diff --git a/src/app-layer-parser.c b/src/app-layer-parser.c
index 68102c2ad1..b1411a7b0b 100644
--- a/src/app-layer-parser.c
+++ b/src/app-layer-parser.c
@@ -1360,7 +1360,7 @@ int AppLayerParserParse(ThreadVars *tv, AppLayerParserThreadCtx *alp_tctx, Flow
                 &stream_slice);
         HandleStreamFrames(f, stream_slice, input, input_len, flags);
 
-#ifdef DEBUG
+#ifdef QA_SIMULATION
         if (((stream_slice.flags & STREAM_TOSERVER) &&
                     stream_slice.offset >= g_eps_applayer_error_offset_ts)) {
             SCLogNotice("putting parser %s into an error state from toserver offset %" PRIu64,
diff --git a/src/defrag-hash.c b/src/defrag-hash.c
index 98921b8021..107d355ef5 100644
--- a/src/defrag-hash.c
+++ b/src/defrag-hash.c
@@ -468,7 +468,7 @@ static void DefragExceptionPolicyStatsIncr(
  */
 static DefragTracker *DefragTrackerGetNew(ThreadVars *tv, DecodeThreadVars *dtv, Packet *p)
 {
-#ifdef DEBUG
+#ifdef QA_SIMULATION
     if (g_eps_defrag_memcap != UINT64_MAX && g_eps_defrag_memcap == p->pcap_cnt) {
         SCLogNotice("simulating memcap hit for packet %" PRIu64, p->pcap_cnt);
         ExceptionPolicyApply(p, defrag_config.memcap_policy, PKT_DROP_REASON_DEFRAG_MEMCAP);
diff --git a/src/detect-engine-alert.c b/src/detect-engine-alert.c
index a6dd332554..85608c9a6b 100644
--- a/src/detect-engine-alert.c
+++ b/src/detect-engine-alert.c
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 #include "flow.h"
 #include "flow-private.h"
 
-#ifdef DEBUG
+#ifdef QA_SIMULATION
 #include "util-exception-policy.h"
 #endif
 
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ static inline uint16_t AlertQueueExpandDo(DetectEngineThreadCtx *det_ctx, uint16
  */
 static uint16_t AlertQueueExpand(DetectEngineThreadCtx *det_ctx)
 {
-#ifdef DEBUG
+#ifdef QA_SIMULATION
     if (unlikely(g_eps_is_alert_queue_fail_mode))
         return det_ctx->alert_queue_capacity;
 #endif
diff --git a/src/flow-hash.c b/src/flow-hash.c
index 632e5668b7..66777d349c 100644
--- a/src/flow-hash.c
+++ b/src/flow-hash.c
@@ -693,7 +693,7 @@ static inline void NoFlowHandleIPS(ThreadVars *tv, FlowLookupStruct *fls, Packet
 static Flow *FlowGetNew(ThreadVars *tv, FlowLookupStruct *fls, Packet *p)
 {
     const bool emerg = ((SC_ATOMIC_GET(flow_flags) & FLOW_EMERGENCY) != 0);
-#ifdef DEBUG
+#ifdef QA_SIMULATION
     if (g_eps_flow_memcap != UINT64_MAX && g_eps_flow_memcap == p->pcap_cnt) {
         NoFlowHandleIPS(tv, fls, p);
         StatsIncr(tv, fls->dtv->counter_flow_memcap);
diff --git a/src/source-pcap-file-helper.c b/src/source-pcap-file-helper.c
index 18278602d6..a2c6043475 100644
--- a/src/source-pcap-file-helper.c
+++ b/src/source-pcap-file-helper.c
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ void CleanupPcapFileFileVars(PcapFileFileVars *pfv)
 void PcapFileCallbackLoop(char *user, struct pcap_pkthdr *h, u_char *pkt)
 {
     SCEnter();
-#ifdef DEBUG
+#ifdef QA_SIMULATION
     if (unlikely((pcap_g.cnt + 1ULL) == g_eps_pcap_packet_loss)) {
         SCLogNotice("skipping packet %" PRIu64, g_eps_pcap_packet_loss);
         pcap_g.cnt++;
diff --git a/src/stream-tcp-reassemble.c b/src/stream-tcp-reassemble.c
index 77556c5d73..387740c452 100644
--- a/src/stream-tcp-reassemble.c
+++ b/src/stream-tcp-reassemble.c
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ uint64_t StreamTcpReassembleMemuseGlobalCounter(void)
  */
 int StreamTcpReassembleCheckMemcap(uint64_t size)
 {
-#ifdef DEBUG
+#ifdef QA_SIMULATION
     if (unlikely((g_eps_stream_reassembly_memcap != UINT64_MAX &&
                   g_eps_stream_reassembly_memcap == t_pcapcnt))) {
         SCLogNotice("simulating memcap reached condition for packet %" PRIu64, t_pcapcnt);
diff --git a/src/stream-tcp.c b/src/stream-tcp.c
index c535b89e1f..4aefef9177 100644
--- a/src/stream-tcp.c
+++ b/src/stream-tcp.c
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ extern int g_detect_disabled;
 
 PoolThread *ssn_pool = NULL;
 static SCMutex ssn_pool_mutex = SCMUTEX_INITIALIZER; /**< init only, protect initializing and growing pool */
-#ifdef DEBUG
+#if defined(DEBUG) || defined(QA_SIMULATION)
 static uint64_t ssn_pool_cnt = 0; /** counts ssns, protected by ssn_pool_mutex */
 #endif
 
@@ -948,12 +948,12 @@ static TcpSession *StreamTcpNewSession(ThreadVars *tv, StreamTcpThread *stt, Pac
 #endif
                     StatsIncr(tv, stt->counter_tcp_ssn_from_pool);
         }
-#ifdef DEBUG
+#if defined(DEBUG) || defined(QA_SIMULATION)
         SCMutexLock(&ssn_pool_mutex);
         if (p->flow->protoctx != NULL)
             ssn_pool_cnt++;
         SCMutexUnlock(&ssn_pool_mutex);
-
+#ifdef QA_SIMULATION
         if (unlikely((g_eps_stream_ssn_memcap != UINT64_MAX &&
                       g_eps_stream_ssn_memcap == t_pcapcnt))) {
             SCLogNotice("simulating memcap reached condition for packet %" PRIu64, t_pcapcnt);
@@ -961,6 +961,7 @@ static TcpSession *StreamTcpNewSession(ThreadVars *tv, StreamTcpThread *stt, Pac
             StreamTcpSsnMemcapExceptionPolicyStatsIncr(tv, stt, stream_config.ssn_memcap_policy);
             return NULL;
         }
+#endif
 #endif
         ssn = (TcpSession *)p->flow->protoctx;
         if (ssn == NULL) {
diff --git a/src/util-exception-policy.c b/src/util-exception-policy.c
index f3404b54c6..1f3160b111 100644
--- a/src/util-exception-policy.c
+++ b/src/util-exception-policy.c
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ void ExceptionPolicySetStatsCounters(ThreadVars *tv, ExceptionPolicyCounters *co
     }
 }
 
-#ifndef DEBUG
+#ifndef QA_SIMULATION
 
 int ExceptionSimulationCommandLineParser(const char *name, const char *arg)
 {
diff --git a/src/util-exception-policy.h b/src/util-exception-policy.h
index 9d3dcc4260..64edb27974 100644
--- a/src/util-exception-policy.h
+++ b/src/util-exception-policy.h
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ void ExceptionPolicySetStatsCounters(ThreadVars *tv, ExceptionPolicyCounters *co
         const char *default_str, bool (*isExceptionPolicyValid)(enum ExceptionPolicy));
 
 extern enum ExceptionPolicy g_eps_master_switch;
-#ifdef DEBUG
+#ifdef QA_SIMULATION
 extern uint64_t g_eps_applayer_error_offset_ts;
 extern uint64_t g_eps_applayer_error_offset_tc;
 extern uint64_t g_eps_pcap_packet_loss;