diff --git a/lib/core/settings.py b/lib/core/settings.py
index f0d981251..6b3bf99b1 100644
--- a/lib/core/settings.py
+++ b/lib/core/settings.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ from lib.core.enums import OS
 from thirdparty import six
 
 # sqlmap version (<major>.<minor>.<month>.<monthly commit>)
-VERSION = "1.10.8.28"
+VERSION = "1.10.8.29"
 TYPE = "dev" if VERSION.count('.') > 2 and VERSION.split('.')[-1] != '0' else "stable"
 TYPE_COLORS = {"dev": 33, "stable": 90, "pip": 34}
 VERSION_STRING = "sqlmap/%s#%s" % ('.'.join(VERSION.split('.')[:-1]) if VERSION.count('.') > 2 and VERSION.split('.')[-1] == '0' else VERSION, TYPE)
diff --git a/tests/test_configfile.py b/tests/test_configfile.py
index c2b179148..b09242b95 100644
--- a/tests/test_configfile.py
+++ b/tests/test_configfile.py
@@ -104,19 +104,27 @@ class TestConfigFileRoundTrip(unittest.TestCase):
         handle, path = tempfile.mkstemp(suffix=".ini")
         os.close(handle)
 
+        # `conf` is the process-wide singleton every other test file shares, so this one saves and
+        # restores the WHOLE of it. Clearing it (or leaving a key behind) is not a local mistake: an
+        # emptied conf makes `conf.get("direct")` answer for the rest of the run, which silently turns
+        # urlencode() into the identity function in test files that run later.
+        saved = dict(conf)
+
         try:
             conf.url = "http://127.0.0.1:1/?id=1"
             conf.commonTables = True
             conf.tablePrefix = "zzz"
             saveConfig(conf, path)
 
-            conf.clear()
+            conf.url, conf.commonTables, conf.tablePrefix = None, False, "overwritten"
             configFileParser(path)
 
             self.assertEqual(conf.url, "http://127.0.0.1:1/?id=1")
             self.assertTrue(conf.commonTables)
             self.assertEqual(conf.tablePrefix, "zzz")
         finally:
+            conf.clear()
+            conf.update(saved)
             os.unlink(path)
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_target_parsing.py b/tests/test_target_parsing.py
index 5db31e8f1..da43993ca 100644
--- a/tests/test_target_parsing.py
+++ b/tests/test_target_parsing.py
@@ -161,9 +161,14 @@ class _TargetTestBase(unittest.TestCase):
 
 class TestRestoreMergedOptions(_TargetTestBase):
     def test_restores_each_option_from_mergedOptions(self):
+        # conf is restored as carefully as mergedOptions: this leaves 'VAL_<opt>' in conf otherwise,
+        # and conf.string / conf.textOnly are read by the shared page-comparison oracle - a stray
+        # sentinel there makes every later boolean differential in the process answer false
         saved = {}
+        savedConf = {}
         for opt in RESTORE_MERGED_OPTIONS:
             saved[opt] = mergedOptions.get(opt)
+            savedConf[opt] = conf.get(opt)
             mergedOptions[opt] = "VAL_%s" % opt
             conf[opt] = "tampered"
         try:
@@ -174,6 +179,8 @@ class TestRestoreMergedOptions(_TargetTestBase):
         finally:
             for opt, v in saved.items():
                 mergedOptions[opt] = v
+            for opt, v in savedConf.items():
+                conf[opt] = v
 
 
 class TestSetAuxOptions(_TargetTestBase):
diff --git a/tests/test_xslt.py b/tests/test_xslt.py
index 31d226f33..3907d2771 100644
--- a/tests/test_xslt.py
+++ b/tests/test_xslt.py
@@ -278,10 +278,32 @@ class XQueryTierTest(unittest.TestCase):
 
 class SwitchWiringTest(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_switch_is_registered_and_mutually_exclusive(self):
+        from lib.core.data import conf
+        from lib.core.exception import SqlmapSyntaxException
         from lib.core.optiondict import optDict
+        from lib.core.settings import NONSQL_TECHNIQUES
+
         self.assertEqual(optDict["Techniques"].get("xslt"), "boolean")
 
-        self.assertIn('("--xslt", conf.xslt)', _source("lib", "core", "option.py"))
+        # exclusivity used to be asserted by grepping option.py for a literal `("--xslt", conf.xslt)`
+        # pair; the switches now come from one registry, so assert the PROPERTY instead of the spelling
+        self.assertIn("xslt", NONSQL_TECHNIQUES)
+
+        saved = dict((_, conf.get(_)) for _ in NONSQL_TECHNIQUES)
+        try:
+            from lib.core.option import _basicOptionValidation
+
+            for _ in NONSQL_TECHNIQUES:
+                conf[_] = False
+            conf.xslt = conf.nosql = True
+            try:
+                _basicOptionValidation()
+            except SqlmapSyntaxException as ex:
+                self.assertIn("--xslt", str(ex))
+            else:
+                self.fail("'--xslt --nosql' was accepted")
+        finally:
+            conf.update(saved)
 
     def test_controller_dispatches_the_scan(self):
         self.assertIn("from lib.techniques.xslt.inject import xsltScan", _source("lib", "controller", "controller.py"))