diff --git a/tests/test_reports_accrual.py b/tests/test_reports_accrual.py
index fec4b0e736bb0bc0fae2a9e9e58688af7a4a890e..a6c1c78d9845f1dc3c54db97cbea166fc7cb880b 100644
--- a/tests/test_reports_accrual.py
+++ b/tests/test_reports_accrual.py
@@ -590,12 +590,13 @@ def run_main(arglist, config=None):
     retcode = accrual.main(arglist, output, errors, config)
     return retcode, output, errors
 
-def check_main_fails(arglist, config, error_flags, error_patterns):
+def check_main_fails(arglist, config, error_flags):
     retcode, output, errors = run_main(arglist, config)
     assert retcode > 16
     assert (retcode - 16) & error_flags
-    check_output(errors, error_patterns)
     assert not output.getvalue()
+    errors.seek(0)
+    return errors
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize('arglist', [
     ['--report-type=balance', 'entity=EarlyBird'],
@@ -686,7 +687,8 @@ def test_main_aging_report(tmp_path, arglist):
         check_aging_ods(ods_file, None, recv_rows, pay_rows)
 
 def test_main_no_books():
-    check_main_fails([], testutil.TestConfig(), 1 | 8, [
+    errors = check_main_fails([], testutil.TestConfig(), 1 | 8)
+    testutil.check_lines_match(iter(errors), [
         r':[01]: +no books to load in configuration\b',
     ])
 
@@ -695,15 +697,17 @@ def test_main_no_books():
     ['505/99999'],
     ['entity=NonExistent'],
 ])
-def test_main_no_matches(arglist):
-    check_main_fails(arglist, None, 8, [
-        r': WARNING: no matching entries found to report$',
+def test_main_no_matches(arglist, caplog):
+    check_main_fails(arglist, None, 8)
+    testutil.check_logs_match(caplog, [
+        ('WARNING', 'no matching entries found to report'),
     ])
 
-def test_main_no_rt():
+def test_main_no_rt(caplog):
     config = testutil.TestConfig(
         books_path=testutil.test_path('books/accruals.beancount'),
     )
-    check_main_fails(['-t', 'out'], config, 4, [
-        r': ERROR: unable to generate outgoing report: RT client is required\b',
+    check_main_fails(['-t', 'out'], config, 4)
+    testutil.check_logs_match(caplog, [
+        ('ERROR', 'unable to generate outgoing report: RT client is required'),
     ])