diff --git a/packages/vitest/src/node/cli-wrapper.ts b/packages/vitest/src/node/cli-wrapper.ts
index f218f51689cd..904445c4c700 100644
--- a/packages/vitest/src/node/cli-wrapper.ts
+++ b/packages/vitest/src/node/cli-wrapper.ts
@@ -61,6 +61,13 @@ async function main() {
     }
   }
 
+  // if not specified, don't run through spawn,
+  // because it prints stderr messages in the wrong order compared to stdout
+  if (retries <= 0) {
+    await import('./cli')
+    return
+  }
+
   const nodeArgs: string[] = []
   const vitestArgs: string[] = []
 
diff --git a/packages/vitest/src/node/logger.ts b/packages/vitest/src/node/logger.ts
index a651f1256ad8..961728751ad1 100644
--- a/packages/vitest/src/node/logger.ts
+++ b/packages/vitest/src/node/logger.ts
@@ -47,14 +47,12 @@ export class Logger {
   }
 
   private _clearScreen() {
-    if (!this._clearScreenPending)
+    if (this._clearScreenPending == null)
       return
 
     const log = this._clearScreenPending
     this._clearScreenPending = undefined
-    // equivalent to ansi-escapes:
-    // stdout.write(ansiEscapes.cursorTo(0, 0) + ansiEscapes.eraseDown + log)
-    this.console.log(`\u001B[1;1H\u001B[J${log}`)
+    this.console.log(`\x1Bc${log}`)
   }
 
   printError(err: unknown, fullStack = false, type?: string) {
@@ -84,7 +82,7 @@ export class Logger {
   }
 
   printBanner() {
-    this.log()
+    this.clearScreen('', true)
 
     const versionTest = this.ctx.config.watch
       ? c.blue(`v${version}`)