diff --git a/packages/xstate-inspect/src/server.ts b/packages/xstate-inspect/src/server.ts
index 0df26addcb..2762f0eb74 100644
--- a/packages/xstate-inspect/src/server.ts
+++ b/packages/xstate-inspect/src/server.ts
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ export function inspect(options: ServerInspectorOptions): Inspector {
         return;
       }
 
-      const jsonMessage = JSON.parse(String(data as unknown));
+      const jsonMessage = JSON.parse(String(data));
       inspectService.send({
         ...jsonMessage,
         client
diff --git a/packages/xstate-react/test/useActor.test.tsx b/packages/xstate-react/test/useActor.test.tsx
index 5726d5d0c6..d6a447d84a 100644
--- a/packages/xstate-react/test/useActor.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/xstate-react/test/useActor.test.tsx
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ import {
   assign,
   createActor,
   createMachine,
-  raise
+  raise,
+  setup
 } from 'xstate';
 import { fromCallback, fromObservable, fromPromise } from 'xstate/actors';
 import { useActor, useSelector } from '../src/index.ts';
@@ -664,37 +665,34 @@ describeEachReactMode('useActor (%s)', ({ suiteKey, render }) => {
   it('should be able to use a delay provided outside of React', () => {
     jest.useFakeTimers();
 
-    const machine = createMachine(
-      {
-        initial: 'a',
-        states: {
-          a: {
-            on: {
-              EV: 'b'
-            }
-          },
-          b: {
-            after: {
-              myDelay: 'c'
-            }
-          },
-          c: {}
+    const machine = setup({
+      delays: {
+        myDelay: () => {
+          return 300;
         }
-      },
-      {
-        delays: {
-          myDelay: () => {
-            return 300;
+      }
+    }).createMachine({
+      initial: 'a',
+      states: {
+        a: {
+          on: {
+            EV: 'b'
           }
-        }
+        },
+        b: {
+          after: {
+            myDelay: 'c'
+          }
+        },
+        c: {}
       }
-    );
+    });
 
     const App = () => {
       const [state, send] = useActor(machine);
       return (
         <>
-          <div data-testid="result">{state.value as string}</div>
+          <div data-testid="result">{state.value}</div>
           <button onClick={() => send({ type: 'EV' })} />
         </>
       );
@@ -715,7 +713,11 @@ describeEachReactMode('useActor (%s)', ({ suiteKey, render }) => {
   });
 
   it('should not use stale data in a guard', () => {
-    const machine = createMachine({
+    const machine = setup({
+      guards: {
+        isAwesome: () => false
+      }
+    }).createMachine({
       initial: 'a',
       states: {
         a: {
@@ -740,7 +742,7 @@ describeEachReactMode('useActor (%s)', ({ suiteKey, render }) => {
       );
       return (
         <>
-          <div data-testid="result">{state.value as string}</div>
+          <div data-testid="result">{state.value}</div>
           <button onClick={() => send({ type: 'EV' })} />
         </>
       );
@@ -784,7 +786,7 @@ describeEachReactMode('useActor (%s)', ({ suiteKey, render }) => {
   });
 
   it('child component should be able to send an event to a parent immediately in an effect', () => {
-    const machine = createMachine({
+    const machine = setup({}).createMachine({
       types: {} as {
         events: {
           type: 'FINISH';
@@ -815,7 +817,7 @@ describeEachReactMode('useActor (%s)', ({ suiteKey, render }) => {
       return (
         <>
           <ChildTest send={send} />
-          {state.value as string}
+          {state.value}
         </>
       );
     };
@@ -1030,7 +1032,7 @@ describeEachReactMode('useActor (%s)', ({ suiteKey, render }) => {
   });
 
   it('should execute a delayed transition of the initial state', async () => {
-    const machine = createMachine({
+    const machine = setup({}).createMachine({
       initial: 'one',
       states: {
         one: {
@@ -1044,7 +1046,7 @@ describeEachReactMode('useActor (%s)', ({ suiteKey, render }) => {
 
     const App = () => {
       const [state] = useActor(machine);
-      return <>{state.value as string}</>;
+      return <>{state.value}</>;
     };
 
     const { container } = render(<App />);
diff --git a/packages/xstate-react/test/useSelector.test.tsx b/packages/xstate-react/test/useSelector.test.tsx
index 0c88b1b2c3..f21c6acb62 100644
--- a/packages/xstate-react/test/useSelector.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/xstate-react/test/useSelector.test.tsx
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ import {
   StateFrom,
   Snapshot,
   TransitionSnapshot,
-  AnyEventObject
+  AnyEventObject,
+  setup
 } from 'xstate';
 import {
   shallowEqual,
@@ -647,7 +648,7 @@ describeEachReactMode('useSelector (%s)', ({ suiteKey, render }) => {
   });
 
   it('should work with initially deferred actors spawned in lazy context', () => {
-    const childMachine = createMachine({
+    const childMachine = setup({}).createMachine({
       initial: 'one',
       states: {
         one: {
@@ -657,10 +658,11 @@ describeEachReactMode('useSelector (%s)', ({ suiteKey, render }) => {
       }
     });
 
-    const machine = createMachine({
+    const machine = setup({
       types: {} as {
         context: { ref: ActorRefFrom<typeof childMachine> };
-      },
+      }
+    }).createMachine({
       context: ({ spawn }) => ({
         ref: spawn(childMachine)
       }),
@@ -682,7 +684,7 @@ describeEachReactMode('useSelector (%s)', ({ suiteKey, render }) => {
 
       return (
         <>
-          <div data-testid="child-state">{childState.value as string}</div>
+          <div data-testid="child-state">{childState.value}</div>
           <button
             data-testid="child-send"
             onClick={() => childRef.send({ type: 'NEXT' })}