diff --git a/apps/emqx/test/emqx_inflight_SUITE.erl b/apps/emqx/test/emqx_inflight_SUITE.erl
index a819e788b..6e5d8f5cc 100644
--- a/apps/emqx/test/emqx_inflight_SUITE.erl
+++ b/apps/emqx/test/emqx_inflight_SUITE.erl
@@ -20,10 +20,9 @@
 -compile(nowarn_export_all).
 
 -include_lib("eunit/include/eunit.hrl").
--include_lib("emqx_ct_helpers/include/emqx_ct.hrl").
 
 all() -> emqx_ct:all(?MODULE).
-    
+
 t_contain(_) ->
     Inflight = emqx_inflight:insert(k, v, emqx_inflight:new()),
     ?assert(emqx_inflight:contain(k, Inflight)),
@@ -41,12 +40,12 @@ t_insert(_) ->
     ?assertEqual(2, emqx_inflight:size(Inflight)),
     ?assertEqual({value, 1}, emqx_inflight:lookup(a, Inflight)),
     ?assertEqual({value, 2}, emqx_inflight:lookup(b, Inflight)),
-    ?catch_error({key_exists, a}, emqx_inflight:insert(a, 1, Inflight)).
+    ?assertError({key_exists, a}, emqx_inflight:insert(a, 1, Inflight)).
 
 t_update(_) ->
     Inflight = emqx_inflight:insert(k, v, emqx_inflight:new()),
     ?assertEqual(Inflight, emqx_inflight:update(k, v, Inflight)),
-    ?catch_error(function_clause, emqx_inflight:update(badkey, v, Inflight)).
+    ?assertError(function_clause, emqx_inflight:update(badkey, v, Inflight)).
 
 t_resize(_) ->
     Inflight = emqx_inflight:insert(k, v, emqx_inflight:new(2)),
diff --git a/apps/emqx/test/emqx_mqtt_props_SUITE.erl b/apps/emqx/test/emqx_mqtt_props_SUITE.erl
index 2e96182b0..b4dcd2f18 100644
--- a/apps/emqx/test/emqx_mqtt_props_SUITE.erl
+++ b/apps/emqx/test/emqx_mqtt_props_SUITE.erl
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
 
 -include_lib("emqx/include/emqx_mqtt.hrl").
 -include_lib("eunit/include/eunit.hrl").
--include_lib("emqx_ct_helpers/include/emqx_ct.hrl").
 
 all() -> emqx_ct:all(?MODULE).
 
@@ -30,14 +29,14 @@ t_id(_) ->
       fun({Id, Prop}) ->
               ?assertEqual(Id, emqx_mqtt_props:id(element(1, Prop)))
       end),
-    ?catch_error({bad_property, 'Bad-Property'}, emqx_mqtt_props:id('Bad-Property')).
+    ?assertError({bad_property, 'Bad-Property'}, emqx_mqtt_props:id('Bad-Property')).
 
 t_name(_) ->
     foreach_prop(
       fun({Id, Prop}) ->
               ?assertEqual(emqx_mqtt_props:name(Id), element(1, Prop))
       end),
-    ?catch_error({unsupported_property, 16#FF}, emqx_mqtt_props:name(16#FF)).
+    ?assertError({unsupported_property, 16#FF}, emqx_mqtt_props:name(16#FF)).
 
 t_filter(_) ->
     ConnProps = #{'Session-Expiry-Interval' => 1,
@@ -60,7 +59,7 @@ t_validate(_) ->
                  },
     ok = emqx_mqtt_props:validate(ConnProps),
     BadProps = #{'Unknown-Property' => 10},
-    ?catch_error({bad_property,'Unknown-Property'},
+    ?assertError({bad_property,'Unknown-Property'},
                  emqx_mqtt_props:validate(BadProps)).
 
 t_validate_value(_) ->
@@ -68,11 +67,11 @@ t_validate_value(_) ->
     ok = emqx_mqtt_props:validate(#{'Reason-String' => <<"Unknown Reason">>}),
     ok = emqx_mqtt_props:validate(#{'User-Property' => {<<"Prop">>, <<"Val">>}}),
     ok = emqx_mqtt_props:validate(#{'User-Property' => [{<<"Prop">>, <<"Val">>}]}),
-    ?catch_error({bad_property_value, {'Payload-Format-Indicator', 16#FFFF}},
+    ?assertError({bad_property_value, {'Payload-Format-Indicator', 16#FFFF}},
                  emqx_mqtt_props:validate(#{'Payload-Format-Indicator' => 16#FFFF})),
-    ?catch_error({bad_property_value, {'Server-Keep-Alive', 16#FFFFFF}},
+    ?assertError({bad_property_value, {'Server-Keep-Alive', 16#FFFFFF}},
                  emqx_mqtt_props:validate(#{'Server-Keep-Alive' => 16#FFFFFF})),
-    ?catch_error({bad_property_value, {'Will-Delay-Interval', -16#FF}},
+    ?assertError({bad_property_value, {'Will-Delay-Interval', -16#FF}},
                  emqx_mqtt_props:validate(#{'Will-Delay-Interval' => -16#FF})).
 
 foreach_prop(Fun) ->
@@ -86,4 +85,4 @@ foreach_prop(Fun) ->
 %     error('TODO').
 
 % t_get(_) ->
-%     error('TODO').
\ No newline at end of file
+%     error('TODO').
diff --git a/apps/emqx/test/emqx_topic_SUITE.erl b/apps/emqx/test/emqx_topic_SUITE.erl
index 0cccb74bb..e8262a8ec 100644
--- a/apps/emqx/test/emqx_topic_SUITE.erl
+++ b/apps/emqx/test/emqx_topic_SUITE.erl
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
 -compile(nowarn_export_all).
 
 -include_lib("eunit/include/eunit.hrl").
--include_lib("emqx_ct_helpers/include/emqx_ct.hrl").
 
 -import(emqx_topic,
         [ wildcard/1
@@ -126,21 +125,21 @@ t_validate(_) ->
     true = validate({filter, <<"abc/#">>}),
     true = validate({filter, <<"x">>}),
     true = validate({name, <<"x//y">>}),
-	true = validate({filter, <<"sport/tennis/#">>}),
-    ok = ?catch_error(empty_topic, validate({name, <<>>})),
-    ok = ?catch_error(topic_name_error, validate({name, <<"abc/#">>})),
-    ok = ?catch_error(topic_too_long, validate({name, long_topic()})),
-    ok = ?catch_error('topic_invalid_#', validate({filter, <<"abc/#/1">>})),
-    ok = ?catch_error(topic_invalid_char, validate({filter, <<"abc/#xzy/+">>})),
-    ok = ?catch_error(topic_invalid_char, validate({filter, <<"abc/xzy/+9827">>})),
-	ok = ?catch_error(topic_invalid_char, validate({filter, <<"sport/tennis#">>})),
-    ok = ?catch_error('topic_invalid_#', validate({filter, <<"sport/tennis/#/ranking">>})).
+    true = validate({filter, <<"sport/tennis/#">>}),
+    ?assertError(empty_topic, validate({name, <<>>})),
+    ?assertError(topic_name_error, validate({name, <<"abc/#">>})),
+    ?assertError(topic_too_long, validate({name, long_topic()})),
+    ?assertError('topic_invalid_#', validate({filter, <<"abc/#/1">>})),
+    ?assertError(topic_invalid_char, validate({filter, <<"abc/#xzy/+">>})),
+    ?assertError(topic_invalid_char, validate({filter, <<"abc/xzy/+9827">>})),
+    ?assertError(topic_invalid_char, validate({filter, <<"sport/tennis#">>})),
+    ?assertError('topic_invalid_#', validate({filter, <<"sport/tennis/#/ranking">>})).
 
 t_sigle_level_validate(_) ->
     true = validate({filter, <<"+">>}),
     true = validate({filter, <<"+/tennis/#">>}),
     true = validate({filter, <<"sport/+/player1">>}),
-    ok = ?catch_error(topic_invalid_char, validate({filter, <<"sport+">>})).
+    ?assertError(topic_invalid_char, validate({filter, <<"sport+">>})).
 
 t_prepend(_) ->
     ?assertEqual(<<"ab">>, prepend(undefined, <<"ab">>)),
@@ -192,14 +191,14 @@ long_topic() ->
     iolist_to_binary([[integer_to_list(I), "/"] || I <- lists:seq(0, 66666)]).
 
 t_parse(_) ->
-    ok = ?catch_error({invalid_topic_filter, <<"$queue/t">>},
-                      parse(<<"$queue/t">>, #{share => <<"g">>})),
-    ok = ?catch_error({invalid_topic_filter, <<"$share/g/t">>},
-                      parse(<<"$share/g/t">>, #{share => <<"g">>})),
-    ok = ?catch_error({invalid_topic_filter, <<"$share/t">>},
-                      parse(<<"$share/t">>)),
-    ok = ?catch_error({invalid_topic_filter, <<"$share/+/t">>},
-                      parse(<<"$share/+/t">>)),
+    ?assertError({invalid_topic_filter, <<"$queue/t">>},
+                 parse(<<"$queue/t">>, #{share => <<"g">>})),
+    ?assertError({invalid_topic_filter, <<"$share/g/t">>},
+                 parse(<<"$share/g/t">>, #{share => <<"g">>})),
+    ?assertError({invalid_topic_filter, <<"$share/t">>},
+                 parse(<<"$share/t">>)),
+    ?assertError({invalid_topic_filter, <<"$share/+/t">>},
+                 parse(<<"$share/+/t">>)),
     ?assertEqual({<<"a/b/+/#">>, #{}}, parse(<<"a/b/+/#">>)),
     ?assertEqual({<<"a/b/+/#">>, #{qos => 1}}, parse({<<"a/b/+/#">>, #{qos => 1}})),
     ?assertEqual({<<"topic">>, #{share => <<"$queue">>}}, parse(<<"$queue/topic">>)),