diff --git a/os_api_ref/tests/base.py b/os_api_ref/tests/base.py
index 730258f..6e5e0dc 100644
--- a/os_api_ref/tests/base.py
+++ b/os_api_ref/tests/base.py
@@ -16,8 +16,12 @@
 import os
 
 import fixtures
+import tempfile
 import testtools
 
+from sphinx.testing.path import path
+from sphinx.testing.util import SphinxTestApp
+
 
 def example_dir(name=""):
     return os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), 'examples', name)
@@ -26,6 +30,29 @@ def example_dir(name=""):
 _TRUE_VALUES = ('True', 'true', '1', 'yes')
 
 
+class with_app:
+    def __init__(self, **kwargs):
+        if 'srcdir' in kwargs:
+            self.srcdir = path(kwargs['srcdir'])
+        self.sphinx_app_args = kwargs
+
+    def __call__(self, f):
+        def newf(*args, **kwargs):
+            with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmpdirname:
+                tmpdir = path(tmpdirname)
+                tmproot = tmpdir / self.srcdir.basename()
+                self.srcdir.copytree(tmproot)
+                self.sphinx_app_args['srcdir'] = tmproot
+                self.builddir = tmproot.joinpath('_build')
+
+                app = SphinxTestApp(freshenv=True, **self.sphinx_app_args)
+
+                f(*args, app, app._status, app._warning, **kwargs)
+
+                app.cleanup()
+        return newf
+
+
 class OutputStreamCapture(fixtures.Fixture):
     """Capture output streams during tests.
 
diff --git a/os_api_ref/tests/test_basic_example.py b/os_api_ref/tests/test_basic_example.py
index 4a82a6a..83e2892 100644
--- a/os_api_ref/tests/test_basic_example.py
+++ b/os_api_ref/tests/test_basic_example.py
@@ -18,23 +18,10 @@ Tests for `os_api_ref` module.
 """
 
 from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
-import sphinx
-from sphinx_testing import with_app
 
 from os_api_ref.tests import base
 
 
-# FIXME(stephenfin): This is horrible. We're monkeypatching this to work around
-# the fact that Sphinx 1.8+ started called 'abspath' from within the
-# 'sphinx.application.Application' class [1]. This means our careful use of
-# 'sphinx_testing.path.path' for 'Application.outdir' etc. gets stomped on.
-# We're correcting that but we're doing so globally because mock doesn't work
-# for some reason and this is bound to have some side effects
-#
-# [1] https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/commit/3a85b3502f
-sphinx.application.abspath = lambda x: x
-
-
 class TestBasicExample(base.TestCase):
     """Test basic rendering.
 
@@ -42,8 +29,7 @@ class TestBasicExample(base.TestCase):
     examples, so if someone breaks something we know.
     """
 
-    @with_app(buildername='html', srcdir=base.example_dir('basic'),
-              copy_srcdir_to_tmpdir=True)
+    @base.with_app(buildername='html', srcdir=base.example_dir('basic'))
     def setUp(self, app, status, warning):
         super(TestBasicExample, self).setUp()
         self.app = app
diff --git a/os_api_ref/tests/test_microversions.py b/os_api_ref/tests/test_microversions.py
index 7da8c2f..8281442 100644
--- a/os_api_ref/tests/test_microversions.py
+++ b/os_api_ref/tests/test_microversions.py
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ Tests for `os_api_ref` module.
 """
 
 from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
-from sphinx_testing import with_app
 
 from os_api_ref.tests import base
 
@@ -30,8 +29,8 @@ class TestMicroversions(base.TestCase):
     examples, so if someone breaks something we know.
     """
 
-    @with_app(buildername='html', srcdir=base.example_dir('microversions'),
-              copy_srcdir_to_tmpdir=True)
+    @base.with_app(buildername='html',
+                   srcdir=base.example_dir('microversions'))
     def setUp(self, app, status, warning):
         super(TestMicroversions, self).setUp()
         self.app = app
diff --git a/os_api_ref/tests/test_warnings.py b/os_api_ref/tests/test_warnings.py
index 0a588d2..9fa9fef 100644
--- a/os_api_ref/tests/test_warnings.py
+++ b/os_api_ref/tests/test_warnings.py
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ Tests for `os_api_ref` module.
 """
 
 from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
-from sphinx_testing import with_app
 
 from os_api_ref.tests import base
 
@@ -30,8 +29,7 @@ class TestWarnings(base.TestCase):
     examples, so if someone breaks something we know.
     """
 
-    @with_app(buildername='html', srcdir=base.example_dir('warnings'),
-              copy_srcdir_to_tmpdir=True)
+    @base.with_app(buildername='html', srcdir=base.example_dir('warnings'))
     def setUp(self, app, status, warning):
         super(TestWarnings, self).setUp()
         self.app = app
diff --git a/test-requirements.txt b/test-requirements.txt
index d165510..0fd36ef 100644
--- a/test-requirements.txt
+++ b/test-requirements.txt
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ coverage!=4.4,>=4.0 # Apache-2.0
 python-subunit>=1.0.0 # Apache-2.0/BSD
 testrepository>=0.0.18 # Apache-2.0/BSD
 testtools>=2.2.0 # MIT
-sphinx-testing>=1.0.1 # BSD License
 beautifulsoup4>=4.6.0 # MIT
 stestr>=2.0.0 # Apache-2.0
 pre-commit>=2.6.0 # MIT