[test]
 fn test_nonexistent_root_directory() {
-    let temp_dir = env::temp_dir().join(format!("pollux_test_config_{}", std::process::id()));
-    std::fs::create_dir_all(&temp_dir).unwrap();
-    let config_path = temp_dir.join("config.toml");
-    std::fs::write(&config_path, r#"
+    let env = common::setup_test_environment();
+    let config_content = format!(r#"
         root = "/definitely/does/not/exist"
-        cert = "cert.pem"
-        key = "key.pem"
+        cert = "{}"
+        key = "{}"
         hostname = "example.com"
-        bind_host = "0.0.0.0"
-    "#).unwrap();
+        bind_host = "127.0.0.1"
+    "#, env.cert_path.display(), env.key_path.display());
+    std::fs::write(&env.config_path, config_content).unwrap();
 
     let output = Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_pollux"))
         .arg("--config")
-        .arg(config_path)
+        .arg(&env.config_path)
         .output()
         .unwrap();
 
-    // Cleanup
-    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&temp_dir);
-
     assert!(!output.status.success());
     let stderr = String::from_utf8(output.stderr).unwrap();
-    assert!(stderr.contains("Root directory '/definitely/does/not/exist' does not exist"));
-    assert!(stderr.contains("Create the directory and add your Gemini files"));
+    assert!(stderr.contains("Error: Root directory '/definitely/does/not/exist' does not exist"));
+    assert!(stderr.contains("Create the directory and add your Gemini files (.gmi, .txt, images)"));
 }
 
 #[test]
 fn test_missing_certificate_file() {
-    let temp_dir = env::temp_dir().join(format!("pollux_test_config_{}", std::process::id()));
-    std::fs::create_dir_all(&temp_dir).unwrap();
-    let config_path = temp_dir.join("config.toml");
-    std::fs::write(&config_path, r#"
-        root = "/tmp"
+    let env = common::setup_test_environment();
+    let config_content = format!(r#"
+        root = "{}"
         cert = "/nonexistent/cert.pem"
-        key = "key.pem"
+        key = "{}"
         hostname = "example.com"
-        bind_host = "0.0.0.0"
-    "#).unwrap();
+        bind_host = "127.0.0.1"
+    "#, env.content_path.display(), env.key_path.display());
+    std::fs::write(&env.config_path, config_content).unwrap();
 
     let output = Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_pollux"))
         .arg("--config")
-        .arg(&config_path)
+        .arg(&env.config_path)
         .output()
         .unwrap();
 
     assert!(!output.status.success());
     let stderr = String::from_utf8(output.stderr).unwrap();
-    assert!(stderr.contains("Certificate file '/nonexistent/cert.pem' does not exist"));
-    assert!(stderr.contains("Generate or obtain TLS certificates"));
+    assert!(stderr.contains("Error: Certificate file '/nonexistent/cert.pem' does not exist"));
+    assert!(stderr.contains("Generate or obtain TLS certificates for your domain"));
+}
 
-    // Cleanup
-    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&temp_dir);
+#[test]
+fn test_valid_config_startup() {
+    let env = common::setup_test_environment();
+    let config_content = format!(r#"
+        root = "{}"
+        cert = "{}"
+        key = "{}"
+        hostname = "localhost"
+        bind_host = "127.0.0.1"
+        port = {}
+    "#, env.content_path.display(), env.cert_path.display(), env.key_path.display(), env.port);
+    std::fs::write(&env.config_path, config_content).unwrap();
+
+    let mut server_process = Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_pollux"))
+        .arg("--config")
+        .arg(&env.config_path)
+        .spawn()
+        .unwrap();
+
+    // Wait for server to start
+    std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(500));
+
+    // Check server is still running (didn't exit with error)
+    assert!(server_process.try_wait().unwrap().is_none(), "Server should still be running with valid config");
+
+    // Kill server
+    server_process.kill().unwrap();
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/gemini_test_client.py b/tests/gemini_test_client.py
index b9b3975..351715f 100755
--- a/tests/gemini_test_client.py
+++ b/tests/gemini_test_client.py
@@ -1,195 +1,71 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
 """
-Gemini Test Client
+Simple Gemini Test Client
 
-A simple Gemini protocol client for testing Gemini servers.
-Used by integration tests to validate server behavior.
+Makes a single Gemini request and prints the status line.
+Used by integration tests for rate limiting validation.
 
-Usage:
-    python3 tests/gemini_test_client.py --url gemini://example.com/ --timeout 10
+Usage: python3 tests/gemini_test_client.py gemini://host:port/path
 """
 
-import argparse
+import sys
 import socket
 import ssl
-import time
-import multiprocessing
-from concurrent.futures import ProcessPoolExecutor, as_completed
 
-def parse_args():
-    """Parse command line arguments"""
-    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Test Gemini rate limiting with concurrent requests')
-    parser.add_argument('--limit', type=int, default=3,
-                       help='Number of concurrent requests to send (default: 3)')
-    parser.add_argument('--host', default='localhost',
-                       help='Server host (default: localhost)')
-    parser.add_argument('--port', type=int, default=1965,
-                       help='Server port (default: 1965)')
-    parser.add_argument('--delay', type=float, default=0.1,
-                       help='Delay between request start and connection close (default: 0.1s)')
-    parser.add_argument('--timeout', type=float, default=5.0,
-                       help='Socket timeout in seconds (default: 5.0)')
-    parser.add_argument('--url', default='gemini://localhost/big-file.mkv',
-                       help='Gemini URL to request (default: gemini://localhost/big-file.mkv)')
-
-    args = parser.parse_args()
-
-    # Validation
-    if args.limit < 1:
-        parser.error("Limit must be at least 1")
-    if args.limit > 10000:
-        parser.error("Limit too high (max 10000 for safety)")
-    if args.delay < 0:
-        parser.error("Delay must be non-negative")
-    if args.timeout <= 0:
-        parser.error("Timeout must be positive")
-
-    return args
-
-def send_gemini_request(host, port, url, delay, timeout):
-    """Send one Gemini request with proper error handling"""
+def main():
+    if len(sys.argv) != 2:
+        print("Usage: python3 gemini_test_client.py <gemini-url>", file=sys.stderr)
+        sys.exit(1)
+    
+    url = sys.argv[1]
+    
+    # Parse URL (basic parsing)
+    if not url.startswith('gemini://'):
+        print("Error: URL must start with gemini://", file=sys.stderr)
+        sys.exit(1)
+    
+    url_parts = url[9:].split('/', 1)  # Remove gemini://
+    host_port = url_parts[0]
+    path = '/' + url_parts[1] if len(url_parts) > 1 else '/'
+    
+    if ':' in host_port:
+        host, port = host_port.rsplit(':', 1)
+        port = int(port)
+    else:
+        host = host_port
+        port = 1965
+    
     try:
-        # Create SSL context
+        # Create SSL connection
         context = ssl.create_default_context()
         context.check_hostname = False
         context.verify_mode = ssl.CERT_NONE
-
-        # Connect with timeout
-        sock = socket.create_connection((host, port), timeout=timeout)
+        
+        sock = socket.create_connection((host, port), timeout=5.0)
         ssl_sock = context.wrap_socket(sock, server_hostname=host)
-
+        
         # Send request
-        request = f"{url}\r\n".encode('utf-8')
-        ssl_sock.send(request)
-
-        # Read response with timeout
-        ssl_sock.settimeout(timeout)
-        response = ssl_sock.recv(1024)
-
-        if not response:
-            return "Error: Empty response"
-
-        status = response.decode('utf-8', errors='ignore').split('\r\n')[0]
-
-        # Keep connection alive briefly if requested
-        if delay > 0:
-            time.sleep(delay)
-
+        request = f"{url}\r\n"
+        ssl_sock.send(request.encode('utf-8'))
+        
+        # Read response header
+        response = b''
+        while b'\r\n' not in response and len(response) < 1024:
+            data = ssl_sock.recv(1)
+            if not data:
+                break
+            response += data
+        
         ssl_sock.close()
-        return status
-
-    except socket.timeout:
-        return "Error: Timeout"
-    except ConnectionRefusedError:
-        return "Error: Connection refused"
+        
+        if response:
+            status_line = response.decode('utf-8', errors='ignore').split('\r\n')[0]
+            print(status_line)
+        else:
+            print("Error: No response")
+            
     except Exception as e:
-        return f"Error: {e}"
-
-def main():
-    """Run concurrent requests"""
-    args = parse_args()
-
-    if args.limit == 1:
-        print("Testing single request (debug mode)...")
-        start_time = time.time()
-        result = send_gemini_request(args.host, args.port, args.url, args.delay, args.timeout)
-        end_time = time.time()
-        duration = end_time - start_time
-        print(f"Result: {result}")
-        print(".2f")
-        return
-
-    print(f"Testing rate limiting with {args.limit} concurrent requests (using multiprocessing)...")
-    print(f"Server: {args.host}:{args.port}")
-    print(f"URL: {args.url}")
-    print(f"Delay: {args.delay}s, Timeout: {args.timeout}s")
-    print()
-
-    start_time = time.time()
-
-    # Use ProcessPoolExecutor for true parallelism (bypasses GIL)
-    results = []
-    max_workers = min(args.limit, multiprocessing.cpu_count() * 4)  # Limit workers to avoid system overload
-
-    with ProcessPoolExecutor(max_workers=max_workers) as executor:
-        futures = [
-            executor.submit(send_gemini_request, args.host, args.port,
-                          args.url, args.delay, args.timeout)
-            for _ in range(args.limit)
-        ]
-
-        for future in as_completed(futures):
-            results.append(future.result())
-
-    elapsed = time.time() - start_time
-
-    # Analyze results
-    status_counts = {}
-    connection_refused = 0
-    timeouts = 0
-    other_errors = []
-
-    for result in results:
-        if "Connection refused" in result:
-            connection_refused += 1
-        elif "Timeout" in result:
-            timeouts += 1
-        elif result.startswith("Error"):
-            other_errors.append(result)
-        else:
-            status_counts[result] = status_counts.get(result, 0) + 1
-
-    # Print results
-    print("Results:")
-    for status, count in sorted(status_counts.items()):
-        print(f"  {status}: {count}")
-    if connection_refused > 0:
-        print(f"  Connection refused: {connection_refused} (server overloaded)")
-    if timeouts > 0:
-        print(f"  Timeouts: {timeouts} (server unresponsive)")
-    if other_errors:
-        print(f"  Other errors: {len(other_errors)}")
-        for error in other_errors[:3]:
-            print(f"    {error}")
-        if len(other_errors) > 3:
-            print(f"    ... and {len(other_errors) - 3} more")
-
-    print()
-    print(".2f")
-
-    # Success criteria for rate limiting
-    success_20 = status_counts.get("20 application/octet-stream", 0)
-    rate_limited_41 = status_counts.get("41 Server unavailable", 0)
-    total_successful = success_20 + rate_limited_41 + connection_refused
-    total_processed = total_successful + timeouts
-
-    print(f"\nAnalysis:")
-    print(f"  Total requests sent: {args.limit}")
-    print(f"  Successfully processed: {total_successful}")
-    print(f"  Timeouts (server unresponsive): {timeouts}")
-
-    if args.limit == 1:
-        # Single request should succeed
-        if success_20 == 1 and timeouts == 0:
-            print("✅ PASS: Single request works correctly")
-        else:
-            print("❌ FAIL: Single request failed")
-    elif rate_limited_41 > 0 and success_20 > 0:
-        # We have both successful responses and 41 rate limited responses
-        print("✅ PASS: Rate limiting detected!")
-        print(f"   {success_20} requests succeeded")
-        print(f"   {rate_limited_41} requests rate limited with 41 response")
-        print("   Mixed results indicate rate limiting is working correctly")
-    elif success_20 == args.limit and timeouts == 0:
-        # All requests succeeded
-        print("⚠️  All requests succeeded - rate limiting may not be triggered")
-        print("   This could mean:")
-        print("   - Requests are not truly concurrent")
-        print("   - Processing is too fast for overlap")
-        print("   - Need longer delays or more concurrent requests")
-    else:
-        print("❓ UNCLEAR: Check server logs and test parameters")
-        print("   May need to adjust --limit, delays, or server configuration")
+        print(f"Error: {e}")
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     main()
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/rate_limiting.rs b/tests/rate_limiting.rs
index c7ff12d..0d58916 100644
--- a/tests/rate_limiting.rs
+++ b/tests/rate_limiting.rs
@@ -1,37 +1,10 @@
-use std::process::Command;
+mod common;
 
-struct TestEnvironment {
-    temp_dir: std::path::PathBuf,
-    config_file: std::path::PathBuf,
-    content_file: std::path::PathBuf,
-    port: u16,
-}
+#[test]
+fn test_rate_limiting_with_concurrent_requests() {
+    let env = common::setup_test_environment();
 
-impl Drop for TestEnvironment {
-    fn drop(&mut self) {
-        let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&self.temp_dir);
-    }
-}
-
-fn setup_test_environment() -> Result<TestEnvironment, Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
-    use std::env;
-    
-    // Create unique temp directory for this test
-    let temp_dir = env::temp_dir().join(format!("pollux_test_{}", std::process::id()));
-    std::fs::create_dir_all(&temp_dir)?;
-    
-    // Generate test certificates
-    generate_test_certificates(&temp_dir)?;
-    
-    // Create test content file
-    let content_file = temp_dir.join("test.gmi");
-    std::fs::write(&content_file, "# Test Gemini content\n")?;
-    
-    // Use a unique port based on process ID to avoid conflicts
-    let port = 1967 + (std::process::id() % 1000) as u16;
-    
-    // Create config file
-    let config_file = temp_dir.join("config.toml");
+    // Create config with rate limiting enabled
     let config_content = format!(r#"
         root = "{}"
         cert = "{}"
@@ -40,53 +13,51 @@ fn setup_test_environment() -> Result<TestEnvironment, Box<dyn std::error::Error
         bind_host = "127.0.0.1"
         port = {}
         max_concurrent_requests = 1
-    "#, temp_dir.display(), temp_dir.join("cert.pem").display(), temp_dir.join("key.pem").display(), port);
-    std::fs::write(&config_file, config_content)?;
-    
-    Ok(TestEnvironment {
-        temp_dir,
-        config_file,
-        content_file,
-        port,
-    })
-}
+    "#, env.content_path.display(), env.cert_path.display(), env.key_path.display(), env.port);
+    std::fs::write(&env.config_path, config_content).unwrap();
 
-fn generate_test_certificates(temp_dir: &std::path::Path) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
-    use std::process::Command;
-    
-    let cert_path = temp_dir.join("cert.pem");
-    let key_path = temp_dir.join("key.pem");
-    
-    let status = Command::new("openssl")
-        .args(&[
-            "req", "-x509", "-newkey", "rsa:2048",
-            "-keyout", &key_path.to_string_lossy(),
-            "-out", &cert_path.to_string_lossy(),
-            "-days", "1",
-            "-nodes",
-            "-subj", "/CN=localhost"
-        ])
-        .status()?;
-    
-    if !status.success() {
-        return Err("Failed to generate test certificates with openssl".into());
+    // Start server binary with test delay to simulate processing time
+    let mut server_process = std::process::Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_pollux"))
+        .arg("--config")
+        .arg(&env.config_path)
+        .arg("--test-processing-delay")
+        .arg("1")  // 1 second delay per request
+        .spawn()
+        .expect("Failed to start server");
+
+    // Wait for server to start
+    std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(500));
+
+    // Spawn 5 concurrent client processes
+    let mut handles = vec![];
+    for _ in 0..5 {
+        let url = format!("gemini://localhost:{}/test.gmi", env.port);
+        let handle = std::thread::spawn(move || {
+            std::process::Command::new("python3")
+                .arg("tests/gemini_test_client.py")
+                .arg(url)
+                .output()
+        });
+        handles.push(handle);
     }
-    
-    Ok(())
-}
 
-#[test]
-fn test_rate_limiting_with_concurrent_requests() {
-    // For now, skip the complex concurrent testing
-    // The test infrastructure is in place, but full integration testing
-    // requires more robust isolation and timing controls
-    println!("Skipping rate limiting integration test - infrastructure ready for future implementation");
-}
+    // Collect results
+    let mut results = vec![];
+    for handle in handles {
+        let output = handle.join().unwrap().unwrap();
+        let status = String::from_utf8(output.stdout).unwrap();
+        results.push(status.trim().to_string());
+    }
 
-fn python_available() -> bool {
-    std::process::Command::new("python3")
-        .arg("--version")
-        .output()
-        .map(|output| output.status.success())
-        .unwrap_or(false)
+    // Kill server
+    let _ = server_process.kill();
+
+    // Analyze results
+    let success_count = results.iter().filter(|r| r.starts_with("20")).count();
+    let rate_limited_count = results.iter().filter(|r| r.starts_with("41")).count();
+
+    // Validation
+    assert!(success_count >= 1, "At least 1 request should succeed, got results: {:?}", results);
+    assert!(rate_limited_count >= 1, "At least 1 request should be rate limited, got results: {:?}", results);
+    assert_eq!(success_count + rate_limited_count, 5, "All requests should get valid responses, got results: {:?}", results);
 }
\ No newline at end of file