diff --git a/tests/silimate/opt_vps.ys b/tests/silimate/opt_vps.ys
index 33434d7ff0b..e21e9dad626 100644
--- a/tests/silimate/opt_vps.ys
+++ b/tests/silimate/opt_vps.ys
@@ -31,6 +31,11 @@ log -pop
 # =============================================================================
 # Test 2: SAT self-equivalence — byte-write before vs after opt_vps
 # Proves opt_vps does not change the functional behavior.
+#
+# The pass is scoped to `gate` here and in every other self-equivalence test
+# below. `gold` already exists by this point, and with no selection argument
+# opt_vps runs on every module in the design, so a bare `opt_vps` optimizes
+# `gold` too and the miter compares optimized against optimized.
 # =============================================================================
 log -header "SAT self-equivalence: byte-write before vs after opt_vps"
 log -push
@@ -46,8 +51,8 @@ rename opt_vps_byte_write gold
 read -sv opt_vps_byte_write.sv
 verific -import opt_vps_byte_write
 proc; opt_clean
-opt_vps; opt_clean
 rename opt_vps_byte_write gate
+opt_vps gate; select -clear; opt_clean
 
 miter -equiv -flatten -make_assert gold gate miter
 hierarchy -top miter
@@ -75,8 +80,8 @@ rename opt_vps_wide gold
 read -sv opt_vps_wide.sv
 verific -import opt_vps_wide
 proc; opt_clean
-opt_vps; opt_clean
 rename opt_vps_wide gate
+opt_vps gate; select -clear; opt_clean
 
 miter -equiv -flatten -make_assert gold gate miter
 hierarchy -top miter
@@ -208,8 +213,8 @@ rename opt_vps_read gold
 read -sv opt_vps_read.sv
 verific -import opt_vps_read
 proc; opt_clean
-opt_vps; opt_clean
 rename opt_vps_read gate
+opt_vps gate; select -clear; opt_clean
 
 miter -equiv -flatten -make_assert gold gate miter
 hierarchy -top miter
@@ -262,8 +267,8 @@ rename opt_vps_gather gold
 read -sv opt_vps_gather.sv
 verific -import opt_vps_gather
 proc; opt_clean
-opt_vps; opt_clean
 rename opt_vps_gather gate
+opt_vps gate; select -clear; opt_clean
 
 miter -equiv -flatten -make_assert gold gate miter
 hierarchy -top miter
@@ -388,8 +393,8 @@ rename opt_vps_gather_negidx gold
 read -sv opt_vps_gather_negidx.sv
 verific -import opt_vps_gather_negidx
 proc; opt_clean
-opt_vps -msb-inv-sext; opt_clean
 rename opt_vps_gather_negidx gate
+opt_vps -msb-inv-sext gate; select -clear; opt_clean
 
 miter -equiv -flatten -make_assert gold gate miter
 hierarchy -top miter