diff --git a/CHANGES.txt b/CHANGES.txt
index 19ba7ab37d..a37a3a349a 100644
--- a/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/CHANGES.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 4.2
+ * Remove mocking in InternalNodeProbe spying on StorageServiceMBean (CASSANDRA-18152)
  * Add compaction_properties column to system.compaction_history table and nodetool compactionhistory command (CASSANDRA-18061)
  * Remove ProtocolVersion entirely from the CollectionSerializer ecosystem (CASSANDRA-18114)
  * Fix serialization error in new getsstables --show-levels option (CASSANDRA-18140)
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/service/StorageService.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/service/StorageService.java
index 7dab8745f3..170dade2d5 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/service/StorageService.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/service/StorageService.java
@@ -231,6 +231,9 @@ public class StorageService extends NotificationBroadcasterSupport implements IE
 
     private final SamplingManager samplingManager = new SamplingManager();
 
+    @VisibleForTesting // this is used for dtests only, see CASSANDRA-18152
+    public volatile boolean skipNotificationListeners = false;
+
     @Deprecated
     public boolean isInShutdownHook()
     {
@@ -7134,4 +7137,27 @@ public class StorageService extends NotificationBroadcasterSupport implements IE
     {
         return DatabaseDescriptor.getSkipStreamDiskSpaceCheck();
     }
+
+    @Override
+    public void removeNotificationListener(NotificationListener listener) throws ListenerNotFoundException
+    {
+        if (!skipNotificationListeners)
+            super.removeNotificationListener(listener);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void removeNotificationListener(NotificationListener listener, NotificationFilter filter, Object handback) throws ListenerNotFoundException
+    {
+        if (!skipNotificationListeners)
+            super.removeNotificationListener(listener, filter, handback);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void addNotificationListener(NotificationListener listener,
+                                        NotificationFilter filter,
+                                        Object handback) throws java.lang.IllegalArgumentException
+    {
+        if (!skipNotificationListeners)
+            super.addNotificationListener(listener, filter, handback);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/test/distributed/org/apache/cassandra/distributed/impl/Instance.java b/test/distributed/org/apache/cassandra/distributed/impl/Instance.java
index c3cae9ab54..af14035734 100644
--- a/test/distributed/org/apache/cassandra/distributed/impl/Instance.java
+++ b/test/distributed/org/apache/cassandra/distributed/impl/Instance.java
@@ -932,9 +932,9 @@ public class Instance extends IsolatedExecutor implements IInvokableInstance
     public NodeToolResult nodetoolResult(boolean withNotifications, String... commandAndArgs)
     {
         return sync(() -> {
-            try (CapturingOutput output = new CapturingOutput())
+            try (CapturingOutput output = new CapturingOutput();
+                 DTestNodeTool nodetool = new DTestNodeTool(withNotifications, output.delegate))
             {
-                DTestNodeTool nodetool = new DTestNodeTool(withNotifications, output.delegate);
                 // install security manager to get informed about the exit-code
                 System.setSecurityManager(new SecurityManager()
                 {
@@ -1018,15 +1018,18 @@ public class Instance extends IsolatedExecutor implements IInvokableInstance
         }
     }
 
-    public static class DTestNodeTool extends NodeTool {
+    public static class DTestNodeTool extends NodeTool implements AutoCloseable
+    {
         private final StorageServiceMBean storageProxy;
         private final CollectingNotificationListener notifications = new CollectingNotificationListener();
-
+        private final InternalNodeProbe internalNodeProbe;
         private Throwable latestError;
 
-        public DTestNodeTool(boolean withNotifications, Output output) {
+        public DTestNodeTool(boolean withNotifications, Output output)
+        {
             super(new InternalNodeProbeFactory(withNotifications), output);
-            storageProxy = new InternalNodeProbe(withNotifications).getStorageService();
+            internalNodeProbe = new InternalNodeProbe(withNotifications);
+            storageProxy = internalNodeProbe.getStorageService();
             storageProxy.addNotificationListener(notifications, null, null);
         }
 
@@ -1072,6 +1075,12 @@ public class Instance extends IsolatedExecutor implements IInvokableInstance
             super.err(e);
             latestError = e;
         }
+
+        @Override
+        public void close()
+        {
+            internalNodeProbe.close();
+        }
     }
 
     private static final class CollectingNotificationListener implements NotificationListener
diff --git a/test/distributed/org/apache/cassandra/distributed/mock/nodetool/InternalNodeProbe.java b/test/distributed/org/apache/cassandra/distributed/mock/nodetool/InternalNodeProbe.java
index 097206a77f..381bb09ec4 100644
--- a/test/distributed/org/apache/cassandra/distributed/mock/nodetool/InternalNodeProbe.java
+++ b/test/distributed/org/apache/cassandra/distributed/mock/nodetool/InternalNodeProbe.java
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ package org.apache.cassandra.distributed.mock.nodetool;
 import java.lang.management.ManagementFactory;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.Map;
-import javax.management.ListenerNotFoundException;
 
 import com.google.common.collect.Multimap;
 
@@ -45,14 +44,13 @@ import org.apache.cassandra.service.CacheServiceMBean;
 import org.apache.cassandra.service.GCInspector;
 import org.apache.cassandra.service.StorageProxy;
 import org.apache.cassandra.service.StorageService;
-import org.apache.cassandra.service.StorageServiceMBean;
 import org.apache.cassandra.streaming.StreamManager;
 import org.apache.cassandra.tools.NodeProbe;
-import org.mockito.Mockito;
 
 public class InternalNodeProbe extends NodeProbe
 {
     private final boolean withNotifications;
+    private boolean previousSkipNotificationListeners = false;
 
     public InternalNodeProbe(boolean withNotifications)
     {
@@ -66,26 +64,10 @@ public class InternalNodeProbe extends NodeProbe
         mbeanServerConn = null;
         jmxc = null;
 
-        if (withNotifications)
-        {
-            ssProxy = StorageService.instance;
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            // replace the notification apis with a no-op method
-            StorageServiceMBean mock = Mockito.spy(StorageService.instance);
-            Mockito.doNothing().when(mock).addNotificationListener(Mockito.any(), Mockito.any(), Mockito.any());
-            try
-            {
-                Mockito.doNothing().when(mock).removeNotificationListener(Mockito.any(), Mockito.any(), Mockito.any());
-                Mockito.doNothing().when(mock).removeNotificationListener(Mockito.any());
-            }
-            catch (ListenerNotFoundException e)
-            {
-                throw new AssertionError(e);
-            }
-            ssProxy = mock;
-        }
+        previousSkipNotificationListeners = StorageService.instance.skipNotificationListeners;
+        StorageService.instance.skipNotificationListeners = !withNotifications;
+
+        ssProxy = StorageService.instance;
         msProxy = MessagingService.instance();
         streamProxy = StreamManager.instance;
         compactionProxy = CompactionManager.instance;
@@ -105,7 +87,7 @@ public class InternalNodeProbe extends NodeProbe
     @Override
     public void close()
     {
-        // nothing to close. no-op
+        StorageService.instance.skipNotificationListeners = previousSkipNotificationListeners;
     }
 
     @Override