diff --git a/lib/Echidna/Types/Agent.hs b/lib/Echidna/Types/Agent.hs
index ebcd58e94..53bea0a22 100644
--- a/lib/Echidna/Types/Agent.hs
+++ b/lib/Echidna/Types/Agent.hs
@@ -31,6 +31,27 @@ data Agent
       , stateRef :: IORef WorkerState
       }
 
+-- | Construct a fuzzing agent with an explicit state publication reference.
+--
+-- Keeping the reference as an argument lets timeout-triggered auxiliary passes
+-- use a throwaway reference instead of overwriting the reporting state.
+mkFuzzerAgent
+  :: VM Concrete
+  -> GenDict
+  -> Int
+  -> IORef WorkerState
+  -> [(FilePath, [Tx])]
+  -> Int
+  -> Agent
+mkFuzzerAgent vm dict workerId stateRef initialCorpus testLimit =
+  FuzzerAgent { fuzzerId = workerId
+              , initialVm = vm
+              , initialDict = dict
+              , initialCorpus
+              , testLimit
+              , stateRef
+              }
+
 -- | The worker id this agent runs as. There is at most one symbolic worker and
 -- it is always worker 0.
 workerIdOf :: Agent -> WorkerId
diff --git a/lib/Echidna/UI.hs b/lib/Echidna/UI.hs
index 582f603a3..c9f89f99d 100644
--- a/lib/Echidna/UI.hs
+++ b/lib/Echidna/UI.hs
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ import Echidna.Output.Corpus (saveCorpusEvent)
 import Echidna.Output.JSON qualified
 import Echidna.Server (runSSEServer)
 import Echidna.SourceAnalysis.Slither (isEmptySlitherInfo)
-import Echidna.Types.Agent (Agent(..), workerTypeOf)
+import Echidna.Types.Agent (Agent(..), mkFuzzerAgent, workerTypeOf)
 import Echidna.Types.Campaign
 import Echidna.Types.Config
 import Echidna.Types.Corpus qualified as Corpus
@@ -249,17 +249,10 @@ ui vm dict initialCorpus cliSelectedContract = do
   spawnWorker env testLimit corpusChunk workerId = do
     stateRef <- newIORef initialWorkerState
 
-    let fuzzerAgent corpus limit =
-          FuzzerAgent { fuzzerId = workerId
-                      , initialVm = vm
-                      , initialDict = dict
-                      , initialCorpus = corpus
-                      , testLimit = limit
-                      , stateRef
-                      }
+    let fuzzerAgent = mkFuzzerAgent vm dict workerId
 
         agent = case workerIDToType env.cfg.campaignConf workerId of
-          FuzzWorker -> fuzzerAgent corpusChunk testLimit
+          FuzzWorker -> fuzzerAgent stateRef corpusChunk testLimit
           SymbolicWorker ->
             SymbolicAgent { initialVm = vm
                           , initialDict = dict
@@ -286,8 +279,9 @@ ui vm dict initialCorpus cliSelectedContract = do
       case stopReason of
         TimeLimitReached | workerType == FuzzWorker -> do
           tests <- traverse readIORef env.testRefs
-          when (any needsShrinking tests) $ void $
-            runAgent (fuzzerAgent [] 0) env
+          when (any needsShrinking tests) $ do
+            shrinkStateRef <- newIORef initialWorkerState
+            void $ runAgent (fuzzerAgent shrinkStateRef [] 0) env
         _ -> pure ()
 
       time <- liftIO getTimestamp
diff --git a/src/test/Spec.hs b/src/test/Spec.hs
index 8c17015ec..b236e8f7c 100644
--- a/src/test/Spec.hs
+++ b/src/test/Spec.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import System.Directory (withCurrentDirectory)
 import Test.Tasty (defaultMain, testGroup)
 import Tests.ABIv2 (abiv2Tests)
+import Tests.Agent (agentTests)
 import Tests.Assertion (assertionTests)
 import Tests.Cheat (cheatTests)
 import Tests.Compile (compilationTests)
@@ -20,7 +21,8 @@ import Tests.Values (valuesTests)
 main :: IO ()
 main = withCurrentDirectory "./tests/solidity" . defaultMain $
          testGroup "Echidna"
-           [ configTests
+           [ agentTests
+           , configTests
            , compilationTests
            , seedTests
            , integrationTests
diff --git a/src/test/Tests/Agent.hs b/src/test/Tests/Agent.hs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7b6835046
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/Tests/Agent.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+module Tests.Agent (agentTests) where
+
+import Data.IORef (newIORef)
+import Test.Tasty (TestTree, testGroup)
+import Test.Tasty.HUnit (assertBool, testCase)
+
+import Echidna.Types.Agent (mkFuzzerAgent, stateRefOf)
+import Echidna.Types.Campaign (initialWorkerState)
+
+agentTests :: TestTree
+agentTests = testGroup "Agent tests"
+  [ testCase "fuzzer agent uses the supplied state reference" $ do
+      stateRef <- newIORef initialWorkerState
+      let agent = mkFuzzerAgent undefined undefined 0 stateRef [] 0
+      assertBool "agent must publish through the supplied reference" $
+        stateRefOf agent == stateRef
+  ]