diff --git a/components/mbedtls/test_apps/persistent_storage_format/main/app_main.c b/components/mbedtls/test_apps/persistent_storage_format/main/app_main.c
index 42463fd9382..75e933aec9f 100644
--- a/components/mbedtls/test_apps/persistent_storage_format/main/app_main.c
+++ b/components/mbedtls/test_apps/persistent_storage_format/main/app_main.c
@@ -10,10 +10,28 @@
 #include "esp_newlib.h"
 #include "memory_checks.h"
 #include "nvs_flash.h"
+#include "psa/crypto.h"
 #include "unity.h"
+#include "test_persistent_format.h"
+
+/* First ITS access caches the NVS psa_its namespace (and related one-shot
+ * PSA storage state). Prime it before leak accounting so consume tests are
+ * not charged ~1.2 KB against the 1200-byte critical threshold — the same
+ * pattern mbedtls_ut uses for AES interrupt allocation. */
+static void prime_psa_its(psa_key_id_t id)
+{
+    psa_key_attributes_t attr = PSA_KEY_ATTRIBUTES_INIT;
+    (void)psa_get_key_attributes(id, &attr);
+    psa_reset_key_attributes(&attr);
+    (void)psa_purge_key(id);
+}
 
 void setUp(void)
 {
+    prime_psa_its(ESP_PERSISTENT_FIXTURE_DS_KEY_ID);
+    prime_psa_its(ESP_PERSISTENT_FIXTURE_HMAC_KEY_ID);
+    prime_psa_its(ESP_PERSISTENT_FIXTURE_ECDSA_KEY_ID);
+
     test_utils_record_free_mem();
     test_utils_set_leak_level(CONFIG_UNITY_CRITICAL_LEAK_LEVEL_GENERAL,
                               ESP_LEAK_TYPE_CRITICAL, ESP_COMP_LEAK_GENERAL);